A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 102
His composure remained unshaken.
Dang Yi Woon’s face, by contrast, had gone ashen. He struggled to suppress the sobs threatening to burst forth.
‘Elder Brother Yi Woon!’
Hong Seol’s heart pierced with aching sympathy.
‘I heard that Elder Brother Yi Woon has no one to rely on but Grandfather Snake….’
The Poison King Dang Yi Mu had been the sole pillar of support for Yi Woon, who had lost his parents to tragedy long ago.
Yet the words of Dang Family Master Dang Won Pyung carried unmistakable weight.
“If white cattle and black cattle approach from different directions toward a single point, what place could it be but the cattle market?”
“Indeed, indeed. That does sound plausible.”
“Now see here, Dang Yi Mu!”
Nam Goong Ho turned sharply toward his old friend, his voice sharp with indignation.
“Have you finally lost your wits?”
Absurdly, Dang Yi Mu simply chuckled to himself.
Leaving the fuming Nam Goong Ho behind, he spoke.
“If I may, Dang Family Master, there is something I must say.”
Deep furrows carved themselves across Dang Won Pyung’s brow.
His expression suggested he wondered what scheme this ancient serpent of a man was concocting now.
“When the Dang Family Master invoked the tradition of respecting the strong, I accepted it willingly.”
Dang Won Pyung nodded in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Dang Yi Mu’s smile widened.
“Our Dang Sect possesses another tradition passed down alongside the strong’s privilege.”
“And that would be…?”
“When one suffers an unjust verdict, one may challenge the judge to battle and prove one’s innocence through combat.”
“…!”
In that instant, those within the Pavilion fell silent as if doused with water.
His words meant but one thing: the Elder and the Dang Family Master would engage in a life-or-death duel.
Dang Won Pyung’s lips trembled.
“Are you truly insisting that the Dang Sect spill its own blood in combat?”
“No, no, absolutely not.”
The shrewd Dang Yi Mu shook his head as he spoke.
“I cannot bring bloodshed upon the Dang Sect that my grandson will inherit.”
He spoke as though Yi Woon becoming Dang Family Master were already decided.
Dang Yi Mu, clad in his green robe, turned his body.
There stood Nam Goong Ho, still gripping Dang Yi Woon’s wrist firmly.
“Tell me, Nam Goong Ho—have I yet told you how I intend to use the debt repayment token?”
His grin unsettled Nam Goong Ho in ways he could not quite explain.
Then Dang Yi Mu raised a withered finger and pointed it toward Nam Goong Ho.
“I designate this elder of the Nam Goong Family to fight in my stead.”
* * *
“Damn old geezer!”
Nam Goong Ho’s voice thundered through the Guest Hall as he vented his frustration.
“You’re using the Patriarch Emeritus of the Nam Goong Family as a mere substitute for a proxy duel?”
Still seething at being toyed with in Dang Yi Mu’s grasp, Nam Goong Ho bellowed his indignation.
Watching him, Hong Seol found herself thinking.
‘Grandfather looks just like a fire-breathing performer from a theatrical troupe.’
Hong Seol glanced back over her shoulder.
‘I wonder if Dang Yi Woon is holding up alright?’
Dang Yi Woon had agreed to stay in the Guest Hall with Hong Seol’s group for the time being.
It was a precaution born of concern for him being alone—after all, Dang Yi Mu had been confined to Thunder Prison. It would only last until the results of the proxy duel were determined.
Beyond that, there was also a need to hear detailed accounts from Dang Yi Woon about the current state of the Dang Sect.
Yet Dang Yi Woon remained utterly despondent.
“Grandfather would never harm Dang Bo Young! He’s a man of righteousness and honor!”
Nam Goong Ho heaved a deep sigh before responding.
“I know that too. But right now, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Hong Seol’s heart felt equally heavy.
‘In the end, it was I who received help using the Eternal Ginseng…’
Because of the debt repayment token she’d exchanged for the Eternal Ginseng, Grandfather had gotten himself into another conflict.
This time, with the terrifying Dang Family Master of the Sichuan Tang Family.
“Sniffle.”
A whimper escaped her lips unbidden.
“There’s no need to worry so much, Seol Ah.”
Understanding her heart, Nam Goong Ho reached over and stroked her hair gently.
“My duel with the Dang Family Master hasn’t been decided yet.”
“What? Why is that?”
“The Council of Elders holds tremendous power over the Sichuan Tang Family. Without their approval, this duel will never take place.”
Of course, if it came to that, they would need to find another way to clear Dang Yi Mu’s name.
It was just as the lines around Nam Goong Ho’s mouth deepened.
A warrior in a green robe arrived and bowed respectfully.
“The Council of Elders has sent me. They ask that the Sword King please make your way to the Patriarch’s Residence at your earliest convenience.”
“I’ll head over shortly.”
Just as Nam Goong Ho grunted and began to rise, the warrior scratched the back of his head and continued.
“But there’s more.”
His gaze fell upon the children.
“They’ve also requested that Young Master Dang Yi Woon, Young Master Nam Goong Baek, and Miss Hong Seol accompany you.”
* * *
The group proceeded toward the Patriarch’s Residence under the warrior’s guidance.
Nam Goong Ho and Dang Yi Woon led the way, with Hong Seol and Nam Goong Baek following behind.
Gulp.
Despite her best efforts, she kept swallowing nervously.
Each time, Hong Seol grasped Nam Goong Baek’s hand with both of hers, trembling visibly.
“What are you so nervous about?”
Noticing how badly Hong Seol was shaking, Nam Goong Baek let out an amused chuckle.
“B-but it’s so terrifying.”
Just moments earlier, Hong Seol had reached toward a flower in the Flower Garden when Dang Yi Woon stopped her.
“That’s a poison flower. Touch it and rub your eyes, you’ll go blind.”
Hong Seol’s eyes went wide as saucers, and she stumbled backward.
Why on earth would they leave something like that beside a path people walk on!
But that wasn’t all.
When she placed her hand on a stone lantern by the roadside, flames suddenly ignited inside it with a brilliant flash.
It was as if someone had struck flint against steel.
“Huh?”
In an instant, Dang Yi Woon swiftly smacked her hand away. Then he blew out the flame inside the lantern.
From somewhere came the sound of heavy stone grinding and shifting.
“It’s a mechanical trap. If that flame had stayed lit any longer, you’d have stumbled right into a pit bristling with spikes.”
Upon hearing those words, Hong Seol turned to ice.
Good heavens!
Just how terrifying was this place?
After that, Hong Seol stayed pressed close behind Nam Goong Baek as they walked.
“Anhui really is better than Sichuan, isn’t it?”
She listened to her older brother’s cryptic remark as they went.
Soon enough, they arrived at the Patriarch’s Residence.
“Hm!”
The moment I stepped inside, a heavy oppressive force bore down upon me.
It came from the Elder Judges lined up on both sides—some twenty of them, all elderly men who bore the unmistakable weight of countless years.
‘Who is that person?’
One man, relatively younger among the middle-aged, caught my attention.
Upon his face sat something I had never seen before.
Two semi-transparent glass spheres, as if carved from crystal, were set within wooden frames.
The man had fastened strings to both sides and hooked them over his ears to keep the object in place.
‘What in the world is that thing for?’
Just then, a deep voice pulled me from my contemplation.
“You have arrived.”
At the center of the Patriarch’s Residence stood Dang Won Pyung, the Dang Family Master. Behind him stood the stocky Dang Cheon Gang and his twins, Dang Ji Gang and Dang In Gang.
Dang Won Pyung’s face looked surprisingly refreshed, as if he had reached some satisfying conclusion.
“So, have you all deliberated?”
Nam Goong Ho spoke, and Dang Won Pyung replied.
“We have reached a conclusion smoothly.”
“Then, when shall the martial contest be held…”
“We have decided not to hold a martial contest.”
Nam Goong Ho’s eyebrows twitched.
Then Dang Won Pyung spoke.
“Ever since our Sichuan Poison Sect and the Nam Goong Family joined forces to defeat the Heavenly Demon, we have been the closest of allies.”
His gaze fixed directly on Nam Goong Ho.
“Regardless of how skilled we may be, there is no need for the Patriarch of the Nam Goong Family and the Family Master to exhaust themselves in combat.”
He was saying that a clash between such titans would not end easily.
Moreover, both men held positions representing their respective families.
Whoever lost, their defeat would likely be seen as the defeat of their entire family.
“I have calculated that a martial contest between the Sword King and myself would be disadvantageous to both families in many ways.”
Nam Goong Ho nodded at the reasonable argument and spoke.
“But then, how do you propose to prove the Poison King’s innocence?”
“May we be the ones to explain that?”
At that moment, three of the elders stepped forward.
“The Three Poison Elders!”
Nam Goong Ho’s voice rang out as he recognized their identities.
They were the three with the greatest influence in the Council of Elders of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Rumors abounded that their martial prowess, honed through poison cultivation, was equally formidable.
“It has been quite some time.”
“To see the Sword King alive again is truly moving. Ho, ho, ho.”
The grandmother leading them spoke.
As Nam Goong Ho exchanged greetings with the Three Poison Elders, Hong Seol’s eyes widened.
Each of the Three Poison Elders possessed a distinctly unique appearance.
The first elder was a grandmother with a cheerful laugh. Her height was similar to Hong Seol’s, and her cheeks were flushed as if heavily rouged.
“She is the one who studied oleander poison.”
Dang Yi Woon whispered beside me.
Now that he mentioned it, her cheeks resembled the petals of the red oleander flower perfectly.
The second elder had braided her white hair into a single strand, like a scorpion’s tail.
The last elder had long, spindly limbs like a spider’s, covered in wispy hair.
‘Just by looking at their faces, I can tell what poisons each of them studies.’
A chill ran down my spine, and I trembled.
Just then, the elder resembling the oleander broke into a sinister smile and spoke.
“What if, this time, we had the younger generation compete instead of the adults? Ho, ho, ho.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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