"Gu Changge, you brazen fox! You took Qingge away from me and now you're trying to seduce my Master too!?" Ye Chen infuriatingly rebuked with a hideous glower. Intuitively thinking that Gu Changge was trying to charm his Master, he never once considered that the villain's intention was to break them up. Moreover, there was an indescribable emotion for Yan Ji on his face. Although he usually treated her as his own Master, he deeply perceived her as his personal treasure—one that none should trifle with. Thus, upon Gu Changge's provocation, he had an outburst of rage and detestation—garnered through the past three days.
"Oh? I shan't receive the blame for your Qingge's departure." Hearing Ye Chen's rebuke, Gu Changge wasn't at all taken aback as he softly snickered. "Contrary to your beliefs, everything she has done was all of her own accord. I never once coerced her to anything, so you shouldn't come up with false assumptions. Besides, about what I said earlier, have I stated anything wrong? Human's evolution and nature's persistence are merely the order of the universe. And you, if you truly care for your Master, you should stop burdening her. You don't really think a Cursed Spirit could wander the world forever, do you?"
Every word, resembling a blade, pricked Ye Chen's heart. Utterly exasperated, he clenched his fist. Undoubtedly, he was aware of a Cursed Spirit limited lifetime in the world, which was why he was constantly pushing his limits in order to bring back his Master's body.
"Calm down, Chen…" Yan Ji sighed, casting a spell. All of a sudden, a cooling breeze entered Ye Chen's mind, repressing his aggression. Essentially, he was a hot-blooded young man, but he allowed himself to be triggered easily by Gu Changge's words, unable to retain his usual composure. As such, Yan Ji was perplexed as to why Ye Chen, who had always been smart, would be so susceptible to idiocy at Gu Changge's presence, losing his mind over such a minor setback.
"Master…" As Ye Chen's rage gradually waned, he gritted his teeth, recovering from Gu Changge's venomous words that stabbed right through his heart like a bloodless dagger.
<*Ding!* Ye Chen's mental perturbation persisted, losing 20 Fortuity. User is rewarded with 100 Fatums.>
All of a sudden, the system indicated.
Nonetheless, Gu Changge did not worry about it. "Senior, what do you think? If you come to me, not only can I reacquire your physical vessel, but I can also help you restore your former glory. Since you're aware of my background, you should know better than anyone what kind of power I hold with me. Besides, I am far more superior than Ye Chen in every aspect there is," he wholeheartedly uttered, completely disregarding Ye Chen's presence, as if he was sternly recruiting talent.
In that instant, Yan Ji was still unable to comprehend Gu Changge's real intention as her brows remained strained. [He's really trying to break us apart? With his strength, he could easily kill Ye Chen, but why does he resort to such methods? Or am I overthinking it, and he's purely wooing me?]
To be fair, Yan Ji was somewhat astounded by Gu Changge's discernment. After all, possessing centuries of experience from observing the world, she could see that Gu Changge in fact hadn't done anything violative. Ye Chen, on the other hand, was continuously behaving rashly, and even swore to murder Gu Changge, yet Gu Changge did not let himself affected by it. Given Gu Changge's generosity and resourcefulness, his potential was measureless.
"Prince Gu, you may say less. I am indebted to Chen, so I will never abandon him until he becomes a man." With that, Yan Ji shook her head as she rejected Gu Changge's gesture. Although his offers were most definitely alluring, she couldn't bring herself to betray her principles.
Slightly disconcerted, Gu Changge heaved a sigh. "Of course, it's only right that I give you some time to contemplate. If you change your mind, I will forgive Ye Chen's offense right away. Having the Archbishop revoke his punishment is only one order away. As for Su Qingge, Ye Chen can also have her as a reward."
"You!" At once, Ye Chen was frustrated as he was struggling to suppress his emotions. Now, he finally understood that Gu Changge was not only planning to humiliate him, but he also intended to strip everything he had away from him. Hence, Ye Chen stopped talking, coldly glaring at Gu Changge. Su Qingge, whom he admired tremendously, became merely an offer by Gu Changge to decide his fate. In this dog-eat-dog world, the strong truly could do whatever the hell they wanted.
"Prince Gu, please stop. I've heeded your sincerity." Somewhat dazed, Yan Ji never expected such words to come out from Gu Changge's mouth as she acknowledged his earnesty.
"Senior, I hope you give it a good thought. To me, coercion has never been a choice, so using Ye Chen's life as a threat is out of the question." At that moment, Gu Changge uttered with an inexplicable expression. If he could slaughter Ye Chen right now, he wouldn't have delayed it. Although Yan Ji had lived a long life, she was certainly innocent, and she seemed like a much easier target than Su Qingge was with how swift her heart faltered upon his words. After all, Gu Changge did not come for this act unprepared. Now that he had conveyed his mind, all that remained was to wait for the distance between the Master and her disciple to escalate before he could eventually salvage an upper hand from it.
"Here with me is a pill. It's called the Mind Convergence Pill. I reckon you'd recognize it, Senior." Suddenly, Gu Changge subtly grinned as he slowly pulled out an item from his chest. It was a lavender, radiating pill with anomalies wafting around it. It appeared as mythical as an underwater palace.
"This is the Mind Convergence Pill?" Yan Ji was immediately left stupefied as her stunning eyes trembled.
"You don't look that well to me, Senior. Therefore, as a courtesy, I give this pill to you." Gu Changge smirked. Finished, he left the pill behind, and before Yan Ji could turn it down, he was already out of the prison.
[As they said, win some, lose some.] The smile on Gu Changge's face faded as fascination revealed itself.