Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

The Four Season Forest was thick and full of colorful trees, it wasn\'t a particularly dangerous place but it was enormous in size. It took several days of travel before the emerald colored trees turned reddish brown, shades of orange and yellow. The ground was covered in a soft layer of fallen leaves. The sound of rustling leaves was soothing and Ming Yue quite enjoyed being on her own.

Apart from a few encounters with some wild creatures, the trip wasn\'t bad. Hei Yue and Xiao Yin had proven themselves stronger than she had thought. It was a pleasant surprise to find that both of them had taken care of a rank 3, Earthbound Imp. Connected with the forest, it would appear and disappear quite quickly, popping out of the ground of the trees. Every time the imp reappeared, it would shoot off a number of things, from pebbles to small boulders and even swords and javelins.

Not knowing where it would appear, having to anticipate its next move, it was not a fun opponent to deal with. Yet with Hei Yue\'s black fog, it was quite easy.

The sudden change had scared the imp, who could not see anything in front of it. In that moment of fear and hesitation, Xiao Yin had managed to cut the tree, severing the connection between the imp and the ground. Without a place to escape, Hei Yue quickly reached the creature and rip it out of the tree with his jaws, killing the creature.

Apart from this particular beast, Ming Yue spent most of her time exploring the forest as she made her way through. The change appearance of the trees also brought about a change in the atmosphere. When she first entered, it was like springtime, warm and comforting. Now it was life fall, colder and with the autumn leaves.

On a certain night, she had caught a couple fish from a nearby river. While she could also eat the beasts she had fought, something like the Earthbound Imp was a bit too much.

Ming Yue sat in front of a small, crackling fire, cooking the fish. She turned it every now and then, making sure that it didn\'t burn. Ming Yue\'s skill in cooking wasn\'t incredible but it was clear that this was not her first time.

Everyone sat around, resting for the night.

Just as the fish was done, Hei Yue\'s ears perked up as did Xiao Yin who suddenly stared at the area right of them.

Some rustling noises and a few steps came to pass as a figure appeared from the sea of trees. Under the night sky, Ming Yue could only see the shadow of this person. They were large and must have had strength for their steps were heavy and powerful.

As the light of the campfire gleamed upon their body, it revealed a rather different person. It was an young man, slender and wearing a hooded cape. The interesting part was what he carried on his back, a wooden box much larger than his own body, with dark laquer and a steel brace. There were two straps that wrapped over his shoulder.

It was no ordinary box for it had dozens of compartments within it. There were several cloth bags, tied to the knobs and dangling under the wooden box.

The young man was quiet and spoke in a polite tone.

"Is it fine if I can sit here for a little?" he asked.

Ming Yue nodded and continued tending to her cooking and the two beasts relaxed, returning to their laidback postures.

With a quick look, she could not feel the cultivation of the one before her but she knew that he was quite strong. His true strength was deeply hidden, it was as if he was an ordinary person but no ordinary person would travel here on their own.

She stopped trying to study him and gave a happy look as the fish was done cooking. Both of her pets already had their meals in the form of prey that they had hunted previously. Still, Ming Yue passed them a steaming fish, light and flaky.

They accepted the snack and the two began eating while Ming Yue offered one to the stranger.

"It\'s quite alright. I had my dinner not too long ago. I just want to enjoy the warmth."

Being politefully declined, Ming Yue did not think much of it and proceeded to eat her fill. The meal was quiet, save for the sounds of Hei Yue and Xiao Yin munching on their portion of the food.

Having put his wooden box beside him, the young man began sifting through it, going through each compartment until he found what he was looking for. A small earthen jar which when he opened, suffused a fragrant smell. It was stinging to the eyes and smelled somewhat sweet and sour. Its powerful scent was alluring.

It was strong enough for Ming Yue and the rest to smell it.

"What is that?" she couldn\'t help but ask.

Giving it a small whiff, the young man produced a satisfied smile and passed it to Ming Yue.

"You should try this, it goes well with the fish but you should dab just a little bit. It is quite powerful", he warned.

Ming Yue held the small jar in her hand and looked in. The contents was intrigueing, it was a sauce of some sort. Crimson red like the color of blood but contained a number of ingredients: green onions, apples, soy sauce, and more. Furthermore, there these sparkling flecks of red dust that she could only assume to be a spice powder of some sort.*

She did as he said, using a knife to take a bit of this concoction and placing it on the flesh of her half eaten fish. Several bites later, she was a bit red, blowing air out of her mouth.

"It\'s quite spicy but delicious!" she exclaimed.

The flavor was a mix of heat and salt brought together by a bit of sweet and sour. Of course, this was only a simple description that did not do justice to the myriad of flavors she tasted.

"Of course it is, this is a sauce I had procured from a small kingdom in the far south!" he said excitedly.

His quiet demeanor had suddenly changed. He began spewing about this mysterious product, its origins and uses.

Ming Yue was quite surprised by his outburst of energy trying to find an oppurtunity to interject. However, he continued to rant more and more, moving onto his journeys accross the continent, searching for interesting ingredients and different cuisines.

Minutes passed by before she interrupted him.

"Are you a chef by any chance?" she asked.

His little speech stopped and he began to shake his head and raise his hands.

"Oh no, I\'m not a cook! I\'m a merchant, one that specializes in rare ingredients", he explained.

"This thing I carry with me are for foods that need to be fermented. As for raw meat, I keep that in my spatial ring", the young man showed off his collection of jars withi. the several dozen compartments.

Ming Yue listened with interest, it was not often that she met a travelling merchant especially one that specialized in food.

The young man suddenly paused.

"Ah, I\'ve forgotten to introduce myself. I am Lao Gan, a travelling merchant from the North Sea Kingdom."

"I am Ming Yue, a common cultivator from the Red Lotus Country."

"Red Lotus Country you say, I\'ve heard that the food there is quite good! It is home to a variety of fresh herbs and vegetables."

Ming Yue couldn\'t really confirm if that was true. She was a village girl after all.

Lao Gan sighed, "In any case, it is good to speak with someone. I\'ve been travelling alone for the past several months trying to reach the Ying Long Sea.. I can\'t wait to get there, it supposedly has the best seafood in the continent as well as a certain mythical beast."