Free Web NovelChapter 478: Chapter 338: Flat Peach
A serving of Kung Pao Chicken and a serving of red wine-braised beef stew. The portions of these two dishes weren’t large, so Black and White Impermanence and Di Ting finished eating them quickly, and after eating, they were left with a feeling of ’why is there so little?’
However, since Di Ting and Black and White Impermanence were after all beings ranked among the immortals, they were able to control their inner craving for food.
"Honored One, no matter how many times one eats the dishes here, they always seem so hard to part with." Xie BiAn said with a face full of emotion. Sometimes, he wondered whether he really came for the dishes here, or if he coveted the feeling of being reborn as a human?
Perhaps it was both.
Fan Wujiu calmly wiped his lips, but the smile at the corners of his mouth couldn’t be hidden, showing that this silent Ghost Messenger was quite satisfied with the dishes Chen Ze had prepared.
"The flavor is very good, and the beef is very tender. Although it’s not as good as the celestial beef from Heavenly Court, it is still a rare delicacy," Di Ting offered his own evaluation. After speaking, he spat out an object from his mouth and placed it on the table, causing Betty’s eyelid to twitch.
"Honored One, this is the payment for the meal this time." Clearly, Di Ting had learned quite a bit of information from Black and White Impermanence, so he was very adept at this.
"Okay, then.. what is this?" Chen Ze came out of the kitchen and immediately saw Betty making frantic eye gestures at him, and then he also saw the item laid out on the table.
"This is a seed, a Flat Peach seed," Di Ting spoke up, startling Chen Ze. He really hadn’t expected Di Ting to bring out such a thing.
"Flat Peach Tree?" Chen Ze almost wanted to double-check his hearing. Was this the same Flat Peach that Sun Wukong had stolen from the Heavenly Court?
"Yes, Honored One, although this may not be considered a precious item to You.. I think... only this can make up for the meal," Di Ting said somewhat sheepishly.
"No worries, I’m quite satisfied," Chen Ze had by now become immune to being called ’Honored One.’ He picked up the Flat Peach seed and examined it. It looked like a very ordinary seed, with no aura of immortality swirling around it, no colorful lighting effects. If this seed were thrown away, it would probably be taken for a fruit pit, and one might casually criticize someone for littering fruit pits.
"By the way, which part is this seed from?" Chen Ze suddenly remembered that in ’Journey to the West,’ there was a description of the Flat Peaches, which suggested that they were divided into three rows, with those from the third row being the most precious, capable of granting immortality equal to the sun and the moon.
"Honored One, this is a seed from the middle Flat Peach Tree. If a mortal were to eat it, they could ascend to immortality and live forever," Di Ting answered promptly.
Hearing this, Chen Ze even felt sympathy for the monsters and demons. He couldn’t understand why those lower-level demons didn’t just band together; what was the point of eating Tang Seng’s flesh? At best, it would only grant immortality, roughly the same as the second row of Flat Peaches, and it didn’t even have the benefit of ascension. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"By the way, so speaking of which, do you know the Conqueror Buddha Sun Wukong?" Chen Ze was curious. He wanted to ask Di Ting if his world originated from the same one described in ’Journey to the West.’
Di Ting’s expression faltered, then became a bit awkward. He had not expected Chen Ze to ask this question.
That Flat Peach had been casually given to him by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who mentioned that during the Flat Peach feast, the Conqueror Buddha had once again teased the Jade Emperor with a Flat Peach, saying that back then he could eat as much as he liked, so why were they given so little this time.
Every time there was a Flat Peach Banquet, the Conqueror Buddha would say this and even drag the Sandalwood Merit Buddha to take some Flat Peaches, claiming he needed to bring them back for his second, third, and fourth junior brothers to taste.
The Jade Emperor’s face turned black with anger, and had it not been for the Tathagata also being there, he probably would have stormed off early on.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva mentioned that the Altar Cleansing Envoy, the Golden Body Arhats, and the Eight Heavenly Dragons didn’t have qualifications to attend the Flat Peach Banquet. But thanks to such an unreliable Conqueror Buddha, they too could bask in the glory of the banquet.
In a fit of anger, the Jade Emperor simply gave a Flat Peach to each immortal who had a psychically aware legendary beast, though they weren’t the best of the final selection, they were still a top choice.
It was also considered fate, and Di Ting never imagined that the wild monkey from before would now become the Conqueror Buddha.
"Familiar, Honored One. The Conqueror Buddha occasionally comes to the Underworld to discuss Buddha Dharma with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva," Di Ting honestly answered the question.
"Is that so..." Chen Ze fell into deep thought.
If he had to pick the idol he most admired as a child, it would definitely be Sun Wukong from Journey to the West. Every time the TV showed Journey to the West, Chen Ze would rush to watch it. No matter how many times he had seen it, it didn’t matter; he just wanted to see how Brother Monkey would fight those ghosts and monsters.
Although the over-commercialization of the sentiments attached to the Six Arts and Journey to the West made many people somewhat disgusted, they couldn’t hate the former Monkey King. Instead, they would sigh, acknowledging that a classic is a classic, marveling at how such an epic masterpiece was created with minimal budget and subpar special effects.
"How about this, next time I’ll ask the Conqueror Buddha if he would like to come eat at my place?" Chen Ze couldn’t contain the excitement in his heart—this was the real-life Brother Monkey!
"Certainly, Honored One, I’ll be sure to pass on your message," Di Ting replied without hesitation. Now this restaurant was famous in all three realms, and many immortals wondered who was the divine being that could open such a place.
After sending Di Ting and Black and White Impermanence off, Chen Ze held the Flat Peach seed in his hand. He had never grown vegetables, let alone fruit trees, and even with Baidu, he didn’t think he’d find instructions on how to plant Flat Peach Trees from Journey to the West.
In the end, Chen Ze decided to follow the usual way of planting peach trees. If they didn’t adapt to the soil and water, when Brother Monkey came, he could ask him for help with planting.
Holding onto the seed, Chen Ze returned to the kitchen where Betty was diligently washing dishes. He didn’t disturb her, instead taking out his phone to look up how to plant peach trees.
After checking for a while, Chen Ze felt confident. It was said that Huaxia people had an innate racial talent for farming, and Chen Ze found that notion quite sensible. Although planting a Flat Peach Tree was different from farming, who’s to say he couldn’t grow one?
Chen Ze made up his mind in an instant, put on his coat, and after instructing Betty, went out to buy some nutrient-rich soil and a large pot. He planned to plant it within the restaurant itself, not trusting to leave it outside.
After hauling the pot back, just as Chen Ze walked into the restaurant, he saw Lafra proudly looking at him, with a cup of dark red liquid sitting before her. Chen Ze felt weak in the knees; he remembered what had happened the last time he drank from Elizabeth.
