Chapter 387 – The Cornus Tree (4)

To reclaim the sister’s body or defy the odds and assist the disciple?
Helping Lee Si-heon would place his life in jeopardy.
Yet, he couldn’t simply cast his disciple aside.
What a dilemma he found himself in.

“Um… Master?”

His mind was consumed by a whirlwind of thoughts, leaving him unable to discern one from the other.

“I feel… a bit constricted.”
“Remain still.”
“No, it’s not that, my posture is somewhat…”
“I said to stay still.”

Lee Si-heon awkwardly smiled and subtly shifted his waist back.

Could it truly be that as one approaches death, the desire to procreate intensifies?
In all honesty, it might be difficult for any man to suppress their libido in such a situation.

Climbing onto Lee Si-heon, who was leaning against the wall, she embraced him with all her might, regardless of whether their body parts made contact or not.

It was never my intention, but my body responds due to our groins pressing against each other. The master’s body is damp from nervous sweat.

The distinct pressure felt on the chest is doubtless her well-practiced balance from the past.

Not heavy, but a substantial presence.

“…Do you dislike me? Because you didn’t notice anything?”
“No, it’s not that, it’s just… I don’t want to show you this side of myself, Master.”

The lascivious demon that he himself had sown, assimilated with the power of the king, was something beyond his endurance. The boiling surge of desire, emanating from deep within, begins to overflow, filling the cauldron.

Lee Si-heon tries to distance himself from Heaven as much as possible.
The more he does, the more Heaven clings to Lee Si-heon.

“I will do anything.”

The interpretation is up to the listener, but at first glance, it could be seen as giving up on her sisters.

“You must have been struggling all this time… So that you can rest for a while-“

Suddenly!

At the unexpected sensation surging from the groin, emotions splinter into fragments. Cheondo, who was oblivious to it all, tilts her head in confusion, her expression soon shifting to one of shock.

“…What, what is this…?”

Her face conveys that she is experiencing something she never could have imagined. It’s an innocent and pure expression.

“Ah, Master…”

As he continues speaking, Lee Si-heon’s throat flutters, struggling to suppress his growing lust. Even as he swallows, the lingering wet sensation in his mouth refuses to dissipate. Cheondo’s soft body had always seemed so distant.

Why now? His head spins.

Lee Si-heon’s arms swiftly embrace Cheondo’s neck.

“…Hngh!”

A cute sound escapes the master’s lips.

“Why, why do this?”

Gently brushing his hands along her back and shoulders, it’s a suffocating embrace filled with undeniable affection.

Cheondo failed to notice this and earnestly stroked Lee Si-heon’s head as he embraced her.

Would doing this help alleviate his feelings even a little? She thought.

“Was it that difficult?”

She licked his neck.

A distinct curve traced from his neck to his collarbone, then successively to his shoulders and chest, shuddered once. Cheondo, unaware of this, had a tearful expression.

She knew she had to regain her composure, but her body moved on its own. Was it an exception for desire to stir even when exhausted? Or perhaps the king’s power was at work in this moment?

“Sorry… Ah!”

Her raised head pressed her lips against his cheek. It was then that Cheondo began to realize, bit by bit, that the situation was taking a wrong turn.

Lee Si-heon’s gaze grew hazy. It was as if his consciousness was reversing like before, and his altered appearance seemed very exotic to her, as his teacher.

“…Lee Si-heon?”

In an instant, his head, which had been so close, leaned forward, and their lips met.

“Ah!”

Startled, Cheondo held her breath and tilted her head back.

Their coarse lips had briefly met, a sensation far from pleasant with the scab lingering on them.

Yet the brief whiff of the potent masculine scent was detrimental to Cheondo’s composure.

Something rigid had risen from the waistband of his pants, pressing firmly against her lower abdomen. Cheondo instinctively moved her body back. Thump, thump. Her heart trembled as she cautiously asked,

“…Are you feeling… desire?”

He approached wordlessly, causing worry to cloud Cheondo’s face as she retreated.

“You, I value you… I know your mind isn’t whole, but this…”

“…Master, I’m truly sorry.”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry… I didn’t even understand my disciple’s condition. I should have taken your side sooner.”

He approached once more, and Cheondo’s words quickened.

“Still, a relationship between master and disciple must not be tainted by desire. I will tend to your wounds. So, please, keep some distance. Sansuyu… I’ll find a way to survive somehow. Um… my disciple?”

As his face drew closer, his speech quickened.

With her eyes spinning and rambling on, Cheondo clenched her eyes shut and covered Si-heon’s mouth with both hands, like a cat.

“…I’m sorry. I… I have someone I yearn for.”

Someone she yearns for.
It made sense.

The gap between Si-heon’s first encounter with Cheondo and their reunion was vast.
It was unusual for White Peach and Zodiac, who hadn’t found a compatible person during that long period.

Especially for Cheondo, who unknowingly engaged in numerous external activities, it wouldn’t have been strange for her to have a lover.

“Who is it?”
“…I don’t know.”

Yet, the response she gave was bewildering.

“…Pardon?”

“I don’t know, but… there seemed to be someone I loved. Deep in my heart. Forever… So, I’m sorry… I don’t think I can satisfy your desire.”

“Then, who is that person?”

“…I said I don’t know.”

“You don’t even know the name of the person you like?”

“If I say this… you might not understand, but I forgot.”

Chundo, clutching her chest, closed her eyes tightly.
Perhaps it was that person from the past.

Lee Si-heon took Chundo’s hand, spread it open at once, and leaned his head in. Startled, Chundo closed her eyes tightly. Her breathing became labored.

“Ah…”

It’s happening.

“Please.”

Chundo, fearing that the sticky emotions of love might become twisted, resisted until the end.

Just before their lips met, her hair turned white once more. She escaped.

Lips touching, saliva lightly entwined with the invading tongue. Their panting breaths tormented each other’s faces.

Lee Si-heon, lips slightly parted, widened his eyes at the unexpected scene.

“……”

His face turned red, and Baekdo glared at him.

“…Junior disciple.”
“Yes.”
“Do not succumb to lust. You foolish one.”

He could not bring himself to say anything harsher, having witnessed the scene earlier. And he couldn’t just let it go, either.

Enduring the discomfort, Baekdo frowned, her expression perplexed, and stared at Lee Si-heon’s face as if she wanted to kill him.

“This time… I won’t kiss you.”

She must be talking about the number of times.

“Didn’t we do it once before while drinking?”
“That doesn’t count. My purity remains intact. Weren’t you more nervous than that, Cheondo?”
“Ah, I apologize.”
“There’s no need to apologize… Just, be a little more careful.”

A hint of caution colored her demeanor.

In a situation where he would typically slap his cheek, Lee Si-heon could sense that White Peach was managing her own gestures and facial expressions, as if there had been a shift in her emotions.

“There’s no need to feel burdened. What’s important is… well, getting through this situation, right?”
“Ah, yes.”

Despite claiming not to be keeping count, White Peach found herself touching her own lips several times.

Lee Si-heon leaned his back against the wall once more. After such an outburst, he felt his mind calming down.

‘Why did I suddenly act like that?’

He felt as though his body was exhibiting more and more unusual symptoms. Was the power of healing ineffective against this kind of ailment? Lee Si-heon sensed the need to soothe himself a bit.

“…Was it that difficult?”

After a brief pause, White Peach asked again. Her face, marred by guilt, displayed a reaction he couldn’t understand.

“No, why are you like this today? If it’s an injury, it’ll heal soon… Actually, I’m the one who’s worried. Don’t you know that being with me could spell trouble?”

How could he be okay if the man, who was unconscious just moments ago, claims he is fine now? Baekdo’s expression, as she fidgeted with her fingers, remained dark.

“…Won’t you accompany me to Dowonhyang? A seventh-level disciple.”
“Yes.”
“I’m worried, that’s the reason. A fifth-level disciple.”

As the conversation progressed, the ranking decreased by two each time. Worry. That had always been the problem.

Although grateful, Lee Si-heon always shuddered upon hearing those words. He wondered why Lee Se-young died in the future he had seen.

Their relationship had grown so deep that they even risked their lives because of that worry. The reason Sansuyu severed contact was due to her concern that it might become entangled with the family’s affairs. The reason his teachers suddenly disappeared that day might also be related to this.

So Lee Si-heon endeavored to morbidly conceal his circumstances.
He would never divulge anything about the king to anyone.

“Third-class disciple.”
“Has your title returned now?”
“Why do you go to such lengths?”

Their manner of speaking reverted to that of friends. White Peach smiled at Lee Si-heon, remarking that this suited him better.

White Peach’s hand reached for Lee Si-heon’s arm.
Whether due to some potion or sorcery, his flesh was rotting, skin peeling away, and pus oozing out.

Left with no choice, Lee Si-heon harnessed his healing powers to regenerate his body.
His decaying arm was restored in an instant.

“See, it will heal quickly.”

Even while saying this, one of his eyes was fixed on the reclining Cornus.
He likely thought it a waste.

“…If only I could recover that swiftly.”

In any case, it was about concealing his own scars.
Lee Si-heon had similarly concealed White Peach’s scars.

“You’ve been injured all this time.”

Any injury could have been concealed.
White Peach would never know the true extent of Lee Si-heon’s pain.

Lee Si-heon quietly untied the bandage wrapped around his thigh.
Dark bloodstains seeped through the fabric.

“I don’t think I can persuade my master and my lover. Everyone I know is stubborn, so no matter how hard I try to stop them, they’ll resist. I’ve managed to set things up behind the scenes, but I don’t know when it will all come crashing down, and Se-Young… They’re likely to charge in headfirst.”

Lee Si-heon spoke.

“Please wait just a little longer.”

* * * * * * * *

Fingers buried in the pale yellow strands of hair.
Gently sweeping from top to bottom, Cornus’s eyelids gradually opened.

A considerable amount of time had passed.

For over two weeks, he had been manipulating his position.

It wasn’t usually difficult to meet him, but Lee Si-heon’s mentors had rarely shown their faces since that day.

Only once or twice when they were confident they would never be caught by the World Tree or any related individuals.

Even for Lee Si-heon, it was challenging to prevent Zodiac from sobbing uncontrollably. Recently, due to a surge in self-blame, she had claimed never to leave her body. Sooner or later, he would have to console her, but there was no time, leaving him feeling frustrated.

“Si-heon.”
“How are you feeling?”

Her once-clouded eyes were now gradually revealing more light. Like the slow opening of a camera’s aperture, with Cornus’s eyes now open, perhaps it would be possible for her to begin living her daily life.

It felt like interacting with an emotionless doll. It had been difficult to help her even with using the restroom, but he didn’t regret it at all.

Just a little, because her spirit had weakened.

“…Si-heon, I…”

A hint of playfulness emerged.
Lee Si-heon enveloped Sansuyu in his arms, stretched wide.
Now, he feels uneasy if he doesn’t embrace her once in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening.

“I’m sorry…”

Unfailingly, an apology followed each time.
She had reassured him countless times that it was okay. By now, she had come to accept it as a part of their daily lives.

“The convulsions have subsided considerably.”
“…Yes.”
“Can you move?”

– Head shaking.

She shook her head, but then seemed to change her mind.

– Nodding.

“I didn’t think it would be possible… but I think I can move a little.”
“Really?”

Lee Si-heon gently patted her head and smiled.
A face rewarded for enduring hardships. Sansuyu couldn’t comprehend that expression.
Why was Lee Si-heon doing all this? The question remained unresolved.
A heresy judgment was an insurmountable disaster.

And yet, why?
Sansuyu lowered her gaze, attempting to conceal the curiosity in her eyes.

Deep down, he feared that if he dared to even ask about such matters, the goodwill directed toward him would vanish.

“Let’s have a meal together after so long.”

Yet, as if to dismiss her concerns in an instant, this man consistently bestowed unexplained acts of kindness upon her every day.