Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 68: Messing Up a Good Hand

"Wasn’t it said that whoever excels in culinary skills shall be deemed fit for the position?"

"Then let this so-called genius you speak of compete with me, how about that?"

As soon as these words were uttered, the entire hall fell a few degrees quieter, all the immortals looking in surprise at the monkey on the dais, who spoke with such resolute tone.

If it were a matter of fighting, everyone recognized the potential of this monkey within the realm of Daluo Golden Immortal, but culinary skills—are they something one could simply assume proficiency in on a whim?

To enter a profession is to delve into it, does he really think that wielding a kitchen knife and chopping aimlessly qualifies him as a chef?

The Kitchen God and the God of Cookery seemed to hear a joke, as they both let out a laugh.

"You said this yourself, have no regrets?"

Sun Wukong looked at the two, and pronounced each word clearly, "Once a word leaves Wukong’s mouth, not even four horses can chase it back. The question is, do you have the guts to let this so-called genius have a showdown with Wukong!"

"Or perhaps, you two can step up!"

"Arrogant!" The Kitchen God waved a big hand, "To deal with a wild monkey like you, do we both need to make a move? Zhou Kang’s culinary art alone could trounce you!"

That lad was extraordinarily gifted, something he and the God of Cookery had witnessed in their lifetime, not to mention they had both given him guidance.

The God of Cookery even added, "We agree to the contest, but if you lose, you must kneel and apologize to us, and you shall never dabble in the culinary arts again!"

The culinary arts must not be insulted by such a vulgar person!

"Fine!" Sun Wukong raised an eyebrow, finding the righteous indignation of the pair somewhat amusing, "What if you two lose, then?"

Lose? How could that be!

Inwardly disdainful, having spoken tough words, they had no choice but to accept.

"If we lose, we’ll do the same!"

Immediately, the two turned to Haotian and respectfully said, "We request the Jade Emperor grant permission for this duel, as it concerns a battle of our culinary dignity!"

Haotian was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle; he had seen others brawl over differing principles, but never had he seen a contest over cooking.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he declared, "Very well, I approve. Tomorrow, the Kitchen God, the God of Cookery, and the Zhou Kang you recommend shall compete with the monkey. The victor shall remain."

"The Queen Mother and I will attend."

"Your Majesty is wise!" The two bowed in gratitude.

With nothing more to discuss, Haotian promptly closed the court session, leaving all to be decided on the morrow.

"Hiss! I’m finally almost recovered; Mr. Monkey really doesn’t hold back at all!" Inside the Naval Marshal’s Mansion, Tian Peng whined and complained.

Thanks to his mana’s continuous healing, he had finally almost recovered—at least outwardly, one could not discern any injury.

But this was also Tian Peng’s own doing, for thinking himself invincible in his realm just because he had gained a couple of Divine Skills.

"No, I must still report Mr. Monkey’s actions from yesterday to Shopkeeper Chen."

Initially planning to rest and sleep off his ordeal, Tian Peng promptly got up. He had a secret magical treasure in hand, which he wanted to take to Shopkeeper Chen to see how much it might be worth.

With this in mind, Tian Peng hurriedly made his preparations and headed to Mount Fangcun in the Lower Realm.

However, unbeknownst to him, someone was trailing behind.

After leaving the Heavenly Court, Nezha roamed aimlessly, yet the scene of Tian Peng’s fight with Sun Wukong haunted his mind, stirring a bitter feeling within him.

Although Tian Peng had lost, Nezha could see that Tian Peng’s strength was undoubtedly superior to his own.

If even Tian Peng had lost, the strength of that monkey was clearly immense.

Recalling his own fierce vow to beat the monkey before he left, Nezha couldn’t help but smile wryly.

What fanciful thinking—that he, who had once died and was reborn from a lotus root, possessed a Lotus Root Body with its own unique uses, had helped him numerous times during the God-Sealing Tribulation, and had earned him much merit.

Though his master could provide the finest, the innate quality of the Lotus Root had its limits; the realm of Daluo Golden Immortal was forever a hurdle it could not surpass.

Watching those who used to be inferior to him slowly catch up and even potentially surpass him,

Nezha felt an indescribable discomfort and found himself absent-mindedly at the vicinity of the Milky Way Naval Marshal’s Mansion.

But in the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a swiftly moving figure darting out of the mansion and flying towards the Lower Realm.

Regaining his senses and taking a closer look, it was Tian Peng!

Nezha’s delicate and beautiful face seemed puzzled. Hadn’t Gold Star Taibai said that Tian Peng had suffered severe injuries, why leave the residence to recuperate properly, what was he doing rushing out like this?

And why so urgently?

A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind, and Nezha remembered the strangeness of Tian Peng’s recent surge in power.

Driven by curiosity, he concealed his presence and followed, trailing all the way to Mount Fangcun.

Nezha was stunned, he naturally recognized the uniqueness of this place, but upon seeing him land, Nezha didn’t hesitate for long and continued to follow.

After much traveling back and forth, he finally arrived in front of a house.

From a distance, Nezha could see a signboard which read "Chaos Residence" with a large character for "restaurant" next to it.

A restaurant, here in these remote and wild forests?

While Nezha was pondering, Tian Peng had already entered.

"Shopkeeper, I’ve come aga..., uh..." As soon as Tian Peng stepped in and was about to speak, he froze upon seeing the scene inside.

A bull-headed figure and a young man were huddled up with Shopkeeper Chen.

"Three tens with a five!" The bull-headed figure threw out four odd cards, his face tense with nerves.

Large beads of sweat rolled down, his eyes darting back and forth between Shopkeeper Chen and the young man, gripping the cards in his hand tightly.

Just what he wanted!

"Three kings with a seven!" Chen Nuo said lightly, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

It was over!

The Bull Demon King let out an inward wail – he was definitely not getting out of this one, but he had to minimize losses!

Thinking this, the Bull Demon King tremulously drew four more cards, a resigned expression on his face as he played them and shouted out, "Three twos with a two!"

???

Chen Nuo stared bewildered at the eccentric move initiated by the Bull Demon King.

"You’re amazing!"

Having said that, he reached out and flipped a sign standing on the table, changing the number from 8 to 16.

The Bull Demon King immediately panicked, "Shopkeeper Chen, this is three with a one, weren’t the rules clearly stated?"

"Four of the same is also four, that thing is called a bomb!" Chen Nuo said with a face full of black lines.

He had guessed that the Bull Demon King had four twos, but since the Bull Demon King still had many low cards, it was impossible for him to finish them, so he thought he would split them up to cut losses.

But he never expected the Bull Demon King to split them like this!

With his strategy failed, the Bull Demon King felt as good as dead, and winning was now out of the question.

"Haha, the feeling of winning just by following Shopkeeper Chen is just too good!" The Roc Demon King burst into laughter.

In this round, he had barely played any cards, Chen Nuo alone had taken the Bull Demon King down.

"Niu, you really have talent, not winning with two kings and four twos!"

"From today on, you’ll be wiping tables for sixteen days straight!"

Seeing the Roc Demon King’s schadenfreude, the Bull Demon King couldn’t contain his anger, "What are you pleased about, you’ve already been losing at sweeping floors for two months!"

As soon as he spoke, both demons were momentarily stunned, then realized, Shopkeeper Chen faced no penalty for losing, while they had no reward for winning and had to work if they lost.

Damn!

So they were just here playing themselves!