[{"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-609":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},1240459,1667,"Chapter 608","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-609",609,"\u003Cp>What did I just hear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mind went blank, overwhelmed by the shock, leaving me unable to process anything clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who did what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, seriously, who did what?The words I just heard made the world feel like it had stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you just say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked the Lord again.Ihadto ask again.I needed it to be a misunderstanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely, I misheard.Ithadto be a mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter how much I hoped—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I said that Dormant Dragon Woo Hyuk is the one who led the rebellion.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To my frustration, it wasn’t a mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“....”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless words surged through my mind, yet none of them made it to my lips.I tried to sort through the chaos of my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was complicated, overwhelmingly so, but I had to sort it out.Now was the time to make sense of it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What did Woo Hyuk do?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t.The revelation was too shocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That bastard Woo Hyuk did what?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was it again?Vioe-gun, was it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t sure if that was a name or a title.Regardless, the Lord said that this “Vioe-gun” had led a rebellion with the backing of the Ice Palace’s bloodline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It was Woo Hyuk?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, but the claim that he was from a prominent family in the North Sea meant he wasn’t of Zhongyuan blood but a native of the North Sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A North Sea native who ended up joining Wudang in Zhongyuan.How was that even possible?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, that wasn’t the issue right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you certain about this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed to know if the Lord’s statement was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Why, does it seem false to you?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not an easy thing to believe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I see. That’s understandable.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To me, it was utterly out of the blue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The idea that Woo Hyuk was from the North Sea,that he was of a prominent bloodline here,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and even more absurd, that a man who seemed to have no greed or ambition had led a rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of it felt believable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord continued to speak as I stared at him in bewilderment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I understand why it might be hard to believe. It’s quite sudden, after all.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch, crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard a subtle noise around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold air that surrounded us had thickened further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mist-like chill began to shift,its soft, round edges gradually sharpening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the pressure on my shoulders grew heavier.Feeling all of this, I couldn’t help but frown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the meaning of this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glared at the Lord and asked.He met my gaze and replied,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[As you said, it’s sudden. But the situation is far from ideal.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out a bitter laugh.As the atmosphere changed, I finally understood what was happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Locking eyes with the Lord,I saw those unsettling pupils of his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, you’re saying you’re suspicious of me too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This is merely a confirmation.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does this look simple to you? It’s like you’re ready to devour me alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I’d heard the Lord wanted to meet me immediately after I woke up, I thought it was because the situation was urgent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Was it just an interrogation all along?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mood soured instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was far too hostile to be called a simple exchange,yet there was too much decorum for it to feel like outright questioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold seemed to creep toward my feet, gradually freezing the ground beneath me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buzz…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within me, the rings ofGuyeomhwaryungongbegan spinning on their own.The heat they generated instinctively pushed back the cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was this situation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As if things weren’t already fucked.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was hard enough to keep my composure as it was,and now this nonsense kept piling up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the cold, I addressed him directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you not know why I’m here right now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice carried the full weight of my frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I know.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his response, I let out another laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know, huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had come all the way from Zhongyuan to save his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calling myself a benefactor felt ridiculous,but in the Lord’s eyes, that’s what I was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knowing that, you treat me like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The suffocating pressure,the razor-sharp cold circling my neck—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is how you treat a guest? Is this how the North Sea handles things?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To treat someone who came to save his life this way…It was no different from picking a fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Young Master Gu.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord called out to me,but I didn’t respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Do you truly believe you can lift this curse?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know. We’ll see. How should I know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Healing Moyong Hee-ah was one thing,but the Lord’s condition was on an entirely different level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I’d said before, I couldn’t be certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Indeed, certainty is not the issue.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not the problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought the question of whether I could heal him or not was the issue, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[No, that’s of little importance.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his words, the chilling air grew even more intense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Whether or not you can actually heal me, that’s not what matters.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I would never entrust my body to someone I found suspicious.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord’s pale blue, slit pupils glowed faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[And, to be frank, I have no intention of being healed in the first place.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reflexively questioned him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell did he just say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No intention of being healed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of absurd nonsense was this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t wrap my head around it.If the Lord of the Ice Palace truly had no intention of being healed,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why did you summon me here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the point of my presence here at all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you bring me here just to interrogate me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it simply because I had some connection to Woo Hyuk?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As these thoughts swirled in my mind,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[At first, it was curiosity.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord’s voice broke through my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I was curious about you, the one the princess spoke of. I was also intrigued by the familiar energy I sensed from long ago.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Familiar energy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is he talking aboutGuyeomhwaryungong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did say he had met my father.That must have been why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The second reason was the claim that you were a close friend of Vioe-gun.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, it really was an interrogation, then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I had to confirm it, didn’t I?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord didn’t deny my words.This was, indeed, an interrogation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[So, I hope you’ll answer truthfully.]*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the cold had thickened to the point where I could feel frost forming on my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch, crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frost coated my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an unpleasant, sickening sensation,like insects crawling across my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could something as simple as cold feel so repulsive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I have no desire to harm the child of an old friend.]*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a thinly veiled threat, if not outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sharp, oppressive energy emanating from the Lord was directed entirely at me, making it abundantly clear this wasn’t just a warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glared at him and asked,“You call yourself my father’s friend, and yet this is how you treat me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Even if I am his friend, you are not my friend, Young Master Gu.]*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s an exceptionally cold response.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A friend was a friend, and a son was just a son.He drew the line without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone doubted he was the Lord of Ice, this frigid attitude left no room for debate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Let me ask you this.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Are you truly a close friend of Vioe-gun?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, I tilted my head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question felt oddly phrased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Vioe-gun and Woo Hyuk were indeed the same person, the Lord already knew I was his friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that case, the real question should have been whether I hadaidedVioe-gun’s rebellion.But that wasn’t what he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Interesting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I narrowed my eyes at the Lord, studying him.Why frame the question like that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer came to me quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t about whether we had been friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s asking if we still are.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even knowing that Woo Hyuk had committed treason,did I still consider him a friend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the essence of the Lord’s question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In more detail, it was this:Would I sever ties with Woo Hyuk and align myself with the Ice Palace?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or would I remain loyal to my friend, regardless of his actions?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned the question back on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I were to say I am still his friend, what would you do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hmm…]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch, crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frost creeping up my feet grew even thicker and harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I would advise you not to wonder about that.]*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laughed bitterly.He didn’t need to say it. I already knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I admitted to it, there was no way he would let me walk out of here unscathed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded, accepting the tension in the air for what it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That much, I could deal with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Speak.]*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you summon my companions into your chamber and interrogate them in the same way?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my question, his expression shifted ever so slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed he hadn’t expected me to ask that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brief silence fell between us.I kept my gaze fixed on him, refusing to back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds, he seemed to deliberate, his face showing faint traces of thought.Eventually, he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If I did, what would you—]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could finish his sentence,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you can die here and now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heat within me erupted violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ring ofGuyeomhwaryungongspun rapidly inside my heart, expanding outward.Blue flames surged across my shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flare!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The azure fire spread outward, devouring the cold that had been pressing against me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice shackling my feet shattered as I took a step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I strode toward the Lord with heavy, deliberate steps and spoke through clenched teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Answer me properly. Or I’ll kill you for real.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t hold back anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>",1627,"2026-06-05T15:10:11.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","0b6edac854457f4a3ab039818d82639502b5f56c83e74be2c8a3b5a3d685c3b7","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-610","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-608",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]