But when they saw Fang Fan standing there unharmed, even the extra creases in his white robes lending him a rakish air, tears welled in their eyes despite themselves.
Zhu Zhuqing was the first to fly to his side. She seized his wrist, a tremor slipping into her usually cool voice without her even noticing.
"Husband, are you hurt?"
Ning Rongrong followed close behind, circling him in the air and inspecting every inch of his clothes while muttering to herself.
"No injuries, no injuries. You scared me to death! When that hit landed, I thought—"
Her voice caught, and she could say no more.
Dugu Yan came up beside him, her emerald eyes full of lingering fear.
Too stubborn to show her vulnerability, she merely reached out and brushed the ash from Fang Fan's collar.
Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er flew over side by side. The elder sister said nothing, only gazing at him in silence,
her ice-blue eyes filled with relief that he had survived.
The younger sister was far more direct. She threw herself at Fang Fan and hugged his arm, tear tracks still on her round cheeks, though her voice was bright with laughter.
"Your Highness, that punch was amazing! You were so cool, it wasn't even fair!"
They crowded around him, all talking at once. One checked him for wounds, another dusted him off, another cheered, while another simply watched him with a smile.
The battlefield, so recently drenched in blood, now held an unexpected warmth amid the girls' laughter and tears.
Qian Renxue withdrew from the battle as well, her eight wings beating gently as she landed beside Fang Fan.
Her fierce battle with the Soul Douluo Elder of the Clear Sky Sect had ended in a decisive victory, and the afterglow of combat still