Gong Mingyue's expression flickered slightly. Now he couldn't even hide his emotions in front of her?

"Jiu'er, I want you to look at me, remember every smile and frown, every little detail, and even the scent on my body." Gong Mingyue moved the hand that was on her cheek to her chin, lifting it slightly so that she could look into his eyes.

Ji Jiuying was a little confused, but she still nodded. "A-Yue, I will always remember your every smile, every detail, and even your scent."

Gong Mingyue hugged her tightly, "Jiu'er didn't sleep for long just now, so sleep a little longer now."

Before Ji Jiuying could answer, her feet lightened, and the next second she was back in bed, where someone hugged her from behind without any hesitation.

"you······"

"Jiu'er, if you don't go to sleep soon, I can't guarantee what I might do next."

Upon hearing this, Ji Jiuying obediently closed her eyes and dared not move again.

Soon, even breathing came from beneath her. Gong Mingyue carefully turned her over and quietly gazed at her peaceful sleeping face.

Nothing was said that night.

The next morning, Ji Jiuying rubbed her eyes and opened them to find someone watching her. She was clinging to Gong Mingyue like an octopus, which startled Ji Jiuying so much that she quickly shrank back into the covers.

Gong Mingyue scooped her up, looking at her with a half-smile, "What? Jiu'er doesn't want to take responsibility for me?"

Ji Jiuying glared at him. "Benefit my ass! Even if something happened, she'd be the one who suffers! Besides, they're completely innocent and pure!"

"Alright, Jiu'er, get up, wash up, and have some porridge!"

Gong Mingyue scooped her up in his arms, helped her dress, and styled her hair...

"Ah Yue, when did you learn all this?"

Gong Mingyue paused for a moment, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face, as he recalled the suppressed laughter of his subordinates when he had consulted Ziyu.

"I am self-taught!"

As he spoke, he picked up the lip rouge from the table, lightly dabbed a little with his fingertip, and his eyes fell on her lips. He rubbed his fingertip back and forth on her soft lips, and his gaze became deep and profound.

Gong Mingyue's eyes gleamed with desire, and his throat bobbed.

However, just as he was about to go further, his hand was grabbed by Ji Jiuying, "A-Yue, the porridge will get cold if you don't eat it soon!"

Gong Mingyue was taken aback. While he was still in a daze, Ji Jiuying had already sat down and was eating porridge.

After leaving the far northern capital, Ji Jiuying and her companion headed straight for the Monster Forest.

Before we knew it, dusk was approaching again, and the Monster Forest in the distance was already clearly visible.

The sun had already sunk behind the mountains, and the sunset glow was like a splash of oil paint, brilliant but not dazzling. The shadows of the trees stretched long on the ground, looking like black monsters from afar, adding a touch of eeriness and terror to the Monster Forest.

With the powerful sacred beast Fire Qilin by their side, no spirit beast, whether flying in the sky or running on the ground, dared to approach and kept their distance.

The fire qilin slowly landed on an open area in the inner perimeter of the demon beast forest. Gong Mingyue, holding Ji Jiuying's waist, flew down from the fire qilin's body with elegance and nobility, like a god.

They were currently in the inner perimeter of the Demon Beast Forest, near the central forest. This was a place that spiritual cultivators generally dared not come to, and Ji Jiuying had taken advantage of this.

"Jiu'er, this area near the central forest is full of high-level spirit beasts. Are you really okay?" Gong Mingyue ruffled her hair and asked with concern.

Although there was no problem with him there, Jiu'er only allowed him to watch the battle, not to participate.

"Ah Yue, you can do it. Don't forget what you promised me," Ji Jiuying said calmly.

Now she faces increasingly powerful enemies, and she must become stronger as soon as possible. Only by becoming stronger can she protect herself and those around her.

Moreover, with her current strength, she can completely challenge the spirit beasts in the inner circle and improve her strength through battle.

"good."

Gong Mingyue didn't want to agree to her request, but then he thought, isn't this how one gets on the path to becoming stronger?

As if struck by a thought, a completely black sword appeared out of thin air in Gong Mingyue's hand. This sword looked exactly like the night, as if it were an extended version of the night. The only difference was that the back of the hilt was empty.

"Jiu'er, take out that Black Night."

Ji Jiuying didn't understand what he was going to do, so she obediently took out the Black Night sword. Gong Mingyue took the Black Night sword and inserted it into the empty space behind the hilt of the sword. A cold light flashed across the blade, and the Black Night sword and the longsword became one.

"This is..." Ji Jiuying stared in surprise at the darkness. The blade gleamed with a cold light, and its grade seemed to be higher than before.

"Jiu'er, this is the true form of the night. After you form a contract with it, you can control its length with your mind. I didn't give it to you before because you couldn't fully control it back then."

Gong Mingyue explained carefully.

Ji Jiuying nodded in understanding, bit her finger, and placed the blood on the sword in the darkness until it was absorbed.

"Clang!"

A clear, ethereal sound of a sword slicing through the air filled the air, and a new connection appeared in her mind. Ji Jiuying tried to control the night with her thoughts.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Ji Jiuying was overjoyed, recalling her duel with Xuanjing in the previous genius competition, where he had used his mind to control the sword to attack. Now she could do it too. She smiled at Gong Mingyue and said, "A-Yue, thank you."

"Go in."

Gong Mingyue touched her hair, concealing his presence.

Soon, Gong Mingyue transformed into a carefree old man, hiding in a large tree, thoroughly enjoying himself.

He had a strikingly handsome face, as if carved by a knife and axe, and a pair of deep, cold black eyes like an icy pool, seemingly capable of drawing people in and making them unable to extricate themselves. An exquisite black robe concealed his slender figure, and the tassels on the robe seemed to move even without wind, adding to his charisma. In this mountain forest, he seemed almost unreal.

The Monster Forest was shrouded in mist, and night quickly fell. By then, the forest was completely dark, and even the surrounding air felt chilly. The whistling wind and the roars of spirit beasts filled the air.

Ji Jiuying relied on her divine sense to observe her surroundings as she walked forward in search of her target.

Because few people come to the inner area, you can see some spiritual herbs every few steps. Ji Jiuying picked them one by one and put them into her space.

Sudden!

The surroundings were eerily quiet, and the chilling atmosphere sent shivers down her spine. Ji Jiuying cautiously observed her surroundings, feeling as if she were being watched by a vengeful ghost, which made her shudder.

A massive shadow, moving like a whirlwind through the mist, opened its blood-red maw and lunged at Ji Jiuying.

It was incredibly fast, its sharp teeth gleamed with a chilling light, and its eyes were bloodthirsty and bloodthirsty.

Ji Jiuying's pupils constricted, and she dodged at top speed. The beast and the person brushed past each other, her eyes turning cold as she slashed the Black Night sword in her hand directly at the spirit beast.