Chapter 378

We don't have the ability to read minds among us, and the dish was named by your master, so even if we guessed wrong, we can't blame ourselves.

The immortals who were just scolded by Sun Wukong felt somewhat wronged: "This just isn't it, why shout so loudly?"

"Sun Wukong, speak properly if you have something to say, don't scold people."

Maitreya Buddha could no longer bear to watch; this farce had lasted so long without ending. At first I thought some Buddhist disciple had offended Sun Wukong, but now it doesn't look that way.

I just don't know what Sun Wukong really wants to do—he brings an air of having held in a bad fart, yet strangely, no one can guess what he actually wants to do.

Sun Wukong turned his head and saw it was Maitreya Buddha, so he restrained his temper: "Maitreya Buddha, it's not that I really want to get angry—just look, you're clearly foolish, can't guess the name, yet you turn around and blame me. I get angry while they feel wronged; I think it's clearly me who should feel wronged."

"Ah, Great Chef Sun Wukong, this isn't your problem either."

Though Maitreya Buddha said this with his mouth, his inner doubts grew heavier.

What medicine is Sun Wukong selling in his gourd? What does he really want to do, lingering here so long? These immortals are fools, all led by him by the nose—he's certainly no fool.

"If Maitreya Buddha can think this way, that's wonderful—otherwise I'd truly feel too wronged."

Sun Wukong had just looked wronged, but after Maitreya Buddha said one sentence, he instantly switched from a crying face to a laughing face—his face-changing so swift that the immortals hadn't expected it.

"Maitreya Patriarch, you're actually here too?"

Earlier, Sun Wukong and Maitreya Buddha spoke in private; they hadn't been noticed.

Now it was spoken during a quiet moment in the crowd; the Buddhist Sect people here heard the familiar voice, instantly opened their eyes, and saw Maitreya Buddha.

Maitreya Buddha came here originally with no intention of letting Buddhist Sect people find him; now speaking in the open courtyard let them hear him—this was meant to pretend not to see, which was unavoidable.

He could only smile awkwardly and look toward the disciple who asked him: "Hmm, it's me."

"Maitreya Patriarch, wonderful—you're also here; are you coming to speak up for us?"

That disciple's response to Maitreya Buddha was full of hope.

"I've been here all along from beginning to end."

Maitreya Buddha smiled and answered: inwardly, I didn't come specially to see you—I just came to eat meat.

"You've been here all along?"

That disciple was somewhat surprised: "Then why haven't you appeared all this time?"

Naturally, because it's better to do less than more—Maitreya Buddha thought this in his heart, still without answering.

The disciple's companion beside him said: "I know—Maitreya Patriarch is deliberately testing us; if we can't even endure this little trial, then we don't deserve to enter the Buddhist Sect."

That disciple's voice rang out, tone excited; as he spoke, the other disciples suddenly felt courage arise.

The disciple who had almost couldn't resist temptation wiped the saliva about to flow out: no, the Buddha came to cheer them on—they can't yield to this little temptation.

Sun Wukong was somewhat surprised—he had intentionally let these disciples see Maitreya Buddha, originally planning to use Maitreya Buddha eating meat to make them unable to resist temptation, but instead it gave them even more willpower.

Maitreya Buddha also didn't know how his appearance gave them such willpower—he too was pulled out by that disciple.

Having been pushed to this height, if he himself stepped back down now it wouldn't be good, so he laughed and said: "Such a scene naturally can't rely only on you—I, the Buddha, fear you'll cause some trouble, so I sent myself here to supervise you."

"Ah, that's how it is."

That disciple then felt a natural pride arise: "We naturally won't cause trouble—no matter where, the Buddha's and Maitreya Patriarch's teachings, we dare not forget, so how could we deliberately invite trouble?"

This statement is not wrong; Sun Wukong also agreed with it—we're just a group of rule-bound, pedantic good-for-nothings, truly not the type to casually cause trouble.

"So I also had no intention of appearing."

Maitreya Buddha followed the disciple's words and continued: "This indeed isn't Great Chef Sun Wukong targeting you."

Though I don't know what Sun Wukong ultimately wants to do, but to keep being able to eat such delicious food in the future, Maitreya Buddha decided to still help Sun Wukong clear this relationship.

In such a setting, he shouldn't do anything too outrageous—help if we can; maybe we'll get a discount later.

"Maitreya Patriarch? Are you really saying that?"

That disciple wore an expression of utter disbelief—no matter who looks at it, this seems like Sun Wukong wanting to make them lose face publicly, deliberately tormenting them, yet I didn't expect Maitreya Buddha to say he wasn't deliberately targeting them.

Maitreya Buddha thought it over in his heart and still decided to grit his teeth and play the fool—no way, who let Sun Wukong's food be so delicious? He's submitting for the sake of the dish.

"Right—how so? Don't you believe what I said?"

"Well, since Maitreya Patriarch you've said this much, how could we think of anything else?"

That disciple gritted his teeth and chose to endure: "Disciple thanks Patriarch for instruction—it's our cultivation that's still insufficient, actually disrespecting Great Chef Sun Wukong."

Sun Wukong laughed and waved his hand: "Old Grandson Sun won't blame you—just let you give these ingredients a supernatural liberation, have you all finished?"

The Buddhist Sect disciples put down their prayer beads, chanted "A Mi Tuo Fo," then said: "Supernatural liberation complete—may the Buddha bless, these lives lost to private desire will have a next life."

Saying this, it actually made those immortals eating feel somewhat embarrassed.

"You say that, really slapping our faces—these are just cooking ingredients, what's there about rebirth or not rebirth? It's crushed them."

The Buddhist Sect disciples took up their prayer beads: "A Mi Tuo Fo, Immortal Ascendant, don't say that—every species' birth has its reason, all things have cause and effect; they committed sins in past lives, became ingredients in this life; if in next life they wholeheartedly turn to good, who knows—they might cultivate later, become immortals or Buddhas, depending on their own fate."

That immortal official laughed awkwardly: "Look at what you're saying—sounds like tomorrow these ingredients will become immortals just like us—this is still too early, these were originally souls of extreme wickedness, stamped by the Judgment Officer to never be human again—how could they become immortals like us?"

"Immortal Ascendant, your words are mistaken."

The Buddhist Sect disciples held their prayer beads and turned them.

"This is the sin from past lives, the cause; they were punished to never become human, the effect; but beyond the Three Realms there's still the Yao Realm—even a flower or tree, if there's obsession in the heart, can attain the Dao; once attained, they can cultivate."

The immortal official's original appetite for more food was gone due to the Buddhist Sect disciple's words: "If as you say, every flower and tree has spirit, though your Buddhist Sect eats vegetarian, you also eat spirit-endowed plants—aren't you afraid that one day the vegetables you ate, reborn and cultivated into Buddha, will come to settle accounts with you?"

"A Mi Tuo Fo."

The Buddhist Sect disciple chanted again: "Since they can become Buddha, all prior things should be discarded; otherwise, one cannot become Buddha—only by letting go of obsession can one cultivate to Buddhahood. Like the situation you just mentioned, Immortal Ascendant, such a thing won't happen."