Villain System: Stealing the Protagonist's Harem and Luck

Chapter 42: Long-Term Plans; Everyone Must Kneel and Lick Before the Young Master

“The person who built this pavilion truly knew how to enjoy life.”

Gu Changge stood with his hands clasped behind his back, positioned on the high platform like a deity surveying his domain.

Below, the vast sea of living beings and cultivators flowed like water. The feeling of looking down upon the world, where everything appeared as mere ants, was truly intoxicating.

He mused that once he returned to the Upper Realm, he would commission craftsmen to build a similar pavilion at his residence.

Of course, it would have to be taller, grander, and more magnificent. With his status, he intended to enjoy every luxury existence had to offer.

“I am glad Young Master Gu is satisfied. This was built by previous Family Heads specifically to receive Sect Masters and Imperial Monarchs,” Lin Qiuhan explained with a smile.

If not for Gu Changge, she wouldn’t even have the qualification to stand here today.

“Not bad at all. ‘Holding the sun and moon, plucking the stars; there is no one like me in this world.’ The scenery suits the sentiment perfectly…” Gu Changge recited with a faint smile.

His plans for her were simple yet long-term.

The reason he asked Lin Qiuhan to guide him around the ancient city wasn’t just for sightseeing; he wanted to gauge the extent of her Alchemy talent. He was already calculating how to cultivate her once they returned to the Upper Realm.

Although Gu Changge’s background was terrifying, the politics of the Upper Realm were intricate. Elder Ming, as an external retainer, couldn’t access the core of that power.

Even among the great Alchemy Sects of the Upper Realm, successors with innate talent like Lin Qiuhan’s were incredibly rare. If he could position her within one of those sects, with his backing, taking control of those forces wouldn’t be impossible.

It never hurt to have extra cards in one’s hand.

On a more immediate level, Gu Changge simply wanted to grind her Favorability.

Winning her over meant securing 1,000 Destiny Points. Who would say no to that?

Fortunately, Lin Qiuhan was genuinely simple-minded. Under his barrage of “honeyed words,” she was completely dazzled, her heart practically gift-wrapped and handed to him.

What Lin Tian had warned her about wasn’t wrong. Gu Changge wasn’t a good person. He was a Villain, after all.

However, Gu Changge wasn’t stingy with his own people. He harbored no ill will toward Lin Qiuhan and planned to elevate her status. At most, he was using her potential, but the benefits would be mutual.

“‘There is no one like me in this world’?” Lin Qiuhan repeated, her eyes sparkling with admiration. “In Young Master Gu’s view, what exactly is ‘Cultivation’?”

She couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing for his perspective.

“So-called Cultivation… in my view, it is merely a struggle to cross the world,” Gu Changge said, his expression calm and profound. “We use the physical body as a raft to traverse the Red Dust, crossing the Sea of Bitterness to reach the Other Shore.”

It sounded incredibly philosophical.

Of course, internally, Gu Changge didn’t care about any of that. This rhetoric was purely for show. For him, “Cultivation” was as simple as opening the System interface and adding points.

“Sea of Bitterness? The Other Shore?”

Even Su Qingge’s eyes lit up as she savored the words.

“Young Master Gu’s insights are truly unique… profound and meaningful,” Lin Qiuhan murmured, her reverence deepening.

Throughout their walk, no matter the topic, Gu Changge had something insightful to say. It wasn’t superficial knowledge either. Especially this perspective on cultivation—it felt novel even to her, an Academy Elder.

Using the body as a raft to cross the Sea of Bitterness?

Such a concept was unheard of. The cultivation world of the Upper Realm must be vast and mysterious beyond her imagination.

“Young Master Gu… regarding Xiao Tian,” Lin Qiuhan’s expression dimmed with sorrow. “It was thanks to your words that I came to my senses. Otherwise, I would have remained in the dark, deceived by him.”

She still cared deeply for the brother she remembered. But the thing that had tried to harm Gu Changge was unforgivable.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the real Lin Tian. Otherwise, she didn’t know how she could ever face Gu Changge again.

“I was just speaking casually at the time. I didn’t know things would turn out like this…” Gu Changge replied with a gentle, forgiving smile.

“Actually, I suspected Xiao Tian’s soul had a problem too. I was about to confront him when… this happened,” Lin Qiuhan admitted guiltily.

“Oh? Speaking of which, there is something I should remind Miss Lin about.” Gu Changge’s smile turned slightly cryptic.

“Please speak, Young Master Gu.” Lin Qiuhan looked at him attentively.

“You should pay close attention to Lin Tian’s corpse. I suspect he wasn’t merely controlled… but replaced. There are many secret arts in the Upper Realm capable of such things.”

“Resurrection from the dead is actually a common occurrence.”

Gu Changge dropped the hint with perfectly feigned speculation.

Lin Qiuhan was stunned. Resurrection? Can such a thing really happen?

Lin Tian’s soul had clearly scattered, and his vitality was extinguished. But since Gu Changge said it, she had to take it seriously.

Could it really be a feigned death?

“Of course, it is just a guess. But it would be wise for Miss Lin to be vigilant,” Gu Changge added, his smile unfaltering.

He wanted Lin Qiuhan to witness Lin Tian’s “resurrection” personally. That way, her last lingering attachment to her brother would be severed completely.

Once that happened, Gu Changge would have no further use for keeping Lin Tian alive.

…

Just then, a commotion arose from outside the Star Picking Pavilion.

“Young Master Gu,” the Lin Family Elder reported respectfully, “a group of young Heavenly Prides from the Central State and Eastern Wilderness are requesting an audience.”

Gu Changge raised an eyebrow.

He initially planned to decline, but he was bored. “Let them come up.”

Perhaps these so-called geniuses could provide some entertainment.

Soon, a large group of young men and women, enveloped in precious light and exuding extraordinary auras, ascended the stairs under the guidance of the Lin Elder.

“Chu Xuan pays his respects to the Young Master!”

Gu Changge’s number one lackey in the Eastern Wilderness, the Taixuan Holy Son Chu Xuan, was at the front of the pack, bowing with an obsequious smile.

Alongside him were other Eastern Wilderness talents who had accompanied Gu Changge on the flying ship. The rest were the local geniuses of the Central State.

They looked at him with shock and excitement. It was their first time being this close to the Young Lord. That divine, oppressive aura compelled sincere reverence from their hearts.

“We pay our respects to the Lord.”

Even Jin Yang, the Holy Son of Jialou—who had just been defending his ‘sworn brother’ moments ago—had no choice but to bow.

“No need for formalities.”

Gu Changge sat at the head seat, nodding slightly. His expression was calm and peaceful, lacking the arrogant airs they had feared.

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief. The rumors were true; the Young Lord was approachable.

One by one, the Heavenly Prides introduced themselves and began to display their talents, desperate to leave a good impression. They were like peacocks fanning their tails, vying for a crumb of attention.

Gu Changge nodded occasionally and offered faint smiles, which only encouraged them further.

The “Proud Daughters of Heaven”—women who were usually treated as goddesses—wore flattering expressions, practically turning into fawning sycophants.

Lin Qiuhan watched this scene with shock.

These were her peers. Yet in front of Gu Changge, they had to kneel and lick just like everyone else.

It was an eye-opening experience.

But what struck her most was the contrast. Gu Changge’s attitude toward her was completely different from his attitude toward this flock of admirers.

The realization made her feel flattered and overwhelmed.

Young Master Gu… treats me differently.