Chapter 167: Chapter 146: Stratagems of the Heart

The method of attacking the mind is the secret technique Qian Yu used to kill Li Nanfeng.

Those who can harness Evil Qi and use it for themselves are without exception resolute and strong, but it is precisely this extreme resolve that becomes their greatest weakness.

As long as you know what these strong individuals are truly attached to, you can find a way to break down their unwavering resolve, and once that resolve is shattered, no matter how fierce and domineering the strong may be, they can only be considered somewhat stronger ordinary people.

Ordinary people hesitate, become confused, get lost, and even falter.

And in the confrontation of masters, even a moment of confusion can be a fatal flaw.

"So, what exactly does Du Chengfeng from Yizhou want?"

At a tea stall in Yizhou City, Qian Yu dressed like a wealthy man, furrowed his brows tightly.

Infiltrating Yizhou was easier than he imagined, even easier than infiltrating Yangzhou before—it’s as if the entire Yizhou was completely unaware, or in other words, besides raising a flag of rebellion, everything else in Yizhou City seemed to be operating normally as if nothing had happened. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

No soldiers or warriors were seen on the street, no sign of fortified city defense, Yizhou’s rebellion seemed no more than a joke.

But Qian Yu found it hard to laugh.

Yizhou City before him was unbelievably abnormal, he couldn’t deduce anything related to Du Chengfeng from the current situation, faced with a city flying a rebellious flag yet lacking any sign of insurrection, he began to feel bewildered.

"This shouldn’t be..."

Though the fine tea entered his mouth, the aged Qian Yu couldn’t taste anything.

"Could it be he truly does not wish to rebel? Then what is the purpose behind all of this?"

"Perhaps trying to get closer might reveal the answer."

A short man dressed like an old servant next to Qian Yu showed no concern.

"Old Qian, just sitting here won’t reveal anything, that’s for sure."

"I understand."

The furrow on Qian Yu’s brow deepened.

Though he’d personally tested it and knew how formidable the secret taught by Prime Minister Jia Wen was, even using it to slay Li Nanfeng who had perfected the Mystical Technique, he also knew that even with this mind-attacking technique, just sitting by a tea stall wouldn’t allow him to bring a formidable person down.

Just like the short man skilled in using a large shield said, he must first make contact with Du Chengfeng before he can uncover his weakness.

Yet that’s precisely the problem.

How should he approach him?

According to locals, the man remained holed up in the old barracks in the northeast corner of Yizhou City, along with some refugees from the northern region. He had considered trying to join them, but the northern refugees were highly exclusive—according to them, the group already had enough old men and didn’t need more troublemakers.

This was the first time Qian Yu heard such a refusal that seemed absurd—what did they mean by too many old men?

Facing such a clan-based group, as an outsider, Qian Yu had no chance of blending in, and even if he could join, it was uncertain if he’d qualify to meet Du Chengfeng.

Of course, he could choose a more direct approach, such as having the short man beside him raise his shield and charge in, but then they would likely face a frontal battle with two masters who can unleash Evil Qi.

They didn’t want that; going head-on is undoubtedly the most foolish course of action.

But if not going head-on, how else could he make contact with Du Chengfeng?

There really is a way.

According to local residents, Du Chengfeng isn’t always confined to the old barracks, he occasionally comes out to stroll, grab breakfast at a shop, or have tea at a nearby stall—and the tea stall they were at now was reportedly his preferred spot.

That’s why Qian Yu chose to wait here.

Waiting might yield some results.

After all, not only Du Chengfeng frequents this tea stall, but also those northern refugees, and before Du Chengfeng arrives, they could try getting some information from the refugees about him.

"What? You’re asking my opinion of Brother Du?"

Hearing Qian Yu’s question, a carpenter scratched his head.

"An ordinary person, much like us... I know there might be stories circulating around here in Yizhou, but those are mere rumors, Brother Du isn’t that intimidating."

"An ordinary person..."

Qian Yu furrowed his brows.

Yet another puzzling piece of information, he knew that anyone capable of unleashing Evil Qi is somewhat obsessive, distinguishing them from ordinary people—to put it bluntly, having such strong obsession implies a somewhat abnormal mind, how could such a person be an ordinary individual?

Something certainly feels off, he needs to gather more information.

"Oh, you’re asking me about Du the hero? That I know!"

By the tea stall, an old man in a wheelchair spoke animatedly.

"I already noticed it when I was in the north of Ji! This man is a true dragon, destined to be an emperor!"

"Ah, this..."

Even though Qian Yu was quite a conversationalist, he couldn’t help but break into a sweat at this moment.

However, the old man in the wheelchair didn’t intend to let him go, dragging him into conversation at the tea stall for half an hour, until a young junior came by to call him back for a meal. Only then did he reluctantly leave the tea stall.

Qian Yu was left with a face full of spit, shaking his head repeatedly.

Indeed, the Du Chengfeng that the old man Yang spoke of was closer to the image of a rebel, but Qian Yu always felt that compared to Du Chengfeng, this old man Yang seemed to be even more out of his mind.

Yet reality proved he still underestimated these northerners.

Just because he encountered something even more absurd.

"My impression of Mr. Du? Well, he seems to be very knowledgeable."

In front of the tea stall, a scar-faced swordsman was deep in thought.

"Every time I hit a bottleneck, Mr. Du always helps me out... so I must refine my skills, and someday I’ll have a match with him!"

With that, the swordsman tossed a small bag of copper coins and turned to leave.

And on the tea table, the teacup that the swordsman had just used slowly split in two, the breakage as smooth as a mirror.

Qian Yu exchanged glances with the short man beside him, both witnessing the shock in each other’s eyes.

Clearly, the swordsman was right under their noses just now, but neither of them realized when the teacup was cut in half.

"Evil Qi released!"

The short man’s pupils shrank.

"Old Qian, let’s be clear, I can’t handle this person. If it comes to a direct confrontation, I’m likely to die first."

"Good thing... this is actually advantageous."

Qian Yu let out a sigh of relief.

"I initially thought the two masters of Yizhou were united, but now it seems these two aren’t monolithic; this is a point of leverage. Perhaps we could try pitting them against each other... hold on."

Before finishing his sentence, Qian Yu stood up and turned to leave.

This left the short man bewildered; since it was said to be advantageous, why leave?

Wasn’t he going to ask the person holding the wine jar in the distance...

"Don’t ask about that, he knows me."

Qian Yu’s face was slightly dark.

Liu Bolun, he’s someone Qian Yu was familiar with, and speaking of which, this drunkard was once a classmate of his unfortunate son. However, from the information he gathered, this drunkard had long resigned from his official post. Who knows why he ended up mingling with a bunch of drifters.

If this drunkard and Du Chengfeng were on the same side, his task difficulty would increase tenfold—although this drunkard spends his days idling, he’s ultimately a former scholar from Jiankang. By approximation, he can still be considered a learned person.

As a fellow scholar, Liu Bolun would inevitably detect some of his tactics, turning what was supposed to be him dismantling Du Chengfeng’s will into a battlefield between two scholars.

Though Qian Yu considered himself experienced, he didn’t necessarily think he would lose, but Liu Bolun still had the advantage of local support. As long as the other party thought of a way to instigate a confrontation between them and Du Chengfeng, their actions were bound to fail.

This was not the outcome Qian Yu wanted; he desired to avenge his unfortunate son’s suffering!

Fortunately, this time, luck was on his side.

After just a short turn down the street, Qian Yu spotted the figure of Du Chengfeng standing at the entrance of a restaurant—with no doubt of mistaken identity, as in Yizhou City, only Du Chengfeng towered at nearly seven feet tall, standing a head taller than others.

Approaching Du Chengfeng was remarkably smooth, Qian Yu barely needed to use any contingency plans, merely employing a clumsy excuse of a lost money pouch to smoothly start a conversation with Du Chengfeng.

Once the conversation started, it entered his area of expertise.

Having navigated the bureaucratic world for many years and considered the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s senior advisor, Qian Yu had long mastered the art of eloquent conversation. Now, applying it to Du Chengfeng, the two chatted delightfully about everything under the sun.

Yet, in this lively chat, Qian Yu still sensed that Du Chengfeng had something hidden deep in his heart.

He felt he had found the crux of the issue.

"If there’s anything you’re puzzled about, feel free to speak, young friend."

Qian Yu stroked his beard, assuming the demeanor of an elder.

"This old man has lived quite some years, can’t claim to know everything, but if I can help clear your doubts, that would be good."

"Oh? You’re willing to listen? That’s great!"

Hearing this from Qian Yu, Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but nod repeatedly.

"Have you heard a story about a big tree?"