"Amitabha."
The abbot softly chanted a line from the scripture. He looked at the disciples kneeling in front of him and said, "It takes a long time to construct a new building. We have nothing left now. How will we rebuild the monastery? It would be better for you all to go down the mountain first. It doesn't matter if you join other monasteries or beg for alms at different places for now and when the time comes, wouldn't it be better if you all return to rebuild the monastery then?"
The abbot was still speaking, as he bent down and picked up a bowl covered in black soot from the pile of things left. He then slowly made his way to Tang Ning and placed the bowl in her hand. "Take this bowl and go down the mountain!"
Tang Ning looked at the black bowl in her hand and wanted to say something to the abbot. However, he had already turned back and was speaking to the disciples kneeling on the floor. "Stand up, everyone! Take one bowl each and go down the mountain!" The abbot sat on a stone stool on the side as he spoke.
Holding the bowl in her arms, Tang Ning took a few steps forward and picked up a clay pot. She then moved to the water body nearby, washed the clay pot, and filled it with clean water.
She hugged the clay pot with both hands and stood in front of the abbot. After silently passing the pot of clean water to him, she took a step back, brought her palms together, and bowed towards him.
The abbot held the clay pot filled with clean water in his hands and was stunned for a moment when he saw the disciple in front of him bowing down to him. Then, he saw the disciple turning back and leaving the monastery after finishing his greetings.
Even until this moment, he still couldn't recognize which disciple was this.
His gaze then landed on the other disciples, and he was astonished again as he realized something after looking.
Two, four, six… eighteen. All the eighteen disciples were present, so where did the disciple just now come from?
The abbot looked down at the clean water in his hands and was slightly dazed. There were still ripples in the water in the clay pot, and he saw around a dozen gold leaves at the bottom of the clear water.
A few days later, Inner Cloud City.
On the busy city streets, a young monk, around 13 years old, was looking around the bustling town. The monk's eyes were filled with curiosity and interest in the city.
The little monk's exquisite and outstanding looks attracted everyone's attention on the street as people kept looking at him repeatedly. There were even some kind people who stuffed two buns or fruits into his bowl.
The little monk was none other than Tang Ning, who had left the monastery.
After leaving the monastery, Tang Ning found some medicinal herbs for her body that could cure poison and also reduce swelling and inflammation. She also drank the juice from the herbs to prevent any infections or diseases which could arise from the rat bites.
In the past two days, the swelling and wounds caused by the rat bites have almost disappeared, and the inflammation also reduced. However, the wounds were not completely healed yet, and the marks from being beaten by a whip remained on her body. The wounds from the whip were all over her body, and it was still painful when she pressed those marks.
"I must first find some money to buy some medicine to treat my body!" Tang Ning whispered to herself and looked at the bustling street, thinking from where she could get money.
After walking for a while, Tang Ning noticed that someone was tailing her. She turned her head back, seeming unintentional, and glanced briefly at two sneaking men. She lowered her gaze, and a flash of coldness appeared in her eyes.
Though her looks were extraordinary, she was still disguised as a monk. There shouldn't be any people with such a foul heart to lay their eyes on her in her current disguise. Who knew that there were already people eyeing on her ever since she had just entered the city not long ago.
She continued walking leisurely as if she had noticed nothing. However, she was making her way towards an alleyway with fewer people. As soon as she turned into the lane, the two men lost sight of her.
"Where is he?"
The two men, whose power were at Level 2 of Qi Refining, quickly turned into the alleyway but still couldn't see the little monk.
Tang Ning walked out behind them and said with an innocent smile, "Are you guys looking for me?"