[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith":3,"chapter-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-46":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Childhood Friend of the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1239972,1667,"Chapter 45: Sword Phoenix (5)","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-46",46,"\u003Cp>༺ Sword Phoenix (5) ༻\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long has it been?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing as I still felt tired, it didn’t seem like I’d slept for that long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean you’re not going to eat when you need to grow up!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was forced to wake up to the sound that stabbed at my ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On opening my eyes, the first thing that came into view was a dumpling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Why is there a dumpling here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this actually a dream? That seemed likely, considering I have only eaten dumplings for the past few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Dumplings huh, are these beef dumplings?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother, are you talking in your sleep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Accompanying the suddenly heard voice was a familiar pair of red eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My brain only started to work when those eyes came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My blurry sight rapidly cleared, and as it did so sharp facial features appeared in front of me, forming a face that told me the identity of the individual before me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, it’s your awesome and beautiful sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored the last part of her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Am I not allowed to be here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, since this is my room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which means it’s also my room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What are you saying, are you drunk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi tried to give me a bonk on the head due to my words but I quickly moved to dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of Gu Huibi’s eyebrows visibly rose at my action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh… How dare you dodge me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you trying to hit me as soon as you come into my room?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How dare you talk to your older sister like that when she came to check on her little brother who said that he wouldn’t eat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You could’ve just ordered a servant to do it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was going to ask if she came here just to annoy me, but I decided not to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I did, I would probably get burnt alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi lifted her hand up again in order to hit me, but she put it down shortly after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she just give up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slowly handed over a dish of dumplings to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I picked them up on my way here, so don’t starve and eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just happened to just come across this many dumplings…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You talk too much. Do you want to be burnt to a crisp along with these dumplings?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she decided to act on her threat, I quickly started eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to them being steamed recently, they were still warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I still felt uncomfortable around her, I couldn’t deny the fact that she came here thinking about me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi chuckled at my response seemingly finding it funny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“’Thank you’? The dumplings must really delicious, as I don’t know how long it’s been since my little brother said such kind words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Really?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I guess that’s not too surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because at around this time, the past me probably hated everyone in the clan, let alone the family members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I meant what I said, but it seems like you always have something to say, even when I’m simply saying thanks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your crude manner of speaking hasn’t changed, yet I wonder what happened for you to change so drastically… Is it because of the Namgung girl?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spat out the dumpling that was in my mouth at Gu Huibi’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d started choking on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough… cough…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I guess you love her so much that you can choke on your food.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt her sharp gaze on me as I coughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What nonsense was she on about though?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you bringing up Namgung all of a sudden, I thought I was going to die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was she pretty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Fucks sake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi wasn’t even listening, she only cared about what she wanted to hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, ‘was she pretty?’ she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we were being objective, then Namgung Bi-ah was considered beautiful by many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like,a lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would have to bring someone at least on Wi Seol-Ah’s level if they were to compete with Namgung Bi-ah’s looks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her being covered in blood while sweeping through an army of enemies by herself andstillmanaging to look beautiful was something I had become used to seeing in my previous life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that my opinion of her mattered since I had seen her so many times that I’d grown numb to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Lightning Sword said that she’s pretty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You know him well?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve seen him a few times, but we never talked much, he also looked suspicious anyways.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since there were only so many prodigies that could become one of the dragons and the phoenixes of the world, they must have run into each other a few times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weird thing about it was how Gu Huibi said that he looked suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Namgung fucker was pretty decent at acting, were Gu Huibi’s senses that good?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I was about to finish the dumplings, Gu Huibi took something out from her pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I became speechless after seeing what she took out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t you tell just by looking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can, which is why I’m asking for fucks sake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing Gu Huibi had taken out was none other than white liquor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is she bringing alcohol to someone else’s place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi giggled when she saw my expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want a drink?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Be honest, did you actually come here so you could drink?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swear, she’s not right in the head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring my words, Gu Huibi took out a glass for the liquor and started drinking by herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you going to leave after you finish drinking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No? I’m going to sleep here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was easily the craziest thing I’d heard in the past few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then sleep here, I’ll go sleep somewhere else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can you be so cold? How nice would it be if us siblings slept together for the first time in a while?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First time in a while my ass, when have we ever slept together?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We had never been that close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I had my guard up after I said so I could dodge if she tried to attack me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely enough, Gu Huibi simply smiled and looked up at the moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the…? Did we ever sleep together?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I never had a memory such as that even in my previous life, so what was that strange expression on her face?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi then suddenly started laughing as if she’d only just heard my words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. We never even slept together once. You are so cold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…When are you going to leave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother, why are you constantly trying to kick me out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because this is my room?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t it obvious…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi continued drinking like she hadn’t heard my response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>–Drip drip\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some time spent drinking at frightening speeds, it looked like Gu Huibi was finally down to her last drops of liquor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the last droplets fell into the glass, Gu Huibi retrieved it and stood up disappointedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she finally leaving?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi suddenly called.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like she was a bit drunk because of her drinking so fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wait, is she drunk?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tilted my head in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she had reached the 5th realm in the flame arts, she had to be way over the level of a first-rate martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which would mean that alcohol shouldn’t affect her too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she definitely purposely let the alcohol make her drunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was usually done by martial artists who enjoyed drinking, but had Gu Huibi ever enjoyed drinking?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no memory of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi waved her hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was signaling me to come towards her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moonlight that was hidden behind her lit up Gu Huibi while she waved her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like her red hair was shining more brightly thanks to the moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Want to have a duel with your sister since the moon is beautiful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really drank three bottles…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is she crazy…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what does a duel even have to do with moon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I accidentally dropped a dumpling because her random words had dumbfounded me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi just maintained her smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t like how her face was turning red because of the alcohol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you going to be fine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is she talking about me getting beat up by her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In all honesty, I wasn’t really into getting beat up, nor was I ready for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just wanted to go back to sleep since I still felt tired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sleeping, I want to wake up and…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That, are you going to be okay after not combining it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dropped my dumpling following Gu Huibi’s sudden words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at Gu Huibi with shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi’s finger was pointing at my abdomen area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…How did she know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d organized the Qi that I gained from the giant snake, but the Qi that ended up not incorporating with my Qi continued to linger in my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Qi that lingered inside a martial artist’s body served as poison to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even while knowing this, I couldn’t afford to risk absorbing them as it could damage or even kill me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought of that was just too scary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did I always run into situations where I had the option of absorbing power?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Maybe it’s because I go to places or do things that make me run into them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason why I didn’t let go of the lingering Qi was because of my greed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greedy thought that maybe I could absorb these Qi as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was one of the reasons why my body felt tired when it shouldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The solution to the dilemma was simple: let go of the lingering Qi,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could be done during my training or during a fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spoke to Gu Huibi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Is that why you want to fight me so late at night?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not really, I just want to teach a little brat a lesson.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was then reminded of something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way, but I still had my doubts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this why you were giving me all that crap earlier in the day too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Gu Huibi appeared at my place with overpowering heat,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In order to withstand her, I needed to use some of the lingering Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi flinched at my words, but she immediately returned back to her usual expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother, aren’t you going too far with that? Why would I make myself go through all that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you sure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just keep talking. Maybe you’ll shut up once I burn all your hair to a crisp?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burn all my hair… How can she be so violent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unbeknownst to me, Gu Huibi already had a wooden sword in her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Where did she even get that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe her main reason for coming here was to duel?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is your sister now seem likle a joke to you because you haven’t seen her in a while? You didn’t grow one bit in height, but your confidence is through the roof.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi said those mean words with an evil smile, but I didn’t take them to heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same as when we met for the first time in a few months for Gu Huibi, and a few years for me, and it was the same right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finished the dumpling in my mouth and stood up to walk towards Gu Huibi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi’s expression morphed into one of visible shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did she look surprised when she called me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Woah, little brother, you’re not running away this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t even want to beat me up that much anyways, so stop trying to scare me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I walked past Gu Huibi, heading towards the training area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned my head and spoke to Gu Huibi as I did so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we fight here the whole building will be destroyed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How funny of you to worry about the building when you’ll be done after just one blow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi then giggled after those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored her and slowly walked towards the training area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would usually talk and fight back following such words, but, even if I lived my whole life as a dick, it wasn’t easy for me to talk back to someone who had died for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What does it mean to have the same blood?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had never thought that having the same blood meant anything in my previous life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same for my father and my sisters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had just been unlucky to be born to the same father as them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, I wasn’t even born from the same womb as them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mother who gave birth to me was different from their mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as if to make it all worse;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl who was the most talented sword wielder in Gu Clan’s history,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on the other hand, the most pathetic Young Lord in all of Gu Clan’s history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a comparison destroyed me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t blame this for all my sins, but I couldn’t say that it didn’t play a large part in them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what made self-pride so scary and selfish, and also pathetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had always thought of Gu Huibi as a monster who wanted to kill me when I was young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was she so obsessed with me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, I had thought that it was because I was easily able to take the spot of the successor while Gu Huibi couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How vile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would I ever think that Gu Huibi wanted the spot of the successor when I didn’t know that I was walking into hell with my own feet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood straight, facing Gu Huibi in the training ground while she pointed her wooden sword towards me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The training ground was dark because it was late at night, but that wasn’t a problem for the blood descendants of the Gu clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>–Blaze!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Huibi slowly enveloped herself in red Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A feat only possible after one had achieved the 5th realm of the destructive flame arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just a process of holding and producing heat,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But rather harmonizing that process with her own Qi which then led to its change in appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its appearance resembled a flame that ignited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear not the dark, as the martial artist of Gu, they will shine in their own light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those were the words left by the ancestors of the Gu Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if she was backing those words up, the flame that engulfed Gu Huibi even reached her wooden sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to her overpoweringly excessive amount of Qi, the whole training area was now lit up brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I observed Gu Huibi slowly and clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t look too different from the visage I had of her in the memories of my previous life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The body of a martial artist aged slower than average humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why when I looked at Gu Huibi, I was reminded of the tragic past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her one arm that ceased to move because of how badly it had been trampled upon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And me, who had been gazing into those red eyes which had been losing light as she slowly slipped away into death’s embrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did it rain back then as well?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just remember that the weather wasn’t good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Little brother.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both versions of Gu Huibi’s voice could be heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it because I am tired?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It probably wasn’t the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was most likely because I could never forget that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time after time, if I could have just met Gu Huibi after my death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d always wanted to ask her one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What she said to me with a smile even when she was dying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to ask her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did she say those words to me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And why did she go that far for someone like me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Not that I would ever hear from her anyways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you not going to come at me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Please, be happy.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just wanted to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nah, here I come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped towards Gu Huibi.\u003C\u002Fp>",2690,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.031Z",1,"novelbin.me","a092086341c4c79511e524a2c84e009201bc8c7c458890d0360f91333a634643","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-47","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-45",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]