Camellia 8

The Yurigung was divided into the Outer Palace and the Inner Palace.
Among them, Gwanju Hall and Yeonhwa Hall had been built within the Inner Palace, but even though they were part of the same grounds, the size of Yeonhu Mountain made it impossible to travel between them quickly without using gyeonggong.¹

Stepping through the air with Si Pungjae slung over his shoulder, Seolyeong arrived at Gwanju Hall and let out a brief exclamation.

“Wow…”

The grand hall, decorated with red jade, stood five stories tall and gleamed brightly even in the middle of the night. But something was off.

‘Red jade shouldn’t emit light on its own, right?’

As Seolyeong wondered, he figured out the answer on his own. They must have coated night pearls with dye. What kind of coloring had they used to make them glow so naturally, as if the light were their own?

“I’d appreciate it if you could put me down now, Sogyoju-nim…”

It had been humiliating for Si Pungjae, a grown man, to be carried like a sack on someone’s shoulder. He hesitated, then made his request.
Only then did Seolyeong seem to remember his existence and dropped him unceremoniously to the ground.

Thud. Si Pungjae let out a groan as he hit the floor. His body wouldn’t move as he wanted.

With a kind smile, Seolyeong said,
“Rest a while. You’ll recover soon enough. Don’t waste your breath meddling and just lie there.”

Any attempt to move his limbs brought chills and spasms, so Si Pungjae was left alone in the rear garden.

The rear garden of Gwanju Hall, lined with frost-covered trees, was filled with a chilling cold. Every year, many migratory birds lost their way and froze to death there. Si Pungjae looked up at the pitch-black sky, praying he wouldn’t meet the same fate.

As the strongest figure in the martial world, Sahyeol Amje had not placed any warding talismans in his quarters. It was a bold choice, a display of confidence that he could handle any intruder himself.

Thanks to the young girls’ descriptions of the Sect Leader, Seolyeong was a little fond of the man and hummed as he moved along.

Of course, his singing was terrible. The only art Seolyeong had never mastered was sound arts.
Though he had elegant hands as white and smooth as jade, he had no talent for playing instruments. String instruments broke under his fingers, and percussion drums tore open like paper.

“Hmm. Should I call him seobang-nim or nanggun-nim?”²

Pondering the trivial issue, Seolyeong eventually arrived at what seemed to be the Sect Leader’s bedchamber.

The lattice door, etched with foreign patterns, was much taller than him. He tried to push it open, but it didn’t budge an inch. It must have been made of Hundredfold Iron, a heavy and durable alloy. Since there was no handle, the door was likely designed so that only those who could manipulate their qi could open it.

“Ahem. Are you inside, seobang-nim?”

He adjusted his rumpled clothes, damaged during flight, and asked in a nasal tone out of courtesy.

“I, your wife, was hurt and humiliated by your rejection, but I’ve come to greet you regardless.”

The Murong clan’s genius, who had already mastered heogong seobmul³ even before reaching the level of a true master, opened the bedroom door with ease.

There were three reasons Seolyeong wanted to meet Sahyeol Amje.

First, not only had the man rejected him, but he had sent someone else to his bed. The situation was ridiculous. To treat the most beautiful person in the world like this? Seolyeong was very upset.

Second, he needed to confirm as soon as possible whether the man was truly a survivor of the Tang clan.
Only then could he decide whether to send a secret message to the Alliance Leader’s residence and begin forming a plan.

And third, he had to rescue the abducted sect leaders and clan heads immediately.

As the top-ranking figures were taken by the demonic sect, the martial world’s order was rapidly unraveling.
Movements to seize and fill the power vacuum clashed with each other, and the martial world began to shake.

In particular, the Murong clan, with many direct and collateral branches, was falling into more frequent turmoil. Power struggles over who would seize greater authority were tearing the family apart.

Even Murong Wi’s decision to accept the demonic sect’s proposal likely came from a desire to quickly stabilize the worsening situation.
Seolyeong planned to manipulate the sect leader to rescue the Murong clan head.

He stepped into the bedroom, he also crossed the threshold of a detection barrier near the door.

“Haa, uh…”

He froze at the sound that reached his ears.

Rustling. Moaning filled with pleasure.

The sweet, subtle scent in the air instantly alerted Seolyeong, a blood fiend with a sharp sense of smell.
This scent… could it be…?

He lifted his head and stared wide-eyed at the sight before him.

“Hnngh, ah…!”

A naked man lay sprawled on the wide bed, convulsing. He was thrusting his hips and sobbing like an animal in heat. Even the low growls between his moans made him seem more beast than man.

Seolyeong was so stunned he couldn’t even take a step back. It was… too vulgar. And yet, he couldn’t look away.

Only five candles lit the room, flickering slowly. The man, overcome by unbearable heat, was breathtakingly handsome. Under the orange glow, his back muscles shifted with smooth precision. Veins bulged along his neck, showing the depth of his agony. His flushed skin was marked with blue splotches like the remnants of a skin disease.

Strangely, the sight didn’t seem filthy.
Seolyeong swallowed unconsciously.

“Haa… hngh…”

The man howled, lost to all reason. He gripped the sheets beneath him in desperation. His taut thighs and tightly clenched buttocks drew Seolyeong’s gaze.

Again, he swallowed.

The man’s body looked like a masterpiece sculpted by a craftsman.
His sweat-drenched skin shimmered with luster.

Seolyeong came to his senses stepped back cautiously and closed the bedroom door with his qi.

Bang. He wondered whether the man, lost in his passion, had even heard it, but decided to leave for now.

Yet after only a few dozen steps, he stopped.

“That was definitely an aphrodisiac…”

As the most beautiful person in the martial world, Seolyeong had often been targeted by ruffians trying to drug him. If not for being a blood fiend, who could detect even the faint sweetness of aphrodisiacs, he might have swallowed it unknowingly and lost his chastity. He might’ve ended up rolling around on a bed just like that man, clutching his endlessly erect cock.

In the end, Seolyeong abandoned the idea of leaving Gwanju Hall and headed back toward the bedroom.

If he applied pressure to the right blood vessels or induced bloodletting, the man might pass out or fall asleep.
It would be better than leaving him to suffer.

Though it was a decision made out of altruism, the ending was far from noble.

As Seolyeong approached, he immediately sensed something was wrong. A massive amount of yin energy surrounded the man like a barrier. The cold was so intense it was almost menacing. Seolyeong frowned.

The man’s trembling body was caught in a battle between the aphrodisiac and the yin energy rising from his danjeon.

Seolyeong studied him with a serious expression, he finally spoke.

“…Pardon my intrusion.”

His white palm touched the damp skin.
The man, easily flipped onto his back, wore a vacant expression.

Ah, ahh, his moans came again and again. Even the slightest touch made his waist arch and his head fall back.
This wasn’t just any aphrodisiac.
Even if Seolyeong cut off his consciousness by pressing the proper points, the man’s body would continue to climax from overstimulation.

So Seolyeong decided to address the root of the problem. Fortunately for the man, he could control Sammae⁴ Flame at will.

Gathering yang energy to his fingertips, Seolyeong gently placed a hand on the man’s chest.

“Ahhh!”

As the man’s chest jerked upward, Seolyeong pressed him down and whispered,

“You must endure it. That’s the only way you’ll come to your senses.”

But the man, seemingly disturbed by the sudden heat, struggled violently.

Just as Seolyeong tried to restrain him, his wrist was caught. He flinched in shock, not only because of the unexpected resistance, but because the man brought his fingers to his mouth and began to lick them with great care.

The soft tongue slid through the cracked lips and lapped at each knuckle like it was pleading.

“……”

His mouth was ice-cold.

Bloodshot eyes turned to Seolyeong. A tear fell from the tip of one long eyelash.

A tiny mole beneath the man’s right eye caught Seolyeong’s gaze.

He was flustered.

This was the Sect Leader’s chamber in Gwanju Hall.

Which meant the man lying on the silk sheets had to be the leader of the new demonic sect, Sahyeol Amje.

But contrary to what he’d heard…

…He was way too good-looking.

Who the hell said he was ugly?

1. gyeonggong (경공) is the Korean equivalent of the Chinese qinggong (轻功), both mean “lightness skill” or “light movement technique.” ↩︎
2. Seobangnim (서방님) Husband or Dear husband, formal, respectful, traditional. Nanggunnim (낭군님) My lord husband or Beloved husband , romantic, or intimate. ↩︎
3. Void-grasping technique, something like telekinesis ↩︎
4. derived from Sanskrit samādhi , meaning deep meditative concentration or trance ↩︎