Childhood Friend of the Zenith Chapter 1145

I was screwed.

That was the first thought that came to mind.

‘Ah, I’m seriously screwed.’

This was bad. I never expected that relic to show up here.

‘I didn’t even know it still existed.’

Even though the Gu Clan’s secret archives were smaller compared to other major families, the number of relics stored inside was not insignificant.

I hadn’t memorized each and every one of them. But the reason I remembered this one was—

‘Because it’s a truly bizarre object.’

A relic that could determine whether two people were related by blood.

The fact that such a thing existed was strange enough.

The ironic part was that many prestigious families were willing to pay a hefty sum just to borrow it.

Apparently, in families where things were particularly messy, this kind of verification was necessary more often than one would expect.

Because of that, I had at least some knowledge of it.

‘But I never thought…’

That I’d be the one on the receiving end of it.

I frowned as I watched the blood trickling down the surface of the bead. Blood Wheel Bead. This was how it worked.

The user would infuse the bead with their qi.

Then, they would introduce the blood of the person to be tested.

During that process, if the bead reacted, it would begin to glow.

‘…And now, just like that.’

The bead, now shimmering in a golden light, had a single, undeniable meaning.

‘It’s proof of blood relations.’

It confirmed that the owner of the qi and the owner of the blood were of the same lineage.

“That’s quite the strong glow. Don’t you think so?”

“……”

Gu Ryun smiled brightly as he spoke, but I only scowled in response. At the same time, I let out a deep sigh and pulled my hand away from the bead.

“Damn it… You sly old bastard.”

“What was that?”

Gu Ryun reacted to my words.

“Oh ho… Would you listen to this brat?”

For a moment, I thought I had genuinely annoyed him.

But then—

“Judging by that temper of yours, you really are from the Gu Clan! Hahahahahaha—!!”

He laughed as if he was genuinely pleased. What a strange old man.

And then—

“Judging by your reaction, you already knew, didn’t you?”

“……”

Gu Ryun had sharp instincts. My displeased reaction had made him realize even more.

‘…Damn it.’

This was driving me insane.

Why did this relic have to show up here of all places?

And worse—

‘Paejon was the one carrying it?’

The fact that Gu Ryun had obtained it from Paejon meant that it had originally belonged to him.

‘Why the hell would he need something like this?’

I couldn’t understand why Paejon would even bother keeping it… but that wasn’t the most pressing issue right now.

“……Haah.”

How much had Gu Ryun figured out? The fact that he had come all this way just to confirm this was absurd.

‘Was it just because we looked alike?’

I had no idea what suspicions had led him to test this, and frankly, I couldn’t even begin to understand.

‘…And my father. Why?’

The fact that Gu Ryun had asked him for blood… and that my father had given it to him—that was just as baffling.

As I was grappling with this mess in my head—

“For the bead to shine this brightly… it means your blood connection is quite strong.”

The intensity of the Blood Wheel Bead’s glow was determined by how closely related two people were by blood.

And for it to glow this brightly…

That could only mean one thing.

‘Obviously. I’m his son.’

A direct descendant.

His only son. If my father’s blood was mixed into this test, of course the reaction would be this strong.

There was no way Gu Ryun wasn’t aware of that, which was why his expression twisted even further.

“You…”

“……”

Gulp.

I swallowed dryly as I met Gu Ryun’s gaze.

“…Are you the illegitimate son of the clan leader?”

“……”

For a moment, I almost lost my grip.

I barely managed to maintain my posture and pull myself together.

‘…Yeah, that reaction makes sense.’

Obviously, from his perspective, there was no way I could be my father’s son.

So, in Gu Ryun’s mind, the only possibility left was the clan leader—my grandfather.

It was the logical conclusion.

Especially since—

‘He did say I look like him.’

I had always been told that I resembled my grandfather far more than my father.

Gu Ryun’s reaction made perfect sense.

Since I remained silent, he took it as confirmation, and his expression darkened in real time.

“……No way. As insane as that man is, he’s never been the type to go around carelessly spreading his seed.”

“……”

His assessment of my grandfather was rather… peculiar. Calling him insane rubbed me the wrong way.

Grab—!

Gu Ryun suddenly clamped down on my shoulder. His grip was shockingly strong.

“Who is your mother? The Baek Clan? How the hell did a Gu Clan child end up there—”

“…That hurts. Let go.”

“Oh, my apologies.”

Hearing my irritated voice, Gu Ryun quickly loosened his grip.

There was a subtle shift in his demeanor.

“I already find your actions intrusive. I don’t see why I need to explain anything to you.”

I made my displeasure as clear as possible.

“Hmph…”

Gu Ryun, realizing that his behavior had been inappropriate, pressed his lips together awkwardly.

“…I understand your position, but this was something that needed to be confirmed.”

“Why?”

I forced myself to recall my childhood.

Back when my mother was gone, and I was left broken, unloved by my father.

My voice naturally dropped in tone.

“There’s no meaning to it. No reason to know. I am not from the Gu Clan—I am from the Baek Clan.”

“……”

“What does it matter where someone was supposed to belong? For someone who was abandoned, their origins are irrelevant.”

The words came out more naturally than I expected.

When I had tried to force myself to act in the past, it had never worked. But when I added a little of my real emotions into it, it sounded completely different.

The moment I said that, Gu Ryun’s expression changed.

There was pity in his eyes.

“I don’t know why you felt the need to confirm this, but don’t concern yourself with me. I won’t be thinking about it, either.”

“No, that’s—”

“If you’re done, I’ll be leaving.”

As I turned to walk away, leaving Gu Ryun standing there with trembling eyes—

“Wait…!”

He reached out toward me. He was trying to grab me.

Sensing that, I braced my legs. I was ready to increase the distance and escape at any moment.

But then—

“That’s enough.”

Grab—!

A hand shot out and seized Gu Ryun’s wrist.

It was Paejon.

“Tsk. This is unsightly. At your age, you should know better.”

He appeared, his robes fluttering, stepping in between us.

Gu Ryun’s expression turned utterly grim.

“Paejon.”

“Gu Ryun. When I saw you snatching that bead in such a hurry, I wondered what you were up to. And it turns out you were making a fool of yourself.”

“Stay out of this. This is a family matter.”

“Oh? A family matter, you say?”

Paejon laughed.

“Well, my disciple is involved in this, too. As his master, how could I just stand by and watch?”

His voice carried undeniable weight.

Gu Ryun curled his lips into a smirk.

“You’ve barely had him as your disciple for long. Do you really have the right to interfere?”

“If we’re going by that logic, what about you? You’ve only just realized he might be your kin, and now you’re playing the part of a concerned family member—against his will.”

“…What?”

Fwoooosh.

A surge of heat erupted from Gu Ryun’s body.

Oh… I could already tell. Even before this moment, the energy he radiated was on a completely different level from what I had expected.

“You should choose your words carefully.”

“How much clearer could I be? I’ll say it again—this is unsightly.”

Paejon remained unfazed.

“You’re crossing the line, Gu Ryun. You’re too old to be acting like this.”

“……”

At the calm but firm words, Gu Ryun clenched his jaw.

“…Paejon.”

“Yes?”

“Did you already know?”

…Huh?

Gu Ryun’s words made me grimace this time.

What was he talking about?

“Did you already know that this child was from the Gu Clan?”

His question was directed at Paejon.

Ah, so this old man was thinking—

‘Since Paejon is acting too calm about this, maybe he already knew?’

I guess that would make sense from his perspective. But honestly, I figured Paejon was just being himself.

And then—

“Yes.”

…Huh?

With a straight face, Paejon nodded.

“What?”

“I didn’t exactly figure it out on purpose, but… I had a rough idea.”

What the hell do you mean, a rough idea, you insane old man?

The fact that he could lie so effortlessly without even changing his expression was completely absurd.

“So don’t get all worked up. I was planning on bringing this up at some point anyway.”

“……What do you mean?”

“This brat.”

Thud—!

Paejon suddenly placed his large hand on my head.

His touch was rough and unrefined.

“I was planning to head to Shanxi anyway. That Divine Dragon you hold in such high regard—he and I already reached an agreement.”

“……What did you say?”

At Paejon’s words, Gu Ryun’s gaze shifted to me.

“Is that true?”

“……”

Damn it. I shot Paejon a look full of resentment. Why the hell would you say that?

“……Yeah. I have some business there.”

“Hoooh.”

It was true—I was going to Shanxi. And from the look on Gu Ryun’s face, he had just realized something.

To him, “going to Shanxi” must have meant going to the Gu Clan.

Which was true.

I had no real reason to deny it. I just hadn’t wanted him to know.

And then Paejon, being Paejon, had just casually thrown that information into the open.

Why the hell did he do that?

I turned to him, utterly baffled.

And then—

“So, I’m coming too.”

“What?”

“…What?”

My eyes widened.

“…Where?”

“The Gu Clan, obviously.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? I already told you—I have plenty to teach you.”

“……”

Oh, so this was about martial arts training.

Wait.

“…Are you seriously coming just to teach me that?”

“Of course.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me—”

“Well, that’s not the only reason. I happen to have some business with the Gu Clan’s leader as well. This works out perfectly.”

“……”

Paejon wasn’t even pretending to care about my opinion on the matter.

“So, Gu Ryun. You’ll have to visit another time. I have…”

Squeeze.

This time, it was Paejon, not Gu Ryun, who suddenly gripped my shoulder.

“…a few more things to discuss with my disciple. Don’t you think?”

“……”

Hearing that, I curled my tongue inside my mouth.

…One obstacle after another.