A business with no capital

"Why should we intervene?" The school elder raised his eyebrows and smiled. Pointing a finger towards Fang Yuan, he continued, "This young man has already taken control of the situation and acts with great restraint. Notice how he strikes at the neck, aiming only at the sides, never at the back of the neck. This is because he knows that striking the sides can cause immediate unconsciousness, whereas striking the back of the neck could be fatal, so he consciously avoids that."

"Look at these youths lying on the ground. Which one of them is seriously injured? None! Even if there were serious injuries, with the healing Gu Masters we have in the school, couldn't we heal these bruises and injuries?"

"But Elder, this youngster is too arrogant. He's blocking the school gate and doesn't even consider us guards. It's not just about being ignored; it's about how our clan members will view our school. Allowing a mere Grade C student to cause such havoc in the school without intervention. If this spreads, it might affect your reputation."

The guards squinted their eyes, expressing their concerns.

"Hmph, you feel offended because this kid has ignored you and insulted your dignity, right?" The school elder's expression turned cold, and his sharp gaze swept over the guards, causing them all to bow their heads in silence, not daring to speak.

"What's wrong with a brawl? As long as there are no fatalities, it can stimulate the students' competitive spirit and temper their combat will. If we were to stop such brawls, we would be stifling the students' fighting passion! Didn't previous years have brawls? Each year, they occurred frequently, albeit usually in the latter half when the youths had learned some combat techniques and couldn't resist the urge to spar. Why didn't you stop those incidents in the past?"

"Maybe because previous brawls were usually one-on-one and rarely escalated to such a large scale. But this Fang Yuan really knows how to cause trouble!" the head guard replied.

"No, no, no." The school elder shook his head. "It's because you didn't dare to stop them. After the latter half of the year, when Gu Masters gain strength beyond ordinary humans, what could you, mere mortals, use to stop them? Now you want to stop Fang Yuan, perhaps because you think he's just begun his cultivation and lacks power. You also feel he's disrespected you, affronting your dignity. But remember, these students all bear the Gu Yue surname! They are members of our Gu Yue clan, your masters! Even if they're young and weak, they are still your masters!"

The tone of the school elder suddenly turned stern.

"If you don't bear the Gu Yue surname, what are you? You show loyalty, so you're rewarded with the title of guard and some sweet benefits. But fundamentally, you are still servants. Just servants! A servant dares to criticize their master and interfere in the master's affairs?" The school elder's face darkened.

"We didn't mean that! We didn't mean that!" The guards were terrified, kneeling down and bowing repeatedly.

The school elder coldly snorted, pointing at the head guard who had criticized Fang Yuan, "You criticized your master; you are stripped of your leadership position."

After a pause, the elder addressed the others, "In half a month, we'll reassess new leadership."

The other guards suddenly brightened, their eyes filled with renewed determination.

"Head guard, half a yuan stone extra each month!"

"Becoming head means prestige! Besides the masters, who else dares to give me a hard time?"

"If I become head, how glorious it would be..."

"Alright, why are you all standing around here? Get lost and clean up after the brawl!" the elder shouted.

"Yes, yes, yes."

"We take our leave!"

The guards left the room earnestly. As they descended the stairs, someone stumbled and fell, causing a chain of stumbling sounds.

Under the school elder's authority, the guards blushed with embarrassment, struggling to endure, making no other noises.

"Hmph, servants are like dogs, itching all over every once in a while, needing a good beating to remind them to respect. Toss them a few trivial benefits, let them fight among themselves, eager to serve our Gu Yue clan. The proverbial stick and carrot; that's the key to authority," the school elder listened to the commotion downstairs, smirking triumphantly. Then, he turned his head, glanced through the window, and observed the school gate.

On the ground near the gate, more than ten new students had fallen.

Fang Yuan stood proudly, while three young girls stood back-to-back, shrinking aside.

"You, you, don't come any closer!"

"If you come closer, we'll shoot you with Moon Blades!!"

They all displayed a faint blue glow in their hands, indicating they were ready to use their Moonlight Gu when pushed to the limit.

Fang Yuan remained an ordinary fifteen-year-old, and if they attacked with Moon Blades, it would prove difficult.

However, he showed no fear, sneering disdainfully as he advanced step by step towards the girls. "You girls have quite the nerve, forgetting the rules of the school, aren't you? Fighting with Gu inside the school is strictly forbidden. If you want to be expelled, go ahead and make a move."

"This..." The girls hesitated.

"Indeed, there is such a rule." The blue glow in their hands gradually dissipated.

Fang Yuan's eyes flashed with sharpness, seizing this opportunity. He suddenly rushed forward, swinging his palms fiercely, knocking out two of them with swift blows.

The last one, losing her fighting spirit, collapsed to her knees and fell to the ground. She cried with teary eyes, pleading with Fang Yuan, "Fang Yuan, don't come any closer, please spare me."

Looking down at the girl, Fang Yuan's voice was cold and ruthless. "One yuan stone."

Trembling, the girl suddenly realized something, hurriedly opened her pouch, and took out three or four yuan stones, holding them out to Fang Yuan. "Please don't hit me, I'll give them all to you!"

Fang Yuan remained expressionless, slowly extending his right hand, pinching one yuan stone lightly from her hand with his thumb and forefinger.

The girl trembled uncontrollably. Fang Yuan's hand, though pale and delicate like that of a young man, seemed terrifying and monstrous to her.

"I've already said, I'll take only one yuan stone." Fang Yuan paused, his tone indifferent. "You may leave."

The girl stared blankly at Fang Yuan for a while before realizing she could move. However, her limbs were weak, and she struggled to stand up. Fear of Fang Yuan filled her heart, robbing her of any strength.

Watching this scene, the school elder shook his head.

Discovering each student's combat talent in such situations was also one of his objectives.

Although this girl who had collapsed on the ground had Grade C aptitude, her temperament indicated she would only be suitable as a logistics Gu Master, engaged in production within the clan, rather than expected to participate in battles.

"As for this Fang Yuan..." The school elder rubbed his chin, squinting his eyes, a glint of interest passing through them.

He found Fang Yuan truly interesting, not only possessing combat talent but also knowing his limits. Demanding only one yuan stone didn't exceed the elder's acceptable boundary. But if Fang Yuan were to demand two yuan stones, that would be excessive, requiring the elder to intervene.

The subsidies in the school were originally just three yuan stones. Being extorted one stone wasn't a big deal. But extorting two stones? Might as well give them all to Fang Yuan directly.

Soon, the last batch of students arrived. There were only five of them, including Fang Yuan's twin brother.

"Brother, how could you? You're too audacious, directly beating up classmates at the school gate and extorting their yuan stones!" Gu Yue Fang Zheng stared in disbelief, "I advise you to apologize to the school elder quickly. If you cause such a big incident, it's no joke; you might get expelled!"

Fang Yuan chuckled, "You make a lot of sense."

Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that his brother hadn't completely lost his mind and could still listen to reason.

But soon he heard Fang Yuan say again, "One yuan stone from each person."

"What?" Fang Zheng exclaimed in surprise, "Do I have to pay too?"

"My dear brother, of course you don't have to pay." Fang Yuan's tone was gentle, "But your fate will be the same as theirs."

Fang Yuan pointed to the youths lying on the ground, either unconscious or groaning.

"Even your own brother isn't spared!"

"This Fang Yuan is insane, too brutal..."

"We can't beat him. A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him. Let's just pay the yuan stone first and report back to our instructor. He'll deal with it!"

With the previous examples in mind, the remaining youths glared resentfully but obediently accepted Fang Yuan's extortion.

"Just wait." As they were about to leave, Fang Yuan stopped them.

"Fang Yuan, are you going back on your word?" The youths immediately tensed up.

Fang Yuan sighed softly at the youths lying on the ground. "Do you really think I'd stoop to searching each of you?"

The youths were momentarily stunned, then blushed furiously, hesitatingly standing in place.

Fang Yuan stared at them, his eyes narrowing.

A glint of cold light flashed through his narrowed eyes, causing the five youths to shiver, feeling their scalps tingle.

"Alright, Fang Yuan, we get it."

"We'll help you this time."

Under Fang Yuan's coercion, they reluctantly bowed their heads one by one, searched the youths' pouches scattered on the ground, and took out a yuan stone from each. Then they pooled them together and handed them to Fang Yuan.

With a total of fifty-seven students in the class, each extorted one yuan stone, Fang Yuan now had fifty-six.

He had twenty yuan stones before, but spent ten on several barrels of Qing Zhu wine. Added to his own subsidy and rewards, he now had seventy-nine yuan stones in his hands.

"Robbing and extorting like this is the most profitable business." Fang Yuan tucked the bulging pouch into his chest and swaggered away.

Leaving behind a group of youths, some lying on the ground as if dead.

There were still a few youths left, with Fang Zheng among them, standing dumbfoundedly as he watched Fang Yuan gradually walk away.

"Hurry up."

"Pick up the pace and make sure the young masters are properly taken care of."

"Where are the healing Gu Masters? Get them over here quickly!"

The guards shouted and rushed forward, vying to impress. Their enthusiasm was high for a minor leadership position.