Camellia 129

At first, Seolyeong wondered if Namgung Shin had given him a hint. But even that left a bitter aftertaste.

What would she possibly gain by telling someone from her own clan that one of the tournament contestants was the Sect Leader of the Cheonma Divine Sect? From what he’d seen of Namgung Shin, she struck him as the type who would take that secret to her grave. And just as his confusion deepened,

Namgung Wook continued speaking in a rather composed tone.

“The sect leader wasn’t staying at our manor’s guest quarters. Only after I went to the inn you were lodging at did I realize who I had crossed swords with. When I saw the flowers in full bloom in that back garden.”

A sword unlike any other. Cultivation like none he’d seen. And those flowers blooming in the dead of winter.

Namgung Wook recalled the day he had faced the demonic sect followers who shouted of the Sect Leader that could make flowers bloom midwinter. That had also been the day the head of the Namgung clan collapsed in battle with the Madu and lost consciousness.

Very few people had ever witnessed the Sect Leader’s Qi. Likely just Namgung Woonpyeong, Namgung Shin, and himself. Everyone else who had come into contact with that power had died from it.

“And did you know,” Wook said, “your Qi smells like snowfall. Like the kind of scent that lingers in heavy snow.”

Namgung Wook was a perceptive man. He had tried to recall the atmosphere that had followed the chaos at their manor. Though there had been no snow, it had felt as if he were standing in the middle of a snowfield, soaked in the wintry scent, as if a blizzard had passed through.

His gaze changed slightly. Why would the sect leader who had once trampled their household show up again now?

Tang Yujae asked flatly, “You saw your father’s shadow, didn’t you?”

“…Yes. I did.”

Namgung Wook dropped his gaze a beat too late.

As the Madu had said, there had been far too many suspicious details about his father’s dawn outings. The man always traveled with an attendant who turned out to be nothing more than a petty fence and back-alley crook. Digging into it further, Wook had discovered that this man wasn’t just a fence for goods but trafficked in people as well.

He had hoped, desperately, that his suspicions weren’t true. But after tailing his father, he had been forced to abandon even that last hope.

“Do you… want me to expose him? To disgrace the Namgung clan?”

He asked as he clenched his fists. Tang Yujae let out a dry laugh.

“Hardly.”

Then he glanced sidelong at Seolyeong. As expected, his bride looked uneasy. He was probably worried the boy who had come so boldly to find him might lose his life right there.

Tang Yujae murmured softly to reassure him.

“I’d rather spend time with my lover than deal with that one.”

The reason he had passed the information to Namgung Wook was to keep Si Pungjae safe. More precisely, to ensure the safety of his sister, who clearly wished to remain by that his side.

But now that Si Pungjae had become a disciple under the Geukmunggak Lord, there was no more reason to worry. At least the pervert from the Namgung clan wouldn’t be able to track down the survivor from Mount Hwang and silence him.

Seolyeong snapped,

“You mean that disgusting kind of love where you keep distance like it’s sacred?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m not doing that.”

“Why not?”

“Do I really need to explain that to you?”

Seolyeong swung a fist and thumped it against the Sect Leader’s back. Tang Yujae let out a long sigh. That punch, thrown with all his strength, would’ve shattered bone in any normal person.

“Why don’t you go deal with Namgung Wook instead? This poor man has been clinging to you this whole time.”

“I didn’t want to because you looked jealous.”

“When was I ever?”

“Right now.”

“That’s nonsense. Don’t make things up!”

Seolyeong flailed in exaggerated denial, looking every bit as suspicious as someone caught in the act. Truthfully, he had felt a stab of jealousy toward Namgung Wook, who had dueled with the Sect Leader before him. But it had seemed too petty to dwell on, so he had swallowed it down.

Tang Yujae turned back to Namgung Wook.

“Whether you disgrace your house or redeem it, that’s your business. I won’t interfere.”

People with soft hearts always gave themselves away with their eyes. Namgung Wook’s gaze had that same foolish glow he had seen in too many others. The kind of look people wore when they were too ready to understand, forgive, and absolve others in their place.

Just as Tang Yujae was about to leave with his bride, he stopped mid-step.

“I heard the great heroes of the martial world have returned!”

Namgung Wook suddenly raised his voice.

Now the eyes of everyone on the street turned toward them. Irritated, Yujae swiftly activated a sound-blocking formation. Namgung Wook stepped forward with a determined look and finally revealed his real reason for coming.

“The situation within the Cheonma Divine Sect has drawn enough attention that even the government is keeping watch. If you truly intend to seek reconciliation, please conduct those talks under the banner of a clan other than the Namgung.”

There are those who, at times, care more about balance than about power. It’s because they understand that overwhelming strength is not the only force that shapes the world.

“The balance of power in the martial world has long been broken. The war was initiated by the Namgung clan, and it ended only because the Namgung clan suffered a crushing defeat. The Alliance Leader has clung to power for far too long. It’s time for a new force to rise. Monopolized power is like stagnant water. It stinks, and it rots reason.”

He was able to speak so arrogantly only because he was a man who valued knowledge over strength. Had he been a man who pursued only domination, he never would have suggested shifting his clan’s long-held authority into the hands of another.

Tang Yujae didn’t entirely dislike that arrogance.

“You expect me to personally restore balance to the righteous martial world?”

“If you refuse, I understand. But from the sect’s perspective, there’s nothing to lose…”

“No, child. If the martial world collapses just like that, we would be all the more pleased.”

With a crisp snap of his fingers, Yujae added, watching Namgung Wook’s startled reaction.

“If you truly want balance, then you adjust the scales yourself.”

Before he even noticed it, several flower petals made of ice had appeared in Namgung Wook’s hands. Crystallized from heavily condensed cold energy, they were deadly simple to use.

“Brew them into tea, and anyone who drinks it will die within days. I’ve given you fifteen. More than enough.”

“…..”

“With the right resolve, you could remake the entire martial world from scratch.”

The Samasa’s voice, coaxing evil with such ease, was sickeningly sweet. Namgung Wook now held the power to eliminate the key figures of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Noble Clans in one stroke.

Seolyeong, realizing just how much his husband was enjoying himself, finally cut in with a bitter voice.

“Do you break out in hives if you don’t do something evil at least once a day?”

In a blink, he moved. Standing face to face with Namgung Wook, Seolyeong pressed his palm over the hand holding the ice petals.

The Sect Leader’s poisonous gifts melted away under a wave of scorching yang energy. After wiping Namgung Wook’s now-wet hand clean on his own sleeve, Seolyeong gave him a pat on the shoulder and spoke softly.

“If you fall for that snake, your life will end up in ruins. Just like mine.”

It was true that the martial world’s power had gone unchanged for too long. That was certainly something to be wary of. But that didn’t mean one should lean on the power of someone like the Samasa.

“Seek out Murong Wi of the Murong clan. I once saw him getting scolded for voicing views similar to yours. I think he would support your cause.”

Namgung Wook would have to decide for himself what path to take. But Seolyeong had a feeling. This man would never choose to punish or destroy others in order to change the world around him.

Perhaps someday in the distant future, people would come to see that this path had been the right one all along. That to refuse repaying evil with evil, and to choose dialogue instead of force, was not weakness, but strength.