Childhood Friend of the Zenith

༺ A Winter That Isn’t Cold (4) ༻

The day was exceptionally beautiful.

Perhaps it was because I had a fondness for the sky adorned with a few clouds, like it was today, rather than one without a cloud in sight.

As such, today seemed quite beautiful in my eyes compared to most other days.

‘And to return to Shaolin on a day like this…’

My original plan was to prepare to go back home either today or tomorrow since I was done with everything here, but thanks to this, that plan was delayed by a day.

‘But it’s not like I could just not go.’

Their eager gazes left me with no choice, so my legs and arms were practically tied at this point.

“Young Master!”

Wi Seol-Ah seized one of my arms.

“What, why do you keep calling?”

“A sparrow!”

“…Are you thinking it looks tasty?”

“…Young Master eats sparrows?”

I mean, is there a rule that I can’t…?

Wi Seol-Ah was holding my arm tight with no intention of letting go.

Hongwa tried to get her off of me, saying that it was disrespectful, but I stopped her.

‘If I knew this was going to happen, I would have insisted she wear a mask.’

It was my fault that I was careless.

Wi Seol-Ah, on the other hand, seemed very happy that she didn’t need to wear the uncomfortable mask.

‘Fine, at least you’re happy.’

My other arm was occupied by Namgung Bi-ah.

She didn’t hug my arm entirely like Wi Seol-Ah did and she was following along while timidly holding onto my sleeve; her anxious expression gave away her nerves.

Unlike usual, she couldn’t meet my gaze.

Tang Soyeol slightly puffed her cheeks with disappointment for not being a part of the duo, but she didn’t voice her frustration.

After getting out of the carriage and walking for a little, I spotted the staircase leading to the Shaolin Temple.

“It seems like they’ve done some construction on the staircase.”

Tang Soyeol spoke as such.

“I remember it had a bunch of cracks… but it seems like they’ve fixed it already.”

“You came here last year too?”

To my question, Tang Soyeol stayed silent for a moment before answering.

“I just had something to discuss with the Shaolin’s Chief Abbot.”

With the Heavenly Eye, you say?

Judging by Tang Soyeol’s expression, it didn’t seem to be the most memorable moment for her.

Either that or it wasn’t a good memory.

Tang Soyeol must have sensed her expression worsening because she quickly put on a smile.

Unlike Wi Seol-Ah or Namgung Bi-ah beside me, Tang Soyeol and Moyong Hi-ah, who lived like true nobility, were skilled at managing their expressions.

“It wasn’t anything special, Young Master Gu. You don’t need to worry about me!”

‘I never worried about you, though…?’

I also made a weird expression by accident, so I absentmindedly rubbed my cheek.

Pull-

My left arm was gently tugged back.

It was because Namgung Bi-ah had pulled on my sleeve.

“What.”

I looked at Namgung Bi-ah, wondering why she was doing that, but Namgung Bi-ah only stared at me without saying a word.

‘What’s up with her?’

Slide.

The incomprehensible silence passed and Namgung Bi-ah let go of my sleeve.

Then she carefully wrapped her arms around my arm. This was what she wanted to do?

As Namgung Bi-ah got closer, I could smell her scent.

Did she spray something? It felt different than usual.

[Haha. This dog shit world.]

I knew he was going to say something like that.

I could’ve sworn he had promised to stay silent today.

For now, I decided to ignore it and focus on Namgung Bi-ah’s blue eyes.

‘Our eye level.’

Back when we first met, I remembered Namgung Bi-ah being slightly taller, but looking at it now, I was a tiny bit taller than her. Although the difference was minimal.

Observing this, I thought…

‘…Could I grow a little more?’

I began to hope.

A martial artist’s growth was faster than that of an ordinary person.

The presence of Qi within one’s body accelerated their development toward a physique suitable for martial arts.

However, this process varied for each person.

And thinking about my past life, I wasn’t particularly tall.

‘I was shorter than Father.’

Considering that most members of the Gu Clan were on the shorter side, Father and the Second Elder were exceptions.

I’m a fist fighter like them, so why am I like this?

‘Since this life is different from my past life, I hope that I grow a little taller.’

I desired this not only for aesthetic reasons but also because it would be more practical for my martial arts practice.

While I understood that height wasn’t everything, it was generally advantageous for a fist fighter like me to be taller rather than shorter.

Pull-

While lost in these musings, Namgung Bi-ah held onto my left arm more firmly.

“…Again.”

Namgung Bi-ah, who didn’t seem satisfied, used her hand to turn my head around so that my sights were on her.

“…You were… thinking about something else… right?”

“…”

“Focus…”

Namgung Bi-ah told me to do that while frowning her eyebrows.

And that made her look all the more beautiful.

To the point that I couldn’t take it anymore and had to look away.

As I turned away, she clung to my arm even tighter.

Thanks to that, I was able to feel the soft sensation against my arm.

[Do you know?]

‘Are you going to curse at me again?’

[You rotting piece of shit, do you think cursing is the only thing I know how to do?]

Am I wrong…?

For someone hailed as the great Taoist of history, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him speak without including some sort of curse word.

[…Ahem.]

After picking up on my thoughts, Elder Shin let out a fake cough.

It seemed even he was aware of his rough language.

[Anyway…]

So he’s trying to pretend like nothing happened.

‘…Yes.’

[Back when I was alive, there was a woman who was called the Zenith of Beauty as well.]

All of a sudden? For some reason, Elder Shin started discussing the most beautiful woman from his time.

[She was a very beautiful lady. Not only was she beautiful, but she also excelled in martial arts.]

‘I see.’

[Her household was impressive too, so she was pretty much a perfect woman.]

For some reason, he sounded like he was reminiscing about the past.

Sure, he could think about the past, but why was he delving into this topic out of the blue?

[However, due to the harshness of this world, she didn’t have the best ending.]

Elder Shin spoke with a slightly darker tone.

[Protect her well.]

‘…What?’

[Anything can become poisonous if it’s too great. That girl’s beauty is a prime example of that.]

I glanced at Namgung Bi-ah after hearing Elder Shin’s words.

As usual, she appeared lost in her own world.

Wi Seol-Ah was no different.

She was still growing, but in the near future, she too would shine brightly.

‘But that’s not what’s important right now.’

So I didn’t know why Elder Shin was bringing this up.

Although he often seemed to yell at me, he also offered valuable advice.

[This child has gained fame, you know.]

It didn’t seem like he was talking about me, as it wouldn’t fit the context of our current conversation.

[She’s not only earned a title but is also being called the greatest beauty of Anhui.]

I did hear such comments from time to time.

Though Namgung Bi-ah herself didn’t really seem to care.

With the attention she was attracting, it was only natural that she would garner more admirers after showing that performance in her fight.

‘Then why did she even ask me to teach her?’

I taught her how to hide her own presence as it seemed to be her wish, but she deactivated that in front of that many people, displaying her sword dance to everyone.

So people began calling Namgung Bi-ah the “Sword Dancer” following her fight.

I wasn’t entirely sure if this could be considered an official title.

‘But it does seem a bit excessive.’

It appeared to be a result of her talent and beauty.

Thanks to that, this phrase began to spread throughout the world, reaching not only the young prodigies but everyone that was remotely involved in the martial arts world.

Namgung’s Flower was the most beautiful of the Central Plains.

‘But protect her well?’

Even without Elder Shin’s reminder, I was already going to.

I will protect her.

Unlike my past life.

“…?”

Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head when she noticed my body tensing a bit.

She then was about to ask me something,

“My name is Eejuu, and I will be your guide today.”

But she was interrupted when a man with calm steps appeared.

“Woah!”

Wi Seol-Ah reacted brightly when she saw the monk named Eejuu.

…She didn’t react that way because of his head, right?

“Young Master, that man’s head is shiny- Uuff…! Uofgh…!”

As expected, she was about to utter something quite rude, so I quickly covered her mouth.

Although she couldn’t complete her sentence, I was sure Eejuu had caught the gist.

But he responded with a forgiving smile, and then proceeded to walk towards Shaolin, gesturing for us to follow him, just as he had done yesterday.

“…That was close.”

Telling a monk that he had a shiny head right in front of their face was something even I wouldn’t dare to say.

‘I gotta give teach a lesson later.’

I was scared that she would cause trouble somewhere else if I didn’t.

I gotta tell her to keep it to herself.

Just like yesterday, the tour of Shaolin wasn’t any different.

We visited the statues and observed the rocks.

After wandering around and admiring the White Fish of Purity at the lake, time seemed to pass quickly.

‘And nothing happened this time.’

Unlike yesterday when Cheolyoung spoke to me, I didn’t sense anything unusual this time around.

In fact, the white fish actually didn’t think about coming toward us, unlike yesterday.

Eejuu was confused since this was the first time such a thing happened, but the rest of the group remained unfazed.

They weren’t the type to be impressed by looking at some pretty fish.

Wi Seol-Ah might have had sparkly eyes while looking at the fish, but I had a hunch as to why she was staring at the fish that way, so I refrained from asking her about it.

‘…I hope it’s not because she thinks it looks tasty.’

Namgung Bi-ah, on the other hand, appeared to be enjoying herself since her usual vacant expression had transformed into one filled with life.

Did she find Shaolin fascinating?

It didn’t seem that fascinating in my eyes.

If I had to choose, Mount Hua seemed more special to me.

[Hmm? Why mention Mount Hua all of a sudden?]

‘How could I not? They are part of the Ten Sect Alliance… yet the place reeks more of sweat than flowers, and training equipment litters the ground.’

How did such a place belong to a Taoist clan…?

[That just means they are devoted to martia-]

‘Stop trying to make it sound like a cool thing, Elder Shin…’

[…]

It seemed even Elder Shin agreed with my assessment, as he remained silent.

“Next up…”

During this, I glanced at the guide named Eejuu, who had a kind smile on him.

Judging by how I couldn’t sense the energy, it thankfully seemed like he wasn’t the same type as the bastard I saw yesterday.

Also, I found and saved the child monk named Heeyoung after dealing with the bastard.

The bastard hid Heeyoung in a mountain cave some distance from Shaolin.

I didn’t know how many days he had spent in that cave, but judging by the state of his health, it didn’t appear to be an extended period.

‘I don’t even know how much Qi I used to find him….’

I couldn’t simply leave after hearing that bastard had hidden the child on a mountainside because I knew it would weigh on my conscience if I did.

However, this delay had caused me to return late, resulting in even bigger trouble.

Even so, I managed to save the kid, so I didn’t mind.

‘Considering how Shaolin didn’t seem to have changed that much, was it okay?’

I didn’t know how big of an impact it caused for Shaolin to lose their child monk.

However, since I hadn’t heard any news about the incident, it seemed likely that Shaolin had handled the matter discreetly.

Either that, or they’d made sure no bastards like that remained in Shaolin any longer.

‘I wonder if there are more bastards like that in Shaolin.’

I couldn’t be certain.

Hence, I needed to exercise caution.

Swoosh!

As I continued walking, lost in my thoughts, a sudden gust of wind blew forcefully.

“Oooah!”

Wi Seol-Ah stuck closer to me to avoid the wind.

I couldn’t entirely block the wind due to my relatively small stature, but Wi Seol-Ah seemed satisfied enough.

“The wind is blowing like crazy!”

“Yeah.”

“But it’s not cold!”

Of course not, I was emitting heat around me, after all.

Wi Seol-Ah nestled herself closer, wearing a smile.

“Back when I lived with Grandpa…”

I didn’t push Wi Seol-Ah away and instead wrapped one arm around her. It was because she seemed cold.

“It was cold because we lived in a forest.”

She was talking about back when she lived only with the Sword Venerable.

She said that she lived in a forest with just the two of them, for a long time.

Her youthful appearance, compared to her age, likely stemmed from that experience.

“It was really cold. So I didn’t like the winter.”

I imagined that the Sword Venerable might have been able to ward off the cold using his Qi, but it likely wasn’t as effective as the Flame Arts used by martial artists.

Wi Seol-Ah spoke to me with a slightly reddened nose.

“But this winter isn’t cold!”

Then her grip around my waist tightened.

“And I hope next year’s winter isn’t cold either…!”

Wi Seol-Ah might have uttered those words without much thought, but they warmed my heart and filled me with a sense of warmth.

“…Yeah. I hope the same.”

I didn’t know how much burden I could carry for others when I felt incompetent myself, but if I could, I hoped that…

You would live a much more peaceful life than the past.

And since that wish of mine would depend on my actions, I sincerely hoped it would come true.

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

Shaolin had a huge land, thanks to all the support and donations, but entry to outsiders was limited and the tour only covered the most picturesque areas.

As a result, the tour ended rather quickly.

Considering how short the tour was, I wondered if I had to bring them somewhere else, but thankfully, they all seemed satisfied.

“It was fun!”

Along with Wi Seol-Ah shouting brightly, Namgung Bi-ah also slightly nodded.

Tang Soyeol probably came here often, so I doubted whether she enjoyed it as much as them.

“Young Master Gu.”

Tang Soyeol called my name.

“Are you hungry by any chance?”

“A little? I didn’t eat anything after all.”

As Tang Soyeol had correctly assumed, I was indeed hungry after being dragged to Shaolin without having a meal following my morning training.

Tang Soyeol then smiled as if she was anticipating my response.

“Then I know a good restaurant, so would you like to- “

“Are you Young Master Gu?”

Tang Soyeol’s words were abruptly cut off by an intruder.

Because of that, Tang Soyeol put on a fierce face as she couldn’t hide her irritation this time, but when she saw the person who had interrupted her, she shut her mouth.

It was an old man with lots of wrinkles.

He had a long scar extending to his head and was over 7ft tall with a body that looked like it was about to explode with muscles.

‘…The Mighty Staff?’

This old man was someone I knew.

He was one of the Hundred Masters of the Central Plains and held a high position within Shaolin, ranking just below its Chief Abbot.

‘What does this man want with me?’

I showed respect to him first.

I was confused as to why he appeared so randomly, but I had to show respect as he greeted me first.

“Yes… My name is Gu Yangcheon.”

The Mighty Staff slowly straightened his body and spoke.

“The Chief Abbot wishes to meet you.”

I clicked my tongue after hearing the old man.

I didn’t know what it was, but I had a strong feeling it was going to be quite a hassle.

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