Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"Where's Cui Fen? She needs to come see her!"

One of them spotted her arrival and immediately signified the others. All of them then turned towards her, waving their greetings as Ming Yue returned it with a wave and entered the brothel. 

As she did, the brothel workers inside greeted her warmly and began talking to her.

"Oh it's so good to see you again!"

"You've grown quite a bit! How long as it been?"

"You were such a cute little girl when you first stayed here!"

"You've got to tell us where you've been!"

"When did you have a fox? It's so cute! Your little owl has grown too!"

They all spoke excitedly, trying to catch up with her before moving onto the main subject. She had stayed with them for several months, acting as their guard whenever a customer had become too rowdy and helping to clean when necessary. Her actions had made their lives much easier in those months and they were grateful for such a thing. Because of her, it had become much more uncommon for customers to misbehave. 

But now, it was not them that needed help the most. 

"You should talk to Cui Fen. Ever since Fei Yun had disappeared, she hasn't been quite the same!"

They all looked at each other before looking at Ming Yue. Their faces were filled with concern and worry for their friend. 

"Perhaps, she might feel better after speaking to you for a little."

They led her to the back of the brothel in the courtyard where Cui Fen sat on a stool, staring at the sky. Rou'er, her daughter, was by her side, sticking close to her as she also looked up at the night sky. 

Hearing the many steps of the brothel workers, Cui Fen turned around, seeing Ming Yue and vice versa. Ming Yue saw Cui Fen's face, a tired and empty expression. Her eyes were dull, lacking in emotion and filled with sadness. 

"Oh, Ming Yue, you're here..."

As Cui Fen spoke, Rou'er turned around, spotting Ming Yue. Her eyes widened as she ran up to her, embracing the young cultivator.

"When did you come back? I've missed you so much."

The young girl spoke with a sort of excitement, shoving her face into Ming Yue's clothes. Rou'er looked up, somewhat teary-eyed from earlier but nonetheless happy. Her hair was tied into a little bun, kept together by a green silk ribbon. 

"You've grown quite a bit, haven't you? Rou'er."

Ming Yue knelt down and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her for a few seconds. Her expression was soft, caring and gave a gentle smile. Seeing Rou'er's teary face left a wistful feeling within her heart and to see the both of them like this made the feeling stronger. 

"Why don't you play with these two? They'd be very excited to have a new friend."

Hei Yue ran up to Rou'er, whose eyes lit up at the appeareance of the Mistral Fox. Accompanied by Xiao Yin, the pair could sense the sadness in her. In a matter of moments, the trio went off to play, leaving Ming Yue alone with Cui Fen. 

Having seen her daughter act so cheerful, Cui Fen had a small smile as Ming Yue joined her, sitting on another stool. In front of them was a small table that had few desserts on them, a plate of buns with sweet fillings and several egg tarts. 

"Please have one..."

Cui Fen quietly offered them as she looked off into the starry sky. 

"Have you been well?"

Ming Yue asked her, speaking with a tone of concern. 

Upon a closer look, she noticed many things that only strengthened such emotions. Cui Fen was not one to have make up on or rather, she was a beauty with or without it. Then again, it might not have been able to conceal the sadness on her face. Her eyes were tired, deep and dark circles surrounded them. Her skin was a bit gaunt and wrinkled, her back was slump, making her look much older than she was.

Elder Fei's disappearance had taken a toll on her. 

"You've grown..." she said.

Cui Fen looked at Ming Yue, her eyes seemed to glitter for a moment. 

"It's been what? Nearly three years since you saved me from those men, a young girl with nothing but a sword. You were smaller back then and now, you've grown taller and your eyes aren't as cold as they once were."

She turned away, looking up at the night sky.

"Because of you, I met Fei Yun and everything became so much more colorful."

As she spoke, her eyes were red from the tears and soon they began to well up.

"Hah, I just don't know what to do anymore. We-we were going to become a family."

She seemed to linger on the thought of family, her words were rife grief and longing. With Ming Yue here, she could not hold herself back and tears began to flow, trailing down her cheeks.

"A family... that was what we could've been."

Looking at the table, Cui Fen took out a emerald hankerchief, wiping her tears and trying her best to restrain herself. 

"Haah, when Fei Yun returned, he stayed and became a full-fledged elder of the Eternal Blade Sect. Every day, he would return to visit Rou'er and I. Sometimes he would bring gifts but his presence alone was enough. When we spoke, there were so many things we had in common. The letters we wrote to each other seemed to brighten our days. There were things about each other that we were captivated by at the beginning and things that we had grown to love as time passed."

She looked back, staring at the brothel. In a distance, Cui Fen could hear the faint laughter of her daughter, playing with Hei Yue and Xiao Yin. 

"Rou'er had grown to love him, his stories captivated her, excited her even! Because of Fei Yun, she had become such an expressive girl. When she joined the Eternal Blade Sect, she had grown to have so many friends. It used to be just us and the girls at the brothel, she was so quiet before. Even when she smiled, I knew what was happening, I knew that she was enduring for our debts..."

Cui Fen looked at Ming Yue, her face filled with sorrow.

"Because of you, I would have never met Fei Yun and because of him, life woud not have been so joyful. Without him, I'm not sure what to do anymore. Even then, I know that there is nothing I can do for I am just an ordinary woman and Rou'er is too young. So please, you have to find him. I beg of you..."

Ming Yue looked back at her, gazing into those eyes. They were filled with sadness, exhaustion, and surrender for this mother was truly helpless. She was trapped, backed into a corner with no way to escape. That was what Cui Fen's eyes showed, the sorrow that filled every fiber of her being.

"Even-even if he's dead, I want to see him one more time", Cui Fen seemed to choke up as the thought came to pass. 

Ming Yue placed her hand on the shoulder of Cui Fen, reassuring her. 

"Don't worry. I'll find him, even if I must risk my life."

Cui Fen had been her caretaker when she first began this journey of hers. When everything had been destroyed, Cui Fen and Rou'er were one of the first to warm her heart. If not for them, she might've been devoid of emotion now, cold and distant. To an extent, they were the closest thing to family.

She took in a deep breath, composing herself once more. 

"Haah, thank you, thank you...I should stop now. You've come a long way and surely, there is much that you want to say. I'm sure, Rou'er will enjoy hearing about your adventures."

For a little bit, Cui Fen could forget the sorrow.