"I also want a pepper and salt biscuit."
Black Chess Piece added.
"I want a brown sugar biscuit."
White Chess Piece placed a piece indifferently.
"I want a KFC Panini breakfast and a cup of hand-ground coffee."
Big Girl said.
"I want to eat roasted pig trotters."
Second Girl said.
Wooh!
Su Yue stood in place, breathing deeply.
You five, well done.
Pancakes with tofu pudding, I will satisfy you all.
KFC, I will satisfy you too.
As for the one who wants barbecue, doesnāt your conscience hurt?
Su Yue couldnāt be bothered to explain.
He turned and dashed towards the breakfast shop.
He vaguely remembered there indeed were places selling barbecue early in the morning, the old town did have a complete range of goods.
Half an hour later.
Breakfast is here!
The five elders enjoyed their breakfast, fully satisfied.
"Su Yue, for the sake of yesterdayās hot pot and todayās breakfast, Iāll give you a privilege.
"If you donāt dare to challenge eating lemon, then serve me breakfast for a year, and Iāll consider you passing this test."
White Chess Piece said.
"Make me dinner for a year, and I will also consider you passing my test."
Black Chess Piece added.
"Or you can take charge of the nursing homeās meals for four years, and when you graduate from West Martial, weāll give you the Moon Nether True Scripture."
Da She Wan said.
"Honored seniors.
"I appreciate your kindness.
"But since itās a grudge between my father and you, as a man, I should take on the challenge.
"Letās start today, whichever senior is ready to test me, I am prepared."
Su Yueās face was calm, with a hint of an inscrutable cold smile in his eyes.
I donāt have any sense of taste, why would I fear these life-risking foods of yours?
Just kidding.
Sending breakfast for a year, would I still need to cultivate?
"Hmm?
"Itās good for young people to have confidence, but if you are too arrogant, it can lead to setbacks. Are you really ready?"
Black Chess Piece asked.
"As a man, words are like deeds and cannot be retrieved once spoken."
Su Yue nodded, his expression calm.
"If thatās the case, the first challenge shall be my bitter trial then.
"As the marketplace has just opened, hurry to buy 100 pieces of bitter gourd, and buy some coptis too. If you eat them all in front of us, you will have passed the bitter trial."
Da She Wan said, putting down his bowl.
"What?
"You test me, and I still have to buy the items?"
Su Yue was shocked.
Are these five people coming up with this test on a whim?
I buy the items.
What are you thinking?
"Youāre the one being tested, youāre the one eating, youāre the one replenishing vitamins, youāre also the one reducing internal heat... Am I supposed to spend money?"
Da She Wan looked at Su Yue with a baffled expression.
Su Yueās head was a bit muddled.
"So, I buy the cola, the canned herring, and the lemons too?"
Su Yue looked at the others.
As expected.
The four elders nodded in unison, as if saying: Who else would buy them if not you?
"Fine, Iāll buy them.
"Iāll go buy them now."
Su Yue was nearly driven to collapse by the seniorsā twisted logic.
Although we just met, I admit that youāve eaten more salt than Iāve eaten rice.
Is it a test?
Would I, Su Yue, be afraid?
After visiting three vendors, Su Yue finally bought enough bitter gourds.
Seeing his shopping bag, the marketplace was stunned.
"Hey young man, are you from a sales company punishing a salesman by making him eat bitter gourds? Iām telling you, thatās against labor laws."
A kindly vendor said, watching Su Yue with concern.
"Iām eating them myself, Iāve been overheated lately."
Su Yue explained and ran to the pharmacy.
Thereās also coptis.
...
At the nursing home.
"So, how is the kidās character?"
Da She Wan asked.
"In the short term, he hasnāt disrespected the elderly, hasnāt been impatient with our difficulties, his character should be fine."
White Chess Piece said.
"Heās quite diligent with errands. Weāve known him for too short a time to be sure, but I think heās not bad."
Black Chess Piece added.
"Just a bit foolish.
"He immediately agreed to eat bitter gourds, betting eighty percent on failure."
Second Girl said.
"Failure is no big deal; he can always start anew! If he canāt handle the five tastes of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty, it just means he lacks insane endurance. Weāll delay for a few months and give him the Moon Nether True Scripture, as we promised Su Qingfeng back then.
"As for the battle method weāve studied, forget it, lest it harms him."
Big Girl finished speaking, and the other four nodded.
This can only be the way.
When bored, the five of them had developed a demonic skill together.
This method is a bit peculiar, and ordinary people donāt dare to practice it casually.
So, they first tested it using rather brutal means.
Whether it would succeed, everything depended on luck.
...
Su Yue returns!
With many bags, all filled with bitter gourds, and one bag of coptis.
"Honored seniors, since my father offended you before, then today after I eat these things, letās consider it a partial write-off!"
Crunch!
Just stepping through the door, Su Yue didnāt say a word, and he didnāt even bother to wash them.
One bite after another.
How should I say it? No feeling at all!
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
Su Yue chewed the bitter gourd as if he were chewing cucumber, licking back even the soup trickling to his lips.
He didnāt even bother with the most bitter seeds.
Heās going full-on.
He intended to shock the old folks, teaching them that young people today arenāt easy to mess with.
To make them start questioning their whole lives.
"Child, at least scoop out the seeds."
Black Chess Pieceās throat hurt just watching.
"Honored seniors, you can check if these bitter gourds are real."
In a few bites, Su Yue had already swallowed one bitter gourd.