A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 64

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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 64
Near the exit, an old Bamboo Forest came into view.
Yang Do Jin made his way there, grasped a half-broken bamboo stalk, kicked it with his foot, and finally secured a bamboo pole in his hand.
He had fashioned the Green Bamboo Staff—a weapon favored by the Beggar Sect.
Seeing this, Hong Seol felt a chill run down her spine.
‘Do Jin must be harboring different intentions.’
“Wait, Do Jin…!”
It was the moment Hong Seol called out to him, worry etched across her face.
As expected!
Yang Do Jin’s silhouette, gripping the Green Bamboo Staff, had already vanished into the Underground Chamber.
“Where did Brother Do Jin go?”
“Huh?”
The children left behind murmured in confusion.
‘Without Do Jin’s ears, I can’t pinpoint Sorang’s location!’
This was the only chance to rescue Sorang.
Hong Seol, her face grave, gripped Deng Xiao Xiao’s shoulder and spoke.
“Xiao Xiao, I’m counting on you with the children!”
“Why! You should come down with us!”
Hong Seol’s expression grew troubled.
“Sorang was dragged away yesterday. If we’re lucky, I can bring her back. So please, watch the children!”
With those words, Hong Seol hurried after Do Jin.
“Hey!”
Even as Hong Seol descended into the Underground Chamber, she didn’t forget to give Deng Xiao Xiao a meaningful glance until the very end.
“Please!”
Left alone, Deng Xiao Xiao’s mind felt blank.
“So that’s why Hong Seol…”
She had asked Yang Do Jin how much longer the abducted children would survive.
She was desperate to save Sorang, no matter what.
“But I, the heir to the Deng Family Estate…”
It was shameful.
Deng Xiao Xiao bit her lip.
Yet among the children, only eight-year-old Xiao Xiao herself could care for them now.
Before the men who imprisoned them returned, they had to escape this place quickly.
Deng Xiao Xiao urged the children forward in a hushed voice.
“Come on, let’s hurry home! Quickly!”
* * *
“Do Jin!”
Hong Seol called out to him, her breath carefully controlled.
The shadow moving cautiously through the Underground Chamber ahead came to a halt.
“What…? Why did you follow me, you cat?”
“It’s not a cat. It’s Hong Seol.”
“Right, Hong Seol—why did you follow me?”
“Our paths happened to overlap.”
“What?”
“I was planning to rescue Sorang and bring her back anyway.”
Originally, I had intended to ask the adults for help without delay.
But Hong Seol knew the truth.
That doing so would take far too long.
So when Yang Do Jin entered the Earth Tunnel again, I followed him without a word.
But it seemed Do Jin never imagined such a thing.
“You managed to escape cleanly, so why in the world did you crawl back in here?”
“Because that’s the righteousness and loyalty I’ve learned.”
“This is ridiculous. You won’t leave even if I tell you to, will you?”
“No.”
“Then you’d better take the form of a cat. At least if the Black Eagle Gang members catch sight of you, there’s less chance they’ll recapture you.”
“Okay, okay!”
Hong Seol nodded and performed a somersault through the air.
Soon a tiny kitten began walking carefully beside Yang Do Jin, matching his pace.
‘Where are we going?’
“Where are we going?”
I had only tilted my head slightly, but Yang Do Jin answered in a low voice.
He was sharp-eared, befitting a beggar.
“That way. I can hear a child’s voice coming from that direction.”
His hearing was remarkably keen.
“The Black Eagle Gang members seem to be gone, but be careful just in case.”
“Meow!”
The tiny kitten answered with a soft voice but spirited heart, padding forward with its front paws in sync.
* * *
Quite some time had passed since they left the Earth Tunnel where they had been confined.
As they ventured deeper, Hong Seol could now hear the strange sounds too.
Ugh…
Ugh…
It was like the whimper of an unconscious child shivering from the cold.
That pitiful sound filled Hong Seol’s heart with worry.
‘Could that voice belong to Sorang?’
When Hong Seol looked up, the perceptive Yang Do Jin nodded.
The further they walked, the damper the surroundings became, and moss clinging to the walls grew thicker.
Then, at some point.
As they turned a corner, a sudden chill brushed against the tip of my nose.
There was a small pond.
“Gasp!”
“Meow!”
Both of us froze the moment we spotted the grotesque sight.
A metal ring was embedded in the ceiling of the Pond.
A sturdy rope hung from it, binding Sorang’s body tightly.
“Ugh….”
The mysterious groan unmistakably belonged to Sorang.
Sorang was submerged up to her neck in the crystal-clear Pond in that state, but she was unconscious.
It appeared her acupoints had been sealed.
Yang Do Jin, upon discovering this, swallowed hard and cried out.
“I’ll get her!”
Splashing through the water pooled on the ground, Yang Do Jin took one leap into the Pond—only to scramble back out in horror.
“Ahhhhh!”
Ahhhhh… Ahhhhh… Ahhhhh….
A tremendous echo reverberated through the cavern.
Yang Do Jin clutched his arm, trembling violently.
“T-the water is freezing cold!”
Now that I looked, Sorang’s lips submerged up to her neck were a deathly pale blue.
‘At this rate, she’ll stop breathing any moment!’
I paced frantically back and forth along the Pond’s edge in distress.
But I couldn’t bring myself to dip even a paw into the water.
I’d never been fond of water to begin with, but in this cat form, instinct made the water terrifying.
“Those Black Eagle Gang bastards—why would they submerge a child in such frigid water….”
Yang Do Jin ground his teeth.
Beside him, I bristled my fur and meowed in agreement. Yang Do Jin tore at his hair and spoke.
“So what do we do now?”
Then a sharp voice echoed through the cavern.
“What do you mean ‘what do we do.'”
It was Deng Xiao Xiao, who had decided to come down the mountain with the children.
“Deng Xiao Xiao!”
“Meow!”
Yang Do Jin and I, who hadn’t expected this, widened our eyes in surprise.
“Were you two planning to practice righteousness and courage without me?”
Startled, I couldn’t help but do a somersault in the air.
Transformed back into human form, I grabbed Deng Xiao Xiao’s collar and shook her.
“W-what about the children? What did you do with them?”
“Don’t worry. I hid them in the old Guan Yu Temple. Since there are traces of beggars coming and going there, even if something happens to us….”
Deng Xiao Xiao suppressed her trembling voice and spoke with composure.
“The children will be discovered by the Beggar Sect soon.”
The Guan Yu Temple referred to a shrine dedicated to Guan Yu.
Throughout the Central Plains, the dilapidated Guan Yu Temples scattered here and there often became gathering places for beggars.
Hong Seol, having set aside her worries, asked a question.
“How did you find the way here?”
“This is an underground chamber. Your footprints were left so clearly on the earthen floor that they practically screamed your location.”
Cat paw prints beside a child’s footprints—there was nothing more to see.
Deng Xiao Xiao laughed with a soft snort.
“Next time, don’t forget to erase your footprints.”
Yang Do Jin grumbled at Deng Xiao Xiao’s advice.
“How careless! Now even the young lady of the Deng Family Estate has been put in danger.”
“Do you think you could have saved that child without my help? Then go ahead and try.”
At those words, Yang Do Jin’s expression darkened as he pressed back.
“It seems the young lady has another method in mind?”
“Of course.”
Deng Xiao Xiao raised her index and middle fingers sharply.
“Pressure point striking can save a person, kill them, or temporarily numb their senses.”
Hong Seol’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
Deng Xiao Xiao continued with unmistakable pride.
“Have you ever heard of fishermen who anesthetize fish using pressure point striking to keep them alive?”
“Really? Such a thing exists?”
“Of course! Thanks to that, our family receives fresh fish every holiday.”
Deng Xiao Xiao lifted her chin high and patted her chest proudly.
“That’s all thanks to the pressure point technique our family taught those fishermen!”
Deng Xiao Xiao launched into the family legend with unbridled enthusiasm.
Long ago, one of the Deng Family Estate’s ancestors had repaid a fisherman’s kindness by teaching him the vital points of fish.
Yang Do Jin, irritated by her roundabout way of speaking, shot back.
“So how does that help us, young lady?”
“You’re the foolish one. You! I’ll strike your pressure points to dull your body’s sensation temporarily.”
“What?”
“Then you just go into that ice-cold water, rescue Sorang, and bring her back!”
“….”
Yang Do Jin stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly stripped off his upper garments and trousers.
Just as he was about to lower his undergarments, Deng Xiao Xiao shrieked.
“Kyaaah! What are you doing!”
“Oh.”
They were girls, after all.
Yang Do Jin, gathering both his wits and his undergarments, abruptly turned his back to Deng Xiao Xiao’s face.
“Go ahead. Strike the points.”
“Good grief.”
Despite frowning at his reckless attitude, Deng Xiao Xiao pressed several points with a soft tap.
Yang Do Jin carefully placed one foot into the well. Then he suddenly spun around to look back.

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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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