Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Anhui.

Like I said, it’s a place I’ve been to in my past life.

Anhui Palace didn’t fall behind Henan, especially since it was home to the Namgung Clan.

I never had much reason to visit, and when I did, it lacked the lively atmosphere it has right now.

Back then, during the time when the Heavenly Demon appeared, bringing calamity to the world, Anhui was destroyed by the sword of a single woman.

If I exaggerated a little, Anhui was almost a wasteland at that time.

The symbol of noble clans and the guardian of Anhui was completely erased from existence by one person, and the ones that barely survived ended up succumbing themselves to the Heavenly Demon.

Because of that, people living in Anhui were forced to flee to Shaolin and Henan with the Murim Alliance.

It is so different now.

The calamity hadn’t happened yet, and Namgung Bi-ah hadn’t changed either.

The number of buildings and people I saw outside the window couldn’t be compared with Shanxi.

To be fair, comparing Anhui’s Namgung Clan to Shanxi’s Gu Clan was difficult to begin with.

As I continued to gaze outside the window, Moyong Hi-ah, sitting next to me, whispered,

“This place is the same as ever.”

“You’ve been here a lot?”

“Not a lot, but once or twice…?”

It felt weird for me to ask her if she came here a lot.

Comparing the two, the Moyong Clan didn’t really fall behind the Namgung Clan.

Now that I think about it, only the Gu Clan looks a bit poor compared to these clans.

It wasn’t just a visual impression; it was the reality.

It’s thanks to Lady Mi that the streets of Shanxi are being maintained.

Which makes it harder for me to understand.

The engagement between Namgung and Gu Clan.

Just why?

I thought about it a few times but couldn’t understand why the great Namgung Clan chose Gu Clan out of all clans.

My title was only barely spread after the tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes, but my engagement with Namgung Bi-ah was made long before that, which meant that the engagement wasn’t due to my reputation.

What did the Second El- …The First Elder do to make this happen?

At that time, I heard that the First Elder visited Namgung Clan himself and spoke with their elders.

Even after thinking about it a hundred times, I couldn’t understand.

What trickery did he pull off… that old man.

I didn’t really care too much in the past, but now that I think about it, the First Elder was a very special person.

It didn’t seem like he did anything special despite being an Elder, often went outside the clan, and wasn’t given many tasks within the clan.

For example, besides being the head of Gu Sunmoon, he didn’t seem to have other tasks unlike the Third and Fourth Elders, who had duties within the clan.

People around him are weird.

Each and every person that’s supposedly his friend, are monsters.

What the hell did he do to make such friends?

“…Seriously, he doesn’t have a single normal person around him.”

How could he not have a single normal friend?

“I’m the only one who’s normal.”

A sigh escaped my mouth.

As I shook my head, I felt a strange gaze from next to me.

When I turned my head, I saw Moyong Hi-ah and Namgung Bi-ah both staring at me with strange expressions.

“What?”

“…”

“Nothing…”

What, what’s going on?

Just as I was about to ask why the two girls were looking at me like that,

“We have arrived.”

The horseman announced.

We have finally arrived at Namgung Clan after a long trip.

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

I thought about when I visited the Tang Clan of Sichuan for the Military Exhibition of Tang the year before last year.

Tang Clan, I saw at that time, was so big that it couldn’t even be compared to Gu Clan,and to show how much land they possessed, there were beautiful sceneries everywhere.

It was as if the Tang Clan was proving themselves to be one of the great Four Noble Clans.

The great clan was formed thanks to the ancestors of the Tang Clan building up their eminence.

The only clan comparable was the Namgung Clan, the center of the Four Noble Clans.

It’s big, disgustingly big.

I waited by the entrance after getting off the carriage, and I was able to see the greatness inside the Clan.

It was impossible to compare it to the Gu Clan, and the Namgung Clan even looked more refined compared to the Tang Clan.

Moreover,

I could feel the sharp presence all the way from here.

I was able to feel the sharp presences from inside the clan.

It was the combined aura of the trained swordsmen of the clan.

They really are a clan of swords huh.

During this, Namgung Bi-ah was dozing off despite getting off the carriage.

Is this girl hibernating all four seasons?

She really didn’t seem to do anything else besides eat, sleep, and train.

She always seemed tired.

“Wake up.”

When I repeatedly shook Namgung Bi-ah to wake her up, Moyong Hi-ah approached me and whispered.

“I’ll be leaving first, Young Master.”

“Hmm? You’re going?”

“Yes, I have a business that I have to take care of first.”

I heard that she had something to do in Anhui, but shouldn’t she visit the Namgung Clan first?

Just as that question popped up in my mind, Moyong Hi-ah answered,

“I think it’d be better for me to visit Namgung Clan later since your clan has priority.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll be back right away.”

I observed Moyong Hi-ah after hearing her.

I gave her heat midway, so it should be fine, right? It most likely will be.

Moyong Hi-ah slightly lowered her head, turned around, and left quickly.

After seeing her leave, I thought it would have been better for her to get off the carriage a bit earlier considering the direction she was headed.

I wondered why she bothered to come all the way to Namgung Clan with us.

After watching Moyong Hi-ah leave for a bit, I turned to Namgung Bi-ah once more.

I first need to wake this girl-

“Hmm?”

I thought about waking her up by bonking her head, but I saw that Namgung Bi-ah’s eyes were open very clearly.

Her slightly messy outfit was tidied, and her half-asleep eyes were now very clear which was strange…

“What’s…”

Just as I was about to check her, I felt a presence from behind.

I could tell who it was without even turning around.

“What are you doing?”

It was my Father.

Lady Mi was next to him as well.

Namgung Bi-ah was showing respect to Father and Lady Mi as if she knew that they were coming.

Father lifted and nodded his head in response, which was something I could never see when it was just us two, so I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Is there a problem?”

“…Not at all. I was mistaken for a moment.”

Huh, was I the one dozing off instead of Namgung Bi-ah?

Maybe it was a dream.

That honestly felt more real.

Father was about to say something to me,

“Your outfit is disheveled.”

But Lady Mi spoke first.

Lady Mi came to me with light steps and carefully tidied my clothes.

“It’s an important meeting, so be careful.”

“…Thank you.”

I was surprised by the unexpected contact from her.

After finishing with me, Lady Mi’s gaze shifted to Namgung Bi-ah.

She was checking Namgung Bi-ah.

“How disappointing. I would’ve helped you like I did earlier if we had more time.”

“…It’s okay.”

Namgung Bi-ah responded with a slight smile.

I wondered what they were talking about at first, but then I realized that Lady Mi gave Namgung Bi-ah a makeover before departing.

Without showing any change in expression after hearing Namgung Bi-ah, Lady Mi returned to stand beside my father.

This is so uncomfortable. I’m going to die…

As it was the first time that I’ve experienced something like this, I felt sick in the stomach.

As I was rubbing my belly to calm it down,

Thud.

I felt a heavy presence from the entrance.

He came.

It was a threatening presence for others, but it gave me a sense of freedom, oddly enough.

This was better than the uncomfortable situation I was in.

I turned my head towards the presence.

From afar, I was able to see the blue outfits that Namgung Bi-ah used to wear.

Moreover, I felt Lightning Qi run down my spine, something I hadn’t felt before.

So he got stronger after that.

Judging by how I was able to feel his Lightning Qi, it meant that I reached a level closer to him than before.

From the group approaching us, I saw the middle-aged man at the front.

He had a very cold but rude looking face, with the distinctive look of Namgung Clan’s bloodline.

He was the Lord of Namgung Clan, and the martial artist known as the King of Swords in this generation.

He was the father of Namgung Bi-ah, the Azure Heavenly Sword, Namgung Jin.

It was him.

“It has been a while, Lord of Gu Clan.”

Namgung Jin said, offering a handshake to my father, who accepted it.

“It’s been a while.”

“It must’ve been a long trip to come all the way here.”

Namgung Jin stared at father with a strange expression as he spoke to him.

It looked as if he was observing him.

I couldn’t really tell why he was looking at him like that.

Then,

“You seem to have gone through a change.”

Father said that to Namgung Jin.

Change?

As I quietly watched them, wondering what was happening, I noticed Namgung Jin’s eyes change a bit after hearing my father.

Then, Namgung Jin quietly responded to him.

“…You are still as sharp as ever.”

Oh.

Judging by what my father said to Namgung Jin and Namgung Jin’s response,

Did he gain enlightenment?

It meant that Namgung Jin’s Qi had changed.

I didn’t notice it since I haven’t reached their level yet, but father seemed to have noticed.

After seeing that, I smirked at myself.

I still have a long way to go. I got stronger, my ass.

I was happy, thinking I had progressed since I felt his Lightning Qi, but I realized I still had a long way to go.

I’ll pass on being happy like a dumbass.

I should feel glad since I realized once more that I still had a long way to go.

After greeting my father and Lady Mi, Namgung Jin’s gaze turned towards me.

As soon as our eyes met, I lowered my head to show respect.

“I greet the Lord of the great Namgung Clan.”

“…Right. It’s good to see you.”

I had to show him respect since many eyes were watching

During this, I opened my eyes slightly and observed Namgung Jin.

He still seems to have a bit of Demonic Qi in him.

The Demonic Qi I felt from Namgung Jin’s Dantian was the Qi I put in him along with a Shackle when he came to the Gu Clan.

I put it in him just in case the Shackle I placed on him went wrong.

I put just a little bit in so that it didn’t cause any harm to his body.

Considering that the Demonic Qi is still in there, the Shackle should be- …wait…?

In the middle of my thought, I suddenly began to wonder.

Now that I think about it, why did I put it on him?

I wondered why I had the Shackle on him.

“Oh.”

My question was answered right away.

There was no way that I didn’t remember, especially since I was here.

The very uncomfortable feeling that I’ve been dealing with from earlier, I finally realized why I had such a feeling.

Fuck…

The Shackle on Namgung Jin.

It was put on him so that he wouldn’t tell anyone what happened between us, and also so that he wouldn’t ask about my background.

What happened between me and Namgung Jin?

It was when I taught him the basics of the degraded sword art of Namgung Clan.

-It’s been a while.

I started to hear Namgung Jin speak to me telepathically as if he was waiting.

-…I heard that you had something to do, but I didn’t expect our reunion to take this long.

I gulped nervously as he spoke.

-But I’m glad that we are able to meet now.

…Haha.

I’m fucked.

I could sense that Namgung Jin’s voice was filled with hope.

Through his voice tone, I was able to notice that the small difference that Elder Shin taught him had helped him immensely.

If that wasn’t the case, Namgung Jin wouldn’t have shown such a reaction.

He definitely was able to experienced growth from the small teaching he received back then.

Which was why he was looking at me with such sparkly eyes.

Haha, fuck me.

The problem wasn’t the Shackle or anything else right now.

Back then, I told Namgung Jin that I would teach him more during our next meeting.

However, I forgot about that because a lot had happened since then.

I also told Namgung Jin to not bother me afterward.

I was having that said reunion right now.

What do I do?

The Shackle still seemed to be there, and I could see that the small teaching helped him, but the biggest problem was something else.

…Elder Shin isn’t here right now.

Elder Shin, who was responsible for teaching Namgung Jin, was asleep right now.

That was the biggest problem.

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

Somewhere in Namgung Clan’s building, a crowd of people talking could be heard from outside the window.

It wasn’t too loud, but it felt loud to a certain young man.

Rustle.

He clenched his sleeve with his hand and lifted up his body in a faltering way and checked outside the window.

“…Ah.”

He saw the person that was next to his father.

Crack-

As soon as he saw the young man with fierce eyes, the young man grinded his teeth.

The young man who shook without being able to control his emotions, froze when he saw the woman who stood next to the fierce young man.

“Sigh…”

Was it a sigh of admiration or something else?

The girl still had a beautiful face.

After seeing her become even more beautiful, the young man spoke with his fingertips shaking.

“…Sister.”

His sister had bloomed into an even more beautiful self than before.

Full bloom.

Yes, that was her full bloom.

The young man smiled after seeing that woman.

Then, the young man suddenly turned around and his soft expression changed into a face filled with madness in an instant.

“Shut it… I’ll take care of it myself, so shut your mouth!”

After yelling out infuriatingly, he began to pant heavily.

The young man’s words filled the entire room.

However, the problem was that there was no one inside the room besides the young man, the Lightning Dragon, Namgung Cheonjun.

After yelling out angrily, Namgung Cheonjun looked outside the window once more.

His gaze aimed towards the direction his beautiful sister was in again.

***

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