Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Upon hearing Yeongpung’s words, I couldn't help but furrow my brows.

“Who…?

”I couldn't comprehend what he had just said.

Who was he claiming to be a successor to?

‘Did I hear that correctly?

’No matter how I thought about it, it felt like I must have misheard.

However, Yeongpung, now looking slightly flustered, continued.

“Perhaps… you don’t know who the Mount Hua Celestial Sword is?

” “No… Just, uh, explain.

”The title seemed correct, at least.

I needed to confirm if the Mount Hua Celestial Sword he was referring to was the same one I knew.

“The Mount Hua Celestial Sword was the 8th head of the Mount Hua Sect.

”…Oh, boy.

“One of the Five Heroes who stopped the Blood Demon’s calamity during the Blood Demon War.

”Oh, dear.

“A revered figure of the Mount Hua Sect, whose name is still brought up when discussing the greatest swordsmen in history, even to this day… Young Master?

”“… …”Yeongpung cautiously addressed me as he noticed my face contorting more and more with each passing word.

‘It seems like it’s true.

’No matter how I thought about it, the Mount Hua Celestial Sword Yeongpung was talking about and the senile old man I knew were clearly the same person.

But then again,‘What does he mean by that?

’What exactly was Yeongpung implying with his words just now?

‘A successor?

’The idea that Yeongpung was suddenly claiming to be the Mount Hua Celestial Sword’s successor was baffling.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

Why would he be the successor?

‘No, wait…’If I thought about it, it wasn’t entirely strange.

‘He’s a better fit than I am.

’Compared to someone like me, who lacked any foundation, Yeongpung, heralded as Mount Hua’s greatest prodigy, was a much more reasonable candidate for the role.

His swordsmanship and Qi techniques were identical to those of the Mount Hua Sect.

The only real difference was that the old man had a vile temper, whereas Yeongpung didn’t.

Still,‘I am the successor.

’I could say that with absolute certainty.

I was the true successor of that old man.

‘If not me, then who else would it be?

’The legacy of Shin Noya, which I once desperately wanted to escape from, had now become aligned with the path I wished to follow.

I had inherited his will.

And to walk that path, I would also stop the Blood Demon.

With that resolve in mind, I needed to figure out the truth behind what Yeongpung was saying.

“…What made you suddenly think this way?

”When I cautiously asked, Yeongpung cleared his throat a few times before continuing.

“I had a fortuitous encounter.

” “I see.

”Of course, he did.

Anyone who looked at Yeongpung now would think the same.

What mattered was how that encounter tied into all of this.

“Gu Sohyeop, have you heard the recent rumors spreading around?

” “Recent rumors?

” “Incidents occurring at the various branches of the Martial Alliance.

Just a few days ago, something happened in Guangdong as well.

” “…Ah, yes.

I’ve heard about that.

”I was well aware.

It wasn’t something I could be ignorant of.

“The rumors started spreading about half a year ago.

Around that time, there was also some activity in the Shaanxi region.

” “Activity?

” “Yes, a request for support came from the Alliance.

”Traditionally, the Shaanxi region didn’t need a Martial Alliance branch, as it was home to the Mount Hua Sect.

However, with the rise of the Black Night Palace in the past and the Wudang Sword Saint becoming the Alliance Leader, branches were established in all regions, including Shaanxi.

“…They requested support there?

” “Yes.

They asked for assistance with reconnaissance and security, anticipating potential trouble.

” “And?

” “Due to the Alliance’s request, the Plum Blossom Sword Corps was dispatched.

”While the Mount Hua Sect wasn’t officially affiliated with the Martial Alliance, as a righteous sect, they were obligated to respond to its requests.

So, a few Plum Blossom Swordmasters had been sent for reconnaissance.

“And during that time…?

” “…Yes.

”When I guessed the outcome, Yeongpung nodded in confirmation.

“…At the time, I was patrolling outside Mount Hua for reconnaissance.

During my patrol, I happened to discover a cave.

” “A cave?

” “Yes.

It was a place I had never seen before, so I entered to investigate… and that’s where I found it.

” “Found what?

” “Traces of him.

”‘Him,’ as Yeongpung referred to, was undoubtedly Shin Noya, the Mount Hua Celestial Sword.

In other words, Yeongpung had found something resembling a secret record left behind by Shin Noya during his patrol.

‘A secret record.

’That’s what it sounded like, but the statement raised questions.

“You’re saying the secret record hadn’t been discovered until now?

”If it were something that could be found during a simple patrol, it should have already been discovered and safeguarded by the Mount Hua Sect.

The fact that it was only now coming to light felt odd.

In response, Yeongpung explained,“It was in Shaanxi, but in a rather remote area.

” “…You’re saying he made a secret record in a remote area?

”Rather than creating it near the Mount Hua Sect, it was made somewhere far away in Shaanxi?

My tone carried skepticism, and Yeongpung tilted his head as he replied,“Is that so strange?

” “Well, not exactly…”It wasn’t necessary for the secret record to be within Mount Hua.

As Yeongpung said, there was no issue with that.

However,‘That old man wouldn’t have left something behind.

’Knowing Shin Noya’s personality and habits, it was hard to imagine him leaving anything for the future.

Even if he did, it wouldn’t have been in a remote area far from Mount Hua.

Of course, that was my perspective, not Yeongpung’s.

From Yeongpung’s viewpoint,“The previous head of the sect was a wise man.

He must have had his reasons.

” “… …”Hearing Yeongpung’s glowing admiration, I had no words to respond with.

I couldn’t exactly say, “Your ancestor wasn’t as wise as you think.

”Swallowing down my retort, I moved on to ask another question.

“…So, anyway.

Are you saying that the state of your body now is somehow related to this secret record?

” “Oh.

”At my question, Yeongpung seemed to remember something he had momentarily forgotten.

“When I entered the cave, I found elixirs left behind by the previous sect leader, along with a letter…” “A letter?

” “Yes?

Oh, yes.

”Interrupting him, I must have startled him because he looked flustered.

“Did it say anything specific?

” “…That…”Yeongpung’s face turned troubled at my question.

Seeing his hesitation, I decided to drop the matter.

‘I guess this is the limit.

’It wasn’t just any letter—it was a letter left by the Mount Hua Celestial Sword.

Sharing the words of a great hero of the Mount Hua Sect so carelessly with an outsider would be unthinkable.

“My apologies.

I overstepped.

”Understanding this, I offered a quick apology.

“It’s fine.

It’s only natural to be curious.

”Yeongpung brushed it off, showing he wasn’t bothered.

Truly, he was nothing like that foul-tempered old man.

“So, you’re saying the energy you possess now was obtained in the cave?

”As I asked, I thought back to the energy I had sensed earlier.

‘I thought that energy felt familiar.

’I had wondered why Yeongpung’s presence seemed oddly familiar.

Now, it was clear—his energy resembled the energy of the Mount Hua artifact I carried within me.

Not entirely identical, but there was certainly a similarity.

‘So he did gain some part of Shin Noya’s energy.

’It was clear that Yeongpung had obtained something significant.

However,‘While gaining a fortuitous encounter is one thing, claiming to be the successor is another matter.

’It wasn’t just a matter of acquiring energy and undergoing physical changes.

Declaring oneself the successor to the Mount Hua Celestial Sword was a different level entirely.

Which meant,‘There’s more to this.

’Something must have happened to make Yeongpung come to that conclusion.

Several questions remained unanswered.

Though I didn’t know Yeongpung’s character in detail, judging by his personality, if he had found such a fortuitous encounter in the cave,‘He would have taken it to the Mount Hua Sect first.

’Yet he hadn’t done that.

‘And for some reason, he hasn’t returned to Mount Hua since then.

’Judging by Yeongpung’s current state, it was clear that he had not gone to Mount Hua after obtaining his fortuitous encounter.

Why was that?

As the thought crossed my mind, Yeongpung addressed it himself.

“I sent a letter to the sect leader about my situation.

”Yeongpung explained that he had written to the sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect about his current circumstances.

“And the one who delivered the reply… was you?

”I turned to Gu Ryeonghwa, who nodded at my words.

“Our paths aligned, so the sect leader entrusted me with the task.

” “And why are you headed to Wudang?

”Hearing my question, Gu Ryeonghwa hesitated briefly before answering.

“…I’m going to visit my master.

”If her master was involved,‘The Sword Queen?

’She must be referring to Sword Queen So Yi, the current wielder of the Sword Queen title.

‘Does that mean the Sword Queen is currently at Wudang?

’Why she was there was another question altogether.

As I listened, I found myself growing more puzzled.

‘There’s too much that doesn’t add up.

’Even in a story that mostly made sense, there were countless details that stood out as odd.

Among them, the most suspicious part was, of course, Shin Noya’s secret record.

But I lacked any grounds to challenge it outright.

‘I can’t just say, “Actually, I’m the real successor of the Mount Hua Celestial Sword, and you’re a fraud.

” That’d be absurd.

’So, what should I do?

‘The simplest option would be to ask directly.

’But it wasn’t as though I could just go and question the ghostly old man from Mount Hua right now.

So then, how should I handle this?

What approach would work?

I deliberated for a moment.

Originally, since this was related to Gu Ryeonghwa, I had intended to deal with it briefly and move on.

‘But if it’s connected to Shin Noya, it’s different.

’With matters like this, I had to dig deeper.

‘Wudang, huh.

’That place wasn’t on the agenda just yet.

According to the plan,‘I was supposed to go there after finishing my business in Henan.

’I had planned to visit Wudang sometime in late summer or early autumn, not now.

“It seems I’ll have to adjust my plans slightly.

”‘Changing the order won’t be an issue.

’It would be a bit bothersome, but it wasn’t an actual problem.

If that was the case—“You said you were heading to Wudang, correct?

” “Yes?

Ah, that’s correct.

”After organizing my thoughts, I addressed Yeongpung.

“Would it be alright if I joined you?

” “Pardon?

”Yeongpung’s eyes widened at my sudden question.

“You want to come along, young master?

” “Yes, I happen to have some business at Wudang as well.

Let’s travel together.

”It wasn’t a lie.

I did have business at Wudang—just not immediately.

But that could always change.

“Brother, are you sure you don’t need to go back?

”Gu Ryeonghwa, clearly worried, looked at me with concern.

“Won’t the family head… be angry?

”She seemed to be fretting over my father’s reaction.

I gave her a small chuckle.

“It’ll be fine.

Father isn’t likely to scold me over this.

”Her eyes widened at my words, likely because of how I referred to him.

Seeing her expression, I ruffled her hair.

“Ugh!

Stop touching me!

”Although she shouted as if annoyed, she didn’t actually push my hand away.

I smirked and turned back to Yeongpung.

“That’s alright with you, I assume?

” “I would be glad for the company.

”Yeongpung seemed genuinely pleased, and I nodded.

With that, I prepared to change my destination from Shanxi to Wudang.

But just as I was about to, another question came to mind.

“Oh, by the way, why exactly are you going to Wudang?

”While I knew he had obtained a fortuitous encounter, I still didn’t understand why that led him to Wudang.

“Ah, well…”Yeongpung gave a slightly embarrassed look before responding.

“It’s to retrieve a treasured artifact.

” “A treasured artifact?

”To retrieve a treasured artifact?

That was an odd explanation.

I looked at him with confusion.

“Wudang is currently holding a treasured artifact belonging to Mount Hua.

” “Wudang is?

” “Yes, it seems there was some agreement made in the past… but now it’s time to reclaim it.

”An agreement from the past, and now it was time to retrieve it?

“Seems like an important matter.

Shouldn’t the sect leader be handling it?

”As I spoke, I recalled something Gu Ryeonghwa had mentioned earlier.

It seemed strange that only second- and third-generation disciples were handling the retrieval of such a significant artifact.

‘She did say the Sword Queen was there.

’Since a senior figure from the sect was present in Wudang, that part made sense.

Even so, I bit my tongue, but Yeongpung, having caught on, responded to my comment.

“It’s something I need to handle personally.

”Yeongpung spoke with a serious expression.

‘He needs to handle it personally?

’There was something unusual about the tone of his voice, enough to stir my curiosity.

Normally, I wouldn’t pry into such matters, but something about this made me ask.

“What exactly are you retrieving?

”What kind of artifact was Wudang holding that prompted Yeongpung to leave Mount Hua entirely to retrieve it?

Hearing my question, Yeongpung answered,“The treasured artifact Wudang is holding… is the Eternal Bind (Gui-jeong), the beloved sword of the Mount Hua Celestial Sword.

”…Huh?

There was something strange about his statement.

‘If it’s that old man’s beloved sword…’Wait… wasn’t that…?

“You probably aren’t familiar with it, young master.

It’s not a widely known artifact,” Yeongpung added, seemingly reading my puzzled expression.

But from my perspective, his words couldn’t have been more incorrect.

I asked in a trembling voice,“What… is the name of this artifact?

”The treasured artifact Wudang held, the one Yeongpung was retrieving—what was its name?

Hearing my question, Yeongpung tilted his head slightly, as if wondering why I’d ask such a thing.

Then, as if it was no secret, he answered.

“It’s called Eternal Bind (Gui-jeong).

” “…” “Do you happen to know of it, young master?

”Know of it?

…I knew it all too well.

That was precisely the problem.

Upon hearing the name, I instinctively hid my left arm—the arm wrapped in blue-tinted bandages, soaked in an ominous energy that had seeped into me.

‘…What is this situation?

’Somewhere along the way, something had gone horribly wrong.

And then, as if the world itself was confirming my thoughts, chaos erupted.

“Subdue them immediately!

” “Ha… what an absolute mess.

”I had briefly forgotten my cursed luck.

But reality had just come crashing down again, reminding me exactly what kind of person I was.