A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 160

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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 160
“I must warn Dang Yi Woon! That wretch dared ask you to be his partner for the Dragon Phoenix Dance?”
“Yes? Yes, well….”
“How many times have I told you this? You must never smile carelessly at men.”
Nam Goong Baek spoke with the cold indifference of a blizzard sweeping across Dae Chuk Mountain.
“Yet you smiled at Dang Yi Woon and accepted a gift from him.”
He was referring to the silk robe she had received some time ago, embroidered with intricate needlework.
“….”
Hong Seol gazed at Nam Goong Baek with eyes that threatened to spill tears at any moment, her lips pursed into a small point like a sparrow’s beak.
‘Ah….’
That gaze sent Nam Goong Baek’s mind reeling, and unexpected reproach tumbled from his lips.
“Did you… did you do wrong or not?”
Nam Goong Baek, startled by his own words, quickly covered his mouth with one hand.
But it was already too late.
“…I did wrong.”
Hong Seol answered in a voice so small it seemed she might crawl into a mouse hole.
And that was not all.
“Hic….”
Her lips trembled as though sobs would burst forth at any instant.
Nam Goong Baek’s heart plummeted at the sight.
“Sigh.”
Ordinarily, I should press further from here….
‘But I simply cannot.’
Nam Goong Baek hung his head low.
‘Why does my mouth move of its own accord….’
I was filled with regret.
It seemed I would have to comfort Seol Ah after all.
I appeared to be bound by a fate that left me no choice.
“Listen, Seol Ah….”
“Waaaah!”
At the sudden outburst of tears, Nam Goong Baek leaped to his feet.
“I was wrong, Seol Ah!”
He paced anxiously in circles around Hong Seol, who covered her face with both hands and wept.
‘What have I done…!’
“Sigh, what can I do to ease your heart…. I will do anything within my power.”
“Sniff, anything at all?”
“Yes.”
At those words, Hong Seol lifted her head. Her face was dry, without a single tear.
“Then sing for me.”
“What!”
Only then did Nam Goong Baek realize he had fallen victim to Hong Seol’s scheme.
‘Is this Nam Goong Heuk’s influence? Where did she learn to be so mischievous?’
Nam Goong Baek’s eyebrows formed a rare expression of bewilderment.
“A song? I cannot do such things….”
“Please do it! You promised!”
With such an adorable child opening her eyes wide as apricot pits and pleading, there was no way to resist.
“Mmm.”
After a moment’s hesitation, a clear and melodious sound flowed from his lips.
Soft fur and luminous eyes
Plump paws and dignified whiskers
Cats are the best, the best, the best
Cats are the best, the best, the best
‘A cat hymn?’
Hong Seol’s eyes widened in surprise.
This was clearly a song Nam Goong Baek had learned separately.
The Nam Goong Family, which had poor relations with the Myo Ga Jang, would never teach a cat hymn.
‘As expected, what a tenderhearted older brother.’
Resting her chin on her hand, Hong Seol watched Nam Goong Baek sing with delight.
‘Hehe, older brother Baek is quite the gifted singer.’
How adorable!
Thanks to this, the fatigue from the long journey seemed to wash away completely.
* * *
Meanwhile, Nam Goong Ho and Tian Tong Gai stood at the boat’s rail, looking down below.
Huff, huff!
Yang Do Jin swam along behind them, a rope wound three times around his waist.
“The boy shows remarkable perseverance. Your young disciple, I presume.”
At those words, Tian Tong Gai broke into a grin.
“Well, I don’t take just anyone as a disciple at my age.”
Even as he spoke casually, Tian Tong Gai’s shoulders had already risen with pride.
“With just a few more years of training, my Do Jin will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the masters of the Beggar Sect.”
Just then, the sound of Hong Seol and Nam Goong Baek making a small commotion came from inside.
“You too have such capable children, so you need not worry about succession….”
Tian Tong Gai began to speak but then clamped his mouth shut.
“That is how it should have been.”
Nam Goong Ho’s reply was tinged with bitterness.
“Thanks to you and Dang Yi Mu, after I healed Seol Ah’s yin-yang meridians, I felt as though I held the entire world in my hands.”
Nam Goong Ho withdrew a wooden box wrapped tightly in silk cloth from his bosom.
What he drew from within was a secret manual bound from aged paper.
On its cover was written “Annotated Commentary on the Yin-Yang True Scripture.”
“That was before I saw this.”
Nam Goong Ho’s expression grew clouded. Tian Tong Gai silently patted his shoulder.
Nam Goong Ho parted his lips, which seemed reluctant to move, and spoke in a low voice.
“Please keep it secret from everyone—that Baek may never fully recover, Tian Tong Gai.”
Tian Tong Gai gazed quietly at his dear friend’s worry-lined face before answering.
“Of course. Do not trouble yourself.”
The two stood for a long while, watching the delicate patterns the ripples created upon the water.
* * *
As the carriage crested the mountain ridge, familiar pavilions began to appear beyond the window.
Hong Seol’s face flushed with excitement as she cried out.
“Grandfather, it’s Anhui!”
“Indeed, it has been far too long since we dined at Chang Cheon Pavilion.”
Even Nam Goong Ho’s face, which had been clouded with worry, now showed a glimmer of anticipation.
Tian Tong Gai and his companions, who had traveled with us until just moments ago, had parted ways to meet with the Anhui regional inspector.
“Do you think everyone will like their gifts?”
Hong Seol carefully unfolded the bundle she had been carrying.
Within lay an assortment of items she had purchased with coins from various places along the way.
“Brother, what do you think of this? It’s a gift for Father and the Medicine Master.”
What Hong Seol held up was a pair of fine daggers with mandarin ducks beautifully carved into their handles.
She had purchased them at the market district in Chengdu.
Since the Sichuan Poison Sect was renowned for its hidden weapons, the blacksmiths of Chengdu had earned a reputation for crafting daggers of exceptional quality.
“I had originally planned to bring sweet and tangy tangerines as gifts as well, but….”
Hong Seol’s expression grew dejected.
The tangerines she had treasured so carefully had rotted away before we even reached Nam Man.
“Whatever you give them, they will cherish it.”
Even if it were rotten tangerines, Father and Mother would see them as perfectly aged century eggs in their eyes.
These were Nam Goong Baek’s words.
Hong Seol broke into a bright smile.
“What about this one, Brother? It’s for Heuk and Jeok.”
What Hong Seol held up and shook was a wooden toy dragonfly.
Crafted by a skilled artisan from Five Poison Valley, when one pulled the string attached to it, its wings would flutter back and forth.
“…They will like it.”
Nam Goong Baek, who detested even the sight of insects, recoiled and answered reluctantly.
Among the other items in Hong Seol’s luggage were cosmetic boxes for Mae Ran and dried meat for Nam Goong Ui Gyeol, which tumbled out one after another.
By then, the carriage had arrived at the grounds of the Nam Goong Family Estate.
“We’re here!”
The moment the carriage came to a stop, Hong Seol leaped out.
Then she froze.
“Huh…?”
The atmosphere of the Nam Goong Family Estate felt strange.
* * *
“Out of the way!”
Nam Goong Ho strode down the corridor with blazing eyes, his pace brisk and purposeful.
Startled servants scattered at his approach, bowing their heads in deference.
His momentum was so formidable that even Changcheon Master Nam Goong Ui Gyeol, whom he passed midway, could not muster a single greeting.
“The Patriarch arrives—!”
Before Wi Sa could finish his announcement, the doors to the Patriarch’s Residence burst open.
Nam Goong Ho’s voice rang out with fury, his face twisted in rage.
“How dare you! Do you know where this is!”
“Father!”
Nam Goong On and Bing Yu Hua came into Nam Goong Ho’s view.
Seeing his daughter-in-law Bing Yu Hua’s ashen complexion, Nam Goong Ho drew a sharp breath and forced his anger down.
No matter how poorly relations stood between the families, the world still operated by propriety and justification.
Unleashing rage indiscriminately was no solution.
And the uninvited guest before him knew this better than anyone.
A woman dressed as resplendently as a single peony bowed deeply in greeting.
“I offer my respects to the Patriarch of the Nam Goong Family. I am Je Gal Seon of the Myo Family Estate.”
As her robes fluttered, the cheap scent of her perfume sachets wafted through the air.
Je Gal Seon smiled with satisfaction, feeling every eye in the Patriarch’s Residence turn toward her.
“So. What brings the matriarch of the Myo Family Estate to the Nam Goong Family?”
Nam Goong Ho asked bluntly, his fury barely contained.
“I have come to take back my lost daughter.”
“What!”
The scar on Nam Goong Ho’s cheek flushed crimson.
“If you knew where we had just returned from, you would not dare speak such words.”
Yet Je Gal Seon’s face remained unmoved.
Her red lips twisted into a cruel smile.
“I know. You have just returned from Nam Man.”
A flash of light erupted in Nam Goong Ho’s eyes.
In that instant.
“Hong Seol!”
At Je Gal Seon’s sharp cry, the sound of footsteps outside the Patriarch’s Residence suddenly ceased.
Je Gal Seon rushed forward and, without waiting for anyone to stop her, threw open the doors to the Patriarch’s Residence wide.
“M-Mother…?”
There stood Hong Seol, her face drained of all color.
Nam Goong Baek stood beside her, his eyes wide as though ready to draw his sword at any moment.
The two had just returned from a long journey and come to pay their respects to the Patriarch when they sensed the ominous atmosphere and turned to leave.
“Hong Seol.”
Je Gal Seon’s voice was infinitely tender—as gentle as it had been when Hong Seol was a child.
That sweet voice urged again.
“Come home with me now. To your real home.”
Part 1 Complete

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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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