Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 359 Arrival of Nuwa and the Jade Pool
Sun Wukong slapped the spoon out of the God of Cookery’s hand, "I’ve already told you it’s not ready, it’s not ready, what are you doing?"
"Hehe, I just wanted to taste it."
The God of Cookery smiled sheepishly, "Chef Wukong, what dish is this? How many more hours before it’s ready?"
"This, uh..."
Sun Wukong didn’t want to tell him just yet. If the God of Cookery told the other immortals, and the name of the dish was so ambiguous, wouldn’t he be denounced by the disciples of Buddhism before it was even finished? That would ruin the big plan his master had set up.
"Go on, get out of here!" Sun Wukong waved his hand to shoo the God of Cookery away, "You can’t even make a few dishes for old Sun when I ask you to fill in for me with the Kitchen God. There’s no need to tell you anything else. Get moving, off you go!"
"Oi, Chef Wukong, I’m not as skilled as you, isn’t that to be expected?"
The God of Cookery flattered, "If just anyone could replace you, you wouldn’t be the renowned Chef Wukong of the Heavenly Court, right?"
Sun Wukong’s mind and spirit were swayed by the praise but still remembered Chen Nuo’s words and rebuked with a laugh, "Scram, scram, when it’s ready, I will naturally tell you."
...
"Fly faster, please."
Nuwa stood on Xuan Feng’s back, her slender phoenix eyes filled with urgency.
It was all that damned monkey’s fault for telling her about a dish she couldn’t eat for ten more days, making her wait so long. Now, she had lost her appetite for anything but the dishes from Chaos Residence.
"Goddess, we need to go faster."
Xuan Feng was using all her mana to fly, her anticipation for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was no less than Nuwa’s, but her powers only went so far. No matter how much she wanted to speed up, she was limited by her own strength.
Her last awakening of divine skills had also come after eating a dish prepared by Shopkeeper Chen. According to Sun Wukong’s description, this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was even more amazing than all the dishes in an entire cookbook. Wouldn’t another divine skill be awakened if she could taste this dish?
Thinking this, Xuan Feng couldn’t contain herself any longer. She steeled her heart and used all her spiritual power for flying. In the blink of an eye, she had arrived at Chaos Residence.
Nuwa alighted from Xuan Feng’s back and looked at the modest courtyard before her, "Is this Chaos Residence?"
The courtyard was clean, but it was so ordinary. At least from the outside, it seemed no different from any other place in the mortal world, except no mortal would open an eatery deep in the mountains.
"Isn’t that what the sign says?"
Fairy Baihua, led by the Queen Mother of the West from the Jade Pool, had also hastened there. She had been to this place before and didn’t pause at the entrance like Nuwa, but went straight inside.
Seeing the Queen Mother of the West had already gone inside, Nuwa naturally wouldn’t keep standing at the entrance, so she too entered the courtyard.
Once inside the front courtyard, Nuwa saw Tian Peng sweeping. She looked at the broom in his hand and lightly parted her red lips, "Tian Peng, what are you doing here?"
Tian Peng looked up to see who had arrived and quickly put down his broom, "Goddess Nuwa, Queen Mother of the West, are you here to dine? Shopkeeper Chen is inside; please follow me."
As everyone followed Tian Peng inside, Nuwa was slightly displeased that Tian Peng hadn’t answered her question. Her eyebrows knit together, and Xuan Feng spoke for her, "You blockhead, the goddess asked you a question, why aren’t you answering?"
Tian Peng felt awkward to admit he was here to avoid Yun Zhongzi, so he scratched his head and blurted out a random excuse, "Well, you see, Shopkeeper Chen’s cooking is just too delicious, I thought of being an assistant here to enjoy the internal pricing."
"Internal pricing?" Xuan Feng perked up, "What do you mean by that?"
"It means there’s a discount for internal pricing, much lower than before," replied Tian Peng. He didn’t mention he wasn’t actually an employee yet but considering his efforts in that direction, he confidently assumed he soon would be.
That’s right, such confidence was given to him by Chen Nuo’s cooking.
"Does Shopkeeper Chen still need people?" Xuan Feng asked eagerly, "I’m quite clever too."
"Cough, cough."
Tian Peng, sensing that Nuwa next to Xuan Feng was giving him a sharp look, dared not say anything more and could only use coughing to cover his sense of guilt.
Xuan Feng was initially puzzled as to why Tian Peng started coughing mid-sentence, but when he belatedly felt the temperature by his side drop sharply, he quickly explained to Nuwa, "Your Highness, don’t be angry. It was just a joke, just a joke."
"Not funny."
Nuwa said this coolly and entered the house. Even though Chen Nuo’s cooking was genuinely tasty, she could not tolerate such public attempts to undermine her.
Inside the house, the Jade Pool and Fairy Baihua had already started making cold conversation with Chen Nuo.
"Shopkeeper Chen, what exactly is this dish, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? It’s not even deliverable by takeout?" asked Fairy Baihua.
Chen Nuo had no intention of keeping them guessing and frankly said, "This dish isn’t just a newly developed creation. It’s of an extremely fine grade due to its complex production process. I would think that immortals like you, who have such high standards for cuisine, wouldn’t find it troublesome to walk a few extra steps for a dish."
"Of course, it’s no trouble," Jade Pool interjected. "That’s why we’ve hurried over here posthaste, isn’t it?"
Chen Nuo smiled. "Rest assured, this dish will definitely not disappoint you. In fact, it will exceed your expectations."
"Really? Is it that miraculous?"
Nuwa just happened to enter the room and saw Chen Nuo smiling. With clear and bright eyes and a radiant smile, just one glance left Nuwa slightly shaken.
She had seen the cooks of the mortal world—big and burly, rough and unsophisticated, wearing a sweat-stained singlet all day, reeking of cooking oil.
But it was said that the more a cook looked like that, the tastier their dishes would be.
With a preconceived notion and the irresistible taste of Shopkeeper Chen’s cooking, it was difficult for her not to imagine him in that light. So seeing him in person, so well-mannered and handsome, was bound to be surprising.
Chen Nuo turned his head towards the entrance, and there, standing next to Xuan Feng, was an immortal. With her delicate red lips slightly pursed and slender form, her every move exuded an air of elegance and nobility that revealed her to be no ordinary human.
"Of course it’s miraculous. You’ll know once you try it."
"Do you know who I am?"
Nuwa was somewhat dissatisfied with Chen Nuo’s attitude. It wasn’t that she was arrogant, but as an ancient immortal, she was used to being pursued and revered wherever she went. The fact that a mere restaurant owner showed such indifference upon meeting her was a letdown.
"You are Goddess Nuwa," Chen Nuo said with a grin to Nuwa. "Am I right?"
"Yes, it’s me."
Nuwa wanted to say something else but couldn’t find the words. After all, although Chen Nuo’s attitude was casual, it wasn’t disrespectful, leaving her without a reason to lash out.
"Since you’re here, please take a seat."
Chen Nuo made a welcoming gesture towards an empty spot.
With pursed lips, Nuwa eventually sat in the seat Chen Nuo had indicated.
"Shopkeeper Chen, Goddess Nuwa has come a long way here just for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. You must not disappoint our goddess," Xuan Feng said once she settled down.
"Shopkeeper Chen’s skills are well-known. You’ve tasted them before; how could it possibly be disappointing?" Fairy Baihua retorted, somewhat displeased with Xuan Feng’s attitude.
"That may be true, but as that monkey also said, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is not like other dishes. Our goddess has come such a long way. If this dish is not much different from ordinary ones, wouldn’t that be disappointing?"
Picking up on Fairy Baihua’s tone, Xuan Feng replied.
