Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

Yes! How old is Brother Ling?

Peach Blossom Island has existed for over a decade, and the head chef back then was Brother Ling. But judging by his appearance alone, Brother Ling seems to be only eighteen or nineteen years old...

"Brother Ling, you..." Shang Xiuxun's eyes were filled with deep surprise: "Could it be... forty years old?"

"Hehe." Ling Chi shook his head with a smile: "Don't guess, you'll never guess."

"Playing tricks." Shang Xiuxun pouted and said, "Since Brother Ling doesn't want to open a branch, how about taking on apprentices?"

"Apprentice?" Ling Chi looked at her thoughtfully. "You want to learn?"

"Mmm-hmm." Shang Xiuxun nodded repeatedly, "I like to eat delicious food, and I also like to cook delicious food. Brother Ling, do you think I can be your apprentice?"

"Make me a few of your signature dishes first!" Ling Chi said indifferently.

Shang Xiuxun's eyes lit up, and she immediately stood up: "I'll do it right away."

……

Ling Chi led Shang Xiuxun to another kitchen, which had all the necessary ingredients. Shang Xiuxun was delighted with the spacious, bright, and fully equipped kitchen: "This kitchen is wonderful. When I get back, I'll make one just like this."

"Hurry up and cook!" Ling Chi leaned against the door and said, "I'll watch you cook."

Shang Xiuxun knew this was a test, so she nodded seriously and began preparing to cook.

For about two hours, Ling Chi watched Shang Xiuxun prepare four dishes: stewed mutton with white radish, stir-fried vegetables with eggs, meatballs, and shepherd's purse spring rolls.

"Brother Ling, please try these." Shang Xiuxun said nervously as she placed the four dishes on the table.

"Hmm." Ling Chi nodded. From his observation just now, Shang Xiuxun was indeed a woman who often went into the kitchen, and her skills were quite proficient. However, her skills were all home-style and completely different from those of a chef.

However, judging from the aroma, these four dishes are at least acceptable in terms of 'fragrance'. As for the 'color, taste, and shape', apart from the 'taste' which is still unknown, the other two are just so-so!

Ling Chi picked up his chopsticks, tasted a bite of the stewed mutton with white radish, paused, and then tasted a bite of the other three dishes. After that, he put down his chopsticks and pondered for a moment.

Shang Xiuxun was extremely nervous: "Isn't...it not tasty?"

Although she felt she had done her best, it was worlds apart from the food she had eaten on Peach Blossom Island before, so it's no wonder she lacked confidence.

Ling Chi nodded: "By general standards, it's not bad. But by the standards of Peach Blossom Island, you're not even an apprentice."

Shang Xiuxun immediately hung her head in dejection, thinking to herself that there was no hope of becoming a disciple.

“However…” Ling Chi smiled and said, “Being able to make this kind of taste with ordinary ingredients proves that you have great talent. It’s just that you haven’t received guidance from a famous master chef. Otherwise, you could very well become a renowned chef in the future.”

"Really!?" Shang Xiuxun's sorrow turned to joy, and she asked expectantly, "Then Brother Ling is willing to take me in?"

“That depends on your own decision,” Ling Chi said.

"Me?" Shang Xiuxun asked, puzzled.

Ling Chi nodded: "You are the owner of Pegasus Ranch, with a large and successful business. I'm afraid you don't have time to learn cooking from me."

"..." Shang Xiuxun frowned slightly.

Ling Chi smiled slightly: "Come find me again when you've settled things at Pegasus Ranch!"

Shang Xiuxun sighed: "Brother Ling is right, I really don't have time. Pegasus Ranch has been passed down from my Shang family for generations, and I can't just abandon it."

“I understand.” Ling Chi nodded. “But I can tell you really love food.” He paused. “In that case, I’ll send you some simple recipes. Go back and practice them. When you feel you’ve mastered them, come back and ask me for new recipes.”

"Is that alright?" Shang Xiuxun was overjoyed.

"We just happen to click!" Ling Chi smiled. "Besides, you're so beautiful, I'd love to get closer to you."

Shang Xiuxun was stunned for a moment, then her face flushed red: "Brother Ling, what are you saying!"

"Everyone has a love for beauty; I'm just stating the facts," Ling Chi said with a smile.

Shang Xiuxun's face turned even redder. She stomped her foot and ran out.

"Hehehe." Ling Chi laughed with a hint of smugness: "I didn't expect her to be so innocent."

……

That evening, after closing time, Ling Chi introduced Shang Xiuxun to Huang Rong and Shuang'er. From the moment they saw Shang Xiuxun, Huang Rong and Shuang'er knew what he was up to.

Putting everything else aside, in terms of appearance alone, Shang Xiuxun is subtly superior to Bai Qing'er. The effects of beauty filters, slimming effects, and enlarged eyes are even more obvious. Moreover, she's a wild, tanned beauty—a unique type among the women Ling Chi has encountered. In terms of rarity, Shang Xiuxun definitely ranks first among all the women in Ling Chi's society.

This is only natural, as even Bai Qing'er can be compared to Huang Rong and Xiaolongnu, and Shang Xiuxun, who is even more beautiful than Bai Qing'er, naturally outshines all others. In the entire Tang Dynasty world, Shang Xiuxun is one of the top talents, and probably only Wanwan, Shi Qingxuan, Shi Feixuan, and Shang Xiufang can compare to her.

Ling Chi felt this wasn't a good idea. He had already decided to have the women in the space start eating beauty and health-preserving recipes, so they wouldn't be outshone by the women of the Tang Dynasty who had used beauty filters.

On another note, even the women in the Tang Dynasty world have applied beauty filters and effects. If they were to enter a fantasy world, would they need to be protected by celestial light and spiritual energy?

Beauty truly knows no bounds.

"The mall owner is so beautiful." Shuang'er exclaimed, "I've never seen such a beautiful woman in my life."

Huang Rong sized up Shang Xiuxun. Although she didn't want to admit it, Shang Xiuxun was indeed a little bit prettier than her. This was a blow to Huang Rong, who had always been incredibly confident, and she also felt a sense of urgency.

She knew that Ling Chi wouldn't only have the women in his space; more and more women would definitely enter and live there in the future. Although the farm was already full, the ranch still had over ninety openings, and even two cooking assistant positions were vacant! She already knew about Shang Xiuxun's test with Ling Chi that afternoon. From this, it seemed Shang Xiuxun was a woman with great culinary talent. If Ling Chi recruited her as the third cooking assistant, her status…

Huang Rong took a deep breath: "Mr. Mall has come all the way from Pegasus Ranch, you must be very tired."

"You two sisters can just call me Xiuxun." Although Huang Rong and Shuang'er looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, Shang Xiuxun didn't dare to call them younger sisters. After all, Ling Chi had been the head chef more than ten years ago. During their previous conversation, she knew that Huang Rong and Shuang'er had been his assistants from the beginning. Huang Rong was even in charge of the kitchen on Peach Blossom Island, and Shuang'er had always been a kitchen helper.

She guessed that these three people must all have techniques to maintain their youth. Although they looked young, they might actually be old monsters in their thirties, forties, or even fifties. If they called her "sister," she might even make a profit.

Huang Rong and Shuang'er nodded with smiles.

Ling Chi said, "Xiuxun has a great talent for cooking, but unfortunately she is too busy to learn cooking from me, so I gave her some recipes and told her to practice on her own when she gets back."

"Brother hasn't taken on another apprentice, has he?" Shuang'er asked. "Like Wanjing?"

“They’re different.” Ling Chi shook his head: “Wanjing learned martial arts from me, while Xiuxun learned cooking, and it was through correspondence courses. There’s no comparison.”

"What does 'correspondence course' mean?" None of the three women understood.

"Just give her the recipes and let her practice at home. At most, I'll give her some guidance," Ling Chi said. "It's much less efficient than me personally instructing her, but it's the best way right now."

"I see." Shuang'er and Huang Rong nodded: they had learned a new word.

Shang Xiuxun also thought Ling Chi was very talented. In just half a day, she had heard many new words from him that she had never heard before. Moreover, his explanations made a lot of sense, which made her realize the truth and admire him even more.

"Brother Ling is truly learned and talented. I, Xiuxun, have learned a great deal." Shang Xiuxun stood up and bowed.

"Don't be so polite." Ling Chi waved his hand. "I will write down the detailed preparation process in the recipe. Just follow it. If there are any deviations, you can ask someone to send me a message, and I will answer it."

"Thank you, Brother Ling." Shang Xiuxun nodded happily, then turned to look at Huang Rong and Shuang'er, saying, "To be honest, Xiuxun doesn't know the relationship between you two sisters and Brother Ling."

"What do you think?" Huang Rong suddenly hugged Ling Chi's arm.

"..." Shang Xiuxun opened her mouth and said, "Sister Huang... Sister Huang is Brother Ling's..."

"Wife," Huang Rong said with a smile, "it's been many years."

"..." Shang Xiuxun turned to look at Ling Chi and said, "I didn't expect Brother Ling to be married. It's really unexpected."

"At your age, how can you not get married?" Ling Chi smiled faintly, smoothed Huang Rong's hair, and said, "Alright, aren't you ashamed in front of outsiders?"

The word "outsider" made Huang Rong beam with joy: "Oh! I know!"

Only then did he let go.

Seeing Ling Chi and Huang Rong being affectionate, Shang Xiuxun suddenly felt a tightness in her chest. Although it was only for a moment, it was indeed a bit uncomfortable.

“Shuang…Sister Shuang’er, could it be that you are also…” Shang Xiuxun turned to look at Shuang’er.

"No." Shuang'er shook her head and smiled slightly, "I am my brother's sister."

Yes, forever my 'little sister'.

Shang Xiuxun breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was just her younger sister.

But when she came to her senses, Shang Xiuxun was a little confused: Why should I breathe a sigh of relief?

She stole a glance at Ling Chi and looked at his smiling face. It was so ordinary, so why did it feel so warm and friendly?

It must be because he ate something delicious and taught me how to cook that he reacted like this. Yeah, that must be it.

Chapter Eighteen, Third Assistant Chef

Shang Xiuxun did not return to Pegasus Ranch immediately. She came out this time to taste the delicacies of Peach Blossom Island, and even brought a lot of gold with her, just to eat more dishes.

But now things are different. Ling Chi treats her like a half-apprentice, so he naturally waives her room and board fees. Moreover, since he has time now, he personally guides her knife skills and cooking techniques.

Just as Ling Chi judged, Shang Xiuxun was indeed a culinary genius. In terms of talent alone, she was not much worse than Huang Rong. What she lacked was only formal culinary training and guidance from a master chef.

Now, with the guidance of the renowned chef Ling Chi and having obtained a very formal chef training manual from him, Shang Xiuxun treasures it like a precious gem. Whenever she has free time, she takes it out to look at it, and combined with Ling Chi's guidance, she is making very rapid progress.

Ling Chi taught Shang Xiuxun for three days. During those three days, Shang Xiuxun's progress was like a rocket. She improved almost every day, every hour, every minute and every second. After three days, Shang Xiuxun's knife skills and heat control had greatly improved. She looked quite professional, and her wok-flipping movements were very smooth without any hesitation.

Ling Chi was very satisfied and had already decided to reserve a kitchen helper position for her.

Without delay, on the fourth night after Shang Xiuxun arrived at Peach Blossom Island, Ling Chi chose to recruit Shang Xiuxun in the Chef God Space.

"Recruit Shang Xiuxun as a kitchen helper."

"Ding, the third chef, Shang Xiuxun, has been successfully recruited."

A flash of white light, and Shang Xiuxun appeared in the Chef God Space. Startled by the sudden change in environment, Shang Xiuxun thought she had seen a ghost, but upon seeing Ling Chi, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Brother Ling, where is this? Why are we in a place like this?"

Ling Chi looked at Shang Xiuxun, who was only wearing undergarments: So big!

"Ahem!" Ling Chi coughed twice, conjured a piece of clothing and put it on Shang Xiuxun, saying, "This is the Chef God Space, and I have recruited you as a kitchen helper. Anyway, sit down first, and I will explain everything to you slowly."

Shang Xiuxun blushed when she saw the clothes that had suddenly appeared on her body.

……

"So, Brother Ling, you can travel through countless worlds, and the world I live in is just one stop on your journey?" After hearing Ling Chi's story, Shang Xiuxun's worldview was completely overturned. She never dreamed that Ling Chi was actually an 'alien'.

"Hmm," Ling Chi said, "Rong'er and Shuang'er are both my kitchen helpers, and you are the third."

"..." Shang Xiuxun was silent for a moment, then asked, "Can I still go back to Pegasus Ranch?"

“Of course,” Ling Chi said with a smile. “The biggest advantage of being a kitchen helper is that you can move around freely outside, but when I leave, you will leave with me.”

"That's good." Shang Xiuxun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "After I get back, I'll entrust the ranch to someone else, and then I'll learn cooking from Brother Ling every day, making and eating delicious food. Hehe, thinking about it, I'm actually a little excited!"

Seeing Shang Xiuxun's usual foodie reaction, Ling Chi smiled and shook his head: "It seems I was worrying unnecessarily."

Afterwards, Ling Chi took Shang Xiuxun to the farm and ranch to meet the recruited farmers and herdsmen. Shang Xiuxun was full of amazement, while the other women felt immense pressure when they saw her.

This woman is stunningly beautiful. Previously, Ling Chi's highest rating for beauty was 10, and none of the women on the farm scored below 6. A 6 was equivalent to being a department beauty or even a school beauty. Only Little Dragon Girl and Huang Rong received a 10—that's beauty that could topple kingdoms. But Shang Xiuxun's appearance shattered that dimensional barrier, raising the bar for beauty to 11.