HUS Chapter 17: To Kill a Man, First Destroy His Heart
HUS Chapter 17: To Kill a Man, First Destroy His Heart
Dec 5, 2025
The funeral for the Yu family's designated heir was extremely grand.
Many people knew that given the Yu family's current situation, the death of the designated heir would bring enormous upheaval to the Yu family. This was the topic most privately discussed among guests from all sides.
Another extremely notable topic of conversation was the not-yet widow, Suo Zhanzhi.
This widow dressed in snow-white hemp garments with a saintly and pure countenance left a deep impression on all who came to pay their respects.
Especially the young people, what they discussed most was this newly married bride who immediately became a widow.
Yu Xinglong was the father. There weren't many occasions in his son's funeral where he could appear.
That very night, Yu Xinglong met privately with Third Steward Yi She in his study.
No one knew what Steward Yi said to the clan head. Only the guards outside first heard a roar like a wounded beast, followed by the sound of teacups heavily smashing on the ground.
This meeting wasn't long, just a little over half an hour before Steward Yi quietly left but the study's lamp remained lit. The lamp stayed lit through the entire night until dawn...
The next morning, Clan Head Yu Xinglong invited several elders of the Yu clan to go down to the water dungeon with him.
These elders were all veteran-level figures from various branches and lines of the Yu family. Their seniority was even higher than Yu Xinglong's by one generation. One old man was even two generations senior.
The reason they rushed to Phoenix Mountain was because they knew that with the family's designated heir dead, there would certainly be major family matters to discuss, so they took the initiative to come without waiting for the clan head's invitation.
Since its construction, Phoenix Mountain Manor's water dungeon had imprisoned people only a few times.
After all, those who could commit serious crimes at Phoenix Mountain Manor serious enough to warrant imprisonment in the water dungeon were truly few and far between but at this moment, there were two prisoners in the water dungeon. One was that bandit, and one was Leopard Head.
Leopard Head's hands were both shackled to the stone wall with iron rings, his body half-submerged in water.
The water here was drawn from an underground river, bone-chillingly cold year-round.
Even with Leopard Head's robust physique, he had already been frozen until his lips turned purple, his whole body numb.
By the light of torches, seeing the people filing in, Leopard Head's eyes suddenly widened.
As someone who had served the eldest branch for thirty years, he naturally recognized these elders.
These old fellows had come quite completely, even more complete than at the annual ancestral ceremonies.
Yu Xinglong's butler, Deng Xun, held a lantern and stood by the water dungeon, slightly bowing to prevent the elders from accidentally falling into the water.
His age was similar to Yu Xinglong's. From childhood, he had been the clan head's study companion and book boy, earning the clan head's utmost trust.
After all these elders had passed by one by one, Butler Deng finally straightened up.
He turned his head to glance at Leopard Head, nodded slightly, then strode after the clan head.
Leopard Head clearly saw his gesture and immediately felt joy in his heart.
Following Yang Can's guidance, as soon as he went up the mountain, while his freedom was still unrestricted, he immediately took out his life savings and gave them to this Butler Deng, the clan head's most trusted person.
Butler Deng was utterly loyal to the clan head. If it was something harmful to the clan head or the Yu family, then no matter what price you paid, you couldn't get him to help. However, as long as it was within Butler Deng's bottom line, then with proper benefits in place, he wouldn't be stingy about saying a word for you.
Leopard Head didn't want much, he only needed Butler Deng to mention before the clan head the two intense conflicts between him and the Suo family people during the return journey.
Now through normal channels, he couldn't escape punishment. Having no way out, he could only follow Yang Can's advice and try hard to brand himself with a label of not getting along with the Suo family.
Butler Deng's nod just now clearly showed that what he had asked Butler Deng to do had been done but whether it would work, he also wasn't clear.
Master Yang said that if he truly wanted to be exonerated, ultimately he still had to wait for Master Yang to be summoned by the clan head.
Leopard Head was now only worried that before the clan head summoned Master Yang, he would already have frozen to death in this water dungeon.
That bandit wrapped like a mummy had long ago lost his will after torture. This kind of thing originally relied on one breath to sustain it. Once you gave in, you couldn't resist anymore.
Seeing so many people enter the water dungeon, many white-haired elderly people, he knew these were all important figures of the Yu family.
He now only sought a quick death, so without needing further torture, he readily confessed everything.
When this bandit personally stated that the mastermind who had instructed them to kill the Yu family's heir Yu Chengye was the second line head Yu Huanhu, the expressions of the Yu family elders instantly changed.
Only now did they understand why the clan head had invited them here, he wanted these elders to serve as witnesses.
Was the Yu family about to plunge into fierce internal conflict of life and death?
The elders immediately became deeply worried.
"I... have confessed everything. I only beg... for a quick death. Give me... give me a merciful end."
The bandit said weakly, his eyes having lost all luster of survival.
"Someone, take him down and have him sign and seal his confession." Although Yu Xinglong's face was ashen, he still calmly issued the order.
The Yu family guards acknowledged and stepped forward to remove the bandit's shackles.
As soon as the bandit's shackles were removed, he collapsed to the ground.
He sat slumped on the ground, breathing weakly, a pair of lifeless eyes looking toward Yu Xinglong.
Yu Xinglong's lifeless eyes emitted a dim light and slightly lowered.
Seeing this, the bandit's pupils immediately lit up beneath eyelids that were somewhat tight from dried blood.
He suddenly gathered all his strength, gave a great roar, and leaped up.
The guards only thought he had lost the ability to move and therefore weren't on guard.
Now with this bandit's sudden violent movement, all the guards were greatly shocked.
They worried this bandit wanted to attack the clan head and the elders, so they immediately blocked between them. Unexpectedly, after the bandit's violent movement, he wasn't trying to attack anyone but instead rammed his head toward a sharp corner of the stone wall.
The walls of this water dungeon were all built with large blocks of bluestone. The wall corners were extremely sharp.
Only a muffled "thud" was heard, an extremely dull impact.
The bandit, determined to die, crashed with all his might. His brains immediately splattered, and his body fell to the ground with a "thump."
His body convulsed violently for a moment before becoming still, but on his blood-covered face was a trace of relief from liberation.
Liberation. Finally, liberation.
As a death warrior, his mission had finally ended.
The clan head would treat his parents, wife, and children well, ensuring they would want for nothing in this lifea nd all of this, he had exchanged for with this life.
This bandit was actually a death warrior raised by Yu Xinglong. The bandits who acted with him were an outer force raised by Yu Xinglong.
Great clans all had such outer forces that appeared completely unrelated to their families on the surface. When encountering dirty work inconvenient for the family to handle openly, they needed to mobilize these outer forces to resolve it.
This method of raising thugs had existed since ancient times and had long formed a tight and mature operational system.
So much so that even the leaders of those outer forces being raised might not know who they were actually serving.
Yu Xinglong acted as if he completely hadn't expected this bandit would commit suicide, standing there in a daze, but the Yu family elders secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Good that he's dead. Dead means no testimony.
Although this bandit had already confessed publicly, and they all counted as witnesses but after all, the bandit hadn't signed and sealed his confession, and there were no other witnesses or physical evidence to corroborate...
Under these circumstances, it was absolutely impossible to convict a branch head based solely on one dead bandit's pre-death oral confession.
Never mind that this person was the powerful head of the Yu family's eldest branch second line. Even if he were just a branch head with little power, the charges couldn't be confirmed like this.
The elders secretly thought with relief that this way, they should be able to avoid armed conflict between the eldest branch's main line and second line, right?
They weren't Yu Xinglong who had lost his son in old age. What they considered were the interests of the entire Yu clan.
There could be struggles within the Yu clan, but they absolutely didn't want to see fierce life-or-death conflicts.
Sixth Uncle Yu hurriedly stepped forward and said to Yu Xinglong, "Clan head, calm your anger. We have all heard what this person said. Everyone is a witness. Whether this bandit is dead or not doesn't matter much."
Old Yu Sixth was an elder from a collateral branch of the Yu family. His ability to stand here relied only on seniority. However, at such a sensitive moment, it was more appropriate for someone of no consequence like him to speak up.
"Yes, Clan head. This bandit could only confess this much anyway. Whether he's dead or not doesn't matter, ahem!"
Second Uncle Yu coughed twice and said, "However, whether his testimony is true or false... that's hard to say. If it really was Huanhu who did it, would he let a pack of dogs he raised outside know he was the mastermind? There are many aspects of this matter that don't withstand scrutiny. Please be cautious, Clan head."
This Second Uncle Yu was also an elder from a lesser branch of the Yu family. However, his branch still had considerable strength in the Yu family, so he also had some voice.
Yu Xinglong clenched his fists tightly. The muscles on his face tensed into ridges, as if he could no longer control his fury.
Seeing this, the elders also felt deeply sympathetic.
The clan head's line originally didn't have many offspring. Among those who had grown to adulthood and could share their father's worries, there was only Yu Chengye.
Now with Yu Chengye assassinated, Yu Xinglong sending off the young while old, that he hadn't gone mad publicly showed his composure was already strong enough.
The water dungeon suddenly became incomparably silent. Only Yu Xinglong's heavy breathing echoed in everyone's ears.
After a long while, Yu Xinglong suddenly turned around and strode outward.
The Yu family elders looked at each other. Without time to think more, they dragged their elderly bodies and hurried after him.
They worried the clan head was going out to fight Yu Huanhu to the death. They had to stop him no matter what.
After Yu Xinglong angrily turned around, the furious expression on his face changed to calm malice.
That second younger brother, he would kill him sooner or later, just not now.
The reason he staged this performance today was to create leverage, to take back one by one what Yu Huanhu had seized from him.
To kill the man, he must first destroy his heart!
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