A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 37

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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 37
“Hong Seol, try this.”
Nam Goong Baek, chopsticks in hand, began sneakily ferrying a piece of meat toward Hong Seol’s mouth.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Each time, Nam Goong Ho’s brilliant chopstick technique intercepted with an impenetrable defense.
In the end, Nam Goong Baek had no choice but to lower his chopsticks without managing to feed Hong Seol a single bite.
The young wolf-eared boy’s nose wrinkled with visible displeasure.
“….”
He didn’t voice his thoughts aloud, but his meaning was transparent.
‘How could he use the secret martial technique passed only to the family patriarch just to block chopsticks?’
And against his own grandson, no less.
Nam Goong Baek’s expression visibly hardened, but Nam Goong Ho remained unmoved.
If anything, he felt grateful that his grandson would lower his guard enough to express such frustration.
Besides, he had deliberately provoked Nam Goong Baek with that move.
He wanted to give his grandson—who believed he no longer needed to cultivate martial arts—even a small reason to continue training.
“Hmph. If you’re so aggrieved, then cultivate your martial arts and become the patriarch yourself.”
At those words, Nam Goong Baek’s expression hardened further as he set down his chopsticks.
Catching that reaction from the corner of his eye, Nam Goong Ho spoke with even more relish.
“I’m afraid not, but grandfather won’t yield this pleasure to anyone. Come now, little one. Open wide.”
“Aah.”
Nam Goong Ho settled Hong Seol on his lap and carefully placed a piece of meat into her mouth.
By now, Hong Seol had grown accustomed to such moments and readily accepted the food with a satisfied hum.
Nam Goong Ho savored the contentment of the scene before him.
Her plump cheeks, now filled out with health, were utterly endearing.
‘I can scarcely imagine she was once that frightened little thing.’
Once the children’s bellies were sufficiently full, Nam Goong Ho rose from his seat.
“Seol, you should get up as well.”
“Yes, yes!”
What was this about?
As Hong Seol, tensing with anticipation, hopped down from her chair, the curious eyes of the young boys converged upon her.
Seeing this, Nam Goong Ho smiled wickedly.
At last, he had secured time to have Hong Seol entirely to himself.
“Today marks Seol’s first training session since becoming my disciple.”
At those words, Heuk and Jeok’s mouths fell open.
Her first training under the Nam Goong Estate Patriarch himself? How grueling it would be!
The curiosity that had gleamed in their eyes instantly transformed into envy.
Among them, Nam Goong Baek still wore an expression of displeasure.
In Nam Goong Ho’s estimation, this disgruntled look was far preferable to his usual indifferent demeanor.
‘So he dislikes me monopolizing Seol. But it matters not, you brat!’
Nam Goong Ho, triumphant, thrust out his chin as he spoke.
“Come now, Seol. Let’s be on our way.”
I wondered what kind of training awaited me today.
Knowing nothing of what lay ahead, I tensed every muscle and followed him with wooden, rigid steps.
* * *
“Grandfather, there’s something I wanted to ask.”
A tiny voice echoed across the vast Training Ground attached to Chang Cheon Pavilion.
It was my voice, coming from where I sat before a simple wooden table placed in the center of the Training Ground.
Nam Goong Ho, standing before me, answered with stern composure.
“Why do you speak during training?”
“Well, I just… is this really…?”
Does this have anything to do with martial arts training?
My face was filled with unspoken doubts.
For days now, I had done nothing but sit in the center of the Training Ground attached to Chang Cheon Pavilion and read the books Nam Goong Ho had given me.
For someone who had become the disciple of the legendary ‘Sword King’—a position everyone envied—this was an unusual daily routine indeed.
‘At least I’ve now mastered the written characters perfectly…’
But how much longer would I have to keep reading books?
Moreover, the books I was reading were not even secret martial arts manuals.
“Are the books boring?”
“No, not at all.”
I shook my head vigorously.
“It’s just… I was wondering if simply sitting here is enough…”
‘After enduring such grueling training with the Changcheon Master, sitting idle makes her restless. Our Seol truly has the makings of a born martial artist!’
Nam Goong Ho grinned widely and covered my head with his large hand.
“Hehe.”
I found the sensation pleasant and laughed without understanding why. Lately, I had been laughing like this often.
“Seol, what do you think is the greatest quality a martial artist of the Martial Arts World must possess?”
Quality?
That was a word far too difficult for me to understand.
“Hmm…”
Nam Goong Ho spoke to my hesitant self with a serious expression.
“It is righteousness and chivalry. Two virtues above all.”
“Righteousness and… chivalry…?”
Nam Goong Ho suppressed a laugh that nearly escaped and repeated in a solemn tone.
“No, I mean righteousness and chivalry—義 and 俠.”
Ah.
I lifted my now noticeably plumper fingers and traced the characters in the air.
These were characters I had definitely learned before.
“Does it mean using the strength I possess to do what is right and to help others?”
“Yes, exactly that!”
Nam Goong Ho’s hand, resting on my head, applied gentle pressure.
It was his way of saying he was impressed that I had figured out his meaning on my own.
“When you learn martial arts, strength naturally follows. You’ll develop far greater power than others, Hong Seol. You have the talent for it.”
At those words, my cheeks flushed crimson.
‘I have talent!’
I’d grown accustomed to smiling by now.
But I still hadn’t adapted to the sudden flood of praise from those around me.
‘If I master martial arts and become someone who practices righteousness and benevolence, will everyone love me more?’
Perhaps even Mother would…
I swallowed the words I couldn’t bring myself to speak aloud.
“That’s why I have you read books. So you can witness and learn the righteousness and benevolence of our ancestors.”
The title of the book in my hands was the Chronicles of the Righteous and Demonic War.
It was a record of the war between the Orthodox Sects and the Demonic Cult that occurred three hundred years ago.
“As written in that book, there exists in this world a being called the Heavenly Demon. A monster who refined demonic martial arts to their absolute limit, becoming so brutal in nature that he regards human lives as mere dust.”
I imagined the Heavenly Demon—eyes bloodshot, hair cascading down to his waist.
‘Ugh!’
Just thinking about it made my legs tremble. But I forced strength into my eyes, determined not to show my fear.
‘I’m supposed to be a disciple of the Nam Goong Estate Patriarch. I can’t be frightened of the Heavenly Demon!’
“The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—what people call the Demonic Cult—reveres the Heavenly Demon as their master. Their dream is to devour the entire realm, and three hundred years ago, they actually pushed into the Central Plains.”
Whoooosh—
I could almost see a massive horde of Demonic Cult members pouring over the mountain ridge like a dark tide.
“It began at Kunlun. Wherever a hundred thousand Demonic Cult members swept through, blood flowed like rivers.”
Children and the elderly were no exception.
The moment they fell into the hands of the Demonic Cult, all met a dog’s death.
The cruelest part was that fingernails and toenails had been torn from every corpse.
For those who had mastered demonic martial arts, human nails became a medicine that eased the suffering caused by demonic cultivation.
Thus, battlefields were littered with corpses whose hands were stained red.
That’s why the medicine was called the Crimson Hand Elixir.
‘This is… terrifying…’
I swallowed hard, my voice trembling as I asked.
“Did the Nam Goong Family fight against the Heavenly Demon?”
“Of course. The Changcheon Swordmaster Nam Goong Wi, who was the patriarch at that time, led all the Changcheon sword masters into battle.”
By today’s standards, that would mean Nam Goong Ho, the current patriarch Nam Goong On, and the Changcheon Master Nam Goong Ui Gyeol would all have drawn their blades and rushed forward without exception.
That was the righteousness and benevolence of the Nam Goong Family.
At that thought, goosebumps erupted across my entire body.
“D-did we win?”
Nam Goong Ho shook his head slowly. Seeing my face on the verge of tears, he continued.
“D-did we lose then…?”
“We didn’t lose either. The battle dragged on inconclusively, with neither side dealing a fatal blow to the other’s forces.”
Even with the Nam Goong Family patriarch fighting directly, they couldn’t gain the upper hand.
What kind of being was the Heavenly Demon, truly?
Even amid her fear, curiosity began to bloom quietly in Hong Seol’s heart.
“Were Kunlun and the Nam Goong Family the only ones who fought the Heavenly Demon?”
Nam Goong Ho shook his head at her question.
“No. All the martial sects possessing the righteousness and cooperation I spoke of united under the banner of the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“Who are they?”
“The so-called Five Great Families and Nine Sects and One Clan, along with all the Orthodox Sects belonging to the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“The Five Great Families—does that include the Sa Cheon Dang Family?”
Hong Seol recalled the enormous white serpent that had risen above the Lake.
“Yes. Thanks to the combined efforts of Nam Goong and the Dang Sect, we were able to poison the Heavenly Demon at the end.”
Immunity to all poisons.
That we could render the Heavenly Demon—one who succumbs to no toxin—in such a state could only be called divine fortune.
And the sacrifices required were immense.
Hong Seol’s eyes sparkled as she listened to the tale.
“Then the Heavenly Demon is dead?”

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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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