Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

And suddenly his voice grew quicker as his excitement rose up. 

"The Seekers is a rare title given to the strong and the courageous of the Tribes. It can only be given if all of the Elders agree to the choice. And they must pass several tests before it is official. Once a Seeker is made, they will go out into the Savage Lands, to explore the ruins. And if they come back with any treasures, it will affect their reputation! The more they have, the bigger their name will be!"

"I see... Do you need to be a Seeker to be able to enter the Savage Lands?"

Ming Yue was curious about this, wanting to know how things worked in the Beast Continent. And Xiao Bai happily answered her questions. 

"No, you don't have to be one if you want to go there but most of the time it's only the Seekers that go. After all, they're deemed 'qualified' to go. Anyone else looking to go are practically walking to their deaths. Not to mention, Seekers get special equipment too!"

"Really? What sort of equipment? Weapons and armor?"

"No, nothing like that! They are given a jade badge that will let them talk to other Seekers, cooperate together, that sort of stuff. It's also how they identify each other too...."

Xiao Bai explained as she listened with interest. At the end of it, she smiled and patted his head. 

"Thank you for telling me all of this", she said to the small boy. 

Xiao Bai looked down with a shy look on his face, trying to muster some words.

"Then... then... can you teach me how to fight like that?!" he blurted out loud. 

Her hand suddenly stopped as she looked at him with a bit of surprise. 

"I- are you sure?" she asked. 

He looked up at her with a pair of large beaming eyes, full of hope.

"Please! I've always wanted to become a Seeker but no one is willing to teach me." 

"But your mother, what about her?"

Xiao Bai glanced back at the house before looking at the ground timidly. His voice came out quietly but he answered her. 

"I haven't told her yet but... but I still want to learn! Even if she doesn't;t let me become a Seeker, at least I'll be strong enough to protect her, right?!" he said. 

Ming Yue looked at him and sighed, mulling over this choice she had to make. 

"Teach him or not?" she thought. 

She was certainly at a level where she could teach someone swordsmanship but she had no experience in teaching traditionally. The only method she knew was through sparring after all. 

"Then, can you show me what you can do first?" 

Xiao Bai's eyes slowly turned, filling up with excitement as he pumped his arms up. 

"Yay! I'll show you my coolest moves! I'll be back really fast!"

He sprinted into the house and returned with a wooden sword. It was a simple design with a longer handle for two hands and a larger blade. It was certainly a weapon with power in mind. He carried it back to Ming Yue, looking at her with glittering eyes. 

"What should I show first?! My Thundering Dragon Cut? Triple Tiger's Doom Claw? Hm? Hm?"

Ming Yue gave him a look, unable to stop herself from chuckling before she looked at the two piles of logs and branches. Walking up to them, she grabbed a random branch, looking at it before having off any leaves or smaller branches. Swinging it around, she then turned to Xiao Bai and pointed it towards him 

"Let's just start with a simple spar then", she said. 

There was a look of surprise on his face before he put his wooden sword down, cupping his fists and bowing in respect. 

"Please!" 

He shouted excitedly before grabbing ahold of his weapon. 

Ming Yue nodded and gave him the first move. 

The little boy adjusted his grip on the wooden sword, looking at her before shouting loudly. 

"Yahhh!!"

He raised the sword up, charging forward for an overhead slash but Ming Yue reacted quickly. The branch whipped around quickly, smacking the flat of the sword with enough force to shake Xiao Bai. He could feel himself lose balance and tried his best to regain it but failed. 

"I'm not going to fall that easily!"

He grunted and grit his teeth, stabbing the sword into the ground and flipping over, landing on his feet. Taking the sword out of the ground, he pointed it towards Ming Yue and carefully approached her, quickly learning from before. 

His eyes switched between her and the branch, watching closely as he walked towards her. 

"Take this!" 

Thinking he was close enough, he thrust the sword forward, aiming for her stomach but the branch quickly moved, making the sword away. 

And then, it swiftly moved towards Xiao Bai, poking his chest before he could even react. 

"Wha-"

He looked down at the branch with a surprised look before lowering the wooden sword. His shoulders slumped over and he sadly announced his defeat. 

"I lost."

Ming Yue took the branch away and knelt down, smiling at the boy. 

"I don't think I can teach you how I fight but I can help you with the basics", she said to him. 

Xiao Bai looked at her for a moment before revealing the biggest smile she had ever seen. 

"You mean you're going to teach me? You're going to teach me?!"

He dropped his sword and jumped around with excitement before looking at her and bowing down. 

"Xiao Bai greets Master!"

"You don't have to do that. Stand up, stand up. And don't call me master, I'm not that great."

She quickly walked up to him and helped him up. Xiao Bai looked at her somewhat confused. 

"But you're going to teach me. If I don't call you Master, what should I call you?" he asked. 

"Just my name, Ming Yue. That's enough."

To some degree, getting called "Master" would be nice but her heart slightly ached at the sound of it. She was still a young woman in her early twenties, being called that just didn't sit well with her. However, she did hear a slight snicker inside her mind, no doubt from Xue Yue. 

Ming Yue ignored it, focusing back on her new little student.

"Alright, let's start with basic techniques", she said. 

"Mm!"

He nodded excitedly and they spent the rest of the morning training. Ming Yue stood to the side, correcting his form when she can, talking and guiding him about what he could do. 

"Alright, I'm going to wake up Mother, and then we can go out to hunt!" 

Although he had spent several hours swinging his wooden sword, Xiao Bai was still energetic. As he ran off, Ming Yue watched him go before putting the branch away. Throughout the session, she seemed to realize something and it wasn't until the end of this first session of training that she was sure of it. 

"He doesn't have any Quintessence Energy like the demons", she thought. 

"Him and his mother, perhaps they have something similar to the demon's Bloodline Abilities", Xue Yue added. 

"I should ask. Xiao Bai's physical strength is definitely beyond that of a normal boy. He might even be stronger than some of the soldiers. Is that just him or is that everyone?" 

She put these thoughts away, looking at the cut logs, and moved them with a flick of her wrist, stacking them by the house. 

Ming Yue walked in, seeing Xiao Bai caring for his mother and she smiled before looking at the states of Hei Yue and Xiao Yin.. Both of them were busy caring for their loved ones and it wasn't until after lunch that they went off to hunt. 

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