Chef God of the Wuxia and Fantasy World

Chapter Six: A Prodigy

"boom--"

"Ah!" Shuang'er covered her ears, then giggled as she saw the firecracker debris left from the explosion. "That was so much fun!"

"Watch me catch the firework with my bare hands." Ling Chi was skilled and daring. He held a large firework in one hand and incense in the other, ready to light it.

"Brother, it's too dangerous, be careful!" Shuang'er cried out worriedly.

"It's alright, it just shot up into the snowdrift. I'll handle it gently, it'll definitely fly into the sky." Ling Chi blew on the incense stick to make the flame burn brighter, and then lit the rocket under Shuang'er's tense and worried gaze.

Hissing and hissing... Chirp—the rocket soars into the sky.

Snap—the rocket exploded.

"Wow! That's great!" Shuang'er's face flushed with excitement as she clapped her hands vigorously.

"Hahaha, I told you there wouldn't be a problem!" Ling Chi said smugly. "Shuang'er, you should try one too."

"I dare not." Shuang'er shook her head and waved her hands repeatedly, refusing to respond no matter what Ling Chi said.

"Never mind, I'll play by myself."

We can't waste those two-cent rockets.

Although Shuang'er didn't dare to set off sky rockets, she did have firecrackers to throw around. The two of them happily set off firecrackers in front of the tavern, enjoying their rare Spring Festival holiday.

Unlike in modern times, in ancient times, due to the scarcity of resources and inconvenient transportation, every household would store large quantities of rice, flour, cooking oil, cabbage, and winter melon before the New Year, so that the whole family would have enough food to celebrate the New Year.

Therefore, almost no one goes out to eat during the Spring Festival. To be honest, Lingchi and Shuang'er close their business after the Lunar New Year, only opening for visits from friends like Linghu Chong.

The more upgrade experience delivered to your door, the better.

This is the second Spring Festival that Ling Chi and Shuang'er have spent together. Compared to the first Spring Festival, which they rushed through due to their anxiety about the future, this Spring Festival finally had some festive atmosphere.

Two people, relying on each other for survival, a few firecrackers, simple things, yet they are happy.

"Brother Ling! Sister Shuang'er!"

From afar, Yue Lingshan shouted loudly and waved vigorously.

Ling Chi and Shuang'er waved with smiles as they saw the three approaching.

"Father, Mother, I'm going over there now." Yue Lingshan asked her parents impatiently.

Yue Buqun nodded with a smile, and Ning Zhongze smiled and said, "Go!"

"whee."

Watching her daughter's cheerful figure disappear into the distance, Ning Zhongze smiled and said, "Senior brother, what do you think?"

"What do you mean by 'junior sister'?" Yue Buqun asked in return.

Ning Zhongze rolled her eyes. Although she was already middle-aged, she still had a unique charm: "Senior brother, can't you see Shan'er's feelings for Ling Chi?"

Yue Buqun stroked his beard and smiled faintly: "How could I not see it? It's just Chong'er..."

“Chong’er is absolutely not a good match for Shan’er!” Ning Zhongze interrupted him without hesitation, even somewhat coldly. Under his slightly surprised gaze, her expression softened, and she said gently, “Although you and I have watched Chong’er grow up, he is unruly, willful, frivolous, and fond of drinking. If Shan’er marries him, he will surely ruin her life.”

Yue Buqun frowned slightly. Although Ning Zhongze was telling the truth, he still felt that something was not right.

Since Ning Zhongze objected, he didn't say much. He just glanced at Ling Chi, who was chatting and laughing with his daughter not far away, and asked, "What does Junior Sister think of Ling Chi?"

“Senior brother already has a plan, so why ask me?” Ning Zhongze smiled. “As the saying goes, if you don’t take what Heaven has given you, you will suffer the consequences. Such a genius is right at the foot of Mount Hua, so senior brother should consider it.”

A year ago, he was just an ordinary person with strong physique and some brute strength. In just one year, he became a master through self-cultivation and fought on par with the head of the Huashan Sect. If such a genius is not taken under his wing, he will surely suffer divine retribution.

Yue Buqun chuckled: "My junior sister understands me best!"

……

"Sect Leader Yue, Heroine Ning, Happy New Year!" Ling Chi and Shuang'er greeted Yue Buqun and his wife as they approached.

"Good, good, Happy New Year." Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze smiled broadly: "Young Master Ling is more refined than usual today, and your younger sister is even more adorable."

"Not at all, it's just that clothes make the man," Ling Chi said with a smile, waving his hand.

It's Chinese New Year, so naturally everyone should wear new clothes and hats. Unlike their usual coarse linen clothes that were always covered in soot, Ling Chi and Shuang'er had cleaned themselves up since yesterday and were wearing beautiful long gowns and skirts.

Ling Chi liked white, so he wore a white long robe with a white cloak over it. He was tall and slender with handsome features, and he even had the air of a noble young master from a wealthy family.

Shuang'er didn't have any particular preference for colors, so Ling Chi had a tailor sew a pink and white long dress for her according to his own taste. She wore deerskin boots and a red hooded crane cloak over her feet. Standing outdoors, her little face was rosy and looked especially cute against the backdrop of the winter snow, just like a little Lin Daiyu.

No wonder Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze praised it repeatedly.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ling Chi said, "It's freezing cold. Sect Leader Yue, Heroine Ning, and Sister Ling Shan, please don't stand outside. Come in."

"In that case, I'm sorry to have bothered you."

The group entered the tavern one by one. Outside, it was freezing cold, but inside, two coal stoves were burning brightly, quickly dispelling the chill from their bodies.

Ling Chi went to the kitchen and filled a plate with peanuts, melon seeds, and maltose, while Shuang'er heated up a pot of wine. The group sat around the table, exchanged pleasantries, and then got down to business.

"Brother Ling, how is your cultivation of the Huashan Heart Sutra going?" Yue Buqun asked.

The fact that Ling Chi and Shuang'er were practicing the Huashan Heart Sutra did not shock the Huashan community. After all, this was at the foot of Huashan. In order to strengthen the sect, the Huashan Sect had started popularizing the Huashan Heart Sutra in the villages and towns near Huashan more than 20 years ago. Many locals practiced it. However, internal cultivation was not easy. Out of the thousands of men and women in the entire Huashan town, only 20 or 30 people could master the basics.

After these twenty or thirty people cultivated to the point of Qi perception, they were qualified to join the Huashan Sect and become ordinary disciples.

People like Linghu Chong, Lao Denuo, and Lu Dayou were all direct disciples, so they were relatively rare. However, the Huashan Sect had a total of over a hundred members, which is why it remains one of the Five Mountains Sword Sects. Otherwise, how could a group of only ten or so disciples establish themselves in the martial arts world?

Although Ling Chi and Shuang'er were outsiders, after the Huashan Sect learned that the two siblings were going to settle here, they gave them a printed copy of the Huashan Heart Sutra and charged them ten coins for the production fee...

Everything was so reasonable.

However, since the founding of the Huashan Sect, no one has ever been able to fight on par with the sect leader after only one year of practicing the Huashan Heart Sutra.

Although this is also related to Ling Chi's 'self-created' free fighting style, in Yue Buqun's view, Ling Chi is just like the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai, who created the Dugu Nine Swords, and is a peerless genius.

Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, Dugu Qiubai created the Dugu Nine Swords, roamed the martial world for thirty years, defeating all heroes and warriors, and there was no one in the world who could stand against him. In the end, he went into seclusion in the mountains and forests, keeping company with eagles, and died alone.

The Huashan Sect was a branch of the Quanzhen Sect and has deep ties to Yang Guo, the Condor Hero. Yang Guo inherited the skills of Dugu Qiubai, becoming a great swordsman. Later, Yue Buqun's uncle, Feng Qingyang of the Huashan Sword Sect, also inherited the Dugu Nine Swords, becoming a near-invincible master. During the Huashan Sword and Qi Sect's conflict, if the Qi Sect hadn't tricked Feng Qingyang away, they would never have become the legitimate Huashan Sect. Unfortunately, the Huashan Sect was severely weakened as a result and almost expelled from the Five Mountains Sword Sects.

The memory of the sword qi dispute filled Yue Buqun with immense pain. If it weren't for that incident back then, how could he have shouldered the heavy responsibility of restoring the Huashan Sect, diligently playing the subservient role for over twenty years, living a life more exhausting than a dog?

Looking at his wife, whose beauty had not diminished in her youth, and then at himself with his wrinkles deepening day by day, Yue Buqun felt very tired: Who can understand me?

Chapter Seven: Entering Mount Hua

"It's alright." Faced with Yue Buqun's question, Ling Chi didn't hide anything. They had fought to a draw half a month ago, so there was no point in hiding it. "It's just that my Qi perception hasn't increased recently. I wonder why?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun nearly plucked a few hairs from his chin, Ning Zhongze's almond-shaped eyes widened, and Yue Lingshan exclaimed, "His true energy isn't increasing? Could it be that he's cultivated the Huashan Heart Sutra to its peak?"

"This..." Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze looked at each other, both seeing shock...and a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

Such extraordinary talents, if not brought under our wing, will surely incur divine retribution!

Yue Buqun couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Brother Ling, would you be willing to become my disciple?"

……

A month later.

With a bang—

"Junior brother, Master wants to speak with you in the main hall."

"..."

Ling Chi slowly finished his practice, looking helplessly at Linghu Chong who had rushed in and was looking for wine everywhere. He said, "Senior Brother, how many times have I told you, I don't have any wine here."

"Impossible, I smelled the aroma of wine a few days ago. You can't fool my nose." Linghu Chong opened the cabinet door: "Was it hidden in the closet?"

"..." Ling Chi straightened his clothes and said, "Senior Brother, didn't Master tell us to go over there? Let's go!"

"Master called you over, not me." Linghu Chong waved his hand: "Go on! I'm going to find the wine today."

"..."

On the way to the main hall, every Huashan disciple they encountered bowed and greeted them as "Tenth Senior Brother".

Ling Chi nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work."

He had been at the Huashan Sect for a month now. Looking back, he hadn't originally intended to join the sect, since his strength was mainly achieved through drinking and eating, so joining the Huashan Sect wasn't important to him.

But just as he was about to refuse, he suddenly became wary, as if something bad would happen if he refused.

Faced with Yue Buqun's eagerness and Yue Lingshan's longing gaze, Ling Chi hesitated for a moment before agreeing. He then cleaned up the tavern, and three days later, he and Shuang'er joined the Huashan Sect.

Yue Buqun had nine disciples. After becoming his apprentices, Ling Chi became the junior brother, and Shuang'er became the junior sister. However, in front of ordinary disciples of Mount Hua, he became the tenth senior brother, Shuang'er the second senior sister, and the eldest senior sister was naturally Yue Lingshan.

After becoming his disciple, Yue Buqun did not mistreat him. He immediately passed on the Hunyuan Gong, which was second only to the Zixia Divine Skill of the Huashan Sect, to him. At the same time, he also began to teach him the most basic Huashan sword techniques.

Although Ling Chi 'created' free fighting and knife breaking, Yue Buqun considered free fighting to be nothing more than a hooligan's fighting style. If it weren't for his speed and strength, he could have taught him a lesson in no time by dismantling Ling Chi's moves one by one.

Furthermore, the "dismemberment technique" is a form of dismemberment that should not be used lightly, otherwise one would lose an arm or a leg. The Huashan Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect; how could its disciples use such a cruel sword technique?

Therefore, Yue Buqun strictly enforced Ling Chi's basic skills from the beginning, requiring him to practice horse stance for an hour each morning and evening, while demonstrating and correcting his Huashan swordplay move by move. The Hunyuan Gong (Primordial Chaos Skill) was also practiced concurrently during the training.

The Hunyuan Gong is completely opposite to other internal martial arts in the world in its cultivation method; it is cultivated from the outside in.

Through Yue Buqun's explanation, Ling Chi learned that although this skill takes a very long time to learn and is extremely slow to show results, there is no risk of going into qi deviation during practice, and once mastered, it is incredibly powerful.

By cultivating both internal and external strength, every move in combat naturally incorporates internal energy, enabling one to defeat the enemy without even realizing it. Once the Hunyuan Gong is fully mastered, one will be invincible and unstoppable.

It looks a bit like the Invincible Vajra Divine Skill, but it's definitely a much lower-level simplified version.

Even so, Hunyuan Gong is already one of the most powerful internal energy cultivation methods in the world. After a month of cultivation (eating and drinking), Hunyuan Gong can indeed control the ever-increasing true energy in the whole body.

In the short term, Ling Chi doesn't need to worry about wasting his true energy.

As for the Huashan Sword Technique, with guidance from a renowned master and excellent sparring partners, Ling Chi has made rapid progress. She has now cultivated the Huashan Sword Technique to level 3, which increases her attack and defense by 30% when wielding a sword.

Training is tough, but with delicious food that can restore physical strength and energy, Ling Chi's mental and physical strength is almost limitless, and she still has a lot of free time every day to study recipes and improve her cooking skills.

At his request, he now takes care of the daily meals for Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze, the nine disciples, and Yue Lingshan.

Originally, Yue Buqun was against it. For him, who took it upon himself to restore the Huashan Sect, Ling Chi should have focused all his energy on practicing martial arts so that the Huashan Sect's strength could grow rapidly.

However, after Ling Chi repeatedly assured him that it wouldn't interfere with his training progress and that cooking was his hobby, making him feel uncomfortable if he didn't cook for a day, Yue Buqun compromised. At the same time, he also set requirements for Ling Chi's training progress; if he didn't meet the requirements, he had to stop cooking.

Ling Chi readily agreed.

After a month, seeing that Ling Chi had indeed completed his training with high quality and quantity, Yue Buqun let him be. After all, he was enjoying the delicious food he ate every day.