Chapter 103

"How dare you!" A furious roar shattered Ji Chun's sleep as strong hands dragged him from the bed. "What insolence is this—a wild monk sleeping in my chambers!"

Ji Chun barely registered the pain of hitting the floor, his eyes locking onto the figure looming above him. That tall frame, those sharp features twisted in anger—it was Su Ran, finally awake after all this time. Yet something was terribly wrong.

Rubbing his sore shoulder, Ji Chun rose unsteadily. "Su Ran, you—"

"Guards!" Su Ran's voice cut like winter steel. Four cult members burst in, confusion warring with obedience as they knelt. "Take this intruder to the Discipline Hall for interrogation!"

Ji Chun staggered as if struck. "You... don't remember me?" The words tasted like ash.

"Remember you?" Su Ran's laugh held only contempt. "Why would I know some vagrant monk?"

The guards hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances—until Su Ran's glare promised violence. "Must I repeat myself?"

Just as tension crested, Xue Yao rushed in, taking in the scene: Ji Chun pale against the wall, Su Ran bristling with rage, the guards paralyzed with indecision.

"Sect Leader Su!" Xue Yao interjected smoothly. "You've only just recovered—this agitation harms your healing." Turning to the guards, he snapped, "You heard your Master. Escort this man out."

Su Ran's eyes narrowed at the unfamiliar physician. "And who are you?"

"Xue Yao of Yisheng Valley," came the unflinching reply. "Summoned to treat your injuries."

When Su Ran looked to his men for confirmation, they nodded hastily. "Xue Shenyi speaks truth, Master."

"Then restrain that monk!" Su Ran commanded, his patience thinning.

Ji Chun allowed himself to be led away, clinging to Xue Yao's presence as reassurance. But before he'd crossed the courtyard—

"Ji Chun! Return!" Xue Yao's urgent call brought him rushing back to find Su Ran collapsed on the bed.

"What happened?" Ji Chun cradled Su Ran's limp form, heart pounding.

"Don't worry—this is normal." Xue Yao adjusted the unconscious man's pillows. "My error, waking him prematurely. His memories will return in a few days."

Relief washed over Ji Chun. "No need for apologies. His safety is all that matters."

Xue Yao scratched his head awkwardly. "There's... one more thing."

"What is it?" Ji Chun's voice tightened with urgency, sensing this concerned Su Ran.

Xue Yao's lips curved slightly. "The sect leader... is pregnant." He watched Ji Chun's expression shift from shock to wonder before continuing, "I meant to tell you when he woke properly, but circumstances changed."

Pregnant. The word echoed through Ji Chun's mind like temple bells at dawn. His hands moved instinctively to cradle Su Ran's abdomen, reverence in every trembling finger—until sudden fear gripped him.

"Would terminating..." He swallowed hard. "Would it harm him?"

Xue Yao blinked. "You want to...? But why?"

"The last birth nearly destroyed him." Ji Chun's throat worked around the memory. No joy, however profound, was worth Su Ran's suffering. And proud, fierce Su Ran—would he even consent to carry another child?

Xue Yao studied the sleeping leader. "Perhaps we should await his decision? He'll wake properly in three days."

Ji Chun nodded. Su Ran's will had always been his compass.

For seventy-two endless hours, Ji Chun kept vigil. On the fourth morning, as he drowsed beside the bed, teasing fingers roused him—first scratching his scalp, then pinching his nose. His eyes flew open to meet Su Ran's burning gaze, that familiar smirk curling lips he'd thought might never smile at him again.

"Awake?" Su Ran's voice, rough with disuse, sent heat curling down Ji Chun's spine.

Ji Chun could only nod, suddenly fighting tears. His fingers found Su Ran's, clinging like a drowning man to driftwood.

"I remember everything." Su Ran pulled him close, lips brushing his ear in apology. "Forgive me."

Ji Chun buried his face in the crook of Su Ran's neck, breathing him in. "I missed you," he whispered, vulnerability laid bare.

They clung together, relearning each other's contours between murmured confessions and lingering touches. Only gnawing hunger eventually drove them from their cocoon.

Hand in hand they emerged—two warriors, two lovers, their bond radiating such obvious strength that even skeptics found themselves silenced before their living testament to devotion.