Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 725 - 724: Six Ears Unwilling

The shrimp meat was very firm, unlike the texture of other animals’ meat. Other meats tend to be loose in their fibers, and being meltingly tender upon entering the mouth is usually considered good. However, the firmness of this shrimp meat offered a novel sensation that was quite extraordinary.

Xuanzang stared intently at the Six-Eared Macaque and asked after he took a bite, "Wukong, how does it taste?"

The Six-Eared Macaque nodded, "It tastes very good."

"Oh." Xuanzang also nodded, then asked, "And how about the texture?"

"The meat is springy, and the soup is rich, spicy, and deliciously aromatic," the Six-Eared Macaque explained in detail.

Xuanzang swallowed his saliva and immediately felt ashamed of his desire to eat; he was an ascetic. How could he, a person who had renounced worldly life, eat meat? It was a meat dish, after all!

Realizing he was harboring such thoughts, Xuanzang quickly began to recite scriptures to suppress them.

It was truly abnormal; this place, this Black Wind Mountain, along with the Black Bear Demon and everything else here, completely overturned Xuanzang’s previous perceptions of all demons.

These were the internal struggles of Xuanzang that he couldn’t bring into the open, and the Six-Eared Macaque was oblivious to his master’s condition.

After the Six-Eared Macaque had one, he took another crayfish and began to eat.

He peeled the shell slowly, ate slowly; while others ate the meat of the crayfish, he savored the soup, the side dishes. After trying each one, he began eating the crayfish again.

He would have a few bites of the crayfish, then sample other dishes, eating with meticulous care.

Xiong Daoren ate crayfish while observing the Six-Eared Macaque and couldn’t help but ask Sun Wukong.

"Wukong, what’s with that monkey? He eats with such concentration, and he doesn’t wolf down his food like the others. He chews slowly and deliberately. Could it be that he was raised by some wealthy and powerful immortal in the past?"

Sun Wukong did not understand what he meant and turned to look at the Six-Eared Macaque, but just then their eyes met.

The Six-Eared Macaque paused and nodded at Sun Wukong, then continued eating.

"What do you mean?" Sun Wukong asked, "How can you tell he’s from a good family, and I’m not?"

"No, no, Mr. Monkey, that’s not what I mean," Xiong Daoren quickly explained, "I just think the way he chews slowly and deliberately is quite different from the others around us."

Sun Wukong also noticed the Six-Eared Macaque’s leisurely eating style, but he did not share Xiong Daoren’s favorable interpretation.

He attributed it entirely to the Six-Eared Macaque not being amazed by the dishes he made.

"I think he’s just putting on an act!" Sun Wukong snorted, "My cooking is so delicious, and yet he eats so slowly – is he trying to disrespect me?"

Xiong Daoren initially thought the Six-Eared Macaque was well-mannered, but Sun Wukong’s words made him reconsider.

Sun Wukong was a disciple of Chen Nuo, and Chen Nuo’s cooking was so exquisite it couldn’t be simply described as good; even the Jade Emperor was addicted to it.

Although Sun Wukong’s culinary skills were not comparable to Chen Nuo’s, they were undoubtedly beyond anything else in the world, yet the Six-Eared Macaque could eat Sun Wukong’s food with such composure – truly no simple feat.

However, although the Six-Eared Macaque was eating slowly, he was consistently doing so, never stopping his hand.

The Six-Eared Macaque didn’t think the food was unappetizing; on the contrary, it was because the dish was too delicious, making one want to have a second bite, a third, all the while eating and worrying at the same time.

Such delicious food can only be eaten here, and in the future, if I want to eat it again, where should I go, which place to find, which chef to ask to cook in order to recreate this taste.

Others may not know, but that Six-Eared Macaque knows who made this dish—it was made by Sun Wukong, the person he himself aspires to become. How can he have such culinary skills, why, what gives him the right?

What gives him the right to do anything he wants and excel in everything, standing at the pinnacle that makes others look up to him?

And the Six-Eared Macaque could only ever stand behind him, basking in the slivers of light that leaked from behind him.

He was not content, he was not content!

The Six-Eared Macaque stuffed his mouth with food while thinking that what Sun Wukong could do, he could do as well, and he must do it even better.

Until his own light was so brilliant that it couldn’t be overshadowed by that person anymore!

Xuanzang ate the dishes and suddenly felt that someone next to him was breathing heavily. When he turned his head, he was almost frightened by his own disciple.

The Six-Eared Macaque’s eyes were red-rimmed, filled with bloodshot fury, and he chewed his food with a crunching sound.

Xuanzang couldn’t understand; it was just a dish, how could the taste make someone behave this way? It was truly bizarre.

"Wukong, what’s wrong with you?" Xuanzang hurriedly asked.

The Six-Eared Macaque suddenly turned his head, his eyes still fierce, scaring Xuanzang so much that he almost stepped back.

"Oh, I’m sorry, Master, did I scare you?" The Six-Eared Macaque quickly withdrew his gaze, "The dish is a bit spicy, I can’t handle spice, and it’s made my face look abnormal."

Xuanzang simply did not believe that eating something spicy could lead to such a state, changing one’s entire demeanor, yet he couldn’t understand why his disciple would show such a countenance over just eating, it was extremely strange.

"I’m fine, Master." The Six-Eared Macaque also knew that Xuanzang didn’t believe him, but since they were still at the banquet, it wasn’t the place to give a full explanation.

Although Xuanzang wanted to get to the bottom of it, he also knew that it wasn’t the time to speak, so he didn’t ask further.

The meal thus went on for two hours, and afterward, people patted their full bellies, still reminiscing and saying, "Xiong, this dish is truly delicious. How did you manage to hire such a chef? I’d also like to have him cook a meal for me, even if it costs me ten times the price of this meal."

When Xiong Daoren heard this, he couldn’t help but laugh. He glanced at Sun Wukong sitting beside him, who was drinking without reacting as if the words weren’t about him, just waiting for him to respond,

"Haha, the chef who cooked this meal— I’m afraid you can’t afford him."

"Xiong, why do you say that? Although I practice the Dao, my family is fairly wealthy. I don’t claim to be exceedingly rich, but I do live a worry-free life. After all, he’s just a chef. I can certainly afford him," said the person, thinking the chef must be very hard to hire, hence he started boasting about his wealth.

"It still wouldn’t be enough," Xiong Daoren continued to drink.

The man didn’t understand the underlying meaning of Xiong Daoren’s words and thought Xiong Daoren meant he truly couldn’t afford the chef. Feeling a bit angry but not daring to show it, he asked again, "Why do you say that? Surely this chef isn’t harder to hire than a Daluo Golden Immortal?"

"Pretty much," Xiong Daoren didn’t hold back, there was no choice, the chef in question was sitting right next to him, he had to give hearty praise.

"Then, then I—" The man wanted to show some pride, but in the end, he didn’t have the gumption, "Then I won’t insist on hiring him."

Sun Wukong chuckled.

Xiong Daoren knew he had flattered just right and heaved a sigh of relief. He then began to treat the man with a friendly demeanor.