A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 191

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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 191
The way Bing Yu Hua held her fist pressed against her chest spoke volumes of her desperation.
“Hmm.”
Yet Nam Goong On’s expression was far from pleased.
He read the letter twice over before handing it to Bing Yu Hua.
But not long after, Bing Yu Hua collapsed helplessly into her chair.
Her legs had simply given way beneath her.
“Shaolin doesn’t have it…! Master, can this truly be so?”
“Hmm.”
Nam Goong On’s brow furrowed deeply.
“I know the Abbot of Shaolin well. Though his temperament burns like fire, he is not one to speak falsehoods in such matters.”
The Abbot of Shaolin.
In other words, the head of Shaolin itself.
To become Abbot of Shaolin, one’s martial prowess had to be exceptional. Yet since Shaolin was a temple, Buddhist virtue—the Buddha’s heart—was an equally indispensable criterion.
And the precept against false speech, the “Precept Against Lying,” was one of Buddhism’s ten cardinal rules.
‘An Abbot would never covet the Golden Cat Sect and resort to hollow deception.’
Especially not in a letter to the head of the Nam Goong Family.
Nam Goong On offered a bitter smile.
The image of the little cat’s disappointed face had crossed his mind.
“I know not how to convey this news to Hong Seol.”
Before Bing Yu Hua could respond, a servant’s voice came from outside.
“Miss Hong Seol requests an audience with the Family Head and the Medicine Master.”
Bing Yu Hua and Nam Goong On’s eyes met. Bing Yu Hua mouthed urgently, soundlessly.
“Don’t tell her yet!”
Nam Goong On’s face grew troubled.
‘This time we conceal it. But what comes after?’
This truth could not be hidden from Hong Seol forever.
Though doubt weighed heavily upon him, Nam Goong On nodded in agreement.
When faced with a question without answer, it was his long habit to defer to his wife’s judgment.
Besides, he could not keep the little kitten waiting outside indefinitely.
“Enter.”
As the inner chamber door opened, Hong Seol in martial garb hurried in with quick steps.
A few strands of hair, dampened with perspiration, fell delicately across her brow—evidence she had been training moments before.
“Forgive the intrusion, Family Head, Medicine Master. I simply could not bear the curiosity….”
Hong Seol fidgeted with her fingers, her head bowed low.
“I saw a carrier pigeon arrive. Has word come from Shaolin…?”
Above Hong Seol’s head, silent glances exchanged between Nam Goong On and Bing Yu Hua.
-Master, you must answer!
-Ah, I cannot. I have no talent for deception.
-Neither do I! So speak before she suspects, quickly!
“Ahem, ahem.”
After a long moment had passed, Nam Goong On, who had lost the battle of wills against his wife, finally opened his mouth.
His voice carried an unmistakable tension unlike his usual demeanor.
“This… what do we do about this… The carrier pigeons did not come from Shaolin, after all.”
I thought I’d managed to get through that well enough!
Before I could exchange a glance with Bing Yu Hua and let out a sigh of relief, Hong Seol’s head snapped up sharply.
Her face was filled entirely with confusion.
“But the carrier pigeons I saw were definitely ones that traveled back and forth through Ha Nam Province…!”
Oh no.
The sharp-eyed girl had been gazing at the sky all this time, and it seemed she had even learned to distinguish the appearances of different carrier pigeons.
Unable to sustain any more lies, Nam Goong On passed the burden to his wife.
“Y-yes, that’s right. They did come from Ha Nam Province. Isn’t that so, my dear?”
Bing Yu Hua answered as if she might leap from her seat.
“Yes? Yes, of course!”
“W-which part of Ha Nam did they come from?”
“Well… certainly… that is to say… a medicinal herb merchant I do business with!”
A medicinal herb merchant!
The words she’d blurted out haphazardly seemed plausible.
By sheer coincidence, Bing Yu Hua’s blue eyes sparkled as she fabricated this excuse.
Hong Seol tilted her head as if she didn’t quite understand.
“A medicinal herb merchant from Ha Nam…?”
“Yes, child! It’s a place I trade with very rarely. There are medicinal herbs that can only be obtained in Ha Nam Province, you see.”
“Ah…”
At Bing Yu Hua’s words, Hong Seol’s shoulders rose sharply, then fell again.
It was a sigh laden with disappointment.
‘Oh, what are we to do about this…’
‘The child sighed… Perhaps I should brew her a decoction to ease her troubled heart.’
Nam Goong On and Bing Yu Hua felt relief that Hong Seol had accepted their deception, yet they could not help but feel a pang of sympathy for her.
Nam Goong On spoke to Hong Seol in a consoling tone.
“I suspect the carrier pigeons must have been mistaken. I shall send another letter to Shaolin before the day is through.”
Hong Seol’s gaze lingered briefly on a certain object in the Inner Chamber.
It was a small bronze brazier with embers still glowing within—something the Servant had brought to heat cooling water for tea.
“I understand, Master.”
Hong Seol bowed respectfully to the two elders in the Inner Chamber and stepped outside.
The moment she turned the corner and was alone, she snapped her fingers.
Snap!
As the crisp sound rang out, loyal white rats with blue ribbons tied around their heads came scurrying from somewhere.
“Squeak (My lord)!”
“Squeak (What is your command)?”
Il Jjik Yi and Yi Jjik Yi from the Blue Mouse Squad were second to none when it came to nimbleness.
Hong Seol opened her mouth with a rather serious expression.
“I need your help with something.”
“Squeak (What is it, my lady)?”
“Squeak (Just say the word)!”
Hong Seol whispered something rapidly in a voice only the Young Rats could hear.
“Squeak (Leave it to us)!”
“Squeak (We shall faithfully execute your orders and return)!”
Il Jjik Yi and Yi Jjik Yi nodded with determination, their sleek fur rippling as they vanished into the shadows.
That was when it happened.
“Miss Hong Seol.”
Wi Sa appeared hesitantly, carrying Shaolin’s reply from moments earlier.
Fortunately, he seemed not to have heard what Hong Seol had whispered to the Young Rats.
“What is it?”
As Hong Seol answered, Wi Sa withdrew a letter from his sleeve.
“Actually, another carrier pigeon has arrived. This one is addressed to you, Miss Hong Seol.”
“A letter for me?”
With a puzzled expression, Hong Seol accepted the letter.
Her face brightened immediately. The letter was from Maeng Woo Hee of Nam Man.
“Could it be… news of a wedding?”
Originally, Maeng Woo Hee should have held her wedding ceremony when she turned fifteen—last year.
But in the five years since parting ways in Nam Man, Maeng Woo Hee seemed to have had no time to breathe.
She had to stabilize O Dok Valley and resolve countless conflicts with neighboring tribes.
Thus, letters occasionally arrived containing only news that her marriage to Ya Pae continued to be postponed.
“Now that I think about it, it’s been quite some time since we last exchanged letters.”
Curious, Hong Seol hastily unfolded the paper.
She read Maeng Woo Hee’s handwriting—as bold and straightforward as her personality—in a single glance.
-To Hong Seol, whom I miss.
I heard of it belatedly.
You’ve revealed yourself as a direct descendant of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace to the Central Plains and are searching for the Golden Cat Sect?
So here’s the thing…
“What?!”
“W-what’s wrong, Miss Hong Seol?”
Wi Sa tensed in alarm at Hong Seol’s outcry.
Hong Seol blinked blankly for a moment before finally collecting herself and shook her head vigorously.
“No, it’s nothing. I was just startled by news from an old friend after so long… You may go now.”
After sending Wi Sa away, Hong Seol examined the letter once more, carefully.
True to Maeng Woo Hee’s nature, the letter contained remarkable information, written plainly and without embellishment.
Information that perhaps only Maeng Woo Hee of Nam Man could have known.
“Yes, that must be it…”
It seemed this would be a tremendous asset in her quest to find the Golden Cat Sect.
Indeed, declaring my bloodline to the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace at the Murim Five Families Tournament had been no wasted choice.
“Thank you, Valley Master.”
Hong Seol’s grip tightened on the letter in her hand.
* * *
Four days later.
The oppressive heat of the afternoon had retreated, and a cool night breeze had begun to drift through the air.
Dang Yi Woon barely touched his evening meal before slipping out of the Guest House.
Humming softly, he made his way toward the Back Garden of Chang Cheon Pavilion, where Hong Seol was staying.
‘Seol Ah is calling me out separately? What could this be about?’
Hong Seol had been confined to her quarters for the past few days.
It had been quite some time since Dang Yi Woon had seen her.
‘I’m not sure what it is, but I have a good feeling about this!’
So Dang Yi Woon had the Servant dress him in the finest silk robe he possessed.
It was a garment so lustrous it shimmered, far too grand for a casual midnight stroll through the garden.
“Hmm.”
Before long, Dang Yi Woon found himself humming again.
The Back Garden where he was to meet Hong Seol was among the most exquisite of the Nam Goong Family Estate’s many courtyards.
Colorful goldfish glided through the well-maintained Pond.
A mist had risen from the water, adding an air of mystery.
Moreover, blooming jasmine flowers scattered throughout the garden filled the air with sweet fragrance.
Walking through it was enough to intoxicate one with the mist and perfume.
“Elder brother.”
There, in the midst of it all, Hong Seol sat upon a stone by the Pond Area.
“Seol Ah, you came early.”
Thump, thump.
Dang Yi Woon greeted her while suppressing his inexplicably racing heart.
Just then, he sensed the presence of Servants nearby—those making their evening rounds to tend to the various quarters.
Hong Seol glanced toward the sound and spoke.
“Shall we take a walk, elder brother?”
As if enchanted, Dang Yi Woon followed Hong Seol into the mist.
Perhaps it was because his vision was obscured?
As they walked side by side, his entire attention fixed upon the soft back of her hand whenever it brushed against his.
‘What if I pretended not to notice and gently took that hand?’
Dang Yi Woon had to shake his head to drive away the thoughts that kept flooding his mind.
Then it happened.
Once Hong Seol confirmed the Servants’ presence had faded, she came to an abrupt stop.
“Huh?”
Bewildered, Dang Yi Woon stopped as well.
The spot where Hong Seol had halted was beside a stone wall in full bloom with jasmine flowers.
‘It’s like a painting. If I could hear what Seol Ah wishes to tell me here…’
If that were true, Dang Yi Woon resolved to pass this moment down through the generations.
Even if it meant summoning every skilled painter in Sichuan—nay, in all the realm.
In that moment of silent resolve, Dang Yi Woon made his vow.
Then, as if reading his mind, Hong Seol spoke the very words he longed to hear.
“There’s something I need to tell you, brother.”
Hong Seol bit her full lips gently, her cheeks flushing as she continued.
“You mustn’t tell anyone—not a soul in the Nam Goong Family—that I said this.”
Something like that?
What could she possibly need to hide from the entire Nam Goong Family?
‘Could it be… that Seol Ah truly feels the same way about me?’
Dang Yi Woon’s heart felt as though it might burst from his chest.
Yet in that same moment, another thought struck him like a thunderbolt.
‘Is it right to let Seol Ah confess her feelings first?’
Surely a man ought to summon his courage and speak first, should he not?
And was he not a bold and passionate man of Sichuan?
Dang Yi Woon hastily opened his mouth.
“Wait, Seol Ah. Let me go first—”
“I’m going to Shaolin.”
But Hong Seol was faster than him.
“Huh?”
“What?”
Both of them spoke at once, and they stared at each other in utter bewilderment.

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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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