Camellia 110
by LiliumAnother cursed game of tag had begun. Chasing after Sahyeol Amje had Seolyeong tasting metal in his mouth. A man already in poor shape from yin energy was tearing through the sky like the Red Hare.1
His movement technique was fast. Even those legendary skills said to be reserved for peerless masters couldn’t cross the heavens at this speed. The confusion he had felt while watching the Forty-Eight Forms of the Flashstorm Sword had quickly faded.
“Ha, Sect Leader…!”
Only after reaching a rocky terrain shrouded in mist could Seolyeong finally catch his breath. In the gloomy landscape, he fixed his disheveled hair and muttered,
“…Mount Hwang?”
Though not counted among the Five Great Peaks, this mountain’s grand form and jagged peaks earned it the affection of many enthusiasts. The mysterious scenery, veiled in clouds all year round, was often praised as a place fit for immortals.
Seolyeong’s face briefly lit up as he spotted a pine tree growing between the rocks. It felt like the tree, having stubbornly sprouted leaves in this harsh terrain, was greeting him.
He gently wrapped his fingers around the tip of a branch as if shaking hands. Just then, he realized Sahyeol Amje’s was fading and quickly turned. Fearing he might lose sight of his husband, he dashed forward with urgency, and soon, a quiet forest path appeared.
Flanked by steep ravines on either side, it looked like only beasts passed through here. The tall grass was especially coarse and wild.
“Where are you going?”
When Seolyeong asked, the sect leader turned. His silk robes fluttered with graceful motion.
“It’s best if you stop following now.”
Tang Yujae delivered the warning with his hands behind his back, gazing out at the scenery of Mount Hwang. The clouds never cleared from the sky here. It was said that one day, an imugi would come to this mountain to ascend to the heavens.
Seolyeong gave him a puzzled look.
“I thought you were running because you wanted me to follow.”
“If you get any closer to my private life, you’ll fall hopelessly in love with me.”
He said it with certainty, and Seolyeong muttered under his breath,
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
After dealing with Murong Jeongui, he had no interest in romance. He’d rather die than coveting someone’s heart to the point of turning obsessive and violent. Just the thought made him sick.
The sect leader shrugged and kept walking. Seolyeong ignored the warning and followed, matching his pace.
They had been climbing the mountain for about one hour when Seolyeong spotted something in the distance.
“Isn’t that… a thatched house where people live?”
With his sharp eyes, he could make out a hut ahead. Rushing to close the distance between them, Seolyeong asked. The sect leader grabbed him by the arm and leapt up into a tree. Seolyeong stumbled, yelping,
“Ah!”
“Careful.”
Tang Yujae steadied him and then sat down comfortably on the branch. Seolyeong stood awkwardly for a while, unsure whether to stay or climb down. But when the man below looked up at him, he froze.
“That brat you begged me to send back, Si Pungjae, is cooking rice right there.”
Leaning his head against the tree trunk, Tang Yujae smiled mischievously. A rare look for a man with such a sharp and cold face.
Si Pungjae?
Seolyeong recognized the name and belatedly reacted.
“Cooking rice?”
He followed the sect leader’s gesture and saw a young man lighting firewood. A gloomy-looking woman sat on the porch, watching him.
Seolyeong’s jaw dropped the moment he recognized the woman.
“That’s the physician…”
His confusion grew. Si Pungjae was cooking like a servant, and the physician from Yeonhu looked pale. Reading the emptiness on her face, Seolyeong asked,
“…Forgive me, Sect Leader, but how did the physician end up all the way out here? I heard Si Pungjae was punished, why is he so absorbed in making rice here?”
Nothing made sense. The man who had supposedly been on the verge of death was living a peaceful mountain life. Had Si Pungwoon deceived him?
No way. Where in the world would you find a swindler who could put on such an elaborate act just to pull a scam?
…Damn it. Maybe in a demonic sect?
Just as his frustration peaked, a low voice rang in his ears.
“When I first picked that kid up and gave him a surname, I hoped he’d grow strong through vengeance. I wanted him to turn into a monster consumed by ambition and rage, tearing through the martial world. That way, I’d have fewer people to kill myself. There’s nothing more boring than dealing with obsessive martial artists all day.”
But Si Pungjae’s capacity had been far too small. He didn’t have the body suited for martial arts, nor the temperament to fight as fiercely as the others who joined the Great Demonic War.
Si Pungjae’s real gift lay in his devotion to others. That unwavering loyalty must have moved Tang Yuwon’s heart. She had always longed for stable, dependable love.
“But that brat… he never looks back on the past. He’s completely different from those who live soaked in hatred. All he needs is a superior he can trust and follow, and a conviction he can live by. Just those two things.”
That was why some of the sect pavilion lords had come to complain to Tang Yujae. They said every time they saw Si Pungjae, they thought of those self-righteous orthodox clans and couldn’t stand it.
Tang Yujae could understand what made them uncomfortable. He agreed, Si Pungjae did seem more suited for the orthodox side.
“I took his memories, but now he’s climbed all the way up to Hwang to get them back. What should I do with him? Maybe I should scare him off? If Namgung Yuhyeon finds out that servant boy he once toyed with is alive, he might send assassins in a rage.”
Sahyeol Amje tossed out the words with a sly tone, then grabbed Seolyeong by the wrist and pulled him down beside him.
“But Si Pungjae must not lose his life.”
Their faces were close. The scent of pine brushed between them. Their robes pressed softly together. Seolyeong tensed, swallowing dryly. His heart skipped for no reason at all.
To think the sect leader would show such care for a subordinate who’d left the sect. It was strange and unfamiliar. Yet in that moment, Seolyeong saw the man in a new light. Maybe… maybe he did have some human feelings too…
“My sister loves him.”
“…What?”
Seolyeong’s voice cracked in confusion, he had expected a sentence expressing concern about Si Pungjae to follow.
“…Since when did the Sect Leader have a sister?”
Clearing his throat, he glanced back at the thatched house again.
“Don’t tell me…”
His heart pounded so loudly he couldn’t form a full sentence. After a moment, he managed to add,
“…the physician?”
Tang Yujae buried his face against Seolyeong’s shoulder and inhaled deeply. His bride’s scent was more than pleasing.
“You’re saying the physician is the Sect Leader’s sister…?”
The sound of his own heartbeat felt too loud. Tang Yujae smiled faintly.
“Don’t we look alike?”
Their sharp eyes, high nose, and brushstroke jawline did resemble each other. But wasn’t that just a common trait of beautiful people?
There was no similarity at all between the sect leader who always dragged him into hell, and the gentle physician who’d done her best to treat his wounded body.
If the sect leader was the bastard he wanted to see struck by lightning, then the physician from Yeonhu was the one he’d gladly take the strike for instead.
‘And now you’re saying she’s your sister?’
Tang Yujae poked at Seolyeong’s cheek with his finger, he looked like his soul had just escaped his body.
“You’ve a younger sister too, so you should understand how I feel.”
Then he even bit Seolyeong lightly, making him jerk away in shock. Tang Yujae chuckled and went on.
“As a parting gift, I threw her the man she wanted and made sure the guy wouldn’t be in danger. Don’t you think your husband is quite affectionate?”
“……”
“But don’t fall for me. If you do, you’ll end up hurt and alone.”
Seolyeong, dumbfounded, flicked his husband’s forehead. ‘You lunatic. Did your age start counting backward or something? Who’s giving who as a gift?’
That honest man was in love with you.
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