Camellia 55

Not knowing what went on in Tang Yujae’s head, Seolyeong was simply pleased, convinced that his disciple was attached to him. If things kept going this way, becoming a close master and disciple was all but guaranteed.

He paid not the slightest attention to Si Pungjae, who trailed after them like a shadow, and continued his plans with the boy.

“Look. That’s a snow plum blossom.”

A red flower blooming proudly amidst the snow, Seolyeong had discovered it while wandering around Yurigung.

The pitch-black pavilion where the Jipilgak Lord stayed during his visits. Because every part of it, from roof to pillars, was painted black to suit his taste, the plum blossoms blooming in its rear garden stood out all the more. Just one flower had bloomed on an otherwise bare tree, making it feel even more precious.

“Isn’t it admirable, how it blooms even in this harsh winter? There’s an old saying that a martial artist’s life should resemble the plum blossom. No matter what hardship comes, one must stand tall and push forward. The path to martial mastery is never easy, so remember this always. Adversity will come for us again and again.”

Seolyeong’s eyes sparkled, he clearly expected a reaction.

“We must never collapse. We endure and overcome, and like this blossom, we will one day reap beautiful results.”

In response, Yujae casually snapped the branch.

“Hey! You little..!”

Seolyeong shrieked. Once broken, a tree branch could never be reattached. To make matters worse, Yujae blew gently on the flower, sending its petals fluttering to the ground.

Seolyeong thumped his chest in frustration.

“You’re going to be the death of me! I showed you something I meant to enjoy alone, and this is how you repay me?!”

He picked up the flower with trembling fingers, but the winter wind snatched it from his palm and carried it far away. Yujae seemed amused as he watched the bride throw a tantrum over a mere flower. There was a chill in his smile, but it also carried a hint of mischief.

The way the Mad Bride projected himself onto that plum blossom was absurd. As if being compared to a camellia weren’t enough, now he wanted to be a plum too?

Camellia was just a nickname referencing his red eyes, nothing more. But if he were to be nicknamed plum blossom… that would be a different story. Plum blossoms symbolized noble character. That was why the Hwasan Daoists were obsessed with them, even though their mountain barely grew any.

It was because plum blossoms represented willpower and virtue.

Not just the Hwasan sect, but every righteous martial artist who’d once tried to uphold justice was often compared to the plum. In the orthodox sects, that was what the flower meant.

“Child…”

Yujae wanted to shatter the bride’s righteous identity as a member of the orthodox world. The more flustered the man became, the more delight Yujae felt.

Seolyeong sighed as he watched the boy’s innocent-looking smile. He had no idea how to fix this brat’s twisted behavior. His temples throbbed.

“If flower viewing isn’t your thing, you could’ve just said so.”

“I like it. I want to look at flowers with you from now on.”

“…To snap them in half like before?”

“Yeah. It’s fun watching you get disappointed.”

At this point, Seolyeong no longer even got angry at the boy’s way of speaking.

“…Then I’ll just never show disappointment again. This master fully understands now.”

He gently caressed the severed end of the broken branch and muttered to himself. Perhaps because the boy had grown up in the demonic sect, he found joy in all sorts of strange things. Seolyeong realized he’d have to take a different approach than when teaching righteous sect kids.

For a child who found pleasure in making others suffer, he needed to show that his behavior didn’t make others look foolish, it only made himself look ridiculous.

So Seolyeong quickly picked up the fallen blossom and this time held it tight so the wind wouldn’t steal it again.

“Thank you, Yujae.”

It was an absurdly out-of-place expression of gratitude.

“Truly, thank you. Now I have a token to remember our time together. I’ll dry this flower carefully and treasure it forever. I’ll look at it again and again and remember what you were like as a child.”

Just as Seolyeong expected, the smile vanished from the boy’s face. His black eyes gleamed with something close to murderous intent. Seolyeong, pleased to have finally figured out how to deal with the troublesome boy, silently rejoiced.

‘Alright. Let’s see who wins.’

He was a seasoned teacher with over ten years of experience raising children. This was a fight he was sure to win, so a grin crept across Seolyeong’s face.

But his confidence began to dwindle.

“Argh!”

A stone hurled by Yujae struck him squarely on the forehead. Its sharp edge tore his skin open.

His face was already a mess of cuts and bruises. The constant barrage of stones made him grind his teeth. Can I really teach this kid? Seolyeong began to doubt himself.

“Are you going to thank me again?”

Indeed, Yujae had done this seventeen times now. Every time he spotted a stone, he’d toss it straight at Seolyeong. The bride ended up running around against his will.

And when Seolyeong managed to grab a stone first and hold it over Yujae’s head, the boy would look like he was about to explode with rage. Then Seolyeong would grin wickedly and sarcastically thank him for the precious memory.

Not just stones, tiles, pieces of debris, anything he could get his hands on, Yujae would fling it without hesitation. Seolyeong had collected several lumps on his forehead as a result.

Now looking like someone who had been beaten by a gang of thieves, he growled out his words.

“Every morning, I’m going to think of you when I look in the mirror, Yujae. This master is truly grateful.”

“You’re persistent.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“You’re bleeding from the eye.”

“What?!”

Seolyeong frantically touched his face. “Ah…” he groaned. His eyelid stung. It must’ve been cut. Bending over, he asked the boy,

“Is it bad?”

“I don’t know.”

“Tell me what it looks like.”

“If I pull it open with my fingers, I might see your eyeball.”

“That bad, huh…”

He sighed for what must’ve been the hundredth time. His vision turned red, maybe his blood vessels had burst.

“I give up.”

Seolyeong finally admitted defeat with a bitter laugh. Still, he hadn’t given up on raising the boy. Reforming someone was never easy. Dogs and roosters raised for fighting couldn’t be tamed in a day. He reminded himself of that and resolved to try again. At his declaration of surrender, Yujae tilted his head.

“You give up?”

“Yes. This master admits defeat. If you grow up like this, you’ll end up just like my husband. So very aggressive.”

Anyone could hear the sarcasm in his tone. Si Pungjae, who had been eavesdropping with heightened senses, gasped. Yujae asked with no change in expression,

“You think your husband is aggressive?”

“Mmh, absolutely. So aggressive and bold he even tore his bride apart on their wedding night. Amazingly, the way I ended up like this is all thanks to that man. Oh, but don’t misunderstand. I truly respect our bold Sect Leader.”

“It sounds like you hate him.”

“Not at all.”

“Be honest. I’m not the type to tattle on people. You hate him, don’t you?”

That soft-spoken question made Si Pungjae nearly faint behind a tree. He prayed desperately that the bride wouldn’t fall for his lord’s trap.

But Seolyeong trampled that prayer without hesitation.

“Do you think someone like him can be hated? He’s the leader of an entire sect. People in power are always like that. They think it’s perfectly fine to hate others, but heaven forbid someone hates them back, it’s practically blasphemy. Do you know why that is? Because they’re petty.”

“……”

“But this master is a magnanimous man, the kind who’ll be remembered for generations in the history of the martial world. Whether my husband pulls my hair, tears open my belly, or hurls curses at me, I bear no grudge. That’s what a real man does. Not like those small-minded types.”

“……”

“But, I mean… don’t go looking down on the Sect Leader too much. I’m sure he has some good traits. If you look really hard, maybe you’ll find a couple. Hahahaha!”

The Mad Bride didn’t stop his snide remarks once. That very night, a few attendants came to deliver some unfortunate news.

The date of the consummation had been set.

When they brought out a jade tray holding fragrant oils and told him he could start relaxing from tonight, Seolyeong turned pale and bolted.