Camellia 98

Hwang Choseon had returned, and with a terrifying message clutched in his arms. His dark purple skirts fluttered as he stormed into the rear garden of Yeohwa Hall, carmine-stained lips parting as he asked,

“Murong brat. Have you heard this rumor?”

As usual, Seolyeong was in the middle of doing push-ups and ignored him. He knew that if he asked, “What rumor?” then the chatterbox would launch into a flood of gossip right away.

Choseon plopped down beside him in a crouch.

“Come on, give me a little attention. I’ve picked up so many juicy stories.”

“Keep them all to yourself.”

“Don’t be like that, orabeoni.”

He dragged out the word with a particularly cutesy lilt.

From a distance, Si Pungwoon, who was still monitoring Seolyeong, let out a wave of icy Qi. Choseon flinched, he tugged at Seolyeong’s sleeve in and whispered.

“That warrior guy who’s been dying to kill me… Don’t tell me that bastard’s here again?”

Seolyeong stood, dusting off his hands, and shook his head.

“No. Today it’s a different guy. Even more ill-tempered. So don’t act like a fool.”

The warrior Choseon referred to had gone missing after being scolded for failing to properly serve him. But Seolyeong had already calmed Si Pungwoon down with a mature explanation, telling him not to worry. After all, Sahyeol Amje had promised. If Seolyeong answered his question correctly, he would return Si Pungjae.

And Seolyeong had given the right answer: the reason he hadn’t been taken yet was because Tang Yujae loved him. Now, it was only a matter of time before Si Pungjae was returned.

“…I wanted to ask you something about your husband.”

Choseon suddenly lowered his voice. True to the nickname ‘Sacheon’s Greatest Beauty,’ his painted features looked more vivid and alluring than any courtesan’s. Beneath them, though, still lay the familiar face of the illegitimate child Seolyeong had befriended since youth.

Seolyeong gave him a glance, prompting him to go on.

“What exactly is going on between your husband and that physician from Yeonhu?”

“…What?”

Seolyeong’s brow furrowed at the out-of-nowhere question. Choseon quickly clarified.

“The sect members I met on Chiljeong Mountain said it’s already all over the sect. That the physician is a disciple of the Divine Healer, she fell in love with Sahyeol Amje and stayed at Yeonhu of her own free will. That the white-haired master used to live here too, but left alone after realizing the disciple’s heart had changed.”

Just as Yujae had planned, the sect members had spun their own tale, believing the physician to be the his lover. The rumor had spread so far that even the outer branches near the main sect knew of it.

Seolyeong shot back with a scowl.

“And why would that concern you, exactly? What right do you have to care who the physician’s in love with?”

“Of course I care. Why wouldn’t I? I’m in love with her.”

The mood in the garden instantly turned sharp. If Seolyeong hadn’t already lowered a Qi around them, Si Pungwoonwould’ve gone berserk from hearing that. Choseon had just admitted to coveting Sahyeol Amje’s woman.

Seolyeong scolded him, he found it ridiculous.

“…Wake up, you brainless brat. You just said with your own mouth that she’s the sect leader’s lover, and now you’re claiming you’re in love with her? If the rumors are true, shouldn’t you be staying even more quiet?”

“Not all rumors are true, you know.”

Choseon stood firm in his stance.

“If every rumor were real, I’d have three kids by now. But you’ve bathed with me, Ahyeong, so you know how big and magnificent my penis is.”

“Even so, it’s not as good as mine.”

“Is being a blood fiend with a big dick something to brag about…? Whatever. That’s why I want you to look into it for me.”

“Look into what.”

“If the physician really is having an affair with your husband.”

“No.”

Seolyeong flatly refused. It was only because Choseon had never dealt with the sect leader that he could spout such reckless things. If he ever stood in front of that freezing, merciless man, he wouldn’t even withstand the pressure, he’d faint on the spot.

Seolyeong had no intention of getting on Sahyeol Amje’s nerves and dragging more trouble onto himself. Whether the physician was the sect leader’s lover or not, he simply didn’t care.

After all, the bastard had already been entangled with the women of the Peng clan. Would it really be surprising if he’d gotten involved with a gentle, beautiful physician from Yeonhu, too? Not in the least. It only confirmed how disgustingly obsessed with women he was for a cold-blooded man. But now…

“…Choseon-ah.”

“Mm?”

What if he tries to drive the physician away too, like he did with the Peng girls, because he’s in love with me now? The one who always cared for me after I got beaten half to death… was her. If she disappears, am I supposed to just grit my teeth and heal with sheer willpower every time?

“I’m going for a short walk. Stay right here and behave. Don’t wander off and end up getting your guts spilled somewhere. Stay put. Pungwoon! Don’t mess with him either!”

He gave the same stern order to Si Pungwoon in the distance. Then Seolyeong threw his upper body back, used the recoil to flip, and soared upward with graceful movements. Choseon looked up, startled like a deer, as Seolyeong crossed the sky in light steps.

“You’re using martial arts again?”

The brat whose danjeon had been shattered was now performing gyeonggong steps like it was nothing. Choseon burst into laughter. Maybe that idiot had been right all along, perhaps the Wonsi Cheonjon really was watching over him.

As he stood tall in Yeohwa Hall, watching the fading footprints in the sky, something like regret flickered in Choseon’s gaze.

“…You deserve to be loved more, Murong brat.”

The camellia of Yonyeong that Choseon knew was someone who truly deserved it. He was more upright than anyone Choseon had ever met, a man who lived entirely for righteousness and honor.

If Choseon had to name just one person in all the martial world as a true hero, he would’ve chosen Seolyeong without hesitation. Just because he drank blood didn’t mean he was less human. In Choseon’s eyes, Seolyeong had always been one of the rare few who could represent the true dignity of the orthodox martial world.

Seolyeong’s swift steps brought him to the entrance of Gwanju Hall. The maids unusually blocked his path, so he pretended to leave, then slipped in through a corridor window.

The sect leader had probably sensed his Qi in the building already. Worried he might get thrown out, Seolyeong hurried toward the bedroom, only to stumble upon something unexpected.

“…My lady?”

The tear-streaked woman who burst out of the bedroom was unmistakably the physician from Yeonhu. She lowered her head and turned to leave, hiding her reddened eyes. Seolyeong instinctively moved to follow her, but –thud – his ankle was yanked back by a rough, invisible force. Tang Yujae’s Huingong.

“Ugh!”

He collapsed, dragged straight into the bedroom, and the door slammed shut behind him. The sect leader yanked him in without a hint of mercy and sighed in annoyance.

“Do you have to be so nice to every woman you see?”

Getting criticized for womanizing by a guy who actually did it? That pushed Seolyeong into pure indignation. He tried to plant his feet, but the force twisted his ankle again.

“Aaagh!”

Thud! Losing his balance, he landed on his butt with a loud crash and snapped,

“Can you stop! Just stop already!”

But once he got a good look at the sect leader’s face, red with clear slap marks, he clamped up in shock. For someone as strong as him to have bruises that visible… he must’ve taken at least ten full-force slaps.

The sect leader walked over and held out a hand to the dazed Seolyeong.

Again, this bastard knocks him down only to offer help up like some chivalrous prince. Seolyeong slapped the hand away, and Sahyeol Amje just shrugged. With a grunt, Seolyeong stood and snapped,

“…You say you love me, but all you ever do is torment me. If this is what love looks like, it feels a lot more like hate.”

That direct mention of his feelings drew a bitter, cold smirk from Yujae’s lips. Already foul from getting slapped by Yuwon, this was just the thing to push him further.

“Then how should I treat you, hmm?”

He took a step forward, clearly ready to vent by teasing his bride instead. Seolyeong stepped back until his back met the hard wall.

A cold hand grabbed his slender chin.

“Should I pin you down and tangle your tongue until you believe I actually mean it, Ahyeong?”