Those words of conviction affirmed that the little monk came from an extraordinary background, had been through rigorous training, and was painstakingly nurtured. All that culminated in the skills and capabilities he had today.
A mere young boy, not older than 13 or 14 years of age. Yet in such a short time, he concocted a drug that was powerful enough to tackle all the cultivators of varying skill levels and dexterity. Furthermore, he was able to administer the drug silently and undetected. Just how proficient was the little monk in medicine?
Mo Ye was very sure that no one else with such capabilities existed in the Black Dragon Kingdom. Could the little monk be a disciple from an Immortal Medicinal Clan, and was out on his travels?
Meanwhile, the little monk who had slipped out of the Prince's residence… no, it cannot be regarded as slipping out. Tang Ning had opened the gate herself, walked out, and was even considerate enough to close it for them. At the very least, outsiders were oblivious to the upheaval inside the mansion.
Tang Ning traveled for day and night to move out of the city, seeking refuge with the townspeople along the way. At this moment, she lay on a bed, her hands under her head, as she chuckled, "These days, you can play with anyone, except those who know medicine. You could fall for their tricks without even realizing it. Trying to imprison me in a prince's residence? Heh… They don't know who they're dealing with!"
Tang Ning could not sleep, so she sat up and crossed her knees to practice cultivating. She placed the Guanyin bamboo across her knees. As the soul force energy started to flow in her body, the pure spirit energy of the Guanyin bamboo slowly fused with the energy from her body.
The next morning, Tang Ning felt rejuvenated and opened her room door with a bright smile on her face. But before she could have time to withdraw her smile, it froze instead when she saw the man standing outside the door.
"Why are you…" Before she could finish, a rope spiraled around her body like a snake and bound her.
"Hahaha… It wasn't easy to find you!" The old monk lightly squeezed his long, white eyebrow with one hand and smiled amiably at her. Then with a wise, knowing look in his eyes, he looked her over and nodded. "I've not seen you in a while, and it seems you've had some adventures again!"
Tang Ning stared at the rope around her body and tried to pull it to free herself. But the more she pushed against the rope, the tighter it became. She looked at the old monk and said, "Old monk, what is this? Tying me up with a piece of old rope. I'm not your catch of the day!"
"Haha, just like catching mudskippers, indeed! You're as slippery as an eel. If I don't tie you up with this Magical Binding Rope, there's no knowing when you might slip away again." His eyes narrowed into two slits as he smiled kindly. "By the way, you should stop struggling. The more you struggle, the tighter the rope gets."
"No, what are you tying me up for?" Tang Ning demanded unkindly. She had just escaped from the Prince's residence, and she was captured by this meat-eating monk!
The old monk grinned and said, "Since you won't come along with me, the only way is to tie you up and bring you back. Don't worry, I'm only taking you to meet my senior brothers. After that, whenever you want to come back, I'll escort you back here."
Tang Ning attempted to negotiate, "The land of the deities is so far away, and I haven't finished my work here! Who knows when we'll be back again? Why don't you untie me and let me settle the matters here first? I'll follow you back once I get things done."
"No way, you have far too many tricks up your sleeve. If I don't pay attention, you'll run away. You must know that I had to put in a lot of effort to find you this time," said the old monk lightheartedly. The old monk held the other end of the rope and pulled it as he spoke, "Be good and come on now!"
The master of the house was stunned when he caught sight of the old monk leading the little monk tied by a rope. He stepped forward and asked, "Venerable, this is…"
"Haha, benefactor, don't worry. My little disciple mischievously sneaked out without permission and came down the mountains to play. So, I'm going to take him back!"