Tea fragrance curled through the quiet room.
The black crystal, about the size of a pigeon's egg, floated silently above Su Chen's palm. It was black as ink, yet within it eerie flames swirled, as if it imprisoned a ferocious beast from the depths of the netherworld.
A chill, domineering pulse, brimming with the aura of destruction, spread from the crystal. Even the quiet room, warm as spring, seemed to grow several shades colder and more ominous.
Nalan Jie's body had already recovered its former vigor.
He felt the powerful Dou Qi roaring through him like a great river. Then he looked at the essence before him, condensed from the deadly poison that had tormented him for ten years. The old marshal's expression grew exceedingly complex.
There was the relief of surviving a disaster, and hatred for the suffering of the past. But above all, there was deep confusion.
This thing was poison.
A scourge that even Pill King Gu He had been helpless against.
Yet Mr. Yan had said it was more valuable than any treasure in his family's vault?
How... could that be?
Behind him, Nalan Yanran's beautiful eyes were just as full of bewilderment. She could sense the terrifying energy contained in the crystal—a destructive force powerful enough to make any living creature shudder.
How could such an ominous thing be called a treasure?
Su Chen took in both their expressions but did not explain at once.
He flicked a finger.
The black crystal traced a smooth arc through the air and landed soundlessly on the table before Nalan Jie.
Thud.
The faint muffled sound struck Nalan Jie and his daughter like a heavy hammer.
"There is no absolute good or evil in this world. Poison and medicine are often separated by no more than a single