"Grandfather, you have not told me about my little brother's matter yet!" Mo Yan pursued again.
"I suppose there's no matter telling you, but he was beaten up. The first time was seven days ago, and the second time happened today. It happened in front of the school gates, and he was beaten until he sprawled on the ground and fainted on both occasions." Gu Yue Mo Chen laughingly replied.
"Who has the guts to knock out my little brother?" Mo Yan stared, wide-eyed.
"He's a classmate of Mo Bei called Fang Yuan. He fights really well…" Gu Yue Mo Chen sniggered.
Gu Yue Mo Yan's eyes grew larger, and she was perplexed as she replied, "Grandfather, what are you saying? He is your own blood-related grandson!"
Gu Yue Mo Chen stared deeply at his granddaughter and spoke meaningfully, "Mo Yan my dear, you are a girl so you may not understand. Defeat and humiliation only serve as fuel for improvement. Without failure one can never develop and grow into a true, mature man."
"Mo Bei was defeated, and that is his own failure. Once he wakes up, he will ask fighting techniques from the teachers. This is a sort of improvement, and this improvement comes from Fang Yuan, who beat him into realization. As his sister, if you really care and want to protect your brother, you should not interfere with his growth. Fang Yuan is just a boy with C-grade talent while Mo Bei has B-grade talent. With us supporting him, he will step over Fang Yuan and drive him into the ground eventually."
"Leave this opponent to Mo Bei. In a woman's life, she needs a family and a lover. But for a man, a family is not a necessity, yet what he cannot lack is a rival. Do not find trouble with Fang Yuan, do you hear me? This is a matter between the youths. If you get involved, this will be perceived as bullying. Breaking the rules like that will cause our Mo family to be looked down upon."
Mo Yan gasped wordlessly, but under Gu Yue Mo Chen's gaze, she finally lowered her head. "Yes grandfather, your granddaughter understands."
She staggered out of the study room, but even Gu Yue Mo Chen did not notice – her eyes shined ominously.
"Grandfather, this is your way of loving your grandson. And I, Mo Yan, have my own methods." Mo Yan's heart already had different plans.
In the inn's dining room, several tables were occupied, and people were having dinner, making the atmosphere quite lively. One or two waiters moved quickly between the tables, serving dishes.
Fang Yuan sat at a table near the window. He had ordered a few dishes and was eating while gazing out the window.
Outside, the sunset was like a fire, slowly burning away.
Half of the sun had already dipped below the horizon; it seemed to longingly look at the land, its afterglow a sign of the sun's reluctance to leave.
Far up on the mountains, the night had already begun to fall. The nearby streets were full of people heading home—some barefoot, some muddy farmers, some herb pickers, others hunters carrying mountain pheasants, wild boars, and other game. Among them were also Gu Masters, dressed in blue uniforms, looking clean and spirited. Their headbands and waist belts completed their appearance.
The belt served a specific purpose. For Rank one Gu Masters, it was blue with a bronze plate at the front displaying the number '1.' For Rank two Gu Masters, their belts were red, with a steel plate in the center showing the number '2.'
Sitting by the window, Fang Yuan observed six or seven Rank one Gu Masters, most of whom were young men. There was also a Rank two Gu Master, a middle-aged man.
As for Rank three Gu Masters, they were typically family elders, while Rank four belonged to the clan head, the lord of the village.
Rank five Gu Masters were rare. In the entire history of the Gu Yue clan, only the first-generation and fourth-generation clan heads had reached this level.
Finding out a clan's strength can be quite simple. You just need to find a spot in the village, settle down and observe the people for a couple of hours, counting how many Rank one, Rank two and others, you will be able to determine the clan's strength and wealth.
Using Gu Yue Village as an example, there were around twenty people walking on the streets, six of whom were Gu Masters. Among these six, there was a 50% chance of one being a Rank two Gu Master.
With this level of strength and influence, the Gu Yue Clan had managed to monopolize one of the best resource locations in Qing Mao Mountain. However, the mountain was just a small part of the vast Southern Border region. In the grand scheme of things, the Gu Yue Clan could only be considered a middle-low tier clan.
"I have only started my cultivation, and with Rank one initial stage, I do not even have the qualification to roam the Southern Border. I need at least Rank three cultivation to be able to further roam the world," Fang Yuan sighed as he consumed his dinner.
Qing Mao Mountain was too small; it could not contain his ambitions, and he was determined to leave.
"Haha, Gu Yue Fang Yuan, I have finally found you!" At this moment, a middle-aged man laughed deviously as he approached.
"Hmm?" Fang Yuan turned slightly to see a man with a yellowish skin tone and hanging brows, but he had a huge body size and developed muscles. He strode several steps to Fang Yuan with his arms folded and proudly stared at the youth who was still consuming his dinner, with a hint of hostility.
"Fang Yuan, you've gotten yourself into huge trouble, do you know that? Heh heh heh, you have dared to hit our young master of the Mo family, and now our young Miss is here to settle the score with you." The middle-aged man snickered continuously. He constantly stared and sized up Fang Yuan, faintly emitting a threatening aura.
If a normal person was stared at by this middle-aged man, they would have probably developed fear in their hearts already.
However, Fang Yuan knew this man and lost interest after looking at him for a second and continued focusing on his meal, treating this man as if he were invisible.
"Who's that guy? He wears the clothing of a family servant, and he is not a Gu Master. Why would he dare to question young master Fang Yuan?" An employee wondered as he hid at the corner of the inn, sensing that the situation may turn ugly.
"Hmph, he's like a fox assuming a tiger's ferocity! By using the Mo family as his backing, this servant man dares to clamor at a Gu Master. If it were any other mortal man, they wouldn't have the guts to do this," someone beside the employee replied in disdain.
"Even so, as a mere mortal he has the guts to cause a ruckus towards a Gu Master. Tsk tsk, this kind of experience must feel really great."
"Tch, you shouldn't think that a Gu Master is always high and mighty. Young Master Fang Yuan is merely a Rank one initial stage Gu Master, and he has just managed to refine his vital Gu. If they were to fight now, he may not be the opponent of this muscular and strong mortal."
"Sigh, let's just hope that when they fight later, they will spare our inn and the furniture."
The employees chattered back and forth, but none dared to take a step forward, only staring from a distance.
"Eh, you still have the mood to continue eating?" Seeing as how he did not manage to intimidate or scare Fang Yuan, the muscular middle-aged man had a hint of doubt in his eyes. "Do you think I'm lying to you? There are already people reporting to young Miss and she will be here shortly. Do not attempt to run away young lad, because you won't be able to get away. My job here is to make sure you stay put. There will be much suffering for you later."
Fang Yuan paid no heed to the man and continued eating his meal.
The middle-aged servant frowned as he did not see a hint of panic or shock from Fang Yuan. This made him feel ignored and his pride was severely offended.
He had been a servant in the Mo family for over a decade, and he had acquired the trust of his master. Over a long period, he would naturally come to learn about the details of Gu Masters.
He knew especially that for a young Gu Master like Fang Yuan who had just started cultivating, his physical strength was far inferior when compared to a grown man. If it came down to close combat, he who had trained for many years would gain the upper advantage.
What he didn't know was that Fang Yuan not only possessed the Moonlight Gu, but also the Liquor Worm, which boosted his primeval essence to the middle stage. Most importantly, Fang Yuan had the White Boar Gu. After using it a few times, he now had at least half the strength of a boar.
The middle-aged man had long served as a sparring partner of the Mo family, so he knew that a Rank One initial stage Gu Master's moonblade could, at best, leave a few shallow wounds. Confident due to his Mo family backing, he confronted Fang Yuan without fear, eager to prove his value and earn greater favor.
"Young lad, you sure are courageous huh?" The middle-aged man's tone was turning unfriendly as he folded up his sleeves, revealing his well-toned and muscular forearms.
The inn employees watched in fear and several customers were already getting up, paying the bills and leaving this land of conflict.
"Fang Yuan has been found?" Suddenly, the door emitted a proud, loud female voice.
Mo Yan strode forward in big steps and entered the inn. Behind her were numerous family servants.
Her body figure was decent, slightly tall and had the proper curves. But a long face like a horse's, an inherited gene from the Mo bloodline, caused her looks to be greatly affected, and thus she was only a middle-upper tier beauty.
However, she wore a dark blue uniform, and a red belt, affixed with a square steel plate, tied around her waistline. The steel plate was engraved with a '2'.
"Your servant greets you, young Miss!" The middle-aged man changed his attitude completely upon seeing Mo Yan. He tried to smile charmingly and he bent his body as he walked a few steps and knelt on the floor, greeting Mo Yan.