1223 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"What did you just say?" The old man furrowed his brows and spoke, immediately covering his mouth with his hand. It was a slip. He had meant to keep his thoughts to himself, but the words slipped out inadvertently. At that moment. "Hehe." Krrrr----!!! An electrifying aura erupted from the old man’s body. The table quaked and the building began to shake. His eyes fluttered. Even without sensing the energy, it was overwhelming. What is this old man? "Gr...Grand Master, please...!" Tang Cheongi shuddered and collapsed to his knees. Despite his desperate plea, the old man's eyes remained fixed solely on me. "Look at this one." His lips curled upward. "He's holding out." "..." It wasn't that I intended to resist; it's just that the lack of energy delayed its effectiveness. The pressure was intense, but my body was tough enough to withstand it. "Urgh!" Of course, for someone like Tang Cheongi, standing on the brink of completion, it was unbearable. "Gra... Grand Master...!" Krrrr. Just as the desperation of Tang Cheongi was about to crumble completely. Thunk. "Hmm?" The aura ceased. The energy the old man was exhaling vanished in an instant. "Oh, dear." The old man turned his back around. "Seems I went overboard. The host is angry." Looking toward the door, he spoke. Sss---!!! "...!" A presence descended upon the space. Something vast reached out and swept the surroundings. A golden aura wrapped around Tang Cheongi. Tap, tap. Footsteps echoed from afar. "You've overdone it." A familiar voice followed. It was a voice I knew well. "If you had given us a hint of your visit, we would have gladly come to meet you." It was Sword Supreme. Sword Supreme, the elder with snow-white hair, appeared. Beside him stood Paejon. "Look at this obstinate old man, bothering youngsters the moment he arrives." Paejon looked at the old man with dissatisfaction and smirked at his gaze. "Isn't it more fun to come secretly?" "Coming is fine, but you shouldn't harass the kids. Haven't you grown old enough to know better?" "Hahaha. Harass? How unfortunate. I just conducted a little test." "A test?" The bulky man looked at me again. "I heard Bijuu took on a disciple, and curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see what kind of rascal he is..." Grin. The old man gave a chilling smile. "He has quite a temper. Reminds me of you in the old days." With a swift motion, the old man extended his hand. "But...something… how should I say, a bit..." Just as the thick hand approached to cover my face. Snap-! "What are you doing?" Paejon appeared and snatched his wrist. "Hmm?" "Don't touch him casually; you'll stain him." Though Paejon was a considerable giant in his prime, the old man stood a full hand's breadth taller. He was at a level similar to the elder I knew. A large stature and overwhelming aura. I wondered who this man could be. "Why has someone who should be resting in Guangdong come here?" "Is there anywhere I can't go in this world?" "Perhaps not." At those words, Paejon chuckled. "Is there anywhere in Central Plains the world's greatest cannot tread?" "...!" The world's greatest. At those words, I looked at the old man in disbelief. 'Did he say the world's greatest?' Being the world's greatest meant... 'Is that man Cheolhyun Buseon?' Cheolhyun Buseon. An individual born of a sect that emphasizes the succession of one person. Even in the era when the three supreme existed. A giant who was called the world's greatest since before then. '...He's not dead yet?' I had thought he was reported dead sometime after Sword Supreme became the leader. But he was alive and well now. Unaware of the exact timeline, I wouldn't have expected him alive. 'Same with the Sword Queen.' Historical divergences seemed to be unfolding. Regardless. 'That man is Cheolhyun Buseon.' The white-haired giant. A figure with a rather rugged appearance and a thick beard. Naturally, he was someone I was seeing for the first time. "A disciple is still a disciple, isn't it? No interest in others, yet you step forward in front of me." "I only intervened to stop your eccentric actions. You know how something always went wrong whenever the senior pulled a stunt." "Haha. That's quite an exaggeration. When have I ever done that?" "Has your conscience dwindled with age?" As Paejon continued his words, Cheolhyun Buseon withdrew his hand. The large shadow that had been before me disappeared. "Apologies if I startled you. Curiosity got the better of me, so I came." He didn't look apologetic at all. "I intended to move surreptitiously, but I drew too much attention. Let's stop the pranks here and leave." "Pranks, you say? With all the commotion, the Sword Corps nearly mobilized." Cheolhyun Buseon's aura was potent enough that it almost set the Sword Corps of the clan into motion. Indicative of its perilous potency. "But why are you here?" "Ah." When asked why I was in the interrogation room, I sheepishly responded. "...I got into a bit of trouble." "Trouble? What sort?" "Someone was being obnoxious, so I sorted them out a bit." "..." Hearing that, Paejon looked at me with an annoyed expression. "...Everyone here seems out of their minds." "..." Hearing it from him only soured my mood further. "It's time to leave." Seeing Sword Supreme respectfully speak to Cheolhyun Buseon, he scratched the back of his head. "Hmm. Very well." As he was reluctantly led away, Cheolhyun Buseon called out to me. "Until we meet again." "..." "Meet again? Just get going." I definitely did not want to see him again. * * * Thankfully, the matter in the interrogation room concluded. Given what Cheolhyun Buseon did and the fact that I openly beat up Namgung Jin in front of everyone, the situation was mitigated. As a result, I was being restricted in my actions and excluded from missions. 'That's actually beneficial.' This level of punishment didn't seem so bad. Fortunately, it wasn't to the extent of being imprisoned. 'This is probably largely due to Paejon's influence.' As Paejon's disciple, it was implicitly understood that the reason I was at the Henan Martial Alliance was to accommodate him. The Alliance couldn't treat me recklessly. "So, you got out easily?" "That's right." Mi Hyoran sighed at my calm demeanor. "Isn't this something you should be concerned about?" "Well... it's not something to get all worked up over." "How can you say that? Now our position is compromised." I had beaten up Namgung Jin, who had proposed an engagement to Mi Hyoran. "This incident disturbs our connection with the Namgung family." "And so, what, should I have just stood by?" "You should have. It's hardly worth a commotion. If the roles were reversed, would you appreciate interference?" "..." I lost my words. Indeed, if the roles were reversed, I might have gotten angry for someone meddling. Keeping quiet would have been more advantageous. "We have our own issues too." "Yes, I get that. Maybe I overdid it." Breaking his arm—that was the problem she meant. "I do understand." I shrugged. I recognized that I overstepped my bounds. 'It's irritating how these memories overlap.' Namgung Cheonjun and his nonsense overlapped with Namgung Jin’s actions, causing me to react uncontrollably. "In the end, I'll probably be the one getting the blame, so it should be alright, don't you think?" "...Do you really believe that?" "I don't really think that. But I feel you'll handle things in such a way for it to be alright, won't you?" "..." Mi Hyoran's eyes widened. "No?" "You..." I gave Mi Hyoran a slight smile. "If not, forget it. I just came to tell you things will be fine. Since I'm on suspension, I'll be leaving." With a casual wave, I moved on. 'My mother is away anyway.' I intended to stay longer, but knowing my mother wasn’t around left me without a reason. 'Next...' Should I visit Hyun So-yeon? The thought passed my mind. 'Never mind.' Perhaps because of recent events, it felt awkward to face Hyun So-yeon. Even if I intended to see Namgung Bi-ah within her, I would still end up facing her. 'This is something I must investigate too.' Why Namgung Bi-ah resides within her. How I should reclaim my powers in the future. As I was contemplating these matters. '...Should I go?' A lingering thought popped up since the frontlines. Not only things to investigate in Henan, but... 'Another thing.' If there was something I wanted to see in this world. '...Sichuan's Treasure.' Sichuan. The root of the entanglement I found myself in. There were things to uncover in that place. The problem is. 'How do I get there?' In this state, traveling to Sichuan was no easy feat. "Tsk..." I needed to find a way. While engrossed in this thought. "Uh, excuse me..." "Hmm?" A voice reached my ears. I turned my head. Someone was looking at me. A woman. A young woman around my age with an elegant demeanor. Her face seemed familiar. Familiar and yet again familiar. Soon, it clicked. "Ah." I remembered. What was her name? I couldn't quite recall her name, but I knew one thing. "...Miss Tang." "Oh!" At my call, her eyes widened in surprise. "You remember me." A person from the Tang family. Resembling Tang Soyeol in appearance, she was known as the sister of Tang Cheongi... ‘The current Poison Pheonix of this era.’ Before Tang Soyeol, she was the Poison Pheonix of the past.