Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

Although this world differs from the legend in some ways, it is generally similar. The Queen Mother of the West does indeed have her birthday on the third day of the third lunar month. However, her birthday is calculated according to the flow of time in Heaven. It takes more than 350 or 380 years for a deity with a temple in the mortal world to attend once a year.

However, the peaches in the Peach Garden grow according to the human calculation method. That is, when the Queen Mother of the West celebrates her birthday in a year, the peaches will have grown for more than 300 years. In about eight or nine years, the peaches, which ripen once every 3,000 years, can be used to entertain guests.

The Peach Orchard has a total of 3,600 peach trees, each of which can bear 108 peaches at a time, which is exactly the number of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. There are three types of peach trees, with 1,200 trees of each type. Every eight or nine years, the peach trees that ripen once every three thousand years can yield 129600 peaches; every seventeen or eighteen years, the peach trees that ripen once every six thousand years can yield peaches; and every twenty-six or twenty-seven years, the peach trees that ripen once every nine thousand years can yield peaches.

Because only a few hundred gods and Buddhas are invited each year for her birthday, the number of peaches from the Peach Garden is enough to support the Queen Mother of the West in using peaches to entertain her guests every year.

But the Peach Banquet isn't just about peaches; fine wines and delicacies are also indispensable, such as dragon liver and phoenix marrow, all made from divine beasts raised in the Heavenly Court's livestock garden. However, the taste...

But this year is different; this year, Heaven has a new God of Cookery. A month before the Queen Mother's birthday, Ling Chi was summoned by her to discuss the dishes needed for the upcoming Peach Banquet.

Yaochi, the residence of the Queen Mother of the West, is not the Heavenly Pool of Tianshan Mountain on earth, but the Heavenly Pool of the Heavenly Court.

Yaochi is not large, with a diameter of only about 100 meters. According to the law of pi, a circle around it is only about 300 meters long, which is smaller than a school playground. That's why it is called Yaochi, not Yaohu, Yaohe, Yaojiang, or Yaohai.

Above the Jade Pool stands a towering, pointed stalactite, named the "Soaring Cloud Stalactite," its colors magnificent, while the pool below remains as still as a mirror. The Soaring Cloud Stalactite absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, condensing only a single drop of holy water every hundred years. This holy water, filtered for a century, is pure and flawless. The water of the Jade Pool is first refined by this holy water, becoming purified into clouds that spread throughout the heavens and earth, forming a boundary between them. It is also considered a layer of heaven.

Simply put, Yaochi is located on the dividing line between Heaven and the human world, and the geographical structure of this world is indeed as described in Journey to the West, divided into East Sheng Shenzhou, South Zhanbuzhou, West Niuhezhou, and North Juluzhou.

Below the South Heavenly Gate lies the Southern Continent, the future Eastern Land of the Great Tang Dynasty, the territory of the great Chinese nation.

To the west lies the Western Heavenly Gate, below which lies the Western Sea, belonging to the Western Niuhe Continent. There, monsters roam freely, the land is desolate, and everyone is devoted to Buddhism.

To the north lies the Northern Heavenly Gate, below which is the Northern Sea, belonging to the Northern Continent of Luzhou, and that is Mount Buzhou. It was in this story that Gonggong, in his anger, struck Mount Buzhou, causing the sky to collapse, thus giving rise to the mythical tale of Nuwa mending the sky.

To the east lies the Eastern Heavenly Gate, below which lies the East Sea, belonging to the Eastern Divine Continent. There, numerous immortal islands abound, among which the Ten Continents and Three Islands are the most famous. Those three immortal islands are the so-called Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, the dwelling places of wandering immortals.

Legend has it that in the primordial era, the three immortal islands were carried by giant sea turtles. Later, a giant kingdom fished out some of the turtles, causing two of the islands to sink, leaving only Penglai Island. The giant kingdom offended the Heavenly Emperor (not the Jade Emperor) for this, and as a result, they were punished by having their bodies shrunk to the size of an ordinary person.

These were all things Ling Chi had heard while visiting various deities over the past few months, which directly shattered his worldview.

The prehistoric era...how terrifying.

……

"Oh! Isn't this the God of Cookery!" While waiting to meet the Queen Mother of the West in front of the Jade Pool, seven beautiful young women dressed in the same style but different colors, exuding an ethereal aura, arrived together. Upon seeing Ling Chi, they greeted him with smiles: "What are you doing here?"

"So it's seven fairies." Ling Chi greeted them with a smile and bowed. "The Peach Banquet is about to be held, and I've come to discuss the banquet arrangements with Your Majesty."

"I see." The seven fairies nodded.

They were the daughters of the Queen Mother of the West, the legendary Seven Fairy Maidens. They were ranked by the colors of their clothes: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Their nicknames were Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Purple. Of course, they also had formal names, but most people didn't know them. The immortals in Heaven only referred to them as the First Fairy Maiden, the Second Fairy Maiden, the Third Fairy Maiden, and so on, up to the Seventh Fairy Maiden. The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West used their nicknames, and gradually, few people remembered their formal names.

"There must be sweet and sour pork at the banquet!" The seventh fairy in purple licked her lips. "It's a must."

Ling Chi looked at the Seventh Fairy, who would one day have a legendary affair with Dong Yong, and nodded with a smile: "Even if the Empress does not allow it, the Seventh Fairy can come to the kitchen to find me at any time, and I will cook for the Seventh Fairy myself."

"Oh! So nice to our seventh sister?" the second fairy said mischievously. "Could it be that the God of Cookery has taken a fancy to our seventh sister?"

"Second Sister~~~~" the Seventh Fairy said coquettishly, her face turning red.

Faced with the strange looks from the other fairies, Ling Chi smiled and shook his head: "The seven fairies all know that I am from beyond the heavens. Although I am staying in this realm, I will leave sooner or later. I dare not have such thoughts."

"..." The laughter of the seven fairies stopped abruptly. The eldest fairy said, "Alright, the God of Cookery still has something to discuss with the Queen, so let's not disturb him. Sisters, come with me to the Peach Garden to see the peaches!"

Not long after the Seven Fairy Maidens left, a maidservant from the Queen Mother of the West brought Ling Chi into the palace to meet the Queen Mother. They then discussed for an hour and finalized the dishes and quantities for the Peach Banquet a month later.

The Queen Mother of the West is not the kind of middle-aged, overweight woman often seen on television, but a stunningly beautiful goddess who appears to be in the prime of her life. Her clothes are luxurious, and her aura is ethereal, making people afraid to look directly at her.

She's the older sister type that Ling Chi likes.

The Queen Mother looked at Ling Chi and smiled, "As long as the dishes at this Peach Banquet are praised by all the immortals, I will not be stingy with rewards."

"Your Majesty is too kind." Ling Chi smiled and said, "I am the God of Cookery. As long as Your Majesty and the guests enjoy the food, that is the greatest praise for me."

The Queen Mother was very pleased with his attitude. With a smile in her eyes, she said, "Go ahead and get busy! Just fetch whatever you need."

"Yes."

……

A month of preparation time is neither long nor short. Given the scale of the Peach Banquet, all ingredients must be of the highest quality. Unfortunately, some ingredients are of diamond-level quality, so Ling Chi can only look at them and think about them, but cannot actually prepare them.

Forcing it is certainly possible, but it will definitely lower the quality of the ingredients. What if you turn a diamond-grade ingredient into a gold-grade one?

Ling Chi absolutely cannot tolerate this kind of mistake.

Therefore, he could only choose ingredients within the scope of his own culinary skills, and incidentally hone his proficiency in cooking with these ingredients.

The Heavenly Court has only one month left, but the Chef God Space has three hundred years.

Although Ling Chi arrived in the Heavenly Court and the flow of time changed, he was in Qingcheng Mountain when he first descended to this world, so the system's default flow of time was based on the human world.

A day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth. A month in heaven is equivalent to thirty years on earth. Add to that the speed of space travel ten times faster, and you get three hundred years.

So although Ling Chi and Shuang'er only stayed in the Heavenly Court for ten months, three thousand years had already passed in the Chef God's Space.

Three thousand years ago, the seeds for brewing the finest nectar, obtained from the Candle Dragon in the world of Legend of Sword and Fairy, have taken root, sprouted, and entered their growth period. In another two thousand years, they will bloom...

The growth period is really long!

But there was no other way; for the sake of the fine wine, we had to endure it.

Moreover, he was certain that the fruit tree seeds that brewed the nectar were of diamond quality, on par with the peach tree.

Although it's just a regular diamond grade, it's still a diamond grade no matter how ordinary it is.

According to the growth pattern, it will bear fruit for the first time in about 5,000 years, and then a batch can be harvested every 3,000 years thereafter.

There are ten fruit tree seeds in total, which will eventually grow into ten fruit trees. According to the Candle Dragon, each fruit tree can bear at least a hundred fruits. Ten fruit trees can yield more than a thousand fruits at a time, but each fruit can only produce two ounces of nectar, which adds up to no more than two hundred catties.

It takes three thousand years to produce just over two hundred catties of this fine wine. It truly deserves to be called a diamond-level wine, and its quantity is extremely limited!

……

Time flies by in our busy lives, and before we know it, it's already the third day of the third lunar month.

Early that morning, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats of the Western Paradise, Guanyin of the Southern Pole, the Holy Emperor of the Eastern Paradise, the Immortals of the Ten Continents and Three Islands, the Mysterious Spirit of the Northern Pole, the Great Immortal of the Central Yellow Pole, the Five Dipper Star Lords, the Three Pure Ones, Four Emperors, and Taiyi Heavenly Immortals of the Upper Eight Caves, the Jade Emperor, the Nine Layers, and the Sea and Mountain Immortals of the Middle Eight Caves, and the Lord of the Underworld and the Earthly Immortals of the Lower Eight Caves—all the great and small deities of every palace and hall—gathered together for the Peach Banquet.

……

As early as the second day of the third lunar month, Ling Chi and Shuang'er and others were busy at Yaochi. All kinds of meat that needed to be steamed or stewed were steamed or stewed in advance. The vegetarian dishes that the Western Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Arhats ate also had to be separated in advance. In short, they were busy all day long and finally got all the ingredients ready. They were just waiting for the third day of the third lunar month when all the immortals and Buddhas would arrive and the banquet would begin.

Over the past two days, Ling Chi and the others have become familiar with the female immortals in Yaochi who are in charge of serving dishes. There are more than a hundred of them in total, all of whom are lower-ranking female immortals from the Heavenly Court who were temporarily transferred to serve dishes.

The so-called lower-ranking female immortals are equivalent to palace maids in the human world. Although they appear noble, they are ultimately serving people. There are quite a few female immortals like this, and there are also quite a few male immortals like this. The difference is that female immortals do delicate work such as serving people, while male immortals do physical labor.

In terms of work alone, there's not much difference between the mortal realm and the celestial realm. However, in terms of appearance, the celestial goddesses are far, far, far more beautiful than the maids on earth. Even the lowest-ranking celestial goddess has a beauty that's about 15 out of 10, transcending the dimensional barrier. The most beautiful celestial goddess is said to be Chang'e, whose beauty is beyond description.

Ling Chi visited many immortals and drank with them. He even asked Chang'e how beautiful she was and compared her to Liu Mengli. The immortals all said, "Liu Mengli is beautiful, but she is not as beautiful as Chang'e."

This was indeed an answer that excited and intrigued Ling Chi.

Liu Mengli was already the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but he never expected that Chang'e would be even more beautiful than Liu Mengli. Just how beautiful was Chang'e?

Beauty filters, slimming effects, and big eyes aren't enough; they also need background music and special effects?

Ling Chi was curious but had never had the chance to see her before; today was a perfect opportunity. It was said that Chang'e would come to Yaochi to perform a dance for all the immortals, and he was eager to see it for himself.

Is the female immortal who turned Marshal Tianpeng into Pigsy really as beautiful as the legend says?

Chapter Five: Oh no, it's the feeling of falling in love!

The Peach Banquet begins at noon. Before that, gods from all walks of life arrive at the Jade Pool one after another. Old friends who haven't seen each other for many years gather in small groups to reminisce about the changes that have occurred over the years.

The Old Man of the South Pole then found Laozi.

"Laojun, look, all my teeth have fallen out. Is there any way to fix them?"

"You lost all your teeth before you became an immortal, and you didn't reshape your body in time after becoming an immortal, so it's probably going to be difficult for you!"

"Sigh! Even you can't do anything about it, what are we going to do?"

"You and I are both immortals, and we don't need to chew our food, so it doesn't matter whether we have teeth or not."

"But this time, the peaches at the Peach Banquet in Yaochi didn't have teeth, so I had to cut them open to swallow them, which was so uncomfortable."

"There's nothing I can do about that."

"Sigh!" The Antarctic Immortal took a sip of tea with a sigh: "Hmm, this tea is not bad."

"..."

Guanyin Bodhisattva and Tathagata Buddha met face to face.

"Disciple pays respects to the Buddha."

"Hmm." Buddha nodded. "What do you think of the new God of Cookery who has arrived in Heaven?"

"It is said that he is from beyond the heavens, having traveled through several time periods, all for the sake of perfecting the art of cooking." After a pause, Guanyin Bodhisattva concluded, "He is a variable, but a controllable one."

The Buddha pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's observe further."

"Your disciple obeys."

"Hmm." The Buddha turned his head and looked around: "Where did Jin Chanzi go?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Isn't he having a pleasant conversation with Zhenyuan Daxian?"

At a dining table not far away, Zhen Yuanzi and Jin Chanzi, the second disciple of Buddha, were discussing Zen. Their intellectual clashes did not ignite any hostility; instead, they chatted happily.

"I did not expect you to have such a profound understanding of Buddhism, yet also to have a different interpretation. I admire you."

"Senior, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise."

"Hehe, young friend, there's no need to be modest. Hmm, these dried fruits and candied fruits do taste quite good. You should try some."

"Eating now."

"..."

Seeing this, Buddha looked embarrassed: This glutton!

As time passed and noon drew closer, a voice announced, "The Queen Mother of the West has arrived."

All the gods looked over and saw the Queen Mother of the West, dressed in magnificent robes, approaching with a smile. Wherever she went, the gods offered their congratulations: "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

As the Queen Mother of the West is the head of all female immortals, even the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors treat her with respect. Not to mention the immortals of slightly lower status, who dare not even look her in the eye, lowering their eyelids and offering their congratulations on her birthday.

The Peach Banquet will be held right next to the Jade Pool, with all the tables and chairs arranged around it. A stage has been set up in the middle of the pool, and soon fairies will be playing string music, singing and dancing.

After the Queen Mother of the West took her seat, the Jade Emperor also sat down beside her and offered his congratulations.

The Queen Mother of the West nodded with a smile and said, "Thank you all for coming to the Peach Banquet. This year's Peach Banquet is different from previous years, so please enjoy it carefully."

These words left the many immortals deep in thought. Those who knew the answer naturally understood, while those who didn't sought answers from those around them.