"Xixi, don't touch it. There's something wrong with this water."
Qiao Xixi snatched her hand back in surprise, staring at him, stunned.
"How could you tell?"
"The smell. Even though we mermen are of the Sea Clan, we're highly sensitive to all water. We can tell if there's a problem with it just from its aura, and we can also identify its source."
With a flick of his fingertips, Xijing caused the water in the stone basin to rise and levitate above his palm.
"Xixi, look."
Qiao Xixi frowned as she looked at the glob of water.
Then, Xijing turned over his other hand, and another glob of water condensed above his palm. This time, however, a faint blue light flashed across its surface.
After the blue glow faded, two globs of water hovered before Qiao Xixi.
"Try it. Can you feel the difference?"
Qiao Xixi slowly extended a hand and closed her eyes. Invisible vines grew from her palm, encircling the water.
