Published at 4th of October 2026 7:49 am

Chapter 1152: The World of Ascension (82)

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Shanxi.

As a region, it wasn’t small. But in terms of reputation or renown, it wasn’t particularly outstanding.

It lacked any of the Four Great Noble Families or the Nine Great Sects.

There was the Hebei Peng Clan nearby, but since they weren’t based in Shanxi itself, their influence here was limited.

A place known by name but lacking true power.

That was how Shanxi felt both in the present and in the future I came from.

Hiiing—!

The horses neighed as the carriage slowed.

As the wheels lost momentum, I gazed out the window, caught in a strange feeling of nostalgia.

'This prefecture... looks just like I remember.'

As a child, and even after I had grown, I had frequently traveled here.

I had been shackled, unable to leave this place freely, so I had seen it more times than I cared to count.

It was the prefecture where the Gu Clan's influence was strongest.

"Buy some fresh fruit!"

"Come take a look at these goods!"

The streets were no different from any other city.

Though it was smaller in scale, the crowd and marketplace buzzed with the same energy as anywhere else.

A truly ordinary prefecture.

One that was no different from the place I remembered.

As I quietly observed—

"What are you thinking about?"

"......."

Hyun Soyeon suddenly spoke to me.

"......What?"

"Your eyes looked strangely sentimental, so I asked. Why? Have you been here before?"

"......No. It just reminds me of a place I know."

"Really? Well, I guess all prefectures look more or less the same. But still, why that look?"

"...What look?"

"You just looked strangely sentimental. Doesn’t suit you."

"Doesn’t suit me...?"

That was kind of rude.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and turned my gaze away.

But she wasn’t wrong.

'There’s no reason to get sentimental over this place.'

The Gu Clan of my original world still existed, after all.

It was just that this time period had momentarily stirred something within me.

'...But the prefecture isn’t the important thing.'

I needed to focus on what I had sensed before arriving in Shanxi.

'Who was that?'

Whose voice had that been?

"So, you are the one who burns."

The words echoed in my mind.

It hadn’t been transmitted through inner voice projection.

It was different—an alien sound that had lodged itself directly into my consciousness.

A bizarre, unsettling sensation.

"Tsk."

No one else seemed to have heard it.

Which meant... it had been directed at me alone.

'Who could it be?'

Who had looked at me and said those words?

I was curious.

And—

'...I already have a guess.'

I just didn’t want to be right.

I could only hope it wasn’t who I thought.

Clatter.

The carriage continued to slow.

Eventually, it came to a complete stop.

I turned my head—

And saw a familiar entrance.

Shanxi Gu Clan.

The large gate bore a grand sign with the clan’s name.

"We have arrived."

My father spoke as he stepped out of the carriage first.

We followed him outside, where a welcoming party was already waiting.

"Greetings to the Clan Leader and the Young Master."

An elderly man with white hair bowed his head respectfully.

"......Huh?"

I froze.

"...The Chief Steward?"

I recognized him instantly.

That wasn’t what shocked me, though.

'...He looks exactly the same.'

The Chief Steward of the Gu Clan.

The same man I had known in my original time.

He hadn’t aged at all.

Not even a little.

'What... the hell?'

For a moment, I felt an odd sense of dissonance.

Then—

"......!"

The Chief Steward suddenly turned his gaze to me.

Normally, I wouldn’t have thought much of it.

But—

'.......'

A strange shiver ran down my spine.

I couldn’t feel anything from him, and that bothered me.

After a moment, the Chief Steward looked away and resumed speaking to my father.

"We received word of your arrival. You must be weary from your journey. Please, come inside."

"Chief Steward."

"Yes, Young Master?"

"Where is the Clan Head?"

Flinch.

At the mention of the Clan Head, my body stiffened involuntarily.

"Ah, the Clan Head is currently away... but he said he would return before the day’s end."

"I see... understood."

My father nodded and started walking.

"...Away? At a time like this? How are we supposed to deal with that crazy bastard?"

Gu Ryun scowled in displeasure.

And judging by the way he kept glancing at me, I was clearly part of the reason for his irritation.

Hyun Soyeon dragged a half-unwilling Namgung Jin inside.

Do Yun, looking tense, hesitated before following the rest of the group into the estate.

'Speaking of which...'

I needed to keep an eye on him as well.

Do Yun had a reason for being here.

I needed to figure out exactly what that was.

As the group followed the Chief Steward into the Gu Clan residence—

I took a step forward.

Then—

"Didn’t think I’d be back here again."

Paejon muttered as he picked his ear lazily.

I looked at him curiously.

"You've been here before?"

Had Paejon ever visited the Gu Clan?

Ah—right.

'He was close with Elder Il.'

Paejon had mentioned knowing my grandfather before.

So it wasn’t strange for him to have come here before.

"Yeah... a long time ago."

"Oh? Why?"

"Back when I was still fighting for fun. It was not long after I came down from the mountains."

That narrowed it down.

That would have been right after Paejon left the Seoan Bi Clan and created Tua Pacheonmu.

Back then, he was infamous for challenging strong warriors everywhere.

Some people had called him a man of incredible fortune.

Since despite all those fights, he had never died, nor lost any limbs.

"At the time, there were rumors about a ‘Mad Ghost’ living in Shanxi. So I came to have a go at him."

"...Mad Ghost?"

"Yeah. And let me tell you—he lived up to the name. I’ve never seen a crazier bastard in my life."

"...Wait."

"Yeah."

Paejon smirked.

"That bastard was your grandfather."

"......."

The "Mad Ghost" he was talking about—

Was my grandfather?

'What the hell was he doing to earn a nickname like that?'

I was baffled.

'My grandfather...'

I didn’t have many memories of him.

No, I had none.

He had been gone since before I was born.

The closest thing I’d ever seen—

'Wasn’t even his face.'

I had only ever seen him in his Flame Incarnation form.

That was all.

'...But my grandfather, huh.'

A strange feeling stirred within me.

"He was definitely strong. The problem was, after meeting him, things got complicated for me."

"...Complicated how?"

"Let’s just say... things happened."

Paejon didn’t elaborate.

Clicking his tongue, he simply walked into the Gu Clan residence.

"......."

If he was going to bring it up, he should’ve at least finished the story.

Feeling slightly annoyed, I stepped into the Gu Clan as well.

And then—

Wuuung—!

"......!"

The moment I stepped through the gate—

Fwooooosh—!!!

An unfamiliar energy swept through my body.

'What is this?'

Discomfort? No, it was more than that. An undefinable sensation.

What the hell was that?

I tried to ignore it and kept walking.

'...Hah.'

But inwardly, my thoughts were tangled.

'No doubt about it.'

No matter how I looked at it—

'This was the right choice.'

Of all the things I needed to do in this world...

Coming to the Gu Clan had definitely been one of them.

***********

After arriving, we had to wait.

With the Clan Head absent, there wasn’t much to discuss right away.

We had brought plenty of luggage, so it made sense to unpack and rest for a bit.

The Gu Clan wasn’t vast, but since they operated with relatively few members, there were plenty of rooms for guests.

And yet, what caught me off guard—

'...This is my room.'

The place I was led to was none other than the very room I had lived in.

"Please leave your belongings here... We will prepare your bedding soon, but if you need anything, over there— Oh?"

Before the servant could finish speaking, I had already pulled out my own bedding.

"...Huh?"

"Ah."

Crap.

I quickly added an explanation.

"I had a feeling it would be here."

"Ah... Ah, I see."

I brushed off the moment, unpacked my things, and laid out the bedding myself.

The servant offered to do it for me.

"I prefer doing it myself."

I refused.

I had never been fond of people coming into my room.

Once I was done organizing, I stepped outside.

I had been told we would wait for about half an hour.

We were free to explore in the meantime.

So I figured I might as well take a look around.

But—

'...There’s nothing new to see.'

Everything was exactly as I remembered.

How was that even possible?

'Where did all the funding go?'

In the future, the Gu Clan received considerable financial support from the Baekhwa Trading Company.

And yet, the estate now looked no different from how it would in the future.

Where had all that money gone?

"...Hah."

At least it made finding my way around easy.

I walked the same paths I had walked hundreds of times before.

Took in the sights I had seen thousands of times before.

"......."

I felt nothing.

I had already expected this.

It was too familiar.

'I’ve seen enough.'

I now understood why we were given free rein to explore.

There wasn’t anything interesting to see.

I was about to turn back when—

"......."

I suddenly stopped.

Something caught my eye.

Amidst the stark, rigid structures of the Gu Clan, there was one entrance that stood out.

It was beautifully decorated—unlike the rest of the estate.

'What is that?'

I had found it.

The one thing that was different.

More than that—

'That place... didn’t exist before.'

I was sure of it.

There had never been anything like that in the Gu Clan I knew.

My feet carried me forward instinctively.

Even from the entrance, it was different.

A path lined with flowers, carefully tended.

Almost like a scenic walking trail.

And as I followed it—

'...A lake?'

A lake emerged before me.

The scenery was stunning.

'The Gu Clan had a place like this?'

The wind here was fresh.

At the lake’s center, a waterwheel spun slowly beside a small hut.

It was an unexpected sight.

But strangely—

'Why does this look so familiar?'

It didn’t take long to realize.

'This...'

I had seen this before.

'This is just like the space inside Magyeong Gate.'

The space that Cheonma himself could open and enter freely.

The two places weren’t identical.

But the feeling was the same.

'How could such a place exist here?'

I was still grappling with that thought when—

Creeeak—!

"......!"

The hut door opened.

"Oh my...."

A middle-aged woman stepped outside.

She had half-whitened hair, soft wrinkles on her face, and a gentle, kind demeanor.

Who was she?

I didn’t know.

Then—

"It seems we have a guest?"

She smiled at me as she spoke.

"Ah... I’m sorry."

I apologized immediately.

"I didn’t know the area well and intruded by mistake. I’ll leave right away—"

"Oh, no. There’s no need for that."

She kept her warm smile and gestured toward her hut.

"It’s not a forbidden place, so don’t worry."

Then—

"If it’s not too much trouble... would you care to step inside for a while?"

"......."

Under normal circumstances, I would have refused.

But—

"...Would that be alright?"

For some reason—

I didn’t say no.

It was strange.

Really strange.

Share