Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

“…” Wu Xingyun rolled his eyes, turned around and walked into the palace gate.

"Sigh! What a heartless little sister. Fine, I'll eat it myself!" Ling Chi shook his head and sighed, while Wu Xingyun behind the door twitched the corner of his mouth.

……

About fifteen minutes later, Li Erya returned.

Ling Chi, who was eating golden fried rice, turned her head and asked, "Little sister, how is it?"

Smelling the aroma of fried rice, Li Erya swallowed hard and said, "Grandma Tong is kind-hearted. She agreed to let you stay and even prepared a house for you."

"Oh?" Ling Chi's eyes lit up: "There's a house too? Granny Tong is too kind to us."

“I told you, Granny Tong will never mistreat talented people,” Li Erya said, staring at the golden fried rice in his hand.

"..." Ling Chi handed over the half-eaten fried rice: "There's not much left, want some?"

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Li Erya smiled radiantly and ate heartily without any hesitation.

"Mmm, delicious, really delicious."

"..."

……

Less than 100 meters from the Lingjiu Palace, there is a brick and wood house. The house, including the courtyard, is about 150 square meters. There is a well in the courtyard, which can guarantee the daily drinking water supply, which is quite rare in the local area.

"This house is only for the ladies of the palace. The fact that Granny Tong gave you this house shows how much she values ​​you. You must behave well in the future and not disappoint Granny Tong," Li Erya said as she led the two of them around the house.

"Perform well?" Ling Chi laughed. "I'm just a cook, what's there to perform well for?"

“Of course, we’ll provide Granny Tong with three meals a day,” Li Erya said. “Now that you’ve joined Lingjiu Palace, you’re one of the palace’s people. Besides, Granny Tong has always hated men, so this is the first time she’s treated you so well. Don’t be ungrateful.”

"Oh?" Ling Chi nodded: "Don't worry, little sister, I'll definitely do my best. To thank you, I'll make you an extra portion next time I cook."

"Who asked you to do it?" Li Erya was secretly delighted, but said arrogantly, "It's not like I don't have food to eat."

"Then I'll make it for someone else..."

"You dare!" Li Erya glared at him fiercely.

"Pfft—" Shuang'er couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

Ling Chi laughed and said, "Don't worry! There will definitely be a portion for you. Remember to come and eat, or you'll miss out."

"Hmph!" Li Erya said, "I'm not after your cooking. I'm just worried that you'll be bullied since you're new here."

“Yes, you’re right.” Ling Chi smiled and said, “I’ve heard that outsiders are often ostracized and bullied by the locals. With my sister here, we won’t be afraid of being bullied anymore.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Li Erya chuckled and said, “I am, after all, the Imperial Envoy of Talismans in the palace. Everyone will definitely give me face.”

"My little sister is truly amazing," Ling Chi exclaimed. "It seems I'll have to try harder to please her from now on."

"It's good that you know." Li Erya smiled and said, "By the way, you cooked too much food before, and Tong Lao couldn't eat it all by herself, so the sisters in the palace shared it with her. Now the sisters are very curious about you, and they may come to your place for dinner in the future. You must treat them well."

"Is that so?" Ling Chi was taken aback and said, "This house isn't going to be used as a restaurant for me, is it?"

"No, that's not it," Li Erya laughed. "But with so many of our sisters coming to eat, you can't just refuse to sell!"

“I will definitely sell, but you know my dishes are very expensive. I hope they won’t think I’m a rip-off and smash up my stall.” Ling Chi said.

“No,” Li Erya said. “I already told my sisters that they would bring enough money.”

"That's good." Ling Chi breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "And what about Granny Tong's three meals a day? How will that be paid for?"

"..." Li Erya rolled her eyes: "The price should be whatever it is, but the daily meals should not exceed one hundred taels. Although Granny Tong is the richest woman in the world, she is still very frugal in her daily life."

"Only one hundred taels?" Ling Chi shook his head: "One hundred taels can only buy the lowest-grade food. If it were ten thousand taels, that would be about right."

"Ten thousand taels? How dare you say that?" Li Erya was shocked by Ling Chi's insatiable greed: "Do you think it's a hundred-year-old ginseng?"

Ling Chi shook his head: "The century-old ginseng is just an auxiliary ingredient. Oh well, as long as we can make money, it's fine. It's just a pity that those mid-to-high-end dishes will just gather dust."

"Whatever you say!" Li Erya was too lazy to complain. She thought Ling Chi was a greedy and unscrupulous businessman. Although the food he made was indeed delicious, the price was too high. Even if she thought it was worth the price, who knew that the cost was only a few dollars?

How much does a plate of fried pancakes cost? Yet Ling Chi dares to sell it for five taels of silver. Even if there isn't a hundredfold profit, there's definitely a tenfold profit.

I wonder where all the money he earned went?

Thinking about it carefully, there are really many mysteries surrounding him.

……

Li Erya had just said that many of his girlfriends would be coming to eat at his place, but he didn't expect them to arrive so quickly.

The next morning, Shuang'er had just delivered Wu Xingyun's breakfast to the palace when she returned with more than a dozen girls aged between fourteen or fifteen and twenty.

These girls weren't particularly beautiful, but they were very young and had an invincible youthful vibe. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Ling Chi frying dough sticks and their eyes lit up, so they immediately gathered around.

"Are you Ling Chi, the one Sister Li brought back? I heard you're a great cook."

"What did you make? It's golden yellow, it looks so beautiful."

"This seems to be what Granny Tong ate yesterday. I heard it's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and it's delicious."

How much does this cost?

"..."

Surrounded by a dozen girls, Ling Chi was already used to it. With a professional smile on his lips, he said, "This is a fried dough stick, a very delicious staple food. With it, even just eating it with pickled vegetables is delicious. Of course, the price is also very expensive, two taels of silver per stick."

"Two taels of silver for just one? That's really expensive." They had long heard that all the delicacies sold by Lingchi were ridiculously expensive, but they hadn't experienced it firsthand before. Now they finally understood.

"Ling Chi, can you make it cheaper? I only have one tael of silver on me, can you sell me two?" a girl said.

“…” Ling Chi’s lips twitched: “Little sister, don’t joke around. I’m a small business owner, so I don’t haggle.”

The girl pouted, "But one piece isn't enough to fill me up! Do you have any cheaper ones?"

Ling Chi shook his head: "Cheap goods would lower my status. I never do business for less than one tael of silver."

"Hehe, little sister, you'd better hurry home and get your money!" Another girl chuckled and pulled out two taels of silver, saying, "Brother Ling Chi, give me two."

Ling Chi smiled broadly: "Thank you for your patronage. However, the fried dough sticks are greasy. Would you like a bowl of tofu and a side dish of pickled vegetables, sister? The tofu is two ounces a bowl, and the pickled vegetables are complimentary."

"..."

Chapter Thirty-Two: She Can't Beat Me

"Ding! You have conquered the stomach of Mei Jian, a top-tier white-level diner. However, the diner's level is too low to count towards the conquest count. You have obtained a top-tier white-level recipe: 'Quenching Thirst by Looking at Plums'."

"Quenching thirst by looking at plums: A top-notch white recipe. Hearing the word 'plum' reduces hunger and thirst by 30%. The effect cannot be stacked."

"Ding! You have conquered the stomach of the top-tier white-level diner, Lan Jian. The diner's level is too low, so this does not count towards the conquest count. The top-tier white-level recipe, 'Fragrant Breath,' has been dropped."

"Breath as fragrant as orchids: A top-grade white recipe, its aroma carries the delicate fragrance of orchids, and its effects cannot be stacked."

"Ding! You have conquered the stomach of the top-tier white-level diner, Bamboo Sword. The diner's level is too low and does not count towards the conquest count. The top-tier white-level recipe, 'Bamboo Brings Peace,' has dropped."

"Bamboo Brings Peace: Top-tier white recipe, Luck +0.5, effect cannot be stacked."

"Ding! Conquered the top-tier white-level diner, Chrysanthemum Sword's Stomach. The diner's level is too low and does not count towards the conquest count. Top-tier white-level recipe dropped - Chrysanthemum Pastry."

"Chrysanthemum Pastry: Top-grade white recipe, hemorrhoids -0.5, cooling time 10 days."

……

On the fifth day since arriving at Lingjiu Palace, Ling Chi had already produced nearly a thousand recipes.

You read that right, nearly a thousand.

Inside the Lingjiu Palace, there lived more than a thousand women, ranging in age from six or seven to sixty or seventy. All of them were over fifteen years old and possessed martial arts skills. Those over forty years old were exceptionally skilled, mostly between the top-tier white and ordinary blue levels. Those under forty years old ranged from ordinary white to advanced white, with almost none exceeding the top-tier white level.

But today, the four swordsmen of Plum, Orchid, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum who were by Wu Xingyun's side came and gave him four top-level white recipes in one go. Moreover, the effects of each recipe were very special. In particular, the Chrysanthemum Pastry, after seeing its effects, he thought that it had revealed the secret of Ma Yinglong.

That's awesome!

Yu Qian's illness can be cured.

……

"This is the first time for the four of you sisters." Ling Chi brought over four cups of honey water and said with a smile, "These four cups are complimentary. I hope you four sisters will come often in the future."

The four swordsmen, Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju, are quadruplets. They look no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. Not only are they identical in height and weight, but they also have the same appearance. They all have oval faces, eyes as black as lacquer, and are exceptionally beautiful. The only difference between them is the color of their clothes.

Mei Jian wore a light red outer robe, Lan Jian wore a moon-white outer robe, Zhu Jian wore a light green outer robe, and Ju Jian wore a light yellow outer robe.

These four women are at least a 7 out of 10 in terms of looks, comparable to Guo Xiang and Cheng Ying, but when they appear together, their appeal is definitely no less than that of Xiao Zhao and Zhou Zhiruo.

Quadruplets! From the moment he won them over, Ling Chi made a decision: none of them would escape.

It was afternoon, and since it wasn't mealtime, there were only four guests—Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju—in the courtyard. Ling Chi's offering of honey water to them wouldn't cause any dissatisfaction among them.

You know, women are petty and greedy creatures. If they see that the Four Swordsmen have free drinks while they don't, he won't have any peace from now on.

"Don't tell anyone, okay?" Ling Chi made a shushing gesture and winked.

The four swordsmen chuckled in unison, then said in unison, "Thank you, Chef Ling."

After a few days, because Ling Chi's cooking was indeed delicious, many women in Lingjiu Palace began to call him Chef Ling, partly as a joke and partly out of genuine admiration for his culinary skills. Although it was the first time the Four Swords had eaten here, they had already heard about it from their other sisters, so they called him Chef Ling very smoothly.

"You're welcome." With nothing else to do, Ling Chi pulled up a stool and sat down next to her, saying, "I heard that the four of you are maids by the side of Granny Tong, and that you were personally taught swordsmanship by Granny Tong from a young age. That's truly remarkable."

"No!" Mei Jian quickly shook her head and said, "We sisters are just lucky. We were adopted by Granny Tong when we were young, and Granny Tong valued us and kept us by her side to serve her. In fact, everyone in Lingjiu Palace is a sister, and there is no distinction between them."

The green-clad bamboo swordsman stretched his shoulders and said, "Although Granny Tong treats us well, she is too strict with our martial arts. We have to practice every day, and we are almost exhausted."

"Grandma Tong is doing this for our own good," Lan Jian said. "Only the four of us sisters have received Grandma Tong's personal guidance since childhood. We are too grateful to even think about it. Sister Zhu, please don't complain."

"I'm not complaining, I just feel a little tired." Zhu Jian finally shut up, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of honey water.

It tastes sweet and gives me a refreshing feeling all over my body, which greatly reduces my fatigue.

"Huh?" Zhu Jian stretched his shoulders and the soreness was gone.

"This...this honey water is amazing! I feel less tired now." Zhu Jian was overjoyed: "Chef Ling, what did you put in this honey water? It's so magical."

"This is a closely guarded secret of our Ling family," Ling Chi said with a smile. "Outsiders can only find out the recipe by becoming my wife."

"Ah!?" Zhu Jian's face immediately turned red, and she glared at him fiercely: "I originally thought Chef Ling was a good person, but I didn't expect him to be a lecher. Granny Tong was right, no man is any good."

"Don't smear my reputation, little sister!" Ling Chi retorted. "I've already said that this honey water is a closely guarded secret of our Ling family. Since it's a secret, outsiders certainly have no way of knowing it. The only way to find out is to marry me and become a member of our Ling family. Look, I'm already this age, it's time for me to find a wife. How am I a lecher?"

"This...I..." Zhu Jian stammered, unable to speak for a moment.

“Chef Ling is right,” Mei Jian said. “Sister Zhu is being too sensitive. These days, the sisters all say that Chef Ling is a gentleman and definitely not a lecher.”