A Baby Cat Who Commands the Dog Clan - Chapter 94

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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 94
At those words, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader rose from his seat.
“What that child demonstrated is undoubtedly the corpse-raising technique of the Zhenzhou Sect, not the Demonic Cult!”
Martial Arts Alliance Leader Tal Hun Jang.
His true name was Eon Soo Ryang, a direct descendant of the Zhenzhou Sect, renowned for their corpse-raising techniques.
Because he had severed ties with his family, few knew this fact about him.
‘I only learned it from grandfather’s stories.’
Hong Seol playfully extended her pink tongue, and seeing this, Nam Goong Ho waved his hand cheerfully from a short distance away.
The Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s face grew twice as rigid as before.
“It seems you didn’t know I was from the Zhenzhou Sect. Is there anyone in this place who truly understands corpse-raising techniques as well as I do?”
“That is… well…”
Seon Hyo, who had been rambling in his haste, stopped abruptly as if he had bitten his own tongue.
“There’s nothing more to see. Take that man and his associates away!”
“Aaaahhh!”
Through Woon Young’s subsequent testimony that followed, Seon Hyo’s crimes were laid bare in their entirety.
* * *
“You’re telling me you sent this letter?”
“Ah, yes…”
Je Gal Hyeop was astounded by Hong Seol’s expression, as if it were nothing significant.
“They say the Martial Arts World is vast and geniuses are plentiful, but you’re the perfect match for that saying.”
“Your tone is sharp, but it’s nothing short of high praise.”
At the Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s explanation, Je Gal Hyeop turned his head away with a dismissive snort.
Hong Seol broke into a bright smile.
“I know it’s praise.”
Watching Nam Goong Ho look so pleased made it difficult not to understand.
The Martial Arts Alliance Leader asked.
“Sword King, who exactly is this child?”
At those words, Nam Goong Ho’s expression stiffened slightly.
He was worried that Je Gal Hyeop might discover Hong Seol’s true identity.
However, Nam Goong Ho was also a seasoned veteran of the Martial Arts World. He answered with practiced ease.
“My prospective daughter-in-law.”
“Ah, then she’s betrothed to Young Master Nam Goong Baek here!”
At those words, Nam Goong Baek’s complexion changed.
“Grandfather! That’s too much of a jest.”
“Hehe, my apologies, Seol Ah. The truth is she’s a distant relative. There are circumstances, but her actions are so endearing that I’ve taken her under my wing.”
Many people here had overheard the conversation between Hong Seol and Woon Young last night. Everyone knew that Hong Seol was an abandoned child. Therefore, this was a carefully crafted explanation.
“Indeed, since the Sword King has no granddaughter, it’s quite understandable.”
Fortunately, neither the Martial Arts Alliance Leader Eon Soo Ryang nor the Heavenly Prodigy Je Gal Hyeop harbored much suspicion.
“By the way, what do you intend to do about the Changnyeong Sect?”
The Martial Arts Alliance Leader answered Nam Goong Ho’s question.
“…Well, it seems the disciples uninvolved in this matter wish to remain with the Changnyeong Sect.”
“Then there must be a next Sect Master.”
“Now only one first-generation disciple of the Changnyeong Sect remains.”
The Martial Arts Alliance leader pointed toward the back.
Seagull Eyebrow stood there.
He was the Daoist who had courageously defied the order to harm Hong Seol.
A subtle smile bloomed at the corners of Nam Goong Ho’s lips.
“…It seems like a reasonable choice.”
Whether Seagull Eyebrow had been kind to the disciples in the past, even Woon Young clasped her hands together in approval.
Yet Seagull Eyebrow himself appeared bewildered.
“A true Sect Master must bow before the memorial tablets in the Memorial Hall and receive recognition.”
But as he trailed off with a guilty expression, mentioning that the Memorial Hall had caught fire—
Nam Goong Baek withdrew something from his robes and handed it to Seagull Eyebrow.
“Here.”
“What is this?”
What he offered were two memorial tablets of the previous Sect Masters, wrapped in plain cloth.
Nam Goong Baek spoke matter-of-factly.
“Upon inspection, it turned out the Memorial Hall was remarkably spared from the flames. Fearing the embers might spread, I brought them with me.”
“What? The smoke was so thick I couldn’t see clearly…. But the fire was burning so fiercely?”
“Perhaps the Primordial Celestial Worthy took pity on the disciples of the Changnyeong Sect.”
“Oh!”
“Infinite Buddha!”
Seagull Eyebrow and the remaining Daoists looked as though tears might spill from their eyes.
‘Good heavens.’
I marveled at Nam Goong Baek’s effortless deception.
‘If my older brother ordered me to bring those….’
Last night, my older brother had indeed said so.
“Seol Ah. Just in case, gather all the memorial tablets before we set fire to the Memorial Hall.”
“Meow…?”
To my meow—a sound that seemed to ask ‘What will you use them for?’—Nam Goong Baek had replied.
“I’ve taken precautions, but if something were to happen to the Memorial Hall, the Daoists of the Changnyeong Sect should have something to lean upon, shouldn’t they?”
Just as he himself was now relying on a young kitten.
I failed to perceive the heart hidden behind Nam Goong Baek’s enigmatic smile.
I could only marvel at how effortlessly he wove his falsehoods.
‘Remarkable, truly.’
My older brother Nam Goong Baek was undoubtedly the greatest liar in the world.
And yet I found nothing distasteful about it.
It was truly a strange thing.
Then, Je Gal Hyeop, the supreme commander of the Martial Arts Alliance, suddenly whispered to me.
“Now that you’ve concluded everything as you wished, you must keep your promise, yes?”
“Pardon?”
Hong Seol’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Didn’t you write in your letter that coming here would reveal the answer to the riddle?”
His gaze flickered with something beyond mere curiosity—an obsessive intensity.
Hong Seol smiled softly at the sight.
“Very well. Rather than give you the answer outright, I’ll offer you a clue instead.”
“You know the answer? How is that possible?”
“Ah, for children like me, it’s an extremely simple riddle.”
“What?”
Hong Seol recalled the riddle.
[Who is the most handsome water carrier in Hubei Province?]
Je Gal Hyeop spoke with disbelief.
“I searched everywhere in Hubei Province for every water carrier I could find to discover the answer. Yet the answer was nowhere to be found.”
“That makes sense. That’s not how you’re supposed to solve it.”
“Then how?”
“You must look at it through a child’s eyes. Through the eyes of a child who ‘cannot read.'”
“A child’s eyes… Could it be!”
Je Gal Hyeop’s eyes widened as realization dawned.
“Could the answer be me, Je Gal Hyeop!”
Hong Seol nodded slowly.
‘To solve it with just those hints—truly, a genius is a genius.’
Hong Seol broke into a pleased smile.
His name character: Hyeop (夾).
It resembled a figure carrying water buckets on both sides.
Any child seeing that character for the first time would surely have said it looked like a water carrier.
‘The woman who posed the riddle said she had a child.’
If that were so, she must have been concerned about the child before hastily agreeing to marriage.
‘But it seems the woman must have cared for the General Commander. That’s why she posed such a riddle.’
Through the riddle, the woman had conveyed a message to Je Gal Hyeop.
If you can understand a child’s heart well enough to solve such a riddle, then I will marry you.
The brilliant Je Gal Hyeop seemed to have grasped the deeper meaning at once.
Judging by what he said next.
“Once I return to Wuhan, I must seek her out immediately. And I’ll bring toys for the child.”
Hong Seol, who had been smiling contentedly, suddenly choked at Je Gal Hyeop’s next words.
“You’re so clever it’s as though Je Gal blood flows through your veins.”
“Cough, cough!”
“Of course, that’s not the case. But how about marrying into the Je Gal Family someday? If you’re willing, I’ll arrange a match for you at once.”
Je Gal Hyeop, who had been speaking excitedly, suddenly flinched.
“That won’t be possible.”
“I’ve barely let you have a conversation with the child, and now you’re saying strange things.”
Nam Goong Baek’s eyes blazed with fury, and Nam Goong Ho’s presence was equally menacing as they stepped forward.
“Heh, Elder. I was merely jesting, merely jesting.”
Je Gal Hyeop had no choice but to retreat, waving his fan dismissively.
* * *
I wished to linger and unburden my heart, but our party had no time to spare.
We had to depart for Sichuan as soon as the waters of Wuhan cleared.
As I was gathering my belongings and preparing to leave, someone knocked upon the door of my quarters.
It was Seon Ryeo, the newly appointed Sect Master, along with Pockmark and the other disciples and novices of the Changnyeong Sect, and Woon Young, whose face had brightened considerably.
With the aid of Martial Arts Alliance leader Eon Soo Ryang, Woon Young had erased the character for “bow” that Mu Gwi Geom had inscribed upon her palm.
Thanks to this, Mu Gwi Geom could also rest peacefully.
“What brings you all here?”
A flood of gratitude poured down upon the bewildered Hong Seol.
“Thank you, Miss!”
“You have saved our Changnyeong Sect. Han Seo Jin Immortal, our Gae Pa Jo Sa, must be overjoyed!”
“You saved us disciples!”
Am I truly worthy of such words?
Hong Seol’s face flushed as she glanced back at Nam Goong Ho.
“Ah, my Seol Ah is the finest! Look at her—such depth of character!”
Nam Goong Ho was even more effusive than the Taoists.
‘Oh, Grandfather…’
I shouldn’t have looked back. Hong Seol broke into an embarrassed cold sweat.
Nam Goong Baek’s expression remained as composed as ever, yet the corner of his mouth twitched slightly—clearly pleased that Hong Seol was receiving such praise.
Sect Master Seon Ryeo stepped forward and bowed deeply before speaking.
“Our sect owes you a great debt. We wish to repay this kindness by offering you one of our sect’s treasures. Please tell us what you desire.”
As Seon Ryeo raised his hand, Pockmark unfurled a yellow cloth before us.
Within lay an array of glittering gold and silver treasures.
There were turtles carved delicately from jade, bells said to ward off misfortune, and golden ornamental belts.
Any of these items would easily be worth a hundred taels of silver.
Yet Hong Seol found herself hesitating before them.
“Why do you hesitate, Miss? Is there nothing here that pleases you?”
At Seon Ryeo’s question, Hong Seol merely bit her lip in contemplation.
“Please speak freely, whatever it may be. You are our benefactor who saved our children. There is nothing we cannot offer you.”
At those words, Hong Seol found her courage.
“Then… might I receive the peach wine that Han Seo Jin Immortal is said to have made?”
In that moment, all fell silent at the unexpected request.

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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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