A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 81

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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 81
Without exception, they all wore tattered robes riddled with tears and holes.
Despite their appearance, Nam Goong Ho did not pull the children back.
Instead, he offered a respectful salute.
“The esteemed master of the Maoshan Sect has traveled far and wide.”
At those words, Hong Seol recalled the knowledge of the Martial Arts World she had learned from Nam Goong Ui Gyeol.
The Maoshan Sect—a Taoist school with its headquarters at Maoshan in Jiangsu, renowned throughout the martial realm.
‘Not particularly famous for martial prowess, but said to excel in incantations and talismans.’
Now that I thought about it, there was a man walking slowly at the head of the group.
In his yellow Taoist robes and crown, he was unmistakably a Taoist priest.
In that moment, I could make out the characters written on the priest’s palm.
‘The character for “life” (活) is written there too?’
It was the same character as what was inscribed on the foreheads of the men who came bounding forward.
“Infinite Buddha.”
The man who had drawn near responded to Nam Goong Ho’s greeting with a Taoist salute.
“Master, from where do you travel?”
“We depart from Shaanxi and journey toward Jiangsu.”
“Your path is long indeed. Please, accept this to quench your thirst along the way.”
Nam Goong Ho withdrew silver coins from his pouch and offered them. The priest bowed deeply and accepted them with both hands.
“Your generosity is boundless, great hero. May I have the honor of your name?”
Nam Goong Ho waved his hand dismissively.
“Think of me merely as an old wanderer of the Jianghu. I was moved by the compassion of that hero who returns the fallen from the battlefield to their homeland.”
“Thank you. Infinite Buddha.”
The man uttered the Taoist salute once more and began to move forward.
Thump, thump, thump.
Then the corpses, which had remained still until now, began to bound after him in a line.
As they receded into black specks in the distance, Nam Goong Ho spoke quietly.
“Corpses bereft of their souls—what we call the soulless dead.”
At those words, a single phrase escaped Nam Goong Baek’s lips.
“Jiangshi…!”
“Yes, they are also called jiangshi. The Maoshan Sect and the Zhenzhou Sect are famous for handling them. And there is one more place.”
Nam Goong Baek murmured softly.
“The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
“Indeed. Yet since the Great Demon War, not a single jiangshi created by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult has ever been sighted.”
“S-so, j-jiangshi aren’t actually g-ghosts, are they?”
Hong Seol trembled. Nam Goong Ho smiled gently and patted her back reassuringly.
“Without a soul, they are no ghosts. Merely corpses that move and walk.”
At his words, Hong Seol’s expression seemed to ease somewhat.
“Still, should you ever encounter a jiangshi in the Jianghu later, you must be cautious.”
“Why?”
“Some sects like Maoshan use corpse-raising techniques to transport the dead, while others create jiangshi for entirely different reasons.”
“Different reasons?”
“They need puppets to fight in their stead.”
“But surely something that only hops around like that wouldn’t be a match for a real opponent?”
Hong Seol spoke, recalling the jiangshi she had seen moments before.
“The world doesn’t contain only such jiangshi. Those created from the corpses of masters can wield their martial arts exactly as they did in life. In that case, the sorcerer gains a subordinate far superior to any martial arts they themselves possess.”
Hong Seol briefly imagined Nam Goong Ho transformed into a jiangshi, facing her in combat.
“Hee, hee-ing!”
The mere thought made her legs tremble, and she found herself whimpering like a child.
“S-so… how do we fight a jiangshi?”
“One method is to overpower it through sheer force, but the best approach is to find the sorcerer.”
“The sorcerer?”
“Yes, the sorcerer’s soul is bound to the jiangshi. Subdue the sorcerer, and the jiangshi loses its power.”
Nam Goong Ho patted Hong Seol’s shoulder reassuringly as she trembled with fear.
“Encounters with jiangshi are not common occurrences, so there’s no need to worry yourself prematurely. Now then, shall we go see the Market District?”
“Come, take my hand.”
Nam Goong Baek extended his hand as if he had been waiting, and Hong Seol grasped it, trotting along as she followed Nam Goong Ho.
* * *
It was while they were enjoying the sights of the Market District and eating noodles on the second floor of an inn.
A hero beneath the blue sky speaks thus
“Hm?”
Again. The same song she had heard yesterday reached Hong Seol’s ears.
As Hong Seol tilted her head curiously, Nam Goong Ho asked.
“What is it, Seol Ah?”
“I’ve been hearing the same song since yesterday, and the lyrics are bothering me a little.”
Just then, a group of children in front of the inn began singing at the top of their voices.
This time, Nam Goong Ho and Nam Goong Baek also listened intently to the song.
A hero beneath the blue sky speaks thus
Oh ho! Where shall we go next?
The white and black horse answers
Neigh! Walk forth into the wind and clouds!
“What exactly troubles you about it?”
Hong Seol spoke, lost in thought with her finger pressed to her lips.
“The hero beneath the blue sky—could it be referring to you, grandfather?”
At that, Nam Goong Ho’s expression grew serious, his name containing the character for ‘hero’.
“Perhaps you’re reading too much into it?”
Though he spoke casually, his eyes betrayed a sense that something was indeed amiss.
Hong Seol hesitated, uncertain if she was wrong, but spoke her thoughts clearly nonetheless.
“News that the Patriarch Emeritus of the Nam Goong Family had entered the Jianghu spread rather quickly. Even though he later vanished and disappeared. And this place, Wuhan…”
“…is a place anyone traveling by waterways must inevitably pass through.”
It was Nam Goong Baek speaking.
That’s right.
Since ancient times, Wuhan has been known as the place where nine provinces converge.
“If I needed to find grandfather, I would wait for him here in Wuhan.”
“Besides, a long time ago, Heuk composed and sang a teasing song about Jeok.”
Nam Goong Ho was left utterly bewildered by this sudden mention of a song.
“It was a song that went: when Nam Goong Jeok crosses the river, his trouser legs become empty….”
Hong Seol disclosed this while gauging his reaction.
At those words, Nam Goong Ho nearly spat out the noodle soup he was drinking.
That song was undoubtedly a mockery of an incident when his grandson Nam Goong Jeok had his pants stripped off during a previous visit to An Hui Province.
“I didn’t know about that incident at the time, so I stayed quiet. But Jeok understood it immediately and threw a tantrum.”
“And then?”
“If someone were searching for grandfather, but didn’t want others to know about it!”
Hong Seol’s intelligent eyes sparkled with brilliance.
“I thought having them compose and sing it as a song might be one way to do it.”
At her crisp, decisive words, Nam Goong Ho was left utterly bewildered.
‘When did my Hong Seol grow up like this…?’
The way she spoke was no less than that of any adult. In fact, it was superior.
Before the admiring Nam Goong Ho, Hong Seol and Baek were lost in their next puzzle.
“Then what do the white and black horses refer to, brother?”
“Hmm….”
“The last line is even stranger. Walk into wind and clouds?”
“Hmm.”
For some reason, Nam Goong Ho seemed ready to step forward. Hong Seol and Baek’s gazes turned toward him.
“I think I know what that means.”
* * *
Whether it was a place he had visited before, Nam Goong Ho’s footsteps were unhesitating.
He led the two children to an ordinary inn tucked away in a corner of the city streets.
A sign reading “Wind and Cloud Inn” caught the eye.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Stopping the children from entering, Nam Goong Ho extended his perception.
There was a possibility that someone dangerous might be inside.
“There’s no suspicious aura.”
Nam Goong Ho carefully concealed his own energy, then took Hong Seol’s hand and stepped into the inn.
“Welcome!”
Jeom So Yi, who had been sitting idle from the lack of customers, brightened considerably.
“My goodness, with such beautiful grandchildren, the great master must be satisfied just looking at them! Come this way!”
As Hong Seol was led by Jeom So Yi to a window seat, she carefully observed her surroundings.
In the spacious inn, the only customers were a group of ruffians drinking since midday and giggling foolishly.
And there were only two coachmen who seemed to have stopped by to fill their bellies while working.
‘Could those grooms have brought white and black horses?’
Hong Seol pulled her head back inside and turned away in disappointment at the ordinary brown horse outside.
‘What could white and black horses possibly mean?’
I was desperately curious for an answer.
And why those who had spread this song were secretly searching for Nam Goong Ho as well.
Then Nam Goong Baek spoke softly.
“I understand.”
“Have you found the answer, older brother?”
“What is it?”
Even Nam Goong Ho asked with a face full of curiosity.

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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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