Chapter 364

Maitreya Buddha was not angered by Yang Jian's words, and laughed again with a couple of "hehes," "General Yang, you are mistaken about this. Although I now drink alcohol and eat meat, I have not neglected any of my duties because of it; on the contrary, you who do not abstain seem to have neglected many affairs due to drinking and eating meat."

Yang Jian was choked by these words.

Maitreya Buddha continued, "General Yang, actually even if you do not say it, I know what you have hidden in your heart, but to take out your hidden grievance on others because of it—is that not also somewhat unreasonable?"

Yang Jian was startled, not expecting Maitreya Buddha to discern what was on his mind.

"However, you need not worry; I will not do anything to you because of your matter."

Maitreya Buddha comforted him, "As long as you do not act improperly."

"I naturally will not."

Yang Jian let out a cold snort, "This matter of right and wrong needs no lecture from you; on the contrary, your saying 'alcohol and meat pass through the intestines, the Buddha keeps them in mind' I find to be highly problematic."

"Please explain."

Maitreya Buddha said with a smiling, narrowed gaze.

"Your cultivation is indeed high, beyond doubt; this saying applies to you, but if those who have just entered the Buddhist path break their precepts because of your saying 'alcohol and meat pass through the intestines, the Buddha keeps them in mind' and thus succumb to temptation, who should bear the blame?"

"Hehe, General Yang, you do think things through."

Maitreya Buddha smiled lightly, "This is not merely a single saying; survival of the fittest among all things. If a cultivator falls from the Buddhist path because of this saying, it rather shows their inner resolve is not firm enough. If later, when their cultivation increases, they are again tempted, it would be better for them not to enter the path at all now."

It must be said that what Maitreya Buddha said indeed makes some sense; Yang Jian, though still not fully convinced in his heart, could not find words to refute, and only lifted his wine cup before him and drained it in one gulp.

Maitreya Buddha still smiled with narrowed eyes, lifted the wine pot, poured a cup of wine, and accompanied Yang Jian in drinking it down.

In the Imperial Kitchen, the cooking was sizzling hot, and the aroma, carried by the fragrance within the Heavenly Court, drifted farther and farther, until it reached the Great Hall here.

Maitreya Buddha recalled Chen Nuo's culinary skill; this master's dishes were so good that his apprentice would certainly not be far behind, and besides, he had just eaten a few bites of Sun Wukong's cooking.

The roasted wheat gluten was fragrant and spicy, with a crisp, refreshing quality; the tofu's flavor was better than that made in the mortal world by more than tenfold.

One would think that the dish whose aroma drifted from the Imperial Kitchen must be even more delicious.

Thinking thus, Maitreya Buddha had already taken several sips of wine while enjoying the aroma.

This dish's aroma could actually drift so far; it must have required much effort—I truly look forward to it; this must be a hardy dish.

"General Yang, have you smelled it? How fragrant it is!"

Zhenyuanzi had already finished a round of wine and returned; at this moment, smelling the aroma, he hurried back.

Although the dish had not yet been served, just relying on this rich aroma, the dish about to be served must certainly be the most delicious dish on the entire banquet spread.

Around, several immortals, fearing they would miss the dish, hastily sat upright waiting for it to be served; when this dish arrives, the gods will surely begin to scramble for it.

Maitreya Buddha was still there, chuckling and drinking wine; Zhenyuanzi, puzzled, said, "Maitreya Bodhisattva, this dish is about to be served; why are you still not seated? If you delay a step, other gods will surely snatch it away— or do you simply not wish to eat?"

"I do wish to eat."

Maitreya Buddha replied.

Zhenyuanzi was even more puzzled, "If you wish to eat, why not hurry and take your seat?"

"Precisely because I wish to eat, I therefore do not take my seat."

Maitreya Buddha said.

This statement left Zhenyuanzi baffled, as if grasping at air, "What are you saying?"

"This dish's aroma is rich; one sniff and you know it is a meat dish."

Yang Jian glanced at Zhenyuanzi and explained.

"Oh, oh, oh, you are right."

Zhenyuanzi clapped his hands, still not forgetting to mock the Buddhist side, "Indeed, how could vegetable tofu have such a fragrant aroma? I must have drunk myself into a stupor."

Having said this, he suddenly felt even more off, "Eh, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong—this is far too wrong."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Yang Jian was somewhat speechless; he detests drunkards the most.

"Is this Maitreya Bodhisattva not a person of the Buddhist side?"

Zhenyuanzi looked toward Maitreya Buddha, then suddenly realized, "Oh! I know— it is because this dish is not from the Buddhist side, so you came over out of curiosity, right?"

"I am somewhat curious, but more so I wish to taste this dish."

Maitreya Buddha said.

"Haha, you truly know how to joke."

Zhenyuanzi drank wine, and his every movement became somewhat exaggerated, "You may look, but you cannot eat; if you eat this meat fruit, is that not breaking your precepts?"

Maitreya Buddha smiled without speaking.

Yang Jian also said nothing, though in such occasions he originally did not wish to speak much.

Seeing the two say nothing, Zhenyuanzi looked left and right at the two, then suddenly widened his eyes, "Maitreya Bodhisattva, are you not going to dine in this seat here?"

Yang Jian also didn't speak, but in such a setting he originally didn't want to say much.

Seeing that the two weren't speaking, Zhenyuanzi looked around at the two, then suddenly stared wide-eyed: "Great Chef Maitreya, you're not going to dine at your seat here, are you?"

Zhenyuanzi breathed a sigh of relief, "I said it— you truly know how to joke."

"When the dish comes, I will go over and eat it."

Maitreya Buddha continued.

Zhenyuanzi, having just closed his mouth, now opened it even wider, "You, you, you— is this not breaking your precepts?"

... Nüwa felt herself amidst a chaos,

-this feeling both familiar and strange.

The last time she felt this way was when she had just been born into this world, unable to distinguish heaven from earth, unable to see black and white, all things in heaven and earth mingled together like dough.

Nüwa extended her hand; her jade-white fingers, in this chaos, were both conspicuous and clear.

"How have I come to this?"

"Question Again"

Nüwa closed her eyes and began to recall.

Just now, she was only eating a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at Chaos Residence, the flavor lingering on her lips and teeth; even now, thinking of it made her swallow saliva involuntarily, but how could she have arrived at this place in the blink of an eye?

Could this be a scheme set up by Chen Nuo? Nüwa thought of this immediately, then laughed self-mockingly—too absurd.

Leaving aside her identity, based solely on her cultivation level, it is absolutely impossible for her to be deceived.

Although Chen Nuo shows no sign of cultivation, he absolutely does not possess divine communication to such an extent; if she could fall into this youth's hands, then this world might truly be destroyed.

Although Nüwa is ten percent certain and promises Chen Nuo will not do such a thing, why she ended up in this strange place is truly puzzling; for now, the only thing to do is to explore thoroughly.

Nüwa lifted her leg and took two steps forward.

Suddenly, two streams of colorful light came from somewhere unknown; Nüwa lifted her head, her neck long and fair, a beauty rarely seen in the entire world.

The colorful light slid down from above her head, then vanished from somewhere unknown.

Although this Chaos reveals nothing clearly and allows no distinctions, it did not make Nüwa feel afraid or uncomfortable—only curious.

As she walked, several more streams of colorful light shot past her head like meteors, then vanished.

Nüwa seemed to understand: this colorful light followed her steps—she took a few steps and a few lights appeared; as her steps increased, so did the lights streaking down from above.