He has absolutely no second thoughts once Xichen's actually safe within the circle of his arms even as Xichen tenses. But then he's proven right a moment later when Xichen falls apart. A spike of fierce, protective satisfaction blazes through him before it's swept away by another wave of concern.

Rumbling an acknowledgement, he squeezes Xichen hard. The man can take it. He's halfway to immortality to start with. Being missed, though...

With a war in the way, he's missed Xichen in an abstract sense, but he saw him between battles, healthy and whole. Mingjue's barely been on the island long enough to do more than punch robots and find a dry mattress.

"Glad you still liked me enough at the end to miss me." It comes out quiet, without humor, because he knows what the sabre spirits do to their wielders, and if it got bad enough that he qi deviated, then...well. "I would never choose to leave if I had any choice."