[{"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-529":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},1240355,1667,"Chapter 528","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-529",529,"\u003Cp>“How did you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Shadow King’s question, Gu Cheolwoon met his gaze. His eyes were like a bottomless abyss, devoid of light or reflection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Cheolwoon stared silently into those eyes before he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was impossible not to know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Poison King’s letter, containing news of his son’s predicament, had reached the Gu family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unthinkable that the Shadow King hadn’t been involved in its delivery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he thought about it, the reasoning was straightforward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distance between Sichuan and Shanxi was by no means short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For someone like Gu Cheolwoon, it might be possible to bridge the gap in a short time, but under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The letter arrived only a few days after the incident.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speed of the letter’s delivery was suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with the fastest messengers, it should have been impossible to make it in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That left the question of someone’s interference, and Gu Cheolwoon had judged it to be the Shadow King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was one issue:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow King looked at Gu Cheolwoon as he asked his question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You may have had suspicions, but you have no definitive proof that I was involved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no direct evidence tying the Shadow King to the matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speed of the letter’s arrival suggested interference, sure, but there was nothing to definitively link it to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When asked about this, Gu Cheolwoon replied calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because you are here, elder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, the Shadow King’s eyebrow twitched slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That alone was reason enough for me to be certain.”“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that was it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow King now understood why Gu Cheolwoon had reached this conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He noticed, then.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Shadow King had set out from Hanan to Sichuan, he had disguised himself and blended into the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Cheolwoon had detected his presence even then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, he hadn’t let it show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow King now regarded Gu Cheolwoon with newfound interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why didn’t you say anything at the time?”“There was no reason to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow King’s involvement in his son’s group could have raised countless problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Gu Cheolwoon claimed it was meaningless to bring it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the Shadow King’s lips curled slightly upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And what if I had harmed your son?”“Were you planning to, elder?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Gu Cheolwoon’s response, the Shadow King chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, he had done something akin to harm—killing Gu Yangcheon hundreds of times in a simulated space through his abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if asked whether he intended to do so of his own will—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That would depend on your son’s actions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no reason to act preemptively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While he wouldn’t deny the possibility entirely, he had no immediate plans to harm Gu Yangcheon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s good to hear.”“Why? Do you believe your son incapable of provoking me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this faith in his son?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that. My son certainly has his share of thorns.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yangcheon undoubtedly had a sharp edge to him, and Gu Cheolwoon was aware that his own actions had contributed to those thorns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if he were to act that way, I believe he would have his reasons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t think Gu Yangcheon wouldn’t do such a thing. But if he did, there would be a valid reason for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the kind of trust Gu Cheolwoon had in his son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow King couldn’t comprehend this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is that different from faith in your child?”“It’s less faith and more atonement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t trust born of belief but trust born of necessity—a form of penance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Gu Cheolwoon had to describe it, he would call it atonement for what he had turned his son into.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow King asked in response,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And if that boy does something to provoke me and I kill him, what then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Gu Yangcheon had a reason for his actions, there was no obligation for the Shadow King to understand or admire his courage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Cheolwoon, more than anyone, understood this. Yet he still spoke as he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Shadow King inquired about this, Gu Cheolwoon looked him in the eye and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hope you won’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Cheolwoon hoped the Shadow King wouldn’t harm his son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just for his son’s sake, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For your sake as well, elder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Voom—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, the Shadow King’s body subtly vibrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a refined, controlled killing intent—not the crude or rough aura of a martial artist, but the deadly precision of an assassin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was calm and silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compressed to such an extent that the closer one was, the more suffocating it felt. This was the aura emanating from the Shadow King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve grown bold, to the point of threatening me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For your sake as well” carried a clear implication:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Shadow King touched his son, Gu Cheolwoon would not stand idly by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The killing intent thickened as time passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this moment, the tension reached a breaking point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as the Shadow King’s aura grew heavier, Gu Cheolwoon simply observed him in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow King abruptly withdrew his killing intent, dispelling the oppressive atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry. I, too, have hopes for that boy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had tested the waters by releasing his aura, but Gu Cheolwoon hadn’t flinched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed he had recognized it as a ploy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, the Shadow King had no intention of harming Gu Yangcheon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the contrary, the boy needed to survive—not for Gu Yangcheon’s sake, but for the Shadow King’s own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The answer to breaking this curse.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The curse that bound the Shadow King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More specifically, the key to lifting the curse tied to his bloodline. Gu Yangcheon held that answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no denying it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, as he watched Gu Yangcheon, the Shadow King could feel his heart pounding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s far stronger than when I first saw him.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resonance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he first encountered Gu Yangcheon, he had felt the faint stench of the curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, it had been barely noticeable. But now, for some reason, it was overwhelmingly clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What had changed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The transformation of his body. Is that the key?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although outwardly Gu Yangcheon didn’t seem significantly different, something about him had undeniably changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow King could see it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes were unlike others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart raced. Just watching the boy caused it to stir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, he thought it was killing intent. Later, he assumed it was anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, as the feeling grew stronger, he could no longer deny it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reluctantly, he had to admit it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feeling he had while watching Gu Yangcheon—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was undoubtedly awe.\u003C\u002Fp>",1108,"2026-06-05T15:10:08.481Z",1,"novelbin.me","988aadb723f3b8e156de2ce17079edadccac04ecc25cf65d6fe6cf080cff2ee1","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-530","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-528",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]