Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"See it to the end, no matter what..."

Ling Xue went into deep thought, thinking of what Ming Yue said. 

Ming Yue placed a hand on her shoulder and stood up to go, leaving Ling Xue with some last words. 

"Perhaps, my words helped you or maybe it has no meaning to you at all, Ling Xue. But I believe that you should do what you believe in. Even if you fear what comes next, see it to the end."

As she walked away, the Yao Princess looked to her. 

"This responsibility of yours, this search... Do you think that it is worth it? Do you not feel as though you should abandon it?" she asked.

Ming Yue stopped in her steps and turned around. 

"If I abandon it all, then the progress I had made is all in vain."

"Even if it will be so in the end?"

"If it ends in vain, so be it. I will find solace in knowing that I have done all I could."

She then left, leaving Ling Xue to ponder on her own.

Despite the ongoing festivities, Ming Yue left quite early, letting Hei Yue and Xiao Yin to run around the city. Leaving the hustle and bustle, she walked through the quieter streets, thinking back on her words. 

"If it was all in vain..." she muttered. 

That sprout of doubt from before was beginning to grow. 

"A rather sad conversation you just had. You, yourself, doubt your choices and actions. Dony forget I\'m in your mind, I hear everything."

Xue Yue\'s voice stopped her thoughts. 

"Is it wrong? To doubt myself?" Ming Yue asked.

"Doubt is what kills. Hesitation in a fight means death. You know that do you not?"

"What of it? That disciple... I did not kill him, I murdered him. How can I stay unbothered when I\'ve done such a thing?"

"Him? You\'ve killed over a hundred, probably several hundred other people ad countless other beasts! How does he matter to you? Because you used words? What of it? He is just one more head to your count."

"Even if he needed to die, killing him like that... Who deserves to die feeling grief and betrayal like that?"

"He\'s dead. There\'s no point in feeling remorse. I do not know what else you want but that is it."

"This..."

Ming Yue stopped herself and let the conversation go. 

She might be this strong warrior but in the end, she is only barely a young woman. Where was she now? In the midst of a war. Not even eighteen years old but tasked with a heavy burden

"Is this what I want?" she thought. 

Ming Yue had no answer to this. Walking through the quiet streets, she did her own pondering, reflecting on herself. In the end, she pushed it aside, unable reach an answer. It was not indecisiveness but a lack of understanding that barred her.

Returning to her room, Ming Yue unfurled her map and began plotting her course. She marked the map with the symbol of Tao Feng on the locations that she acquired. 

"If the Tao Feng Sect Leader cannot survive without the help of his disciples, they should be the next ones."

Looking over the Boundless Beast Forest, it was placed at the center of the continent and covered much of it. It seemed to be as large as one of the Six Kingdoms in the Human Continent but the Demon Continent was much larger than that. 

"If I go south, I could go to the forest, then the lake and finally move towards the west for the temple. With none of them able to complete their mission, the plan would fall through."

WIth that, she confirmed her next destination, marking the forest. Rolling it away, she suddenly heard a sound. 

"Who would come at a time like this? When everyone is celebrating?" she thought.

Slinking into the dark corners of her room, she blew out the lights and hid among the shadows. From the cracks of the door, she noticed a tube sticking through it, suffusing the room with a sweet smell. 

Ming Yue took a small whiff, wrinkling her nose at the scent. 

"Sleeping poison..."

Creating a gentle breeze, she quietly opened the window, funneling the poison out and waiting for someone to enter. 

Moments later, the poison stopped as the doors cracked open. Several men entered, a few of the clansmen whom Ming Yue had recognized to be some of the elders. They looked around, shuffling through the room as they did not bother to see if Ming Yue was even asleep. 

She watched them, evidently understanding that they were not here to kill her. 

The doors closed behind them as Ming Yue emerged from the darkness. Wind needles formed by the dozens as they moved, surrounding the necks of everyone like a neck cuff. 

"Why are you here?" she asked. 

None of them dared to move or even turn their heads, having noticed the needles being dangerously close to their throats. 

But the elder spoke quickly. 

"You suddenly vanish and reappear as if nothing has happened in the Realm of the Red Eyed Moon. I found it suspicious and felt that you were hiding something! Perhaps, you\'ve obtained something from the Heavenly Slayer!"

The needles came ever so closer to his neck, threatening to ear it apart. 

"So you felt the need the act like this? she asked, adding a menacing tone to her words. 

However, the elder snorted and snapped back, his voice quick and irritable. 

"How can we trust you? A former enemy of the Princess and the Lord Ancestor? Not to mention the way you killed those other demons, even your own kind! How can the clan be so sure that you do not hide any malicious intent? Perhaps those two vouch for you but you cannot expect everyone else to do so after seeing what you\'ve done in there."

Ming Yue was slightly taken aback, realizing that someone must have seen her kill the other disciples, but she stood firm. 

"Not to mention grudges, this is a war. If I have to kill in such a way then so be it. As for the secret realm, if you think I was sent to the Heavenly Slayer\'s abode, then you are correct. However, there were no treasures or secrets inside. All I did was wander there until I was sent out. I\'m sure that you have all realized that I\'ve found nothing."

"Then information, you must have learned something! I\'m sure of it."

She shook her head, hiding what she had learned.

"What have I found out that both clans don\'t already know? 

"That, that can\'t be? You just wandered there? How is that possible?"

"It does not matter anymore, I will no longer be apart of this. You will be freed once I am gone."

Ming Yue quickly gathered her things and flew out of the windows. She whistled for Hei Yue and Xiao Yin and the trio gathered outside of the Yao Clan\'s territory. 

"Let\'s depart, it is no longer safe here", she said to them. 

The two beasts were somewhat confused but followed nonetheless. They looked back at the Yao Clan somewhat longingly, as if wanting to explore more but their bellies were full and they were satisfied to a degree. 

"I really cannot side with either clan", Ming Yue thought. 

As for the Yao Clan, the those that broke into her room were set free but faced punishment later on for chasing away Ling Xue\'s guest. As much as that elder believed that Ming Yue was hiding something, the matter was put down. But Ling Xue was ever so closer to reaching the end of the Heavenly Slayer\'s Trial. 

From where the two clans were to the Boundless Beast Forest, the trip took a month or so as the trio moved quickly. Unfortunately, the trip was more than eventful as she stopped at the smaller camps and outposts. At this point, she was within the midst of the heavier conflicts, aiding the Five Armies whether it was through battle or healing. 

Eventually, a name began to circulate through the Five Armies, Fairy of the Moon.