Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

Every summer, as he watches his wife and children go to Zhongnan Mountain for vacation, he looks on with envy and says, "I want to go too!"

Unfortunately, he was unable to go due to official business.

Guo Jing suddenly realized that a man who is successful in his career doesn't seem to be very happy.

Three years passed in this way, day after day.

……

In three years, the Song Dynasty underwent significant changes.

In terms of territory, the Song Dynasty did not expand outwards. Instead, it built a military defense line in the north to resist the invasion of the Mongols, while accelerating the development of the domestic economy and people's livelihood.

Following Lingchi's governing principles, Emperor Lizong of Song continuously invested in infrastructure construction across the country, drawing large numbers of unemployed people to construction sites. Whether building bridges or paving roads, anyone willing to work could not only eat their fill but also earn enough to support their families. This fostered a habit among many farmers to work outside the home during their off-season, and also directly reduced the size of the beggars' guild. Many of the lowest-class beggars stopped begging and flocked to construction sites to earn money through manual labor.

Some of the Beggars' Sect's higher-ups were not happy, but those led by Hong Qigong and Lu Youjiao were delighted with the outcome.

If people could live a good life, who would want to be a beggar? Even if you're the leader of the Beggars' Sect, you're still a beggar. So they strongly supported Emperor Lizong's reforms, but they only removed ordinary beggars who didn't participate in martial arts affairs; the Beggars' Sect disciples who knew martial arts wouldn't leave.

The Beggars' Sect is, after all, a Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) gang.

At the same time, Emperor Lizong of Song made great efforts to recruit extraordinary talents from the common people, especially those skilled in science and engineering. These were his primary targets. Anyone who passed the examinations could rise rapidly through the ranks and secure a government job.

What these people had to do was very simple: the imperial court provided the money, and they provided the skills to research all sorts of strange and unusual things.

These things are related to the military, but even more so to people's livelihoods. For example, a young man named Zhang Wa imagined the prototype of a steam engine by observing the phenomenon of the lid of a kettle jumping upwards after boiling water.

Another young man named Meng Fei, inspired by the concept of Kongming lanterns, created a larger version, which can be considered a prototype of hot air balloons. However, the material requirements for hot air balloons currently limit their military applications, and it will take some time before an air force can be established.

In addition to recruiting these science and engineering students, Emperor Lizong of Song also began to establish royal academies throughout the country in his capacity as a royal. Although he could not provide compulsory education for the time being, he provided a ladder for poor students from all over the country to rise to the top.

As for the military, Emperor Lizong of Song continuously strengthened the ideological and moral development of the army while increasing investment in military equipment budgets.

With the joint efforts of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Military Affairs, the latest military equipment was continuously sent to the front lines, and military pay was plentiful. Under Emperor Lizong's strict discipline of the army, any discovery of embezzlement of military pay or weapons was a capital offense punishable by the extermination of three generations of one's family. Want to embezzle? Think twice about the consequences.

With the support of over a hundred of the most outstanding civil and military officials in the imperial court, the Song army's combat power grew stronger and stronger. At the beginning, it was somewhat difficult to resist, but now, with its powerful equipment, it was able to defeat the Mongol invaders in droves every time, and even launched several counter-offensives.

Several cavalry regiments took advantage of the winter to venture deep into the grasslands, where they did things that could not be made public, and plundered a large number of cattle, sheep, horses, and women.

Although it was a bit rough, she was still a woman. There were many bachelors in the army, so it would be good to take her home and have her give birth. At least it would increase the population of the Song Dynasty and weaken the population of the Mongols.

War, in its essence, is nothing more than the plundering of money, food, and women. Throughout history, the weak have always been the victims of the strong. As Chairman Mao once said, "Backwardness invites aggression!" This is an eternal truth.

In his book of military strategies for Emperor Lizong of Song, Ling Chi explained what war is all about and how to use war to seek the greatest possible happiness for one's people—a profound subject.

Students currently enrolled at the Royal Military Academy are diligently studying the contents of this book. The Royal Military Academy has been established for three years, and its first cohort of military cadets is about to graduate. Their next stop will be the front lines of war.

Overall, the reversal of the national fortunes of the Song Dynasty and the Mongol Empire was an inevitable trend. As long as no catastrophic mistakes occurred, it was highly probable that the Song Dynasty would regain the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties.

Having discussed the imperial court, we must now turn to the martial arts world.

For the past three years, a female swordsman with unparalleled swordsmanship has appeared in the martial arts world. This woman is not only beautiful but also possesses a chivalrous heart. Wherever she goes, if she discovers injustice, she will immediately punish the wicked and uphold justice.

A year ago, along the southeastern coast, this female warrior single-handedly annihilated a pirate force of a thousand men, causing a sensation in the martial arts world. As a result, she earned a somewhat elegant yet somewhat strange title in the martial arts world—the Sword Fairy.

Sword Fairy, Lu Wushuang.

Chapter Forty-Three: Lazy Lu Wushuang

"Speaking of the Sword Fairy Lu Wushuang, she truly lived up to her name, a rare beauty in heaven and unparalleled on earth. That day, the Sword Fairy sailed out to sea and encountered a pirate fleet of a thousand men. Those pirates were ferocious and ruthless, killing without blinking an eye. If she had fallen into their hands, how could she have survived? Just then, the Sword Fairy drew her longsword, its light like a net, killing the pirates until they screamed in terror..."

Outside Xiangyang City, in a small tavern, several martial arts practitioners sat together, listening to one of them recount the legend of the Sword Fairy with great enthusiasm.

At another table, a young man carrying a broadsword was eating beef while listening to the man's story, a smile playing on his lips: "I never imagined my wife was this amazing."

"The Sword Fairy has destroyed the pirate stronghold; she has truly rid the people of a scourge, and it is a cause for celebration!" The man raised his wine cup: "Gentlemen, shouldn't we raise a toast to the Sword Fairy?"

"Haha, that's right! That's right! Come on, bottoms up!"

After a cup of wine, someone asked, "Brother Liu, where has the Sword Fairy gone now?"

"I don't know about that." The man shook his head and said, "However, it is said that the Sword Fairy disappears for a period of time every year around the Lunar New Year, presumably to go home for the New Year. Now that the end of the year is approaching, there has been no news of the Sword Fairy for several days, so she should have gone home."

"I see. Sigh! Before I knew it, it's almost New Year's again. I wonder how my wife and children are doing at home?"

"What's wrong, Brother Zhang? How long has it been since you came home?"

"It's been three years."

"Three years? Why don't you come home to visit, Brother Zhang?"

"No way! My in-laws have always looked down on me, and my wife has always been ridiculed by them since she married me. As a man, how can I let my wife suffer like this? I won't go back until I've made something of myself!"

"Sigh! Brother Zhang, it hasn't been easy for you either! But it's been three years already. No matter what's happening to you, you have to go back and check on them. What if your wife and children have been bullied?"

"Brother Liu is right, I'll go home now!"

"Hey? Brother Zhang! Brother Zhang! ...Damn it! He got another free meal!"

"..."

The young man at the next table silently took a sip of his drink: "The New Year is almost here! My wife has gone back home too..."

"Waiter, the bill is due."

……

In a small wooden cabin on Zhongnan Mountain, Shuang'er and Xiaolongnu were sitting on chairs in the living room cutting paper snowflakes, while Ling Chi was busy in the kitchen.

Today is the 29th day of the Lunar New Year. In the past few days, we have bought a lot of New Year's goods. We also cleaned the house together on the eve of the Lunar New Year. Now the cabin is clean and the atmosphere of the New Year is very strong.

"Hmm..." Lu Wushuang rubbed her eyes as she came downstairs, greeted Xiaolongnu and Shuang'er, then plopped down at the dining table, ate a hawthorn slice to wake herself up, and said, "Big brother, is the food not ready yet?"

"What's the rush! You've only been back for a few days! All you do is eat and sleep, are you a pig?!" Ling Chi scolded irritably.

"Ha~~~~~~" Lu Wushuang yawned and said, "I wish I could turn into a pig."

Ling Chi was speechless and too lazy to pay attention to her.

Shuang'er chuckled and said, "Wushuang, you are a dignified sword fairy outside. If people knew that you were like this at home, I wonder how many young talents who admire you would have their dreams shattered!"

"I don't care about them!" Lu Wushuang took a few sips of hot tea, let out a comfortable sigh, and then lay down on the table, lazily saying, "After wandering around the martial world for so long, I'm a little tired. Anyway, I don't want to go out anymore, I'll just stay at home."

"Don't talk nonsense again." Shuang'er laughed, "Don't you want to get married?"

"Why marry someone? Marrying someone means not only bearing children, but also serving your in-laws, being a good wife and mother. It's exhausting. It's much more comfortable at home." Lu Wushuang tossed a peanut into the air and caught it in her mouth as it fell. "This is the life I like."

Shuang'er: "..."

Ling Chi came out carrying a pot of stewed beef bones, slammed the pot on the table, and said irritably, "Pig! Time to eat."

Lu Wushuang rolled her eyes: "Big brother, if I'm a pig, then you're the male pig."

"What are you saying!" Ling Chi slapped her on the head: "How old are you? You can't even speak properly."

Lu Wushuang didn't care about being hit. She rolled up her sleeves and said, "I'm having stewed bones for breakfast. Big brother, cut me a plate of cabbage hearts, and put less sugar in them."

"..." Ling Chi was amused and annoyed: "Do you want me to make you another tiger dish?"

"That's great... uh, no need." Seeing Ling Chi's sneer, Lu Wushuang shrank back: "I'll just gnaw on the bone."

"..." Ling Chi was speechless. How did such a nice girl turn out like this?

Two years ago, when Lu Wushuang returned from his adventures, he seemed quite normal. But this year, after returning, he became extremely lazy, spending all his time eating and sleeping. He was even too lazy to take a bath. Except for the day he returned, he only soaked his feet before going to bed for the past few days, too lazy to attract maggots.

At first, everyone thought she had suffered some kind of shock, so they stayed with her and even tried to comfort her. But several days passed, and Lu Wushuang remained the same. As for suffering some kind of shock? Lu Wushuang's answer was: "Shock? What shock? I just feel like I'm not eating or sleeping well outside, and I'm exhausted. I'm finally home, so I should make up for it."

From then on, Ling Chi lost her good temper and became like a grumpy old mother, constantly berating this lazybones. Lu Wushuang, on the other hand, was completely unfazed; she figured that once she had eaten and drunk her fill, she could give Ling Chi a kiss and everything would be peaceful.

Their interactions made Shuang'er constantly chuckle, and Xiaolongnu couldn't help but laugh too.

Just as the four of them were sitting together gnawing on bones, they heard light footsteps outside, followed by a knock on the door: "Is anyone home?"

It was a man's voice.

Everyone looked surprised, wondering who would come here?

Ling Chi stood up and wiped his hands: "You guys eat, I'll go check on things."

"Who is it?" Ling Chi asked as he opened the door.

Outside the door stood a handsome man who was 1.8 meters tall. Ling Chi felt a pang of envy at his good looks, and he also had a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

"Is this... Brother Ling?" the man asked excitedly.

Ling Chi noticed the sword on his back and a thought flashed through his mind: "Yang Guo!?"

pat-

Lu Wushou dropped the bone in his hand onto the table. He turned around and saw a handsome young man in his early twenties walk in from outside. His eyebrows, nose, and mouth, though much more mature, were still very familiar.

Lu Wushuang was stunned.

"Guo'er!?" Little Dragon Girl stood up, surprised, "Guo'er, is that you?"

"It's me." Yang Guo strode forward, knelt down suddenly two meters away from Xiaolongnu, and kowtowed three times: "Aunt, Guo'er is back."

"..." The little dragon's expression turned cold: "Didn't you run away? Why did you come back?"

"..." Yang Guo pressed his head against the floor, speechless.

Chapter Forty-Four: Stormy Waves

"Alright." Ling Chi patted Yang Guo on the back and helped him up. "Guo'er is back now! In the letter he left back then, he said that he would repay Long'er when he became capable. Today, Guo'er is back, so he must have become more capable. You, as his aunt, should be happy."

Little Dragon Girl shook her head: "I'm fine, it's just that Wushuang..."

"I'm fine." Lu Wushuang shook her head repeatedly. "Back then, we were just children and didn't understand the feelings between men and women at all. Now that I'm older, I know that feelings between men and women can't just be about looks. We also need to see if we can bring each other happiness and commitment. Over the years, I've figured it out. I only have a close playmate with Yang Guo, not romantic feelings. Sister Long, don't worry about me."

"Is that really what you think?" Little Dragon Girl stared intently at her.

"Hmm." Lu Wushuang nodded, walked up to Yang Guo, and patted his chest: "It's been years, you've grown so tall, you silly goose!"

Yang Guo grinned: "Wife... Shuang'er, you've grown up so much, you're much prettier than before."

"That goes without saying." Lu Wushuang smiled smugly: "You didn't want it when I offered it to you, and now you can't have it even if you want it."

Yang Guo smiled and said, "I won't force what isn't mine."

"..." Lu Wushuang punched him twice more and said, "Why did it take you so long to come back? Where did you go?"

"It's a long story."

"Then sit down and talk," Ling Chi said with a smile. "There's a bowl of bones on the table! Let's gnaw on them while we talk."