Childhood Friend of the Zenith
Chapter 362: Gathering of the Orthodox Faction (3)

A day has passed.

I’d nearly been killed by the Dark King last night, but thankfully, I was still alive.

I woke up on a bare floor, without even a blanket.

It wasn’t the most comfortable environment, but it didn’t matter; I was used to training my mind in a lotus position.

“Sigh.”

As I exhaled, hot steam escaped my lips, a result of channeling heat through my body all night.

“Dammit…”

Despite everything, my body felt surprisingly refreshed.

I could now go days without food or sleep and still function, but I couldn’t do anything about my concerns.

This was all because of yesterday’s encounter with the Dark King.

There was nothing I could do about the vast difference in skill between us.

He was a master who reached the pinnacle of his field, one of the greatest martial artists in the Central Plains, rivaling even the Three Venerables.

Comparing myself to someone of his caliber felt absurd.

But I wasn’t one to give up after just a few losses.

In fact, I was grateful just to have come out of it alive.

However, the problem was the conversation I had with the Dark King last night.

He is the descendant of the Yeon Clan?

He hadn’t replied, but his silence practically gave me the answer.

Still, there was always a chance he was lying.

It’s way too out of the blue.

The Yeon Clan had been destroyed centuries ago.

They’d been wiped out long before the Zhuge Clan, so the thought of any descendants surviving seemed unlikely…

…It’s not too strange, but it’s hard to believe it.

Sure, there could be descendants.

Plenty of Zhuge Clan descendants still roamed these lands, carefully hiding their lineage.

I could already think of three such people around me.

So, it wasn’t unthinkable that Yeon Clan descendants might still live.

But what are the odds that one of their descendants is now the king of assassins…?

And it seemed the Dark King had a purpose of his own.

I felt it when he pushed me against the wall, threatening me.

If the Dark King truly is a Yeon Clan descendant…

I rolled up my sleeve, examining the strange mark on my skin.

How is this related to the Yeon Clan?

The Dark King’s threats stemmed from that mark, he noticed the power I gained from Yeon Clan’s secret vault.

The crucial detail was that he could sense it.

I had believed the mark had vanished, yet he had somehow detected my secret without me revealing it to anyone.

Even if he wasn’t truly a Yeon Clan descendant,

It’s clear he sensed something in me.

But I had no idea what it could be. Four distinct Qis flowed within me.

Could it be that I had a fifth Qi all along, without even knowing?

Jeez, what am I, a garbage can? There are all kinds of Qi inside my body.

How did I even get to this point?

Moreover, the Dark King called it a curse.

Curse.

The mere mention of it sent a chill down my spine.

What is it for him to call it a curse?

I didn’t think that it was anything special.

Several days had passed, and I still hadn’t noticed any changes in my body.

Yet, given the Dark King’s reaction, it was safe to assume it wasn’t anything beneficial.

I tried to question him, but he just disappeared after only saying his part.

The Dark King left the moment our conversation ended, despite the flood of questions I still had.

How unfair.

Maybe I should just be grateful he didn’t kill me.

But it was hard to feel positive when anger was all I felt.

For fucks sake… why are all master martial artists so selfish?

Then again, perhaps their selfishness and lack of fairness were what allowed them to reach such heights.

Regardless, I didn’t have the means to find the Dark King, even if I tried.

He wasn’t someone I could find if he chose to hide.

I glanced down at my arm once more.

“Should I go see the Immortal Healer?”

I wondered if he knew anything.

I thought he might agree to see me, given our decent relationship.

Then again, he wasn’t someone I could meet easily; it was just a hope.

I took my first steps forward.

…I’ll eat first.

The sun was already up, and I hadn’t eaten in days.

I didn’t necessarily feel hungry, but I felt my mind would work better if I put something in my stomach.

I headed to where food was being distributed, though getting any wasn’t easy given the current situation.

Uninjured instructors and students were in charge of distributing food.

But there was something different this time.

Some martial artists I haven’t seen before are here.

I noticed a few people scanning their surroundings with startled expressions.

Judging by their outfit…

They look like they’re from the Alliance.

The symbols on their swords and outfits confirmed they were from the Murim Alliance.

They were talking with the instructors, assessing the situation.

I sharpened my hearing.

-We sent reinforcements…

-I believe the Sky Dragon army will…

-The Alliance Leader is…

-The one responsible for leading this…

It seemed like the Murim Alliance had been contacted properly once the black barrier lifted.

All reinforcements were likely to arrive today.

Moreover…

It must have been a mess.

It was clear news of this incident would spread across the Central Plains.

The Unorthodox Faction had attacked the Heavenly Dragon Academy, and members of noble clans and sects had perished because of it.

Even with the Beggar’s Sect trying to suppress rumors, they wouldn’t be able to keep everything contained.

With the Ten Sect Alliance and the Four Noble Clans involved, there were bound to be clans and sects within the Orthodox Faction who weren’t exactly friendly with the Murim Alliance.

The Murim Alliance was undoubtedly struggling to manage this.

That explained the grim expressions on the faces of the Murim Alliance reinforcements.

Even to them, it was obvious that this wasn’t a good situation.

On top of that, they had to contact each clan and sect about the students who were harmed in the incident.

Maybe they’re already aware of the situation.

I couldn’t speak for others, but I was certain the Ten Sect Alliance and the Four Noble Clans had been informed even before the Murim Alliance reached out.

With that in mind, I walked over and grabbed a few things to eat.

I couldn’t tell if it was a rice ball or some kind of Byeokgokdan, but I didn’t care as long as it filled my stomach.

“Thank you…”

Then, the student handing out food suddenly spoke to me.

Surprised, I responded with a hint of confusion.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yes. I am speaking to the True Dragon.”

Who is that?

Their face didn’t seem familiar.

I knew they were a fellow student and a close-combat martial artist, but this was my first time meeting them.

“Sorry, but have we met before?”

The young man gave a bitter smile in response to my question.

“It’s understandable that you don’t recognize me. You were quite busy back then, after all.”

“Hmm?”

“Just before the people from the Unorthodox Faction nearly killed me… you saved my life.”

“Oh.”

That must have been when I was wandering the forest, killing anything in sight after my confrontation with the Heavenly Demon.

I had made sure to kill only those who had attacked the Academy.

Occasionally, I ended up saving a few people along the way.

“I wanted to give you my thanks.”

“I just happened to be there. No need for it.”

It was purely a coincidence.

He happened to be where I was passing by, and that was it.

“That may be true, but you saved my life, and that’s not something I can ignore.”

“…”

“I felt so powerless. I trained so hard, yet I was almost killed without a chance to defend myself. I was lucky to be saved, and now I’m helping others… but it still makes me feel worthless.”

I looked into the young man’s eyes as he spoke.

His spirit was waning.

It was clear that his spirit as a martial artist was fading.

“I…”

“I misjudged you because of the rumors at the Academy, even though you were the one saving others. I’m sorry for that as well.”

Hearing his words made it harder to breathe, and a wave of nausea made me frown..

I didn’t feel deserving of the praise from this young man.

“Some strange rumors must be going around about me… but I didn’t really do much.”

I believed that I was responsible for causing the whole incident to begin with.

Incidents that happened in this timeline that didn’t happen in my past life, was my fault in the end.

The young man only smiled, assuming I was just being humble.

I began to understand why the students had given me odd looks after the ambush.

Why did they look at me that way now, when they used to look at me with fear?

I didn’t like it.

…Don’t take it like that.

I wasn’t someone worthy of praise.

Another headache crept in.

“…Thank you.”

“…”

Yet another apology.

But I stayed silent.

I turned away in silence after receiving my food.

That young man would no longer live as a martial artist.

His spirit had died, and there was no reigniting it.

His gratitude unsettled me too much to keep looking at him.

I didn’t want to hear any more.

I walked away after receiving my food.

I hadn’t eaten a bite, yet my stomach felt full.

The stares directed at me felt even more noticeable now.

I ignored them, walking past everyone as I searched for someone.

Fortunately, I found them quickly.

They stood out quite a bit, after all.

I spotted a young woman, eyes closed, sitting on a rock as people passed by.

It was Wi Seol-Ah.

“What are you doing?”

I walked up to her.

Noticing my presence, Wi Seol-Ah shifted slightly to make room for me.

She gestured for me to sit beside her.

I took a seat next to her.

“How are you feeling?”

“…I feel fine.”

Her voice sounded weary.

Wi Seol-Ah opened her eyes as she replied, gazing directly at me.

“What about you…?”

“I’m fine as well.”

I took a bite as I responded.

As expected, it tasted like nothing.

Then, I held out my food to Wi Seol-Ah.

“Ah…”

“Go ahead, eat it. You haven’t eaten anything, have you?”

“…”

Wi Seol-Ah seemed about to refuse, but eventually, she accepted my offer.

She carefully took a bite, but she immediately frowned afterwards.

It must have tasted terrible to her.

“You still seem to like sweet things, huh? Does it taste that bad for you?”

“N-No, it’s not that… I was just… surprised.”

Her being embarrassed was cute, and I had to hold in my laughter because of it.

“Sorry.”

I offered her an unexpected apology.

“Huh?”

“I mean… I’m sorry for leaving you alone after everything that happened.”

“…”

I’d been tied up myself with the Dark King’s visit,

But that’s also an excuse.

If I’d really tried, I could have found time to visit Wi Seol-Ah.

It didn’t have to take a whole day.

“…It’s okay.”

After accepting my apology, Wi Seol-Ah took another bite.

She frowned again.

Why was she forcing herself to eat that when she clearly hated—wait.

“When did you finish that?”

“Huh? What do you… Ah! Where did it all go?”

I could’ve sworn she only took a couple bites, but the food in her hand was gone.

It even took me a few bites because of how big it was.

Thankfully, it seemed her usual appetite was intact, even now.

Then again, I wasn’t exactly normal for feeling relieved by it.

I could barely contain my laughter.

If I laughed now, Wi Seol-Ah would surely yell at me.

Hiding her ears, which had turned red with embarrassment, Wi Seol-Ah spoke after gulping down her food.

“Sis… did she pass away peacefully?”

“…”

I smiled bitterly after hearing her. I wondered just how much she hesitated to ask that question.

I kept silent, lost in thought.

I wanted to ask how much she knew, how much had been shared with her.

“Peacefully, huh… I’m not sure.”

I wasn’t able to answer.

Hearing my response, Wi Seol-Ah lowered her head.

“Do you… know who she is?”

“…Vaguely.”

Does that mean she doesn’t know everything?”

“Then… do you know about me?”

“I… don’t know much in detail.”

So she hadn’t told her? That seemed possible.

Even if she had told her, it wouldn’t have done her any good.

“Do you want me to tell you?”

There were many layers of meaning behind those words.

Whether it was my own secrets or my history with her, I was ready to share them with Wi Seol-Ah, if she wished.

But Wi Seol-Ah shook her head at my offer.

It was unexpected; I had assumed she’d be curious.

“But that’s not what you want, is it?”

“…”

“That’s what sis would’ve said.”

“But you are not her. You can do as you- “

“You are right, I’m not her. But I won’t ask, because I know you don’t want me to. And that’s what I want, too.”

I was taken aback by the firmness in her tone.

“I will be different from her.”

“…”

Her words stirred new questions in my mind.

I wondered if they could truly be different when they both wanted the same thing.

“That’s what sis wanted, and I want that as well.”

For some reason, knowing that the Celestial Sword wanted this weighed heavily on my heart.

“But we have something in common… both Sis and I see you in the same way.”

Wi Seol-Ah’s face held sadness, yet there was confidence in her expression, as if she’d won something.

“Thank you, Master Gu, for visiting me.”

She smiled, too.

I couldn’t bring myself to smile back.

Instead, I took a bite of the leftover food.

“Will I be able to see her again?”

“Yes, you will.”

Without hesitation, I answered her question.

Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I’ll make that happen.”

I stood up and took Wi Seol-Ah’s hand.

She flinched as I held her hand.

Looking down at her, I spoke.

“Let’s go.”

“W-Where are we going?”

She seemed excited, and I thought I knew what she hoped for, but that wasn’t my plan.

“Let us go see the others.”

Wi Seol-Ah’s expression fell when she heard my answer.

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

I led Wi Seol-Ah to the medical room I’d visited before.

From what I knew, Namgung Bi-ah still needed a few more days of treatment.

She had impressive regeneration, but her condition was still far from good.

Thankfully, I’d been informed that she wouldn’t have any lasting scars.

The same went for Tang Soyeol.

I felt it was necessary to visit them at least once a day.

I wasn’t able to visit them yesterday, though.

Wi Seol-Ah looked a bit dissatisfied but remained silent.

She understood the situation, so she didn’t complain.

“Hmm?”

When I arrived, I felt that something was different.

The room sounded noisier than usual.

What’s going on?

Curious, I put the thought aside and stepped forward.

When I reached my destination,

“Why are you all gathered here?”

I noticed that Tang Soyeol, Namgung Bi-ah, Peng Ah-hee, and even Moyong Hi-ah all wore unusually serious expressions.

At the sound of my voice, all of them flinched simultaneously.

What the? Why are they reacting like that?

As I looked at them in confusion, Peng Ah-hee, who seemed the most composed, began to speak.

While the others wore odd expressions, Peng Ah-hee appeared to be enjoying herself.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“You’re in big trouble.”

“What?”

Peng Ah-hee replied, smiling.

“I think all of our fathers will come here.”

“…What did you say?”

“Maybe it’s not too late for you to run away?”

I frowned at Peng Ah-hee’s words.

That meant the Lords from all Four Noble Clans were gathering here.