Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

Daoji was unwilling to go, and although he struggled, he was no match for the great monk's strength and was about to be dragged away. Just then, Ling Chi stepped forward and asked, "Is this the monk Daoji?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment and looked over.

Upon closer inspection, the head monk's eyes lit up: What a wealthy patron in brocade robes... cough, benefactor. It's just that the woman beside him seemed rather alluring; she appeared to be this benefactor's concubine.

The senior monk quickly released his hand and put his palms together, saying, "Amitabha, have you come to Lingyin Temple to offer incense?"

Ling Chi waved his hand: "I'm looking for Daoji, you can go play somewhere else."

The monk's face froze instantly, his anger burning. If it weren't for the fact that Ling Chi seemed to have a powerful background, he would have already lost his temper.

Daoji, however, looked at Ling Chi with a glint in his eyes and chuckled, "You've come to see me. Judging from your young age, you're dressed in fine clothes, so you must be a wealthy person. Could you spare some money for incense so I can buy some wine?"

Ling Chi smiled slightly and casually tossed over a gold ingot: "This money is enough for you to buy all the wine in the entire restaurant, is that enough?"

The head monk and the young monks were immediately drawn to the gold ingot, their greed growing stronger.

Daoji grabbed the gold ingot and chuckled, "That's enough, that's enough. Thank you, benefactor. My dog ​​meat is delicious. Would you like to try some?"

"I'm not worthy of your dog meat," Ling Chi said. "How about I cook a few dishes myself, and we can eat some together?"

"Great!" Daoji's eyes lit up, and drool dripped down his face. "Let's go, let's go now!"

Ling Chi smiled slightly: "Please."

Seeing Ling Chi and Dao Ji leave like they were talking in riddles, the big monk's face turned red and then white, and finally he slammed his fist hard on the tree trunk: "You Dao Ji, you wait, this is not over!"

After the senior monk left, the younger monks opened the wine gourd and took turns drinking.

……

Just after leaving Lingyin Temple and reaching a secluded spot, Ling Chi asked, "Jianglong, what happened to you? Drinking and eating meat, do you think the Buddha will forgive you?"

Seeing that Ling Chi had seen through his past life, Daoji chuckled and said, "I'm doing just fine! So what if I drink and eat meat? Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart."

"Your words will set a bad example for future monks," Ling Chi said with a smile.

Daoji smiled again and said, "If people follow my example, they will be on the path of demons."

Ling Chi chuckled lightly: "Nonsense, you're saying it's a double standard." He paused, "Besides, if it weren't for Emperor Liang Wu's decree, you monks would have been eating meat anyway."

"Haha, this is one time, and it is another," Daoji laughed. "The Buddha has a thousand faces; one must adapt to the circumstances!"

Ling Chi shook his head and said, "I've also studied Buddhism. Your tricks only fool ordinary people; they won't work on me. In the end, isn't it all just about promoting Buddhism's influence and getting people to believe in you?"

"Hehehe..." Daoji chuckled, "Don't say it if you see through it!" He paused, then asked, "I heard you've taken a long vacation. When are you planning to go back?"

Chapter Thirteen: What use do I have for this iron rod?

"We'll go back before the Queen Mother's birthday," Ling Chi said. "There's still plenty of time. But you, instead of enjoying your retirement in the mortal realm, you've made yourself into this mess. What were you thinking?"

"Actually, it's quite good," Daoji said. "Compared to the orderly life we ​​used to lead, we've now unleashed our true nature, and life is much more comfortable than before. But such a life can only last for a few decades, which is a real pity."

"Do you intend to continue like this?" Ling Chi asked.

"If possible, of course I would." Daoji took a couple of bites of dog meat and said, "Now I can eat when I want, drink when I want, and sleep when I want. Nobody can stop me. When I have nothing to do, I can even help with injustices and be respected by people. It's really carefree and happy. If it could always be like this, that would be great."

"Don't even think about it," Ling Chi said. "If you were just a nobody reincarnated, it would be fine, but you happen to be one of the Eighteen Arhats. How could Buddhism let you off so easily?"

"So I'll just enjoy these next few decades, hahaha." Daoji was quite open-minded, always cheerful. Perhaps for him, reincarnation was just like playing a video game!

Ling Chi smiled slightly and said, "What kind of things can you encounter if you stay in Lingyin Temple every day? Why don't you travel around among the common people? Maybe you'll encounter something more interesting."

"Yes!" Daoji said, "When I want to drink and eat meat, I go for a stroll in the city, and I always run into something."

Ling Chi nodded: "No wonder I didn't see you when I came to Lingyin Temple last time. So you went to the city."

"Oh?" Daoji asked, "What brings you here?"

“You’ve made such a commotion, of course I had to come and see,” Ling Chi said. “After all, Buddhism doesn’t have a monk like you.”

"Haha, even you want to come and see, which shows that my changes this time have been effective." Daoji laughed, "From now on, the influence of Buddhism in the East will be even more widespread."

Ling Chi smiled and shook his head, expressing both admiration for Buddhism's efforts in promoting its teachings and frustration with Taoism's lack of success.

There's no way around it. Buddhism emphasizes engagement with the world, while Taoism emphasizes detachment from it. One aims to preach to the general public, while the other seeks to detach itself from the masses and retreat to the deep mountains and forests to cultivate immortality alone. In ancient times, when the general public lacked education, ordinary people were easily misled and became devout followers of Buddhism. There's nothing that can be done about it.

Fortunately, the emperors of China were always quite capable, preventing religion from becoming a huge force that influenced the country, as was the case in Europe. This prevented different people from being regarded as heretics and fighting to the death over the legitimacy of their respective gods.

Faith is something you can simply hold in your heart; to actually go to war for some vague, unrealistic god is just plain crazy.

Once they could no longer see anyone, the three of them took to the air and flew towards the Ling residence.

Soon, the three landed in front of the Ling residence. Ling Chi said, "We've arrived."

Daoji looked at the mansion in front of him and said, "So this is your home. No wonder it was built so quickly."

"You've heard of my residence?" Ling Chi asked.

"The Prince Qiu's Mansion, everyone in Hangzhou knows it." Daoji chuckled and said, "It's just that he was unlucky and met a bad end."

"Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. If you side with the cub before the tiger is even dead, you deserve to die," Ling Chi said. "Come in! There's plenty of good wine and food."

"Hahaha, then I, the monk, will not stand on ceremony." Daoji was overjoyed. It had been a long time since he had eaten the dishes made by the God of Cookery. The last time was at the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet, where the vegetarian dishes were indescribably delicious.

Before we knew it, three hundred years had passed.

As soon as they entered the Ling residence, they heard a sharp shout: "Ling Chi! You bastard!"

A streak of green light flashed, heading straight for Ling Chi's chest.

Daoji narrowed his eyes and remained motionless, as if he had no reaction whatsoever.

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Ling Chi kicked him away.

Xiaoqing screamed and flew dozens of meters before landing directly in the pond in the backyard, becoming a drowned rat for the second time.

Upon seeing this, Bai Suzhen, who was kneeling in the pavilion, hurriedly stood up: "Xiaoqing!"

The moment Bai Suzhen stood up, Ling Chi narrowed his eyes and said to the maids nearby, "Have the kitchen prepare a table of fine food and wine. I need to see our distinguished guest."

"Yes, young master." The maid immediately went to the kitchen to relay the order. Ling Chi led Daoji into the front hall and said, "Please, make yourselves at home!"

Daoji surveyed the entire hall and chuckled, "This is truly impressive. The concentration of spiritual energy here... Hmm, could it be a spirit-gathering array?"

"Without sufficient spiritual energy, we can't grow high-quality ingredients. The food and drinks we'll be having later are all grown by myself, much better than what's sold outside," Ling Chi said.

Daoji laughed heartily, "This monk is in for a treat today!" As he spoke, he tucked the snake behind his neck and asked, "Where did that snake demon in green come from?"

“She’s a local monster who used to live in the dilapidated Chou Wang Mansion. Later, I stopped fighting the Chou Wang Mansion, but she was still unwilling to give up and came to cause me trouble…” Ling Chi gave a brief account of Xiao Qing’s situation and said, “This morning, Bai Suzhen wanted to find a way for her to be raised, but I refused. She then knelt in front of me and begged me to have mercy.”

At this point, Ling Chi said, "I still didn't agree, so I went to find you. She had been kneeling without moving, so I guess Xiao Qing was angry when she saw Bai Suzhen kneeling and was about to attack me. But now that Bai Suzhen has gotten up, I don't need to worry about Xiao Qing anymore."

After listening, Daoji laughed and said, "Ordinary monsters are naturally capricious. You think you can influence her, but you're wasting your time."

“I never intended to reform her.” Ling Chi shook his head and said, “It’s just that Bai Suzhen considers her a sister and hopes to keep her by her side. I was just doing her a favor. We were fine at first, but she’s too wild and keeps offending me. If I don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll never know what’s good for her.”

Daoji chuckled: "Women are troublesome. I advise you to avoid getting involved with them."

Ling Chi looked at him and asked, "Since women are troublesome and shouldn't be provoked, then may I ask, why are there men and women among people?"

Daoji chuckled but did not reply.

He could certainly deliver a lengthy discourse if it were anyone else, but he lacked that confidence when facing Ling Chi, who was equally proficient in Buddhist teachings. Back then, Ling Chi sought Buddhist guidance from Guanyin Bodhisattva in the Purple Bamboo Grove of the South China Sea, and even the Buddha himself was amazed. He was merely an Arhat; in terms of Buddhist teachings, how could he possibly be a match for Ling Chi?

Seeing his attitude, Ling Chi knew what was going on, so he didn't make things difficult for him. He simply said, "Even the Jade Emperor has the Queen Mother by his side, so how can I be without women? Otherwise, what use would I have for this iron rod?"

"An iron rod?" Daoji was taken aback. "You mean Sun Wukong?"

Ling Chi chuckled but did not reply.

Daoji: "..."

Chapter Fourteen: The Finishing Hand Master

In the backyard, Xiaoqing climbed out of the pond and lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily.

"Xiaoqing, are you alright?" Bai Suzhen rushed over: "What happened?"

"Sister..." Upon seeing Bai Suzhen, Xiaoqing burst into tears, feeling wronged: "Sister, it's my fault, boohoo..."

Bai Suzhen was very flustered: "Why are you crying? Stop crying, what happened? Tell me, and I will help you."

"Waaah, sister, I was kicked by Ling Chi." Xiao Qing sat up from the ground, wiping away her tears, and said, "I wanted to get revenge for you, sister, but I didn't expect him to kick me into the pond with one kick. Waaah... I'm so useless."

"..." Bai Suzhen was both amused and exasperated: "I know you want to avenge your sister, but you attacked him... Xiaoqing, you really need to change your ways, otherwise I won't be able to protect you."

Xiaoqing remained silent, only wiping away her tears.

“Originally, I wanted him to take you as a contracted spirit beast, and there was still a glimmer of hope. But now it seems…” Bai Suzhen shook her head and sighed softly, “It’s impossible now.”

"..." Xiaoqing's tears flowed even more profusely, and a deep sense of regret welled up in her heart. She finally understood why Bai Suzhen was kneeling in the pavilion. It was all for her sake.

"Sister, sob..."

……

In the front hall, Daoji clicked his tongue and said, "What a touching display of sisterly affection! What are you thinking, Benefactor Ling?"

Ling Chi glanced at him and said, "Don't pry into other people's privacy. It's very impolite."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the concealment array in the courtyard was activated. Daoji found that he could not see anything with his spiritual sense and could only see the world with his naked eyes. He was a little unaccustomed to it for a while.

"Benefactor Ling, your methods are truly remarkable," Daoji exclaimed. "The level of this formation is probably among the best in the Three Realms."

Ling Chi smiled slightly: "You flatter me."

Just then, the cold appetizers were served. Ling Chi said, "Let's eat first! Although I didn't cook them, my maids are all quite good cooks. They're better than your dog meat."

"Haha, as long as there's food, that's fine." Daoji laughed, "Since I became a monk, I haven't had a proper meal. I never expected that my first meal would be here with you."

“I never expected to meet you here,” Ling Chi said. “Now that there are no major events in the Three Realms, your Buddhist sect wouldn’t just be thinking about sending in reincarnated Bodhisattvas and Arhats to promote its influence, would it?”

"Haha, actually, after attaining enlightenment, one's lifespan becomes too long. If one doesn't find something to do, it's easy to get sick from being cooped up. In that case, it's quite normal to reincarnate from time to time to cultivate again and experience the hardships of the human world," Daoji said while eating.

"I see." Ling Chi suddenly realized, and said, "So, the Buddha will be reincarnated sooner or later?"

"That day will come," Daoji admitted.

Ling Chi seemed to be deep in thought. He had watched a TV series before called "Journey to the West: The Sequel," which was about the reincarnation of the Buddha and the story of Wutian fighting against the Three Realms. The great gods in that world were really weak and were defeated by Wutian, a junior. It was really shameful. In the end, the Three Realms were saved by Sun Wukong. You can only say how ridiculous the plot is!

Especially during fight scenes, they kept fast-forwarding and replaying, as if they were afraid of running out of time. It was absolutely insane.

To be honest, it was pretty exciting to watch, and the theme song was quite catchy. But now that I think about it, isn't this just the typical formula for web dramas? No logic involved, just pure enjoyment.