Both Virtue and Talent

Gu Changfeng raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "My dear nephew, which expenses do you consider unnecessary?"

Yu Yan kept his expression neutral, having long since prepared his argument: "Uncle, I don't know much about other areas, but regarding the funding for martial arts training, I believe the number of people is excessive."

He continued smoothly, "As for top-tier combat strength, we currently have Master Huang, and in the future, there will be me, Yu Yan; we are not lacking in that regard. As for entry-level martial artists, we don't need many; two are sufficient. I believe we could cancel the funding for one of the three—Chen Yuan, Gao Mingchang, or Cao Yan—and reallocate those resources to me."

Gu Changfeng pondered this for a moment before turning his gaze toward Gu Ye and asking:

"Third Brother, you are in charge of the martial artists. Does our Gu Family currently lack entry-level guards?"

Gu Ye considered the question before replying:

"We aren't lacking much. Two are enough, three is a surplus, and it leaves room for maneuver in special circumstances."

Clearly, he had his own considerations in this matter; otherwise, he would have revoked the funding long ago.

Gu Changfeng mused for a moment and said:

"My dear nephew, what you say is not without reason. Since three is a surplus, we shall cancel one person's funding and focus on cultivating you. Which one do you think it would be best to cut?"

Keeping an extra entry-level martial artist meant not only current funding but also monthly stipends, which added up to a significant expense.

It would be better to concentrate those resources on training Yu Yan.

Yu Yan smiled, his true intentions finally revealed:

"Uncle, I know Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan quite well. Their character and aptitude are both good, and they are worth continuing to cultivate.

As for this Chen Yuan, he possesses D-Grade Bone Structure. Although his recent performance has been decent, I have had contact with him and found that he is of crooked character and lacks basic respect for others. He is not worth the investment."

Recalling the way Chen Yuan had looked down on him over half a month ago, Yu Yan sneered inwardly.

Did he really think he was someone important? He was a mere D-Grade Bone Structure; if he wanted Chen Yuan gone, he would make him go.

He had agreed to marry into the family partly to curry favor with the Gu Family and gain more resources, but also to keep Chen Yuan in check.

Someone so insubordinate was far less trouble than the sensible Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan.

Moreover, Chen Yuan's performance had made him feel a hint of threat, which was the most important factor.

He had to cut off Chen Yuan's funding and nip him in the bud to ensure his own position remained unshaken.

Gu Changfeng hesitated slightly, then looked toward Gu Ye and Huang Yan.

As the head of the family, he would naturally not listen to only one side of the story.

Gu Ye gave Yu Yan a deep look; he understood that Yu Yan was deliberately trying to squeeze Chen Yuan out.

With Yu Yan currently in favor as the prospective son-in-law of the Gu Family, he still had to show some respect, so he weighed his words:

"Chen Yuan has performed adequately in front of me, but since my nephew Yu says so, he must have his reasons. Perhaps this Chen Yuan is indeed a two-faced person."

With these words, he neither offended Yu Yan nor betrayed his own conscience; if anything went wrong, the blame wouldn't fall on him—a display of the slickness of an old hand.

Huang Yan frowned and interjected:

"Family Head, I actually think Chen Yuan's temperament and talent are both quite good and worth cultivating. If we must cancel funding, why not eliminate all three of the others, including Xue Anping? I believe those three combined are not worth as much as one Chen Yuan."

Although he understood Yu Yan's hostility, Chen Yuan was his junior apprentice brother, and he possessed both effort and talent; he truly did not want to see such a talent buried.

Yu Yan's heart sank. Could this Huang Yan not tell who was more important?

He was now the Gu Family's future son-in-law with the greatest potential; was he really going to offend him for the sake of a Chen Yuan?

Gu Changfeng also sensed something amiss. Neither man's words had pointed to any specific "crooked character" in Chen Yuan, whereas Yu Yan had been adamant...

He spoke again: "My dear nephew, you say Chen Yuan is of crooked character, but do you have any proof? If it isn't too extreme, perhaps we should follow Master Huang's suggestion and cancel the funding for the other three instead."

Yu Yan's eyes turned cold as he cupped his hands and said:

"Uncle, I naturally have proof. As far as I know, this Chen Yuan severed ties with the Chen Family that raised him several months ago.

Last month, for reasons unknown, he went to the Kaishan Martial Hall and beat his half-brother so severely that he is still recovering at home.

That same day, members of the Black Dragon Gang broke into the Chen residence, injured Chen Yuan's parents, and left the house in ruins.

I dare ask: if Chen Yuan can be so heartless toward the family that raised him, sparing neither his parents nor his brother, how could such an ungrateful person possibly cherish the Gu Family's kindness in cultivating him? Perhaps the day he achieves success in martial arts, the Gu Family will follow in the footsteps of the Chen Family.

As for other matters, like his viciousness—he struck Gao Mingchang with an internal injury during a spar, and he only just recovered a few days ago—or his disrespect toward me, refusing to take me seriously when I tried to discuss things with him, I won't even go into those!"

After this barrage of accusations, Gu Changfeng's brow furrowed into a deep frown. He looked at Gu Ye and Huang Yan and asked in a low voice:

"Is what my nephew says true?"

Gu Ye nodded: "These things did happen, but..."

"No more 'buts'!" Gu Changfeng waved his hand, cutting Gu Ye off, and said coldly:

"Regardless of the circumstances, if he can be so vicious toward his own kin, how can we expect him to be loyal to our Gu Family? Notify Chen Yuan today and tell him to get lost. He won't get another cent from the Gu Family!"

Gu Ye sighed inwardly and nodded in agreement.

Gu Changfeng still didn't seem satisfied.

As the head of the family, loyalty was the quality he valued most.

If someone could not be used by him, and even carried the risk of biting back, why bother cultivating them at all?

Are you shooting yourself in the foot?

His tone carried a hint of reproach: "Third Brother, when selecting people to cultivate in the future, talent is one aspect, but character is another. You must not be biased; those who possess both virtue and talent are the kind of people the Gu Family needs."

"I understand, Eldest Brother." Gu Ye nodded helplessly.

He had already seen the current situation clearly; Yu Yan's words had already caused his Eldest Brother to form a preconceived prejudice against Chen Yuan.

Even if he explained that there were reasons for Chen Yuan's actions, it would likely be of no use and would only invite trouble upon himself.

Yu Yan's expression remained calm and composed, feeling immensely satisfied.

He added a final jab with a faint smile: "Uncle, Chen Yuan's stipend for this month is seven taels of silver. Half the month has already passed; if we go to Huo Academy to negotiate, we might be able to recover a few taels to recoup the loss."

Gu Changfeng was not swayed by emotion and looked toward Huang Yan:

"Master Huang, what is your opinion?"

After all, it was Huang Yan who handled the dealings with Huo Academy.

Huang Yan said in a deep voice: "Patriarch, this is inappropriate. Since when is there a reason to take back money that has already been spent? Not only would it create a rift with Huo Academy, but if word got out that our Gu Family was haggling over a few taels of silver, wouldn't it be a laughingstock? It is better to part on good terms; let these three months of funding be considered a gesture of goodwill."

Gu Changfeng nodded: "Since that is the case, we shall follow your suggestion."

It did indeed carry the risk of losing much for the sake of little.

As for the so-called gesture of goodwill, Gu Changfeng scoffed; it would be more accurate to say the money had been thrown into the water.

He looked at Yu Yan again, his voice softening:

"Nephew, there is no need to dwell on these few taels of silver. Starting today, Chen Yuan's seven taels will be transferred entirely to you, with an additional three taels, totaling twenty taels per month. If that is not enough, just let me know."

Yu Yan was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

Although he hadn't completely severed Chen Yuan's resources, he was already satisfied with achieving this much.

A monthly stipend of twenty taels was enough for him to ruthlessly trample Chen Yuan, who had now lost his funding, under his feet!