Childhood Friend of the Zenith
chapter-255

If I were to think about it, I didn’t really know much about the Dishonored Venerable. He was a person who had hidden himself from the world after attaining Eternal Youth and would never have shown up if the Heavenly Demon hadn’t appeared.

It would’ve been weirder if I knew about him in detail.

But even so…

I wasn’t completely unknowledgeable about him. I had met him a few times in my past life and had even fought him. If I had to describe him…

If I were to think of the events in my past life, I kind of understand why the Dishonored Venerable was called the strongest in close combat.

Monster.

If anyone suited that word, it would be the Dishonored Venerable.

He was just that unbelievably terrifying.

Simply looking at him was enough to give me the chills. I remember the time when Demonic Humans and Demons charged in aggression, and there was a lone martial artist standing against them.

He wore a worn and old outfit and held nothing in his hands.

It was only later that I learned that his reason for preferring to be alone was that others would just get in his way. Those words truly reflected his personality.

Despite seeing the calamity charging in like a tsunami, the martial artist remained calm.

I didn’t know what was going through his head at that moment, and I doubt I ever will.

He simply looked forward and clenched his fists. It wasn’t any special movement—he simply lowered his upper body and stressed his lower body. It was just a simple, basic action.

It was the typical basic movement that every martial artist would perform, yet his was perfect. Flawless.

His gaze didn’t waver. He calmly threw out his fist, which was followed by a short popping sound.

And hell was created.

I still wonder what had happened.

I wasn’t even able to see it clearly. All I knew was that with just one movement, the world changed. When I finally grasped what had happened, from between the torn-apart corpses, a pair of pitch-black eyes stared directly into mine.

-Come.

And thus the fight between me and the Dishonored Venerable began.

It was a pitiful display, if not for the Demonic Sword, who was hunting other Orthodox Sect members nearby joining in the fight, I would’ve died on the spot.

The Dishonored Venerable was simply that powerful.

Despite becoming far weaker from the aftereffects of Eternal Youth, he was still mighty, true to his title.

He was batshit crazy!

What kind of a maniac would think of charging into the enemy lines to kill all of them alone?

What was more surprising was that he actually succeeded, as if it were a child’s play. With a single step of his the land was destroyed, and with a punch disappeared colossal hills.

Contrary to his title, there was nothing dishonorable about him.

An absolute monster.

That was what I felt about the Dishonored Venerable.

Even though the Heavenly Demon’s army and the me from the past don’t exist anymore, the fact that the Dishonored Venerable proved his prowess that day didn’t change at all.

And such a person…

Is coming to see me?

Directly at that? With his own two feet?

Haha.

I’m fucked.

No, I’m seriously fucked. How did this even end up happening?

Hah, who am I kidding?

I already knew the reason. It was all because of him, the one who gave me this letter.

Crack—!

I ground my teeth and moved forward. I had originally planned to see Namgung Bi-ah and Father afterward, but that no longer seemed possible.

In the thick forest behind the Gu Clan, I saw a large house at its center.

This was my first time here, but in my past life, I had been practically dragged here numerous times.

It was an unusually small place for an Elder, especially with no escorts or servants. It was really a testament to the personality of its occupant.

Passing through the small garden, I quickly made my way to the house, and after finding a room with a presence inside, I slid the door open.

Slide!

I knew it was rude, but I couldn’t hold back this time.

“What kind of letter is this…!”

I began to complain as I opened the door, but my words faltered when I saw another person in the room.

Tap.

“Oh, what brings you here, Yangcheon?” The First Elder placed a rock on a board as he spoke.

“…Ugh.”

The groaning reminded me of the other person in the room.

Why is he here?

I had been looking for this person since he wasn’t where he was supposed to be, but I didn’t expect him to be playing a random game of Go¹ at the First Elder’s place. The old man was the Lord of the Hao Clan, who had been trapped with Gu Huibi in the Black Palace.

I remembered him being imprisoned in the Gu Clan’s jail before I left for the frontlines, so I had intended to ask Father about his whereabouts.

…But why was he playing a game of Go here?

The old man pleaded to the First Elder.

“...Please …Give me one… Just one more chance.”

His voice was trembling with regret, it was as if he had no choice but to do this.

On the contrary, the First Elder’s lips formed a sneering smile. He seemed to be quite pleased.

“Hmm, another chance? I see, but… If you want me to do that, then shouldn’t you first keep the promise we made?”

His tone was unusually heavy for him. Did he need to be so serious about a game of Go? Even I, who came to complain, was momentarily stunned by this atmosphere.

The old man’s body trembled at the response. What kind of a promise was it for him to…

“…I’m… not… good.”

…Hmm?

What was that?

I felt like I had heard something strange.

But before I could even think about it, the First Elder shouted out loud.

“Louder!”

“I’m… not better than Gu Ryoon… at Go…!”

“Uh-uh! Speak louder! Your voice is too low!”

“Ugh…! I! Am not better than Master Flaming Fist in Go!”

Only after the Lord of the Hao Clan shouted those did the First Elder nod in satisfaction.

“Good. I shall give you a chance thanks to the spirit you showed!”

“…You fucker, you actually made me say that…! You bitch! I’ll get you next time…!”

“…”

What the fuck…?

What the hell are these guys doing…?

They didn’t even seem to care that I was there. The two old men resumed their game of Go again. It was only after I snapped out of my reverie and interrupted them did the heated game of Go come to an end.

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

As I settled into the First Elder’s room after the situation was somewhat resolved, he entered the room with some tea and sat opposite me.

“Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have any snacks.”

“You should’ve asked the servants for some.”

“Why would I do that when the only things I have are time and my body?”

The First Elder spoke nonchalantly. Considering how large this building was for a person living alone, it seemed a bit too much for the First Elder to manage by hims—

“Oh.”

Just as I was about to finish that thought, I saw someone brushing the floor with a broom.

It was none other than the Lord of the Hao Clan, who had been playing Go just earlier.

“Tch! Jeez! Sweep harder! It has to be perfectly clean!”

“You bastard…! At least say that after looking at my body! Do I look like I have the strength?!”

True to his words Elder Mook’s waist was thick as an arm, and his arms were as thick as a finger, and even that was an exaggeration. So I also didn’t think that he was capable of sweeping any harder.

Wait no, that’s not the problem.

I quickly turned to the First Elder.

“Why is Elder Mook in your place, First Elder?”

“Hmm? Oh, I guess you haven’t heard yet, Yangcheon.”

“Huh? Was there a particular reaso— “

“No no, I simply asked the Lord to give me that man in exchange for me accepting the position of First Elder.”

“Pardon?”

“I happened to be bored all by myself, and he also said that he had nowhere to go, so I just offered to take care of him.”

“…You make it sound like you’ve adopted a puppy or something.”

Elder Mook was the head of the Hao Clan, a prominent faction within the Unorthodox Sect known for their exceptional information-gathering abilities, which were comparable to the Beggar’s Sect’s.

Whether it was the First Elder adopting such a man into his home, Father casually granting him to the First Elder just because he asked, or even Elder Mook himself who was busy sweeping the floor, they were all crazy.

What a batshit crazy household this is…

The more I delved into it, the more absurd it became.

“I… um… never mind.”

I decided to let go of the dozens of complaints I had. I felt like asking about each one would only lead to me dying out of frustration.

There must be a reason behind the First Elder’s actions. Surely, there must be…

“…More importantly, First Elder, just what in the hell is this?”

“Hmm? What is what? What are you talking about?”

“This letter.”

I asked, showing him the letter supposedly sent by the Dishonored Venerable.

After all, that was the reason I had come here.

“Hmm, what about it?”

“Huh? What do you mean, ‘what about it’…?” I couldn’t help but feel exasperated by his casual response.

As if he couldn’t grasp the issue, the First Elder tilted his head. Seeing his reaction, I thought that perhaps it wasn’t such a big deal after all.

“Isn’t this… a letter from the Dishonored Venerable?”

The First Elder took the letter from me and nodded.

“Oh, this?”

“Is it not?”

“No, it is.”

Hahaha.

So it is, huh? So funny!

Seeing my tense expression, the First Elder added,“Haha! Why are you so worried? He’s only coming to see your face.”

“…Isn’t it weird not to be worried?”

“What’s there to worry about?”

“Do you truly believe nothing will happen if the Dishonored Venerable pays me a visit?”

“What could possibly happen if he does visi— “ The First Elder began, but then abruptly stopped speaking and avoided my gaze.

“Elder, why are you avoiding my eyes?”

“Khm-! Some dust must have gone inside my eyes!”

“Huh? Why are you changing the subject?”

This geezer…!

After I persistently prodded the Elder, he backed away a little and reluctantly spoke.

“Jeez, you worry too much, Yangcheon. There are plenty of people who would jump at the chance to meet him, or receive his teachings.”

The First Elder was right, The Dishonored Venerable held a lofty position as one of the three Heavenly Venerables.

They represented the pinnacle of martial arts that a human body and sheer talent could reach. the three Heavenly Venerables represented martial arts itself.

Each of them possessed such immense power that they could decimate entire armies.

However, that just added to my predicament.

“Just how did you end up making connections with such a person, Elder?”

“My network just expanded as I lived longer.”

It started with the Lord of Mount Hua, then the Immortal Healer, followed by the head of the Hao Clan, and now even the Dishonored Venerable.

I couldn’t fathom how the First Elder had cultivated such vast connections.

Was he actually serious when he said that he was popular back in the day?

Just what did he do in the past to end up with such connections?

“Jeez, just stop worrying about it. He probably didn’t mean that he would come right away. It was likely just a passing comment. Hehe!”

Indeed, it seemed highly unlikely that the Dishonored Venerable was in a situation where he could come right away. After all, I doubt that he wanted to show his current self to the world.

However, the Dishonored Venerable was a man of his word, at least according to my knowledge.

There was only one instance I knew of where he failed to keep his promise.

When he vowed to kill the Heavenly Demon.

Apart from that, he had always followed through on his commitments.

Which meant that if he said that he would come and see my face...

…He really is going to come someday.

But will he just see my face and leave, a part of me already felt that it wasn’t going to be the case.

My premonitions have never been wrong which was very annoying.

“Nothing good ever comes from getting involved with you.”

“You ungrateful brat! I cleaned your shit, dressed you up, and raised you, yet you have the audacity to such things to your grandpa!”

“Since when did you clean up my shit! It’s more like you beat me until I shat myself.”

Swish!

In an instant, a fish flew towards my face. I quickly dodged, avoiding a repeat of the earlier incident and becoming dizzy.

“You…! Again! You always resort to violence first! Always using your fist is a really bad habit, you know?!”

“Instead of growing more mature, you only get nimbler!”

The First Elder grumbled, getting up and moving towards me. Sensing danger, I quickly put some distance between us.

I had no intention of getting beaten up while I was here to complain.

“Hmph! I brought you a letter out of goodwill, and yet you don’t even have the decency to show gratitude.”

“If it was something like this, then you should have just kept it to yourself…!”

“Hoh?! Judging by your reaction, I can tell you haven’t read the other one.”

“Huh?”

“Ah~ I went out of my way to give it to you as well.”

The other one?

What other letter was he talking about…?

Wait…! Now that I think about it, there might’ve been two letters.

Yes, the First Elder gave me not one, but two letters. Caught up in my emotions, I didn’t even bother to read the second one.

Just what did the other letter say…?

I carefully folded the Dishonored Venerable’s letter in half and tucked it into my pocket. Honestly, I just wanted to burn it, but if I actually did that, there was no going back

With a mix of curiosity and apprehension, I took out the other letter.

“…Huh?”

As soon as I opened it, I lost all the strength in my body. The rough handwriting on the page spelled out a simple greeting.

-To the Young Master.

The sender was none other than Wi Seol-Ah.