Childhood Friend of the Zenith

After taking a short stroll around the streets, I went back home.

Thanks to Namgung Bi-ah’s Lightning Qi and sharp gaze poking me from behind, I was able to return faster than expected.

…I’m never doing that again.

I didn’t know how the food entered my body, and there was no way I could survive in an atmosphere like that for so long.

If I were to ever go out again, it’d be best for me to either go alone or with just one of them.

I might actually throw up if I didn’t do that.

Swish!

I slowly stretched my fist outwards.

Even though I was conflicted with my thoughts; my movements were flawless.

I may have been exhausted, but I couldn’t afford to skip my training and had to force myself.

The more I possess, the harder it’s getting for me to control my Qi.

The more I accumulated, the harder it was getting for me to condense my Qi.

Unlike how I exploded my Qi in my past life, I had to use it more efficiently in this life.

In order to reach the next level, I had to take advantage of the enlightenment I had gained.

I focused on each and every little movement, and reduced my Qi usage along with it.

My goal was to reach my desired strength while reducing my Qi usage.

This required intense focus and I unconsciously clenched my teeth due to the squeezing pain I felt in my Dantian, but it had to be done.

Rustle.

As I carefully placed my foot down, I thought back to the conversation I had with Moyong Hi-ah.

To put it briefly, Moyong Hi-ah said that she would accompany me to Anhui.

Since she had to receive heat from me and because she also had some business in Anhui, she said she had no choice but to accompany me.

Of course, I did expect something like this might happen, but I still couldn’t help but be surprised when I heard that she was actually coming along.

A blood relative of the Moyong Clan of Four Noble Clans was visiting a different clan.

Moreover, the Moyong Clan and the Namgung Clan’s relationship may have gotten softer with time, but just a few generations ago, both of them were constantly compared as they were both clans that specialized in sword arts.

…Though the Moyong Clan is lagging behind now.

If we simply judged by their strength alone, the Lord of the clan, the Azure Heavenly Sword Namgung Jin and his son, the Lightning Dragon were more than enough, but even Namgung Bi-ah, who was next to me, was enough to prove their strength.

It would be hard to find a talent like Namgung Bi-ah not only in the Namgung Clan, but the entire Central Plains.

Having reached the Peak Realm at just twenty years old, she was someone who had annihilated her own clan in my past life.

Of course, Moyong Hi-ah was talented as well, but she was more talented as a strategist rather than as a martial artist.

…Oh I know, alright.

Considering the amount of time I had spent with her in my past life, there was no way I wouldn’t know.

The only reason why there were survivors even after a crazy number of demons kept pouring down on them, wasn’t because of the martial arts of the young prodigies, but due to the Snow Phoenix commanding people skillfully and efficiently.

Moreover, when the time came for her to risk her own life, she threw herself forward without hesitation thus gaining many followers.

She was a cold and rational woman.

Because she did not even reveal the slightest smile, it felt as if her coldness had frozen her smile for eternity.

That was the Snow Phoenix I remembered.

-I’ll take good care of it.

“...”

Then, I was reminded of the bright smile she gave me after I bought her a cheap accessory.

She was way too different when compared to my past life.

Never did I imagine that the Snow Phoenix could make an expression like that, nor did I ever try to.

That meant,

Just like the Demonic Sword, she too can change.

Just as I no longer sensed the loathing and hatred from Namgung Bi-ah, unlike the Demonic Sword in my past life, I started hoping that Moyong Hi-ah would change once I got rid of the Ice Qi inside her.

And if that change were to happen because of me…

Twist-

“Oops…!”

Because of that sudden thought, my foot twisted itself in the middle of the movement.

With my movement twisted, the Qi I had barely managed to condense scattered away and was retrieved back into my Dantian.

“…Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

That was what happened when I pondered over idle thoughts for too long.

“I’ll end my training for today here.”

Since my focus had already been broken, it would be of no use to train any further.

In the end, I began moving my feet after retrieving all the Qi back into my body.

For some reason…

Because of my idle thoughts, I felt like I wasn’t going to sleep well that night.

*****************

I was dreaming.

How long had it been since I last dreamed?

An ordinary dream at that, not a nightmare.

One may ask how I was able to infer that it was a dream, but it wasn’t anything special.

It’s soft.

I was stroking a cat’s chin, and I knew very well that I didn’t have a cat at home.

Which meant that this was a dream.

I didn’t really like cats, well I didn’t like animals in general, but I was still petting it since it was in my sight.

And it seemed like the cat liked my touch, because it kept rubbing its head against my hand.

The cat had white fur and blue eyes.

How fascinating.

So there were cats like this as well, huh.

This cat seemed to be very different from the spotted cats I usually saw in the neighborhood.

It seemed very elegant.

Just by looking at the cat, one could tell it was born with good genes.

Purr-

The cat started purring when I tickled its chin rapidly.

The cat seemed to be enjoying itself.

But for some reason, it’s similar to someone I know.

White fur and blue eyes huh.

Who was it…?

It definitely resembled someone.

Oh.

I got it.

There was a person near me who was unmistakably similar to the cat.

Namgung Bi-ah.

White and blue eyes.

It was a perfect match.

The cat seemed pretty similar to Namgung Bi-ah.

And because of that, I changed the manner of petting the cat as well for some reason.

I moved my hand away from its chin and started petting its head and rubbing its cheeks.

Perhaps because it was a dream, the cat continued to enjoy my petting.

Then,

Grrr-

I heard the growling sound of a beast.

When I turned around, I saw a black figure slowly coming towards me.

That’s…

What was that?

I stared at the figure that had appeared out of nowhere dumbfoundedly.

Then the black figure suddenly charged towards me rapidly, and I quickly embraced the cat to protect it.

For some reason, it felt strange when I hugged the cat.

In my eyes, it was definitely a small cat, but my arms felt full.

It felt like I was hugging a person.

The softness was definitely different from that of a cat.

“Ah.”

“Hmm?”

Then I heard a small scream.

It was way too clear for it to be a part of the dream.

The same went for the sensation.

Could this even be called a dream anymore?

Because I felt that something was strange, I woke up from my dream.

“…Hmm?”

When I opened my heavy eyes, I saw that I was hugging something.

It was extremely soft and cushy.

What was this?

Was it a pillow?

Just as I was about to let go, I felt something brushing my hair.

Judging by how it felt, it was definitely a hand.

After I became certain of it, I quickly backed away and gained some distance.

“W-What’s going on?”

When I tried to grasp what was happening, I was finally able to see what I had been hugging all along.

I saw Namgung Bi-ah sitting there, blinking with her eyes wide open, as if she was surprised.

“…W-What are you doing here? What were you doing?”

When I inquired out of shock, Namgung Bi-ah simply tilted her head.

“…I… just came… to wake you up?”

Honestly, this felt more like a dream because of how absurd the situation was.

Wait.

Then, was the fondling from my dream also real?

Probably not.

If that were the case, then there was no chance that Namgung Bi-ah would’ve remained still.

“Are you okay…?”

Seeing my sudden reaction, Namgung Bi-ah put on an expression of worry.

“I’m fine. Nothing happened.”

“…”

She tilted her head on hearing my response, and then, she spread her arms wide.

On seeing her like that, I asked with a slight frown.

“What are you doing?”

“…Do you… not want to hug me…? Or… do you… just want to touch me…?”

“…”

After hearing Namgung Bi-ah, I rubbed my face that had become red.

It seemed like the fondling wasn’t just happening in my dream after all.

“…No, so put your arms down.”

“…Kay…”

Namgung Bi-ah put her arms down after hearing my response.

It wasn’t that Namgung Bi-ah had come to my room just once or twice, so it wasn’t anything shocking…

Wait no, it was something shocking, it was just that I had gotten used to it.

Furthermore, it seemed like even the servants no longer cared about Namgung Bi-ah entering my room.

How embarrassing.

This definitely had to be the most embarrassing moment of the year so far.

I didn’t expect that I would show her this embarrassing side of mine.

“…Wait for me outside, I’ll be out after I wash myself.”

“…”

I was waiting for Namgung Bi-ah to leave so I could calm down and cool myself, but for some reason, she simply continued staring at me while sitting down.

“What? Do you have something to say?”

In response to my question, Namgung Bi-ah slowly spread her arms.

“Perhaps… you do need a hug…”

“Please leave…”

“…Okay…”

In the end, Namgung Bi-ah left disappointed.

I quickly called for a servant to wash my face, and I changed into fresh clothes.

The servant’s gaze felt a bit strange, but on seeing my sour expression, they quickly changed their expression.

It seemed like they had a perverted thought after seeing my flushed face.

“When are we leaving?”

“I heard that there are around two hours left for departure.”

“That means I have time to eat something.”

I nodded after hearing the servant’s response.

It had been a few days since I had taken Namgung Bi-ah and Moyong Hi-ah to the streets, and just like my father informed me, I was supposed to leave for Anhui today.

My stay in the clan was brief, and thanks to that, my schedule was really hectic.

In the past few days, I had to take care of a lot of things.

As instructed by my father, I visited the nearby merchant associations and received the education I was required to all at once.

Gu Huibi appeared to mess with me from time to time, and for some reason, I also ran into Lady Mi a few times.

Oh.

By the way, Namgung Bi-ah didn’t speak to me for a few days after I gave Moyong Hi-ah the necklace.

I believed that she felt very offended.

Even when I visited her, she ignored me and didn’t give me any time.

As I was pondering over what to do, Hongwa, who was watching next to me, gave me a suggestion.

-How about giving her a flower? I’m sure she’ll feel better once you do that.

When I first heard her suggestion, I became speechless .

If a flower was something that could resolve this, I told her that she probably would’ve gotten over it by then, but Hongwa made an expression I had never seen before, and let out a sigh when I asked her if there was anything else I could give her.

-…For a moment, I felt bad for Young Lady Namgung.

Her voice was filled with lament.

And because of that, I allowed myself to be fooled by her, collected some flowers and gave it to Namgung Bi-ah.

By the way, I only gave her white flowers.

The flowers grown by my mother were the only flowers I knew of.

…Though, I am glad it worked.

It really did work.

Namgung Bi-ah was very surprised when I gave her those flowers.

She even smiled.

Why did it work?

Weren’t they just flowers?

Sometimes, it was really difficult for me to understand the mind of a girl.

Once I stepped outside after I was done changing, I saw Namgung Bi-ah standing in the middle of the garden.

She seemed to be gazing at the pond in the garden.

There wasn’t anything there though…

Originally, there would have been carps in there, but because it was too much work to take care of them, I sent them to Gu Yeonseo’s place.

“When did you wake up?”

“Hmm?”

“Didn’t you wake up really early if you were already in my room?”

“…Oh.”

Unlike me who had just finished getting ready, Namgung Bi-ah was already prepared.

Her hair was tidied, and it also seemed like she had light makeup on.

“There’s no way you did that all by yourself, did Hongwa help you?”

“…Hmm?”

I asked her that question because she didn’t seem like someone who would adorn herself even if she was at home.

Namgung Bi-ah also slept in in the morning.

Her outfit seemed tidier than usual, and wherever it was, I didn’t see the sword at her waist.

It was obvious that Namgung Bi-ah hadn’t done this herself.

“Who did it for you?”

“…About that.”

Why was she not responding?

As if she was troubled, Namgung Bi-ah avoided my eyes.

Was there really a need for her to react like that?

“…Lady Mi…”

“Wha-?”

Due to the unexpected response, I asked her again.

I didn’t expect her to mention Lady Mi out of the blue.

“What about Lady Mi?”

“…Since I’m going back home… she said it was necessary for me to look like I was having a good time here…”

That meant that Lady Mi went looking for Namgung Bi-ah early in the morning and forced a servant or someone to make Namgung Bi-ah look good.

“What is this nonsense?”

I was somewhat able to understand it, but the distance to Anhui wasn’t short, so what was the point of doing all that so early?

As soon as I asked her that question, Namgung Bi-ah answered.

“…She said she’ll help me again… when we arrive…”

“…”

Right.

Lady Mi was coming along as well.

The issue was, why was Lady Mi bothering Namgung Bi-ah like that.

I get that she wants her to look good…

But I couldn’t understand her actions as there was no need to do something like this for an outsider.

I also heard that Gu Huibi had been suffering a fair bit.

Since Lady Mi had returned to the clan, Gu Huibi had been dying.

I also heard that Gu Huibi, whose personality was fierier than mine, was caught by Lady Mi who valued elegance, respect, and dignity and was now in the process of being educated on things regarding that, redeveloping her attitude.

Jeez… she must really hate it.

Just hearing about it gave me chills.

Gu Huibi never cared about any of those things.

Moreover, the Sword Phoenix was not only famous for being the greatest Young Prodigy, but also for her a fire-like personality.

Gu Huibi’s personality has been like that since forever, and it would stay that way. At least that’s what I saw in my past life.

But despite all of that, her not running away or fighting back against Lady Mi was probably because Gu Huibi loved her mother very much.

On the contrary, it seemed like Gu Yeonseo was enjoying the process.

“Is that why you came like that so early in the morning?”

“…Yeah.”

“It must’ve been hard.”

“No…”

What do you mean, no?

Considering how she didn’t wake up even when I tried to wake her up, it was refreshing to see her up so early in the morning.

Though, it seems like she somehow managed to wake up.

“Let’s go eat first.”

“…Ah…”

Namgung Bi-ah paused all of a sudden.

“What’s wrong?”

I heard that there were around two hours left for our departure and that was more than enough time to eat something, but Namgung Bi-ah made a strange expression on hearing my suggestion.

There’s no way Namgung Bi-ah had already eaten this early.

If so, why was she behaving like that?

“Something wrong?”

When I asked her dubiously, Namgung Bi-ah responded carefully.

“…Lady Mi… asked me to eat with her… later.”

“What?”

Lady Mi?

I was a bit confused by the fact that she had asked Namgung Bi-ah instead of me.

I did feel that I had been running into her quite frequently as of late.

But she invited Namgung Bi-ah for a meal this early in the morning?

“What? Out of the blue? Just like that? Where do you need to go?”

“...”

When I asked her where we needed to go, Namgung Bi-ah simply shook her head.

It looked as if she was telling me I had misunderstood.

“That’s not it? Then what do you- “

“Me…”

“Hmm?”

“…She only asked me to come…”

“…?”

…Only you?

Why?

***

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