"Are you sure you're not trying to trick me, System? Opening a restaurant in the wild, do you think I'm a fool, or are you treating those diners as fools?"
Sitting listlessly at the counter, Chen Nuo looked at the perfunctory decor and the towering trees outside the door with a face full of helplessness.
He had been here for seven days now, and everyone knows that if you're going to open a shop, it should be in a bustling area, not out here in the wilderness—only fools would come!
"Fine, let's do the system's lucky draw."
Ever since he had transmigrated here, he activated the Journey to the West Chef God System. Although he received a beginner's gift pack, the location of the restaurant left much to be desired.
Fortunately, there was one free lucky draw every day, but what he could draw depended on his luck.
"Ding, congratulations Host on drawing a kitchenware set of three (An Acquired Spiritual Treasure, also called Divine Marvel, which includes a non-stick pan, iron spatula, and kitchen knife)."
"An Acquired Spiritual Treasure?" Chen Nuo's eyes lit up.
Looking at the Divine Marvel floating before him, he clicked his tongue in wonder, as it was his first contact with a Spiritual Treasure.
Handling it curiously, Chen Nuo thought to himself, Acquired Spiritual Treasures, it seems this world is not simple at all.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, since it was a Spiritual Treasure, could that function of the system be used now?
Immediately after, Chen Nuo picked up the iron spatula and headed to the kitchen. His beginner's gift pack contained only one item, and that was fried rice with egg.
No hesitating, Chen Nuo went straight into the kitchen and began to bustle about. The restaurant provided by the system was quite good; it had everything, including a full range of ingredients.
Meanwhile, outside of the Three Star Cave.
"I sincerely seek Immortality, please, Immortal, accept me as your disciple!"
A monkey dressed in human clothes was kowtowing outside the cave entrance, his face full of earnestness.
A few moments passed, and from behind the cave door, a crisp voice responded, "You can go back. The master has said he will not accept you."
The monkey grew anxious in an instant, knocking his head even harder, "Immortal, Immortal, please you must take me as your disciple!"
He had wandered for so long and had finally found the trace of an Immortal; how could he possibly give up?
"Sigh, you should go back." The person behind the cave door sighed and still did not open the door.
Although he looked like a child, he was not young at all in reality.
"If the Immortal won't accept me as a disciple, then I will not leave!" The monkey's furry face was determined; he must learn the immortality spell!
However, there was no more sound from behind the door, presumably the person had left.
The monkey knelt with propriety outside the cave door, believing that as long as he kept kneeling and moved the Immortal with his sincerity, he would definitely succeed in becoming a disciple!
"The monkey hasn't left?" Patriarch Bodhi, with eyes closed, was sitting on a meditation cushion, holding a horsetail whisk in his hand.
The Taoist Boy respectfully reported, "The disciple sneaked a peek just now, and that monkey is kneeling on the steps, probably won't leave for a while."
Patriarch Bodhi nodded slightly. Monkeys are naturally mischievous; since he must undergo the trials of the Journey to the West, his character must be tempered from now on.
With that thought, Patriarch Bodhi no longer paid any mind and swinging his horsetail whisk, he opened his eyes to continue preaching to his disciples sitting straight below.
Naturally restless, the monkey—even when kneeling—couldn't keep still and kept scratching his ears and cheeks.
Suddenly, the monkey smelled an enticing aroma that intoxicated his heart; he knew it was the smell of food.
Gurgle, his uncooperative stomach grumbled as he licked his lips and patted his shrunken belly.
He hadn't eaten all day to hurry on the road, and the fragrance made his knees unwittingly shuffle, but he still didn't stand up.
The one with the heart for immortality naturally knew what was most important.
However, fate wouldn't have it, as another wave of aroma wafted over, this time even stronger.
Hunger burst forth instantaneously, and the monkey could no longer kneel. Screw seeking Immortality, I want to eat right now!
Standing up, he followed the drifting aroma and after winding around the mountain, he finally arrived in front of a small shop.
The shop was not large and had a big signboard with three large characters on it: Chaos Residence.
The monkey didn't understand the meaning of Chaos but inexplicably felt the shop was impressive.
"There's actually someone who opened a shop deep in the mountains."
The monkey muttered to itself and walked straight in, the fragrance wafting from inside.
The interior decoration was simple, and not much different from some of the small shops the monkey had passed by when roaming among humans.
"Excuse me, is anyone here?" the monkey shouted loudly.
Shortly after, a young man in a white shirt lifted the curtain from the back kitchen and came out, his other hand carrying something steaming hot.
Upon meeting, both the person and the monkey were taken aback.
It indeed made sense that monkeys and humans shared the same ancestors, for look, they could speak human language and even wear clothes now.
Chen Nuo was a bit dazed, while the monkey stared intently at the item in Chen Nuo's plate.
Smelling that refreshing fragrance, the monkey felt that the exhaustion from traveling all day had dissipated a great deal, and it involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"Where did you come from, monkey?" Chen Nuo was the first to break the silence.
"I am from the Shuilian Cave on Huaguo Mountain in Aolai Country, Dongsheng Land," said the monkey.
Shuilian Cave?!
Chen Nuo frowned, "You don't have parents, do you? And you also popped out of a stone?"
The monkey's face showed shock as it said, "How did you know? I did pop out from a stone!"
"Are you Sun Wukong?!" Looking at the monkey before him, Chen Nuo couldn't help but blurt out. If that was the case, had he entered the world of Journey to the West?
"Sun Wukong?" The monkey was startled, muttered it twice, and found it more and more to its liking, and nicer to say.
It then laughed and said, "What a good name, a good name indeed, thank you shopkeeper for giving me this name!"
According to human aesthetics, this young man was so handsome and refined; surely he must be what legends call a cultured person.
The name he comes up with must not be bad, so from now on, I shall be called Sun Wukong!
The monkey thought to itself with delight.
Chen Nuo twitched the corner of his mouth, not expecting that the monkey would take this name because of him.
"What did you come here for?"
"Seeking a master to learn skills from!" the monkey answered.
"And what place is this?"
The monkey gave Chen Nuo a surprised look, thinking to itself, "This shopkeeper is quite strange, to own a shop here and yet not know the place."
"This is Mount Fangcun in the Mountain of Mind and Heart."
It really was the world of Journey to the West, and even the timeline was when Sun Wukong was coming to seek a master. Now Chen Nuo thoroughly believed it.
"Mount Fangcun in the Mountain of Mind and Heart..."
Chen Nuo murmured to himself.
"Three Star Cave..."
Holy cow!
Did that mean he had opened his shop right next to Patriarch Bodhi?
Awesome, the system is awesome!
But compared to The Primordial World and Divine Enthronement, Journey to the West is a bit less tragic; at the very least, his safety coefficient would be higher.
"If you're not here to find a master, what are you doing at my place?"
Sun Wukong gave an awkward smile, "I was originally kneeling at the cave entrance, but then I caught the scent of your cooking and grew too hungry, so I followed it here."
So it was his making egg fried rice that had caused this.
Chen Nuo, seeing Sun Wukong pitifully looking at the egg fried rice in his hand, couldn't help but laugh and said, "Do you want to eat this?"
The monkey nodded feverishly, almost leaving afterimages.