"Pay up, otherwise you won't be able to eat," Chen Nuo said, placing the fried rice on the table and extending his hand towards Sun Wukong.
Since it was a restaurant, there was no way to eat without paying, one must order something.
"I don't have any money!" Sun Wukong said frantically, scratching his ears and cheeks. He suddenly remembered a human phrase and blurted out, "My pockets are cleaner than your face!"
Chen Nuo chuckled. Was this comparison implying that his own face was dirty?
However, Chen Nuo slightly shifted to block the view of the fried rice.
"But I really don't have any money, how about I give you these clothes I'm wearing?" Sun Wukong gestured towards his outfit, saying to Chen Nuo with an embarrassed look.
Anyway, as a monkey, he felt the same with or without clothes; it wasn't any different for him.
Chen Nuo looked disdainfully at the tattered clothes on Sun Wukong.
What would he do with these clothes? Use them as a cleaning rag?
If you had brought that outfit you wore after making a ruckus in the Dragon Palace, then it might be worth considering.
Now, Sun Wukong was out of options.
"All I have is the fur on my body," Sun Wukong mumbled dejectedly. The rice smelled so good; he couldn't bear to just walk away.
But he knew that indeed, one needed money to eat at a human restaurant. Could this meal, so close at hand, be out of his reach?
Chen Nuo's mind stirred. Monkey fur?
After becoming a disciple, monkey fur certainly was a good item, but he wasn't sure if the fur of a monkey who hadn't taken a teacher held any value.
"Pluck a few hairs and let me see," Chen Nuo said, deciding to try it out.
Upon hearing this, the monkey was overjoyed, hope rising in his heart. He quickly plucked three hairs and handed them to Chen Nuo.
"System, check these out and see if they have any value," Chen Nuo held the monkey hair and said in his mind.
"Ding, detected three strands of common monkey hair from Sun Wukong, containing faint traces of the Intelligent Stone Monkey bloodline and an extremely faint trace of the Chaotic Demon Ape's incomplete bloodline. These can be exchanged for one hundred merit points."
Not bad at all!
Chen Nuo's eyes instantly lit up; worthy of being one of The Four Monstrous Monkeys – even his fur was so valuable.
Having no talent in cultivation, he could only rely on merit points to elevate his level of cultivation.
Cleared his throat, Chen Nuo said slowly, "Three strands of monkey hair for a plate of fried rice, are you willing?"
"Willing, very willing!" Sun Wukong was extremely excited.
"Then, enjoy your meal."
Chen Nuo smiled slightly, took the monkey hair into his System Space, set down the fried rice, and stepped aside.
Without even waiting for Chen Nuo's words to finish, Sun Wukong hurriedly sat down, gazing at the fragrant, golden-fried rice before him.
His stomach instantly rebelled completely, and the plump, translucent grains of rice ignited his appetite.
Without caring if it was hot, Sun Wukong grabbed a small cluster and stuffed it into his mouth. The next moment, his eyes widened.
His taste buds burst into life!
Delicious, such delicious food; what use were peaches? They were garbage!
Each grain of rice coated in egg was of the finest quality!
Was there anything more blissful than eating in this world?
At that moment, Sun Wukong felt that even if all his fur was gone, even if he could no longer cultivate to become an Immortal, as long as he could eat this fried rice, it would all be worth it.
His mouth was still savoring the flavor when his throat couldn't wait to swallow it, and his stomach was eagerly calling for more.
Sun Wukong was now eating with both hands, grabbing and digging in without reserve.
This left Chen Nuo watching, stunned. He had imagined a monkey might not have the best table manners, but he hadn't anticipated Sun Wukong's eating habits to be quite this unsightly!
However, this egg fried rice is just the basics among dishes, and it is the simplest kind at that.
Easy to make, yes, but to make it well is not so easy a matter.
Chen Nuo's egg fried rice can be called a delicacy, an absolute delicacy!
The more the monkey ate, the warmer his belly became.
At first, he thought it was just the heat of the food, but then the energy began to roam inside his body, bringing unparalleled comfort wherever it passed.
His blood boiled, and he felt his body becoming much more transparent, and he was so enraptured that he even moaned.
Chen Nuo was so startled he nearly fell off his chair. Could it be that the monkey thought of that while eating egg fried rice?
If there was a biological reaction, wouldn't that be his misfortune?
However, what surprised Chen Nuo even more was yet to come.
Sun Wukong felt that after the energy had roamed throughout his body, it actually converged in his eyes.
In an instant, Sun Wukong felt his eyes swell as if something were about to burst forth.
Sun Wukong raised his head.
Boom!
Two beams of light shot out from Sun Wukong's eyes, instantly piercing through the roof and shooting straight up into the sky, yet the roof remained undamaged—it was merely penetrated by the light.
Chen Nuo frowned deeply. Could it be that after eating his egg fried rice there were special effects too?
Nine Heavens, Palace of the Polestar.
"To report to the Jade Emperor, this subordinate has descended to the Lower Realm to subdue demons, slaying twenty thousand from the Demon Clan of Chiling Peak, including the beheading of the Demon King!"
Li Jing was standing before the hall, reporting to Haotian seated above on the Dragon Throne.
A middle-aged face, carrying an air of dignity laced with spirited confidence, ever since he had been appointed as a Heavenly King, his days were getting more and more comfortable.
"We have been apprised," Haotian said indifferently. Such trifling matters hardly caught his attention.
What he cared about was that the monkey had entered the boundary of Mount Fangcun, and it wouldn't be long before the commotion in the Heavenly Court would arise.
Haotian would then become the biggest laughingstock of the Three Realms, the thought of having agreed to such a humiliating arrangement under the pressure of the Two Sages of the West filled his heart with slow-burning anger.
A Saint! Can a Saint really do as they please?
Anger receded in Haotian's eyes. Sooner or later, he would make those high and mighty Saints bow to his wishes!
Suddenly, rays of golden light rose from under Li Jing's feet, bathing him in resplendent glow, dignity booming with impressiveness.
Taking into account the achievements just reported, the display was full of grandeur.
"Is General Li about to have a spontaneous breakthrough?" The Immortals began to whisper among themselves.
Some of the deities who were on the Investiture of the Gods, their eyes full of envy and jealousy.
This Li Jing, with mediocre aptitude, has achieved Physical Body Sanctification, yet continues to cultivate, unlike them, with much potential but only able to mark time, their life and death hinging on a single thought from the Jade Emperor.
In less than three seconds, the light vanished. That was quick.
The Immortals looked at Li Jing speechlessly. Others' breakthroughs were grand and mighty, how come it seemed so lackluster for him?
Li Jing was even more befuddled. What had just happened?
Jade Emperor Haotian was unmoved and immediately sensed what was amiss, commanding, "Thousand-Mile Eye, go take a look."
"Yes!"
Thousand-Mile Eye stepped forward and at once used his divine vision to peer towards the Earthly Immortals Realm, only to see nothing out of the ordinary.
Shortly after, Thousand-Mile Eye retracted his powers and hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty the Jade Emperor, this servant has found nothing unusual, please punish your servant."
"Dismissed," Haotian gestured with his hand and said no more.