A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 84

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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 84
“Well, I’ve brought the medicine you requested from the Medical Hall, but….”
The voice belonged to a slender woman, delicate as a single blossom. A large basket of medicinal herbs strapped to her back caught the eye.
“Oh, Miss Jang!”
Recognizing a familiar face, the disciples guarding Haejeon Pool relaxed their expressions.
“It’s been a while. The Medical Hall has been waiting with bated breath for you—please, head right up.”
The woman appeared to be an herbalist who supplied medicinal plants to the Medical Hall.
“Yes, then I’ll be on my way.”
The woman smiled warmly, bowed slightly to Hong Seol’s group after the disciples, and passed by.
In that moment, Hong Seol felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
‘Why does she feel so familiar? Where have I seen her before?’
* * *
The grounds of Changnyeong Sect were surprisingly spacious.
The disciples of Changnyeong Sect lined up in the center to greet Hong Seol’s group.
“It is our first meeting. I am Seon Hyo, the third sect master of Changnyeong Sect….”
He had eyes with only the whites visible—a three-white eye condition—and wore a goatee that made him look narrow-minded. In short, his impression was thoroughly unpleasant.
His demeanor was also blunt, hardly befitting a sect master welcoming guests.
When Hong Seol’s eyes met his, she trembled slightly.
‘Something about this doesn’t feel right….’
Tense, Hong Seol swallowed dryly and glanced to the side. Nam Goong Baek too seemed to have received a similar impression, watching him with caution.
“Well, since you’ve come this far, I suppose I should show you to the Guest House….”
He clearly did not seem particularly welcoming of Hong Seol’s group.
It appeared that seeking aid from the Sword King rather than the Martial Alliance was Seagull Eyebrow’s idea, not the sect master’s.
‘Still, it would be awkward for him to lose face in front of all these disciples.’
But Nam Goong Ho was not one to worry about such things.
After glancing around once, Nam Goong Ho spoke without hesitation.
“Before we rest from our journey, I’d like to see the place where Mu Gwi Geom appears.”
Sect Master Seon Hyo answered abruptly.
“Very well. That corpse demon… or rather, the previous sect master resides hidden in the mountains nearby and only appears at the Memorial Hall at night.”
The Memorial Hall was located at the very back of the sect grounds.
Centered around the Memorial Hall were three halls, each responsible for precepts, finances, and martial arts respectively.
Behind them stood the Library Hall for storing various documents and secret manuals, the Guest House where visitors stayed, and the Taoist Temple where incense was burned and blessings sought.
And farthest from the Memorial Hall was the Youth Dormitory where the young disciples resided.
Seeing this, Hong Seol’s face fell.
‘This is terrible….’
The Youth Dormitory was called a dormitory in name, but it was little more than a crumbling storehouse.
“Very well, let us start with the Memorial Hall.”
At that moment, Hong Seol tugged gently at Nam Goong Ho’s sleeve from beside him.
When the disciples were all gathered in one place, there was something she absolutely needed to confirm.
As Nam Goong Ho bent down to meet her eye level, Hong Seol rose slightly on her toes and whispered into his ear.
“Excuse me, Elder! Have the Taoist masters perhaps checked who the sorcerer is?”
If they could locate the sorcerer, there would be no need for Nam Goong Ho to fight the jiangshi at all.
Hong Seol’s deepest wish was for everything to conclude peacefully, without Nam Goong Ho having to engage in combat.
At her words, Nam Goong Ho spoke as though he had momentarily forgotten something.
“Ah, that’s right.”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
Nam Goong Ho spoke with gravity toward Seon Hyo, the sect leader, whose expression had grown uncertain.
“A jiangshi always has a sorcerer behind it. The character that appears on the sorcerer’s palm is identical to the one on the jiangshi’s forehead.”
It was the character for “living”—活—that marked them.
Hong Seol recalled the procession she had encountered before the Inn days ago.
‘I definitely saw that same character on the Maoshan Sect Taoist’s palm!’
Yet all the Taoist masters of the Changnyeong Sect wore silk gloves without exception.
If the sect leader commanded them to remove their gloves in unison, the culprit could be identified with ease.
“Why take a roundabout path when an easy one exists? Let us examine everyone’s palms here and now. Immediately.”
At those words, Sect Leader Seon Hyo’s face flushed crimson and then pale.
“Are you suggesting, Great Hero, that the culprit is among the disciples of our Changnyeong Sect?”
The resonant tone of his voice startled Hong Seol, who could not channel inner energy to protect herself.
– Be careful.
Thanks to Nam Goong Baek covering both her ears with his hands, the impact was lessened.
Seon Hyo seemed to realize only after shouting whom he had directed his voice toward.
The Sword King—one of the Five Sovereigns of the Martial Arts World.
The Grand Patriarch of the Nam Goong Family, whose experience and martial prowess were incomparable to those of this young sect leader.
Moreover, had he not traveled this great distance to aid the Changnyeong Sect?
And brought his young grandchildren with him at that.
His mouth fell open, then closed shut, and he bowed his head deeply.
“I-I have acted rashly and without thought, Great Hero.”
At his words, Nam Goong Ho’s expression softened. No matter how inexperienced a junior of the Martial Arts World might be, Seon Hyo was still a sect leader.
“No, it is I who was hasty. I respect the sect leader’s resolve not to suspect the disciples of your school.”
“Thank you, Infinite Buddha.”
Seon Hyo bowed lightly.
‘Hmph, in the end, we still didn’t get them to remove their gloves….’
Hong Seol tried to hide her disappointment. Then Nam Goong Ho spoke with measured gravity.
“Instead, let us visit the Memorial Hall where the previous sect leader is said to have descended. We must pay our respects anyway.”
* * *
The Changnyeong Sect’s Memorial Hall stood at the deepest part of the grounds, atop a high flight of stairs that required considerable climbing.
Dense trees rose behind it, while moss and wet leaves covered the sides of the staircase.
In one corner, a pile of firewood clearly stacked since the previous winter was visible.
Whether rain had fallen yesterday or not, the wood was thoroughly soaked through.
“Mind your footing so you do not slip.”
It was Seagull Eyebrow who spoke.
“This place doesn’t get much sunlight, so moss tends to accumulate on the stones beneath our feet. Once it rains, the ground takes forever to dry.”
His words proved accurate. Hong Seol tightened her grip on Nam Goong Baek’s arm, wary of slipping.
“This way, please.”
Hong Seol’s group followed Seagull Eyebrow into the Memorial Hall.
Within that sacred space, where the memorial tablets of Gae Pa Jo Sa and the previous sect leader of the Changnyeong Sect were enshrined, the fragrance of incense permeated the air.
Yet that scent emanated only from the thick layer of ash that had accumulated. More than six days had passed since incense had been lit in the Memorial Hall.
The rampage of the jiangshi was to blame.
Deep sword marks scarred the walls, and the altar table that once held the incense burner lay shattered in half.
Unable to light incense, Hong Seol’s group simply bowed respectfully before the memorial tablets.
“I cannot fathom why the previous sect leader rampages in this place. He cherished the Changnyeong Sect more than anyone.”
The words came from Seagull Eyebrow, who served as their guide.
“Hmm.”
As the group emerged from the Memorial Hall without discovering anything of note and began walking toward the Guest House, it happened.
Sniff, sniff.
Hong Seol’s delicate nose detected a sweet fragrance.
Her face brightened instantly as she spoke.
“Don’t you smell peaches from somewhere?”
Seagull Eyebrow answered.
“Ah! That would be because there is a Peach Orchard behind the Youth Dormitory.”
“A Peach Orchard in such a remote mountain valley?”
“Yes, our Han Seo Jin Immortal was quite fond of peaches, as befits a Taoist. When he first established this place, he carefully selected stones and brought in rich soil to cultivate the Peach Orchard.”
“Wow, with such a wonderful fragrance, they must be incredibly sweet!”
“Indeed, thanks to the devoted care, they are truly delicious. Moreover, there is a liquor said to have been made from the very first peaches Han Seo Jin Immortal harvested, and it has been passed down through the generations….”
Upon hearing this, Nam Goong Baek muttered softly to himself.
“…A Taoist drinks alcohol?”
“Oh no, no, no. Of course not.”
Seagull Eyebrow, who seemed to possess an uncanny ability to understand, waved his hand dismissively.
“It is merely liquor that Han Seo Jin Immortal personally brewed long ago. The immortal’s parting words were to leave it be, for when the time comes, it will find its rightful owner.”
“The liquor will find its rightful owner?”
Nearly a century had passed since then.
Hong Seol tilted her head in utter bewilderment.
Seagull Eyebrow chuckled in the manner befitting a Taoist.
“Yes. All things are arranged as they should be, Amitabha Buddha.”
* * *
At that very moment, a woman carrying a basket of medicinal herbs stood in the Peach Orchard.
The woman was in fact Dok Bi Jo, employing a disguise technique.

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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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