Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 373: Agony, the Torture of Fragrance
Not only was there nothing left to say, unable to remain angry, they also had to smile and thank him, "Chef Wukong, your magnanimity shames our narrow-mindedness, I apologize on behalf of my fellow disciples."
The other Buddhist disciples also one after another offered their apologies to Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong seemed not to mind much and smiled as he took out the As-You-Will Kitchen Knife and drew a line between Buddhism and the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
"Since you all do not fancy it, then I, Old Sun, shall separate this from you."
A golden barrier divided the Buddhist disciples and the dish into two realms; they could only see the small pots with their lids on but couldn’t touch them.
The faces of the Buddhist disciples lightened somewhat, it seemed like Sun Wukong did not harbor any malice, and perhaps as he said, he only wanted to present the dish for them to see.
This minor incident thus concluded, Sun Wukong said with a smile to everyone, "Open the lids of these small pots, I believe that you will not be disappointed by this dish."
No sooner had Wukong’s words ended than the Immortal Officials could no longer restrain themselves, and hurriedly lifted the lids off the small pots, unveiling the contents within.
Since the lids of the small pots had been on for a while, once they were opened, the steam and aroma rushed at their faces all at once, the steamy vapor blurring their vision.
In an instant, as the steam dissipated, the contents of the small pots were revealed, and the Immortal Officials, who had never witnessed such a sight, were astounded.
"This, this soup is actually golden, twinkling as if it’s glowing."
Although the voice wasn’t loud, almost no other sounds could be heard in the great hall; everyone was captivated by the dish.
Those who were slower to react, upon hearing this remark, hurriedly peered into their own small pots and indeed, the broth within was shining gold. With a stir using a soup spoon, the rich broth immediately coated the spoon, tinting it gold as well.
"It smells so good, no need to taste it to know the dish must be delicious."
All these reactions of the Immortal Officials were within Sun Wukong’s expectations. He addressed the official who had just spoken, "You should still give it a taste. Otherwise, just looking at it puts you no different than those from Buddhism over there."
The disciples of Buddhism felt insulted, and yet what Sun Wukong said seemed to be the truth.
Master Zhenyuan had already begun to eat; abalone, sea cucumber, scallop, and mushrooms—the essence of these ingredients had infused into the soup.
Conversely, the flavors of various pork and beef bones had also blended onto the ingredients. The taste was exquisitely delicious, making it impossible to stop eating once started.
Sun Wukong was quite satisfied with the Immortal Officials’ reactions to the meal—the more intense their reactions, the more they acknowledged his culinary skills, and the skills of his master. More importantly, there was still an act to follow that hadn’t been played out.
Yang Jian did have an interest in the dish, but not as deeply, as everything seemed tasteless to him after having eaten Chen Nuo’s cooking.
Although Sun Wukong’s culinary skills were excellent, they fell short in comparison to Chen Nuo’s. The Immortal Officials found it so delicious primarily because they hadn’t tasted Chen Nuo’s cooking.
While not particularly impressed with Sun Wukong’s cooking, he figured that in the absence of Chen Nuo’s dishes, and with a faint headache still lingering between his brows, he might as well satisfy his craving with his disciple’s cooking.
With that in mind, Yang Jian picked up a soup spoon and dipped it into the small pot.
He first scooped up a mushroom. Its color was fresh, and it was soaked in golden broth. Before even tasting it, it was as if one could predict the flavor.
Yang Jian slowly put the mushroom in his mouth, and then his eyes widened.
What, what exquisite delight this was!
Considering the thickness of the soup, it must have been stewing for a long time, perhaps ever since the first dish began, this dish had been simmering on the fire.
But these mushrooms had not lost their own texture and flavor despite the long hours of stewing.
Although the soup contained the umami of the mushrooms, the inherent deliciousness of the mushrooms hadn’t faded in the slightest.
Moreover, because of the long stewing time, they not only retained their inherent deliciousness but also mixed with the umami of other ingredients, the texture was not mushy, and they still had a pleasantly chewy bite.
After swallowing a mushroom, Yang Jian couldn’t help but cast a glance at Sun Wukong. It seemed he had underestimated him after all, initially not caring much about his culinary skills.
After seeing a true gem, who would still pay attention to a counterfeit, even if the counterfeit was cultivated by the gem himself?
However, this dish had drastically changed Yang Jian’s opinion of Sun Wukong. It had been some time since he had last tasted Wukong’s cooking, and it appeared that in this period, he too had grown. This dish was the best proof of that.
Yang Jian bowed his head and continued to eat the other dishes in the small cup.
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
An Immortal Official who had already finished the dishes in front of him wiped his mouth and praised Sun Wukong, "Chef Wukong, how did you make this dish? It’s so delicious. I wonder if there’ll be another chance to taste your cooking in the future."
"No chance," Sun Wukong answered truthfully.
The Immortal Official couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful, "You work in the Heavenly Court’s Imperial Kitchen. If I want to eat your cooking in the future, I can pay for it."
"Paying is good," Sun Wukong showed interest. He hated it most when people ate his dishes for free, although compliments beforehand could lead to a different outcome.
"For ordinary dishes, I can accept less in the way of Magical Treasures and such, but for dishes like this one, only Magical Treasures can be traded. Don’t worry, my rates are very fair," he said.
The Immortal Official, who had only planned to pay with Silver Tael, felt regret upon hearing Sun Wukong’s words, "In the mortal realm, we always pay for meals with Silver Tael. You want to trade for Magical Treasures instead?"
"You said it yourself, that’s in the mortal realm," Sun Wukong was unabashedly unsympathetic, "Since I’m in the Heavenly Court’s Imperial Kitchen, naturally I have to follow the rules of Heaven. My rates are already very fair."
The Buddhists could no longer contain themselves as the aroma that wafted over had already tempted the greedy insects in their stomachs.
Originally, they thought they were going to enjoy a delicious meal as soon as it was served, but surprisingly, it turned out to be a meat dish. It was bad enough that it was a meat dish, but to have it placed in front of them, visible but inedible, was more agonizing than torture.
Sun Wukong had already noticed that the Buddhists were seething with resentment, and as if recalling something, he walked over to the Buddhist table, "Ah, look at my memory, just letting you all look without lifting the lids, keeping them sealed like urns, I’ve really deprived you of a feast for your eyes."
As he spoke, he opened each of the Buddhists’ little cups one by one. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
The barrier drawn by the As-You-Will Kitchen Knife only kept apart distances but couldn’t block the fragrance. Perhaps it was better with the lids sealed.
Although the aroma from the opposite dish was tantalizing, with nothing visible, they could at least eat the dishes in front of them to endure.
But suddenly lifting the lid, allowing them to see what was inside, was comparable to actual torture.
When the lid was opened, the golden-yellow broth the Immortal Official had spoken of was revealed before them.
A Buddhist disciple with lesser willpower appealed to Sun Wukong, "Chef Wukong, there’s no need to take the trouble to open mine."
Sun Wukong pretended not to understand and asked, "Why shouldn’t I open it? If you don’t even take a look, won’t my efforts have been in vain?"
The Buddhist disciple spoke the truth, "It’s not that I want to waste your kindness, but the dish is too fragrant, and we can only look but not eat. It’s too much to bear."
