Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"Liang Wei, you should go along with her, make sure that she's safe."     

The little cat beast mewed before growing in size, becoming large enough for Hongyu to ride on. Walking by the little girl, Liang Wei wrapped around her, nuzzling her cheek.      

Both Xiao Yin and Hei Yue stayed by the young cultivator's side though they looked at Hongyu in sadness. Mewing and chirping as if to say that they'll miss her.      

Ming Yue looked at the two before glancing over to the elders and nodding.      

Of the three, Elder Hua came forward and held her hand out for Hong Yu to hold. Rather than take on the appearance of a beautiful woman, she was in her original form, an old woman wearing a set of fancy robes, complete with jewels and other trinkets.     

She looked at Hongyu, smiling while waiting for her.     

"Come on then little one, it's time to go. It won't be for long before Ming Yue will come back to you."      

Running towards the elders, Hongyu saw them all give out warm smiles. Despite spending time with them all, she was reluctant to go, slowly raising her hand to grab Elder Hua's.      

The group turned to leave as Ming Yue and the others stayed behind.      

Walking out of the tea shop, Hongyu glanced back at the young cultivator, who watched them go. The group of four stepped out into the streets where floating carriages were awaiting them, most likely to bring them back to Heaven's Gate.      

Ming Yue walked out and stood by the doorway as the carriages suddenly lifted up into the sky and flew away.      

It didn't take long for them to fly out of sight but Ming Yue still watched. But then Xue Yue's voice echoed in her mind.      

"She'll do fine, now let's go. We've got people to kill."     

Despite the reassuring words, Xue Yue couldn't hide the excitement in her voice.      

"Right, right, let's just wait and see how Ying Yi's plan plays out", she replied.      

As it would seem, there were a few unwelcome visitors coming to see the remains of the original branch. But soon enough, the number would grow as news of a "cursed land appearing where the remains were" made its way into everyone's ears.      

Truly, the power of a member of the Azure Wind Intelligence Guild could not be underestimated. It had spread to every corner of the Human Continent! It even reached the ears of those in the Demon and the Beast Continent as evidenced by a certain someone residing there.      

"What? A cursed land?! That's ridiculous! How could it be a cursed land that caused it to disappear?!"     

Sitting in a lavish room, Bai Meng leaned forward with an indignant look at a masked member of the Huxian Tribe, who relayed the news to her.      

Wearing a fox mask, they knelt down in front of her and looked up.      

"Yes, this recent news has reached all three continents and since it relates to you, we believed it be best to tell you", they responded.      

She narrowed her eyes before looking up, picking off a grape from a platter of fruit beside her.      

"Hmph, this rumor is obviously a lie but who would do such a thing? Why would they hide the truth of what happened?"      

Bai Meng muttered to herself before looking at the masked individual.      

"You can go now."     

"Of course."     

Standing up, they bowed in front of her before leaving the room. Bai Meng paid no attention to them, eating the fruit leisurely.     

"Getting here was a bit of a pain but at least I'm here now. Hmm, the Huxian Tribe... I had figured that it was a trap of some sort but even then, who would want to join them in their own power struggle?"     

She looked at the closed doors, narrowing her eyes before turning away, facing the window on the other wall. Opening and closing her hands, Bai Meng frowned with dissatisfaction.      

"Still, coming here was better than hiding there. I still haven't recovered much of my strength but I'm better now. At the very least, I can hold my own against other Earth Realm Cultivators. But for these beast-kin... they're quite strong and the resources here are different but I'll make do."     

Her hands suddenly balled up into fists.     

"The sooner I regain my strength, the better. I can restart here, maybe even reach the Sky Realm. If they plan on using me then I have to use them as well."      

Her expression hardened as she was filled with determination.      

Outside of her room and elsewhere, Huxian Qie was in her quarters, a room much larger and more lavish compared to Bai Meng's room. She laid on a lounge chair, staring at a few documents while several tribe members gently fanned her.      

The fox-kin looked up and turned around, seeing the masked individual kneeling in front of her.      

"So then, how is our guest?" she asked.      

Huxian Qie wasn't wearing the face scarf anymore, revealing her true appearance. Aside from her fox eyes, she had the look of a mature woman, alluring and teasing. Her hair was decorated with several hairpins that worked to keep her reddish-orange hair up and the nape of her neck was fully uncovered.      

The scout unmasked, revealing a young man with fox eyes.      

"She seemed somewhat outraged, Elder. According to her words, that rumor was a lie", he answered.      

"Is that so? Go verify it for me then and make sure to send me a new report on the other tribes. By the looks of it, Ruishi Wang might have hired a few cultivators already though it's good to know that his son is still out there with the other Zodiacs."      

"Yes, elder."      

Putting his mask back on, the scout lowered his head before turning to leave.      

Once it was just her and her attendants, she went back to reading documents. But after a few seconds, she stopped and sighed, looking up from them.      

"Leave me, the fanning has given me a bit of a headache now."     

The fanning stopped as they all lowered their tools and looked down at the ground, leaving her room. Now it was just her, lounging on her chair in silence.      

Her eyes were closed as she took a deep breath.      

"Haah, damn it, out of all the people we've scouted, only one of them accepted. And all she has been doing is eating into our resources. I did make a few requests but it doesn't even seem like she's done anything at all."     

There was a look of irritation on her face as she looked back at the papers once more.      

"And that stupid old lion has just been flaunting everything he had to bring people to his side. But I'm not going to let him take over the 'Den' like this. He could gain control over the three divisions just like that."      

Without even noticing, she began to bite at her thumb, chewing the nail as her expression seemed rather hateful.      

"And the other tribes have already begun to pick up, sending out their own invitations. I have to get ahead somehow. I'm not going to let that damn lion win against me."      

Huxian Qie began to think.     

What could she do? What was the best approach to her situation?      

She wanted results, she wanted to win but what should her next move be?     

And then it hit her.     

"Why bother wasting resources searching for manpower in the other continents when the other tribes are already doing it for me? They're already doing most of the work, I just need to bring them to me."     

Her mouth curled into a smile as she thought about it some more. Standing up from her chair, she dropped the documents onto her desk and walked out.      

"Someone bring me a list of everyone that the other Tribes have recruited, especially those from the Ruishi Tribe."