Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

Ling Chi smiled slightly and said, "It's good that you have the intention. Besides, once you become my contracted spirit beast, you can still travel between the God of Cookery Space and the outside world. You have no idea how many people envy you!"

Su Mei smiled brightly: "Of course I know. The little white snakes, big white snakes, and little blue snakes who followed Brother Ling the earliest are all incredibly envious of me whenever they see me." She paused: "Speaking of which, there's already a little white snake on the farm, and she's also a white snake spirit. Brother Ling, aren't you afraid of calling Bai Suzhen 'Little White' wrong?"

“Well… I hadn’t thought that much about it before, I just thought it sounded nice to call her Xiaobai, so I just called her that. But you’re right, we really need to distinguish between the two of them from now on, so from now on…” Ling Chi pondered for a moment and said, “Let’s just call her Bai Suzhen by her name!”

"Wouldn't it seem cold to suddenly call me by my name?" Su Mei felt that this way of addressing me was not very friendly.

"It's just a name, there's no such thing as friendly or unfriendly," Ling Chi said. "Once she becomes mine, we can call her more affectionately."

"Brother Ling is really persistent!" Su Mei smiled charmingly: "He already has so many women, yet he still goes around flirting with other women."

"I'm just looking for a kitchen helper for myself, and besides, Bai Suzhen isn't an ordinary woman," Ling Chi said.

"What's so special about her?" Su Mei winked and said, "Is she better than me?"

Ling Chi chuckled: "That's not what I meant. I can't explain it to you right now, but you'll understand later."

Seeing that Ling Chi was unwilling to say more, Su Mei didn't ask any further questions and said, "I'll go check the kitchen."

“Go ahead!” Ling Chi nodded. “I’ll go check on Fatty in the backyard too. That guy’s living a more comfortable life than me, it’s really annoying.”

"Hehe, should I teach him a lesson?" Su Mei said with a charming smile.

Ling Chi shook his head: "You may not be its match. This guy is a born Yin-Yang Dao embryo. He can continuously improve his realm just by eating and sleeping. Over the years, he has absorbed a lot of Yin-Yang Qi in the Heavenly Court and has already reached the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal. I'm afraid he will break through to Daluo Golden Immortal within a hundred years. You'd better not provoke it recklessly, lest you suffer the consequences later."

"Tch! Me, afraid of it?" Although Su Mei was unconvinced, she agreed with Ling Chi's point of view. The panda was fat and a natural prodigy, much stronger than her, a half-demon.

To be honest, if Ling Chi hadn't taken her in as a contracted spirit beast, she would never have achieved what she has today. She has absolute trust and admiration for Ling Chi. Although he sometimes says things that are not pleasant to hear, it is all for her own good, and she remembers them all!

Chapter Twelve, Eighth Kitchen Helper

For three days in a row, Ling Chi did not go out to enjoy the scenery. He spent almost all his time preparing the nine dishes that Bai Suzhen had made.

The first dish was a simple scrambled eggs with tomatoes. It was Bai Suzhen's first time cooking, and although it didn't look very appetizing, the taste... was surprisingly good, on par with a home cook.

The second dish, stuffed green peppers, wasn't cooked quite right; the pepper skins were a bit burnt. But overall, it was passable. After all, it's much more difficult than scrambled eggs with tomatoes, so Ling Chi gave it a passing grade.

The third dish, West Lake Vinegar Fish, showed a significant improvement in heat control, resulting in a high overall level of completion, with a shimmering white light.

The fourth dish was steamed dumplings. The dough was rolled out unevenly, but within an acceptable range. The filling was very well seasoned, and the white sauce was even more flavorful.

The fifth course was baking bread. Although limited by the conditions, she couldn't make bread like the bread from a modern bakery, but Bai Suzhen successfully made bread with a completion rate of 68%, and Ling Chi finally smiled.

The sixth dish, poached meatballs, was quite delicious and very well-made, even shimmering with a blue light.

The seventh course, roast duck, shows visible progress from slaughtering and scalding to the final roasting and slicing. The blue light is also more noticeable.

The eighth dish, claypot rice, was cooked to perfection. All the ingredients were of high quality, and the overall result was over 70% complete. The blue light was very stable.

The ninth dish, fried rice with egg, hey fried rice with egg, the simplest yet the most difficult... Bai Suzhen followed the steps and completed it with over 75% success. A blue light shot into the sky, making Ling Chi show an extremely satisfied smile.

"Young Master Ling, how was it?" Seeing Ling Chi finish the last dish of fried rice and smile, Bai Suzhen asked nervously.

Ling Chi said, "Very good, you have a real talent for cooking. You can help me cook from now on!"

Bai Suzhen: "..."

Xiaoqing got angry: "What do you mean by 'helping you cook'? What do you take your sister for?"

Ling Chi glanced at her and said indifferently, "Kitchen helper, what's wrong?"

Xiaoqing laughed angrily: "You still say you're a kitchen helper? And you still ask what's wrong? I'd like to ask you, what does being a kitchen helper have to do with immortality? You'd better give us a reasonable explanation, or don't blame us for being impolite."

"How can I be impolite?" Ling Chi sneered. "Can you beat me?"

"..." Xiaoqing was going crazy: ヽ（#`Д'）丿┌┛〃

"Alright." Bai Suzhen calmed Xiaoqing down and said, "Young Master Ling, actually, I'm also curious about the question Xiaoqing just asked: Is there any connection between these cooks and immortality?"

“Of course there is a connection,” Ling Chi said. “I only have sixteen kitchen helper positions in total. Seven have already been used, leaving seventeen. As long as you become a kitchen helper, you can live forever.”

"What!?" Xiaoqing started shouting again: "Becoming a kitchen helper can grant immortality? Are you kidding me?"

Ling Chi glanced at her and said, "Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Also, you keep using ignorance as a personality trait, which I find very foolish. I'll let you off this time for your sister's sake, but if you dare to talk nonsense and talk back to me again, don't blame me for being impolite."

Xiaoqing sensed a hint of barely perceptible anger from Ling Chi and immediately fell silent, lowering her head with a pitiful expression: Damn it!

Bai Suzhen quickly said, "Xiaoqing was just worried about me, that's why she spoke without thinking. I hope Young Master Ling won't be angry."

Ling Chi smiled faintly: "Didn't I tell you? If it weren't for your sake, she wouldn't be standing here right now. But you must understand that my easygoing attitude towards you is just because it's my nature, not because I don't have a temper. Throughout thousands of years, no one who has angered me has ever had a good ending."

These words sent chills down Xiaoqing's spine, and her legs trembled. Bai Suzhen also paused slightly, experiencing Lingchi's majesty for the first time.

Su Mei's eyes were like crescent moons, and her smiling face resembled that of a fox. The scene before her was truly amusing.

Bai Suzhen took a deep breath and said, "Young Master Ling, I am willing to be your kitchen helper."

"Oh?" Ling Chi smiled broadly: "A smart choice."

The tense atmosphere dissipated, and Bai Suzhen breathed a sigh of relief, asking, "What should I do?"

"You don't need to do anything, just wait." Ling Chi vanished from his spot in an instant, leaving Bai Suzhen utterly shocked: This is...

"Recruit Bai Suzhen as a kitchen helper."

"Ding, Bai Suzhen, the eighth assistant chef, has been successfully recruited."

……

The next morning, as Xiaoqing was combing Bai Suzhen's hair, she noticed that Bai Suzhen seemed preoccupied and asked, "Sister, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"It's nothing," Bai Suzhen said softly. "It's just that life's encounters are too wondrous; you never know what you'll meet next."

"Oh?" Xiaoqing asked, "Why would you suddenly think of these things, sister?"

"It was just a momentary feeling," Bai Suzhen smiled slightly and asked, "Xiaoqing, what are your plans for the future?"

"Follow my sister!" Xiaoqing blurted out without thinking.

Bai Suzhen felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, "Silly girl, what will you do if I'm gone?"

“How could my sister not be here?” Xiaoqing didn’t think too much about it and said, “Besides, I will always be by my sister’s side. Wherever my sister goes, Xiaoqing will go. We will never be separated.”

Bai Suzhen was even more moved by what he said: "You little girl, you're all talk and no action."

"No, that's not true!" Xiaoqing pouted. "Xiaoqing is telling the truth. Sister, you're wronging me."

"Hehe, alright, it's all my fault. I apologize to you," Bai Suzhen said with a smile.

"Hehe, it's good that you know you were wrong, sister. I forgive you." Xiaoqing smiled innocently, which made Bai Suzhen make up her mind.

……

"Let me form a contract with Xiaoqing?"

After breakfast, Bai Suzhen made an excuse to send Xiaoqing away, and then asked Ling Chi in the backyard pavilion to let Xiaoqing become his contracted spirit beast as well.

After hearing this, Ling Chi frowned: "You know that I have very high requirements for contracted spirit beasts. Back then, I contracted Mei'er because she possessed the talents of both the fox and snake races. Panda Pangda was born with the Yin-Yang Dao Embryo. But what does Xiao Qing have? She is just an ordinary snake spirit. Perhaps her talent is high enough, but not high enough to move me."

“I know,” Bai Suzhen said softly, “but I asked Xiaoqing this morning…”

Bai Suzhen recounted the conversation she had during her morning hair combing session, then knelt before Ling Chi and said, "Although I haven't known Xiaoqing for long, I know that she truly considers me her older sister. Now that I'm bound to you for life, I only hope that Xiaoqing can stay by my side, even if it's just as a servant."

Ling Chi looked at her and said, "Recruiting them as farmers or herdsmen is the same."

Bai Suzhen shook her head: "That would only confine her to the farm and prevent her from coming to the outside world."

Ling Chi said calmly, "Given Xiao Qing's temperament, she's bound to cause trouble in the future. What will we do then?"

"..." Bai Suzhen was silent for a moment, then said, "I am willing to take full responsibility."

Ling Chi sighed softly and shook his head: "If you take full responsibility, it means there's no going back. I won't leave that kind of hidden danger behind."

"But Xiaoqing, she..."

"I will not form a contract with her, give up on that idea!" Ling Chi said decisively.

Bai Suzhen's face immediately fell, and she remained silent.

Seeing that she was still kneeling on the ground, Ling Chi knew what she was thinking. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Aren't you going to give up yet?"

"Xiaoqing and I are like sisters, I will not abandon her," Bai Suzhen said.

Ling Chi gave her a deep look, then stood up and said, "Then you can kneel down!"

After saying that, she walked away from the pavilion. Su Mei glanced at Bai Suzhen and followed after her.

Even after walking a distance, Bai Suzhen remained kneeling in the same spot, without getting up.

Su Mei turned around and saw this scene, and said, "Brother Ling, why don't you agree to her request?"

Ling Chi said calmly, "If we agree to every unreasonable request, it would seem too cheap. Let's see how sincere she is!"

"Oh?" Su Mei was a clever woman, and after a moment's thought, she understood Ling Chi's plan. She tilted her head slightly, looked at him, and smiled with narrowed eyes, "Brother Ling is as wise as ever!"

"Just do as you please without overstepping the bounds." Ling Chi smiled slightly and said, "The weather is nice today, let's go! Let's go for a stroll at Lingyin Temple."

"Lingyin Temple?" Su Mei asked, "Are we going to see that mad monk?"

“He’s not a mad monk.” Ling Chi smiled slightly and said, “The Western Arhat who subdued the dragon has been reincarnated for more than twenty years.”

Su Mei's eyes widened.

……

Xiaoqing returned to the Ling residence and saw her sister kneeling in the pavilion in the backyard. She almost lost her temper. Not to mention, Ling Chi and Su Mei arrived at Lingyin Temple on a cloud. As soon as they landed, they heard a chorus of curses coming from inside the temple.

"Amitabha! Daoji, Daoji, you are truly sinful! How could you eat dog meat! Amitabha! Forgive me, forgive me! Quickly throw away the dog meat! You... how come you're eating it even faster? You're making me so angry! Quick! Someone come and throw away the dog meat!"

"..." Ling Chi and Su Mei stepped into the temple and saw a group of monks surrounding a crazy monk with tattered shoes, a tattered hat, and a tattered cassock, trying to snatch a dog leg from his hand.

As the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands, let alone when surrounded and snatched by five or six monks. In the end, the mad monk couldn't escape. The dog meat in his hand flew out during the snatching and fell into the well not far away.

The scene fell silent. The mad monk laughed and said, "When I ate dog meat, only one person broke the precept. Now look what's happened! Everyone is about to break the precept."

"Ah!?" The leading monk broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said to the younger monks, "What are you all standing there for! Quick, get the dog's leg out of there!"

The young monk hurriedly tried to scoop up the dog's leg with a bucket, but after searching for a long time, he found that there was no dog meat at all, only a wine gourd.

Just as everyone was bewildered, the mad monk suddenly produced a dog leg that had been gnawed on many times, and laughed loudly, "Don't bother looking, the dog meat is right here!"

"Ah!?" The head monk said angrily, "Daoji, you're playing tricks on me again! Fine... fine, fine, let's leave that aside for now. Tell me, what day is it today?"

The mad monk known as Daoji, gnawing on dog meat, asked, "What day is it?"

"You... why are you pretending to be crazy?!" The head monk, with his hands behind his back, was very angry. He grabbed Daoji's arm and said, "Come on, let's go see the elder, let's go!"