Mei Lin ran with all her might, her heart pounding in her chest as the bandits pursued her relentlessly. Despite her efforts, the bandits proved to be agile and determined, still hot on her trail.
Not long after frantic and directionless running, Mei Lin found herself completely disoriented and lost in the dense forest. With panic rising within her, she realized she had no idea how to find her way back to her master. Lost and alone, Mei Lin faced a daunting challenge, uncertain of what lay ahead in her desperate attempt to escape the relentless pursuit of the bandits.
"FUCK!! Where are you master!! Where are you, master!!" As she screamed in the forest, a young cultivator not far away noticed her a immediately started to analyze the situation. 'Why is she covered in blood, and what is happening here? Hehe, maybe I will take a look.'
The cultivator in question was Feng Jing, who currently stands at the peak of the first stage of Body Tempering, on the brink of advancing to the second stage. Feng Jing scanned the forest with a keen eye, his senses heightened by the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The unexpected encounter with the mysterious girl had left him both startled and intrigued. As he stood amidst the trees on his horse, his grip tightened on the spear, ready to hunt Mei Lin down himself.
Having traveled extensively with a merchant caravan, along with his position within, Feng Jing is no stranger to violence and other cruel things. Despite his initial shock as Mei Lin was slowly escaping, Feng Jing saw bandits as they were pursuing her so he didn't engage in the hunt for her himself.
Mei Lin had only one choice and it was to find her master. Just as she was nearly out of her strength she started to think once again. "Where are you master?" Mei Lin knew that they had been running for so long, so they needed to be close.
Reassuring herself, Mei Lin noticed that her strength was slowly dwindling, causing her to slow down even more. Suddenly something fell off and Mei Lin screamed in pain as the sharp blade sliced across her back, leaving a trail of crimson blood. Despite the searing agony, she summoned every ounce of her remaining strength and focused on her wound. With a swift and calculated movement, she accidentally directed a thin beam of blood toward the bandit's eye, aiming to blind him and create an opportunity to escape.
As if by some supernatural force, the sprayed blood suddenly condensed into a beam, elongating itself until it reached a meter in length. With precision and swiftness, the beam pierced through the bandit's eye, penetrating straight through his skull and escaping from the other side of his skull along with his brain, and a blood red mist appeared behind the bandit's head. Instantly, the bandit froze in place, resembling a statue, completely immobilized.
In a startling turn of events, the beam of blood seemed to react back, drawing all the blood within the bandit's head back towards itself. The bandit's body collapsed to the ground like a lifeless rock, devoid of any movement or sign of life. The forest fell silent, the only sound echoing through the trees was the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze.
As Feng Jing witnessed the extraordinary display of Mei Lin's abilities, his curiosity piqued, and his determination to catch her only intensified. With a swift motion, he urged his horse forward, galloping in pursuit of Mei Lin.
Mei Lin didn't know about him, but still sensing the impending danger, swiftly stowed away her crystal knife and retrieved a crystal bottle from her storage ring. Without hesitation, she began collecting the blood from his wound. As his blood flowed into the bottle, swirling with a mesmerizing crimson hue, Mei Lin's movements were fluid and deliberate. With each drop collected, Mei Lin looked around if other bandits would find her. Just as the blood flow slowed down, Mei Lin put away the bottle and continued her run.
Feng Jing urged his horse forward, his relentless pursuit leaving a trail of chaos and destruction in its wake, closing the distance with single-minded determination. His eyes gleamed with a mixture of anticipation and excitement, driven by the thrill of the chase and the desire to capture her at any cost.
Feng Jing descended from the smaller hill, from which he was looking at Mei Lin, and followed her path. Along the path, he encountered and swiftly dispatched two bandits, closing the distance with each passing moment.
Simultaneously as Mei Lin ran, her mind went blank and she fell to the ground, started rolling through the plants in the forest, into the roots of the big old oak. As she slid through the roots she was stacked under them covered. A few bandits ran near her location but didn't see her and ran down into the forest.
*****
As Mei Lin regained consciousness, she found herself surrounded by the soil and roots of the forest, the aftermath of the chaotic skirmish still echoing in her mind. With a sense of urgency gnawing at her, she carefully assessed her surroundings, acutely aware of the dangers of the bandits.
As she settled into a state of meditation, Mei Lin focused on her breathing, allowing herself to calm and regain clarity of mind. Recognizing the need for caution, Mei Lin resolved to exercise greater discretion in her use of blood manipulation, mindful of the risks inherent in drawing attention to herself. With her newfound awareness, she proceeded with caution, and usage of her blood path, which nearly killed her.
Turning her attention to her wound, Mei Lin understood that healing it would require time she couldn't afford. Instead, she opted to replenish her energy by consuming berries she had gathered. Despite her heightened senses, Mei Lin detected no immediate threat nearby, but remained vigilant, as she prepared some bandages from a storage ring and tried to put them across her wound, so nothing would get into the wound until she healed up.
After patiently waiting and listening for any signs of movement outside, Mei Lin entered the cultivation state and started cultivating. As half a day passed and night slowly descended, she ended her cultivation and emerged from her concealment, finding no immediate threats in her vicinity. With determination, she set out to track the blood trail she had left behind, proceeding cautiously and meticulously.