Camellia 135
by LiliumThe divine beast of Haedong added power to its wondrous wingbeats and at last crossed the net of time. Thanks to yet another miraculous encounter, Seolyeong was safely carried into the past.
He had been watching the silver net spread across the sky in a daze when a wave of venomous scent surged in, jolting his senses to life. At the same time, he snapped his head up.
In the distance, he saw the back of Sahyeol Amje. That cold and distant man, whom he had thought he could never catch up to, was now drawing near. As he approached, Seolyeong’s face regained its long-lost color. The falcon, noticing the beaming blood fiend, tightened its grip around his nape.
“Ah!”
And so Seolyeong was thrown toward Sahyeol Amje. Without even a moment to thank the divine beast that had brought him here, he crashed squarely against his husband’s back. Fearing he might lose him again, Seolyeong hastily reached out.
“Don’t push me away. I’m not going anywhere!”
He clung to the firm waist and shouted with all his might. A faint laugh followed. Cold and sharp, yet laced with that addictive sweetness of poison, the scent Seolyeong knew so well wafted softly around him.
Tang Yujae spoke after a beat.
“…Why are you here?”
He had warned him not to follow, and had used Chuksu-buyeongbo (Silent Step of the Everlasting Void) to move into the past, something the bride should never have been able to keep up with. He hadn’t even sensed another presence, so he now found himself uncharacteristically taken aback. But upon noticing the claw marks left on the back of Seolyeong’s neck, his face hardened.
Seolyeong, bracing himself for a scolding, raised his voice as if to confess first.
“Even beasts who cannot speak or understand words know my heart. Why is it that you alone refuse to understand it? If not for that divine beast from Haedong, I would’ve wept myself into the Samdo River1 waiting for you!”
“You fool. Do you even know where this is?”
Tang Yujae frowned irritably, then lifted his wife with both arms tucked beneath his knees and landed near a nearby stream in a surprisingly courteous gesture.
“Husband…?”
Seolyeong, who had braced himself to be beaten, blinked in confusion. He looked up with round eyes and cautiously asked,
“Aren’t you going to hit me?”
The atmosphere was gentler than expected. It didn’t feel real. Tang Yujae showed no sign of wanting to scold him for disobedience, so Seolyeong snuck closer, slowly curling into his arms. As he wriggled his way in, a low, harsh voice rang in his ears.
“This is my fault, for teaching the beast the wrong things.”
The falcon they had bonded with during their time in Haedong had been both loyal and stubborn. Rather than restraining such a creature, Tang Yujae had chosen to respect its will and grant it as much freedom as possible.
That falcon, sharp-minded and fast beyond the dreams of ordinary martial artists, was more companion than pet.
“If you lose your way here, you’ll never return to your original time.”
It would have been simpler to cast a concealment spell and shake him off. But knowing his bride, there was no way he would have waited quietly. Tang Yujae found himself troubled.
The net of time was already beginning to fade in color. It would not disappear completely, only withdraw behind the sky. But to make it reappear would require immense power, far more than Seolyeong could muster.
So if he planned to bring this reckless blood fiend back with him, he would either have to carry him like baggage or tie him somewhere until the return.
“Haa…”
As Tang Yujae sighed, Seolyeong shot him a sharp look.
“Don’t make that bothered expression. You’re the one who chose me as your partner, who stripped me bare, who lured me in saying you loved me. I’m the one who married into Yeonhu, endured your wickedness, and embraced you with a generous heart.”
“Be quiet.”
His chatter might be cute, but there was a time for such pouting.
Tang Yujae, still pondering how to keep this unruly bride in place, set him down on a nearby rock. Seolyeong, who had been clinging to him desperately, only let go after securing a promise that he wouldn’t be left behind. Then he stretched out both legs.
“So… why did we cross the heavens like this?”
Stretching his arms above his head and feeling pleased with how refreshed his body felt, he asked the question. He had followed blindly, trusting only in the divine beast, and now that they had arrived, he couldn’t help but wonder what this was all about.
“And what’s with our appearance?”
Their forms were strangely faded, as if the original colors had been washed out.
Just as the thought occurred to him that this was no ordinary matter, Tang Yujae began gently straightening Seolyeong’s windblown hair.
“Listen carefully and choose, Ahyeong.”
If he knocked him out and tied him to a tree, this bride would surely rise again through sheer stubbornness and search for him in every direction. Leaving him behind would be troublesome, and bringing him along would be just as bothersome. So Tang Yujae left the choice to him.
“I am going to observe the past of the martial world. If you wish to come, I will grant you the right. But even if Wonsi Cheonjon himself descended in favor of you, I cannot promise it will be a wise decision.”
“The past of the martial world…?”
“I cannot tell you what past will unfold in this time we have arrived in.”
“Wait, so… what you mean is, this land we are standing on, this is the martial world of the past?”
“Yes.”
The revelation stunned Seolyeong. His mouth fell open. To think he would one day encounter martial arts that could cross the bounds of time. This was no longer within the reach of mere humans. It was something not even immortals might achieve.
“They say the former Cheonma used this method to glimpse both past and future. He failed to change them, however.”
“This isn’t a dream, is it?”
“If you’d like it to be, I can make it one.”
Meaning he would knock him out cold and put him to sleep. Seolyeong shook his head emphatically. The world was full of strange phenomena, but tearing through time itself had to be the peak of all things.
He dropped onto the rock with a thump and sat in silence, thoughts in disarray. If he didn’t sort them, his head would boil over and stop working.
Fortunately, Sahyeol Amje stayed by his side while he processed.
“…No matter the destination, don’t leave me behind.”
Once he had regained some clarity, Seolyeong looked up at him with unwavering eyes.
They said a married couple should move as one. Yet his husband was so intent on shaking him off, and Seolyeong refused to be understanding about that.
Past, present, future, it didn’t matter. As long as he could have this one promise.
“I want to live as yours forever.”
At that firm declaration, Tang Yujae answered not with words but by holding out his hand. It seemed he meant to dodge the question, so Seolyeong turned his head away with a huff. But when he heard, “If you don’t take it, I’ll leave you here,” he reluctantly reached out and grabbed his hand.
“If people were to name the slyest man under heaven, they would all shout your name in unison.”
Grumbling, Seolyeong tried to complain, but Tang Yujae smoothly retorted.
“If everyone knew my name, that would be disastrous.”
“I was speaking figuratively. Why do you always nitpick?”
“I thought it was nonsense said to be picked apart.”
Seolyeong pressed his lips together, annoyed. For the first time since they arrived in the past, Tang Yujae smiled faintly. It vanished almost immediately, but Seolyeong, who was stealing a glance, turned red at the ears. The sight of that man, who looked like he’d never learned how to smile, now smiling gently made his heart race uncontrollably.
Of course, that fluttering heart came to a screeching halt the moment he witnessed the Cheonma in a clandestine meeting with a martial world warrior.
“…Please tell me that man is not the previous Cheonma.”
A man with jet-black hair was embracing a woman tightly. The woman’s attire bore the unmistakable marks of the Namgung clan, and Seolyeong’s eyes widened in horror.
Surely… surely the foremost warrior of the martial world wasn’t romantically involved with the sect leader of the demonic sect?
It was a scene so unbelievable, Seolyeong wished he had never seen it. Ignoring Seolyeong’s shock, Tang Yujae murmured to himself.
“Looks like we arrived at the right moment.”
Having observed threads of time through the gaps in the net, he had judged this to be the most suitable point to uncover the downfall of the Tang clan. His eyes, fixed on the Namgung clan warrior, briefly filled with regret. He could tell just from her face.
The woman exchanging whispered secrets with the Cheonma, her forehead pressed to his, she was none other than Hayeon’s mother.
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