He looked rather bedraggled now, his once-burly frame covered in dirt and bits of grass.
One arm hung limply at his side, its sleeve torn wide open, revealing faint glimpses of dark bruises beneath.
His other hand held someone firmly-it was none other than the unconscious Tang San.
"It's Teacher Zhao!"
Once Ning Rongrong recognized the newcomer, her taut nerves relaxed slightly, and she could not help crying out softly.
Zhao Wuji panted heavily, his chest heaving. When he saw Su Yu and the others, a trace of surprise first flashed through his eyes.
He had not expected them to escape the Titan Giant Ape's clutches. Then his expression turned grave, and he spoke hoarsely:
"Are you... all right? When I found Tang San, he was already like this..."
He gave the unconscious Tang San in his hand a slight shake, his voice full of worry.
Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward, looked at Zhao Wuji, and said solemnly:
"We're fine, but Xiao Wu was taken by the Titan Giant Ape."
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji laid Tang San on the grass nearby and found a rock to sit on. He squeezed his injured arm, his brows tightly knitted:
"Xiao Wu was taken? What about Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar?"
"They left the Star Dou Great Forest while Teacher Su Yu was fighting the Titan Giant Ape," Zhu Zhuqing answered succinctly.
After hearing Zhu Zhuqing's account, Zhao Wuji lowered his head and fell silent for a moment. The sunset's lingering glow filtered through the leaves onto his face, illuminating a hint of complexity.
Only after a long while did he draw a deep breath and abruptly stand, looking at them as he said gravely:
"All right! There's no time to lose. Let's return to the Academy first. Once we're back, we'll gather