Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

However, while the show provided Ling Chi with countless opportunities to make sarcastic remarks, it also made her start to consider the possibility of this story happening.

If Daoji didn't believe that the Buddha might be reincarnated and cultivate again, he wouldn't have doubted it. But since Daoji had admitted it, he would have to think about it carefully.

In this world, he won't encounter a sequel to Journey to the West, will he?

It's not impossible, after all, the story of Journey to the West has already happened, and even Ji Gong encountered it, so what is impossible?

Is this really the world of "The Legend of the White Snake," or a hodgepodge? It's a tangled mess.

As the dishes were served one by one, Daoji wolfed them down, his mouth greasy with food. Given his current appearance, he wasn't afraid of getting dirty, and he wouldn't touch anything he could just eat. In the end, almost all the food on the table ended up in his stomach, while Ling Chi and Su Mei barely ate anything.

After a satisfying meal, Daoji patted his belly contentedly and laughed heartily, "Delicious! I didn't expect your maids to cook so well. It seems your culinary skills have a successor."

Ling Chi shook his head: "It's just a magic spell that turns beans into soldiers. There is no one who can inherit my cooking skills."

This is true. To possess culinary skills like Ling Chi's, one must have the assistance of the God of Cooking System. However, Ling Chi has become the true host of the God of Cooking System. Others who want to learn culinary skills can only become Ling Chi's assistant chefs. But because of the system's suppression, assistant chefs will always be one level below the host and will never catch up with Ling Chi's culinary skills. That's why Ling Chi said that no one can inherit his culinary skills.

"So it's 'scattering beans to create soldiers'." Daoji's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "Benefactor Ling, could you give me a little cook? I won't have to eat those leftovers every day anymore."

Ling Chi chuckled lightly: "What will you offer in exchange?"

"Hmm..." Daoji thought for a moment, then reached into his robes and began to knead mud into a ball. In no time, he had kneaded a ball the size of a soybean and said, "What do you think of this elixir that can cure all diseases?"

Wind, fire, and thunder appeared in front of Ling Chi, emanating a terrifying aura of destruction.

"Hey, hey, don't do it, don't do it!" Daoji quickly put away the mud ball and said, "Just kidding, why fight like this?"

Ling Chi snorted coldly: "You eat my food, drink my water, and still want to cheat my maid? You have some nerve. If you can't produce something good, I advise you to leave immediately to avoid ruining our relationship."

Daoji chuckled twice, "Of course, of course." After thinking it over carefully, he realized he had nothing to offer in exchange. The Buddhist sect was not as wealthy as the Taoist sect. The Taoist sect had piles of high-level spiritual treasures, while the Buddhist sect had many low-level magic treasures, but very few high-level ones.

Consider how wealthy the disciples of the three Taoist sects during the Investiture of the Gods period were. They threw away all sorts of high-level and top-tier magical treasures as if they were free. In contrast, what did the Buddhist sect possess? If the West weren't so impoverished, why would Zhunti frequently travel to the East to beg for resources? It was all because they were poor. Don't be fooled by the high status of the Arhat Subduing Dragon, a disciple of the Buddha; he really didn't have any decent magical weapons.

If you really want to pick one, the tattered fan in his hand could be considered one, but Ling Chi has a wide circle of friends, and the big shots in the Three Realms have given him plenty of good stuff, so why would he care about his tattered fan?

For a moment, Daoji was in a dilemma. After thinking for a long time, he finally gave a bitter smile and said, "This poor monk has nothing to exchange."

Ling Chi smiled and said, "If you don't have magic weapons, spells and supernatural abilities will do. I'm not picky."

"..." Daoji shook his head: "Our Buddhist magic can only be practiced by Buddhist disciples, and Benefactor Ling's identity does not match."

"Never mind then." Ling Chi said indifferently, "And don't you dare ask me for any maids again. My maids are very precious!"

Daoji sighed and gave up his wishful thinking.

After taking a few sips of hot tea, Ling Chi got down to business: "Do you know Fahai from Jinshan Temple?"

"Fahai?" Daoji was somewhat surprised. "Why are you asking about him?"

"I'm just a little curious," Ling Chi said. "Just tell me if you know him or not?"

"I've heard of them, but I've never seen them," Daoji said. "There are so many monks in the world, I don't know everyone."

“Since you’ve heard of him, it means he’s quite famous.” Ling Chi smiled and asked, “Which venerable master in your Buddhism is he the reincarnation of?”

"There aren't that many Venerable Ones." Daoji shook his head: "Fahai is just a person with great wisdom and affinity. Moreover, he has long been controlled by the Jade Emperor and is not a core figure of our Buddhist sect. Even if he becomes an immortal in the future, he will not be under the control of our Buddhist sect."

"Oh?" Ling Chi hadn't expected things to take this turn. "But Fahai is, after all, a Buddhist disciple. Can the Buddha tolerate him?"

"Hehehe." Daoji chuckled. "Our Buddhist sect is already under the Jade Emperor's control, so what is there to be unable to endure?"

"..." That's perfectly correct.

This world is neither the world of the Investiture of the Gods nor the world of the prehistoric fantasy novels. In this world, the Jade Emperor is the ruler of the Three Realms. Even though the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors are nominally equal to the Jade Emperor, they still have to obey him to some extent. The Buddhist sect is no exception. The Buddha Tathagata suppressed Sun Wukong, which is pretty awesome, right? But he was not "invited" by the Jade Emperor as in the TV series. Instead, he was summoned by order. According to the court system in the human world, the Jade Emperor is the emperor, and the Buddha Tathagata is at most a minister, not even a prime minister.

As for Sun Wukong's havoc in the Heavenly Palace, it was all part of a scheme from beginning to end, a scheme devised by various forces. Sun Wukong was merely a pawn in this scheme, with the ultimate goal of spreading Buddhism eastward and preventing Taoism from becoming too dominant and affecting the Jade Emperor's rule.

After all, almost all the gods in Heaven were disciples of Taoism. Laozi even occupied the Tushita Palace in Heaven, where he would practice alchemy when he had nothing to do. In reality, he was a powerful figure who could protect the Taoist disciples. If the Jade Emperor made a foolish move, Laozi could raise his voice and punish the Jade Emperor.

Living in such an environment, the Jade Emperor was naturally unwilling to let Taoism dominate, so he colluded with the Buddha, who had some ideas. After much preparation, he finally managed to balance the relationships between the various parties and launched the Journey to the West.

Ultimately, Buddhism expanded eastward, growing increasingly powerful and gaining the strength to rival Taoism. The Jade Emperor, in turn, found himself able to navigate between Buddhism and Taoism, thus strengthening his rule.

This is Ling Chi's guess about the situation in the years after the end of Journey to the West. Otherwise, there would be no way to explain why Sun Wukong, who was at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level, could cause such a mess in the Heavenly Palace.

The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother even sacrificed the Peach Garden. How could they have made such a foolish decision without sufficient exchange of benefits? The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother are not as muddleheaded as people imagine.

He finally understood why, in the episode where Bai Suzhen stole Fahai's elixir, it was a heavenly general who gave Fahai the elixir, not a Buddhist monk.

At the time, it seemed a bit unreasonable, but now it all makes perfect sense.

"This Fahai has cultivated for seventeen hundred years and is favored by the Jade Emperor, so why hasn't he achieved enlightenment yet?" Ling Chi asked. "Could it be that he's too dull-witted and hasn't achieved anything after so many years of hard work?"

"Then I don't know." Daoji shook his head, fanning himself with his tattered fan, and said, "Whether he becomes an immortal or a Buddha, it is ultimately a good thing for the Heavenly Court. Why does Benefactor Ling need to ask so clearly?"

Ling Chi smiled faintly and said, "Hearing you say that, I know that Fahai must have some dirty dealings with your Buddhist sect."

Daoji: "..."

"Don't be nervous," Ling Chi said. "I'm not interested in your messy affairs, as long as you don't bother me."

Daoji chuckled: "Benefactor Ling is joking. You are from beyond the heavens. Whatever happens in the Heavenly Court is none of your business."

"But the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother have been very kind to me. I hope nothing bad will happen between you before I leave." Ling Chi took a sip of hot tea and said, "Otherwise, I can only apologize."

Daoji chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Benefactor Ling, it's just some entertainment, nothing serious."

Ling Chi nodded: "That's good."

Seeing that Ling Chi was no longer pursuing the matter, Dao Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "I didn't expect Benefactor Ling to be so perceptive. He can even guess the meaning of such a small matter. His ability to see through people's hearts is truly remarkable."

Ling Chi smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing."

It's all thanks to the ability to "read people's hearts" that came from Taibai Jinxing. Ever since eating this dish, Ling Chi felt like he wouldn't be fooled anymore. It was also thanks to the power of this dish that he was able to get along so well with the big shots of the Three Realms over the years.

Once you've figured out people's hearts, you'll naturally know how to please them.

Over the years, some people have even jokingly called him: the number one social butterfly in Heaven.

Haha, if it weren't for the fact that he hadn't revealed enough recipes yet, he would have already gone on a killing spree.

Screw you social butterfly, I'm a man!

After chatting with Daoji for a while, Daoji yawned, stretched, and stood up, saying, "I'm full and ready to travel the world. Farewell, Benefactor Ling."

"You're leaving already?" Ling Chi said, "I was hoping you'd stay a few more days!"

"Haha, this humble monk is a wanderer, how could I be confined to one place?" Daoji turned around and waved his hand dismissively: "Benefactor Ling, there's no need to see me off, farewell."

After saying this, Daoji staggered away from the Ling residence, arriving easily and leaving gracefully.

"What an amazing person." Su Mei blinked and said, "He's just a bit dirty, a bit smelly, his clothes, shoes, hat and fan are a bit torn, and he's a bit ugly, otherwise he would definitely have a group of devout men and women following him."

Daoji, who had already reached the door, lost his balance and fell flat on his face.

Ling Chi burst into laughter.

He pinched Su Mei's face with his large hand: "You little vixen, your finishing touch skills are getting better and better."

"Hehe..." Su Mei laughed a little foolishly, but she was actually quite shrewd: Serves him right for daring to play dumb in front of Brother Ling!

Chapter Fifteen: Hu Meiniang and Caiyin

After Daoji left, Lingchi walked towards the backyard.

In the backyard, Bai Suzhen sat on a stone bench in the pavilion, staring blankly at the pond, her eyes unfocused.

Ling Chi strode over and stood in front of her: "I thought you would leave with Xiao Qing."

Bai Suzhen came to her senses, looked at him, and said, "Compared to Xiaoqing, I can't live without you in the end."

When Ling Chi hosted a banquet for Dao Ji, Xiao Qing urged Bai Suzhen to leave the Ling family mansion with him and wander the world. But Bai Suzhen refused without hesitation and told her to apologize to Ling Chi.

Xiaoqing, of course, refused to admit her mistake. Seeing that her sister was unwilling to leave, she stormed off alone. Bai Suzhen wanted to chase after her, but ultimately stopped and let Xiaoqing go.

Ling Chi saw all of this through her golden eyes and was very satisfied with Bai Suzhen's choice. Just as Bai Suzhen said, she couldn't live without her more than Xiaoqing.

Xiaoqing was just a green snake spirit that she had subdued not long ago, while Ling Chi was someone who recruited her as a kitchen helper. In addition, she was repeatedly conquered by the recipes, so she could naturally distinguish between what was important and what was not.

Ling Chi patted her shoulder and said, "Don't worry! That girl is clever and mischievous, she'll be fine. If fate allows, we'll meet again someday."

"Hmm." Bai Suzhen nodded and forced a smile, "It's just that I've gotten used to having her around these days, so it's a little strange for now."

“Take it slow!” Ling Chi said. “It’s good that she’s leaving. You can use this time to hone your culinary skills in the Chef God Space. We’ll decide whether to recruit Xiao Qing before I leave this world.”

The recruitment he mentioned was naturally for farmers or herdsmen; contracting spirit beasts was out of the question.

Bai Suzhen nodded and said, "Then I'll go to the Chef God Space now."

"Go!"

……

The next day, Ling Chi and Su Mei visited Leifeng Pagoda. Seeing the pagoda, Ling Chi felt a strange mix of amusement and disbelief. The story of the White Snake had barely begun, and he had already ruined it. Now, Bai Suzhen was honing her culinary skills in the Chef's Space, Xiaoqing had run away, and Xu Xian would never meet Bai Suzhen again. Who knew what the future held? As for the grudges between Fahai and Bai Suzhen, they had never existed from the beginning; in this life, Fahai would likely never cross paths with Bai Suzhen again.

Although the plot changes seem positive from the perspective of the original story, it still feels somewhat uninteresting. Xu Shilin probably won't exist anymore, and it's uncertain whether Li Bilian will even be born. As for Hu Meiniang and Caiyin of Phoenix Mountain, they're just two ordinary little demons, and the current Hu Meiniang is an ugly monster with sores on her face, not her transformed form, so she's not worth subduing.

In the original story, Hu Meiniang died protecting Xu Shilin, but after her death, she wasn't favored by any powerful deity and was simply reincarnated into an ordinary family. In contrast, Caiyin was taken in by Guanyin Bodhisattva to cultivate, which suggests that Guanyin Bodhisattva didn't like Hu Meiniang. Perhaps this is because Hu Meiniang and Xu Shilin had a past romance.

Xu Shilin is the reincarnation of the God of Literature, and he will definitely return to the celestial realm in the future. If Guanyin Bodhisattva accepts Hu Meiniang, what will happen if Xu Shilin finds out about this after returning to the celestial realm and keeps running to the Purple Bamboo Forest every few days?

Given Guanyin Bodhisattva's wisdom, she would certainly have taken precautions in advance, so this explanation makes sense.

From a class perspective, Xu Shilin was essentially the son of an official, while Hu Meiniang was a nobody, a nobody internet celebrity who tried to marry into an official family by getting plastic surgery. Even if the official's son was willing, the official's father would definitely not agree. His friends would also certainly not approve, so Hu Meiniang's fate is understandable.

but……

That afternoon, at Qibaoshan.

Su Mei asked, "Brother Ling, what are we doing here? It's the middle of nowhere, there's nothing here but demons."

"I just came to see the fairy." Ling Chi chuckled. "There is a Purple Dragon King Ginseng with two thousand years of cultivation in this Qibao Mountain. Its quality is comparable to the Ginseng Baby. Once we find it, we can transplant it into the farm."

"Oh?" Su Mei's eyes lit up. "I love finding treasures! Leave this Purple Dragon King Ginseng to me!"

Ling Chi chuckled softly, "It would be wonderful if you could find it."

"Leave it to me." With that, Su Mei transformed into a fox, her nose twitching, and darted towards a clump of grass.

Seeing that Su Mei was quick to start looking, Ling Chi smiled slightly and also began searching for Hu Meiniang and Caiyin. After all, these two rabbit spirits were quite interesting; if they suited his taste, taking them into the farm wouldn't be a bad idea.

Ling Chi was dressed in a white gentleman's robe. With his 12 points of good looks, he was considered one of the most handsome men in the world. His extraordinary demeanor would further enhance his charm. In the original story, Hu Meiniang wanted to get to know Xu Shilin because of his 'good looks'. Ling Chi was confident that his charm was no less than Xu Shilin's, and might even be better. He didn't believe that Hu Meiniang would not take the bait.

but……

In the evening, Su Mei returned excitedly, clutching a huge 'club': "Brother Ling, I found the Purple Dragon King Ginseng!"