Camellia 95

Tang Yujae couldn’t open his mouth carelessly. The turbulent Qi erupting in all directions gradually calmed down. Only when it had finally settled into something close to peace did he speak up, belatedly.

“Pointless nonsense.”

Strangely, he showed almost no resistance to the imugi’s sharp remark.

Truthfully, that was how Tang Yujae had always spoken. When the situation turned against him, he didn’t flail or lose control, he kept his tone as indifferent as possible. Once emotion took over, the initiative would shift to the other side. That’s why. No good ever came from an impassioned response.

But come to think of it, hadn’t he often lost control in front of his bride?

–If you don’t love him… would you mind if I replenished my energy through that lovely blood fiend?

The sound of the imugi smacking its lips echoed in his mind. To the imugi, who had to regularly bathe in yang energy for ascension, a blood fiend’s fierce internal Qi probably felt like a lavish feast.

Veins bulged on the back of Tang Yujae’s hand. The imugi wasn’t joking. He clearly meant it. He really wanted to absorb the blood fiend’s power to boost his own.

“…Are you saying you want to tear apart my wife’s body for it?”

His voice was low, but the underlying wave was sharp. As the vessel sealing the imugi, Tang Yujae was the only being who could threaten its ascension. If he destroyed his danjeon and scattered the internal energy it’d cultivated over three thousand years, the imugi would also lose its path to the heavens.

That was why their relationship rested on a foundation of mutual trust.

–If he doesn’t matter to you, it shouldn’t be a problem.

The imugi couldn’t hide its amusement. The divine beast seemed quite entertained by the fact that the human it shared a body with was going through his first experience of love.

–But if he does… I can suppress my hunger.

The syrupy whisper rang through his head. The imugi kept chattering, clearly treating the whole situation like a game.

–So? Do you love him or not? If you do, just how precious has that monster become to you?

The dignified tone the divine beast usually maintained disappeared the moment it began teasing its vessel. Already distracted by Saseogyeong, Tang Yujae looked even more annoyed as the imugi poked deliberately at his nerves. Sometimes, the divine beast acted more childish than a child.

“Enough. Keep talking and I might really shatter my danjeon.”

–Hmm….

Humming like it really believed him, the imugi finally quieted down and withdrew its presence.

Tang Yujae stood still, staring vacantly at the Saseogyeong, which still bore the marks of the Cheonma’s hands. Then he turned his subdued gaze toward the iron door.

His bride… was a martial artist who could wield the Murong clan’s secret technique, the Fire Dragon Sword. He’d once seen him demonstrate a form in front of him, painting the snowy peaks with warm light.

So now, just like the last Cheonma, Tang Yujae had prepared himself to step across the net of time and glimpse into another era. He planned to uncover the hidden threads connecting the Tang family’s annihilation and Hayeon’s true identity. The conditions were in place. All that remained was to act.

But before that, there was something else he had to confirm.

Tang Yujae moved his body and approached the iron door. Bang! The door to the bedroom burst open, and he appeared before his bride.

Seolyeong, crouched like a wild mutt and braiding his hair, flinched and looked up.

Their eyes met. And as always, neither looked away first.

The sect leader, surrounded in hostile pressure, asked irritably,

“Why don’t you listen to your husband?”

His fierce Qi slipped out like a blade.

“I doubt you want me to treat you like a beast.”

Seolyeong lowered the half-braided strands and raised an eyebrow. …A beast? He immediately countered.

“…Isn’t the beast the imugi residing inside you, my lord?”

For a moment, Tang Yujae’s pupils gleamed gold. The divine beast seemed displeased at being equated with a mere creature. Seolyeong added smoothly,

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I simply meant to consider which of us is more beastlike. I’m sure the great imugi-nim won’t be offended over something so trivial.”

Tang Yujae lowered his voice in warning.

“Keep talking like that and you really might die.”

It was a short sentence, but the message was clear.

Seolyeong stood, straightening his legs. He was a bride with the misfortune of always getting beaten by Sahyeol Amje, but the one point of pride that warmed his heart was that he was slightly taller. The difference wasn’t much, but taller was taller.

He spoke in a calm tone.

“I live every day prepared to die. Isn’t it this bride’s position you yourself taught me. But because of that, I try all the more to live each day without fear.”

Polite in wording but unwavering in gaze. His weapon was that bottomless courage.

“And so, I respectfully ask the new sky of the Cheonma Divine Sect. Where has Warrior Si Punggjae gone?”

All this animosity for the sect leader over such a trivial topic, Tang Yujae could only think him foolish. That damned sense of duty that sprang up at every opportunity wasn’t the quality of a righteous path warrior. It was the mark of a meddling busybody.

Tsk. He clicked his tongue. A cold hand reached out toward the braided hair.

“What will you do with that knowledge?”

Love.

That pesky emotion, the key to unlocking the Saseogyeong, aroused a sense of displeasure. His chest, unmoved even by the imugi’s taunts, suddenly felt unsettled upon seeing his bride’s face.

“Si Pungjae is my subordinate and servant. Your concern won’t help him, so learn to show proper restraint. Your behavior is far from the modesty expected of a wife.”

Poisonous words poured from his slightly curled lips.

But Seolyeong wasn’t particularly hurt. He’d heard worse, often enough to be numb. If he took every insult to heart, his guts would be in shreds by now. Sometimes, the only way to survive was to act like he didn’t hear anything at all.

“No. He was my subordinate and disciple. And wasn’t it you, my lord, who placed him by my side? We saw each other nearly every day, and now that he’s vanished without warning, I’m naturally worried. I ask for your mercy. Where has that child been taken?”

Seolyeong pressed him gently but persistently.

“Don’t tell me he’s been sold to Shingang and buried under a yellow ironwood tree too?”

“……”

“I’d like to know whether I need to grab a shovel and start combing the mountains again.”

There was bite in those words. The hand gripping his soft auburn hair slowly released. Tang Yujae turned his back, as if he had no desire to argue further.

But Seolyeong was quicker.

“If you won’t tell me, I’ll inform Sister Rang that there’s nothing between us and she’s free to pursue you.”

He darted forward and blocked Tang Yujae’s path without hesitation. Yujae’s eyes narrowed at the ridiculous threat.

“That’s not all. I might take the snow you’ve so carefully piled on Yeonhu and melt it to turn this place into a paradise.”

Another weak threat. Hardly worth worrying over.

When the silence dragged on, Seolyeong hastily added,

“Also, I won’t share my yang energy with you anymore. I’ve heard it leaves your noble body dreadfully fatigued if you don’t receive it…”

“Ahyeong.”

Yujae took a step forward and cut him off. Seolyeong’s red eyes flickered with unease, but he stood his ground, refusing to back away.

Sahyeol Amje leaned in. His face came close, almost nose to nose, and he gave an assignment.

“I could have you anytime I want. So why haven’t I? Use that pretty head of yours and think about it carefully. When you find the answer, I’ll give the child back to you.”

The breath brushing against his lips was too sweet. A cool, poisonous fragrance quietly tempted Seolyeong. Gulp. He reflexively swallowed, then jolted in shock, eyes wide.

Sahyeol Amje laughed shortly at the rabbit-like look in his eyes and slowly pushed Seolyeong’s lower abdomen. Seolyeong stumbled back. Something suspicious had just brushed past him. He felt a strange and unfamiliar fear, and for a moment, he couldn’t speak.