Camellia 57

If one were to name the mountain with the mildest climate among the Sipman Daesan, it would likely be Chiljeong Mountain, where ordinary sect members lived.

The crimson foliage that had once colored the ridges had already faded. Late autumn was fleeting. Soon, the chilly winds of early winter would descend even into the valleys of Chiljeong Mountain.

Deep within Chiljeong Mountain stood a dense bamboo forest, the tall stalks planted in neat rows like soldiers in formation.

They had not originally grown there. When Sahyeol Amje made the Sipman Daesan their base, they had deliberately created such a secretive space.

At the heart of the thick bamboo grove was a shrine built to enshrine the memorial tablet of Hayeon.

It was called Jaeisa.

The name had been given by Yuwon during a visit. However, the name was not inscribed on the plaque above the shrine’s entrance. That was because the place was destined to one day disappear.

Yuwon had volunteered to inscribe the name herself, but Tang Yujae had adamantly refused.

‘But you need a plaque. Otherwise no one will even know it’s a shrine.’

‘I built it in a bamboo forest so that no one would know. If I wanted people to notice, I’d have built it somewhere else.’

Although he had gone so far as to build a shrine for Hayeon, this was undoubtedly the first time he had forgotten her death anniversary.

Lately, his attention had been so consumed by the Mad Bride that the date had slipped past.

Yujae was shocked that he had failed to think of Hayeon at all, and disgusted that his sister had tried to use that fact for her own ends.

He crossed the bamboo grove, and the shrine came into view, standing alone without any adjoining buildings.

Perched atop an eight-step natural stone stairway, the shrine appeared modest in size.

However, the interior was rather extravagant. The ceiling and walls were adorned with golden ornaments.

A folding screen covered in exquisite landscape paintings filled the wall opposite the entrance.

A reddish shrine box sat atop a cedarwood table.

Tang Yujae lit incense and opened the shrine doors on both sides.

When he saw the memorial tablet bearing Hayeon’s name, it was as if he could hear her voice.

‘You’re late, orabeoni.’¹

He placed a bouquet of wildflowers, which he had pulled up by the roots along the way, inside the shrine.

His hands still carried the earthy scent of fresh soil.

That same scent used to linger on Hayeon’s hands as well.

The only difference was that the flowers he brought today were ordinary, while the plants she brought were often poisonous herbs, so toxic that a mere touch could cause paralysis.

Tang Yujae gently brushed the name inscribed on the tablet.

“Hello, Hayeon-ah.”

If she were still alive, she would have flushed with embarrassment and asked why he was calling her name so awkwardly.

A flash of the girl came to his mind, roaming the forest in a thin leather coat.

Her ashen gray hair, dulled in tone, was the signature color of those with the Poison-Immunity Constitution known in the Tang family lineage.

His great-grandfather, the Poison King Tang Bae, had possessed hair of the same shade.

Born out of wedlock to a Tang family concubine, the girl had lived in a hut on Mount Gyehong, where she foraged herbs while being used as a test subject for various poison-based techniques.

Only Tang Yujae knew how exceptional her innate talent had been.

So he had warned his half-sister often:

‘If people find out how talented you are, your life will only get harder. The moment it’s exposed, people will try to use you.’

To that, the girl would scratch her cheek with herb-stained fingers and ask:

‘If that happens, will you protect me, orabeoni?’

Tang Yujae never once promised that he would. But the girl would thank him anyway, as if he had.

‘Thanks in advance, orabeoni.’

Even when he gave no reply, she would just smile like a fool.

***

The poisons used by the Tang clan were largely sourced from their private mountain, Mount Gyehong.

Even foreign toxic plants, never heard of before, had been cultivated there.

For those training in poison techniques, it was paradise. For anyone else, it was hell.

However, actual members of the Tang clan were forbidden from entering Mount Gyehong.

Instead, the clan master had herbalists or poison-resistant servants manage the mountain.

‘That kid… honestly. What are we going to do with her.’

People died there all the time.

Tang Yujae estimated that at least two people per week perished on Mount Gyehong.

This time, a young servant carrying out orders from the Elder Council had died from poisoning.

The whites of the servant’s eyes had turned pitch black, and the tongue hanging out of his mouth was deathly pale.

According to the clan master, since the mountain was saturated with poison, it was better to send in disposable people rather than Tang clan members.

Due to the solemn and closed nature of the Tang clan compound, no information about the inner workings of the estate ever leaked.

The fact that people were being sacrificed for poison research was kept tightly under wraps.

Most of the servants in the Tang family compound had been born and raised there.

They weren’t allowed to step outside the compound, and if they tried, they would die without a trace.

That was how Tang clan compound maintained its order.

‘I’m still amazed that you’re alive.’

So Tang Yujae couldn’t help but be amazed by the girl living in the hut on Mount Gyehong, Hayeon.

As always, she was grinding something on a stone slab.

Being poison-resistant, she was particularly sensitive to cold and wore a leather coat even in warm spring weather.

‘I’m always amazed too. But I might not last much longer. Lately, poisons aren’t working on me as well as they used to.’

She sighed and wiped her poison-stained fingers on her pants.

‘By the way, orabeoni… don’t you think you’ve been coming here too often lately?’

Originally, he had visited Hayeon once every month or so to avoid suspicion.

But recently, it was more like every five days. Hayeon sounded worried.

‘If the clan master finds out, you’ll be in big trouble.’

‘So what? Can’t I come see my own little sister?’

‘If Mother hears that, her heart will break…’

Looking guilty, Hayeon fidgeted with her fingers.

Whenever she looked downcast, Yujae would give her a light flick on the forehead.

‘Ow!’

‘How many times do I have to say it for you to believe me? Mother doesn’t hate you. She’s the one who keeps petitioning the Elder Council about your situation. She never even loved Father, so how could she possibly hate you? You have to actually care about someone to hate their illegitimate child…’

‘Watch your mouth, seriously!’

Startled, Hayeon slapped her palm over Yujae’s mouth.

Then she let out a scream and yanked her hand away.

Her already pale face turned ghostly white.

‘Orabeoni…!’

Yujae let out a hollow laugh. He had inhaled poison again. He’d lost count of how many times this had happened. At this point, he started wondering if she wasn’t doing it on purpose.

Hayeon caught him as he collapsed, flipping his eyelids open to check on him.

Despite her smaller frame, she managed to carry him. Cradled in her arms, he chuckled faintly.

‘Ugh, orabeoni! That’s why I told you not to come anymore! Why do you keep coming just to inhale poison and collapse like this?’

‘You… fed me…’

‘Quiet! Talking makes it spread faster!’

Hayeon piggybacked him all the way to her hut.

Once inside the cool shelter, she laid him down, sobbing as she crushed a detox herb and stuffed it into his mouth.

After his complexion improved a bit, she turned him over and pressed her palm gently to his back.

The Qi she infused was warm. That warmth filled his chest and brought a soft smile to his lips.

Once he was fully recovered, Hayeon collapsed to the floor, drained.

“…Hayeon.”

Reclining on the bed, Yujae reached out and gently grabbed her gray hair.

Not enough to hurt her. Just enough to touch.

“Your orabeoni is leaving for Haedong soon.”

“…Huh?”

The tears falling like drops of water stopped. Hayeon stared at him in disbelief. He softly stroked her stiff hair.

“If a child born without enough talent is born, our family exiles them beyond the borders. I’ve lasted a long time only because no younger brother was born after me. The fact that they’re letting me choose the country probably means they don’t plan to kill me quietly.”

The Sacheon Tang clan never allowed a woman to become clan master. So even though Yuwon was the eldest, Yujae had been the heir.

But sometimes, the one who wore the title wasn’t capable of handling it.

And Yujae had always known… no matter how hard he trained, he would never meet the clan’s expectations.

1. orabeoni” (오라버니) is a respectful and affectionate way for a younger sister to refer to her older brother but more formal than oppa 
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