Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 123

Maitreya Buddha was adept at picking vegetarian dishes; even the rice served at the beginning was beyond ordinary in deliciousness!

The food eaten before might have been a bit salty, but this was perfect.

He ate so quickly that afterimages were left behind.

"Come, have a taste of Mr. Monkey’s culinary skills," Tian Peng beckoned as he took the braised pork handed over by the Immortal Attendant.

Would I even need your invitation?

Nezha rolled his eyes and took an eager bite of the meat. Hmm?!

Nezha nodded repeatedly.

The taste was really delicious.

Tian Peng also picked up a piece and then he seemed to drift off into bliss.

"Worthy of Mr. Monkey indeed."

Tian Peng couldn’t stop praising, took another bite, and with his mouth full of oil, said, "This braised pork is fatty but not greasy and the sauce is so pleasing to the palate. Truly splendid."

Tian Peng’s experience could be said to be extremely rich; he was very familiar with all the various dishes of Chaos Residence.

His critique was also highly experienced.

"In making this braised pork, Mr. Monkey has at least sixty percent of Shopkeeper Chen’s cultivation," Tian Peng commented as if he were a fortune-telling Great Immortal.

Smacking his lips, Tian Peng’s thoughts became lively; the authentic dishes from Shopkeeper Chen were really expensive, and he couldn’t always afford them.

If he ran out of money, asking Mr. Monkey to cook to tide him over would also mean he wouldn’t have to endure the pain of eating anything else that tasted like chewing wax.

With his and Mr. Monkey’s relationship, he surely could get a friendly half-price deal, right?

Is it really that miraculous?

Yang Jian raised his eyebrow and, with some doubt in his heart, took a bite.

Indeed... it’s delicious.

Yang Jian’s brow immediately smoothed out, and a feeling of pleasure crept into the awkward mood he had brought with him.

"The food is ready, the food is ready!" Golden Spirit Mother clapped Yunxiao on the shoulder.

Yunxiao didn’t even look at the dishes on the table and said with a wry smile, "Go ahead and eat, Sister."

Ever since having food from Chaos Residence, she really lost interest in other foods.

Qiong Xiao and Bixiao also didn’t touch their chopsticks, sharing the same sentiment.

"Alright then," shrugged Golden Spirit Mother, without insisting further.

After carefully assessing the food before her, she found it very appealing; at least in appearance, it was much better than the last time.

Picking up a chopstick, she grabbed a piece of fried chicken and, seeing the spicy powder beside it, instinctively dipped it and popped it into her mouth.

The spiciness and crispiness were intense, exploding in her mouth at the first bite, awakening her dormant taste buds.

Chewing diligently, the juiciness and tenderness of the meat swirled around in her mouth, a taste she had never experienced before.

"So tasty," exclaimed the widely renowned Golden Spirit Mother, setting aside all reservations and revealing an innate charm in her tone.

Is it really that exaggerated?

The Three Xiaos watched Golden Spirit Mother’s exaggerated display, exchanged glances full of doubt, and noticed the dishes laid out on the table.

They seemed to look pretty good too, didn’t they?

The thought simultaneously arose in the minds of the Three Xiaos.

Bixiao had the weakest resolve and couldn’t help but take a bite; then, she couldn’t stop.

Yunxiao and Qiong Xiao exchanged glances, both reflecting surprise, and instinctively they each tried it out for themselves.

And so, they followed in Bixiao’s footsteps.

Not just that dish, but all the food on the table began to be devoured.

The fact that the Three Xiaos were so impressed was partly due to Sun Wukong’s culinary foundation, but also because their experience with Chen Nuo’s dishes had been too limited—they had only tasted two dishes each, nowhere near as many as Tian Peng’s extensive experiences.

Naturally, it was understandable.

Maitreya Buddha had already switched utensils and was eating directly from the plate, his face smeared with soup, looking nothing like a Quasi-Saint.

Soon, his food was all gone.

Turning his head to look around, Maitreya Buddha was pleasantly surprised to find that the Immortal sitting next to him hadn’t been eating at all, still busy with refining the effects of the Flat Peaches.

He glanced at the Flat Peaches on his own table and a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.

Turning sideways, Maitreya Buddha extended his finger and tapped the Immortal next to him.

The Immortal frowned, clearly not pleased about being interrupted while cultivating, something anyone would find annoying.

When he opened his eyes to see which inconsiderate person it was, he realized it was Maitreya Buddha and swallowed back a load of complaints.

"What can I do for you, Buddha Ancestor?" the Immortal tried to keep any hint of resentment off his face.

With a chuckle, Maitreya Buddha picked up a nine thousand year old Flat Peach with his other hand, then pointed towards the untouched dishes on the other’s table, and said, "This humble monk would like to trade this nine thousand year old Flat Peach for your portion of today’s banquet dishes. Would you be willing?"

A nine thousand year old Flat Peach?!

The Immortal’s breath hitched—after all, he had only scored a six thousand year old one earlier.

He hurriedly examined Maitreya Buddha’s face, which was still beaming with that sincere smile, not seemingly deceitful.

"Okay... okay," the Immortal hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

After speaking, he pushed his table to the right, aligning it perfectly with Maitreya Buddha’s table.

"Thank you." Maitreya Buddha nodded, feeling joy as he put a nine thousand year old Flat Peach in the hand of the Immortal.

He really gave it?!

The Immortal looked down at the enormous Flat Peach in his hand with a dumbfounded expression, still somewhat in disbelief, but there was no denying the reality.

Once he recovered from the shock, the Immortal trembled with excitement.

"Many thanks, Buddha Ancestor."

The Immortal’s smile reached his ears, never having imagined that one day he would get to eat a nine thousand year old Flat Peach.

What a stroke of luck, truly a great fortune!

Now all the dishes at his table were his to trade with Maitreya Buddha.

However, the Immortal furrowed his brows, considering most of those dishes were rich and meaty. As Buddha Ancestor, wasn’t Maitreya supposed to be vegetarian?

But before he could even ponder this, Maitreya Buddha had already begun to feast.

The Immortal’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was he really eating?

Wasn’t Buddhism supposed to abstain from meat and fish?

Wasn’t everyone at the Flat Peach Banquet primarily there for the peaches? What satisfaction could one get from the banquet’s food?

As long as he was benefiting, why should he care too much?

The nearby Immortals, whose meditation had been disrupted by the shout of gratitude, boiled over with excitement upon seeing the Flat Peach in their hands.

To think a table full of dishes had been traded for a single nine thousand year old Flat Peach!

Looking down at their own untouched food, every Immortal’s mind began to race.

"Anyhow, I have fresh, untouched dishes here. Could they be traded for a nine thousand year old Flat Peach?" asked one Immortal, eagerly rubbing his hands together.

"Anyway, I haven’t moved a single chopstick, and the presentation of my dishes is even better than his," another Immortal chimed in, unwilling to be outdone.

"Screw you, clearly my presentation is more abundant than yours and it must taste better too! You’re spouting nonsense, why would he care to glance at your table’s dishes?"

"Bullshit, do you think your presentation looks better than mine? My dishes are colorful and vibrant, obviously very delicious. The Buddha Ancestor is definitely going to choose mine."

Two Immortals who had been chatting amicably moments ago suddenly turned hostile. In the face of a great opportunity, what was friendship worth!

"Buddha Ancestor, please look at mine."

"And mine too!"

It wasn’t just these two; several other Immortals started to self-promote enthusiastically.

Seeing this, the two quarreling Immortals stopped arguing and joined the throng.