The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 364 Inside Story
Princess Yuzhu is currently unable to practice her internal energy. Apart from taking medicine, she can only rest and cannot do any cultivation at all.

Wu Chengyu is now considered a confidant of Princess Yuzhu. His status in Yangwu Guild Hall is close to that of Helian Kenan and far surpasses that of Chen He. He is probably only slightly inferior to Wu Qianyu. Therefore, no one stopped him along the way, and he strolled into the backyard.

Generally speaking, men were absolutely not allowed to approach the princess's backyard, as there was a distinction between men and women, and this was a very important principle in ancient society.

Unfortunately, even Princess Yuzhu herself didn't think there was anything wrong with it, and no one would think that coming here was a place for illicit affairs. Any normal man would not have any impure thoughts when he saw Princess Yuzhu.

Even if Zhang Fei shaved and applied lipstick, or Li Kui whitened his skin and removed his blackheads, no one would find them attractive; they would be too frightening.

As soon as Wu Chengyu entered the backyard, he saw that Princess Yuzhu was not hiding in the room, but had placed a reclining chair in the yard and was lying on it in a relaxed manner. She was resting with her eyes closed, her face calm, and she did not seem to care that someone had broken in.

From this vantage point, one could clearly hear Yeli Mingzhu's clamor outside. Princess Yuzhu seemed completely unconcerned, as if she were merely sunbathing, if one ignored the bulging veins on her forehead or the clenched fist she was secretly exerting force with.

"Greetings, Princess. I wonder if your condition has improved these past few days?"

Upon hearing Wu Chengyu's voice, Princess Yuzhu sat up slightly, showing the respect due to her trusted confidante.

"Much better. The stinging pain in my meridians has subsided considerably. It seems I can start cultivating in less than a month."

Just now, Yeli Mingzhu outside suddenly screamed, and then you came in. It seems to be your doing.

This is not right. Yeli Mingzhu is my future husband after all. I'll let it go this time, but I must not lay a hand on him again.

Wu Chengyu nodded without saying a word, but instead pulled up a chair and sat down next to Princess Yuzhu.

Princess Yuzhu was clearly not in a good mood at this moment, but she was also a little lonely, so she did not refuse to have someone keep her company and talk to her.

Wu Chengyu's eyes flickered, and he secretly used his internal energy to slightly change the shape of his vocal cords and the way he spoke, and said slowly.

"Our Yangwu Martial Arts Association has suffered such a great loss, is the princess really going to just let it go like this?"

His voice seemed no different from before, but he was emitting ultrasonic waves between his teeth and tongue that normal people couldn't feel. The target of his attack was Princess Yuzhu's subconscious. This time, Wu Chengyu took advantage of the situation by using his verbal skills.

The art of persuasion is basically useless against people with strong wills, unless the other person has a flawed personality or a weak and fragile mind. Otherwise, the only way to change a person's perception of a certain thing is through long-term manipulation.

The reason it was so effective against Qiu Qianchi was because Qiu Qianchi was completely love-struck, deeply infatuated with Wu Chengyu's looks, which was a huge weakness.

In the Hidden Dragon Cave, Wu Chengyu had to give the children a lecture every morning, gradually enticing them to trust and depend on him. It took him three whole years to get them to completely pledge their loyalty to him.

This is a form of brainwashing, and the effects vary greatly depending on the target audience; it is not a universal solution.

The only advantage is that once the other person's perception is changed, it becomes deeply ingrained, unlike hypnosis and mind control techniques, which will immediately awaken the other person once the change is stopped.

The previous Princess Yuzhu was of noble birth, highly skilled in martial arts, and acted recklessly. Such a person must be confident and proud, and have a very strong inner self. Therefore, Wu Chengyu's persuasive skills had basically no effect on her.

But things are different now. Princess Yuzhu, who has never been so defeated, is at the lowest point in her life. Her psychological defenses are extremely low, she has lost all her martial arts skills, and she is bound to lack a sense of security. What's more, there is a fiancé outside who is arguing about breaking off the engagement.

Therefore, Princess Yuzhu is the easiest to brainwash and control now. In a short period of time, Wu Chengyu cannot completely control her mind, but he can make her inadvertently reveal some secrets or give her some guidance.

Upon hearing Wu Chengyu's words, Princess Yuzhu frowned. Of course, she didn't want to let it go like this, but she had no choice.

"What else can we do? My father has issued the decree. He is the emperor of my Xia Kingdom. Unless I want to rebel, I have no choice but to obey."

Wu Chengyu certainly wouldn't directly incite Princess Yuzhu to rebel, or lure a daughter into rebelling against her own father, especially since the father and daughter had a good relationship before. This kind of forced reversal of perception and coercion of choice cannot be achieved through persuasion.

This isn't the Mind Stone, which can turn Hawkeye into a complete traitor. If Wu Chengyu were to try to incite Princess Yuzhu to rebel against her father, Princess Yuzhu would immediately become alert and naturally become wary of him.

“Rebellion is definitely out of the question, but the princess is certainly unwilling to accept this, and at least wants to know what happened.”
Or perhaps the princess knows, but has no one to consult. In truth, I, Nie Feng, am now absolutely worthy of the princess's trust. Why doesn't the princess speak to me?"

This statement echoed Princess Yuzhu's words, first affirming her point of view that rebellion was absolutely unacceptable, and then tapping into Princess Yuzhu's inner feelings, as she was indeed very unwilling to accept this.

Wu Chengyu then subtly persuaded Princess Yuzhu to believe that she genuinely wanted to consult with someone, while also emphasizing that Wu Chengyu was trustworthy.

The foundation of this trust was naturally the twelve Life and Death Talismans. In Princess Yuzhu's mind, the person who planted the Life and Death Talismans would not dare to defy her.

These words struck a chord with Princess Yuzhu, completely aligning with her perceptions. Combined with the influence of persuasive rhetoric on her subconscious, they finally broke down her defenses. She began to confide in Wu Chengyu, revealing things she had kept hidden for so long. "I don't know when it started, but a conflict arose between my father and my mentor, and it escalated, leaving me, their daughter and disciple, caught in the middle, unable to find a balance. Finally, they completely broke off their relationship."

"I wonder what kind of conflict exists between His Majesty and Venerable Canmeng. Aren't they both members of the royal family? And Venerable Canmeng is an elder."

Under the influence of the persuasive talk, Princess Yuzhu's eyes became somewhat dazed, her gaze began to lose focus, and she seemed to be looking at nothing in particular.

"That was more than ten years ago. I was only three or four years old. The late emperor was on the throne, and my father was just a prince, and an unfavored one at that."

It is said that my great-aunt married far away to a foreign land and returned to the Xia Kingdom at some point. She has been living in seclusion in the palace, the Palace of Broken Dreams. However, she rarely leaves the palace, and I have never seen her there, nor did I know of her existence.

One day, I was playing in the back garden when, for some reason, the palace maids who served me disappeared. I quickly got lost and unknowingly ended up at the Palace of Broken Dreams, where I happened to run into my great-aunt who was taking a walk at the entrance of the Palace of Broken Dreams.

She took a great liking to me, saying that I looked like her when she was young and that I had excellent aptitude. So she went to my father and asked him to take me as his disciple.

My father seemed to know who she was, and hesitated for a moment. But I don't know what my great-aunt said to my father, but he then sent me to the Remnant Dream Palace to become her disciple and practice martial arts day and night.

My father had four older brothers, all of whom were strong contenders for the throne. My father was much younger, weak and isolated, and not favored by the late emperor. He originally had no hope of inheriting the throne.

Later, for some unknown reason, the four former princes encountered problems one after another. Some died tragically in accidents, some fell seriously ill with no cure and were about to die, and some were leading troops on the battlefield when they unfortunately fell from their horses and were trampled into mincemeat by thousands of horses.

There was another one who suddenly wanted to rebel and seize the throne, but was suppressed by the late emperor and then given death by imperial decree.

In the end, it was actually my father, the only remaining son, who became the crown prince, the sole heir to the Xia Kingdom.

After listening, Wu Chengyu knew what had happened. It must have been that the old monster reached some kind of agreement with the current emperor, using Princess Yuzhu's apprenticeship as a bond to fully support the then-prince emperor's ascension to the throne.

His four older brothers were probably all secretly killed by the old monster; except for the one who rebelled, no one knows what happened to them.

The deaths of the other three were definitely the work of the old monster. Wu Chengyu was confident that he could do the same thing; for experts like them, it would be a piece of cake.

At this moment, Princess Yuzhu was still reminiscing about the past, recounting her story in detail.

"Later, the late emperor passed away, and my father naturally succeeded to the throne. However, from the moment he ascended the throne, my father seemed to have become wary of my great-aunt. He always tried to get some information about my great-aunt from me."

But even though I am the Emperor's daughter, I dare not disobey her orders.

You may not know this, but after me, my great-aunt took in quite a few disciples. Apart from me, who cultivates the Supreme Pure Yang Technique, they all cultivate the Limitless Profound Yin Technique.

However, the Wuji Xuanyin Gong was a new technique created by the Great Aunt in response to the Supreme Pure Yang Gong. It was not perfect at first, and practitioners were very prone to going astray and becoming possessed by evil spirits.

My fellow disciples who practiced and played with me died one by one, some even dying suddenly right before my eyes. Their deaths were extremely gruesome. I was only four or five years old at the time, and I was so scared that I had nightmares every night.

In the next two or three years, everyone died, and only Junior Brother Wu Qianyu was fortunate enough to successfully master the Wuji Xuanyin Gong.

You have no idea how terrified I was back then. From that moment on, I never dared to disobey her again.

At this point, Princess Yuzhu's breathing became somewhat rapid, as if she had remembered something terrifying. Wu Chengyu quickly slowed down his persuasive techniques to give her some time to catch her breath.

It's clear that Princess Yuzhu is still terrified when she recalls this memory. Childhood trauma can never be fully healed; you may forget it in daily life, but once you remember it, it will be etched in your heart.

Wu Chengyu was also analyzing Princess Yuzhu's words. It was only natural for the current emperor to be wary of the old monster after ascending the throne. As the emperor, he possessed supreme power and wealth, so he would naturally hate someone who could control his life at any time.

Afterwards, this emperor will inevitably try to break free from the old monster's control, and he will inevitably endure and compromise for a long time. Now that he has openly torn off the mask, he must have a trump card that can be used to fight against the old monster.

There's also the Wuji Xuanyin Gong, which Wu Chengyu previously said was like a pirated version with major flaws.

As expected, the Wuji Xuanyin Gong is not a martial art of the Xiaoyao Sect at all. Instead, it is a Yin-attribute technique created by the old monster in response to the Supreme Pure Yang Gong, and it was created according to a completely opposite approach.

This process inevitably required countless test subjects, and Wu Qianyu was merely the last survivor.

(End of this chapter)