1077 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

# The World's Best Martial Artist's Childhood Friend Chapter 1077 > Northern Rabbit "What did you say?" A cold voice wraps around my ears. The sharpness in the tone matches the speaker's cold stare, leaving a strong impression of displeasure. The expression on her face suggests I must have heard wrong, but the displeasure is unmistakable. She appears to be just past her youth, wearing expensive silk garments and ornaments that clearly indicate her affluent status. Anyone could tell that she comes from a wealthy family. "What did you just say to me?" Looking at her, I regained my composure. "Ah." It was Lady Mi. The woman was none other than the Lady Mi I knew of. She was the matron of the Gu family and one of the top merchants in the central region. Moreover, she was someone whose social positioning always left me unsure of how to act. The young and beautiful woman standing before me was precisely her. "...What did you just say to me?" The words snapped me back to reality. It was not wise to casually address someone who looked so young as "lady." I quickly turned my words around to address Lady Mi more respectfully. "Ah, I'm sorry. You look very much like someone I know." "Do I? Is her surname also 'Mi'?" "..." Why did I have to mention Lady Mi of all people? "Yes... It was just a coincidence." Lady Mi raised an eyebrow at my words. "You call it a coincidence, but it seems you know who I am, don't you?" "…" Ah, damn it. I had made a verbal blunder. I must have been quite flustered. Considering how I knew Namgung Jin and Mo Yong Tae, it was highly likely I'd encounter familiar figures in this world. Despite being aware of this, I found myself perplexed by the situation. How should I handle this? It didn’t take long to decide. "...Yes, I do know. You are famous, after all." Lady Mi should be well-known even in this era. Assuming someone of her status wouldn’t have a mediocre reputation, I continued speaking. "Hmph." Lady Mi snorted. "So, you're toying with me while knowing all this?" Apparently, her fame was no understatement. "Toying? It really was just a brief mistake." "I doubt there's another woman in the central region who looks like me." "There is, almost an exact match." "What a ridiculous excuse. Why don't you just say I look like your mother? Isn't that a typical excuse men use?" "…" The mention of resembling my mother made me pause in contemplation. "...It's somewhat similar." "Ha." Lady Mi let out a scoff, clearly finding my response absurd. "Are you planning to keep fooling around? With me?" "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. That wasn't my intention." Why on earth would I tease someone like Lady Mi? "What brings you here, Lady Mi?" Moving on to the main topic, I watched as her eyes narrowed. She seemed to be debating whether to continue picking at my words or get to business. "It was to propose something to you." Lady Mi stifled her displeasure and returned to why she had come, showing her pragmatic nature. "You have a proposal for me?" "Yes, I have something to propose to you." "Do you know who I am, Lady Mi?" I held my tongue, trying to maintain respect while inquiring. "Well... I don't know you well. Maybe just your name?" "And?" "However, I do know that Lord Paejon showed interest in you." "…" Oh dear. 'Is that the issue here?' If Lady Mi approached me because Lord Paejon had shown interest, that would explain her reason for being here. 'But why approach me?' Even understanding her reason, I couldn’t fathom why she would be drawn to me. I was still trying to figure it out when— "Do you have any specific merchant guild sponsoring you?" 'Ah.' Her next question revealed her intentions. Sponsorship. 'She's here to mark her territory on me.' In the martial world, being sponsored by a merchant guild was an implicit sign of allegiance to that guild. The number of fighters a guild sponsored often influenced its prestige. 'So, the Baekhwa Guild was actively sponsoring fighters around this time, it seems.' From what I knew, Baekhwa Guild usually didn’t sponsor anyone outside of the Gu family. Yet, could it be different now? "Sponsorship, you say..." "I heard that while you are a lineage of the Baek family, no guild specifically sponsors you." "…" She already knew my name and seemed to know about my family. How fast does her intelligence work? 'Even faster than I know myself.' Since I had merely assumed a fictional identity, I had no actual knowledge about any sponsorships within the Baek family. "So, if you don't have a current sponsor, our guild could offer you favorable terms." "Hmm..." Sponsorship by the Baekhwa Guild. I awkwardly scratched my cheek. 'This is becoming bothersome, bit by bit.' With both Paejon and Lady Mi, why was I constantly getting entangled with these people? Even the relationship dynamics were oddly similar. Despite originally being Paejon's disciple, I had still received offers. Plus, I was again being offered sponsorship due to my ties with the Gu family. It was a ridiculous scenario. However. "How does it sound? It wouldn’t be a bad deal for you, Sir Baek..." "It would be a bad deal." Regardless of that, I needed to make a decision. "What?" "I said it would be a bad deal." I faced Lady Mi, whose expression twisted. "What do you-." "It looks as if you approached me because you thought I was inexperienced..." Scratching the back of my head, I continued to address Lady Mi. "But this does seem quite inappropriate." "What do you mean?" "If you're aware that Lord Paejon is interested in me, wouldn't he already have a reason? The timing of your approach immediately after the test is concerning." I narrowed my eyes. "Your demeanor when you came to deliver this proposal suggests you might not be offering such favorable terms." "…" As I unleashed a stream of pointed words, Lady Mi was left speechless. It was clear. 'She's young.' The woman standing before me wasn't the Lady Mi I knew so well. Had it been the real Lady Mi, she wouldn't have approached me in this way, nor would she have carried herself with such demeanor. 'She's still not fully matured.' The woman before me clearly lacked the refined finesse needed in such encounters. 'Compared to Moyong Hwi Ah...' If I had to choose, Moyong Hwi Ah might have been the better comparison. "...Hah." Lady Mi let out a laugh, seemingly in disbelief. Was her pride hurt? She looked at me with an expression of unexpected surprise. "You're slightly different than I anticipated." "How did you anticipate me, then?" "Exactly as you described just now." Someone innocent, naïve to the ways of the world, and a little dull. Her frankness was refreshing. "I made a mistake. I apologize." Lady Mi quickly composed herself and apologized. She was quick to adapt. "Would it be alright if I approached you from another angle next time?" It seemed a bit late for that, but she carried on regardless. "No." I rejected the offer flatly. The reason was simple. "I'm already sponsored." "What...?" Lady Mi's expression hardened at my words. "That can't be..." "I'm not sure what you have learned, but while it’s true the Baek family isn't sponsored, it doesn't mean I am unsponsored." "…!" Her eyes widened in disbelief. This implied that I was receiving personal sponsorship elsewhere. "From where, might I ask?" "I don't see a reason to disclose that information." "How peculiar..." Realizing she was a step too late, Lady Mi clicked her tongue. Then she added, "How odd that I am only learning about someone like you now." "I'm not fond of leaving my house, that's why." "…" "Have we concluded the main discussion? I appreciate your offer, but due to these circumstances, joining Baekhwa Guild is unfortunately not viable." I made a polite gesture as I moved away. While I acted nonchalant, my heart was racing. 'Phew.' What if my voice trembled? What if I stuttered in my speech? It was a moment filled with anxious thoughts, but I felt relieved to have handled it well. 'I never expected to meet Lady Mi like this.' I was genuinely surprised—it was almost disastrous. '...I better wrap things up quickly and move on.' More trouble was something I couldn’t afford right now. I needed to finish what was at hand and strategize my next move. Before I could focus on the remaining trials, a laughter echoed from a distance. "Hahaha! Did Lady Mi just get rejected?" It was a bright, playful voice. "See? I told you, moving like that won't get you anywhere." Turning toward the voice, I found the same familiar style and tone. This voice... Could it be? With wide eyes, I examined the newcomer, alongside Lady Mi. Then, with a vexed look, she spoke grudgingly. "...Baek Feng, I'm not in the mood for your pranks right now." "Oh, really? That's too bad. I was in the mood to tease." Grinning brightly to provoke Lady Mi, the woman had deep navy hair, with a refreshing smile that contrasted her otherwise cool demeanor. Her name? "Moyong Bi-yeon." "Oh, do you know me?" The Snow Lotus Sword, Moyong Bi-yeon. In my past life, she was the collector of Moyong Hwi Ah’s legacy. Her appearance was certainly similar to Moyong Hwi Ah, although the aura they exuded was worlds apart. As I stood speechless, looking intently at her. "Hey." Moyong Bi-yeon chuckled charmingly at me. "What's with that look? Are you perhaps smitten with this big sister?" "...Excuse me?" "You have good taste! Well, I guess I'm better than this icicle of a woman, right?" "This crazy—?" Huh...? Did I hear wrongly? Did Lady Mi just call her a crazy woman? Despite the insult, Moyong Bi-yeon didn’t seem fazed; she continued addressing me. "But sorry, I’m already promised to someone." VnJ3dTNyRXdaNE9POGIxQ2ZRWWZwSU1PdXREdi9CZm5HMGI0bC9lc1FvbEdsRDN3RzFuTyt3NTd6eC9IRjVQVA "...Uh, well." Thump. I started to respond but turned my head aside. Suddenly, my heart reacted. Heat surged through my breaths. Thump! Thump! I forcibly calmed my racing heart. The direction from where Moyong Bi-yeon had come. I glanced in that direction. This sensation...? "Oh, he's coming from that side. My betrothed." As Moyong Bi-yeon waved, someone approached from afar. I also stared in that direction, focused. My internal energy was causing a palpable excitement. I might be imagining it, but the chill around seemed infused with warmth. From a distance, a figure came into view. Before anything, his crimson eyes were clear as day. He appeared at least half a head taller than me, with a broadly built physique. The scars that should have marked his nose were nowhere to be seen. He seemed slightly older than me, perhaps just shy of thirty. Slowly. Very slowly. The young man approached us. I calmed my nerves as I watched him. '...To think I would see him so soon.' His identity was obvious just by those red eyes. Even without that, the behavior of my internal energy left no doubt. It was him. The reason I was placed in this world. 'Father.' Gu Cheol-woon, the Just and Noble Hero. No, it was Gu Cheol-woon, the Divine Dragon, whose eyes met with mine.