[{"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-71":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},1240047,1667,"Chapter 70: The Walking Dead (2)","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-71",71,"\u003Cp>༺ The Walking Dead (2) ༻\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night was accompanied by a shining moon,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A spread-out blanket,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One candle that barely lit up the room,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the presence of only one man and woman within it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew what that meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not like I didn’t have such an experience in my previous life, so I knew what kind of situation I was in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the problem was the person that was in the room with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What are you doing here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head in confusion, wondering why I’d asked her that question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how I looked at it, it looked like she was preparing herself for you-know-what, but… this was Namgung Bi-ah we were talking about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way someone as blank as her could have intentionally set up this mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing that, I asked Namgung Bi-ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They probably gave us two separate rooms so, why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…They said… there were no rooms?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The sect leader…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Celestial Plum Blossom did?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way that they’d run out of rooms though, the Mount Hua Sect wasn’t a small clan…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While I wondered to myself, Elder Shin barged in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Good senses were passed down to the Lords of the Mount Hua Sect, and they are quick to act on it too.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Weren’t you the one who pretended to not know what Mount Hua was before?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢…Life is just like that sometimes.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I turned to Namgung Bi-ah, I noticed that she’d already had her clothes changed and her hair was a bit damp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the moonlight, her already fair skin appeared to shine further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked incredibly beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Sigh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even so, what is she doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she was this dull, did she really not know what kind of situation we were in?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I continued to gaze at the expressionless Namgung Bi-ah in front of me, I couldn’t help but think,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…I will admit that she’s insanely beautiful.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The view of Namgung Bi-ah, who was sitting down on her blanket whilst looking at the moonlight which was in turn shining down on her, was extremely beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The violent and cold aura that the Demonic Sword used to release in my memories was a different kind of charm to the elegance and beauty that the Namgung Bi-ah in this life had to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Her face is a weapon.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if I didn’t want to admit it, I couldn’t deny the fact that Namgung Bi-ah was beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when we were staring at each other face to face…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep my mind straight if I faced Namgung Bi-ah like this in my previous life whilst being around this age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I probably would have gotten charmed by her right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what about now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could I maintain my composure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I honestly wasn’t sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was how stunning Namgung Bi-ah was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the thoughts that were flooding into my mind, I frowned and turned away from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt like I couldn’t stay here any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It seems like there’s been a problem, so you can sleep in this room. I will just go and sleep with the escorts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d just ask them for one more room… they’d definitely give us another room considering it was for a member of the Namgung clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢You idiot…｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew what Elder Shin was going to say and I had no intention of listening to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All I felt was that I needed to get out of here as soon as possible, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Grip\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt myself being tugged back; a hand was holding onto my clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I turned around, I saw Namgung Bi-ah pulling on my clothes firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was holding onto it so hard that it wouldn’t be easy to escape her grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah looked serious when saying those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do I say to her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seriously, how do I even respond to her…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, do I have to sleep with—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean, why can I…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because you are… my fiancé.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah didn’t even seem to be sure herself as her expression seemed strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking for a while, Namgung Bi-ah finally spoke with quivering lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll… sleep while only holding onto your hand…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Did I hear wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What had I just heard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While I visibly froze at her shocking words, Namgung Bi-ah seemed visibly calmer after saying them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t I the one that was supposed to say such a line…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Is that not okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did you learn such a line…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Hongwa told me that this would work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t Hongwa the servant that has always been with Wi Seol-Ah?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When did they become so close?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because her line didn’t work, Namgung Bi-ah started to think deeply which I found funny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I found it funny that she’d spat out those words without even knowing the meaning behind it…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that I was the one who was their recipient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of that, I accidentally chuckled which made Namgung Bi-ah’s eyes bigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You smiled…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Sorry, I found it funny.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You smiled at me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d been trying to make an excuse because I thought that she would be hurt by it,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I stopped talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Namgung Bi-ah was smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was quite faint, but was just enough to make it clear that she was smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as if charmed, my hand slowly reached for Namgung Bi-ah’s cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d extended my hand to her by myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You idiot, just what am I doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I realized what I’d done, I quickly tried to retrieve my hand, but found that I couldn’t, because Namgung Bi-ah had grabbed my hand that was touching her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt her warmth in her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah’s cheek was cold,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But my hand was warm thanks to my Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, unlike her cold face, her hand that was grabbing my hand was even warmer than mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expression she had on her face even made me tremble on my feet and I tried my best to ignore it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah who was leaning her cheek against my hand, spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Let’s sleep together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cheek was redder than usual while uttering those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was midnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was extremely tired since I had to run around all day, but I couldn’t fall asleep easily tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moonlight filtered in through the window that was slightly open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moonlight was shining on Namgung Bi-ah’s hair while she was sleeping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was looking at Namgung Bi-ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢She fell asleep quickly.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Shin appeared suddenly after being quiet for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t help but laugh quietly after hearing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Did you go somewhere?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Go somewhere my ass, I just fell asleep for a bit.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I bet you had a good nap.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢Yes, I did.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Shin wasn’t capable of sleeping nor could he hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d just stayed quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And while I knew that, I didn’t know whether to thank him or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When things were getting hotter, Elder Shin stayed quiet, but the thing he wanted to happen didn’t pan out the way he would have preferred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah actually didn’t have any hidden intentions behind her words in the first place, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d just really wanted to sleep with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to prove that, she fell asleep as soon as she laid down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then shouldn’t I have just slept somewhere else after all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…She does fall asleep rather quickly.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was her blank face because maybe she slept a lot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I even had these funny thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢What do you think?｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘About what?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢About the girl that fell asleep next to you.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t say anything to the sudden words Elder Shin spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t answer easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Shin knew that himself, and so he continued to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢I know your feelings for her are closer to guilt than affection.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>｢I don’t know what kind of sin you committed at your age for you to feel like that, but I’m sure you know yourself why she looks at you like that.｣\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t deny that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew that from the way she looked at me from time to time whenever she would come to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But… Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was Namgung Bi-ah trying to be with me even in her new life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why does she feel like that towards me when I have nothing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slowly reached my hand towards Namgung Bi-ah who was sleeping with a purring sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was to put aside her hair that was tickling her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When my hand was about to touch her hair,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>— …Is the moon up…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard the voice that haunted me in my memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the voice that stabbed my heart, the hand that was about to touch her hair came back to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That rainy night didn’t happen yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I wanted to make sure that something like that would never happen again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moon that was shining in the sky was still the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I remembered her endlessly looking at the moon whenever it became night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the last moments she’d spent in my arms were clear to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So far…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was slowly accepting the fact that Namgung Bi-ah was not the same person I knew in my past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it in another way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant that the Demonic Sword no longer existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet I still didn’t dare to be close to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because what I felt for her wasn’t necessarily love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t in a situation where I could afford to love anyone in my previous life, as I was busy with other things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But what about now?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was different from back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew the answer to my question right away, but I wasn’t sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what, I couldn’t help but hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I’d already lost everything once, and that made it harder to grab onto anything a second time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…It seems like I’m still afraid.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of all the things I experienced in the past, I didn’t know whether I should be afraid or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I couldn’t be sure about anything I did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I messed up, I would lose everything again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, I felt more like that way right now because I was in a situation where I could die at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Flinch\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah moved her body closer to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like she was having a nightmare as she was frowning, so I poked the middle of her face with my finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she made a weird sound and moved her body again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled unconsciously after looking at that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’d only been a few months since I regressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was still hard for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night had passed and soon it was morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along with the sound of chickens clucking from far away,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah woke up, struggling to move her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She always slept a lot in the morning, so it was hard for her to get up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was able to see someone through her foggy vision while she wasn’t still fully woken up yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You woke up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon was sitting down in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Oh.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah then realized that she fell asleep next to him last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to that, she had been able to sleep without any stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t have the nightmares she always had, and it even felt easier for her to wake up in the morning compared to usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was only able to feel like that only after meeting him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That feeling grew even stronger than usual because she slept directly next to him that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon spoke while looking at Namgung Bi-ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t know you’d fall asleep that quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I was sleepy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should get rid of your sleep crust first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah quickly rubbed her eyes after hearing him, but she strangely didn’t feel anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon then spoke while laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was lying, there’s nothing there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah who was glaring at Gu Yangcheon after he teased her, felt something unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was different from usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His aura? It’s not that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was different?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon asked while Namgung Bi-ah was trapped in her thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to go eat, you want to come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll com—… Oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Namgung Bi-ah finally realized what was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon was speaking to her casually!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When did that start to happen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the usual feeling of him trying to push her away was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just one night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah, after realizing that, felt something thump inside her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Huh?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s this feeling?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah quickly shook her head when Gu Yangcheon asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she didn’t want to risk him going back to his old way of speaking to her by asking him about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon slowly stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because he said he wanted to go eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Namgung Bi-ah also started to stand up, following him, but,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master! I’m here—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah who was nowhere to be seen yesterday, suddenly appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wi Seol-Ah who was running in with a bright smile, froze after seeing the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likewise, Gu Yangcheon also froze like a rock after seeing Wi Seol-Ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt cold sweat slowly dripping down his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that icy atmosphere, the only one who maintained a calm expression was Namgung Bi-ah.\u003C\u002Fp>",2253,"2026-06-05T15:09:38.751Z",1,"novelbin.me","0f9e80e9fe78d3e21939d3e4133a8ac1a5e1ec88f0fd064c85c2e1e3a5384b14","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-72","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-70",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]