Childhood Friend of the Zenith

As I left the teahouse and walked through the village, a wide smile spread across my face.

"Perfect.

"I was in an exceptionally good mood.

I had finally resolved the problem I’d been mulling over for so long.

"As I thought, it was all about the sequence.

"Squish.

I reached up to touch the beast ears now perched on my head.

The soft, malleable texture was surprisingly well-crafted.

"This isn’t bad at all.

"It didn’t feel quite as solid as when the turtle had placed them, but this level was just right.

What mattered more than perfection was that I no longer had to worry about them coming undone at inconvenient times.

‘The turtle said they’d last three days, didn’t he?

’He’d mentioned that if I moved too aggressively within that time, they might unravel.

That’s why I took the time to learn it myself.

‘Judging by the way things are going, I’m going to need to do this a lot.

It’d be annoying if it unraveled in the middle.

’To wrap things up quickly, I needed control over the process and the situation.

Right after my conversation with Shin Noya, I started dissecting the sorcery applied to my body.

Through that process, I learned a few things.

The foundation of this sorcery lay in the heart, while its scope encompassed the entire body.

It wasn’t just about growing ears and a tail.

Surprisingly, the energy spread throughout my body.

It wasn’t just about adding physical features; it was creating a barrier of sorts.

Not to reveal, but to conceal.

It was more about erasing one’s presence.

‘It’s not as simple as just masking energy.

’How could I describe it?

While it did overlay the body, it went a step further—‘Overlaying the soul?

’It felt like the sorcery was forming a barrier directly over the soul.

The ears and tail were merely superficial features.

There were deeper, more intricate layers and processes at work.

‘At first, I couldn’t understand why such a thing was necessary.

’But after delving into it, I understood.

This wasn’t just necessary—it was essential.

Overlaying the soul meant altering one’s very essence.

It wasn’t on the same level as wearing a mask or using Qi Translation Techniques.

This sorcery obscured the core of one’s being.

As I examined and experimented with it, the truth became clear.

‘…This is insanely difficult sorcery.

’Even for me, it was one of the most challenging techniques I’d encountered.

It took me an entire day just to grasp the fundamentals.

An entire day.

‘Most things don’t take me more than a few hours.

’The fact that I had to spend an entire night just to figure it out spoke volumes about its complexity.

For the first time, I was genuinely impressed by the turtle.

‘Did he create this himself?

’If he developed it rather than learning it from someone else, that would be worthy of admiration.

And it also made me wonder—‘What exactly is he?

’What kind of person lives here as an elder of the Mount Hua Sect, yet has nothing to do with swords?

He doesn’t even stay in the sect, running a teahouse in the village instead.

It didn’t make sense.

‘I’ll have to visit him again someday.

’He had knowledge I didn’t.

And since I needed information on sorcery anyway, this was a perfect opportunity.

Of course, there was no guarantee the turtle would share anything.

But I had to try.

‘I need to understand sorcery better.

’The more I studied it, the more I realized.

If I wanted to link Nine Flames Firewheel with Tua Pacheonmu, I would need the power of sorcery.

This was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to miss.

Eventually, I would have to corner the turtle and get answers.

As I walked, lost in thought—"Excuse me, Master Gu?

""What?

"Gubong addressed me hesitantly.

"Where are we going?

"At his question, I glanced around.

Now that he mentioned it, we were already outside the village.

"Oh.

"Where were we headed?

I’d gotten so lost in thought that I’d forgotten for a moment.

"Good point.

Where should we go?

"When I asked Gubong for directions, his face twisted into an incredulous expression.

"…Why are you asking me that?

" "Because you know the way, and I don’t.

" "Shouldn’t you at least tell me where you want to go first?

" "I already told you.

"I’d mentioned it from the start.

"Yahwol Palace.

That’s where we’re going.

"At my words, Gubong’s eyes widened.

"Right now?

" "Yeah, right now.

" "Immediately?

" "Immediately.

" "…"Gubong’s face contorted further.

Going back to Yahwol Palace after just one day?

His expression showed that he could hardly believe it, but I was dead serious.

Of course, I was serious.

If I weren’t, I wouldn’t bother dragging someone as annoying as him along.

If efficiency were my only concern, it would be far better to travel alone than to endure an uncomfortable companion.

Yet I was willing to put up with him.

Why?

‘Because he’s necessary.

’In my eyes, Gubong was essential.

Not just for now, but for the future as well.

"So stop complaining and lead the way.

"I spoke with irritation, and Gubong bit his lip.

It looked like he wanted to protest, but instead, he simply started walking ahead.

"This way…"He began to guide me, his steps reluctant.

Watching this, I smirked and asked,"Done complaining?

" "…"Honestly, I didn’t need to ask.

In fact, asking was a bad idea.

It could come across as mocking.

I knew all that, yet I asked anyway.

"I still have my complaints.

But if this is what the Sect Leader wishes, I will simply follow.

" "Hmm.

"His response carried an almost blind devotion to Shin Noya.

I’d noticed it before—it was almost pathological.

Should I point it out?

Or do something else?

I considered it for a moment, but I’d already decided.

"Fine, then.

"I ignored it.

There was no point in getting involved.

I didn’t particularly want to, either.

Whether he’d always been this way or if it had worsened after I arrived, I didn’t care.

As long as it didn’t cause me unnecessary discomfort, it didn’t matter.

I pointed forward and said,"Lead the way.

"I had far too much to do to waste time worrying about things like that.

*********We stepped outside.

Leaving Mount Hua was easier than expected.

Just like when we entered, sprinkling the powder allowed us to pass through.

Which meant—‘Breaking through the barrier before was clearly a mistake.

’There was a proper method, and tampering with it had been the issue all along.

‘...

Then why not just explain it beforehand?

’That insane old man.

Would it kill him to explain things before throwing me into the deep end?

Why does he always act first and explain nothing?

I really couldn’t understand him.

Sigh.

I let out a long sigh and kept walking.

Outside, the sun was nearing its zenith, signaling it was close to noon.

How long had we been walking?

As I’d mentioned before, running wasn’t an option, so we kept a steady but moderate pace.

It felt like we’d been walking forever.

‘I wish I could just fly there.

’But I figured there was a reason we couldn’t, so I walked on in silence.

I hadn’t exchanged a single word with Gubong.

There hadn’t been any need.

Gubong kept his mouth shut and focused solely on guiding the way.

I followed him, lost in my own thoughts, planning.

‘How long will this take?

’How much time would it take to resolve the plans I had set in motion?

And—‘Even if it succeeds.

’Even if everything went according to plan.

Even if I managed to return to Zhongyuan.

‘How much time will have passed?

’Time moved differently here and in Zhongyuan.

Even though I’d only spent a few months here, Shin Noya had lived over a hundred years in this world.

I clung to the hope that not too much time had passed, but—‘The sooner, the better.

’It was best to return as quickly as possible.

There was no time to waste lingering in this place.

Especially since—‘Just being around Cheonma is a problem in itself.

’There were too many complications.

I had mountains of unfinished business, and I had no intention of wasting time here.

So I needed to prepare to escape as soon as possible.

But first—‘I need to finish what I came here to do.

’I couldn’t leave without completing the task I’d promised.

It had caused some delays, but it was something I could handle.

After all, it was for Noya.

"...

"I scratched my cheek, lost in thought.

And then it hit me.

‘What about after?

’After helping Noya, when everything was done, and it was finally time to leave—‘Is Noya coming with me?

’The thought struck me out of nowhere.

Ever since Noya had asked me for help last night, it had been lingering in my mind.

If Noya had cared enough to make such a request, he must have deep ties to the Mount Hua Sect.

He’d spent 150 years here.

Far more time than he’d spent with me.

Perhaps even more time than he’d spent in Zhongyuan.

When everything was said and done, would Noya leave Mount Hua to return to Zhongyuan with me?

The question lingered in my mind.

‘Tch.

’The thought left a bitter taste on my tongue.

I already had an inkling of what his answer might be.

Grinding my teeth, I forced the thought out of my head.

At that moment—"We’re here," Gubong said abruptly.

I lifted my head.

"Ah, we are.

"In the distance, Yahwol Palace came into view, just as I’d remembered it.

Without another word, we walked on.

Before long, we stood before the palace gates once again.

***********The atmosphere at the entrance was quieter and more subdued than before.

The lively, bustling energy of the crowd was gone, replaced by an air of tension and vigilance.

It wasn’t surprising.

‘It must be the aftermath of yesterday’s raid.

’Considering the chaos I’d caused, this was to be expected.

What they likely hadn’t expected was that I’d return after just one day.

"Who goes there?

"As we approached the gatekeepers, they raised their spears defensively.

They’d seemed indifferent last time, but now they were sharp and alert.

"We’re from Mount Hua.

" "…Mount Hua?

"At Gubong’s words, the gatekeepers’ expressions twisted.

They hesitated the moment they heard it.

It wasn’t just because we were outsiders.

There was something else.

Noticing this, Gubong narrowed his eyes.

"Is something the matter—" "Please wait here for a moment.

Hey!

"The gatekeeper cut Gubong off, quickly raising a hand to signal someone in the distance.

Seeing this, Gubong’s face hardened, realizing something was amiss.

In contrast, I smiled.

This was looking—‘Perfect.

’It seemed everything was going exactly as I’d hoped.