Childhood Friend of the Zenith Chapter 1141

The man’s wild, half-white hair stood up as if defying gravity.

His massive frame easily exceeded eight feet, packed with dense muscle.

A rugged face, characteristic of the Gu family, was covered with a thick beard, adding to his ferocious appearance.

He looked to be somewhere between middle-aged and elderly.

What stood out most were his deep red eyes, a clear indication of his lineage and affiliation.
𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

His expression was one of utter shock as he looked at me.

And I was no different.

‘…Why is this old man here?’

The man was none other than Gu Ryun.

Elder Il of the Gu family and someone who was practically like a grandfather to me.

‘…Damn. He’s young.’

The fact that this man was here was strange enough, but what stood out even more was how young he looked.

Of course, it made sense—this was the past.

‘But this young?’

The difference from the Elder Il I knew was staggering.

For a moment, I thought I might be mistaken, but…

‘No, he’s definitely Elder Il.’

There was no way I wouldn’t recognize him.

His presence, the heat radiating from his body, and his distinct posture—it was unmistakable.

However.

‘…His cultivation level is different.’

The aura emanating from him was vastly different from what I remembered.

The Elder Il I knew was at the Hwagyeong level.

Somewhere between the early and mid-stages—an ordinary master of his rank.

It was enough to serve as an elder of a great family, and in terms of ability, he was undoubtedly among the Hundred Masters.

But the Gu Ryun standing before me now was nothing like that.

‘He’s strong.’

Far stronger.

Early Hwagyeong? Mid-stage? That would be a joke.

He was at the peak of Hwagyeong—right on the verge of transcendence.

‘…How is this possible?’

If this was what Gu Ryun had been like in his prime… then what happened to the Elder Il I knew?

‘Could it be…?’

Was this why?

Elder Il often complained about how he had been far stronger in his younger days.

I had always assumed he was just whining.

‘But he was actually telling the truth?’

The difference between then and now was like heaven and earth.

Compared to his prime, he had been reduced to a mere fraction of his former self.

‘No wonder he was so bitter.’

If anything, it was surprising he could still laugh and joke about it.

At that moment—

“I GREET THE GREAT MASTER YEOMAH FIST…!”

Soi, along with Do Yun and Namgung Jin, hastily bowed.

“Hahaha! Yes, yes, nice to see you all.”

Gu Ryun grinned and waved his hand in response.

“Our sharp-tongued disciple of Mount Hua keeps getting prettier by the day. Is that old geezer of a sect leader treating you well?”

He spoke to Soi as if he knew her, causing her to flinch in surprise.

“A-Ah, yes… My master treats me better than anyone.”

The way she addressed her master made it clear—it was most likely Plum Blossom Sword Saint.

Hearing her defend her master, Gu Ryun clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk. He’d better. You’re the only disciple he managed to take in before his twilight years. If that mad dog finally learned some patience, it’s thanks to you.”

Mad dog?

That was not how I would describe the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.

Soi must have thought the same, as she wore an awkward smile.

“Haha… No, my master has always been kind.”

“…Kind?”

Gu Ryun’s face twisted in disbelief.

“This is why people change when they get old. If you knew what your master was like in his youth, you’d probably faint.”

Shaking his head as if disgusted by the mere thought, he then turned to Namgung Jin with a smirk.

“And our Namgung brat. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“…I greet the great master.”

Namgung Jin responded with a stiff, reluctant bow.

Gu Ryun sneered.

“Still as rude as ever. Well, I suppose that’s expected.”

He didn’t bother scolding him further, though his face made it clear—Those damn Namgungs are all the same.

Next, he turned to Do Yun.

“And who might you be? I don’t recognize your face.”

“…I am Do Yun of the Sanseo Sword Family. I greet the great master.”

“Hm?”

At the mention of the Sanseo Sword Family, Gu Ryun’s expression briefly changed.

As if he had recognized something.

“I see. Well, do your best.”

“Thank you.”

After nodding in response to Do Yun’s polite bow—

Grip.

A heavy hand tightened on my shoulder.

“And you. Who are you?”

“…”

“This is strange. For a moment, I thought you were that brat Cheolwoon… but you’re someone else.”

“…Great master.”

Soi cautiously interjected.

“…No matter how you look at him, he looks far too different from the Vice Commander…”

…What?

That sounded like a rather insulting remark.

Not just different, but far too different?

“Well, yeah, they don’t look alike at all. If anything, only the eyes are a little similar. But between the two, Cheolwoon is a hundred times better.”

“Yes… It’s hard to argue with that…”

“The hell? What are you two talking about, right in front of me?”

Annoyed, I slapped away Gu Ryun’s hand from my shoulder.

“Oh?”

Gu Ryun’s eyes gleamed with interest as he looked at me.

I stared back at the younger Elder Il and spoke.

“I am Baek Yangcheon of the Baek Family. I greet the great master Yeomah Fist.”

“Baek Yangcheon?”

Gu Ryun’s eyes widened at the name.

Then, suddenly—

“Ahaha! So it’s you! The one that crazy bastard took an interest in.”

“…Excuse me?”

“What a pity… To think you got caught in the eyes of that lunatic…”

“…What?”

“I heard he was suddenly looking for a disciple, so I came to see for myself. Well, now I see why.”

“…”

I didn’t even need to hear the rest to know who he was talking about.

And as if proving that very thought—

“Gu Ryun.”

A deep voice called out from behind.

A man wearing a black robe stepped forward.

He wasn’t as tall as Gu Ryun, but standing beside him, he didn’t seem overshadowed in the slightest.

“P-Paejon! I greet the great master.”

“…I greet the great master Paejon…!”

The sky of the orthodox sects.

One of the Three Masters—Paejon.

“What are you doing here?”

Paejon’s gaze darkened as he looked at Gu Ryun.

Gu Ryun, however, merely smirked, intrigued by his presence.

“What else? I heard you took in a disciple, so I came to see for myself.”

“…”

Paejon’s eyes shifted to me.

“…A disciple.”

His gaze was difficult to read.

As if he was contemplating something. Or perhaps, he had already made up his mind.

For a brief moment, there was silence.

Then, Paejon spoke.

“It’s true. He is my disciple.”

At those words, the atmosphere around us rippled.

Paejon had officially acknowledged me as his disciple.

“Isn’t that right?”

“…”

I couldn’t even respond.

All I could do was curse this damn bastard in my mind.

‘Son of a bitch.’

Just look at those eyes.

He was already planning to mess with me.

Anyway.

‘I thought escaping to Anhui for a while would help, but…’

Instead, it seemed like he had been waiting for his chance.

Paejon’s gaze was sharp—deadly, even.

“I heard you caused quite a commotion in Anhui.”

“…I didn’t do anything in particular.”

“Is that so? That’s not how it looks to me.”

“…”

He knew something. No, rather than knowing, it seemed like he was expecting something.

“Well, whatever. This works out perfectly. I was on my way to see you.”

“Me?”

He came to see me? A bad feeling shot straight up my spine.

“Oh, then I’ll see you later. I just completed an important mission, so I need to report to the Alliance Leader first. I’ll make time to meet—”

“No need. I already got permission from that man.”

“…What?”

“He said I could take you with me.”

“No way, what kind of bullsh—!”

Clunk!

“Gah!?”

Paejon reached out and grabbed me by the back of the neck.

“Well then, shall we go have a heartfelt conversation? Between master and disciple?”

“Wait, hold on—just a moment!”

I had no time to protest. By the time I realized what was happening—

Whoooosh—!!!

The scenery around me had already changed.

“Ah, damn it… Life really sucks.”

I muttered to myself in resignation.

As always, nothing ever went my way.

**********

Just like that, Paejon suddenly appeared, snatched up Baek Yangcheon, and vanished.

“…”

“…”

In the sudden silence that followed, the group stood in stunned stillness.

Then—

“Hahahahahaha!!!”

Gu Ryun finally burst into laughter.

“Ahaha… Ahahahaha! That crazy bastard.”

It had been years since he had last seen his friend.

Lately, the man had secluded himself in the mountains, supposedly having reached some kind of enlightenment.

And now, out of nowhere, he had come to the Martial Alliance—saying he had taken in a disciple.

The sheer absurdity of the situation had piqued Gu Ryun’s curiosity enough to come and see for himself.

“And he really picked up a weird one.”

He had found himself a disciple just as strange as himself.

But more than that—

‘This kid is peculiar.’

His eyes were insolent. His whole face was filled with dissatisfaction with the world—something about it made Gu Ryun want to smack him on the head.

And yet.

‘That’s all.’

Normally, if he saw a brat with eyes like that, he would have at least beaten some manners into him.

But instead of irritation, all he felt was mild amusement.

It was strange.

Why did he feel this way?

More importantly—

‘Why did I mistake him?’

Why had he, even for a moment, mistaken him for Gu Cheolwoon?

Gu Ryun couldn’t understand it.

They looked nothing alike.

If he were exaggerating, he would say that Gu Cheolwoon was a hundred times better-looking.

And yet, for a fleeting moment, that brat had looked exactly like Gu Cheolwoon.

His aura was different. His presence was different.

And still, something had tricked Gu Ryun’s senses.

“Hmmm…”

Even more than that—his eyes.

There was something about Baek Yangcheon’s eyes.

That was a look one could only acquire through experience, through living a certain kind of life.

And yet—

‘Has there ever been another family with such insolent eyes?’

Eyes that one was simply born with.

They bore a striking resemblance to those of the Gu family.

No, even among the Gu family, they were exceptionally Gu-like.

It was an absurd thought, and yet Gu Ryun couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

And just then—

Creeeak—!!!

The doors of the Alliance Leader’s Office swung open, and someone stepped out.

It was the man Gu Ryun had been waiting for.

“…Lord of the First Sword Division?”

Gu Cheolwoon emerged from the office, his eyes widening at the sight of Gu Ryun.

Yes, that face.

Gu Ryun nodded in understanding.

And then, with a curious expression, he asked Gu Cheolwoon,

“What brings you here…?”

“Cheolwoon.”

“Yes.”

“By any chance…”

Gu Ryun took care to phrase it as delicately as possible.

“Do you happen to have… a half-brother?”

“…?”

Gu Cheolwoon’s gaze wavered.

Because that was one of the most ridiculous things he had ever heard.