Chapter 1

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The Young Lord of the Gu Clan. 1

What is going on here? What should I make of this situation…?

I found myself right in the middle of a bustling marketplace.

Slowly, I tilted my head up to look at the sky.

The sun blazed down from an unclouded sky, causing me to squint naturally.

The sunlight after such a long absence was unbearably bright.

Crowds of people passed by and many street vendors caught my eye.

Somewhere nearby, they were steaming dumplings, as wafts of steam carried their delicious aroma all around.

The merchants’ voices rang out loud, while the small chatter of the crowd mingling with it sounded even louder.

It reminded me of the marketplaces from when I was young, in the distant past.

How long has it been since I’ve seen such a lively market? It must have been nearly ten years since I last witnessed a scene like this.

‘Is this a dream?’

I was certain that my heart had burst and I had died.

So what is this then?

Could it be some fleeting illusion shown to me after death? Was this something I unknowingly yearned for—a peaceful past?

Perhaps because my life was so miserable, I longed for such ordinary things.

“Comical.”

I was startled when words slipped out. Since my throat had been injured, I hadn’t been able to speak, which was natural.

But that wasn’t the only reason I was surprised.

The voice was thin and high-pitched, much like that of a young boy. Only then did I notice how smooth and unblemished my hands were.

They were too delicate and slender to belong to an adult man.

My field of vision also felt significantly lower than usual—by about a foot. I was undoubtedly in the body of a child.

“Memories from when I was young?”

If so, when exactly? Rarely had I ever come to the marketplace so freely.

Looking around, I spotted a young man scanning the area with a worried expression.

If my memory serves me correctly, he was my escort.

And this was the first time I’d secretly ventured out, where I met that child.

We crossed paths by chance as we wandered recklessly through the market.

While casually walking along, I happened to meet another child my age who greeted me enthusiastically.

For some reason, he approached me holding a basket larger than his own head, filled with piping hot potatoes, and offered them to me.

“Do you want some?”

Just like now.

“Huh?”

Before I realized it, someone was talking to me.

How strange, that this moment is being recreated.

What did I say back then?

‘Who do you think you are offering me this?’

That’s probably what I said.

Or maybe I said something worse. Either way, it could have been due to his shabby clothes or the potatoes not appealing to me.

But truthfully, I was just immature and rude. What more excuses did I need?

If only I had known who that child would become, if only I had foreseen the future, would I have acted differently?

Honestly, I’m not sure. I was that reckless and naive back then.

“Eh…eh… Don’t you like potatoes?”

The child hesitated, looking for signs, as I remained unresponsive.

His clothes were covered in dust from wherever he’d been rolling around.

Not only that, but his unruly hair, which hadn’t been properly combed, completely covered his face.

At first glance, one might mistake him for a beggar’s child. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“To show me this, does it mean I had strong attachments?”

“Woof?”

The child tilted his head at my muttered words.

Can these kinds of regrets really be erased by such illusions?

‘Of course not.’

Even so, I reached into the basket he held and took a potato.

Seeing me take one, the child grinned widely.

A gap where a front tooth should have been made his smile even more endearing.

“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”

This was definitely not the response I gave back then.

“Yeah! That’s from our grandpa, he dug them up!”

He responded energetically before grabbing another potato from the basket and biting into it.

I followed suit and took a bite.

The problem was that the potato was still steaming hot.

It was an odd sensation.

‘Since this is a dream, why does it feel hot?’

Is it possible? Or is this just an exceptionally realistic dream?

Caught off guard by the heat, I struggled to react.

“Ahaha! Your face is red!”

The child laughed, finding my flailing amusing.

Even though his potato must have been just as hot, he ate it without any trouble.

After fumbling around for quite some time, I managed to swallow the entire potato despite the pain.

“Tasty?”

“Yeah… it’s good.”

It wasn’t a lie. The potato was indeed delicious.

Though I don’t know why, in this dream, I can even taste it—and it’s surprisingly good.

As I eagerly finished the remaining potato in my hand, the young man who seemed to be my escort approached.

“Master…”

The approaching escort frowned upon seeing the child beside me.

Soon, his left hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his sword.

“How dare you approach the master’s person…”

“Do you have sweets?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you have sweets?”

Interrupting me mid-sentence caused him to look perplexed.

Surprisingly, he actually had some.

With a reluctant expression, the escort pulled out some sweets from within his robes and handed them over.

“Would you like to eat this?”

I took the sweets from the escort and offered them to the child.

Although his face was hidden by his hair, I could tell he was thoroughly surprised.

“R-really? You’re giving it to me!?”

“You gave me delicious potatoes, so I’ll give you this. It’s all I have.”

Back then, during my sweet-toothed childhood, even the escort used to pacify me by stuffing sweets into my mouth whenever I threw tantrums.

To think the escort had to carry sweets around while guarding me… He must have felt both self-loathing and distress while learning martial arts.

‘Thinking about it now, I owe him an apology.’

Unaware of my thoughts, the child happily accepted the sweets and began hopping around.

Each energetic jump made him worry that the potatoes in his basket might fall out.

“Thank you! I’ve never eaten anything like this before!”

“Is that so? Do you happen to have more sweets?”

“…That was the last one.”

I had hoped to give him more, but unfortunately, it was the last one.

Meanwhile, my escort watched me with a bewildered expression, likely confused by my unusual behavior.

“Why are you staring?”

“It’s nothing.”

The child set the basket he had been holding onto the ground and carefully picked up the sweet, savoring each bite.

As he bit into it, his small shoulders trembled.

“You, it’s so delicious…”

“I’m sorry, I wanted to give you more, but apparently, that was the last one.”

In response, he vigorously shook his head.

Is he saying it’s okay, or is he disappointed?

Considering how quickly he devoured the fist-sized potato, the sweet disappeared in just a few bites.

There was a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

“I’ve never tasted anything like this before…”

“At least you enjoyed it, then.”

He picked up the basket again and continued eating the potatoes, but the satisfied expression from earlier was gone.

Has he already grown accustomed to the sweetness?

After fidgeting for a bit, he asked,

“Thank you. What’s your name?”

Unlike when he offered the large potato, he appeared rather shy now.

Is asking for a name more embarrassing than offering food?

“Gu Yangcheon, my name is Gu Yangcheon.”

I clearly enunciated my name.

It was a phrase I hadn’t spoken in what felt like forever.

“Gu Yangcheon…”

Hearing the name, the child smiled bashfully. Then, with a hesitant mouth, he tried to say something…

Suddenly, an old man pushed through the crowd and enveloped the child in a warm embrace.

“Vi-ah!”

“Oh, Grandpa!”

“I told you not to wander around carelessly!”

Although he should have been startled, the child burrowed deeper into the old man’s arms.

Then, he cheerfully smiled up at the old man, who was about to scold him.

“I’m fine, Grandpa! I took good care of the potatoes!”

The child proudly showed the old man the basket he had been holding.

Still steaming hot, the potatoes gleamed, and the old man, cradling the child in his arms, looked at me with teary eyes.

Almost fearful.

Was it because of my neat attire, inappropriate for the streets, that I disturbed the nerves of this precious family?

The old man continued speaking with a trembling voice.

“Our granddaughter doesn’t yet understand worldly matters… She hasn’t done anything to offend you, has she?”

I knew all of this was an act.

This old man was undoubtedly an extraordinary individual, one who even the current leader of the Murim Alliance dared not treat lightly, known as the Zenith Beyond Heaven.

“It’s fine, elder. I was hungry, and I gratefully accepted the potatoes and enjoyed them.”

My tone, unusually mature for a child, seemed to surprise the old man, who looked at me with widened eyes.

Though I may have exaggerated a bit, what difference does it make since this is just a dream?

“The only thing I could offer in return was a small sweet, which feels inadequate and almost apologetic.”

With those words, I performed the most respectful bow I could manage.

The old man remained silent.

Unlike before, he now looked at me with a more serious expression. Had I displeased him somehow?

A brief silence stretched between us amidst the bustling crowd.

The silence was eventually broken by none other than the escort.

“…Master, it’s time we should return.”

Though his voice remained calm, his eyes betrayed his confusion about the situation.

Upon hearing his words, I slowly relaxed my posture.

“Already?”

“Yes, if we delay further, we may only arrive after sunset.”

“Alright, then let’s go back.”

Turning my head, I glanced at the old man once more, noticing his previous bumbling demeanor had returned.

“Elder, I shall take my leave now.”

In response to my farewell, the old man opened his mouth to say something, but the child spoke faster.

“Already leaving…?”

The child, nestled in the old man’s arms, looked at me with a disappointed expression, but this was where it should end.

Both the fabricated memories of the past and the occasional reminiscences filled with regret should conclude here.

‘It’s time to wake up from this dream.’

That’s enough.

If I were to ask what has changed, the answer would be nothing. If I were to ask if my heart feels lighter, it remains unchanged—but this is where it must stop.

Hiding my true feelings, I smiled at the child and said,

“If there’s another opportunity, we’ll meet again. And once more, those potatoes were truly delicious.”

I waved lightly, and the child responded with a wide grin, spreading his arms wide.

Despite repeatedly bowing his head and apologizing, the old man’s appearance, known to me, was rather frightening.

As the old man continued apologizing, he lifted the child into his arms and disappeared into the bustling crowd.

“…I’m shaken.”

The old man’s name is Wi Hyogun.

In the long history of the martial world, he was the symbol of the righteous factions who stabbed a sword into the heart of the Black Dragon Sword, intending to unify the Sapa factions and conquer the land of Sichuan.

Until a little over a decade ago, he sat in the position of the leader of the Murim Alliance, instilling fear and dread among the Sapa factions.

Another title given to the old man is “Sword Lord Hall.”

Simultaneously relinquishing his position as the leader of the Murim Alliance, he vanished without a trace.

How he ended up here raising a child in such a ragged state is beyond my understanding.

No one could have predicted that such a disheveled old man was one of the three greatest figures under heaven.

Thus, I stared at the place where the old man had disappeared for a long time until my escort urged me to turn around.

Whether or not he is the Sword Lord Hall is irrelevant.

The image of the girl, nestled in the Sword Lord’s arms, waving her hand vigorously towards me, kept appearing in my mind.

Her beaming smile as she handed me the potatoes and her overwhelming happiness upon receiving a single sweet contrasted sharply with her later cold gaze as she slashed through demons and severed the Heavenly Horse’s neck.

Wi Seol-ah of the Divine Sword Academy.

That child was none other than her.

This was the very first meeting between me and Wi Seol-ah.

Though in my memory, we didn’t part ways amicably.

Back then, I spat insults and hurled the basket of potatoes away.

Leaving behind the young Wi Seol-ah, crying tears of hurt, I mocked her and walked away.

It was far beyond mere immaturity; it was utterly despicable behavior.

“…Now it’s my turn to leave.”

Why does this keep playing in my mind even as I die?

Even though I embellished it to satisfy myself, I shouldn’t have any lingering regrets.

Though I can’t fully confirm it myself, it had to be this way.

“Yes, it’s time to return.”

Hearing the escort’s reply, I couldn’t help but smirk. My words must have sounded like I was going home.

Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure where home was anymore.

‘However, why won’t this end?’

Since I’ve done everything I needed to, shouldn’t this illusion or dream dissipate? It feels strangely prolonged.

“Master, you shouldn’t go that way.”

Lost in vague memories, I inadvertently strayed onto the wrong path.

Each time, I relied on the escort’s corrections to guide me home.

‘I don’t know. It should end soon.’

Though mentally prepared for the end, I resented the dream’s persistence but had no recourse.

I surrendered to the flow, thinking it wouldn’t last much longer.

Only after several days did I belatedly realize,

“…Damn, why won’t this end?”

That what I was experiencing wasn’t a dream at all.

***