Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 916

Chapter 916

As Gubong prayed fervently that I wouldn’t stir up any problems, my hands tightened into fists on their own.

Seriously.

What was his problem? What kind of look was that?

‘This guy is really getting on my nerves.’

Rage surged within me. Should I just rip his eyes out? Or maybe break his face so badly he could never make that expression again?
I was still considering the possibilities—

“What is it? Do you need something from me?”

The guard scowled in my direction.

“I don’t like your face.”

This idiot.

“And what do you plan to do about—»
“We’re on a tight schedule. Please, we must keep moving!”

Just as I prepared to move forward, Gubong seized my wrist.
He offered the guard an uncomfortable smile as he spoke.

“My apologies. My junior isn’t himself today.”
“Junior? Who are you calling juni—!”
“Let’s go, junior.”

He began pulling me away before I could finish my objection.
I could have shaken him off without any effort, but I decided to allow it for the moment.

Then, once again, I caught a voice muttering close to my ear.

“Those Mount Hua fools are so full of themselves. Tsk.”

Hearing that, my brow furrowed deeply.
It was obvious now—

‘Something’s not right here.’

There was something happening that I wasn’t aware of.

**********

Pulled along by Gubong, I was finally taken inside.
The interior felt even more packed than outside.

Calling it a “crowd” felt strange, but no other word fit quite right.

‘The number of living beings here is ridiculous.’

It reminded me of Hanam in the middle of a festival—chaotic and vibrant, with a similar feeling in the air.
In other words, it was annoying and intense.

After navigating through the swarm for some time, I finally yanked my wrist free.

“Let go.”

Thud!
I shook him off forcefully and flexed my hand a few times to ease the stiffness.
As I worked my wrist, I turned to face Gubong.

“Explain. What was that about earlier?”
“…”

Gubong looked uneasy, clearly not wanting to answer.

But I had no intention of dropping it.

“Not going to talk? Should I go make some noise then?”

Hearing that, Gubong flinched, his face showing clear distress. He knew well enough by now that my threats weren’t empty.

After a brief pause, he finally let out a sigh and spoke.

“Mount Hua Sect is not well regarded outside its own territory.”

A bad reputation? His words made me frown, and I silently waited for him to continue.

“I don’t know where the honored guest is from, but within the Myriad Realms, there are very few places that view Mount Hua favorably. Perhaps none at all.”
“Why is that?”
“…Do you really not know?”
“Would I be asking if I did? Use your head.”

I answered while thinking to myself.
Ah, Shin Noya never really explained anything about me, did he?

Which meant—

‘He either forgot, intentionally left it out, or… wasn’t permitted to explain.’

It had to be one of those three. Judging by the circumstances, the last one seemed most probable.

‘Still, he didn’t bother to tell me either?’

Did he expect me to piece it together myself? Unbelievable. That senile old man was completely out of his mind.

While I was internally criticizing Shin Noya—

“For a nation to be recognized, it must have the ruler’s approval,” Gubong went on.

“Approval?”
“Yes. Even Yahwol Palace exists as a palace because it has the ruler’s sanction.”

For a nation to be considered legitimate, it needed the ruler’s consent.

‘So the ruler’s approval carries more weight than the people’s? Or is there more to it?’

“And Mount Hua Sect doesn’t have that approval?”
“…That’s right.”
“Why not?”
“…”

Why was Mount Hua excluded? I pushed him for a response.

“…”

Gubong hesitated, his expression growing stern before he finally replied.

“I cannot say.”
“What? You were talking freely until now, why stop?”
“Because the honored guest is not from Mount Hua.”
“…!”

His firm tone left me momentarily speechless.
It wasn’t just his words—the resolve in his eyes and voice was unshakable.

“No matter how esteemed a guest you are to the Grandmaster, this is an internal matter of Mount Hua Sect. It cannot be shared with an outsider.”
“What if I threaten to beat the answer out of you?”
“Even if you break my neck or tear out my heart, my answer will not change.”
“Hm.”

His unwavering response made me nod. He was completely serious.
Of course, I was also serious about beating him up.

“Fine, then.”

I was curious, but I didn’t push any further. Even if I did, he wouldn’t tell me, and I could understand his reasoning.

‘It’s true.’

I was an outsider.
I knew nothing about Mount Hua, which Shin Noya had spent over a century building.

Even if I felt a bond with Noya, it wasn’t the same as what Gubong or the others at Mount Hua felt.

This was a line I couldn’t cross.

‘Besides.’

Even if I didn’t know now—

‘I’ll find out sooner or later.’

The information would come to me eventually. My confidence in this was simple.

‘Noya told me to see with my own eyes.’

The fact that he sent me here meant he believed I would learn what I needed without much effort.
He probably thought this was the simpler path.

“…”

Gubong seemed surprised by how readily I dropped the subject, but for me, his explanation was sufficient.
Losing interest, I asked him with a detached expression.

“So, where are we headed now?”
“…Follow me.”

With that, he began leading the way again.
Cheonma and I followed, moving further into Yahwol Palace.

**********

As we walked, I observed our surroundings.
The thick crowd was almost entirely made up of people with animal ears or tails.

Of course, there were varying degrees.
Some exhibited more beast-like features, while others looked almost entirely human. That appeared to be the distinction.

‘How interesting.’

While their looks were unusual, their behavior and the general mood felt very much like Zhongyuan.

Just like the lively streets of Mount Hua Sect that Shin Noya had established, this place was full of energy and movement.

‘The architecture is a little different, though.’

The buildings lining the road were unique in shape and scale, unlike anything I had seen before.
It was a clear reminder that this was indeed another world.

‘…A different dimension.’

It was something I hadn’t fully processed until now. This place was truly foreign.
The unfamiliar atmosphere, the sky, and even the look of the people.

Seeing it all made it feel more real.
And with that realization came a question.

‘How are we even understanding each other?’

How was the language functioning here? It wasn’t something I’d considered before.
A different world, yet we could communicate perfectly.

It was puzzling, but I didn’t dwell on it. If it worked, that was enough for me.

We left the crowd behind and entered a narrow alley.
There were significantly fewer people here.

The mood changed instantly.

‘Hmm.’

Unlike the bright and lively main streets, this place was shadowy and damp.
It was clear we weren’t going anywhere ordinary.

We continued walking, going deeper and deeper.

Eventually, we arrived at a dilapidated building.
The structure was aged and covered in cracks, but it seemed better maintained than the others around it.

“…This is the place, isn’t it?”
“It is.”

So this really was it. Hard to believe.
I stared at the building with a displeased expression as Gubong pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Creak.
The old door groaned as it swung inward. And in that moment—

Whoosh.

‘Oh?’

The instant the door opened, I sensed a presence emanating from within. My eyes widened on reflex.

‘What’s this?’

There had been no sign of any presence until the door was opened.

‘It’s not a formation. Is it some kind of sorcery?’

At first, I could only speculate, but the more I considered it, the more convinced I became.

Since my experience with the turtle’s power, I had developed a sharper sense for the subtle distinctions between formations and sorcery.

As I stepped through the door, I saw four individuals inside, just as I had sensed.
The moment they noticed Gubong, their eyes widened in recognition, and they bowed.

“Master Gubong…!”
“I hope you have all been well?”

Gubong smiled as he returned their greeting. From their exchange, they were likely Second Disciples.

The disciples who had been greeting Gubong then turned their attention to us.

“Um, Master… who are they?”

Gubong paused for a moment, offering an awkward smile.

“They are here to help us today. They are honored guests of the main sect, so treat them with appropriate respect.”

Hearing that, I let out a humorless laugh.

“Appropriate respect? Coming from the one who showed the least respect. Don’t you think?”
“I don’t know.”
“…Ahem.”

Overhearing our exchange, Gubong cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“Master… what happened to your face? Did Senior Sister Seol Yeong… again…?”
“It’s nothing like that. Don’t concern yourself.”

The mention of Seol Yeong implied she must hit him frequently. Interesting.

‘Gubong is probably stronger than Seol Yeong, though.’

But given his stubborn and impulsive personality, it wasn’t shocking that he ended up on the receiving end.

“Enough of that. Is everything prepared?”

Gubong swiftly changed the subject, redirecting the conversation to the task at hand.
The whole reason we had come was to secure supplies, after all.

As soon as he asked, the disciples’ expressions turned uneasy.
Noticing this, Gubong frowned and pressed immediately.

“What’s wrong?”
“Well…”
“Out with it.”

Urged by Gubong, one of the disciples finally answered.

“It seems there’s been a problem with the Baeksa family.”
“What…?”

Hearing this, Gubong’s face darkened.

“What do you mean?”
“There were… some complications during the procurement…”
“Take me there at once.”

Before the disciple could finish, Gubong interrupted and issued the command. The disciple nodded quickly and started to lead the way.

‘What now?’

It looked like things were already going sideways from the very beginning.