Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Ming Yue narrowed her eyes at this.

"A ruin of human origin near here? It seems too good of a coincidence, is it a lie?" she thought. 

As if knowing what she was thinking, Niu Hong quickly added on.

"While ruins themselves are quite rare, plenty of them are of human and Demon Origin! The one we spoke of is from humans according to the reports. And with its level of difficulty, there is no doubt that these ruins contain some ancient treasure. And there is sure to be information that could benefit you!" he said. 

"I see."

Ming Yue quietly thought about this, taking a few more bites of the wolf meat before putting the dish down. 

"I don't think that the house is large enough for all of you", she muttered. 

"That's fine! We have camping supplies!"

Niu Hong gave her a confident and happy smile. The others smiled as well although, they were a bit forced. Their eyes said otherwise, showing both hesitations and doubt towards their leader's decision. 

"Before I forget, you should all introduce yourselves to her." 

He looked to the other three members who then looked at Ming Yue. 

"I am She Xing of the Naga Tribe and a member of the Four Claws."

The first to speak was a woman who looked to be in her thirties but could be much older. Her skin seemed to mesh together with gray scales, giving off a slight sheen. And her eyes were that of a snake's, round with a black iris and gray pupils. She wore clothes made from pelts and strapped on her back were two curved short swords, made to butcher a beast. 

"My name is Qiang Rong of the Wukong Tribe! Greetings!"

The second was a somewhat thin but muscular man with features resembling that of a monkey. His fur was golden but it had a bit of a murky color to it, perhaps dirtied from traveling. And unlike the other two, he wore armor that covered much of his body. 

Laid on the ground was his weapon, a metal hexagonal staff that was somewhat thicker and certainly heavier on the ends. 

"I- I'm Yu Tu of the Chang'e Tribe. I'm also a... a member of the Four Claws."

The last to speak was a timid girl that seemed to be similar in age to Ming Yue. Her short white hair was paired with white rabbit ears as well as her hands had paw pads.* Of the Four Claws, she seemed to be the youngest. And her timidness seemed to have no limit as she leaned and even hid behind Qiang Rong. 

Her clothes were light and form-fitting, best for those who are on the move. 

There didn't seem to be any weapons on her but Yu Tu was armed in some way. 

After hearing all of their names, Ming Yue responded with a polite bow as she cupped her fists towards them all. 

"Ming Yue, pleased to meet you all."

Her introduction was short but certainly enough for the others. 

After sharing a meal together, the Four Claws went off to set up camp by the house while Ming Yue went into the house. 

As she went in, there was all but silence within this serene place. But for the four beast people, their hearts and minds were far from serene. 

With a tent set up for each of them, they all gathered together, glancing at the house every now and then. Not so much fearing that they would be heard but full of curiosity for this mysterious woman.

After all, how did a human reach this place? 

"What do you guys think?"

Niu Hong asked the other three but all they did was shake their heads and shrug. 

"Who knows, she certainly didn't know much about the Savage Lands. If she came from the outside, she would've had to fight through it. It's like she appeared out of nowhere", Qiang Rong responded. 

The beastman scratched the back of his head, not knowing how Ming Yue came to be. 

"Maybe she awakened from those nearby ruins?" She Xing suggested. 

Niu Hong rubbed his chin but shook his head at the idea. 

"She said that she owed the people living here for saving her. I doubt that they would have ventured into the ruins without us knowing. Not to mention, it's under watch. Anything strange would've been reported."

And then Yu Tu looked at them all before saying her idea. 

"What if she came here without knowing... like she was forced here? Maybe she was in battle and was sent off. If she didn't know where she was, maybe she was unconscious or injured."

Everyone else pondered this. 

"It is possible. She is definitely not an ordinary person and she has experience in battle."

"Mm, the scent of blood lingers in her body, especially in that sword."

"Not to mention, that killing intent!"

"Right! That human seems to be a reasonable person but she has killed plenty. I'm sure of it."

Their discussions ran for another hour before each of them retired for the night. But soon after, something awakened them, shooting up with a cold sweat. It was as if there was a knife to their neck but when they looked no one was there. 

All four quickly came out with their weapons drawn only to find their surroundings empty. They looked at each other in confusion. 

"What just happened?" they wondered. 

And then, there was a resonant howling in the air as they all whipped their heads towards the house!

None of them could quite react to what they witnessed. 

As the howling continued, the house seemed to exude a terrifying aura. It was wild and uncontrollable. In one moment, it would be filled with killing intent and in the next, it was pure power. The pressure on them was the same, sometimes it grew heavy other times, it lightened up. 

But it was not so bad that they couldn't move. 

All four of them slowly approached the house with their weapons still drawn, preparing for the worst. 

One step after another, the pressure worsened and breathing was getting harder and harder. And after what seemed like forever, the Four Claws peered into the house to find Ming Yue cross- legged on the floor. That pale blue energy of hers seeped out of her body like whisps of light. 

Her body trembled and sweat while her expression was full of pain. She twisted and turned, jerking around as if she was in an immersive dream. Her sword continued to tremble as if wanting to free itself.

And both Hei Yue and Xiao Yin whimpered as they looked at her, wanting to help but unable to come close.

Niu Hong saw this unfold and moved without saying a word. He slowly approached Ming Yue, enduring the weight of her power. Such a thing took a fair amount of his strength as the veins on his arms emerged and his muscles were bulging out. 

"Wake up!"

He shouted, taking one step after another. 

"Wake up! Wake up, damn it!" 

Despite his calling, she didn't seem to hear him, jerking about even more violently.

Finally within arm's reach, he moved to grab her, shouting once more.

"WAKE UP!"

The next moment, Ming Yue's eyes opened and Niu Hong suddenly found a blade right on his neck.

 Before he could even touch her, she had already brandished Blood Moon. The long beautiful blade shimmered against the moonlight that peeked through the windows. It barely touch his skin but he could tell just how sharp the blade was. The pressure grew to its highest as he couldn't breathe while facing her gaze, cold and ruthless.

And then all of that faded when she realized what was going on.

"Oh, I'm-I'm so sorry."

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