A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 67

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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 67
“Hand over Seol!”
Nam Goong Ho’s face darkened rapidly as his finger pressed against Hong Seol’s shoulder.
“…So this girl has been drawing upon her inner energy.”
Nam Goong On’s already narrow eyes widened in disbelief, growing even more slitted.
“Surely you don’t mean…?”
Nam Goong Ho nodded weakly. He bore no resemblance to the man who had unleashed that lion’s roar moments before.
“I drew upon every ounce of strength I possessed, and now my meridians are roiling throughout my entire body.”
Nam Goong Ho gently patted Hong Seol’s forehead with a trembling hand.
‘Why would this child exhaust herself to such an extent….’
Nam Goong Ho closed his eyes.
‘It is all my fault.’
Had I known this would come to pass, I would never have taught her martial arts.
I should have told her that there are far more important things in this world than righteousness and chivalry, and that she should live freely as her heart desires.
Nam Goong Ho opened his eyes weakly.
His voice was as heavy as a man whose ankles were trapped in an endless swamp.
“At this rate, Seol will not survive the day.”
* * *
“Do not stop—keep running!”
A band of men who had escaped the grasp of the Nam Goong Family raced forward like tigers.
Their footwork was so elusive and unpredictable.
Even the renowned warriors of the Changcheon Division had long since abandoned pursuit.
After running for what felt like an eternity.
They reached a stream deep within the mountains. Not a shadow of their pursuers could be seen.
“Drink from the water and catch your breath!”
Only then did the leader allow his men to rest.
The men bearing black feather tattoos bent down and gulped the stream water greedily.
“We are short in numbers….”
The leader groaned as he counted heads.
“Even after drawing upon our innate vital energy, those relentless Changcheon Division bastards captured two of us.”
“You did not leave any of the stragglers alive, did you?”
“Of course not. The moment they fell behind, we eliminated them with poisoned darts.”
The leader furrowed his brow and surveyed the surroundings.
“Now that I think of it, where is Woon Bong? He was certainly beside me at first.”
“Perhaps he was captured from behind without anyone noticing?”
“I see…. It is fortunate that only three died.”
“What shall we do now?”
“What else? We go to another city and gather more children. If we return without meeting our quota, death awaits us regardless.”
“Understood!”
Suddenly, a shadow fell across the leader’s face. The man conversing with him looked upward, his expression turning bewildered.
“What is that, boss?”
“…A black eagle, isn’t it?”
“But why is it circling above our heads like that?”
“How should I know? There must be a rotting animal carcass nearby.”
“However, from what I know, black eagles don’t eat carrion like other eagles do.”
The leader, who had been quenching his thirst, suddenly flared with anger.
“Then you’re saying that thing is viewing us as prey?”
At that moment, the black eagle circling overhead plummeted from the sky to the ground with lightning speed.
“Ahhh!”
The tip of its beak struck the man’s eye with perfect accuracy.
The leader, clutching his bleeding eye, issued a command mixed with screams.
“Shoot down that cursed winged beast immediately!”
“Yes, sir!”
The men responded vigorously and simultaneously drew their bows from their backs.
Whoosh.
The bowstrings aimed at the eagle grew taut.
Despite the men’s fierce momentum, the eagle continued circling the sky without losing its composure.
Whirrr!
The moment a dozen arrows shot forth in parabolic arcs with tremendous force.
The circling eagle began its descent.
“Impossible!”
Yet the arrows already released from the bowstrings were heading directly toward the falling eagle.
Just as the sharply honed arrowheads were about to pierce the eagle’s body.
“Kyahahaha!”
With a chilling laugh, the eagle spun once, and suddenly a woman’s pale fingers snatched nine arrows from the air.
Only the last arrow grazed past the woman’s shoulder.
It was clear she had deliberately let it pass.
As the torn fabric of her garment split open, a black feather tattoo was revealed on the woman’s shoulder.
Unlike the men’s marks, it was the ‘true’ emblem of the Black Bandit Gang, with its edges stained red.
The leader’s face went pale at the sight.
If she belonged to the Black Bandit Gang and could transform into an eagle…there was only one such person in the martial world.
“D-D-Dok Bi Jo! How is this possible? A reversal technique?”
“I don’t know. If it were a reversal technique, would I need to reveal my identity so openly?”
Beneath the black bamboo hat, the woman’s delicate lips curved into a gentle smile.
Upon hearing those words, the leader’s face filled with shock.
“Could it be…Returning to Youth?”
The legendary realm of enlightenment where one returns to a youthful body.
Having witnessed it firsthand, the leader’s jaw nearly dropped in astonishment.
The woman’s sharp gaze swept across them thoroughly.
“Was it you who dared use the name of our Black Bandit Gang without permission?”
“W-who said such a thing?!”
The woman thrust her hand into her bosom and hurled something out.
A round object, like a pig’s urine bucket, rolled across the floor and struck the gang leader’s foot with a dull thud.
“Ahhhhh!”
The man recoiled in horror, stumbling backward.
“Woon Bong!”
It was the severed head of his subordinate—the one he’d assumed had been killed by the Changcheon Division.
“This wretch claims you’ve captured a child of the Nam Goong Family?”
“No. I know the faces of the Nam Goong Family’s young masters, and there was no such child.”
“There must have been.”
At her unwavering assertion, the gang leader and his men exchanged troubled glances.
“Captain, could it be… that cat-eared beastkin?”
“Damn it!”
A chill of realization swept through the captain’s spine, cold sweat trickling down his back.
“In the name of the Black Eagle Gang, you’ve kidnapped children and committed unspeakable atrocities. I will not forgive you.”
Dok Bi Jo spread all ten fingers wide, and iron talons gleamed as they slipped into place.
They were the Sharp Eagle Claws—Dok Bi Jo’s signature weapon.
The men instinctively retreated at the sight.
“My throat is parched. I should finish this quickly and get myself a drink.”
Dok Bi Jo extended her crimson tongue, licking the corner of her lips.
“You’ve tainted the Black Eagle Gang’s name and laid hands on my prey. Pay with your lives!”
Screeeech—!
The men’s anguished cries echoed long into the distance.
* * *
Half a day had passed.
Time flowed mercilessly within the Nam Goong Family Estate.
“My child, how could one so delicate ever…”
Bing Yu Hua’s hoarse voice called out to Hong Seol again and again.
“My child, my precious child…”
Hong Seol lay upon the bed in her quarters, her face peaceful as though sleeping.
Yet her lips had lost their color, and her small frame alternated between burning like embers and turning ice-cold.
“Ugh, my child…”
It felt like the nightmare from three years ago—when she’d lost the child in her womb—was repeating itself. A grief that tore at her very core consumed Yu Hua.
Nam Goong On, the family head, his expression heavy with sorrow, gently patted Yu Hua’s shoulder in helpless comfort.
Beside him, Nam Goong Ho sat with his forehead pressed against his palm, tormented, having not taken even a single sip of water.
“…”
Nam Goong Baek had retreated to his quarters with the same expressionless face as always.
“Please, I beg you. Save the little one.”
“Save our young lady!”
Heuk and Jeok went to the Ancestral Shrine within the Nam Goong Family Estate and bowed their heads, pleading again and again.
The Nam Goong Family Estate was shrouded entirely in sorrow, each corner bearing its own weight of grief.
The Outer Courtyard Training Ground, once filled with the endless sounds of warriors training, had fallen silent and closed its doors.
The Yi Yak Hall, which had bustled with the constant brewing of medicinal decoctions, now stood empty—not a wisp of steam rising from its hearths.
Even the kitchen of Chang Cheon Pavilion, where pastries and red bean cakes had been prepared for Hong Seol, had long since gone cold, its fires extinguished.
All mourned the death of young Hong Seol.
It was then that a single attendant stood at the entrance to Hong Seol’s quarters, scratching his head uncertainly.
“Pardon me, Medicine Master.”
“What is it?”
It was Nam Goong On, the family head, who answered—for Bing Yu Hua had wept so intensely she was nearly on the verge of collapse.
“My apologies. Since earlier, two mysterious old men have been causing a commotion at the main gate, insisting they be allowed entry.”
To bring such a trivial matter at a time like this.
Nam Goong On felt a throbbing ache in his temples. His mind was consumed with thoughts of replacing this attendant.
“If they are beggars, have the steward feed them adequately and send them off with some coin.”
The attendant hesitated before continuing.
“That is the matter, sir—they have been insisting since earlier that they must meet with the Medicine Master.”
“Bing Yu Hua?”
In that instant, Nam Goong On felt as though lightning had struck down his spine.
“Describe their appearance! Quickly!”

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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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