Chapter 740: I’m Sorry. I’m Quite Late, Aren’t I?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 740: I’m Sorry. I’m Quite Late, Aren’t I?
'It’s warm.'
It was warm.
A coziness that felt as if it could embrace anything wrapped around her entire body.
'I love this so much.'
It was good.
It was more than good.
She hoped this warmth would last forever.
'Haah... I’m so happy...'
Soon, a surge of happiness began to well up within her.
Happiness wasn't something far away.
It was right here, by her side.
Rub, rub.
She began to nuzzle deeper into the warmth, trying to fully experience every bit of this comfort.
Stroke, stroke.
Then, she felt a gentle hand stroking her hair.
It was a touch filled with affection and tenderness.
"Hah-euuuu..."
A faint moan escaped her lips.
She simply couldn't contain the happiness rising from the depths of her heart.
"I guess you're awake?"
A man's voice reached her ears.
The man she loved, respected, admired, and adored more than anyone else in the world.
Her one and only husband.
It was Sun-woo’s voice.
"I want to... sleep more..."
Joo So-yang spoke petulantly, like a child acting spoiled.
She burrowed even deeper into Sun-woo’s embrace.
"You can't. Didn't you say there was a meeting scheduled for today?"
Sun-woo gently pushed her back as he spoke.
Joo So-yang had a meeting set for the afternoon.
She had an appointment to meet with the supporters who backed her.
That was why he had no choice but to wake her.
He couldn't let her stand them up.
"Right now... the meeting isn't important... What matters to me is being in your warm arms, Sun-woo."
Despite Sun-woo’s firm words, Joo So-yang clung to him and spouted sophistry.
She knew the meeting was important, but she didn't want to leave her beloved husband's embrace.
"It is important."
Sun-woo looked at her with an incredulous expression.
He was flabbergasted by her attitude, casually saying things that would make the elders cough up blood in shock.
"Just a little longer... Just a little... more... Let me stay in your arms a bit longer..."
Joo So-yang looked up at Sun-woo with a pouting face and began to act even more spoiled.
She clearly had no intention of leaving.
"............"
Sun-woo stared blankly at her.
Joo So-yang, pleading with her eyes brimming with tears, looked breathtakingly beautiful.
'...She’s so pretty it’s practically cheating.'
Sun-woo thought to himself.
Her beauty was so extreme it felt unfair.
Joo So-yang had undergone Marrow Cleansing twice—once upon reaching the Transcendent Realm and again at the Profound Realm.
As a result, she possessed an ultimate beauty that could only be described as radiant.
Her already beautiful face shone even brighter.
Despite having large breasts and hips, there wasn't a hint of sagging to be found.
Her skin was as fair and soft as a baby's.
Furthermore, the sultry aura unique to a married woman combined with the elegance of her noble upbringing further accentuated her charm.
The word "cheating" naturally came to mind.
"Every moment I spend with you... makes me so happy... Please... don't take my happiness away."
Joo So-yang continued, gazing at Sun-woo with glistening eyes.
She looked so fragile and pitiful that it instinctively triggered a protective urge.
Sun-woo felt his heart softening.
When such a fragile and beautiful woman pleaded like this, he felt he could indulge her selfishness just this once.
'No!'
Shake, shake.
But Sun-woo soon began to shake his head from side to side.
No matter what, he believed work had to be done properly.
"No," Sun-woo said, his expression hardening. "When it's time to work, you have to work."
The elders supporting Joo So-yang were people who absolutely needed to be managed.
They were like the lubricant that ensured the smooth progression of the Great Plan.
He couldn't just leave them unattended.
"............Sun-woo..."
Joo So-yang looked at Sun-woo with a deeply dejected expression, her eyes asking if he really had to send her away.
Sun-woo met her gaze with a calm, steady look.
His eyes were filled with determination.
"Huuuuu..."
Meeting that gaze, Joo So-yang eventually let out a deep sigh.
She realized her acting spoiled wouldn't work this time.
"........I understand... Sun-woo... If you... insist... then your humble wife has no choice but to obey."
Slowly.
Joo So-yang slowly sat up.
Woooooooong.
She immediately began to circulate her internal energy.
A significant amount of power began to shimmer around her body.
Sssssss.
The shimmering internal energy completely enveloped her.
Then, it instantly cleared away all the waste products on her body—the sweat, the semen, and the sexual fluids.
In an instant, Joo So-yang was perfectly clean.
She reached out her hand.
Vwoom.
A set of high-quality silk clothes hanging in the corner flew into her hand.
She had utilized the principles of Remote Grasping.
Snatch.
Catching the garments, Joo So-yang began to drape them over herself.
In the blink of an eye, the naked, sensual woman with a provocative body transformed into a dignified noble lady of immense grace, dressed in pure white silk.
'Oh.'
Seeing this, Sun-woo let out a silent exclamation of admiration.
He couldn't help but feel the charm of Joo So-yang’s transformation into a refined noblewoman.
'Next time... I should do it while she’s wearing those clothes.'
Sun-woo thought.
Next time, instead of tearing the clothes off, he would insert himself while she was still dressed.
"How do I look?" Joo So-yang asked, turning back to Sun-woo.
"You're beautiful... enough to make me fall for you all over again."
Sun-woo spoke with a gentle smile on his lips.
"Hehe... You'll make me blush if you flatter me so much."
Joo So-yang replied, her face turning bright red.
Though she had lived her whole life receiving nothing but praise, a compliment from Sun-woo carried a completely different weight.
Even a simple compliment made her heart flutter and filled her with excitement.
Step, step.
Joo So-yang walked slowly toward Sun-woo.
Mwah.
She leaned down slightly and gave Sun-woo a light kiss on the cheek.
"I’ll be going now, Sun-woo."
Joo So-yang spoke with a playful smile in her eyes.
".....Right."
Sun-woo replied, staring at her blankly.
He was momentarily dazed by her dazzlingly beautiful smile.
Grin.
Perhaps pleased by his reaction, Joo So-yang gave a soft smile and turned around.
She walked straight out of the room.
Sun-woo was left alone in the room, still looking a bit dazed.
*
The Third Conference Room.
Numerous elders were seated in their respective places.
Every one of them wore a heavy expression, maintaining a somber silence.
"The Great Matriarch is late."
Lee Se-jin, the "Bright Cloud Sword" and one of the youngest among the elders, finally spoke up.
"Ahem! Great Matriarch!?"
One of the elders sitting across from him raised his voice in a sharp rebuke.
It was Gye Sang-deuk, the "Full Moon Blade."
"Why use the discarded title of Great Matriarch when you should call her the Future Alliance Leader!"
Gye Sang-deuk shouted, his voice rising in anger.
"Isn't that... a bit premature?"
Lee Se-jin asked back, looking incredulous.
Joo So-yang had never officially stated that she intended to take power.
She had only spoken of tearing down the current Cheonmu Alliance.
And yet, he was already calling her the Future Alliance Leader?
It was far too early for that.
"You rascal!! Are you saying the Young Lady is not fit for the position of Future Alliance Leader!?"
Hearing this, Gye Sang-deuk glared at Lee Se-jin with a face full of fury and roared.
"No, that's not what I meant. The Young Lady hasn't made any formal mention of it..."
Lee Se-jin continued, looking flustered.
He was taken aback by Gye Sang-deuk’s sudden explosion of rage.
"You dim-witted fool! What do you think she means by tearing down the Cheonmu Alliance? It means she will destroy a false justice and establish a new one! The Murim Alliance itself! And yet, what? She’s not fit for the position of Alliance Leader? You must truly want your head separated from your shoulders by my blade!"
"No, when did I ever say she wasn't fit for the position!? I’m just saying we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves since the Young Lady hasn't mentioned it yet... That's all!"
"Even if she hasn't mentioned it, you should have the wit to understand! What use is an elder who lacks such basic situational awareness!?"
Gye Sang-deuk glared at Lee Se-jin with a huff, his voice booming.
He was thoroughly dissatisfied with Lee Se-jin’s lack of intuition.
"Isn't this a time when we should be careful with every word we speak!?"
"For what reason!?" Gye Sang-deuk snorted.
"What if the term 'Future Alliance Leader' reaches the ears of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader!?"
"With the Qi Barrier I've set up, who could possibly hear us?"
"Still, you never know!"
The Cheonmu Alliance Leader, Lee Jae-won, was a man who had reached the Profound Realm—the stage of a Half-Immortal.
No one knew if he could use power that defied logic to pierce through a Qi Barrier and eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Hmph, let him hear if he wants to."
"What!?"
Lee Se-jin asked back, looking completely dumbfounded.
What kind of nonsense was this?
"That bastard, the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, has already declared war by laying a hand on the Young Lady! In such a situation, why hide and why cower!?"
Gye Sang-deuk shouted at the top of his lungs, the veins in his neck bulging.
The declaration of war had already been made.
Lee Jae-won would surely be keeping a close eye on the Council of Elders anyway.
In such a situation, what was the point of being cautious?
It was absurd.
"These kinds of plans require more secrecy."
Lee Se-jin replied, feeling frustrated.
Even if war had been declared, there was no need to reveal their intentions so openly.
Provoking them more than necessary was bound to be poisonous.
How could he be so thoughtless and just blurt things out?
'This is giving me a headache.'
Lee Se-jin felt a migraine coming on.
"It doesn't matter!"
"It does matter!"
"Are you talking back to me, you young brat!? I’ve eaten more rice and pooped thousands of times more than you ever have! And yet you dare talk back to me!?"
"Why are you bringing up age when we're all growing old together!?"
"You rascal! Are you committing insubordination right now!?"
"No, aren't we both elders belonging to the same Council!? What insubordination is there between people of the same rank!?"
"The hierarchy of the Council of Elders is determined by age!"
"That's the first time I've ever heard of such a thing!"
Soon, the argument between the two began to escalate.
Gye Sang-deuk was annoyed that a young upstart kept talking back to him, and Lee Se-jin was fed up with Gye Sang-deuk using age as an excuse to crush logic.
The discord between the two had spiraled into a fierce shouting match.
After a long exchange of loud voices...
Thump!
Thump!
The two of them stood up from their seats at the same time.
"Step outside, you bastard!"
"You think I won't!?"
They each began to reach for their weapons.
As martial artists, they intended to settle the dispute with force.
"Enough."
At that moment, a voice of immense gravity echoed through the conference room.
"Ugh!"
"Gah!"
Painful groans escaped the lips of the two agitated elders.
The voice that reached their ears had shaken their very insides.
"So-yang will be here soon. What is the meaning of this disgraceful behavior?"
The elderly swordsman sitting in the seat of honor, Yoon Je-gyeom, began to scold them in a dignified voice.
"Bu... but, Sword Emperor..."
"But, Hero Yoon..."
The two elders looked at him with aggrieved expressions, attempting to make excuses.
"I don't want to hear it."
But Yoon Je-gyeom firmly cut them off.
"From now on, until So-yang arrives, anyone who opens their mouth will have it sealed so they can never use it again. Consider yourselves warned."
Yoon Je-gyeom glared at the two elders with a cold gaze.
Hearing those words, the two elders shut their mouths tight.
In terms of age, martial power, character, and reputation—not to mention his close friendship with the Murim Alliance Leader—Yoon Je-gyeom stood in a position more prominent than anyone else in the Council of Elders.
There was no way they could argue against his words.
"Finally, it's quiet."
Once the room fell silent, Yoon Je-gyeom finally looked satisfied.
And so, they waited quietly.
They waited for Joo So-yang, who had summoned the elders, to arrive.
After some time had passed...
Creeeeeak.
The door to the conference room suddenly began to open.
And a woman made her appearance.
A dignified noble lady dressed in pure white silk.
"I’m sorry. I’m quite late, aren’t I?"
The daughter of the Murim Alliance Leader.
The Palace Master of the mysterious Heavenly Moon Palace.
The hero who saved the Murim from the Demonic Cult twenty years ago.
She was the Heavenly Sword Empress, Joo So-yang.