A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 161

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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 161
‘What?’
Nam Goong Baek had never in his life heard something so utterly absurd.
Above his blue eyes, his sharply defined brows twisted, then trembled with a slight quiver.
Je Gal Seon, her face now radiant with a smile, extended her hand once more.
“Let’s go home, Hong Seol. To the Myo Family Estate.”
At the end of that outstretched hand stood Hong Seol, looking unusually small today.
Nam Goong Baek’s gaze fell upon Hong Seol’s back.
Her body trembled slightly, and the blue ribbon binding her hair fluttered pitifully. It was the same hairstyle he had personally braided and tied this morning inside the carriage.
Perhaps it was because he had caressed Seol Ah’s hair throughout the entire journey back from Nam Man.
By now, Nam Goong Baek’s skill at tying hair had become as deft as any servant’s.
If he let her go like this today, he would never again be able to stroke those soft strands.
The Myo Family Estate was an enemy house to the Nam Goong Family, after all.
‘I must make a move. Yes, even if it means cutting down that woman…!’
Nam Goong Baek’s hand gripped the scabbard engraved with cloud patterns.
“You cannot leave…!”
As he desperately forced out words that wouldn’t come and reached to draw his sword, Nam Goong Baek suddenly clamped his mouth shut.
Hong Seol had turned around, and their eyes met—her large, dark gaze meeting his.
In that moment, Nam Goong Baek understood where Hong Seol’s true intention lay.
“Seol Ah…?”
“Seol Ah, you say?”
Je Gal Seon’s brow furrowed at the unexpected term of endearment. But for Nam Goong Baek, she no longer existed in his mind.
‘Perhaps Seol Ah is…!’
But he could think no further. A thunderous voice suddenly erupted from within the Patriarch’s Residence.
“Making a commotion before your elders—what family law permits such conduct? Both of you, come inside at once.”
It was the stern voice of Patriarch Nam Goong On, which Nam Goong Baek had never heard before.
* * *
“Grand Patriarch, I shall take Hong Seol to the Myo Family Estate now.”
“That cannot be allowed, Je Gal Lady!”
Even after much back-and-forth, no conclusion was reached.
Finally, Je Gal Seon’s expression turned sharp and cold as she issued a threat.
“Since you refuse to listen to me, I have no choice but to report to the Martial Alliance that the Nam Goong Family has kidnapped the Myo Estate Girl.”
“Ha, kidnapping, you say.”
Nam Goong Ho, suddenly branded a scoundrel, exhaled a breath laden with anger.
He, who had worn countless false accusations during his days as one of the Three Martial Oddities and shed them all, was now bearing the stigma of kidnapper for the first time.
“Is it not true that our Seol Ah is the Myo Estate Girl?”
“…”
“Since you know we returned from Nam Man, you must have heard roughly what transpired there.”
Nam Goong Ho, seething with anger, spoke with deliberate emphasis on each word.
He wished to ensure that the shameless matriarch of the Myo Family Estate would never again dare speak Hong Seol’s name.
“Seol Ah is undoubtedly a direct descendant of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.”
Not some Myo Estate Girl who at best knows how to sharpen her claws!
Nam Goong Ho fought the urge to shout with all the weight of his inner strength behind his words.
At times like this, the burden felt particularly heavy.
The position of Grand Patriarch of the Nam Goong Family Estate, that is.
Into his ears came a voice utterly shameless in its audacity.
“This child is a direct descendant of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace? Hong Seol is undoubtedly the heir I bore from my own womb at the Myo Family Estate.”
“Hmph!”
“Then, Grand Patriarch, can you produce evidence that Hong Seol is a child of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace?”
“Of course I can!”
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, Nam Goong Ho lifted his chin defiantly.
Watching this, Nam Goong Baek’s brows suddenly furrowed. It seemed the other party had something to rely upon.
“Our Seol Ah has mastered the Twelve Beast Martial Art and can command beasts! What else could this be if not proof of Southern Barbarian Beast Palace lineage!”
In that moment, Nam Goong Baek saw it.
Je Gal Seon’s crimson lips curling upward in a smooth smile.
As though she had been waiting for those very words all along.
“Grand Patriarch, I hesitate to speak, but… even among the direct descendants of the Myo Family Estate, the aptitude to master the Twelve Beast Martial Art is passed down only rarely.”
At Je Gal Seon’s words, the Patriarch’s Residence fell silent as if doused with cold water.
Nam Goong Ho’s beard trembled.
“What!”
“Are they not a feline humanoid clan sharing even the same surname? It would be no surprise if bloodlines connected somewhere in a distant generation.”
“You dare claim Hong Seol is a Myo Estate child based on such flimsy grounds!”
“My goodness, how could that be.”
Je Gal Seon smiled softly and continued.
“Consider this—how did I, sitting here at the Myo Family Estate, come to know that the Grand Patriarch of the Nam Goong Family Estate had journeyed to the distant Southern Barbarian lands?”
“You planted spies!”
“You mean the Myo Family Estate penetrated the surveillance of the Nam Goong Family Estate, which is as impregnable as an iron fortress?”
This time, instead of an answer, came a low grunt of acknowledgment.
Her words were true.
News from Sichuan, where many eyes watched, could certainly reach Anhui.
But for the Myo Family Estate to learn in detail about a journey to the distant Southern Barbarian lands and what transpired there—that was impossible.
Nam Goong Baek’s expression shifted.
‘This is… perhaps…’
Nam Goong Baek, who had been about to step forward, hesitated once more.
Because Hong Seol’s profile, glimpsed for a moment, appeared perfectly composed.
‘Seol surely has something in mind.’
Unaware of this, Je Gal Seon continued speaking with evident delight.
“It was our Ga Ryung who informed me of this news.”
Myo Ga Ryung—the current heir of the Myo Family Estate. Hong Seol’s younger sister.
“She said the Young Rats have been chattering about it for some time now. That the cat lady of the Nam Goong Family Estate is returning from the distant Southern Barbarian lands after recovering her body.”
“That’s an absurd claim.”
Medicine Master Bing Yu Hua interjected with a cold expression.
“I have never once heard that anyone in the Myo Family Estate has mastered the Twelve Beast Martial Art.”
“What kind of fool would go around broadcasting a family’s secret martial techniques?”
Je Gal Seon twisted her lips into a smile upon seeing Bing Yu Hua’s gleaming silver hair and blue eyes.
“Perhaps the Medicine Master speaks of the Northern Sea Ice Palace’s secret techniques instead?”
“….”
The atmosphere grew even more tense.
It felt as though crackling electricity sparked between the gazes of the two women.
“If you doubt my words, you may have our Ga Ryung brought here for direct verification. However.”
A murderous glint flickered in Je Gal Seon’s eyes.
“Should you do so, the Nam Goong Family Estate will have no choice but to face the Myo Family Estate in all-out war.”
“An all-out war with the Myo Family Estate!”
Before she could finish speaking, Nam Goong Ho let out a derisive snort.
Je Gal Seon seemed momentarily ruffled, but soon her expression returned to its usual serene smile.
“Is the Nam Goong Family Estate truly only facing the Myo Family Estate?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Has the Patriarch forgotten what my family name is?”
At those words, Nam Goong Ho’s mouth snapped shut as though pierced by a sharp blade.
Je Gal Seon’s maiden family was the Je Gal Estate, one of the Five Great Families. Like the Nam Goong Family Estate, it was a renowned martial clan.
Established in the Prosperous Martial Realm, it was not only wealthy but also wielded considerable influence, having held the position of supreme military commander of the Martial Arts Alliance for generations.
In short, it was a force that even the Nam Goong Family Estate could not dismiss.
Nam Goong Ho spoke heavily.
“The Patriarch of the Je Gal Estate is an old acquaintance of mine.”
Though their temperaments were as different as water and oil, so they could hardly be called close.
“Once he hears the circumstances, he will understand that Seol Ah remaining at the Nam Goong Family Estate is proper.”
“There is no need for such trouble. I have already informed the Patriarch of the Je Gal Estate of all the details.”
Clap, clap!
The sharp sound of hands clapping rang out twice, and immediately a figure standing outside moved with swift urgency.
Of course, Wi Sa, who stood guarding the Patriarch’s Residence, blocked the way at once.
“Let them through.”
Nam Goong On’s permission was granted.
As the door opened, a woman entered with hurried, nervous steps.
Nam Goong Ho recognized the familiar face and let out a deep sigh.
“Is that not a servant of the Je Gal Estate?”
He had certainly seen her several times accompanying the Five Great Families’ gathering.
The woman, who had drawn her neck between her shoulders like a turtle, handed the letter she was holding to Je Gal Seon.
“The Patriarch of the Je Gal Estate has instructed me to deliver this letter.”
“You have done well.”
The contents of the letter that Je Gal Seon read through were simple.
Most of it was mere ceremonial greeting, but the final sentence was the problem.
“…I believe the heir of the Myo Family Estate should naturally be raised within the Myo Family Estate. I shall personally invite you to Wuhan shortly.”
Nam Goong Ho’s murky voice cut through the quiet atmosphere like cold water poured over embers.
“I shall verify it myself!”
Je Gal Seon bowed her head and handed over the letter before withdrawing. Her demeanor suggested it would be futile.
Nam Goong Ho hastily unfolded the letter.
A low groan escaped him.
Soon, accompanied by a swallowing sound, his beard trembled slightly.
The large seal mark on the paper and the flowing, elegant calligraphy unmistakably belonged to the Je Gal Estate Master he knew.
“You’ve verified it properly, haven’t you? Hehehehe.”
A bright smile bloomed across Je Gal Seon’s face as she received the letter back.
She believed she had seized victory.
“Then, I shall take Hong Seol with me now….”
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Have you heard what the child has to say?”
It was the calm voice of the Patriarch, Nam Goong On, who had remained silent until now.
Je Gal Seon questioned back as if she didn’t understand.
“Hong Seol is the daughter of the Myo Family Estate. But to ask for her opinion—what do you mean….”
“No one has asked the child thus far.”
“There’s no need to ask!”
“If you intend to forcibly take this child to the Myo Family Estate against her wishes, we shall not hesitate to wage all-out war. Even if the opponent is….”
His composed gaze settled upon the letter Je Gal Seon clutched as if it were her very life.
“…the Je Gal Family itself.”
The moment Patriarch Nam Goong On finished speaking.
A metallic click resonated.
The sound echoed not only within the Patriarch’s Residence but also from beyond the roofs and walls.
It was the sound of the Changcheon Division, the Patriarch’s direct force renowned throughout Nam Goong, simultaneously tightening their grip on their weapons.

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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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