Section 37: Both Compromise and Threat

At the Mo family residence.

"What did I tell you? Look at the mess you've made!" Gu Yue Mo Chen slammed his hand on the desk in the study, roaring with anger.

Mo Yan stood opposite the old man, her head bowed, her eyes filled with a mixture of shock and fury. She had only just learned the news: Gao Wan had been killed by Fang Yuan!

That fifteen-year-old boy actually possessed such skills and resolve. Gao Wan was a mere servant of our esteemed Mo family. Fang Yuan killing him was a blatant disregard for the Mo family!

"Grandpa, there's no need to get angry. Gao Wan was just a servant. It's fine that he's dead, he wasn't even a Gu Yue anyway. But Fang Yuan, he's gone too far. Even beating a dog requires looking at its owner. He not only beat our Mo family's dog, but he killed it outright!" Mo Yan said indignantly.

Gu Yue Mo Chen roared, "How dare you! Have your wings grown strong enough that you no longer heed my words? Have you forgotten everything I warned you about?"

"Your granddaughter wouldn't dare." Mo Yan was startled and realized her grandfather was truly furious. She quickly knelt down.

Gu Yue Mo Chen pointed out the window and reprimanded her, "Hmph, it's fine that the servant is dead, but you're still fixated on Fang Yuan. You're short-sighted and don't understand the gravity of the situation! Do you understand the significance of your actions? Disputes among the younger generation are their own affairs. We elders should not interfere. This is the rule! Now, by causing trouble for Fang Yuan, you've broken the rules. Who knows how many people are outside right now, laughing at our Mo family!"

"Grandpa, please calm down. Anger harms the body. It was my fault, Mo Yan, for implicating the Mo family. Whatever Grandpa wants me to do, I will do! It's just that your granddaughter truly cannot swallow this insult. That Fang Yuan is too detestable, too shameless. First, he tricked me into entering the academy. Then, he hid in the dormitory, refusing to come out no matter how much I cursed. As soon as I left, he killed Gao Wan. He is truly insidious and shameless to the extreme!" Mo Yan reported.

"Oh, is that so?" Gu Yue Mo Chen furrowed his brow. This was the first time he had heard this information, and a glint flashed in his eyes.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, stroked his beard, and mused, "I've heard of this Fang Yuan before. He composed poetry years ago, showing early intelligence. But his aptitude was C-grade, making him unsuitable for important tasks, so I gave up on recruiting him. Now, it seems he's quite interesting."

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

Servants outside were waiting. Soon, a chest was brought in. The box was neither too big nor too small, but it was heavy. The servant held it with both hands, standing beside the desk.

"Grandpa, what is this?" Mo Yan asked curiously, seeing the wooden box.

"Why don't you open it and see?" Gu Yue Mo Chen narrowed his eyes, his tone somewhat complex.

Mo Yan stood up, lifted the wooden lid, and looked inside.

Instantly, her face changed dramatically, her pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks. She couldn't help but step back, letting out an uncontrollable gasp. The wooden lid slipped from her hands and fell to the ground.

Without the lid, the contents of the wooden box were revealed to everyone.

It was a pile of flesh and blood!

This flesh and blood had clearly been sliced into pieces and packed into the box. Scarlet blood had pooled inside; there were pale pieces of flesh, long segments of intestines, and even a bone or two mixed in – either a leg bone or a rib bone. In the blood pool in the corner, two fingers and half a toe floated.

Mo Yan's face turned ashen. She took another step back, her stomach churning, nearly vomiting on the spot.

Although she was a Rank 2 Gu Master and had experienced battles, killing people, this was the first time she had witnessed such a disgusting and perverse scene.

The flesh and blood in this box were clearly from a dismembered human corpse.

A strong, pungent smell of blood immediately permeated the air, filling the entire study.

The servant holding the box trembled, his face deathly pale. Although he had seen the box before and even vomited, holding it now still filled him with terror and nausea.

Of the three people in the study, only the clan elder, Gu Yue Mo Chen, remained unfazed. He glanced calmly at the flesh and blood in the box and said slowly to Mo Yan, "Fang Yuan placed this box by our back door this morning."

"What, it was really him?!" Mo Yan was greatly shocked, and Fang Yuan's image immediately flashed in her mind.

The first time she saw Fang Yuan was at the inn.

At that time, Fang Yuan sat by the window, quietly eating his meal. His face was ordinary, his eyes dark, his build thin, and his skin had the pallor characteristic of youth.

Such an ordinary and quiet young man, yet he had committed such a perverted and insane act!

After the initial fear came rage. Mo Yan shouted, "This Fang Yuan is too audacious, he's got the guts of a leopard! How dare he do this? This is a provocation to our Mo family! I'll go there right now and drag him here to be punished!!" As she spoke, she started to walk out.

"You scoundrel, stop right there!" Gu Yue Mo Chen was even angrier than her. He casually grabbed an inkstone from the desk and hurled it at her.

The hard, heavy inkstone struck Mo Yan's shoulder, then bounced off with a bang and fell to the ground.

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

Gu Yue Mo Chen stood up, pointed at his granddaughter, and said agitatedly, "It seems all these years of training have been for nothing. You truly disappoint me! To deal with a mere Rank 1 initial stage Gu Master, you made a big fuss and were led around by the nose by the opponent. Now, your head is clouded by anger. Do you still understand the meaning of Fang Yuan's actions?"

"What meaning?" Mo Yan asked, completely bewildered.

Gu Yue Mo Chen snorted, "If Fang Yuan truly wanted to provoke us and make a big scene, why didn't he place this box at the main entrance where everyone passes, but instead at the secluded back door?"

"Does he want reconciliation? No, if he wanted reconciliation, wouldn't it be better to apologize in person? Why send this box of dismembered corpses? This is clearly a provocation!" Mo Yan argued.

Gu Yue Mo Chen shook his head, then nodded. "He wants reconciliation, yet he is indeed provoking us. Placing the wooden box at the back door is his gesture of reconciliation. Filling the wooden box with dismembered corpses is his provocation."

"Look," the old man pointed at the box, "this wooden box isn't large enough to hold a complete corpse. That's why it only contains partial remains. He wants to tell us that he doesn't want to escalate this matter and wishes to let it rest. But if our Mo family continues to pursue this, he will scatter the remaining remains at the main entrance and completely blow this matter out of proportion. By then, it will be a lose-lose situation. The entire clan will know that our Mo family was the first to break the rules, and that our Mo family's future leader is so weak that he needs such doting and protection from his elders."

Mo Yan was stunned into silence by his words. She had never imagined that Fang Yuan's actions could carry such deep meaning.

"This method is truly brilliant," Gu Yue Mo Chen sighed. "With just one action, he displays both softness and hardness, advancing and retreating with perfect composure. This simple wooden box signifies Fang Yuan's willingness to compromise, yet it also serves as a threat against our Mo family. And the irony is, our Mo family is indeed caught by its weakness. If the Mo family's reputation is damaged by this, the next consequence will be the Chi family's attack and the clan leader's faction's blow."

Mo Yan, unwilling to believe, said, "Grandpa, are you perhaps overestimating him? Him, he's only fifteen years old."

"Overestimating?" Mo Chen glanced at his granddaughter displeasedly. "It seems you've had it too easy all these years, developing arrogance and failing to see reality. This Fang Yuan first remained calm in the face of danger, tricking you into entering the academy. Then, he used his wits in a moment of crisis to take refuge in the dormitory. Next, he endured your insults without asserting himself, showing forbearance and composure. After you left, he immediately killed Gao Wan, displaying resolve and courage. And now, he sends this box, clearly demonstrating his intelligence and strategy. Do you think I'm overestimating him?"

Mo Yan listened, dumbfounded. She truly hadn't expected her grandfather to admire Fang Yuan so much. Immediately, she retorted unconvincingly, "Grandpa, he's just C-grade."

Gu Yue Mo Chen stroked his beard and sighed, "Yes, he's just C-grade. To possess such intellect but only have C-grade aptitude is truly a pity. If his aptitude were just one level higher, say B-grade, he would undoubtedly be a rising star and a force to be reckoned with in our Gu Yue clan's future. But alas, he's C-grade."

The old man's sigh was filled with emotion, a mixture of regret and perhaps, relief.

Mo Yan remained silent. Fang Yuan's image resurfaced in her mind. Under her psychological influence, Fang Yuan's once gentle face was now shrouded in an aura of mysterious danger.

"This matter was caused by you. How do you think it should be handled?" Gu Yue Mo Chen suddenly broke the silence, beginning to test Mo Yan.

Mo Yan pondered for a moment before replying in a cold tone, "Gao Wan was a mere servant; his death is insignificant. Fang Yuan is just C-grade; it's also a minor issue. The key is to protect the honor of our Mo family. To resolve this matter, we might as well kill Gao Wan's entire family, old and young, to show the entire clan our commitment to upholding the rules."

"Mm, it's good that you can consider the bigger picture, temporarily set aside personal feelings, and protect the family's interests. However, this method of handling things is still not quite right," Gu Yue Mo Chen said, stroking his beard as he commented.

"Please instruct me, Grandpa," Mo Yan said, bowing.

Gu Yue Mo Chen pondered, "Since this matter originated with you, Grandpa will punish you with seven days of confinement. From now on, do not bother Fang Yuan again. Gao Wan committed insubordination, a mere servant offending his master, he deserves death, his crime warrants execution! Because he is a servant of the Mo family, the Mo family also bears responsibility for improper supervision, so we will compensate Fang Yuan with thirty primeval stones. As for Gao Wan's family, they will be given a subsidy of fifty primeval stones, and then they will all be expelled from the estate."

He paused, then added, "Within these seven days, you will rest well at home and not go out. Also, think carefully about the deeper meaning behind Grandpa's decision."

"Yes, Grandpa," Mo Yan replied.