Compromise and Threat

Meanwhile, at the Mo family estate.

"What did I tell you? Look at the fine mess you've made!" In the study, Gu Yue Mo Chen slapped the table, flying into a rage.

Mo Yan stood before the old man with her head lowered, her eyes revealing both shock and fury. She had only just learned the news herself—Gao Wan had actually been killed by Fang Yuan!

That fifteen-year-old boy actually possessed such methods and resolve. Gao Wan was a servant of the mighty Mo family. Fang Yuan killing him was practically treating the Mo family as beneath his notice!

"Grandfather, there is no need to be angry. Gao Wan was merely a servant; his death is nothing, since he was not surnamed Gu Yue anyway. That Fang Yuan, however, is far too bold. Even when beating a dog, one must consider its master. Not only did he beat our Mo family's dog, he killed it with a single blow!" Mo Yan said indignantly.

Gu Yue Mo Chen roared, "And you still have the nerve to say that! Have your wings grown hard enough that you no longer take my words to heart? What did I warn you about? Have you forgotten it all cleanly?"

"Your granddaughter would not dare." Mo Yan shuddered in alarm. Only then did she realize that her grandfather was truly enraged, and she hurriedly dropped to her knees.

Pointing out the window, Gu Yue Mo Chen scolded, "Hmph, that servant's death is nothing. But you are still fixated on Fang Yuan—truly narrow-sighted, unable to distinguish weight from consequence! Do you know what your actions mean? The disputes of juniors are their own affairs. As elders, we must not interfere. That is the rule! Now that you have gone looking for trouble with Fang Yuan, you have broken the rule. Who knows how many people outside are watching the Mo family's joke with cold gazes!"

"Grandfather, please calm your anger. Anger harms the body. Mo Yan was at fault and has dragged down the Mo family. Whatever Grandfather tells Mo Yan to do, Mo Yan will do! But your granddaughter truly cannot swallow this grievance. That Fang Yuan is too hateful, too shameless. First, he tricked me into entering the academy. Then he hid in the dormitory. No matter how I cursed and shouted, he would not come out. The moment I left, he killed Gao Wan. He is utterly sinister and shameless!" Mo Yan reported.

"Oh, so that was it?" Gu Yue Mo Chen frowned slightly. This was the first time he had heard this information, and a hint of sharp light flashed through his eyes.

He drew a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. Stroking his beard, he pondered. "I have heard a little about this Fang Yuan as well. In his early years, he wrote poetry and showed early wisdom. Yet his aptitude turned out to be C-grade, unfit for great use, so I abandoned the thought of recruiting him. Now, it seems he is somewhat interesting."

After a pause, Gu Yue Mo Chen tapped the tabletop with his finger. "Someone, bring that box over."

Naturally, attendants waited outside the door. Before long, one carried in a box. It was neither large nor small, but rather heavy. The servant held it with both hands and stood beside the desk.

"Grandfather, what is this?" Seeing the wooden box, Mo Yan asked in confusion.

"Why not open it and see?" Gu Yue Mo Chen narrowed his eyes, his tone somewhat complicated.

Mo Yan rose to her feet, lifted the wooden lid, and looked inside.

Her expression changed abruptly. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints, and she stumbled back a full step, letting out an uncontrollable cry of shock. The lid slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

With the lid gone, the contents of the wooden box were laid bare before everyone.

It was actually a heap of flesh and blood!

The flesh had clearly been sliced into strips and chunks, then packed into the box. Scarlet blood had pooled within. Some pieces were ghastly pale skin and flesh, some were long lengths of intestines, and mixed among them were one or two bones—either leg bones or ribs. In the blood pool at the corners floated two fingers and half a toe.

Mo Yan's face drained of color. She staggered back another step, her stomach churning so violently that she nearly vomited on the spot.

Although she was a Rank 2 Gu Master, had undergone some training, and had killed people before, this was the first time she had seen something so disgusting and twisted.

The flesh in this box was clearly from a human corpse that had been hacked apart and stuffed inside.

A blood stench soared into the air at once, spreading through and filling the entire study.

The servant holding the box was trembling with both hands, his face deathly pale. Though he had already seen the box before and had vomited then, merely holding it now still filled him with waves of dread and nausea.

Of the three people in the study, only elder Gu Yue Mo Chen remained unchanged in expression. He calmly swept his gaze over the flesh in the box, then slowly said to Mo Yan, "This box was placed at the back gate of my estate by Fang Yuan this morning."

"What? It really was him?!" Mo Yan was greatly shocked, and Fang Yuan's image could not help appearing in her mind.

The first time she had seen Fang Yuan was at an inn.

At that time, Fang Yuan had sat by the window, quietly eating his meal. His features were ordinary, his eyes dark and deep, his body lean, and his skin carried the peculiar pallor of youth.

Such an ordinary, quiet youth had actually committed such a twisted and frenzied act!

Terror was followed by furious rage. Mo Yan shouted, "This Fang Yuan is too arrogant! He must have eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard! How dare he do this? This is a provocation against our Mo family! I will go over at once and drag him here to answer for his crimes!" As she spoke, she started toward the door.

"You insolent thing, stop right there!" Gu Yue Mo Chen was even angrier than she was. He grabbed an inkstone from the desk and flung it at her.

The hard, heavy inkstone struck Mo Yan's shoulder, then fell to the floor with a bang.

"Grandfather!" Mo Yan cried out, clutching her shoulder.

Gu Yue Mo Chen stood up and pointed at his granddaughter, his tone highly agitated. "All these years of training have been wasted on you. You truly disappoint me! Against a mere Rank 1 initial-stage Gu Master, not only did you mobilize so many people, you have been led around by the nose by him all along. Now anger has clouded your mind again. Even now, do you still not understand the meaning of Fang Yuan's actions?"

"What meaning?" Mo Yan was utterly bewildered.

Gu Yue Mo Chen snorted. "If Fang Yuan truly wished to provoke us and make this matter known to all, why did he not place this box at the front gate, where people were coming and going, instead leaving it at the rarely visited back gate?"

"Could it be that he wants reconciliation? No, that cannot be right. If he wanted reconciliation, would it not be better to apologize in person? Why send a box of dismembered remains? This is clearly a provocation!" Mo Yan said.

Gu Yue Mo Chen shook his head, then nodded. "He wants reconciliation, and he is indeed provoking us. Placing the wooden box at the back gate was his wish for reconciliation. Filling the wooden box with dismembered remains was his provocation."

"Look." The old man pointed at the box. "This wooden box is not large; it cannot hold an entire corpse. Therefore, it contains only part of the dismembered body. He is telling us that he does not wish to make a spectacle of this matter and wants to let it settle. But if our Mo family still insists on clinging to this matter, he will scatter the remaining pieces of the corpse at the front gate and make this matter completely public. At that time, it will be mutual destruction. The entire clan will learn that the Mo family broke the rules first, and that the Mo family's future ruler is so weak that she requires such indulgence and protection from her elders."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan was dumbstruck for a moment. She had never expected Fang Yuan's move to contain such deep meaning.

"What a brilliant method." Gu Yue Mo Chen sighed. "With only one action, he combined hardness and softness, advancing and retreating with due measure. This simple wooden box both expressed Fang Yuan's intention to compromise and served as his threat against our Mo family. And yet, the Mo family truly has had its weak spot seized by him. If the Mo family's reputation is damaged because of this, what follows will be the Chi family making trouble and the clan leader's branch striking at us."

Mo Yan refused to believe it. "Grandfather, are you not thinking too highly of him? He is only fifteen years old."

"Thinking too highly?" Mo Chen cast his granddaughter a displeased glance. "It seems you have grown accustomed to smooth sailing these past years and developed the flaw of arrogance. You can no longer see reality clearly. Fang Yuan first remained calm in danger and tricked you into entering the academy. Then, in a flash of inspiration, he avoided disaster in the dormitory. Next, he endured your insults without trying to show off his strength—that was restraint and calmness. The instant you left, he killed Gao Wan—that was determination and courage. And now he has sent this box, which clearly displays calculation and strategy. Tell me, am I thinking too highly of him?"

Mo Yan listened in stunned silence. She had truly never expected her grandfather to admire Fang Yuan so greatly, and she immediately said unwillingly, "Grandfather, he is only C-grade."

Gu Yue Mo Chen stroked his beard and sighed deeply. "Yes, he is only C-grade. To possess such a mind yet have only C-grade Aptitude is truly a pity. If only his aptitude were one grade higher, if he were B-grade, he would surely become one who stirred the winds and tides of the Gu Yue Clan's future. But it is a pity that he is C-grade."

The old man's sigh was full of emotion. It seemed regretful, yet also somehow fortunate.

Mo Yan fell silent. Fang Yuan's image appeared in her mind again. Under the influence of her own thoughts, Fang Yuan's formerly gentle and frail face was now enveloped in a sinister, dangerous shadow.

"This matter was caused by you alone. How do you think it should be handled?" Gu Yue Mo Chen suddenly broke the silence and began testing Mo Yan.

Mo Yan pondered for a while before speaking in a cold tone. "Gao Wan was a servant; his death is nothing. Fang Yuan is merely C-grade, so this too is a minor matter. The key is to protect the Mo family's reputation. In order to settle this matter, we might as well kill Gao Wan's entire family, old and young, and show the whole clan our stance in upholding the rules."

"Mm, it is good that you can consider the general situation, set aside your personal emotions for now, and protect the interests of the family. But this method of handling it is still inappropriate." Gu Yue Mo Chen stroked his beard as he commented.

"Please instruct me, Grandfather." Mo Yan bowed.

Gu Yue Mo Chen pondered. "This matter began because of you, so Grandfather will punish you with seven days of confinement. From now on, do not trouble Fang Yuan again. Gao Wan overstepped his station. A mere servant offended his master; he deserved death, and his crime warranted execution! Since he was a servant of the Mo family, the Mo family also bears responsibility for lax discipline. Compensate Fang Yuan with thirty Primeval Stones. As for Gao Wan's family, give them fifty Primeval Stones as relief money, then expel them all from the estate."

After a pause, he added, "For these seven days, rest properly at home and do not go out. At the same time, think carefully about the deep meaning behind Grandfather's disposition."

"Yes, Grandfather."