A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 159

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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 159
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Inside the tent erected by the Five Poison Valley warriors, animal hides were spread across the ground.
It was far too comfortable to be called a mere overnight camp.
Yet Nam Goong Baek, lying upon it, had spent the entire night with eyes wide open. It was because of the advice Ya Pae had given him.
‘Could it really be true that if I treat Seol Ah coldly, she’ll come to like me…?’
He couldn’t believe it.
Even if those words were true…
‘Could I really say such things to Seol Ah?’
“Sigh.”
Troubled, he felt the sky brightening above the tent and performed a dry wash of his face.
That was when it happened.
A strange presence was felt from outside. Along with it came an unpleasant voice, as if someone had phlegm caught in their throat.
“Hehehehe, so there’s a feast at the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace today, is there? With so many people gathered like this!”
At that sound, Nam Goong Baek sprang up and pushed through the tent flap, rushing outside.
Ya Pae was already there. It appeared he had stood guard without sleeping a wink.
“What’s the matter?”
Upon casually glancing at his face, Nam Goong Baek furrowed his brow in disbelief.
‘Why is his skin glowing like that?’
Had he really stood guard all night?
Nam Goong Baek quietly drew his sword from its sheath and held it up to see his own reflection.
Unlike usual, his face was terribly rough and dull.
Clang!
Irritated, Nam Goong Baek sheathed his sword and squeezed his eyes shut.
In the meantime, Ya Pae, his expression grim, repeatedly questioned the uninvited guest.
“Excuse me, Elder. How did you manage to come all the way here?”
The uninvited guest was an old man with hair as white as snow and only a few teeth remaining.
He was so gaunt that it would not have been surprising if he collapsed dead on the roadside at any moment.
His eyes were cloudy white, making it doubtful whether he could see properly ahead of him.
One by one, the others awoke and surrounded the old man.
Despite the menacing appearance of the Five Poison Valley warriors, the old man said nothing in particular.
“Hehehehe…”
He merely gazed at each person as if wandering through a dream.
“Listen here!”
Ya Pae, growing somewhat irritated, tried to grab the old man’s arm.
Then the old man clapped his hands together with a sharp sound.
“That’s right! You’ve all come because you’re curious about what happened at the end of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace!”
Ya Pae shook his head and looked toward Maeng Woo Hee.
“Should we drive him away?”
“Hmmm…”
At that moment, a small yawn echoed through the air.
The Old Man suddenly spun around, his face brightening with recognition.
It was as though invisible eyes had suddenly opened within him.
In his clouded gaze, the image of Hong Seol—just awakened and rubbing her eyes—came into focus.
“Young lady, could you possibly be of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace bloodline!”
“What!”
Nam Goong Ho’s eyes widened at those words. He turned to Ya Pae and spoke.
“Hold on. He may seem like a madman, but let’s hear what he has to say.”
The moment Nam Goong Ho finished speaking, the Old Man cried out.
“I was once a disciple of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace! And young lady, you bear an uncanny resemblance to the Palace Master’s daughter!”
Tears streamed down the Old Man’s face as he prostrated himself flat upon the ground.
“On the day of the calamity, the young Palace Master was only eight years old when she fled northward, ever northward, or so I heard….”
At those words, Hong Seol’s eyes—suddenly wide awake—trembled with intensity.
Northward.
If I pressed for more details, perhaps I could learn exactly where the young Palace Master had gone.
And if I knew that, I might discover the whereabouts of my true parents, her descendants.
Hong Seol asked, her voice quavering.
“Elder, do you perhaps know exactly where in the north the young Palace Master went?”
The Old Man shook his head.
“No, no one knows that. It is merely a rumor now, one that few even speak of anymore.”
“Ah….”
Hong Seol’s disappointment was evident, yet the Old Man’s joy had not yet faded.
“But it seems the young Palace Master lived safely somewhere in the vast Central Plains, she lived…!”
He bowed his head to the ground before Hong Seol repeatedly, then suddenly his expression grew puzzled.
“But young lady, where have you placed that object? I know for certain the young Palace Master took it with her when she departed.”
“That object?”
Hong Seol blinked, her expression bewildered.
“The symbol of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace’s ruler…!”
Suddenly, anger flashed across the Old Man’s face, replacing his earlier joy.
“Could it be that Wu Hen Shen Tou, that old wretch, stole not only the Beast Palace’s secret techniques but also the Golden Cat Medallion!”
Nam Goong Ho’s brow furrowed at those words.
‘So he is not merely a deranged old fool….’
The fact that Wu Hen Shen Tou was involved lent considerable credibility to the Old Man’s account.
Meanwhile, Hong Seol’s eyes had grown wide as saucers.
“The Golden Cat Medallion, you say?”
“Yes! A golden medallion engraved with a cat. It is a treasure that grants one invulnerability to all poisons merely by possessing it…. Ahhhhh!”
Suddenly, the Old Man began to tremble violently.
His eyes searched desperately at empty air before him.
It was as though he had been seized by a sudden fit.
The Old Man crouched down, pressing his head between his knees and tearing at his hair.
“Th-they’re all dead! The beasts set fires and scattered salt everywhere like mountains!”
Nam Goong Ho’s eyes flashed at those words.
“Who are you!”
Nam Goong Ho grabbed his arm and demanded answers.
“Who exactly committed such atrocities at the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace?”
“Who, you ask…? Ahahahahaha!”
The Old Man, consumed by madness, gazed skyward and cackled. Then, his expression suddenly turned grave as he spoke.
“That would be…none other than the Nam Goong Family Estate!”
“What!”
In that instant, everyone froze in shock, their eyes snapping toward Nam Goong Ho.
Tian Tong Gai’s face, painted with sheer horror, was particularly striking.
“Nam Goong Ho, surely you don’t….”
Even as he spoke, Tian Tong Gai’s feet had already begun retreating backward.
Nam Goong Ho erupted in fury.
“What nonsense are you spouting, Tian Tong Gai! The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace fell during the very years when you and I were called the Three Martial Oddities, roaming the Central Plains!”
“Well, one can never be certain. Perhaps while you weren’t looking, the Nam Goong Family’s swift warriors laid waste to Nam Man….”
“I was the Young Patriarch of the Nam Goong Family then! How could there be anything I wouldn’t know!”
“A Young Patriarch who spent his time roaming the Central Plains causing trouble—one might well believe he’d miss a thing or two….”
It was at that moment.
The sound of hurried footsteps approached from the distance.
“Grandfather! You’re doing this again, aren’t you!”
A Middle-aged Woman, catching her breath, linked her arm through the Old Man’s and bowed repeatedly.
“I’m terribly sorry. My grandfather’s mind isn’t quite sound….”
At her words, the tension that had gripped the group dissolved entirely.
As if to confirm her explanation, the Old Man grinned foolishly.
“Hehehehe, Mother! That man stole my rice cake. Punish him!”
“There, there. Instead, let’s go home and I’ll make you delicious noodles.”
The woman who had come to soothe the Old Man spoke with embarrassment.
“My grandfather was once a member of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace. Fifty years ago, when the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace fell, he lost his mind on that very day, or so I’ve heard…. Oh my!”
The woman continued speaking as she held back the Old Man, who kept trying to pull her toward home.
“If you’re searching for clues about the fall of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, I’d advise you to disregard my grandfather’s words.”
Nam Goong Ho shot a meaningful glance toward Tian Tong Gai, as if to say I told you so.
“Tch.”
Tian Tong Gai shrugged his shoulders and quietly withdrew.
Meanwhile, Hong Seol’s small shoulders sagged with disappointment.
“So the news that the Young Mistress went north might not be true after all….”
I had harbored hope that I might learn something of my true parents.
‘I suppose that was merely my own selfish desire.’
The Middle-aged Woman helped the Old Man away and disappeared, while the warriors of Five Poison Valley hurriedly dismantled the tents. Throughout it all, Hong Seol stood motionless, her expression downcast.
Eventually, the sun climbed high into the sky, casting its light upon the desolate ruins of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.
It was truly time to depart now.
Nam Goong Ho gently patted Hong Seol’s small shoulders and asked softly.
“Seol Ah, are you alright?”
“Yes? Yes, Grandfather.”
Hong Seol forced a bright smile.
Part of me wanted to head north and search for traces of the Little Palace Master.
But I knew well that was merely wishful thinking.
And above all, I had something I needed to do.
‘I’ll return to Anhui and master the Yin-Yang Divine Art. And I’ll restore my brother’s body to health!’
Hong Seol gazed across at the silver-haired boy with blue eyes.
My cherished older brother, whom I owe so much.
Memories flooded back of all the moments Nam Goong Baek had protected me throughout this journey.
Now it was my turn to repay that kindness.
Then perhaps one day I could always witness the beautiful, azure sword dance I had seen the day I first met my brother.
“Seol Ah, let us return now.”
It was Nam Goong Ho’s gentle suggestion.
“Yes. Let us return, Grandfather.”
Hong Seol hesitated slightly before adding.
“…Home.”
Then her face flushed crimson as she smiled.
* * *
The party stopped by O Dok Valley to pay their respects, then decided to depart immediately for Sichuan.
They traveled alongside the Golden Silk Merchant Guild’s ornate carriages laden with trade goods.
“If I had my way, I would ask you to remain here until my wedding day….”
At Maeng Woo Hee’s words, Hong Seol’s eyes widened.
“But that’s still four years away, Valley Master!”
“Hehehehe, then we must simply look forward to our next meeting! When we meet again, I expect to see you commanding the Human-Faced Spider with perfect mastery.”
Maeng Woo Hee poked Hong Seol’s nose bridge as she spoke.
“And by then, I hope you’ve found yourself a fine husband, just as I have.”
“…A husband?”
“Indeed. One with tiger claw scars across his chest would be ideal. Do you understand?”
“Yes! I’ll remember!”
Hong Seol nodded with solemn determination. The two embraced tightly before parting.
“Please take good care of the buffalo with the blue cord tied to its horns.”
“Have no worries!”
Before those words had even finished, Nam Goong Ho called out on behalf of the group.
“Please stay healthy, Valley Master! Now we must take our leave.”
The people of O Dok Valley looked reluctant, but Nam Goong Ho could delay no longer.
Creak.
The wheels of the endless procession of carriages and carts began to roll forward with force.
Several days later, when we arrived in Chengdu, Nam Goong Ho did not stop by the Sichuan Tang Family.
“You’ve worked hard. I shall contact the Dang Sect separately through a messenger.”
He led our party onto the waterway almost immediately after parting with the Golden Silk Merchant Guild.
The return journey was much like the outbound one—accompanied by seasoned bodyguards.
That afternoon, after boarding the boat.
Only Hong Seol and Nam Goong Baek remained in the cabin.
During the overland journey, she had always shared a carriage with Nam Goong Ho, so being alone together felt like an eternity had passed.
Hong Seol gazed quietly at the rippling water outside when she suddenly asked a question.
“Elder brother, doesn’t something seem strange?”
Nam Goong Baek, his face gaunt from seasickness, lifted his vacant gaze toward Hong Seol.
“What is?”
Having received Ya Pae’s counsel, he deliberately answered in an even colder tone.
“What? Oh, no….”
Startled by his tone, Hong Seol lowered her head and continued speaking carefully while watching her own dangling feet.
She was gauging Nam Goong Baek’s mood.
“No, it’s just a feeling… Grandfather seems unusually hurried.”
I wish he had stayed in Chengdu for at least a little while….
A palpable sense of disappointment colored Hong Seol’s expression as she spoke.
Reading that emotion, Nam Goong Baek’s heart suddenly welled up.
“Did you perhaps want to stop by the Dang Sect and see Yi Woon’s face?”
“Didn’t you want to stop by the Dang Sect, elder brother?”
Hong Seol asked with wide, round eyes.
“Me…?”
“Yes! Yi Woon is your close friend, after all!”
…Though it’s strange that you call him elder brother.
Hong Seol continued, fidgeting with her small hands.
The sight was so achingly adorable that Nam Goong Baek’s resolve wavered in an instant.
‘I decided to treat Seol coldly for a while! I can’t falter here.’
Nam Goong Baek clenched his fists and forced out a composed tone.
“Well, I wanted to stop by the Dang Sect too.”
“I knew it, didn’t I?”
“But it wasn’t to meet Yi Woon.”
“Yes…? Then why?”
Nam Goong Baek bit his lip firmly.
‘That Ya Pae fellow said it. To act as though I had feelings for another woman….’
After all, wasn’t there a girl about his age named Dang Bo Young at the Dang Sect?
‘That’s right. I’ll just close my eyes and say I wanted to see Dang Bo Young.’
Having resolved himself, Nam Goong Baek met Hong Seol’s eyes and opened his mouth.
….
Yet strangely, something seemed to catch in his chest, and the words would not come.
‘I couldn’t possibly lie and claim I desperately wanted to see Dang Bo Young.’
“What was your reason for wanting to stop by the Dang Gate, brother?”
Innocent Hong Seol pressed for an answer.
At that, flustered Nam Goong Baek’s mouth opened, but instead of a reply, something entirely unexpected tumbled out.

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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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