Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 506 (Part 1)



506 (Part 1)

”’Chapter 507 – Just Let Me Hold It Once.

There is a path for Namgung Bia.

The path she wishes to take as a swordswoman the goal she longs to reach. She constantly walked along that distant track firmly grasping it in her mind.

It was still very far.

A long road where the destination was not visible.

Looking at that thin yet rough path one might feel intimidated. However Namgung Bia did not stop.

Perhaps it was because she had already seen the results.

– Take your time.

She remembered the voice that echoed during the duel in Henan.

– If you rush beyond your means you will stumble.

– Move slowly so you do not fall.

Steadfast ensuring she did not stray from the path.

– Then I will give you a gift.

Namgung Bia could not forget that voice as if it were engraved in her memory.

Whose words were they?

Only the blue martial arts uniform worn by the old man made her recognize that he was a member of the Namgung Clan.

She did not know his identity. She also did not understand why he beckoned her this way.

But Namgung Bia walked on.

As the old man had said slowly so as not to stray from the path.

And yet without hesitation.

Swoosh-!

The sword in Namgung Bia’s hand sliced through the air.

No sword qi was emitted. The sword path was devoid of any qi.

She simply swung it.

Since she did not channel qi the sword felt heavy and the speed was not what she desired but it did not matter.

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What was important was not straying from the path she wished to take.

That was all she focused on.

Thud.

Her outstretched foot touched the ground to maintain her balance.

Her fingertips felt so light yet her lower body was incredibly heavy to support it.

Thud-!

Sweat dripped down Namgung Bia’s fair skin.

Though the movement seemed trivial the pressure felt in her body to endure it was considerable.

Just like this the second sword.

Swoosh-!

As she swung the sword Namgung Bia did not look at the tip of the blade.

Instead she closed her eyes.

She needed to be aware of the changes in her body as she wielded this sword.

Without using qi she had to feel the differences coming from her muscles.

Her foot landed and she twisted her waist.

Her white hair swayed. Using the recoil generated from the rotation she brought the sword down.

Thus the third sword.

Swoosh-! A clear sound sliced through the air.

At that moment.

Boom-!

The sword cried out.

It was the sound of the sword’s resonance.

Hearing the sound Namgung Bia’s ears perked up.

Now it begins.

A response came from the path Namgung Bia was seeing with her eyes closed. It appeared before her.

In the dry alley it felt as if flowers were blooming. It was a sensation as if leaves were sprouting from a withered old tree.

As she moved the power she had been holding began to ease.

There was a naturalness in her sword swings.

It felt as if she was gradually getting closer to the sword.

Boom-! Boom-!

Even without using qi the sword cried out. Listening to it Namgung Bia continued to swing her sword.

The fourth sword and then the fifth sword.

The sword paths she had learned for a long time from the Namgung Clan.

From a distance it seemed as if she was unfolding them identically but Namgung Bia was creating subtle differences.

Boom-! Boom-!

Before long the sound of slicing through the air was overshadowed by the sound emitted from the sword.

This meant the resonance of the sword had amplified.

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The sword paths of the Namgung Clan are based on qi.

This means that without qi the sword paths cannot be utilized.

Why is that?

Namgung Bia had always been curious.

Why can the Namgung sword not be perfected without qi?

Can it truly be called perfection?

The energy representing the Namgung Clan is thunderous. The kingly sword form expressed while wielding it.

That was the perception that came to mind when thinking of the Namgung Clan mixed with the fervor that poured out like thunder.

Yet Namgung Bia questioned that as well.

‘Why?’

The clan that dreams of being the foremost sword family.

How can they not think of a complete sword?

A sword that cannot be used without qi is in the end an incomplete sword.

It cannot be called perfection.

Do they truly not know this in Namgung?

It was something she had always wondered about. However she never expressed her doubts.

The first reason was that the environment was not conducive to voicing such thoughts.

The second reason was that Namgung Bia herself did not believe it would hold any significance.

Strength gathered in her toes.

The muscles tensed to express the sword and the lower body strained to endure the movements.

The sword path erupted from countless actions.

She had to eliminate the sense of incongruity.

The pungent and unpleasant scent felt between the sword paths.

Namgung Bia was concentrating on every single movement to eliminate it.

After swinging the sword twenty times exactly twenty.

“Hah… Hah….”

Namgung Bia’s movements came to a halt.

It was inevitable. She was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

Thud.

The sword in her hand fell to the ground.

At the same time Namgung Bia also knelt down resting on the floor.

Drip drip. Sweat droplets fell from Namgung Bia’s delicate chin.

She was trying to calm herself but that was not easy.

Setting aside the fact that she did not use qi she had poured all her mental energy into focusing on the sword path.

In the midst of that while watching her sweat soaking the ground Namgung Bia had other thoughts.

‘… One more step.’

Should she try just one more step?

Could she push a little further while maintaining the current sensation?

That desire surged within her.

If she set her mind to it she could go further.

Just a little more towards that distant destination just a tiny bit more.

Only by moving forward even if just a little.

‘That… I can protect him.’

She could cultivate the strength to protect him.

Thinking of that Namgung Bia rose and grasped the sword that had fallen to the ground.

“…”

Swoosh- Thud-!

The sword did not show any other action and quietly returned to its sheath.

Namgung Bia ultimately did not take another step forward.

‘Slowly….’

The step she could take here and now was not complete.

Though she could the step would be unstable and she would likely lose more than she would gain.

She must not lose her center in her desire to reach the end.

Always keeping that in mind Namgung Bia bit her lip.

It was still far. She truly felt how distant that destination was.

Could she really reach it at this pace?

Such cowardly thoughts brushed through her mind but she had to suppress them.

She was always confident in her ability to endure.

Was she not already enduring various things now?

Most of it was for those heading towards Gu Yang Cheon but she had to endure.

Namgung Bia knew that if she acted in ways she desired towards Gu Yang Cheon he would come to dislike her.

She endured.

The sword had to endure as well.

She composed herself and slowly opened her eyes.

She needed to wash up and change into her martial arts uniform.

‘… Where should I go…?’

Today there was a place she needed to head to. She had heard from her father the Sword King that her great-grandfather Cheonjon was in Sichuan.

Thus Namgung Bia had sent a letter to Cheonjon asking for a favor.

She planned to trust that and seek out Cheonjon.

The problem was.

‘… Where… to?’

Where should she go to meet Cheonjon?

Should she start by slowly searching the mountains?

If she didn’t know she could just run around until she found it.

That was how Namgung Bia had always thought about finding her way.

She would meet him someday.

Thinking that she was about to head towards the back mountain when.

“Well well.”

A voice came from behind.

As soon as she heard the voice Namgung Bia drew her sword and swung it.”’