"Have you heard? Fang Yuan killed someone!" A student whispered to his deskmate.
"I heard too. He really killed someone." His deskmate clutched his chest, his face full of pallor.
"A whole bunch of guards saw it. Fang Yuan chased that person down. The man wanted to beg for mercy, but Fang Yuan wouldn't allow it and directly chopped off his head!"
"That's not all. After Fang Yuan killed him, he didn't even spare the headless corpse. He dragged it back to the dormitory and chopped it into minced meat."
"Is that true?"
"It couldn't be truer. I came early this morning and even saw bloodstains left in the cracks between the bluestone bricks."
"Oh, why would I lie to you? The Academy Elder just called Fang Yuan away because of this!"
The youths in the academy had no mind for lessons and all spoke in hushed voices.
To this group of fifteen-year-olds, killing was still too unfamiliar, too terrifying.
From childhood, sheltered beneath the lineage's protection, at most they had only sparred with fists and feet or slaughtered chickens and butchered dogs.
As for killing people, it was still rather far removed from them.
"Who did Fang Yuan kill?"
"I heard it was a family servant from the Mo family branch."
"Hey, I know this best. Last night, I saw it with my own eyes. Senior Mo Yan from the Mo family brought a group of family servants to trouble Fang Yuan."
"It was the Mo family? This is bad. Mo Bei is in trouble now."
Many youths looked towards Gu Yue Mo Bei.
Mo Bei sat in his seat with a pale face. He too had only learned the news this morning. Fang Yuan had actually killed someone—and it was Gao Wan, whom he knew well!
Mo Bei was very familiar with this Gao Wan. Among the family servants, he had been quite active, skilled at currying favor, and had diligently trained in fist-and-foot martial arts. He had been a capable lackey.
Not long ago, Gao Wan had even sparred with Mo Bei for a bit. Who would have thought Fang Yuan would kill him just like that!
Precisely because of this, the shock and disbelief in Mo Bei's heart were twice as heavy as everyone else's.
Beyond the shock came worry and fear.
Facing a murderous fiend like Fang Yuan, if fifteen-year-old Mo Bei said he was not afraid, that would be a lie.
In fact, he was not the only one afraid. The other youths were afraid too.
Fang Yuan had robbed them twice, and every one of them had exchanged blows with him.
"I actually fought with such an incomparably savage murderer? I'm actually still alive." Many people patted their chests, feeling a wave of lingering fear.
Killing someone would have been one thing, but the key was that Fang Yuan had dismembered the corpse as well, chopping it to pieces and mincing it into meat.
That was simply too savage!
Such a horrifying criminal fact deeply struck the youths' innocent hearts.
In the room, there were only the Academy Elder and Fang Yuan.
The Academy Elder sat while Fang Yuan stood. Neither spoke, and the atmosphere was stifling and grave.
The Academy Elder silently watched Fang Yuan, a complicated glint flashing in his eyes.
Early that morning, guards had reported Fang Yuan's violent killing to him. The news had both shocked and puzzled him.
He was an old Rank 3 Gu Master and was also in charge of the academy, so he naturally knew what kind of combat power a Rank 1 Gu Master at the initial stage possessed.
For Fang Yuan to kill Gao Wan could be described as defeating the strong with the weak.
In fact, guards had already reported yesterday evening that Mo Yan had held Fang Yuan hostage and invaded the academy.
At the time, he had paid it no heed and had not stopped it.
He was the Academy Elder. His purpose was to nurture future Gu Masters, not protect future Gu Masters. So long as no students were killed or injured, he encouraged covert struggles.
He was happy to see Mo Yan come looking for trouble with Fang Yuan.
For one thing, he knew that whether the fight ended in victory or defeat, it would benefit Fang Yuan's growth. For another, he wanted to dampen Fang Yuan's limelight.
Fang Yuan had blocked the academy gates twice in a row and robbed every student. His momentum was far too fierce; it needed to be suppressed.
But he had not expected Mo Yan to return empty-handed, leaving behind the family servant Gao Wan. And Gao Wan had actually been unable to defeat Fang Yuan and was killed by him!
In this world, strength reigned supreme. Killing people was nothing unusual, especially for Gu Masters; it could be said to be an exceedingly ordinary matter.
But for a fifteen-year-old youth to kill someone on his first time, that was no simple matter.
The Academy Elder still remembered his own first killing vividly. At the time, he had already been a Rank 2 Gu Master, nineteen years old, when he killed a Gu Master from Bai Family Village during a conflict.
After killing someone, he had vomited in a complete mess, his heart filled with panic. For several days, he had no appetite and did not want to eat. Even his sleep had been restless; the moment he closed his eyes, he saw the man's furious, wide-open eyes at the moment of death.
Yet now, looking at Fang Yuan, his expression was as calm as ever. Where was there any panic? He had no discomfort whatsoever, as if he had merely slept soundly last night and the one who had killed was not him at all.
Especially after the Academy Elder heard that after Fang Yuan killed this family servant, he still had not spared him, dragging the corpse back to the dormitory and hacking it into minced meat with a flurry of blades to vent his anger. Such ruthless methods sounded terrifying!
Thus, the Academy Elder's gaze at Fang Yuan was filled with complicated emotions.
On one hand, he was amazed by Fang Yuan's indifference toward life, by his ice-cold and resolute mentality. On the other, he felt some admiration. Fang Yuan was born to be a seed of battle. Not long after mastering the Moonlight Gu, he had already been able to use it to kill. Ordinary youths, even those Grade A geniuses, might not have been able to do so. This was talent for battle! If he were nurtured and fought for the lineage, he would become the enemy's nightmare.
The third aspect was worry and vexation.
He worried that after this incident, Fang Yuan's momentum would grow even stronger and become impossible to suppress. Fang Yuan's courage was simply too great. Not only had he violated the clan rules by using a Gu worm in the academy, he had even killed someone because of it. His limelight had to be suppressed, or how could he continue managing this academy?
What vexed him was how to clean up this matter afterward, for it involved the Mo family branch of their own clan.
"Fang Yuan, do you know why I summoned you?" The Academy Elder broke the silence in the room with a low voice.
"I know." Fang Yuan nodded. "I used the Moonlight Gu in the academy and violated the clan rules. According to the rules, a first violation should be punished with compensation of thirty primeval stones."
He avoided the important and dwelled on the trivial, not mentioning Gao Wan's death at all.
The Academy Elder froze for a moment, not expecting Fang Yuan to answer like this.
His expression darkened, and he gave a cold snort. "Do not play dumb before this old man! Tell me, what happened with Gao Wan's death?"
Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes. "Hmph! Gao Wan committed the offense of a subordinate overstepping his superior, with malicious intent in his heart. Last night, he not only blocked my door, but also wanted to kill me. In order to defend myself, I had no choice but to use the Moonlight Gu and was fortunate enough to kill this thief. I suspect this man may very well have been a spy from another village. I ask the elder to discern the truth!"
Hearing this, the Academy Elder frowned, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Now that Gao Wan was dead, Fang Yuan could say whatever he wished. He was merely an outsider, not a clansman; dead was dead, and the Academy Elder did not care in the slightest. What worried him was the Mo family's reaction. Gao Wan was the Mo family's servant, yet he had died within the academy. As the manager of the academy, he needed to give the Mo family an explanation.
After thinking for a while, the Academy Elder stared intently at Fang Yuan and questioned him, "Then tell me, how did you dispose of Gao Wan's corpse?"
A cruel cold smile traced itself across Fang Yuan's lips. "I dismembered Gao Wan and chopped him to pieces, placed them in a wooden box, and at dawn, set it at the Mo family's back gate."
"What?!" The Academy Elder was greatly shocked, nearly unable to keep himself from rising from his seat.
Fang Yuan had not only killed their family servant, but chopped up the corpse and placed it at the Mo family's back gate. This was simply a naked provocation!
To the Academy Elder, who had wanted wholeheartedly to settle this matter, it was absolutely a genuine nightmare.
Fang Yuan was only a tiny Rank 1 Gu Master. How would the enormous Mo family react?
Thinking of this, the Academy Elder immediately felt a headache coming on. The matter had already slipped beyond his control. This Fang Yuan truly was a troublemaker!
"Sigh, since the matter has already happened, saying more is useless. Go back for now. In a few days, punishment will be handed down. You should prepare yourself mentally." The elder's mind was in utter turmoil. He waved Fang Yuan away; he needed to calm down and carefully consider a response.
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