901 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

I couldn't utter a word. The wind flowed past Shin Noya and blew toward me. The wind carried the scent of plum blossoms, fragrant yet tinged with an inexplicable sadness. It felt empty. And cold. I simply stared at Noya, letting my thoughts settle. Trying to grasp the words I'd just heard, I remained silent. 'The creatures emerging from the Demonic Gates...' New owners appear, and the beings of a decayed world vanish? Information I had never encountered before left my mind reeling. When the ruler of a world disappears and a new one emerges, the life in that world perishes. That's the rule I knew, the information I held. But that was it. I thought that was all there was to it. 'Was this related to the Demonic Gates?' Perished life doesn't just disappear; it emerges as demons through the Demonic Gates. And then— 'We hunt them.' The Demonic Gates emerging in the central plains were hunted and dealt with by the sword divisions. I never delved deeply into what these Demonic Gates and the demons truly were. The reason was simple. 'There was no need to.' There was no necessity for profound thought on the matter. It was just common knowledge. There were occasional attempts by the Martial Alliance or other sects to examine the process in detail. But no significant information emerged from those efforts. At best, it led to a better understanding of the demons. In such situations— 'How far does this intertwine?' How much of these unfolding events are interconnected? Why do perished beings appear as demons? And— 'If Noya is telling the truth.' What was the existence that almost became a demon, as Noya mentioned? Moreover, what is this place we find ourselves in? The inbound information and questions made me furrow my brow. Amidst the myriad thoughts consuming my mind— “Get a grip and move. Now isn’t the time to stop.” Noya's words snapped my attention. Shin Noya was already walking ahead. I hurriedly followed, asking: “If what you say is true, what were those creatures earlier?” “I said, they were those that almost became demons.” “That doesn't really explain much, does it?” If that's all he was going to say, what was I supposed to understand? “If they were supposed to perish or become demons, then isn't there something odd about these 'leaders'?” “Odd?” Noya looked back at me. “You're mistaken.” “Beg your pardon?” “It’s not odd. That’s their natural state.” “What…?” Listening to his words made my eyes widen. In other words— “So, they are beings from another world, not yet transformed into demons?” “Correct.” “You mentioned perished beings become demons when their ruler vanishes.” “That's what's supposed to happen.” “Then why…?” Why haven’t they transformed into demons while here? I was about to ask when— “We've arrived.” Noya interrupted me, turning his head. He seemed to deliberately cut off my words, which made me frown. In that moment— “…Huh?” I gasped at the sight before me. What on earth was this? 'A... tree?' A massive tree stood in front of us. So large that if it were taller, it might brush against the clouds. And the blossoms— 'Aren’t those plum blossoms?' The distinctive colors blanketed the surroundings—the unmistakable sight of plum trees. Why was such a tree here? And it wasn’t just the tree; there was something beneath it. What was that? 'A barrier?' Was that a wall? A tree was strange enough; what was this barrier? I chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. “Come on, let's go.” Shin Noya casually walked toward it. “Pardon?” “Are you not coming?” “…Is that the destination?” “Of course. We can't talk while standing on the ground, can we?” “...” I didn't really mind standing on the ground, but that wasn't the issue. I intended to ask why such a thing was here. “I'll explain your curiosities inside.” Noya’s words compelled me to hold my tongue. I quietly followed his broad back. I couldn’t refrain entirely from asking questions, but at least one thing needed clarification. “Noya.” “Hmm?” “So what exactly is this place?” Where are we heading? Shin Noya responded with a smirk. “The Mount Hua Sect.” “…What?” Hearing the answer, my expression twisted. ******** Following Noya, I approached the barrier. It was a large wall built of stone. I studied the wall with a peculiar expression. “…Hmm.” It was truly just a wall. I half-expected something else to appear, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was simply a wall. Could I break it if I hit it? I pondered briefly. “Are you having strange thoughts? Just so you know, don't try anything unnecessary.” “No, I wasn't. Don’t accuse me falsely.” Busted. “Clicking his tongue.” Noya looked toward the top of the barrier. “Open it.” To whom was he speaking? I tried to heighten my senses to check. -Oh. Someone responded from above to his call, peeking their head over the edge. They glanced at Noya briefly before looking at us behind him. -The usual routine, bringing another disciple? The person’s words made Shin Noya’s brow furrow deeply. “Disciple, my foot. This unruly brat is nowhere near becoming my disciple.” “I never had such thoughts. Why suddenly berate me?” How absurd. Did anyone say I would? While making a disgruntled face, I felt a tremor from the front. Rumble---!!! The large barrier began to open. It was significantly thick, taking a while to open completely. After waiting for quite some time, the iron door finally opened, and someone walked out from inside. ‘Hmm?’ I squinted my eyes at the newcomer. He was quite small. Judging by his stature, he reached only up to my waist. Despite his short height, the beard on his chin suggested he wasn't a kid. As I subtly observed, trying not to show it, the little old man spoke to Shin Noya. "Head Master, you were delayed more than I expected." Head Master? I furrowed my brow at the unexpected term. It wasn't what I anticipated hearing here. Shin Noya snorted in response. “I had to bring along some fool.” “Are you perhaps referring to me?” “Who else would I mean?” “I was hoping it wasn’t me.” “You’re quite the optimist.” “The words are getting harsher with every turn.” As we began a barking exchange of words, the old man interjected with a puzzled look. "Let me ask, are you two related? You resemble each other quite a bit." “Want to die?” “…Don't annoy me right at our first meeting.” “Well, if not, there's no need to be angry…” It was indeed an unpleasant comment. In what way could I possibly resemble that ill-tempered old man? “And who would I compare to that bad-tempered brat…” “…At least try to curse internally like I do, see this? Even I am better—" Bang— "…Ugh!" Damn. He hit me again. "This crazy old man…" "You got something to say?" “…Are you not going inside?” We were about to escalate again when the old man stepped in and mediated. "This will take till dawn at this rate. Don't you agree, miss?" He gestured towards Cheonma, who nodded nonchalantly at the unspoken cue. "See, look. Let's head inside." “…I'll deal with you later.” “I’d rather not. Why would I want to witness that dreadful face again?” “Eh?” “…Please.” He pleaded and led me inside with fervent earnestness. Eventually, we entered the barrier. The interior was surprisingly vast. And teeming with people. Bustling everywhere. The scattered laughter hinted at a good atmosphere. ‘This is strange.’ I squinted at the sight. It was a feeling I'd experienced before. Where had I felt this before? As I pondered briefly, it came to me. ‘Ah, right.’ Shanxi. Arriving at the district of Shanxi felt exactly like this. Back then, too, I thought the bustling atmosphere wasn’t bad. ‘It resembles that.’ It was notably reminiscent of those times. And that was problematic. ‘Why am I feeling this here?’ A sense of the central plains outside of the central plains—moreover, reminiscent of Shanxi. What exactly was going on? What was even stranger— ‘They're all small…?’ Most of those moving around were as small as the old man earlier. Some exceptions existed, but those weren’t human. At least, they didn't fall within the range of humans as I knew them. Actually— ‘Apart from Noya, none seem to be human.’ In all fairness, it wouldn't be wrong to say Noya was the only human present. I, along with Cheonma, didn’t seem human either. “…Fine.” I halted my thoughts and surveyed my surroundings. “Where'd she go?” Cheonma, who had been following behind, was nowhere to be seen. Did she make a run for it? ‘That would be fortunate.’ I could avoid getting entangled, which was preferable, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. There she was, in the middle of the street. It was Cheonma. “What are you doing?” What could she be up to? As I approached, I saw her holding something in her hand. A skewer? It seemed like food. “Hey. What are you doing?” “This.” Instead of answering, Cheonma showed me the skewer. But... mere sight of it wouldn't explain anything to me. “What is this? So what?” “Eat.” “What?” “Tasty.” “How would I know that?” I had no clue what kind of food it was. It seemed like an ordinary skewer, but we clearly weren't in the regular world. Reacting to my reluctance to try it, the vendor behind the stall spoke. Like everyone else, he was small. “She kept staring, so I gave her one to try. Just eat it; it tastes fine.” "Uh, no, it's just—" “She says it's delicious.” “Hey, you haven’t even tried it. How do you keep insisting it’s delicious?” It seemed to be her first time receiving one as well. Why was she offering it to me first without trying it herself? I asked, and Cheonma replied: “Because it's delicious. You eat first.” “...” What did she mean by that? Was she testing to see if it was poisoned or if it was normal food? Or was she genuinely telling me to taste it first because it was delicious? I was bewildered and momentarily caught off-guard. “What are you hesitating for?” Shin Noya appeared suddenly. The vendor grinned upon seeing him. “Oh, Head Master. It's been a while.” They seemed to know each other. Upon hearing this, Shin Noya casually asked: “Everything going well?” “Thanks to you, as always. Would you like one? It’s on the house for you, Head Master.” “Lovely.” Noya took the skewer without hesitation and bit into it. Chewing a few times, he grinned. “Quite good. Go on, have a taste. As they say, the flavor’s spot on.” “Not going to eat?” Cheonma kept offering me the skewer. With a sigh, I took a bite. It was indeed a taste I’d never experienced before, but not unpleasant by any means. Seeing me take a bite, Cheonma ate hers enthusiastically as if she'd been waiting for it. 'Was she really checking if it was safe to eat?' Watching her eat immediately confirmed that’s likely the case. 'It wouldn’t matter anyway.' Given I'm impervious to most poisons, eating strange things wouldn't harm me. And Cheonma had never been affected by poison in her past life either. “Tasty.” Cheonma nodded, her expression remained unchanging, but her satisfaction was apparent. Watching her enjoy the food, it briefly reminded me of Wi Seol Ah, and I almost laughed. After finishing the skewer, we moved forward. Shin Noya walked slowly down the street, significantly more leisurely than before. “Head Master!” “Oh, Head Master! It’s been a while!” “Look who it is!” Every step he took, people recognized him and greeted him warmly. Shin Noya, unfazed by their reactions, continued to stride forward with an indifferent expression. He occasionally waved back, but that was the extent of his engagement with them. ‘What in the world is this?’ What could it be? This atmosphere really feels like... ‘It's as if I've arrived at the Mount Hua Sect.’ Indeed, just as Noya had mentioned, it felt reminiscent of Mount Hua. Had there been martial artists present, it would have been perfect— “Hyaah!” “Huup!” “Keep your lower body steady!” “...” ...There are martial artists here too. As soon as we delved deeper inside, I could see it. Incredibly, even martial artists existed in this place. Just like in Shanxi, various beings wielded wooden swords, practicing. Moreover— “This is crazy…” The sword technique they were using was strangely familiar. Undoubtedly so. It was the Plum Blossom Sword Technique. ‘Why am I seeing it here?’ Unbelieving what I saw, I turned to Noya and asked. “What is this?” “What’s the matter?” “What’s happening here? Why… why is this place…” “You mean, why does the Mount Hua Sect exist here?” “…Yes.” Noya chuckled lightly at my response. “Heh heh. Judging by your reaction, that’s a relief. It seems similar enough to be recognizable.” “This is more than just similar…” No matter how you looked at it, this place was the Mount Hua Sect. The scenery I experienced when I visited back then was exactly reflected here, so how could I not recognize it? What puzzled me now was why such space existed in this realm. Could it be…? “Did you do this, Noya?” Did Shin Noya create this scene? Thinking that, I asked. “Yes.” Shin Noya answered calmly. I let out a hollow laugh. I asked the question, though I was quite sure of the answer already. ‘Who else but that old man could do this?’ Creating a version of the Mount Hua Sect in another world—such a feat could only be attributed to that old man, in my opinion. However. “How did you create all this in just a few months?” It was a scene that seemed like it would take dozens of years to manifest, yet it was supposedly done in mere months. That part baffled me the most. My reaction was one of disbelief. “A few months?” Noya laughed louder this time at my words. I furrowed my brow at his laughter. What was so amusing? “Noya?” “Young one, how could anyone create this in such a short time?” “Then what do you mean? Are you saying it existed from the beginning?” “Obviously not. Do you have any idea how laborious it was to create this from scratch?” “Then in the end, it didn’t take long…?” “It took at least a century.” “…What?” I froze at Noya’s statement. “…Excuse me?” I wondered if I had misheard. “It was a barren place that I gradually built upon to establish a foundation and set up pillars—that's how long has passed.” That didn’t seem right to me. A century? What kind of nonsense was this? “That’s impossible. If you disappeared, it…” “How long did you say it’s been?” Noya looked at me. His gaze harbored a multitude of sentiments, one of which was oddly a sense of relief. “Thankfully, not much time has else passed.” “…Noya?” “To you, it might have been a few months. But for me, it wasn’t. By that, I mean—” Noya stretched out his hand to the sky. He caught a plum blossom petal that gently descended from the sky. The petals had been continuously falling for a while. They were probably dropping from that gigantic tree. After observing the fallen petal, Noya looked at me and spoke. “For me, it’s been over a century since I arrived here.”