The Duan estate was quiet.
Not peaceful, not comforting—just quiet, like a house holding its breath.
Su Nian stood still for a moment, her fingers resting lightly against the strap of her bag. The corridor was clean, polished, expensive… yet the air felt wrong. A faint chill pressed against her skin as if the dawn had arrived too early.
But it wasn't the weather.
It was that again.
Black qi.
She could see it clearly—thin strands drifting along the wall corners like smoke that refused to rise. It clung to the edges of the ceiling, coiling lazily as if it had found a new home.
She did not move quickly.
Black qi was sensitive.
Sometimes, it reacted to fear. Sometimes, it reacted to anger. And sometimes… it reacted to attention.
Su Nian's gaze sharpened.
She had ignored it last night.
She had tried to pretend she didn't see it, didn't sense the slight pressure in the air.
And it had not vanished.
It had only waited.
A sound came from behind her.
Gentle footsteps—too light to be Madam Duan, too messy to be a guard.
Dr. Fang appeared, his face paler than usual. It looked like he had spent the whole night arguing with sleep and losing.
"Miss Su…" he whispered, like even sound could provoke something. "You're awake early."
Su Nian didn't look away from the corner where black qi curled faintly like a living stain.
"I didn't sleep much," she answered.
Dr. Fang hesitated. "Young Master wants to see you."
Su Nian's eyes shifted to him. "Is he okay?"
Dr. Fang's lips parted, then closed again like he didn't know which answer would frighten her less.
"He's… awake," he said finally. "And he asked for you as soon as he opened his eyes."
That was enough.
Su Nian nodded once. "Take me to him."
---
The sitting room was warm, but not in a comforting way. Firelight danced in the fireplace, yet the air still felt heavy, pressed down by something invisible.
Madam Duan stood near the window, composed as always, her hands loosely clasped, her gaze scanning Su Nian like she was measuring the stability of a bridge.
On the sofa, Duan Yichen sat with one leg stretched out.
He wasn't lounging.
He was recovering.
Su Nian noticed immediately: his posture was careful, but his expression was calmer than yesterday.
And when his eyes met hers, he didn't look at her like a stranger.
He looked at her like someone he trusted to understand what no one else could.
"Come here," he said quietly.
Not commanding.
Just… steady.
Su Nian stepped forward.
Only then did she notice the black box on the table.
Her breathing paused for half a second.
It was the one from the gate.
It should not be here.
She turned slightly, her voice controlled. "Why is it inside the house?"
Before anyone could answer, Yichen spoke gently, almost like he already regretted making this decision but had no other choice.
"I brought it in," he said.
Madam Duan's eyes tightened, but she said nothing.
Dr. Fang looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor.
Su Nian's gaze returned to the box.
Black qi was seeping from it—not thick, not violent, but persistent, like a slow poison creeping into clean air.
Her fingers curled.
"Yichen," she said, and because it was just the two of them in her voice, it sounded different—less formal, less guarded. "This can't stay here."
Yichen didn't deny it.
Instead, he looked at her carefully. "You felt it too."
She didn't answer immediately, because no one else in the room could "feel" what she meant.
Madam Duan and Dr. Fang could only sense something was off—a coldness, a discomfort, the kind of unease that made the skin crawl without explanation.
But Su Nian could see it.
She could see it as clearly as she could see the fire.
"Yes," Su Nian said finally. "I can."
Dr. Fang swallowed hard. "Miss Su… what exactly are you seeing?"
Su Nian glanced at him.
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained," she replied, not unkindly, just honestly. "But it's there."
Dr. Fang's face stiffened. "So I'm not going crazy."
Madam Duan's voice came calm and sharp. "The source of this… is your family."
Su Nian didn't flinch.
There was nothing to flinch at.
She had expected them to follow her.
She just didn't expect them to be bold enough to bring filth into the Duan estate.
"They're trying to force me back," Su Nian said softly.
Yichen's gaze darkened, but not at her—at the situation.
"They brought something like this to a place they cannot control," Madam Duan said, voice edged with disdain. "They are reckless."
Su Nian lowered her eyes to the black box again.
Reckless wasn't the word she would choose.
The Su family knew exactly what they were doing.
They were not careless.
They were cruel.
The silence grew thick.
Then Yichen spoke again, quieter than before.
"Did you know they would do this?"
Su Nian looked at him.
His voice had no accusation in it.
Only concern.
Only a sharp kind of patience, like he didn't want her to carry it alone.
Su Nian exhaled slowly.
"I didn't know," she admitted. "But I'm not surprised."
Yichen nodded once, as if he already understood.
He didn't push further.
He didn't ask why her family hated her.
He didn't ask what she had done to deserve it.
He only reached a hand toward the black box—not touching it, not opening it.
Just hovering.
Like he wanted to do something but knew he couldn't.
"You're the only one who can handle this," he said.
It was a statement, but it didn't feel like pressure.
It felt like… trust.
Su Nian's eyes softened slightly.
She opened her needle case.
The metal needles caught the light briefly, shining like quiet weapons.
Dr. Fang stiffened. "Wait—are you going to stick the box?"
Su Nian ignored him.
She selected a needle and moved closer to the table.
The moment she leaned in, the black qi stirred, tightening like a living thread.
It recognized her.
It reacted to her presence the way an animal reacted to a person it feared.
Su Nian's expression remained calm, but her fingers were steady in a way that came from experience, not bravery.
She pressed the needle down into the air near the box.
Not into wood.
Not into metal.
But into the space where the black qi was thickest.
Dr. Fang frowned. "She's… not even touching it."
Madam Duan did not answer him.
She was watching Su Nian's movements with the sharp patience of someone observing a surgeon.
The black qi trembled.
It didn't lash out.
Instead, it pulled back, retreating slowly toward the box like water being drawn into a drain.
Su Nian's breathing stayed calm.
She pressed again, the needle anchoring the invisible pressure, guiding it inward.
A bead of sweat formed at her temple.
Not because it was difficult.
Because it was dangerous.
Black qi resisted control.
It resisted her.
But it obeyed… for now.
After a long moment, Su Nian withdrew the needle.
The air in the room felt cleaner.
Lighter.
Not safe.
But less contaminated.
She looked at Yichen.
"It's contained," she said. "For now."
Yichen's gaze stayed on her face. "Can you destroy it?"
Su Nian paused.
Then she shook her head. "Not like this."
Madam Duan's voice was sharp. "Then what can be done?"
Su Nian's eyes dropped briefly.
"They didn't send it to harm the Duan family," she said slowly. "Not directly."
She looked up again, voice steady.
"They sent it to make me responsible."
Dr. Fang's mouth opened. "What does that mean?"
Su Nian didn't answer him.
She looked at Madam Duan instead.
"It's bait," she said. "If something happens in this house, my family will point to me. They will say the Duans sheltered a problem."
Madam Duan's expression cooled even further. "They dare?"
Su Nian's voice was quiet, almost cold. "They always dare."
The room fell silent.
Then Yichen spoke softly, breaking the tension like a hand touching a bruise carefully.
"You're not alone anymore," he said.
Su Nian's eyes flickered.
For a second, she looked like she might not believe him.
But her chest tightened anyway.
Because those words were dangerous.
Kindness in a world like hers was dangerous.
It made you forget how to protect yourself.
She turned her eyes away.
"I didn't ask for that," she said.
Yichen's voice didn't waver. "I know."
Then, after a pause, he added gently:
"But you still got it."
Su Nian's fingers tightened around her needle case.
Outside, the sun rose slowly, warm light spilling into the room.
Yet the black box sat between them like a shadow that refused to move.
Madam Duan finally spoke, voice calm and final.
"Then we will settle this."
Su Nian looked at her. "How?"
Madam Duan's eyes were cold, but her words were sharp and clear.
"Li Sheng."
The name landed like thunder.
Su Nian's heart dropped slightly.
Yichen's gaze darkened again, but he didn't argue.
He only looked at Su Nian—his tone soft, steady, protective.
"If he's coming," he said, "you'll stand behind me."
Su Nian stared at him.
Behind him?
That wasn't how her life worked.
She had never stood behind anyone.
She was always in front of pain.
In front of blame.
In front of consequence.
But then she felt the faintest strand of black qi press against the inside of the box, like it was listening.
And Su Nian finally understood something:
This wasn't a simple warning.
It wasn't even a threat.
It was a signal.
Someone out there wanted to pull her into something bigger.
And she had already stepped into the Duan estate with both feet.
She didn't speak.
She simply nodded once.