Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 208: The Fate with Pork

A leisurely sound of footsteps arose as Chen Nuo casually emerged from the back kitchen.

"Master!"

"Shopkeeper Chen!"

Observing the respectful faces around him, Chen Nuo nodded slightly.

"No need for formalities."

Tian Peng rubbed his hands together and approached with a cheeky grin, "Shopkeeper Chen, what delicious food were you busy with in the back kitchen just now? Did you know we were coming and decided to prepare a surprise for us in advance?"

The familiar Tian Peng was jesting.

As long as no one dined and dashed, Shopkeeper Chen was indeed a very amiable person.

Chen Nuo looked Tian Peng up and down, somewhat speechless in his mind.

How shameless must one be to say such a thing, and what surprise?

Wondering if doubling the prices would count as a surprise.

Rolling his eyes, Chen Nuo casually replied, "I was making the base broth for a new dish." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"A new dish!!!" Tian Peng exclaimed in astonishment, his eyes shining brightly.

"Is it hot pot?" Tian Peng suddenly remembered the super delicious dish from the banquet that required self-service.

"No, it’s something else."

Tian Peng was startled; so the hot pot was indeed Shopkeeper Chen’s own creation!

No wonder!

Maitreya’s expression at that time must have been the awakening of divine skills!

Tian Peng was absolutely certain; he had seen too many awakenings and had experienced three himself; it was all too familiar.

But that was secondary.

What shocked him even more was that Chaos Residence had released a second new dish!

"Shopkeeper Chen! What exactly is the new dish, give me a portion quickly!!!" Tian Peng said eagerly, practically bouncing with excitement.

He had tried every dish at Chaos Residence, and even if he ate the same dish over and over, one could never tire of Shopkeeper Chen’s culinary skills, but then again, who would refuse new gourmet delights!

The exploration of each new unknown dish was the ultimate satisfaction for the soul; what was the awakening of divine skills in comparison?

However, Tian Peng was to be disappointed.

"It’s a secret for now; it’s not time to unveil it yet."

Chen Nuo didn’t even reveal the name of the dish.

"Ah?!" Tian Peng’s face fell in disappointment, and he quickly asked, "When exactly will it be available?"

He couldn’t wait any longer for the new product. Although the hot pot was tasty, it was not personally made by Shopkeeper Chen!

Chen Nuo frowned and pondered a bit before softly saying, "About a month, I suppose."

The day Buddhism holds its Dharma banquet will be the day Chaos Residence officially launches Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!

To suppress Wukong, they’d have to break a precept first!

Shopkeeper Chen wanted to see just how Buddhism would stand its ground then.

The corners of Chen Nuo’s mouth curved into a cold smirk.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, it’s uncertain what sort of impact it might have; if it could cause the monks of Spirit Mountain to collectively break their precepts, that would be interesting.

Hearing a specific reply, Tian Peng was deeply disappointed, his chubby face collapsing instantly.

To wait that long, what a needless anticipation!

Tian Peng sighed, but there was still a sliver of excitement within him.

After all, he now knew the exact date the new dish was to be released.

"Shopkeeper Chen, I’ll come and show my support on the day the new dish is released!" Tian Peng gathered his thoughts and said cheerfully.

"Oh?" Chen Nuo raised an eyebrow, glancing at Tian Peng with a playful tone, "So if no new dish is released, you won’t be eating here?"

"How could that be possible!!!" Tian Peng quickly shook his head, chuckling, "Shopkeeper Chen’s cooking is always irresistible, how could I not eat it!"

"I’ve been craving that braised pork so much I can’t even think about food or drink properly. How could I not eat it now that I’m finally here?"

Tian Peng’s excitement was visible in his gestures.

That’s more like it, Chen Nuo nodded lightly.

Seeing the situation, Tian Peng heaved a sigh of relief—he’d managed to scrape by this time.

However, every word he had just spoken was the truth, without a shred of fabrication.

If one absolutely had to point out a falsehood, it would be that when it came time for him to eat, he was never vague about it.

He would simply reserve a batch of dishes from Mr. Monkey’s Imperial Kitchen, which tasted incredibly good, though there was still a gap.

Mr. Monkey’s dishes were akin to the daily norm, whereas Shopkeeper Chen’s cooking—that was a luxurious indulgence!

Indulgence shouldn’t be a daily affair, but it was indispensable!

As a Marshal of the naval forces, Tian Peng was very busy with his duties. Couldn’t he find some time to enjoy himself?

"The base broth for Master’s new dish is truly abundant with ingredients: there’s chicken, duck, pork, and even lamb."

Ao Ling couldn’t help but exclaim, as it was her first time seeing that cooking required so many side dishes!

"What?" Tian Peng was completely stunned.

All those ingredients were just for the base broth.

What was the base broth for, if not just for the soup after boiling?

After their flavors were extracted, all those ingredients would be useless!

This dish was way too extravagant!!!

What kind of incredible dish was Shopkeeper Chen making???

Tian Peng unconsciously gulped down saliva, knowing just by thinking about it that it was going to be delicious.

Suddenly, Xiong Daoren scrunched up his nose, his large bear nostrils twitching slightly.

His bear face showed traces of intoxication as he said in a simple manner, "What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant!"

Hearing this, both Tian Peng and Ao Ling inhaled deeply, savoring the scent.

Then, surprise appeared in their eyes.

Indeed, there was a fragrance, the savory aroma of meat, and the scent was becoming more and more intense.

This complex yet distinct aroma was mesmerizing their Mind and Spirit.

"Shopkeeper Chen, what on earth are you making in the kitchen?" Tian Peng was swallowing saliva eagerly, clearly impatient.

Chen Nuo was already accustomed to this and showed no particular reaction.

It didn’t matter how tasty his own creations were; he always had full resistance to them.

After all, it wouldn’t do to rush over and gobble everything up like he’d never seen food before—that would be quite embarrassing.

"Didn’t I say? I was preparing the ingredients for the base broth before simmering it," Chen Nuo explained.

He lifted his head slightly and gently inhaled the fragrance.

Chen Nuo nodded; it seemed quite good, not a failure.

Tian Peng and Xiong Daoren were both incredibly anxious, but Chen Nuo had already spoken his piece.

Feeling unsatisfied but inspired, Tian Peng quickly said, "Shopkeeper Chen, if I pay for a meal, could I have some of that base broth?"

Chen Nuo looked at Tian Peng with surprise.

He hadn’t expected Tian Peng to be so crafty, truly stopping at nothing for the sake of food and drink. Normally, he would just accept the payment.

But now the ingredients had only just started cooking, so although it smelled nice, the broth would taste hardly different from water.

Although he cared about the meal’s cost, he wasn’t about to blatantly rip someone off; every dish he made was guaranteed in terms of quality and quantity.

"Forget it, I said one month means one month," Chen Nuo flatly refused.

Seeing Tian Peng looking a bit downcast, Chen Nuo spoke again, "Tell me, what do you want to eat?"

"Braised pork!!!" Before Chen Nuo could finish, Tian Peng gave his immediate response.

If he couldn’t have the new dish, then he would continue with his original plan!

Seeing Chen Nuo giving him an odd look, Tian Peng realized he’d been too eager and, patting his belly, chuckled sheepishly, "I don’t know why, but I just love pork. It’s just so tasty!"

Chen Nuo pondered for a moment and then suddenly remarked, "Perhaps, this is fate."

Having been transformed into a pig in his past life and now loving pork in the present, it remained unknown whether he might become a pig in the womb in the future.

In any case, the connection between Tian Peng and pigs was a lifelong karma that was hard to resolve.

Tian Peng nodded and laughed, "Right, fate. I can’t stop thinking about it when I don’t get to eat it. This time, I must eat to my heart’s content!"