Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 737 - 736: The Dessert House Exploded

Tian Peng chuckled, "Shopkeeper understands me best, so now I have nothing to worry about. Shopkeeper, just wait for me to successfully ascend to the Mahayana Realm."

After Tian Peng entered the cave, Chen Nuo created a barrier with a formation, ensuring that no one would know there’s an entrance here, unless it was Chen Nuo himself.

Having taken care of that, Chen Nuo returned to Chaos Residence, finally able to deal with the matter of the dessert shop. Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing were both anxiously awaiting this, having longed for news about the dessert shop.

"Tian Peng just had me send him into Mount Changbai, and it’s not only going to take time for him to come out, but there are also many matters to tend to. So, Wukong and Wujing, you two will begin learning about desserts first," said Chen Nuo.

Ao Lie watched eagerly from the side, "Then, Shopkeeper Chen, may I learn as well?"

"You’re not suitable," replied Chen Nuo.

"Why?" Ao Lie asked hastily, "I genuinely want to follow Shopkeeper Chen, and I also wish to be taken on as your disciple. Please teach me."

"It won’t work," said Chen Nuo without hesitation in his rejection, "You have the scent of the sea on you, which will affect the flavor of the desserts. The standard for desserts is extremely high, and there must be no foreign smells other than their own."

With that being the case, there was no other choice but to drop the matter, and Ao Lie nodded in disappointment.

Making desserts mainly involves handling the ingredients correctly, so instead of teaching them step-by-step, Chen Nuo prepared the ingredients and waited for Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing to start baking.

Chen Nuo merely watched over the equipment at the dessert shop; he was actually somewhat worried that they might blow up the shop due to not knowing how to use the equipment.

Indeed, Chen Nuo’s concerns were not unwarranted. Sun Wukong once put a metal utensil directly into the microwave oven. If not for Chen Nuo’s quick reflexes, the microwave might have exploded by now.

Chen Nuo pointed to the sign on the microwave warning against metal objects and remarked, "Wukong, I seem to remember that you can read. How could you miss such a prominent ’no metal’ notice?"

Sun Wukong grimaced, scratching his head and begging for forgiveness, "Master, hehe, sorry, sorry, I just didn’t notice it for a moment. Now I’ll remember, I won’t make the same mistake again."

"You’d better remember," Chen Nuo said, looking at Sun Wukong.

After two hours, the cakes made by Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing were finally done. They were still at the beginner level, Chiffon Cakes.

Chen Nuo nodded at the cake Sha Wujing baked—it looked as it should according to the recipe, with no mistakes. Then he looked at Sun Wukong, "And yours? Why haven’t you taken it out yet?"

Sun Wukong was really too embarrassed to present his cake. He used to feel a sense of achievement when cooking, but now, when it came to baking cakes, the sense of accomplishment was gone, let alone producing a proper cake.

He had followed the recipe exactly, so where could he have gone wrong? He couldn’t figure it out.

Chen Nuo addressed Sun Wukong, who was hiding his cake behind his back, "Bring out the cake you baked. Don’t think that I didn’t see anything. Pretending to be dumb is not the way to do it."

Seeing Chen Nuo’s stern expression, Sun Wukong could only reluctantly bring out the cake from behind his back.

"Master, it’s so strange. I really did follow the recipe you gave me. I don’t know what happened, but I just couldn’t bake it right no matter what."

Chen Nuo reached out and fiddled with the cake that Sun Wukong had baked, which was dry and hard, even harder than a rock.

"Are you sure you baked it following the ingredient list I gave you? Because I find that hard to believe."

Sun Wukong nodded emphatically, "I really did bake it just according to the ingredient list you gave me, but for some reason, I just can’t get it right. It’s so strange because I’m usually so good at cooking, but when it comes to cake, it just goes wrong."

Sun Wukong was even criticizing himself.

Chen Nuo looked at the cake he had baked, and it was such a mess that Chen Nuo took out the cake baked by Sha Wujing to compare it with Sun Wukong’s.

"Look, both cakes were baked following the ingredient list, so why is there such a big difference between yours and his? You can’t possibly say that the cake is biased against you, can you?"

Sun Wukong looked at the perfectly shaped cake in astonishment, hardly able to believe it, "Master, don’t trick me by pretending that the cake you baked is Sha Wujing’s just to motivate me. I can tell who baked this cake!"

Chen Nuo almost laughed at Sun Wukong’s absurd reasoning, "Are you sure you can tell whether this cake was baked by me or by Sha Wujing?"

Sun Wukong looked at the cake and then at Sha Wujing. He was quite certain at first, but hearing Chen Nuo ask so casually, he began to doubt himself.

This was strange, very strange. Could this cake really have been baked by Sha Wujing? How could he bake such a cake?

"Sha Wujing, tell him yourself how you baked this cake," Chen Nuo asked.

Sha Wujing was still holding the ingredient list that Chen Nuo had given him, "I strictly followed the ingredient list provided by Shopkeeper Chen, and this was the result."

"It can’t be, this cake was really baked by you?" Sun Wukong’s eyes brimmed with disbelief. It was unbelievable; why could he bake such a cake, but not himself, especially since he was also very good at cooking?

"Do you know the difference between strict and non-strict?" Chen Nuo looked at Sun Wukong. "Didn’t I tell you earlier? Baking cakes is completely different from cooking. The precise amount specified is critical; you cannot use more or less than what is required."

"Tell me, did you really bake it precisely following the ingredient list I gave you? That scale, did you use it or not?"

Sun Wukong felt guilty under Chen Nuo’s questioning; how was he supposed to know that Chen Nuo was telling the truth and not just trying to scare him?

Why did it turn out to be true? Actually having to follow the ingredient list. "Isn’t ’approximately’ good enough? It surely couldn’t be that off, so why doesn’t it work?"

"Even a small difference isn’t okay," Chen Nuo said. "I told you before, you’re not really suited for making desserts. You didn’t believe it, but can you feel it now? Now, tell me, can you make this dessert or not?"

Sun Wukong didn’t speak. He looked at Sha Wujing with displeasure, "No, why do you have to be so honest? Why do you have to do exactly what you’re told, so strictly?"

Chen Nuo slapped Sun Wukong on the head, "Don’t be a bad influence. What did I tell you?"

Sun Wukong stuck out his tongue, "Master, I was wrong. I really was wrong. I give up; I just can’t seem to get the hang of making desserts."