He used his hand to guide his wife to close the door once he was outside.
To those in the corridor still thinking about meat, Monkeyâs wife just opened the door to peek at them then closed it.
No one knew that another human being had left the apartment.
Monkey first went to their former leaderâs house and knocked on the door.
The leader was bedridden because of his injury. It was one of their brothers who was looking after him who opened the door.
However, he didnât see anyone.
He was about to close the door when it was pushed further then he felt a presence pass him before the door was closed again and even locked from the inside.
This scared the guy so much he couldnât even scream. He thought that ghosts had started roaming the world in broad daylight now.
Monkey seemed to know what he was thinking and removed the concealment talisman.
"Mon...Monkey? Is it really you?" The man asked curiously while taking small steps towards Monkey.
"Of course itâs me. Who else could it be?" Monkey replied with a lively smile. Even though he was almost skin and bones, he was energetic after eating something filled with spiritual energy today.
"How...how...how did you do that?" The man asked while pointing at Monkey who was now visible.
"Donât worry about that, you will find out soon. How is brother Meng?" Brother Meng was the former leader.
"Not good. I donât know how much longer he can hold on." The man replied with a sad expression.
"Letâs go see him." Monkey ran inside to the leaderâs bedroom and the smell was overwhelming.
It was obvious that because of improper care and lack of medicine and hygiene, the wound from the gunshot was festering.
It was a miracle it had not caused the whole leg to rot yet.
However, at the rate his condition was deteriorating, he wouldnât last much longer.
Monkey looked at the man lying on the bed looking like he was on his last breath and shed a few tears.
"No need to cry. What is a big man like you crying for? We will all die someday.* The leader said even though his breathing was laboured and it was as if he would stop breathing the next moment.
"Leader, donât say such things. There is still hope. The reason I came today is because there is hope. Do you remember that girl who sold us meat and fresh vegetables?" Monkey hurriedly got to the reason for his unannounced visit.
"Yes, I remember her, what about her?" The man taking care of the leader asked curiously.
"Well, I ran into her in the market today while looking for medicine for my daughter. She offered to give us a safe place to live. Do you want to go?" Monkey asked tentatively.
He hoped that they wouldnât doubt Chu Miaoâs intentions and agree to follow her.
"Are you serious?" The leader asked in agitation.
"Of course itâs true. She is in my house now. She already treated my daughter and now she is lively. She said she didnât want to leave good people suffering here. So, she offered to take us in, but only people with good characters. Anyone who has...." Monkey went on to explain Chu Miaoâs demands and rules.
When the leader and that man taking care of him heard everything, they didnât ask any more questions.
"I will follow her." The leader said.
Even Monkey was surprised. He thought he would have to take a long time to convince him. To his surprise, he agreed so readily.
But thatâs good too. It would save him time trying to convince them.
"Then take these talismans and paste them on yourselves. Make sure not to bump into anything or anyone to avoid exposure. I will go and tell the others." Monkey gave the two people four talismans.
Two protective talismans and two concealment talismans.
Once Monkey left, the man tending to Leader Meng packed whatever little they had then plastered the talismans on themselves and carried the leader on his back and headed to the place Monkey had mentioned for meeting.
In the next hour, Monkey went to different households in different buildings and alerted the people he intended to bring along.
He also made sure to explain that anyone who dared to bring people not on the list would be left behind.
So, no one took an extra person.
Once everything was ready, Monkey went back to his house to get Chu Miao, his wife, and daughter.
"Everyone is ready downstairs waiting for you." He said once he entered the house.
"Alright, letâs go." Chu Miao stood up and took the luggage Monkeyâs wife had packed.
Monkey carried his daughter and his wife followed behind them.
Once down the stairs, Chu Miao used her divine sense to know how many people there were and was surprised to find that in the whole community, not even a hundred people remained that could be saved.
However, no matter what, eighty-seven was still a good number.
"Remove your concealment talismans and hold onto each other and hold your luggage as well. If something is left behind, donât blame me." She said solemnly.
As if receiving a military order, everyone removed their concealment talisman and held onto the person next to them as if for dear life.
Once they were all connected, Chu Miao burst out with a brilliant light energy that spread throughout the community.
However, before anything could happen, she took everyone and teleported away.
What those who left didnât know was that every being whether alive or dead in that community turned into ashes within a blink of an eye.
This was the retribution Chu Miao brought to those inhumane beasts.
When the group appeared again, they were in the ruins outside the protective barrier of the sect.
No matter the times, they couldnât enter without getting registered.
Even though the circumstances were different due to the ongoing wind and hurricane disasters, safety could not be neglected.