Childhood Friend of the Zenith -
Chapter 270: Winter Has Come (1)
I didn’t really have anything to do the day after the engagement.
The engagement ceremony was completed, and this information would soon be spread throughout the Central Plains, so all that was left for me to do was return to my clan.
This trip wasn’t too long.
Besides spending a few more days than I had to at the Namgung Clan, it didn’t really take that long, nor did I expect it to.
It lasted around a bit less than a week.
Compared to my other trips, this one was extremely short.
I was done with the engagement ceremony, and my business regarding the Namgung Clan’s treasure was also taken care of. So, since I had no reason to stay behind, I started packing my belongings.
It was time for me to return to the Gu Clan.
Of course, Namgung Jin looked at me with shiny eyes as if he was begging me to stay while sending me off, but I pretended not to see him. I didn’t know what would happen to me if I stayed here any longer.
Namgung Jin still gained enlightenment, so he wasn’t able to stop me and all he could do was look at me with pitiful eyes.
In the case of Namgung Cheonjun, he looked relieved that I was leaving, but because of the Demonic Qi inside his body, his confused expression remained the same.
However, it seemed like he was still drunk on his Demonic Qi enhanced power because he kept begging me to see if he could use it, so I ordered him to put his head to the ground until I left.
Since a blood relative of the clan wasn’t sending off their guest, he was definitely going to be punished, but what could I do?
I didn’t want to see the bastard’s face.
‘Outside… I believe Moyong Hi-ah said that she would be waiting for me.’
She informed me that she was waiting outside the Namgung Clan instead of coming in.
It seemed like she wanted to leave with me.
Did she really come to Anhui to take care of her business?
What a busy girl.
Despite her condition, Moyong Hi-ah was still given the important tasks regarding her clan, so it didn’t seem like Moyong Hi-ah was going to have an easy life either.
But first…
Putting all that aside, I wanted to return to Gu Clan as quickly as possible.
I had to recover my strength and organize my upcoming plans.
I also had a lot to think about regarding the words the Thunderous Sword, Namgung Myung left me with.
“Are you sure you don’t have to stay?”
I asked Namgung Bi-ah, who was next to me.
I didn’t know if it was because of the engagement ceremony, but it felt like I had become much closer with Namgung Bi-ah than before.
To be more accurate, the number of times she visited me had increased.
As if she didn’t understand my question, Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head with a puzzled look.
“Hmm…?”
“I’m asking if it’s okay for you to come with me.”
This was the Namgung Clan, and considering how Namgung Bi-ah was a blood relative of the clan, she didn’t really have to return to Gu Clan.
In response to my question, Namgung Bi-ah simply shook her head.
“…This isn’t… my home.”
“Then, is my house your home?”
Since when did the Gu Clan become her home?
Namgung Bi-ah shook her head once again, as if she was telling me I was wrong.
“No.”
“Hmm?”
“You.”
“Huh…?”
“…You are my home…”
That was enough.
That’s what Namgung Bi-ah told me.
“…”
Because this somewhat felt like a confession from her, I became speechless for a moment.
“Oh… um…”I racked my brain like a madman, wondering how to respond to her, but because I couldn’t think of anything…
“…Um… I see.”I gave her a retarded response.
Despite aging this much, I was still weak in this regard, which was rather ironic.
…Ugh.
I couldn’t even imagine what Elder Shin would’ve said if he was here right now.
It definitely wouldn’t have been anything positive.
“Oh… You don’t have anything you want to learn from the Lord?”
“Hmm?”
That was a personal question.
Namgung Jin gained enlightenment, and one of the deals I made with him was that he would teach Namgung Bi-ah what he learned, so if Namgung Bi-ah stayed, she would be able to learn a few things from Namgung Jin, but it seemed like she didn’t even need that.
“I don’t need it.”
“Is that so?”
It was a rare opportunity for her to learn from a master who reached the Fusion Realm, and one from the Namgung Clan at that, so I wondered why Namgung Bi-ah rejected my offer when she didn’t even know the details.
As I was wondering,
“…I… know the path.”It was a firm response from Namgung Bi-ah.
She knew her own path, so she didn’t need the teachings of anyone else.
How arrogant.
It was an extremely arrogant statement.
Namgung Bi-ah may have been one of the best when it came to talent, but she was still a young prodigy and despite reaching the Peak Realm, there was always someone better.
It was very arrogant of her to say such a thing…
But at the same time, it was not.
If I thought about the talent and what Namgung Bi-ah displayed in the future, she wasn’t necessarily wrong.
She was a monster who earned the title of Sword Queen even as a Demonic Human, and if I thought about how Namgung Bi-ah had destroyed her own clan, although the Heavenly Venerable wasn’t present back then…
She has enough talent to back her words up, so I guess it’s fine?
It was pointless for me to interfere with her will, so I didn’t say anything in response.
I could only nod.
If that was the decision Namgung Bi-ah had made, all I could do was respect it.
“…What will you do… once you return?”
It was Namgung Bi-ah who asked the question this time.
How refreshing, she almost never asked me anything.
“Once I return?”
What would I do once I returned to Gu Clan?
I wondered.
I have no time.
By the time I arrived at the clan, it would be fall and winter would come soon after.
…Winter huh.
Because I would have to go to the Heavenly Dragon Academy in the winter, it didn’t seem like I would be able to really do anything in the short time between fall and winter.
“…I guess I will train?”
Head to the Wudang Sect.
Find the Monster of Wudang.
Or perhaps, find the White Demonic Stone and absorb it.
I had many important things planned, but since I didn’t really have the time to do any of those things, I concluded that it would be too difficult to do it for now.
Namgung Bi-ah seemed to be preoccupied in her own thoughts after hearing my response.
“…Okay. I understand.”
Then she nodded her head as if she had realized something.
Lame.
There is one thing though.
There was one thing I didn’t tell Namgung Bi-ah; the fact that I had to go down to the basement.
It seems I have something to check after all…
Even in death, it was a place I would never visit, but I had no other choice.
There were things I would not be able to learn if I didn’t go there myself.
Also, if there was one thing that I was praying for…
It’s that Elder Shin needs to wake up.
I could only pray that Elder Shin would wake up before winter arrived.
Me wanting to see Elder Shin was one of the reasons, but I also felt like Elder Shin owed me a lot of help with the matters regarding Namgung Myung.
The Iron Fist as well…
Considering how the Thunderous Sword had mentioned the Iron Fist, there was a chance that Elder Shin knew something as well.
So please wake up.
I wanted to learn about just what had happened to Elder Shin that prevented him from waking up.
“You seem to be done with your preparations.”
As I was chatting with Namgung Bi-ah, Lady Mi came towards us.
It seemed like father wasn’t with her.
I could’ve sworn that he was with her earlier, so he must have been speaking with Namgung Jin.
“Yes. It seems that the servants worked hard.”
I responded to Lady Mi.
Because in reality, it was the servants who had packed my belongings, not me.
“Yes. The children always work hard.”
After nodding, Lady Mi went towards not me, but Namgung Bi-ah.
She tidied and fixed her slightly messed up outfit.
“Ah… Thank… you.”
“It might look bad if your clothes are messed up when you are outside.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Considering how you will soon become a member of our family, you need to be more cautious about such things.”
…You don’t have to go that far.
Hearing Lady Mi, I couldn’t help but click my tongue inside my head.
Aside from Namgung Bi-ah, who was criticized, I didn’t really care about my looks, so I had nothing to say.
When was the last time I even put on an ordinary outfit?
I think it was probably for the brief time I wore it during the engagement ceremony.
It seemed like Namgung Bi-ah had tensed up after hearing Lady Mi while I was lost in my thoughts.
What’s wrong with her?
…Is she concerned about how she called her a member?
I didn’t know if it was because Lady Mi said that she would soon become a member of the Gu Clan after marriage, but Namgung Bi-ah’s posture seemed slightly different compared to before.
Namgung Bi-ah already had a proper posture whenever she went to see father or Lady Mi, but it seemed even more extreme at the moment.
After tidying Namgung Bi-ah’s hair and dusting off her clothes, Lady Mi turned around and made her way to her carriage.
I gulped nervously as she gazed at me, from the top of my head to the tip of my toes, while passing by.
I never knew what she was thinking, so I wondered what she thought after gazing at me.
…It doesn’t seem to be anything positive though.
It just felt that way.
Fair enough, I already knew that Lady Mi wasn’t too fond of me.
After Lady Mi boarded her carriage, I waited a little longer before I saw father walking towards us from a distance.
Judging by how Namgung Jin was accompanying him, it seemed like they were indeed having a conversation, just as I expected.
“I greet the Lord.”
“I greet… the Lord.”
I greeted Namgung Jin, and Namgung Bi-ah greeted my father. We lowered our heads and showed respect.
“Are you all done preparing?”
“Yes.”
Father nodded at my response.
During this, Namgung Jin’s gaze bore into me, but because of how uncomfortable it made me, I tried my best to avoid it.
“It was good seeing you again. I hope that we can see each other the next time as well.”
“…Yes, in a good light I hope…”
“Yes.”
“…”
As he emphasized his words, it made me feel rather bloated.
I also noticed that his eyes had become much clearer.
It seemed like the enlightenment he gained wasn’t minor.
Then, Namgung Jin moved his gaze away from me and looked at Namgung Bi-ah.
For a father looking at his daughter, the manner in which he gazed at her seemed a bit strange…
“…Have a safe trip.”
But he seemed much better than before.
Was it because Namgung Jin’s mind now had more time and space?
I didn’t care about him that much to figure it out.
“…”
Namgung Bi-ah paused for a moment on hearing his words, and then, she slowly nodded her head.
Her eyes seemed awkward.
Namgung Bi-ah boarded the carriage soon afterwards, and following her, I got on as well.
As soon as I sat down, as if she was waiting for this moment, Namgung Bi-ah leaned her head against my shoulders.
I was used to this now.
“We will start moving.”
“Alright.”
As soon as I responded to the horseman,
Neigh!
I heard the sound of horses moving their feet.
Only after hearing that sound, did I truly feel that my engagement ceremony had ended.
******************After a while, the season of fall was drawing to a close and the slow transition to winter had begun.
A lady was packing her belongings while feeling the breeze.
All she packed were a few outfits and a single worn out sword.
That much was enough for the lady.
After all, carrying an unnecessary amount would only slow her down.
“…”As she was packing, the lady stretched her white hand and opened a drawer.
In the drawer was a hair accessory.
It was an accessory that seemed to symbolize the sun.
It was an object that she used to hold in her hands as she slept.
There were also times where she was unable to fall asleep if she didn’t hold that object in her hands.
It was a cheap accessory that could be bought from the street with spare change…
“…”But the lady carefully picked up the accessory and placed it inside her pocket.
It was the most important object she currently possessed.
After she was done with her simple packing, the lady stepped outside.
With no sun in the sky and darkness still vivid, the midnight was cold, but the lady didn’t care.
She began moving her feet.
She wanted to arrive there as soon as possible.
Right as she was about to walk with a calm gaze,
“You are leaving already?”
Pause.
A voice brought a stop to the lady’s steps.
The lady turned towards the owner of the voice, and then, she lowered her head to show respect.
“…Were you not asleep?”
“Once you get older, you sleep less at night. Hehe…”
“…”
“Although, you should definitely not have that problem since you are still young, so why are you leaving so early when it’s still midnight? You still have four days left, if I recall correctly?”
“…I got approval.”
“From your grandfather?”
“Yes.”
Hearing the lady’s words, the Immortal Healer just nodded.
Then it didn’t matter.
The lady then asked the elderly.
“You were looking for me?”
“Yes, it felt like you were going to leave… and looking at you right now, it seems I was right on the mark.”
“…”
After staring at the lady for a moment, the Immortal Healer pulled something out from his pocket and flung it towards her.
Tap.
The lady lightly caught the object he threw at her.
What the elderly had thrown was a relatively, decent sized charm pocket.
“Ah.”
After inspecting the object, the lady showed a short reaction.
“I have told both you and your grandfather.”
The lady’s head moved while listening to the Immortal Healer.
“The power you hold is too strong, so I failed to block all of it.”
“…”
“Though thanks to that, you have become more human…”
“I am human.”
After hearing the lady’s curt reply, the Immortal Healer who was cut off, showed a slight change in his expression.
It was because he realized that he had made a mistake with his words.
The elderly looked at the lady and continued speaking with a bitter smile.
“Right, it was a slip of the tongue. I apologize…”
“No… it’s fine.”
“I see… I have given you enough to survive the winter. Make sure you take them at least once a week.”
“…Thank you.”
The lady lowered her head at the Immortal Healer’s thoughtfulness.
She knew that he put a lot of care into her.
As she put the charm pocket inside her pocket, the Immortal Healer asked.
“Do you have any intention of going with the Taeryung Clan fella?”
“…”
“I can already tell by looking at your expression. No need to respond.”
The Immortal Healer had also put on a sour face.
He had a handsome figure, prominent talent, came from a respected household and had respect.
But for some reason, the Immortal Healer wasn’t fond of the young man.
Then, he was reminded of a different face.
That yellow bastard was rude, but he was likable.
It had been about two years.
The Immortal Healer thought about the fierce looking young man who belonged to the household of flames.
He was concerned about how the young man had an expression as if he had lived his entire life, but judging by how the Immortal Healer still remembered him, it seemed like the young man had left a good impression on him.
And…
It is probably the same for that child.
Along with that thought, the Immortal Healer suppressed his sigh.
The appearance of a child who was involved in the business of old men, seemed far from happiness.
Because he knew that, the Immortal Healer went out of his way to find the lady at midnight.
“Be careful.”
“Thank you.”
Once again, the lady showed respect to the Immortal Healer’s words, before she began moving her feet again.
With the passage of time, the seasons had changed multiple times, and winter had come once more.
…Can I really see him this time?
As she moved forward, the lady felt more nervous rather than excited.
Seasons had changed, the environment had changed, and she herself had also changed.
Will… he recognize me?
Wondering if he would be able to recognize her, the lady felt nervous, but what she cared more was that she would be able to see him again, so she quickened her pace.
Her destination was Henan.
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