Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Thinking this, she turned away and shook her head. 

"No, first things first, I need to clean this up and wash myself. Then train and check on Hongyu." 

Planning her day, she went off to clean up what her sleeping self had done. 

"Whoo, nearly got caught there." 

Unsurprisingly, Ming Yue's feeling was wrong as someone had been watching from afar. And the moment she looked, this individual hid immediately, avoiding her gaze. Now that she looked away, they went back to observing the clearing, sitting on top of a tree and watching with interest. 

"Hmm, a human? That shouldn't be possible considering the connection between our three lands was broken. So how?"

This person thought carefully while observing. 

"Should I inform the others?" 

There was a moment of silence for this person before they suddenly chuckled and shook their heads. 

"Of course not, that would ruin the fun. I should at least try having a spar with them first if that human was probably the one that killed the Cloud Leopard I bet. If not then, I'll have to ask a few questions. Interesting, how interesting..."

This observer did nothing but watch. And this individual was none other than the beastman from before, the one that first discovered the remains of Ming Yue's battle. Furthermore, they were a member of the Reclamation Division. 

But compared to being dangerous and battle-hungry as described by Niu Hong, this beastman was calm and in control. 

He scratched his back, watching the clearing with curiosity before noticing something. 

"She's not there", he muttered to himself.

His hand moved in an instant, unsheathing a giant jagged saber just in time to block a sword. There was a clean ring as the blades met before the beastman whistled. His eyes moved to the right, looking at the blade before looking up at its wielder. 

"You really went straight for the neck, didn't you?" he said with a smile. 

Standing behind him was Ming Yue, fully dressed and gazing at him icily. 

"Who are you? Why are you watching us?" she asked. 

"I am no enemy, just a curious mind, wondering why there are humans here. Please put your sword away, I mean you no harm", he said. 

He then turned at looked at her, showing Ming Yue that he was telling the truth. The cultivator kept her eyes on him for a few more seconds before pulling her sword away. 

"If you are not an enemy, then who are you?" 

This mysterious beastman sheathed his saber and stood up. While his figure did not tower over her, he was a head taller than her. But there was more than that. 

His body was more beast-like than human. Although he had arms and legs, they were closer to that of a dragon. Even his head resembled a dragon's, complete with whiskers but no horns. His body was covered in dark red scales and he was dressed in bronze scaled armor. It was not particularly thick but more elegant in design, matching the mountain pattern.*

"I am Ao Qin of the Longwang Tribe, a member of the Reclamation Division. I come with many titles, Red Dragon, Bloody Fencer, and Crown Hunter, whichever one matters to you more."

"A member of the Reclamation Division? What is he doing here? Unless... he came because of what happened with the Four Claws."

And as if knowing her thoughts, Ao Qin answered for her. 

"The commotion brought out by the Amaranthine Lion caught many eyes. And considering how many beasts came because of it, the hunters closest soon arrived, myself included."

He chuckled dusting off his armor while looking at her. 

"We had quite the haul from it, all of those cores and materials, just ripe for the taking. Safe to say, the Reclamation Division and the tribes benefitted greatly. But curiously enough, I noticed traces of a fight far from the main battle, one involving a singly person and a Cloud Leopard. It was short and violent but ultimately, one-sided", said Ao Qin. 

"If that is the case, what does that have to do with me?" 

"Well, although that Cloud Leopard did not evolve yet, it is strong enough to be a danger for even those of the Reclamation Division. A small danger but a danger nonetheless. After examining the battle, I found there were no tracks but I decided to investigate even further and followed the Expedition team here, the Four Claws. I retraced their steps and found this place. While I don't know why you are here, you are certainly the one responsible for killing the Cloud Leopard. Last night's display was certainly proof of that as were your actions just now."

Ao Qin's eyes stayed on her, narrowing as he spoke. 

"So now, I have several options before me. I can leave and report your existence to the elders, capture you and report them, or leave you alone."

The young cultivator slowly motioned for her sword. 

"Which option do you choose?" she asked. 

Although her hand was not on Blood Moon's Hilt, Ming Yue was ready to brandish the blade when she needed it.

Ao Qin laughed aloud. 

"You do not need to be so restless. I can't do the first option. Even an idiot would know that news of your existence will shake the tribes. I'm sure there will be those wanting to know everything about you, those wanting to kill you, and those wanting to use you. Whichever way, they will try to monopolize you with the Savage Lands in mind. That's just too troublesome and the things some people are willing to take are disgraceful." 

His face turned somewhat unsightly as he spoke of this. There was no doubt that some lines have been crossed before. 

"As for the second option, well, heh, considering that you managed to get behind me without my noticing... Capturing you would be much more difficult than I thought. Rather, nigh impossible, at least without losing a limb or two, maybe even my life. I'd rather that not happen so that leads me to my last option, leaving you alone but well encountering you seems like a waste. I can't just leave you alone."

With those last few words, Ming Yue rested her hand on the top of the hilt. While she had yet to release any of her strength, her eyes were enough to send a message, cold and merciless. 

But that did not deter him in the slightest. Ao Qin reached for his saber and looked at her with anticipation and a bit of excitement. 

"I can't leave here without a fight now, can I? If there's a strong opponent, there is only one thing you can do is spar with them!" he said. 

Just as he pulled his saber out, this dragonkin stopped and looked at the clearing. 

"Unfortunately, it seems that there's a little human girl looking for you."

He spoke, pointing down. Ming Yue's eyes followed the direction where he pointed and saw Hongyu, wandering around the clearing and looking for her. Even Hei Yue and Xiao Yin ran about, looking for their missing master. 

"Oh!"

Ming Yue immediately moved but then stopped and looked at Ao Qin. 

"Come with me", she said to him before vanishing. 

Ao Qin merely looked at her and sighed before following Ming Yue. 

"She would probably hunt me down if I ran", he thought before chuckling, "Hah, to think someone like me would be afraid of that, times have changed, haven't they?"

As the young woman came down and landed on the clearing, she saw Hongyu hurriedly running around the clearing, searching for her. Tears had begun to form in her large eyes as the little girl's face was full of worry and fear. 

Suddenly, Hei Yue and Xiao Yin sensed their master's return, chirping, and yelping for Hongyu's attention. Hearing their cries, the little girl turned and saw Ming Yue standing there casually. 

The young woman looked at her, walking towards Hongyu but the girl ran towards her.. She hugged Ming Yue tightly and buried her teary face into her clothes, an act that warmed her heart.