Maiden Of The Splitting Moon - Chapter 726: A Deal Has Been Made

She offered him this much, an ultimatum that could potentially end up destroying the very organization he was a part of.

The troupe leader was no doubt a loyal man but that loyalty was being tested right now. Whether or not the woman in front of him could destroy it all was uncertain. On one hand, he believed in the strength of the Muhou Troupe but the stories about her were quite terrifying.

Just her feats in the Demon Continent alone made her a terrifying individual.

And he knew that any beast would fight back when backed into a corner.

If she had nothing to lose, she would do everything in her power to make everyone else pay.

The Splendid Goose watched from the sidelines along with everyone else. His eyes showed a strange light as he looked at Ming Yue.

And the woman that stood in the middle of it all focused all of her attention on the troupe leader. Never mind the devastating attack she had cooked up above them, whether or not she used it depended on his response.

“Tell me, do you accept?” she asked him.

The troupe leader glanced up at the thundering clouds and then at the fingers pointed at his neck.

He closed his eyes and showed a bitter expression before reaching into his pocket and bringing out the ring. Ming Yue looked at it, releasing her technique before taking it and tossing it to the Splendid Goose.

“Is it real?” she asked him.

The old man promptly checked, putting the ring on before taking out a random item from within.

“Yes, yes it is my ring”, he said.

He then took out a small box and handed it to Ming Yue.

“The item you have exchanged for.”

Holding it in her hands, she took a quick peek seeing a small branch with several of the Dragon’s Eye Berries. She politely smiled and nodded at him.

“Thank you.”

Afterward, she faced the troupe leader, pulling her finger away from his neck.

“I’m not one to go back on an agreement. I’ll let you go… for now.”

Her gaze was sharp as she watched him back away before escaping.

“So Redmist Sanctuary wasn’t the only group, there were others”, she thought, “Of course, there would be others, Redmist Sanctuary was just one of many. But since I found out about this, I’ll probably encounter them on the other continents.”

With that thought moved to the back of her mind, she turned her attention towards the Ravensguard. Several hundred warriors dressed in the same armor as the guards from before, all of them rode on black horses giving an ominous feeling.

However, none of them dared to come any closer. Only their leader, who wore a heavier set of armor and a helmet covered most of his face. As they road up closer, Tang Bi Gan’s dead body came into view and the leader frantically jumped off the horse.

“Young Master!” he cried out.

Running to his side, the leader quickly checked his master for a pulse but stopped when they saw the wound on his forehead. He stood up, carrying Tang Bi Gan’s body in his arms before looking at Ming Yue and then at everyone behind her.

“You… all of you… tell me what happened here! If not, the Shaqi Ravensguards will come for your heads! We will repay the death of our master with your blood!” he threatened.

And his men immediately took out their swords, ready to fight.

“Unlike those other guards, they seem a bit more loyal”, she thought.

Just as she was about to step forward and admit to killing him, the Splendid Goose acted first. He took out his own weapon, a short saber that was just a bit longer than his forearm. Raising a brow, the man stared at them with a smile.

“You want to find the one who killed him but alas none of us want to be questioned by you”, he said, “After all, he had died by the time we had arrived.

Ming Yue immediately glanced at him, watching him lie right in front of her.

The leader of the Shaqi Ravensguard glared at them all.

“If you have nothing to hide, then it would be fine for us to come and detain you!” he argued.

But then one of the other hired experts scoffed, pointing their spear at him.

“Hah! Do you have such authority to do so? Do you not know who hired me? Do you think some nobodies would be able to hire experts like us?! I dare you to come and touch even a hair on my skin! See where that will get you!” they retorted.

The leader seemed a little stifled, unable to respond immediately but saying something nonetheless.

“Even then. our master has been murdered! As his loyal men, we must find his killer, no matter the cost!” he said to them.

This time one of the members of the search party said something. Of the four it was the harp expert, the blind and bearded, old man, that spoke.

“We are members of the Chamber of Gold, sent to investigate the group that attacked the Splendid Goose. I can assure you that none of us are responsible for your young master’s death. In fact, we would’ve had to bring him before the Aurelian Chamber. As far as we know, he was the one responsible for robbing the one and only Splendid Goose. Well, he’s dead now and our side was just barely able to catch up. It was already too late by the time we arrived.”

The leader looked at him, distrustful of his words but ultimately willing to humor the old harp expert.

“In that case, who could be responsible for his death then?”

At that point, the Splendid Goose chuckled at such a question.

“Are you serious? How can you think that it’s any of us? We’re all here for the ring! But there was another group, no? The group hired to do the ambushing.”

With his words, he coaxed the leader toward a conclusion.

“If it’s not any of you… then… it can’t be, they’re not one to go back on their promises.”

He was suddenly in deep thought before looking up in realization as to where he was. He toughened his expression before getting back on his horse with Tang Bi Gan’s corpse. Readying his horse to go, he looked back at them and gave a warning.

“I will go off to investigate this. But… depending on what is found, we will be coming back for a visit.”

The horse neighed before galloping away. The rest of the army turned and retreated as well. With the young master dead, the Tang Trading Group would face hardship.

“Hmm. hopefully, they’ll find a more reasonable leader. That bastard was just too annoying”, said the Splendid Goose.

He chuckled before looking to see Ming Yue staring at him.

“Why did you lie?” she asked, “I was ready to kill them at any moment.”

The Splendid Goose just looked back at her.

“Is blood all that you can think of right now? Rather than fairy, you seem more suited to be a ‘murderous maiden’ instead. Besides, needless bloodshed is a waste of time and energy. At least this way you’re killing two birds with just one stone. Now the Muhou Troupe will be at odds with the Tang Trading Group. Carriages will be ransacked, businesses burned and lives lost, it’d be better to use your time for other things.”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

The young cultivator looked away with some hidden embarrassment. No doubt, she was somewhat shameful after thinking things more clearly. Her initial plan to just get the ring and leave was gone the moment Tang Bi Gan cried out about his army.

After all, there was only so much she could endure with his obnoxious attitude. At some point, killing him became the simplest solution.