Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 370: The Cunning Sun Wukong

Sun Wukong’s ears ached from Master Zhenyuan’s shout, so he scratched his ears and then asked, "What’s the matter? Is there a problem?"

"Isn’t this a problem?" Master Zhenyuan pointed at the rows of small bowls on the table, "You’ve named it ’Buddha Jumps Over the Wall,’ doesn’t that explain the issue?"

"I must clarify, I didn’t come up with ’Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.’ It was my master who named it," Sun Wukong corrected Master Zhenyuan’s words.

"Even if it was your master who named it, it cannot be called ’Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’!" Master Zhenyuan pointed outside, "Are you a monkey or just outrageously bold? Do you know who is sitting out there?"

"I know." Sun Wukong fished something out from his ear, "They are all here to eat the dishes prepared by yours truly, right? I cook, they eat, how could there be a problem?"

"The problem is too big. If those bald monks learn the name of this dish, they won’t beat you up only because they’re being kind."

Sun Wukong felt somewhat amused by Master Zhenyuan’s reaction, "I think calling them bald monks is way more likely to anger them than this dish’s name."

Realizing his own words might also be inappropriate, Master Zhenyuan coughed twice and continued, "Those terms are only used in private, and can’t be equated with what you’re doing. Besides, I’m considering your reputation as a good cook. Better change the name, or else they might embarrass you when the time comes."

Sun Wukong still didn’t seem too concerned, his master intended for this effect, and he would actually be disappointed if the reaction of those bald monks wasn’t as exaggerated as Master Zhenyuan had said.

"I won’t thank you for your kindness then; since my master named it, he surely had his reasons," Sun Wukong said, waving Master Zhenyuan towards the door, "Better go quickly, I’m about to serve the dishes."

Seeing Sun Wukong’s indifferent attitude, Master Zhenyuan felt helpless. After all, he had said all that he could say; if Wukong wouldn’t listen, it was his own problem. He had done everything he could; now, if the situation turned unmanageable, it was no longer his concern.

"Alright then, if you say so, I’ll leave it be." Just as Master Zhenyuan was getting ready to step out, his eyes caught sight of some offcuts in the corner of the Imperial Kitchen, and then it dawned on him, "Oh right, is this meat dish?"

Since Sun Wukong had already been made wary by Master Zhenyuan’s earlier probing about the dish name, he didn’t answer right away and instead retorted, "How does whether it’s a meat dish or not concern you?"

"You really are something, Chef Wukong. If you’d told me earlier it was a meat dish, I wouldn’t have been so worried," Master Zhenyuan heaved a sigh of relief since if the dish was a meat dish, it wouldn’t be served to the Buddhist disciples.

Despite the harmonious façade between the Immortal Sect and Buddhism, they were still two different sects. Even if it didn’t show on the surface, they would mock each other in private.

Before Sun Wukong could say what the dish actually was, Master Zhenyuan made up his mind, which irritated Wukong, who then chided, "Didn’t I just say I hadn’t named the dish? Why do you jump to conclusions?"

"I guessed it," Master Zhenyuan replied with a smile, "Rest assured, Chef Wukong, I’m very discreet, I definitely won’t tell those Buddhist disciples."

"I’m telling you now, this dish isn’t a meat dish. Now get going, stop dawdling and delaying me from serving the dishes," Sun Wukong pushed Master Zhenyuan out of the Imperial Kitchen with one slap.

"Without my permission, nobody is allowed to set foot inside this door, even half a step. Anyone who dares defy this will find themselves unable to cope with the consequences!"

As he spoke, Sun Wukong took out the As-You-Will Kitchen Knife he got from the Dragon King of the East Sea and drew a magical barrier at the door of the Imperial Kitchen.

A golden light streaked across, and immediately a golden barrier appeared, isolating the Imperial Kitchen from the outside.

Just having been shoved by Sun Wukong and feeling the pain in his belly, Master Zhenyuan then saw the glimmering golden barrier in front of him and realized Sun Wukong was serious.

Still, he felt somewhat relieved that Sun Wukong had just pushed him out and hadn’t beaten him; with Sun Wukong’s powerful cultivation, he would have ended up injured or worse.

Back at his own table, the divine officials surrounded Master Zhenyuan eagerly, "How did it go, did you find out what it is?"

"Um..."

Although he had asked, Master Zhenyuan really didn’t dare to answer the question.

After all, in such a situation, and with Maitreya Buddha not having left, if he really said it out loud, it was quite possible that it would anger Maitreya Buddha, who, as Yang Jian had said, was a smiling tiger—you can provoke anyone but him.

Seeing Master Zhenyuan stammering, the God of Cookery scoffed and said, "So, what did you find out? Come on, spit it out. If you don’t say anything, isn’t that just disappointing everyone? We’ve waited so long, you can’t just brush us off."

Instant karma, thought the God of Cookery, feeling the frustration he’d recently experienced from being snubbed by Master Zhenyuan finally dissipating.

Master Zhenyuan, after all, was adept at reading the room and blurted out, "Of course, I found out! You wouldn’t believe it, but the moment I stepped into the Imperial Kitchen, I was met with such an overwhelming aroma that my eyebrows nearly fell off."

At this, everyone’s interest was piqued, "Really? I knew it, Chef Wukong’s culinary skills are indeed legendary."

"Right," continued Master Zhenyuan, beginning to describe, "After the aroma, I saw Chef Wukong placing a row of small cups onto the tray, and I asked him, ’Chef Wukong, what’s this?’"

"What is it?" the divine officials prompted eagerly.

"Chef Wukong first gave me a look, then instead of answering, he just told me to scram. But I was carrying everyone’s expectations; how could I scram, right?" continued Master Zhenyuan.

The divine officials grew even more curious, "And then?"

"And then," Master Zhenyuan found a way to fumble through, facing the curious divine officials, "Then I said I couldn’t leave, I started to heap praise on Chef Wukong."

"Chef Wukong is also quite receptive to flattery, and after I praised him, he became happy. Once happy, he naturally didn’t tell me to scram anymore."

The divine officials gave a thumbs up, "Right, that’s how to do it. So, what happened next?"

"Next, after hearing my praises, Chef Wukong began to boast about how incredibly skilled his master, Shopkeeper Chen, was. I realized that if I wanted to please and make Chef Wukong happy, I had to praise Shopkeeper Chen, so I immediately dived in from the sidelines and fervently extolled Shopkeeper Chen."

The divine officials agreed, "Shopkeeper Chen truly deserves praise."

"Later, seeing how sincerely I extolled him, Chef Wukong was finally preparing to tell me the name of the dish."

The divine officials leaned in, "So what exactly is the name?"

Master Zhenyuan, drawing out his voice while looking towards where the dishes were being served, said, "The name of the dish is..."

The divine officials perked up their ears to listen closely, even the God of Cookery, who had shown disdain earlier, couldn’t help but tune in his ears.

Even though Master Zhenyuan was smiling as he spoke to the crowd, cold sweat incessantly beaded on his forehead. Why hasn’t Chef Wukong served the dish yet?

Couldn’t it really be because of the time he had been stalling, Chef Wukong discovered the dish had cooled down and was planning to heat it up before serving?

If that was indeed the case, he now only had two possible outcomes to face.