Childhood Friend of the Zenith
chapter-263

I arrived at the banquet hall with the guidance of a servant from the Namgung Clan.

It was a huge building located in the center, at least five times bigger than the banquet hall in the Gu Clan.

Isn’t this way too big for so few people?

The number of people inside made the building seem unnecessarily large.

By the time I arrived, I not only saw that all tables were set up, but both the Lords and Lady Mi were already here waiting.

They seemed to have arrived at least a few minutes ago.

Why did they come so early?

Food hasn’t been fully served yet, and I saw some unfamiliar faces sitting near Namgung Jin.

Are they the Elders?

I saw two very old men who had a sharp presence, indicating they were extremely skilled swordsmen.

They seemed to be the Elders of Namgung Clan.

Are they here for the banquet?

When I looked with curiosity, the old men’s gaze aimed towards me.

Their blue eyes gave off an indistinct atmosphere.

Would it be correct to say that this was the peculiar aura of Namgung Clan?

While persevering under their gaze, I walked forward.

I slowly walked forward with integrity, and when I arrived in front of Namgung Jin and father, I stopped.

“Thank you for inviting me to the banquet.”

Then I lowered my head and showed respect.

I only said it out of respect.

It’s already a hassle enough, so the banquet doesn’t make it any better.

“It must’ve been a long trip to come all the way here. Have a relaxing stay.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

After hearing Namgung Jin, I raised my lowered head.

Both of us weren’t being honest with each other, so it was rather uncomfortable.

I especially felt Namgung Jin’s desire through his eyes.

The person who wants the banquet to end more than me, is this guy right here.

Namgung Jin probably felt more desperate than I did.

Just what kind of enlightenment did he gain from Elder Shin for him to show such eyes like that?

I understand that enlightenment is a way to quench a martial artist’s thirst.

There was no way that I didn’t know, since I was a martial artist myself.

Even I might show such a reaction if I found someone that could fix my flaws.

But a hassle is still a hassle.

Just because I understood how he felt, didn’t mean that it wasn’t a hassle anymore.

More importantly,

I can’t solve his issues right now…

Even knowing Namgung Jin’s desire, I couldn’t do anything to help him.

It was because this damned old man seemed to have no intention of waking up.

If Elder Shin wasn’t here, I couldn’t give him what he wanted.

The only sword art I saw from Namgung Clan was the one that the Demonic Sword showed in my past life after all.

Though that seemed extraordinary.

In the end, it meant that it was different from the Thunder Sword’s sword that Elder Shin saw.

After leaving aside Namgung Jin’s gaze and greeting with father and Lady Mi, I went to an empty seat and seated myself there.

It was clearly my spot and judging by how there was another empty seat across mine, that seemed to be Namgung Bi-ah’s seat.

Has she not arrived yet?

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t seem to be here yet.

She didn’t fall asleep, did she?

That was certainly a possibility if I thought about her personality.

During all of this,

I tried my best to ignore it, but I felt gazes from around me.

I didn’t turn my head to check, but it felt like the gazes were on me, observing me.

Is it the Elders? Or is it someone else?

I didn’t know what they were trying to see in me, but I knew for sure that it felt very uncomfortable here since it was someone else’s clan.

Do they think that I won’t notice them?

That was understandable.

If it was me from last year, I probably wouldn’t have noticed.

I felt like shit, but I didn’t want to use my Qi in reaction to this.

I knew that things would turn into a mess if I did that.

I slowly drank the tea which was served in front of me.

It was an attempt to calm myself, but then I felt a presence from outside the banquet hall.

Shortly after, the servant waiting by the door spoke.

“The Young Master is entering.”

I glanced at the door after hearing the servant.

Young Master huh… the Young Master of Namgung Clan could only be that bastard.

I thought he wasn’t in the clan since he didn’t show himself on our arrival, but he unexpectedly was.

His own sister returned to the clan, yet he didn’t come out to greet her.

It wasn’t like him at all.

Has it been one year?

We hadn’t seen each other since the Tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes, so it must’ve been over a year.

Our Pissing Dragon has made his appearance.

Someone began to enter through the banquet hall's entrance.

I looked in that direction.

It was a handsome young man with bluish white hair and blue eyes who resembled a young Namgung Jin.

The bastard’s handsome face was the same as ever.

I don’t like it.

Me getting angry whenever I saw a handsome face was the same as ever as well.

I observed the bastard from the corner of my eyes.

It wasn’t for a special reason, I just wanted to check if he changed at all.

When I observed him, I did see a change which was surprising.

It’s stable.

The bastard back then had a very unstable Lightning Qi.

Moreover, his Qi was a complete mess since he had a different type of Qi inside his body and he wasn’t able to control it on his will.

Compared to back then, his wild Qis had all become stable.

When he saw me, his expression became stiffer, which was an amusing sight.

His Qi may have changed, but his personality seemed to be the same.

However, his stiff expression turned back into his handsome smile as if that never happened.

Furthermore, he even spoke to me while passing by.

“It’s been a while, Brother Gu.”

“Right. It has indeed, brother-in-law.”

I said this to piss him off, but Namgung Cheonjun’s expression didn’t change.

Oh…?

He endured this huh.

Did he train his emotions in the past year as well?

Namgung Cheonjun passed by with a smile and continued to walk to the Lord’s seats.

The bastard also wanted to show respect to the Lords, and I continued to watch him from behind.

To put it more accurately, I observed the bastard’s physical body.

Is the Blood Qi… gone?

The Qi of Blood Demon I felt from Namgung Cheonjun in the tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes.

I was practically forced to absorb such a Qi from him, and because of that, I didn’t feel any Blood Qi from Namgung Cheonjun’s body.

They seem to be fully… Hmm?

Right as I was about to turn my head around after thinking that I absorbed everything from him, I noticed a strange difference.

If Namgung Cheonjun possessed Blood Qi, I should be feeling it from his Dantian,

What is that?

But something felt different.

Press.

I felt something different, and it was actually my side that had a change.

I began to feel heat from my Dantian.

[…Grr…rrr…]

The beast which had been sleeping, also started to show a reaction.

While looking at Namgung Cheonjun’s back, I realized why my body was showing such a reaction.

That fucker…?

As I opened my eyes wide while staring at the bastard, I heard another sound from the entrance.

“The Young Lady is entering the building.”

It was the announcement of Namgung Bi-ah’s arrival.

When I turned my head around and looked at the entrance, someone came in with a breeze of wind.

She had very light steps.

She showed great elegance with both her hands gathered up in one spot and her gaze looking down.

Her beautifully tied hair waved wonderfully.

Her already explosive beauty soared even higher after a makeover.

Holy shit.

The impact was so strong that any sense of familiarity I had with her face was completely shattered.

The heat that started to rise after seeing Namgung Cheonjun vanished the moment I saw Namgung Bi-ah's face.

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one thinking this way, because everyone in the banquet hall looked towards Namgung Bi-ah.

Lady Mi especially seemed surprised, her eyes widening to twice their usual size.

Namgung Bi-ah walked forward calmly and slowly lowered her head.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

She wasn't actually late.

After all, it hadn't been that long.

Despite this, Namgung Bi-ah showed respect, and Namgung Jin signaled with his hand that it was okay .

As expected, Namgung Bi-ah sat down across from me.

Normally, she would have gone to sleep, but Namgung Bi-ah sat with proper posture, which was refreshing to see.

Is she enduring the uncomfortable feeling inside?

Judging by her slightly trembling pupils, she seemed very uncomfortable without anyone next to her to lean on.

Putting that aside,

It’s too much.

Yes, that was the best way to describe it.

She was simply too beautiful.

Her already beautiful face was given a makeover, so the outcome was too much for me to handle.

It was so overwhelming that if she went outside like that, something might happen to her.

It was only thanks to Namgung Bi-ah coming from Namgung Clan, and her being a Peak Realm martial artist.

If she was an ordinary woman, she wouldn't have been able to prevent the calamity that was bound to come her way.

A popular belief of a beautiful woman being able to destroy a whole nation doesn’t exist for no reason, after all.

Namgung Bi-ah right now was at that level.

Comparing her to the Demonic Sword in my past life, their appearances were similar, but thinking about how she looked at the destroyed world with empty eyes and an emotionless face, she was a completely different person now.

I’m glad I taught her a few things.

I taught her how to hide her presence by using her Qi, and covering her face with a mask, which were helpful tips.

Then.

-Hey…

I began to hear a voice telepathically.

It was Namgung Bi-ah, who was sitting across from me.

Why is she talking to me telepathically?

When I checked her face wondering why, Namgung Bi-ah was looking at me with eyes filled with worries.

-…How is it?

-How’s what?

-…H-How does it look…?

Yeah.

I’m asking what.

I wondered what she was asking about.

I frowned my eyebrows a little and observed Namgung Bi-ah since I didn’t understand what she was talking about, then Namgung Bi-ah asked with a slightly reddened face.

-Do I… look pretty?

She asked me with her head turned around as if she couldn’t make eye contact.

Hearing such an unexpected question, I hid my shock and observed her.

This was a question she asked me before in the past.

However, she didn’t hesitate to ask back then nor did she avoid eye contact.

It was the same question, but her attitude was different.

Seeing her full of embarrassment and nervousness made me feel that she was filled with emotions.

-…Uh… Hm.

Unlike her, I was still just a retard that had gone through no changes.

I didn't expect her to ask such a question, so I couldn't respond while she struggled to meet my eyes.

I wondered if I needed to give a great reaction and thought hard about what to say, but only one thing came to mind.

-…You look pretty.

This was all I could say because I wasn't good with words.

Thankfully though, she seemed to be satisfied with my response because Namgung Bi-ah smiled hearing it..

She looked relieved.

I could feel her happiness, which warmed me inside.

Seeing her smile made me smile too.

I didn’t know why, but it just happened.

Throughout all of this, Namgung Cheonjun watched Namgung Bi-ah quietly.

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

The banquet ended without anything special happening.

The Lords didn’t enjoy drinking that, and martial artists at their level wouldn't be affected by alcohol anyway.

It was simply a celebration for the Gu Clan's arrival.

It didn't last long because of this.

It wasn’t that enjoyable anyways.

I still feel a bit sore thanks to all those gazes.

I tapped my shoulders with my hand.

Was it because of all the gazes from everywhere around me?

I felt a bit exhausted.

They should’ve eased off on watching me, instead they became gradually more blatant.

Because I pretended to not care, it felt like many martial artists were watching me, not just the Elders.

I didn’t know what they wanted to learn from observing me, but it definitely didn't feel good.

“…Sigh.”

As soon as the banquet ended, I left and took a walk.

As I walked to enjoy the breeze, someone next to me spoke.

“Are you tired…?”

“I’m fine.”

Namgung Bi-ah was next to me as well.

I originally planned to go back to my place, but Namgung Bi-ah asked me to take a walk with her.

Thanks to that, I was able to stop Namgung Jin from approaching me.

I was going to run away after telling him that I’m tired, but this is better.

My eyes naturally went to Namgung Bi-ah's head as she spoke to me in a careful tone.

Between her beautifully tied hair, I noticed the accessory I bought her.

Noticing the accessory, I asked Namgung Bi-ah.

“Are you going to continue using that?”

“…Hmm?”

“You could throw that away and use a different one if you want.”

It was much cheaper than her other accessories, so I asked if she'd prefer something more expensive.

“…”

But Namgung Bi-ah suddenly looked like she was hurt by what I said.

Huh?

“…Sorry.”

Seeing that, I naturally apologized.

It was the first time I’d seen such an expression from her.

“…Okay.”

Her expression went back to normal thanks to my quick apology, but the atmosphere had become awkward for some reason.

Did I do something wrong?

The street, illuminated by lamplights and moonlight, looked exceptionally beautiful, but the awkward situation distracted me from appreciating it.

“I think I said something wrong…”

I thought about giving her an excuse.

I couldn't forget the expression Namgung Bi-ah had just shown.

I was about to speak,

“It’s a night with a very bright moonlight.”

But I stopped when a voice interrupted us.

Across the street, in a spot where faint light barely blocked out the darkness, I heard a voice from there.

"I couldn't greet you properly earlier, so I came looking for you."

That was what the uninvited guest said.

His words were respectful, but I noticed the clear mask he wore, which made me feel sick.

“How have you been?”

I turned to face the bastard.

As I looked in his direction, I saw clear blue eyes watching me from the darkness.

Then, he spoke while looking at me.

“Brother-in-law.”

It must’ve felt like he chewed on blades while spitting out those words, yet the uninvited guest, Namgung Cheonjun, maintained his smile.

Seeing him like that, I accidentally responded.

“What the fuck is that bedwetter saying?”

Oh.

That was a mistake.