Childhood Friend of the Zenith

A man mumbled softly as he waded through the crowd.

The man’s face was way too ordinary to be memorable and any passerby would forget it immediately.

Did he notice?

That wasn’t possible.

After all, even martial artists in the Fusion realm wouldn’t be able to detect their presence.

And no matter how talented the True Dragon was, it was definitely impossible.

But I was the one who lost track of him huh?

It was strange though.

He left a mark on the True Dragon once he arrived at Henan, but that mark was erased without warning.

It had a scent similar to that of a daphne flower, so it couldn’t have been easily erased.

The man broke out in cold sweat, no longer able to maintain his usual calm expression.

Something felt off.

I must report this to the main branch.

In the first place, his mission itself was strange.

It wouldn’t have been a problem if all he had to do was just observe him, but this was something the Beggar’s Sect or the Hao Clan could do as well.

He didn’t know why the main branch had assigned such a mission to him.

Moreover,

I’ll do it if I must…

But since the members of the Black Palace partnered with the Grandmaster, things began to change.

It felt like they were unnecessarily getting involved with other external forces.

He was working to free himself from poverty, but this really made him feel uneasy.

After losing a few members of their family, they were pretty much inactive.

First, let’s head back for now.

The man started wrapping the cloth with a bunch of cheap accessories laid spread out in front of him.

All of this was to help him mingle with the street vendors.

And as he was packing his things…

“Oh, are you done for the day?”

The man responded with a polite tone.

Of course, a customer just had to show up.

“Ah, I’m sorry… I have some urgent matters I need to take ca… “

However, the man suddenly became stiff as he raised his head while speaking.

After all, his unexpected ‘customer’…

“That’s good. How about we have a conversation after you’re done?”

Was none other than Gu Yangcheon.

Just as the man was trying to think of a way out…

Kwak–!

“Ugh!”

Gu Yangcheon grabbed him by the collar and dragged him into the dark alley at the back.

******************“Cough… Hugh!”

I clenched his collar tighter and stared at the bastard who was coughing and screaming.

Although he looked like a middle-aged man, I wasn’t certain about his age.

I thought they were inactive. Did they start their activities again?

This bastard was most likely the same person I met last time.

That’s probably why my ring reacted.

As I didn’t sense any movement from them after the destruction of the Black Palace, I thought that they had hidden themselves.

I didn’t expect them to be from the Black Palace.

It was possible that they were related to them in some manner, but I believed that they weren’t associated with the Black Palace and thought they would lay low for a while as they had hidden themselves after the collapse of one of their forces.

Yet, another one popped out of nowhere.

And it seemed that this one had some connection to me.

“It’s you, isn’t it?”

“Urgh…”

“The bastard who annoyed me in the streets last time.”

The bastard who shouted, “That’s the True Dragon!”

And…

“What did you smear on me?”

The bastard who planted some scent on me.

I was rather annoyed as it didn’t go away no matter how much I tried to wash it off.

I only managed to get rid of it after the beast devoured it, so it must’ve been some type of Qi.

And the bastard wouldn’t have been able to devour the scent of daphne flowers if it wasn’t some type of Qi, so this must’ve been something else.

I remembered all the people who got close to me, but this bastard wasn’t one of them.

Does that mean that he can use it from a distance?

I didn’t know the details, but the important thing was that he was the one who had been bothering me lately.

“Why are you acting up again? I thought that you would stop after a while.”

“Cough… Why… are you… doing this…! Master… please let me go!”

These bastards specialize in running away.

To be fair, it wasn’t possible for me to confirm it in this manner.

After putting some more strength into the hand that was grasping him, I began using my Demonic Absorption Arts.

Then,

“Ugghh…!”

The bastard’s eyes opened wide.

Something didn’t seem right.

The first bastard I met didn’t feel any pain and they even regenerated after getting injured, so I assumed that they were close to being immortal, or Demons.

Yet, the bastards after the first one felt pain and didn’t seem to regenerate as quickly.

“So, you feel pain, unlike that bastard?”

Craack.

“Urrghhh!”

I broke one of his arms to test it out.*

*

He could have been pretending to scream, but judging by the movements of his muscles and the irregularities in his breathing, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“This… What is this…”

On noticing the change in his body’s Qi, the bastard’s reaction changed a bit.

And that wasn’t all.

“What do you mean by… feel pain unlike the others…?”

“That other bastard didn’t seem to feel any pain and they regenerated pretty fast as well. You can’t do that?”“…That’s, did you meet number three…?”

Number three?

That bastard’s name was number three?

What a strange name.

It seemed like the bastard who was pretending to be a young boy back in Shaolin, doing something behind the scenes, was called number three.

Or I could be wrong.

“H-How… Number three can’t die.”

“What do you mean how? I just did this.”

Pull.

As I started pulling his Qi little by little, the bastard’s eyes widened gradually.*

*

“Wa… Wait!”

“I’ll ask you slowly.”

Seeing that bastard’s reaction, I spoke with a smile.

I didn’t need to torture him and he couldn’t scream either, this was really ideal, in so many ways.

Though the fact that they could change their faces and bodies was bothersome, it was fine since I could find them as long as I had this treasure from the Murim Alliance.

It would’ve been preferable if I captured him back then.

The ring’s vibrations were very weak and I didn’t really feel anything for quite some time, so I wondered if it was a mistake, but I became certain after roaming the streets.

“What’s your goal?”

“Urgh…”

I could feel his muscles and blood vessels tense up.

Was it because of the Shackle?

Or was this another one of his acts?

“Since you don’t want to give me an answer, I’ll move on to the next question.”

I didn’t want to stay at each question for too long.

It would make things inefficient.

“Where are you from? Is it the Black Palace?”

“…Ha… Ahh…”

The same response this time as well.

They must have placed some restrictions on him, just like number three.

Just as I was about to absorb more Qi from him…

“I’m not… f-from the Black Palace.”

The bastard answered me.

“Woah.”

I didn’t expect him to answer.

But I still couldn’t rule out the possibility that he belonged to the Black Palace, even though he said that he didn't.

So is he lying or speaking the truth?

I suppose I’d have to accept it with a grain of salt.

“Okay, so you’re not from the Black Palace. Then, are you related to them in any way?”

“…”

There was no response.

As expected, it was not like the Heavenly Demon’s Shackles.

The Heavenly Demon’s Shackles didn’t even allow one to express denial.

A sudden thought came to mind.

Since I was able to turn Namgung Cheonjun into a Demonic Human and make him listen to my commands, would it be possible for me to put a firmer Shackle on him?

Though of course, I had no plans to try it out… yet.

“Oh, one last question.”

I was already on my final question.

Although I still had many questions I wanted to ask him, there was one thing I really needed to know.

“Is the son of the Harmonic Sword related to this?”

“…!”

“That’s a nice reaction. Well, that’s good enough.”

He didn’t deny it, but I smiled on seeing his reaction.

Even if the bastard was acting at the moment, it was still a yes for me.

I had simply asked that question as a precaution, but it seemed like I hit the mark.

Seeing my smile, the bastard in my grasp spoke hastily.

“P-Please spare me. I was only following orders. I did not plan on bringing any harm to yo… “Ufgh…!”

“Who ordered you?”

“…”

“It’s fine. I already know the answer, even if you can’t tell me. Moreover…”

The bastard was begging me to spare his life, but my Demonic Absorption Arts had no intention to stop.

Just like he said, it seemed like he was only ordered to observe me and spread rumors about me.

Though, it didn’t seem like he had anything to do with my life.

“I wouldn’t have told you all this if I was planning to let you live.”

“That’s absurd…! I even told you every… Aghhh!”

“You didn’t tell me anything. And I still don’t know if it’s true or not.”

The bastard screamed as I continued absorbing his Qi, but I had set up a sound barrier in advance to make sure that no one would come near this place.

I even made sure that the bastard didn’t have any accomplices.

[Grrr…]

As the beast snorted in satisfaction after finishing its meal, the bastard disappeared, leaving only his clothes behind.**

**

Were their bodies made of Qi?

It felt like this every time I ran into these bastards.

I was curious what they were made of, but I didn’t plan on visiting their headquarters to find out, nor did I want to visit the ‘basement’.

The basement was worse.

And the headquarters… well…

If things got twisted, I would have to visit that place even if I didn’t want to.

Tap, tap.

And just like that, when I looked at the person beside me after dusting my hands…*

*

“…”

Wi Seol-Ah, who I had dragged along, was watching all this looking rather shocked.

It looked as if she was lost at the moment.

“I’ll ask you just in case…”

I asked while staring at her.

“Do you like me less now?”

“Huh…?”

It was a strange question to ask in this situation, but it was something I needed to do.

“It’s understandable if you do.”

It was the first time I’d shown her something like this.

That was why I wanted to leave her behind if possible, but if she chose to wield her sword and it was inevitable that she too would walk this path, I couldn’t afford to hide this any longer.

After all, this was a part of me.

After a moment of hesitation,

“…I don’t like you less.”

Wi Seol-Ah responded rather strangely.

That was unexpected.

If this was her from the past, she would’ve said something like harming others was bad.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

It seemed that she was still confused but she whispered with a soft smile nonetheless.

“Something as little as this… isn’t enough to make me less fond of you.”

“Little huh, it looks like you grew up?”

Even though your stomach has always been big.

Moreover, Wi Seol-Ah didn’t really react like I expected her to.

Even though a person had just dissolved right before her eyes.

Instead, she was concerned about something else.

“Just now… is that true?”

“What is?”

“That Young Master Jang is trying to harm the Young Lord…”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think it’s a lie.”

It was possible for that bastard to do such things.

The question was… how was he related to them?

He could’ve been associated with them from the very start.

That was a possibility, but I wasn’t certain.

Even if Jang Seonyeon had a rotting heart, at the very least, I hoped that the Harmonic Sword didn’t.

As the saying goes,  like father like son, but if I compared myself to my father, that wasn’t always the case.

“Young Lord…”

“Yes.”

I couldn't get used to that title, no matter how many times she called me that.

“Wouldn’t it be wise… for you to create some distance from Young Master Jang?”

“I have been distancing myself from him. We aren’t even close to begin with.”

I didn’t even have the slightest desire to get closer to him.

Fortunately,

It doesn’t seem like Wi Seol-Ah is fond of the bastard from the Taeryung Clan.

It did bother me that she was engaged to him in my past life, but it seemed like Wi Seol-Ah disliked him in this life.

“Young Master Jang… He’s a dangerous person…”

“I know. His face says it all.”

No sane bastard would have a constant smile on their face.

Take Peng Woojin for example.

That bastard always had a smile on his face but he wasn’t right in his mind either.

Though of course, he was just crazy but Jang Seonyeon was depraved.

“It seems like… He will chase after you using any means available, no matter the cost.”

Wi Seol-Ah spoke as she lowered her voice.

When I thought about the Water Dragon and Jang Seonyeon in my past life, Wi Seol-Ah wasn’t wrong.

I remember the fire in Jang Seonyeon’s eyes when he was unable to keep up with the Water Dragon.I also remember when he tried to rip his wings so that he could get in front of him.

That was what that bastard was like.

Did the Wi Seol-Ah in my past life not know what he was like?

With that thought in mind, I asked the current Wi Seol-Ah.

“If you know what he’s like, why do you insist on staying with him?”

“…”

Wi Seol-Ah turned away on hearing my question.

I wasn’t didn’t like her reaction, so I grabbed her by the chin and turned it towards me.

“Don’t avoid eye contact.”

“AH…”

She used to be the one who stared at me to the point of making me feel uncomfortable.

Did she just hit puberty or something?

When I turned her face towards me, Wi Seol-Ah’s cheeks started turning red.

“…Something might happen if things continue like this …”

“I know.”

“So instead, I’ll…”

As if she had made up her mind, I could see a light in her eyes even though she kept avoiding eye contact, so I bonked her head.

Smack–!

“Ow…!?”

Wi Seol-Ah wrapped her hands around her head and stared at me with her eyes open wide.

Wow, it really has been a while since I’ve seen that look of frustration on her face.

“I’m grateful that you are worried about me, but don’t do anything reckless. I’ll deal with it myself.”

“…Young Lord. That’s not…”

“I don’t know what’s urging you to do all of this, but you better stop right there.”

The Sword Emperor must have had a reason for taking her to the Taeryung Clan, even in my past life.

I was planning to ask her the reason, but there was something else I needed to do first.

“If that bastard wants to chase after me, then let him do so.”

“Pardon…?”

“He won’t be able to catch up with me in the first place.”

“What do you…”

When I thought about my past life, the Water Dragon before Jang Seonyeon felt an inferiority complex towards him came to mind.

He was way too nice.

He might have been lazy and all, but he was way too nice for his own good.

That was why he tried to take care of me even though I kept glaring and growling at him.

Not only that, he also put his own life at risk to save others, which was how he ended up losing his life.

In my eyes, the true ideal martial artists of the Orthodox Sect all lived short lives.

They place more importance on the lives of other people and justice, so how could they live for long?

Heroes die early, that saying didn’t exist for no reason.

Moreover, there were people who also tried to take advantage of heroes.

There was nothing easier than taking advantage of people who lived for justice.

That was the reason I didn’t trust most of the martial artists of the Orthodox Sect living in the current Central Plains.

And seeing what they had done after the calamity descended on this world made it even more difficult for me to trust them.

Unfortunately, I was someone who had stopped caring about justice a long time ago and my own life was more important to me, so I was confident that I would survive without really caring about the lives of others.

If they tried to chase me, I would break their legs before they could even reach me, and if they tried to do anything reckless with their mouth, I would pluck out all their teeth.

After all, they might die if I pull out their tongue.

I couldn’t let them die.

And it would have been meaningless if they died that easily.

So,

“Leave him be.”

On the contrary, I was waiting for Jang Seonyeon to take action.

He was probably planning something at the moment, but that wasn’t enough.

And if things went according to my expectation, Jang Seonyeon would do something in the Heavenly Dragon Academy, and that moment was what was important to me.

After all, I was waiting for that moment.

However, I had to wait for now.

“So, don’t worry about it. I already know.”

“…But even so… I…”

“It’s fine, and I’d rather hear your answer about what I asked before.”

I cut Wi Seol-Ah off.

I didn’t know how Wi Seol-Ah felt as she looked at me, but I didn’t want her to live a life full of concerns.

I wanted her to live a peaceful life, one that didn’t require her to worry at all.

If that wasn’t possible, I at least wanted her to smile.

Unlike her current self, who seemed very down.

“I’ll ask again.”

“…”

“Can you tell me the reason your grandfather took you to the Taeryung Clan?”

Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes trembled on hearing my question.

She hesitated for a moment while staring at me with an inexplicable gaze, then she slowly took off the face cover she was wearing.

Slip.

I could see Wi Seol-Ah’s hair and eyes as the face cover slid  away.*

*

Her dark brown hair had changed into a lighter color, and I could see that it was turning golden as well.

It looked like she was getting closer to her appearance in my past life.

But why her hair all of a sudden?

I wondered why she was showing me this.

I just thought that she didn’t want me to see that as she always wore her face cover.

After revealing her hair and hesitating for a long time, just like last time…

“Grandpa…”

She spoke after opening her hesitant lips.

“It seems like he wanted to make me human.”