A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 174

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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 174
The fact that he would personally send someone to the Nam Goong Family Estate meant something extraordinary was happening.
And the last news Hong Seol had heard about the Martial Alliance Leader was certainly….
‘That he was searching for Demonic Cult members who had infiltrated the Martial Arts Families, just like Dang Song Baek.’
As if their minds were in sync, Nam Goong Baek cried out urgently.
“Seol Ah!”
“Brother, let’s go!”
Without hesitation, the two of them bolted toward the Patriarch’s Residence.
* * *
“This is not a matter for children to concern themselves with.”
“Oof!”
“Ugh!”
Hong Seol and Nam Goong Baek were unceremoniously ejected from the Patriarch’s Residence like a pair of young beasts grabbed by the scruff of their necks.
“But we’ve even crossed blades with Dang Song Baek directly. If we hear the news, we might be able to uncover something.”
No matter how much they pleaded, raising their voices in protest, it was futile.
The Patriarch’s resolve was absolute.
“In Sichuan, we were forced to rely on your hands in fighting the Demonic Cult, but that will not happen in Anhui.”
Nam Goong On glanced at his son Nam Goong Baek, then added as if making a vow to himself.
“Children must be protected. At least in my house, they will be.”
His stern voice left no room for compromise.
Following the Patriarch’s command, adults began gathering in the Patriarch’s Residence one after another.
Hong Seol and Nam Goong Baek could only watch helplessly from outside.
“I know well enough that you’re clever enough to be called a genius.”
Je Gal Hyeop placed a large hand on Hong Seol’s head as he entered.
“But there are times when you must entrust matters to adults.”
The Former Patriarch Nam Goong Ho and Medicine Master Bing Yu Hua, as well as Elder Judge Nam Goong Mu Young, all entered the Patriarch’s Residence with stern expressions.
The meeting that began this way continued until the moon rose high in the sky.
Hong Seol and Nam Goong Baek sat side by side on the steps of the Patriarch’s Residence, waiting for the meeting to end.
The thick doors prevented them from eavesdropping on what was happening inside or sending Jjik Jjik to scout.
It had already been a tense and exhausting day.
As the hour when I would normally retire to my sleeping quarters passed, I could barely hold my head up.
Thunk.
“Ow, ow, ow….”
“Lean on me.”
Nam Goong Baek, watching me with concern as I bumped my forehead against the stone railing, offered his shoulder.
I dozed off, leaning against Nam Goong Baek’s shoulder, my head bobbing gently.
Mae Ran, concerned about my condition, urged me to retire to my sleeping quarters, but I shook my head stubbornly.
“Goodness, you’re something!”
Mae Ran eventually brought out the thickest fur cloak and draped it over the shoulders of the First Young Master and me.
The two of us, sharing a single cloak, looked just like peas in a pod nestled together in the same shell.
Yet Mae Ran remained uneasy, and only withdrew after placing a leather pouch filled with hot water into Hong Seol’s embrace.
How much time had passed?
Hong Seol’s eyes snapped open.
The night had grown quite deep.
The elders from the Patriarch’s Residence had gathered in a single line before the Training Ground of the Oe Dang.
Patriarch Nam Goong On, standing at the center, had his eyes turn cold and sharp.
“Hear me, warriors of the Nam Goong Family!”
“Yes!”
At the Patriarch’s command, all the warriors who had been waiting in standby responded in unison with thunderous voices.
The sound, infused with inner power, pierced through the ears of the assembled martial artists in the Training Ground.
“Je Gal Seon, the family advisor of the Myo Family Estate, has been discovered to have colluded with the Demonic Cult. Therefore, the Martial Alliance Master has requested that the Nam Goong Family secure her custody!”
She was no ordinary person—a family advisor renowned as the true power behind a great clan.
There was a high likelihood she would resist rather than be handed over willingly to the Martial Alliance.
This was precisely why the Martial Alliance Master had contacted the Nam Goong Family instead of the Myo Family Estate directly.
Nam Goong On declared this while sweeping his blue robe dramatically.
“Tonight, we march upon the Myo Family Estate.”
“Yes!”
The Changcheon Swordmasters of the Nam Goong Family responded as one, showing not a trace of fear.
Simply by observing the masters standing beside Patriarch Nam Goong On, there was no reason to be afraid.
Nam Goong Ui Gyeol, the Thousand-Weight Sword Master.
Je Gal Hyeop, the Thousand-Medicine Prince.
And above all, Nam Goong Ho, called the Sword King and the Grand Patriarch himself.
Despite Nam Goong On’s repeated attempts to dissuade him, he had gladly agreed to join the expedition.
On the surface, it was to answer the Martial Alliance Master’s request, but Nam Goong On could see it was purely personal grudge.
“At last, I can deal with those damned cat bastards.”
Nam Goong Ho recalled the image of Hong Seol trembling and collapsing on Dae Chuk Mountain, drawing his inner power to its peak.
The warriors of the Nam Goong Family were no less fervent.
“The day to avenge the Young Miss has finally come!”
“How much training have I endured, waiting for this very day!”
The morale of the Changcheon Division in particular soared to pierce the heavens.
Watching this, Elder Nam Goong Mu Young clicked his tongue.
“To strike the Myo Family Estate this very night… Truly, the thoughts of the Thousand-Medicine Prince transcend the comprehension of ordinary men.”
“News always travels faster than one expects.”
Je Gal Hyeop, standing beside him with his white feather fan in hand, smiled slyly.
“Therefore, striking while the enemy knows nothing, and striking as swiftly as possible, gives us the highest chance of victory, does it not?”
“Hmm, I suppose that’s true…”
“Moreover, I overheard a certain clever young one muttering something earlier: ‘Strike first, victory is assured.'”
Truly, words that sound like they come from a master versed in the art of war.
Je Gal Hyeop’s white feather fan fluttered softly.
“Though there is something about it that carries a faint scent of the Orthodox Sects, I must say.”
Je Gal Hyeop’s words prompted Nam Goong Mu Young to chime in agreement.
“That little brat—I have a feeling I know who it is.”
But not everything unfolds according to plan with perfect precision.
That dawn.
An unexpected inferno consumed the historic grounds of the Myo Family Estate.
* * *
“Oh! I dozed off without realizing it!”
When I opened my eyes, I found myself already in my bedchamber.
Unable to resist the drowsiness, I had fallen asleep, and someone—likely Mae Ran or my brother Nam Goong Baek—had carried me to my sleeping quarters.
‘It was probably Mae Ran or Brother Nam Goong Baek.’
Fortunately, I hadn’t slept for long. The world outside remained shrouded in darkness, indicating dawn had not yet broken.
But something felt wrong about the atmosphere.
“What is that smell? Smoke?”
A pungent, acrid odor drifted from the direction of the window.
I sprang from my bedchamber, rushed over, hiked up my skirts, and pressed my nose against the windowpane.
In the distance, a sinister plume of ash-gray smoke billowed ominously into the sky.
This was no ordinary kitchen smoke.
“…Could it be… fire?”
My already large, round eyes widened further.
“Mae Ran, Mae Ran!”
“Yes, Miss! I’m right here.”
Concerned that sleeping in the cold might have brought nightmares.
Mae Ran, who had loyally stood guard outside my sleeping quarters, entered at once.
“What’s happened to everyone? The Myo Family Estate?”
“Well… things seem to be unfolding in a rather unusual manner, Miss.”
Mae Ran’s expression was peculiar. My heart sank with dread.
“D-did someone get hurt?”
Mae Ran shook her head vigorously.
“No! No one is injured. It’s just…”
Mae Ran glanced around nervously, clearly worried about being scolded for alarming the young mistress unnecessarily.
Once she confirmed that Chang Cheon Pavilion was quiet, Mae Ran relayed what she had heard.
“When the Changcheon Division vanguard reached the Myo Family Estate’s grounds, there was already a massive fire raging there.”
“What… what?”
I leaped up in shock.
“Who on earth set the fire?”
“That’s still…”
“Then… what happened to all the people at the Myo Family Estate?”
Mae Ran hesitated, unable to answer. My face crumpled.
The memories from the Myo Family Estate had been horrifying.
But there weren’t only wicked adults there. There were also innocent servants and children.
Hong Seol’s younger sister Myo Ga Ryung was among them.
Hong Seol swallowed hard and asked.
“Are they… dead?”
“No! The survivors are right now in front of the Patriarch’s Residence….”
In that instant.
Hong Seol kicked open the door to her quarters and bolted forward with all her strength.
“Miss! Miss! You’re not even properly dressed, where are you going…!”
Behind her, Mae Ran’s flustered voice echoed.

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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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