Chapter 170: Heavenly Sword Empress Joo So-yang (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 170: Heavenly Sword Empress Joo So-yang (2)
Tap, tap, tap.
Thump, thump.
Tang Seo-yoon clutched her pounding heart and began walking quickly toward the inner guest room.
She felt incredibly nervous.
The idol she had admired from the bottom of her heart since childhood had come to the Tang Clan.
Joo So-yang.
The daughter of the former Murim Alliance Leader and currently the first wife of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, Lee Jae-won.
However, the people of the world did not remember her merely as Lee Jae-won’s woman.
The Heavenly Sword Empress!
The Best Among Women!
These were the titles used to describe her.
Joo So-yang was an absolute master who had reached the absolute state known as the Transcendent Realm before she had even reached the age of thirty.
Furthermore, she had made her name famous during the Great War of Righteousness and Demons by cutting down countless demons in an instant. In particular, the anecdote of her slaying a hundred demons single-handedly remained a story that set the hearts of many female martial artists ablaze even now, twenty years later.
In the hundreds of years of Murim history, it wasn't that there were no women who reached the Transcendent Realm, but their numbers were remarkably few.
It was to the point where even the Sect Leader of the Emei Sect, which consisted only of female disciples, remained stalled at the Super-Peak Realm.
In such a Murim, Joo So-yang’s existence was enough to ignite the passion in the hearts of countless female martial artists.
She was a living legend who had made a name for herself not just as a woman, but as a martial artist.
Countless women of the Murim admired her and everyone wanted to be like her.
This was the same for Tang Seo-yoon.
When she first encountered martial arts.
When many blood relatives of the Tang Clan opposed her learning martial arts.
Even when she rose through the ranks of martial arts.
The goal named Joo So-yang was always in her mind.
Because Joo So-yang existed as a woman who had reached the supreme Transcendent Realm, Tang Seo-yoon was able to devote herself even more to her training.
Hoping that one day, she too would reach the same heights.
To Tang Seo-yoon, Joo So-yang was both an object of admiration and a goal.
And now, that idol had visited the Tang Clan.
It was impossible not to be nervous.
Thump, thump, thump.
As she drew closer to the inner guest room, she felt her heartbeat grow even louder.
`Please, calm down!`
She blamed her innocent heart.
This was a meeting with the woman she had admired her entire life.
She couldn't afford to make a fool of herself because of a fluttering heart.
She calmed her heart with deep breaths and began to walk even faster.
How much time had passed?
Before long, she reached the front of the inner guest room.
Now, once she opened the door, Joo So-yang would be there.
Ba-dump, ba-dump.
Suddenly, her heart began to beat even faster.
"Whew..."
She let out a long breath.
Click.
Creeeeeak.
She gripped the handle and slowly pushed the door open.
The door began to open with the sound of moving hinges.
With a racing heart, she scanned the interior.
And there she saw her.
A beautiful noblewoman sitting gracefully at the table.
Tang Seo-yoon’s first thought upon seeing her was that she was incredibly beautiful.
Her face was very small, and her delicate features were perfectly set into that small face.
With eyes that exuded an inexplicable elegance, a sharp nose, alluringly glowing red lips, and clear skin without a single sag despite being in her forties, the word "beautiful" was the only one that could come to mind.
A luxurious jade hairpin was tucked into her ebony hair, which was tied back, adding to her elegance.
Thump.
Seeing Joo So-yang in person, Tang Seo-yoon felt her heart race even more.
The fact that she had made a name for herself through martial arts despite having such a beautiful appearance was proof that her martial prowess was even more extraordinary.
"Have you arrived?"
Joo So-yang spoke to Tang Seo-yoon as she entered the room.
"It has been a long time. I am Tang Seo-yoon."
At her question, Tang Seo-yoon looked at Joo So-yang and spoke.
"I remember you. You were a very small child back then."
This was not their first meeting.
Tang Seo-yoon remembered having a conversation with Joo So-yang on the wedding day of her older sister, Tang Jin-seol.
She remembered how, in her childhood excitement, she had pestered her, and how Joo So-yang had responded with a smile.
The young girl had grown up to become a full-fledged woman, but her excited heart had not changed at all despite the passage of twenty years.
A smile spread across Tang Seo-yoon’s lips at the fact that Joo So-yang remembered her.
She felt like she might burst into a broad grin.
However, she soon suppressed her smile and regained her composure.
Privately, she was a woman she admired and liked, but this was a public setting.
Moreover, was she not representing the Tang Clan?
She couldn't act thoughtlessly like a young girl.
"It is an honor. To think that Lady Joo remembers me."
She continued, showing a light smile.
She expressed only a moderate amount of goodwill within the bounds of etiquette.
"What is so honorable about it... I am not that great of a person."
At her words, Joo So-yang spoke with humility.
"If Lady Joo, who is called the Best Among Women, is not a great person, then there are not many great people in this world."
Tang Seo-yoon replied, elevating her once again.
Joo So-yang responded to her words with a clear smile.
After that, a friendly conversation ensued, and a warm atmosphere flowed through the guest room.
"By the way, what brings Lady Joo to our Tang Clan?"
As they conversed, Tang Seo-yoon subtly brought up the main point.
In fact, it was something she had been curious about from the beginning.
Unlike others, Joo So-yang did not operate a separate business and only trained a few disciples.
Since her disciples held key positions in the Murim Alliance, it wouldn't be about their employment, and since she didn't run a business, it wouldn't be for business purposes either.
It wasn't as if she maintained continuous interaction with the Tang Clan.
Even Tang Seo-yoon, her ardent follower, had not seen her once in twenty years, except for her sister Tang Jin-seol’s wedding.
Tang Seo-yoon had no idea why she had come.
"My business is simple."
At her question, Joo So-yang continued with a calm expression.
"What kind of business might that be?"
"I intend to kill the disciple of the Poison King."
At Tang Seo-yoon’s question, Joo So-yang replied calmly once again.
"Pardon?"
In that moment, Tang Seo-yoon asked back instinctively.
She thought she might have misheard.
"I will say it again. I plan to kill the disciple of the Poison King."
Joo So-yang spoke again in a tone filled with conviction.
And upon hearing her answer, Tang Seo-yoon’s face began to turn pale.
*
"Wa-wait a moment... Lady Joo, what on earth does that mean?"
Tang Seo-yoon asked her again, showing her bewilderment.
What kind of nonsense was this all of a sudden?
Why would she, a leader of the Orthodox Faction, kill the disciple of the Poison King?
"He inflicted an unspeakable disgrace upon my daughter. I have concluded that only death can repay that disgrace."
Joo So-yang continued as if it were no big deal.
"Please, calm yourself for a moment. I do not know what kind of disgrace it was, but you are being too emotional right now."
Tang Seo-yoon replied with a flustered expression.
`Jang Sun-woo!`
And she cried out Sun-woo’s name in her heart.
What on earth had he done this time?
"No, I am being perfectly rational right now. This is a conclusion I reached after agonizing over it for a long time. My child’s wound can only be repaid with the life of the Poison King’s disciple."
"Exactly what kind of disgrace did she suffer for you to say such a thing?"
Tang Seo-yoon looked at Joo So-yang and asked for the full story of the incident.
"As you know, Lady Tang, my daughter is called the Heavenly Sword Phoenix and is considered one of the rising stars who will lead the next generation of the Murim."
Tang Seo-yoon nodded at her words.
The rumors about Joo So-yang’s daughter were something she was well aware of.
"But one day, after returning from a Dragon and Phoenix Gathering held in Gyunhyeon, my daughter’s condition was noticeably strange."
She continued with a sorrowful look.
"She locked her door, wouldn't eat properly, and would scream in pain every night. Can you imagine?"
Tang Seo-yoon felt a sense of unease at her words.
She wondered if the reason the daughter had become like that was because of Jang Sun-woo.
"Seeing my daughter so unlike her usual self, I couldn't take it anymore. I broke the lock and checked on her. It was because I was worried about her condition. And!"
Suddenly, Joo So-yang raised her voice with a face full of rage.
"I saw it. My daughter’s face, burst open here and there, oozing blood and pus. I pressed her for the reason."
Joo So-yang’s voice grew louder as she vented her anger.
"It turns out there was a small misunderstanding in Gyunhyeon, and that wretch of a disciple of the Poison King swung his fists without a word. Does this make any sense? No matter how much of a martial artist he is, to do that to a woman’s face! And the daughter of a great hero who saved the Murim, at that! To make a mess of her over a minor misunderstanding—does that make any sense?!"
Joo So-yang’s face began to flush red with anger.
"Where in the world is there such a law? Furthermore, I heard that man didn't have a single scratch on him. Do you know what that means? A senior with a significant difference in martial prowess ruthlessly trampled a fragile junior. Just because of a 'minor' misunderstanding! Moreover, I heard he even tortured her. My daughter couldn't endure that agonizing torture and even ended up wetting herself! In front of everyone!"
She continued, her words now moving beyond anger into a murderous aura.
"And I heard that even the precious sword passed down through the Joo family was taken away. I have no intention of just overlooking this situation. He cannot be called a member of the Orthodox Faction. He is closer to a demon than an orthodox martial artist. I have come to the conclusion that I must kill him for my daughter’s honor and for the peace of the Murim."
A mature murderous aura slowly flowed out from around her body and began to envelop the room.
Her one and only daughter, Lee Ye-seol, had suffered an indelible disgrace at the hands of the one called the disciple of the Poison King.
She was unilaterally beaten in front of everyone, wet herself, and even had the Dragon Tail Soft Sword, a precious sword passed down through the Joo family, taken away.
As a mother, how could she endure her daughter suffering such disgrace?
She was a daughter she loved dearly.
And she was a child who would later inherit the Cheonmu Alliance and grow into an absolute ruler of the Murim.
He had given such a child an indelible disgrace.
There was no way she could tolerate it.
Her mind was filled with the desire to carve out his flesh and gouge out his eyes right this instant.
"It should be possible, right?"
She looked at Tang Seo-yoon and spoke as if it were nothing.
He was just a single disciple.
Although he was said to be betrothed to Dok Seo-si, he was still just an outsider who hadn't even held a wedding yet.
To cross Joo So-yang, who was called the Best Among Women and the Heavenly Sword Empress, because of a mere outsider?
From the clan’s perspective, it would be an incredibly foolish choice.
The weight of the name Heavenly Sword Empress was by no means light.
Behind her was the Cheonmu Alliance, and there were countless groups that followed her.
Furthermore, all the women of the Murim admired and looked up to her.
Even though she didn't have a business or train many disciples, her influence was at a level that could not be easily ignored.
From the perspective of the Tang Clan, which was now trying to spread its wings and fly again, it would inevitably be burdensome.
If the Tang Seo-yoon before her had any sense, she would follow her opinion.
Joo So-yang was confident of that.
"No."
However, Tang Seo-yoon’s answer was completely different from her expectation.
Tang Seo-yoon continued with a firm expression.
"That is impossible."
At her firm answer, Joo So-yang furrowed her beautiful brows.
"Are you thinking of crossing me right now because of a mere outsider?"
Joo So-yang looked at Tang Seo-yoon with a murderous gaze and spoke.
"He is not an outsider. He is my fiancé."
Tang Seo-yoon looked at Joo So-yang and spoke with a calm expression.
"I heard you haven't married yet, is that not the case?"
"We just haven't done it yet; we will soon."
"He is just an outsider."
Joo So-yang looked at Tang Seo-yoon with sharp eyes and spoke.
In that gaze was the implication of whether she would really cross her because of someone who was just an outsider.
"No, he is not an outsider."
Tang Seo-yoon also stared back at her sharp gaze and continued.
"He is of the Tang Clan."
At her words, the intensity of Joo So-yang’s murderous aura deepened even further.
And she slowly began to draw up her energy.
She must have anticipated what kind of answer Tang Seo-yoon would give.
"There will be no handing him over, Lady Joo."
Tang Seo-yoon did not back down and drew up her own energy as she spoke.
Vroooooom.
Tang Seo-yoon’s upright eyes stared at the murderous Joo So-yang.
In her eyes was a look of resolute determination.