Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 369 Master Zhenyuan Shocked

"I’m not doubting you, just advising you to take it easy and not overthink things. To make such a fuss over a trivial matter shows your timidity. Don’t worry, everyone will soon forget about it, so there’s no need to trouble yourself."

The God of Cookery was left speechless by Master Zhenyuan’s words, "No, that’s not it, ah, I can’t seem to explain it properly. Anyway, it’s not that I don’t want to go, I’m just unwilling to."

"It seems there’s no real difference between the two," Master Zhenyuan patted the God of Cookery’s shoulder, "Don’t worry, if you’re unwilling to go, I’ll go in your stead." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The divine officials were merely looking for someone to check the Imperial Kitchen, and didn’t care who it was, so they all started showering Master Zhenyuan with praise.

The God of Cookery got angry, "So all that talk was just to pave the way for yourself!"

Inside the Imperial Kitchen, Sun Wukong was directing the removal of small cups from the fire one by one; the "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" was ready.

Master Zhenyuan strode in from outside without minding the stuffiness of the Imperial Kitchen, took a deep breath, and then exclaimed, "Mmm, smells amazing!"

Sun Wukong glanced at the door and then went back to focusing on his work.

In fact, several divine officials had already come by earlier, claiming they were drawn by the scent. Sun Wukong found them annoying and drove them out, but here they were again now that the dish was finished.

"Scram, scram! This is the Imperial Kitchen, not some rowdy place. Don’t disturb my cooking," Sun Wukong didn’t even look at the person at the door, just waved him away.

"Chef Wukong, don’t be so fierce. It’s just that your cooking really smells too good. I came because of the aroma, and when I saw that it’s Chef Wukong himself cooking, I felt assured. Your cooking, even if it were shoe soles, would be delicious. If it were anyone else, even if they made the most exquisite delicacies, I wouldn’t even bother looking," said Master Zhenyuan.

Master Zhenyuan was a slick divine official, telling people what they wanted to hear. Since Sun Wukong had a soft spot for flattery, he felt a bit embarrassed to scold Master Zhenyuan after such praise.

"Alright, take a seat. The dish is almost ready, it’ll be served shortly."

"That was fast," Master Zhenyuan observed the little cups Sun Wukong was handling, "They’re so tiny?"

Just as Sun Wukong’s mood was brightened by the compliments, he started to get irritated again, "What are you implying? You crammed so many in your belly already, it’s not like you’re the only one eating a dish. What’s there to complain about?"

Master Zhenyuan knew he misspoke and quickly changed tack, "Hey now, you better hope Xiaotian Dog didn’t hear that. He gets really annoyed when people make jokes about dogs. If he heard you, he’d probably come from far away just to bite you. Also, Chef Wukong, you shouldn’t just listen to half of what someone says. You cut me off before I could finish."

"Old Sun isn’t afraid of him. With my master around, not to mention Xiaotian Dog, even his master would have to respectfully address my master as Master Chen," Sun Wukong snorted coldly, "Even if you finished, I doubt you’d say anything nice."

"How would you know if you don’t listen?" Master Zhenyuan said with a smile, "I was about to say, small is good. A small portion helps you remember how tasty the dish is. They’ll hunger for a second serving after the first because they didn’t get enough. If it were served in a big bowl, they would be full after one serving and wouldn’t crave it next time."

Sun Wukong again felt pleased by this remark, but not wanting it to show too obviously, he huffed, "So you’re saying if this dish fills them up, they won’t want to eat it again in the future, right?"

"I’m not implying that at all; why do you always misinterpret what people mean, Chef Wukong?" Master Zhenyuan could tell that Wukong’s words were said in jest and knew he had no other intentions; he was just prodding for a compliment, so he changed the subject, "What dish is this? I could smell it all the way from the outer hall. If I were to really taste it, I might end up chewing my tongue off in delight."

"This dish is that fragrant." Sun Wukong didn’t skimp on praising the dish. He felt the same way when he had it for the first time, "My master only recently researched it; I’ve eaten it just once. It’s not even available for takeout yet."

"That impressive?" Master Zhenyuan walked over to the row of small pots in surprise, "Then we divine officials are really in for a treat."

"Just wait a bit; the dish will be served soon. Now scram, stop hovering around here."

Master Zhenyuan looked at each of the small pots, thinking they seemed like fragrance bombs waiting to explode.

Once the lids are lifted, the aroma that had been wafting around the hall would hit one full in the face, and those with lesser will power might start to drool even before tasting it.

"It’s no surprise it’s a dish made by Chef Wukong. I haven’t even tasted it and I’m already drooling," said Master Zhenyuan while reaching out to lift the lid.

He was swatted away by Sun Wukong, "Why the rush? They say ’impatient as a monkey’, but I think you’re less patient than me. It’s not like you won’t get to eat, so what are you looking at now?"

"I’m just too curious, I couldn’t hold back. You’re the chef; you must be used to all this delicacy, so naturally, you wouldn’t find it extraordinary."

Master Zhenyuan rubbed his hands together, "What’s this dish called, Chef? Tell me, will you? I want to show off when I get back."

"The name of this dish has great significance." Sun Wukong thought of the crowd of Buddhist disciples outside and chuckled twice, "Better not tell you now. Wait until later, and listen with them in the hall. It’ll be a big surprise for you."

By withholding the name, Sun Wukong only fueled Master Zhenyuan’s curiosity more. He came with a purpose not to leave empty-handed and started buttering up Sun Wukong with compliments again.

"Chef Wukong, please tell me, I’m just a simple man. I’ve never even seen the dishes you’ve made at the dining table, let alone eaten them. If it weren’t for you becoming a chef in the Heavenly Court, not just now, I might not get to taste them even after I pass away."

Hearing someone praise him, Sun Wukong answered with a proud face, "Of course, it’s all thanks to my master’s teaching. If he hadn’t taught me, I wouldn’t have learned so many skills, not to mention feeding you diners."

"Absolutely, Chef Wukong, you’re right," Master Zhenyuan quickly agreed, continuing along the conversational thread, "Shopkeeper Chen is really formidable; I’ve never seen anyone more skilled than him. Chef Wukong, you did well to work under him."

Sun Wukong swelled with pride from the praise, "That’s a given; my master is indeed the most formidable."

Master Zhenyuan saw how happy this made him and knew he had praised him in the right way, "How did Shopkeeper Chen research this dish? The name and the cooking method must be quite sophisticated?"

"Oh, you mean the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? There’s quite a story behind that. Let me explain in detail," Sun Wukong, elated, forgot about keeping the dish a secret and revealed the name.

Master Zhenyuan was astounded, "The name of this dish is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?!"