A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 181

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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 181
‘Why do I keep thinking about what Dang Bo Young said?’
That thing about how most men and women who dance the Dragon Phoenix Dance together end up married.
‘Get a grip, Hong Seol! Is this really the time for such thoughts?’
I barely had enough time to master the Yin-Yang Divine Art as it was.
Without realizing it, I cooled my flushed cheeks with both hands.
“Oho…”
Deng Xiao Xiao, who had been watching this with interest, suddenly rose to her feet.
“Young Master, forgive us, but we should be going. Come on, Do Jin.”
“Huh? What? Where are we going?”
Deng Xiao Xiao jabbed Yang Do Jin in the ribs and whispered urgently.
“Don’t ask questions, just come on.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, she smiled brightly and said:
“Do Jin and I have somewhere we promised to stop by. Right?”
“Huh? Y-yes.”
Deng Xiao Xiao grabbed Yang Do Jin’s sleeve and pulled.
Yang Do Jin was dragged away reluctantly, his feet shuffling the entire way.
“Is that girl really thirteen?”
Behind them, Dang Yi Woon clicked his tongue.
“She’s grown so much. I wouldn’t recognize her if I saw her outside.”
“Brother has grown quite tall as well.”
As I said this, I raised my small hand to compare our seated heights.
The difference was quite noticeable at a glance.
“Truly, I can’t believe you’re that young master from Sichuan.”
I covered my mouth with my hand and giggled.
Suddenly, Dang Yi Woon felt an impulse to seize that pale hand and hold it close.
But now was not the time.
Dang Yi Woon lowered his head deeply to hide those feelings.
A moment later, he slowly raised his head.
“So, you haven’t forgotten our promise to spar, have you?”
I nodded slightly.
Sparring with the young master of the Sichuan Tang Family.
It was both nerve-wracking and exciting.
“Brother, you’ll be staying at the Nam Goong Family Estate, won’t you? Go on. Nam Goong Baek will be delighted to see you.”
Dang Yi Woon caught hold of my collar as I tried to stand.
“No, I’m planning to stay at an inn for now. Once the Dang Family people arrive in Hefei, I’ll go to the Nam Goong Family Estate with them.”
“What? You mean… you came to Anhui alone?”
“Yes.”
“How on earth did you manage that?”
“I hired the Geumsa Escort Agency for protection. If you pay triple their usual fee, they keep their silence thoroughly.”
“Does the Dang Family Master and the Poison King know about this?”
“They should know by now. I left them a letter.”
Hong Seol found herself at a loss for words at Dang Yi Woon’s cheerful smile.
Wasn’t this running away from home?
And from someone who held the position of Young Master of the Sichuan Tang Family, no less.
“…But why would you do such a thing?”
“…”
Dang Yi Woon didn’t answer that question, instead laughing awkwardly.
I wanted to see you.
The truth that I rushed here because I wanted to see Hong Seol was far too embarrassing to admit.
“…Just because.”
“Everyone gives me that answer whenever I ask—’just because.'”
Hong Seol pouted. Dang Yi Woon looked surprised.
“There’s someone else who answers like that besides me?”
“Yes.”
“Who is it?”
“Baek. Whenever I ask him something, he says ‘just because.'”
“Ah…”
The moment Nam Goong Baek’s name was mentioned, Dang Yi Woon’s expression darkened noticeably.
‘Why does he look like that? Did the two of them have a fight?’
Hong Seol didn’t understand, but she could only guess that Dang Yi Woon had his own reasons.
In any case, there was only one thing Hong Seol was curious about right now.
“So, where should we have our match, Yi Woon?”
* * *
A few days later.
It was a night when the full moon hung bright and clear.
Hong Seol quietly slipped out of her sleeping quarters in the dead of night.
She wore Mae Ran’s clothes, which she had borrowed without permission.
Hong Seol offered a silent apology to Mae Ran as she passed through the darkened servants’ quarters.
“Sorry, Mae Ran.”
Hong Seol crept along, following the shadows of the walls.
Soon she reached the rear gate where the servants usually came and went.
“Who goes there!”
Even at the rear gate, Wi Sa was on duty.
The moment she stepped forward, a sharp command rang out.
“Without a pass, you’ll be treated as an intruder!”
“H-here it is!”
Whoosh.
Hong Seol held up the pass she had borrowed from Mae Ran, just as she had borrowed her clothes.
Wi Sa examined the pass for a long moment, then nodded.
“Hmm, no doubt about it.”
The moment Hong Seol, reassured by Wi Sa’s words, turned to leave through the door.
Whoosh—
Wi Sa suddenly raised the torch in his hand, shining it directly at Hong Seol’s face.
Startled, Hong Seol instinctively lifted her arm to shield her face.
“Oh!”
“Show me your face!”
At his stern command, Hong Seol slowly lowered her arm.
Then the youthful face of a servant came into view, with faint pockmarks scattered across her cheeks.
“I haven’t seen this face before.”
Wi Sa tilted his head curiously.
Though it was somewhat unfamiliar, there were countless servants coming and going across this vast estate grounds.
“You must be new. Be careful on your way.”
“Yes.”
Hong Seol, now wearing the servant’s face, bowed her head and quickened her pace.
Only after turning the corner and moving beyond Wi Sa’s line of sight did Hong Seol release a breath of relief.
“Phew, I never thought Jeok’s money-changing mask would actually be this useful!”
Scritch—
As Hong Seol removed the mask, her delicate face gleamed brilliantly under the moonlight.
She quickly tucked the mask into her bosom and her small figure dashed into the darkness.
Running and running, Hong Seol finally reached a secluded river bank.
This river was a tributary of the Nam Jeo River that flowed through Hefei.
Except for the occasional ferry crossing, few people ventured here, making it an ideal place for lovers to meet in secret.
Of course, today’s meeting was not of that nature.
“You came, Seol Ah.”
A dignified young master emerged from between the swaying reeds along the river bank.
It was Dang Yi Woon, dressed in the green robes of the Dang Family.
At the sight of him, Hong Seol’s heart began to race.
The memory of the fierce Sichuan Tang Family heir selection tournament came rushing back.
The sensation of the poisoned needle grazing her cheek by the narrowest margin tingled vividly.
‘Those large sleeves of his green robe must be hiding all manner of hidden weapons.’
How much had Yi Woon’s skills improved since then!
My body itched with the desire to find out.
Meanwhile, Dang Yi Woon’s mind was deeply troubled.
‘I promised to spar with her, but where on this small girl’s body can I even strike.’
Yet if he lost, they wouldn’t be able to perform the Dragon Phoenix Dance together, which was unacceptable.
‘I suppose I’ll just have to take it easy.’
Dang Yi Woon sighed quietly and checked the needles hidden in his sleeves.
Twenty pairs of fine feather needles he had prepared for today.
He had carefully selected the smallest needles, lest any scars mar Hong Seol’s skin.
‘Besides, I’m not in perfect condition either.’
Dang Yi Woon remained acutely aware of the throbbing pain in his side.
He kept his expression perfectly neutral, ensuring Hong Seol wouldn’t catch even a hint of his discomfort.
The injury came from a secret martial bout that had taken place the day before.
‘My opponent was no ordinary fighter.’
Though he’d recovered somewhat using emergency medicine from his supplies, internal injuries of that severity didn’t heal quickly.
‘A prolonged fight is out of the question. I need to end this as swiftly as possible while keeping Seol safe.’
That was genuinely what Dang Yi Woon had intended.
“Older brother, you’re not thinking of going easy on me, are you?”
If only Hong Seol hadn’t made such a bold statement.
“I’m a martial artist in my own right. I’ve spent five years honing everything I’m capable of.”
Her bearing was remarkably dignified.
“If you’re planning to hold back and let me off easy, you’ll regret it. You might get knocked into the river with a single blow!”
At Hong Seol’s crisp, measured words, Dang Yi Woon felt his resolve crumble.
He should have been irritated, yet he wasn’t. Instead, a warm, exhilarating fighting spirit surged from deep within his chest.
‘I really can’t handle Seol.’
Dang Yi Woon’s eyes gleamed as a bright smile spread across his face.
“Fine then. I’ll stake the honor of the Dang Family and face you properly.”
Hong Seol answered without blinking.
“Good. What are the rules?”
Dang Yi Woon’s gaze swept across the wooden posts jutting from the river bank.
These posts were used by ferries to moor when passing through, and they also marked where the water grew shallower.
The portions exposed above the water’s surface were roughly three to four feet tall.
About twenty such posts were driven into the riverbed at this location.
“We fight on top of the posts. Whoever falls into the river first loses. How does that sound?”
At Dang Yi Woon’s proposal, Hong Seol felt a slight chill run through her.
Being a cat-human by nature, she didn’t particularly enjoy getting wet.
‘But… I just need to win, right?’
Hong Seol quickly nodded with renewed determination.
“Sounds good! Let’s do it.”
Foolish older brother Yi Woon.
I’m a cat!
When it came to maintaining balance on narrow wooden posts, no one could match her.
Unmistakable confidence bloomed across Hong Seol’s lips.
With a light spring,
Hong Seol pushed off from the sandy ground and claimed one of the lower wooden posts.
“A sword?”
Dang Yi Woon noticed the long, rod-like object protruding from Hong Seol’s back and asked.
“Hehe, I prefer bare hands for now!”
As she spoke, Hong Seol brought her fists together with a sharp clap, testing their readiness.
“That’s hardly the speech of a Nam Goong Family young lady.”
Dang Yi Woon, who had been stomping his feet, leaped lightly upward to face Hong Seol.
A gust swept through.
In the silence, the river wind stirred the hems of their garments.
The brilliant full moon that had slipped behind the clouds now emerged, bathing the surroundings in daylight brightness.
“Hah!”
“Yah!”
Without hesitation, they both pushed off the wooden post and shot upward.

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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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