[{"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-571":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},1240521,1667,"Chapter 570","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-571",571,"\u003Cp>Snow fell coldly, layering the ground with a pristine white surface. Amidst it all, there stood a young man, cradling a woman who seemed to resemble the snow itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood was scattered everywhere, a vivid contrast to the serene breaths of the young man standing amidst the chaos.And there, watching him, was an old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Child.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man called out to the young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his call, the young man slowly lifted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His red hair swayed, revealing his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deep, dark red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So intense it resembled the blood soaking the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man, upon meeting those eyes, felt an involuntary chill run through him.Still, he hid his unease and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Isn’t this enough…?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A plea laced with desperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Stop now…][…What is it…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man interrupted, his voice cutting through the old man’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What, exactly, has been achieved…?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, the young man tightened his grip on the woman in his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Nothing has been accomplished.][Child.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the old man attempted to take a step forward,a fiery blaze surged toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the flames didn’t reach him.Someone had pulled the old man back just in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Are you trying to get yourself killed? Pull yourself together.][…Patriarch Hwangbo.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man who had intervened was the head of the Hwangbo clan, known as the King of Force in his era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pulling Ubong Chwigye away, the patriarch shouted at the red-haired young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Shinryong…! You reckless brat. How could you have hidden such power?!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His booming voice echoed, but the young man didn’t react.He merely stood still, coldly surveying his surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the searing heat radiating from the young man, which felt out of place in the winter,his gaze was as cold as the season itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[How utterly ridiculous.][What?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man’s words made the Hwangbo patriarch furrow his brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What did you just say…?][Gathering like this to take one woman… how utterly ridiculous, I said.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no emotion in his voice.And that lack of emotion made his words as sharp as a blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Can you still call yourselves the righteous faction?][You insolent…!!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hwangbo patriarch’s face twisted in fury at the young man’s remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That’s not just any woman, and you know it! Don’t act like you don’t!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His thick finger pointed accusingly.Its target was the woman in the young man’s arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[While I can understand losing yourself over her beauty, protecting that monster…!][Monster?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chill ran down the Hwangbo patriarch’s spine.At the same time, he instinctively took a step back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he realized that he had been forced to retreat by the young man’s sheer presence,his pride bristled, and veins bulged on his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You… damned brat…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pride was wounded.The realization that even for a moment, he had been intimidated by a mere boy burned him with shame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Hwangbo patriarch began to rouse his fighting spirit in anger,Ubong Chwigye intervened to stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hold your temper.][Ubong Chwigye!][It was you who told me to get a grip, and now you’re the one losing your composure?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hwangbo patriarch ground his teeth in frustration, barely containing his emotions at Ubong Chwigye’s warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Ubong Chwigye turned his gaze back to the young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Are you truly unwilling to release her?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All it would take was for him to let go of the woman in his arms.That one action could bring an end to this brutal situation, restoring peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone present knew it, including the young man himself.Yet his answer remained unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That option was never available to me.][Child…][I’ve heard that the mandate of the alliance is righteousness and cooperation.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite his weary posture, the young man’s voice was firm.It had been that way from the start and remained so now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I do not know what that means. Thus, I cannot grasp the mandate of the alliance.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words, declaring ignorance of the righteous faction’s very purpose, elicited no reaction from Ubong Chwigye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man simply waited in silence for the young man to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[However,]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I may not understand the alliance’s mandate, but to protect what I must is my righteousness, my justice.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind, mingling with the snow, blew fiercely.Yet before it could touch the young man, it melted and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[To fail to protect even the woman in my arms would mean losing my convictions. That would be no different from death to me.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air distorted,a mirage created by the intense heat radiating from the young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If you wish to take my convictions from me, then go ahead and try.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The field was filled with troops,renowned figures with widespread fame in Zhongyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the aura emanating from this young man, who had barely reached adulthood,was anything but ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I will not,]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had every reason to be afraid, every reason to give up, exhausted as he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the young man chose neither fear nor surrender.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I will not let anything be taken from me.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chose to stand against the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This memory remained vivid in the old man’s mind.Perhaps it was because it had left such a deep impression on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bold, reckless boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few still remembered what had transpired that day.Most of those present were no longer alive,and even among the survivors, few retained the memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[May you live forgetting these events.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of that fierce conflict,the blood-soaked young man had declared as much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ubong Chwigye was one of the few who still remembered.And it left a lingering debt in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was it a debt? The answer was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No one died.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with the pledges and restrictions imposed,everyone present that day had survived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, even when the Sword Master intervened on behalf of the young man,that truth had not been erased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the young man had taken full responsibility for his actions.He carried out his duties according to the alliance’s orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when the contract ended,he returned to his clan and took on the role of patriarch, disappearing from public view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, he did not set foot in Zhongyuan again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man grew into middle age,and the world soon forgot his name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How had such a famous name been so easily forgotten?Because that’s what he had wanted,and because Ubong Chwigye had continued to intervene on his behalf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so time passed, bringing the present day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hoho…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stepping out of his quarters, Ubong Chwigye let out a faint chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How alike they are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conversation he had just had was amusing in its own way.The boy resembled the young man from his memories almost perfectly.Though something seemed lacking, the resemblance was undeniable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, he is his son, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His daughter, however, doesn’t seem to resemble him much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl, supposedly a disciple of the Sword Queen, didn’t bear much similarity.If anything—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘She takes after her mother.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman who had been cradled in that young man’s arms back then.The girl must have inherited her mother’s features.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ubong Chwigye rubbed his stomach.He could feel the heavy lock resting inside his dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A consequence of the restriction he had imposed on himself earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmm.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was overkill, but Ubong Chwigye didn’t mind.With little time left in his life, there was no point in holding back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was merely amused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The boy has inherited his father’s talents and more. But he’s learned cunning as well.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike his father, who would break through any obstacle head-on,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The son knows how to navigate around them.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hoho.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How terrifying.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with overwhelming talent, the addition of strategy made him even more formidable.Ubong Chwigye laughed at the thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled the boy’s expression during their conversation—dodging questions, then suddenly baring a pointed, needle-sharp retort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharpness ready to pierce at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Ubong Chwigye chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I don’t know what that boy is hiding.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he hoped this encounter would instill caution in him.That was Ubong Chwigye’s wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s beyond me now.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could no longer conceal the boy’s existence.Despite his efforts, the boy had grown beyond his ability to shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘With so many unknowns in play.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between the alliance’s tasks and the recent events,Ubong Chwigye no longer had the time to handle such matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had hidden Gu Yangcheon’s existence at the request of the Gu clan’s patriarch,but it was no longer feasible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Ubong Chwigye had chosen to leave Gu Yangcheon with a warning—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To stay vigilant.To act cautiously and tread carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And also—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That figure they called Cheonma…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mysterious person who had attacked Wudang.Thinking of this, Ubong Chwigye glanced back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward the place where Gu Yangcheon resided.After a moment of consideration, he shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No, it couldn’t be.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Gu Yangcheon had used Yeomyeong for something,the idea that he could be connected to Cheonma seemed unlikely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ubong Chwigye quickly dismissed the thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hadn’t the Sword Queen said it herself?That Cheonma was surely someone who had reached transcendence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And their physique doesn’t match.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheonma was said to be nearly seven feet tall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the situation had grown increasingly strange, Ubong Chwigye concluded that Gu Yangcheon was unrelated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If, by some chance, there was a connection—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It will reveal itself in time. Hoho….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the course of uncovering the truth, it would become clear. Ubong Chwigye trusted in the information network of the Beggar’s Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, he could only hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That this matter,and that boy,were unrelated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>******************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right after Ubong Chwigye left,I stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, with a blank expression on my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In my hand was the snack he had casually handed me before departing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Tsk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced at it and carefully placed it on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was that about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seriously, what had just happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ubong Chwigye, who had interrogated me like he was trying to drill a confession out of me,vanished just as abruptly as he had handed me the snack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought there would be more to the conversation,but no—he really just left like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was his intention?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t figure it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Should I call this a narrow escape? Is that what this was?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, it didn’t feel like I had truly escaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More accurately—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He let me off the hook.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was probably it. Ubong Chwigye had deliberately let the matter slide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Was it a warning?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That could be the case too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something along the lines of:I know you’ve been up to something. Stay in line.It could have been a message to keep me in check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if not even that—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then what was it about?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t grasp Ubong Chwigye’s intentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it really just about settling a debt he owed my father?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Given that he even went so far as to place a restriction on himself, it could very well be the case.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever it was, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down at this point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t just anyone—it was the leader of the Beggar’s Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The important thing now was that I was firmly on his radar.And because of that, my actions might become significantly more difficult to carry out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘At least it doesn’t seem like he caught on to anything else.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t seem to know that I was the one who orchestrated the attack on Wudang,which was a relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…But I can’t be entirely sure of that either.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was entirely possible that he knew and was just pretending not to.I had to prepare for that possibility in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘At least the demonic energy is in place.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the amount I infused was minimal and subtle to avoid detection,it was there, and it could be used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll have to mobilize them.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed to use people far more skilled in this field than I was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The complexity of the situation was giving me a headache,but thinking wasn’t entirely my job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That guy should be here by now.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that thought, I stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no point in dwelling on it any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Hah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, I needed to act swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>",2003,"2026-06-05T15:10:09.877Z",1,"novelbin.me","f76d1d3ec264cdd7ad9b21fc1f0bf8ef3c9860d3d8d761a7720a0a1d6b277dce","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-572","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-570",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]