One of the Shadow Mercs thought for a while, before saying, "We chased her to this point, then we lost her. With her speed, she can't possibly outrun us. I'm wondering if she might have turned back to hide in the mountains?"
"What are you waiting for? Go look for her! If any of you find her, kill her on the spot!" The leader of the Shadow Mercs spoke mercilessly. He then turned around and headed up the mountains.
"Yes!"
The men responded promptly and followed closely behind.
When the footsteps faded into the distance, Tang Ning jumped out of the ditch and shook the dirty muddy water off her body. She was cursing under her breath as she made her way back onto the trail. "Damn it! I haven't been this pathetic for years. Seven Assassins Court, is it? You can be damn sure I'm keeping this score!"
Half an hour later, Tang Ning was still nowhere to be found on the mountain, nor along any of the other small trails. One of the Shadow Mercs frowned, and asked the three Shadow Mercs in front of him, "Did any of you search the reed ditch on the first trail earlier on?"
The three men were stunned for a second, and then they shook their heads and said, "The water in that ditch is only knee-deep. It's muddy, and the stench is unbearable, she couldn't possibly…"
His voice trailed off before he finished his sentence. He stood frozen as he was terrified with the realization that came over him.
He felt so sure that Tang Ning would not hide in the ditch. Then again, if this was what he thought, it would precisely be what Tang Ning would have placed her bets on.
"Follow me!" The leader of the Shadow Mercs looked at the three men gloomily, then turned and moved down the first trail in big strides.
It was no wonder they overlooked the ditch. The muddy water there was shallow, and it constantly emitted a nasty and pungent odor. Furthermore, Tang Ning, as the eldest daughter of the Tang family, has always had a comfortable life. The Shadow Mercs never imagined that she would hide in such a smelly ditch.
However, they searched widely in the vicinity of the reed ditch and found no trace of Tang Ning. Clearly, she was hiding elsewhere.
"There are some muddy footprints here, still wet!" One of the Shadow Mercs studied the footprints briefly, then pointed ahead and said, "She probably headed in this direction."
"After her!"
More than 10 Shadow Mercs followed the footprints and continued their pursuit of Tang Ning. While they were careful not to overlook any leads or traces this time, the darkness of the night proved to be a hindrance to their search efforts. Hence, their speed slowed down considerably.
On the other side, Tang Ning was now in front of a monastery, staring at it.
She had run into a dead-end, and her pursuers were catching up from behind. As for the monastery, its walls were too high for her small stature. It was unlikely she would be able to scale over.
She walked around the monastery until she came to the back gate. Using her dagger, she pried open the gate and quietly slipped inside the temple compounds. She found a large water tank and pushed the lid open. She then climbed in the tank, submerging herself in the water.
Tang Ning washed herself clean of the mud. When her injuries came into contact with the water, there was a stinging pain. She gasped in pain, letting out a sharp breath of cold air. She gritted her teeth and jumped out of the tank. After wringing her clothes dry, she walked towards the monastery.
The monastery was at a remote location deep in the mountains. With hardly any other being residing nearby, it can be said to be a desolate place.
In the silent night, the monks in the monastery were all sound asleep, unaware of the intruder.
Tang Ning went round the monastery compounds, but she found no other paths for escape, nor did the monastery seem to have any good hiding spots. She squinted her eyes as her mind turned rapidly. Suddenly, something in her mind clicked. She went around the monastery to search for a set of monk's robes. After finding the robes, she took it into the meditation room.
She was going to take a gamble.
She was going to gamble on the fact that the Shadow Mercs wanted to keep their low profile and not blow the matter up. Hence, even if they found their way to the monastery, they would have to be discreet and sneak in. If that was the case, as long as Tang Ning could avoid their secret searches, then she could get past this ordeal.
Inside the meditation room, she pulled at her wet drooping hair, took a deep breath, grit her teeth, and raised her hand to begin shaving.