Celestial Food Stall: I Set Up a Food Stall in Heaven

The bet spread throughout the Three Realms faster than I imagined.

News from Heaven always travels on wings.

Especially the news about the Peach Banquet, especially the news about Yi Ya, especially the news about a reckless grassroots stall owner who dared to gamble his entire fortune on a game he was destined to lose.

As night fell, I had just set up my food stall again, preparing to take stock of the ingredients I would need later.

Under the moonlight, two slender figures appeared in front of the stall.

The figure was so light, as light as two leaves blown away by the wind.

The young dragon, about the length of an arm, had not yet fully grown its scales. It was a pale yellow with gold, and its horns were just small protrusions. Its eyes were wet and full of a heaviness that did not match its age.

The young phoenix beside her was even smaller, with soft, light pink feathers, its tail feathers barely outstretched, and its phoenix eyes lowered, revealing an unconcealable sorrow.

My heart tightened, and I vaguely guessed their intentions.

The young dragon lowered its head first, its voice tender yet exceptionally firm, carrying the unique clarity of the dragon race, but filled with sorrow.

"Master Chang Baiwei, I know you are going to have a showdown with Chef Yi Ya, and I know he is determined to use dragon liver and phoenix marrow as ingredients... We came here of our own volition."

"The clan is in chaos." Zhi Feng took over the conversation, her voice trembling slightly, but she forced herself not to shed tears.

"The immortal soldiers sent by Yi Ya have declared that if we do not hand over the dragon liver and phoenix marrow, they will massacre the habitats of the dragon and phoenix clans, capture all our kin, and forcibly extract their resources."

As it spoke, it subconsciously gathered its feathers. In the moonlight, I then saw several spots of blood under its wings where down feathers had been roughly plucked, as if it had been bound by some kind of chain specifically designed to restrain the phoenix clan, with ominous charred edges.

On the young dragon's neck, where the scales had not yet fully grown, there was a very fine but very deep new wound, with the burn mark clearly visible.

My heart sank.

"Our cultivation is shallow, and we can't help the clan in any way." The young dragon raised its head and looked into my eyes.

"If our liver marrow can bring peace to the entire clan and stop Yi Ya from making things difficult for the clan... we are willing."

"I came out voluntarily."

These four words are like four knives, stabbing into my heart.

They are the most innocent and vulnerable creatures, and they have done nothing wrong, yet they are forced by power to give up their lives and sacrifice themselves for the peace of their tribe.

The "law of the strong" that Yi Ya speaks of is nothing but the logic of a robber who bullies the weak; relying on the support of the powerful and noble in the Heavenly Court, he claims that cruel coercion is ordained by Heaven, completely blocking the path to survival for the weak.

"You don't have to do that."

I crouched down, looking at the two little ones trembling but still trying to appear strong, and spoke firmly.

"Since I made the bet, I will definitely win. I will protect you and not let Yi Ya succeed."

The young dragon shook its head, its eyes filled with a resigned sorrow.

"Immortal Master, we know you mean well. But the powerful and influential in Heaven are all on Yi Ya's side. We... we can't afford to gamble, and we dare not gamble with the lives of our entire clan."

"As long as we are willing to die, Yi Ya will no longer make things difficult for our people, and our tribe will be able to survive."

The young phoenix gently gathered its feathers, its eyes resolute.

  

"We have made up our minds. On the day of the Peach Banquet, we will go to the main hall and let Yi Ya take our liver marrow. We only ask that, Immortal Master... if there is an opportunity in the future, you can protect our people."

My heart trembled violently, and I instinctively reached out, wanting to grab them and stop this absurd yet tragic sacrifice.

But my hand froze in mid-air.

Their bodies are so small that I can hold them in one hand.

But at this moment, this mere few inches felt like the rules and authority of the entire Heavenly Court, which I could not cross no matter how hard I tried.

My hand could only clench into a trembling fist weakly and slowly before I withdrew it.

The young dragon slowly raised its claws and carefully plucked a tender, golden scale from its neck.

That was its most valuable possession, and the only thing it could be proud of.

It gently placed the scales on my stove and said in a low voice, "Master, these are the best scales from my body. I'm giving them to you as a token of my gratitude."

I did not leave that scale lying alone on the cold stone platform.

I reached out and, in front of them, solemnly picked it up with both hands.

The scales were warm to the touch, carrying the body temperature of the young dragon and a faint smell of blood.

I clenched it tightly in my palm, letting that slight pain seep into my bones.

"I'll accept this gift as a token of my gratitude."

I looked into their eyes, speaking each word clearly.

"I, Chang Baiwei, never break my word. At the Peach Banquet, I will use it to make a dish that no one can swallow, for you and for Flower Fruit Mountain."

The young dragon and the fledgling phoenix were taken aback. Something seemed to flicker in their eyes, like a spark falling into stagnant water, but in the end, they still resigned themselves to their fate.

They didn't say another word, bowed deeply to me, performed the most solemn salute, and then turned and flew towards the Heavenly Palace.

His back was thin and tragic, step by step, he walked towards the dead end he had decided upon.

Sun Wukong stood to the side. The monkey, who was usually fearless, now gripped his golden cudgel tightly, his face ashen, but he couldn't utter a single word.

He had witnessed the power of the Heavenly Court and knew the helplessness of these weak beings under its oppressive authority.

I watched their figures disappear into the night, then looked down at the golden scale in my palm.

What a Yi Ya! What a powerful Heavenly Court!

They forced young children to willingly die, and then called it the way of the strong and the way of heaven.

There is nothing more vicious than this.

"Great Sage," I said, my voice surprisingly calm.

"You asked me before, what can you use to fight against dragon liver and phoenix marrow? Now I have the answer."

Sun Wukong looked at me.

I opened my palm, and the moonlight fell on the scales, giving them a cool glow.

"Yi Ya cooks with his life on his shoulders, and so do I. But it's not anyone's life. It's the lives of these two children, the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain, and all the weak creatures trampled underfoot by the Heavenly Court—life that's been entrusted to me."

"I'm not just going to win this bet, I'm going to win it completely."

As night deepened, I stood in front of the food stall, my eyes no longer showing any hesitation.

The stove fire burned behind me, the flames licking the bottom of the pot, making a soft crackling sound, like some irreversible declaration in the quiet street corner.

Since the powerful are forcing the weak to their deaths, then I will use these hands to create a unique and unconventional dish that will overturn the Heavenly Court and shatter this cannibalistic rule.

The departing figures of the young dragon and phoenix weighed heavily on my heart.

That poignant yet resolute feeling lingers.

Sun Wukong had been holding back his anger for a long time.

Seeing my serious expression, he immediately patted his chest and came closer.

"Chang Baiwei, don't worry! If all else fails, I'll go beat that old bastard Yi Ya up right now and smash all his kitchen utensils. Let's see how he'll make that damn dragon liver and phoenix marrow then!"

"No." I shook my head.

"Taking action now will only give others ammunition to criticize us, and will provide Yi Ya and the powerful figures of Heaven with a handle against us. This culinary duel will be a complete defeat before it even begins."

"So what do you suggest we do? Just wait around like this?"

I was silent for a moment, then looked up at him: "Great Sage, do you know what is indispensable at the Peach Banquet?"

Sun Wukong scratched his monkey hair without even thinking.

"Of course! It's the peaches from the Peach Garden! What kind of Peach Banquet is it without the peaches? Those powerful and wealthy people value this grand display the most. If the peaches are gone, they'll lose all face!"

That makes perfect sense.

But I knew in my heart that if I just stole the peaches, it would only drive them crazy, and they would just replace them with other kinds of fairy fruits and still have a feast.

What I want to do is not to ruin this feast, but to plant a nail in it that they themselves will swallow.

"Great Sage," I said, slowly sharpening the boning knife in my hand, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Go to the Peach Garden and bring out all the peaches there. Then—put the peaches from Flower and Fruit Mountain back exactly as they were."

Sun Wukong was taken aback, then his eyes lit up.

"Wonderful!" he clapped and cheered.

"I, Old Sun, am best at this! Back in the day, I wreaked havoc in the Peach Garden. If I go again now, I'll steal every single peach from those gardens, and then let those immortals taste the peaches from our Flower and Fruit Mountain. Let's see if they can still call them 'ordinary'!"

"Be careful in your actions, and do not alert the heavenly soldiers on duty."

I instructed him?

"What we want is not a scene, but for the Heavenly Court to slap itself in the face."

"Don't worry!" Sun Wukong somersaulted and silently headed straight for the Peach Garden.

I stayed at the food stall, sharpening my boning knife with a whirring sound.

Yi Ya, backed by the powerful figures in Heaven, was fearless.

We'll cut off his strongest backer first. Not by smashing him, but by creating a crack in him. Without the real peaches of immortality, the Heavenly Court will inevitably fall into disarray in order to save face for the Peach Banquet.

At that time, I will not only gain the upper hand in the culinary battle, but also take the opportunity to expose the dark secrets of the Heavenly Court's monopoly and seek justice for the peaches of Flower Fruit Mountain.

Less than half an hour later, a faint sound of something breaking through the air came from the horizon.

Sun Wukong, carrying a large sack of peaches, excitedly landed in front of the food stall, his monkey face full of an irrepressible wicked grin.

"Everything's done! Not a single peach on the trees was left; they were all replaced with peaches from our Flower and Fruit Mountain! Those immortals will never be able to tell that I, Old Sun, even arranged the peach leaves so that they were facing the exact same direction!"

He put a full bag of peaches on the ground and then took out a gold plaque broken in two from his pocket. It was the "Heavenly Gift of Immortal Fruit" plaque.

"I'll take down that damn sign too."

He winked and made faces.

"I've still hung up a string of little trinkets woven from monkey hair from Flower Fruit Mountain in the same spot; that's our signboard. When those immortals see it tomorrow, they'll probably be so angry they'll vomit blood on the spot!"

Looking at the large bag full of plump peaches, and then at the mountain of peaches piled up in the corner, the weight that had been hanging over my heart finally lifted.

"Hide these peaches first," I patted Sun Wukong on the shoulder. "Let's wait and see what tomorrow brings."

Yi Ya, a powerful figure in the Heavenly Court. Don't you all enjoy bullying others and crushing the weak with your power?

Then I'll steal your table first, and then you'll have to eat it yourselves.