Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 534 (Part 2)



534 (Part 2)

Although I didn’t like it the words were real.

If asked to return it I should give it back.

After all it originally belonged to the Tang Clan.

‘…Even if the Lord of Poison gave it to me.’

Even so I was thinking of giving it to the Lord of Poison if he asked.

Of course I intended to hide it well and live without giving it away.

Damn it. I never thought I would be caught so foolishly.

‘…Should I stash away three pills when I give it?’

I was unknowingly being greedy in my thoughts.

I wanted to give it away generously but since it was the Poison Heaven Society I felt even more so.

‘No three pills should be fine… I’ve been through a lot too.’

Just as I was contemplating how to pocket some the Lord of Poison spoke to me.

“If you need it you can take it all.”

“Excuse me?”

I can take it all?

At those words I stopped all my thoughts and looked into the Lord of Poison’s eyes.

Is he really going to give all of this away?

“…”

Hearing his words I met the Lord of Poison’s gaze. A strange emotion passed through me.

Should I be grateful for such unreasonable consideration?

Should I be relieved that I wasn’t losing it?

Or should I be happy about this unexpected fortune?

Unfortunately none of those feelings applied.

The emotion I felt from the Lord of Poison’s words was coldness.

An involuntary chill in my gaze.

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As I met the Lord of Poison’s eyes with such a look this time he reacted.

“…Oh how hasty. It seems we both made a mistake.”

As if he had discovered what I was hiding.

This time I realized something about the Lord of Poison.

“What do you mean?”

A low cold voice flowed out and reached the Lord of Poison.

He was hasty and made a mistake.

That was what he had just said himself.

He shouldn’t have hastily offered the Poison Heaven Society like this.

If he was going to do it he should have been a bit more delicate.

That way I wouldn’t have noticed the signs. But he failed to do so.

I had caught on to the signs.

“What are you thinking?”

There was something there.

The Lord of Poison’s intention in so easily offering the Poison Heaven Society had something behind it.

“Mr. Gu.”

Fortunately it seemed he had no intention of dodging like I did. Or perhaps he was just tired of it now.

I believed it was the latter. To confirm this the Lord of Poison spoke to me with a weary expression.

“Soon there will likely be an announcement from the Murim Alliance.”

“…What do you mean?”

Announcement? What are they announcing?

“Are you saying that the Tang Clan is going to announce their downfall?”

Did he really write that down and send it all to the Murim Alliance?

I hesitated to speak surprised by the unexpected revelation.

“That’s not it.”

The Lord of Poison denied my words.

‘…Is that not it?’

After all the Lord of Poison wouldn’t have done that himself.

Thinking that I was about to nod my head.

“The announcement from the alliance will be that the Tang Clan will be stepping down from the four great families.”

“…?”

An even more shocking statement came out.

‘What did I just hear?’

It was not easily interpretable.

I was sure I heard it correctly but no matter how I thought about it I couldn’t understand.

So I asked the Lord of Poison.

“…Tang Clan Head.”

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“Speak.”

“Did you perhaps take some strong medicine…?”

“…”

At my question the Lord of Poison’s brow furrowed deeply.

Could it be that he took the wrong medicine?

Otherwise I couldn’t understand the words I just heard.

“You’re saying the Tang Clan is stepping down from the four great families?”

“That’s right. An announcement will be made soon.”

“…Are you insane…?”

It wasn’t just a possibility; it was a certainty that an announcement would be made.

What that meant was.

“…Are you saying that you’ve already sent a letter to the Murim Alliance?”

“That’s correct.”

It meant that it wasn’t the Murim Alliance mentioning it but the Tang Clan itself requested to step down.

They wanted to step down from the four great families. That was what they wrote.

The problem is.

“Can you just step down because you want to…?”

The four great families are not a formal position but rather a symbolic one.

It’s simply a title given to the four most distinguished families in the Central Plains.

It meant that the Tang Clan couldn’t just step down because they wanted to.

At this the Lord of Poison smiled wryly at me.

“Do you think it’s impossible?”

“…”

“I believe it is possible.”

At the Lord of Poison’s words a heat began to rise in my cold head.

“Tang Clan Head. You didn’t by any chance send everything in writing…?”

“Not a single character was omitted.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

It meant that he had written down everything that happened in the Tang Clan the experiments they were conducting.

Everything about the Elders was sent to the alliance.

‘Has he really gone mad?’

Even without doing that the alliance would have sent inspectors soon.

At a time when hiding it would be insufficient he directly wrote and sent it to the alliance.

“Are you trying to ruin everything?”

It was no different from saying he was going to destroy the family.

I was so dumbfounded that I spoke up.

But the Lord of Poison only smiled dryly.

Does that man find this situation amusing…?

‘No wonder he was so quick to behead the Elders.’

He didn’t care about people’s gazes when he executed the Elders.

The reason he was working so hard was because of that.

Only then did I understand the Lord of Poison’s actions.

‘So that’s why.’

He intended to destroy the family from the start.

The Clan Head of a prestigious family would do this to his own clan…?

‘So that’s why Moyong Hee-ah ran away?’

I recalled the moment when Moyong Hee-ah suddenly dashed away as if she had realized something.

I wondered why she was in such a hurry but if she had anticipated this it made sense.

‘The Moyong Clan is commercially involved.’

They had a contract with the Tang Clan.

If the Tang Clan chose to collapse on its own.

‘…The balance of power will change.’

It wouldn’t just be the Tang Clan collapsing; the resulting situation would also be a problem.

Moyong Hee-ah seemed to have predicted this immediately and moved to respond as quickly as possible.

If the Tang Clan collapses the balance of power changes.

The meaning behind this statement was that the value held by the Tang Clan was immense.

Even if the prestigious family below them collapses it would cause a stir.

What if the Tang Clan were to do the same? The ripple effect would be enormous.

That’s why I was even more puzzled.

“…Why did you make such a choice?”

The choice made by the Lord of Poison was something I couldn’t understand no matter how I looked at it.

‘Perhaps he thought the Tang Clan might collapse.’

I thought there would be significant damage but I didn’t expect him to think of destroying the Tang Clan himself.

I really wondered why he did that.

It was a choice I would never make.

The Lord of Poison took a moment of silence and then spoke while looking into my eyes.

“Thanks to the former Clan Head.”

“…Excuse me?”

I had to pause at the Lord of Poison’s words.

Suddenly he brings up my father?

I wondered if something had happened but since he said ‘thanks to’ and not because of him I held back my words.

“He told me. He asked if this was what the orthodox sects would do.”

“…”

“That statement is correct. At least it wasn’t something the orthodox sects would do.”

I couldn’t refute that.

Regardless of the reason the events that had just occurred were not actions befitting the orthodox sects.

However.

“That wasn’t something the Lord of Poison did.”

“Are you sure?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Are you certain I didn’t intervene? I’m asking if you are sure Mr. Gu.”

“…”

With eyes shining brightly the Lord of Poison asked.

The plan for the birth of the Cheonmuji body and the countless evils committed to create it.

If he were to ask whether the Lord of Poison had no involvement in that I would have to think.

‘…No.’

I could only believe it but I had no certainty.

Reading my expression the Lord of Poison smiled slightly.

“I did not.”

“If that’s the case….”

“Even so there will be fewer who will believe it. That’s the reality.”

That’s right.

That was the reality.

Even if he said he didn’t do it given the situation there would be fewer who would believe him.

“And even if I didn’t intervene I must take responsibility for it.”

“Is there any reason for you to do that Tang Clan Head…?”

“If there is a reason it is what you just said Mr. Gu.”

“Excuse me?”

“Because I am the Clan Head of the Tang Clan.”

“…”

In a voice that flowed calmly as if he were at peace or resigned countless emotions were mixed in.

“Although I have been called the Clan Head until now it seems I haven’t done much. Shouldn’t I do something before it’s too late?”