Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 415 The Mountain God Suspects Chen Nuo’s Identity
"I’m done eating, I’m done eating, hurry up and grill some more, I haven’t had enough,"
As soon as the meat in the stone pot was finished, the Mountain God immediately clamored for more to be grilled.
While the meat was grilling, the Mountain God praised, "Little brother, Jin Zha and I truly underestimated you before. I never imagined that such an ordinary-looking stone pot could produce such delicious food, and you operated it yourself, which is truly impressive."
"When I bet with you earlier, I wondered how someone could be so conceited, but after tasting this meat, I realize you weren’t being arrogant – this is confidence!" Jin Zha also praised. "How did you come up with the idea to use a stone as a pot?"
Chen Nuo, of course, couldn’t tell them the real reason and had to pretend to be profound, "It was just a whim. I’ve been considering this thing for a long time, but seeing its effect now, I feel all that time I spent thinking wasn’t wasted."
"Not wasted? You’ve made a killing, okay!" Jin Zha expressed exaggeratedly.
"After we finish this meal, I’ll definitely teach you the spell to turn stone into gold, without any stinginess. You deserve to have this spell!"
Indeed, the stone pot was just as Chen Nuo had said. Though heavy and slow to transfer heat, it’s exactly because of this that even someone with clumsy hands like Jin Zha could handle it well. By the end of the meal, Jin Zha’s skill at grilling meat had improved markedly.
"Little brother, I really admire you. Using stone to cook is really something," Jin Zha complimented. "If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known that you could grill meat on a stone. Maybe, in the future, I could even become a chef."
"I told you I don’t lie. You didn’t believe me before," Chen Nuo wiped his mouth, "So, how about it, are you ready to admit defeat now?"
"Indeed, indeed," the Mountain God said. "Since this pot is so useful, I’ll get one for myself later. Whenever I feel like it, I’ll just grill on my own."
"That won’t do," Chen Nuo replied.
"Why not?" the Mountain God didn’t understand. "After all, you’re going to open a restaurant in the mortal world, and we’re not running restaurants. You can’t expect us to come to you whenever we feel like eating, can you?"
"Exactly," Jin Zha chimed in. "You also said that it’s something one has to do themselves, and with or without you, the food we make ourselves surely won’t be too far off."
Chen Nuo originally wanted to say that this item was patented and others couldn’t use it casually, but then he remembered that patents didn’t exist here, and besides, the stone pot wasn’t his invention.
He thought about it and let it go, deciding not to quibble over such trivial matters. After all, this was the Mountain God, and his Maifan stone pot was still something from their mountains.
"It’s fine, you guys can use it. But I must add, the pots you make yourselves will be far inferior to the one I’ve got here now."
Jin Zha was skeptical, "How can that be? I grilled the meat, and whether or not you’re here doesn’t seem like it would affect the taste."
Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Are you sure?"
"Of course I’m sure. Could there really be a difference between the taste of your cooking and mine?" Jin Zha was somewhat unwilling to concede, thinking Chen Nuo was really too proud.
Although Chen Nuo had proven himself to be an exceptional character, they were immortals, and immortals are meant to be more formidable than mortals.
Chen Nuo was inwardly disappointed with Jin Zha as he could detect what Jin Zha was thinking. Jin Zha appeared a bit better than those divine officials in the Heavenly Court, but only slightly. He had even forgotten that he was a mortal before Becoming an Immortal.
Although he acknowledged the craftsmanship of mortals, deep down, he still felt he was a cut above mortals.
But likewise, Chen Nuo also realized that he couldn’t discern the thoughts of the Mountain God.
"After all, he’s a Mountain God," the system sighed.
"What do you mean?" Chen Nuo asked.
"Mountain Gods are different from Jin Zha; although they are friends and both divine, their natures are fundamentally distinct," the system explained.
"Isn’t it just one Immortal Official and one Mountain God? Mountain Gods might be better-natured, but what do you mean by a fundamental difference?"
"Jin Zha was originally a mortal who was promoted to Divine Enthronement. He has been an immortal for a considerable time, after all, he grew up eating grains and cereals, he can’t avoid having mortal thoughts," the system said while checking Jin Zha’s data.
"And this Mountain God is?"
"Mountain Gods are different. This Mountain God was nurtured by the spiritual energy of the entire Taihang Mountains. He governs the fate of the whole mountain range, so he can’t wander around freely like Jin Zha unless there is something very important. As such, he cannot leave the mountain range, and his nature is purer compared to Jin Zha."
"I see," Chen Nuo had an epiphany, "So I’m not unable to hear the Mountain God’s inner voice, but rather..."
"Yes, it’s because the Mountain God is inherently transparent; you are not unable to see it, it’s just that what he thinks and what he says are in sync."
With this explanation, Chen Nuo’s perception of the Mountain God changed dramatically.
Having been in this world for so long, this was the second individual he met after Sun Wukong who spoke what was truly on his mind.
Since the system existed within Chen Nuo’s mind, communicating with the system also took time and could not be done concurrently.
When Chen Nuo was talking with the system, he would be seen standing or sitting motionless, appearing to be daydreaming or lost in thought.
The Mountain God noticed Chen Nuo and asked, "Are you using communication magic with someone?"
"Ah?" Chen Nuo turned his head, "No."
Communication magic refers to the method immortals use to converse over long distances, similar to modern telephones—simply employing divine skills to initiate communication with the immortal they wish to talk to, without needing anything else.
Not only immortals can use this spell because it is particularly simple; anyone with a minimal level of cultivation can do it.
Chen Nuo was still in conversation with the system and replied without much thought.
Right after he answered, the Mountain God’s expression changed, and his gaze towards Chen Nuo became cautious: "You know about communication magic?"
This was not something a mortal should know unless they were versed in spells, or not a mortal at all.
Jin Zha also noticed something was amiss and looked towards Chen Nuo, "You’re a mortal, how do you know about communication magic?"
"Why can’t I know?" Chen Nuo asked.
"You?" Jin Zha also realized something was off with Chen Nuo. He hadn’t given it much thought before, but now it seemed like this person’s behavior was not typical of a mortal.
At the time he revealed his identity, this person didn’t show the slightest bit of surprise.
Initially, he thought this person was simply composed, but now it seemed that was not the case; this individual already knew his identity upon meeting him, and it was the same with the Mountain God.
A mortal might not react when seeing him, but to remain so calm in front of the Mountain God was truly not the demeanor of a mortal.
Furthermore, during cooking, he seemed to have brought nothing but was able to produce so many items from his chest, even cooking utensils.
It was their oversight, enamored by the food, that they hadn’t noticed these anomalies. Upon further thought, it was extraordinary for him to have traversed from the foot of the mountain to the mid-slope at such a rapid pace at their initial encounter.
