“Huh? Why are you out here?”
Stepping out of the Guest Hall, Seokyeom hadn’t walked more than a few paces when he ran into the servant. As if the meal preparation was finished, two maidservants were following right behind him holding small dining trays.
“This works out great. Take me to my brother.”
“Yes? What are you suddenly saying?”
“I have something to ask him. My eldest brother must be busy… Second brother is in the inner court, right?”
According to his memory, Tang Mujin was often away from the main clan house. With fulfilling his role as the young patriarch and procuring medicinal herbs for Tang Seokyeom, even having two bodies wouldn’t have been enough, so Seokyeom naturally ended up seeking out Tang Yu instead.
“He is in the inner court, but…”
Frozen by the sudden request, the servant trailed off and went quiet. Glancing subtly toward the direction of the inner court, he looked terrified that Seokyeom might insist on going right away.
“Then take me there.”
“Young Master…”
“There’s something I must convey to him. I just need to quietly see my second brother and come right back.”
At his awkward stance, Seokyeom now pleaded with an earnest tone. Except for when he was very young, he was a young master who had never once mentioned the inner court, so the servant’s heart was torn as well.
He wanted to escort him if he could, but numerous martial artists resided in the inner court. If something went wrong and Seokyeom came into contact with the poison qi they emitted… He didn’t even want to think about what would happen next.
“If you don’t want to tell me, then fine. I’ll just find my way there myself.”
When the servant’s hesitation dragged on, Seokyeom changed his tactic as well. He had asked because going alone might raise suspicions about how he knew the way, but he already knew the layout of the inner court inside out.
“There is no need for that.”
“…Second Young Master?”
“Brother!”
However, Seokyeom did not end up pushing past the servant. Standing there with a chilly aura, Tang Yu made his appearance—who knew when he had arrived. At his icy voice, the maidservants who were waiting quietly trembled violently. Seeing that, Tang Yu clicked his tongue briefly.
“Tsk. Set up one more table.”
“I-I will tell them to prepare it right away.”
Unlike the young maidservants, the servant regained his composure relatively quickly. Bowing his head deeply, he gestured toward a passing maidservant. The maidservant, who had been blinking blankly, soon hurried out of the garden with quick, short steps.
“It seems you haven’t had breakfast yet either, brother.”
In an atmosphere thin as ice, only Seokyeom, who had something to gain, remained nonchalant. When he approached while uttering a friendly remark, Tang Yu flinched and took a step back.
“Do not come close to me. Speak from there, right there.”
Ah, I shouldn’t touch him. Glad to see him, he had almost repeated the same mistake. When Seokyeom scratched his head with the hand he had extended, Tang Yu let out a soft sigh.
“It is not that I dislike you. It is just that the poison arts I have cultivated… might be harmful to you.”
The words that followed held all sorts of worry. It was a martial art that any member of the Tang Clan ought to cultivate, but because of it, Tang Yu had to suffer a living separation from his only younger brother.
Even if he had watched over him from afar, he would have no complaints if Seokyeom felt abandoned. Yet, the reason he stepped forward was because of the form of address Seokyeom had called him by.
“Thank you for being so thoughtful, brother.”
Just like right now, an affectionate form of address. Tang Yu silently watched as Seokyeom bowed his head with a smile. It was just that his fierce impression kept it from showing; right now, a typhoon was raging inside his heart.
Among those of the same generation as Tang Yu, there were only three direct descendants. One was Tang Mujin, who was highly anticipated not only in Sichuan but in the entire Central Plains, and the other was a younger brother who had arrived one day holding his mother’s hand.
He had an age gap of a whole seven years with Tang Yu, and was a remarkably adorable and frail child. His gentle eyes and chubby cheeks were so lovely that Tang Yu was completely captivated the day he first saw Seokyeom.
Watching him grow every moment, his affection grew even deeper.
Once he grows a little more, I’ll teach him martial arts. I’ll take him to the market and buy him lots of delicious things.
Though he had never told others, hiding behind his sobriquet of “Flying Hand Needle Poison,” he had harbored small wishes like those.
However, Tang Yu’s dream shattered to pieces before long. The child, who grew weaker day by day, suddenly coughed up blood.
The cause of the illness lay within Seokyeom’s body. Among the severed meridians, the child born with the Yin-Yin Heart Meridian had damaged qi and blood, heaven knows how he had lived outside.
Most decisively, Seokyeom could not accept poison at all. Even the scent burned to manufacture poison was enough to send him teetering between life and death.
When similar incidents repeated several times, the Tang Family Patriarch had no choice but to make a decision: to send the young Seokyeom to the outer court.
For the first few years, neither Tang Yu nor Seokyeom could accept the Patriarch’s decision. Tang Yu, along with Tang Mujin, would watch over the child, and whenever he felt pity seeing him crying alone, he would stroke his hair.
However, the outcome was always the same. Shortly after coming into contact with Tang Yu, the child would vomit blood and suffer seizures. Feeling remorseful numerous times at the sight of the little child suffering, Tang Yu eventually naturally stopped visiting.
I do not know how long it has been since we met face-to-face like this.
Steeped in regret, Tang Yu stared for a long while into Seokyeom’s eyes, which were full of goodwill. Even if Seokyeom poured out resentment, asking why he had only appeared now, it was something he couldn’t help, yet his gentle younger brother was greeting him warmly as if nothing had happened.
“Why don’t we step inside to continue the rest of the conversation?”
Just then, a voice cut through Tang Yu’s thoughts. Leaning against the doorway was the rogue who had arrived out of nowhere. Having already sensed through his martial awareness that he was out there, Tang Yu made no effort to hide his displeasure, knitting his brows deeply.
“You speak as if this were your own home.”
“If it sounded that way, I apologize, but I said so because the Third Young Master’s complexion does not look good.”
Seokyeom blinked as gaze after gaze instantly gathered upon him. Not being in pain was one thing, but he couldn’t understand why Namgung Yun was suddenly acting so prickly. While Tang Yu was originally a sharp character, wasn’t Namgung Yun someone who possessed the magnanimity fit for a protagonist?
He did… endure a lot, right?
Seokyeom recalled the cold treatment Namgung Yun had received since yesterday. Considering that the setting here was the wuxia world, it was an impressive feat that he had endured this much.
Even though it was the heart of the Tang Clan, hadn’t he been granted permission to enter the outer court thanks to saving Tang Seokyeom? Or perhaps his temper had grown foul because progress on his task was slow.
Before the war of nerves could escalate into a fight, Seokyeom hastily stepped between the two.
“Now that you mention it, my legs feel a little sore too. Let’s go inside and talk about the rest. I have something to tell you, brother.”
At his hastily made-up words, Tang Yu’s gaze shifted to Seokyeom’s legs. Nothing was revealed since they were covered by his robes, but he had been receiving constant reports that Seokyeom had fallen.
“Yes, let us head inside first.”
“You too, brother.”
Smiling brightly, Seokyeom scampered inside the Guest Hall. Tang Yu, who had been frowning heavily, softened his expression and followed behind him. However, peace did not last long.
“Gyeom-i, you sit here.”
It was because the seat Seokyeom was about to sit in happened to be right next to Namgung Yun. Looking for a place far from Tang Yu in case they touched, it was inevitable.
“Um… Okay.”
Being one seat closer shouldn’t matter. Thinking nothing of it, just as Seokyeom was about to follow Tang Yu’s words, Namgung Yun stopped Seokyeom this time.
“Would it not be better for the Third Young Master to sit away from Second Young Master?”
This wasn’t wrong either. Seokyeom nodded and tried to lower his hips onto the chair Namgung Yun pointed to.
“No. Sit here.”
However, right before his butt touched the cushion, Tang Yu pulled out the chair beside him. Pausing in an awkward posture, Seokyeom looked back and forth between the two. He wondered what kind of childish fight this was supposed to be.
“The Third Young Master collapsed just yesterday.”
The person who broke the balance first was Namgung Yun. At the provocative remark, Tang Yu gnashed his teeth. Just as he was about to spew vicious words—
“What are you doing when you haven’t even picked up your utensils yet?”
Just in time, the servant entered holding a tray. Seokyeom let out a breath of relief and sat down. The two martial artists also held up their utensils as if nothing had happened. Soon, the table was filled step-by-step.
“Was it not to your taste? Still, you need to eat if you want to take your medicine.”
Before Seokyeom could even take a bite, the servant spoke with an upset tone. He seemed to think the reason Seokyeom hadn’t eaten until now was because he was picking at his side dishes. Receiving harsh nagging made Seokyeom feel wronged, but he decided to let it slide. He didn’t want to repeat a war of attrition like the one just now.
“Don’t just eat meat; eat a balanced meal. Understood?”
Filtering the affectionate nagging through one ear, Seokyeom moved his chopsticks. Come to think of it, hadn’t his very excuse for coming to find Namgung Yun been to share a meal together?
He hadn’t realized it because his desire to clear the quest quickly was so strong, but now that food was before his eyes, he felt like putting anything into his mouth. Reminding himself that even sightseeing comes after eating, Seokyeom focused on the food in front of him.
“You seem to like stem lettuce.”
Because he had been so immersed, he had briefly forgotten the existence of the two masters. At the question coming from the side, Seokyeom looked down at the tips of his chopsticks. The vegetable seasoned with chili oil was hitting bottom.
Because the crunchy texture felt good, he seemed to have unknowingly targeted just that one thing. Though he had only now learned that the vegetable’s name was stem lettuce, Seokyeom answered calmly.
“I think so.”
“Have this as well. I haven’t even touched it.”
Before he could even decline, stem lettuce showered onto Seokyeom’s front plate.
“Thank you, Jo hyung.”
Since it was already done, Seokyeom decided to accept his goodwill obediently. It happened to be a moment when he felt it was a bit lacking anyway. As Seokyeom smiled foolishly and picked up a piece of stem lettuce, a sharp glare flew in from somewhere.
Rolling his eyes slowly, Tang Yu—who had put down his utensils for some reason—was frowning over there. His face flushed red and blue, clearly displeased.
“Gyeom-i, do not carelessly accept and eat whatever anyone gives you.”
Watching him eat with relish, he couldn’t bring himself to snatch it away, so Tang Yu merely spat out the words grumpily.
