Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

After saying that, Ling Chi struck Song Que's pressure point with one finger, grabbed him by the collar, and flew away.

"!!!" Upon seeing that Ling Chi could actually fly, Song Yuzhi immediately collapsed to the ground, taking a long time to recover before rushing towards the Song Clan's main hall: "Second Uncle! Something terrible has happened! Father has been captured!"

……

Soon after, Ling Chi arrived at the Tang army camp carrying Song Que.

"Who goes there!?" As soon as he landed, soldiers surrounded him, staring at him warily.

No wonder they were nervous; after all, he flew here! The fact that they didn't kneel down and call him a god already shows how well-trained they were.

"Go tell His Highness the Crown Prince that his brother-in-law has captured Song Que," Ling Chi said.

"What!?" The soldiers were shocked, but the quick-witted ones immediately went to inform Li Shimin.

"Your Highness, a man claiming to be Your Highness's brother-in-law has captured Song Que!"

Li Shimin and his officials, who were discussing matters in the main tent, were overjoyed: "Brother Ling is here?! Quick! Please invite him in! No! I will go to greet him myself."

When Li Shimin led a group of artifacts out of the main tent and came to Ling Chi, he immediately gave him a warm bear hug: "Hahaha, Brother Ling, I knew there was nothing in this world that you couldn't do."

"You little brat, you're always causing me trouble." Ling Chi patted him on the back and said, "I've captured Song Que for you. Don't worry, I've already crippled his martial arts and put a life-or-death talisman on him. He's been given the antidote for a year now. If he doesn't continue taking the antidote after a year, he'll die from the pain and itching."

"Oh?" Li Shimin looked at Song Que, who looked dejected. He recognized him at a glance because he had seen him when he was a child. "Uncle, it's been a long time."

Song Que glanced at him and said indifferently, "The victor is king, the loser is villain. Why bother with such pretense?"

"Uncle, please forgive me. If it weren't for the sake of the people, I wouldn't have asked Brother Ling to come out of seclusion to help me." Li Shimin helped him up and said, "Uncle, please rest assured. If the Song clan is willing to submit, I can guarantee that the Song clan will be rich and powerful for generations to come."

"Hmph! What a life of wealth and privilege!" Song Que sneered.

Snapped--

Ling Chi slapped him on the back of the head, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt: "You dare to be arrogant even after being captured? You deserve a beating!"

Li Shimin: "..."

All civil and military officials: "..."

Cheng Yaojin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and whispered, "So Island Master Ling is this violent. We must never provoke him in the future."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Your Highness, Song Que has fainted," Li Shimin's guards reported after observing him.

Li Shimin smiled wryly: "Take him away first and keep a close watch on him."

"Yes."

After Song Que was taken away, Li Shimin said, "Brother Ling, we owe you a lot this time. Otherwise, we would have suffered heavy losses in the attack on Lingnan."

"It's nothing." Ling Chi waved his hand and said, "I have given the Song Clan three days. If they surrender after three days, then it will be fine. If they haven't come out after three days, just call me and I will take care of the Song Clan completely."

Li Shimin laughed and said, "With Brother Ling backing me up, I believe the Song clan will definitely come out of the city to surrender."

"I hope so." Ling Chi nodded and said, "Then I'll go back first. We can talk about it after you become emperor."

"This... I haven't yet treated Brother Ling to a proper meal..."

"Treat me to a meal?" Ling Chi glanced at him. "You want me to cook, don't you?"

"Uh..." Li Shimin chuckled dryly.

"No time." With those two words, Ling Chi soared into the sky and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Li Shimin was already used to it, but the soldiers were dumbfounded, and some even knelt down to worship the gods.

Cheng Yaojin resisted the urge to kneel and asked, "Your Highness, is Island Master Ling truly not a deity descended to earth?"

"..."

……

Three days later, the Song forces surrendered, and Li Shimin accepted their surrender and began to take over Lingnan. Thus, the Tang Dynasty completed the transition from the Sui Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty in just a few years, unifying the country.

At this moment, Changsun Wuji had just returned from Peach Blossom Island. Seeing that Lingnan had surrendered, he couldn't help but burst into tears: I don't want to win by doing nothing!

In any case, the unification of the world is a good thing. Although governance will take some time and wars will be inevitable in the coming years, the Tang Dynasty has gained the righteous cause. In addition, the auspicious omen given to Li Shimin by Lingchi will soon be spread throughout the world. At that time, the Tang Dynasty's regime will be unbreakable, and this Tang Dynasty will definitely be more prosperous than the Tang Dynasty in history.

Ling Chi gained some understanding of the world's affairs through the diners from outside, which made him very gratified.

The benefits of unifying the world gradually became apparent, and the number of visitors to Peach Blossom Island began to improve, though it was far from meeting Ling Chi's expectations. But there was nothing he could do; everything takes time to develop, which is why he would stay in this world for another ten years or so, waiting for the Tang Dynasty to be on track before leaving.

Chapter Sixty: The Dragon Returns to the Sea

How do you feel now?

Shi Zhixuan has been on Peach Blossom Island for a full year. Today, while he was reading a book in his room, Ling Chi knocked on the door and came in to ask about his situation.

"Very good." Shi Zhixuan smiled slightly: "In the last two or three months, I haven't had a moment when my mind wasn't clear."

"It seems the condition has stabilized." Ling Chi handed him an ice pop: "Just to be on the safe side, have one more, as a final measure to consolidate the treatment."

Shi Zhixuan laughed and said, "Who would have thought that a small popsicle could cure my illness? It's unbelievable."

“The delicacies of Peach Blossom Island all have different effects. Look at the people on my island, they all look like they are only teenagers, but most of them are actually over twenty years old, and some are even close to thirty. This is because they eat beauty and health-preserving recipes. Although your demonic sect is very good at preserving youth, it can't compare to the delicacies of my Peach Blossom Island,” Ling Chi said proudly.

“If it weren’t for that, Brother Ling wouldn’t have achieved what he has today!” Shi Zhixuan looked him up and down. “I don’t believe that you could have such martial arts skills just by practicing hard on your own.”

"I'm fine," Ling Chi said. "After all, I've come this far through hardship. But some true geniuses are born with the cultivation of a celestial being. They can easily comprehend anything and advance their realm without any obstacles. That's something I can only envy."

"Oh?" A glint flashed in Shi Zhixuan's eyes. "Brother Ling, have you ever met someone like this?"

"I've seen him." Ling Chi said with emotion, "He only cultivated for seven short years, yet he learned the Seventy-Two Transformations of Earthly Fiends and the Somersault Cloud, becoming a demon saint. Later, he was recruited by the Heavenly Court, but was only given the title of Keeper of the Heavenly Horses. Enraged, he rebelled against Heaven. The Jade Emperor sent 100,000 heavenly soldiers, but they couldn't subdue him. It was only when the Heavenly Court's God of War fought him, and an old god used the Vajra Ring to launch a sneak attack, that they finally captured him. But on the Demon-Slaying Platform, neither swords nor lightning could break him. In the end, he was thrown into the Eight Trigrams Furnace and refined for forty-nine days."

Seeing that Ling Chi stopped speaking, Shi Zhixuan hurriedly asked, "How is it? Could it be that he has really been refined?"

“No, not at all.” Ling Chi shook his head and said, “Not only was he not refined, but he also developed the supernatural power of Fiery Eyes. Those Fiery Eyes can see through all the illusions of the Three Realms, and anyone who tries to scheme against him through transformation will not escape the fate of being seen through.”

"What amazing eyesight!" Shi Zhixuan exclaimed in amazement. "And then what happened?"

"Later, he caused a great disturbance in the Heavenly Palace, but in the end he was outnumbered and was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain, where he could not get out for five hundred years."

"Ah!?" Shi Zhixuan was stunned, his eyes filled with sadness: "It is only natural. No matter how strong a person is, how can he be stronger than the Heavenly Court?"

"Believe it or not, there really are people stronger than the entire Heavenly Court combined." Ling Chi chuckled. "But those are people I can't reach, and they're not people you should know about."

Shi Zhixuan's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Brother Ling is right." He paused, then asked, "Won't you be implicated for telling me all this?"

“It’s alright,” Ling Chi said. “That’s the Great Thousand World, while this is just a Small Thousand World. As long as we don’t mention their names, they won’t sense it.”

"..." Shi Zhixuan took a deep breath and asked, "Brother Ling, do you hold any position in the Heavenly Court?"

"Me?" Ling Chi chuckled. "Isn't my life pretty good now? Much more carefree than those gods in Heaven."

Shi Zhixuan gave him a deep look and nodded: "A free mind makes a free body. I'm glad you're at ease, Brother Ling."

Soon after, Ling Chi brought out two plates of dishes that shimmered with purple light and asked, "What are your plans for the future, Brother Wang?"

Over the past year, the two have not changed their initial way of addressing each other, still calling each other Brother Ling and Brother Wang, so that it seems that there is no barrier between them and that they are still kindred spirits who have found each other.

"I'll probably be going to the imperial court to serve as an official." Shi Zhixuan felt the two dishes attracting him from the depths of his soul and couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks: "This must be the purple recipe that Brother Ling mentioned! It seems that Brother Ling has already made preparations for my farewell."

"Brother Wang is indeed exceptionally intelligent." Ling Chi smiled slightly and asked, "Whether you become an official or not, I'll have to trouble you to take good care of Shimin. I know him well; he's ambitious and eager for quick success. I hope you'll keep a close eye on him at crucial moments and prevent him from getting too cocky."

"Well--"

"Ding! You have conquered the stomach of Shi Zhixuan, a high-level purple-ranked diner. Conquest count +0.01. High-level purple recipe dropped: 'Master of Both Literature and Martial Arts'."

"Well-rounded in both literature and martial arts: Advanced purple recipe, literary talent +5, martial arts talent +5, valid for three uses."

Upon seeing this recipe, Ling Chi couldn't help but secretly admire: As expected of the Evil King, he is indeed more powerful than ordinary Grandmasters.

This time, it's not just intelligence or martial arts that's being added, but two talents, and the effect can be applied up to three times. This indicates that talents in literature and martial arts can be up to 15 times greater than those of an average person.

Simply put, after eating this dish three times, the knowledge he gains in one year would take others at least fifteen years to comprehend; and the results of his martial arts training in one year would be equivalent to what an average person would achieve in fifteen years.

That's talent—domineering, without reason, leaving ordinary people in despair.

A moment later, Shi Zhixuan shed tears.

He entered a dream world and saw himself living happily ever after in a secluded forest cottage with Bi Xiuxin and Shi Qingxuan, free from the troubles of the martial world. Everything in the dream world was so beautiful, allowing him to experience a different life.

Ling Chi smiled slightly: "I didn't expect that even my brother would cry."

Shi Zhixuan opened his eyes, wiped away his tears, and said, "I'm not heartless, how could I not cry?"

“That makes sense.” Ling Chi put away the other purple recipe and said, “Since we’ve already tried it, there’s no need for this dish.”

Shi Zhixuan watched as the dish vanished into thin air, then clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Ling."

"It's nothing," Ling Chi said. "In the end, it's your own inner demon. Even if it's just a fleeting dream, it's better than being tormented by it for a lifetime."

"Even so, I am still very grateful." Shi Zhixuan's mental state was elevated once again, and he became radiant, having shed the last trace of gloom.

Shi Zhixuan, who once amazed the entire martial arts world, has finally returned.

……

That afternoon, Shi Zhixuan left Peach Blossom Island with Ling Chi's 'letter of introduction' and headed to Chang'an to join Li Shimin.

Before leaving, Shi Zhixuan said to him, "Brother Ling, I'm entrusting Qingxuan to you."

Ling Chi smiled slightly: "Are you relieved?"

Shi Zhixuan smiled and said, "If I can't even trust Brother Ling, then there's no one in this world I can trust."

The two looked at each other, and Ling Chi nodded: "Don't worry! I will take good care of her."

Shi Zhixuan clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, as if welcoming the dragon back to the sea.

Chapter Sixty-One Thirty Million Silver

January of the seventh year of the Wude era (624 AD).

Just as all the people of the Tang Dynasty were celebrating the festival, the Tang Dynasty also came to a historical turning point. After the Lantern Festival that year, Li Yuan announced his abdication, and Crown Prince Li Shimin succeeded to the throne, changing the era name to Zhenguan.

After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he made Zhangsun Wugou his empress. As for the position of crown prince, it was temporarily vacant because Li Chengqian was still young. As for the positions of concubines and talented women, there is no need to say more.

The first thing Li Shimin did after ascending the throne was to promote various high-yield crops throughout the land.

As the saying goes, agriculture is the foundation of the world, and grain is the first priority. As soon as Li Shimin ascended the throne, he introduced a variety of auspicious omens with yields of over a thousand catties per mu, and even two varieties with the highest yields reaching seven or eight thousand catties. This moved the people of the Tang Dynasty to tears, and shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" were heard repeatedly throughout the Tang Dynasty that year.

With this auspicious omen, almost everyone knew that Li Shimin's throne was secure.