A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 200

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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 200
‘Who on earth are they? They don’t seem to be the monks who manage the Dining Hall.’
Hong Seol tilted her head in confusion.
All of them were scanning the interior of the Dining Hall with stern, piercing gazes.
“Excuse me, Venerable Monk!”
One of the hired workers—a boy with considerable nerve—raised his hand and spoke with casual indifference.
“Don’t you see the water boiling in the cauldron? If we’re going to make vegetable broth, we need to add the vegetables now.”
“What?”
At those words, a monk suddenly strode forward and splashed water onto the roaring flames.
Ssssshhhhh.
The fire they had painstakingly kindled since dawn was extinguished in an instant.
“Oh no!”
The boy tending the hearth cried out in dismay, but it was futile.
Bul Mok Hani and the other monks were all in the Storage, leaving them with no one to protest against.
“Is that all you have to say?”
At the burly monk’s words, the atmosphere in the Dining Hall fell silent as if cold water had been poured over it.
Then, from behind the three monks, a figure emerged with measured steps.
“I shall explain the details myself.”
“Yes, Director.”
The three monks, whose demeanor was far too fierce to be called virtuous, withdrew obediently.
He was undoubtedly a person of considerable influence within Shaolin.
“I am Won Gwan, Director of the Janggyeonggak. Last night, a precious treasure kept in the Janggyeonggak went missing.”
In that moment, the same thought flashed simultaneously through the minds of Hong Seol and Dang Yi Woon.
‘The Golden Cat Sect!’
The Janggyeonggak was a repository of all manner of precious scriptures and secret martial arts manuals.
But if he specifically used the word “treasure”….
‘Did Mu Yeop really succeed in stealing the Golden Cat Sect last night?’
Hong Seol’s heart raced.
‘How could someone who can’t even use martial arts possibly…. No, more importantly, where is the Golden Cat Sect now?’
Mu Yeop must have stolen the Golden Cat Sect around dawn.
The fact that he had returned to the Monk’s Quarters was proof of that.
If he’d had more time, he would have already fled with the Golden Cat Sect.
Even the most skilled master would find it difficult to escape Shaolin in broad daylight.
He would surely wait until nightfall.
‘So Mu Yeop must have hidden the Golden Cat Sect somewhere….’
As Hong Seol fell into contemplation.
The hired workers were whispering among themselves.
“Could it be something like the legendary martial arts manual, the Muscle Change Classic, that’s gone missing?”
“But why would they search for that in the Dining Hall…?”
“Silence!”
As the monk’s thunderous voice erupted once more, the hired workers fell silent in unison.
Then came the pompous voice of Won Gwan, the head of Janggyeonggak, ringing out.
“We have concluded that the problem may lie with the newly arrived workers.”
The hired workers, who had collapsed into sleep the moment they entered their Quarters after yesterday’s grueling labor, looked wronged.
But not a soul dared utter a word against the fierce momentum of the Janggyeonggak monks.
“Therefore, we shall now conduct a search of the Dining Hall.”
“Ah!”
“Ouch!”
Three sturdy monks pushed past the hired workers standing at the entrance and stormed inside.
The monks’ search was merciless.
Crash!
Clang!
They overturned empty cauldrons wholesale and carelessly scattered the prepared vegetables.
‘This is too much. How exhausting it will be to clean all of this up.’
Hong Seol watched with a pang of sympathy, forcing herself to hold back her feelings.
The hired workers looked furious as well, but there was nothing they could do.
They were hired workers, and these men were monks of Shaolin Temple.
“Hmm, nothing here. Strange though…?”
When nothing turned up, the monks seemed embarrassed and grew irritable instead.
“Tch!”
One of them casually kicked at the woodpile that Mu Yeop had carefully stacked.
In that instant, Hong Seol’s small fists clenched involuntarily.
‘These fraudulent monks have no sense of righteousness whatsoever…!’
Every fiber of her being wanted to step forward immediately.
‘But I can’t reveal my identity. I need to find the Golden Cat Sect.’
And she didn’t want to bring trouble upon Namgung either.
Hong Seol closed her eyes and forced herself to swallow her anger.
Just then, Mu Yeop suddenly let out a cry of distress.
“No, wait!”
The irritated monk took issue with his outburst.
“What do you mean, ‘wait’?”
Hong Seol’s eyes narrowed as she watched.
‘Surely he’s not thinking of fighting back…?’
At a glance, he was no match for such a massive opponent.
‘According to what Yi Woon assessed, Mu Yeop doesn’t seem to have learned any martial arts at all.’
Yet Mu Yeop appeared to possess unexpected resolve. He stared directly at the monk and cried out.
“If, if you c-collapse the w-woodpile, p-passing people could g-get hurt! And, and the B-Buddha would not be p-pleased with that!”
The monk’s eyes filled with mockery.
“You, who can barely speak properly, dare to teach me about the Buddha’s compassion when I have been ordained for so long?”
He planted his hand on his waist in a gesture that suggested he might strike at any moment.
“Ah, ahhh…!”
The moment the frightened Mu Yeop raised his arm to defend himself.
A lightning-swift thought flashed through Hong Seol’s mind.
‘…Could it be… that’s why Mu Yeop is acting like this!’
That was when it happened.
Clang!
A sound that pierced the ears of everyone present rang out.
“Oh!”
The one who made the sound was the fluffy-haired one with furrowed brows—no, it was Hong Seol.
She had deliberately drawn the monk’s attention away from Mu Yeop to herself.
“Who goes there!”
At the angry, harsh voice, the hair on the heads of the hired workers standing there stood on end.
Hong Seol slowly raised one hand quietly.
“…It was me.”
—Seol Ah!
Beyond the crowd of people, I could see Dang Yi Woon looking as though he might burst forward at any moment.
‘Please wait, Yi Woon oppa!’
Hong Seol shook her head slowly, inconspicuously.
There was a reason Hong Seol had stepped forward like this.
But the situation made it impossible to use telepathic transmission for fear the monk before her eyes would notice.
“I, I’m so sorry.”
Hong Seol began to act like a pitiful young hired worker.
Just as Dang Yi Woon had acted as a young boy with a grandfather who was an herb gatherer.
“I, I accidentally dropped the ladle into the cauldron lid…”
Perhaps because the act was convincing.
Fortunately, the monk did not fly into a rage.
“Tsk, what a clumsy hired worker.”
“I apologize.”
Hong Seol bowed deeply at the waist.
Just when it seemed things would pass without incident.
“Wait, the object we’re looking for might be hidden in your dough.”
“Oh!”
An unexpected spark had flown.
None other than at the dumpling wrapper dough placed before Hong Seol.
“Wh, what?”
Before Hong Seol could stop him, the monk thrust the filthy staff he was holding into the dough, rummaging through it roughly.
In an instant, black dirt and dust mixed into the white flour dough, rendering it unusable.
“Bah, a wasted effort.”
The monk waved the staff dismissively, shaking off the remaining dough clinging to it.
Watching this, Won Gwan, the keeper of Janggyeonggak, issued an order.
“There’s nothing here. Go check the Monk’s Quarters where they’re staying!”
Won Gwan left the Dining Hall without so much as an apology, his robes swishing behind him.
The moment they disappeared, complaints erupted throughout the Dining Hall.
“Seriously, that’s too much!”
“How can those who follow the Buddha act like that?”
Just then, Mu Yeop came rushing over to Hong Seol’s side.
He was on the verge of tears.
“W-what do I do… If Fluffy says I ruined the dough because of me, and I get scolded…”
“It’s fine. We can explain the situation and get more flour, that’s all.”
Hong Seol shrugged her shoulders.
Just then, Bul Mok Hani and the others who had headed to the Storage were returning in a line.
After hearing the full story from Hong Seol, Bul Mok Hani let out a low sigh.
“It seems he caused trouble at the Janggyeonggak again.”
According to him, Won Gwan, the director of the Janggyeonggak, was more of a scholarly monk than a martial one.
And that very quality had won the favor of Won Cheong, the current abbot of Shaolin.
Being called “ignorant” was apparently the weakness Won Cheong had never overcome in his lifetime.
“So the director of the Janggyeonggak has enough power to be called Shaolin’s second-in-command. But remember, you didn’t hear this from me!”
Bul Mok Hani held up his index finger to Hong Seol and winked.
“Anyway, when I checked the Storage, a problem came up.”
“What is it?”
“We’re short on flour.”
“What?”
A sect as large as Shaolin running short on flour was incomprehensible to me.
It was something I couldn’t make sense of.
Bul Mok Hani explained awkwardly.
“You see, the merchant house that supplies our flour caught fire.”
“Really?”
Hong Seol’s mouth fell open in shock.
Bul Mok Hani sighed and cautioned me.
“The flour won’t arrive until after the Orang Festival ends, so you’ll need to ration the dumpling wrapper dough carefully.”
“Um, well, about that dough, Elder…”
The truth is, it’s become completely ruined…
Hong Seol couldn’t bring herself to say it and only swallowed hard repeatedly.
“Have you finished making all the dumpling wrappers for Ha Dae In and his party who are coming for lunch?”
“Y-yes, E-Elder!”
Mu Yeop suddenly interjected at those words.
“A-actually, th-that was me…!”
Mu Yeop was about to apologize, his eyes squeezed shut and his head bowed.
“It’ll be ready soon—the dumpling wrappers!”
Hong Seol stepped in front of Mu Yeop, blocking his confession.
“Huh?”
Mu Yeop’s eyes merely blinked at the sudden turn of events.
Sensing something amiss, Bul Mok Hani asked with concern in his voice.
“Ha Dae In donates countless Buddhist scriptures to Shaolin every year. Surely there hasn’t been a problem with the lunch offering prepared for him?”
“No, everything is proceeding smoothly, so please don’t worry!”
Hong Seol smiled brightly. Beside her, Mu Yeop’s eyes flickered with unease.
The moment Bul Mok Hani left his seat, Mu Yeop asked.
“W-what are you planning to do?”
Hong Seol smiled knowingly.
“There’s always a way, so please don’t worry too much.”

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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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