[{"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-536":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},1240362,1667,"Chapter 535","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-536",536,"\u003Cp>Dawn broke after a long night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be precise, the sun was just beginning to rise, casting a faint light across the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finished my morning training routine, letting the crisp dawn air cool my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I washed myself not just to rinse away the sweat, but to cleanse something deeper, something intangible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a testament to how unsettled I felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What the hell am I supposed to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The events of the previous night weighed heavily on my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Please, kill me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TheAmwanghad shown up unexpectedly, explaining the curse that plagued him and begging me to end his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, in the end, I didn’t kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone were to ask why, the answer was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How could I just kill someone because they asked me to?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t fear of killing.How could I still be afraid of something like that at this point?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t even because I felt any particular attachment to theAmwang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no bond between us, no reason for me to spare him out of sentimentality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had to name a reason, it was just that it didn’t feel right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood his wishes, his curse, and the torment he endured—but something about killing him left me uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was the curse that bound him, or maybe it was the fact that I’d become a dragon. I couldn’t be sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I can’t let him go just like that.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just the unease—it was also the sense that I couldn’t simply dismiss him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He wants something from me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TheAmwang’s desire was clear: he wanted his curse lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was through liberation or death, that was his wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the first thought that crossed my mind upon hearing this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Can I use this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disgustingly enough, that was what I thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering theAmwang’s value, it was impossible not to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I need to know more about myself.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TheAmwangseemed to understand more about dragons than I did.His cursed blood granted him powers he referred to as “divine authority.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Was that the power he used inShinryong Hall?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only had he annihilated theBlack Dragon Sword, but he had also killed me hundreds of times during training. That power—it hadn’t been martial arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So it wasn’t a martial technique.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why I hadn’t understood it. It wasn’t something conventional like martial arts or formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If it’s some kind of otherworldly power, that makes more sense.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that case…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Can I use it too?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I could wield such power now that I was no longer human, that would be welcome news.I lacked the strength to handle everything alone—any additional power would be invaluable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What the hell even is a dragon?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed to figure that out first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TheAmwang’s curse seemed to be tied to the Blood Demon, and the Blood Demon appeared to be a dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The Dragon Emperor.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recalled the Blood Energy’s claim, referring to the Blood Demon as the Dragon Emperor.If that was true, then the Blood Demon was indeed a dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that led me to another thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then… what about Mother?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering my father’s reaction, it became clear that my mother was not human either.He had called her a calamity, so I had always known she wasn’t human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Could she be a dragon too?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed likely. My father’s words, seeing my transformation and thinking of her, fit the pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Blood Demon was a dragon, and my mother was a dragon too…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Is everything people call a calamity just a dragon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that was the case, then my current transformation into a dragon could be seen as the calamity finally fulfilling itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more I pieced things together, the worse the conclusion seemed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Damn it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how I looked at it, the end result was the same: I was beginning to resemble the very calamity I sought to prevent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the more I understood, the clearer it became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was infuriating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I should’ve just stayed out of all this and lived quietly in the mountains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had stuck to my original plan—to gather what I needed and retreat to solitude—none of this would have happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had I chosen to save the world, only to end up like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I tried to stop the Blood Catastrophe, and now I’ve become a calamity myself.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I wasn’t officially a calamity yet, so perhaps there was still hope?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Yeah, right. Who am I kidding?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even I knew it was a delusional hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was grasping at straws, trying to deny what was becoming increasingly obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If I’m the calamity, then what about theCheonma?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one responsible for the Blood Catastrophe was theCheonma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing that, I had been working tirelessly to prevent the catastrophe in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I turned out to be the calamity instead, everything would stop making sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That one inconsistency was the only reason I couldn’t fully accept the truth, no matter how many signs pointed to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Noya, do you have any insight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I called out to Noya, desperate for answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…]…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t think he was ignoring me on purpose. I had a sense of what was going on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last night, when theAmwangspoke of his cursed bloodline, Noya had been visibly shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[…How could this happen…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had muttered those words, trembling in either lamentation or shock, before disappearing entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t like before, when he had fallen into a deep slumber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, I thought, he just needed time to process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The idea that theBlood Demonhad cursed Yeon Ilcheon’s bloodline must have hit him hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t blame him—I was curious too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What exactly happened back then?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeon Ilcheon, the man who had sealed theBlood Demonand vanished, was recorded in history as a hero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, his descendants lived monstrous lives under the curse of theBlood Demon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Serve the dragon.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words of the curse were beyond absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You couldn’t even die to escape it. You had to either pass it on to your descendants or have a dragon lift the curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What a miserable fate.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How unbearable must it have been for theAmwangto beg for death as a form of salvation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t fully understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even so…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I can’t let theAmwangdie just like that.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he wished for death to escape his torment, I couldn’t grant it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m sorry, but my own situation isn’t easy either.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this increasingly chaotic mess, theAmwangwas too valuable a piece to lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if he needed something from me…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…I’ll make use of him.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opportunities like this didn’t come often.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was my favorite kind of situation—a useful person with a request, easy to manage and discard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Tsk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, despite my practical reasoning, an unpleasant feeling churned within me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Please, kill me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The memory of his voice, his face—the desperation in his expression unlike his usual stoic demeanor—it lingered in my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How detestable it was to torment someone who sought death, not life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew all too well what it was like to suffer in that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, in my past life, I had lived it myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emotions I understood all too well were the very ones I most wanted to avoid exploiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, knowing this didn’t change the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t afford to think about such matters when there were so many things I needed to protect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Damn it, seriously.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just recalling it all made my temper flare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because I was angry at the situation itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because I was disgusted with myself for manipulating someone else’s pain so readily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>******************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right after finishing my wash, I went straight to Poison King's quarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the visibly thinner Poison King, I spoke with a smile.\"You’re not looking well at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never been a robust figure, but neither was he frail. Yet in just a day, he had noticeably wasted away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just one day...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must have been a grueling time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps realizing this himself, Poison King gave a bitter smile and said,\"...There’s been a lot on my plate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weight in his words was palpable, perhaps because I understood his situation so well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That smile doesn’t look like a real smile.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And how could it be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elder had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Elder Il, either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When word of Elder Il’s assassination reached them, Elders Sam and Sa had attempted to flee but were captured by a nameless martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who that martial artist was, I didn’t even need to guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…You’ve been busy, haven’t you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must have been Father. He had said he’d clean everything up, and it seemed he really had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t come home all night—clearly, he’d been keeping himself busy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Poison King’s state likely stemmed from that very reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The death of an elder is just the beginning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elder’s position in a sect isn’t just a title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each elder oversees their own faction within the family. The larger the family, the greater the scale of their influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If three elders of a prestigious family died, what would happen to the factions they managed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They scatter and collapse.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the head of the family, the patriarch, technically holds ultimate authority, the reality is never so simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the patriarch commands loyalty, it’s nearly impossible to prevent factions from forming around the elders directly above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take the Namgung family, for example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elders' council had grown so powerful that even the Sword King struggled to wield his authority as patriarch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Our family only avoids that because of Father.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gu family is a unique exception, but the Tang Clan is not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if their elders weren’t as dominant as those of the Namgung family, they still held considerable power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The void left by the elders’ deaths was bound to be a major issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s not really Poison King’s fault, but...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t fair to blame him for the elders bringing about their own demise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Still, he seems to lack both the time and strength to seize control of the situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The circumstances were far from ideal. Managing even one faction would be challenging, but he had three to deal with at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And on top of that, there are other problems.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tang Clan was already teetering on the edge, and now this. Poison King’s appearance was no surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which is why it felt odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite everything, here he was, sitting in his quarters instead of running himself ragged outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You must have plenty to do. Why are you here?\"\"I knew you’d come eventually.\"\"…Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words made me tilt my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HeknewI’d come?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t recall saying I’d be here today.\"\"You didn’t have to. A young master like you? It’s just the sort of thing you’d do.\"\"...Well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know what people see in me, but they sure seem to predict my actions accurately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Annoyingly so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, you were waiting for me?\"\"...I had my reasons—some thanks to express and a few questions to ask.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I crossed my arms at that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks weren’t necessary, but his mention of questions put me on edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want to ask something?\"\"I hear my daughter collapsed while speaking with you.\"\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately uncrossed my arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…There were circumstances…\"\"I’m not here to scold you, so relax.\"\"Oh, good. That’s a relief.\"\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe my cheerful reaction was the problem, because Poison King’s expression twisted slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...Why’s he looking at me like that? He said it wasn’t a big deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...That was just a jest. Now, onto the main matter.\"\"There’s more?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he wasn’t just curious about Tang So-yeol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What else could it be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I squinted slightly as I observed Poison King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, smoothly, he retrieved something from his robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a Dokcheon Pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like the very one I had given him. Why pull it out now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Master Gu.\"\"Yes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poison King spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know you have more of these Dokcheon Pills.\"\"...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words made my eyes widen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How does he know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had I mentioned having more?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t recall, but surely I wouldn’t have said that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I know myself well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I might hoard such a treasure for myself, but I’d never admit to having more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So how had he figured it out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at him in confusion, searching for an explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poison King suddenly burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s with him now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he lost his mind?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was just testing you. Seems you really do have more.\"\"...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words left me dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sighed, realizing the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t lost his mind. I had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was the flood of information I’d received the previous day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s one way to excuse it, but no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just my own carelessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tch. Should I give it back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that denial was pointless, I spoke as if confessing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t look thrilled about the idea.\"\"Oh, you caught that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My blatant tone only made Poison King’s expression stranger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that it mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he demanded it back, I’d return it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it belonged to the Tang Clan in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Even if Tang Jemoon gave it to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, if Poison King asked, I’d hand it over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I’d planned to keep it hidden, but damn it, here I was getting caught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Maybe I could stash three pills away?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as I pondered, Poison King spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you need them, you can keep them all.\"\"Excuse me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said I could keep them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those words froze my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at Poison King, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would just give them to me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I locked eyes with him, trying to process the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I feel grateful for his generosity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relieved that I didn’t have to give them back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or just happy at the unexpected fortune?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. None of those.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What I felt was a chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My gaze unknowingly turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I stared at Poison King with icy eyes, he reacted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Ah, I see. I acted too hastily. It seems we’ve both made mistakes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he had uncovered my secret, I had discovered something about him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice was low, cold, carrying over to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slip-up in haste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what he himself had just admitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He should not have been so quick to offer the Dokcheon Pills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had, he should have been more subtle about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he done so, I wouldn’t have noticed the strange intent behind his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he hadn’t, and I did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you planning?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ease with which he offered the Dokcheon Pills revealed that much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Master Gu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, it seemed he had no intention of hiding it from me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps he was simply too weary to bother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned toward the latter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To confirm it, Poison King spoke with a tired face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the near future, the Martial Alliance will make a public announcement.\"\"…What kind of announcement?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A public announcement? About what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Surely you don’t mean they’ll expose the Tang Clan’s scandal?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did they really write everything down and send it to the Martial Alliance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I raised the question, but,\"No, that’s not it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poison King dismissed the idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...It’s not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded slightly, reassured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how dire the situation, he wouldn’t have gone that far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was about to relax,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The announcement will be that the Tang Clan is being removed from the Four Great Clans.\"\"...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words left me stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did I just hear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t make sense of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard it clearly, yet it defied comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked him directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord Tang…\"\"Speak.\"\"Have you taken something…? Something strong?\"\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His brows furrowed deeply at my question.\u003C\u002Fp>",2617,"2026-06-05T15:10:08.481Z",1,"novelbin.me","7647ebcb8c6bf1d1f5912bee5ab75a32ae254d47cdc0c41679fcfce5d0b0a510","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-537","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-535",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]