A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 258

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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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Side Story 4
The way he extended his hand with that smirk painted a picture so perfect it seemed almost unreal.
Watching him, Hong Seol felt her heart melt like spring snow dissolving into warmth.
‘I suppose I really am too weak when it comes to my brother.’
Just as Hong Seol was about to reach out without thinking, a sudden mischievous impulse bubbled up from within her.
Hong Seol tilted her nose up and shook her head.
“That won’t do. I’ve never heard of a servant and master walking hand in hand through the streets.”
“…Sigh. So that’s how it is.”
Nam Goong Baek exhaled with a voice tinged with frustration.
Hong Seol playfully poked the bridge of his nose as he stood there dazed, then laughed and stepped ahead.
“Give me your hand—that’s what I should be saying, not you! You’re my adorable puppy, after all.”
“Adorable… puppy….”
For a moment, Nam Goong Baek seemed to flinch, but Hong Seol paid it no mind.
“Come on, your hand!”
Nam Goong Baek chuckled softly and took the hand Hong Seol offered behind her.
The two walked side by side toward the Tavern.
The sky had begun to blaze with sunset.
Whenever Nam Goong Baek turned his head, Hong Seol greeted him with a radiant smile.
Each time, his heart ached like that of someone afflicted with a grave illness.
And each time, he made a silent vow to himself.
‘Indeed, I cannot yet confess to Seol that I am a wolf-human.’
The joy of being called an adorable puppy was simply too intoxicating.
With her spirits completely lifted, Hong Seol chattered away beside Nam Goong Baek.
“By the way, is it really true that the liquor sold at that Tavern contains coma toxin?”
‘Right, the illegal drug. That’s why we came here.’
Only then did Nam Goong Baek remember the true purpose of Hong Seol’s visit.
A chill suddenly ran down his spine.
‘Wait—if I’m not careful, the coma toxin could expose that I’m a wolf-human!’
Before long, their footsteps had brought them to the entrance of the Tavern.
The very place suspected of distributing ‘coma toxin,’ which induces forced transformation into human form.
“Wait, just a moment. I’ll simply stay outside….”
“What are you saying? I’m hungry, brother.”
Hong Seol tugged at his hand.
Yet Nam Goong Baek didn’t budge an inch. The sight of him—like a puppy reluctant to end its walk—made Hong Seol burst into laughter once more.
“Let’s go in! I hear their braised pork belly is absolutely delicious.”
“But if this place is rife with illegal drugs, there could be complications….”
“Oh, don’t worry!”
Unable to resist Hong Seol’s stubbornness, Nam Goong Baek squeezed his eyes shut and stepped into the Tavern.
* * *
The moment Nam Goong Baek crossed the threshold, he froze in surprise.
The vast space could easily seat over two hundred people, and chairs stretched endlessly across it.
Even the largest tavern in Hefei would be nothing more than a shabby hole-in-the-wall compared to this place.
“At this rate, even if someone poisoned the drinks, it would be impossible to notice.”
The moment he muttered this under his breath, Jeom So Yi’s lively voice rang out.
“Come this way! Beautiful lady, distinguished gentleman!”
The two sat down at the table Jeom So Yi guided them to, still somewhat bewildered.
Nam Goong Baek tilted his head without even touching the leaf tea Jeom So Yi had brought.
“What is that?”
His gaze fixed on a small mole sitting at the table.
The creature wore an adorable silk outfit and continuously stuffed roasted peanuts from a plate into its mouth with its short front paws.
And that was not all.
“Squeak!”
It lapped at the liquor in a ceramic cup no larger than a human thumbnail, then wiped its mouth with its pink tongue.
Though the sight was extraordinary, the people gathered around wore only reverent expressions.
“Master Meng, shall I bring out the Dongpo pork you usually enjoy?”
As the mole nodded with utter elegance, Jeom So Yi dashed toward the kitchen.
Hong Seol whispered to Nam Goong Baek while watching.
“That person—or rather, mole? No, that person? Anyway, it’s complicated.”
“Hmm?”
“The master of the Meng Family Estate, Meng Ji Seo.”
Hong Seol whispered.
“The first victim of the confusion toxin.”
According to what the Martial Arts Alliance had learned, Meng Ji Seo drank at this tavern and was transformed into a mole.
He had fallen asleep thoroughly intoxicated, only to awaken the next day in mole form.
Nam Goong Baek furrowed his brow in incomprehension and asked.
“Wait, that person—or rather, that mole—was poisoned and yet continues to frequent this tavern?”
Hong Seol shrugged.
“Though it’s an illegal toxin, it probably causes no lasting harm.”
According to what Je Gal Hyeop had mentioned, he would return to human form after three days in that state.
“So he came back here of his own volition and was poisoned again? Why on earth?”
“Perhaps it simply means the food at this tavern is that exceptional?”
Hong Seol’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Your order has arrived.”
Steaming Dongpo pork was placed before them.
Hungry as she was, Hong Seol immediately picked up her chopsticks.
The tender, well-braised pork crumbled at the touch of the chopsticks. Without hesitation, Hong Seol tore off a large piece and popped it into her mouth.
“No, wait!”
Nam Goong Baek reached out, but it was already too late.
‘Was Seol Ah always this careless?’
He wanted to demand an explanation immediately—what if the confusion toxin was in the food?—but.
‘Seol Ah always had her reasons for everything.’
There had to be a reason why Hong Seol was eating so reluctantly this time as well.
While they dined, Jeom So Yi, who had been standing awkwardly beside them, hesitated before asking.
“Would you perhaps care for a cup of medicinal wine?”
Before Nam Goong Baek could even answer, Hong Seol shook her head.
“No wine for me.”
Once the perceptive Jeom So Yi had withdrawn, Hong Seol whispered to Nam Goong Baek.
“According to the Martial Arts Alliance’s investigation, the drug appears to be mixed into the wine rather than the food.”
‘That figures.’
This clever little cat would never act recklessly.
Nam Goong Baek exhaled in relief, though he found Hong Seol somewhat exasperating for making his heart race like that.
He spoke with resentment dripping from his voice.
“You’re going to shorten my lifespan, Seol Ah.”
“What does it matter if I accidentally drink the transformation elixir? I’ll just turn into a cat and snuggle in my brother’s arms, hehe.”
“I won’t hold you.”
Nam Goong Baek deliberately turned his head away with a cold tone.
“….”
Then came only silence.
Suddenly anxious, Nam Goong Baek looked up to see Hong Seol’s face, her large eyes glistening with tears.
“…Seol Ah!”
Startled, Nam Goong Baek cried out and rose from his seat, grasping Hong Seol’s shoulders.
“Why, why are you like this, Seol Ah!”
His usual immortal-like composure had long since been discarded.
“Because my brother is a canine beastman…. So I thought you must dislike me in my cat form….”
“What are you saying! I don’t care what you are.”
“You don’t care what I am…?”
“That’s right. Even if you were a mole beastman like that fellow.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Then if I accidentally drink the transformation elixir and become a cat, you’ll carry me around?”
“Carry you around and more. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you if it’s what you desire.”
At Nam Goong Baek’s earnest words, Hong Seol’s eyes suddenly gleamed.
“Then show me now.”
“Show you what?”
“Your true form when you transform!”
“Wh, what?”
At the sudden request, Nam Goong Baek’s heart pounded fiercely.
‘How does Seol Ah know about that?’
Perhaps someone had hinted to her that his true form wasn’t that of a puppy.
‘Could it be that Nam Goong Heuk…?’
Whether Nam Goong Baek was aware of his own thoughts or not, Hong Seol smiled brightly and spoke.
“You said so yourself back in Sichuan. When my brother transforms, everyone said he’s even cuter than Xiong Miao.”
“Sigh. That’s ancient history….”
Nam Goong Baek had barely opened his mouth to respond when it happened.
“Greetings.”
A young man dressed in silk robes suddenly thrust his face across the dining table.
He had an unusually smooth complexion and narrow, elongated eyes that curved upward in a smirk.

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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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