HUS Chapter 57: Mind Techniques
HUS Chapter 57: Mind Techniques
Dec 26, 2025
Qingmei looked up at Yang Can and suddenly recalled a previous conversation she had with him.
"Steward Yang, you never made a move against Estate Head Zhang's family members just to wait for them to act?"
"Correct!"
"But will they... really act?"
"Young Master Zhang and Zhang Yunyi were never a loving father and filial son. If Zhang Yunyi lives, he will threaten Young Master Zhang but if Zhang Yunyi is killed, he'll have a chance to live. He will act."
"Their father-son relationship is that terrible? Did Leopard Head tell you?"
"No, Zhu Weipeng told me."
"Who is Zhu Weipeng?"
"He's a cook, a cook in Feng'an Fortress, and also Cheng Dakuan's brother-in-law."
"I see."
"As for that Zhang Xiaomi, he's Zhang Yunyi's uncle. In his early years, Zhang Xiaomi was just a fugitive wanderer. Without a strip of land or a single room, he lived a precarious life. The fact that he now has a house and fields, living happily, is entirely due to Zhang Yunyi's support after he made his fortune but in recent years, as Zhang Yunyi has aged and has grandchildren filling his halls, he hasn't paid much attention to his uncle."
Yang Can said meaningfully, "There are some people in this world who truly embody the saying: a peck of rice breeds kindness, a bushel breeds enmity. When you can no longer endlessly satisfy their demands, they won't remember your kindness, they'll only hate you to death."
"I understand. So they... will definitely walk down the path you've pointed out for them, right?"
"Exactly!" Yang Can snapped his fingers. "I've already dug the channel for them. How can the water not flow through?"
"But will Zhang Yunyi follow your arrangement?"
"Zhang Yunyi has always regarded himself as the patriarch of the Zhang family. He's autocratic, domineering, and forceful, but he also shoulders all the responsibilities of the Zhang family. The entire Zhang family is parasitic on him. He believes all the Zhang family members will be grateful to him. If he suddenly discovers that in order to continue possessing all this, the Zhang family members will unhesitatingly kill him, what do you think Zhang Yunyi will think at that moment?"
Yang Can looked at Qingmei and smiled, "There's an emotion in this world called loving deeply, hating bitterly. Extreme devotion and sacrifice, once met with betrayal, will destroy more than just trust. At that point, a person's emotions will undergo an extreme transformation. He will doubt everything he's done in the past, everything he's given, everything he's received... Thus, he will completely deny his past self."
Yang Can tilted his head and thought for a moment, then smiled, "To describe this change with a relatively simple term, I call it... turning dark!"
"Turning dark?"
"That's right. Of course, if Estate Head Zhang doesn't think of this level, I'll kindly help him along, guide him to successfully turn dark, to break from his cocoon and emerge as a butterfly."
What a terrifying... man!
The previous "brick-pulling tower" was just layer upon layer of pressure until completely destroying the opponent's psychological defenses.
That was still within the realm of psychology, but now he had risen to understanding and manipulating human nature.
Xiao Qingmei raised her hand and rubbed her nose with the back of her palm, her lips curling slightly.
This bad man, although he lacks the strength to truss a chicken, people's hearts are about to be completely bound by him.
On the high granite foundation, Yang Can pushed forcefully against the stone platform and stood up erectly.
"Release the signal arrow!"
The granaries were round, with foundations extending more than two feet outward, wide enough for people to walk on.
Following Yang Can's command, Leopard Head walked over from the foundation, nocked an arrow to his bow, and shot it into the sky.
The arrow disappeared into the night sky, immediately becoming invisible but the sharp whistle it emitted, like a ghost's wail, instantly resounded through the night sky.
In the darkness, many silhouettes stood solemnly on the grain-drying ground.
They were the three hundred corps soldiers assembled here by Kang Zhengyang, standing by for orders.
Since they were all from the same estate, Kang Zhengyang couldn't guarantee there weren't people among them bought off by Zhang Yunyi.
So after gathering them here, he didn't announce orders but just waited in the darkness, not even lighting torches.
Suddenly, a piercing whistling arrow sound broke through the air. Two of Kang Zhengyang's trusted men immediately lit torches.
The torches suddenly blazed up, illuminating Kang Zhengyang's face.
Kang Zhengyang placed his hand on his sword hilt and shouted sternly, "Steward Yang, acting on the Clan Head's orders, is thoroughly investigating Feng'an Estate's affairs. Now someone, driven to desperation, intends to burn Steward Yang, Estate Head Zhang, and all the managers to death. All of you, listen to my orders now. First squad, second squad, follow your squad leaders and control all exits of the entire estate. Entry permitted, exit forbidden. Those who force their way through will be killed without question!"
The squad leaders under him were not as difficult to control as Leopard Head's subordinates.
Although Leopard Head was prestigious as guard captain, he was under the Clan Head's nose and severely restricted but the corps commander in an estate had to be given authority, otherwise appointing them would lose its meaning.
Therefore, the corps commander held absolute power over all corps soldiers in the entire estate.
The several squad leaders under Kang Zhengyang were either his brothers or his relatives.
At the very least, they were brothers who had followed him for many years. Kang Zhengyang commanded them like his own limbs.
"Third squad, follow me!"
Kang Zhengyang drew his ring-pommel broadsword and shouted sternly, "Follow me to Feng'an Fortress and control all exits."
When the signal arrow whistled through the night sky, the Suo family guards lying in ambush made their move.
They ran out with anxious expressions, shouting loudly as they ran, "Fire! Fire! Don't let the fire spread!"
This performance created an illusion for those martial instructors who had first set the fire and then pretended to fight it:
These people were coming to fight the fire.
Therefore, they were completely unprepared.
As a result, these Suo family guards showed no martial virtue. When they rushed up close, without a word, they drew their blades and struck.
"Kill!"
"Pfft!"
Sharp blades slashed toward the unprepared martial instructors.
Blood spurted, and only then did the instructors realize something was wrong but when they hastily engaged in combat, nearly half of them had already been cut down.
"Kill, kill, kill!"
These Suo family guards had all been assigned to Suo Zanzhi by the Suo family.
The Suo family had originally hoped to infiltrate the Yu family through Suo Zanzhi, the eldest branch's young mistress.
So naturally, the personnel assigned to her wouldn't be inferior.
These Suo family guards were at least as skilled as, if not better than, the martial instructors of Feng'an Fortress.
With superior numbers and superior martial skills, and having seized the initiative, how could those Zhang family guards resist?
As the Suo family guards struck with lethal blows, Leopard Head arrived with more men at a run and joined the battle.
With this fresh force joining, the Suo family guards' momentum soared even higher.
They slaughtered the dozen or so Zhang family martial instructors like cutting vegetables, quickly finishing them off.
The martial instructors Zhang Yunyi had painstakingly trained were now reduced to just a few stragglers.
Previously, on the road to Phoenix Mountain Manor with Zhang Yunyi, a group had been killed by Qingmei.
Now at the fire scene, another group had been killed by Leopard Head and his men.
The Zhang family members who came to fight the fire saw a scene of flashing blades and swords and were scared pale.
They didn't dare flee or fight back. They could only stand there rigidly, one by one.
At this moment, Young Master Zhang arrived with much commotion.
He was naturally a blustering person, but now, feeling guilty, he performed especially aggressively.
"Quickly fight the fire! Father! My father is still in the fire! Father... my dear... gah?"
Young Master Zhang deliberately didn't even wear shoes. He wore only undergarments, barefoot, with disheveled hair, rushing over in a fluster but his wailing came to an abrupt halt when he saw a Suo family guard with a blade wiping blood on the sole of his boot.
"What... what happened here?"
Young Master Zhang asked with a changed expression. He inexplicably felt something was wrong.
As Young Master Zhang spoke, he slowly backed away. Suddenly turning around, he wanted to leave.
A large hand suddenly reached out from the side and stopped Young Master Zhang.
Leopard Head grinned, "Young Master Zhang, your honored father's life or death is still unknown. Where are you going?"
...
This great fire at the Zhang family alarmed the entire Feng'an Estate. However, the village people actually found it difficult to provide rescue, because they couldn't enter the Zhang family's manor at night.
Moreover, many of them only came because they had no choice. How could they have the heart to risk their lives for Estate Head Zhang?
Not to mention that Kang Zhengyang had now sealed off Feng'an Fortress to prevent anyone from fishing in troubled waters.
Fortunately, when this manor was built, fire prevention had been fully considered.
Each independent large courtyard was separated from the others by high walls, which served to block the fire source.
By dawn, the guest quarters in the left side courtyard had burned to white ground.
Along with the granary area separated by only one wall, three granaries had also been destroyed.
Those three granaries were precisely the warehouses where Zhang Yunyi and the managers had been imprisoned.
The entire east wing guest quarters had completely burned to ashes.
The ashes on the ground appeared white, but when the wind blew, they would faintly turn red.
Once you got close, the temperature was still extremely high.
Even covering one's mouth and nose with a wet towel, it was difficult to persist long in such harsh conditions.
Therefore, the Zhang family members could only stand outside this white ground.
Some wept in grief, some wailed, some cursed loudly, but none dared approach.
Zhang Xiaomi came trembling, leaning on his cane.
He had already seen the great fire at Feng'an Estate from home and naturally assumed the plan had succeeded but dawn had broken and not one of his three grandsons had returned to report.
Unable to restrain himself, the old fellow came in person, leaning on his cane.
At this time, Feng'an Fortress had been completely controlled by Yang Can's people.
Kang Zhengyang received Yang Can's notice allowing the estate's people to enter and exit the fortress.
So at this time, not only Zhang family members but also many Feng'an Estate people were in front of the fire scene.
"What happened? Where's Yunyi? Is our estate head safe?"
Zhang Xiaomi came trembling and immediately asked anxiously.
His old eyes swept around. Seeing that three large granaries were missing from the storage area, he couldn't help but feel secretly delighted.
It seemed the great matter was accomplished. Using so many lives as sacrifice, this calamity could finally be calmed.
Estate Head Zhang's wives, concubines, and children were in fear and anxiety.
Seeing the family's most senior member arrive, they immediately felt like they had found a pillar of support and surrounded him at once.
At this moment, Estate Head Zhang, who had been successfully lured out by Yang Can to reveal his inner demons and had already turned dark, was also hurrying here from the granary area...
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