Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Just after finishing my training, I looked up at the sky.

The sun wasn’t yet close to setting.

‘Hmm.

’It wasn’t the best time to rest, but I had to get dressed in the combat uniform I had set aside.

Although I didn't sweat at all, which was a little disappointing, I had no other choice.

‘This isn’t the time for training.

’Honestly, I felt like locking myself away in some cave to train in isolation, but the situation didn’t allow for it.

‘At least I used the time efficiently.

’I’d moved intensely to make the most of the short period, yet barely a drop of sweat had escaped.

And I didn’t feel tired in the slightest.

‘Tsk.

’Was it due to my increased cultivation level, or maybe because of the changes in my body?

Whatever it was, instead of satisfaction, I felt a strange sense of unease.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t fully examined the changes in my body yet.

‘It’s my own body, but it’s strange not fully knowing its limits.

’The rapid changes had left me unfamiliar with my own physical form.

Although over the past few days I have been constantly testing myself.

I didn’t know just how tough my enhanced skin and muscles were, how much exertion it would take to tire me out, or how much energy my expanded vessel could contain.

I needed more time to test compression and rotation limits.

Simply put,—‘My physical capabilities have expanded.

'Even though I've spent so much time torturing myself, I still don't fully understand what I'm capable of.

At least I know for sure that I am capable of more.

‘If I compare this to my previous life, how far would I say I’ve come?

’Two-tenths?

I’d assumed that was about right before, but now, I wondered if I’d reached closer to five-tenths.

Of course, it wasn’t an exact estimate; I still didn’t have enough time to verify everything.

‘The durability is especially troublesome….

’The quickest way to determine muscle strength and skin resilience was—To cut and tear them directly.

That might sound insane, but in martial arts, it was known that the more you tore and healed, the tougher your skin would become.

In fact, some practitioners would burn their skin as part of their external training.

In my previous life, I’d done such things in the name of training.

Endure the pain, and you grow stronger.

There was no quicker or simpler way.

"[So, are you saying you’re going to tear yourself apart?

]"‘If it becomes necessary, yes.

’To fight better, I needed to know my body’s limits.

How much I could endure, how hard I had to be hit before getting injured, and just how close to death I could come.

All of this had to be known.

‘Just as I was finally getting used to it.

Tsk.

’Before I reset my previous physical form, in which I supported myself and began to get used to the condition.

And now she's changed beyond recognition.

I clenched my fists and furrowed my brows.

I needed time.

But I also knew that time was the one thing I had the least of.

What should I do?

I considered pushing a little harder, but thinking of the tasks ahead, I focused my energy.

Crrrack—As the energy permeated my body, I felt an immediate response.

Muscles shifted, bones twisted.

The pain was laughable compared to the agony of the Tua Pacheonmu technique.

At most, a bone might break here and there.

Compared to the grinding, tearing pain of Tua Pacheonmu, it was child’s play.

Crrreak—After some time, the sound of creaking bones stopped.

The transformation was complete.

My vision lowered, and I felt my body shrink.

After making sure that the transformation of the body with the help of the qi flow changing technique was successful, I cleaned myself up by putting on combat clothes.

Right afterward—“You’re late.

”I looked over at the woman who had arrived behind me.

It was Nahi.

As soon as she saw me, she averted her gaze.

Perhaps she’d seen me transform and felt uncomfortable.

“…I apologize.

”“Why are you late?

”I’d called for her a while ago, but she arrived later than expected.

Curious about the reason, I asked, but Nahi, seemingly misunderstanding my tone, knelt down, trembling.

“…I… I’m sorry…”Seeing her like that, I scratched my cheek.

Had I gone too hard on her during the last confrontation?

She seemed quite intimidated.

“…It’s not like I said I’d kill you or anything.

”Or, actually, maybe I had said something like that.

“Never mind, just tell me why you’re late.

”Setting aside the awkwardness, I pressed her for an answer.

“Well… Elder Il had a task for me….

”Elder Il.

That would be that old man, Tang Bwi.

“What kind of task?

”“…He instructed me to prepare a paralysis poison.

”“Paralysis poison, huh.

And who’s it for?

”“…”“Judging by your expression, it’s for me.

”She didn't say anything, but her eyes contained the obvious answer.

‘Foolish old man.

’I was curious to see if he’d attempt something clever, but paralysis poison?

‘Not intending to kill, just paralyze?

’If he wanted paralysis rather than a lethal poison, then he had some other plan in mind.

‘Hmm.

’I debated how to handle this.

Should I let him go through with it out of curiosity?

Or…‘Maybe I should go confront him.

’I tilted my head and looked at Nahi.

Meeting my gaze, she shivered.

The reason I’d been examining my body’s limits so thoroughly was no different.

‘If it’s at this level.

’Could I handle a confrontation?

That was what I needed to confirm.

And—‘I don’t think it’ll be too difficult.

’I was confident that it was possible.

If not for the unique position of the Tang Clan, it might have been impossible to overthrow them.

But now, because it was the Tang Clan, it was entirely feasible.

After all—‘I am immune to all poisons.

’My body had developed a resistance to poison—an incredibly strong one at that.

This alone made it easier to cause an uproar within the Tang Clan.

‘I never expected to reach this point in my life.

’An immunity to all poisons.

I didn’t know if my body had truly reached this legendary state, but I did know I had a powerful resistance to poison.

And that was enough.

‘It’s more than enough to take down that rotten old man.

’The only question left was—‘Can I manage the aftermath of this?

’For that, I’d set things up to appeal to the Poison King, using his own authority to my advantage.

But since I didn’t know the Poison King well enough, I couldn’t fully rely on him.

Which meant—‘I have to be prepared for every outcome.

’I trusted no one.

It was the lesson I’d learned in my past life and one I valued even more in this one.

"[So, what’s your plan?

]"Noya’s question brought me back to my thoughts.

‘I’d initially planned to end this within a few days.

’Ideally, today or tomorrow.

I’d conclude it after observing the Poison King’s actions and waiting for the right moment.

For this reason, I’d enlisted Nahi’s help, making it obvious I’d ingested the poison to get their attention.

Even as I carefully assembled each piece of the situation, one issue remained—‘Father.

’The fact that he was here in Sichuan was a problem.

I didn’t know if he’d actually come because of the message, but…I wondered if I could pull this off without him noticing.

‘…Hmm.

’What a hassle.

In more ways than one.

“Hey.

”“Y-yes…!

”I called for Nahi, and she flinched in response.

“Have you spoken to your brother?

”“…Yes.

”“That’s good.

”As soon as I mentioned Tang Deok, Nahi’s face darkened.

She must have realized that Tang Deok had fallen under my influence.

‘Come to think of it, this was their original goal anyway.

’With Nahi inside and Tang Deok outside, they’d clearly intended to pull something off.

‘But they both failed.

’Thinking back to my past life, Tang Deok had been consumed by power.

He was a demonic entity driven by a strange grudge against the Tang Clan, which he’d sought to destroy.

He’d been furious when he’d heard that the Demon Sect had conquered Sichuan and that I’d killed Dok Bi.

‘Whatever they’d planned, they failed.

’It could be that Tang Deok’s schemes on the outside hadn’t succeeded.

‘Or—’My gaze shifted to Nahi.

‘They might have failed from within.

’That seemed likely.

Thinking back on my past life, it was clear that their plans hadn’t gone well.

“This is an order.

”I imbued my voice with authority.

Nahi froze in place.

“All you need to do is answer honestly.

”I approached her and met her eyes.

“I’m planning to kill Elder Il.

”“…!

”At my words, I saw a spark in Nahi’s eyes.

It was all I needed to know.

Just now, Nahi had felt a twinge of excitement.

I smiled and asked her—“So, just how far are you willing to go for that?

”How far would you go?

Though I could force her to obey and even give her life if I commanded, I decided to ask.

Not to gain her loyalty or to motivate her.

There was no need for such things.

This was simply a test.

“You want this too, don’t you?

Or am I wrong?

”“…I… I…”Nahi’s eyes quivered as if caught in an earthquake.

Watching her closely, I saw her trembling lips finally form words.

“I… I will do anything.

Anything.

”“Anything?

”“Yes…”Hearing her response, I nodded.

“Good.

Then I have a favor to ask.

”“…”Once again, there was no rejection.

It wasn’t even a particularly difficult request.

It was simply a chance to answer the questions that had come to mind as I’d thought about the Tang Clan in my past life.

One specific thing I’d considered earlier—In my previous life, Tang Deok had become a demonic entity, yet had still survived.

It made me wonder.

If both Nahi and the others involved had failed, it meant—They might’ve been aware of attempts to uproot their organization from the start.

If that were the case, then it was possible the rotten core had known all along.

Maybe even now, they had some idea of what was happening.

‘Paralysis poison, was it?

’They’d prepared a paralysis poison.

Nahi claimed she’d been ordered to use it on me, and under the geas (Spiritual Commitment) placed on her, she couldn’t lie.

But—‘What if she only knew a part of the truth?

’If her understanding was limited or distorted, that would be a problem.

If she believed one thing, but reality was another, it would lead to failure.

‘So…’If that were the case…‘Who else might they intend to use it on?

’I thought about it, eyes gleaming.

There was a likely answer.

If my guess was correct, that would be an annoying issue, but…‘It should be fine.

’Despite the discomfort, I felt relatively calm.

For one reason—‘I’m prepared.

’No matter what happens, I’d taken steps to resolve it.

All that remained was to confirm my suspicions.

******************The Tang Clan’s outer residence, located near the mountains—a large compound.

This place was designated for the Tang Clan’s bloodline members, and more specifically, where the Poison King’s cherished daughter resided.

One might wonder why someone whom the head of the clan cherishes so much decided to stay in such a remote place, not far from the mountains.

However, this arrangement was one she herself had requested.

Grrrrr.

A large wolf growled contentedly in the yard.

It was a huge mountain wolf with dark fur—a species native to Sichuan and now scarce due to the prevalence of demonic creatures.

This particular wolf was a treasured companion of Tang So-yeol, the Poison Queen of the Tang Clan.

“Feeling good?

”Tang So-yeol smiled as she listened to the wolf’s growl.

It seemed to be enjoying the long-overdue grooming session.

“Sorry.

I should’ve done this more often.

”Grrr...

“You forgive me?

Thank you.

”At her words, the wolf shifted its body, playfully showing affection.

Watching the large creature acting endearingly like this was both amusing and endearing—at least to Tang So-yeol.

As she stroked the wolf’s exposed belly, Tang So-yeol found herself lost in thought.

‘It would be nice if he’d approach me like this too.

’Thinking of a certain young man who resembled a fierce wolf, Tang So-yeol let out a sigh.

It was a sigh laced with frustration.

But the reason wasn’t the young man—it was herself.

‘…No, even if he approached, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.

’It was a kind of complaint.

Tang So-yeol had realized her predicament ever since she was held in Gu Yangcheon’s arms.

When she had heard the powerful beat of his heart within his chest, when she noticed that his build, though seemingly small, was much broader than she had anticipated.

Ever since that moment, she hadn’t been herself.

She could no longer look Gu Yangcheon in the eye, let alone hold a proper conversation with him.

‘…What’s happening to me?

’Was she only now realizing her feelings?

No, that wasn’t it.

She had understood her affections long ago.

So then, what was the issue?

‘…This isn’t the time for this…!

’This was no time to be flustered and distant.

Tang So-yeol felt her own sense of helplessness intensify.

His fiancée, Namgung Bi-ah, held a calm yet firm place by his side.

Wi Seol-ah, though seemingly idle, had also secured a place beside him, subtly asserting her presence.

And even Moyong Hee-ah, who had arrived last, effortlessly carved out her own position through her outstanding abilities.

‘…And what about me?

’Tang So-yeol had to admit to herself that, in this scenario, she was the one left on the sidelines.

‘What should I do…?

’Unlike Namgung Bi-ah or Wi Seol-ah, she wasn’t exceptionally talented.

She knew she was beautiful, but not extraordinarily so compared to them.

Moreover, she didn’t possess Moyong Hee-ah’s people skills or brilliant intellect.

Recently, she had come to the painful realization that she was lacking in many aspects.

The only thing she had to rely on was her clan name.

Namgung Bi-ah was a descendant of the Namgung family, and Moyong Hee-ah was from the Moyong family.

And even Wi Seol-ah—wasn’t she the granddaughter of the Sword Master?

Even in terms of family background, Tang So-yeol felt herself subtly falling behind.

‘….

’There seemed to be no answer.

Truly, no answer at all.

At this rate, staying by Gu Yangcheon’s side would only become more burdensome.

‘…What should I do?

Truly, what should I do?

’Could she really remain by his side without any abilities to offer?

While Gu Yangcheon might tolerate it, that wasn’t what Tang So-yeol wanted.

She couldn’t afford to be incompetent.

Gu Yangcheon was exceptional—too exceptional.

It was a problem if someone as lacking as her stayed by his side.

If she were to remain close to him, she needed to accomplish something.

Tang So-yeol recalled Moyong Hee-ah’s frequent words to her.

“You need to be someone worthy of standing by his side.

” Whenever Gu Yangcheon was absent, Moyong Hee-ah would diligently read an obscure manual.

Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah would practice their swordsmanship daily.

So, what was Tang So-yeol doing in those moments?

Pause.

The brush she was using to groom the wolf halted.

Tang So-yeol looked at her palm.

Her skin was rough and calloused—marks of her efforts.

These were proof that she was constantly working hard, but…‘There are no results.

’Despite her efforts, the results were lacking.

Her martial arts hadn’t improved, and only her hair seemed to keep growing.

She touched her carefully groomed hair, which she had been growing out with great effort.

‘…’The women beside Gu Yangcheon all had long hair, so Tang So-yeol, who used to have short hair, had been trying to grow hers out too.

Yet, the strange sense of self-doubt that came with it tormented her.

‘At this rate… I’m just a copycat.

’She always strove to improve, but catching up to those ahead seemed impossible.

Sigh.

A sigh escaped her lips.

Although she had come all the way to Sichuan with Gu Yangcheon, Tang So-yeol felt frustrated at her lack of progress.

What was she supposed to do?

As she was mulling over this question,"Ho-ho, are you in?

"A voice called out from outside her quarters.

When Tang So-yeol looked up, she saw an elderly face.

She quickly rose to her feet.

“Oh… Elder!

”“Sorry for dropping by unexpectedly.

”“No, not at all….

”The man was an elder of the Tang Clan, someone who had cherished her as if she were his own granddaughter since she was young.

Tang So-yeol forced a smile as she looked at him.

“What brings you here?

”“It’s nothing serious….

I just wanted to see your face, so I thought I’d stop by.

”“Oh, then I’ll have a servant bring us some tea….

”“Oh?

”The elder’s face lit up.

At that moment, he pulled something from his sleeve.

“I thought it might be awkward to come empty-handed, so I brought some good tea as a gift.

Perfect timing.

”“Oh my….

You didn’t have to.

”“Haha, I couldn’t possibly come empty-handed.

”With a warm smile, the elder extended the tea to Tang So-yeol.

Just as Tang So-yeol was about to receive the gift,Grip—Thud—The elder’s hand was abruptly seized, and the item he held fell to the ground.

Someone had gripped his wrist firmly.

“…!

”The elder’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden contact.

It was a large hand, with a strong grip.

“What in the…!

”The elder looked toward the person who stopped him, shocked.

The man blocking him merely glared coldly at the elder.

“You brat…!

What do you think you’re doing?

”The elder’s voice trembled with anger, but the man remained unfazed.

In that instant,“Unauthorized approaches are prohibited.

”Tang Deok fixed the elder with a sharp, piercing gaze as he spoke, causing the elder’s brow to furrow deeply.