Camellia 36

Seolyeong, trapped in sleep paralysis, was having a dull dream.

It was a dream in which, Murong Jeongui, the youngest son of the Murong clan, appeared.

Murong Jeongui, five years older than Seolyeong, was arrogant and self-centered. He devoted himself more to grooming than to martial arts training, and the eldest son would frequently lecture him.

That day too, Murong Jeongui was summoned to the young lord’s garden. Barred from using the training grounds, Seolyeong often trained alone in a secluded corner and was now napping atop a hackberry tree.

‘At this rate, you won’t master the Fire Dragon Sword, let alone Dujeonseong.¹’

A deep voice roused Seolyeong.

He gently cupped the brown-eared bulbul resting on his stomach and let out a quiet hush. He had saved this bird not long ago when it was dying from a cat bite, and since then, they’d formed a bond. Its soft feathers brushed lightly against his palm as it relaxed in his hand.

Seolyeong glanced down.

‘As far as I know, not even you can use Dujeonseong, hyung-nim.’

Dressed in extravagant attire, Murong Jeongui was arguing with the first son.

Dujeonseong was the Murong clan’s signature technique, capable of returning an opponent’s attack with equal force, making it one of the most revered ultimate arts. Whether direct or collateral, any warrior with Murong blood trained in swordsmanship for the sake of mastering it.

Along the way, some would also learn the Fire Dragon Sword, and Murong Wi, the eldest son, was known for it.

When perfectly synced with the wielder, the weapon could unleash an explosive blaze of fire. The resulting fire demon would consume everything in its path, sparing only the caster. Those who witnessed it couldn’t help but admire Murong Wi.

Seolyeong was one of his admirers. Every time he called him “hyung-nim,” Murong Wi would flash a warm smile and ask how his training was going. Seolyeong liked that about him.

When Murong Jun, succeeding Murong Bok, tried to drive Seolyeong out of the clan, it was Murong Wi who openly stood by him.

‘Seolyeong is like a sworn brother to me, Father. Please don’t make me a cold-hearted man who turns his back on family.’

Since he was the beloved eldest son, even Murong Jun couldn’t insist. On top of that, the former clan head Murong Bok also supported Seolyeong.

To avoid alarming the clan’s warriors, Seolyeong vowed not to use the training grounds or touch the clan’s martial manuals or elixirs. Instead, he learned swordsmanship from a twin-blade swordsman of Cheongha whom Murong Wi secretly sent him.

The man, originally from the Kunlun Sect, had given up on enlightenment after falling in love with his junior. He was a gentle soul.

Whenever Murong Jeongui tormented Seolyeong, the swordsman would pat Seolyeong’s still-young shoulders and whisper,

‘Seolyeong-ah, I believe the Wonsi Cheonjon favors you. Your talent surpasses any warrior I’ve seen. So don’t be discouraged. Nurture that admirable dream of living with justice and chivalry. This teacher will always support your future.’

That swordsman from Cheongha was the third light in Seolyeong’s harsh life. The first was Murong Bok, the second Murong Wi. He was the first outsider to truly enter the boy’s heart.

At least, until he drove a blade into Seolyeong’s danjeon.

The memory made Seolyeong laugh hollowly. The moment his lower belly was torn and he collapsed in the rear garden, the swordsman slit his own aorta. They never discovered who had bribed him, but after hearing that Murong Wi had fought with Murong Jeongui and been summoned by their mother, Seolyeong had a suspicion. That damned Jeongui brat must have put his mother up to it.

Eon Seunghye, the matriarch of the Murong clan, had always doted on her youngest. She never refused him anything, and it seemed likely she had a hand in this as well.

‘It’s all right, hyung-nim. It wasn’t particularly impressive martial arts anyway.’

Before he could even grow into a proper martial artist, Seolyeong lost his danjeon, but he never once got angry. He simply said he’d leave the estate and live outside. He was only thirteen at the time.

‘Ah Yeong… I have no excuse to give you.’

Murong Wi couldn’t bring himself to stop him. Within the clan, Seolyeong had become a public enemy. A blood fiend who displayed overwhelming martial prowess from childhood was not welcomed by the elders.

And so, Murong Wi allowed his sworn brother to leave.

Seolyeong secretly climbed Mount Kunlun to bury the Iseok Sword, the swordsman’s keepsake. He wanted to bury it in the land where his former teacher had trained, because he knew the swordsman hadn’t stabbed him out of hatred. Maybe heaven was moved by that sincerity. While climbing the mountain, Seolyeong encountered a Divine Healer.

‘You carry the scent of misfortune, child.’

A white-haired scholar stopped him and made a proposal.

‘I was fated to treat those like you.’

‘Pardon?’

‘Well, what do you say? Will you come with me?’

‘…Huh?’

He was a slender young man, his white hair tied high.

‘I want to remove the misfortune surrounding you with my own hands.’

Seolyeong nodded as if spellbound.

To be honest, he had just wanted to go anywhere. Even if it hadn’t been the Divine Healer, if anyone had said something kind, Seolyeong would’ve followed like a chick.

In the year he spent with that man, Seolyeong realized the Cheongha swordsman had been right. The Wonsi Cheonjon really was protecting him. There was no other explanation for what happened.

With Divine Healer’s help, Seolyeong recovered his danjeon. Once healed, he found himself missing Murong Wi, Murong Bok, and even Seolhyeon.

When he returned to the Murong clan with his danjeon restored, the elders were furious with suspicion. But when he presented the Divine Healer’s letter, the doubt vanished.

Murong Wi silently pulled his sworn brother into a hug. Seolyeong sobbed in his arms like a child.

More years passed.

Seolyeong no longer trained in public. He realized that making the clan’s warriors feel inferior only made his life harder.

Especially around Murong Jeongui, he had to be extra careful. That flashy pretty boy wasn’t just the most insecure man in the clan but in the entire North.

So, even when the argument under the tree grew more heated, Seolyeong didn’t step in.

Eventually, after a harsh argument, Murong Wi slapped Murong Jeongui. Their relationship had crumbled ever since Jeongui had used their mother to bribe the swordsman.

Whatever Jeongui thought, Murong Wi no longer seemed to regard him as a brother.

‘I’m ashamed and disgusted by your very existence.’

Murong Wi, known for his grace, unleashed harsh words on his younger brother.

‘No warrior acts as despicably as you. None think as narrow-mindedly or judge as arrogantly. If we weren’t related, you’d be fleeing for your life every time you saw me. Because I’d be desperate to kill you.’

‘You’re just as narrow-minded, hyung-nim! It’s been two years! I said I regretted it, said I’d never make the same mistake again if I could go back, but you still won’t believe me! What do you want, for me to kneel before him and beg? Cry and plead for forgiveness?’

‘If you don’t even have the courage for that, then why did you say you loved him? Why confess to Mother that you loved Seolyeong? Because of that reckless confession, do you know what he’s suffered? Because of you, that poor child has been scorned and persecuted in this household!’

Murong Wi finally exploded. His fury made Murong Jeongui hiccup in shock. Seolyeong, no less speechless, blinked blankly.

He had hoped the youngest would respond, but Jeongui only stood there, silent, his delicate face stiff, eyes reddening. Seolyeong couldn’t help but feel a sinking dread.

…No? No, no! Say it’s not. Say it!

Murong Jeongui had always despised him. Who calls someone they love a “blood thief,” watches their every move, denies them a peaceful meal, and greets them with murderous glares and grinding teeth?

Seolyeong looked down at him with a desperate expression, only to be completely stunned by the words that left Jeongui’s mouth.

‘I just… wanted to love him quietly on my own. I really didn’t want to hurt him…’

He was so stunned, he lost his balance.

Thud! He fell from the tree, and both men’s startled gazes snapped toward him. Even a southern monkey falls from a tree now and then, but of all times, why now…

Wonsi Cheonjon, this is just too cruel.

1. Stars shift as the Big Dipper turns ↩︎