A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 116

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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 116
* * *
The next day brought oppressive heat, with sunlight beating down relentlessly.
Late afternoon.
Before Dang Bo Young’s Quarters, a towering mound of flowers had materialized.
As the flower arrangement wobbled forward, a bright child’s face suddenly peeked out from behind it.
The Servant standing guard gasped sharply in surprise.
“Please inform Dang Bo Young that Nam Goong Baek and Hong Seol have come to inquire after her health.”
The moment the Servant went inside to deliver the message, Nam Goong Baek emerged from behind Hong Seol.
“Let me carry it.”
Hong Seol shook her head firmly.
“No, I really want to carry it myself.”
Ever since learning that Dang Bo Young had no mother, Hong Seol found herself unable to bear the child’s plight.
That was why she had pestered Nam Goong Baek into coming to pay respects—after purchasing an armful of flowers at the Market District.
After a considerable wait, the Servant emerged from within, bowing repeatedly as she gestured them inside.
“Mm.”
An inarticulate sound lingered in the Servant’s mouth.
‘Ah, she cannot speak.’
Hong Seol asked carefully.
“You’re inviting us inside, aren’t you?”
The Servant nodded and smiled brightly in response.
The children followed the Servant’s guidance into the inner chamber.
At first glance, considerable care had been taken in decorating the Quarters.
The legs of the round tea table curved elegantly like a cat’s limbs, and the bamboo painting hanging on the wall was clearly the work of a master artist.
Above the bed, flowing fabric hung down, shielding it from the intense sunlight.
A man sitting at the edge of the bed rose to his feet.
It was Dang Song Baek, the Poison King.
“How kind of the Nam Goong Family to visit and inquire after her health.”
He gazed toward the bed, where a young girl lay with not a trace of color in her face.
“Bo Young would have been delighted, had she been conscious.”
Dang Song Baek’s expression grew melancholy.
Yet in that moment, Hong Seol sensed something amiss.
‘He seems slightly out of breath.’
Moreover, beads of perspiration glistened on his forehead.
As if he had been away for some time and rushed back upon hearing of their arrival.
“….”
As Hong Seol fell into contemplation, Nam Goong Baek whispered softly.
“Seol Ah.”
“Yes?”
“The flowers.”
“Oh dear!”
Hong Seol approached the bed with an awkward shuffle and extended the bouquet.
“I brought flowers that I thought Dang Bo Young would enjoy. I hoped it might bring a bit of summer cheer….”
Dang Song Baek’s expression suddenly turned troubled.
“Oh my, what should I do….”
He hesitated before continuing.
“Given Bo Young’s condition, we’ve been keeping fresh flowers away from her quarters as much as possible.”
Sensing Hong Seol’s confusion, Dang Song Baek added an explanation.
“As you know, Bo Young has been poisoned…. Pollen and soil could affect her physical state.”
“Ah!”
Now that he mentioned it, even the bamboo existed only as a painting—there were no flowers or potted plants anywhere in the room.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. What should I do with these flowers…?”
As flustered Hong Seol hesitated, Dang Song Baek waved his hand dismissively.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to place the flowers you’ve given us in a vase and take them to the Ancestral Shrine. It would be an offering for our Bo Young’s swift recovery.”
“Yes, that would be lovely.”
Hong Seol nodded, and Dang Song Baek called for a servant.
“You there, A Ran!”
The mute servant bowed her head, and Dang Song Baek gave his command.
“Take these to the Ancestral Shrine.”
Once the servant left, he gestured toward the child lying on the bed for Hong Seol and Nam Goong Baek to see.
“Do greet Bo Young. In the meantime, I shall prepare some Mengshan tea for you.”
In Sichuan, the art of tea was considered quite an elegant pursuit.
Dang Song Baek, true to his Sichuan heritage, seemed to enjoy preparing tea himself.
At those words, Hong Seol approached the bed.
Dang Bo Young was a small-framed girl, much like Hong Seol herself.
With her eyes closed, she breathed in shallow, labored gasps—wheeze after wheeze.
Seeing her like this, my heart filled with anguish.
‘To use poison on such a young child… how cruel.’
Hong Seol knew it was futile, yet she could not help but ask.
“Um, the antidote….”
Dang Song Baek, who had been pouring hot water for tea, answered.
“No antidote from the Poison Sect has proven effective.”
“I see….”
“Ugh….”
Dang Bo Young occasionally let out pained whimpers and tossed restlessly. Even watching her made Hong Seol’s chest ache.
“Hm!”
In that moment, something strange caught Hong Seol’s eye.
‘Could it be…?’
The suspicion in her mind grew stronger and stronger.
Hong Seol quickly surveyed Dang Bo Young’s Quarters. Not a single flower was visible anywhere.
I recalled the image of Dang Song Baek tending to the Flower Garden the previous night.
I had thought he was taking flowers to give to the child.
‘Then, why on earth were those flowers…?’
I wanted to confirm the true nature of the doubt blooming within me.
‘Is there a way?’
It was at that very moment when Hong Seol was pondering this.
Nam Goong Baek, who had been observing Hong Seol and Dang Bo Young intently, made his move first.
“Master! It seems the child has awakened!”
The sound of liquid pouring ceased.
The hand pouring the tea stopped mid-motion.
In the next instant, Dang Song Baek rushed over as if flying.
“Bo Young!”
But Dang Bo Young remained motionless, his face still devoid of color.
“Ah, my apologies.”
Nam Goong Baek bowed deeply.
“It seems I mistook his tossing and turning, Master.”
“Sigh.”
The Poison King Dang Song Baek’s brow furrowed. But he soon shook off his irritation.
The other party was the direct heir of the Nam Goong Family Estate.
He could not fault a minor mistake too harshly.
“That can happen. Come now, let us have some tea.”
Even as I sat at the table, I kept glancing at Dang Bo Young lying on the bed.
My heart was pounding terribly.
Nam Goong Baek was conversing with Dang Song Baek about the decorations of the Quarters with an unbothered expression.
But I could tell.
That my elder brother had deliberately raised his voice just moments before.
And at that moment.
I clearly saw it.
The face of Dang Song Baek, who was unmistakably ‘shocked’ at the news of awakening.
I clenched my small fist beneath the table.
‘Perhaps the culprit behind this incident is…’
* * *
I walked through the corridor of the Guest Hall with a frustrated heart.
I had spoken carefully with Nam Goong Baek, but the conclusion was the same.
“I understand your suspicion, but he is Dang Bo Young’s father, the victim. Without concrete evidence, no one will believe us.”
“So we must wait until Grandfather Snake discovers what poison it is?”
I opened the door to my Sleeping Quarters without strength. Then an absurd situation unfolded.
“Squeak…”
“Squeak…”
Two white Young Rats were rolling across the bed, each clutching their bellies.
“Are you alright?”
Hong Seol rushed to the bedside and asked with concern.
“What on earth happened? Did you eat something strange?”
A sudden fear gripped me as I walked through the Inner Fortress of the Sa Cheon Dang Family—what if the Young Rats had accidentally consumed poison?
Il Jjik Yi spoke while wiping cold sweat from his brow.
“Squeak (No, Miss. All Young Master ate for lunch was grilled eel)….”
Hong Seol recalled the grilled eel that had been served at lunch. It was a dish seasoned with garlic, and she remembered it showing no signs of spoilage or impropriety whatsoever.
“That’s strange—you’re getting a stomachache from that?”
At those words, Il Jjik Yi and Yi Jjik Yi exchanged glances, then confessed truthfully.
“Squeak (Actually)….”
“Squeak (I ate a peach. There was a large one hanging from a branch with sweet liquid dripping from it, and I couldn’t resist).”
At that confession, Hong Seol sprang to her feet.
If it was a peach tree cultivated by the Sa Cheon Dang Family, it wouldn’t be strange for it to be poisonous.
“Where was this peach from?”
“Squeak (From the Back Garden right behind the Guest Hall)….”
At those words, Hong Seol hurried out of the Sleeping Quarters.
She would need help to resolve this matter.
* * *
Hong Seol peeked her head through the gap in the Reception Room door and spoke.
“Um, Grandfather….”
Nam Goong Ho, who had been in serious conversation with Dang Yi Mu at the table, noticed Hong Seol and immediately brightened his expression.
“Oh yes, what is it, Seol Ah!”
“My stomach hurts a little….”
“What?”
Nam Goong Ho’s face grew grave at once. His eyes widened like lanterns as he hastily grasped Hong Seol by both shoulders.
“Is it poison? Could you have been poisoned by those vicious Dang Family dogs?”
At those words, Dang Yi Mu cast a reproachful glance at his old friend.
“What an insulting thing to say. Step aside, will you.”
Dang Yi Mu bent forward and peered into Hong Seol’s eyes.
“Child, where exactly does it hurt? What did you eat by mistake?”
“Well, grilled eel and a little peach….”
At that, Dang Yi Mu’s expression grew relieved. He too had harbored some suspicion that Hong Seol might have been poisoned.
“There are no poisonous peach trees in the Dang Family, so it’s simply indigestion. Simple indigestion.”
He rummaged through a large medicine chest placed in one corner of the Reception Room and produced a small medicinal pellet.
“There’s water in the Sleeping Quarters that I was drinking, so I’ll take it there!”
Hong Seol hurried off and pushed the finely divided medicinal pellet into the mouths of Il Jjik Yi and Yi Jjik Yi.
Though they were indeed in pain, the Young Rats grimaced but readily accepted the medicine.
“Squeak (Ugh, thank you, Master)….”
“Squeak (How can we ever repay such kindness)….”
The baby Young Rats spoke of gratitude as though they owed me a debt.
Hong Seol laughed softly, then quietly closed the door and returned to the Reception Room.
I needed to thank the Snake Grandfather.
“Seol Ah, are you alright?”
Nam Goong Ho looked as though his heart would break from worry over Hong Seol. At his expression, her heart pricked with guilt.
But I couldn’t simply tell him that it wasn’t me who was ill, but the Young Rats.
“Yes, yes… I think I’m getting better.”
Dang Yi Mu clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“There are certain foods in this world that must never be eaten together. The Kitchen surely wouldn’t have served eel and peaches at the same time—where on earth did you eat peaches?”
“In the Back Garden behind the Guest Hall. They looked so delicious that I just… couldn’t help myself.”
Tsk, tsk.
A low clicking sound of disapproval echoed.
“Remember this well. If you eat eel and peaches together, you’ll suffer stomach troubles.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Hong Seol nodded and pressed herself against Nam Goong Ho’s side.
“What were you discussing?”
“We were speaking of the poison that harmed Dang Bo Young.”
At those words, Hong Seol’s ears perked up.
“You still cannot identify what poison it is?”
“That’s right. Remarkable, truly—to think there exist two poisons in this world that I do not know… it’s unbelievable.”
Nam Goong Ho laughed heartily.
“Heh, perhaps it’s time I relinquished the title of Poison King.”
“Nonsense!”
Dang Yi Mu bristled indignantly.
“The symptoms don’t match any poison I know! What am I supposed to do about that?”
Just then, Hong Seol, who had been pondering something, suddenly lifted her head with a spark of realization.
“Snake Grandfather!”
Hong Seol’s dark eyes gleamed with sudden inspiration.
“What… what did you just tell me a moment ago?”
Excited, Hong Seol opened her eyes wide and waved both arms through the air.
What on earth was happening?
Dang Yi Mu, his brow furrowed deeply, spoke.
“You mean about how eating eel and peaches together causes stomach troubles?”
“Yes, exactly that!”
Hong Seol’s face bore the expression of someone who had just discovered something crucial.
“Eel is delicious.”
At this sudden praise of food, Nam Goong Ho tilted his head in confusion.
“Peaches are delicious too.”
“What are you saying?”
Hong Seol spoke to Nam Goong Ho, whose eyes merely blinked.
“But when you eat both together, you get stomach troubles!”
At those words, Dang Yi Mu sprang to his feet as if a sudden realization had struck him.
“You truly are a genius!”

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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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