Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

"Where is the Great Sage going?"

Looking at the Guanyin Bodhisattva with an unfriendly expression, Ling Chi blinked and said, "So it's Guanyin Bodhisattva. I was just about to go ahead and scout the way. I wonder why you stopped me?"

Seeing that Ling Chi seemed completely unaffected, Guanyin Bodhisattva was furious inside, but she couldn't show it. She could only say with a stern face, "Great Sage, aren't you meddling too much?"

"I don't understand what you mean, Great Master," Ling Chi said calmly. "Please explain, Great Master."

Guanyin Bodhisattva gritted her teeth slightly and said, "Great Sage, you have interfered in the journey to the West several times. Have you ever taken Buddhism seriously?"

"What are you saying, Great Master?" Ling Chi asked, puzzled. "Although I intervened in a few things, they all created calamities for Tang Sanzang and his disciples. Am I wrong for doing that?"

"..." Guanyin Bodhisattva was speechless for a moment. Ling Chi was right. Although he had interfered in several matters related to the pilgrimage, his actions did not hinder the tribulations of Tang Sanzang and his disciples. On the contrary, he personally facilitated several of them.

But... these were all calamities that their Buddhist sect had already arranged, and he had no need to interfere at all. However, she couldn't say this aloud, otherwise Ling Chi, as an official of the Heavenly Court, would definitely have 'reasonable' suspicions about the Buddhist sect's motives.

You're merely on a pilgrimage, yet you've deliberately created all sorts of obstacles along the way. What are you trying to do? Are you putting on a show? Who are you putting on this for? What unspeakable secrets are behind this? Are you planning a rebellion?

Although it was all Guanyin Bodhisattva's imagination, based on Guanyin Bodhisattva's understanding of Lingchi, she knew that Lingchi would definitely think of these things, so it was impossible for her to tell the truth. Moreover, although Lingchi also intervened, she did not hinder Tang Sanzang and his disciples' journey to the West; on the contrary, she actively facilitated it. This made it impossible for Guanyin Bodhisattva to find fault with Lingchi, and naturally, she had no way to hold her accountable.

This feeling of swallowing bitter medicine in silence... it's unpleasant, extremely unpleasant.

"The journey to the West is preordained, and the Great Sage must not interfere." Guanyin Bodhisattva could only speak of 'fate' and 'destiny,' after all, this was something that the Jade Emperor and Buddha, and possibly even some people in the Taoist sect, had discussed. Things decided by these powerful beings are basically the will of Heaven and cannot be changed by human power.

Ling Chi wanted to laugh inwardly, but then thought better of it. After all, Guanyin Bodhisattva had it tough. As the chief executor of the journey to the West, she certainly didn't want any unexpected situations to arise during the process. Given his repeated interference, it was understandable that Guanyin was annoyed.

But while he understood, he wouldn't listen to Guanyin's words.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I only desire what I desire and will never hinder the arduous journey to the West. If Your Majesty is still concerned, you can travel with me and witness firsthand how I act," Ling Chi said. "If, after seeing my actions, Your Majesty still doubts that I will disrupt the arduous journey, how about we discuss this further?"

"..."

Chapter Fourteen: Laozi Transmits the Dharma

As the chief executor of the journey to the West, Guanyin Bodhisattva couldn't possibly be by Ling Chi's side all the time. Ling Chi's tactic of feigning retreat struck her weak spot, leaving her no choice but to back down. But...

Ugh! I'm so annoyed!

Guanyin Bodhisattva left in a huff, while Ling Chi happily chased after Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

……

In Baoxiang Kingdom, Tang Sanzang mistakenly entered the Wave Moon Cave and was captured by the Yellow Robe Monster. Sun Wukong and his companions immediately went to rescue their master. This time, with Sun Wukong by their side, the Yellow Robe Monster was no match for them and was defeated and forced to flee in a sorry state. Princess Baihua Xiu of Baoxiang Kingdom was also rescued by the four of them and escorted back to Baoxiang Kingdom.

The Yellow Robe Monster was unwilling to accept that his wife had been taken away, so he came back to cause trouble for Tang Sanzang and his disciples. As a result, he was beaten up again. In the end, he had no choice but to return to the Heavenly Court and become Kui Mulang, one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations.

There were quite a few minor demons killed by Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing in this Moon Cave. Ling Chi took the opportunity to collect the corpses and easily obtained a decent amount of ingredients.

Seeing that Lingchi was not in a prosperous state, Guanyin Bodhisattva, who was secretly observing, was slightly relieved. However, whenever Lingchi put away these ingredients, he would disappear for a period of time, and no one knew where he went. This made Guanyin Bodhisattva very concerned, but she had no way to deal with it.

Even the most powerful immortals have several ways to prevent others from searching for them. Ling Chi could hide, and even she couldn't figure out why.

I hope you keep your word.

……

Pingdingshan, Lotus Cave, is the abode of King Golden Horn and King Silver Horn. Several years ago, these two monsters came to this place, gathered monsters from hundreds of miles around, occupied the mountain as kings, and ruled as overlords. Not long ago, King Golden Horn and King Silver Horn received news that Tang Sanzang and his disciples, who were on their journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, were about to arrive.

"I've heard that eating Tang Sanzang's flesh can grant immortality. Brother, let me capture Tang Sanzang and we can share this eternal life together!" King Silver Horn was very excited and confident.

King Golden Horn, however, was much more cautious: "Brother, Tang Sanzang is easy to capture, but his disciples are not to be trifled with, especially his eldest disciple Sun Wukong. He was once named the Great Sage Equal to Heaven by the Heavenly Court. Although he was suppressed by the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons, he has real skills. If we anger them, we may get ourselves into trouble for nothing."

"Hahaha, what are you afraid of, brother? My Purple Gold Red Gourd is a magic weapon for capturing people. It can hold even ten Sun Wukongs. Don't worry, brother. Once I capture Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong, we brothers can live forever."

King Silver Horn's confidence boosted the morale of the lesser demons in the cave: "Your Majesty, while you eat the meat, may we have a sip of soup?"

King Silver Horn laughed and said, "Why not? Then each of you can have a bite of Tang Monk's flesh and live forever."

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!" The little demons were extremely excited and thanked them repeatedly.

In the shadows of Lotus Cave, Ling Chi, who had transformed into a fly, witnessed this scene, silently flew out of Lotus Cave, and then went to Yalong Cave on Flat Top Mountain.

This is where the nine-tailed fox, the godmother of King Golden Horn and King Silver Horn, lives. She is very old and will likely die in another hundred years or so. It's a mystery why King Golden Horn and King Silver Horn would adopt her as their godmother and give her the Golden Rope for protection.

Ling Chi didn't care about these reasons. Some gossip is better left unknown; it might upset others, and knowing it would only cause him distress. His purpose in coming here was simply to obtain the Golden Rope.

This golden rope is Laozi's belt. It may seem like nothing special, but don't forget that it is a saint's belt. Once a person is bound with the tight rope spell, even a great immortal cannot break free unless they know the loose rope spell.

When Ling Chi arrived at the Yalong Cave, the nine-tailed fox was fast asleep on the stone bed, with the Golden Rope tucked into her bosom.

Seeing this, Ling Chi immediately used a mind-control spell to make the nine-tailed fox unconscious, easily obtaining the Golden Rope. Afterwards, he searched the nine-tailed fox's memories and obtained the tightening and loosening spells for the Golden Rope, but also saw some very interesting memories.

It turns out that the Golden Rope was personally given to the Nine-Tailed Fox by Laozi, and the Golden Horn King and Silver Horn King were also personally sent to the mortal realm by Laozi. However, after they became demons, their memories were sealed, making them truly believe they were demons to prevent them from revealing their true nature. Of course, those magical treasures were also personally handed to them by Laozi.

All of this happened after Guanyin Bodhisattva went to Tushita Palace.

The whole story was pretty obvious. Ling Chi silently calculated and found that Laozi hadn't focused his attention on the nine-tailed fox, so naturally, Laozi didn't know that he had obtained the Golden Rope.

However, with the methods of a sage, once he discovers that his belt is missing, he will definitely make some calculations. As long as Ling Chi is still in this world, Laozi will definitely be able to deduce that the Golden Rope was taken by him. How should we deal with it then?

After careful consideration, Ling Chi decided not to be reckless. But before that, he wanted to take the Golden Rope into his spatial dimension and study its principles with Wang Chongyang and the others to see if they could replicate it.

Wang Chongyang and the others, who had disappeared for countless chapters, were moved to tears when Ling Chi came to them.

Finally, finally, they've made a comeback.

"Golden Rope?" Wang Chongyang and the others looked at the glittering golden rope with surprise. "This rope seems to be made of a special material. As long as a suitable material is found, it can be woven!"

“It’s not that simple,” Ling Chi said. “If it’s just because of the material, why would there be a tightening spell and a loosening spell? The fact that it reacts to the spells means that this Golden Rope is a magical artifact, not a rope for binding people.”

"I see." Wang Chongyang and the others nodded and said, "Don't worry, Brother Ling, we will definitely figure out the principle of the Golden Rope within a month at most."

"Then I'll leave it to you all." Ling Chi clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, then bid farewell and left. He first went to check on the high-quality ingredients planted in the Nine Heavens Breath Soil. Seeing that the ingredients were growing very well, he nodded with satisfaction. Then he went to check on Xiaolongnu and the others.

So many years have passed, and Ling Chi and Xiao Longnv no longer have the passion they once had. All that remains is the deep affection that has accumulated over the years. A few words are enough for them.

Ling Chi and Xiao Longnv both enjoyed this kind of affection. Although it wasn't intense, it was gentle and warm. Since entering the ranks of cultivators, they enjoyed this feeling even more. Perhaps it was just like the saying: "It nourishes things silently."

Finally, Ling Chi honed his culinary skills in the Chef God Space. By the time Tang Sanzang and his disciples had caused some trouble in the Lotus Cave, and the cunning ghost and clever insect went to invite the nine-tailed fox, two months had already passed in the Chef God Space.

In two months, Wang Chongyang and his group of useless fellows certainly didn't figure out the principle behind the Golden Rope. After all, they couldn't disassemble the Golden Rope and examine it piece by piece. However, since the Golden Rope was related to incantations, Wang Chongyang guessed that there should be related magic arrays engraved on it. As long as they continued to study it along this line of thought, perhaps after decades or hundreds of years, they would eventually be able to figure out the principle behind the Golden Rope.

Alright! Since we can't keep this Golden Rope for ourselves anyway, let Wang Chongyang and the others continue their research along this line of thought!

Ling Chi returned the Golden Rope to the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Six days had passed in reality. Ever since the nine-tailed fox discovered that the Golden Rope was missing, she had been extremely worried, fearing that if the Supreme Lord Laozi blamed her, this old fox would not even have a chance to escape punishment.

But on the seventh day after the Golden Rope was lost, it actually returned. This made the nine-tailed fox overjoyed, but also suspicious: Why did the person who stole the Golden Rope return it? Could it be that some lawless demon king is deliberately teasing me?

Whatever the reason, it is a good thing that the Golden Rope has been recovered. Just then, the Ingenious Ghost and the Clever Insect were ordered to take her to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh.

Upon seeing that there was Tang Sanzang's flesh to eat, the nine-tailed fox forgot about the Golden Rope and immediately followed the two little demons.

But she didn't know that she had embarked on a path of no return.

On the way, Sun Wukong killed the nine-tailed fox with a single blow and took away the Golden Rope. Then Sun Wukong transformed into her appearance and entered the Lotus Cave.

Not long after Sun Wukong left, Ling Chi appeared beside the corpse of the nine-tailed fox. Seeing the nine-tailed fox, which was larger than a human, Ling Chi sighed: "It's a pity that it's too old. The meat won't taste good. As for the fur..." After thinking for a moment, Ling Chi gave up the idea of ​​skinning and dismembering it. Instead, he made a pit and buried the nine-tailed fox in the ground, giving her a 'place to rest'.

Soon after, Sun Wukong used the Purple Gold Gourd to capture the Silver Horn King, then defeated the Golden Horn King, and incidentally killed the monsters in the Lotus Cave. Just as he was about to kill the Golden Horn King, Laozi descended from the sky, said some polite words, and then transformed the Golden Horn King and the Silver Horn King into the Fire Fan Boy, taking back all their treasures. The Golden Rope, which he had originally intended to keep quiet, was also taken back by Laozi, causing Sun Wukong to grimace in disbelief.

Since joining the pilgrimage team, Sun Wukong has increasingly realized the importance of magical treasures. Powerful magical treasures can kill even highly powerful gods and demons, even if the cultivators are not highly skilled. They are practically a bug that allows for fighting beyond one's level.

When Sun Wukong first obtained the Golden Cudgel, he thought he was invincible. Even after being taught a lesson by Ling Chi twice, he still believed that masters like Ling Chi were extremely rare. However, the longer the journey to the West went on, the more he realized he had underestimated everyone in the world. There were far too many masters in this world stronger than him, and many of them were powerful beings who had existed since the beginning of time. How could a stone monkey who was only a few hundred years old compare to him?

Take Laozi, for example. He used to think that Laozi was just an old man who made elixirs for the Jade Emperor. How could he know that he was actually an incarnation of Laozi, one of the six great sages of the time?

The world is complex, the world is terrifying; the cowardly live, the reckless die.

……

After Laozi returned to Heaven with his two attendants, Tang Sanzang and his disciples rested briefly before continuing their journey westward. After they left, Lingchi appeared and collected all the slain demons. These demons were of decent quality, mostly red-level; with proper handling, they could even be used to create ordinary gold-level recipes, making for a fairly good haul.

Just as Ling Chi finished searching the entire Lotus Cave and came out, Laozi appeared in front of him.

Upon seeing this important figure, Ling Chi immediately bowed deeply: "Ling Chi greets Laozi."

Laozi smiled slightly and said, "What exactly have you been up to all this time?"

"I didn't expect Lao Jun to know as well." Ling Chi chuckled twice and said, "To be honest, Lao Jun, one reason is to collect ingredients, and the other is to see what the Buddhist sect is up to. It's just the eastward spread of Buddhism, but they're making such a big fuss and going through all sorts of hardships. I always feel that the Buddhist sect has ulterior motives."

Upon hearing this, Laozi smiled faintly and said, "You are indeed clever, but this involves past karma. Even my Daoist sect has to cooperate, but it is not something you can interfere with and change."

"..." Ling Chi opened his mouth: "Past karma?"

Isn't it because the Jade Emperor wants to maintain a balance of power?

Lao Tzu said, “You can take this opportunity to gain some benefits, but do not disrupt the general trend of Buddhism spreading eastward.”

Ling Chi bowed and said, "Yes, sir."

Laozi nodded, took out the golden rope from his waist and tossed it to him, smiling, "Didn't you want it? Here you go."

“Uh…” Ling Chi was stunned for a moment, not expecting that Laozi still knew about his greed from back then, and couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed: “Laozi, this…”

"It's just a belt, take it!" said Laozi. "I'll also pass on the method of making the belt to you!" As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of azure light entered Ling Chi's sea of ​​consciousness, and a vast amount of knowledge about weapon crafting appeared in Ling Chi's sea of ​​consciousness. This knowledge was so vast that it momentarily blocked Ling Chi's mind, and it took about two seconds to return to normal.

Don't underestimate those two short seconds. At the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, two seconds is enough to kill an opponent of the same level hundreds of millions of times. Fortunately, he was protected by Laozi, otherwise he might have attracted the attention of powerful figures who were not good to him.

Ling Chi came to his senses and immediately bowed deeply to Laozi, saying, "Thank you, Laozi."

Laozi smiled slightly: "After this matter is over, you may come to the Tushita Palace to see me."

"Yes."

……

After Laozi returned to the Heavenly Court, Ling Chi also entered the Culinary God Space. He then summoned Pu Heng, Ou Yu, Zong Lian, Murong Ziying, Shan Meixian, Shan Wanjing, and others who were interested in weapon crafting, and shared with them the weapon crafting knowledge he had obtained from Laozi.

This knowledge encompassed not only the method of forging the Golden Rope, but all methods of forging magical artifacts. Because of the authentic forging method, Wang Chongyang and others, who were originally pondering the method of forging imitations, were spared the arduous task and joined in the study and application of weapon forging techniques.

As Ling Chi's culinary skills improved and the farms and ranches merged, the number of talented individuals on the farms and ranches also increased, and these individuals still had the potential to improve continuously. In terms of 'discipline strength' alone, Ling Chi felt that he was absolutely no less than the Buddhist and Taoist sects, and his disciples were even stronger overall.

The only drawback was the inability to leave this space, forcing Ling Chi to face external challenges with only a small number of helpers and spirit beasts. Fortunately, they hadn't encountered any major obstacles along the way, especially after consuming recipes that increased luck, which made everything go even more smoothly.

This is enough.

Chapter Fifteen: Two Extraordinary Treasures

After receiving the weapon-refining techniques from Laozi, Ling Chi did not focus his energy on weapon refining. He had a group of talented subordinates to learn from, so he did not need to expend any effort on it. However, he did need to find the materials required for weapon refining.

Taking advantage of the fact that Tang Sanzang and his disciples did not encounter too much trouble during this period, and there were no loopholes to pick up, Ling Chi acted as a tool, searching for mineral veins and collecting materials for refining weapons.

This world is vast, and it is rich in all kinds of rare and precious materials. Ling Chi used a thousand Golden Bean Soldiers to search around, and in just one year, he found a considerable amount of refining materials. With these materials, Zong Lian and the others can accumulate enough refining experience.