A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 198

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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 198
When the Martial Alliance Leader’s messenger had come before, hadn’t there been a blood massacre at the Myo Family Estate?
‘This time it’s Shaolin…!’
Nam Goong On granted entry with an uneasy heart.
“Let him in!”
Soon a man with a sturdy build entered.
He was the same man who had once come to the Nam Goong Family Estate carrying the banner of Martial Alliance Leader Eon Soo Ryang.
His face was haggard, as though he had ridden his horse without rest all the way from Wuhan.
“Martial Arts Messenger Gwak Sang Bo offers his respects to the Patriarch of the Nam Goong Family.”
He then bowed respectfully to Nam Goong Ho and Bing Yu Hua as well.
“Very well, what is the matter?”
“That is….”
The messenger lowered his voice, though no one else was listening.
“…It appears the Heavenly Demon has awakened once more.”
A heavy silence pressed down upon the Patriarch’s Residence.
Even Nam Goong Ho, who would normally have flared up in anger immediately, could not speak.
His graying beard merely trembled.
“Hmm.”
It was as though an invisible, colossal flame was consuming everyone within the Nam Goong Family Estate.
None of those present had ever seen the Heavenly Demon with their own eyes.
Yet there were things passed down through bloodline and history.
The overwhelming terror surrounding the existence known as the Heavenly Demon seemed to suffocate everyone there.
“…What of the poison?”
It was Medicine Master Bing Yu Hua who broke the silence.
“According to records, the Heavenly Demon has awakened several times in the past. But each time, it returned to a long slumber. That was because it had been poisoned by the Dang Sect’s toxin.”
Despite her pallid, nearly collapsing appearance, she pressed the messenger further.
“Or has the Heavenly Demon this time found a way to detoxify itself?”
“…It’s not quite detoxification, but it seems they’ve found a way to at least halt the poisoning.”
At those words, Bing Yu Hua’s blue eyes wavered.
The man spoke with grave weight.
“The Golden Cat Sect.”
“Surely not…!”
“After the Murim Five Families Tournament ended, rumors circulated quietly throughout the Martial Arts World. That object called the Golden Cat Sect possesses the ability to be impervious to all poisons.”
“….”
“Therefore, the Demonic Cult has been dispatching people to secretly search for the Golden Cat Sect.”
“…Ah!”
Bing Yu Hua collapsed into her chair.
But the man’s words did not end there.
“And likewise, the Nam Goong Family, which is also searching for the Golden Cat Sect, has recently made contact with Shaolin.”
Nam Goong On’s eyes snapped wide open.
“Then, surely!”
“Yes, there is a very high possibility that a Demonic Cult spy has headed toward Shaolin.”
At those words, a sharp cry burst from Nam Goong Ho’s lips.
“S-Seol Ah!”
* * *
Creak.
The door to the old Monk’s Quarters creaked open.
Hong Seol, who had peeked her head through the gap, started in surprise.
“Huh?”
The moment Hong Seol froze in place.
“W-well, I suppose I should sleep outside tonight after all… huh?”
Dang Yi Woon, whose face had grown noticeably haggard, collided with Hong Seol’s back with a thud.
“Brother, look over there.”
Hong Seol pointed inside with her index finger.
Someone was already in the room, illuminated brightly by the lantern light.
He offered a halting greeting.
“W-w-w-welcome, I… I…”
“Who are you…?”
Hong Seol blinked her eyes.
The stammering Freckled Boy whom I had been watching all this time was standing right there.
Dang Yi Woon, peering inside over Hong Seol’s head, cried out.
“The three of us are sharing the same room?!”
The relief of it not being just the two of them was short-lived.
In that instant, a different kind of chill ran down Dang Yi Woon’s spine.
‘What if that bastard realizes Seol is disguised as a man!’
A sharp gleam flickered across Dang Yi Woon’s already flushed eyes.
“Y-yes. The m-m-monk told me to… to do so…”
The Freckled Boy seemed to have been intimidated by Dang Yi Woon’s intensity.
“I-I-I’m a burden, aren’t I? Th-then I’ll sleep outside…”
At those words, Hong Seol’s eyes widened as she exclaimed.
“Why would you do that when there’s a perfectly good Sleeping Quarters!”
In truth, I was delighted to discover the Freckled Boy.
‘Having him nearby means I can keep watch over him—this actually works out perfectly!’
“Y-you don’t m-mind sharing a r-room with me?”
The Freckled Boy seemed quite surprised by Hong Seol’s words.
“E-everyone else said I was b-b-bothersome and d-didn’t want to…”
The way his eyes rarely met anyone’s, showing how dejected he had become, was somewhat pitiful.
Finding the Golden Cat Sect was one thing.
Separate from that, I wanted to be kind to this boy.
Hong Seol deliberately greeted him with a brighter tone.
“I look forward to working with you. My name is.”
Hong Seol exhaled softly before continuing.
“…Furry.”
Even after Hong Seol’s introduction, Dang Yi Woon stood with his arms crossed for a long moment.
His face clearly showed wariness toward the boy.
“Brother.”
Unable to wait any longer, Hong Seol jabbed Dang Yi Woon’s side with her finger.
Only then did a reluctant introduction emerge from his lips.
“…I’m Curly.”
The Freckled Boy bowed his head respectfully toward Dang Yi Woon.
“Ah! O-oh, thank you for that, um, folk remedy this morning.”
He was referring to when Dang Yi Woon had helped when he complained of stomach pain.
However, the word “folk remedy” scraped against Dang Yi Woon’s already sensitive nerves.
How dare he treat the prestigious medical techniques of the Sichuan Tang Family as mere folk remedies!
“Listen here, you…!”
-Brother!
Dang Yi Woon, who had bristled momentarily, caught Hong Seol’s eye and suppressed his anger.
In any case, his current appearance was that of a hired laborer named “Curly.”
He couldn’t afford to do anything that might expose his identity.
“Fine, I’ll accept your greeting. What’s your name?”
“I-I’m called Mu Yeop.”
‘Mu Yeop? No leaves?’
Dang Yi Woon, about to quibble over the strange name, hesitated.
He remembered that his own name was Curly.
“So, Mu Yeop, how old are you?”
“S-sixteen.”
“So you’re one year younger than me?”
At those words, Hong Seol’s eyes widened as she stared at Dang Yi Woon’s face.
As far as Hong Seol knew, Dang Yi Woon was definitely sixteen this year.
Yet he claimed to be seventeen!
Dang Yi Woon, who had just lied, continued speaking as if nothing were amiss.
“I’m seventeen, and my younger brother Furry is thirteen. So you won’t have any objections to me, as the eldest, setting the rules for this room, right?”
“Y-yes, yes!”
The Freckled Boy Mu Yeop answered with sudden tension in his voice.
His manner of speech had already shifted to formal politeness.
It seemed the very fact that he was being included as a member of the room was deeply moving to him.
“Your spot is over there.”
Dang Yi Woon pointed with his chin to the farthest corner among the three bedchambers in the room.
‘I need to keep that boy as far away from Seol as possible.’
“Ah, understood!”
Mu Yeop quickly went over and sat down.
Fortunately, though he stammered a bit and had digestive issues, he didn’t seem to lack perceptiveness.
Dang Yi Woon nodded with a satisfied expression.
‘At this rate, I should be able to navigate communal sleeping quarters just fine.’
For a while, the boys were busy organizing their meager belongings.
Then, at that moment.
“Are you in there?”
A gruff voice of an elderly monk came from outside the door.
“Yes, sir!”
Hong Seol scurried over and opened the door.
Standing before me was Won Mok, the Dining Hall Master.
“Master Won Mok? How did you come all the way here…?”
“Take this.”
Hong Seol received the wooden bowl he suddenly offered, her expression bewildered.
Inside were several rice cakes coated with soybean powder.
Whether freshly made or not, a savory aroma wafted from the warm cakes.
“Share these with your roommates, Furry One.”
“Thank you so much!”
Before I could even finish my bow, Won Mok vanished into the darkness.
“Um, uh…?”
Hong Seol tilted my head in confusion.
‘The Dining Hall Master himself came all the way here in the middle of the night just to bring rice cakes?’
And he specifically chose only our Quarters.
No matter how carefully I listened, there was no sign of anyone eating cakes in other rooms.
“What’s going on, Furry One? Oh, rice cakes?”
Dang Yi Woon, who had approached without me noticing, picked up a cake and chewed it contentedly.
“These are pretty good. Mu Yeop, you come eat some too.”
“Y-yes, hyung!”
Mu Yeop, his eyes wide, rushed over and stuffed the cakes into his mouth eagerly.
“Wow, this, this is so delicious!”
While they finished chewing and swallowing the cakes, I remained lost in thought.
“Furry One, aren’t you going to eat?”
Coming to my senses, I saw Dang Yi Woon and Mu Yeop staring at me intently.
Only my portion remained in the bowl.
The boys, who had stood working all day and eaten only vegetable side dishes, had conscientiously refrained from taking more.
“I’m not very hungry. Please, both of you have one more each.”
“R-really, is that, is that okay?”
Smack!
Mu Yeop, struck on the back of his hand, made a pitiful face.
“What do you mean ‘okay’!”
Dang Yi Woon’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
“Set this aside so that Mu Yeop can eat it in the morning.”
“Is that so?”
Hong Seol smiled gently at Dang Yi Woon’s thoughtful consideration.
“Well then, since it’s grown late, I’ll extinguish the lamp.”
Dang Yi Woon nodded at Hong Seol’s words.
Whoosh.
With a soft exhalation, darkness enveloped the room.
And soon after.
Soft, rhythmic breathing.
The steady breathing of Hong Seol and Dang Yi Woon, both exhausted from their laborious day, drifted through the silence.
How much time had passed?
Creak.
Hong Seol’s ears caught the sound of someone rising from the worn bedchamber.
It was Mu Yeop.
He glanced briefly toward Hong Seol and Dang Yi Woon before slipping quietly out of the Monk’s Quarters.
-He’s moving!
-Come on, brother!
The two of them kept their distance and crept after him, careful not to be noticed.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Abbot’s chamber at Shaolin, an unexpected voice was rising.
“…There’s a possibility that a Demonic Cult spy has come to Shaolin searching for something called the Golden Cat Sect? Ha, what nonsense!”
Slam!
A weathered hand cast a letter across the table.
It was Won Cheong, the Abbot of Shaolin.

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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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