Childhood Friend of the Zenith -
Chapter 365: Gathering of the Orthodox Faction (6)
Gathering of the Orthodox Faction (6)
The Dishonored Venerable spoke with a crumpled expression.
“…What are you suggesting?”
“It is exactly as I said.”
I wanted to keep my current Mind Art and add the Dishonored Venerable’s on top of it.
But the Dishonored Venerable frowned in response.
“Should I take it as you wanting to die? If so, I can help you with that in a much simpler way.”
He was essentially offering to beat me to death.
How savage of him.
In response, I told him,
“I am not joking.”
“Not joking, you say? Are you toying with me?”
“That’s not it, either. I’m completely serious.”
“Ha.”
His reaction was understandable.
It wasn’t possible for a martial artist to possess two different Mind Arts in their body at once.
Not only did Qi differ for different types of Mind Arts, but if two conflicting Qis collided within the body, it could lead to permanent disability, or worse.
The Dishonored Venerable’s story further proved the danger of it.
To master the martial arts he’d created, he’d sacrificed everything and started anew.
It was so dangerous that even the Dishonored Venerable had to give up everything to learn a new Mind Art. There wasn’t any other solution for a martial artist.
Yet here I was, proposing that he teach me his martial art while I retained my own.
I understood why the Dishonored Venerable found the whole idea absurd.
“Do you know what you are saying right now?”
“I do.”
“If that’s true, then you shouldn’t be so confident, especially if you’re not just toying with me.”
The Dishonored Venerable’s voice took on an edge of anger.
He truly seemed to believe I was toying with him.
But I was completely serious. Ignoring his reaction, I pressed on.
“I know there’s something you want from me.”
The Dishonored Venerable paused after hearing my response.
There was a reason he was letting me off the hook and wanted me as his disciple.
“There’s something I can’t afford to discard.”
“So, you intend to carry both within you? Do you think that’s even possible?”
His gaze grew sharper.
“You seem to think that martial arts are a joke.”
While it was technically possible to learn multiple martial arts, mastering even one to perfection was a monumental feat.
Yet here I was, proposing to contain both his art and mine, so I could see why he found the idea unsettling.
Even so,
“I will give up if you think it is impossible. However,”
I finished my statement without breaking eye contact with him.
“I will not become your disciple if I’m not doing this. You’re free to kill me instead.”
“…”
The Dishonored Venerable’s grim expression didn’t soften at my words.
But I didn’t see any violent reaction from him, either.
I couldn’t tell if he was calming his anger or seriously contemplating killing me.
I might have been the one to provoke him, but I’d have to run if he truly intended to kill me.
I constantly looked for escape routes during this.
Thankfully, it seemed he wasn’t going to kill me; after a long pause, he finally responded.
“…And what will you do if your attempt at this doesn’t work?”
I did it.
I nodded to myself, satisfied, but hid my reaction as I answered him.
“If that happens, I’ll purge everything from my body, as you wish, and start from the bottom.”
The Dishonored Venerable appeared deep in thought, but to me, he’d already made his decision.
I may have said I’d abandon my current martial arts and level if necessary, but I had no intention of doing so.
It was because I was certain about something.
I was confident I could learn the Dishonored Venerable’s martial art without sacrificing my own.
Fortunately, it was exactly as I expected.
******************
Mi Hyoran, the owner of the White Flowers merchant association and the Lady of the Gu Clan, looked at her husband, holding a white fan in her hand.
He looked the same as ever, seated before a table piled with letters.
His fierce eyes hadn’t changed, but they looked more exhausted than usual.
She was concerned about that look of his, but the letter in her hand was more important to her.
“What will you do?”
She was slightly surprised by the sharpness of her own voice, but didn’t bother softening it.
Upon hearing Mi Hyoran’s voice, the Lord of Shanxi’s Gu Clan, known as the Tiger Warrior, lifted his head.
His red pupils were the same as ever.
Gu Cheolun, the Lord, responded to Mi Hyoran with a question.
“About what?”
Mi Hyoran frowned when he responded as if he didn’t know what she meant.
“…Were you not informed as well?”
Mi Hyoran slapped the letter down on Gu Cheolun’s table.
The blue stamp on that letter belonged to the Murim Alliance.
“There’s going to be a meeting. Are you seriously not attending?”
“…”
Mi Hyoran’s pupils were cold and sharp.
She’d considered going alone immediately after receiving the letter but managed to hold back.
“The Moyong Clan was the one who canceled their meeting with the White Flowers merchant association first.”
“…”
“I believe it’s because they were informed about the incident before us.”
She spoke as if she was assuming it, but she was certain. Moreover, there was a reason why Mi Hyoran brought this up.
The Moyong Clan was heading to Henan, even sacrificing their own opportunities, yet Gu Cheolun sat here, taking no action.
Gu Cheolun looked down at the letter.
His gaze remained the same as he read the letter, but Mi Hyoran was able to notice a slight change.
She could tell his mood was far from ideal.
“I know you didn’t attend the last meeting.”
The Orthodox Faction’s gathering had occurred decades ago, and Gu Cheolun hadn’t gone then, either.
“And I’m aware that the Gu Clan’s reputation suffered because of it.”
Every clan could choose whether or not to attend, but they had to accept the consequences of falling behind others if they didn’t.
Of course, Mi Hyoran wasn’t the type to worry about reputation alone.
Though reputation was crucial for a merchant association’s owner, Mi Hyoran approached this matter as a parent.
“I don’t blame you because I know the reason.”
“What do you want to say?”
Gu Cheolun’s annoyance showed as Mi Hyoran continued pressing the issue.
Yet Mi Hyoran didn’t back down in the face of his anger.
“I hear you’re sending the First Army’s Captain, the eldest daughter, and the First Elder in your place.”
This was informed to the clan by the steward.
This group would be sent to Henan as the Lord’s representatives.
AThough the Lord wouldn’t attend, sending two Elders and a blood relative could be seen as a respectful gesture, but Mi Hyoran was not pleased.
“How can you… be like this?”
“…”
Mi Hyoran spoke with an exhausted tone.
“As always, I won’t demand you be a good father, I failed to be a good mother myself.”
With that, Mi Hyoran turned away.
She was not fond of the situation at all.
“Even so, you can’t keep going on like this.”
Though she pitied the man bound by Shanxi’s weight, her concerns lay with their children as well.
“Even if you aren’t going, I shall go as the owner of the White Flowers merchant association.”
The White Flowers merchant association may not have been the greatest merchant association, but Mi Hyoran had every right to attend, given their extensive donations to Mount Hua and the Alliance.
“If you wish, I will bring back the children myself.”
Until this point, Gu Cheolun hadn’t reacted much.
Instead, his discomfort was evident in the way the room’s air seemed to grow warmer.
Noticing this shift, Mi Hyoran spoke again.
“I heard that our child got severely injured.”
*
*Pause.
Gu Cheolun’s hand froze mid-reach for the letters, and his gaze turned to Mi Hyoran.
“I saw nothing of the sort in the letter.”
“Then you must have read it thoroughly.”
“…”
In truth, the letter hadn’t mentioned anything about their two children being injured.
However,
“Still, that doesn’t give you a reason to stay. You know that yourself.”
“…”
“I won’t speak any further. Excuse me.”
With that, Mi Hyoran closed the door behind her and left.
Left alone, Gu Cheolun slowly placed his hand over his face.
His gaze drifted back to the letter on his table.
After quietly rereading the letter from the Alliance,
“Steward.”
He summoned the steward waiting quietly outside.
The door opened and the steward greeted the Lord with respect.
“My Lord, you called me?”
After a brief stare, Gu Cheolun issued an order in a somber tone.
“The members that will head to Henan will change. The Lord will attend the meeting personally. Inform the clan.”
“…!”
The steward’s shoulders flinched as he bowed.
Still, he responded to Gu Cheolun without revealing his surprise.
“Understood.”
He didn’t ask why.
After the steward’s response, Gu Cheolun quietly closed his eyes once the steward had left the room.
Two months quickly passed after.
People began arriving in Henan.
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