A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 172

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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 172
She had even called him, a wolf beastman, a mongrel dog!
“This is insane….”
It was right not to engage with a lunatic girl from the start.
The moment Nam Goong Do turned to flee, a thought flashed through his mind.
‘Could that girl have eaten a spoiled peach and gotten food poisoning?’
Just then, Hong Seol’s staggering form caught Nam Goong Do’s eye. It was laughable how she couldn’t even execute the Nam Goong footwork she had painstakingly learned.
‘Wait, at this rate, taking her down would be as easy as eating cold porridge.’
Nam Goong Do, who had been about to turn and flee, let out a sinister smile.
‘Before leaving the Nam Goong Family Estate, I shall present Father with this tattered cat beastman as a gift.’
Nam Goong Do, who had been gripping his sword for some time, assumed the opening stance of the Changcheon Grand Sword Technique.
A flash.
The blade of Nam Goong Do’s sword—renowned as the finest blade in the Branch Family Residence—gleamed as it caught the sunlight.
“Haaah!”
Nam Goong Do attacked without giving Hong Seol a moment to steady herself.
Like his father, his swordplay was merciless.
A sharp whistle.
The instant he extended his arm, Nam Goong Do exulted inwardly.
He could see the sword tip making precise contact with Hong Seol’s pale neck.
But in the next moment.
The blade, as if possessed by a ghost, slipped past Hong Seol’s body.
“Huh, what?”
Nam Goong Do, who had poured his full strength into the killing strike, lost his balance and stumbled.
Barely regaining his footing, Nam Goong Do cast a bewildered gaze.
“That’s strange.”
The sword tip had definitely touched her neck.
Yet somehow Hong Seol now stood five paces away.
“Hehe, stupid mutt, mutt, mutt, mutt.”
She still couldn’t control her body properly.
“Hic.”
The hiccups persisted. Nam Goong Do tilted his head.
“It must be a coincidence…?”
Nam Goong Do, drawing upon his inner energy, brought his sword down as if to cleave Hong Seol’s crown in two.
“Haaah!”
A swift cut.
“Eek!”
A sharp sound.
Like a kite soaring through the azure sky, Hong Seol’s movements were utterly free.
“Why do you keep dodging in that direction!”
Exasperated, Nam Goong Do exhausted himself and let out a frustrated cry.
Hong Seol’s eyes widened as she asked.
“Hey, Peach Tree—what did your name mean again?”
“Why does it matter!”
“I’m just curious….”
“Tao (桃)! The character for peach tree! What’s so funny about that!”
“Hehe….”
Hong Seol suddenly stopped walking, folded her arms across her chest, and lowered her head.
Snicker, snicker.
The small shoulders of the kitten trembled as she stifled her laughter.
“How is it that your name is… of all things, peach tree….”
“What’s wrong with that!”
“Nothing really… it’s just that you’re my meal….”
“What?”
“The martial technique I’m displaying… is called the Drunken Eight Immortals Fist….”
Nam Goong Do’s face twisted in confusion.
The Drunken Eight Immortals Fist?
Eight drunken immortals’… fist technique?
Though I had learned countless secret martial arts manuals that Mother had procured for me, I had never heard of such a name.
“Where did you learn such a third-rate technique with such a grandiose name!”
Whoosh.
Hong Seol nimbly evaded Nam Goong Do’s powerful horizontal slash and sighed.
“Sigh, how could a mere peach tree ever comprehend the lofty wisdom of drunken immortals….”
So there was nothing for it but to learn through experience.
Crack!
In that instant.
Something resembling white corn kernels scattered before Nam Goong Do’s eyes.
Nam Goong Do thought they looked as beautiful as peach blossoms scattering in sunlight.
That was, before he realized they were his own teeth.
“Ahhhhh!”
A scream that seemed to whistle through the air echoed long across the Estate Grounds.
* * *
While Hong Seol engaged Nam Goong Do in combat.
The elders of the Branch Family who had filled the Patriarch’s Residence were isolated separately by the Changcheon Division.
After questioning whether there were any traces of conspiracy with Nam Goong Yeol, their disposition would be decided.
“Since the Commander-in-Chief of the Martial Arts Alliance has graced us with his presence, we ought to provide generous hospitality….”
At Bing Yu Hua’s words, spoken as though she were ashamed, Je Gal Hyeop waved his hand dismissively.
“You will have much internal affairs to settle, so I shall remain quiet today. If you could simply provide some refreshments and a few books to read, that would suffice.”
The perceptive Je Gal Hyeop had shut himself away in the Guest House as silent as a dormouse.
Tian Tong Gai too had long since disappeared, claiming to be busy, taking Yang Do Jin with him.
Nam Goong Baek had also gone to search for the missing Hong Seol, leaving only two people in the Patriarch’s Residence.
In the Patriarch’s Residence with one wall collapsed, the two lifted their teacups.
They moved with an air of perfect serenity, as though nothing had transpired.
And why wouldn’t they? From the beginning, these two had known exactly how today’s events would unfold.
Because Hong Seol had told them so.
“Though Hong Seol certainly recommended it, I confess I never expected Nam Goong Mu Young to hint at the existence of Hae Mun Ja.”
“There is nothing surprising about it. As a member of the martial world myself, I merely followed righteousness and principle.”
“….”
Silence descended upon the Patriarch’s Residence for a time.
Nam Goong On held his silence with the bearing of one who expected to hear more.
The dignified presence of Nam Goong On completely dominated the space.
“…In truth, I also made a small bargain with Hong Seol.”
Unable to bear the weight any longer, Nam Goong Mu Young confessed. At this, a faint smile played at the corners of Nam Goong On’s lips.
“Shall I venture a guess as to what price was demanded for that bargain?”
At Nam Goong On’s words, the Elder Judge Nam Goong Mu Young merely sipped his tea in silence.
Before his eyes, Nam Goong On quietly produced a single scroll.
“This is what you desired, is it not?”
It was a contract left behind by Je Gal Seon of the Myo Family Estate.
A document inscribed with the transfer of the Myo Water Trading Company to the Nam Goong Family.
“Everyone knows the Myo Water Trading Company stands in competition with the Mu Young Merchant Guild. If that is so, what condition could possibly compel you to act more favorably than this?”
“Hmm. But has that not already passed to the main family?”
“Hong Seol is a clever child. She surely offered you operational rights, not ownership. Is that not so?”
“….”
“For the main family, entrusting the initial operations of the Myo Water Trading Company to the experienced Mu Young Merchant Guild yields considerable advantage.”
From the lips of the silent Nam Goong Mu Young burst a sound of admiration.
“Well, I must say. You are indeed different, Patriarch.”
It required no words to understand whom he meant.
He was surely referring to Nam Goong Yeol, who had sealed his dantian and been imprisoned in Thunder Prison.
Nam Goong Mu Young moistened his lips with a sip of tea before speaking again.
“Yet I did not act solely for profit.”
He recalled a chance encounter with Nam Goong Do at the Branch Family Residence’s Estate Grounds not long ago.
The shamelessly arrogant heir to the Branch Family was striking the cheek of a servant girl holding his tea table—again and again, three or four times.
Crack, crack!
Each time, the young servant’s pitiful cries leaked out in whimpers. Yet Nam Goong Mu Young deliberately ignored the situation.
‘Interfering would bring me nothing but loss.’
But the violence only intensified, and he could even sense Nam Goong Do drawing upon his inner power.
If that vicious blow landed, the young servant would surely perish.
In the end, even Nam Goong Mu Young, who ordinarily refrained from meddling in others’ affairs without profit, found himself compelled to speak.
“What is the matter, young master?”
“Ah, Elder Judge! This girl was eating the crumbs of moon cakes I left behind, so I was teaching her the laws of Nam Goong.”
At those words, Nam Goong Mu Young’s expression hardened without his realizing it.
Nam Goong Do’s behavior was simply too foolish.
‘He’s in a position where he could poison my meals, yet instead of making me his loyal subordinate, he’s created an enemy?’
It was enough to draw an involuntary sigh.
Even at such a young age, I couldn’t help but compare him to a certain kitten who had her servants firmly under control.
Fortunately, thanks to my intervention, Nam Goong Do released the young servant.
“Bah, consider yourself lucky. Now get out of here!”
Watching the reckless Nam Goong Do walk away without so much as a proper bow, my mouth turned bitter.
‘The Branch Family’s future doesn’t look bright at all. I’m not sure if I can stake Jong Woo’s future on them.’
That uneasy feeling only deepened when I spoke with Branch Family Patriarch Nam Goong Yeol that day.
“…You need a document forger, sir?”
“Yes. Someone skilled and discreet, if you please.”
There was no need to ask what he needed the forger for.
I had spotted the fine quality paper spread across Nam Goong Yeol’s desk.
Others might not have recognized it, but Nam Goong Mu Young, who operated the largest merchant guild in Hefei, certainly could.
‘That’s not a letter from the Nam Goong Estate Patriarch, is it!’
That paper was made by carefully boiling the bark of mulberry trees stripped in the depths of winter, then beating it repeatedly until the fibers became impossibly fine and delicate.
Paper so white and luxurious was supplied exclusively by the Mu Young Merchant Guild only to the Patriarch’s Residence of the Nam Goong Family.
Of course, Nam Goong Yeol was completely unaware of this fact.
‘The Branch Family Patriarch keeps overstepping his bounds…. I should assign someone to watch him, just in case he’s up to something reckless.’
It didn’t take long before I discovered that Nam Goong Yeol was exchanging communications with the Myo Family Estate’s household manager.
From that point on, my troubles began in earnest.
Should I choose the main family, who already despised me, or the branch family, who kept rushing headlong toward destruction?
It was then that I received word from Hong Seol—that remarkably clever little kitten.

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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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