Chapter 264: The Magical Recipe

The tapping sound on the keyboard went on, and Ling Pingan was immersed in his world.

Knock, knock, knock…

There was a knock on the door.

Ling Pingan looked up and saw An Xiaoxiao.

“Please come in!” He immediately said warmly.

An Xiaoxiao pushed the door open and walked in. Looking at Ling Pingan, she smiled and said sweetly, “Young Master Ling, where are your clothes?”

Ling Pingan smiled as he picked up the three bags of clothes that he had prepared earlier from under the counter and handed them over. “Thank you for your hard work!”

“You’re welcome!” An Xiaoxiao picked up the clothes and bowed again before leaving the bookstore.

As a sergeant of the Blackguard, she was now slowly encountering the world of the transcendent being.

Those powerful characters that went to heaven and earth, in anime and games, did indeed exist.

Fantasy was not an illusion, but reality!

However…

She still didn’t know why the ordinary bookstore was so special.

“Maybe that Young Master Ling is a powerful being who lives here secretly…” she thought.

There were many such people.

It was a tradition of the Federal Empire to hide in the city.

The sages who lived in the city observed the changes in the world.

They would only interfere with the secular world if they had no other choice.

Therefore, there was a saying among the people: Every five hundred years, there would be a saint.

Thinking of this, An Xiaoxiao was happy because she felt that she was doing something very honorable!

She sang a cheerful pop song and rode on the electric scooter. Opposite her, a small electric scooter of the same color was coming towards her.

Riding on the electric scooter was a young girl about her age.

Her long hair fluttered in the wind, sweet and cute.

But…

The smell of psionic energy on the young girl was very obvious.

Out of professional habit, An Xiaoxiao stopped the electric scooter and looked at the girl.

The girl also saw An Xiaoxiao, so she carefully stopped the electric scooter and showed a fawning smile.

“Officer!” She handed An Xiaoxiao a certificate. “This is my registration certificate!”

Obviously, she saw the insignia of the blackguard that only transcendent beings could see on An Xiaoxiao’s electric scooter, which was engraved with psionic energy.

An Xiaoxiao took the certificate and looked.

It was indeed a registration certificate issued by the Federal Empire’s immigration department.

A legal transcendent being.

Chiba Michiko was registered as a foreign species of Fusang’s fox girl. Furthermore, she had a seal of commendation from multiple departments.

This meant that the fox girl had been abiding by the laws in the Federal Empire for more than three years.

Hence, she returned it. Without saying anything, she rode on her electric scooter and drove off.

However, she had a question in her heart. “Isn’t this place forbidden for transcendents to enter without permission?”

“Did she get permission?”

An Xiaoxiao saw the fox girl from Fusang walking into the bookstore from the electric scooter’s rearview mirror with something that seemed to be a takeaway box.

She nodded. “She must have the permission to do so…”

..

Chiba Michiko walked into the bookstore with a takeaway box in her hand.

She was already used to the law enforcers of the Blackguard that she had just met.

In this country, the Blackguard had the right to inspect every extraordinaire or foreign species they encountered at any time to determine their condition.

Although that was a little troublesome.

There wouldn’t be any problems as long as they followed the laws.

And Chiba Michiko was very willing to use such trouble to exchange for safety.

In this country, she enjoyed the freedom that safety brought.

Safety…

Many countries were extremely lacking in the daily routine that this country was used to.

So, as usual, Chiba Michiko smiled sweetly and brought the takeout food box to the counter.

“Ling-san, this is the pork chop rice you ordered!”

Ling Pingan took the food box and opened it. Inside, there was a large and fragrant pork chop. The extra caviar that was given was filled to the brim. It looked golden yellow, and it was tempting.

“Thank you so much!” Ling Pingan thanked her as usual.

“By the way…” he ate the caviar and said to Chiba Michiko, “Chiba Michiko, are your aunt and cousin here?”

“Yes!” Chiba Michiko bowed and said, “My aunt’s plane arrived yesterday, and are at home!”

“After my cousin finishes her college entrance exam, she will fly straight to Jiangcheng City!”

“That’s good!” Ling Pingan nodded.

“Ling-san!” Chiba Michiko suddenly said, “I also plan to apply to a night school university!”

Ling Pingan raised his head and gave a thumbs up. He praised, “Chiba Michiko is indeed ambitious!”

Chiba Michiko bowed and thanked, “I have to thank you for your encouragement, Ling-san!”

“If it weren’t for you, who always told me the importance of learning, I wouldn’t have the courage to do so!”

Night school university was a product of the high school era.

At that time, it was mainly a learning environment for workers who entered the city.

Therefore, night schools were related to vocational skills training.

As a result, Chiba Michiko wanted to go to a chef-related technical school.

And the Federal Empire had policy support for this.

Any night school within the borders of the empire was subsidized by the state.

There were no tuition fees, no miscellaneous fees, and there were even transportation subsidies.

After some thought, Ling Pingan stood up and said to Chiba Michiko, “I don’t have anything good to give you either… I’ll give you a recipe book…”

As an experienced foodie, Ling Pingan was exceptionally picky about delicacies.

Thus, he had some recipes that he had collected in his spare time.

Those recipes were passed down from the ancient chefs.

The value of these precious things was immeasurable.

At least, Ling Pingan thought that they were priceless.

Therefore, he solemnly opened the cabinet behind him and took out a thin yellow booklet from it. He handed it to Chiba Michiko and said, “This is the crystallization of the wisdom of many ancient sages!”

Fusang’s Fox Girl bowed repeatedly. “This gift is too valuable…”

She looked at the booklet that was handed to her.

On the slightly yellowish cover, there were faded words written with a brush.

“Spiritual food”.

That was the name of this recipe book.

Looking at it, Chiba Michiko couldn’t help but gulp.

She felt that this booklet was emitting an endless amount of wisdom.

It was a wisdom that she would enjoy for the rest of her life!

“Sigh…” Ling Pingan stuffed the booklet into Chiba Michiko’s hands. “I got this coincidently…”

“It’s a personal note from a famous chef…”

“As for me, I added some personal insights into it…”

“I hope you can take it, Chiba-chan!”

As a qualified gourmet, Ling Pingan loved to innovate and figure out how to make the food taste better.

If he wasn’t too lazy, Ling Pingan thought that he was completely running a restaurant.

Chiba Michiko touched the booklet in her hand.

In a trance, she understood something.

That was a mission!

A glorious mission!

When she took the booklet, she had already taken on that holy and great mission.

The mission was to make the food of mortals into spirit food that contained rich psionic energy, turning rotten into magic, and benefiting millions of people!

That was indeed a great mission!

Thus, Chiba Michiko bowed deeply. “Ling-san, I will not let you down!”

“I will make better food to serve the society!”

She raised her head, her gaze was incomparably resolute.

In Chiba Michiko’s opinion, this familiar guest might be a descendant of an ancient family.

For some reason, he lived in seclusion here and didn’t reveal his identity.

However, he secretly observed and chose those talents that could be made, leading them on the path that belonged to them.

That was a plot that Chiba Michiko had seen in many stories.

It was also one of the details in the legends that she had heard after coming to this country.

A righteous and generous gentleman had the world in his heart.

They were not pleased by external gains not saddened by personal matters.

They protected the world and looked at the world with the morals and magnanimity of a saint.

They silently led the era and quietly changed the world.

They allowed everything to develop in the direction of the ideal world.

In the legends, there was a story about the so-called ‘Sage in The Bamboo Forest’ in ancient times.

Since modern times, everything in this country seemed to indicate that the legends were true!

Now, the truth appeared before her eyes.

That made Chiba Michiko feel overwhelmed by the favor. She was extremely terrified and deeply felt the great responsibility on her shoulders!

As for why the Sage of the Federal Empire would impart such a secret knowledge to her who came from Fusang?

That was easy to understand.

Everyone is the same in the eyes of a gentleman.

National boundaries could not restrict their profound and far-reaching thoughts.

Just like those sages who traveled around the countries two thousand years ago.

The disciples of Confucius came from different countries.

The disciples of Mencius also came from different countries.

Confucius and Mencius did not treat their disciples differently because of their countries.

Because they had even greater ambitions and ideals.

These ambitions and ideals could be summed up as: Selecting talents and abilities, making the world a public place, keeping the faith, and building a harmonious relationship. Old friends would not only be close to their relatives and their sons. That would allow them to grow old and have some use for their strength. They would have fewer strengths, and those who were widowed, lonely, or disabled would all have something to support them!

In front of such great ambitions and ideals, the so-called national boundaries would naturally disappear.

And Fusang was also one of the countries in the world!

Just like the vassal states of the era of Confucius and Mencius.

That filled the heart of Fusang’s fox girl with a sense of responsibility.

She bowed repeatedly, revealing her true feelings of gratitude.

Ling Pingan looked at her and sighed in his heart, “As expected of the people of Fusang!”

The image of Fusang in the hearts of the people of the federation had always been that they were well-mannered and knew when to advance and when to retreat.

In history, other than the rebellion of the Fusang in the previous dynasty, most of the time, they were friendly neighbors with nothing but water.

In the past three hundred years, they were even a model kingdom that was good-neighborly and friendly.

In addition to the fact that they were from the same language, Fusang and the Federal Empire were indisputable countries that were within the scope of the world.

According to historians, the relationship between the two was probably the relationship between the Dali Kingdom, the Tibetan Empire, and the central dynasty in the Tang and Song dynasties.

It was a part of the historical process.

In other words, in the eyes of historians, the world was bound to be unified sooner or later.

In reality, as long as the Federal Empire hooked its finger, the Fusang Kingdom would happily announce the legal process of joining the Federal Empire.

However, practical interests prevented this possibility.

The other independent kingdoms of the Federal Empire didn’t want to have a so-called brotherly kingdom that divided the cake and power at all.

With this in mind, Ling Pingan could only encourage Chiba Michiko. “Good luck, Chiba Michiko!”

“I hope that in the future, you can become a world-famous chef!”

“Bring the joy and enjoyment of delicious food to everyone!”

When Chiba Michiko heard this, she was even more certain of her judgment.

As expected…

He was the legendary sage who lived in seclusion in a busy city!

No wonder he could easily see through her disguise and kindly remind her at the same time.

It was really…

In Chiba Michiko’s mind, there were only the words that the Federal Empire’s Emperor Taizu had once said: The Great Hero, serves the country and the people!

In an instant, Ling Pingan became incomparably tall and sturdy in her eyes.

She tightly held the booklet in her hand and bowed deeply. “Ling-san, I will not let you down!”

“I swear that I will use delicious food to heal the world!”

That was her dream.

It was also her ambition.

Using delicious food to heal the people’s hearts.

Especially the hearts of the people of Fusang!

One day, she would return.

Just like the envoys from the Tang dynasty in history, those great figures.

Just like in the past three hundred years, batch after batch of envoys from the Tang Dynasty learned the advanced culture and technology of this country and went back to help their compatriots.

Benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, loyalty, and filial piety…

They were always healing people’s hearts!

She couldn’t do that, but she could use delicious food!

… ..

Riding on her electric scooter, Chiba Michiko happily returned to her home.

That was a simple and unadorned alley in Jiangcheng City.

It was also where many Fusang expatriates lived.

She pushed open the door. Her father and mother both turned around and looked at her. “Michiko is back…”

“Did the delivery go well?”

“It went especially well!” Chiba Michiko answered happily. “Ling-san even encouraged me!”

“That’s good!” Chiba Michiko’s father, Chiba Tadakinaka, smiled and said.

He wasn’t as simple as Chiba Michiko.

All the clues pointed to his daughter serving a high-ranking figure!

But he was very smart and never asked.

Because that was his daughter’s opportunity.

The devout Buddhist Chiba was very superstitious about karma.

To him, every drink and every peck had predestination.

Just like when he picked up this newborn fox girl in the ruins of Osaka.

He knew that this was his cause and also his result.

He was destined to raise this fox girl.

Sure enough, after he picked up the Fox Girl and adopted her, his refugee application was approved.

The family traveled across the ocean and came to this brand-new place. They started a restaurant business and lived a rich and comfortable life.

That was the result of his kindness.

So, he smiled and served his daughter her favorite caviar. Then, he said, “Michiko, I’ve already signed you up for the night school for chefs in Jiangcheng City. You can go and study tonight…”

“It’s very important to survive here and be local!”

“Okay!” Chiba Michiko nodded heavily.

She was about to tell her father that she had received a magical recipe book from ling-san.

She touched her pocket, and the book disappeared.

She was stunned, and the image of the booklet appeared in her mind.

The yellowed pages had already opened.

The first recipe appeared in her mind.

The name of this dish was: Smoked Pork Chop.

It looked like a very ordinary dish, a quite simple dish name.

But in reality…

She could only look at the extremely complicated processing method and feel the complicated concoction techniques that could make one’s brains explode.

Chiba Michiko already understood that this was a spiritual food that was so magical that it was beyond imagination.

Making ordinary pork chops into a spirit food that even a transcendent being would drool over.

It had the miraculous effect of recovering spirit power and healing all sorts of unimaginable injuries and diseases!

The taste was even more unimaginable!

“Such a delicacy…” Chiba Michiko sighed. “Do I have the chance to make it in my lifetime?”

Fusang’s fox girl started to have a serious lack of confidence.

That was because this spirit food not only had too many magical techniques that she could not understand.

It also needed to have a certain foundation of psionic energy!

“It seems that even a delicacy needs psionic energy…” for the first time, the fox girl who had always resisted cultivation had the idea of taking the initiative to cultivate.

That was because she wanted to heal people’s hearts.

But…

She needed to apply and obtain approval even if she wants to cultivate in this country.

Chiba Michiko remembered all the legal procedures.

First, she needed to fill in the application form.

Then, she would receive approval. A batch of cultivation resources would be sent over at the same time.

However, if she accepted the Blackguard’s cultivation resources, she would have to work for the Blackguard.

If necessary, she would respond to the conscription order.

Of course, she could refuse and rely on herself. That way, she wouldn’t have to bear any additional obligations.

But the problem was that aside from the officials, it was almost impossible to obtain sufficient cultivation resources.

So…

Chiba Michiko thought about it for a long time before she made up her mind.

“I can apply to become a support staff…”

That required her to report her abilities to the person-in-charge.

In other words, she had to explain the spirit food cooking technique that she was about to obtain.

“I hope that in the future, you can become a world-famous chef…”

“Bring the joy and enjoyment of delicious food to everyone…”

Ling-san’s encouragement rang in her ears.

Chiba Michiko understood.

She should report it!

So, she quietly finished her caviar and walked back to her bedroom. She took out the application form that she had kept for a long time from the drawer in her bedroom.

It was a form that every foreign species had.

Then she began to fill out the form and apply to become a supplementary staff member of the Blackguard.

The reason for the application was written: To make delicious spiritual food, to provide delicious spiritual food for you, to cure and dispel all kinds of misfortunes.

She wrote very seriously.

After she finished writing, she solemnly signed her name.

Then, she picked up her cell phone and dialed the number on the application form.

She told them her number and registration information.

An hour later, a police officer of the Blackguard personally came to her door and took away her application form.

“Miss Chiba, please wait for three working days. Three working days later, someone will come to your door to announce the success of your application…”

“Okay!” Chiba Michiko nodded repeatedly.

“By the way…” before the police officer left, he asked, “Will you continue to deliver food?”

Chiba Michiko looked at him and nodded seriously. “Of course! It’s my wish to deliver delicious food to every customer!”

Especially Ling-san!

Every time she saw Ling-san eating happily, Chiba Michiko felt very satisfied!

That kind of happiness could not be replaced by anything else.

However, he seemed a little regretful. “If that’s the case, then I wish you a happy life!”

He solemnly put the application form into a secret jade box and walked out of the door while Chiba Michiko and her family were sending him off.