Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 140: Yearning for Chaos Residence
"How does your culinary skill compare to your master’s?" Jade Pool asked eagerly, voicing her most pressing concern.
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong said with a face full of shame, "To be frank, the gap between my culinary skills and Master’s is like heaven and earth."
"Is that true?"
Jade Pool was shocked, her heart beginning to flutter in anticipation.
If Sun Wukong’s cooking is already this remarkable, what taste would his master’s dishes possess?
With this thought, her previously sated appetite seemed to come alive once more.
And Sun Wukong became even more animated once he started talking about Chen Nuo.
He boasted with a face full of pride, "Today’s hot pot is but a minor display of my master’s talent; it’s not even a dish that Master directly cooked. The dishes he personally prepares—those are truly exceptional!"
To convince Jade Pool, Sun Wukong described every single dish Chen Nuo had made.
With his rich experience of enjoying various dishes made by Chen Nuo over the years, Sun Wukong’s description was so vivid and flavorful, it was as if one were immersed in the actual experience.
In an instant, Haotian and Jade Pool were captivated, their minds wholly absorbed.
My God, could there really be such delectable food in the Three Realms?
Even with their Quasi-Saint cultivation and many years’ worth of dignity and bearing, at this moment, they found themselves salivating with desire.
Swallowing their saliva, they looked on with longing, while the Food God and Stove God along with Zhou Kang found it unbelievable.
With their exceptional culinary skills, they knew how difficult it was to achieve the kind of taste that Sun Wukong had described.
Creating just one such dish would be a significant challenge for them, let alone achieving all of them. Could such dishes truly be brought into reality?
The Two Deities felt as if their entire view of the world had been turned upside down, but no matter how absurd it seemed in their eyes, they had no choice but to believe that it might indeed be the truth.
After all, if even Great Immortal Wukong’s culinary standards were so high, one could scarcely imagine the realm of his master’s culinary skills!
It took a while for Sun Wukong to finish speaking, and by then his mouth was dry.
Yet, looking at the astonishment in everyone’s eyes, Sun Wukong felt an incomparable pride—that was the charm of his master’s dishes!
Sun Wukong didn’t mention the matter of awakening Divine Skills because such things required destiny, naturally something one had to experience firsthand to understand.
"Wait a minute, Sun Wukong, with such exquisite culinary skills you’ve learned, how did you attain your Taiyi Golden Immortal cultivation?"
Haotian found a point of doubt. Sun Wukong always talked about culinary skills; could it be that he had two masters?
Another one who specifically taught him cultivation?
Haotian nodded to himself, feeling he had hit the nail on the head. To achieve such cultivation and combat capability in such a short time was definitely not within the means of any ordinary powerful being.
How could it be something a restaurant shopkeeper could accomplish?
It sounded utterly ordinary.
"No, that’s not the case," Sun Wukong shook his head, somewhat surprised by Haotian’s question.
"I, Old Sun, have only one master in my life, and it was Master who taught me my cultivation," Sun Wukong stated resolutely.
That was the conviction he held since the moment he took Chen Nuo as his master.
As soon as he said this, Haotian was taken aback. In ten years, not only had he imparted such culinary skills to Sun Wukong but also cultivated such high-level abilities—could this really be the work of a human?!
Could this be possible?
If it were anyone else, it would be pure fantasy to entertain such thoughts. Forget about simultaneously being an Immortal Chef and cultivating; the speed of cultivation alone would be beyond the capabilities of any ordinary powerful being.
Even if one’s cultivation was forcefully enhanced, their combat abilities would certainly be lackluster.
But when it came to Chen Nuo and Sun Wukong, one couldn’t abide by conventional wisdom.
Sun Wukong, being a Heaven-Repairing Stone, inherently possessed Heaven-Mending Merits and had accumulated a considerable Essence of Sun and Moon even before he came into being.
Upon his entrance into the world, even if his cultivation hadn’t skyrocketed, the potential he had stored was immensely powerful, and he made rapid progress!
Even if he had followed the original plan, Sun Wukong would have reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.
And to speak of his master, Chen Nuo, one couldn’t apply ordinary standards.
Even though Chen Nuo had never offered any guidance to Sun Wukong in all these years, truthfully, with the Great Celestial Skills, the Flat Peach Body Refining Skills for his physical strength, and the fact that the dishes he cooked were not just for show when it came to Divine Skills!
Furthermore, with Sun Wukong’s innate intelligence and exceptional talent in this area, there really wasn’t any problem at all!
Compared to the original work, the current Sun Wukong is no doubt countless times stronger!
The facts were right before Haotian’s eyes, and he could not help but believe that deep cultivation combined with superb culinary skills was a formidable pairing.
Er...
Haotian was somewhat speechless.
These two qualities together somehow didn’t fit the image of a reclusive expert that he had in mind.
Culinary arts, a path serving others, simply couldn’t be the focus of great powers, could it?
A faint look of puzzlement appeared on Haotian’s face; although he was aware that there were many reclusive powers in the Three Realms, none of them seemed like they would open a restaurant deep in the mountains and forests.
Furthermore, taking a monkey as a disciple on Mountain of Mind and Heart, and even causing Buddhism to return empty-handed, was clearly a provocation towards Buddhism!
Who exactly was this Chaos Residence’s master, daring to act against the heavens with such audacity?
Compared to Haotian’s bewilderment and puzzlement, the reaction from the Jade Pool was much more heartfelt.
"Such tantalizing flavors of the world, I really want to taste them firsthand," mused the Queen Mother, still enraptured by Sun Wukong’s extravagant descriptions of the dishes, her eyes devoid of any noble restraint, filled instead with longing and anticipation.
"Of course, that’s possible," said Sun Wukong casually.
The Queen Mother’s eyes widened with intense joy, and she said with suppressed excitement, "Are you serious?"
"Why would I lie to you? My master runs a restaurant. Guests are always welcome, and anyone can eat as long as they pay," replied Sun Wukong, while not forgetting the most crucial detail.
More than a decade of apprenticeship had made Sun Wukong acutely aware of one thing: never owe his master any money.
Food expenses are as important as life itself!
Food expenses?
Haotian and the Queen Mother couldn’t help but chuckle. As rulers of the Heavenly Court, would they ever be short of money?
What a joke!
It seems a visit to Chaos Residence will be in order.
Haotian and the Queen Mother thought to themselves. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
As the Emperor of Heaven, he needed to understand both his friends and foes. Whoever this proprietor of Chaos Residence was, challenging Buddhism’s plans, must be an ally to Taoism.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Although his high profile prevented him from doing more, he did not mind subtly opening doors of convenience for Shopkeeper Chen.
Anything to irk Buddhism is good in his book!
By thwarting Buddhism as much as possible, when the great calamity passed, Buddhism would benefit very little.
A sharp glint passed through Haotian’s eyes; however, the Queen Mother had different thoughts.
When the time comes, where should she start eating, just as Sun Wukong had described? Should it be the crispy fried chicken or the braised pork?
Alas...
That Flying Dragon Soup Sun Wukong mentioned seems quite delicious as well.
The Queen Mother furrowed her brows, but then relaxed. If it came down to it, she could just buy everything!
She, the Queen Mother, had plenty of money!
But no matter what thoughts they had in mind, one thing remained unchanged.
That was to visit Chaos Residence for themselves.
Without further questioning Sun Wukong, they decided to find out on their own.
Haotian glanced at Sun Wukong, and then, admiringly addressing the Food God, Stove God, and Zhou Kang, said, "This year’s Flat Peach Banquet has been most satisfactory. To host such a feast, you who were responsible for the dishes have performed a great service."
