Experimental hypnosis

Zhao Dongchuan took an item out of his bag; it was a tool he had made specifically for Hypnotism, based on the knowledge from the system skill, Hypnotism.

The system described Hypnotism as incredibly mystical, a bit exaggerated, and completely different from his impression of it being achieved by simply waving a 'prop' around.

That's right, those masters in the original world always had a few shills whenever they performed their rituals.

Although this knowledge, after being transformed and instilled by the system, was vastly different from his existing knowledge system, it was still generally within his acceptable range.

The tool looked like a bell, covered with unknown symbols that Zhao Dongchuan had engraved according to the knowledge transmitted by the system skill. What they actually meant, Zhao Dongchuan didn't understand yet; he knew what it was but not why it was!

Overall, it didn't look like a product of Blue Star civilization; it had a hint of 'wizard' civilization.

Zhao Dongchuan didn't care much; since he made this thing a few days ago, he hadn't had a chance to use it. Since Huang Laosan delivered himself to his doorstep, he wouldn't be polite.

Then, Zhao Dongchuan's mind stirred, his will empowering the tool. An inexplicable aura surged within his body, slowly flowing into the bell. Miraculously, the bell began to vibrate, gradually emitting a low hum.

That aura was a trace of Inner Energy he had cultivated by diligently practicing Qi Refining Introduction.

Zhao Dongchuan called it "Inner Energy."

In his opinion, this should be a low-level energy, but it was sufficient to activate this tool.

As the low hum sounded, Zhao Dongchuan reached out and pressed the tool onto Huang Laosan's head.

Huang Laosan initially thought Zhao Dongchuan just wanted him to do something and didn't understand what he meant by 'experiment.'

But looking at the strange tool, Huang Laosan couldn't help but feel a touch of fear.

This person looked so sinister. He wanted to run at that moment, but Zhao Dongchuan blocked his escape route. He had nowhere to flee and could only let himself be slaughtered.

"Sir, what is this thing… please spare me~ I don't want to do this experiment…"

Zhao Dongchuan pressed the tool onto Huang Laosan's head, and Huang Laosan's body instantly stiffened, unable to speak, completely motionless.

A moment later, he removed the "bell."

Huang Laosan's eyes were now vacant, staring straight ahead.

"What's your name?" Zhao Dongchuan asked.

"My name is Huang Shiren, I'm the third child in my family, and people in the jianghu call me Huang Laosan!" Huang Laosan mumbled.

"What bad things have you done?"

"I started snatching other kids' toys at 3, peed in people's rice jars at 5, started peeking at the older sister next door bathing at 7, started stealing at 8… and started extorting money in my teens…"

Huang Laosan recounted every bad deed he had ever done in his life, in great detail, leaving Zhao Dongchuan speechless. This Huang Laosan had been bad since childhood, rotten to the core, involved in every type of scam and swindle, and committing crimes all over the place.

Aside from not having killed anyone, this guy had done every single bad and immoral thing imaginable.

Zhao Dongchuan couldn't help but kick him twice more.

However, in his hypnotic state, the fellow felt nothing, unaware of the pain, and merely got up mechanically.

Zhao Dongchuan then asked about his family situation, learning that only his elderly mother was still alive. His eldest brother and Wang Manyin wandered around just like each other, but Wang Manyin at least returned once a year for Chinese New Year, while his eldest brother never came back from his wanderings. His second sister married and never returned to her maiden home.

His elderly mother was currently in the village, receiving help from the village committee, and could still eat. Plus, he occasionally brought home some extorted grain. However, he never saved money due to his gambling, drinking, and whoring, so his life was naturally difficult, which is why he became greedy and fell into Zhao Dongchuan's hands.

Zhao Dongchuan pondered for a long time, deciding to use this fellow as a test subject and, incidentally, have him do some things that were inconvenient for him to do personally.

Huang Laosan, at least, hadn't killed anyone, and he still had some care for his elderly mother at home, showing a glimmer of humanity. Plus, he himself needed an errand runner…

Killing him outright would be a waste; using him for something useful was just right!

"From now on, you will be my servant and work for me diligently… changing all those bad habits you had before…" Zhao Dongchuan mused, then said to the hypnotized Huang Laosan.

"From now on, I will go through fire and water for my master, without hesitation!" Huang Laosan replied dully.

Zhao Dongchuan then lifted the hypnotic state. He also wanted to observe whether the effects of Hypnotism were as miraculous as the system described.

"Master!" Huang Laosan, with his eyes now clear, bowed to Zhao Dongchuan.

"Huang Laosan, don't call me Master anymore. Remember, my name is Han Li. From now on, call me Mr. Han!"

"Also, you must not do those bad things anymore. Work for me properly, and I will not treat you unfairly!" Saying this, Zhao Dongchuan took out 100 yuan.

"Take this money and compensate those you have wronged… no matter how others beat or scold you, you must accept it honestly!"

Huang Laosan took the money and said, "Okay, Mr. Han, I will handle it!"

This was his first time using Hypnotism, and Zhao Dongchuan was unsure if it was truly that effective, so he wanted to test it with money.

He wanted to see if, after he left, Huang Laosan would follow his instructions and use the substantial sum of one hundred yuan to atone for his sins. If the test passed, he would have a loyal errand runner.

If something went wrong, he would take the fall and go to jail; if money was made, Zhao Dongchuan would get the lion's share!

If the test failed… then Huang Laosan certainly wouldn't see tomorrow's sun!

Zhao Dongchuan then agreed on the next meeting time and place with Huang Laosan and quietly departed.

Huang Laosan also left the alley after a while and returned home.

Zhao Dongchuan naturally didn't really leave but secretly followed and observed Huang Laosan. He saw him enter several homes, apologizing and compensating along the way, speaking sincerely, willing to be beaten or cursed, looking genuinely remorseful.

Those families had no choice but to take the money and send him away.

In this way, Huang Laosan went to many homes, returning all the money he had extorted.

Zhao Dongchuan nodded, marveling at the power of Hypnotism. This skill was as practical as the Storage Ring that burst from the Silver Treasure Chest, he just didn't know how long it would last.

He then returned to his dormitory, washed up, and began to meditate and cultivate.

Activating the hypnotic bell today had consumed a lot of Inner Energy, and he needed to slowly recover.

…………………

In the following days, Zhao Dongchuan diligently went to work and caught up on his studies. After work, he returned home to read, exercise, and meditate.

During this time, he also made time to see the "reformed" Huang Laosan.

He gave him some of the electronic watches he hadn't had time to sell, asking him to take them to "suitable" places to sell, and instructed him to be careful not to expose himself.

This was his second test!

Since Li Huiying returned to Yangou, he hadn't had time to sell these watches, and he didn't want to run around himself. He wasn't very short on money now.

He thought of letting Huang Laosan try, to see if he could handle it. If he could, great; if not, it didn't matter. At worst, Huang Laosan would be arrested and reformed.

Anyway, he was going to end up there sooner or later. Due to Hypnotism, it would be impossible for him to expose Zhao Dongchuan. Moreover, Zhao Dongchuan always wore his system glasses when he met Huang Laosan and used the alias of Han Old Demon, so no one would ever trace it back to Zhao Dongchuan.