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Childhood Friend of the Zenith-Chapter 155: What Is This Hobo-Like... (1)
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ā What Is This Hobo-Likeā¦ (1) ā
The medical room within the Murim Alliance.
The room was filled with many people due the injuries that occurred in the tournament.
āUghā¦!ā
And among those wounded, Namgung Cheonjun gasped for breath as he opened his eyes.
āHuffā¦ huff!ā
His breathing was rough and Namgung Cheonjunās body was drenched in sweat.
As if he just experienced the most horrifying nightmare in his life.
Namgung Cheonjun, who woke up while panting, immediately lifted up the blanket and checked his lower body area.
āā¦W-Was it a dream?ā
Everything he had experienced, it all felt like a dream to him.
Especially at the end; The chilling sensation he felt in his lower body right before he lost consciousness.
It was a nightmare.
But thankfully, it seemed like it wasnāt real.
āAre you okayā¦?ā
Namgung Cheonjunās head turned quickly after hearing a voice.
Next to him was the Snow Phoenix, Moyong Hi-ah.
āā¦Lady Moyong?ā
Namgung Cheonjun fixed his mask which nearly cracked just now.
He then felt pain in all parts of his body.
āā¦Ughā¦ā
His body ached as though he had been beaten like a drum.
Namgung Cheonjun then realized the truth.
That the duel wasnāt a dream.
That he, the next Lord of the Namgung Clanā¦
Was defeated.
āā¦Impossibleā¦!ā
He immediately mustered his Qi along with his anger,
The searing pain in Namgung Cheonjunās body forced him to flinch.
āUghhā¦!ā
āYoung Masterā¦!?
As a result of the duel, his abdomen throbbed painfully, joining the chorus of aches that encompassed his entire body.
The counterattacks that landed on him after deflecting all his sword strikes.
His Qi, which he had condensed, ended up scattering away,
And his abdomen, the center of his Qi flow, was left to bear the brunt of the pain.
Thanks to that, his body, which had writhed on the floor, was having a seizure and his abdomen was screaming in pain.
āā¦How humiliatingā¦!ā
His resentment for Gu Yangcheon only increased.
What kind of trick did he use this time?
Even if it wasnāt a trick, it was already a kick in the balls for Namgung Cheonjun to lose to such a bastard.
āI seeā¦You will only be satisfied after bothering me for all eternity.ā
He resented him, to the point that he wanted to kill him.
āWhat do I doā¦ what do I need to do in order to- ā
āā¦!ā
Namgung Cheonjunās thoughts were abruptly interrupted as his shoulders began to tremble.
It was because of the two eyes that bore down on him at the last moment.
The fiery red eyes that looked like they could set the world ablaze.
Namgung Cheonjun curled up involuntarily, clutching his shoulders.
āā¦Hooā¦haa!ā
It was fear.
The emotion that made him breathless was undoubtedly fear.
The blood relative of the almighty Namgung Clan, Namgung Cheonjun, was fearful of that young boy.
āThisā¦ this isā¦!ā
Inside those eyes, that seemed to set the world ablazeā¦
Namgung Cheonjun saw the darkness that seemed to have no end.
Yes, just like the ones Peng Woojin had-, no, perhaps, it was even deeper.
āYoung Master Namgungā¦what is wrong- ā
Slap!
Right before Moyong Hi-ahās hand touched him, Namgung Cheonjun fiercely slapped her hand away.
āā¦D-Do not touch me.ā
Namgung Cheonjun knew that Moyong Hi-ah wanted something from him.
He wasnāt sure what that something was.
And it was harder for him to guess since she wasnāt making an effort to conceal her intentions.
But Namgung Cheonjun remained guarded behind his mask.
As he had a good chance of gaining many things if he had Moyong Hi-ah next to him, given her noble lineage.
Moreover, it looked like she shared a similar interest, leading him to believe it wouldnāt harm either of them.
However, Namgung Cheonjun couldnāt keep up his fake persona in this current situation.
It was because of the fact that he was humiliated and defeated in front of his beloved sister.
Additionally, his opponent was the very same person who took his sister away from him.
And lastly, the fact that he felt fear in the presence of such a bastard infuriated him.
āHowā¦ I was evenā¦ said to be the chosen one.ā
āYes, it must have been because I didnāt have the chance to use my new power fully.ā
āThatās the only reason why I lost to him.ā
Namgung Cheonjunās shoulders continued to tremble, but he managed to regain some of his composure.
Namgung Cheonjun believed that he was just a little shell-shocked.
Previously, they had told him to not use the new power until he had complete mastery over it.
āNot that it was something I could command at will.ā
Namgung Cheonjun tried to use it many times, sensing a different energy within him, but he couldnāt control it.
Just like nowā¦
āā¦Huh?ā
Namgung Cheonjunās body, which had been shaking for what seemed like an eternity, finally stopped.
It was because he felt something incredibly strange.
āW-Where did it goā¦?ā
Namgung Cheonjun couldnāt feel the energy that previously resided within him.
āWhereā¦ where the hell did it goā¦!ā
Moyong Hi-ah continued to watch Namgung Cheonjun but withdrew her hand.
āā¦Sigh.ā
She erased the concern from her face, returning to her usual cold and impassive demeanor.
āHe wasnāt always like this.ā
He had always been a bit arrogant, but he used to exude confidence and self-respect.
Even last year, he looked fine when he came to the banquet.
āBut why did he have to change so drastically this yearā¦ā
āI canāt believe he changed this much, especially when I had decided to approach him this year.ā
āDo I have to describe this as him being ruined? I canāt really describe it any other way.ā
ā There is no way to cure it now.
ā ā¦Just pray for a miracle to happen.
ā Or maybe you should burn away the cold Qi inside your bodyā¦
Moyong Hi-ah pushed aside the memories she hated to be reminded of.
Then she channeled Qi through her body.
Only then did it feel like the cold went away.
āBurn it away? How.ā
āItās not like a disease or an object that can be merely burnt away.ā
She was suddenly reminded of the boy who summoned engulfing flames, but quickly dismissed the thought.
As she knew fully well that Flame Arts couldnāt burn away her condition.
Those words had likely been said out of frustration.
Despite knowing that, Moyong Hi-ah couldnāt help but feel drained.
She knew that she didnāt have much time left.
Which was more of the reason why she needed help from the Namgung Clan.
To be more accurate, she needed assistance from the Lord of Heaven.
Her father wanted to gain many things for the clan while risking much, but that wasnāt her desired path.
To her, that seemed like a last resort.
She didnāt want to see her clan falling into ruin.
āI still should be fine.ā
She reassured herself, trying to banish any uncertainty.
Moyong Hi-ah made another attempt in reaching out to Namgung Cheonjun, but stopped midway.
It was because someone appeared.
āIām glad that you are in a finer state than I expected.ā
āā¦!ā
The man, who appeared in a black uniform, was the young lord of the Peng Clan.
Peng Woojin.
He spoke to Namgung Cheonjun after suddenly appearing.
āYoung Master Namgung, if you are feeling fine, how about we have a conversation?ā
He looked like a kind person with that smile on his face.
However, Moyong Hi-ah couldnāt shake her unease.
******************
Rumors were akin to storms.
They swept through anything and everything, without any intention of stopping,
So while it was unnerving not to know where they would end up, it was also marvelous.
For those experiencing it for the first time, it could be quite unsettling.
But personally, I didnāt feel much.
ā I heard that the Lightning Dragon lost, yeah?
ā I heard that he lost to a young boy much younger than him.
ā Who? Perhaps, itās the blood relative of the Taeryung Clan that beat the Poison Phoenix?
ā You idiot, itās been a while since the rumor spread, yet you are still saying something like that?
ā I mean, you could just tell me if I donāt know. Whatās with the insult?
ā If youāre mad, maybe you should buy some info from the Beggarās Sect too.
The defeat of the Lightning Dragon, Namgung Cheonjun, had a far more significant impact than when the Poison Phoenix, Tang Soyeol, lost her first fight.
It made sense, as this match was part of the quarterfinals and the arena was packed with even more spectators.
Which meant that there were naturally more eyes and mouths.
As a resultā¦
All eyes were on me as soon as I descended into the arena.
ā Like, does it really make sense that he beat the Lightning Dragon? Itās the Lightning Dragon we are talking about! The one from the Namgung Clan.
ā So that doesnāt make sense for you, but the Poison Phoenix losing in the first round does?
ā But thatās the Taeryung Clan. Heās the son of the Alliance Leader.
ā ā¦Do you know who the Lightning Dragonās opponent was?
ā Hmm? Who was it?
ā Gu Clan of Shanxi. The little brother of that famous Sword Phoenix.
ā Oh.
Wait, why did that convince you?
āWhat did that crazy woman do, for them to be convinced like thatā¦ā
I briefly heard that she burned not only the arena stage, but also half of the banquet hall.
There were even stories about her burning off the hairs of people who bothered her, as well as other similar tales that were just as scary.
The unsettling part was that I had a gut feeling Gu Huibi had really done those things.
āā¦With her personality, it makes more than enough sense.ā
My head ached.
It was beyond absurd that merely being āthe younger brother of Gu Huibiā, could convince everyone of what I just did.
āYou were so cool, Young Master Gu!ā
When I returned to the barrack after the duel, Tang Soyeol welcomed me as if she had been waiting.
āYou watched all of that?ā
āOf course! I watched every single bit without missing a moment!ā
She looked so bright while she waved her hands around, as if she was bragging about how hard she watched my fight.
Despite her early loss in the first round, Tang Soyeol was in high spirits. However, her hands were red, a bit paradoxical considering her heated demeanor.
It was most likely from watching the duel in this cold weather.
I contemplated warming up the air with my Qi.
āHmm.ā
But I decided against it.
I was more concerned about the new energy twitching inside my abdomen.
āThis pig of a bastardā¦ā
The energy I absorbed from Namgung Cheonjun.
To be more precise, the energy that chose to be absorbed was the problem.
At least get permission from me if youāre going to take itā¦ Why is it that devouring is the first thing you do?
Especially because this wasnāt Demonic Qi this time.
āā¦Thatās the problem.ā
Pissing Dragonā¦ no, the Lightning Dragon containing such an energy was a problem as well.
But the bigger issue was that I had been able to absorb such energy.
How? How was I able to absorb this energy?
Tang Soyeol kept speaking to me, but I only responded briefly as I was busy scrutinizing my body.
āIt is certainly similar.ā
The energy I absorbed from Namgung Cheonjun resembled the energy I felt from Wi Seol-Ah in my past life.
It was more akin to Taoist Qi than ordinary Qi, but it wasnāt quite the same as Taoist Qi either.
Although it was hard to say that they were the sameā¦
One thing I knew was that it was not Demonic Qi.
Instead, it felt like the opposite of it.
āThe problem is that my body is absorbing such energy while savoring it.ā
Just like how Demonic Qi was purified in my body, my Flame Qi was devouring up the new energy that entered my abdomen.
It appeared to be receiving a similar treatment as Demonic Qi.
Tap.
āHmm?ā
As I was trapped in my thoughts, someone placed their hand on my shoulder.
It was Namgung Bi-ah.
āWhatās wrong?ā
āā¦ā
When I asked her what was wrong, she slightly frowned her expression as if she was mad about something.
What was up with her
āDid I ignore her by accident or something?ā
However, that didnāt make sense either. Namgung Bi-ah was usually the one who spaced out and it took multiple calls to get her attention.
As I was standing in confusion, Tang Soyeol approached me and whispered in my ear.
āYoung Master Guā¦ā
āHmm?ā
āā¦Um, in a little bit, Sisās duel is about toā¦ Ubffā
Tang Soyeol, who was delivering this information, was pushed away. Namgung Bi-ah was the one who shoved Tang Soyeol aside.
Tang Soyeol, who was pushed away suddenly, spoke to Namgung Bi-ah while frowning. freewebnov(e)l
āSis! Do you know how unfair youāre being!?ā
āā¦No.ā
āIām trying to help you! You should let this passā¦!ā
āEven soā¦ no.ā
āUghā¦!!ā
What were these two doing?
As I watched the current situation with confusion, Tang Soyeol let out a fake cough and started to speak.
āā¦Since you are done, itās Sisās turn for her fight.ā
āOh.ā
āMaybe she wants you to cheer for her?ā
I glanced at Namgung Bi-ah after hearing Tang Soyeol.
Namgung Bi-ah wasnāt looking my way though. More accurately, it looked like she was intentionally avoiding eye contact.
I noticed her slightly reddened ears and couldnāt suppress a smirk.
āSo thatās what you wanted?ā
āā¦Noā¦ā
Yeah, right.
I thought she didnāt really care about such things, but I guess she did a bit on the inside.
āEven though I literally just beat her little brother up.ā
I began to wonder if all older sisters were like this.
Namgung Cheonjunās complex feelings for his sister made him the real weird one, though.
āGood luck.ā
Despite my short response, Namgung Bi-ah nodded her head, seemingly satisfied.
Her face was covered by her hair, but her reddened ears gave away her true feelings.
I didnāt tell her to go win her fight.
After all, she would win even if I didnāt tell her to.
ā¦I felt bad for Gu Jeolyub, who was her opponent, but there was little that could be done.
They were in different leagues.
I was reminded of Gu Jeolyubās sobbing face after seeing the bracket.
I did see them duel each other a few times during our trip.
Gu Jeolyub couldnāt even touch Namgung Bi-ahās clothes back then.
And Gu Jeolyub probably fell in despair after seeing the bracket because he already knew that.
āThough he would also gain some things from this.ā
It seemed like this trip wouldnāt only benefit me.
Namgung Bi-ah might gain some things as well.
Whether in name or fame.
She did appear indifferent to such matters, though.
In my past life, some time after she earned the title of Demonic Swordā¦
She asked me what that was when I addressed her by that title.
Namgung Bi-ah was someone who cared even less about the world than I did.
And in this life, with many things already changed, it seemed that Namgung Bi-ahās name would spread sooner rather than later.
I did happen to hear that there were people who served as her followers.
āā¦But thatās just a false rumor, right?ā
That sounded a little scary.
What even was a follower, for fuckās sake!ā¦ if they did truly exist, I had to wonder what they even did.
Just the thought of it gave me goosebumps.
āYoung Masterrrr!ā
Someone rushed inside, through the barrack entrance.
It was Wi Seol-Ah, who I barely got to see today.
Hongwa entered after her and bowed her head to me.
āWe are back.ā
āYouāre late.ā
āIām sorryā¦ itās my fault.ā
Hongwa didnāt even give an explanation for their tardiness.
In essence, it meant that she was willing to accept any punishment.
āNot that I intended to punish her anyway.ā
They must have had good reasons for being late. I heard that Muyeon went along with them.
As such, if someone caused trouble, it would have to have been Wi Seol-Ah.
āS-Sis did nothing wrong. Young Masterā¦ I got lostā¦ and- ā
As expected, I gave Wi Seol-Ah a bonk on her head as she confessed.
āOughā¦!ā
āYou were sent for errands, but you got lost?ā
āā¦Iām sorryyyyā¦ā
Judging by her expression, it seemed like she was genuinely remorseful that she had messed up.
Or maybe she wore such an expression because she felt guilty that Hongwa was getting in trouble because of her.
I sighed and withdrew the hand that had been poised for a second bonk, before starting to pat Wi Seol-Ahās head.
āBut that means nothing happened.ā
āā¦Yeah.ā
I wondered if I could really let this incident slide.
But when I looked at Wi Seol-Ahās face, I couldnāt bring myself to scold her any further.
I felt this with even greater intensity when I considered the fact that I didnāt know if I could even dare to lay my hands on this child.
āSisss!ā
When I let her go, Wi Seol-Ah ran into Namgung Bi-ahās arms.
Namgung Bi-ah who seemed to be used to such a reaction, hugged Wi Seol-Ah and brushed Wi Seol-Ahās hair.
They looked like sisters in a good relationship.
Wi Seol-Ah, who was rubbing her face in Namgung Bi-ahās arms, suddenly turned her head toward me as if she just remembered something.
āOhā¦! Young Master!ā
āHmm?ā
āSomeone was waiting for you outside!ā
āWho?ā
Someone was waiting for me? Who could it be? Was it Gu Jeolyub? Or Peng Ah-hee?
There wasnāt anyone who would visit me at such a time.
Before I could dwell on it further, Wi Seol-Ah told me the answer.
However, her response wasnāt something I expected.
āA hobo man!ā
āā¦What?ā
I frowned after hearing Wi Seol-ah.
It sounded way too absurd.
I scolded her, telling her not to joke around,
āOh! Hello! I am Chuwong from the Beggarās Sect! Woah woahā¦ I canāt believe I get to meet a famous noble clanās blood relativeā¦! What an honor this is for a poor man like me!ā
But just like Wi Seol-Ah said, a hobo really was waiting for me outside.
This really was an unsatisfactory situation.
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