Childhood Friend of the Zenith - Chapter 589

In a small room on the upper floor of the trading company,
a space so cramped it seemed challenging to fit even a few people,
yet here, six or so individuals were gathered.

A thinly spread bedding lay in the center,
and Madam Mi stood before it, bowing respectfully.

“I am Horan Mi of the Mi family, responsible for the Baekhwa Trading Company. It is an honor to meet the young lady of the Northern Sea Palace.”

Madam Mi spoke formally, to which the person lying on the bedding responded with a faint smile.

“Oh, there’s no need to be so formal. You can treat me more casually.”

A spirited girl.
Or rather, a reckless one—no, the young lady of the Northern Sea Palace waved her hand dismissively at Madam Mi.

But then,

“You mustn’t, Young Lady. How can you speak so lightly to someone from Zhongyuan?”

A voice came from the figure standing behind her.

“Wherever you go, you must receive the respect you deserve. Especially in unfamiliar lands like this.”

This person appeared to be one of her escorts.
The commanding presence in their voice suggested they had easily surpassed the peak stage.

The other figure standing nearby, dressed similarly, was likely another escort.

Hearing the escort’s words, the young lady of the Northern Sea Palace appeared slightly flustered.

“Ubeom… This isn’t even our territory. How could I expect more courtesy than this? Besides, I’ve caused trouble, haven’t I?”

What confidence, Gu Yangcheon thought, not understanding what she had to be so bold about.

With a soft rustle, the young lady adjusted her posture and sat up,
a gesture of respect to her host.

“Young Lady—!”

The escort seemed alarmed and moved to stop her,
but the young lady’s words came first.

“My name is Yuri. I am known as the Fourth Star of the Northern Sea. Thank you for welcoming me like this.”

As she bowed lightly, her silvery-white hair swayed gracefully.
She then raised her head and smiled slightly.

“This isn’t exactly how I imagined we’d meet… Hehe.”

Of course not.

Running away from home and being caught like this was certainly not part of her plan.

“It’s a bit embarrassing, to be honest.”

Scratching the back of her head awkwardly, Yuri spoke with a hint of self-consciousness.
Her words were followed by silence.

No one seemed willing to speak.

A few seconds passed,
and once again, it was Madam Mi who broke the silence.

“We are grateful that someone of your stature has graced Zhongyuan with your presence…”

“Hehe, it’s nothing.”

“However, there is something we must ask.”

“What is it?”

“Before extending our hospitality further, we’d like to understand why you attempted to escape. Could you explain that?”

“Ah.”

It was clear she wanted to know why Yuri had disappeared earlier despite being surrounded by escorts.

“Was our hospitality not to your liking?”

“Oh, not at all.”

“Then may I ask why you acted as you did?”

Madam Mi’s composed tone prompted Yuri to respond with a light laugh and an answer.

“I just… wanted to look around.”

“Look around?”

“Yes.”

The unexpectedly simple answer made even Madam Mi falter slightly in maintaining her composed expression.

That’s your explanation? Really?

But Yuri’s face showed sincerity as she elaborated.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Zhongyuan. Especially Hanam, where the Martial Alliance is! I thought I’d never get the chance in my life. But once I got here, I just couldn’t resist.”

Her bright smile was filled with excitement.

“So, I wanted to see the Martial Alliance… and also visit the famous Shaolin Temple.”

“…Are you saying that’s why you attempted to escape?”

“I’m sorry for that. But I felt that if I stayed here, I wouldn’t be able to go out. And, well, I was right, wasn’t I?”

Hearing this, Gu Yangcheon found himself questioning her words internally.

“You wouldn’t be able to leave once you arrived?”

Her confident tone seemed strange.

“So… since it’s already come to this, couldn’t I just look around for today…?”

“No, you cannot.”

Yuri’s attempt to bargain was decisively cut off by Madam Mi.

“Zhongyuan is far more dangerous than you imagine, Young Lady.”

“Oh, but just for one day…”

“We’ve been tasked with ensuring your safety during your stay in Zhongyuan. Venturing outside recklessly would be dangerous, and…”

Madam Mi’s sharp gaze fixed on Yuri.

“Considering what the Northern Sea Palace requested of us for your protection, we absolutely cannot permit such actions.”

“…Ugh.”

Yuri let out a groan, clearly displeased with the firm response.

Gu Yangcheon couldn’t help but think how baffling she was.

“How can someone who looks like that act so clueless?”

Her resemblance to Moyong Hee-ah, with her icy demeanor and cold beauty, should have made her seem composed and untouchable.

In fact, with her white hair, Yuri even looked colder than Moyong Hee-ah.
But her behavior and mannerisms couldn’t have been more at odds with her appearance.

“So why am I even here?”

Still unable to make sense of the situation, Gu Yangcheon simply continued observing.

“But…! He hasn’t arrived yet!”

“Young Lady? What do you mean by that?”

“The Red Feather of Zhongyuan!”

What feather?

Yuri’s sudden exclamation left everyone with puzzled expressions.

“Doesn’t the real conversation start when he arrives?”

The bizarre nickname made Madam Mi frown deeply.
Red Feather? Who on earth was that supposed to be?

It wasn’t a title anyone recognized.

“Even Madam Mi doesn’t seem to know,” Gu Yangcheon thought.

As Madam Mi furrowed her brows in thought,
suddenly, her eyes widened as if she had realized something,
and her gaze shifted toward Gu Yangcheon.

What now? Why is she looking at me?

After staring at him briefly, Madam Mi turned her attention back to Yuri.

“Young Lady, could it be that you’re referring to…”

“If things can’t move forward until he’s here, doesn’t that mean I can at least look around until then? Just for a little while—”

But before she could finish her whining, Yuri’s gaze shifted away from Madam Mi and landed squarely on Gu Yangcheon.

“Wait a second!”

Pointing a finger at him, she exclaimed,

“You’re the one who hit me!”

Her abrupt accusation made her escorts react immediately.
The already cramped room was now thick with tension.

“Hit her…?”

The hostility from her escorts was palpable, and their gazes turned sharp.

This isn’t good, Gu Yangcheon thought.

“No, that’s not what happened. It’s a bit more complicated than—”

Before he could finish explaining, Yuri abruptly shifted her posture,
kneeling down with her hands clasped neatly in front of her.

She stared directly at him as she did so.

What is she doing now?

Before he could process the bizarre display, Yuri spoke again.

“Excuse me,” she said, looking directly at him.

"I…"

Her voice sounded different. It was as though she were awkwardly imitating a man's voice—
no, that’s exactly what it was.

Why was she suddenly speaking like this?
Just as Gu Yangcheon pondered the oddity, Yuri looked at him and spoke.

“Would it be alright if I married you?”

“…?”

The atmosphere instantly turned ice cold.

No one made a sound—not even the faintest breath could be heard.

For about a second, Gu Yangcheon’s thoughts completely froze.

And that second was all it took.

““What the hell is that crazy bitch talking about?”

Before he could stop himself, the words spilled out of his mouth.

It had been a long time since he’d cursed like that.

“Gasp…”

Beside him, Moyong Hee-ah audibly inhaled in shock.
Gu Yangcheon himself wanted to cover his mouth in regret.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down his back.

Then—

“Wow.”

Yuri reacted to his outburst.

“You cursed! Wow!”

Her response was completely unexpected.

“Oh my, you called me a crazy bitch. How fascinating! That’s not the answer I was hoping for, but it’s refreshingly honest.”

“...”

“Could you do it one more time? I’ve never been cursed at before.”

Gu Yangcheon instinctively took a step back,
realizing with growing certainty that she really was crazy.

This was… troublesome.

“No matter how patient I am, I really don’t want to deal with someone this insane.”

She already resembled Moyong Hee-ah enough to make things uncomfortable,
but with a personality like this, she was proving even more bothersome.

Yes, that was it.
She was exactly the kind of person he didn’t want to get involved with.

The young lady of the Northern Sea Palace was, without a doubt,
the type of person Gu Yangcheon clashed with the most.

As he debated whether to just cut his losses and make a quick escape,

“Hey.”

One of Yuri’s escorts called out to him from behind her.

Vwoom.

Gu Yangcheon felt his dantian stir in response.
He turned to face the escort, narrowing his eyes.

“You savage. What did you just say to the young lady?”

“Savage?”

That was new. He’d been called a thug, a scoundrel, and even a lunatic before,
but “savage”? That was certainly creative.

“To think you’d spew such insolent words… Zhongyuan people truly live up to their filthy reputation.”

The man’s choice of words was infuriating, to say the least.

The growl in his voice was tinged with energy.

“Do you even know who this person is, to dare speak such words?”

“She introduced herself just fine.”

“Silence!”

You’re the one who asked, Gu Yangcheon thought,
irritated by the man’s sudden outburst.

“How dare someone as lowly as you utter such blasphemy against the Star of the Northern Sea! You should be grateful she even came here!”

“Ubeom, isn’t that going a bit too far?”

“Stay back. I will defend the young lady’s honor against these wretches.”

“You don’t have to—!”

Yuri tried to stop him, her voice urgent.

But Ubeom wasn’t listening. He took a step forward,
his hand reaching for the sword strapped to his waist.

“Let me show you what the sword of the Northern Sea is capable of.”

Shing!

He began to draw his blade, but—

Thunk!

He froze.

The sword remained half-sheathed as Ubeom stood still, unable to move.

Before he could fully draw it, a sharp dagger had pressed against his neck.

“Don’t move.”

Drip.

A thin line of blood trickled down from where the blade nicked his skin.

“You… little…”

The one who had subdued him was none other than Tang So-yeol.

At some point, she had moved behind him, her dagger poised with precision at his throat.

Caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events,
Ubeom’s eyes darted around in panic.

Watching this, Gu Yangcheon finally spoke.

“Three strikes.”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward him.

Yuri.
Madam Mi.
Even Moyong Hee-ah.

And, of course, Ubeom, who now glared at him, bewildered.

“The first time, I let it slide when you spat disrespect at Madam Mi.”

Gu Yangcheon’s voice was calm, almost kind, but there was a sharp edge beneath the surface.

“Next, I let it go when you directed your nonsense at me.”

Ubeom’s face twisted in confusion as he struggled to follow the words.

“And finally, I even overlooked you trying to draw your sword.”

Whether Ubeom understood or not didn’t matter.

“My mood today is already terrible.”

His voice grew colder as his gaze locked onto Ubeom.

“And yet, I’ve tolerated you three times already.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“If you say one more word, you’re dead.”

There wouldn’t be a fourth chance.

His icy stare conveyed as much.

“You dare—”

Unable to swallow his pride, Ubeom began to speak again.
Gu Yangcheon had wondered if he might stay silent, but to his relief, the man couldn’t hold back.

Before Ubeom could finish his sentence, Gu Yangcheon’s hand was already at his throat.