Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

Soon, two figures arrived with lightning speed, and a familiar voice reached Guo Jing's ears: "What are you laughing at, Master Guo?"

Guo Jing stopped laughing, recognized the person, and exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Ling!"

The visitors were none other than Ling Chi and Xiao Longnv.

Those in the martial arts world who knew Ling Chi were also extremely excited and immediately went forward to greet him.

"Brother Ling, it really is you."

"Brother Ling, I knew it must be you."

"Brother Ling, you just annihilated 50,000 Mongol cavalry a few days ago, and last night you set fire to their camps, inflicting a great defeat on the Mongol army. Brother Ling, you are a hero to all Han people in the world!"

"Brother Ling is awesome! Brother Ling is amazing!"

"..."

Ling Chi blushed after being praised.

Why am I blushing? Because I'm feeling radiant.

"Ah! You flatter me, everyone. Keep praising me, I can handle it."

……

On the same day, the battle report, which boasted of the Xiangyang defenders' decisive victory over the Mongol "million-strong army," was swiftly relayed back to Lin'an.

When Emperor Lizong of Song finished reading the battle report, he trembled all over.

The imperial court was in complete chaos, with all the civil and military officials beaming and celebrating their new official positions.

The Song Dynasty defeated a million Mongol invaders, which gave them an even greater sense of accomplishment than the alliance with the Mongols to destroy the Jin Dynasty, especially since the cost they paid was very small. The reports said that the defending army only lost a few thousand men, which was almost negligible.

A resounding victory! An unprecedented and glorious victory!

Although the Southern Song Dynasty did not have a large territory, it had a population of 70 million, which was comparable to the Tang Dynasty at its peak. If the Song Dynasty had not emphasized civil affairs over military affairs from the beginning of its establishment, it would not have been bullied by the Liao, Jin and Mongol dynasties for so many years.

If the Southern Song Dynasty had changed its national policy and emphasized both civil and military affairs, it would not have been difficult to drive the Mongols back to the grasslands.

This great victory against the Mongols gave Emperor Lizong of Song hope of becoming a great emperor for all time.

"My beloved ministers, now that our Great Song Dynasty has achieved a great victory, should we press our advantage and recover the lost territory?"

When Emperor Lizong spoke, the court fell silent for a moment. Then a fierce argument ensued.

The military officers' camp naturally agreed wholeheartedly. For them, making meritorious contributions was the duty of a military general. Moreover, the Mongols had suffered a crushing defeat at this time. If they did not press their advantage and wait for the Mongols to escape and recover, it would be difficult to deal with them.

However, the civil officials vehemently opposed the idea, arguing that the country was poorly prepared for war and had a small number of cavalry. They believed that they could win by holding their ground, but if they launched an attack, they would likely be slaughtered by the Mongol cavalry on the plains.

Both sides had their own arguments, and the argument went on and on. The military officer even rolled up his sleeves and pinned the civil official to the ground, beating him mercilessly until the civil official was screaming and howling. Yet, the civil official still refused to back down, shouting, "We cannot fight! Warfare will lead to destruction!"

These civil officials were ruined by the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism. If they were alive today, they would be despised public intellectuals and elites, beyond redemption.

Emperor Lizong was furious. He waved his hand and said, "We'll discuss this again tomorrow. Court is adjourned!"

The military officer kicked these spineless civil officials a few more times, spitting, "You worthless bastards, you're not men!"

The civil official groaned and cried out, but his words were sharp: "A crude and vulgar military man, a traitor who has ruined the country."

The noisy court gradually quieted down as these people left, and Emperor Lizong returned, sitting on the dragon throne, extremely annoyed.

He began to doubt whether the policy of emphasizing civil affairs and de-emphasizing military affairs established by Emperor Taizu was correct. Although the wealth and national strength of the Song Dynasty had been increasing since its founding, why was it always being bullied?

First, they were bullied by the Liao Dynasty, then the Liao Dynasty was destroyed, then they were bullied by the Jin Dynasty, and finally the Jin Dynasty was also destroyed. Now, the Mongols, who are even more powerful than the Jin Dynasty, have emerged, and they are being bullied even more severely.

Is our Great Song Dynasty destined to be bullied?

"Not reconciled?"

The sudden voice startled Emperor Lizong of Song: "Who!?"

"Don't be afraid." A figure jumped down from the roof beam, dusted himself off, and said, "I'm here to help you."

Emperor Lizong looked at the person in front of him. He was about eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in black, with delicate features, tall and thin, and his smiling face was pleasing to the eye.

"Assassins! Protect the Emperor!" Emperor Lizong remained calm, but a eunuch beside him screamed, instantly attracting hundreds of imperial guards.

"..."

Looking at the Imperial Guards who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy, the newcomer shrugged: "I've already said I meant no harm, why are you so tense?" He paused, then gave a slight, cold laugh: "Besides, if I wanted to kill someone, who could stop me?"

With hundreds of imperial guards protecting him, Emperor Lizong felt much more at ease, but upon hearing the last sentence, he was enraged and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? What brings you here?"

"You should have heard of me." The newcomer smiled faintly. "My name is Ling Chi."

"Ling Chi?" Emperor Lizong of Song was taken aback at first, then exclaimed and jumped up: "You are Ling Chi!?"

"Ling Chi!?" The Imperial Guards were also shocked: "He...he is the anti-Mongol hero Ling Chi!?"

Seeing that these people had all heard of him, Ling Chi felt quite pleased with himself, but on the surface he smiled calmly and said, "That's me."

Isn't that humble enough, bro?

"..."

Emperor Lizong of Song sensed a strong air of pretentiousness.

He coughed lightly, "So it's Young Master Ling in person." He waved to the Imperial Guards, "Quickly, step back."

The imperial guards were about to retreat without a word, but a eunuch beside Emperor Lizong called out, "Wait! How can you prove that you are Ling Chi?"

prove?

Ling Chi glanced at the eunuch.

This was an old eunuch with white hair and eyebrows, but despite his age, he had a good complexion and few wrinkles, suggesting he was a skilled martial artist.

Ling Chi flashed forward and instantly rushed in front of the old eunuch, reaching out to grab his neck. But the old eunuch reacted and shot a silver needle at him.

This scene seemed somewhat familiar to Ling Chi.

Back then, there was someone who knew this trick too.

That person's name is—Dongfang Bubai!

Ling Chi used his Tai Chi spiraling force, casually guiding the silver needle back along its original path, sending it hurtling towards the old eunuch's shoulder. This time, the old eunuch couldn't dodge in time; the needle pierced his shoulder and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

The old eunuch groaned and pressed the area near his shoulder several times to stop the bleeding.

Ling Chi looked at him and narrowed his eyes: "This eunuch has excellent skills, probably no less than the Five Greats."

The old eunuch changed his demeanor, bowing his head and flattering, "Not at all, not at all. Compared to Young Hero Ling, this old servant is far inferior."

Ling Chi chuckled: "No more doubts?"

"Young Master Ling is joking," the old eunuch laughed. "It's not that this old servant is arrogant, but as Young Master Ling said, even if I were to face the Five Greats, this old servant would consider myself no less capable. Yet I was still easily injured by Young Master Ling. How could this old servant doubt him?"

Ling Chi looked at him and asked, "May I ask what kind of martial arts you practice, Father-in-law?"

"I'm ashamed to say, it's just a martial art I created myself, and it doesn't have a name," the old eunuch said.

"I see." Ling Chi nodded and said, "How about calling it the Sunflower Manual?"

"The Sunflower Manual?" The old eunuch was taken aback. Although he didn't know what a sunflower was, he still gratefully agreed: "Thank you for bestowing this name upon me, Young Hero Ling. From this day forward, my martial arts will be called the Sunflower Manual."

"..."

Ling Chi stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Sunflowers originated in South America and were likely introduced to China during the Ming Dynasty; they certainly don't exist now. Therefore, the name "Sunflower Manual" must have originated in the Ming Dynasty, but Jin Yong's original description of the manual comes from a eunuch of the previous dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty was preceded by the Yuan Dynasty, but the Mongols did not have a eunuch culture when they established the Yuan Dynasty. It was not until the mid-to-late period that they adopted Han Chinese culture and eunuchs entered the court. There was even a fairly famous Goryeo eunuch at that time, but these eunuchs did not have the cultural foundation of the Han Dynasty, so it would have been difficult for them to create such profound martial arts as the Sunflower Manual.

Therefore, it's highly likely that the Sunflower Manual was created during the Song Dynasty. However, the name of the manual would certainly not be Sunflower Manual. Even in the Yuan Dynasty, there were no sunflowers, so where would a Sunflower Manual come from?

So the method has always existed, but it wasn't until the Ming Dynasty that it was given a name by later generations.

If the eunuch who created his own martial arts had given it a name from the beginning, it might have become the Chrysanthemum Manual...

Chrysanthemums... they really fit the image of a eunuch!

However, with his involvement, the Sunflower Manual has been released ahead of schedule.

Perhaps future generations who obtain this manual will use it as an important historical reference to prove that sunflowers had already entered China during the Southern Song Dynasty. Otherwise, how would you explain the name "Sunflower Manual"?

The thrill of participating in and changing history is quite exciting to talk about!

"Well, since your martial arts are based on the Sunflower Manual, then you shall be called the Sunflower Ancestor! That way you can leave a name in the martial arts world." Ling Chi nodded and said.

"..." What could the old eunuch say? He could only nod in agreement.

The Sunflower Ancestor? That sounds pretty impressive.

Ling Chi was experiencing increasing pleasure.

Changing history, that feels so good!

"..."

The forgotten Emperor Lizong of Song coughed lightly and said, "Young Master Ling, it is an honor to have you here. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly. Someone, please have a seat!"

The imperial guards withdrew, and a eunuch brought over a chair for Ling Chi to sit on in the hall.

Ling Chi didn't mind sitting low; he wasn't one of those arrogant protagonists who had to be high above. Having a seat was enough for him.

The old eunuch was slightly injured. He apologized and went to stop the bleeding, leaving only him and Emperor Lizong of Song in the court.

At this moment, Emperor Lizong looked at him and asked, "Young Master Ling just said that you came to help me?"

Ling Chi nodded: "Not bad."

"Excellent! Excellent!" Emperor Lizong rubbed his hands excitedly: "I will immediately issue an edict appointing Young Hero Ling as the Grand General Protector of the Nation..."

"Wait a minute." Ling Chi waved his hand and said, "I have no interest in becoming a general, but I have an idea that Your Majesty might consider."

"Oh?"

Ling Chi then explained his plan in detail.

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Weeping Civil and Military Officials

The next day at the court assembly, all the civil and military officials gathered, but as soon as they entered the main hall, they rubbed their eyes, wondering if they had gone to the wrong place.

But that's right!

This is indeed the place where court assemblies were held in the past. The little turtle on the beam was even painted by the Grand Tutor himself!