Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 919

Chapter 919

Gu Yangcheon arrived back at the same building he had departed from earlier.

Fortunately, the distance was not great, and having committed the route to memory, he found it without much trouble. Still, the journey took him some time.

The reason was straightforward.

“I am still furious.”

There had not been enough time for the rage that had boiled over within him to subside.

“That damned bastard.”

The more he reflected on Gubong, the more his annoyance intensified.

“I should have hit him more.”

He regretted not pounding him into a state where he couldn’t rise—or at the very least, would be down for another six months.

“Haaa…”

He released a heavy sigh and dragged his fingers through his hair. It did nothing to soothe his anger.

“And that fool has the nerve to call himself a disciple?”

He had attempted to view Gubong more charitably, largely because Noya appeared to hold him in esteem. Perhaps it was even this regard that had held him back from shattering Gubong completely.

“Why in the world would she favor such an imbecile?”

Every one of those considerations vanished the instant Gubong discarded his pride and knelt.

*Bang!*

Gu Yangcheon shoved the door open with a kick, causing the people inside to jump.

The room, which had been occupied before, was now even more packed.
Second disciples and others who had been waiting within were all present.

They stared with wide, nervous eyes, their expressions plainly asking:

“Who is this person?”

Gu Yangcheon could read their faces clearly, but he disregarded the silent inquiry and pointed at one of them with an irritated scowl.

“You.”
“M-me? Are you referring to me?”
“Yes, you. Come here.”

He gestured with his finger, and the man approached warily, completely bewildered.

This was the same disciple who had spoken up defiantly against Baek Doryeong earlier.

“Who was that man from before?”
“Excuse me…?”
“That Baek-something idiot. Who is he?”

When Gu Yangcheon demanded an answer, the disciple’s face contorted in confusion. It wasn’t a look that questioned why he was being asked, but rather one that wondered how he could possibly not know.

“Answer me. Now.”

His low growl and furrowed brow made the disciple flinch before he finally began to speak.

“Th-that was Baek Doryeong, the heir of the Baek family.”
“The Baek family?”
“Yes… a noble lineage from Yahwol Palace.”
“Yahwol Palace? And they are considered important?”
“…Yes. They are one of the Three Noble Houses, renowned for preserving pure bloodlines and receiving the General’s blessing directly…”

*Pure bloodlines*. The term grated on Gu Yangcheon, but he focused on the part about the General’s blessing.

“And who is this General?”
“…?”
“Wipe that look off your face.”

The disciple’s expression had become one of pure incredulity. At Gu Yangcheon’s sharp comment, he quickly composed himself, and Gu Yangcheon repeated his question.

“What is the General?”
“The General is one of the four beings who serve directly under the Master of All Realms…”
“Hmm.”

Gu Yangcheon narrowed his eyes. The mention of the «Master» made him uncomfortable. Any reference to his mother always unsettled him. He chose to set it aside for the moment.

“What about these nobles?”
“They are those of pure blood who have been blessed by the General.”
“And this pureblood idiot is named Baek Doryeong?”
“Yes… that is correct.”
“So are these Generals and nobles truly that powerful? Enough to make all of you tremble?”
“…”
“Dammit, your face.”
“…In this land, the words of those blessed by the Master are the law. As the Master’s chosen, it is only natural.”

Gu Yangcheon’s mind worked quickly as he processed this. The disciple’s immediate response suggested he was telling the truth.

The belief that being selected by the Master made their authority «natural» was undoubtedly common here.

“So the Master and their subordinates wield immense power in this place.”

It was obvious they were held in far higher esteem than Gu Yangcheon had initially assumed.

“Then why are these people in conflict with Mount Hua?”
“That’s…”

The disciple hesitated, looking around anxiously as if unsure he should answer. Just as Gu Yangcheon was about to press him—

“It’s alright. Tell him.”

The voice came from behind. Gubong had entered the room, arriving late.

Gu Yangcheon shot him a brief glance. His face was grim and he seemed lost in thought.

“…Mount Hua has no members of pure blood and possesses no blessings from the Master, so our standing is quite low,” the disciple explained.
“No blessings…”

Gu Yangcheon didn’t fully grasp the meaning, but judging from the gatekeepers’ behavior and Baek Doryeong’s earlier contempt, it was clearly a matter of great import in this world.

“Our Sect Leader, out of kindness for those with no other refuge, has accepted us tirelessly… and this has become the source of the conflict.”

The disciple’s eyes held a deep sadness.

“Lacking the General’s blessing or the Master’s approval, we are viewed as…”

“So, to put it simply.”

Gu Yangcheon cut him off.

“They see Mount Hua as a den of trash and treat all of you like garbage. Is that it?”
“…”

The disciple’s hurt expression was confirmation enough.

“And you put up with all this, even for basic supplies?”
“…This is a trade we barely managed to secure. There is nothing else we can do…”
“Fine. But…”

There was one thing Gu Yangcheon still couldn’t understand.
He grasped the situation and their hardships, but—

“Does your Sect Leader know about any of this?”
“…”

Would Shin Noya be aware that her disciples were being treated this way?

Gu Yangcheon was sure of the answer.

“No chance.”

Knowing her character, she would never stand idly by if she knew.

“…I do not believe she is aware of the specifics,” the disciple answered, his voice unsure.

As he thought.

“Then why doesn’t she know? It seems like she should.”
“The Sect Leader is forbidden from leaving the country or involving herself in these affairs.”

This time, Gubong was the one who answered.

“Forbidden? Why?”
“That is a condition of the contract that permits Mount Hua to exist.”
“Hmm…”

The word *contract* triggered a memory.

“Wasn’t that what the leader of that Black Ox faction was yelling about?”

Gu Yangcheon recalled the argument where Noya had fiercely denied violating any terms.

“So Noya can’t leave or intervene, which means she can’t know what’s happening?”
“Correct. And I pray she never discovers the truth.”

Gu Yangcheon raised an eyebrow at Gubong’s reply.

“Why?”
“She is the one who took us in when we had nowhere to go, raising us with care…”

Gu Yangcheon fought back a sneer at the word *care*.

“So all that nonsense about kneeling was because of this?”
“…”

Gubong’s silence was answer enough.

“What a joke.”

Gu Yangcheon let out a harsh, bitter laugh.

“You’re all fools.”
“…”

Even insulted, Gubong offered no retort.

“You honestly believe Noya knows nothing about this?”

Impossible.
That cunning old woman would never be ignorant of something like this.

“So this is why she sent me, is that it?”

Now everything made sense.

“That damn old hag.”

Unable to act herself, she had shoved the responsibility onto him.
The realization stoked his fury as he turned to leave.

He glanced at Cheonma and said, “Don’t follow me. Stay here and be still unless you want me to break you.”

Cheonma, who had been about to step forward, flinched and froze in place.

Gubong called out to him uncertainly.

“…Where are you going? Should we not return to Mount Hua at once—”

Without turning back, Gu Yangcheon replied, “I’m going to settle my bill. Wait here.”

Because now there was a job he needed to do—one he hadn’t even realized was his until this moment.

**********

A vast estate situated east of Yahwol Palace.
It was known as the seat of the Baek family.

Abruptly, chaos broke out as people rushed inside, shouting.

“Emergency—!”
“The young master is hurt…!”

Panic instantly flooded the mansion’s interior as attendants carried someone inside.

Baek Doryeong, the family heir, was draped over a guard’s shoulder, his face brutally battered. The sight sent a wave of shock through everyone gathered.

“The young master is severely injured…! Summon a healer, now!”
“Move, out of the way!”
“Ugh… urgh…”

The commotion was overwhelming.
Blood continued to trickle from Baek Doryeong’s mouth as the servants, their faces white with fear, scrambled in every direction.

Were they concerned for Baek Doryeong’s well-being? Not in the slightest. That was the least of their worries.
What truly terrified them was not Baek Doryeong himself.

However important he was as the heir, for now, he was just that—an heir.
The thing they feared most at that moment was—

“What is the meaning of this?”

A deep voice resonated through the halls.
The sound instantly froze every servant in place.

Then,

*Grrrrrr—!*

A low growl, like that of a great tiger, rumbled softly.
The air grew dense with a killing intent that saturated every corner of the mansion.

“Ghhhk… ggh…”
“Ugh… gah…”

The suffocating pressure forced everyone to their knees.

Through the mass of trembling bodies, a figure slowly advanced.
With each step, long, coarse white hair trailed along the floor.

It was impossibly long, making the figure’s already gigantic frame—nearly eight feet tall—seem even more immense.

The man stopped before Baek Doryeong’s collapsed form and looked down at him.
The sight caused the veins on his forehead to throb and bulge.

“What happened here?”
“S-sir…”
“I asked you, what happened?”

*Grrrrr—!!!*

The man’s voice carried a roar that shook the very foundations of the building.

“Hiiik…”

The man trembling before him shook even more violently, paralyzed by terror.

“Answer me.”
“Th-that… it’s…”

With a shaking hand, the man dug his nails into his own palm.
If he failed to answer, he would die. Pain was preferable to death.

He had to speak. There was no alternative.

“…Hwa… Mount Hua…”

Two words. That was all he managed to force out before collapsing into unconsciousness.
*Thud.* His body went limp on the floor.

“Mount Hua?”

The figure’s eyes ignited with a furious blue fire.

“Ha.”

A bitter smile twisted his lips upward.

“Those insects dare….”

Even after I extended them mercy, this is their repayment?

*Crack!*
His enormous fist clenched with enough force to splinter bone as he turned.

“Where are they now?”
“They… they just finished their trade. They will be departing the palace grounds with their supplies shortly.”
“Is that so?”

Hearing this, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

“Lead me. I will go and rend them apart myself.”

This man was Baek Wol.
Head of the noble Baek family, General of Yahwol Palace, and an Apostle of Yusa.