Childhood Friend of the Zenith

༺ A Winter That Isn’t Cold (3) ༻

I woke up early in the morning, finished my light training, and wiped my sweat off.

My stiff muscles loosened, and my Qi flowed naturally, making me feel more refreshed than usual.

As I continued to loosen up my body, enjoying the newfound freshness, I suddenly heard a strange sound behind me.

“…Ungh…”

“Why are you knocked out when you barely did anything?”

Behind me, Gu Jeolyub was sprawled on the ground, drooling.

He usually had a handsome face, but every time after training, he ended up in that ugly state.

Seeing him like that, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Why are kids these days so weak like that…?”

“…I’m… older than… “

“Yeah sure, you are older than me. So, try to keep up.”

“Ungh…”

I think this all started after I went to Mount Hua.

Trying to match Yung Pung’s level of training became a habit.

I became accustomed to the stupidly absurd training methods of Mount Hua.

[Stupidly absurd you say…! You rotting piece of shit.]

A dead person of Mount Hua barked up against my accurate statement. It seemed like even he agreed on the inside.

[It’s a good omen!]

‘Good omen, you say…’

True, I guessed you could see it that way.

It was because the more I trained, the better I became.

I slightly turned my head around to look at Muyeon.

He also looked exhausted like Gu Jeolyub, but he wasn’t rolling on the ground.

However, if I had to list a problem, he was avoiding eye contact with me.

Perhaps he was still mad at me for what I did yesterday.

‘Why is a grownup like him sulking…?’

I thought to myself, but I couldn’t blame him since I knew it was my fault.

Nonetheless, I noticed him lifting his lips now and then.

It was likely because of the precious sword hanging from his waist.

I had given Muyeon the sword I received from the Murim Alliance as a tournament prize.

When Muyeon, filled with disappointment and sadness, took a look at the sword…

‘Does the Young Master really think that I’d be content with something like this?’

That was what he said, but I guessed it was hard for him to refuse the gift.

‘Gee, he’s really happy about it.’

He tried his best to suppress any signs of a smile, but in my eyes, I could already see his contented grin.

[A sword is more important than anything to a swordsman, so it makes sense.]

When Elder Shin spoke while nodding to show his agreement with Muyeon’s feelings, I asked him a question.

‘But I’ve heard that masters aren’t picky with their tools.’

In response to my question, Elder Shin responded after scoffing.

[Hmph, what nonsense. This is why fighters who only use hands can’t have a conversation with people like us.]

‘Why are you bringing up hands all of sudden…?’

What was this old man on about?

Wasn’t he basically discriminating against martial arts at this point?

[It’s common sense that the better the sword, the easier it holds the user’s Qi, and you say that masters aren’t picky with tools? Only nonsensical idiots would utter dogshit like that.]

I didn’t want to admit it, but I nodded in agreement with Elder Shin’s words.

I had asked him the question, despite already knowing the answer. In reality, people always seek the best quality weapons.

[I used the sword crafted by the world’s finest artisan.]

Many times, a swordsman had to strike twice to achieve what could have been accomplished in one stroke with a better sword.

This was especially critical in life-and-death situations.

[That settles it. Anyway, kid.]

‘Yes.’

[What are you going to do about him…?]

Following Elder Shin’s question, I looked at Gu Jeolyub crawling on the ground.

He was in disarray after our training session, and his eyes displayed a hint of defiance toward me.

The reason why he was looking at me like that was because I gave the sword to Muyeon instead of him.

But to me, it all just seemed funny.

‘…Logically speaking, would I have really given it to you?’

Muyeon was a member of the Gu Clan, and while he didn’t entirely belong to me, he served as my escort, And he had somewhat earned my trust.

But you?

“Hey, get up.”

I went closer to him and tapped him a few times.

“How long do you plan to lie here?”

“…Don’t mind me.”

“What did you say?”

“Young Master won’t care about someone like me anyway… Aghh!”

He was spouting nonsense, so I gave him a quick stomp.

I had mentioned this before, but it irked me every time good-looking guys spoke to me like that.

“Why are you bitching about not getting a sword, especially when you are rich?”

“What money… do I have!?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Well, it was true that he didn’t have any.

But the First Elder had a lot.

‘I know that man’s wealth.’

I knew how much money he had saved, having seen the wealth Gu Sunmoon had generated and how much the First Elder had saved up during my past life.

And judging by how Gu Jeolyub typically lived, this guy had definitely lived a rich life.

It was possible that he had a more luxurious lifestyle than even mine, despite being the direct blood relative of the clan.

[Richer than the direct blood relative of the clan, you say? What kind of life did you lead?]

Despite me saying this, I realized that I had led a fairly extravagant life myself.

Father usually gave me money whenever I asked for it.

The only issue was that I tended to squander most of it.

“Oh, for god’s sake, stop bitching already.”

“…I never bitched.”

Yeah, I’m sure you didn’t.

Even though you’ve been sulking since we started training. I thought about stomping on him once more, but I held myself back.

I could’ve sworn this guy didn’t have such a hassle of personality before, so why was he acting like a child now?

I understood that he might be annoyed if I used a prize to leverage his assistance but then didn’t award it to him, but it was really annoying to see him acting so childish.

“I’ll give you something similar later, so stop whining and get up.”

In the end, I couldn’t win against him, so I offered an alternative, which instantly rekindled the spark in Gu Jeolyub’s eyes.

Then, he stood up.

As if he had been waiting for this moment.

“What the hell?”

“A…hem.”

Gu Jeolyub let out a fake cough after seeing my absurd reaction, then spoke.

“…Aren’t you going to continue training?”

“…”

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter upon seeing his shameless act.

This was one crazy fucker, wasn’t he?

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

I finished my training, washed my face, and returned to the guesthouse.

Since I had started in the morning, I estimated it was around noon now.

‘I didn’t notice any issue with the energy inside me.’

I kept checking my body, and fortunately, I couldn’t find any major problems.

There were four different types of energy flowing within me.

So the fact that they weren’t colliding with each other and were flowing smoothly was quite impressive.

[What the hell did you eat while I was asleep?]

Elder Shin spoke, bewildered, but I didn’t really have much to say in response.

[You said that this is the energy of that bastard, right?]

The Blood Demon’s energy that had basically forced itself into my body during the tournament.

It was the same energy as the one Jang Seonyeon and Namgung Cheonjun had used.

“What do you think of it?”

[…Hmm.]

If I had to list one special thing about this power, it seemed to temporarily boost one’s physique and strength to the maximum.

It also enhanced the user’s martial arts abilities.

However, the drawback was that it didn’t last very long, and it changed the color of my flames, making it very eye-catching.

Plus, there was a significant physical recoil after using this power, which posed a problem.

But considering Jang Seonyeon, it was possible that this recoil only affected me.

It didn’t seem like he had to endure as much recoil as I did.

‘I’ll definitely not use this power unless it’s absolutely necessary.’

[It’s probably for the best, especially since this power belongs to that bastard.]

I didn’t know his intention behind implanting this power within me, but knowing that it was the Blood Demon’s power discouraged me from using it.

‘He called it a gift too.’

It couldn’t be more absurd than that.

Just like how Demonic Qi was a curse to me, the power the Blood Demon gave me was likely no different.

‘That’s that, but…’

I took out something else from my pocket.

What I retrieved was none other than the ring that the Second Elder had secretly placed there.

The ring, which most likely belonged to the Dishonored Venerable,

And was a possible treasure of the Murim Alliance,

Had miraculously transformed from a rusty, worthless piece of jewelry into its original, pristine form.

It was literal garbage when I took it out for the first time.

For the record, I hadn’t done anything to this ring.

I only discovered this transformation last night in my room.

[It seems like Cheolyoung did something indeed.]

I nodded to Elder Shin’s words.

[Did you sense anything different about it?]

“There is one thing.”

The one thing that I felt was that I was able to see the bastard with Heeyoung’s face yesterday.

I believed that it was thanks to this ring that I had been able to see that bastard.

[Why do you think that?]

“That’s just the feeling I got.”

[…What a convincing response.]

Elder Shin responded sarcastically to my explanation, but that’s genuinely how I felt.

The strange sensation of the ring was telling me something.

It was a proof that this ring was indeed a treasure.

[So, what will you do with it? Are you going to return the ring?]

“Are you crazy? How could I give this back?”

The issue wasn’t merely about giving away a useful item or dismissing the Light of Might’s kindness.

‘It’s just, it seems like things might get complicated if I returned it directly.’

The Blood Demon undoubtedly had ties to the Alliance.

However, I wasn’t sure if the Alliance Leader and others were aware of this connection.

[So, you’re just going to keep it for now?]

“Yeah, I’ll hold onto it.”

Thankfully, even without wearing the ring, I could still access its power.

I didn’t know if there was a difference between wearing it or not, but as long as I had it in my possession, it was fine.

And more importantly, I discovered that there was more than just one bastard capable of changing their appearance into someone else.

And these impostors were scattered throughout the world.

So, having a ring that allowed me to see through their disguises made it an extremely valuable treasure.

And one last thing…

“This book is a problem…”

The book I found after dealing with the masked bastard yesterday.

No matter how I examined it, it appeared to be a book containing Shaolin’s martial arts techniques.

It was written in a manner that even someone like me, who had no prior knowledge of Shaolin’s martial arts, could easily understand.

‘Even though it seems quite brief, it does a good job explaining each movement.’

The book didn’t seem to contain information about Qi usage or Shaolin’s art, the Hundred Steps of the Fist, but…

‘Even this much is a lot.’

Just the fact that I had Shaolin’s book in my possession could get me in big trouble if they found out about it.

It was problematic for a complete outsider like me, with no prior knowledge of Shaolin, to be in possession of such a book.

‘It doesn’t even seem like I can burn it, so do I have to throw it away somewhere?’

Returning it to Shaolin was out of the question and having it in my possession was also too dangerous.

And the option of me learning from this book?

That meant that my dantian would basically have to die, dealing with another type of martial arts, so that wasn’t an option either.

[How about selling it to a place like the Beggar’s Sect?]

While that was an option, there was no guarantee that I wouldn’t be caught.

“It would’ve been nice if I knew why that bastard had this book in the first place.”

Did he write it himself?

If so, what was the purpose behind it?

This book had clearly been crafted with great care.

While the content may have appeared brief at first glance, a closer reading would reveal that it was not as concise as it seemed.

And no matter how much I looked at it, it didn’t seem to be the work of Shaolin.

[If you are going to overthink it, just bury it in some forest and save your mental energy.]

“…”

That sounded like the right answer, but coming from Elder Shin, I couldn’t fully trust it.

“…Should I really just bury it on some mountain…”

I stopped midsentence and quickly stashed the book back into my pocket.

It was because I felt a presence drawing near.

Knock Knock.

– Young Master Gu

As expected, I heard a voice from outside the door.

It was Tang Soyeol.

“…Give me a second.”

I cleared my throat and opened the door.

As I did, the first thing I noticed was Tang Soyeol’s dark green hair.

Which was then followed by Wi Seol-Ah and Namgung Bi-ah.

The three girls who had glared at me yesterday were all gathered up in front of my door.

Through the door crack, Wi Seol-Ah charged toward me.

She ran into my arms, so I embraced her gently to prevent any impact.

“Why do you charge at me like this every time?”

Did she really think she was a dog?

She had lost weight and was going through some growth development recently, making it a bit more challenging for me to catch her.

It was also because Wi Seol-Ah was slowly transforming into the Wi Seol-Ah I had known in my past life.

“Young Master! It’s time for us to go!”

“…”

I couldn’t help but smile, especially when I noticed that Namgung Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol at the back also seemed excited about this outing.

I see… so it’s time to go.

“I haven’t even eaten yet. How about we go after I eat… would that be too much? I shouldn’t do that, right? I already knew that.”

Guess I’ll eat after I come back.

I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and invite the same disapproving looks as yesterday, so I quickly changed my words.

The current situation was that I had promised to visit Shaolin together with them.

That’s what I told them, though I wasn’t aware it was today.

‘There are so many better places to visit in Hanam, so why does it have to be Shaolin?’

That was what I was most curious about, but I knew that I wouldn’t get an answer from them even if I asked, so all I could do was nod.

[You are living the life, huh? You say you’re busy, but you have girls on both sides and a third one at that.]

“…”

My lips twitched after hearing Elder Shin.

After all, it would be somewhat contradictory to ask, ‘Do I look happy to you?’

[Haha, you rotting shit. If only I had a body of my own.]

‘If you had it?’

[What are you asking for? As long as I get to slice you in half, I wouldn’t mind being called the Mount Hua’s Haunting Ghost rather than the Divine Sword of Mount Hua.]

The man who was already brutal with his words now expressed a desire to kill me.

It was likely because I had mentioned the girl of Moyong Cl-

[Ahhhh!]

Elder Shin’s scream reverberated in my head, causing me to furrow my brow.

Due to that, the three girls in front of me flinched.

“Young Master…”

“Hmm?”

“D-Do you really not want to go that badly?”

Wi Seol-Ah asked me with teary eyes.

What was she on about? It was a bit of a hassle to go, but I never said I didn’t want to.

“…Your face… looked scary.”

“…”

Only after that comment, I realized that their reaction was due to the frown I had just made.

I must have unintentionally given the impression that I didn’t want to go.

Also, did she really have to say I looked scary? That stung.

[Would they act that way if you didn’t look that scary? Tsk tsk…]

‘I’m already hurt, so please stay quiet.’

[You piece of-! How could I stay quiet when that’s the only thing I could do as a dead man?]

…I got worried when he wasn’t here, but I got annoyed when he was. What was I supposed to do with this guy?

‘Sigh…’

I let out a sigh after looking at the three girls being cautious of me.

I didn’t mean to make them feel that way.

And during all of this, Tang Soyeol was huffing with a weird expression, but I chose to ignore it.

“It’s not like that. I made that face because I felt like I needed to cough.”

“Really?”

“…Yes, I’m going since I said I would.”

Especially since I had no idea when I’d return to Hanam again.

I could have questioned why they didn’t simply go on their own, but I decided not to entertain that thought any longer.

After all, I knew to a certain extent why they were asking me to accompany them.

‘Such a demanding fortune I have.’

Alongside the tingling sensation in my heart, I experienced a mix of complicated emotions.

“Also, can we even go to Shaolin today?”

To visit Shaolin, an appointment needed to be made in advance, but Tang Soyeol smiled and grabbed Namgung Bi-ah’s arm to respond as if she had been eagerly waiting for this question.

“We took care of that…!”

When Tang Soyeol struck a cheerful pose with her fingers, Namgung Bi-ah, who was spacing out, tried to imitate her, but it didn’t really suit her expressionless face.

Upon hearing that Tang Soyeol had already taken care of the appointment, I remembered something I had forgotten.

‘Oh right, they are from the Four Noble Clans.’

I forgot about that fact because I had been eating and talking with them every day, but the Tang Clan and Namgung Clan were two of the Four Noble Clans that served as the pillar of the Orthodox Faction.

And these two girls were the direct blood relatives of their clans.

Moyong Hi-ah had also secured a spot in Shaolin using her name yesterday, so it was likely these two girls had done the same.

Though it was highly likely that Tang Soyeol did most of the work.

After wondering if they really wanted to go this badly, I smiled and asked them.

“When are you thinking of going?”

“Now! Sis Hongwa is waiting outside!”

“Now?”

I was slightly taken aback that they were so eager to leave.

[Uh… kid.]

Elder Shin spoke to me, sounding somewhat hesitant.

‘What’s wrong?’

[Are you not thinking of calling that child?]

‘Child? Who?’

[You know, that pretty girl with the Moyong surname.]

‘Moyong Hi-ah?’

I tilted my head in confusion after hearing Elder Shin. Why would I call her? I accompanied her just yesterday.

[N-Never mind. Don’t worry about it since I mentioned it without much thought.]

I was confused as to what Elder Shin was talking about, but in response, he pretended to cough a few times.

Huh, why do I feel so bothered by this…?

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