"Have you heard? Fang Yuan killed someone!" A student whispered to his desk mate.
"I heard too. He really killed someone." The desk mate clutched his chest, his face pale.
"Lots of guards saw it. Fang Yuan chased the guy down, and when the guy tried to beg for mercy, Fang Yuan refused — just cut his head right off!"
"That's not even all of it. After Fang Yuan killed him, he didn't even leave the headless body alone. He dragged it back to the dorm and chopped it into meat paste."
"For real?"
"As real as it gets. I got here early this morning and could still see bloodstains in the cracks of the stone bricks."
"Come on, why would I lie to you? The Academy Elder just called Fang Yuan away for exactly this!"
The students in the Academy had no mind for their lessons, and whispered among themselves.
Killing was still too foreign and too terrifying for these fifteen-year-old youths. Growing up under the protection of their clan, at most they had sparred with fists and feet, or slaughtered chickens and dogs. As for killing a person, that was still far removed from their lives.
"Who did Fang Yuan kill?"
"I heard it was a household slave from the Mo Branch Family."
"Oh, I know this one best. Last night I personally saw Senior Sister Gu Yue Moyan from the Mo family bring a bunch of household slaves to cause trouble for Fang Yuan."
"It's the Mo family? Oh no, Mobei is in trouble now."
Many of the youths looked toward Gu Yue Mobei.
Mobei sat in his seat with a pale face. He had only just learned the news this morning. Fang Yuan had actually killed someone — and killed Gao Wan, someone he knew well!
Mobei was very familiar with this Gao Wan. Among the household slaves, he was quite active, skilled at flattery, and had diligently practiced his martial arts. He was a capable lackey. Not long ago, Gao Wan had even sparred with Mobei for a while. Who would have thought he'd be killed by Fang Yuan just like that!
Because of this, Mobei's shock and disbelief were twice as intense as anyone else's.
Beyond the shock came worry and fear. Facing a killer like Fang Yuan, for the fifteen-year-old Mobei to claim he wasn't afraid would be a lie. In truth, not only was he afraid — the other youths were too. Fang Yuan had robbed them twice, and every one of them had gotten into fights with him.
"I actually fought with this brutally vicious killer? And I'm still alive?" Many of them patted their chests, hit by a wave of retrospective fear.
That Fang Yuan killed someone was one thing, but the real issue was that he had dismembered the corpse — chopping it to pieces and grinding it into meat paste. This was beyond savage!
Such a horrifying act of cruelty deeply shook the innocent hearts of these youths.
……
In the room, only the Academy Elder and Fang Yuan remained.
The Academy Elder sat. Fang Yuan stood. Neither spoke. The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy.
The Academy Elder stared at Fang Yuan in silence, a complex light flickering through his eyes.
Early that morning, a guard had reported Fang Yuan's murderous act to him. The news filled him with both shock and doubt. He was an old Gu Master of the Third Transformation, and being in charge of the Academy, he naturally knew what kind of combat power a First Transformation, Initial Stage Gu Master possessed.
That Fang Yuan had managed to kill Gao Wan — that was an upset victory of the weak over the strong.