Camellia 100

The sunlight was bright, and the breeze refreshing. In this exceptionally sunny weather, Tang Yujae felt a strange kind of discomfort.

Even with the Hanhoe’s delegation gone and no further need to maintain the bitter cold, there was no real reason for the breeze to feel this warm, this gentle.

Perched on the windowsill, watching the entrance to Haeseong Pavilion, he flexed his palm open and closed.

The thought of seeing his bride up close again made that usual prickle creep in.

A vague and unpleasant sensation that offered no clear description. Whatever shift the meddling little blood fiend had stirred in him, it still left a bitter aftertaste.

Screech–The wooden doors were thrown open. His bride, neatly dressed, stepped into view.

“With all the humility I can muster, I greet the Sect Leader of the Cheonma Divine Sect. I trust you’ve been well in my absence?”

His lips, painted in a deep red, bloomed brighter than camellias. There was a sweet, almost syrupy fragrance coming from his skin, he must’ve dabbed on scented oil.

An ethereal beauty, striking enough to startle the heavens, spoke in a poised voice.

“What purpose brings you to summon this wife today?”

The sect leader kept his bride locked in Yeohwa Hall, not bothering to look for him. Only Si Pungwoon and Hwang Choseon had come and gone freely, enjoying their leisure as they pleased.

Seolyeong looked down at the strangely gaunt appearance of the sect leader with a puzzled expression.

His eyes were hollowed with fatigue, lips chapped. That polished, sculpted face had taken on a melancholy hue, and Seolyeong’s brow twitched ever so slightly. He wondered if he was pretending to look weak just to gain sympathy.

“Have you packed?”

The sect leader jumped down from the windowsill and gestured to the chair. Seolyeong obediently stepped forward and sat. A light meal had been prepared on the purple sandalwood table.

As soon as he sat, his answer came.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because, no matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem like the time for a leisurely outing with you.”

Unlike the sunless Gwanju Hall, Haeseong Pavilion was built to let sunlight in from every angle. The wood, bathed in warmth, gave off the fragrant scent of spring.

The light stung his eyes, but Seolyeong held his gaze steady.

“Si Pungjae still hasn’t returned. The grandmasters of the martial world remain here as well. How could I, in good conscience, leave for a pleasant little trip?”

“They’re descending the mountain today.”

The sect leader’s tea, steeped in dark purification herbs, looked nothing like Seolyeong’s. Its color was murky, almost poisonous. Yujae took a sip and muttered,

“I fed them gu insects. That should keep them from trying anything.”

“…Did you just say gu?”

Fury cracking across Seolyeong’s expression as his voice sharpened. Gu insects? On people who were already sick and frostbitten?

Tang Yujae explained leisurely.

“It’s more lenient than cutting off their limbs and letting them crawl out, isn’t it? If righteous sect members want to walk out of the Cheonma Divine Sect alive, this is the only way.”

“There’s a venomous bug growing inside their bellies, and you call that walking out alive?”

“Tsk. Ahyeong.”

At Seolyeong’s outburst, Yujae released a heavy wave of Qi. Invisible pressure pressed against his throat, a silent warning to stop.

“As long as they don’t go against the sect, they’ll live out their days just fine. You don’t need to worry.”

He could forgive his little blood fiend’s tantrums, but seeing him fret this much over the righteous ones… that was annoying.

Why waste such concern on spineless, useless men who couldn’t even protect him? Who had done nothing for him, and yet Seolyeong growled and flared at him, constantly.

“I want the forces of Jungwon to grow wiser. If they truly want peace, they’ll have to let go of their pride first.”

His face that represented the Cheonma Divine Sect was indifferent.

Seolyeong nodded, he knew there was no persuading him. Bitter as it was, that was the reality. The one who had won, after all the bloodshed, was the Cheonma Divine Sect. The power dynamic was clear.

“Please note that Yeoso has been chosen as escort.”

The news that Nabisalsoo would be guiding the righteous warriors left Seolyeong speechless.

Petty bastard. So he was planning to crush the last of their pride. But again, there was nothing he could say to stop it.

He spoke instead with a tone that sounded almost like pleading.

“Please, I only ask that you don’t round them up like fish caught in Yeoso’s net and deliver them home like some cruel message.”

“You guessed exactly right.”

“Please, husband…”

His temples began to throb. So he really was planning to humiliate them and expected Seolyeong to play nice? That was asking too much.

The grudges of the martial world never faded. They might be silent now while the sect had the upper hand, but one day, when power shifted, the world would turn on them again.

‘It’s not you I’m worried about.’

Seolyeong glanced at the sect leader and thought.

That inhuman bastard would survive just fine, no matter what happened to the sect. He was carrying an imugi in his body, after all.

But what about the civilian girls who’d taken refuge in the sect? What had they done wrong? For their sake, at least, the sect leader needed to show some degree of mercy. Seolyeong steeled his voice.

“Then at the very least, allow them some dignity. Let them eat a proper meal, wear clean clothes, and walk out on their own feet.”

Tang Yujae asked back, intrigued.

“Why?”

“Didn’t you take me as your wife, my lord?”

He coaxed him with a soft and sweet tone.

They say the behavior of a husband is shaped by the words of his wife. So Seolyeong curled his lips into a lovely smile, coaxing him like a courtesan.

“If they return looking like beggars, people will think I’ve been cast aside like a discarded wife. A good husband who loves his wife would treat his family with kindness, wouldn’t he?”

“You used to call the Murong clan head your foster father. Now you’re calling the entire martial world your family?”

“The body I was raised in owes its life to the martial world…”

“Don’t overstep.”

The cold warning made Seolyeong flinch. Every time the sect leader’s voice turned frigid, the weight of his inner power crashed down. It was a suffocating force.

“No matter how much you weep for the martial world, they’ll never return your love.”

Foolish creature. A blood fiend with a righteous heart would never be accepted as a true member of the righteous sects.

Tang Yujae couldn’t understand why he even cared what his bride thought. If this damned emotion called love was what caused all this nonsense, then he wanted it gone.

But before that, there was one thing he wanted in return.

“If you’re so desperate to help them, then kiss your husband on the cheek.”

He knew Seolyeong wouldn’t give in easily. If he didn’t get what he wanted, he’d just throw another fit. He might as well be generous now.

The absurd request left Seolyeong blinking in disbelief.

“…You want me to kiss you?”

“Mm.”

“Are you talking about my husband?”

“Who else? One of the old men?”

“No!!”

His face flushed a bright pink. Heat bloomed across his cheeks like flower petals.

“Would it kill you to just grant a favor with no strings attached…”

The sect leader stuck a finger in his ear as if he didn’t want to hear it, and Seolyeong clenched his fists, seething. ‘Damn pervert’, he cursed inwardly . ‘One day I’ll make you pay for this.’

He stomped over and stopped right in front of him. The sect leader’s annoyingly handsome face looked down at him.

So, now on that cheek…

“Husband!”

Before he could act, Yujae pulled him into his lap, wrapped an arm around his waist like a snake, and buried his face in the back of Seolyeong’s neck. Hot breath grazed the scar where the character for ‘chivalry’ had been carved.

Seolyeong jolted, realizing the man was kissing it.

But it didn’t stop there. Dry lips trailed slowly up his neck. Then his jaw. He pecked lightly, as if tasting the curve of his chin.

“…It’s annoying. I could’ve just killed you. But since I can’t anymore, I don’t know how to relieve all this frustration?”

Seolyeong was about to tell him to sit cross-legged and meditate, but went quiet the moment Sahyeol Amje’s hand slipped beneath his robe and touched bare skin.

“Before your husband does something stupid, would you mind helping out a little?”

“……”

“You might be good at pillow talk, you know. Let’s find out.”