Chapter 294 – Everyone Has a Plan

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of a gentle tap on the door.

It was a small sound, barely enough to wake someone up, but for us, the enlightened ones, it was enough.

In fact, the fact that the other person didn’t even bother to hide their presence and intentionally exposed themselves made it even more significant.

Traces of yesterday visible behind hazy eyelids. And my women, who have engraved those traces on their bodies, slowly began to wake up, blinking their eyes.

And then, everyone turned their gaze towards Hong Yeon-hwa.

This is the headquarters of the Cheonma Shin-gyo… or rather, Hong Yeon-hwa’s room.

I guess they want Hong Yeon-hwa, the owner of the room, to see and respond.

Does Hong Yeon-hwa herself know this well?

With a voice that is both languid and filled with unparalleled satisfaction, she opened her mouth in a strangely alluring tone.

“Ugh… Ahh… Huh…”

Hmm. It seems like she hasn’t fully woken up yet.

But is that enough for the other person? I heard a response from beyond the door.

“I understand. I’ll prepare first, so take your time and come after you’ve freshened up.”

Now that I think about it, it’s the voice of the Black Sword Grandmaster. I don’t know how they understood, but anyway, it seems like they can communicate.

As the Black Sword Grandmaster’s presence receded, Hong Yeon-hwa lightly pinched her own cheek, tilting her head.

“Are you fully awake now? What did you say earlier?”

“Buuh…”

“I know you don’t remember earlier, but you definitely know that you’re fully awake now, right?”

“Puhh…”

Hong Yeon-hwa extended her lips provocatively. It wasn’t difficult to guess the meaning behind it.

With a smirk, I kissed her on the lips.

Smack.

Small lips. Fragrance reminiscent of flowers. Warm temperature like that of a child. And the ticklish breath that touches my face.

Although it’s becoming familiar, the sensation that still warms my heart makes me smile. Finally, Hong Yeon-hwa slowly opens her eyes.

“Hmm.”

When her pink eyes met mine beyond her eyelids, she quickly turned her gaze away.

And then, with an awkward gesture, she yawned.

“Mm, ah, ah.”

“……”

As I stared at her in disbelief, Hong Yeon-hwa blushed and casually greeted me.

“Good morning, my dear.”

“Yeah. It seems like if no one kisses me affectionately, I won’t say anything, but anyway, it’s a fine day, so it’s going to be a good day.”

“Cough, cough. I forgot to tidy up yesterday.”

As if avoiding the answer, Hong Yeon-hwa casually coughed and waved her arm in the air.

With her movement, a massive conflagration erupted, enveloping the entire headquarters.

Not long after, the flames naturally subsided, leaving a clean and tidy surroundings.

“Thank you, Hong Unni, every time.”

“Hehe. No matter how many times I receive it, it’s always amazing.”

“…It’s comfortable, but it’s still fascinating to see the Three Kingdoms of Fire used like this. Anyway, thank you, Yeonhwa Unni.”

With their bodies now clean, the other women smiled brightly.

As I watched them change into the clothes neatly placed in the corner, my gaze was momentarily distracted. I reached out and grabbed Hong Yeon-hwa’s shoulder as she tried to slip away.

“Hey!”

“Where do you think you’re going? You should at least tell me about the conversation you had with the Black Sword Grandmaster earlier. It seemed like something important.”

“Huh? It’s nothing much. We just decided to announce the return of the original owner and the news of exorcising the ghosts today.”

“Is that so?”

“Now that I’ve woken up, they asked me to prepare while they have breakfast.”

“…That’s what it meant?”

It seems like there’s more to it than just a simple explanation…

Anyway, if she says so, then that must be it.

“I guess I’ll be busy from today.”

***

After a simple meal, Hong Yeon-hwa, as well as the other women including Nana, began to undergo a thorough makeover under the hands of the stylists.

“Wow… This is even more intense than our family events.”

Peng Soso muttered half-heartedly.

Well, Peng Soso is from the Haebuk Peng family, known to rival even the major clans in the Central Plains, but the Ma Gyo here is a group that dominates the entire Central Plains.

If we were to compare, it’s like the royal court of the original world.

Since their history is short, there aren’t any complicated rituals, but in formal occasions, it’s much stricter.

Especially for an event that announces the survival and return of Hong Yeon-hwa, the spiritual leader who was thought to be dead.

It must be even more significant.

And the fact that the participants are so eager because the original round is so beautiful plays a big part as well.

Fortunately, I’m a man, so there’s not much to dress up. It ended quickly after I took care of my clothes and hair.

I don’t need makeup or accessories like the other women.

Thanks to that, I was able to watch and enjoy while sipping tea… Judging by their expressions, it seems like the others feel the same way as Peng Soso.

Among them, Moon Jin-in seemed particularly awkward as she opened her mouth with a half-dazed voice.

“Master Wonsi… This is the first time I’m wearing something other than a uniform.”

“Huh? Is it really your first time?”

She’s not exactly broke in the Mosan Faction, right?

Moon Jin-in understood my question and nodded her head.

“Yes. I was born and raised in the Mosan Faction… so dressing up like this feels a bit burdensome.”

The colorful embroidery on the black fabric fluttered as Moon Jin-in smiled charmingly.

In response to her words, Hong Yeon-hwa, who was busy styling her hair in a complicated yet beautiful manner, replied.

“I’m sorry. It’s a well-known fact that you all are different from the members of this sect… But it couldn’t be helped this time because we need to introduce ourselves to as many followers and people as possible.”

Although the announcement of Hong Yeon-hwa’s marriage was originally planned to be postponed, we decided to proceed with the plan to announce our existence as scheduled. It would be much more visually appealing than suddenly announcing her marriage to a heavenly demon. Plus, since the heavenly demon is an acknowledged guest, it would make it easier for us to operate in this world.

Anyway, we had to introduce ourselves… but it wouldn’t be nice to show off our sect in front of those who still have bad memories of it.

That’s why the idea came up to change our clothes while Hong Yeon-hwa was getting ready.

Nana-sama and her mother are relatively fine, but Peng Soso and Moon Jin-in clearly give off the impression of being outsiders to the sect.

Moon Jin-in, who seemed rather flustered by Hong Yeon-hwa’s reaction, waved her hand.

“Don’t worry. I understand that part. I also think there’s no need to cause unnecessary confusion. So, I agree to change clothes.”

“Hmm. Well, that’s a relief…”

“Really. It’s not that I dislike it, it’s just that it’s fascinating. Even if the Taoist sect is somewhat secular, whether it’s because of rules or other people’s opinions, we should still be modest, shouldn’t we?”

“Well… We don’t skimp on necessary things, but we don’t openly indulge in luxury either.”

“That’s right. Even in the Mosan Faction, I’ve had good food and worn nice clothes, but this is the first time I’ve worn such extravagant clothes and accessories. Thank you for giving me this experience.”

Moon Jin-in laughed happily. Her laughter didn’t convey any greed or obsession with luxury that I had expected. Instead, it seemed pure and filled with a sense of joy.

It’s truly fascinating.

Even though they are both members of the Mosan Faction, there can be someone like Moon Jin-in, and there can also be those who see people as mere tools, like the people here.

Now I understand why she was so surprised by the little things when she first came to the Kangho.

***

As the preparations for the ceremony were coming to an end, the Black Sword Grandmaster, who had visited us in the morning, came to us again.

“Cheonma-nim.”

“Oh, Black Sword Grandmaster. It’s perfect timing as we’re almost done with the preparations. How did things go on your end?”

“It’s the same on our end. Although we gathered them hastily, we were able to summon all the followers of the Infinite Sect and most of the people without any issues.”

“It must have been quite a challenging task to gather so many people in such a short time, even if it was at your command… You’ve worked hard.”

“No, it’s not like that. As soon as the news spread that they could meet Cheonma-nim, they came to us before we could even call them separately. We simply told them where to go.”

The Black Sword Grandmaster, who was practically equivalent to everything Hong Yeon-hwa had gathered.

In his strangely sparkling eyes, it was easy to see the reverence overflowing towards Hong Yeon-hwa.

“By the way, Cheonma-nim, you were always cute… beautiful, but today you are even more beautiful. I dare say that even the heavenly fairies themselves would not be a match for Cheonma-nim.”

“I-is that so? Hehe…”

Hmm… Is it all because of the reverence…?

Anyway, it seemed like he was about to shower Hong Yeon-hwa with endless praise, so I interjected at an appropriate moment.

“So, now that the preparations are all done and everyone is gathered, does that mean we can go?”

“Yes, that’s correct. We just need Cheonma-nim to arrive at any time.”

“Fortunately, the preparations on this side are almost done too. Oh, by any chance, do you have a speech script or something like that? I’d like to ask for it now.”

Isn’t it common to prepare something like a speech script in advance? With Hong Yeon-hwa’s intelligence, she could just skim through it briefly and memorize it.

It was meant in that sense, but for some reason, the Black Sword Grandmaster tilted his head and asked with a mischievous smile.

“A script… Are you referring to that?”

And then, as if he understood something, he chuckled.

“It’s alright. Cheonma-nim doesn’t need something like that.”

“Huh? Even so, this is quite an important event, isn’t it?”

“That’s true, but… hmm. You’ll understand when you see it.”

His tone was full of meaning.

It didn’t take me long to understand the meaning behind his words.

“Introducing the Lady!”

Waaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”It’s the same on our end. We gathered them hastily, but we were able to summon all the fucking followers of the Infinite Sect and most of the goddamn people without any fucking issues.”

“Although it was your fucking order, it must have been a fucking difficult task to gather so many people in such a fucking short time… You’ve fucking worked your ass off.”

“No, it’s not like that. As soon as the fucking word spread that they could meet Cheonma-nim, they came to us before we could even fucking call them separately. We just fucking told them where to go.”

The Black Sword Grandmaster, who was practically fucking equivalent to everything Hong Yeon-hwa had gathered.

In his fucking strangely sparkling eyes, it was fucking easy to see the fucking reverence overflowing towards Hong Yeon-hwa.

“By the way, Cheonma-nim, you were always fucking cute… beautiful, but today you are even more fucking beautiful. I fucking dare say that even the heavenly fairies themselves wouldn’t be a fucking match for Cheonma-nim.”

“I-is that so? Hehe…”

Hmm… Is it all because of the fucking reverence…?

Anyway, it seemed like he was about to fucking shower Hong Yeon-hwa with endless fucking praise, so I interjected at an appropriate fucking moment.

“So, now that the fucking preparations are all done and everyone is fucking gathered, does that mean we can fucking go?”

“Yes, that’s fucking correct. We just need Cheonma-nim to fucking arrive at any fucking time.”

“Fortunately, the preparations on this side are almost fucking done too. Oh, by any fucking chance, do you have a fucking speech script or something like that? I’d like to fucking ask for it now.”

Isn’t it fucking common to fucking prepare something like a fucking speech script in advance? With Hong Yeon-hwa’s fucking intelligence, she could just fucking skim through it briefly and fucking memorize it.

It was fucking meant in that fucking sense, but for some fucking reason, the Black Sword Grandmaster tilted his head and fucking asked with a mischievous fucking smile.

“A script… Are you fucking referring to that?”

And then, as if he fucking understood something, he fucking chuckled.

“It’s fucking alright. Cheonma-nim doesn’t fucking need something like that.”

“Huh? Even so, this is quite an fucking important event, isn’t it?”

“That’s fucking true, but… hmm. You’ll fucking understand when you see it.”

His fucking tone was full of fucking meaning.

It didn’t take me long to fucking understand the fucking meaning behind his fucking words.

“Introducing the fucking Lady!”

Waaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh