Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 117: Supercede These Eatings

The shock of this scene was even greater for Maitreya Buddha than the revelation that Sun Wukong had become a chef.

Who could believe that the future protector of Buddhism, specially appointed to subdue demons, would take up cooking?

And judging by the situation and the attitudes of the other three people, this monkey was actually the head chef.

The monkey cooked with such focus, precision, and expertise that there was nothing one could find fault with.

Moreover, as the head chef, that meant all the dishes outside had been made by this monkey!

Good heavens, had he been reading Buddhist Scriptures too much and started hallucinating? Where had this monkey disappeared to in that instant, and what had it experienced?

How come not only did he have such a high level of cultivation, but his culinary skills were so freaking impressive as well?

After a while, Sun Wukong finished the Kung Pao Chicken, placed it onto plates, evenly distributed it into eleven servings, but still left a little in the wok.

He scooped some into a small bowl, brought it in front of Maitreya Buddha with chopsticks, and said, "Try this."

Smelling the enticing fragrance, Maitreya Buddha looked down at the breathtakingly vivid Kung Pao Chicken in the bowl, greatly tempted, but reason still prevailed.

Maitreya Buddha shook his head and said, "Ascetics do not partake of meat; we consume only vegetarian food."

"Bullshit!" Sun Wukong blurted out in curse: "Without meat, can that even be called a soul?"

He was a staunch carnivore, and although he cooked vegetarian dishes, they were usually just side dishes.

"No, no, these are the precepts of Buddhism, they cannot be broken!" Maitreya Buddha said righteously, but his eyes still could not bear to look away. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"You’re an incomplete Buddhist Disciple like this," Sun Wukong shook his head, looking like someone who had seen it all.

"Before, I, Old Sun, also thought flat peaches were the most delicious thing in this world, but after I had meat, I realised, all that was crap!"

Sun Wukong began to preach incessantly to Maitreya Buddha, as if their roles had been reversed.

Having spent ten years flattering Chen Nuo, Sun Wukong’s eloquence was quite extraordinary, even managing to make Maitreya Buddha waver in his stance.

"But... but the precepts..." Maitreya Buddha was still hesitant, after all, they had never been changed before.

"Oh come on, you fatso, stop dilly-dallying, you’re not decisive at all," Sun Wukong said impatiently with a parched tongue and an impatient face.

He still had more cooking to do, and all this dilly-dallying was taking too long.

"All day long with this Buddha, Buddha, Buddha—it’s supposed to be in your heart, not always on your lips. What are you afraid of eating meat for? It just goes through the stomach and passes."

"So rigid!" Sun Wukong was frustrated, like a craftsman despairing over untempered metal.

Right!

Maitreya Buddha’s eyes suddenly brightened, this monkey was absolutely right!

The God of Cookery and the Kitchen God were dumbfounded; that was Maitreya Buddha, being lectured by Great Immortal Wukong.

And what’s more, Maitreya Buddha seemed to be taking it with an open mind.

Great Immortal Wukong is awesome!

But...

The corners of the God of Cookery and the Kitchen God’s mouths twitched; the scene of persuading the Master of the Buddhist Sect to eat meat, how strangely did that look?

The more Maitreya Buddha thought about Sun Wukong’s words, the more he felt they made sense. Why should he stick so rigidly to the precepts without knowing how to adapt?

Being a Buddha is all about what is in the heart.

"Through the guts, meat may pass... but in the heart, the Buddha Ancestor lasts," Maitreya Buddha muttered word by word.

"Hmm? Didn’t expect you to be so cultured," Sun Wukong was a bit surprised.

This fatty managed to distill his words and even did so quite brilliantly.

Having realized all this, Maitreya Buddha no longer had any reservations, he took the bowl and chopsticks, and with an excited heart, picked up a piece of meat.

If it didn’t taste good, he would continue with his vegetarian ways.

Thinking this, Maitreya Buddha placed the meat in his mouth, but before he could chew carefully, he was already intoxicated by the flavor.

Delicious!

This strong savory taste was something vegetarian dishes simply couldn’t achieve. Tasting meat for the first time, Maitreya Buddha didn’t feel anything was amiss; on the contrary, he felt an unparalleled comfort.

Eating meat felt almost instinctual.

Savoring it carefully, at first the tip of the tongue detected a slight numbness, a mild spiciness, followed by a sweet fragrance that assaulted the taste buds.

The chicken cubes, wrapped in numbness, spiciness, and sweetness, were simply irresistible.

After the first bite came the second, this time Maitreya Buddha took a bit more.

The chicken cubes, accompanied by dried chili, cucumber pieces, and peanuts, were all taken in one bite—the taste was out of this world!

He had picked up the dried chili by accident.

He had no intent to touch the fiery red morsels, but how could he back down in the face of such delicious food?

So, he ate it as well, and with that bite, he completely lost himself; the dried chili was red but not overly spicy, spicy but not fierce.

It even brought a hint of char flavor that elevated the entire dish to a new level.

The appearance of peanuts was not abrupt; rather, they complemented the charred and meat flavors harmoniously—you in me, and I in you, indistinguishable from each other.

Only with them did the dish feel complete.

There’s no need to elaborate on the smooth texture of the chicken or the tenderness of the meat. The cucumber, however, was the masterstroke, crisp and refreshing.

Though the surface bore the aroma of the dish, its innate pride could not be overlooked—the refreshing flavor was like the finishing touch to a painting, lingering in the mouth.

It dispersed all the greasiness.

At this moment, Maitreya Buddha felt like a little boat aimlessly drifting in the sea, without direction, without motivation, only moving as per his wishes. But he wasn’t worried, for he knew, no matter what, the destination would be the other shore.

Before he knew it, a small bowl of Kung Pao Chicken had disappeared.

"Buddha... Did the Buddha Ancestor really pass away?"

The God of Cookery and the Kitchen God were wide-eyed and speechless; this was their first time witnessing the people of Buddhism breaking the precept of meat eating, and it was the Buddha Ancestor at that!

Great Immortal Wukong, impressive!

Feeling unsatisfied, Maitreya Buddha set down the bowl and chopsticks, silently recited a few sins in his mind, and also said a few prayers for the soul of the chicken.

"Is there any more?" Maitreya Buddha then licked his lips and asked.

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong grinned and replied, "That’s all for now, those dishes are reserved for the banquet."

Smacking his lips, Maitreya Buddha felt a bit disappointed, but then he perked up thinking that now that the monkey is the head chef of the Imperial Kitchen, the Flat Peach Banquet should proceed without a hitch, which means he could have another round of feasting after finishing here, right?

Perfect!

The Buddhist Disciple was suddenly filled with hope.

Keep smiling, and good luck will come!

"I am off to prepare other dishes. If you want to keep eating, just stay here," Sun Wukong said offhandedly.

Sun Wukong didn’t mind giving his diner a little special treatment.

After all, with such a large quantity of food, sparing a little was no big deal.

Maitreya Buddha quickly nodded; how could he miss such a good opportunity?

He absolutely mustn’t decline!

With so many lives disregarded, he definitely needed to say a few prayers for them.

Seeing this, Sun Wukong didn’t give Maitreya Buddha another thought and went on busily preparing dishes.

Dish after dish was created in Sun Wukong’s capable hands, each with its own merits, yet none superior to the others.

This bore witness to Sun Wukong’s extraordinary culinary skills.

And Maitreya Buddha, as the Future Buddha, watched the new dishes Sun Wukong crafted with gaping interest, like a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time.

There were so many that he was overwhelmed.

And the flavors were so captivating that he felt utterly overjoyed.

Maitreya Buddha felt that he had lived in vain up until now, arrogantly claiming to be the finest gourmet of Spirit Mountain’s Buddhist Sect. Compared to the dishes prepared by this monkey, those made by the others at Spirit Mountain were nothing but rubbish!