4 A fight under the moonlight

As she turned around, Lin Mei was faced with a pair of jet-black eyes filled with killing intent. It was almost a tragedy that these malicious eyes were adorning the face of such a handsome man. If she believed that demons existed in this world, she would have suspected him to be one of them.

Faced with his piercing glare and the sharp blade of a sword against her neck, Lin Mei felt afraid and anxious as an overwhelming feeling of danger spread through her body. He pushed his sword slowly but firmly against her neck, forcing her to retreat away from the lake and into the woods.

"Who is this man? I thought no one was supposed to enter this forest... Could he be a member of the Imperial family? Even they were said to steer away from this place... He is so powerful that it's frightening, I must find a way to-"

"Who are you and why are you here?" He inquired, interrupting her thoughts.

"I... Eh... My name—I came here because I was..."

"If you don't give me a satisfactory answer, I will kill you right here. If you are honest I may consider letting you go."

Fearing the worst outcome, Lin Mei didn't dare to even blink. When she felt that he had ever so slightly loosened his strength on the sword against her neck, she pressed her collar towards it in one swift movement, creating a small but deep laceration on her neck.

He looked dumbfoundedly at her, still not letting his guard down for an instant but, instead, paying attention to her every movement. His heavy sword was still pointed in her direction when Mei started singing a small chant that appeared to have an effect on the blood pouring from the wound on her neck, the stream of blood suddenly gathering in small droplets that floated into the air, ready to be shot at her command.

"I just need one drop to hit him... Just one!" She whispered very quietly between her clenched teeth in an effort to encourage herself. One wound on him and she could control his blood.

In the next moment, tiny drops of the mermaid's blood flew in many directions at high speed.

She heard the sword fall onto the floor. The human man in front of her was completely unharmed, having an arm extended in her direction, his flat palm just a few cùn from her face and a dense black cloud surrounded his whole being.

His power had turned the blood bullets she had so desperately projected in his direction into nothing as if the dark cloud were a black hole instead. Even in her current panicked state, Lin Mei was able to spot a small blood droplet on the grass behind him, one that had not been sucked into the black hole that he had created. She quickly commanded it to pierce any part of the man's body and obediently, the little blood droplet hit his leg.

Sensing that she was about to do something, the demon-like man threw himself at her and both of them fell violently on the muddy ground. Startled, Lin Mei lost focus for a split second, enough time for him to place a white jade bracelet engraved with a golden dragon on her right arm.

"You know how to control the water in blood? Now that is not a common skill amongst your kind.

And you also understand human language." He declared, his eyes empty."I'm going to ask again: Who are you and why are you here?", he demanded in a chilling tone.

Lin Mei was petrified. She had tried and tried again, but she was not able to use her powers. "Could it be this bracelet?" She wondered.

As if to answer her question he suddenly informed "Yes, it's the bracelet that I have placed on you that has sealed your powers. It's one of a kind. No others like it are known to exist on this Earth."

"Since your powers are sealed, I advise you to think carefully and answer my questions wisely. That is if you wish to see another day." He continued, staring at her indifferently. The man still laid on top of her body, one of his hands griping her small right wrist harshly through the fabric of her robe.

Mei was very scared. She had never seen a human this powerful in her lifetime. Even if she had been successful in controlling his blood for a few minutes, who is to say if she would have been able to run away? Without other options, she tried to calm down as she replied:

"My name is Bai Ni Ni. I am of noble mermaid blood, my father works for the king. I have come here to search for the Ocean's tear, a treasure from the mermaid folk."

There truly was a 20-something-year-old girl named Ni Ni who had a similar physique to her own, the daughter of the Minister of Justice Bai who worked under her father. This explanation served her motives quite well. Not only was it very believable, but it could also help her with a little lie: "Unfortunately, after having dived deep into the lagoon, I now believe that only the pearl of a royal member can illuminate such deep waters. I wasn't able to find it."

"Oh, and I am to blindly believe your words?"

"You can ask about my identity if you want. You can also check the information about the Royal pearls. It's all true!"

"I would rather check your body instead." He said in a devilishly cold tone.