Childhood Friend of the Zenith

༺ Know Your Place (1) ༻

Creak-

I took my first step inside as the giant gate swung open.

I was finally able to return to the Gu Clan after the long trip that lasted for months.

The cold winter had already turned into spring and the season had come alive with flowers emerging from their wintry slumber.

This was a point where a full year had already passed since my regression.

‘…It’s just been a year, but why does it feel like so much has happened?’

My weak body, once struggling to ascend even a single step, had somehow ascended to the Peak Realm and instead of the sad and pathetic days that I would spend in the corner of my room at this time…

I now bore the grand title, True Dragon.

Too many things indeed did happen this year.

“Hmm?”

As soon as I came in after opening the door, a confused sound escaped my lips.

Despite my return to the clan, it felt oddly quiet here.

“What’s up?”

Servants should’ve been waiting for me since I’d sent a letter in prior, but I was barely able to see any.

‘What’s going on?’

The atmosphere felt strange.

This clan might have been a clan that lived quietly, but it wasn’t this bad before.

“What’s wrong, Young Master Gu?”

Tang Soyeol approached as I stood still, inquiring about the situation.

She had decided to stay at the Gu Clan for a while instead of returning to Sichuan.

When I asked her if it was okay for her to do so, she answered yes, while slightly avoiding eye contact.

This meant that it certainly wasn’t okay… but I didn’t ask her any further.

“It’s just… a bit quiet here.”

“It… indeed is rather quiet.”

It was quiet.

So much to the point, it seemed strange.

And that silence had turned into nervousness.

‘It seems like something happened.’

Surveying my surroundings, I began walking toward the center of the clan.

No, at least I tried to.

As soon as I tried to move, I felt a presence running toward me.

At first, I thought it was the steward for a second.

Yet, I quickly discerned that the approaching figure wasn’t him.

A small, youthful form was sprinting in my direction.

And, it didn’t take long for me to identify her.

Not only did she have the unique uniform reserved for the blood relatives of the clan, but I was also familiar with her braided hair.

I spoke while looking at the girl running toward me.

“Why are you… still here?”

It was none other than Gu Ryunghwa.

And Gu Ryunghwa shouldn’t be in the Gu Clan right now.

After all, she should’ve already left for Mount Hua along with the Plum Blossom Sword.

So why was Gu Ryunghwa still here then?

“B…Brother…”

“You… what’s wrong?”

After seeing her sobbing face and hearing her shaky voice, I quickly ran toward her and grabbed her shoulders.

“What happened?”

“Brotherrr…”

When I came closer, Gu Ryunghwa burst into tears.

It seemed like there really was a problem after all.

“Let’s first calm down and…”

“Second Elder… the Second Elder is…”

“What?”

My attempt to soothe Gu Ryunghwa was thwarted as my own emotions became turbulent upon hearing her words.

“…What did you say?”

Without hiding my wild emotions, I asked Gu Ryunghwa.

“Brotherrrr…”

In response to my inquiry, she sobbed even more.

However, I wasn’t in a situation where I could calm her down right now.

“…The Second Elder is…”

“Tell me clearly without crying.”

My tone turned stern, but I couldn’t afford to think about that right now.

Witnessing Gu Ryunghwa’s distress, Wi Seol-Ah and Namgung Bi-ah rushed to console her, but I still couldn’t fix my expression.

Gu Ryunghwa then spoke to me with a shaky voice.

I hoped that I misheard it the first time…

“T-The Second Elder… might die.”

But after hearing her for the second time, my heart stopped for a moment.

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

Whether it was Gu Ryunghwa not going back to Mount Hua, the absence of welcoming servants even though a blood relative of the clan was returning from a long trip.

And my initial plan to visit the First Elder immediately, none of that mattered to me right now.

Urgently, I burst into the clan’s medical room.

The scent of blood became apparent as I got close.

Bandages used to wipe all the blood were all piled up in a corner.

The martial arts’ Inner Qi permeating the medical room intensified my unease.

“…What is…”

Not only were doctors of the Gu Clan here, but doctors from outside the clan were also bustling around.

Doctors were taking care of the patients with sweat flowing down their faces and all the patients here were from the Gu Clan’s swordsmen.

Judging by the symbol that was written on their uniforms,

They were all from the Fifth Swordsmen.

With apprehensive eyes, I navigated through the room.

I dredged up all my Qi to look for a certain person.

And I eventually located him.

In the last room of the medical building, I felt the Second Elder’s presence.

As soon as I moved to enter the room…

Someone blocked me.

“Y-You cannot enter!”

My sharp gaze made the doctor flinch and step back.

The one who stopped me was a doctor who belonged to the Gu Clan.

“What?”

When I glared at him with sharp eyes, I saw the doctor’s shoulders tremble.

“…T-The elder is in the middle of an operation, he said that it’s an emergency, so we were ordered not to allow anyone in…”

“…”

It seemed like the Immortal Healer was treating the Second Elder inside that room.

None other than the Immortal Healer himself used the word emergency.

And because that word came from the world’s greatest doctor, I was able to know how bad of a situation this was.

My clenched teeth mirrored the tension as I relaxed my grip and asked the doctor.

“…Where is the steward?”

I was barely able to hold back my urge to break anything.

I first had to know why such a situation occurred.

“I greet the Young Master.”

Not long after my search, the steward entered the medical room.

Usually, I would have been the one who went to him, but I didn’t want to leave this building right now.

“I apologize for not being able to meet you outside when you retu-“

“Skip the apology. What happened here?”

I cut off the old man’s apology.

Apologies were of no use to me at this moment.

“What happened for everyone to end up like this?”

“…There was an ambush.”

“Ambush?”

“Yes, sir.”

I couldn’t understand.

An ambush, he says?

‘You’re telling me that the Second Elder was ambushed…?’

Putting aside the fact that the Second Elder had the second highest position of the clan, he was a person who primarily operated within the Gu Clan.

He did go to Anhui and other places from time to time, but the fact that a martial artist of his caliber had been ambushed to the point of life-threatening danger baffled me.

‘Is it related to the Fifth Swordsmen?’

My gaze shifted to the members of the Fifth Swordsmen lying down.

The Fifth Swordsmen was the swordsmen group that had none other than my sister, Gu Huibi, as its master.

After seeing that, there was one thought that passed through my mind.

‘…Now that I think about it…’

Before I left for Hanam for the Dragons and Phoenixes Tournament, the Second Elder mentioned he was going to assist Gu Huibi because she needed help from him.

The steward then spoke to give me an answer.

“The army was ambushed.”

“And all of this happened because of that ambush?”

I didn’t know exactly, but the Second Elder was unquestionably a martial artist well beyond the Fusion Realm.

In the realm of martial arts, reaching Fusion meant transcending normal human limits, and transforming into a force of nature.

Such an individual could wield influence akin to a storm.

So who was able to do that to a martial artist who could even be called a walking calamity?

How?

“Do you know who was responsible?”

“We couldn’t find out, so we sent out a team to gather information… But after collecting all the evidence, there is one individual that we were able to think of.”

My attention sharpened at the steward’s words. Fortunately, he seemed to have information on the perpetrator.

The steward stood silent for a bit, then spoke.

“The Palace Lord of the Black Palace.”

After hearing the name, my eyes widened up a full circle.

It was inevitable.

After all, it was a name that I never expected to hear at this point in time.

“…After combining all the evidence, we concluded that it was the Lord of Black Palace responsible for the ambush.”

‘The Black Palace’s Lord…?’

He was the one who ruled the Black Palace, and he was one of the Four Emperors and Five Kings.

He was an individual who would meet his death a few years later, along with the Black Palace being destroyed by the Murim Alliance.

‘…So why was such a man involved?’

I would be able to know for sure if it was him or not after the Second Elder hopefully woke up, but if it really was true, then I needed to understand why the Lord of the Black Palace targeted the Fifth Swordsmen and the Second Elder.

‘This, too, was something that I didn’t know of.’

I didn’t have any memory of the Second Elder being attacked at this point in time.

It was possible that I just didn’t remember, but…

‘There is no way that I wouldn’t remember something this serious.’

No matter how retarded I was, it was impossible to forget about such an incident.

I did go through the future changing countless times already…

‘…But could things change this much?’

Considering that this never happened in my past life, it was highly possible that my actions might have triggered these unforeseen consequences.

‘Then when and where?’

While I couldn’t figure out where and when things had begun to twist, I had to learn how the Black Palace Lord was able to step his foot there.

“…Wait.”

As I was thinking with a headache…

I realized one important truth.

“Steward.”

“Yes… Young Master.”

“What about my sister?”

“…”

The steward’s expression darkened at my question.

The Fifth Swordsmen belonged to Gu Huibi.

And if the Second Elder had gone to aid her…

Then where was Gu Huibi right now?

“Where is my sister?”

Gu Huibi wasn’t in the medical building. Furthermore, even if Gu Huibi was okay, there was no way that she wouldn’t be here right now with her personality.

After all, she wasn’t the type to go rest all by herself in her room when her army and the Second Elder were hurt.

Which was more of the reason why I had to learn about Gu Huibi’s whereabouts.

After hesitating for a moment, the steward responded to my question.

“…The Lord of Black Palace took the lady with him.”

“Ha.”

After hearing the steward, I placed my hand on my face.

Such shitty things were happening consecutively.

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

Without even being able to unpack my things, I spent my time in the medical room, with my back leaning on the wall.

Wi Seol-Ah tried to bring me food from time to time, but I wasn’t in the mood to eat anything right now.

Instead, I stared ahead, absentmindedly fidgeting with my dried lips.

My gaze wasn’t fixated on any particular object, I was just lost in thought.

‘Gu Huibi was abducted.’

According to the steward, the Black Palace Lord had taken Gu Huibi away.

‘So was their goal Gu Huibi from the very beginning?’

Did the sudden appearance of the Black Palace Lord, overpowering the Second Elder and the Fifth Swordsmen, revolve around Gu Huibi?

If so, what was the motive behind abducting her?

‘Why? Why Gu Huibi?’

No matter how much I thought about it, it was something I couldn’t understand.

‘…The problem is…’

Because of this incident, Father left the clan.

‘I heard he left along with the First Swordsmen.’

I was told that as soon as the Second Elder was under the care of the Immortal Healer, Father departed from the clan.

His objective likely centered around the search and rescue of Gu Huibi.

Considering that Father rarely left the clan unless the true gate of demons appeared, his decisive action indicated the gravity of the situation.

And knowing how Father didn’t seem to care too much about his own daughters and sons, it seemed like there was another reason for him to act.

Crack.

My teeth began to grind.

I wasn’t expecting to be welcomed by such a situation immediately upon my arrival from Hanam.

‘A man who looked like he was going to live well for at least another ten years is…’

There were so many things I wanted to ask, like the Dishonored Venerable’s letter, and the ring he sneakily gave me, but who would’ve known that a bear-like old man like him would end up in that state?

“…Fuck.”

A muttered curse slipped from my lips, and Gu Ryunghwa, who was asleep next to me, began to move slightly.

Because of that, I had to hold in my curses.

Glancing at Gu Ryunghwa, my thoughts turned to the Plum Blossom Sword.

The master of Mount Hua who stayed in the Gu Clan for some time along with Gu Ryunghwa.

‘I was told that the Plum Blossom Sword left with the First Swordsmen as well.’

I was told that the Plum Blossom Sword, who had stayed to assist Gu Ryunghwa, departed with father to lend her support.

I didn’t know how much of her strength she recovered after she was cured of the Demonic Qi’s corruption, but even if she had fully regained her power, her decision to aid the Gu Clan was a choice for which I felt gratitude.

I told Namgung Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol to retire to their rooms and I asked Hongwa to take back Wi Seol-Ah.

I didn’t want to reveal my current expression to anyone right now.

Especially them.

As I was waiting for the time to pass…

Creak-

The door to the room where the Immortal Healer had been working slowly swung open. At the faint sound, I immediately stood up.

The one that came out of the door with an exhausted look was the Immortal Healer.

Upon spotting me waiting outside, he wore a look of surprise.

“Why are you…”

“Immortal Healer sir…! Is the Second Elder okay?”

Since I cut him off and shouted as the first thing, the Immortal Healer blocked his ears and frowned.

“I thought my eardrums popped! Why are you shouting out of nowhere!”

Ugh-

When he responded with a shout, he faltered.

To that appearance, I immediately helped and supported the Immortal Healer.

“…Are you okay?”

“This only happened because I remained seated for too long. It’s bound to happen since I’m old.”

With that sentence, the Immortal Healer took off his clothing.

“The operation went nicely. It will take a long time for him to recover, but he will open his eyes soon.”

After hearing the Immortal Healer, I let out a sigh that I was holding in. The Immortal Healer clicked his tongue at my visible relief.

“You came and stuck yourself here as soon as you returned from your trip?”

“…”

“What a stupid kid you are. What do you think would change if you stay and wait here when you aren’t even a doctor?”

After speaking those words, the Immortal Healer opened the path.

As if he was telling me to go in.

Without delay, I entered the room.

“…!”

The Second Elder was lying down in the room.

Though his massive frame made the room seem cramped, my attention couldn’t afford to dwell on that detail.

‘…There is a trace of something penetrating his upper body.’

Despite the completed operation, the trace was still clearly left there.

So much to the point that the bandages wrapping his body couldn’t even hide it.

It wasn’t too big of a penetration compared to the Second Elder’s giant body, but it was still expected to be a fatal wound.

Not only that, but I could also see the extent of damage throughout his entire frame.

The Immortal Healer, who entered after me, provided an explanation.

“Even though he lost consciousness, his Qi is slowly healing the wounds. Furthermore, because his regeneration rate was excellent, he was able to survive when an ordinary person would’ve died already with a wound like this. What a monster of a body this is.”

“…Hooo.”

“Go leave if you’re done checking on him. You being here only makes it rowdier here.”

“…Could you tell me when he would wake up?”

To my question, the Immortal Healer responded while clicking his tongue.

“If I knew that, do you think I would be a doctor? I would’ve chosen to work with Wudang. Even if it takes long, he will open his eyes in four days, so stop pointlessly worrying and screw off!”

Despite speaking harshly, he gave me all the information.

He was telling me to stop worrying and go rest, so I turned away after a final glance at the Second Elder.

As the Immortal Healer had noted, there was little I could contribute by remaining in the building.

“…Please take care of him. I will greet you properly next time.”

“Hmph.”

After turning my back against the Immortal Healer, I carefully picked up Gu Ryunghwa and walked toward the adjacent medical room.

Then, I handed Gu Ryunghwa over to a waiting servant.

“She probably won’t wake up, so bring her to her room.”

“Understood.”

I had secretly administered acupuncture on Gu Ryunghwa, so she wouldn’t wake up.

She would wake up tomorrow morning, though.

“Should I tell other servants to prepare a meal back at home?”

The servant spoke, worrying about the fact I skipped all my meals, but I declined, shaking my head.

“It’s fine. I don’t want to eat anything right now. And plus…”

Crack.

My gaze shifted toward a specific direction, and I loosened my stiffened shoulders.

“I have somewhere to go.”

I put my wild Qi and emotions to sleep.

After all, I had to suppress the tumultuous feelings stemming from the revelations about the Second Elder and Gu Huibi.

“I’ll be back a little late.”

With those words, I began to move.

The place I was headed was Gu Sunmoon, where the First Elder would be.

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