Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 649 - 648 Sha Wujing Is Hungry

Tian Peng, which is to say, casually mentioned, as long as Chen Nuo had agreed to something, he would definitely follow through.

He nodded, "I understand, Shopkeeper. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now. There’s still work to be done at the barracks, and I didn’t rest last night. If I don’t get some sleep today, I probably won’t be able to hold up."

In fact, he wasn’t that tired. Tian Peng was just making an excuse for himself. After all, he had reached the level of Refining Void and Merging Tao; not resting for one or two days was not a big deal for him.

Chen Nuo did not expose him, "Alright, you may go, but remember you need to cultivate."

After Tian Peng had left, Sha Wujing asked, "Shopkeeper Chen, are you still taking disciples?"

"Well, since this is a craft, taking a disciple would also make things easier for me," Chen Nuo answered.

Upon hearing Chen Nuo mention taking disciples, Sha Wujing’s spirits immediately lifted, "May I ask what your criteria for taking disciples are, Shopkeeper Chen? Do you think I am suitable?"

Chen Nuo didn’t really have any specific criteria for taking disciples; he just went with the flow.

Taking a disciple was more about a connection at first sight. However, he did feel a certain rapport with Sha Wujing, and considering the Blood Oath he had just made expressing his loyalty, Chen Nuo valued him even more.

Although he didn’t require everyone who worked for him or became his disciple to take a Blood Oath, the fact that someone had pledged loyalty to him within less than a day of acquaintance meant that he could not treat him like a stranger.

"Choosing a disciple depends on talent," Chen Nuo said, "I’ve only just taken you on as an assistant. There’s no rush to consider discipleship. Work here for a couple of days first so I can gauge your talent and what you’re good at. Then I’ll consider whether you’re suited for cooking or not."

This was indeed necessary because some people really were not fit for the kitchen, turning into a kitchen disaster the moment they entered. Sha Wujing definitely required some observation.

Sha Wujing hurriedly bowed, "I understand, Shopkeeper Chen. I will try my best and definitely won’t let you down!"

Chen Nuo nodded in response to Sha Wujing’s words. Now that Sha Wujing had just been brought back, since he was to be assessed on his abilities, it was better to let him get accustomed to the environment of the Chaos Residence first.

Just as Chen Nuo was about to take Sha Wujing outside, he noticed that the Sha Wujing on the other side was salivating over the crayfish that had just accidentally fallen on the cutting board.

"Are you hungry?" Chen Nuo asked.

Sha Wujing was going to shake his head initially, but it had been a long time since he had eaten. Even though demons could go a long time without food without feeling hungry, if he went too long without eating, his Mana wouldn’t support him maintaining his human form.

"Not hungry, it’s just that my Mana is running low," Sha Wujing explained.

"Mana, huh? I’m not sure if I can help you with that, but wait here for a moment. I’ll make you something to eat," Chen Nuo pointed towards a seat over there and then turned and headed back to the stove.

Where was it the case that the boss cooks while the employee sits? Sha Wujing stood properly by the table, waiting for Chen Nuo to cook.

Arriving at the stove, Chen Nuo thought for a moment and decided to make a dish of Mao Xuewang.

His reasoning was quite simple; Chen Nuo merely thought that since Sha Wujing used to consume humans, he could equate that to consuming meat and drinking blood together.

Mao Xuewang, with both blood and meat included, had ingredients like tripe, duck blood, pork intestines, and ham—all varieties of meat. All the ingredients were first stir-fried with prepared red oil.

Then, they were neatly arranged in a soup bowl, and scalding hot oil was poured on top, completing a red and tempting bowl of Mao Xuewang.

Carrying the Mao Xuewang, Chen Nuo asked, "Would you like some staple food with this?"

"Staple food?" Sha Wujing paused. Having lived in the Flowing Sand River for a thousand years, he didn’t understand what Chen Nuo meant by staple food. If one were to nitpick, it should be the main thing one eats. Sha Wujing nodded, "Yes, I would."

Chen Nuo placed a bowl of rice in front of Sha Wujing, "This is the staple food."

Sha Wujing stared at the bowl of plain white rice in front of him, unsure of what this thing was.

Visibly white, the grains resembled snow but were larger, seemingly specially made.

Sha Wujing reminisced that the staple food at Chaos Residence had always been white snow. Although he didn’t understand why they ate snow, it was served to him by Chen Nuo, so he just ate it.

He picked up the chopsticks and looked at them, about to plunge them straight into the bowl.

Chen Nuo, seeing Sha Wujing’s actions, thought he might not know how to use chopsticks.

After all, spending thousands of years in the Flowing Sand River, it was normal not to know how to use chopsticks.

Chen Nuo took out a spoon, ready to hand it to Sha Wujing, but discovered that he had already learned how to use chopsticks.

Although it had been a long time since he’d used them, muscle memory doesn’t fade with time. Sha Wujing wasn’t very proficient with the chopsticks, but at least he could hold and use them.

He picked up a few grains of rice with his chopsticks and put them in his mouth. The rice didn’t melt on his tongue as he had expected,

instead, it stuck to his tongue. Sha Wujing chewed twice, and the fragrance of the rice instantly spread in his mouth.

This thing felt familiar yet not quite the same; this flavor was even more aromatic than what he remembered.

Because so much time had lapsed, eating just a grain or two wasn’t satisfying. Sha Wujing grabbed a big mouthful with his chopsticks and shoved it into his mouth.

Not only were his taste buds stimulated, but the flavors from his memory began to emerge.

He hadn’t misjudged, the flavor he was tasting now was indeed sweeter than the one he remembered.

The taste of rice filled his mouth and engulfed his brain, and since it had been such a long time since he last ate, his mouth was essentially tasteless, making even a simple mouthful of rice extremely delicious.

Chen Nuo had been waiting for Sha Wujing to eat the Mao Xuewang, but to his surprise, he wolfed down a large bowl of white rice, not even leaving a single grain, as if that was the actual delicacy.

"Eat the dish too, why are you only eating rice?" Chen Nuo asked.

Only after Chen Nuo spoke did Sha Wujing notice the large bowl of Mao Xuewang in front of him.

Now using the chopsticks with much more skill than before, he lifted them towards the bowl and picked up a piece of duck’s blood after hearing Chen Nuo’s words.

The piece of duck’s blood, perfectly squared and soaked in the rosy soup, looked as if it were dripping blood. Sha Wujing, accustomed to raw meat, didn’t find the sight gory but rather saliva-inducing.

He swallowed, then brought the duck’s blood to his mouth with the chopsticks.

It didn’t have the expected bloody taste, but rather, the fresh and spicy flavor overpowered the sweetness of the rice in an instant, shocking Sha Wujing, causing his scalp to tingle and his normally greenish face to turn red.

All of a sudden, Chen Nuo remembered something—that he, subjectively wanting to make Mao Xuewang, had actually forgotten to consider whether Sha Wujing could eat spicy food. Seeing his reddened face, Chen Nuo hastily asked, "Can you handle spices? If it’s too spicy, don’t force yourself. I’ll make a non-spicy dish for you in a moment."

By the time he said this, Sha Wujing had already grabbed some tripe with his chopsticks and started chewing.

Seeing Sha Wujing enjoying his meal, Chen Nuo realized that his concern had been unnecessary; it seemed that a bit of spice was nothing for Sha Wujing.

When he first saw the Mao Xuewang, he thought it would be a heavily blood-tasting dish.