Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

1The golden wisps grew brighter and stronger as they continued to eat their fill of the fish skewers. And once they finished, Xiao Yin, Hei Yue, and Liang Wei looked up from their plates, staring out into the forests.       2

"Their eyes... they look strange... as if something possessed them all of a sudden."     

Ming Yue watched them charge out into the wild without a single warning, leaving her with Hongyu.      

"Hm, I suppose they want to move around a bit", she thought.      

She didn't stop them and looked at Hongyu, who suddenly yawned after having her share of dinner.      

"Seems like you're still a bit sleepy, let's go inside and sleep."     

The child nodded, standing up and walking towards Ming Yue, Grabbing her hand, she pulled the young woman along who was a bit surprised by the act. But she let herself get pulled along, following Hongyu back into the house.      

Her other hand pointed and the fire and flicked, extinguishing the flames from afar.      

It didn't take long for Ming Yue to tuck the little girl into bed, making sure that everything was set. However, there was one thing left that Hongyu wanted. She looked at Ming Yue, holding a tight grasp on her sleeve. She didn't want her to go, she wanted her by her side and the young woman obliged.      

Soon falling asleep, Hongyu still had a grasp on Ming Yue's sleeve but she didn't mind it. Rather, she looked at the little girl's sleeping face, stroking her hair at the same time.      

"Nights like these aren't so bad. As important as it is to keep check of the beast-kin, neglecting Hongyu isn't a very good thing", she thought to herself.      

Tilting her head, Ming Yue studied her face a bit closely, looking at the large cheeks and eyes.      

"Even after all this time, I still know very little about you", she muttered to herself.      

"Her aura is quite strange, isn't it?"  Xue Yue suddenly commented.      

"Now that she's grown stronger, it's much easier to discern. She certainly isn't like other humans", Ming Yue responded.      

"I suppose so. She's human but at the same time, there's something about her that isn't quite human."     

"Right, something about her aura is strange. The fact that she was able to absorb the Aureate Koi's energy with no issue while those three had to move around. It's as if her body was made for cultivation. But even after exploring a few of those ruins, I've yet to find anything about her and the best place to check is probably the beast-kin's archives."      

"Hah, we can't exactly go there at the moment, Ming Yue,"     

"I know but for her to have such unknown origins. It makes me wonder why anyone would want to keep her in that room, all the way at the lowest level of those ruins."     

Xue Yue sighed at the word of her counterpart.      

"Hah, I can't say I don't feel a bit curious. She's smart, she understands what you say and can write but doesn't speak. All she needs to do is watch you a few times to copy your movements. It doesn't matter if it's learning about medicine or swordsmanship practice, she can comprehend it all at a quick pace", she said.      

"Right, right, it makes me wonder if she's actually human at all."     

Ming Yue continued to look at Hongyu's sleeping face and suddenly chuckled.      

"Hah, human or not, you can't deny that she's a child, a very cute one at that."     

Staying by her side, the young woman crossed her legs to cultivate for the rest of the night.      

Meanwhile, the wild was in an uproar as three particular beasts were running wild across the North. In fact, the commotion had gone to a point where that scouting of the Ruishi Clan had been swept up in the chaos.      

"Gah! What is this?! Why are all these beasts running amok? It's practically a wild massacre!"     

"We can't continue like this, it's too dangerous! We have to retreat immediately."     

All of them were gathered together, hidden within a thicket of bushes while chaos ensued around them. One of them peeked out and their eyes widened in shock before pulling back.      

It was a terrifying scene indeed. Some beasts had long fled while most fought to the very end. They gathered together against a common enemy.      

"An owl, a fox, and a Twin-Tailed Mao... To think these three can take on dozens of Savage Beasts on their own! Each one of them might be as strong as a member of the Reclamation Divison, stronger even!" they said.     

The trio worked together as a team, transforming into a devasting force.     

Liang Wei took on the brunt of the attacks, clawing and biting. his two tails whipped around, throwing the small beasts back. Xiao Yin dealt with anything in the skies while also providing support, launching waves of energy from her talons. And then Hei Yue, being the swift fox he is, sowed more chaos, running around the legs of the enemy and causing them to attack one another.      

They may have been outnumbered but in front of their strength and teamwork, that advantage was meaningless.     

"Was the North this terrifying?! For there to be a battle like this? I don't remember there being anything like this. Sure there are territorial battles but one of this scale?! Never!"     

"We can't stay here. We must retreat, leader!"     

The one in charge was quiet, weighing his options, thinking as quickly as he could. It was hard for them to keep calm, even more so with their lives at risk.      

"How are we going to come out of this alive?" he thought to himself.      

But there just wasn't enough time. A loud roar echoed out as one of the beasts fell over beside them, crushing their hiding space and revealing them to the beasts. A few had already taken notice of them.      

"Damn it, run!"     

They bolted out with their weapons on hand, sprinting as fast as possible and as far as possible. But a crescent-shaped wave of light flew just passed them, carving into the ground as Xiao Yin gave chase.     

"Keep running, don't look back! Just because we've caught the attention of the owl doesn't mean that we'll die!" the leader shouted but received no response.      

His men didn't even have the luxury of agreeing, they just continued their escape, running through the wild. They jumped over tree roots, evaded other beasts, and ran around the trees. All while Xiao Yin rained down a barrage of light, cutting through everything.      

Nothing could escape the eyes of this owl, not even them.      

And if things didn't take a turn for the worst, something else happened.  As they ran and ran, their surroundings began to darken with every passing second.     

"This... what is this?! Black fog?! It doesn't matter! We might be blinded but we still have our other senses! Keep running!"     

The leader of the group might have been unshaken by this but others weren't so lucky.      

"Agh! My legs! I can't, I can't move!"      

"Whose there? Show yourself! Raaghh!"     

A shadowy figure moved within the black fog, tearing at the ankles of the unfortunate scouts. And in their blinded state, they could no longer think right, swinging their weapons wildly and striking each other.      

"What are you doing? Whose attacking me?"      

"Who are you?! Stop it! Just run! Agh!"     

Only their leader remained, finally escaping the tendrils of the black fog. Gritting his teeth, he ran as fast as he could, his eyes showed nothing but desperation now     

"Shit, shit, shit! I should've listened, anything would've been better than this hellhole."     

There was nothing but regret within him but at least, he had escaped. However, he did not come out unscathed as he let down his guard a bit too early. Slowing for just a moment, a wave of light flew through him, cutting off his arm and a bit of his shoulder.      

"Agh-"     

He screamed for just a moment and bit down hard to stop himself. He was in agony but he continued his escape while Xiao Yin and Hei Yue stopped their chase.     

Finally satisfying themselves, the duo returned to Liang Wei before going back to their home.