Yu Yan wore a cynical, flippant attitude, clearly showing no regard for the incident or for Chen Yuan. His demeanor practically screamed that he had intentionally bullied Chen Yuan’s sister and dared him to do something about it.
"Yu Yan, do not be insolent! When you do something wrong, you must admit it!" Gu Ye frowned and barked in a deep voice.
He had not expected Yu Yan to be this arrogant and defiant.
Yu Yan grew a bit impatient and said indifferently, "Fine, fine, fine, I was wrong. I also know you’re only here for compensation. After all, you just took twenty taels of silver yesterday, so you must think the Gu family’s silver is easy for the taking.
"I slapped your sister twice yesterday, right? Hmm, let’s just pretend her face is made of gold. At five taels of silver per slap, I’ll compensate you with ten taels of silver. How about that? Is it enough?"
Chen Yuan took a sip of his tea, not even bothering to look at him directly. "If this is your attitude, then I don’t think there’s any need to discuss this further. I’ll just have to resolve this my own way."
He had already made up his mind. Coming here was never about getting compensation or an apology from Yu Yan; it was purely for show.
Yu Yan’s brows knitted tightly together, greatly angered by Chen Yuan’s condescending posture. He said coldly, "Hey, I’m talking to you! Don’t you know to look at someone when they’re speaking? Do you have any manners at all?"
Chen Yuan continued to drink his tea and said calmly, "I have no problem looking people in the eye. However, when a dog barks madly at me, I usually just kick it to death. The only reason I’m still sitting here is out of respect for its owner, who is currently present.
"What’s truly comical is that after barking, this dog actually has the nerve to ask if people have any manners."
This vivid metaphor pierced Yu Yan’s chest like a sharp blade. He instantly flew into a rage, pointing at Chen Yuan as he cursed, "You dare call me a dog? I let you off the hook yesterday, and now you really think I’m a pushover?"
With that, he moved to attack again.
"Do not be presumptuous," Gu Ye shouted coldly.
He could no longer tolerate Yu Yan. What kind of proper behavior was it to resort to violence at the slightest disagreement? Calling him here had clearly been a mistake; he was only making things worse.
Gu Ye bluntly ordered him to leave.
Yu Yan gave Gu Ye a deep look, highly dissatisfied, but ultimately did not lash out. He let out a cold snort and stormed off with a flick of his sleeve.
Gu Ye let out a long sigh, sat down opposite Chen Yuan, and said helplessly, "Chen Xiaoyou, Yu Yan acts as if he’s lost his mind whenever he sees you, completely disregarding all etiquette. I hope you can forgive him.
"The Gu family is willing to make the utmost compensation for this matter. What do you say?"
He just felt exhausted. Yu Yan refused to apologize even after doing wrong, so Gu Ye had no choice but to swallow his pride and negotiate compensation, hoping to settle the matter peacefully. He was also prepared for Chen Yuan to demand an exorbitant amount.
Chen Yuan exhaled as well. "Supervisor Gu, this isn’t about the money. I didn’t come here for money. I just want justice. Do you understand?"
In truth, grabbing some compensation was just a convenient bonus. But the more you wanted money, the less you could admit it; you just had to maintain the facade.
Gu Ye nodded repeatedly. "Chen Xiaoyou, I understand how you feel. Yu Yan is indeed in the wrong here. I will definitely deal with him afterward and absolutely will not tolerate this behavior.
"At the moment, he is entirely impervious to reason, so I can only hope to defuse the situation through other means.
"We still have some medicine in the manor for healing injuries and reducing swelling. Even if it’s just for your sister’s sake, please accept them."
After another round of back-and-forth, Chen Yuan finally relented. He sighed and said, "Fine, I know you are in a difficult position, Supervisor Gu. Out of consideration for our past ties, I am willing to let this grudge go one last time, but there will not be a next time. Otherwise, I won’t even consider a settlement; we’ll just have to see who comes out on top.
"As for compensation, like I said, I didn’t come here for that. I reckon you probably can’t take out much anyway, Supervisor Gu, so why don’t you go discuss it with the Patriarch? A token gesture will suffice."
Seeing Chen Yuan relent, Gu Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He truly did not want Chen Yuan and Yu Yan to become enemies, as that would inevitably force the Gu family to stand against Chen Yuan for Yu Yan’s sake. Although Chen Yuan couldn’t pose much of a threat to the Gu family, carelessly offending people was a major taboo for the clan. There was no guarantee that they wouldn’t be wiped out by someone in the future as a result.
He also understood the underlying meaning of Chen Yuan’s words: to have him consult the Patriarch to see the maximum amount they could offer. If it satisfied him, the matter would be dropped.
He said softly, "Please wait a moment, Chen Xiaoyou. I will be right back."
In the Gu family’s Council Hall.
Gu Ye reported the matter to the Patriarch, Gu Changfeng.
After hearing this, Gu Changfeng frowned. "You mean that Chen Yuan who beat his cousin to death a few days ago and threatened to kill his own parents?
"Didn’t you just give him twenty taels of silver yesterday? Why does he want compensation again? The Gu family’s silver doesn’t just fall from the sky."
He felt that Chen Yuan was simply exploiting the situation to extort them.
Gu Ye sighed and explained the whole story. "Brother, yesterday it was Yu Yan who invited him to a banquet to apologize, but it ended up in a physical altercation right there. Tell me, wouldn’t it be humiliating if word of this got out? I had to hand over twenty taels of silver and talk until my throat was dry to smooth things over.
"I thought Yu Yan would settle down a bit, but who knew that right after he returned to the manor, he slapped Chen Yuan’s cousin twice without a second thought? Now the man has come to our door demanding an explanation."
Gu Changfeng still held a prejudice against Chen Yuan. He said in a deep voice, "Is this really such a big deal? Just compensate him with eight or ten taels and be done with it. Does he actually dare to retaliate?"
Seeing his older brother completely unconcerned, Gu Ye advised him earnestly, "Brother, have you forgotten what happened a little over a decade ago? A clan even stronger than ours was completely wiped out because they looked down on and wantonly suppressed a highly talented Martial Artist.
"Right now, Chen Yuan’s performance isn’t much inferior to Yu Yan’s. Even if it doesn’t lead to our destruction, making an enemy out of him will bring nothing but harm to our Gu family.
"Besides, we are in the wrong here. Yu Yan’s actions have been far too extreme. You really need to rein him in, Brother.
"If this isn’t handled properly and Chen Yuan holds a grudge, I’m afraid the scandal of Yu Yan hosting a banquet only to attack his guest will spread immediately. With the wedding date approaching, wouldn’t that make us a laughingstock?"
This lengthy speech rendered Gu Changfeng silent. He fell into deep thought, feeling that it was not without reason.
Finally, he said, "Give him forty taels of silver at most, not a penny more. You should also give him a warning. If he dares to spread any nonsense outside, the Gu family will not let him off lightly."
He didn’t believe Chen Yuan would dare offend the Gu family over a personal grudge.
Gu Ye originally wanted to say more, but seeing Gu Changfeng’s cold expression, he swallowed his words. He knew this was already Gu Changfeng’s limit.
However, a mere forty taels of silver meant absolutely nothing to a Bone-refining Martial Artist like Chen Yuan, who worked for the Li Family. It was only about a month or so’s wages.
He sighed inwardly and left.
Upon returning to the side hall, Gu Ye saw that Chen Yuan’s teacup had been refilled with hot tea.
Gu Ye revealed a smile and said slowly, "Chen Xiaoyou, sorry to keep you waiting. I just discussed this with the Patriarch, and we’ve decided to compensate you with sixty taels of silver. I wonder if you find this satisfactory?"
Since his older brother was unwilling to fork out the money and he himself didn’t want to offend Chen Yuan, Gu Ye could only dip into his own pocket and grit his teeth to make up the extra twenty taels of silver.
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow. Although the Gu family wasn’t considered a massive clan, they weren’t so poor that they could only produce sixty taels of silver.
It seemed that his strength still wasn’t enough. If he had already reached the Muscle-refining Stage’s Hidden Force, Gu Changfeng himself would be the one sitting across the table to negotiate.
Finally, he nodded. "Supervisor Gu is very thoughtful. In that case, I will accept these sixty taels of silver."
In any case, the money was just a bonus. What he truly wanted was Yu Yan’s life!