Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

"..." The atmosphere suddenly changed. Ling Chi, Su Mei, and Xiao Qing all looked at Li Gongfu with admiration, but Xu Xian's nose tingled and he bowed deeply to Li Gongfu: "Thank you, brother-in-law, for taking care of my sister and Hanwen all these years."

"Huh? Hey, hey, what's going on?" Li Gongfu had no idea what was wrong with Xu Xian, why was he suddenly so grateful to him? "Are you drunk, kid?"

Li Gongfu's reaction further highlighted the preciousness of his character, and Ling Chi exclaimed, "Officer Li, you are a true man, a real hero."

"Young Master Ling, what are you saying? Why are you all acting so strangely? What's wrong?" Li Gongfu was increasingly puzzled: "Are you all taking me for a fool?"

A moment of silence followed, then bursts of laughter echoed through the front hall.

……

Soon after, Xu Jiaorong, who had brought tea and snacks, listened to Xu Xian's story. Her eyes immediately reddened, and she knelt down before Ling Chi, saying, "Thank you, Young Master Ling."

"What are you doing, Madam Li? Get up quickly." Ling Chi gave Xiao Qing a look, and Xiao Qing immediately got up and helped Xu Jiaorong up: "Madam Li, please get up. My young master doesn't like these formalities."

Xu Jiaorong was already in tears: "I...I really don't know how to thank Young Master Ling. My Xu family only has Hanwen as a male heir. If he can be successful in the future, our ancestors can rest in peace."

Ling Chi sighed, "Your elder sister is truly like a mother. Xu Xian, you must study pharmacology well and become a good doctor in the future. Don't let your sister and brother-in-law down."

Xu Xian, with tears in his eyes, nodded repeatedly and took Xu Jiaorong's arm, saying, "Sister, don't worry, I will study hard and make something of myself in the future. I will definitely take good care of you and brother-in-law."

“Just be filial to your sister, I don’t need to,” Li Gongfu said. “We men are supposed to support our families. Your brother-in-law isn’t very capable and can’t give your sister a good life. If you become successful in the future, just don’t forget your sister.”

"How could that be!" Xu Xian wiped away his tears and said, "Brother-in-law, you must be careful while you are working in the government. You and my sister must grow old together."

“I love hearing that, hahaha.” Li Gongfu laughed loudly.

Ling Chi chuckled softly, growing increasingly fond of Li Gongfu's character; he was a responsible man.

However, he helped Xu Xian not because he had any relationship with Li Gongfu, but to make amends.

Because of his appearance, the shepherd boy from 1,700 years ago failed to save Bai Suzhen, so this love story between a human and a demon did not happen. Ling Chi served as a celestial official in the Heavenly Court for several years and had some understanding of cause and effect and karma. Since he unintentionally stole Xu Xian's opportunity, he naturally had to compensate Xu Xian.

Just like Bai Suzhen, who clearly wanted to attain enlightenment, but had to repay the debt of gratitude she owed to the shepherd boy who saved her 1,700 years ago. To become an immortal, one must settle all karmic debts; otherwise, even if one can achieve immortality, future progress will be extremely difficult.

Simply put, cause and effect is like a quagmire. If you don't get out of the quagmire, you can't move forward. Not only will you not be able to move forward, but you will also sink deeper and deeper. Therefore, cultivators pay special attention to cause and effect. Even though Ling Chi has the God of Cookery system and will not be affected, she got Bai Suzhen for free. Even if it's out of a sense of compensation, it's only right to give Xu Xian some help.

It's just a shop, nothing special.

……

Ling Chi left Li Gongfu's house after sitting there for a short while, along with Su Mei and Xiao Qing. Xu Jiaorong originally wanted them to stay for a meal, but Ling Chi shook his head. Then Xiao Qing played the bad cop for him, saying, "My young master isn't used to eating out."

These words made Xu Jiaorong quite embarrassed, but she also expressed her understanding. After all, what good food could ordinary people eat at home? It was nothing more than coarse tea and plain rice. Although it was almost the New Year and they could eat some meat, the taste was only so-so. Ling Chi, on the other hand, lived in the Ling Mansion and must have been eating delicacies every day, so he was naturally not used to eating out.

"Then we won't keep you any longer, Young Master Ling. Please take care."

Ling Chi smiled and said, "If you find a shop you like, just go to the Ling residence and let them know. I will send someone to buy the shop."

"Thank you, Young Master Ling."

After watching Ling Chi and the other two leave, Xu Jiaorong said with emotion, "Young Master Ling is truly our benefactor. Gongfu, if Young Master Ling ever needs to run errands in the future, you must lend a hand."

"Don't worry about this, I'll take care of it," Li Gongfu said. "Come inside! I haven't eaten since I got back, I'm starving."

In the past, Xu Jiaorong would have said irritably, "All you ever do is eat."

But now, Xu Jiaorong said rather gently, "I'll go cook now. Hanwen, it's cold, go get a pot of wine, and have a couple of drinks with your brother-in-law later."

Xu Xian nodded: "I'll go right away."

Li Gongfu: ⊙（·◇·）？

What's wrong with me today? Am I dreaming?

Li Gongfu is questioning life.jpg

……

Ling Chi had assumed that buying a shop would have to wait until after the New Year, but to his surprise, Li Gongfu came running over the next morning: "Young Master Ling, I've found a suitable shop."

"..."

It was a coincidence that an elderly man from out of town who owned a general store here was looking to return to his hometown and wanted to sell his shop. However, they hadn't been able to reach an agreement on the price. As soon as Li Gongfu heard about it, he knew there was a chance. After asking about the price, he came over to ask Ling Chi for his opinion.

"Two hundred taels of silver?" Ling Chi nodded: "That's fine."

Considering the housing prices in Qiantang County, this price is quite fair. Ling Chi had no intention of haggling and directly handed over twenty taels of gold to Li Gongfu: "Officer Li, go and buy the shop! Just bring me the documents and deed later."

"This... Young Master Ling, aren't you going? Li Gongfu looked at the twenty taels of gold and felt a little nervous."

Ling Chi smiled slightly and said, "I trust you."

These words stirred in Li Gongfu a surge of urgency, a willingness to die for someone who understands him. Accepting the gold with both hands, Li Gongfu said, "Young Master Ling, rest assured, I will certainly handle this matter well."

Ling Chi nodded with a smile.

……

Li Gongfu was a trustworthy man, and as the head constable of the yamen, he naturally had an easy time getting things done there. It didn't take long for Li Gongfu to acquire the shop and obtain the necessary transaction documents from the yamen. Before evening, Li Gongfu returned to the Ling residence with the shop's deed: "Young Master Ling, the shop has been purchased, and all the formalities have been completed. This is the deed; please take a look."

"Officer Li, you've had a long journey." Seeing Li Gongfu looking travel-worn, Ling Chi said to the maid, "Take Officer Li to wash up, and prepare a feast. I want to entertain Officer Li."

"Young Master Ling, no need, no need," Li Gongfu hurriedly declined, "This is my duty, so there's no need for wine and food."

Ling Chi smiled slightly: "Is Officer Li going to refuse my invitation?"

"..." Li Gongfu had nothing to say. He clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and followed the maid to wash up.

Ling Chi looked at the property deed. It was a two-story shop with eighty square meters on each floor. The location was excellent, with residences all around and enough foot traffic. Once the pharmacy opened, there should be no shortage of customers coming to see a doctor or get medicine.

The pharmaceutical industry has always been a highly profitable sector. Even the kindest doctor can make at least double the profit by treating and prescribing medicine for the poor. If they treat the rich, the profits are immeasurable.

Xu Xian wasn't particularly accomplished in his studies. If he had focused on medicine, becoming a renowned local doctor wouldn't have been difficult. Indeed, the Xu Xian in the TV series had the potential to become a famous doctor. Unfortunately, not long after his son was born, his wife was imprisoned under Leifeng Pagoda. To get his wife out as soon as possible, he had no choice but to entrust his son, Xu Shilin, to his sister and brother-in-law and go to Jinshan Temple to become a monk.

Although there were reasons for it, Ling Chi simply couldn't stand Xu Xian's choice.

According to modern values, the more trouble there is in the family, the more Xu Xian, as a man, should have shouldered his responsibilities as a husband and father, instead of abandoning his son to his sister and brother-in-law and running off to become a monk. He has absolutely no sense of responsibility.

In comparison, although Li Gongfu was a rough and uncultured man, he fulfilled his responsibilities as both a husband and a father. If Ling Chi were a woman choosing a husband, she would definitely choose Li Gongfu, not Xu Xian.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Ten Years

"Ding! You have conquered the stomach of Li Gongfu, a common blue-level diner. The diner's level is too low and does not count towards the conquest count. A common blue-level recipe, 'Catch the Pot Hero,' has been dropped."

"Pot Catcher: A common blue recipe. There is a 50% chance that you will catch the pot thrown at you by someone related to you. The effect cannot be stacked."

……

Ling Chi's hand trembled, and the wine in his glass almost spilled. He looked at Li Gongfu with eyes full of sympathy.

This is truly... this person's character... speechless!

I'm definitely going to be friends with this person.

"Come, come, Officer Li, have some more wine." Ling Chi personally poured wine for Li Gongfu: "I admire Officer Li as a man of integrity and would like to be your friend. What do you think, Officer Li?"

Li Gongfu was a bit drunk at this point, but when Ling Chi extended an olive branch, he laughed and said, "Why not? I love making friends. I'm very happy that Young Master Ling thinks highly of me. Come on, Young Master Ling, let's have a drink."

Ling Chi smiled broadly: "Let's do it!"

This meal was the best Li Gongfu had ever eaten in his life. Compared to this, what had he eaten before? But the food on this table looked very expensive. Perhaps he would only be able to eat this once in his life. Thinking about it, Li Gongfu ate and drank with all his might, only regretting that his parents had only given him one stomach. If only he had ten stomachs.

The meal was a great success, and Ling Chi packed up the leftovers for Li Gongfu to take home. Li Gongfu politely declined, but took the leftovers home. Although they were just leftovers, they were a hundred times better than what was served in a restaurant. He planned to bring them back to his wife and brother-in-law so they would know what true delicacies were.

After Li Gongfu left, Xiaoqing said, "I didn't expect you to be willing to make friends with a mortal."

“There is a difference between immortals and mortals, but I value character most when making friends,” Ling Chi said. “Li Gongfu is a responsible, dependable, and virtuous person. I admire such a person and would naturally like to befriend him.”

Xiaoqing nodded: "This Li Gongfu is indeed quite good; he's more manly than that Xu Xian."

Ling Chi chuckled lightly: "Xu Xian is, after all, a refined man who has read a few books, so it's inevitable that he gives people this impression. But he's not a bad person at heart, so it's fine to make friends with him."

"I don't want to make friends like that," Xiaoqing said. "Young Master, how long will you stay in the mortal realm?"

“You can stay for another forty years or so, what’s wrong?” Ling Chi asked.

"Then..." Xiaoqing looked at him and said, "Will you take me with you?"

Ling Chi pinched her cheek and said, "You're already mine. If you don't come with me, do you want to go with someone else?"

"I...I didn't." Xiaoqing's face lit up with joy: "I just wanted to remind you not to start something and then abandon it. Since you said I'm yours, then I'll stick with you for life, and you can't run away."

"Hahaha..." Ling Chi laughed loudly. Daring to love and hate, that's definitely Xiao Qing's style.

……

Before they knew it, it was New Year's Eve. After staying up all night, the new year arrived with the sound of firecrackers. Early on New Year's Day, Li Gongfu brought Xu Xian to pay New Year's respects to Lingchi.

"Wishing Young Master Ling a healthy and prosperous New Year," Xu Xian said first to Ling Chi. Li Gongfu then added, "Young Master Ling, I'm not good at eloquent words, but I wish you a happy New Year and great wealth."

Ling Chi laughed heartily: "Thank you, thank you. Officer Li, Brother Xu, please have a seat."

Various fruits and snacks were already laid out on the table, along with hot tea brewed by a maid. Ling Chi, Li Gongfu, and Xu Xian sat together, eating and chatting. Ling Chi even tested Xu Xian's knowledge of herbal medicine. Xu Xian answered quite well. Although he didn't know much about some rare diseases and medicinal uses, he had a fairly good understanding of the more common diseases and pharmacology. Ling Chi was quite satisfied.

However, this amount of medical knowledge is enough to make an ordinary doctor, but becoming a local renowned doctor is not easy, let alone a famous doctor of his generation. So Ling Chi specially took out a complete set of medical books that he had compiled over the years.

"This is a medical book that I had someone obtain from Lin'an. Take it back and study it carefully. This is my last bit of help to you. Whether you can become a famous doctor in the future depends on your own efforts."

Upon seeing the thick stack of medical books that Ling Chi had brought out, Xu Xian was extremely grateful and immediately bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you very much, Young Master Ling, for the gift of these books. I will certainly live up to your high expectations."

Li Gongfu was also very excited: "Young Master Ling has truly shown Hanwen the greatest kindness, I..."

"There's no need for further discussion," Ling Chi said with a smile. "It's all fate. You two must go and offer New Year's greetings elsewhere, so I won't keep you any longer."

Li Gongfu and Xu Xian immediately stood up and said, "In that case, we won't disturb Young Master Ling any longer. Farewell."

Ling Chi nodded with a smile and watched the two leave.

Xiaoqing said, "What's your connection with Xu Xian? Why are you so good to him? Giving him shops and medical knowledge."

Ling Chi chuckled: "I stole his wife, does that count?"

Xiaoqing: "(。—＿—。) Never mind if you don't want to talk about it."

Ling Chi smiled faintly: I'm not lying!

……

Time flies like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed since Ling Chi came to Qiantang County.

During these ten years, with his financial support, Xu Xian has opened Baoan Hall. Relying on his years of research on a complete set of medical books, he has now become the number one doctor in Qiantang and has a good reputation in the surrounding counties. Because he earns a lot of money every year, Xu Xian has also married a beautiful wife from a merchant family. After three years of marriage, they have a son and a daughter and live a very comfortable life.

Xu Jiaorong also gave birth to a daughter for Li Gongfu, named Li Bilian. However, given Lingchi's explanation that marriage between three generations of blood relatives has a high chance of producing a deformed child, it was impossible for Li Bilian to marry Xu Xian's son. It is unknown whether Qi Baoshan will have a chance in the future.

Ling Chi didn't want to pay much attention to these trivial matters, because he had done a lot of good deeds in the past ten years. When a plague broke out a few years ago, he even came up with a complete set of solutions to deal with the plague. With the promotion of the magistrate of Qiantang County, the epidemic was quickly brought under control, saving countless lives and earning him the title of a great sage.