Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Chapter 66 - Reaper

"Hey, did you hear? There's a hunter outside of the sanctuary. They've been beheading all sorts of people. This is just like the Darksun Marauders, all of them were beheaded too."

"Do you think it's the same person?"

"I don't know. But there have been more groups allying themselves to hunt this person down. This time, one of the kings is a part of this operation."

"I hope they find this hunter, the sooner the better."

Inside of an inn, many villains and criminals spoke amongst each other, speculating the identity of this mysterious killer. With such unusual sightings, many had though that it was a beast at first but the clean cuts and missing heads was evidence that it was person hunting them down. Of course, it was none other than Ming Yue who caused these deaths. It has been a month but she was not just idly waiting but moving around constantly, finding her next victim. Some had their heads taken, proof to show that they were dead.

Unknowingly, she had gained a nickname from her exploits, "Reaper". From the execution style to the numerous killings, she really was a bringer of death. Her skills with assassination had improved greatly, she moved with much more efficiency having become accustomed to the environment.

Currently, she was chasing her next target, a group known as the "Jade Hand". This was one of the many named criminals with bounties she was hunting. The first being Ping Yao Ci, the Lone Rose, followed by a pair of killers called the Twin Moons who wielded a pair of crescent shaped blades.

The Twin Moons were a very violent pair often killing whoever angered them. Their most famous story had them killing a noble and his family, just for bumping into them. Despite their strength, they were not very bright creatures. Believing that no one would dare try to kill them, the pair never bothered to have their guard up. They were quickly dealt with in the dead of night, a silent cut to the throat ridding them from the world.

The third encounter was this very group, five men and women who were responsible for the numerous kidnappings of children and holding them ransom. Even when receiving the money, they would send back the families a corpse. This coordinated group known as "Jade Hand" had noticed Ming Yue's approach but did not mind her, thinking that she posed no harm. It was quite unfortunate that one of them had died by her hand.

"Shit. Shit. Shit! Why the fuck is this girl after us?" one of them yelled out.

"How should I know?" another one replied.

"You don't think it's that so called reaper right?"

"Fuck, a little girl like her?!"

The four of them could not help but run in fear. After all, Ming Yue had killed their partner in such a ruthless fashion. She chased after them, running through the mist as the four ran for their lives.

"Ah fuck it, let's just fight her. There's four of us and only one of her", the one that spoke before, stopped in his tracks to face Ming Yue.

A sword in his hand, he brought his blade forth, launching a bolt of lightning. Ming Yue dodged the attack before sending her blade through his neck and taking his head. Lightning may be fast but it was rigid, far too easy to dodge.

The other three only continued to run, they would not come back for their friend, they were criminals after all. Their own lives came before those of their comrades.

Ming Yue continued to chase them. Hei Yue and Xiao Yin did not help her, she wanted to train on her own, asking them not to participate in this chase. They only followed and watched her. With her sword, she struck forth, stabbing into the chest of one of the women. With the length of her sword over five feet, along with extending her arm, her reach was at most eight feet and that was enough to claim her next victim.

With two more left, she hastened her speed, the sounds of leaves and branched crackling under their feet broke the silence of the valley.

"I hear noises! Someone is around here" a voice yelled out as torches neared Ming Yue's location.

"Tch", she clicked her tongue and stopped pursuing the remaining members of Jade Hand, disappearing into the night.

Her targets smiled with joy, glad to have bumped into their kind.

"We saw her! The reaper! She's here, she was after us!", they gasped for air, tired from the constant running.

"Slow down, come back to the sanctuary with us. We will discuss later", one of the group leaders spoke, "I want all of you to search the area! If there are any unusual things, report them to us."

Ming Yue watched the group from above, her small figure was well hidden within the trees. These were the first to have escaped her and now the situation had turned for the worse. They saw her face and now the entire valley would no it. She lamented over the fact that she did not get a mask or some form of cloth to cover her face.

That night, everyone in the Sanctuary knew what Ming Yue looked like. To think that the so called reaper was a young girl no more than fifteen or sixteen. Furthermore, one of the sanctuary lords was moving out.

These lords were the overseers of Redmist Sanctuary. Four of the strongest cultivators within this community watched over the others, keeping order. Furthermore, they have their own factions within the sanctuary. Their existence is what impedes the government from cracking down on them.

It is said that the strongest among them was a man who cultivated an evil art. In order to attain the greatest power, he had to sever his emotions and desires, this also meant severing his own genitalia. His emotionless self caused many to die by his hand even his family. With this, his mind was only filled with thought is training and growing stronger, The Lifeless Lord they called him, only steps away from Sky Realm. However, he rarely left his room, instead, spending every day cultivating.

The Lustful Lord was a woman who kidnapped men and absorbed their life energy to increase her cultivation and prolong her youth. She lured her victims with her beauty and used a whip for a weapon. Some say that she is well into her sixties but still looked like she was twenty.

The Lord of Torment could be considered the most depraved one of all. Often taking abandoned children and torturing them for his own amusement. Not a single day was without screams as he conducted his own "experiments" and "studies" on their bodies. His so-called institution was littered with strange tools, each with a different purpose for the body.

The fourth lord is the Bandit Lord and is considered one of the more debatable ones. While his strength is undeniable, second to only the Lifeless Lord, his many exploits often involved robbing the rich and giving to the poor. Many argue that he was on the side of good, helping the weak and unfortunate while others see him as a criminal, robbing nobles and merchants for their treasures.

Now of course, these four lords did not personally move but instead sent out their own underlings to capture Ming Yue. Of them all, the Lord of Torment was the most excited.

"Capture her and bring her to me! I cannot wait to get my hands on her body!" he cackled wildly.

"You never learn do you? Tong Ku".

"Shut up! Why do you even care anyways? You only go after men you old hag!"

"Such a young girl and yet so skilled. I want her to join me. Besides, do I look that old to you?"

The two lords bickered. One was a natural beauty, a seductive body and luscious lips, not to mention long flowing hair, the other was almost a skeleton, thin and lanky, his hair was messy and his eyes had a crazed look.

"Calm down you two, whoever gets her first, keeps her", a burly man covered in beast skins stopped the two.

"What you want her too? Aren't you just a bandit?" Tong Ku responded.

The Bandit Lord laughed, "What? so just because I stopped the two of you from bickering means that I want this "reaper"? I just don't want you to start making a mess out of the sanctuary. Besides, Huo Li is still inside his home cultivating, do you think he wants her?"

The two lords looked at him before staring at each other.

"Hmph", said Tong Ku, "Old hag, whichever one of us find her first then."

"Ugh, I have a name you know. Stop focusing on those dead bodies and remember some names next time."

"Yeah yeah, Miss Daiyu."

"That's much better."