Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 374: Key Figure

"Ah? Is that so?" Sun Wukong appeared shocked, "You can’t say things like that, you Buddhists are supposed to be benevolent, isn’t abstaining from certain foods more than just talk? These dishes were made from living creatures, if you don’t recite scriptures for their souls, but instead think about eating them, isn’t that bad?"

The Buddhist disciple, upon hearing Sun Wukong’s words, realized he might have misspoken, and hurriedly brought his palms together: "Amitabha, my sins, my sins, I have spoken without restraint."

Sun Wukong chuckled at him: "That’s right, that’s right, just like that, you should, for these cooked living beings, recite some scriptures, deliver them from suffering, that’s more in line with the consistent style of Buddhism."

Having said this, he had no choice but to bring his palms together and begin reciting scripture and praising the Buddha.

Observing their reaction, Sun Wukong felt it was still insufficient, so he plucked out a few of his own hairs and muttered an incantation. The hairs disappeared into thin air, and eventually, he was able to control the ladle which began to stir slowly in the small bowl.

One of those nearest to Sun Wukong put down his Buddha beads and looked at Sun Wukong, "Chef Wukong, what do you mean by this?"

"I don’t mean anything at all." Sun Wukong chuckled again.

"There is more than one type of animal in this bowl, it’s not enough for you to just recite scriptures to the ones on the surface. I stirred it up a bit so the blessings could be evenly spread."

At this point, even the slowest to react sensed something amiss in Sun Wukong’s words, and one with a bit more spunk slammed his Buddha beads down on the table, "Chef Wukong, what on earth are you trying to do?"

Sun Wukong feigned a shocked expression, "This, I meant well, nothing else, what do you think I want to do?"

That Buddhist disciple truly did not know what Sun Wukong intended, but he felt that Sun Wukong’s behavior was somewhat odd; if asked to articulate it, he wouldn’t be able to pinpoint exactly what it was.

Seeing the reactions of those around him, although some were irate, they didn’t feel that Sun Wukong was trying to cause trouble. It seemed targeting, but it really couldn’t be considered so; he himself had also gone through quite the effort to make the dish.

"We need to recite scriptures, Chef Wukong, if you’re free, you could perhaps go and promote your food more at the Immortal Sect." The Buddhist disciple, after holding it in for a while, could only manage to say this politely.

"Well then, since you all seem to find Sun here bothersome, I shall take myself elsewhere."

With an aggrieved look, Sun Wukong walked over to the Immortal Sect. An Immortal Official saw Sun Wukong approaching and earnestly greeted him, "Chef Wukong, come over here, I must toast to you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy such delicious food." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"I cook here to let you all enjoy it, it’s nothing to be lauded for; but standing for so long has indeed left me quite parched. I won’t turn down that drink."

"What Chef Wukong says is too modest, the drink is certainly worth toasting." The Immortal Official picked up a cup and handed it to Sun Wukong, then took another cup for himself to clink against Sun’s.

As Sun Wukong sipped his wine, while others were not paying attention, he secretly cast a spell towards the Buddhists.

The spell he cast was a minor one, meant to keep the fragrance of the dishes from dissipating, instead directing it into the noses of those in front of him, and the more they craved it, the stronger the fragrance became.

Sure enough, after casting the spell, some of the Buddhist disciples reciting scriptures would sneak occasional glances at the dishes in front of them.

Sun Wukong thought to himself, let’s see how long you can hold out.

This spell is actually a test of inner strength, and it’s not some kind of spell that bewilders the heart. It merely makes the aroma of the food in front of you intensify and seems to drill into your nose. If your willpower is strong, you can resist it. It’s just a little spell that gives an extra push.

Sun Wukong and the Immortal Official were toasting each other back and forth. After a few rounds of drinks, Sun suddenly spotted someone, and joy filled his heart.

He was a key figure, so Sun walked over with his cup in hand, "Yo, isn’t that Maitreya Bodhisattva? Aren’t you supposed to be eating a vegetarian meal over at Buddhism’s side? What brings you to join the fun here?"

"What’s so good about a vegetarian meal? I came here, naturally, to eat veggies," said Maitreya Buddha, continued to spoon the dish into his mouth as he spoke.

Although Sun Wukong was well aware that Maitreya Buddha was not vegetarian, and he was rather annoyed with these Buddhist folks, he found Maitreya Buddha and Jin Chanzi, from Tathagata’s followers, were not as stale and pretentious as the other Buddhists.

"Oh, you’re here to eat veggies too," Sun Wukong walked over laughing, "Then, Maitreya Bodhisattva, tell me, is the dish delicious?"

"Delicious, extremely delicious," Maitreya Buddha finished the dish in just a few bites, and feeling regret over the remaining sauce, conjured a piece of white bread from nowhere. He used the bread to soak up the leftover sauce, then popped it into his mouth, and didn’t forget to emit another sound of admiration, "Truly delicious."

"Right, it’s delicious. Do you know how much effort I’ve put into cooking this dish? My master spent over a month just researching this dish."

"Really?" Maitreya Buddha was shocked, then quickly broke off another piece of bread and wiped the small bowl clean, "Then I really must thank Chef Wukong for taking such pains."

Sun Wukong chuckled, "No trouble at all, no trouble. After all, cooking is for eating, and seeing you enjoy it so much makes my effort worthwhile."

"Thinking that way is excellent, Chef Wukong," Maitreya Buddha laughed in reply. He looked at the calculating glint in Sun Wukong’s eyes, then glanced at the Buddhist disciples behind him, who were chanting sutras and praising Buddha, and asked, "Chef Wukong, to offer help when none is needed can only mean ill intentions, what are you up to, coming to me when I was eating so heartily?"

"What could I be up to? I just saw you enjoying your meal and came over to say hi," Sun Wukong replied with another laugh, "I come over to pay respects and you, you fattie, think so poorly of me, I’m truly disappointed."

"Is that so?" Maitreya Buddha poured a drink directly into his mouth from the jug, "I can’t help but feel that you’re up to no good."

"I’ve been toasting all along here, and nothing else. Yet, you think I have ulterior motives. That’s an accusation against me," Sun Wukong said with feigned hurt, but his face didn’t show a trace of it. Everyone was smart enough to understand without saying it outright.

"With what you’re saying, I might have suspected a gentleman of base intentions," Maitreya Buddha laughed, then took a sip of wine, "But I know that you, Chef Wukong, have never been particularly polite to anyone. Now this sudden courtesy makes me wonder."

"What are you talking about? When have I ever been impolite? I’m extremely polite to my master. It’s not only about being polite; I truly respect my master. Yet, in your words, Smiling Fatty, I’ve been impolite to everyone. If you think I’m disrespectful, you better spit out everything you’ve eaten of mine," Sun Wukong said.

"Heh, I was just kidding. Why would Chef Wukong get angry?" Maitreya Buddha took a sip of his wine. Pleasantries were pointless if said too much.

Sun Wukong seemed carefree, but he was skilled at talking circles around the subject without ever getting to the point.

Sun Wukong still bore a look of anger, scratching the back of his hand, his face flushed red as if indeed angered.