Camellia 2

From that day on, Seolhyeon completely ignored her older brother.
Even when Seolyeong approached with her favorite snacks in hand, he was always turned away by the servants.

“The young lady is very upset, young master.”

“Can’t you sneak me in?”

“If we do that, we’ll be the ones in trouble… you know how Miss Seolhyeon is.”

Ugh. Left with no choice, he shared the honey-glazed fruit with the children he taught.

A grassy field where balsams bloomed.
One child lay using Seolyeong’s thigh as a pillow. Another hung off his back like a little monkey.

The children treated him with complete ease. But once they grew up, they would eventually walk away from him with cold expressions, just like all the disciples before them.
To them, their childhood teacher would become nothing more than a fading memory best forgotten.

A child, wearing a hero’s headband pulled down low over his eyelids, asked with concern,

“Baekseol hyung, are you really going to Yeonhu?”

Seolyeong adjusted the boy’s headband and replied,

“I’ll be going. This brother plan to have a snowball fight until he grows tired of it. They say Yeonhu is always covered in snow.”

Whenever speaking to someone younger, Seolyeong always used this kind of stiff, formal tone. ¹

Rumors had already started to spread quietly within the household that the Baekseol would become the Sect Leader’s bride in place of his sister.

The very next day, he was to pack light and set off for the Sipman Daesan², where the new sect had established its stronghold.

The Madu was not someone with the patience to wait for others.
He was rough, cruel, and prone to launching surprise attacks against the martial world. So when he demanded a bride, they had to act fast and deliver someone.

The elders feared that the Sect Leader would grow furious upon receiving a man as a bride, but none of them dared suggest sending Seolhyeon instead.
Though she was a warrior with exceptional skill, she was still a woman, and her reputation in the clan was impeccable. Very different from Seolyeong, who was often criticized as difficult and arrogant.

If one of the siblings had to be sacrificed, it had to be Seolyeong.

When the matter was quietly reported to the Alliance Leader, the response aligned exactly with the Murong elders’ opinion.

Namgung Woonpyeong, the Alliance Leader, was known for his deep hatred of blood fiends, and he especially despised Seolyeong. To the inquiry about who should be sent to the Madu, he replied in neat cursive script:

“Send the brother.”

Which meant today would be Seolyeong’s last day to enjoy the scenery of the Murong estate at his leisure.

The young girl resting her head on his thigh asked with worry,

“Do you really have to go? My sister said that place doesn’t treat people like people. She said the Madu is an awful monster. What if he eats you too? They say he boils human arms and legs to make stew.”

Well, I’m not really a person anyway.
Seolyeong swallowed the words before they slipped out.

The Madu, Sahyeol Amje.
The martial world’s public enemy, who revived the Cheonma Divine Sect that had once been destroyed through the sacrifice of the death squad.
A man who used unknown, sinister poison arts, and who kidnapped sect leaders and clan heads from prestigious lineages. Old masters who had survived the Great War hailed him as the reincarnation of the Cheonma.

Three days after the Marip Tragedy, he ambushed the martial world and began his campaign. He started with the Jeomchang Sect, then brought Mudang and Hwasan to their knees.
It took him only ten days to overpower even the Five Noble Clans.

In total, it took just thirteen days for him to rise as the unchallenged overlord of the Nine Provinces and Eight Regions, drenching the land in blood and tears as if reenacting the massacres of decades past.

Seolyeong had desperately wanted to join the war. He hated sitting around in Yonyeong, anxiously waiting for victory news. He believed in his own strength. If Namgung Mugyeol was the pride of the South, he was surely the pride of the North.

Had it not been for the vow he made to Murong Bok, former head of the Murong clan, he would have rushed to the battlefield whether the Alliance Leader welcomed him or not.

But the man who saved his life had left him with this parting will:

‘Listen well, Seolyeong. If you wish to survive, if you wish to protect your sister, then no matter what happens,
you must never disobey the Alliance Leader’s command.’

Seolyeong shuddered as he recalled the Alliance Leader, who looked barely forty despite having long passed seventy.

As soon as Murong Bok died, the Alliance Leader gave his first command:

‘Do not leave Yonyeong. Stay hidden, live as you’re told, and be content with it.’

The second command came when war broke out against the new sect:

‘Do not seek help from blood fiends. Lock the camellias of Yonyeong inside the stronghold.’

When the Alliance Leader issued a stubborn order to exclude all blood fiends from Hyeon Ryong Dae³, the elite force formed to face Sahyeol Amje, rumors swirled.

Some said he feared a traitorous blood fiend would cause another tragedy.
Others claimed accepting blood fiends would mean recognizing them as part of the martial world.

But Seolyeong’s thoughts were simple.

“That man just hates me. If it were Seolhyeon asking to join, he’d probably refuse a few times for appearances’ sake, then let her in.”

Seolhyeon, however, was kept out of the war because Murong Wi, the heir of the clan, opposed it.

What if the Alliance Leader had been big-hearted enough to accept Seolyeong as an ally? It was hard to say if the outcome would have changed, but at least things wouldn’t have ended in such devastation. The current situation, where their clan pillar had been handed over as a hostage to Sahyeol Amje, might have been avoided entirely.

Because Seolyeong was a master at the Hwakyung⁴ realm. Rumor had it that one martial artist of this level could change the course of history.

Although he pretended to be merely a top-tier warrior, just as Murong Wi had advised, his actual strength was in the Hwakyung realm.

Damn it. If he had known things would turn out like this, he should’ve gone around bragging. I’ve reached the Hwakyung realm. I’ve reached the Hwakyung realm, even if it meant getting expelled from the martial world. Or maybe assassinated by Namgung Woonpyeong.

Part of him felt sad. Part of him found it pathetic. He had the strength to fight but was stuck on the sidelines. And it tore at him.

But if he disobeyed the command out of pride, the entire Murong clan would suffer. So he had to suppress the urge.
Day after day, he yearned to run to the battlefield but forced himself to stay.

“Come here, you little rascals.”

Since his sister wouldn’t come say goodbye, Seolyeong said a heartfelt farewell to his students.
He tousled their hair one by one, then pulled them into a tight embrace.
His chest ached.

He had started teaching children after reaching the Hwakyung realm. It was a role Murong Wi had suggested,
hoping it would help him fit into the clan.

Of course, the direct line members never entrusted him with their children. Not since the youngest son of the family died, a death they wrongfully blamed on Seolyeong. Since then, the clan had built an invisible wall around him.

No matter how much Murong Wi tried, that wall never crumbled.

But some of the collateral line quietly asked him to teach. They showed him their children, asking how far he could train them.
Seolyeong always answered confidently:

“First-class is guaranteed. Beyond that depends on the child’s talent.”

At first, they were doubtful.
But when he really did raise them to first-class level, they all came running with their children in tow. Reaching that rank meant a child from a side branch could be treated like a direct descendant.

The usual plan was to raise the child to first-class, then cut ties and focus on building connections with the main branch.

As the children grew older and came to understand the world, they too discarded their bond with their teacher without a second thought. At first, it hurt, but eventually, Seolyeong got used to it. Even a short-lived bond was better than none.

“Don’t go! Stay here and live with us!”

One child in his arms burst into tears.

Seolyeong kissed the soft hair and whispered,

“You must become a great person. Always, no matter what…”

“Always remember to uphold justice!
And that the strong do not exist simply to crush the weak!”

Another child recited one of Seolyeong’s favorite lessons, sniffling hard. Looking down at the crying face, Seolyeong let out a soft laugh.

This was why he could never give up teaching children. Only they looked at him without prejudice. Only they embraced him without fear.

1. Seolyeong used (–란다/–단다), a declarative used when someone older speaks to someone younger. It feels gentle but authoritative. ↩︎
2. 십만 (Ten thousand ) 대산 (Great Mountains) = large or great mountains ↩︎
3. Hyeon (현): wise, virtuous, noble. Ryong (룡): dragon. Dae (대): unit, squad, corps ↩︎
4. “Transformation Realm” or “Realm of Transformation” ↩︎