A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 208

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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 208
At that moment, a clear, bright voice rang out.
“Excuse me, do you accept anything at this pawnshop?”
The owner, who had smiled inwardly, answered with enthusiasm.
“Of course! Anything that has value—rings, silk garments, even books or horses, and even hunting falcons.”
The young woman’s face brightened at those words.
“Oh, I see…!”
Could it be that the young woman intended to pawn a horse or a falcon?
The owner’s face flushed with excitement as he caught on to her intent.
‘If it’s a horse, I can sell it for a high price to merchant guilds or the Escort Bureau!’
These past few days, with new merchant guilds entering from outside, the market district had been bustling.
‘Even if this young woman repays the loan on time and reclaims the horse, it won’t be a losing transaction.’
I can use it as a pack animal while it’s in my care.
The same applies to hunting falcons.
‘Falcons are popular as gifts among the nobility.’
It seemed today was my lucky day.
Still, I had to squeeze every last coin from this young woman—like wringing out dry cloth.
The owner deliberately began laying groundwork.
“Of course, I can only offer good prices for horses or falcons with proper bloodlines, haha!”
The young woman before him nodded, her face full of guilt.
“…The bloodline is certain.”
“Then I must verify it with my own eyes. Is it a horse or a falcon? Did you tie it up outside?”
It was just as the owner’s greedy eyes blinked.
Creak.
Someone pushed open the old wooden door of the pawnshop and entered.
It was a boy whose impressive height and muscular build contrasted sharply with the tear mole beneath his eye and his worn clothing.
Upon seeing him, the young woman quickly leaned her face close to the table and spoke.
“By the way, how much would you pay for that laborer’s body?”
In an instant.
Everyone in the pawnshop except Hong Seol turned to stone.
“You…mean a man?”
The Pawnshop Owner’s tongue flicked out.
He had seen countless women come to borrow money because of men.
But a woman coming to pawn a man and borrow money was a first in the Pawnshop Owner’s life.
* * *
After moving only his lips for a while, the Pawnshop Owner quickly examined Dang Yi Woon’s limbs in various places.
He even opened his mouth as if appraising a horse, checking his gums.
“…”
Dang Yi Woon, shocked, simply let it happen.
Instead, he sent a transmission to Hong Seol, his expression darkening with rage.
– Seol Ah!
– I’m sorry, Elder Brother!
Wracked with guilt, I turned my head away and squeezed my eyes shut.
I couldn’t bear to meet Dang Yi Woon’s sorrowful gaze.
– Why would you… sell me like this…!
– I… I needed money!
A very, very large sum of money.
I needed far more than what pawning my green robe could provide.
No matter how hard I racked my brain, there was only one way to obtain such a sum immediately.
‘The only option was to set Elder Brother aside for now…’
Avoiding the Pawnshop Owner’s gaze, I clasped my hands together and pleaded desperately toward Dang Yi Woon.
“…Sigh.”line>
A long sigh escaped from Dang Yi Woon’s lips.
A long sigh escaped from Dang Yi Woon’s lips.
The young master of the Sichuan Dang Family, sold away for mere money.
No, rather than that…
‘So you didn’t actually like my tear mole and shabby appearance?’
Struck speechless by the successive shocks, Dang Yi Woon received an urgent telepathic message from me.
– Don’t worry. Once I obtain the Golden Cat Sect, I’ll return immediately and come to retrieve you! So…
Just endure a little while longer, just a very little while…
I couldn’t bring myself to transmit the rest of my thoughts to Dang Yi Woon.
– What if you’re ambushed by those Demonic Cult bastards without me!
His heated question followed, but I had already anticipated as much.
– …I’ve taken precautions.
According to my plan, I wouldn’t encounter the Demonic Cult at all.
That was one of the reasons I could boldly push Dang Yi Woon into the Pawnshop.
– Ha.
Dang Yi Woon scratched his head vigorously, then lifted his gaze.
– I understand, Seol Ah.
At Dang Yi Woon’s resolute tone, my eyes widened in surprise.
He had accepted the situation far more quickly than I expected.
– Go ahead as you planned and wait here. You’ve never made a wrong judgment before. You’ll be able to handle anything alone.
At those words, I was suddenly overcome with emotion.
‘Whimper, Elder Brother…’
Despite the shock of being sold, I was grateful that Dang Yi Woon trusted me to the very end.
Seizing that moment, Dang Yi Woon pressed forward.
– In return, when you come back, grant me one request.
– A request?
After a brief hesitation, I nodded.
Dang Yi Woon had contributed no small amount to the journey to find the Golden Cat Sect. It seemed only right to grant him that much as a token of my gratitude.
– You’re promising me?
– Yes!
In the meantime, the Pawnshop Owner, who had been arranging documents, pushed a heap of silver coins across the table.
“Here you are, miss. He’s quite a sturdy worker, so I’ve given you a generous amount, haven’t I?”
“Thank you.”
Thanks to Dang Yi Woon’s sacrifice, my purse had grown quite full.
“If you don’t bring this money and the interest within a fortnight, this laborer becomes my slave.”
“I understand.”
“Then, good luck to you.”
I took a deep breath.
Now, at last, I was fully prepared to seek out the Golden Cat Sect.
‘I’ll be back, Elder Brother.’
I turned away from Dang Yi Woon’s pitiful crimson eyes and stepped out of the Pawnshop.
“Now then, start by sweeping and cleaning the shop until the Storage House shines! Once the cleaning is done, go to the merchant house and earn your wages by hauling cargo.”
The Pawnshop Owner’s voice from behind the door was merciless.
It was a sound that spoke of hardship ahead for Dang Yi Woon.
‘I can almost see the light fading from Elder Brother’s eyes….’
My conscience pricked sharply, and I let out a heavy sigh.
‘But there’s no choice if I want to save Baek Elder Brother.’
I conjured the image of that young master with silver hair and blue eyes, and moved forward with resolve.
Whoooosh—.
Outside, a fierce summer downpour had begun to fall.
“Hm?”
I stopped, having been looking around for an umbrella seller.
“Squeak….”
At the corner of the alley by the Pawnshop, something caught my eye.
Startled, I rushed over, crouched down, and met its gaze.
“…Baek Elder Brother? Is that you?”
* * *
Creak.
“Welcome… Eh?”
The Pawnshop Owner’s face went blank as he recognized the customer.
The Hong Seol who had just left had returned.
Dang Yi Woon’s eyes, holding a broom, suddenly gleamed.
‘Could she be coming back for me?’
The owner asked with a bewildered expression.
“Miss, why have you returned so soon….”
“Because of this child.”
In my arms was a small puppy.
Though it had been outside long enough to be covered in grime, it was clearly Baek Gu, who would be snow-white once cleaned.
Its underdeveloped front paws were thick, and its eyes were a rare brilliant blue like jewels.
That was precisely why Baek Gu had captured Hong Seol’s attention.
‘If Nam Goong Baek Elder Brother were to disguise himself, wouldn’t he look exactly like this?’
Though I had never witnessed such a transformation, so I couldn’t be certain.
‘The name even suits him perfectly! Nam Goong Baek… Gu.’
Nam Goong Baek Gu, Nam Goong Baek Gu.
As I rolled the pronunciation around in my mouth, I suddenly found myself missing Baek Elder Brother terribly, wherever he was in Anhui.
But first, I needed to find Baek Gu’s owner.
I had cautiously approached the puppy in front of the shop earlier, just in case, but of course Baek Gu’s true identity was not Nam Goong Baek.
Perhaps because he was so young, communication with Baek Gu proved difficult.
The young pup merely repeated the same refrain: ‘I’m waiting for Grandmother.’
Indifferent to the downpour that soaked his fur completely.
‘I thought he would surely catch a terrible cold at this rate.’
In the end, I had no choice but to forcibly scoop Baek Gu into my arms and carry him into the Pawnshop.
“Excuse me, do you happen to know which household this puppy belongs to?”
“Ah. What now?”
The Pawnshop Owner’s expression grew listless, as if he’d thought another opportunity to earn money had presented itself.
“That dog’s been sitting around the neighborhood for several days. What was it… The owner who came to the Market District died, I think?”
“Died?”
At those words, my eyebrows drooped into a sorrowful arch.
The Pawnshop Owner scratched his back indifferently as he spoke.
“Yes. An elderly woman, bent with age—she lived with the dog. See that noodle shop over there in the distance? That’s where she died. The old woman had some kind of acute indigestion, or so they say.”
The owner gestured toward the puppy with his chin.
“What would the creature know? He disappeared for two or three days and hasn’t reappeared since. Someone must have kicked him and sent him running.”
The owner clicked his tongue at the sight of the soaked Baek Gu.
“No matter how many times you tell a beast that his grandmother has died, what good does it do? They simply don’t understand.”
I pulled the wet body of Baek Gu, whom I held in my arms, closer against me.
The frightened child didn’t resist and nestled into me, but his trembling transmitted itself through my arms.
Even in the height of summer, a torrential downpour is bitterly cold.
‘How anxious he must have been, waiting as darkness fell without Grandmother appearing, unlike any other day.’
The image of myself once walking alone through the blizzard on Dae Chuk Mountain kept overlapping with the lonely figure of Baek Gu left behind.
‘Poor thing…’
Moreover, the Market District was not populated solely by good people.
There were those who sympathized with Baek Gu’s plight, certainly, but there were also ruffians who would kick his belly without reason.
Even when driven away from that spot, even when hungry and thirsty, Baek Gu returned.
Because Grandmother had told him to wait there.
‘How brave this little one is. How admirable.’
Holding back tears, I gently stroked the crown of Baek Gu’s head.
“Does this child have any other family?”
“Who knows? According to rumors, the old woman had a son, but he rarely comes home—no one knows what he does.”
A son…?
That’s it!

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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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