Douluo V: Reborn White-headed Eagle, Many Children, Many Blessings

"Bing'er! Yue'er! Xuewu! Liuyu... It's you! It really is you!"

Zhuang Rusu stretched out her slightly trembling hands, one hand tightly hugging Shui Yue'er in her arms, and the other hand gripping Shui Bing'er's outstretched hand. Her gaze swept urgently across the faces of Xue Wu, Qiu Ruoshui, Yu Hairou, Gu Qingbo, and Shen Liuyu, as if to confirm whether they were unharmed.

Her eyes quickly welled up with tears, and her voice trembled noticeably, "That's wonderful...that's wonderful...The Dean thinks about you all every day. Are you...are you alright? Are you injured? Did that soul beast give you any trouble?"

Xue Wu, Qiu Ruoshui, and the others behind Shui Bing'er had already gathered around Zhuang Rusu, excitedly expressing their longing for her.

"Dean, we're back!"

"We're all fine, Dean, don't worry!"

"Dean, we miss you so much!"

"Good, good, they're all back. It's good that they're back safe and sound, that's wonderful..." Zhuang Rusu nodded repeatedly, a relieved smile on her face, her loving gaze sweeping over each child.

It should be noted that the last expedition failed, resulting in the near annihilation and capture of the elite students. Zhuang Rusu felt extremely guilty and even considered resigning, but the entire academy strongly dissuaded her from doing so.

But this thorn remained stuck in her heart, and day and night she constantly thought about how to rescue him and how to make up for her mistake, bearing immense pressure in her heart.

Seeing the children standing alive and well before me now fills me with indescribable joy and relief.

But amidst her elation and relief, a crucial question suddenly popped into Zhuang Rusu's mind, causing her excited expression to freeze slightly.

Wait, how did they get back?

What about that powerful evil soul beast that reached the level of a Title Douluo?

Did they escape by taking advantage of a moment when they weren't paying attention? Or...?

Zhuang Rusu composed herself, loosened her embrace, placed her hands on Shui Yue'er's shoulders, and looked at Shui Bing'er with a serious and concerned expression:

"Bing'er, Yue'er, how...how did you get back? Where's that soul beast? Where did it go? Did you...?"

She hadn't finished asking her question.

"Here, here it is." A male voice with a lazy smile came from the back of the crowd, interrupting Zhuang Rusu's question.

Then, the young man in black who had been quietly following behind the women and had been subconsciously ignored by Zhuang Rusu stepped out from behind Shui Bing'er and the others.

With an almost innocent smile on his face, he naturally cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhuang Rusu, his tone relaxed:

"Oh, you must be Dean Zhuang? Bing'er and Yue'er often mention you, saying that you treat them like a mother, and your kindness is as heavy as a mountain. So, in that sense, you are my mother-in-law. Please accept my bow upon our first formal meeting."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Ran actually bowed slightly, performing a gesture that wasn't perfect but conveyed the meaning.

In an instant, the area around Zhuang Rusu seemed to be muted.

Zhuang Rusu's expression froze completely, her pupils suddenly contracted, and the excitement and relief she had just felt receded like the tide, replaced by a blank look of shock, and a slowly rising chill and disbelief.

She stared blankly at the composed young man in front of her who called himself "son-in-law".

A terrifying thought that sent chills down her spine and made her dizzy exploded uncontrollably in her mind.

"Dean, don't be afraid." Shui Bing'er keenly noticed Zhuang Rusu's sudden paleness and slight swaying, and immediately stepped forward, gently comforting her with a voice that was trying to calm the turmoil, "He won't hurt us."

"Yes, Dean," Gu Qingbo quickly chimed in, his tone earnest, "He's a good person, really."

Shen Liuyu nodded in agreement and added, "Yes, Dean, my husband... isn't a murderous or tyrannical person. He just... just looks a little... well, a little fierce." She carefully chose her words, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Xue Wu and the other women echoed softly, their eyes clear and their tone sincere, showing no sign of reluctance or fear.

"He..." Zhuang Rusu opened her mouth, squeezing out half a syllable from her dry throat, her gaze sweeping over the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar youthful faces in front of her.

She originally wanted to question and warn, but a thousand words were stuck in her chest, and she didn't know where to start. In the end, she became silent and hesitant.

It seems that this unfathomable soul beast before them... is actually quite formidable to them, the students?

This realization made her even more confused.

Otherwise, how can we explain that the students all had rosy complexions, bright eyes, and no gloom between their brows? They even had a more radiant glow and a more peaceful demeanor than when they were at Tianshui Academy, without any trace of coercion or abuse.

wrong!

Zhuang Rusu suddenly remembered that the returning students had told her that when this soul beast kidnapped Bing'er and the others, it seemed to have said... that it wanted her students to stay and become its women.

That means...

Zhuang Rusu's gaze involuntarily swept slowly across the waists and abdomens of Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, Xue Wu, and the other girls, filled with surprise and inquiry. Her gaze was so sharp that it seemed to pierce through their clothes to verify her chilling conjecture.

The girls felt somewhat embarrassed by the dean's undisguised scrutiny.

A faint blush rose on Shui Bing'er's fair cheeks, while Shui Yue'er subconsciously placed her hand gently on her lower abdomen. Gu Qingbo and Shen Liuyu lowered their heads, and Xue Wu coughed lightly, looking away.

"Dean, stop looking." In the end, Shui Bing'er took a deep breath, raised her eyelids, and met Zhuang Rusu's gaze. Her voice was soft but clear, "Things... are just as you think."

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, then a shy yet confident smile appeared on her lips: "Actually... everything is fine. We haven't suffered."

"Why……"

Zhuang Rusu closed her eyes and let out a long, deep sigh, a sigh filled with helplessness and resignation to the established facts.

What's done is done, what can she do now?

Right now, let alone the fact that she is no match for Su Ran, even if she could invite a Title Douluo-level expert to kill this soul beast... what would happen after that?

How should her students deal with this?

How can we sever the potentially deeper entanglements that may exist?

Moreover, despite being the dean of an academy, she doesn't actually have the ability to invite a titled Douluo.

Their Heavenly Dou Empire has only one titled Grand Master, and that is Poison Douluo, His Majesty Dugu Bo.

That person is not someone who is easy to talk to.

The key issue is that she's rarely in the Heavenly Dou Empire, so it's impossible to invite her even if you want to.

She had already inquired about the situation when Shui Bing'er and the others were kidnapped last time and learned that Dugu Bo was not there.