Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 493 Lies Need Another Lie to Cover Up

"You don’t even look at who provided this menu, the dishes from my master are definitely all showstoppers," Sun Wukong said.

"Indeed, indeed, Shopkeeper Chen really is extraordinary to come up with so many styles of dishes. Even if the two of us combined our efforts, we would still fall short of Shopkeeper Chen’s talent," the Kitchen God also said.

What he said was the truth; Chen Nuo’s skills were not something that could be surpassed by just any person in a few years, decades, or even centuries.

And not just that, the dishes Chen Nuo himself made were not only tasty but could even extract energy from them. Some dishes, when eaten, could even awaken divine skills, something a common cook could not achieve.

There were plenty of dishes at the event, and the God of Cookery and the Kitchen God, uninterested in drinking contests and conversation, kept tasting the food over and over.

Getting the recipes was an impossible task, but if they could learn even a little skill from them, it would be a great thing for their culinary art.

Having sobered up halfway, Tian Peng started drinking with his friends all over again. It seemed that no matter the banquet, there was only one endgame—drinking, more drinking, and yet more drinking.

"Come on, come on, Lord Tian Peng, let me offer you another toast. Ever since you followed Shopkeeper Chen from Chaos Residence, opportunities to see you have become much rarer, and the days we brothers have spent drinking together have lessened a lot. Now that we’ve finally got together, we must drink to our heart’s content and not return until we’re drunk!" a divine official raised his cup and said.

Tian Peng also raised his cup with a smile, "Indeed, the chances for us to get together have decreased a lot, but we are all progressing in positive directions. You also need to work hard at your own duties. From now on, let’s keep striving together."

"Come on, come on, to one more, to one more," several divine officials clinked their glasses together.

Tian Peng felt his head spinning even more now, swayed his head slightly. It seemed the alcohol hadn’t completely worn off from earlier.

To prevent himself from causing trouble by drinking more, taking advantage of others also being tipsy, Tian Peng cast a spell to sober himself up a bit, ensuring he wouldn’t get drunk.

Although divine officials like him would normally dispel alcohol from their systems, doing so would kill the atmosphere, so most of the time they let alcohol affect their brains.

Getting drunk, even acting a bit crazy while intoxicated, was no issue as long as it wasn’t too excessive.

The Heavenly Court relied on them for protection, and often, even if there was a slight problem, the Jade Emperor would turn a blind eye; for them when drinking, nothing was more important than the atmosphere.

Chang’e sat at the edge of the table, watching the military officers drink. As a goddess, she really had nothing to say to the others.

Looking around, she saw that Chen Nuo’s table was mostly occupied by female immortals. Although not very familiar with them, as a goddess, even if she had nothing to say, it wouldn’t be bad to sit together.

Hence, she picked up her cup, stood up, and walked towards Chen Nuo’s table, "I wonder how the fairies are finding the food? Are you enjoying yourselves? I’ve never really cared much for decorating the courtyard, so I never thought about renovating it, I hope it hasn’t dampened your spirits."

"How could it? Your place is spacious, and even without much garden decoration, the openness is quite uplifting," Nuwa replied.

Fairy Baihua had also wanted to say something along those lines, the most non-committal yet polite response.

Unexpectedly, before she could speak, Nuwa had taken the lead, so she simply remained silent. If she couldn’t be the trailblazer, then playing the final act wasn’t bad either.

Yang Chan Fairy quickly responded as well, "Fairy Chang’e, how can you say that? Your place is perfect, especially suited for martial practice. My own courtyard is so small I can’t even move freely. I envy you, actually."

Fairy Chang’e smiled, "Yang Chan Fairy, if you don’t mind, in the future you can come here to practice martial arts. I don’t know the first thing about martial arts, and have such a large place, but only use it to raise rabbits. In the end, I couldn’t even manage the rabbits properly, and almost became overrun by them."

"You’re too modest. Everyone has their own areas they’re not good at. It’s just that I am proficient in martial arts, but I wouldn’t call myself exceptional. Among those present, there is not one I can defeat; it’s all just talk on my part," Yang Chan humbly replied.

"Everyone present is a military general; do you really think you can’t beat any of them?" Chen Nuo chimed in, "But you have the Precious Lotus Lantern. With the Precious Lotus Lantern’s blessing, I’m afraid they are no match for you."

Now that Chen Nuo had spoken, it would have been disrespectful for Yang Chan to continue with her modesty, so she nodded without saying anything further.

"Fairy Chang’e, I think this place of yours is quite nice. Actually, all of us here aren’t any good at house repairs either. Our courtyards are so well-kept because the servants do all the work," said Yang Chan.

Seeing that the others had all had their say and were even about to move onto other topics, if she didn’t speak up now, she would probably not be able to get a word in later.

To avoid being excluded from the conversation, Fairy Baihua quickly steered the topic back to the size of the courtyard.

"Fairy Baihua is right, but I like the quiet and I don’t enjoy having a lot of servants around. I do what I can on my own, and whatever I cannot do I use spells for, so there’s no need for servants," Chang’e explained.

"That is very nice of you, Fairy Chang’e, but being too fond of tranquility isn’t good either. It’s been thousands of years; haven’t you thought about finding a close companion to keep you company?" Fairy Baihua, thinking that Chang’e and Tian Peng were entering a flirtatious phase, said with a gossiping tone.

The conversation was going well until Fairy Baihua mentioned that, and Chang’e immediately understood her implication, shaking her head, "No, I haven’t thought about finding someone to accompany me. I am quite happy on my own."

Chang’e appeared embarrassed, and Fairy Baihua immediately realized she had put her foot in it, her eyes roving for a way to change the subject.

Glancing at Chen Nuo, Fairy Baihua gave him an apologetic look and consequently redirected the conversation.

"People are different, you see. You think you are fine on your own, but not everyone feels that way. I, for instance, am looking for a partner, but haven’t found one yet. Look at Shopkeeper Chen; even his daughter in the mortal realm is nearly twenty years old now, and soon she’ll be looking for a partner too," Fairy Baihua said.

Fairy Chang’e’s eyes widened in surprise, looking at Chen Nuo, "Ah? Really? I wouldn’t have guessed that Shopkeeper Chen has a daughter."

Chen Nuo glanced at Fairy Baihua, understanding she had bitten off more than she could chew and was now using him as a scapegoat; he nodded slightly, "Mm, I do have a daughter; she’s almost twenty. But whether she finds a partner or not is her business, not mine."

"She’s already twenty, Shopkeeper Chen; haven’t you thought about arranging her marriage?" Chang’e inquired.

Chen Nuo replied absently, hoping that after this, they wouldn’t ask any more questions. Unexpectedly, his answer gave them another topic of discussion.

"No, whether or not she wants to marry is her choice. I said I wouldn’t interfere, so I definitely won’t," Chen Nuo stated.

"But she’s already twenty, right?" Chang’e asked, puzzled.

Chen Nuo was just as baffled, "So what? Isn’t twenty still young?"

"Twenty is still young?" Yang Chan, Fairy Baihua, and Chang’e all exclaimed in unison.