Camellia 138

As he began to pursue the movements of Namgung Seonju, Tang Yujae naturally found himself paying attention to the so-called spy planted by the Demon Sect, the one called “Four Eyes.”

To him, the nickname felt overly literal. Knowing that his father could tame vipers as easily as dogs or cats, Yujae carried his bride along and made his way to Sacheon.

So it was that, after decades, he returned to the Tang family manor. It had neither burned in fire nor been attacked by masked assailants. If anything, it appeared even more dignified and unshaken than he remembered.

The turquoise-eyed viper kept by the head of the Tang clan slithered around the main residence, hissing faintly. Several martial artists shrank back in fright at the sight of the snake. “Four Eyes” likely referred to the eyes of both the clan lord and the serpent.

Watching from the shadows, Tang Yujae confirmed it. The head of the Tang clan was indeed in contact with the Demon Sect.

“How are things within the Murim Alliance?”

Eun Yajeong and the Tang clan head usually met at Gyehong Mountain. Covered in toxic herbs and so treacherous that even the Tang clan’s own people rarely climbed it, it was the safest and most private place they could choose. Stroking the viper curled around his arm, the clan lord replied.

“They’re as agitated as ever.”

Tang Yujae stared at his living father. He had no desire to know when or why the man had turned his back on the martial world. Nor did he need to.

From the start, Tang Yujae had never once doubted that his father had betrayed it. The man was entirely capable of such a thing.

“I hear even the top disciple of Jeomchang Sect has joined this vanguard.”

“What? If it were up to me, I’d have sunk my fangs into his throat long ago and driven him insane.”

“They probably dragged in someone else in a panic after the last one was lost. Tsk. No matter how I look at it, it’s a meaningless, foolish decision. Flailing like that will only get them crushed. They should just admit their weakness and beg for mercy.”

Tang Muhyeok held contempt for weakness. It went beyond mere disdain. He hated it so much he wanted to eradicate it. His nature made him closer to the Demon Sect than to any orthodox sect.

So when Yujae heard the rumor that his father was a spy for the Cheonma Divine Sect, he had not been shaken.

Even if the martial world respected strength above all, it did not devalue the lives of the weak. But Tang Muhyeok treated those who did not meet his standards like worthless beasts, looking down on them without a second thought.

He had desperately wanted to pass this narrow view of the world on to his children. It was no wonder Tang Yujae had grown unable to feel any familial affection toward him.

After all, as the firstborn son of the Tang clan, Yujae was exactly the sort of person Tang Muhyeok loathed most. Rather than seeking strength, he had been a boy who spent his time climbing trees and napping. His father could never see him as anything but pathetic.

“I’ll have to go further back in time. The part I’m looking for hasn’t begun yet.”

He had confirmed it. Hayeon’s mother was a woman of the Namgung clan, and the man who had fallen for her had truly been the leader of the Demon Sect. It was time to dig deeper into the truth.

As Yujae released a burst of power, the sky darkened, and once again the silver threads of time shimmered into view. The luminous web of time drew the eye.

“Hold my hand tightly. Don’t let go, no matter what.”

Warning him, Tang Yujae dashed through the sky as if possessed. Seolyeong clutched his hand with all his strength, feeling the sting of wind slapping against his cheeks.

With a thunderous crash, they landed. The place they fell into was the former stronghold of the Demon Sect, Masugung.

Rolling across the stone floor alone, Seolyeong sat up, rubbing the back of his throbbing head. Tang Yujae stood unharmed, watching a man and woman argue with growing intensity.

“You lied to me. Of course I can’t love you anymore.”

The woman’s voice rang out in anguish as she blocked the man’s path.

“Come to your senses. Please. It’s over between us. If we force this bond, we’ll only end up miserable.”

The sweet, rainy rendezvous in the woods had vanished without a trace. Namgung Seonju, hair undone, eyes bloodshot, stood there utterly broken. The man before her, strikingly handsome, looked down at her as if incapable of feeling anything at all.

“Mind your words, Seonju. The child in your belly can hear you.”

When she tried to slap him in fury, Hwaryun caught her wrist without effort.

“Let go.”

“No.”

“Why should I let someone who doesn’t love me strike me?”

“Let go, you bastard.”

“No. If you’re so angry, admit you love me. Say it again. Tell me you love me, and I’ll let you hit me as much as you want.”

“You’re insane…”

Seonju’s face twisted in betrayal. But even as she stood before him, ghostly pale, Hwaryun showed no trace of guilt.

Wearing a dazzling smile that would have turned any onlooker’s stomach, he continued speaking.

“No matter how much you pretend to hate me, you can’t fake what’s in your heart, Seonju.”

The gentle young man Namgung Seonju had loved had been a wolf hiding sharp claws. Realizing she could not reason with him, Seonju swallowed her pride and pleaded.

“Let me send a message to Hapbi. Just let my family know I’m alive. Please.”

The moment her pregnancy was discovered, she had been abducted and imprisoned in Masugung. She had been trapped there for months. No one had explained how the war had gone, what had happened, or what the world outside now looked like. Her frustration only deepened.

More than anything, she had been taken without any opportunity to inform her family of her situation. She no longer expected to return. She only begged to send one message. But even that was firmly denied.

“No.”

With that single word, Hwaryun wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her head, greasy from days without washing, and murmured sweetly.

“Better that you be considered dead. Otherwise, those damned Namgung fools will tear the world apart looking for you.”

“…”

“You shouldn’t give the child’s father such a headache, Seonju.”

The truth was, Hwaryun felt no affection for the life growing inside her. When he first suspected she was pregnant, the urge to rid her of the parasite had nearly made his hands twitch.

But now, the thought that the child would bind Seonju to him as its father gave him a twisted sense of satisfaction.

“I love you.”

Even at his blunt confession, Seonju said nothing. Held limp in his embrace, she merely struggled to suppress the rising fury and resentment.

Watching them, Seolyeong found the whole situation overwhelming and finally opened his mouth in confusion.

“How many years have passed since what we saw earlier? How did they go from that tender scene to… this?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“No… It just seems so hard to believe.”

It was only natural that Seonju, a woman of the orthodox sects, would lose her mind after giving her heart to a man of the Demon Sect. It also made sense that the sect leader, now with a child on the way, would try to keep her locked away in his territory.

But still…

“Would the sect members really have accepted her?”

From what Seolyeong had heard, the last Cheonma’s followers never acknowledged his love. And yet here he was, keeping a woman openly at his side. The sight stirred suspicion.

Tang Yujae responded in a relaxed tone, as if agreeing.

“If they had accepted her, the pregnant Gyo-mo wouldn’t be wandering Masugung in such rags. They would have dressed her in silk and carried her in their arms.”

As Namgung Seonju continued to resist, Hwaryun finally knocked her unconscious and lifted her limp body into his arms. Only after her eyes closed did a trace of humanity touch his face, and Seolyeong found that even more chilling.

To be honest, it felt less like watching a person, and more like staring into the face of a yaksha.