Camellia 14

At last, the true owner of the illusion appeared.

A handsome man, who had been sitting atop a large, ancient tree, leapt down with a graceful motion. Even when he landed in the snow, there wasn’t the slightest sound. Like a leaf settling on a pond, his movement carried no weight at all.

The moment Seolyeong faced the real sect leader, he had to take back everything he’d just thought.

He had believed the illusion to be lifelike… but it wasn’t at all.

Though the man’s features resembled those of the illusion, the murderous intent in his dark eyes was entirely different. It felt as if a starving tiger had taken on human form and stood before him.

Once, the previous patriarch of the Murong clan had said:

‘The eyes are the window to the heart, Seolyeong. The reason yours burn so red is because passion blazes within. Passion can shift toward either good or evil, so you must keep your inner fire strictly in check. Do you understand?’

Though that man had long passed, Seolyeong wanted to ask him:

‘Then, Patriarch, what is it that burns so fiercely in that man’s pitch-black eyes?’

The man, hair tied loosely at the nape of his neck, slowly approached. His strides were neither long nor short. The dry chill and venomous aura scraped against Seolyeong’s chest like claws. The sect leader was a walking viper.

Seolyeong was certain, stab that man in the chest, and toxic, dark green blood would gush out. He had a feeling, not even the Great Immortal could restore that body.

Sahyeol Amje was dying.

This time, there was no illusion. The real sect leader stood before Seolyeong.

Seolyeong parted his lips and asked, “That fluttering violet flower in the garden… was that just part of the illusion too?”

The magnolia tree was still intact. Its branches swayed gently in the wind, scattering delicate blossoms. Seolyeong wanted to know, where the illusion ended and where the truth began.

The sect leader, who casually brushed a petal off Seolyeong’s hair, answered indifferently, “Why don’t you guess?”

“I asked because I don’t know.”

“Then I suppose you’ll have to go on not knowing.”

He only shrugged, clearly uninterested in satisfying Seolyeong’s curiosity.

With hands clasped behind his back, the sect leader strode past. As if possessed, Seolyeong trotted after him, drawn by the cold, sweet scent that wafted from the man’s body.

He called out boldly, “I want you to explain what happened at dawn! Why was your body so heated? They say a peaceful marriage requires no secrets between husband and wife. Isn’t that why you summoned me to the garden?”

The sect leader picked at his ear and ignored him. Seolyeong, exasperated, pressed on.

“If you had no intention of talking with me, then why did you invite me here?”

The sect leader moved so unnaturally fast that Seolyeong had to leap across the snow to keep up. He covered a grown man’s height with every jump, yet it was still hard to catch up.

It was strange. The sect leader didn’t even use gyeonggong. He only walked slowly. But every time Seolyeong blinked, he seemed to vanish farther ahead. He began to suspect the man was using a formation, a small type of array that allowed one to move between preset points.

“Seobang-nim!”

“……”

“Seo.Bang.Nim!”

No matter how loudly Seolyeong called, the sect leader didn’t react. Seolyeong grew annoyed. He could tolerate being scorned, but being ignored was unforgivable.

Leaping up into a tree, Seolyeong hooked his ankles around a sturdy branch and dropped upside down like a spider, blocking the sect leader’s path.

“It seems you’ve gone half-deaf from wax buildup. May I clean your ears for you, Seobang-nim?”

He rolled up his sleeves as if ready to do it immediately. At last, the sect leader showed interest. By then, Seolyeong’s hair was hanging low, brushing the snowy ground like a mop.

“You’re like Baek Ga,” the sect leader said casually.

“Who’s Baek Ga?” Seolyeong asked.

The sect leader gave him a once-over before answering.

“Baek Ohgong. In Jungwon, they call him a sex fiend.”

Outraged, Seolyeong nearly drew his sword. Baek Ohgong was a perverted demonic cultivator who drained the yang energy of men to fuel his martial arts!

He seduced men while disguised as a delicate beauty under moonlight, then during the act revealed hairy limbs and cackled like a madman.

Most men who fell victim to him were found dead. The few who survived snapped their swords and left the martial world, claiming they could no longer live as warriors in defiled bodies.

And now the sect leader had the audacity to compare Seolyeong to him?

A vein bulged on Seolyeong’s smooth forehead.

“Exactly what part of me resembles that…? I’m the most beautiful person in the world…”

He was just about to argue when the sect leader suddenly cut him off.

“The way you speak in that fake sweet voice to charm a man. That part especially.”

“……”

“Baek Ohgong would probably want to become sworn brothers with you.”

Seolyeong suddenly wanted to punch him. The sect leader’s age wasn’t publicly known, but judging by how eagerly he trampled on people’s sincerity, he must still be a brat. What made it worse was that only Seolyeong was getting riled up, while the sect leader seemed completely unbothered.

As the man moved forward again, Seolyeong used his trailing hair to grab the sect leader’s forearm.

The sect leader sighed.

“We’re almost there. Quit whining.”

So he had a destination after all. Seolyeong had thought they were just wandering.

“I haven’t gone for a stroll in ages,” the sect leader muttered, then suddenly yanked Seolyeong’s hair and pulled him in.

“Ahk!”

It felt like his scalp had torn. Seolyeong had been yanked by the hair before, most notably by the youngest son of the Murong clan, but the sect leader’s grip was on another level.

Without hesitation, he launched into gyeonggong, lifting both their bodies into the air.

Seolyeong was dragged helplessly. When they landed in front of a vast lake, he was flung to the ground.

They had arrived at Suido Peak, the summit of Yeonhu Mountain. As expected, everything was pale and frozen.

The sect leader helped Seolyeong to his feet like someone giving medicine after administering poison.

“It’s a man-made lake. I diverted the mountain’s water to create it.”

Seolyeong was about to ask why he’d bother creating a lake just to freeze it when he soon found out.

The sect leader’s hand slid up his back. It brushed along his spine, across his shoulder blades, and gently cupped the nape of his neck.

Just as Seolyeong tensed in alarm, the sect leader whispered, “It’s useful for executing those who refuse to kneel to me.”

Then, in a chilling tone, he asked, “But you’re a blood fiend, so this little game shouldn’t kill you, right?”

The moment he finished speaking, Seolyeong was thrown into the lake.

Again, his poor hair suffered. The sect leader seemed to think it was some kind of handle.

That silky, glossy hair had always been Seolyeong’s pride. To see it treated like this made his heart ache.

The thick ice shattered as Seolyeong plunged into the freezing water. He hit his forehead on the ice and, for a brief moment, his vision blurred.

Inside the lake, all was pitch black. The instant he swallowed a mouthful of water, he realized the truth.

That bastard had poisoned the lake…

Now Seolyeong fully understood what the sect leader meant by “useful for executions.” A normal person would’ve already died.

The lethal poison slid down his throat.

Above the water, the faint silhouette of the sect leader loomed. He stood still, watching. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.

Choking on water streaming through his nose and mouth, Seolyeong swore to himself.

That rude bastard, I’ll make sure he learns his place…

But as the poison spread through his body, his thoughts changed.

Please spare me, Sect Leader, I swear I’ll behave…!

He thrashed, but his limbs were heavy and limp. The current moved faster than he could swim. Resistance was pointless.

Sinking to the bottom, Seolyeong realized what he’d landed on was a corpse. He let out a weak, bitter laugh, then swallowed another mouthful of poison and lost consciousness.