Ji Chun drifted through darkness, his consciousness adrift in a sea of fragmented thoughts. Something vital tugged at his heart—a growing dread of loss that tightened his chest. He reached desperately into the void, grasping for answers just beyond his reach.
With a panicked gasp, he awoke. Cold sweat soaked the pillow beneath him as his breathing came in ragged bursts.
"You're awake." The familiar voice cut through his disorientation. Blinking against the light, Ji Chun recognized the two physicians—Mu Miefeng and Xue Yao—standing by his bedside.
He winced at the throbbing in his skull as he pushed himself upright. Xue Yao pressed a bowl of bitter medicine into his hands. Ji Chun drank it without complaint, the acrid taste grounding him in reality.
"How long—?"
"Ten days," Xue Yao answered, taking back the empty bowl.
"Su Ran!" Ji Chun's hands clenched the bedsheets. "Is he—?"
"Still unconscious in the mountain chamber," Mu Miefeng reassured. "But the antidote is working. He's out of danger."
The tension drained from Ji Chun's shoulders—until Mu Miefeng continued: "Shang Luo and Ouyang Yixun are dead. The White Sect has been disbanded."
"Dead?" Ji Chun's brow furrowed. "You're certain?"
Mu Miefeng nodded. "The truth has been revealed. Shang Luo had possessed Di Mang long before coming to the Central Plains. He manipulated Ouyang Yixun—used their relationship to orchestrate the sect massacres, even the destruction of Ouyang Yixun's own family."
"But why would Ouyang Yixun help destroy his family?" Ji Chun's voice cracked with disbelief.
"The youngest, weakest son of a martial arts dynasty," Mu Miefeng said quietly. "Never valued, always overlooked. Shang Luo preyed on that resentment."
Ji Chun's hands trembled. "And Shang Luo's motive?"
Mu Miefeng's gaze turned sorrowful. "Years ago, eight sects hunted his family for Di Mang's location. By sheer coincidence, they received a tip that Shang Luo's parents knew Di Mang's true whereabouts. Acting on this information, they went straight to the Shang residence, where they pressured his parents to reveal Di Mang's location.
At the time, Shang Luo's parents belonged to a minor and insignificant sect in the western region—no match for the eight major sects. Yet, under the pretense of "eradicating evil and heresy," the attackers ruthlessly forced them to talk. When they refused, the entire Shang family was slaughtered, one by one.
Amid the massacre, Shang Luo's parents, gravely wounded, managed to escape with him to a nearby village, where they hid in a local household. Unfortunately, they hadn't anticipated that the Shaolin monk, Hui Kong, would track them down. Mistakenly believing the monks had come to help, the couple sheltering them revealed the Shang family's hiding place after a brief conversation.
Hui Kong immediately pursued Shang Luo's family, intent on wiping them out. Feeling betrayed, the Shang family took revenge by killing the couple who had once sheltered them—only to be executed by Hui Kong in turn. The household was left in ruins, save for a baby boy less than a month old, whom Hui Kong took back to the temple."
Ji Chun's breath caught. The revelation struck like a physical blow, leaving him numb. His lips parted soundlessly as the pieces fell into place—the vengeance, the hatred spanning decades.
A sudden babble broke the silence. Xue Yao approached, cradling a squirming bundle. Ji Chun's heart leapt—his son! All thoughts of vengeance melted away as he reached instinctively, only for Mu Miefeng to restrain him.
"Not yet," the physician chided gently. Xue Yao smiled, bringing the child closer until Ji Chun could see those tiny, perfect fingers grasping at the air.
Ji Chun carefully cradled the child in his arms, the warm weight against his chest soothing his restless heart. As he bent to kiss the baby's plump cheeks, tiny fingers grasped at his face, and the infant's wide eyes crinkled into a delighted smile. The simple joy melted Ji Chun's sorrow like morning frost under sunlight, his own lips curving in response. He gently stroked the small fist, feeling the last shadows of grief lift from his spirit.
"Who revealed all this to you?" he asked softly, careful not to disturb the drowsing child.
Mu Miefeng sighed. "We followed Shang Luo's trail after leaving Xilongzhou, piecing together clues. When you wounded Ouyang Yixun, he fled to a ruined temple where we found him. In exchange for a final meeting with Shang Luo's body, he confessed everything—then asked we bury them together as brothers."
Ji Chun rocked the now-sleeping baby, his voice barely above a whisper. "And Su Ran's poison? Why did physicians claim it was incurable?"
"The poison was Di Mang itself," Mu Miefeng explained. "The seven-petaled flower grants tremendous power but brings certain death. Shang Luo consumed four petals and gave Ouyang Yixun two—"
"Di Mang is poisonous?" Ji Chun interrupted, startled. He'd only known it as a martial arts enhancer.
"The petals grant strength, but the crimson marks they cause signal approaching death. The leaves, however, are the antidote. Ouyang Yixun kept some after poisoning Su Ran with a treated needle. Before dying, he gave us the remaining cure."
Ji Chun exhaled in relief, bowing deeply. "This debt can never be repaid."
Xue Yao chuckled. "Nonsense! What are friends for? Rest now—when Su Ran wakes, your family will be whole again."
With his son nestled beside him and hope blooming in his chest, Ji Chun surrendered to peaceful sleep for the first time in months, dreaming of reunion.
Translators Notes: A lot of the explanation was hard to understand. I did the best I could to interpret the story to the best of my ability.