CFZ

The founding head of the Baekhwa Trading Company is a direct descendant of the Gu Clan.

Hearing those words from Elder Il left me frozen.
I stood there, stiff as a board, unable to form any immediate reaction.
How was I supposed to respond to something so absurd?

After a long moment of struggling to find words, I finally managed to speak.
“…What kind of nonsense is that?”
“What’s so nonsensical about it?”

“…Do you even hear yourself right now?”
Did he really not understand why this didn’t make any sense?
‘How the hell is that even possible?’

If the founding head was truly a direct descendant of the Gu Clan… wouldn’t that make the relationship with Lady Mi even more complicated?
‘Lady Mi was born into the Mi Clan.’
But if her father, the founding head, was from the Gu Clan, then they would have had different surnames.

Well—
‘Unless he married into the Mi Clan.’
It was possible that he took his wife’s surname.

Especially considering how strained their father-daughter relationship seemed to be, it wouldn’t be surprising if Lady Mi took her mother’s name.
That part I could let slide.
Surnames weren’t the issue.

The bigger problem was—
‘What about my father’s marriage?’
If the founding head was a direct descendant, then he and my father had to be related.
Not as siblings, obviously, but as cousins at the very least.

Which meant—
‘Wouldn’t that make them family?’
Close family, even.

And if my father married Lady Mi and had children with her…
‘Is that even okay?’
By my standards, it didn’t sound right.

‘…Now that I think about it.’
I thought the founding head seemed a little ill-tempered when I first met him.
Was that just the Gu bloodline acting up?

Come to think of it, Lady Mi’s cold demeanor…
Could that be the Gu bloodline too?
No matter how far we ran, it seemed like we couldn’t escape our roots.

But honestly—
‘Should I even be surprised?’
The Gu Clan had been a mess for as long as I could remember.

So I tried to brush it off.
‘…But can you really ignore this?’
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t just dismiss it.

This didn’t make any sense.
While I wrestled with the implications, Elder Il snickered.
“You’ve got quite the look on your face.”

“…”
I turned to glare at him.
“You think this is funny?”

“What, I can’t laugh? You’re the one making funny faces.”
Was my face really that bad?
His words stung, but I pushed it aside.

What mattered more was his next comment.
“It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be, so don’t worry too much.”
“…Not as bad? How?”

“Exactly as I said.”
“…How can you say that?”
I stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

But—
“Hmm? I don’t think that was part of the bet.”
“…”

The bastard just smirked and clamped his mouth shut.
Unbelievable.
‘He’s not planning to tell me anything else.’

I couldn’t believe I fell for it.
Still—
‘So the old man really is from the Gu Clan.’

If Elder Il was telling the truth, the founding head was part of the Gu Clan.
Most likely, my grandfather’s brother.
That would explain why he knew so much about the clan.

But—
‘Why didn’t I know about him?’
Why didn’t anyone ever mention a living direct descendant?

Not to mention—
‘He doesn’t even seem to have any martial arts training.’
I hadn’t sensed any qi from him.

That, combined with all the other inconsistencies, left me even more confused.
And yet—
‘Elder Il doesn’t seem worried at all.’

Despite knowing all this, Elder Il acted like it wasn’t a big deal.
No matter how laid-back he was, there had to be a reason for his attitude.
‘Yeah… If something was seriously wrong, the marriage never would’ve happened.’

The Gu Clan wasn’t exactly the most stable family, but it was still a noble house.
The elders may not have had much authority, but my father’s position was unshakable.
‘For that to be the case, my father must have had solid justification.’

If my father had committed some grave mistake, there was no way the marriage would’ve been approved—
Even if it was politically advantageous.
‘A marriage between close relatives? That’d be too much.’

So if the marriage happened anyway—
‘There must’ve been a reason why it was acceptable.’
Either that—

‘Or very few people actually know.’
There was a chance the information had been hidden.
But—

‘No, it’s probably the first one.’
I was willing to bet there was more to this story than I knew.
I turned back to Elder Il.

“Elder.”
“Hmm?”
“You really are sneaky, you know that?”

“What was that?”
Elder Il frowned at me, looking genuinely offended.
But I just sighed.

‘…Like you’re one to talk.’
By now, it was obvious.
Elder Il hadn’t told me this because he lost the bet.

That was just an excuse.
He had dropped this bombshell to make me understand something—
That the founding head was part of the Gu Clan.

That he knew the clan’s secrets.
And—
‘…That his family is just as messed up as mine, so maybe I should cut him some slack.’

This was Elder Il’s way of saying I should try to be more understanding.
‘Seriously.’
He really had a talent for making things complicated.

‘…Still.’
Whether the founding head was from the Gu Clan or not—
I honestly didn’t care.

‘So what?’
I already knew my family was a mess.
The only thing that changed was—

‘Lady Mi and I might be more closely related than I thought.’
Maybe our blood ties were a little closer.
That was it.

Nothing more.
What mattered most right now was—
“So why did that old man call for me? Do you know?”

“Ah—!”
Why had the founding head summoned me?
If Elder Il was right, it wasn’t just to talk about the Gu Clan’s secrets.

‘If that was the case, he should’ve contacted me in my past life.’
So why now?
It had to be related to my recent rise in status.

Or maybe—
‘Something about my name spreading through the martial world?’
Whatever it was, there had to be a connection between my reputation and his sudden interest.

I needed answers.
So I asked Elder Il about it.
“Hmm.”

“What? Is this another question you don’t want to answer?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Elder Il stroked his beard as he spoke.

“It just so happens that this ties into the secret I was going to tell you.”
“…Huh?”
The secret he’d promised to reveal.

I’d almost forgotten about that.
‘Oh, right. That was part of the deal.’
He’d agreed to tell me a secret along with the truth about the founding head’s identity.

But now he was saying this was related?
While I was still trying to process it, Elder Il continued.
“The reason that old man called for you and the secret I mentioned…”

“Yes?”
“It’s because he adores his daughter too much.”
“…What?”

My brows furrowed immediately.
“The man’s a hopeless doting father.”
“…?”

I had no idea what he was talking about.

   ****************
   
I returned to my quarters afterward.

Elder Il had refused to explain further and then disappeared, claiming he had someone to meet.
As always, he was like the wind.
Honestly, it was a little enviable—being able to live so freely.

Elder Il said he’d drop by again since he was staying at the Gu Clan’s estate for now.
Of course, I told him not to come.
Not that it would stop him.

I just hoped I wouldn’t have to see him too often.
Back in my empty room, I sat down and fell into thought.
It wasn’t about the conversation ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) with the founding head, the Gu Clan’s responsibilities, or the mysteries surrounding the Heavenly Demon.

No, none of that was on my mind.
What occupied my thoughts was—
‘What was that sensation earlier?’

The feeling I’d experienced during the spar with Elder Il.
That floating sensation and the flurry of changes within my body.
The moment of clarity that martial artists often referred to as “enlightenment.”

I was trying to recall it.
Martial artists always said that if you failed to grasp enlightenment when it came, you’d regret it for the rest of your life.
That’s how rare and precious it was.

‘…Hmph.’
But I had let it slip away.
I didn’t know why it came so suddenly—

Or if it really was enlightenment.
But my instincts told me it was.
No, I was sure of it.

It had to be enlightenment.
My thoughts, my energy—they all told me the same thing.
Which made it all the more frustrating.

‘What if I’d held onto it?’
What if I’d captured that fleeting moment?
Would something have changed?

Would I have gained insight into a new world, as the name “enlightenment” implied?
It sounded far-fetched, but who could say?
And why had it come to me in the first place?

‘I don’t get it.’
Enlightenment didn’t just appear out of nowhere.
Especially not during a spar.

‘This is a first for me.’
I’d never experienced anything like it before.
So I started to speculate.

‘…Was it the White Jade Stone?’
The White Jade Stone I’d devoured in a hurry.
Was the enhanced qi and firepower the reason?

It was possible.
No, it was the only explanation I could think of.
‘…Not that it matters now.’

I’d already missed my chance.
If I’d tried to capture that moment by striking Elder Il with full force—
‘He would’ve been seriously injured.’

Thinking about it, I never really had a choice.
So this was just me lamenting what could’ve been.
‘Tsk.’

I clicked my tongue and glanced out the window.
The sun was already setting.
I’d wasted an entire day without getting anything done.

‘Tomorrow’s going to be a hassle.’
My life was like that—
One misstep, and everything spiraled into chaos.

It was frustrating, but—
“It’ll work out somehow…”
When things piled up too much, I tended to stop caring.

Future me would deal with it.
For now—
“I should go check on the kids.”

When life got too heavy, it was better to focus on something light.
With that thought, I stood up and stepped outside.
I’d vented my frustrations through the spar.

Now I needed something pleasant to clear my head.
So I moved.
Tired and frowning, I started walking.

Too drained to focus, I failed to notice it.
The faint flames flickering across my back.
And—

“Speak.”
“Urgh… Agh…!”
I also failed to realize—

“Keep barking, you worthless dog.”
That by tomorrow, I’d be beating one of the clan leaders to a pulp.