"Sausages! Gu Yang, they actually sell sausages here!"
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong pulled Gu Yang over to the scruffy-bearded man. "Two sausages!"
Looking at the man before him, especially those distinctive peach-blossom eyes, Gu Yang recognized him.
The Sausage Soul Master, Oscar.
Hearing Ning Rongrong ask for sausages, and seeing how pretty she was, Oscar's eyes immediately lit up.
"Sure thing, coming right up!"
He deftly handed Ning Rongrong two sausages.
Just as Ning Rongrong was about to take them, a hand reached out from beside her and stopped her.
Ning Rongrong turned to look and found Dai Mubai watching her with a smile.
"My fellow student, some things aren't safe to just eat."
As he spoke, he turned to Oscar.
"Little Ao, make a sausage right here for everyone to see."
Oscar immediately looked embarrassed. "Boss Dai, is that really necessary? We've been classmates for years, after all. You'll make me lose face in front of the new juniors."
Dai Mubai snorted. "I'm not letting them fall for your tricks. Hurry up."
Clearly unable to afford offending Dai Mubai, Oscar could only hold out his right hand and softly recite his soul incantation. "I Have a Big Sausage!"
Soul Power flashed, and a steaming sausage appeared in Oscar's hand.
After watching the entire sausage-making process, everyone began looking at Oscar strangely. Even Ning Rongrong frowned slightly.
"See, my fellow student? This is..."
Before Dai Mubai could finish, he turned and saw that Gu Yang had already eaten half the sausage in his hand.
The portion was more generous than those in his previous life, and it tasted pretty good.
"What's wrong?"
Dai Mubai looked at Gu Yang oddly. "You can actually stomach that?"
Gu Yang glanced at the sausage in his hand and asked in return, "What's wrong with it?"
Then he turned to Oscar.
"Got any ground cumin?"
Hearing Gu Yang's question, Oscar snapped out of his daze and said delightedly, "Yes, yes! You're my first customer besides the teachers. This sausage-no, all your sausages from now on are on me!"
Taking the ground cumin Oscar handed him, Gu Yang sprinkled some on. Sure enough, it tasted a little better.
At that moment, Ning Rongrong secretly poked Gu Yang's arm. "Gu Yang, don't you find it weird?"
"What's weird?"
"That incantation is a little... disgusting."
Gu Yang smiled and shook his head. "A Soul Master doesn't get to decide the soul incantation for their Soul Skills. Besides, does 'I Have a Big Sausage' have swear words in it or something?"
Meanwhile, Gu Yang swept his gaze over everyone and said pointedly, "When a child passes a brothel, all they see is a group of pretty older sisters. When I pass by, all I see is a group of unfortunate people driven there by life's hardships, waiting for someone to help them. Only hypocrites who fancy themselves above others would think they're inferior and filthy."
"Besides, you find large intestines that once held shit delicious, but now a tiny little soul incantation disgusts you? 'I Have a Big Sausage'-if your own mind hadn't gone into the gutter, would you find it disgusting?"
When Gu Yang had first seen this scene, he hadn't understood it. Was the soul incantation here really that disgusting? Perhaps the truly disgusting one was the author. It had always felt a little like the author was forcing in extra drama to smear Oscar.
"Never mind a mere soul incantation. When your life's on the line, even shit can be eaten!"
The others were all somewhat moved by Gu Yang's reasoning.
Indeed, they found it disgusting because their own minds had twisted the incantation, but...
Before they could say anything in rebuttal, a rough, resonant voice rang out beside them. "Good! Well said! As expected of an outstanding disciple taught by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Such insight and understanding are truly remarkable!"
Everyone turned toward the voice and discovered that the middle-aged man who had been sleeping in the rocking chair had gotten up at some point. He was looking at Gu Yang appreciatively.
"Young fellow, you can skip my assessment later."
Gu Yang smiled faintly and merely nodded politely, saying nothing more.
Dai Mubai, however, asked in confusion, "Teacher Zhao, wasn't I supposed to conduct the fourth trial? And he gets to skip the assessment just for saying a few words? That's..."
"Mubai, this is also the dean's wish. If you object, you can ask him," Zhao Wuji said, raising a hand.
Inwardly, he sighed. There's no helping it. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect offered far too much. Though he didn't understand why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wanted this boy exempted from the assessment rather than that girl.
Maybe this boy isn't good at fighting!
Hearing that Flender had agreed too, Dai Mubai said no more.
With that, Zhao Wuji walked up to everyone and announced loudly, "Except for Gu Yang of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, everyone will work together to hold me off for the time it takes an incense stick to burn in this round. As long as one of you lasts until the end, you'll all pass!"
"You can get to know each other now to make coordinating easier."
As he spoke, seven Soul Rings appeared one after another at Zhao Wuji's feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black!
The standard optimal configuration!
For a moment, that powerful pressure left everyone but Gu Yang struggling to breathe.
The final test result was just like the original plot: Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong failed their first round.
Of the four, only Ning Rongrong remained uninjured.
"Little girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, there's no need for me to attack again, is there? You've lost. You're still too weak. You couldn't even hold me off for one incense stick's worth of time. That's the gap in our strength! Still, getting this far barely counts as passing. Mubai, take them and Gu Yang to their lodgings!"
At that moment, however, Tang San handed the injured, unconscious Xiao Wu over to Ning Rongrong, the only one still completely healthy, then rose to step forward.
Widower mode was activating...
Just as he was about to go it alone and show off by himself...
Gu Yang called out to Zhao Wuji first.
"Teacher Zhao, um... I think I may need to ask you for some time off. I still have some things of my own to do."
"Time off?" Briefly taken aback, Zhao Wuji frowned slightly. This hadn't been part of their prior arrangement.
"For how long?"
"Possibly a few months, or longer. In any case, I'm afraid I won't be attending the academy's classes."
Ning Rongrong was equally stunned. "Gu Yang, what are you playing at? You promised me you'd come here, and now you're running off? I don't care. If you're taking leave, so am I!"
Hearing that, Zhao Wuji immediately panicked.
Flender, who had been hiding in the shadows, could no longer sit still either. He immediately showed himself, afraid Ning Rongrong really would leave.
My little madam, you can't leave! The final payment hasn't been settled yet!