"Gu Changge, you shameless, despicable bastard! Not only did you steal my Qingge, but now you want to take away my Master…"
Ye Chen's face distorted in rage as he roared towards Gu Changge. He subconsciously believed that Gu Changge was trying to steal his Master from him! As for Gu Changge trying to sow discord between them? That didn't even cross his mind.
Although he wouldn't say it, Ye Chen still held unspeakable emotions for Yan Ji. Although he treated her as his Master on normal days, in his heart, however, he regarded her as his exclusive property — someone he would never give to another person!
So, now that Gu Changge tried to steal her away from him, his rage and hatred brewing towards him grew at an exponential speed; he was ready to burst at any time now.
"Eh? Why can't this Gu remember ever stealing your Qingge?"
Ye Chen's outburst didn't surprise Gu Changge. He didn't mind his words, and said with a playful tone, "You do know that everything she did — from the beginning to the end — she did it of her own volition; not once did this Gu force or threaten Holy Maiden Qingge. What about that do you still not understand? Tell me, is what this Gu said not the truth?
"Water flows downhill, and man aims for a high status! That's the unchanging law of the world followed by all that dwell within it.
"Instead, if you really have your Master's best interest in your mind, then don't hold her back like this! Do you think a remnant spirit can live in this world forever?"
Every word hit the spot, arranged in way that would destroy the opponent's mind.
Ye Chen tightly clenched his fists as his already-ugly expression worsened. He naturally understood that a remnant spirit couldn't survive for long in the world, so he had been working hard to get strong as fast as possible. He, too, couldn't wait to help his Master reconstruct her body!
"Little Chen, calm down…"
Yan Ji couldn't help but sigh as she invoked her Qi. Suddenly, a cool sensation spread through Ye Chen's mind and calmed him down.
In the end, Ye Chen was still only a youth with a hot-headed temper. A few words from Gu Changge were enough to send his mind into chaos, preventing him from displaying his usual calm and steadfast temperament.
Yan Ji couldn't understand why Ye Chen, who was normally quick-witted, would turn stupid every time he came across Gu Changge. Could it be that he couldn't jump back after suffering a minor setback like this?
"Master…"
Ye Chen gritted his teeth, and his irritable temper soon calmed down.
Gu Changge's words just then could be described as vicious blades that drew blood with every thrust as they stabbed into his heart.
[Ding! Ye Chen's mental state is further damaged. Ye Chen lost 20 Points of his Fortune. Host earned 100 Destiny Points.]
A System prompt sounded in his mind, but Gu Changge couldn't be bothered about it right now.
"Senior, do consider what I am saying. If you follow me, not only can I help you recover your body, I can also make your prowess return to their peak!
"Senior must also know about this Gu's origins. Of all the people in this world, Senior should be the one most clear about the Power that stands behind me.
"And even if we ignore that and consider only our individual talent, this Gu is still far better than Ye Chen in every aspect…"
He kept on talking with a sincere attitude, as if he was earnestly trying to recruit a talented individual. As for Ye Chen? He was thoroughly ignored.
By now, Yan Ji could no longer make sense of what this Gu Changge was trying to achieve; she couldn't help but frown.
Instigating discord?
With Gu Changge's strength, he could easily obliterate Ye Chen, so why would he need to bother with such a roundabout method? Maybe, she was thinking too much, and he truly just wanted to get her on his side.
To be honest, she had quite a good impression of Gu Changge. After all, she had experienced far more than many others, so she didn't look at the world through a narrow and biased pin-hole.
She had witnessed everything that happened, and in her view, Gu Changge had done and said nothing wrong. On the contrary, Ye Chen had held a confrontational attitude and even threatened to murder Gu Changge.
Even then, Gu Changge didn't bother with him. The grandeur he held, his heroic might, and the calm temperament he showed…all that made Yan Ji believe that his achievements would be limitless in the future.
"Young Lord Gu, you needn't say anymore. Since I have received Little Chen's kindness, there's no way I will leave him alone before he has grown up."
Still, Yan Ji shook her head and bluntly declined Gu Changge's kindness. Although the conditions were quite tempting, they couldn't make her go against her conscience.
Her response visibly disappointed Gu Changge, and he said with a sigh, "Of course, I won't press Senior to give me a response right now. You can take your time and consider my proposal. If Senior decides to follow me, I will forget about Ye Chen's hatred and offence towards me; asking the Taixuan Holy Land to release him without anymore punishment will also only take a sentence. As for Su Qingge, I can give her to him, too!"
"You…"
Throbbing veins could be seen on Ye Chen's forehead, but he held back his rage. By now, Ye Chen had already understood that Gu Changge didn't just want to humiliate him, he wanted to steal everything that belonged to him.
Although Ye Chen didn't say anything, the hatred and rage in his eyes had already grown as deep as a bottomless abyss.
In Gu Changge's words, Su Qingge — who Ye Chen could only watch from afar — was nothing more than a doll whose fate could be decided with a single word from him. It opened Ye Chen's mind to the truth of the world once more: ‘in a dog-eat-dog world like this, the strong could, indeed, do whatever they wanted!'
"Please don't speak anymore, Young Lord Gu! I appreciate your sincerity, but…"
Gu Changge's words had also startled Yan Ji. She had never thought he would propose something like that. It could be said that he was truly sincere with his request.
"Senior, do consider it! This Gu will never force anyone against their will, let alone threaten senior with Ye Chen's life."
Gu Changge spoke once more with an indescribable look in his eyes. If he could really kill Ye Chen, he wouldn't have let him live this long.
Although Yan Ji had lived far longer, her temperament was more straightforward, so she was far easier to deal with than Su Qingge. The small bias against him in her heart was stamped out with just those words.
What's more? He had practiced for tonight's play for quite a while over the last three days.
Gu Changge had already said everything he needed to say, and now, it was time for the final act of the play. After that, he would only need to watch the rift develop between these two Master and Disciple.
And when they are none the wiser, he would reap all the benefits.
"This is called the [Immortal Spirit-Gathering Pill]…though, I presume Senior already knows what it is."
At this time, Gu Changge smiled and took out a box by moving his hands in an unhurried manner.
Inside the box sat a lavender pill circled by small, colorful clouds. Various visions continuously emerged around the pill; there were mountains, oceans, and palaces full of grandeur that mysteriously appeared and disappeared.
"It's really the [Immortal Spirit-Gathering Pill]!"
Yan Ji couldn't help but exclaim, and the shock in her delightful eyes couldn't be suppressed.
"Senior's spirit is not in a good state right now, so this pill can be considered the meeting gift from this Gu for you."
Gu Changge said with a smile. Before Yan Ji could refuse the pill, he pushed the pill-box in her hands and disappeared from the prison.
As the saying went: ‘to harness a wolf, one must be willing to sacrifice their children.'[^1]
The smile on Gu Changge's face slowly faded away, only to be replaced by an expression of interest.
[^1]: It means you have to make sacrifices if you want to achieve something great.