Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Chapter 171 Vomiting blood

After learning of Li Xingzhi's abilities, Old Master Li used his advanced age and poor health as an excuse to relinquish all affairs of the Li family, spending his days in the backyard fighting birds and playing with insects, enjoying tea and appreciating flowers.

Li Xingzhi had only been managing the Li family affairs for a few days when he was overwhelmed by the troubles. He then sent all the account books to Wang Xiucai's room. From then on, he learned from the old man to live a leisurely life, enjoying the company of a beautiful woman.

Wang Xiucai was not young, but he had gained Li Xingzhi's trust. He possessed a strong Taoist spirit and was full of energy all day long. Although he was tired from writing documents, he enjoyed it.

At the end of August, Wang Xiucai was hunched over his desk, his brow furrowed as he reviewed the accounts from various places. The accounts were covered in red ink, each entry alarming!

The managers of the two Chuyunlou restaurants and three Langui Fang restaurants in Chang'an had lost their former high spirits; their faces were gloomy and pale, and they sighed incessantly.

“This matter arose because of my Li family, not because of you. You may all leave now, and I will speak with the eldest son myself.”

In the backyard, Li Xingzhi was enjoying the cool air in the pavilion as usual. Leaning against the cool stone table, he thought about where he should go after the New Year—the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks, Dunhuang and the northern deserts, the snowy plains of Tibet, the Ten Thousand Mountains… His thoughts drifted to the clouds and mountain streams.

But stillness breeds restlessness.

Suddenly, it occurred to me: I wonder how the war is going in the Northwest. Perhaps I could go and witness the might of the Tang Dynasty's iron army.

With his current martial arts skills, although it would not be easy for him to take the enemy's head amidst a vast army, he would be able to protect himself without any worries.

At this moment, a series of light and powerful footsteps interrupted Li Xingzhi's thoughts.

His ears twitched, and he immediately recognized who it was. "Sir, what brings you here?" The voice came from Li Xingzhi and carried far into Wang Xiucai's ears.

Li Xingzhi was puzzled: everyone in the Li family knew about his habit of taking a midday nap, and usually no one would bother him at this time, except for Li Linzhi, that loud and boisterous girl, who would occasionally cause a ruckus. He wondered what Wang Dalang had to do.

As he thought this, the footsteps that reached his ears sounded slightly hurried, and Li Xingzhi had a vague feeling that trouble was coming again.

Wang Xiucai remained thin and expressionless, his skin still pale, yet with a subtle, luminous sheen. He stood before Li Xingzhi, gently placing the account book in his hand, which landed steadily before Li Xingzhi.

"I won't look at the ledgers. Just tell me what's wrong!" Ever since those agonizing days, Li Xingzhi has had a headache just looking at these ledgers. In his previous life, Li Xingzhi was an excellent mathematician; if he returned to the Tang Dynasty, probably no one could rival him. However, these ledgers were not for ordinary people—large, illegible traditional characters, each ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, filling an entire line, and then requiring calculations from left to right. For Li Xingzhi, who was used to Arabic numerals from later generations, it was nothing short of hellish torture!

“Ah Lang, do you remember Manager Cheng, whose leg you broke and who was thrown out a few days ago? He was sent by Monkey Jubao, the owner of Jubao Grain Store.”

"Monkey Treasure, what does he have to do with us, he's just a grain dealer?"

“I used to think he was just an ordinary grain merchant. Although he had some tricks up his sleeve, he wasn’t a threat. However, in recent days, our Li family business has suffered many setbacks, which has allowed me to uncover some clues.” Wang Xiucai looked at Li Xingzhi, paused, and continued, “On the surface, this man is a grain merchant, but in reality, he secretly controls many trading companies, and is also involved in salt, iron, wine, and brewing. He has a huge force behind him.”

"Monkey Gathering Treasure? That's an interesting name." As he spoke, a thought flashed through Li Xingzhi's mind.

"I didn't expect to catch such a big fish with just one shot! The Li family is still a bit weak right now." Li Xingzhi sighed softly. "Have people keep a close watch on the house recently, in case someone tries something desperate. As for those who extend their claws, have Sun Er take some clever men to deal with them." As for Hou Jubao and the people behind him, Li Xingzhi was too lazy to bother with them for the time being. After all, both sides were now in the open, and if they were to directly eliminate the other side, the Li family would likely become the target of everyone's criticism.

This incident rekindled his earlier desire to travel, and it became even stronger. In fact, if it weren't for his grandfather's constant concern, Li Xingzhi would have already packed up his belongings, left this noisy place, and sought out a secluded and beautiful place.

Although the Li family is still weak, Li Xingzhi's forces, under Wang Xiucai's control, have developed over the years and have spread throughout Chang'an. Few things can escape his notice. As for Sun Er and his men, after years of hard training, their actions today are like ferocious beasts unleashed from their cages, their bloodlust irrepressible!

A few days later.

In a quiet courtyard somewhere in Chang'an, incense burns on an altar, its wisps spiraling upwards, creating a serene and Zen-like atmosphere. Beside the altar, a large figure sits cross-legged, a gentle smile on his face, like Maitreya Buddha in a temple, radiating warmth and approachability.

Suddenly, a series of footsteps, some light and some heavy, came from behind, and the serene scene shattered with a bang! The 'Laughing Buddha's' eyes flashed with a fierce light, which finally turned into a smile on his lips, making the previously frozen smile even more pronounced, and his bright red lips looked like blood.

"What is it?" Mingming's gentle and soft tone struck the hearts of the group of people who had rushed over like a thunderclap! Their already pale faces turned even whiter.

The warm, orange sunlight streamed into the courtyard, while a chilling cold seeped into one's heart.

"Master, something terrible has happened! Ah Da, Ah Da and the others are all dead!!" The voice was shrill and hoarse, like the cawing of a black crow.

Before he could finish speaking, several more people entered. Hearing their words, his face turned ashen. "My lord, all those brothers... all of them are just a few of us left!!" The already bleak atmosphere became even more intense and tragic.

At this moment, the smile on Maitreya's face disappeared, and his once full and radiant face became dark and menacing, as if dripping with water; his small, squinting eyes bulged out, like an angry beast, roaring and ready to devour anyone who might harm him.

The men below had never seen their lord with such an expression. Sweat dripped from their foreheads, yet they felt a chill run through their bodies and trembled with fear.

Just then, another person hurried over, holding a strip of cloth stained with ink, and presented it to him with clasped hands.

When 'Laughing Buddha' picked up the strip of cloth and looked at it, his dark face suddenly turned red. "Pfft!" He spat out a mouthful of scarlet blood, and his face turned deathly pale.

"Twenty years, haha, twenty years of foundation vanished in a single day! Hahaha, Princess—" She clutched her chest at the end, vomiting another mouthful of crimson blood! "Who, who, who is it—" Her voice trailed off...

Monkey Two had no idea that all of this was because of the small Li family, which he had never taken seriously.

Li Xingzhi never expected that Sun Er and his group, like criminals released from prison or wild beasts that hadn't seen blood for years, would wipe out Hou Jubao's entire force overnight, leaving only a few broken branches to witness this cruel reality. Many others who were planning to take advantage of the situation also suffered collateral damage.

At that moment, a group of sneaky fellows, carrying large and small bags, knocked on the Li family's door and slipped through the crack...

Li Xingzhi looked at the things that Sun Er and his group had brought back and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Gold, silver, cloth, and jade are plausible, but what's with those bags of rice? Carrying over hundreds of pounds of stuff while trying to evade a search—only these people would do something like that. They must have had nothing else to take, and seeing everyone else carrying several large bags while they themselves looked bad empty-handed, they just grabbed some.

"Keep these gifts for yourselves! Take the rice and flour to the kitchen and have someone cook them tomorrow."