Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 162: Jade Pool Arrives, Ao Ling’s Heart Knot
However, this sensation was but a fleeting moment, inexplicable.
Zhao Gongming muttered to himself.
Wudang returned to Mount Li, while the rest made their way back to the Heavenly Court together.
"Young Zhou, have you really decided?"
"If you change your mind now, the Queen Mother won’t punish you," said the Kitchen God outside the South Heavenly Gate of the Heavenly Court, still earnestly trying to persuade Zhou Kang.
Young Zhou had the heart, the comprehension, and the talent; truly, he was a promising seedling in the path of culinary arts. It would be a pity if he left.
He and Old Shi had even hoped that this young man would inherit their mantle.
"Thank you for your kindness, ancestors." Zhou Kang nodded with a smile, "I still have ties in the mortal world that I cannot sever, and besides, the pursuit of culinary arts is endless, important wherever I may be."
Hearing Zhou Kang’s words, both the Kitchen God and the God of Cookery sighed deeply, unable to persuade him!
Sun Wukong slung an arm around Zhou Kang’s neck, laughing playfully, "Brother Zhou, what do you plan to do when you return to the mortal world?"
"Great Immortal Wukong, please don’t tease me," Zhou Kang replied with a wry smile.
A mere mortal like him was hardly fit to call Immortals brothers.
"What’s the issue with that? Brothers are those with shared aspirations. You and I are both travelers on the path of culinary arts. How could we not be brothers?"
Zhou Kang’s eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.
"You’re right."
Mr. Monkey had not only overlooked his previous rudeness but had also openly shared his cooking experiences, which truly benefited him greatly.
As for his future plans, he had already figured them out in his heart.
"I plan to return to my wife and children, then open my own restaurant in the mortal world."
"This ascent to the heavens has taught me so much from you, Mr. Monkey; it’s something I need to put to the test."
Zhou Kang, influenced by Sun Wukong, let go of his previous restraint and joked, "Mr. Monkey, you wouldn’t get angry if I stole all of your cooking skills, would you?"
Slap...
Sun Wukong gently patted Zhou Kang’s back with a grin, "You kid, you really dare to say anything. If you manage to steal all of my culinary skills that would be rather impressive!"
Sun Wukong was unconcerned. As far as he was concerned, one could not master cooking skills in isolation.
He had acquired his cooking skills through relentless learning from his masters and was well aware of the profound mysteries of culinary arts, which requite everlasting learning.
With someone like Zhou Kang, he was more than happy to offer guidance, both openly and subtly.
Zhou Kang chuckled dryly; he was just speaking off the cuff. Even if Mr. Monkey taught him step by step, he didn’t know how long it would take him to learn.
What he referred to as "stealing" was really just observing from the sidelines, but even just that was enough to keep him busy digesting slowly.
"Opening a restaurant, what will its name be?" Sun Wukong did not dwell on the issue of whether or not the cooking skills were stolen.
"It will be called Enlightenment Immortal Tower," Zhou Kang said earnestly.
"Derived from the first and last characters of Great Immortal Wukong’s name."
"You..." Sun Wukong scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, "That kind of makes me feel a bit embarrassed."
"It is deserved," Zhou Kang said with determination in his eyes.
This journey to the heavens had also given him a glimpse of the life of the Immortals, and Mr. Monkey had helped him comprehend the way of culinary arts.
The name Enlightenment Immortal Tower was indeed fitting.
"Mr. Monkey, do you have any thoughts?" Zhou Kang also asked.
"As for me," Sun Wukong’s eyes rolled, then he said seriously, "My idea might be to change the current status of chefs!"
After spending time in the Heavenly Court, he had clearly noticed the chefs’ predicament; their status was too lowly.
Although those Immortals were very polite to him, he understood that this was all because of his power as a Golden Immortal.
The real reflection of a chef’s position in the Heavenly Court could be seen in the God of Cookery’s and Kitchen God’s customary bowing and scraping.
Sun Wukong, wanted to prove that chefs were not beneath anyone!
"Your Majesty," a maid called out somewhat nervously within the bedchamber of the Queen Mother at the Jade Pool.
Sitting on a high seat and lost in thought, the Queen Mother of the Jade Pool suddenly came to her senses, a trace of anticipation showing on her face.
"Have you brought it?"
The maid trembled, speaking in a voice as thin as a mosquito’s, "Replying to Your Highness, the person is not here."
"Not here?" The Queen Mother’s brows furrowed slightly, expressing some displeasure, "As a cook, if he is not in the Imperial Kitchen, where else could he be?"
The maid hastily knelt and said, "Replying to Your Highness, Chef Wukong and the others went to see off that mortal."
So that’s how it was.
The Queen Mother nodded her head and dismissed the Immortal Attendant.
Although she wasn’t angry, her heart felt inexplicably disappointed; Sun Wukong’s dishes from the Imperial Kitchen wouldn’t be ready on time today. Should she eat something else?
The Queen Mother pursed her lips, her brow furrowed in thought.
But she didn’t have an appetite for anything else either; compared to what Sun Wukong made, the other dishes were far too lacking.
Hmm?
Her eyes suddenly brightened as if she had an idea; it’s better to strike while the iron is hot, so why not visit Chaos Residence as Sun Wukong had mentioned today!
Once the thought arose, she could no longer calm it down.
Licking the vermilion corner of her lips, her appearance took on a touch of playful charm, and that suppressive aura from her prolonged lofty position softened at once.
She had originally planned to make a visit with Haotian when they were both free, but it seemed plans couldn’t keep up with the rapid changes.
Let her, the Queen Mother herself, lead the way and explore what sort of den this Chaos Residence truly was!
In such a noble cause, that young Haotian would surely be grateful to her.
"Summon someone for makeup."
"Shopkeeper, aren’t there too many plates?" Ao Ling stood by the kitchen’s sink, lamenting over the stacks of dirty plates piled up like little hills.
"Take your time scrubbing—they’ll eventually all be clean."
Chen Nuo was completely unsympathetic to Ao Ling’s complaint as he prepared the ingredients nearby.
"But..." Ao Ling looked anxious, "But I want to train!"
She had already set aside time for it every day!
"Finish your work first," Chen Nuo said at an easy pace.
"But don’t all those powerful figures spend their days in Closed-Door Cultivation?" Ao Ling gathered her courage to argue back.
She really wanted to grow stronger, because only by doing so could the current feeble state of the Dragon Clan change. She aimed to measure up to those figures of strength!
"Oh." Chen Nuo rolled his eyes, "What’s the use?"
"Of course, there’s a use! It speeds up the process of becoming stronger!" Ao Ling stood firm, pep-talking herself.
Chen Nuo shook his head lightly, "The reason they are called powerful is because their attributes, talent, comprehension, and cultivation are all at the peak within the Three Realms."
"If those stronger than you are working hard, then why put in effort yourself?"
Ao Ling opened her mouth but didn’t know how to retort. It seemed that her master’s words were indeed correct.
If she lacked talent, what use would effort be?
"So no matter what I do, I can’t become powerful?" Ao Ling said, her voice filled with unwillingness.
Seeing Ao Ling’s mood plummet, Chen Nuo raised an eyebrow.
Given the current situation of the Dragon Clan, he could understand why his disciple felt this way.
"Anyone in a hurry to achieve success will never become truly powerful," Chen Nuo said lightly.
"But!" Ao Ling said urgently, "If I don’t put in the effort, it will be even harder to become powerful!"
Chen Nuo shook his head, pausing his work to continue, "Sometimes, achieving insight through indirect means can be more effective."
"Achieving insight through indirect means?" Ao Ling was puzzled.
"Your senior brother has never gone out of his way to cultivate," Chen Nuo stated calmly.
Great Immortal Wukong, is it?
