Chapter 004: The Divine Essence of the God of Food

“One hundred million! A whole hundred million!” The moment they hit the road, Chen Qiang began shouting in disbelief.
“Le, with just one casual laugh, you let a hundred million slip through your fingers!” His face was full of regret.
Lin Le gave a wry smile. “She was just joking with us, and you actually took it seriously?”
Of course, Lin Le knew Gu Ya hadn’t been joking. He had once stood at the top and could immediately tell what kind of people were in front of him.
A hundred million was an amount people like them could easily produce.
Claiming Gu Ya was joking was, in fact, Lin Le’s own attempt to make light of it. He’d never intended to take any money. It was simply that Gu Ya’s attitude of throwing cash at him had irked him, so he’d spoken offhandedly.
To take advantage of someone’s misfortune was beneath Lin Le’s dignity.
Still, the thought of that money, so close yet lost, made his heart ache.
To say he didn’t want it would be a lie; even if Gu Ya hadn’t given him a hundred million, several hundred thousand or even a few million would have been possible. It would have at least helped settle some of their debts. And now, all for the sake of putting on a front, he’d let it slip away…
“Le, it was right not to take her money. It’s all in the past, so let it go!” Lin Tenghui couldn’t hide his excitement now.
He’d watched Lin Le’s composure and actions just now. There was hope again.
He believed that with his son’s abilities, it was only a matter of time before he earned great wealth through his own merit.
Perhaps, he might even restore the Lin family to its former glory!
Thinking this far, Lin Tenghui was so moved he dared not let his thoughts run further, fearing the dream would shatter if he did.
Apart from that, Lin Tenghui kept recalling the old man from earlier. The figure seemed familiar, as if he’d seen him somewhere before, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember. He gave up trying.

At the hospital, just as Gu Ya was about to turn and head back to the lobby, her phone rang.
“Ya, how’s the old master now?” The voice on the other end was anxious.
“Uncle Four, don’t worry. Grandfather’s fine now.”
“That’s a relief. We must really thank Director Jia this time.”
“Well…” Gu Ya hesitated, then continued, “It wasn’t Director Jia who saved Grandfather, but… a passerby…”
“What? A passerby?” Uncle Four, Gu Hanliang, was astonished. “What happened?”
After Gu Ya recounted the events, Gu Hanliang, who was far away in the capital, was left wide-eyed with shock.
What? A boy of seventeen or eighteen whose medical skills surpassed even the famed Jia Shimao?
Had Gu Ya not said it herself, Gu Hanliang would never have believed such a thing, not in a hundred lifetimes.
But what truly shook him was Gu Ya’s next words—she actually believed that the one who’d saved the old master was a martial artist who’d reached the peak of inner strength!
Seventeen or eighteen, and already mastered inner strength? What kind of joke was that!
Gu Hanliang had trained in martial arts under the old master since childhood, and even now he’d only just reached the initial stage of inner strength, after more than twenty years of relentless practice.
But Gu Ya claimed that a mere teenager had already reached the peak? It was pure fantasy!
Gu Hanliang instinctively thought Gu Ya, unfamiliar with martial arts, must have been mistaken.

“Uncle Four, I need you to check a license plate number. I think it’s necessary to meet that person again,” Gu Ya said, thinking of her grandfather’s future.
If something happened to her grandfather again, it would be good to have a way to reach out.
“Alright, tell me the number. I’ll have Ah Xiong look into it right away.”
Regardless of martial prowess, the boy had cured the old master’s qi deviation. That alone was remarkable, enough to make even Fourth Master Gu of the capital want to meet him.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Fourth Master Gu suddenly remembered. “Your parents are busy. If you need anything, just have Ah Xiong handle it for you.”
“Okay.”
Naturally, Lin Le had no idea about Gu Ya and her family’s interest in him.
After leaving the hospital, Lin Le and his group went straight back to their breakfast shop on the South Fourth Ring.
The shop had two floors: the ground floor was the storefront, while the second was their living space.
Only when Lin Le truly stepped inside did he realize how dilapidated it was, and just how hard life had been for his father over the past three years.
With Lin Tenghui’s arm scalded, Lin Le volunteered to cook.
“Le, no way—you can actually cook?” Chen Qiang exclaimed in surprise.
Lin Tenghui, too, was astonished.
After all, the old Lin Le had never lifted a finger; cooking was out of the question, and even just eating was considered an achievement.
Lin Le smiled faintly. “Of course. Today you two are in for a treat—my very own, possibly infamous, culinary creations!”
Forty minutes later, the small table was covered with steaming, fragrant dishes that left Chen Qiang gasping in amazement.
With the first taste, Chen Qiang and Lin Tenghui exchanged a look of pure astonishment.
“Le, this is the best food I’ve ever had, no exaggeration! Even a five-star place like ‘Duxiu’ can’t compete!” Chen Qiang was in awe.
Lin Tenghui’s eyes shone brightly. He’d seen the world and tasted countless delicacies, but compared to Lin Le’s cooking, they all fell short.
“Le, did you spend the last three years in the army cooking in the mess hall?” Chen Qiang laughed, then suddenly realized his words might sound mocking.
“Sorry, Le, I didn’t mean it like that…” Chen Qiang worried Lin Le would be upset.
But Lin Le didn’t mind at all. “What’s there to apologize for? Hurry up and eat! If you don’t finish, don’t even think about leaving today!”
Three years ago, Lin Tenghui had indeed sent Lin Le to the army, both to shield him from trouble and help him mature. But Lin Le’s experience had been far from ordinary military service!
Less than a month after joining, Lin Le had caught the eye of a recruiter from a special organization and was soon brought into Huaxia’s foremost secret agency—the Kyushu Bureau!
During his three years with the Kyushu Bureau, Lin Le had been exposed to things most people could never imagine. In one mission to a mysterious ancient tomb, he accidentally gained five hundred years of memories from the tomb’s owner.
It was then that Lin Le discovered the tomb’s master had once been the Emperor Lingxiao, a high being who, over five thousand years ago, had come from a celestial realm beyond this world!
In that celestial world, Emperor Lingxiao had lived for five centuries, reigning supreme among myriad star races.
Alas, he was betrayed, his divine form destroyed and his powers lost, and so he was reborn into the body of an ancient tribal chief. When that chief fell in battle, he was buried here.
When Lin Le opened the tomb, a shred of Emperor Lingxiao’s divine consciousness, lingering in the remains, poured all his past-life memories into Lin Le’s mind.

Emperor Lingxiao asked for nothing in return except that, one day, Lin Le would return to the celestial realm and avenge him!
Thus, Lin Le’s memory now spanned five centuries.
Though he appeared only seventeen or eighteen, his mind was more than five hundred years old!
The Qihuang Guidance Technique Lin Le had used to treat Old Master Gu was from Emperor Lingxiao’s memories.
Even his culinary skills came from an old man known as the First Culinary God of the Myriad Worlds. Though Lin Le had grasped only thirty percent, it was more than enough to make him unrivaled here.
As Chen Qiang and Lin Tenghui began to eat, Lin Le seemed to recall something. “You two start—I’ll be right back.”
With that, he slipped back into the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, he emerged with two steaming bowls of beef noodles.
Before bringing them out, Lin Le took a white porcelain bottle from his pocket and dripped two drops of golden liquid into each bowl.
“Here, try my noodles,” he said, setting the bowls before them.
At first, Chen Qiang grumbled about eating noodles when there was a table full of dishes, but as soon as he took the first bite, he was struck as if by lightning, eyes wide with wonder.
“Damn, damn, damn! These noodles—are they from heaven? They’re insanely good!” Chen Qiang was so overwhelmed he could barely speak.
Lin Tenghui had thought Chen Qiang was exaggerating, but after a taste, he was stunned. His taste buds exploded with delight, a wave of bliss spreading through his body, as if he were floating among the clouds—utterly exhilarated!
But that wasn’t all. The moment the noodles went down, a peculiar energy surged through his body like a torrent, as if every part of him was being transformed.
Lin Tenghui felt reborn, filled with power, and even the pain of his scalded arm seemed to ease!
“Well? Not bad, right?” Lin Le asked.
“Not bad? These noodles are out of this world!” Chen Qiang sprang to his feet.
“Indeed! These are the best noodles I’ve ever tasted!” Lin Tenghui couldn’t stop praising them.
“Good,” Lin Le said, thoroughly satisfied.
In truth, Lin Le had expected nothing less. The noodles were well-made, but the real secret lay in the two drops of golden liquid he had added.
The old man who called himself the First Culinary God had told Lin Le that this liquid was called ‘Culinary God’s Essence,’ distilled from the world’s spiritual energy and brewed with over a hundred medicinal herbs.
Not only did it enhance flavor, but the spiritual energy within also provided powerful nourishment and health benefits. For martial artists, long-term use could even improve their cultivation!
Seeing the effects he wanted, Lin Le shared his idea.
“Dad, what do you think—if we opened a noodle shop selling just these beef noodles, how do you think business would be?”