Childhood Friend of the Zenith

As preparations for the carriages neared completion, everything seemed to have wrapped up much faster than I had anticipated.

The efficient work of the servants and Moyong Hee-ah's decisive coordination were the key reasons for the swift progress.

"Should we stock up on provisions as well?

" she asked.

"With this many people, it's probably better to make stops along the way and buy what we need," I replied.

"Understood, I'll handle it that way.

"All I had to do was answer Moyong Hee-ah's periodic confirmations.

She could have managed everything on her own, but she seemed to prefer double-checking with me for each decision.

As I glanced around the bustling preparations, a sleepy voice reached my ears.

"So, are we finally leaving?

"Turning to the source of the voice, I saw Woo-hyuk.

I frowned at the sight of him.

"You just woke up, didn’t you?

"Judging by his disheveled appearance, it was obvious.

Unsurprisingly, Woo-hyuk grinned sheepishly.

"I took a quick nap.

There was this perfect sunny spot, couldn’t resist.

Haha.

""At least clean your face.

""Oh, right.

"At my remark, Woo-hyuk hastily rubbed at his eyes.

He was undeniably good-looking, but his sloppy behavior always ruined the image.

Watching him scramble to tidy himself up, I asked, "You're coming along too, right?

""Huh?

""To my house.

""Oh, yeah.

I said I would.

"Woo-hyuk was coming to the Gu family.

This had been decided when the Hermit made his intentions clear.

The Hermit, after all, had also decided to accompany us.

‘…The Hermit is following Namgung Bi-ah.

’More precisely, he had mentioned having business in Shanxi.

‘He said Father had already approved.

’Apparently, the Hermit had discussed staying with the Gu family when my father visited.

When had all this been arranged?

Without my knowledge, our traveling group had grown significantly.

On top of that…"Why does it feel like my house is turning into a freeloaders' den?

Or is it just my imagination?

""Now that you mention it, I'm getting hungry.

Does your house serve good food?

" Woo-hyuk teased.

"Yeah, the food’s great, but there might not be any left for you.

""No way!

"Today, Woo-hyuk was unusually playful.

For someone who loved to sleep, maybe I should let him sleep indefinitely?

Yes, let’s do that.

Just as I resolved to grab him, a voice called out from a distance.

"Brother!

"Looking up, I spotted Paeh Woo-cheol approaching.

My eyebrows twitched at the sight.

"And what do you want?

""I heard you were leaving today, so I rushed over.

""Hah.

"I sighed at Paeh Woo-cheol’s sheepish grin.

While the Paeh family and the Tang Clan were relatively close, there was still some distance between them.

Coming all the way here just to see me off?

Sure, that was plausible.

But…"How did you even get in?

"With the Tang Clan currently restricting outside access, it wasn’t exactly a place you could casually walk into.

How had he managed to bypass security?

As I stared at Paeh Woo-cheol, someone appeared behind him.

"I let him in.

"The newcomer was a man with green hair, resembling Tang So-yeol.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be in his early thirties.

"…Tang Juyok.

"It was the Poison King’s son and the acting young lord of the Tang Clan.

Smiling faintly, Tang Juyok explained, "He wanted to see you off, so I allowed it.

""And you won’t get scolded for that?

Won’t the Poison King have a fit?

""Haha, my father’s far too busy to waste time scolding me.

"That was his way of saying their clan was in chaos.

Still, the fact that he could laugh about it made me think.

‘Tang Juyok…’To be honest, I didn’t know much about him.

In my past life, he had a reputation and even earned a nickname, but I couldn’t recall what he had achieved.

He hadn’t been an exceptionally prominent martial artist, either.

I’d always thought of him as an ordinary character.

But now…‘…He doesn’t seem ordinary at all.

’There was something about the sensation I got from him—not in terms of martial prowess, but in how he carried himself.

"Thank you," I said eventually.

"There’s no need to thank me.

If anything, we owe you more.

"Tang Juyok smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you, Gu Gongja.

""…""My father couldn’t be here to express his gratitude in person, but please convey our thanks to the Gu family head as well.

""I will.

""And one more thing.

"He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.

"Regarding what you requested, it has been approved.

""Ah, that’s a relief.

"I had made a special request to the Poison King: permission to take Nahi with me.

Given her transformation into a demonic being and the need to use the jewel, it was essential that she accompany me.

The Poison King had granted the request, but his expression had reportedly been less than pleased.

Tang Juyok noticed my hesitation and remarked, "It was a bit surprising, though.

""What was?

""I didn’t expect Nahi to be your type.

She is beautiful, but… still unexpected.

""…What?

Excuse me?

"I stared at him in disbelief.

My type?

‘Has he lost his mind?

’Only then did I realize why the Poison King had looked at me that way.

The man probably thought I had some ulterior motives for bringing Nahi along.

"It’s not like that!

Have you lost your mind?

""Haha, it doesn’t matter.

After all, there’s a saying—heroes are drawn to beauty.

""No, that’s not—""Please take care of my little sister.

Hopefully, next time, she’ll address you differently.

""…What?

""Hahaha!

"Tang Juyok laughed heartily, giving my shoulder a firm pat.

It didn’t hurt, but I felt an inexplicable heaviness in my chest.

I wanted to correct this misunderstanding immediately, but before I could, Paeh Woo-cheol spoke up.

"By the way, Brother.

""Yeah?

""Where is Ji-seon hyung?

"He was asking about Cheol Ji-seon.

"Oh, him.

"Cheol Ji-seon, who had been staying in Sichuan, had started behaving oddly after his encounter with the Divine Doctor.

He’d been spending more time outside, avoiding us.

When he heard the Divine Doctor was traveling with us, he holed up in another carriage.

‘Clearly, he doesn’t want to see him.

’There seemed to be unresolved issues between the two.

I even asked if he intended to go somewhere else.

-“…I’ll come along.

”That was all he said before clamming up.

‘I was planning to drag him along anyway.

’Cheol Ji-seon’s skills were necessary for my plans.

Had he insisted on returning to his family, I would’ve had no choice but to use more forceful methods to keep him around.

‘Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary.

’As I nodded to myself, Paeh Woo-cheol sighed.

"That’s a shame.

I enjoyed training with him.

""Wasn’t it just you enjoying it?

"From what I saw, Paeh Woo-cheol had been relentlessly pushing Cheol Ji-seon to his limits.

The memory of Cheol Ji-seon barely hanging on, gasping for air, was still fresh.

"Training was necessary," Paeh Woo-cheol said firmly.

"Fair enough.

"Cheol Ji-seon’s frail body and timid demeanor weren’t exactly ideal for a martial artist.

I could understand why Paeh Woo-cheol found him frustrating.

But.

"Don’t worry.

""About what?

""I’ll be the one to train him now.

""Oh.

"I couldn’t just leave him as he was.

If he was going to stick around, I’d make sure he pulled his weight.

‘Though he has no idea what’s coming.

’Cheol Ji-seon’s misfortune aside, I had made up my mind.

Just then, Moyong Hee-ah approached me.

"Everything is ready, Gongja-nim.

"Looking around, I saw that the preparations were indeed complete.

The carriages were orderly and well-stocked.

"Impressive," I remarked.

Moyong Hee-ah’s efficiency in such matters never ceased to amaze me.

"Shall we depart?

""Yes, let’s go.

"There was no reason to delay further.

Though I had my own schedule, leaving quickly would also allow the Tang Clan to proceed with their own affairs.

I decided to move out immediately.

I clasped my hands together and bowed slightly to Tang Juyok.

"Then, I’ll be off.

"This gesture wasn’t just for him but also for the Poison King.

Tang Juyok returned the gesture quietly.

Meanwhile, Paeh Woo-cheol lingered with a wistful expression, so I casually told him to visit the Gu family someday before stepping onto the carriage.

As I stepped into the carriage, Moyong Hee-ah followed closely behind, settling herself inside.

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you in here?

Where’s the White Lotus Sword Senior?

""Didn’t you hear?

""Hear what?

""My aunt left for Shanxi ahead of us.

""...

What?

"Moyong Hee-ah sighed as if weary from even explaining.

"She left for Shanxi.

I don’t know why, and frankly, I don’t care.

"Her exasperated tone left no room for further questioning.

She plopped herself down beside me, clearly fed up.

Why had the White Lotus Sword gone ahead without us?

And more importantly…‘Wasn’t she supposed to be my guard?

’She had attached herself to me under the pretense of providing protection, but now she’d abandoned that role entirely to do whatever she pleased.

It wasn’t the first time her behavior had baffled me, but I decided not to waste energy trying to understand her.

It was easier to just chalk it up to her being a peculiar woman.

With everything ready to depart, I leaned back, intending to close my eyes and rest for a moment.

Bang!

The carriage door burst open, and someone clumsily stumbled inside.

"Haaah…"The culprit was none other than Tang So-yeol.

The problem was her appearance—completely disheveled.

Her hair, usually immaculate, was a tangled mess, and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion.

"Tang So-yeol?

"Even Moyong Hee-ah, rarely one to show concern, looked surprised as she addressed her.

"H-I'm...

so tired…" Tang So-yeol mumbled.

She barely managed to stay upright before collapsing onto the carriage floor.

With limited space, she ended up sprawled partially across Namgung Bi-ah, who was already lounging comfortably.

Moyong Hee-ah turned to me, her expression a mix of amusement and concern.

"Should we get her some water?

""I’m fine…" Tang So-yeol muttered weakly.

But why had she come here in this state?

The question burned in my mind, though I already had an inkling of the answer.

"Are you alright?

" I asked quietly.

What else could I say?

Tang So-yeol’s current state likely had something to do with the Shadow King.

Though she didn’t seem injured, her body was trembling with fatigue, as if she’d pushed herself far beyond her limits.

Tang So-yeol, breathing heavily, looked up at me with a faint smile.

"I’m fine," she said, her voice tired but steady.

Her resilience was admirable, but seeing her like this made me bite my lip in frustration.

I had a hundred things I wanted to say, but none of them felt appropriate.

In the end, I chose to say nothing.

Instead, I closed my eyes, trying to push aside the uneasy feelings.

Before long, the sound of horses whinnying filled the air.

The carriage jolted slightly as it began to move, the wheels creaking against the ground.

‘So, we’re finally heading home.

’For the first time in a long while, the reality of returning to the Gu family truly sank in.

How long had it been since I last headed to the Gu household?

Amid the fleeting comfort of knowing one task was done, a faint sense of unease crept into my mind.

Clack, clack.

The wheels rolled steadily, finding their rhythm as the horses picked up speed.

With my eyes closed, I could feel the slight rocking of the carriage and the breeze brushing against my hair through the window.

Despite the discomfort of the situation and the lingering tension, the knowledge that one chapter had closed allowed me to relax, if only briefly.

And perhaps that was why, for the first time in what felt like ages, I found myself drifting off into a peaceful sleep.