Camellia 142

That breath brushed the skin of the man who had once been a bright-eyed boy and was now the leader of the Cheonma Divine Sect. If only that burning yang energy could melt away even the sorrow buried deep within.

But it was not so simple. As Tang Yujae watched the living image of his dead sister, a shadow of regret slowly came across his face. It was an unconscious change, born from knowing that the figure he saw again after decades would soon crumble like a mirage.

Tang Yujae slowly let go of his wife’s hand. Seolyeong forced himself to watch calmly as their hands parted. He did not find it strange that his husband refused his touch. It was a moment when no comfort could possibly feel like comfort.

At the time, Seolyeong had thought his husband’s grief stemmed from the sins of their parents. But as the events unfolded, he came to realize that his assumptions had been wrong.

They had been truly close siblings. Each time the clear-faced boy climbed Gyehong, the pale-skinned girl would run out of a small hut as if she had been waiting. The boy would pull out treats from under his sleeve and surprise the girl with them.

“Is it always this sweet?”

As the girl chewed on the candy and asked, the boy wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth and replied.

“Yes. How is it, do you like it?”

“Well… I guess? But I don’t think I can eat a lot. It’s too sweet.”

Even as she said that, she greedily picked up the remaining sweets. Watching her, the boy’s eyes lit up with pride. Then, suddenly, he pulled something else from his sleeve.

“Here. Take this too.”

It was a jade hair ornament. The light green pin sparkled in the boy’s hand, matching perfectly with the girl’s ash-grey hair. The girl could not hide her surprise.

“This is mine too?”

“Do you think your orabeoni would wear it?”

With a teasing smile, the boy tucked the pin into her hair himself. It was a peaceful scene.

A gentle smile formed at the corner of Seolyeong’s mouth as he watched them. But the warmth did not last long. Not long after even Yuwon began visiting Gyehong, the incident occurred, an event that erased the Tang clan from history.

Men in black masks swarmed the Sacheon clan’s estate like bees. They began slaughtering everyone in sight, killing even pregnant women in grotesque ways. Fire consumed the elegant pavilions. No one escaped the bloodbath.

Except Yujae and Yuwon, who had just returned from Gyehong Mountain.

“We must find the Cheonma’s bloodline.”

The masked intruders roared. The siblings did everything they could to avoid being detected but were eventually discovered and fled back to Gyehongsan. Behind them, an infant was pierced by a greatsword, the blood of the Tang clan was butchered like livestock, and their parents’ corpses were mocked and defiled. With tear-stained faces, the siblings ran without rest.

“Leave me. Please?”

Gyehong Mountain was overgrown with poisonous herbs. Anyone who had not trained in martial arts or built up resistance to poison would not even dare approach. Yuwon, who was among them, collapsed with a weak plea. But Yujae clenched his jaw and barked,

“Don’t say something that ridiculous. Get on my back.”

No matter how much she begged, saying they should die together if they stayed, the boy would not budge. He hoisted his sister on his back and ran with everything he had.

Seolyeong could only watch, frozen, as the siblings fled. Then he covered his mouth. A masked man had appeared in front of Yujae, who was trying to carry his unconscious sister, and swung a massive blade at her delicate neck.

But at that exact moment, a heavy sound echoed through the forest. A girl with ash-gray hair appeared, her body glowing with a brilliant blue sword energy. She caught the falling blade with a crashing blow.

The sword energy was breathtakingly beautiful. It shone like the depths of the sea, almost blinding the eyes.

Seolyeong found himself in tears. His chest ached so deeply that he could not stay silent. As he moved toward the girl, drawn to her like a current, she turned with a faint smile.

“Go to the village, orabeoni. Blend in with the crowd.”

The young warrior, fighting the masked enemies alone, looked at him with dim eyes and smiled. She approached the frozen Yujae and gently touched the cheek of the sister on his back.

“I was supposed to make her a bouquet for her wedding. But I guess it can’t be helped. Orabeoni will have to make it for her.”

Dawn had broken. The sound of rustling grass echoed from afar, signaling the attack was not over.

The girl was truly of the Cheonma’s blood. Within the blue aura surrounding her body, Seolyeong saw a trace of golden Qi. It was the same presence he had once felt from the imugi. The sacred power of the yeouiju had indeed been passed down to her.

So the girl who had saved the siblings could no longer be called fully human.

“I heard there’s a bird called a peregrine falcon in Haedong.”

Half-human, half-divine beast, she summoned all her celestial energy to ignite her body.

“They say it’s a fierce bird. It flies close to cliffs without slowing and crosses the sea without fear of the waves.”

Why did fate have to strangle such young lives so cruelly? Seolyeong sobbed aloud. He hurled himself at the girl with his half-transparent body, trying to take the sword in her place. But he had no power to affect her, and all he could do was collapse.

“It must be the will of the heavens. If it’s delayed any longer, orabeoni and unnie will die.”

The girl, who had thrown throwing blades at the masked men creeping toward them, gave a bright smile.

“I will survive.”

The signs of Qi deviation were unmistakable. Dark red blood spilled from between her lips, and her Qi reversed within her. As if intending to run back along the path she had come, the girl prepared to leap and whispered.

“Thank you, orabeoni.”

That was all. That was the entirety of her farewell. The girl vanished, and the boy had to choose. Would he chase after his sister or flee to save the one he carried on his back?

Seolyeong could not bear to witness the decision. As he turned his head to look for the man who had endured such cruel fate, a figure sped past him.

Seolyeong instinctively gave chase. He could not match that speed with his level of training, but fortunately, the man did not run far. Seolyeong called out to him in a cracked voice but then fell silent.

The descendant of the Cheonma now stood face to face with the young lord of the martial alliance. The girl, with veins bulging across her skin, glared at Namgung Woonpyeong with eyes filled with hostility.

The air was heavy with yin energy. The same vile aura that had once surrounded Sahyeol Amje now flowed from the girl’s body.

The heartless sunlight filtered through the branches. In the bright morning, in the middle of bloodstained Gyehong Mountain, the girl stood on the edge of death.

Even in such a precarious state, she kept her sword level and pointed it at Namgung Woonpyeong. In contrast, he stood with only his hand resting lightly on the scabbard, eyes wavering, unable to make a decision.

Only after a bird, driven mad by the pressure of overwhelming Qi, cried out from above did the hero of the orthodox sect finally speak.

“You look just like your mother.”

She was the child he had never once looked upon, hidden away in Sacheon for fear of being attached to his own bloodline.

Had he seen her face earlier, he might have tried anything to save her. He would surely have wanted to give her another chance.

So the only choice had been to turn away. To act as if she did not exist, to erase the lingering regret, was the only path to protect the clan. If the Namgung bloodline’s ties to the Cheonma Divine Sect were ever revealed, everything the sages had built would collapse.

He had believed that just keeping the child alive, even without acknowledging her, was enough to fulfill his duty as her uncle. But now, face to face with her, he could not keep his hand on his sword.

Instead, he said something completely different from what he had intended.

“If you keep showing foolish bravado, you will die.”

It was not too late. Someone like Namgung Woonpyeong, with his level of skill, could still save her before she fully succumbed to Qi deviation. Sharing his life force might leave him in poor condition, but he was prepared to accept that.

“Lower your sword. Let your guard down.”

Such was the grip of blood ties. Kneeling before the girl who resembled his dead sister, Namgung Woonpyeong slowly untied his belt. He threw his greatsword far away to show he had no intention of fighting, and spoke in a clumsy attempt at a gentle tone, one he had never used before.

“As your mother’s brother, and as your uncle, I, Woonpyeong of the Namgung clan, swear upon all that I am.”

Moved by the sincerity in his voice, the girl’s guard faltered for a moment.

Namgung Woonpyeong continued, recalling the sister he had failed to save.

“I will right my cowardly choice by saving you.”

But those words became the trigger that hastened tragedy.

In the instant her guard dropped, a massive blade flew through the air and pierced her slender chest.