A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 194

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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 194
“We must reach Deng Peak within ten days. Not a moment longer.”
At Hong Seol’s words, Pyo Du’s eyes widened in alarm, rolling about in their sockets.
“But… the horses need rest at night. We can only lodge at inns we’ve arranged beforehand. That’s how we avoid drawing attention.”
At that, Hong Seol suddenly unfastened a trinket hanging from her belt and held it out.
It was a jade pendant carved in the shape of a cat’s face.
The smooth surface and mysterious luster made it clear at a glance that it was a precious object.
“Send one of the escort riders ahead with this to purchase fresh horses. Request that the branch manager of the Geumsa Escort Agency send replacement riders to waypoints along the route. Then we can ride through the night, can’t we?”
At Hong Seol’s seamless proposal, the seasoned Pyo Du’s jaw fell slack.
“Well, yes, that would work, but…”
“If we reach Deng Peak within ten days, I’ll give you this gold ring as a reward.”
As she spoke, Hong Seol extended her hand, spreading her fingers.
The glittering gold ring adorning one of them captivated Pyo Du’s gaze.
“Yes, I’ll see it done, Miss… or rather, Young Lady Hong.”
Pyo Du shook his head emphatically and urged the horses forward.
He needed to dispatch one of the riders ahead as Hong Seol had instructed.
Dang Yi Woon watched the scene unfold with quiet satisfaction.
“I wondered why you’d dressed yourself up so carefully. You had it all planned, didn’t you?”
Hong Seol answered with a touch of embarrassment.
“We’ll need funds for our journey through the Jianghu. I’ve already spent all my allowance on information from the Ha O Gate.”
Though it troubled me that all these jewels were gifts from the Nam Goong Family Estate.
‘It’s for saving my brother. The elders will understand.’
I tried to soothe my own misgivings.
After that, the escort carriage raced forward without pause.
We stopped at inns only once every four days, and that was all.
For the rest of the time, everyone united in their determination to cover the distance relentlessly.
It was during one such day of travel.
“Deng Peak is right before us!”
At Pyo Du’s cry from outside, riding alongside the carriage, a sudden unease bloomed in Dang Yi Woon’s heart.
‘…Now that I think about it, how do we infiltrate Shaolin?’
“Um… Seol Ah?”
I called to Hong Seol cautiously, but received no answer.
Hong Seol had grown weary from the carriage journey and had fallen asleep, her head resting against the wall.
Unable to bring myself to wake her, I let my imagination run wild alone.
‘The main problem is that women cannot enter Shaolin…’
Of course, we could visit for a day or two under the pretense of making offerings.
But there was no way a woman could freely walk about the Sect Grounds.
‘Just her presence there would draw all eyes. And Seol Ah is so remarkably beautiful.’
With that thought, I gazed at Hong Seol’s sleeping profile as if entranced.
Even now, the strands of hair scattered across her cheek were as lovely as threads of gold.
‘As expected, it won’t work in her current form as a woman.’
Then perhaps Hong Seol’s true objective was precisely that.
To become a ‘novice monk.’
At Shaolin, young monks who had not yet formally received the precepts were called novice monks.
For that to happen, Hong Seol would naturally have to disguise herself as a man.
After all, Shaolin did not accept bhikkunis—female ordained monastics.
The moment this thought crystallized, Yi Woon felt a sudden surge of anxiety.
‘I cannot possibly let Seol Ah enter Shaolin alone…!’
To protect Hong Seol, I would naturally have to become a novice monk as well.
In other words, a false ordination.
That was the problem weighing most heavily upon the heart of Yi Woon, the young master of the Sichuan Tang Family.
‘My hair… I’ll have to shave it, won’t I?’
The Sichuan Tang Family had always been spoken of as standing between the boundary of Orthodox and Unorthodox sects.
Whether I underwent false ordination or not, as long as I wasn’t discovered, it would be fine—such was the thinking of Yi Woon, heir to the Dang Gate.
Yet becoming bald was no easy decision to make.
Especially at sixteen, in the very springtime of youth when life bloomed brightest.
And in front of the girl I liked, no less!
“Argh!”
Yi Woon’s mind churning with turmoil, I leapt to my feet and ran my hands through my hair in frustration.
The commotion woke Hong Seol, who had been sleeping.
“Mmm… Yi Woon? Is something the matter?”
“Hah.”
After that outburst, Yi Woon’s heart felt oddly lighter.
With a face of firm resolve, I grasped Hong Seol by both shoulders and spoke.
“Seol Ah, watch carefully just how far I can go for you.”
“Pardon?”
Hong Seol blinked repeatedly, utterly bewildered.
* * *
The outskirts of Deng Feng City.
This passage leading to the foot of Songshan was a place where it would be no exaggeration to say most people lived in dependence upon Shaolin.
Perhaps that was why.
Even outside the temple grounds, the air was thick with the scent of incense.
Every shop sold items for those making offerings and prayers.
Hong Seol and Yi Woon walked slowly through the midst of that bustling street.
“I had no idea there would be so many people in a place like this.”
Yi Woon said, glancing about at his surroundings.
He wore tattered clothes and his hair hung disheveled.
His appearance was that of just another common boy one might see on any street corner.
“Shaolin will soon be holding a grand festival called the Ullambana Festival. That’s why so many believers have gathered here.”
“The Ullambana Festival?”
“It’s a day when they make offerings to Buddha and pray for ancestors who have fallen into hell to be saved.”
Hong Seol, dressed in plain clothes just like Dang Yi Woon, answered.
Her appearance was unmistakably that of a young boy.
Yet there was something odd about it.
A scar marked Hong Seol’s cheek as if burned by fire.
Seeing it, Dang Yi Woon flinched as if his heart ached. Noticing his reaction, Hong Seol touched the scar on her cheek without concern.
“Ah, this?”
“I’m sorry. If only such a scar hadn’t appeared…”
“Come now, it’s just a scar that will disappear once I take the antidote pill!”
“Still. I wish you had gotten just tear marks like me instead.”
Now that he mentioned it, two distinct black dots were clearly visible at the corner of Dang Yi Woon’s left eye.
It was the result of consuming the “Thousand-Face Pill,” the crystallization of the Sichuan Tang Family’s transformation technique.
Of course, it wasn’t an official Thousand-Face Pill, but a counterfeit version that Dang Yi Woon had created.
“My craftsmanship must have been clumsy.”
Dang Yi Woon looked genuinely apologetic.
“Not at all. Since you’re from distant Sichuan, tear marks alone are sufficient, but I needed a stronger transformation technique. My circumstances are different.”
Hong Seol had become quite well-known recently due to the Murim Five Families Tournament.
Moreover, since Anhui was close to Henan, there was a chance someone might recognize her.
Knowing this, Dang Yi Woon’s heart still ached.
“Even so…”
“It’s far better than wearing that stuffy face covering while at Shaolin and using transformation techniques! So please don’t worry about it.”
Hong Seol smiled brightly.
Even the scar that had suddenly appeared couldn’t dim that radiant smile.
“But where are we going now?”
“Ah, didn’t I tell you? We’re going to take the test to become a temple worker!”
At those words, Dang Yi Woon’s eyes widened.
A temple worker.
That referred to someone who handled all sorts of menial tasks at the temple.
They cooked meals, gathered firewood, and the duties varied widely.
“Then we won’t have to shave our heads?”
Dang Yi Woon’s hand trembled slightly as he grabbed Hong Seol’s sleeve.
“Weren’t you supposed to become a novice monk?”
“Brother, are you joking with me?”
Hong Seol laughed heartily as if she’d heard a funny joke.
Then she suddenly turned serious.
“False ordination? That would be an insult not just to Shaolin, but to all who hold Buddhist faith.”
“…”
Dang Yi Woon’s face flushed deeply—he had even resolved to become bald to win the girl’s heart.
A moment later, Hong Seol pointed her finger at a spot.
“There it is!”
It was a small Martial Arts Hall managed by lay disciples of Shaolin Temple.
Lay disciples who did not reside at the sect’s main headquarters typically established themselves in distant locations.
However, Shaolin occasionally held major events that required additional hands.
Thus, they had set up a Martial Arts Hall in nearby Deng Feng City, entrusting it with tasks such as hiring temporary laborers and procuring supplies.
Before a spacious courtyard, boys of similar age dressed in plain clothes gathered like clouds.
“They’re suddenly hiring this many temporary laborers?”
“It sounds good to call them temporary laborers, but they’re really just hired hands for the time being.”
Hong Seol rose on her tiptoes and peered toward the courtyard as she spoke.
There sat large water jars brimming with water, ladles, and carrying poles for water transport.
“I mentioned earlier that the Ullambana Festival is approaching. Shaolin apparently needs many temporary laborers.”
“So that’s why you were pressing the Escort Bureau so urgently—to align with this timing!”
Hong Seol flashed a bright smile at the impressed Dang Yi Woon.
The moment Hong Seol and Dang Yi Woon lined up with the boys in the courtyard.
A stern-faced Middle-aged Man at the front suddenly bellowed loudly at the Skinny Boy.
“State your age!”
“Fifteen, sir!”
“Good, then try carrying this water pole!”
“Yes!”
The Skinny Boy spat into his palms with a sharp sound and reached for the water pole in the courtyard.
“Ugh!”
But he lost his balance and ended up spilling the water.
“Tsk. Rejected!”
The Middle-aged Man clicked his tongue and scooped water from the large jar with a ladle to refill the spilled bucket on the pole.
Then he called out powerfully again.
“Next! State your age!”
“Ha, a test like that is child’s play.”
Dang Yi Woon whispered to Hong Seol.
Indeed, for children of martial families who underwent rigorous training from childhood, this was laughably simple.
“I once carried a jar filled with poison instead of water and endured four days without sleep.”
Just then, the second boy stepped forward.
He was a shy boy with freckles scattered abundantly across his face.
“I-I’ll g-give it a t-try.”
Hnngh!
Despite his hesitant manner of speaking, he clearly possessed considerable strength, lifting the water pole smoothly and securing it across his shoulders.
The Middle-aged Man’s expression brightened in response.
“Good.”
Dang Yi Woon, standing at ease with his arms crossed, appraised the Freckled Boy.
“Well, not bad at all.”
But the Middle-aged Man’s next question drained the color from Dang Yi Woon’s face entirely.
“So, what work are you good at? Cooking? Or laundry?”
That was the second trial.
Flustered, Dang Yi Woon seized Hong Seol by the collar of her robe.
“Did you hear that? What do we do?”
Hong Seol lightly patted Dang Yi Woon’s hand in a reassuring manner and whispered softly.
“Don’t worry, you’ll pass with flying colors. Just say whatever I tell you through sound transmission.”
Though Hong Seol spoke with such confidence, Dang Yi Woon grew increasingly anxious as his turn drew near.
Until this day, he had never once cooked a single meal or done laundry with his own hands.
‘Seol Ah’s situation can’t be much different… So the strategy is to lie first and then enter the sect grounds?’
But even that fragile hope shattered to pieces.
The Middle-aged Man’s questions proved remarkably specific.
“Ah, so you excel at cooking. Which dish is your specialty?”
“B-bamboo shoots. I’m quite skilled at stir-frying them… Th-the secret is c-cutting them to a uniform size and quickly stir-frying them over high heat.”
The Middle-aged Man’s meticulous questioning continued after that.
Damn it.
His lie had been exposed.
Dang Yi Woon’s mouth had gone completely dry.
‘Should I convince Seol Ah right now to switch to the novice monk path instead…?’
Even if it meant becoming bald.
At that moment.
“Next!”
It was Hong Seol’s turn.

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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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