489. Surviving a Disaster

“It’s me!”

A slender figure emerged from the bushes.

Seeing her, Zhao Wuji froze, and Dai Mubai, along with the others, was equally dumbfounded.

Only Tang San’s body trembled slightly, a mix of excitement and disbelief surging through him. It felt unreal.

“Xiao Wu?!”

“No way… Fatty must be seeing ghosts!”

Ma Hongjun rubbed his eyes repeatedly, unable to believe what he was seeing.
The figure who had suddenly appeared was indeed Xiao Wu.

At that moment, she looked disheveled, her clothes torn, and her hair in a mess, but her face appeared rosy, and she seemed more mature.

Seeing Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong smiled brightly and was about to rise to greet her, but Zhu Zhuqing calmly pulled her back.

Feigning surprise, Zhu Zhuqing asked,
“Xiao Wu, you didn’t die?”

“Zhuqing, are you hoping I did?” Xiao Wu retorted, displeased. She then glared angrily at Ma Hongjun.
“And you, you dead fat chicken!”

“Uh… me?” Ma Hongjun pointed at himself, speechless, twiddling his fingers awkwardly.
“Well… who knew you were this hard to kill?”

“Hmph!” Xiao Wu snorted coldly and immediately began looking around for Tang San.

She had survived a near-death experience, yet her little follower wasn’t rushing over to greet her? How unreasonable!

“Huh? Where’s Tang San?”

Hearing Xiao Wu’s voice, Tang San finally accepted this wonderful reality—
Xiao Wu was alive!

Before Zhao Wuji and the others could respond, Tang San, with tears in his eyes, said in a trembling voice,
“Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu! I-I’m here! I’m here!”

Xiao Wu quickly looked down and soon spotted Tang San lying on a stretcher like a ‘mummy.’

She froze for a moment before realizing what had happened and ran toward him in alarm.

“Oh no! Tang San, what happened to you?”

“He chased after you alone to save you. When we found him, he was already in this state,” Dai Mubai explained.

“Save me?” Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow.

This fool had gone after the ten-thousand-year-old Titan Giant Ape with two white spirit rings?

What nonsense!

The very thought made Xiao Wu feel both amused and exasperated.

Still, no matter what, seeing Tang San in such a condition tugged at her heartstrings. She knew she was in for another round of emotional turmoil.

“Tang San…”

Tang San spat out Oscar’s sausage and, with tear-filled eyes, gazed at Xiao Wu with deep relief.

“Xiao Wu!”

Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, Xiao Wu’s eyes filled with tears as she squatted beside him and scolded tearfully,
“Tang San, why did you have to act so tough? Aren’t two white spirit rings embarrassing enough already?”

“You idiot!”

Seeing her cry, Tang San felt a sharp pang in his heart.
It wasn’t her scolding that hurt, but her tears.

Tang San had always known that Xiao Wu’s sharp words hid a soft heart.
Though she appeared to be chastising him, she was actually expressing her concern.

Forcing a weak smile, Tang San tried to comfort her,
“Xiao Wu… I’m fine.”

“Who cares if you’re fine or not! You’re useless! If you don’t recover, you’ll really become a cripple!” Xiao Wu muttered, hugging her knees and lowering her head as tears streamed down her face.

Zhu Zhuqing, impressed by Xiao Wu’s performance, quietly pulled Ning Rongrong over and gently patted Xiao Wu’s shoulder, offering her a way out.
“Xiao Wu, he’s not going to die.”

“Yeah, yeah! He’s not dying. Don’t waste your tears on such an idiot,” Ning Rongrong quickly added, nodding in agreement.

Even Tang San joined in, self-deprecating,
“Yeah, Xiao Wu, don’t cry for me… it’s not worth it.”

“Who said I care about you? Ugh, disgusting!” Xiao Wu snapped, raising her head and glaring at Tang San before quickly turning and diving into Zhu Zhuqing’s arms, tears still falling.

Tang San merely smiled faintly, taking her words as nothing more than angry grumbling.

Zhu Zhuqing shot a glance at Tang San before stepping back with Xiao Wu in her arms. The three girls formed a small group away from the others.

“Xiao Wu, are you okay?”
Ning Rongrong leaned in, her voice gentle with concern.


Xiao Wu raised her head, pouting her bleeding lips in discomfort.
“My lips hurt so much~”

“Pfft!” Ning Rongrong couldn’t help but laugh. No wonder Xiao Wu’s crying had seemed so real—she had truly been crying.

Seeing Ning Rongrong’s reaction, Dai Mubai and the others looked puzzled. Ning Rongrong turned back and explained,
“Why are you all staring at me? I was just telling Xiao Wu a joke!”

After speaking, Ning Rongrong took out some ointment and carefully applied it to Xiao Wu’s injured lips. The medicine worked quickly, healing the small wound in no time, and even the traces of blood were cleaned away by Xiao Wu’s agile tongue.

With Xiao Wu’s sobs finally subsiding, Zhao Wuji seized the chance to ask about what had happened.
“Xiao Wu, how did you escape from the Titan Giant Ape’s grasp?”

“Yeah, I thought it crushed you to death,” Oscar added curiously while squatting and stuffing a sausage into Tang San’s mouth. Tang San eagerly ate it, his ears perking up to listen.

Before returning, Xiao Wu had already prepared her explanation with Qian Renjue’s help. Leaning against Zhu Zhuqing, she began,
“The Titan Giant Ape grabbed me and ran deep into the forest. Not long after, we heard a loud cow’s bellow. It seemed anxious, even scared.”

“A cow’s bellow? What kind of cow could scare the Titan Giant Ape? What happened next?” Dai Mubai frowned.

Fear flickered in Xiao Wu’s eyes as she continued,
“The Titan Giant Ape panicked and threw me like a rock. I ended up crashing into a thousand-year-old soul beast, and I nearly died…”

Hearing this, Ma Hongjun shivered. Just imagining the situation filled him with dread. Xiao Wu’s torn clothes and the bloodstains on her chin lent credibility to her story.

“Fortunately, heaven didn’t abandon me. The soul beast I hit was guarding a glowing herb. I was so badly injured that I had no choice but to eat it in desperation.”
As Xiao Wu recounted this, her eyes reflected lingering fear.

“And it worked?” Zhao Wuji scratched his head.

“Yes, not only did my injuries heal, but my cultivation also advanced.” Xiao Wu straightened up and summoned her martial soul. Three spirit rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—spun around her.

“After consuming that herb, I’ve now reached level 37 as a Soul Elder.”

“What?! You’re already level 37?!” Zhao Wuji exclaimed in shock.

Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were equally stunned, their mouths agape. Even Tang San almost sat up in surprise. He had thought he had surpassed Xiao Wu in cultivation, but now it seemed he was still behind her.

“Can spirit rings lie?” Xiao Wu dismissed her martial soul and sighed in relief, her expression showing a hint of gratitude.
“Maybe it’s true that surviving a disaster brings blessings. The soul beast I hit happened to be a perfect match for me.”

“Seriously?” Ma Hongjun stared at her, wearing a look that suggested a blind cat had found a dead mouse.

“Of course, otherwise how could I call it a blessing in disguise?” Xiao Wu shot Ma Hongjun a glare, patting her chest as if still recovering from the scare. She then looked at Tang San with a trace of sorrow.
“After that, I hurriedly followed the path the Titan Giant Ape took and ran toward the forest’s edge. That’s when I ran into you all.”

Zhao Wuji and the others exchanged skeptical glances but couldn’t help believing her—there seemed no other explanation for how she had escaped.

Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged looks, both seeing the same word in each other’s eyes: nonsense.

However, Tang San was more curious than skeptical.
“Xiao Wu, can you describe the herb you found?”

“Of course.” Xiao Wu nodded, recalling the details after a moment of thought.
“It looked simple, white, and crystal-like, almost like a jade lotus root.”

“Jade Narcissus Ice Muscle Bone?” Zhu Zhuqing exclaimed in surprise, finally understanding how Xiao Wu’s cultivation had increased.
It turned out she had eaten the Ice Muscle Jade Bone Pill that their teacher had provided.