Yu Yan (Please keep reading!)

At noon the next day, it was time for the Gu Family's monthly assessment again.

The three who were training at Changhong Martial Hall had already arrived and were waiting in the pavilion.

"Brother Yu, I'll have to trouble you to take care of Chen Yuan's matter."

Gao Mingchang wore a broad smile.

Yu Yan smiled faintly. "Don't worry. With me stepping in, Chen Yuan will do me this favor."

Gao Mingchang smiled in agreement. "Of course. As long as Chen Yuan hasn't lost his mind."

"Thank you for your help, Senior Brother Yu," Cao Yan said softly.

Yu Yan gave a slight nod.

When Chen Yuan and the others entered the courtyard, Yu Yan rose from his seat, brushed off his sleeves, and walked over.

Gao Mingchang watched Yu Yan's retreating figure, his eyes glinting. Then he looked at Chen Yuan, who led the group, and a trace of malice showed in his gaze.

That collision a month ago had left him feeling awful for several days. It had not only interfered with his training; the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

Of course, he had considered tripping Chen Yuan up and hindering his progress. After all, Chen Yuan's displayed combat ability and intelligence had made him feel somewhat threatened.

But after thinking it through, he abandoned the idea of targeting Chen Yuan directly. For one thing, he was afraid the Gu Family would discover his underhanded tricks, which would do more harm than good.

More importantly, he had thought of a better plan.

He would make use of his friendship with Yu Yan, who was also training at Changhong Martial Hall, and ask him to help.

In the end, he had paid Yu Yan one tael of silver to put pressure on Chen Yuan and force him to withdraw from the competition on his own.

He had also dragged Cao Yan into it, getting her to pay Yu Yan five mace of silver as well. After all, Chen Yuan's withdrawal would benefit her too.

If Chen Yuan proved strong enough to beat her, her stipend would be cut to four taels of silver.

Spending five mace of silver to avoid the risk of losing one tael was a good deal.

As for Gao Mingchang, he was confident he could take first place. Even after handing Yu Yan the one tael of silver from the reward, he would still have five taels left.

Besides, coming in first would leave a good impression on the Gu Family—a value that couldn't be measured in silver.

And he would push Chen Yuan down at the same time. It was like killing three birds with one stone.

Both of them thought they'd come out ahead.

What about Yu Yan?

Yu Yan stopped in front of Chen Yuan and the others. "Chen Yuan, there's something private I'd like to discuss with you."

Something private?

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same. "All right."

The two walked off to the side. Xue Anping and the others exchanged puzzled glances. They couldn't figure out why Yu Yan, who barely knew Chen Yuan, had sought him out.

There was no one around the swings in the Outer Court.

"Brother Yu, may I ask what you wanted to talk about?" Chen Yuan asked, his expression unreadable.

Yu Yan stopped and turned to face him. In a cool voice, he said:

"Chen Yuan, I'll get straight to the point. When you spar with Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan later, I hope you'll hold back a little. Consider it a favor to me."

For Yu Yan, this was easy money: one tael and five mace of silver in all. It wasn't much, but it was enough to buy fifteen bowls of Body Strengthening Soup.

It was a simple thing to ask, and he could suppress Chen Yuan and establish his own authority at the same time. Why wouldn't he do it?

As for what Chen Yuan thought, he didn't care. He didn't need to care.

The world was unfair. Deal with it.

Chen Yuan's expression cooled. "You mean you want me to deliberately lose to them in the sparring match?"

Yu Yan frowned slightly. "Chen Yuan, do you really think someone with a D-Grade Bone Structure can match the two of them? I'm saying this for your own good. Fists and feet have no eyes. If you get hurt in a real fight, it won't be something a few taels of silver can settle."

"Whether I can beat them is something we'll find out after we fight," Chen Yuan replied, neither servile nor overbearing.

Now he understood why Gao Mingchang hadn't tried to trip him up. So this was what he'd been waiting for.

He thought he could use Yu Yan to pressure him into backing down?

He wasn't nearly qualified.

Yu Yan's brows furrowed even deeper. His voice sank.

"Chen Yuan, are you saying you won't do me this favor? You should know that even if you break through the gate, you'll still be working under me. Why make an enemy of me? I advise you to take your four taels of silver each month without complaint. That would be better for both of us."

Chen Yuan's refusal to play along had already irritated him.

Chen Yuan remained unmoved. "Brother Yu, this isn't just about a few taels of silver. If I lose, wouldn't I be a cut below Gao and Cao in Steward Gu Ye's eyes?"

Yu Yan's expression turned cold. "So you're saying you'll hold back and make a show of it, but you still want something in return?"

Chen Yuan shook his head and smiled faintly. "I never said I wanted anything in return. But the loss would be so great that I simply can't accept it."

Yu Yan laughed in anger. Chen Yuan wanted a reward, yet he dressed it up in such high-minded terms.

But to avoid making a scene and damaging his standing with the Gu Family, he made one final concession, holding up five fingers.

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up. Five taels of silver? That might work!

Then Yu Yan said:

"I'll give you five mace of silver, and we'll both take a step back. You'll be getting four taels and five mace a month, which is already quite good. I can tell you that Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan will only be getting that much next month too."

Chen Yuan almost laughed. Five mace of silver—who did Yu Yan think he was fobbing off?

He answered at once, "Brother Yu, you don't respect me. We'd better settle this with our fists."

His principle was to keep his head down whenever possible, and he knew this would inevitably offend Yu Yan and bring trouble.

But compared with one tael and five mace of silver, along with all the benefits that might come from earning the Gu Family's favor, the choice was obvious.

Yu Yan's face darkened completely. "Chen Yuan, very well! You've got guts! You've snubbed me again and again. Let's see whether you can still get by in the Gu Family after making an enemy of me!"

Chen Yuan had thoroughly enraged him.

How dare someone with a D-Grade Bone Structure oppose him? Had that last spar made him overconfident?

Did he think that keeping up with Gao Mingchang meant he could challenge Yu Yan?

Yu Yan was already a Skin Realm martial artist, and comprehending Clear Force was just around the corner.

If the Gu Family had to choose between the two of them, the outcome went without saying.

Chen Yuan and Yu Yan returned to the pavilion, one after the other.

Chen Yuan's expression remained as calm as ever, while Yu Yan was visibly sullen. Clearly, things had gone badly between them.

Gao Mingchang pulled Yu Yan aside and whispered a few words to him.

When he learned that Chen Yuan had refused to appreciate a friendly offer and had openly defied Yu Yan, Gao Mingchang wasn't disappointed that his plan had fallen through. On the contrary, he was even happier.

Chen Yuan had now thoroughly offended the person the Gu Family valued most, the one with the best talent and the fastest progress. Yu Yan would undoubtedly retaliate against him next.

That was far worse than Chen Yuan being fixated on beating him in the sparring match. Coming last would only mean a smaller stipend.

But with things as they stood, if Yu Yan turned against Chen Yuan, there was a chance the Gu Family might expel him.

Gao Mingchang offered a few token words of comfort, then fanned the flames a little more. Only then did he look toward Chen Yuan, whose expression was perfectly calm, his heart blooming with glee.

Yu Yan had even offered you five mace of silver, and you still wouldn't take a hint and quit while you were ahead? Did you really think you could guarantee first place? Gao Mingchang wasn't some deadweight!

If he could knock Chen Yuan down, Chen Yuan would never get back on his feet.

Sun Chengjie had noticed something was amiss. He looked at Chen Yuan with concern and asked in a low voice:

"Brother Chen, did you offend Yu Yan? This isn't good. You'd better not let things turn sour between you."

"Don't worry," Chen Yuan said calmly.

Things had already turned sour, he added silently.

Not long after, Gu Ye and Huang Yan arrived at the pavilion. After exchanging a few pleasantries and going over last month's assessment arrangements again, they went straight to the draw!