Childhood Friend of the Zenith
chapter-223

༺ Omen (10) ༻

By the time I left the jail, I saw that the sun was slowly setting.

My conversation with the Hao Clan’s Lord wasn’t too long.

And after I brought up the White Demonic Stone, the conversation flowed smoothly like water.

I got what I wanted from the end of the conversation.

And I made sure that he couldn’t say anything else after our conversation ended.

‘But why.’

I was in a situation where I had more thoughts now than before.

-You are the owner of the Ancient Book.

Elder Mook said those words as he stared at me.

That was the starting point.

After Elder Mook said those words, he brightened his darkened expression and gave me the answer that I wanted.

-The Palace Lord is looking for an entrance.

He bounced around with his words so much last time, yet he gave me the answer so easily this time, so I wondered if something had changed his mind.

I stared back at Elder Mook and questioned him.

-An entrance… you say?

-Yes, the Palace Lord is looking for the entrance that leads to the Sangcheon.

Sangcheon.

I shook for an instant after I heard Elder Mook.

Sangcheon was the third Abyss that appeared in the world, as well as somewhere I went to plenty of times in my past life.

Which was understandable, because Sangcheon was a world the Heavenly Demon went to often.

The Demonic Cult’s main base was located in Xinjiang, but the place that the Heavenly Demon spent the most time in was Demonic Realm of Sangcheon

After hearing Elder Mook, I became trapped in my thoughts.

‘Why?’

If Elder Mook was correct, then why was the Palace Lord looking for the entrance to Sangcheon?

Furthermore, why did he try to get this information by torturing Elder Mook, the Lord of Hao Clan?

-It’s because only I know how to get to Sangcheon.

-…Only you know you say?

-Yes.

It was something I couldn’t understand.

There are a total of four known entrances to Abyss.

The Gate of Demons that ripped the air apart and summoned monsters could only spit out demons from it; no one could enter.

Of course, sometimes the Gate of Demons has an extraordinary occasion where it devours humans, but this only happens so rarely.

Besides the Gate of Demons located in the battlefield that doesn’t close despite a long time passing, endlessly summoning demons from it…

Jincheon, Taecheon, Sangcheon, and Guicheon.

Those were the four entrances to the Abyss. To the Demonic Realm.

‘…Though there are technically six entrances.’

There was the entrance to the Abyss that wasn’t known in the world yet.

It was one of the entrances that I got sucked into thanks to Jang Seonyeon being an idiot in my past life.

However, that place was more of an exception.

After all, that place was closer to being artificial.

In the end, there were four entrances to Abyss that existed in the world.

And most of these entrances are managed by those with great power.

Just the Murim Alliance alone was managing the entrances that led to Taecheon and Jincheon.

Sangcheon and Guicheon were also managed by other groups as well.

This meant that information on Sangcheon was already known to the world.

‘But then why did Elder Mook say that he was the only one that had information on it?’

Furthermore, the Palace Lord abducted Elder Mook because of this reason as well.

It was hard for me to believe his words as some parts didn’t make sense.

-The Sangcheon that’s known in the world isn’t real.

-It’s not real?

-Yes… If someone happens to know what is in there, then they would not let them off so easily unless they are disabled.

That was what Elder Mook said.

‘But what does that even mean?’

This too was something I couldn’t just believe.

Furthermore, if I thought about Elder Mook’s identity…

‘I wonder why the old man is suddenly acting this way towards me.’

Right before leaving the jail, I bit my lips as I thought about the way Elder Mook acted.

-It doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not. If you really are the owner, you will get to know anyway.

I’ll get to know anyway, he says?

That’s my least favorite sentence.

Is it really that hard for him to tell me if I’m going to learn about it later anyway?

-What do you mean by that I’m the owner of something? Please explain it in a way I could understand.

When I asked him with a frown, Elder Mook became silent for a moment, then he reached his hand out towards me.

I stared at him wondering what he was doing,

Ssss…

-…!

Some energy started to flow out of Elder Mook’s shoulder, then the energy began bundling up on my hand.

-What is this…

Then, it started to form into the shape of an object.

-…How?

Elder Mook currently was in a state where he couldn’t use Qi due to Demonic Qi just like Gu Huibi.

Even the almighty Sword Queen couldn’t use her Qi when in a similar position.

So it was strange seeing him using his energy to do something.

‘…Maybe it’s not Qi?’

But it didn’t seem like Demonic Qi.

Nor did it seem like Blood Qi.

Ignoring my thoughts, the energy in the end formed into something.

I didn’t know what this object was for, but it seemed somewhat close to a seal.

When I looked at it with surprised eyes, Elder Mook spoke to me.

-Take it if you are curious.

-You want me to take this?

-Yes.

-What is this for you to give to me?

-That’s for you to find out.

-Pardon?

What is this old man talking about?

When I looked at him with an absurd look, Elder Mook’s mouth started to form a smile.

-I gave you this much, yet you still want to be fed more? If you are a man, you must live by solving problems yourself.

-What are you saying all of a sudden? I thought that this was a trade…

-Trade huh… Are you talking about the White Demonic Stone?

-…Yes.

-Yes, I need it. The White Demonic Stone… I needed it.

Elder Mook didn’t ask me how I knew about the White Demonic Stone and how I knew that he needed it for me to bring it up as a trade.

The reaction he showed made it seem as if he didn’t need to.

-However, I came to a point where I don’t need it anymore.

-Huh?

-So whether it’s White Demonic Stone or White Golden Stone, you can use it for yourself.

I was going to do that to begin with anyway, but the old man saying those words confused me a little.

Furthermore, that was the end of the conversation.

It was as if everything was up to me; whether I believed him or not, whether I was searching for it, none of that seemed to matter to him. The old man stopped paying further attention to me.

He even began preparing to sleep again just like he was before after our conversation ended.

-…Elder?

He’s really sleeping just like this? Seriously?

-I don’t think our conversation ended ye-

-I said everything I needed to you. You may do the rest yourself.

-How can you tell me to do the rest after only telling me that much? Isn’t that a bit irresponsible?

-I basically shat in my own mouth by doing that, so must I also take responsibility for it as well?

I’m gonna go crazy.

This guy was so strange.

If I had to compare, he seems similar to the likes of the Second Elder and his friends…

Oh.

-Elder.

-Jeez, stop calling me alr-

-Are you perhaps close with our Second Elder?

-…

Elder Mook shut his mouth after hearing my question.

And that silence made me rather uncomfortable.

-How rude of you, for you to assume that I’m close with that idiot.

-So you are.

-I told you that I’m not!

I can’t believe they are friends.

What did the Second Elder do outside of the clan for all of his acquaintances to be like this?

I should’ve known because I asked the Second Elder last time if he knew Elder Mook as well, and he showed a fishy reaction.

Elder Mook lay down on the floor as if he didn’t want to talk about this topic any further, and started snoring quietly.

It really seemed like he wasn’t going to talk anymore.

Right as I thought about leaving him…

-Oh.

Elder Mook who was snoring, suddenly got up and spoke while staring into me.

-On your way back, tell your father to come to me as I have something to talk to him about.

His voice sounded perfectly normal as if he never fell asleep.

-And that, don’t lose it and take good care of it. It’s a valuable item that you can’t get anywhere else.

After hearing Elder Mook, I took a glance at the seal.

He said it was valuable, but it was covered with rusts and scratches which showed how old this thing was.

-What even is this thing for you to…

-Snore.

-…

I really considered burning his hair off instead of his eyebrows, but I barely managed to hold myself back.

After observing Elder Mook for a bit afterwards, I told the steward about Elder Mook’s request, and I left the jail.

Oh, I also told the steward to not feed Elder Mook today and tomorrow.

The present.

Because I made a promise to Tang Soyeol and Namgung Bi-ah, I went out to the streets with them.

Since it was the streets that I went to often with Wi Seol-Ah, it didn’t feel all that special.

I only went out here because the girls seemed like they wanted to.

The problem was that when we arrived in the streets, I was left behind and the three girls were moving together.

“Sis! There… over there!”

“Hmm…?”

“Let’s go over there as well!”

Due to how she got to leave the clan consecutively, Wi Seol-Ah seemed to be in a rather cheerful mood.

Thanks to that, Tang Soyeol and Namgung Bi-ah were being dragged around by her with both of them having extremely exhausted faces.

As I stared at those girls…

[How come you didn’t ask any further?]

Elder Shin asked me.

‘Are you talking about Elder Mook?’

[Yes. If you wanted to, you could’ve asked more questions.]

He wasn’t wrong.

Whether it was the Ancient Book or the secret that only the Hao Clan had about the entrance to Sangcheon, there were a lot of things I could have asked.

[Then why didn’t you ask more?]

‘…’

I couldn’t help but keep my mouth shut after hearing Elder Shin’s question.

It wasn’t because I wasn’t able to respond, but for some reason, I felt like I had to.

I had a feeling back then, that I shouldn’t ask any more questions.

‘…Did the Hao Clan’s Lord do something to me?’

That was possible.

After all, he was someone that was somehow able to use some mysterious power even with his Qi being blocked by Demonic Qi.

However…

‘That doesn’t seem like the case.’

I decided to believe that that wasn’t the case.

It would be strange in the first place for an old man with such power to peacefully stay inside a jail.

[…Yet you believe that he somehow made an object with his energy?]

‘He did it right in front of my eyes, so how could I not?’

Furthermore, because I experienced way too many absurd things in this life, I’m unmoved with most things now.

A snake that was as big as a building…

A ghost that was trapped inside a treasure…

And even the talking fish…

Because I experienced all kinds of things, I wasn’t really surprised by something like this.

‘And I even went through a regression, so how could anything be more shocking than that?’

That was kind of a problem.

I went back in time and regressed.

Yet there were more things I didn’t know than things I knew which was absurd.

‘Was I really that careless and easy going in my past life?’

I should’ve worked harder.

It was something that made me feel regretful.

As I gulped my saliva down my dried throat, Wi Seol-Ah who was far away hopped over to me and ran into my arms.

“Young Master!”

“Didn’t I tell you not to run?”

“Hehe!”

After rubbing her face onto my chest, Wi Seol-Ah pointed her finger, telling me to look behind me.

When I looked in the direction her finger was pointing to, I saw Namgung Bi-ah there.

“Huh?”

Her hair was tied in a weird way.

“Isn’t it pretty?”

Wi Seol-Ah sounded proud as if she was telling me that she did it.

But how was I supposed to react to this?

Pigtails, huh…

It was a hairstyle that was hard to look at for a long time.

“…She looks fine no matter what you put on her.”

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t seem to care at all despite her hair looking that way.

Then she asked while staring at me.

“Is it strange?”

“It’s not… strange I guess?”

She couldn’t look ugly no matter what because of the face she had.

Namgung Bi-ah nodded after being satisfied with my answer.

Then…

“Hmm?”

She reached her hand out towards me.

Did she want me to hold it?

When I grabbed Namgung Bi-ah’s hand, she pulled it out as if that wasn’t the answer.

Was that not it?

[It seems like you got used to grabbing her hand, for you to grab it right away after she reached it out to you.]

‘…Must you really comment on times like these?’

[It’s because I hate seeing it. I hate seeing you get this treatment.]

‘Then why don’t you grab it as well.’

[…What did you say you brat?]

Elder Shin bombarded me with unhinged curses, but my ears got so used to it that it didn’t even reach me.

“Why are you showing off your hand?”

“Buy it for me.”

“…What?”

How could she be so blunt?

Namgung Bi-ah so blatantly asked me for money.

I mean, I could buy her something like that, but that was kind of sudden.

“…I didn’t bring money with me…”

“Then you should ask if you could borrow, not straight up ask me to buy it for you.”

“…Receiving it… makes me feel better.”

After hearing Namgung Bi-ah, I began laughing.

“You became a bit shameless recently, you know that?”

“…You don’t want to? Then you don’t have- “

“I never said I don’t want to.”

I walked past Namgung Bi-ah and towards the merchant.

Right as I was about to pay, I moved my gaze to Tang Soyeol.

“What about you?”

“W-What?”

When I asked her, Tang Soyeol showed a surprised reaction.

I asked her because I knew that she was staring in an envious way.

“Didn’t you want it as well?”

“No, it’s not… like th… No, you’re right. I want it too.”

She was about to deny, but without being able to hold back her desire, she nodded her head.

After seeing that, I couldn’t help but become a little curious.

‘Why do none of the girls have any money?’

Wi Seol-Ah was understandable, but Namgung Bi-ah or Tang Soyeol not having any money was strange.

“What do you want?”

When I asked her, Tang Soyeol quickly ran over and picked one.

It seemed like she had already picked one beforehand.

It was a hair accessory that looked like a floral leaf of a white flower.

“Is this enough?”

Tang Soyeol slightly nodded after hearing my question.

I noticed that her ears became red during this.

It seemed like she was feeling very embarrassed to ask me to buy it for her.

“I’ll take two of these.”

“Oho! You have good eyes! These two will be 50 Yuan.”

“…These two are 50 Yuan?”

I paused as I was taking coins out from my pocket.

It was because it was more expensive than I expected.

I thought about not buying it for an instant, but because I already told them that I would buy it for them, I paid the price while grinding my teeth.

I felt a certain pain inside as it was an unexpected expense, but seeing Namgung Bi-ah smile slightly and Tang Soyeol trying to hold back a laugh was enough to make me satisfied.

I also asked Wi Seol-Ah if she wanted it as well.

“I’m happy with what you got me last time!”

But she denied it by saying those words.

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

The night came.

Being dragged around by three girls all day was much harder than me training with everything I got.

I wasn’t joking about that.

But I couldn’t afford to show that I was exhausted.

So I kept my mouth shut and walked around with them.

I at least had that much sense.

Since I would enter closed-door training tomorrow, I thought of relaxing while also organizing everything that happened today.

But right as I was about to lie down on my bed after changing, a guest came.

It was a person that I completely forgot about because of me being dragged around everywhere.

“Hello, Young Master Gu.”

A sweet voice that had a strange atmosphere.

A lady that fits midnight better than night.

Moyong Hi-ah came looking for me.

“I apologize for visiting at such a late time. If it won’t be troubling for you, may I enter?”

After looking at Moyong Hi-ah who spoke carefully, I responded uncomfortably.

“…If you are sorry, could you go back?”

“No, I’m sorry but I’ll still enter.”

“…”

Then why did you ask, you crazy bitch?

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