Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"Who is it?" Elder Yin's tired voice echoed through the room.

Her figure emerged from the piles, her eyes had dark circles, worn out from constant reading.

"Ah Ming Yue, what brings you here?" she asked.

"I hope that I did not come in at a bad time", Ming Yue said, "If so, then I can come back another time."

"No, no. It's quite alright. After what had happened at the Youth Dragon Tournament, both the military and Jade Dragon Pavilion have been working even harder to prepare for war. After being called one of the weakest nations by the Lord of Azure Souls, everyone has been working hard to bolster our strength. Even the five families have begun to research better ways of strengthening themselves", she explained.

"It would not have mattered if you come now or later. More than likely, there would be no end for this. Anyways what did you come here for?" asked Elder Yin.

"I just wanted to know if there were anymore news about the Splitting Moon Blade", Ming Yue replied.

"I see. If I recall, there has already been movement by both the Yu and Shao Family as well as several sects and other prominent figures. More than likely, the blade could be sold for millions", she said, "I suggest that you spend the next several months getting money if you want to have a chance at getting it. Even then, it will be quite difficult to achieve."

Ming Yue felt somewhat daunted by the task, She would need at least several million gold coins to compete with the others. As of now, she had a little under ten thousand. This much wealth was enough for a family to live off of for ten years. However, she brushed off her hesitation, this could be her only chance to get it and she would not let this opportunity go.

"Thank you for the help", Ming Yue bowed in respect and left.

Time was of the essence! After her little excursion with Yao Xian and Fengtian, she would spend the next several months focusing on missions and such.

Leaving Elder Yin's office, she went back down to the first floor and took a quick look at the request board. She took off a page and gave it to the reception desk, specifically Zhi Shu.

She read over the contents before looking at her.

"Are you sure you want to take this one?" she asked.

Ming Yue nodded resolutely.

"Alright, you have a maximum of 6 months to complete. Good luck!" she said.

Why she needed to ask Ming Yue if she was sure was because this mission was perilous. What it entailed was to search for an item, a rare magical fruit called "Dragon Whisker Berries." A fruit with an outer shell covered in little whiskers.* It is said that these fruits carry the essence of a dragon. Although the essence is not very potent, one berry is enough to give the common man twice his strength. If one were to ingest more, their physical strength would increase greatly. These magical fruit can be found by the Raging Mountains. These mountains would explode now and then showering their surroundings in flame and ash. It has become home to many dangerous creatures. But the pure energy radiating from these mountains have also made it a heaven for blacksmiths and physicians alike, bringing about numerous ores and mystical treasures, the Dragon Whisker Berries being one of them.

It was a mission for those at Bronze Bull and above, thus Ming Yue qualified. However, Zhi Shu could not help but worry for such a young girl. Ming Yue promptly left the pavilion, joining the Yu Siblings, who were busy gobbling up numerous beef and lamb skewers.

Noticing her return, they shared some with her before bringing her throughout the rest of the city. Infected by their energy, she had enjoyed herself very much, showing a rare smile which Fengtian noticed.

"So that's what she looks like when she smiles. How beautiful", he thought. His feelings for her did no waver, it only grew with time, the only way for him to stop thinking of her was to dive into books. Her being here had satisfied him, her smile eve more so. He burned the image into his mind, promising to never forget it.

As the day ended, they said their good byes and split off at the Yu Family Estate. Ming Yue went back to the Jing Ping Inn and prepared for tomorrow. She played with Hei Yue for while before going to bed.

As she fell asleep, she couldn't help but think about the auction. What was it like? Could she do it? Will she be able to get the Splitting Moon Blade? If she couldn't then would she just give up?

There was a certain amount of doubt within her, taking over her mind.

Suddenly, a warm body cuddled next to her. Hei Yue seemed to have sensed that something was wrong and did its best to alleviate it. It was the right choice, for Ming Yue felt calm from his company and slept without issue.

Waking up the next day, she prepared to leave and went back to the Jade Dragon Pavilion to look over the request board once more. After several minutes, she took off 2 other requests, both of which were on the way and only needed a small detour to complete. The first was a hunting request, to kill a Blood Edge Swallow and bring back its body. The second was to help with the recovery of a town, which had recently suffered a tornado, destroying much of it and harming many residents. There was a lack of doctors which had made the town vulnerable to beast attacks.

After taking in these requests, she went on her way, leaving the capital city. Her first destination would be the Blue Willow Town, of the three locations, this was the closest but it would still require a full week to travel on horse. For Ming Yue, it would take a little over a week, possible a week and a half.

She walked alongside the road occasionally meeting other people. Some were merchants, others just common citizens, as she moved further away from Five Element City, there were less people. She was fortunate to have not encountered any dangerous beasts, only stopping to rest or gather medical herbs. She did not bother buying them as it was much simpler for her to just get it from her surroundings.

Time flew by quickly as she continued her way. Numerous medicinal herbs piled up in her spatial ring. Next to it was a much smaller bundle containing several uncommon plants, mostly those that improve elemental affinities. There were several beast carcasses as well. This was one of the few times where she truly appreciated having a spatial ring, even if it wasn't very big, it was better than carrying it on her back.

Soon enough, the silhouette of a town slowly appeared. As she walked closer, she saw the extent of the damage that it had sustained from the tornado. It was a wretched sight. Many buildings were utterly destroyed, homes and shops alike did not escape the destruction. In place were just tents and makeshift shacks for the homeless. Fortunately, reconstruction was underway and much of the rubble was cleared. Several guards were stationed outside, patrolling the area in anticipation for any attacks.

Approaching the gate, she was stopped by two guards. Taking out her badge, she was quickly led into the town and found herself inside a large building. The exterior was slightly damaged but for the most part had come out nearly unscathed. Inside, she entered a large hall. Much of the furniture was cleared out and instead replaced by makeshift beds and injured bodies.

One of the guards that led her quickly informed one of the doctors before leaving.

It was a young woman who briskly made her way to Ming Yue.

"Thank you for coming to help", she said, "There are only four of us and over a hundred patients, it has been quite hard watching over all of them. You coming has already relieved much of the load. "

"It's fine", Ming Yue said, "I will do my best."