Chapter 198: Returning to the Tang Clan-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 198: Returning to the Tang Clan-1
"Uuuuugh, I don't wanna..."
Yorang grumbled, her face buried deep into the desk.
Thump.
"Yorang, please organize these as well!"
Geum Jeok-hwa dropped another mountain of documents onto Yorang’s desk.
"Stop giving me more!"
Yorang shouted at her, but Geum Jeok-hwa had already vanished.
"Hmph..."
Looking at the towering stack of papers, Yorang’s face crumpled into a pout.
Ever since Tang Seo-yoon had been kidnapped, the leadership of the Tang Clan had been suffering through a literal hell of administrative duties. An unimaginable amount of work had begun to pile up.
With Tang Seo-yoon, the one responsible for final approvals, gone, documents were naturally delayed. Consequently, businesses and clients who had requested trades or commissions weren't receiving proper replies.
When no response came, clients assumed they had been rejected and sent new letters with revised terms. When those weren't answered, they sent even more letters with further changes.
It was the beginning of a vicious cycle.
The Great Matriarch and Geum Jeok-hwa had tried to break the loop by announcing Tang Seo-yoon’s absence several times, but it was no use. Without a clear 'yes' or 'no,' people simply kept sending letters in hopes of being heard.
Furthermore, the leadership had to write polite letters of apology to each one of them. The sheer volume was so overwhelming that the Great Matriarch, Geum Jeok-hwa, and Tang Gam could no longer handle it on their own.
They were quite literally desperate for any help they could get.
They wanted to grab any member of the branch families and put them to work, but since much of the work involved sensitive secrets, they couldn't just seat someone unverified in such a position.
In the end, the three of them were left to drown in the monumental workload.
Hundreds of letters arrived every day. Just sorting them and writing individual replies took so much time that they couldn't even touch their other duties.
That was when their eyes fell upon Yorang, who was idling around the office.
The Great Matriarch, unable to leave Yorang alone, had been dragging her along while she worked. In her desperation for an extra pair of hands, Yorang had caught her eye.
At first, wondering if she could even help, they taught her basic calculation principles and assigned her simple accounting tasks. Fortunately, Yorang had been bored and readily accepted their proposal.
The result was nothing short of astonishing.
Yorang performed the tasks perfectly, without a single error.
Suspicious, they double-checked her work several times, but they couldn't find a single mistake.
Impressed, Geum Jeok-hwa gradually assigned her more difficult accounting tasks, easing Yorang into the world of finance.
Initially, Yorang struggled with the sudden jump in complexity and the number of digits, but she soon adapted, gaining the ability to breeze through even the most complicated calculations.
Once Geum Jeok-hwa realized this, she dumped all accounting-related work onto Yorang, berating herself for letting such a talent go to waste.
Though it was limited strictly to calculations, Yorang’s efficiency alone was a massive help to the leadership.
"Hmph."
Yorang puffed out her cheeks.
She was starting to get annoyed with Geum Jeok-hwa for constantly piling work on her. She should have been suspicious and run away the moment they tried to teach her "number games."
Thump.
"Yorang... this, too."
Tang Gam approached silently and placed another stack of documents on her desk.
"Stop it already!!!"
Yorang screamed at him.
Wasn't this going too far? She had been worked like a slave for three days without sleep. If it weren't for her transcendental physique, anyone else would have dropped dead from overwork.
Yorang felt her irritation reaching a breaking point.
"Yorang, it’s not much, but please take this."
Tang Gam pulled a small pouch from his robe.
Plop.
He carefully placed it on the desk.
"What is this!?" Yorang snapped, her voice laced with annoyance.
"It is Western confectionery brought from across the seas."
"Western... confectionery?"
The irritation that had flared up to the top of her head began to slowly subside.
"Indeed. They say it is several times sweeter than the treats made in the Central Plains, and it melts right in your mouth."
"Is this... for me?"
"I prepared it specifically for you, Yorang, as you have been working so hard."
Tang Gam continued, beads of sweat forming on his brow.
"Is that... so?"
In an instant, Yorang’s annoyance vanished.
Western confectionery. It was something she had never even heard of. The thought that he had prepared such a thing just for her made her anger evaporate.
"Hehehe! Thank you!"
Yorang beamed at Tang Gam, expressing her gratitude.
"It was nothing."
Tang Gam bowed slightly.
"Then, I shall take my leave."
"Sure, sure! Go ahead!"
Her mood completely restored, Yorang even waved him off.
Phew, I survived.
Tang Gam let out a silent sigh of relief and hurried out of the office.
Chomp.
Munch, munch. Chew, chew.
As soon as he left, Yorang popped a piece of the Western confectionery into her mouth and began to savor the taste. An intense sweetness began to swim across the tip of her tongue.
I'm so happy~
A natural smile spread across Yorang’s face.
.
.
.
.
It was only after she had finished all the sweets that Yorang realized something.
She had been played.
*
"I have handed the accounting documents over to Yorang as instructed."
Tang Gam spoke with his head bowed.
"Did she say anything?" Geum Jeok-hwa asked, her voice tinged with doubt.
"Once I gave her the confectionery, she let it slide with a smile."
"Phew."
Hearing that, Geum Jeok-hwa let out a sigh of relief.
"I suppose we should look into importing more of those sweets."
She spoke half-jokingly, half-seriously. If they could buy off high-level labor like Yorang with just some candy, it was an incredibly profitable trade.
"We might truly have to," Tang Gam agreed.
He had felt a terrifying pressure when Yorang started shouting. To be able to escape that pressure with a mere bag of sweets—how could he not be pleased?
"Is the sorting going well?"
"Yes. Everything is being categorized by date, amount, and region."
"Hmm. Any unusual findings?"
"There is one matter that must be reported immediately."
Tang Gam reached into his robe and pulled out a neatly folded letter.
"I brought it because I felt you needed to see it for yourself."
He handed the letter to Geum Jeok-hwa.
Snatch.
Geum Jeok-hwa took the letter and began to read it slowly. Before long, her complexion turned pale. The contents of the letter were far from ordinary.
"What are the Qingcheng and Emei sects saying?"
"It seems they intend to assemble a pursuit team immediately."
Geum Jeok-hwa felt a headache coming on. If Qingcheng and Emei were moving, the Tang Clan couldn't stay out of it. Hadn't they promised to act together if any harm came to their disciples?
She fell into deep thought. She couldn't gauge exactly what level of power Qingcheng and Emei would deploy.
"Can we find out who is being dispatched?" Geum Jeok-hwa asked, looking at Tang Gam.
"I shall look into it."
Tang Gam bowed deeply and then exited the room.
"Sigh..."
Once he was gone, Geum Jeok-hwa let out a long sigh. She felt exhausted by the string of major incidents occurring one after another.
It’s a curse. A total curse.
She shook her head. It felt as though a dark cloud was hanging over them.
"Phew..."
After one last sigh, she prayed silently.
She prayed for Tang Seo-yoon and Sun-woo to return quickly.
*
"Sigh..."
Ok-ryeong let out a deep sigh.
It had already been fifteen days since Sun-woo left for the Heavenly Moon Palace. The distance from the Tang Clan to the Heavenly Moon Palace was only about three or four days.
By now, fifteen days later, he should have returned, yet there was no sign of him.
Ok-ryeong’s eyes welled with tears. Her worry for Sun-woo grew with each passing day.
She knew how strong Joo So-yang was. The woman who, twenty years ago, had decapitated countless demons and earned the title of Heavenly Sword Empress.
Though Ok-ryeong had retired from the Murim early and never crossed paths with her, the woman's reputation was so great that even Ok-ryeong knew of it.
That was why she was so worried. This was a woman who stood at the pinnacle, the Best Among Women, surpassing legendary masters. How could she not be worried?
She felt a suffocating tightness in her chest—a frustration at her own helplessness.
Sun-woo...
She missed him. She felt as though he might appear at any moment and pull her into his warm embrace.
"Sob..."
Eventually, her worry turned into tears that wet her eyes. She tried to hold them back, but it was impossible. The fear that something might have happened to him had burrowed deep into her heart.
"Hic... sob... sob..."
She began to weep quietly. Someone might have called her pathetic, but she felt she would go mad if she didn't let these emotions out.
.
.
.
.
How long had she been crying?
Zing.
Suddenly, her senses picked something up.
Drip.
Ok-ryeong, who had been weeping silently, instantly stopped.
What is it?
She felt a surge of doubt. She didn't even keep servants in her quarters because she found them uncomfortable. Who would come to her home?
Judging by the presence, it was a martial artist of considerable skill.
Ok-ryeong felt a wave of tension. She reached out toward the sword she kept standing in the corner.
Vrrrrrr.
The sword began to vibrate violently.
Swish!
It flew through the air toward her.
Clap.
Ok-ryeong snatched the flying sword out of the air.
Shring.
She drew the blade from its scabbard. A brilliant silver sword-light began to glow.
Thump, thump, thump.
She calmed her racing heart and poured her internal energy into the blade.
Whirrrr.
The sword resonated, and an azure light began to coat the steel.
Ok-ryeong slowly stood up. She expanded her senses further to locate the enemy.
Then, her expression turned to one of shock.
She didn't know when they had arrived, but the presence her senses picked up was right on the other side of the door.
She stood before the door, tense.
"Who is it?" she asked slowly, staring at the door.
"..."
"I know you are there. If you are not an enemy, reveal your identity."
"..."
Despite her question, the person on the other side remained silent.
"I will count to three. If there is no answer by then, I will strike."
"..."
"One... two... three!"
Whoosh!
As she finished the count, her sword lunged toward the door.
Crash!
Her blade pierced through the wood, thrusting toward the person on the other side.
Clang!
However, she didn't feel the sensation of piercing flesh. Her strike had been blocked.
Ok-ryeong quickly retracted her sword and prepared for a second strike. She intended to go straight for the throat.
"Ok-ryeong."
It was then.
A very familiar voice drifted from the other side.
Hearing that voice, Ok-ryeong swung her sword at the door again.
Crack!
A cut appeared in the door, and it began to split apart.
Bang!
As the door fell away completely, the figure of a man came into view.
Ok-ryeong’s eyes grew as wide as lanterns.
Clatter.
She was so shocked that she dropped her sword. Tears began to pool in her eyes.
"Sun-woo..."
She spoke his name softly, staring at the man before her.
"I missed you, Ok-ryeong."
Sun-woo gave her a bright smile.
Thud.
Before he could even finish his sentence, Ok-ryeong threw herself into his arms. Sun-woo opened his arms wide to welcome her.
"Sun-woo... Sun-woo... Sun-woo..."
Buried in his chest, Ok-ryeong began to call his name over and over in a tearful voice.
"Yes... I'm here... I'm here."
Stroke, stroke.
Sun-woo stroked her hair, answering her repeatedly until she finally began to calm down.
.
.
.
.
How much time had passed?
She seemed to have composed herself as she stopped speaking. Instead, she just kept her face buried deep in his chest, staying perfectly still.
"Can you breathe?" Sun-woo asked.
"I like your scent, Sun-woo..." Ok-ryeong murmured, still muffled against him.
"I ran all the way here, so I probably smell like sweat."
Sun-woo spoke with a hint of embarrassment. He had come straight to Ok-ryeong’s quarters the moment he arrived at the Tang Clan. There was no way he didn't smell of sweat.
"I like the smell of your sweat, too."
Ok-ryeong dismissed his concern as if it were nothing.
"Well, that’s a bit troubling. I’d like to go wash up."
"Just a little longer... please... let me stay like this just a little longer."
Ok-ryeong pleaded with him, and Sun-woo shook his head as if he had no choice.
Though his body felt grimy and uncomfortable, he didn't want to ruin her happiness. He simply held her close, waiting until she was satisfied.