Yueye's Strange Behavior

It was unknown how much time had passed.

[Ding! A Devil Race squad has been detected approaching the borders of the Moon Demon Race territory. Divine Choice initiated!]

The system's voice exploded in his mind.

Xuan Ye snapped his eyes open.

[Choice 1: Take the initiative and annihilate the Devil Race squad. Reward: Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power +0.5, Revenge Evolution progress +3%.]

[Choice 2: Ignore them and wait to see how the situation develops. Reward: Revenge Evolution progress +0.1%.]

"I choose one."

Xuan Ye recited silently in his heart, his body moving as he prepared to rise.

"Young Master Xuan Ye?" Yue Chen and Yue Xing were startled by his sudden movement.

"I'm going out for a moment."

Before the words had even faded, Xuan Ye's figure turned into a blur. Activating Instantaneous Movement Steps, he vanished outside the door.

At the edge of the Moon Demon Race territory, in a hidden mountain hollow.

A caravan consisting of five members of the Devil Race was stopped here. The Lesser Demon leading them was kicking stones under his feet impatiently, cursing the shameless behavior of the Moon Demon Race for not selling grain at the agreed-upon price.

A figure appeared silently behind them.

It was Xuan Ye.

He was just about to activate his Chaos Spirit Furnace when a familiar aura drifted over from further behind.

Yueye?

Why would she be here?

Xuan Ye's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of awkwardness arose.

The ones he was about to kill were, after all, potential business partners of the Moon Demon Race.

However, the word "customer" did not exist in Yueye's eyes.

She didn't even spare a glance at those Lesser Demons. From the moment she appeared, her gaze was locked firmly onto Xuan Ye's back.

She simply raised her hand casually.

A force of pure moonlight erupted from her palm, resembling a tangible ribbon of light that instantly swept across the entire mountain hollow.

There were no screams, no struggles.

Those five members of the Devil Race, along with their mounts, quietly disintegrated within the moonlight, turning into specks of light that dissipated into nothingness.

[Ding! Divine Choice completed!]
[Reward: Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power +0.5, Vengeance Evolution progress +3%]

Having dealt with that squad of the Devil Race, Yueye flashed and appeared before Xuan Ye.

Her tone carried an unprecedented sense of urgency.

"Why did you suddenly run out?"

Xuan Ye was stunned.

She took another step forward, her fair fingers gripping his arm tightly, her eyes filled with nervousness and lingering fear.

"Don't you know how dangerous it is to run out like this? What if you had encountered a powerful member of the Devil Race? What would you have done if you were hurt?"

Her voice was trembling.

The next moment, as if to confirm something, Yueye began to frantically check him over with both hands, from his shoulders to his chest, and then to his back.

Her movements were hurried, even losing their usual composure.

"Are you okay?"

"Are you alright?"

She repeated these words over and over again. In those beautiful eyes surged an emotion that Xuan Ye could not understand—one that bordered on paranoia.

It was as if him losing a single strand of hair would be a catastrophe of heaven-collapsing proportions.

The feeling of being held in such high regard by someone sent a wave of warmth through Xuan Ye's heart.

He could clearly perceive how much Yueye valued him, yet he did not delve deeper into the heavy and twisted meaning hidden behind that regard...

However, before that warmth could even melt within his heart.

Xuan Ye sensed that something was wrong.

Yueye's expression had changed.

It was still that stunningly beautiful face, still that gentle smile, but deep within those eyes, a pitch-black darkness surged that made a chill run down his spine.

She gently pulled him into her embrace.

Her body was soft, and the delicate fragrance from her hair drifted into his nostrils.

Yet the words she whispered against his ear made the blood in Xuan Ye's veins slow by half a beat.

"Little Ye, can you be a good boy and stay at home? Please don't run around, okay?"

Little Ye—what a strange way to address him.

Her tone was exceptionally gentle, carrying a hint of near-supplication.

"I'm begging you, as your sister."

Xuan Ye's body stiffened.

A chill shot from his tailbone straight to his crown; he didn't dare ask a single word more.

Returning to their residence.

Yueye personally brought Xuan Ye to the Cultivation Room.

The spiritual energy inside the room was so dense it was almost tangible, and the few Moonlight Stones embedded in the corners of the walls emitted a soft halo of light.

Yueye took out a spirit herb that was translucent white all over and radiated a faint starlight from her Storage Ring, then produced a Demon Core wreathed in wisps of black mist.

"This is Starlight Grass; it can stabilize your spiritual power. This is a Shadow Leopard's Demon Core, which will be beneficial for your Dark Attribute."

She handed the items to Xuan Ye and patiently gave him a few pointers on the keys to circulating spiritual power during cultivation.

Every detail was explained with absolute clarity.

She was attentive to the point of tenderness.

But just when Xuan Ye thought the guidance was over, Yueye spoke once more.

"Little Ye, you shouldn't go out anymore after this."

Her voice remained gentle.

"If you want to become stronger, I will train you personally, and I'll have Yue Chen and Yue Xing spar with you as well."

She stared at Xuan Ye, saying each word clearly and deliberately.

"I'm begging you, please don't run around anymore, okay?"

A dusty memory flashed through Yueye's mind.

When she was young, she had been just as playful, sneaking out of the clan territory and causing her father, Lord Agareus, to search for her everywhere in a state of frantic anxiety.

In the end, the elders of the clan used it as an excuse to publicly accuse her father of "failing to discipline his child." That scene of humiliation was still branded deep within her soul to this day.

She would never allow the same thing to happen to Xuan Ye... to little Ye.

Every single possibility, no matter how small, had to be snuffed out.

She stared stubbornly at Xuan Ye.

Her gaze seemed to say that if Xuan Ye dared to utter a single "no," something irreversible would happen.

Xuan Ye looked into her eyes, and that chill in his heart surfaced once again.

He was certain that if he refused, the consequences would be absolutely terrifying.

He nodded.

"Fine, I'll stay here obediently."

As the words fell, the stubbornness in Yueye's eyes instantly melted away.

A pure smile bloomed on her face, her brows relaxing as she stepped forward to embrace Xuan Ye once more.

"Good boy."

She patted his head gently, as if soothing a frightened little beast.

Xuan Ye was stunned.

Being held by her like this, the chill in his heart gradually dissipated.

He closed his eyes slightly, and in a daze, he felt that this embrace was just as warm as Cai'er's.

As for what Yueye was actually thinking, he couldn't be bothered to delve into it.

He no longer called her "Sister Yueye," but simply leaned into the crook of her shoulder and whispered.

"Sister."

Cai'er was clearly about the same age as him.

Calling her "Mom" or anything like that was too embarrassing.

But... "Sister" was fine.

The night passed without incident.

Xuan Ye couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to go out and "level up" by taking on missions.

Sure enough.

The following night, perhaps because the injuries within his body had mostly recovered under the nourishment of the rare medicinal herbs, the system resumed its normal task frequency.

In the dead of night, the notification chime rang right on time.

[Ding! Host status recovered. Divine Choice initiated!]

[Undead Demon Race scouts have been detected in the nearby forest, investigating the reality of the Moon Demon Race's granary.]

[Option 1: Sneak out and slay all scouts. Reward: Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power +1, Vengeance Evolution progress +8%.]

[Option 2: Inform Yueye of the intelligence. Reward: Vengeance Evolution progress +1%.]

[Option 3: Ignore the matter. Reward: Vengeance Evolution progress +0.01%.]