Childhood Friend of the Zenith

༺ Azure Heavenly Sword, Namgung Jin (2) ༻

‘You wouldn’t know what I had to go through the day you disappeared.’

‘You would probably never know, since I would never talk to you.’

‘Did you know? I don’t like the moon.’

‘Moon being up in the sky means that night has come…’

‘And I despise the night.’

‘Whenever the moon is up in the sky, I stand still and look up.‘

‘I am a bit curious now, what the moon meant to you for you to not even pretend to hear me when I called for you.’

I always wondered what you dreamt of while looking at the moon. Despite the fact that me and you both had a shitty life.

But despite this sad life, you always looked for something.

Unlike me.

‘It’s just… The times I asked you why you loved the moon that much and you closed your eyes in response are long past, and that realization makes me sad.’

‘Just a little bit.’

‘A bit little enough to not be noticeable on the outside, that little.’

Why did you do that?

I still wondered about that. After death, you wouldn’t see your beloved moon, nor could you swing the sword you loved so much.

You wouldn’t even get that revenge that you always wanted.

Despite knowing all that, why did you do it?

You probably wouldn’t give me the answer even if we met again. I could already tell with your damned personality.

You asked me at your last moment if the moon was up in the sky.

It wasn’t. It had already gone down and disappeared.

– Trickle.

I poured wine on my sword.

This was the wine you used to drink every once in a while. ‘This should be enough.’

｢But I’m not going to say that I’ll achieve it for you.｣

‘I never got to hear what your dream was, nor what you lived for.’

‘So I won’t be able to achieve the things you wanted to do.’

‘You wouldn’t even have talked about it even if you didn’t die.’

‘Because I know that that’s simply not possible.’

I drank the rest of the wine that remained in the bottle and put it aside.

This much pointless thinking was enough for me.

There were corpses of Murim Alliance’s martial artists all around me. They all seemed to have been ripped apart by flames.

I lifted my head up and looked up into the sky.

｢The moon still isn’t up.｣

A full moon was shining brightly in the sky…

But that wasn’t the moon I was looking for.

* * * *

The first thing one felt after reaching the peak realm was none other than a feeling of disharmony with one’s own body.

It was because the peak realm was a point where one experienced the biggest change in their body.

The peak realm was a point where the body gradually became one with its Qi.

To put it simply, Qi gradually permeated into the body.

One’s grip would be powerful even without actively using Qi, and broad vision would become natural despite having to use QI to enhance their vision before.

Some would call this superhuman, and some would call this the point of transcending beyond human.

Whatever really was the case didn’t matter. Speaking from experience, this was just the starting point of the path I needed to walk on.

– Blaze-!

The flames I covered myself with weren’t too vast. It was because I had condensed them inside my body.

Looking at the situation with my broad, enhanced vision, I could see everything clearly. I instinctively knew that the man I was looking at was stronger than me.

‘So what?’

‘Let’s try to be rational here and think if charging in like this is the logical thing to do.’

Judging by how he treated Namgung Bi-ah like that despite the fact that she was a direct descendant of the clan meant that he wasn’t in a low position himself.

Do I have any excuses to charge at him? Me being her fiancé really enough of a reason for me to charge at him? Are my actions truly justified?

– Press.

Strength was focused into my feet. Even with me trying to think rationally, my body kept moving.

‘If it’s an excuse that I need…’

There was blood. I saw the redness on her cheek which was swollen.

That was enough of an excuse.

What was she to me for me to be this angry?

‘That’s not the time to be thinking about that.’

– Slam!

Heat immediately filled up my abdomen. A storm that resembled my raging emotions ravaged about inside my body, but I was able to endure it.

If I had to look for why I was so angry, it was quite simple.

I had thought there was no longer room for emotions inside me. After my resurrection, though, I experienced many emotions, filling my heart even more. If there was no room before, now those emotions were threatening to burst out.

My body, enhanced with Qi, arrived at my target before the wind could.

The man noticed me and started to move after I had gotten behind him, but I was faster.

I used flames to block his vision, and my fist enhanced with Qi was launched.

I didn’t have the time to think about where I should aim for. Despite the fact that his posture was messed up due to him having to move so suddenly, he still had plenty of strength to endure my attack.

– Slam!

Along with my fist, Qi exploded and an explosive sound reverberated throughout the area. The heat was lingering in the air, but I had to clench my teeth.

‘It didn’t work.’

It was just an inch away.

My fist that was launched right in front of his nose had been blocked by the man’s hand.

– Swoosh!

Along with a wave of Qi that was unleashed by the man, my heat was pushed away and scattered. My cheek felt tingly.

The wave of Qi had a slight bit of lightning Qi in it.

“Who are you?”

He spoke in a serious tone. The hand that blocked my fist had been way too fast. He would’ve been even faster if that were a proper fight.

He was strong. He was a martial artist so strong that I couldn’t even tell what his level was.

There was one thing that I was certain of, however. I could land one hit.

I don’t know where that belief came from, but I knew I could do it.

“Ha!”

When I circulated Qi in my body again, the man let out a laugh, thinking my reaction was ridiculous.

“You seem to be in high spirits still. That’s commendable, but…”

The tingly sensation that came out from the man’s body formed into a shape and started to press me down. It was a familiar sensation.

It was a sensation that I had felt countless times from Namgung Bi-ah in my past life, and it was on a whole different level compared to the current Namgung Bi-ah.

“You should train your eyes better and read your opponent.”

The man’s hand started to reach for me. Just by looking at the dense lightning Qi of his, I could tell how powerful he was.

As his hand arrived right in front of my eyes, the man suddenly stopped his movement.

“What are you doing?”

The man spoke in a slightly irritated tone. He wasn’t talking to me. Namgung Bi-ah who was on the ground before, was holding the man back.

“Please… stop.”

“First you run away, and now you even disobey me?”

“…”

Despite the man talking fiercely, Namgung Bi-ah’s arms that were wrapping around his waist only tightened.

The man clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

His eyes that had been on Namgung Bi-ah turned to me.

“What is your name?”

The man’s Qi was still pressing down my body, but it was still bearable.

Because I had felt much denser, more evolved pressure than this countless times in my past life.

I looked into his eyes and answered, “I am Gu Yangcheon, Lord Namgung.”

The man’s eyes lit up when he heard my name.

“I see, I heard you were stronger than kids your age. So you’re the son of the Gu Clan’s lord.”

“Yes.”

“It seems like you knew who I was, so why did you do such a thing?”

His disposition was cold, which was common for his clan, and his eyes were filled with arrogance.

The King of Swords of this generation, the lord of the Namgung Clan…

Azure Heavenly Sword, Namgung Jin.

He was Namgung Bi-ah’s father.

There wasn’t anyone who didn’t know who he was. There was no one else that could replicate this Qi and those eyes of his.

I didn’t know why Namgung Jin had come all the way here when he should be in Anhui’s palace, but I didn’t want to lose and lower my head to his arrogant gaze.

“You just tried to harm the Lord of the Namgung Clan. Do you know how serious of an offense that is?”

“How could I just sit still and do nothing when I saw you slap my fiancée?”

“What did you say?”

“I only realized who you were after I had already attacked you. Before that, all I saw was an intruder attacking one of our guests.”

I retrieved the flames that were covering my body, and unleashed the heat I was holding in my body. A wave of heat spread in the air instantly after.

Namgung Jin’s hair swayed due to the wave.

Namgung Jin was staring at me with a frown on his face.

“How sophistic of you.”

“I only did what I had to do as a member of the Gu Clan.”

This was indeed sophistry, like Namgung Jin said. But I didn’t say those words because I thought they would convince the man in front of me.

I couldn’t curse at the Lord of the Namgung Clan either, even if it was me.

Thus, I had to annoy him like this.

Namgung Jin also recalled his Qi. The guards that had their swords drawn due to the sudden attack put their swords back after Namgung Jin signaled them with his hand.

When the tingly sensation went away, I felt like I could breathe easier.

Namgung Jin then spoke to me.

“I no longer have any intention of playing along with your sophistry. I’ll let Lord Gu know about this.”

Namgung Jin didn’t say much despite the fact that he had been attacked. He had a bothered expression but didn’t say anything.

‘How come?’

I thought he would rage more.

‘Is there something that’s holding him back?’

If there wasn’t, he wouldn’t let me go this easily.

Namgung Jin hid his bothered expression and moved on to a different topic. It was about Namgung Cheonjun that I had met some time ago.

“I heard that you taught my son a lesson. I thought that he let his guard down since he was a sad child that trusted his talent too much, but now that we’ve met in person, it seemed like I was wrong.”

“How could you call it a lesson, senior? I am not at the level where I could teach that great Sir Lightning Dragon, Lord Namgung. A better way to phrase it is that I gave him a thorough beating because he kept taunting me.”

– Crack.

As the formidable man heard me speak to him with a hint of sarcasm, I could see a wrinkle appear between his eyebrows.

‘Lightning Dragon, huh… Back then I was at a pathetic level and possessed almost no Qi, but it would be different now.’

Of course, Namgung Cheonjun could’ve also gotten stronger, but was that really the case?

Namgung Jin also definitely knew that my words were laced with thorns.

“I can see that you have talent, but you lack modesty. That part really resembles your father.”

“Thank you, senior. And dare I say, I noticed some of your traits in your son as well!”

“You…!”

After finally erupting, Namgung Jin’s face became red. He didn’t pull his sword out, but his Qi from earlier started to charge up again.

Still, it was never unleashed. Both Namgung Jin and I, as well as everyone in the area, felt the presence that was approaching from behind us.

“The Lord of Gu…” Namgung Jin said after fixing his expression. The man that came in with calm steps was Gu Cheolun, my father.

Father didn’t look at Namgung Jin, and only took a slight glance at Namgung Bi-ah. Then, his eyes fell on me. As soon as his gaze fixed on me, I couldn’t help but shudder.

After a short sigh, he said, “I recall that I told you to rest and come to my room tonight, yet you cause trouble this early in the morning.”

“…”

I avoided his gaze when I heard him speak in such a serious tone. He wasn’t wrong, I had indeed caused trouble.

Father then walked closer to the other lord and greeted him with respect.

“It seemed like my son has troubled you.”

“Lord Gu.”

“He’s still an immature child. Please calm your anger as I will give him a proper scolding later.”

“It doesn’t matter how immature he is, I need to take this into the law-“

“You apologize to him too, right now.”

“I apologize.”

I lowered my head and apologized as my father told me to. Because my father cut him off, and my apology didn’t let him continue, Namgung Jin frowned even more.

“It seems that you haven’t changed one bit, Lord Gu.”

“I’m also glad that you seem to be in good health, Lord Namgung.”

“Like father like son… Sigh.”

It seemed like his anger reached all the way up to his neck, but he didn’t speak anymore.

No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem like the type to hold his anger in, so why was he acting like this? Did he really have a weakness or something?

“I expect corrective measures to be taken for this.”

“Yes.”

Father then looked at Namgung Bi-ah. He saw her swollen cheek and blood at the corner of her mouth, but his expression didn’t change.

Noticing my father, Namgung Jin asked, “Are you going to comment on how I discipline my child?”

“I have no intention to. I just thought that it’d be good to heal her as soon as possible. Big events are coming up.”

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

“Sure.”

Father then looked at me again. Is he going to scold me? His eyes looked a bit strange, though, so it didn’t feel quite right to say that.

“Follow me.”

Contrary to his expression, his voice was deep and calm. I still didn’t move, and looked at Namgung Bi-ah.

Seeing my concern, Father said, “Don’t worry about that child. She’ll be better soon, I already called people over. Just follow me.”

“Understood.”

When? It seemed like he had come here right away, so when did he have the time to call people over?

Or did he already know that this would happen?

To prove my father’s words, the medics of the Gu Clan were already coming over. I heard Namgung Jin click his tongue behind us.

Seeing the situation was resolved, I followed my father.

* * * *

‘He really is just like his father.’

That was the thought of the Lord of Namgung Clan, Azure Heavenly Sword Namgung Jin. Not only did they look the same appearance-wise, but their irritating way of talking to others was identical.

And then there was also their talent.

‘Just like the Sword Phoenix as well, he seems to have immense luck when it comes to his children.’

Namgung Jin thought about Gu Yangcheon. It may have been a surprise attack, but he still didn’t notice it until the young man was already behind him, ready to strike.

Is it because Gu Yangcheon was fast? He may have been fast, but he isn’t at a realm where he could dare to compare to the speed of the Namgung Clan.

Namgung Jin looked at the hand that had blocked Gu Yangcheon’s fist.

His hand was slightly red. Moreover, although it was also slight, his hand was shaking. His own son, Namgung Cheonjun, couldn’t even touch his clothes.

It wouldn’t be possible unless the kid poisoned him during a meal.

But what about that child?

He was in Namgung Jin’s grasp, directly under the pressure of his Qi, but this young man was still determined to fight back.

Was it because he was still young that he didn’t know much about the world, or was it because he didn’t know when to back down because he was just like his father?

In Namgung Jin’s eyes, neither of those assessments felt true.

Gu Yangcheon’s eyes were telling him that. He could fight back.

‘How dare a young prodigy that’s younger than my son even have such a notion, a child of the Gu Clan no less?’

– Crack.

He hadn’t been too mad about the fact that Gu Yangcheon had beaten up his son.

His son was just weak, plain and simple. Namgung Jin understood that principle more than anyone.

But the situation just now was different.

Usually, he wouldn’t have let this pass with him clenching his teeth like this. He could’ve made this into a much bigger thing if he so tried.

‘If it wasn’t the Gu Clan.’

He would’ve done so if he wasn’t in this ominous land. Namgung Jin then thought about Gu Cheolun that he had met just now.

It looked like he was being respectful to him, but his eyes weren’t. He was always like this. He already knew that somewhat since he became the Lord of his clan and heard about the Gu Clan from his grandfather, but to experience it first-hand still didn’t sit right with him.

Those eyes of his that always seemed to look down on others. Namgung Jin then opened his mouth.

“I’ll end the punishment at that.”

“…”

Namgung Bi-ah lowered her head after hearing Namgung Jin’s sharp words.

“Originally I would have dragged you back into the clan and punished you for it, but now is not a good time.”

“Understood.”

“Tidy her up after the treatment, make her as beautiful as possible.”

The servants around him shouted agreement upon hearing their master’s command.

‘I don’t like it.’

Namgung Jin’s wrinkled eyebrows had no intention of coming back to their normal state.

That was how much he disliked this.

Today was the day the engagement with the Gu Clan had been scheduled for. That only made him dislike the situation even more.

The fact that the Lord of the Namgung Clan himself, had to come all the way to the Gu Clan…

The fact that this actually talented daughter of his left the clan in order to follow some Gu Clan child…

The fact that the elders and his grandfather were the ones who had made the decision to marry off his daughter…

And… the fact that the dragon of this generation would undoubtedly be this son of the Gu Clan.

‘I want to get rid of it all.’

The last thought especially angered him, but Namgung Jin pushed those thoughts back inside.

He couldn’t afford to do that.

At least not now.

* * * * *

The Lord’s room that I came back to in only a day. It was a room that I always went to whenever I caused trouble, so I felt a bit nervous.

｢You tried to beat up a Clan Lord, are you right in your head?｣

‘You stayed quiet and watched it like it was great entertainment before, so why scold me now?’

｢You had already charged at him by the time I decided to stop you.｣

It was a lie.

There was quite some time when I was just standing there, flowing my Qi, and making the decision.

Throughout all of that, Elder Shin didn’t say a word.

I could even tell that he was entertained by the whole thing.

｢Ahem.｣

‘See, you’re fake-coughing, I knew it!’

｢Still, why did you still act after realizing who you were up against?｣

I only realized that it was the Namgung Clan’s Lord after I had seen his face, but I had instinctively known that he was stronger than me way before that.

It was indeed reckless of me to act this way.

Father was sitting still and had his eyes closed. Thanks to that, I didn’t know what kind of punishment I would get, so I was getting anxious, thinking of hundreds of things that could be used to punish me.

Something similar had happened back in my past life, and I was sent to Gu Huibi’s swordsmen army. I was serving under Gu Huibi for more than half a year, and just thinking of that made me break out in a cold sweat.

I would rather do closed training for half a year instead of having to relive that.

Father finally opened his eyes and looked at me. I gulped, wondering what he would say to me…

“Good work.”

｢Huh?｣

“P-Pardon?”

I couldn’t help but frown, confused by my father’s words.

I expected many different things… but that was not one of them.