A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 187

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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 187
Though I tried not to show it, my breathing remained ragged, my chest heaving visibly.
Hong Seol’s eyes narrowed as she caught the suspicious signs.
“What are you two thinking?”
“Hmm.”
“What was it again…?”
The two flustered boys broke into cold sweat, desperate to change the subject.
“….”
I felt a pang of guilt, wondering if Hong Seol was deliberately staying silent to blame us for fighting.
“Oh my, when we all went to the Market District in Chengdu!”
The two boys fell silent for a moment, stunned by Hong Seol’s childlike laughter.
“…Why don’t we skip the fighting for today?”
“Oh, that’s wise counsel, brother.”
Either way, our priority was not to disturb Hong Seol’s happiness.
It was rare to see our little cat in such good spirits.
Nam Goong Baek, standing a step away from Dang Yi Woon, asked Hong Seol a question.
“Where should we go?”
“Oh, over there!”
In that instant, my keen senses detected a suspicious presence lurking behind us.
‘From behind? A tail? But why?’
The memory of Hong Seol being kidnapped in the Market District before still tormented me.
I was considering whether to quietly dispose of the threat and return.
Suddenly, Dang Yi Woon vanished from my sight.
“Where did Yi Woon go?”
“…He seemed urgent, clutching his stomach and hurried off somewhere.”
“Ah, I see….”
Without missing the opportunity, I spread a false rumor.
A moment later.
Dang Yi Woon returned with pastries in both hands.
“I bought these for you, Seol Ah!”
“Wow, thank you so much, Yi Woon! Are you feeling better?”
“Better? My stomach? It’s fine.”
Before Dang Yi Woon could grasp the situation, Nam Goong Baek quickly cut him off.
“What about mine?”
At those words, a triumphant expression crossed Dang Yi Woon’s face.
“Did you forget that you didn’t buy me any pastries back in Chengdu, brother…?”
He hadn’t forgotten something that happened five years ago.
“Sigh.”
Nam Goong Baek let out a small exhale.
‘The Dang Family truly forgets neither kindness nor enmity.’
The young master of the Dang Family was far more petty than I’d expected.
Though admittedly, his dark arts were devastatingly exceptional.
‘The irritating presence that had been trailing us has vanished.’
That was unmistakably Dang Yi Woon’s doing.
I had witnessed his formidable martial prowess firsthand during our recent confrontation.
‘Judging by the silence, he must have been just another common thug.’
The moment Nam Goong Baek finished his thoughts, Hong Seol’s cheerful voice rang out.
“Right there—that’s where I was planning to go today!”
The place Hong Seol pointed to was a Tea House bearing the sign “Manbokru.”
Yet despite its name, the atmosphere was decidedly peculiar.
Red lanterns hung inside even in broad daylight, and a constant stream of rough-looking men flowed in and out.
From within came the cacophony of shattering objects, the clinking of coins being counted, and men cursing loudly.
In short, it reeked of a low-grade illegal Gambling Den.
“H-here?”
Dang Yi Woon was so flustered that he even began to stammer.
He’d expected at most a stall selling trinkets, or perhaps a blacksmith’s forge at worst.
The expressions of both Dang Yi Woon and Nam Goong Baek became impossibly strained.
Nam Goong Baek muttered in bewilderment.
“Seol… you really did come to this place…?”
“Yes, I did!”
Hong Seol shook a bulging coin purse before them.
Jingle, jingle.
The sound rang out—the sound of money calling to money.
“Aren’t you coming in?”
When the two young masters remained speechless in shock, Hong Seol took a bold step forward into the establishment.
“Seol Ah!”
“Wait!”
Nam Goong Baek and Dang Yi Woon exchanged glances and hurried after her.
* * *
The structure of Manbokru was peculiar.
It resembled two Pavilions layered atop one another.
The front section sold tea ordinarily, but passing through the spaces between the parasol wood cabinets that lined one entire wall…
“Here it is, brothers!”
…revealed a dark, cacophonous Inner Chamber thick with the mingled scents of sweat and fragrant oils.
Dozens of tables spread throughout seemed to host every ruffian in Hefei.
And at every table, gambling was in full swing.
“This coin is mine, I’m telling you!”
“What? Get out here right now!”
Hong Seol walked past a man twice her size wielding a crescent blade with complete composure.
She then approached a menacing Bald Man with a black band around his arm and came to a stop before him.
The Bald Man, who had been sizing up Hong Seol and her companions from head to toe, bellowed with force.
“Three sparrows!”
Nam Goong Baek and Dang Yi Woon exchanged puzzled glances, their eyes darting toward each other.
“Sparrows? Are you referring to beast-kin?”
“But we’re not bird beast-kin, brother.”
Hong Seol gestured toward her two bewildered brothers.
“Come here, both of you, quickly!”
Then she turned sharply toward the man who had called them sparrows.
“Sparrows? We are golden eagles!”
In that instant, Nam Goong Baek and Dang Yi Woon tensed completely.
It seemed the Bald Man might pounce on Hong Seol at any moment.
The Gambling Den was packed with people who appeared to be his associates.
‘No matter how confident Seol is in her martial prowess, this is far too disadvantageous!’
‘Brother, let’s grab Seol and get out of here!’
Just as they were about to bolt.
The Bald Man bent his waist so deeply his crown nearly touched the floor.
“Oh my, forgive my rudeness! Welcome, three golden eagles!”
The moment his words ended, a young Jeom So Yi came scurrying over and bowed her head.
“Please follow me, honored guests!”
With all the windows blocked off, the only light to rely on was the lantern Jeom So Yi carried.
Following that glow, Dang Yi Woon asked Hong Seol a question.
“What’s the difference between sparrows and golden eagles, Seol Ah?”
Hong Seol answered clearly.
“Ah, in gambling dens, customers are typically classified and called different names based on how much money they wager.”
“Based on money?”
“Yes. Those who bet coins are sparrows, and those who bet silver are pigeons.”
At her words, Dang Yi Woon’s face went pale.
Hong Seol had clearly called them ‘golden eagles.’
Which meant…
When Dang Yi Woon’s eyes fell upon Hong Seol’s heavy purse once more, every hair on his body stood on end.
Did that mean it was filled entirely with gold?!
Gulp.
‘That was probably stolen from the Nam Goong Family Estate’s treasury… right?’
No matter how much pocket money the young Hong Seol had saved, it could never fill such a hefty purse of gold.
Only now did Dang Yi Woon truly grasp just how bold his beloved little kitten was.
And he couldn’t help but let his thoughts spill from his lips.
“…Magnificent!”
At Dang Yi Woon’s exclamation, Hong Seol closed her mouth mid-explanation and smiled brightly.
Then she continued walking steadily, following Jeom So Yi’s guidance.
“Come along, Seol Ah!”
Dang Yi Woon scurried along behind them.
Nam Goong Baek, watching their retreating figures, let out an exasperated sigh.
“Honestly, really now.”
* * *
“This is the place.”
Jeom So Yi had guided them to an Inner Chamber nestled in the deepest recesses of the Gambling Den.
Click.
As the door shut behind them, the children surveyed the interior with palpable tension.
The Inner Chamber was surprisingly spacious.
Unlike the bustling commotion outside, within stood only a single round table.
At one end sat a stranger clad in a gray robe—a figure of unsettling peculiarity.
His age was utterly impossible to discern.
His nose and mouth appeared as though pale brushstrokes of ink had been drawn upon white paper.
Within eyes that scarcely blinked dwelt empty gray irises, like hollow glass marbles.
‘Is this… even a person?’
Contrary to Dang Yi Woon’s apprehension, the Gray-Robed Man rose and offered a respectful fist salute.
Dang Yi Woon, suddenly self-conscious, merely scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Welcome.”
Yet something was peculiar about the man’s voice.
“Are you our guests?”
Yes—if one were to compare it to music, it possessed no discernible pitch or melody.
No emotion whatsoever seemed to emanate from it.
Or rather, should one say it contained every emotion simultaneously?
As Nam Goong Baek and Dang Yi Woon exchanged confused glances, Hong Seol nodded.
“…Yes, we are your guests.”
“This way, please.”
Following the man’s gesture, Hong Seol took her seat at the table and began untying her purse strings.

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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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