Villain System: Stealing the Protagonist's Harem and Luck

Chapter 62: The Severed Bond

Gu Changge looked down at Ye Chen with a playful, condescending smile, as if observing a particularly interesting ant.

The gaze made Ye Chen’s head buzz. But it was Gu Changge’s familiar greeting to Yan Ji that nearly made him black out. A mouthful of stagnant blood rose in his throat, threatening to spill over.

Although Ye Chen had harbored suspicions about his Master’s loyalty, he had clung to a sliver of hope.

Gu Changge’s words ruthlessly shattered that hope.

Fury consumed Ye Chen. He trembled, almost hurling the ring in his hand against the wall.

If there wasn’t a connection between them, why would Gu Changge greet her so casually? Why use the tone of an old acquaintance?

Was it because the dagger was finally drawn? Was there no need to pretend anymore?

How else could he explain it? How did Gu Changge track him through the labyrinth, arriving the instant he opened the door?

“No wonder you’ve been so silent lately,” Ye Chen roared, his voice cracking with betrayal. He glared at the ring. “Is it guilt? I treated you like a Master, like family! And you conspired with my enemy to destroy me?”

He gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, shouting through the pain of a broken heart.

Watching the scene unfold, Gu Changge mentally applauded himself.

Excellent.

One little nudge, and Ye Chen exploded. Brains were a luxury for protagonists, it seemed—especially when they were blinded by jealousy.

Inside the ring, Yan Ji froze.

She had intended to remain neutral. She didn’t want to help Ye Chen fight Gu Changge, nor did she want to help Gu Changge hurt her disciple. But hearing Ye Chen’s accusation, she was stunned.

What does he mean?

She knew Ye Chen had been suspicious of her recently, but she never imagined it had rotted to this extent.

She had never left the ring. She had been with him every second. How could she possibly have informed Gu Changge?

He didn’t reflect on his own mistakes. He didn’t suspect external factors. Instead, his first instinct was to accuse her?

Heh.

Yan Ji was aloof by nature, but that didn’t mean she lacked emotions.

And right now, she wasn’t just angry. She was utterly cold. Her heart had turned to ash.

The void blurred. A figure materialized in the hall—a woman in a flowing red dress, her beauty breathtaking, her aura blazing like fire. Yet, her expression was colder than the deepest winter.

“You have disappointed me,” Yan Ji said softly.

“I never thought… that this is how you saw me.”

“From this day forward, the bond of master and disciple between us is severed.”

She looked at Ye Chen with eyes like blood-red glass. There was no anger in them anymore, only disappointment.

Her words were devoid of emotion, spoken with a terrifying indifference.

Years of guidance, of protection, of care… all wasted. Even a dog would show gratitude after so many years.

Sometimes, people were truly lesser than beasts.

Hearing her words, Ye Chen’s mind burned with rage. He glared back, his ego refusing to accept fault.

“Severed? Good! A fine ‘severed’!” Ye Chen sneered, though his heart felt like it was being ripped apart. “You conspired with Gu Changge to deal with me, and now that you’ve been exposed, you finally show your true colors?”

Why? Why is this happening?

Su Qingge betrayed me. Now Master betrays me. Will Ye Liuli be next?

The chasm between them, widened by weeks of suspicion, finally cracked open. The break was absolute.

“Senior Yan Ji’s elegance remains peerless,” Gu Changge interrupted, his voice smooth and warm. “In fact, your complexion looks even better than before.”

He acted as if he hadn’t just witnessed the destruction of their relationship. He smiled at Yan Ji, the picture of a polite junior.

His methods weren’t sophisticated, but they were lethal. He had played on Ye Chen’s fear of death and jealousy, and on Yan Ji’s vulnerable state as a remnant soul.

For a possessive man like Ye Chen, the idea of another man—especially a superior one—coveting “his” people was intolerable.

[Ding! Ye Chen and his Master have severed their bond. Luck Points decreased by 200. Destiny Points increased by 1,000.]

The System prompt rang in Gu Changge’s mind. He ignored it.

Everything was proceeding as foreseen.

He had said he wanted Ye Chen’s beautiful Master. Now, he was simply collecting.

Yan Ji looked at Gu Changge, her expression softening. “Young Master Gu flatters me. It is all thanks to your Spirit Gathering Pill. Without it… relying on Ye Chen, who knows when I could have stabilized my soul? I likely would have dissipated long ago.”

There was a hint of provocation in Gu Changge’s words, she knew. But she didn’t dislike it.

Compared to Ye Chen’s paranoid accusations, Gu Changge’s open admiration felt refreshing. It felt… respectful.

Ye Chen’s face turned green. Hearing them talk like this, right in front of him, made him grind his teeth until they creaked.

Yan Ji didn’t even glance at him.

Her heart was dead to this disciple. He had torn off all pretense; why should she hold back? Her words might have been emotional, but they were also the truth.

“It seems Ye Chen’s misunderstanding runs deep,” Gu Changge said, feigning surprise. He wouldn’t miss a chance to rub salt in the wound.

Yan Ji shook her head. “Misunderstanding or not… it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“A pity,” Gu Changge sighed, looking self-reproachful. “It seems my greeting caused him to think you leaked his location. That was my fault.”

He played the good guy flawlessly.

At this moment, Gu Changge certainly wouldn’t reveal the truth. That would be boring. He wanted Yan Ji to switch sides willingly, right in front of Ye Chen’s eyes.

Yan Ji blinked. Her eyes reddened slightly.

Compared to Ye Chen’s viciousness, Gu Changge’s “apology” struck a chord in her heart. He was defending her. He understood her grievance.

“Gu Changge!” Ye Chen roared. “You despicable villain! Stop pretending!”

“You and my Master plotted this together! Don’t think I don’t know! You want me to open the hall for you, right?”

Ye Chen’s killing intent surged. He gripped the compass-key, preparing to activate the palace’s traps. As the key-holder, he could control the formations here. Combined with his strength, he might have a chance against a suppressed Gu Changge.

Heh. Not completely stupid, then.

Gu Changge glanced at him, unbothered.

He continued speaking to Yan Ji, his tone filled with regret. “Having such a master… he doesn’t know how to cherish you. Instead, he wounds you at every turn.”

“Back in the dungeon, I invited you to join me, but you refused out of loyalty. I thought then that a woman of such character was rare indeed.”

“When he was at his lowest, you didn’t abandon him. What did you ask for in return? Nothing.”

“Now that he’s about to obtain a powerful inheritance, now that he has backing… he discards you.”

Gu Changge turned his gaze to Ye Chen, his smile turning cruel.

“As for how I found you… why don’t you think about yourself? I let you escape multiple times. Did you never find that strange?”

“Ye Chen, oh Ye Chen. Do you think you deserve to die now?”

Gu Changge enjoyed the process. Killing the body was easy; killing the heart was art.

Truth mixed with lies. Ye Chen couldn’t tell the difference anymore.

“Young Master Gu… please, say no more,” Yan Ji whispered, her voice trembling.

She hadn’t expected him to understand her so well. The coldness in her heart began to melt, replaced by a touch of warmth.

If she had accepted his offer back in the dungeon… would she have been spared this heartbreak?

Perhaps… it isn’t too late?

If Young Master Gu doesn’t mind…

“Gu Changge! Stop slandering me!” Ye Chen shouted, his face pale. “I never thought that! You’re making it up!”

But Gu Changge’s words were like a scalpel, cutting straight to the truth Ye Chen tried to hide.

Now that I have the inheritance… is a remnant soul master useless to me?

The thought buzzed in his head. Was his possessiveness just that? Possession? Did he ever truly respect her?

“Young Master Gu,” Yan Ji said suddenly, her voice firm. “If you do not mind… Yan Ji is willing to follow you.”

Ye Chen’s brain short-circuited.

His face turned a vibrant shade of green.

“Bitch…” he hissed.

Pfft!

Before the word could fully leave his mouth, a golden palm materialized out of thin air. Gu Changge slapped him.

Runes condensed into a heavy millstone, smashing into Ye Chen’s chest. He flew backward, vomiting blood.

Just like before. No resistance.

“So noisy,” Gu Changge said, dusting off his hand. He looked down at Ye Chen with that familiar, lofty indifference.

Then, he turned to Yan Ji, his expression shifting back to a gentle, spring-breeze smile.

“If Senior Yan Ji is willing to follow me, then I am naturally delighted to welcome you.”

[Ding! Yan Ji has submitted. Luck Points +400. Destiny Points +2,000.]

400 points. A massive harvest.

Gu Changge inwardly praised the situation. Without Ye Chen’s idiocy, winning Yan Ji over would have taken much more effort.

“Young Master Gu, please… just call me Yan Ji,” she said softly, moved by his acceptance. “Compared to your race, I am not that old. ‘Senior’ sounds… strange.”

“Alright,” Gu Changge laughed, radiating the charm of a perfect gentleman. “Yan Ji it is.”

He waved his hand.

A piece of crystal-clear jade appeared. It glowed with a soft, divine light, interwoven with complex spirit-nourishing patterns.

“Divine Grade Soul Nourishing Jade?” Yan Ji gasped. “Young Master Gu… this is too precious.”

“A broken ring is no place for you,” Gu Changge said casually. As a wealthy young master from the Upper Realm, throwing around treasures was second nature. “Consider it a housewarming gift.”

The jade was worth several Heavenly God artifacts, but to him, it was a small price for a powerful ally.

“Thank you, Young Master.”

Yan Ji didn’t hesitate. Her form dissolved into a wisp of crimson smoke, leaving the ring and flowing into the jade. The jade pulsed warmly, turning a soft red.

Ye Chen, lying in a pool of his own blood, watched the transaction.

Humiliation. Rage. Madness.

They were talking as if he didn’t exist. She had left him—left the ring he had worn for years—for a piece of jade from his worst enemy.

“Gu Changge…”

Ye Chen’s eyes dripped blood. He gripped the compass-key, pouring every ounce of his remaining spiritual energy into it.

“Die together!”