Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

The Iron Citadel, situated near the center of the Demon Continent could be described with one word, hectic. It was a solemn- looking fortress with very heavy defenses including several walls and various towers. There were soldiers everywhere, training hard and doing mock battles with each other. 

As it was Nie Xia's fortress, many of them were experts in close combat, using one's own hands to fight along with swords and other types of weapons. But it was different compared to the North Fort, the atmosphere wasn't quite as tense.

Rather, everyone seemed to move with a smile, they were very friendly with each other. 

Everyone arrived in a tired manner but was welcomed by the soldiers of the Iron Citadel. 

The gates were opened wide as everyone was lined up outside. As soon as the four commanders arrived they marched forward and saluted. 

"The soldiers of the Iron Citadel welcomes the Commanders!"

Nie Xia stepped forward with a proud look on his face.

"Good! Good! It is good to be back! Ahahahah!"

He laughed out loud before entering, leading everyone in. 

When Ming Yue entered, she couldn't help but feel amazed at the sheer size of the Iron Citadel.

"It's like a small city!" she thought, "No, it is a city!"

The Citadel itself was encircled by three walls, each one thicker than the last and fortified heavily. But there were things between each wall, barracks, training grounds and a number of other establishments. There were hundreds of soldiers along with craftsmen and blacksmiths. 

But when she finally went past the third wall, there was a town inside, with houses and shops, places to eat and relax in. The armies stopped walking here and the four commanders turned around to them. 

"Alright! We will rest here for the day and return to our bases! Is that clear!" 

They shouted out instructions and their soldiers responded with a 

"Good! Dismissed!"

Slowly, they drifted apart, wandering through the Iron Citadel. Some took it as an opportunity to sleep, others chose to explore the place, but everyone spent this day relaxing. The same went for Ming Yue who walked around with interest. 

"I wonder what is around here?" 

Noticing that she wasn't shooting out lightning from her hands, Hei Yue and Xiao Yin walked back up to her and stuck close to her this time. Strolling through the cobbled streets, there were plenty of places to eat but many of them sold grilled and barbecued meats. 

It didn't take long for her stomach to gurgle and for the two beasts by her side to drool from their mouths. 

"Hm, I think I'll go here."

Stopping at one of the stores, this place had the most fragrant of smells, complex in flavor but more importantly, delicious. Ordering her food, she sat by one of the empty tables and waited for the food to come. 

"Here you are! And for your furry friends too! Our Braised Duck, Crispy Pork Belly, Broccoli and Oyster Sauce, and some white rice!"*

The waiter came quickly with several plates of food along with a separate platter for the fox and owl. All sorts of smells wafted into the air as Ming Yue began to divvy the food up for the two beasts, giving them both a drumstick along with a bunch of other parts. 

All three of them enjoyed this dinner, taking their time and savoring the taste. The mix of aromatics used in each dish seemed to fill several different tastes: salty, sweet, sour, etc. It was a refreshing meal, especially after several months of dried rations and water. 

She finished by the time the sunset and went off after paying for the food. 

Wandering through some more, Ming Yue returned and found herself at one of the many barracks. Considering that her face and clothes were easily recognized by the soldiers, she was led to one of the empty rooms immediately. 

"There is a public bath here and it is separated into two different times for men and women. Currently, it is the men's turn but the women's will come shortly. If you would like to bathe your beasts, you can do so in there."

They casually explained the rules and whatnot before saluting and leaving her to her own devices. 

She looked around before sitting on the bed. It was quite spacious, having a small table and a chest to put her things in. There was a window facing towards the walls, allowing a bit of the moonlight to come in. 

She took a deep breath and fell back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. 

"What is the next step..." she thought. 

"I have to wait for the Grand Elder but what would he say? Will I return to the Human Continent? Stay here? No, I've already thrown myself into this war, I can't just go so easily. They've already placed a target on my back, that is without a doubt."

Not only did she catch Kong Zhi's attention but she also killed one of his three kings. On top of that, she already angered the Hundun Clan by attacking their Idol of Chaos. 

"This... is quite a situation."

Mentally, she took a step back, thinking about it from a larger perspective. At that point, she couldn't help but smirk and chuckle.

"How did I end up here?"*

She asked herself this but couldn't answer it. She was young and up until a few years ago, she was just a simple village girl. But the thought quickly faded as the memory of the demon village resurfaced. 

"Ah, I wonder what happened to those demons... Will they ever go back?"

Her eyes showed a tinge of sadness, the few scenes of peaceful happiness she saw there. 

"Where do I go from here?"

That was the one question she always pondered. Moving from one place to another, she was nothing more than a wanderer. Before the loneliness could set in, she heard a bell chime. 

"Must be the baths... Come on you two, we should get you cleaned up."

Heading towards the baths together, Ming Yue undressed and placed her clothes into a basket before entering.

"Woah..."

Inside, there was a gentle mist from the warm water constantly passing from the spouts and into the baths. It was large and open, equipped with stools, buckets, and towels.  Considering that the switch had just happened, there were several dozen other women bathing and washing off the scent of blood and metal. 

The sounds of conversation and laughter echoed in the air only to suddenly turn dead silent as soon as these newcomers came. Ming Yue looked around, covering herself with a towel as did a few others. 

She walked through with Xiao Yin and Hei Yue clinging closely to her as she sat on one of the stools and began to fill a free bucket with water. 

"Is that her?"

"I think it is."

"She's so young... and her skin is like porcelain!"

They began to whisper amongst each other as the topic of their whispers washed the owl and fox, cleaning them of any dirt and grime. Ming Yue noticed it but ignored this, not letting such things bother her. It didn't take long before one of them gathered the courage to step forward.

"Hey, you're the one called the Fairy of the Moon, right?" she asked. 

Ming Yue turned and nodded, wondering what would happen next. Were they going to pick a fight? Make some snide remarks? Compliment her? Ask for a sparring session.  There were many things that could happen but of all the things she thought could've happened, she wasn't quite expecting this response. 

"How do you keep your skin so clear?"

The female soldier suddenly blurted out in a curious voice.

"I'm sorry, what?"