Chapter 139: Ma Hongjun: Living Like This is Worse Than Death!

At that moment, Tang San's emotions could no longer be held back, and he roared, "Xiao Wu!"

Everyone on the wooden dragon looked at Tang San in surprise. Why was he reacting so strongly? And why was he only worried about Xiao Wu, not even thinking about Su Ming? Weren't they from the same village?

A moment later, Ning Rongrong, who had been pretending to be unconscious, "woke up." Zhu Zhuqing glanced at her, confused, as if to ask, "Why did you faint?" Ning Rongrong shook her head, signaling that she was fine.

Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun woke up, but it was due to the intense pain. "Ahh! Everything hurts!"

Oscar quickly stuffed one of his recovery sausages into Ma Hongjun's mouth. While the sausage couldn't restore his limbs to their original state, it could reduce some of the pain and speed up his recovery. As for Ma Hongjun's "second brother," there was no hope—his lower body had been completely crushed, and it was unlikely to ever recover. The thought of never being able to enjoy the pleasures of life again was an unbearable punishment for him; he'd rather be dead than live like this, without any joy or hope.

After consuming the sausage, Ma Hongjun's pain subsided somewhat, and he asked in a daze, "Teacher Zhao, we're not dead? We survived?"

Looking around at the wooden dragon, he realized something was amiss. Where was Su Ming? And where was Xiao Wu? And why were Tang San's eyes so red?

These thoughts only flickered in his mind briefly, as his main concern was how they had escaped from the Titan Giant Ape. "How did we get out of there?" he wondered.

Zhao Wuji, his face pale, said helplessly, "We're alive, but Su Ming and Xiao Wu probably won't make it. They sacrificed themselves so that we could escape, using Su Ming's wooden dragon to carry us out. But they were captured by the Titan Giant Ape. I fear their fate is sealed."

In his heart, Zhao Wuji thought, What a shame to lose such promising students as Su Ming and Xiao Wu. They may be commoners, but their talent and strength were extraordinary. With them, Shrek Academy could have grown much stronger.

Still, trading their lives for ours was worth it. Several of these students come from powerful backgrounds—the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, the Star Luo Royal Family, and even the son of the legendary Haotian Douluo. They are people I cannot afford to offend. Now, they are all safe, and I am still alive. That's what matters most.

Ma Hongjun, upon hearing this, had mixed feelings. He hadn't expected Su Ming and Xiao Wu to sacrifice themselves to save everyone. But when he thought of his current state, unable to enjoy life as he once did, he felt that death would have been a kinder fate. Living like this was worse than death.

Ning Rongrong, however, protested, "I don't believe Su Ming would die so easily. He's strong, both in talent and skill. Someone like him will always have a way out!"

The others didn't argue with her; they didn't see the point in debating. Soon after, the wooden dragon carried them far away from their previous location before dissipating into a pile of wood, as it could only last for a limited time without Su Ming's control.

Seeing that they were now relatively safe, Zhao Wuji instructed the group to rest briefly before leaving. He turned to Oscar and said, "Oscar, make more sausages to help us recover quickly. Staying in Star Dou Forest is too dangerous. I never expected the Titan Giant Ape to appear so close to the forest's edge. Something's not right here!"

Oscar nodded and began chanting his incantation, furiously making sausages for everyone.

Then Zhao Wuji turned to Tang San and said, "Little San, it looks like you'll have to wait for another chance to obtain your third spirit ring. Next time, we'll bring Flender along. I made a mistake this time. Losing Su Ming and Xiao Wu is a heavy price to pay."

After saying that, Zhao Wuji sat down to meditate and recover his spirit power.

Tang San, however, wasn't paying attention to Zhao Wuji's words. He was consumed by the thought that since the Titan Giant Ape hadn't killed Su Ming and Xiao Wu immediately, they might still be alive. He needed to rescue Xiao Wu as soon as possible!

As for the third spirit ring, that could wait.

Tang San approached Oscar and quietly said, "Oscar, give me more of your flying mushroom sausages."

Oscar looked at him, shocked, guessing what Tang San was planning. Was he really going to attempt to rescue Su Ming and Xiao Wu on his own? That would be a death sentence!

Tang San, seeing Oscar's hesitation, said in a low, intense voice, "Oscar, I'm begging you! If you consider me your brother, give me those sausages. I have to at least see their bodies—otherwise, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!"

Oscar, while not naive, was much smarter than he appeared, especially compared to Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. Tang San was clearly agitated—his red eyes and earlier shouts for Xiao Wu were proof enough. He hadn't even called for Su Ming.

Oscar realized that Tang San was driven primarily by his need to save Xiao Wu, or at least recover her body. Su Ming seemed to be an afterthought for Tang San.

This puzzled Oscar. Weren't Tang San and Su Ming from the same village? Weren't they former classmates at the same academy? Why didn't Tang San care more about Su Ming?

Additionally, Oscar had started to notice something strange about Tang San's feelings for Xiao Wu. Could it be that Tang San had romantic feelings for her?

Oscar felt more certain with each passing thought. No wonder Tang San seemed indifferent toward Su Ming. Anyone could see that Su Ming and Xiao Wu were growing closer, though their feelings hadn't been explicitly expressed yet.

What Oscar didn't know was that Tang San's indifference toward Su Ming wasn't just because of Xiao Wu. The second reason was that Su Ming's strength overshadowed Tang San. While Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was a powerful control-type martial spirit, it paled in comparison to Su Ming's wood element control, which could both attack and defend, making him a near-perfect all-rounder.