Camellia 50

Tang Yujae generally disliked three types of people.

First, orthodox sect members.

Second, those who went on about righteousness and justice.

Third, people who talked too much.

Unfortunately, his bride matched all three.

If they had met in battle, Tang Yujae wouldn’t have stopped at simply killing him. He would have made it much crueler.

Thud. The bride slumped into a chair with his head bowed low.

“You mean… he’s dead?”

Far from being dead, he was in the middle of a brazen scam right in front of him. But Seolyeong had no way of knowing that.

Tang Yujae hoped that after today, his loud bride might become a little more docile. The so-called Mad Bride, who seemed in desperate need of a reality check, was far too spirited for someone in his position. Judging by how no one had ever bothered to rein him in back at the Murong clan, it seemed he’d been free to run wild there. But the Demonic Sect was different. To live as a sect member, one had to throw away pride and self-regard. After all, they had a god to serve.

When Seolyeong didn’t respond, Yujae, who had been watching him with interest, tapped the table lightly with his fan.

“You don’t need your disciple’s corpse, Young Hero?”

Seolyeong answered slowly.

“…I do. If the child truly died… I want to bury him in a sunny place and apologize for what I did wrong.”

“Then allow me to guide you to the burial site.”

If you’re going to crush someone, crush them completely. Tang Yujae remembered clearly how Seolyeong had once acted like a self-proclaimed ‘bonjwa,’ as if he ruled above all. Maybe he’d been called a genius in the North, but bringing that same attitude here to the Demonic Sect was a mistake. Yujae was the type who got irritated whenever a weaker martial artist strutted around like a master.

“But since I’m a merchant, I can’t offer information for free. I have a proposal.”

And with that, he shattered Seolyeong’s pride.

“Lie on the table and spread your legs.”

The way he fiddled with the fan’s handle was deliberate.

“I need to taste a blood fiend to see how they linger on the tongue.”

He had to mingle flesh anyway to absorb yang energy. But did it have to be their wedding night?

“I hear blood fiends heal quickly. So, I should be able to go in raw without any balm, right?”

It was a degrading remark. Seolyeong, who had been silent, suddenly rolled up his sleeve and held out a ringed hand.

“…I’m a married man. Newlywed, in fact.”

“Hah. What’s that got to do with offering up your ass? Don’t tell me you’re trying to protect your chastity just because you’re married?”

His mocking voice was vile.

Seonwol-do vibrated with anger at the insult to its master.

‘This damned mutt… no sense at all!’

Seolyeong quickly clenched his hand into a fist and lowered it under the table.

Tang Yujae pretended not to notice a thing, eyes lazily narrowed.

He commented offhandedly,

“That ring looks unusual.”

“It’s just an ordinary ring. Don’t bother.”

“Hearing that only makes me want to examine it more closely.”

Seonwol-do gave another low hum.

The Flowing Water Transformation Sword could spill blood even without its master. It was begging to be allowed to slash the bastard to pieces.

When Seolyeong moved to hide the ring behind his back, Tang Yujae immediately spoke again.

“Give me that ring, Young Hero.”

“……”

“If you do, I’ll tell you where the corpse is buried without making you spread your legs and pant like a concubine.”

The bride’s face twisted with humiliation, and Tang Yujae liked it quite a bit.

He wanted to crush this arrogant, wild lunatic so thoroughly he’d never act that way again.

There was nothing more disgusting than a showy brat flaunting himself around.

He couldn’t allow someone like that to wander freely in his territory.

There were only three types of people Tang Yujae allowed to join the sect.

First, those who submitted to him.

Second, those who loved him.

Third, those who feared him more than they loved him.

The Mad Bride fit none of those categories and showed no signs of changing anytime soon.

And that went completely against the rules Tang Yujae had set.

Breaking the rules set by a god could only be repaid with death. But since he had yet to extract the yang energy he wanted, he couldn’t just kill him right away. So he decided to try taming him first.

If that process turned out to be boring, Sahyeol Amje would kill the bride without hesitation and go claim the last camellia remaining in Murong.

Seolyeong said quietly,

“…I need some time to think. I’ll step outside for a bit. It won’t be long.”

Tang Yujae nodded once in response.

Since Seolyeong hadn’t yet learned the location of his disciple’s corpse, he wouldn’t run.

Yujae’s lips never lost their sneer.

*

“Don’t kill anyone. If you make trouble here, it’ll just get messy and annoying for no gain.”

Seolyeong had stepped out to the Seongseodang garden and was now trying to persuade Seonwol-do.

“Anywhere else, maybe. But this is Shingang, the land of the Demonic Sect. If I cause a stir here, all the old dogs from the former sect and the new pups who’ve pledged allegiance will come crawling out.”

If only his danjeon were intact, everything would be easier.

He brushed his lower abdomen with a sigh.

“My poor danjeon… You’ve suffered so much because you ended up with the wrong master. Everyone else gets along with theirs just fine. Why is it only mine that keeps getting torn apart? Mutt, if you feel even a little sorry for me, can’t you stop being so stubborn?”

But even after nearly half an hour of coaxing, Seonwol-do refused to yield.

Instead, it clamped tightly around his finger, as if telling him to shut up.

Exasperated, Seolyeong muttered,

“I get that you’re upset, you brat. I do. Do you think I can’t understand your feelings? Once I find the corpse, I’ll knock out that deputy leader or whatever he is and bring you back again…ugh!”

Vrrrr! Seonwol-do extended a sharp barb from the ring, stabbing his finger.

It was truly furious.

Blood trickled down the silver ring, staining the grass at his feet.

Looking down at the reddened ground, Seolyeong’s eyes darkened.

“Mutt. My pretty little mutt. I’m begging you. Just bear with the shame for a little while. We have to find that child’s body so I can bury him with my own hands.”

His voice was heart-wrenching. Seonwol-do let out a soft whimper as if it, too, could no longer refuse.

It curled gently around his injured finger as if to comfort him.

Seolyeong found it both endearing and deeply moving.

Smack. He kissed it, and the sword vibrated happily.

Returning proudly to the office, Seolyeong approached the deputy leader and pulled the ring off his finger.

“Here. Take it.”

Tang Yujae knew what the ring was, but feigned ignorance and accepted it without a flicker of guilt.

He held it up to the lamp, giving a dismissive comment sure to infuriate the transforming sword.

“I expected more from the color, but the craftsmanship is rather plain. Looks like one of those cheap rings rolling around the market.”

Seonwol-do seethed, but remembered Seolyeong’s plea and held back.

Before the man could say anything more, Seolyeong quickly cut in.

“My disciple, where was he buried?”

“Anything that dies in the trading company gets buried under the ironwood tree on Sakeum Mountain. I heard the ground there’s good, so we send them off with hopes for a peaceful afterlife. It’d be troublesome if they turned into vengeful spirits.”

“So… the exact location is…”

“I already told you. Under the ironwood tree on Sakeum Mountain, Young Hero.”

He cut Seolyeong off again. Twice in a row.

Seolyeong exhaled a short breath just as the deputy leader spoke again.

“If you don’t trust yourself to find it alone, then sell me your body. I’ll lend you warriors to escort you up the mountain.”

So that was his plan from the start.

Seolyeong felt dazed.

He wanted to ask Seonwol-do to kill again, but that smug face, looking so sure he’d choose to sell himself, left him speechless.

“…And if I dig up the whole base of the ironwood tree and find no corpse?”

Sakeum Mountain was within walking distance. He’d just steal a shovel from the company.

Grinding his teeth, Seolyeong muttered,

“I swear on the Wonsi Cheonjon who favors me, you’ll pay dearly for deceiving me.”

Tang Yujae slipped the ring onto his finger and smiled.

“I look forward to it, Young Master Camellia.”