A scream tore from her throat raw and uncontrolled. But the sound never left the room. The relic absorbed it all. Every cry.
Every gasp. Every moment of unbearable agony. And Luo He did not move. Did not interrupt. Did not look away. Not once.
Time lost meaning. Minutes stretched into hours. Or perhaps it only felt that way. Eight hours went by but that may have been an eternity. Finally the pain erased all sense of measure. Until finally it stopped. Silence. True silence.
The kind that follows after something irreversible. Jin Su lay still. Her chest rose and fell slowly. Uneven at first.
Then steady. Alive. Her eyes opened.
And everything was different.
Sharper. Clearer. Brighter. She blinked once then tried to sit up forgetting the bounds. Luo He released her slowly.
Cautiously. Her body responded instantly.
Too easily. Too smoothly. She froze. Her own strength startled her. Her senses reached further than before each movement felt lighter, more precise, more controlled.
And yet there was weight in her presence now. An unseen pressure. A quiet power.
Luo He watched her without interruption.
"Well?" he asked. She didn't answer immediately. She looked at her hands.
Turned them. Flexed her fingers.
Then lifted her gaze back to him. "What did you do to me?" She asked curiously. Luo He's lips curved slightly. "I gave you more time." The answer lingered between them.
And something inside her shifted.
Then she moved. Too fast. Faster than before. Crossing the distance in an instant and wrapping her arms tightly around him. It wasn't graceful. It wasn't controlled. It was instinct.
Relief. Shock. Gratitude. Raw and unfiltered. Her strength newly awakened pressed into him without restraint. For anyone else it would have broken their ribs and pushed those pieces into their lungs.
But Luo He only laughed softly. "Be careful," he said. "You're stronger than you think." She pulled back slightly but didn't let go completely. Still holding him.
Still grounding herself in something familiar.
The doubt she once carried gone.
Replaced with something far more dangerous. Trust. Not blind. But earned.
They shared a quiet laugh. The tension that once filled the room finally dissipating.
Luo He stepped away and tapped the seashell. The faint ripple faded. The pressure lifted. Sound returned. The distant world outside slipped back into place as if nothing had ever happened.
But inside everything had changed. When they stepped out into the corridor the earlier morning felt the same. Still. Silent. Unaware. But Jin Su walked differently. Her steps lighter. Her posture steadier. Her presence unmistakable.
For a fleeting moment she no longer looked like someone years older than him. Time had loosened its grip. And what remained was something closer to his equal.
If you keep this up even you could join Jin Mulan and Su Kim. The dukes son will think you are Jin Mulans sister.
Luo He went close and rubbed her face. Wow mother you have grown a lot softer. Please don't tell this to Jin Mulan or anyone for that matter because she will surely be angry with me for choosing you over her.
With that Luo He turned to leave. He paused at the doorway his hand resting lightly against the frame and glanced back at her his expression no longer amused, no longer relaxed.
"Don't misunderstand somethings," he said calmly. "Just because your bloodline has reached Red doesn't make you invincible." Jin Su held his gaze still adjusting to the unfamiliar strength flowing through her body.
"If you ever start to feel that way," Luo He continued "come find me." A faint almost dangerous smile touched his lips. "I'll remind you exactly where you stand."
There was no arrogance in his tone.
Only certainty.
He stepped fully into the doorway. "And don't slack off," he added. "Power like this isn't a reward. It's a responsibility."
His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer.
"I chose you because you understand that," he said. "Because you take responsibility when it matters." A brief pause. Then his voice sharpened slightly.
"But power changes people. Isn't that what you taught me." Silence settled between them.
"You have seen it yourself," he went on. "Men and women who gain strength and forget who they were before." His gaze hardened. "Don't become one of them. Because now you are acting like to one."
Jin Su didn't respond. But she listened.
Luo He said his tone quiet but firm "you are closer to being ruled by your power than mastering it." That landed. Harder than anything else he had said. "So work," he finished. "Train. Control it. Make it yours."
He turned then stepping out into the dim corridor. "We're going to face enemies far stronger than anything you have known," he added over his shoulder. "And if we intend to survive,"
A brief pause.
"We don't have the luxury of weakness."
He didn't wait for a reply. He simply walked away. Leaving behind silence and a weight far heavier than the power he had just given her.
Later that day. Every one saw Jin Su and was surprised. Her skin was softer than ever before and her bearing were now stiffer. Her body eminated a deep power as never before.
By morning, the disturbance had already begun to ripple through the mansion.
It started with the guards. They were the first to notice.
A shift in presence. A pressure in the air that hadn't been there before. Subtle but unmistakable to trained men. One by one they found reasons to pass near Jin Su's quarters. Then came the servants.
Whispers spread quickly among them of strange aura surrounding her. And her presanance had changed. Curiosity turned into quiet panic. And panic into spectacle.
By the time the Jin family members arrived the corridor had already filled with cautious onlookers all trying to appear composed while clearly waiting for something they couldn't quite explain.
Then the door opened. Jin Su stepped out. And the world seemed to pause.
It wasn't just her appearance though that alone was enough to draw breath from those watching.
Her features had sharpened refined into something almost unnaturally flawless. Her posture was straighter, her movements lighter, more controlled.
But it wasn't beauty that silenced them.
It was presence.
An invisible weight pressed gently against everyone in the hallway. Not overwhelming but undeniable. Powerful.
Even the guards instinctively lowered their gazes. The servants stepped back.
No one spoke. Because something inside them understood she was no longer the same.
By breakfast the entire mansion was restless. Eyes followed her. Whispers trailed behind her steps. And yet Jin Su herself said nothing. She sat calmly, composed as though nothing had changed at all.
Luo He arrived last. As usual. Unhurried.
Unbothered. He took his seat glanced once around the table and immediately understood the situation. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"So," he said casually reaching for his cup. "You've all noticed." No one responded. But no one denied it either.
Jin Quan cleared his throat slightly trying to maintain composure. "Son," he said carefully "what exactly happened last night?"
All eyes shifted to him. Waiting.
Watching. Luo He took a slow sip before answering. "I gave her something," he said simply.
A pause.
Then almost as an afterthought "The essence of a dragon's heart." Silence.
Absolute silence. Even the air seemed to freeze. A dragon. No one in the room had ever seen one. No one had proof they even truly existed beyond legends and ancient texts.
And yet the result was sitting right in front of them. Breathing. Radiating power. Jin Su herself blinked slightly her gaze shifting toward Luo He. There was a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes but only for a moment.
Because the explanation as impossible as it sounded fit too well with what she had experienced. The pain. The transformation. The overwhelming surge of life within her veins. It felt like something beyond human.
Around the table disbelief warred with acceptance. Because logic said it was impossible. But reality was undeniable.
Jin Sang leaned back slowly letting out a low breath.
"A dragon's heart," he muttered. Fei didn't even try to hide his awe. "That explains it." he whispered. Even Jin Mulan though far more composed than the others studied Jin Su carefully now.
Not with suspicion but with recognition.
Whatever Luo He had done it wasn't ordinary. And whatever he had given was something the world was never meant to see so casually.
Luo He meanwhile simply continued eating as if he had just mentioned the weather. Unbothered. Unchallenged.
Because whether they believed him or not didn't matter to him.
The result spoke for itself. And that alone was enough. He also didn't plan on explaining it further. On how he acquired it or if dragons even exist. That was not his problem.