Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 402



402

Goo Jae-yeop will not be participating in this trip to Sichuan.

After hearing about him the thought that came to my mind was.

‘This is somehow related.’

As I had thought before it must be because an issue arose with the Gu Seonmun.

‘Is it a problem with Muyeon?’

Including Captain Ilgeum. The Gu Seonmun had decided to completely support Muyeon.

Upon hearing that it seems Goo Jae-yeop chose to return to his family home immediately.

Perhaps sensing the meaning behind my words Elder Il lets out a slight sigh and speaks.

“It was his own wish. The Clan Head also instructed him to do so.”

“Is that so?”

I figured my father wouldn’t care much about what choice Goo Jae-yeop made.

I just felt a bit regretful.

‘If he goes back to the family home like that.’

I wondered if that was truly the right thing for Goo Jae-yeop.

Of course even if he followed me I didn’t think it would be a better choice than that.

‘It just feels a bit unsettling.’

That lingering sense of unease bothered me.

That damn dark expression of his too.

After looking at Goo Jae-yeop’s face I turned my gaze away.

‘If that’s your choice I won’t interfere.’

For now it was a conclusion that Goo Jae-yeop himself thought returning to the Gu Seonmun was the right thing to do so I wouldn’t say anything more about it.

If he had come to me and asked what he should do I might have given a different answer.

But Goo Jae-yeop didn’t do that.

He must have been convinced that going now was the right choice.

Seeing that if I could have even a tiny wish through the little affection I had for him.

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In the future.

I just hoped that Goo Jae-yeop would recall this choice and not express any regrets.

******************

After finishing all my greetings I boarded the carriage.

I took the carriage provided by the Gu family and didn’t call for a separate attendant.

It seemed that for the Tang Clan the most important purpose was the escort so having more people would make things somewhat uncomfortable.

It appeared that the faction had decided to strengthen their escort in agreement with the Tang Clan.

‘As for the other aspects…’

I directed my gaze toward the faction’s carriage.

Cheol Ji-seon would be sitting with Pae Woo-cheol right now.

I needed to learn a bit more about him as well.

‘The escort has slightly delayed our journey to Sichuan.’

Due to the detour for safe escort I had to figure out if there were any issues arising from that.

There were still many things to think about.

Even after organizing and reorganizing there was still so much.

I felt the headache that had calmed down recently returning.

As I let out a slightly heated breath feeling tired.

Out of nowhere a cold hand wrapped around my forehead.

The owner of the hand was Namgung Bia.

As I slightly opened my eyes to see her face.

I could meet her worried blue eyes.

She looked at me and asked.

“…Are you… okay?”

Am I okay she asks.

What does she mean by okay?

I smiled slightly at that and replied to her.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“…”

“I might smell a bit so stay away.”

It meant I had boarded the carriage in a messy state without properly washing up.

I thought about just walking outside but both Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bia insisted that I shouldn’t.

I could just go though.

Anyway as I pushed Namgung Bia away telling her not to touch my messy appearance.

Instead Namgung Bia reached out and grabbed my head pulling me closer.

Then I felt a soft sensation.

It turned out to be Namgung Bia’s lap.

Just as I was about to rise in surprise at the sudden situation.

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“…You’re tired right? You can sleep if you want….”

Hearing Namgung Bia’s voice made me unconsciously relax my body.

‘How did she know I was tired?’

My body reaching its limit adjusted my qi without showing it.

I was controlling my breathing to not get disrupted.

Perhaps because of my disheveled appearance Namgung Bia seemed to have noticed.

‘…This is troublesome.’

The moment I lay down on Namgung Bia’s lap I felt comfort.

But then I thought it was a waste of time.

Time was precious.

Sleeping like this was a waste.

Right now I should be using this time for something else.

I wondered if it was okay to fall asleep like this.

‘Speaking of which what about Mo Yong-hee?’

Fortunately I received a letter from Mo Yong-hee who hadn’t contacted me recently saying she would be joining the trip to Sichuan a bit late due to circumstances.

She mentioned she would join within a few days after departure.

Recalling that I suddenly felt something strange.

‘Thank goodness…?’

Why did I feel relieved that Mo Yong-hee was joining the trip to Sichuan?

Am I not in my right mind because I’m tired?

‘…Right now I should be thinking more about what to do in Sichuan.’

I had to forcefully erase that thought and think of something else.

There were many reasons I chose Sichuan.

But among them there was one thing that particularly concerned me right now aside from Baek Ma-seok or Yeon Ga.

‘Coincidentally he’s there.’

When I thought about the future when the blood calamity would occur I needed my own force to stop him.

One of the people I wanted to include in that force happened to be based in Sichuan.

Originally it would have taken him 1-2 years to stand out.

But I was thinking of finding him a bit earlier.

‘If my predictions are correct finding him shouldn’t be too difficult.’

If the information I had from my previous life was still valid.

He would be hiding at the highest mountain in Sichuan.

The first step to establishing my force was him.

In my previous life he was a demonic practitioner and even if I turned him into a demonic practitioner in this life he wouldn’t feel any emotions.

Thinking of that guy’s face.

Suddenly I felt a gentle hand stroking my hair.

Was it Namgung Bia?

Or was it Wi Seol-ah who was sitting next to me?

I wasn’t sure.

What I did feel was.

This light touch brought a sense of peace to my tired head and I found it quite amazing.

Even while thinking I should get up.

My exhausted body felt like it wouldn’t allow it so in the end I decided to take a short nap.

Just a little bit of sleep and then I would wake up.

That was my intention.

******************

Guiwen Mountain in Sichuan.

One of the towering mountains and the largest mountain in Sichuan.

The size of the mountain along with its somewhat eerie atmosphere and particularly cold air led people to call it a mountain haunted by ghosts.

Given this appearance the rumors circulating about the mountain were also quite terrifying.

They said that if you went to the mountain at night ghosts would appear.

That if you visited the mountain alone you wouldn’t return alive.

The bad rumors about Guiwen Mountain were quite famous.

In addition to that there were plenty of absurd rumors surrounding the mountain.

But there was one fact that those who spread these rumors didn’t know.

In reality there were no ghosts on Guiwen Mountain.

Of course there could be ghosts.

But the rumor that ghosts appeared at night was a fabrication spread by those who had settled on Guiwen Mountain.

The claim that people who carelessly ventured to the mountain wouldn’t return alive was true.

But it wasn’t because of ghosts; it was the actions of people.

Those who had settled there without anyone knowing.

They spread rumors to prevent people from approaching.

In the Central Plains they were referred to as the ‘Green Forest Bandits.’

After the emergence of the Demon Realm mountains and seas began to be plagued by demonic beasts.

Now the number of Green Forest Bandits had significantly decreased.

Somewhere people said that the bandits had been wiped out.

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

In fact those who claimed to have seen bandits across the Central Plains were at the level of the previous Wuhan and as the need to strengthen escort agencies to guard against demonic beasts increased the range in which the Green Forest Bandits could operate had significantly diminished.

Given that situation.

It wouldn’t be strange to refer to those who had settled on Guiwen Mountain as the ‘last Green Forest Bandits.’

In a creepy dwelling halfway up the mountain.

Drrrrrrr-.

Inside in a room that was close to a mess liquor bottles were rolling around.

Liquor bottles scattered haphazardly and food that seemed to have been left uneaten was swarming with flies.

In such a filthy space men who looked like they hadn’t washed for days were tangled together snoring loudly.

Unlike the quiet forest I worried that the snoring of the men might echo through the mountain.

Suddenly the door to the dwelling burst open and someone rushed in.

Bang-!

“Boss!”

A man with a bushy beard kicked the door open and shouted.

At the sound the men who had been snoring until just a moment ago stirred and began to move.

“Ugh…. My head hurts….”

“Water…!”

“Uuugh-!”

“Ugh! You bastard…! Don’t puke here!”

“Throw this bastard out!”

In an instant the situation turned chaotic and the first person to shout looked around saying.

“Where’s the Boss? Where is the Boss?”

“What? It’s the youngest isn’t it?”

“Hey youngest…. Just bring some water for now.”

Despite the man’s urgent words the others seemed to ignore him busy raising their voices.

How much had they drunk the previous day? The room was filled with the smell of alcohol.

The man kept asking about the Boss but no one answered him.

Was it because of that?

“No! You bastards! Where is the Boss?!”

The man perhaps getting frustrated shouted.

Then.

In an instant the noisy atmosphere in the room fell silent.

Feeling that the man flinched.

The gazes of those looking at him were not normal.

“…Ha look at this bastard?”

“Did the youngest eat something wrong? His voice is quite loud. Did he just yell at us?”

“Pfft.”

Creak.

Those who had been lying down in a drunken stupor slowly began to rise.

They hadn’t noticed while lying down but now that they were standing each of them was quite large.

Their heads seemed to touch the ceiling of the dwelling.

Not only their size but also the faint aura they exuded made the man flinch and step back.

“No…. Brothers…. That’s not it….”

“No? It seems your tongue has lost its reason since you haven’t been trained for a while.”

“Can I give you a little lesson after a long time?”

A thick fingertip reached out toward the man.

Seeing that the man tightly shut his eyes.

He anticipated the pain he would feel in his body.

But strangely the pain he expected didn’t come.

As he thought something was off and slightly opened his eyes.

“…Huh?”

The others who had been approaching him stood up straight as if nothing had happened.

Confirming that the man frowned wondering why they were acting like that.

“…So.”

A voice came from behind him causing his body to stiffen.

Hearing the voice the man forced his stiff neck to turn and look back.

There stood a ‘real’ figure taller than the massive men in front of him.

The upper body bare of clothing was filled with solid muscles.

His body was covered in deep scars which only added to his overwhelming presence.

From his disheveled long hair a deep gaze that instilled fear could be felt.

Meeting that gaze the man called out in a trembling voice.

“Chae Boss…. Ugh!?”

The person called Boss suddenly grabbed the man’s neck and lifted him up.

The sight of a fully grown adult man being lifted by a giant hand was an extremely bizarre sight.

“What’s going on that you’re bothering me from the morning?”

“…Th-that… Ugh….”

“If it’s a story that doesn’t satisfy me you will die like this. Do you understand?”

The killing intent mixed in his voice began to dominate the man’s entire body.

The way he spoke with a smirk was terrifying.

Seeing that Boss the man spat out corrupted officials.

“…Tang Clan….”

Hearing the barely uttered words from the man Boss’s eyes widened slightly.

Then.

Bang-!

“Cough!”

The man who had been held was released and fell to the ground.

The strength that had been gripping his neck was so strong that the fallen man had to gasp for breath immediately.

“Hah… Hah…!”

Just when he thought he could finally catch his breath.

That was only for a moment.

Creak-

Boss knelt down facing the man lying down and asked.

“What is the Tang Clan? Tell me.”

The man trembled all the way to his shoulders as he faced the smiling Boss.

The identity of the man called Boss exuding such an overwhelming presence was.

The current owner of the last Green Forest Bandits on Guiwen Mountain.

And in the far future he would enter the service of the Heavenly Demon and be called the King of Demons.