Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Hundred Cats' Pilgrimage (4)
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“Ugh. I thought it was a miraculous elixir.”
Baek Ri-seol slumped her shoulders, completely dejected.
“The last one seemed pretty good, though.”
“The last one...”
Moyong So-hye, who had been listening, asked with cold, skeptical eyes.
“The medicine that's good for middle-aged men, menopausal women, the elderly, and teenagers?”
“Yeah. It pinpointed me exactly.”
“And where do the middle-aged men, menopausal women, and elderly fit in?”
“It also said it's perfect for pretty and cute girls.”
This is exactly that.
You could tell from Moyong So-hye's eyes.
Her expression said there are actually people who fall for sales tactics like this.
“It's not an all-cure wonder drug. You think there's something that's good for everyone?”
“There might be. The medicine peddler said it was made from a special spiritual herb from the Heavenly Mountains.”
“Why would something that precious be sold at a street stall?”
Is that so?
Moyong So-hye shot back at Baek Ri-seol, who was tilting her head.
“And the peddler looked like he knew he'd hooked a sucker.”
One of Baek Ri-seol's flaws was her complete inability to read people's intentions.
She'd lived a life with little interaction with others, so it was unavoidable.
“You can't just swallow every sweet word from a medicine peddler hook, line, and sinker!”
“...Ugh. Got it.”
But her strength was that she listened well to advice from those around her.
“It's a shame, but oh well.”
Baek Ri-seol muttered regretfully, shaking off her lingering attachment.
“But the cat perfume might be...”
“The perfume that makes that willful 'he' of yours come back?”
“Yeah, that's the one.”
Yeo Mae-hong chuckled at that.
“I wonder who this man is that our cute little Baek Ri-seol student wants to win over?”
“Oh my. So even Baek Ri-seol is a grown woman now.”
Moyong So-hye glanced slyly at the two teasing older women, then for some reason turned to look this way.
And shook her head.
“Wrong. The one unnie's thinking of is someone beyond medicine.”
I don't know exactly what she meant, but it made me feel awfully bad for some reason.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The group of five now poked around every corner of the Cat Truth Sect.
No matter how much effort they'd put into preparations, new attractions kept popping up even after a full day of wandering.
“The Hundred Cats' Pilgrimage is so much fun.”
“Yeah. It's been ages since I had fun like I did as a kid.”
Chu Un-hwi chimed into Yeo Mae-hong and Moyong Seon-ya's conversation.
“Nice. Enjoy it while it lasts. Your youth is almost over, isn't it?”
“Hey! You jerk!”
He got smacked.
“Youth is still a long way off from ending!”
No, he got smacked twice.
The second one hurt more because it came from someone at the tail end of her youth.
“By the way, where's Brother Nangong?”
“Brother? Oh, Nangong student.”
Moyong Seon-ya suddenly put on an adult face and smiled warmly.
“Our So-hye is at the age for love now, too.”
“Ow! It's not like that!”
“Exactly, Moyong student. Love passionately and yearn hotly.”
Chu Un-hwi added his instructor-like advice from the side.
“Yeah. If you miss the timing, you'll pass your marriageable age and end up like this...”
Smack.
Twice.
Before he could even finish.
This world—this jianghu—was so unfair.
“Huh? Isn't that Nangong student and Jegal over there?”
Looking where Baek Ri-seol pointed, sure enough, it was the two of them.
They were walking side by side, shoulder to shoulder, coming out of a small temporary hut.
The writing on the hut's signboard caught the eye.
- Divine Cat Fortunes.
Divine Cat Fortunes?
Below was a rough explanation.
- Fortunes. Wealth. Luck.
Aren't you curious about your fate?
“Oh. Instructor.”
Nangong Yun-ho, spotting them first, approached.
“We couldn't see you. You were here.”
“Yeah. Things turned out that way.”
As he waved the paper in his hand, Jegal Tan beside him hid his hands.
“Jegal. Did you get a fortune?”
“Well...”
“The incarnation of calculation, the genius of the Jegal family, clinging to superstitions like fortunes?”
“Ugh.”
Jegal Tan, face red, shut his mouth.
There's a way to handle this.
Turning his gaze, Nangong Yun-ho, oblivious, tilted his head.
“Nangong.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“Did you get a fortune?”
“Yes, I did.”
Unlike Jegal Tan, Nangong Yun-ho confessed straightforwardly.
“This past year has been quite eventful, so out of curiosity, I did.”
“I see.”
“Someone told me that traveling with you, Instructor, who knows when disaster might strike, so at least let's check the fortunes.”
“That someone was Jegal?”
“...A certain acquaintance.”
Whack!
“Kek!”
Jegal Tan clutched his shin and rolled on the ground.
“...I never said it was Tan?”
“Quit fooling around. Who else is your friend besides this guy?”
“...!”
Nangong Yun-ho made a face like he'd been hit right in the gut.
“Anyway, fortunes, huh.”
It's surprising people waste money on such nonsense.
...Or so I thought.
The women beside him had their eyes sparkling at the word 'fortune'.
“Fortunes! I've always wanted to try one!”
“And it's cat fortunes! They say the mystical divine cats do them personally?”
Not only did Baek Ri-seol and Moyong So-hye react enthusiastically.
“Ho ho. Girls that age are drawn to this stuff.”
“Let's take a peek for fun.”
The two adults were delighted to find something enjoyable.
“Well, if you say so...”
It might be fun to check it out once, just for kicks.
No need to exclude worthless things like in my previous life this time around.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Pulling back the curtain and stepping inside, it was more proactive than expected.
There were over a dozen shelves inside, each with a small box and a cat on top.
The boxes were labeled with things like 'Wealth', 'Fortune', 'Business', etc. Moyong Seon-ya commented.
“Looks like you can pick a specific fortune you want.”
“Oh my. That line over there is the longest.”
Where Yeo Mae-hong pointed, a man and woman were dropping silver coins into the box below the shelf.
Clink.
As the money box rang, the cat perked up its ears.
Nyaaao~ong~.
Letting out a lazy meow, it reached into the fortune box and pulled out a wooden ball.
Clink.
The wooden ball rolled down the shelf's gutter and dropped beside the money box.
“Let's see...”
Crack.
The man cracked open the wooden ball tensely and sighed in disappointment.
“Small fortune. Close, but no cigar.”
“It's fine. Not drawing a bad one is something.”
“True.”
Quite intrigued, Baek Ri-seol stepped forward.
“I-I'll go first.”
Kyaat!
The cat bristled at the sight of Baek Ri-seol but didn't flee, showing professional pride.
“Cat nim! Give me a grand fortune, please!”
Baek Ri-seol clasped her hands and dropped silver coins into the box with a clink.
Jangle. Jangle.
As the box rang, the calico cat let out its signature lazy meow.
Roll. Click.
Baek Ri-seol cracked open the wooden ball that rolled up and beamed.
“Wow! 'Cool on the outside, but warm to those you like!' That's me!”
What nonsense is this?
Being warm to people you like is normal.
So I thought.
“Aah—it's really mystical!”
Baek Ri-seol was hooked.
“Unnie, it's spot on. Cat divine fortunes are amazing. I want one too!”
Moyong So-hye was hooked too.
The rest was equally vague.
It had a long explanation, but summed up simply.
- Success if you meet a noble person, misfortune if you meet a villain.
Isn't something off here?
It was so generic it was surprising.
But Baek Ri-seol was already captivated by the first line and fully immersed in the cat fortunes.
“It's really amazing. Small fortune is a bit disappointing, though.”
Moyong So-hye had fallen for the shallow sales trick too.
“Cat God! Will I make lots of friends?”
Aaah, no!
“Nooo!”
The empty-headed girl who could read people but not cats despaired.
“Grand fortune! Grand fortune, please!”
“I'm not satisfied with small fortune either!”
Not content with the results, the two who were obsessed shoved coins into the box frantically.
They fed it so aggressively the cat seemed flustered.
Moyong Seon-ya, who had been watching, stepped in.
“You two. Fortunes are only real the first time. The first one is the true one.”
Yeo Mae-hong joined in.
“Not accepting the result is childish.”
As martial artists, humbly accept the outcome!
Rebuked maturely, the two wilted and meekly replied, “Yes.”
That was when.
“Oh. Instructor Chu?”
A familiar voice from inside, and Instructor Jo Hyun emerged.
With Squad Leader Yang on crutches beside her.
Not expecting to run into them, both faces flushed red.
“What brings you here when you're not well?”
At the remark, Instructor Jo Hyun replied sheepishly.
“I heard the Divine Cat Fortunes are mystical.”
“Ahem. Just curiosity.”
As they watched the two with beet-red faces, Instructor Jo Hyun defended.
“Squad Leader Yang just obliged my unreasonable request.”
- Curious about compatibility...
Silence suddenly fell over the room at the follow-up.
“C-...compatibility?”
“Right. Compatibility.”
“Compatibility. In other words, romance luck.”
Yeo Mae-hong broke the brief silence with an awkward laugh.
“Ho ho ho. It is curious. Compatibility.”
“Yeah. Fortunes are nice, but the real highlight is always bonds. Not romance—bonds.”
“Ro-mance-luck. Perfect for me.”
Everyone was laughing, but for some reason, a chilling dread crept in.
Then came monstrous wails from the three who vanished to the back.
“No way! This is invalid!”
Moyong Seon-ya, who had maturely scolded them, now threw a full tantrum.
“This—can't be.”
Yeo Mae-hong, who preached humble acceptance, refused to yield.
“Waaah. Stupid cat!”
Baek Ri-seol, who had worshipped the cat moments ago, hurled the wooden ball at it.
“It's just for fun, but...”
The three tore up their fortune papers and latched back onto the money box.
“Grand fortune. Grand fortune.”
“Grand fortune, please.”
“Please, grand fortune. Real grand fortune.”
Jangle. Jangle.
Chu Un-hwi asked as they aggressively tormented the box.
“Didn't you say the first fortune is the real one?”
He thought he'd spoken reasonably.
- Shut up.
Three pairs of sharp glares flew his way—it was pretty scary.
“Good grief. No maturity at all.”
That Moyong So-hye was the most level-headed here made him a bit worried for the jianghu's future.
“You're the best. So immature.”
Come to think of it.
Fortunes... First time in this life.
Curious, Chu Un-hwi shoved silver into the nearby box.
Nyaaaa~ong!
With a lazy meow, the wooden ball rolled down.
Click.
He cracked it open, pulled out the paper, and unfolded it. A short phrase was written inside.
- Grand Misfortune.
Your life is ruined.
Click.
He folded the fortune back into the ball, smashed it, dropped it in the box, and pulled out more silver.
Jegal Tan, watching, tilted his head.
“Didn't you say fortunes are only once?”
“Shut your mouth.”
After felling Jegal Tan, Chu Un-hwi drew fortunes repeatedly.
- Grand Misfortune. Don't hope for happiness if you have a conscience.
- Extreme Misfortune. Better off dying now.
“Haa.”
On the fourth coin, Chu Un-hwi growled at the cat.
“Draw well. Unless you want to end up as cat stew.”
Heeeek!
The trembling cat carefully drew a ball after much deliberation.
- Grand Fortune.
Only flower paths ahead for you.
Ready to enjoy life?
Only then did Chu Un-hwi nod in satisfaction.
“Cat. You're mystical.”
As he basked in satisfaction, Nangong Yun-ho's silence and Moyong So-hye's glare pierced him.
“So much for maturity.”
Chu Un-hwi pretended not to hear and just whistled away.