Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

"..." Ling Chi looked at the huge ginseng in Su Mei's hand and forced a smile: "Well done."

Su Mei blinked and asked, "Brother Ling, are you unhappy?"

"I'm very happy!" Ling Chi said. "It's just that I spent the whole afternoon searching in Qibao Mountain but didn't find anything, so I was a little disappointed."

"Oh." Su Mei nodded and said, "It's okay, if we don't find it today, we can look for it again tomorrow."

Ling Chi sighed and said, "That's the only way." He paused, then added, "Go to the farm first and plant the Purple Dragon King Ginseng in the ground, right next to the Ginseng Baby!"

"Okay." Su Mei nodded and asked, "Isn't Brother Ling going?"

"I'll take another look around," Ling Chi said. "How can I leave empty-handed after entering a treasure mountain? I refuse to believe I can't find anything good."

Su Mei chuckled and said, "Then I wish Brother Ling good luck!" After saying that, Su Mei returned to the Chef God Space and entered the farm.

Ling Chi circled Qibao Mountain twice more, but still didn't encounter Hu Meiniang and Caiyin.

"That's strange." Ling Chi was a little annoyed: He could run into Xu Shilin, so why couldn't he? Was it because he was too handsome and Hu Meiniang felt inferior and didn't even have the courage to get to know him?

The more Ling Chi thought about it, the more sense it made. He nodded and muttered, "Sigh! Being too handsome is a sin!"

After confirming that Hu Meiniang and Caiyin could not be found today, Ling Chi went straight home after Su Mei came out.

For the next two weeks, Ling Chi and Su Mei went to Qibao Mountain every day. Su Mei always managed to find some good things, but Ling Chi, who was focused on finding Hu Meiniang and Caiyin, returned empty-handed for two weeks in a row, which earned him a lot of teasing from Su Mei.

Ling Chi didn't take it to heart, but he roughly guessed that he was not destined to meet Hu Meiniang and Caiyin. If they were destined, with his luck, he wouldn't have any trouble finding them. But since he hadn't found them for so long, there were only two possibilities: one was that they were truly not destined to be together, and the other was that Hu Meiniang and Caiyin had been hiding from him. Otherwise, there was no way to explain why he couldn't find these two rabbit spirits for half a month.

Although Ling Chi leans more towards the first possibility, logically speaking, the second possibility is more likely.

Regardless of the reason, Ling Chi has no intention of continuing the search. If I gain it, I'm fortunate; if I lose it, it's fate. There's nothing to regret. Perhaps he'll regret it later, but he certainly won't be the one to regret it.

Two weeks later, in the evening, it was another fruitless day. Seeing Su Mei approaching from afar, Ling Chi was about to call her away when he noticed what she was carrying. He changed his mind: "Mei'er, what you're holding is…"

"Rabbits!" Su Mei held a white rabbit in each hand. The two rabbits were quite round and cute, and did not look like wild rabbits. The demonic aura emanating from them was very conspicuous.

Ling Chi's eyes lit up. This was truly a case of finding something without even looking for it.

"Where did this rabbit come from?" Ling Chi asked.

"We caught them in the cave ahead." Su Mei explained the process. It turned out that Su Mei found a hidden cave, crawled into it, and caught the two frightened rabbits.

Su Mei is a hybrid of a snake demon and a fox demon. Regardless of the type, she loves to eat rabbits. Upon seeing these two plump rabbits, she showed no mercy and immediately knocked them unconscious, then dragged them by the ears to Ling Chi.

Seeing the two rabbits unconscious, Ling Chi remained silent for a moment before saying, "Didn't you sense the demonic aura emanating from them?"

“I can feel it!” Su Mei said, “But those that haven’t transformed aren’t demons, so we can eat them as we please.”

“…” Ling Chi sighed and said, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, these two rabbit spirits have already transformed into human form.”

"Really!?" Although Su Mei was unwilling to believe it, she had no choice but to believe it, because Ling Chi had never lied to her.

"You're really something, finding good things every day. Today you even caught two rabbit spirits. Maybe you have a talent for treasure hunting," Ling Chi said.

Su Mei smiled, her eyes narrowing, "I think so too."

These past two weeks have really boosted her confidence in the treasure hunt.

Su Mei: From now on, please call me the Treasure-Seeking Fox-Snake.

……

As night fell, Hu Meiniang and Caiyin trembled with fear as they watched a man and a woman sharpening their knives by the campfire.

They knew the two men; they had seen them frequently at Qibao Mountain for the past two weeks. The man was tall and handsome with an extraordinary air that captivated them, but the woman beside him exuded a seductive charm and emanated an aura that made them feel extremely dangerous. Moreover, this woman had captured their ginseng uncle (Purple Dragon King Ginseng) on ​​the very first day, causing them to have been hiding cautiously for the past two weeks, fearing that the woman would catch them. They only dared to come out at night after the men had left.

Despite hiding for half a month, they still couldn't escape the woman's clutches. Now, their bodies were bound with straw ropes, unable to move. Hearing the man sharpening his knife, they were so terrified they almost wet themselves.

Waaaaah, are we going to be roasted rabbits today? I don't want to—

Ling Chi finished sharpening the kitchen knife and said, "I never thought that this kitchen knife, which has been with me for thousands of years, would rust one day, but at least it's sharpened now."

Su Mei smiled and said, "After all, it's a kitchen knife made of ordinary iron. It's already quite good that it can be used for thousands of years."

"Sigh!" Ling Chi sighed and said, "I remember chopping vegetables under the setting sun that year; that was my lost youth."

Su Mei giggled: "Isn't Brother Ling forever eighteen? How could he have passed away?"

"There's nothing I can do; there are always a few sentimental days every month."

Su Mei laughed so hard she almost rolled on the ground.

"Brother Ling, let me see you."

Seeing Su Mei reach out, Ling Chi slapped her wicked hand away: "Hey! Men and women shouldn't touch each other, don't be so rude!"

"Oh?" Su Mei's eyes sparkled, her gaze alluring. "I didn't expect Brother Ling to be such a pure and innocent person. I like him so much!"

Hu Meiniang, standing to the side, was furious, her face flushed red: Shameless courtesan, let go of Brother Ling, let me... No! Come at me if you have a problem!

Unfortunately, Hu Meiniang was still in rabbit form, so the sounds she made were: "Mmmmmmmmmmmmm—"

Su Mei turned her head and looked over, her eyes lighting up as she laughed, "Oh! You're awake! Now that you're awake, we can slaughter you and eat you."

Hu Meiniang: Σ（っ°Д°;）っ

Cause: Playing dead...

"Don't scare them." Ling Chi chuckled and scolded, holding up the kitchen knife and meeting Hu Meiniang's gaze with a smile.

Hu Meiniang looked at the kitchen knife in Ling Chi's hand, and with a snap, she pulled it away.

Ling Chi: "..."

Su Mei burst into laughter: "Hahahaha..."

Ling Chi shook his head: "What a waste of five hundred years of cultivation, such a coward."

“I can understand her fear,” Su Mei said. “A monster without any backing is very pitiful.”

Ling Chi nodded, put away the kitchen knife, then picked up the carrot pancakes by the campfire, pointed, and untied the straw ropes binding Hu Meiniang and Caiyin, saying, "Stop pretending to be unconscious, get up and eat some carrot pancakes."

Caiyin: "..."

After struggling internally for a moment, Hu Meiniang opened her eyes, rolled on the ground, and transformed into a human woman. However, unlike the Hu Meiniang with sores on her face in the TV series, the Hu Meiniang in front of her was a woman of unparalleled beauty, no less than the fairies in the heavens.

Ling Chi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to be so beautiful."

Such a straightforward remark made Hu Meiniang blush, lower her head, and whisper in a voice barely audible: "I am unworthy of your praise, sir."

Ling Chi smiled slightly, looking at Cai Yin who was still pretending to be unconscious, and said, "It seems that only you have cultivated into human form. In that case, let's roast the other rabbit and eat it!"

"Mmm mmm mmm mmm—" Caiyin hurriedly opened her eyes, turned over, and transformed into a human woman.

Compared to Hu Meiniang, Caiyin's appearance is slightly inferior, but she is still a beauty who can transcend the dimensional barrier, scoring 13 points. Hu Meiniang, on the other hand, scores 15 points.

This is understandable. According to the original novel, Hu Meiniang was originally a jade rabbit from Yaochi (the Jade Pool), but was banished to the mortal realm for violating heavenly rules. Unwilling to be cooked and eaten as a snack, she and Caiyin, a rabbit spirit taken in by Yaochi, traveled to Wuyi Mountain to cultivate and become spirits, gaining five hundred years of cultivation. A few years ago, they left Wuyi Mountain and settled in Qibao Mountain. In terms of appearance, the Heavenly Jade Rabbit should naturally be superior to Caiyin, the wild rabbit. However, for some reason, Hu Meiniang in the TV series is quite ugly when she first appears. Later, with the help of the Golden Dharma King, she successfully underwent plastic surgery and transformed into the appearance of Bai Suzhen, which led to her later relationship with Xu Shilin.

The current situation has changed compared to the original work. Hu Meiniang is not ugly, but rather very beautiful. This makes Ling Chi wonder if the current Hu Meiniang is still the same Hu Meiniang in the TV series.

Is this Caiyin the same Caiyin from the TV series?

Chapter Sixteen: The Angry Little Green

Looking at the two rabbit spirits in front of him, Ling Chi tossed them the carrot pancakes: "Eat up!"

The two women took the carrot pancakes. They had been living in fear all day and were starving. Smelling the aroma of the carrot pancakes, they disregarded their reserve and took a bite, then began to chew them heartily.

As expected of a rabbit spirit, the way she eats is just like a rabbit, quite cute.

After they finished eating the carrot pancakes, Ling Chi said, "Tell me! What are your origins?"

Seeing that Ling Chi was not a bad person, Hu Meiniang said, "My name is Hu Meiniang. I was originally a jade rabbit in Yaochi. Later, I was demoted to the mortal world for violating the heavenly rules. Because I was unwilling to be cooked and eaten with wine, I cultivated into a spirit with Caiyin. It has been five hundred years since then."

It really was Hu Meiniang and Caiyin, but...

"Since you are the Jade Rabbit of Yaochi, do you recognize me?" Lingchi asked.

Hu Meiniang looked at Ling Chi and shook her head: "Young master, are you perhaps a celestial being from Heaven?"

Seeing that her expression seemed genuine, Ling Chi smiled slightly: "Have you ever heard of the Heavenly God of Cookery?"

"The God of Cookery!?" Hu Meiniang's eyes widened. "Ah! Could it be... could it be that you are the legendary God of Cookery!?"

What's a legendary culinary master? Don't I cook at Yaochi every year?

"It seems you really haven't seen me before," Ling Chi said. "You said you were the Jade Rabbit of Yaochi, have you been locked in a cage all this time?"

"No." Hu Meiniang shook her head and said, "The water of Yaochi is very precious. The Queen Mother of the West does not allow little demons like us to get close, so I have always lived far away from Yaochi."

“No wonder you’ve never seen me before.” Ling Chi nodded and said, “Then what heavenly law have you violated? If it’s not serious, I can take you back to the Heavenly Court.”

"Thank you for your kindness, Chef God, but I still can't accept it." Hu Meiniang shook her head and said, "The Heavenly Court has many rules. Although it is safe, it is not free. Although the human world is full of dangers, it is much freer. I like my life now."

"Are you serious?" Ling Chi asked.

"Hmm." Hu Meiniang nodded: "But I still want to thank the God of Cookery for thinking of Meiniang. In the future, if the God of Cookery has any requests, Meiniang will do her duty without hesitation."

"What a pity," Ling Chi sighed. "In my opinion, safety is far more important than freedom, but everyone has their own aspirations, and we can't force things. I hope you'll be safe and sound in the future!"

"Thank you, Master Chef. I will be careful."

Ling Chi nodded: "I live in the Ling Mansion opposite Shuangcha Lane in Qingbo Gate. If you encounter any trouble, you can come to the Ling Mansion to find me. Although I am only a God of Cooking, I have already reached the cultivation level of Taiyi Golden Immortal. I think there are few monsters in this world that I cannot handle."

"A Taiyi Golden Immortal!?" Hu Meiniang and Caiyin both gasped in shock.

There was nothing they could do; they were just rogue cultivators, at most at the ordinary level of the red realm. Compared to Ling Chi, a top-tier golden realm expert, they were as insignificant as ants.

Ling Chi smiled slightly and said, "No need to worship me, I'm just a legend."

Hu Meiniang: "..."

Caiyin: "..."

"Take care, everyone!" Ling Chi stood up and said, "Mei'er, I'm leaving."

Hu Meiniang thought that the 'Mei'er' Ling Chi was referring to was herself, and she was feeling a little shy. Unexpectedly, Su Mei responded, got up and left with Ling Chi, making Hu Meiniang wish she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"I never imagined he was a celestial being," Caiyin exclaimed. "A Taiyi Golden Immortal, that's incredible!"

Hu Meiniang hummed in agreement and said, "When I was in Yaochi, I heard that the God of Cookery had a wide circle of friends and was highly regarded by the great powers of the Three Realms. Even the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother were in charge of his three meals a day. I just never had the chance to meet him before. I never expected him to be like this."

Caiyin smiled and said, "Are you tempted?"

"What are you saying!" Hu Meiniang said coquettishly, "I'm just a little jade rabbit spirit, how could I be worthy of him?"

"Oh, if you're good enough for him, you'll pursue him, right?" Caiyin teased with a mischievous smile.