Chapter v12c16: The Dog’s Disappearance

The Dog’s Disappearance

“Father! Father!”

A child ran up to his father, tugging at his pants. Tears welled up in his eyes, a sign that something was wrong.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s terrible! It’s terrible! Our old dog ran away!”

“What! Why would he run away now, after the dog days of summer are over? Did he realize it’s his turn next year? He’s too old to be chasing after females… Hmm!”

The man’s contemplation was interrupted by a strong tug on his pants.

“Father! Father!”

The child tugged at his pants again. The father exclaimed,

“Stop pulling! You’re going to rip my pants off!”

The man, addressed as “Father,” listened to his son with an indifferent expression.

“Old Dog! Old Dog! Go find Old Dog now!”

“How am I supposed to find him if he ran away on his own? He’s probably ended up in some hungry beggar’s pot.”

The man said, removing his son’s grip on his pants.

“Waaaaah! Old Dog! Find Old Dog now!”

Unable to refuse his son’s tearful plea, the man was at a loss.

“Alright, alright! I’ll find him, so please stop crying! My pants aren’t a rag!”

The father had no choice but to embark on a search mission for Old Dog. But no matter how thoroughly he searched the village, Old Dog was nowhere to be found. He encountered a group of suspicious-looking martial artists during his search, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

‘There’s no way those well-dressed people would do such a thing… Look at the old man in white leading them! He looks so refined and dignified. He would never do such a thing. Absolutely not.’

Besides, they were all armed. The man, a simple villager, didn’t have the courage to even speak to them. The group of martial artists, their faces grim, left the village. The man watched them curiously for a moment before resuming his search for Old Dog.

In a small clearing, a short distance from the village, Binggeom said with a serious expression,

* * *

“Will this be enough?”

“It will have to do.”

Bi Ryu-yeon replied.

“Tsk! I wish we had more… Just one dog!”

Yeomdo said, sounding disappointed.

“What about the pot?”

“No-hak already found one.”

“And the spices?”

“Sansan is going to get them.”

“Good!”

Bi Ryu-yeon nodded in satisfaction.

“It replenishes blood, boosts yang energy, and it’s delicious! It’s the perfect food for the patients!”

He smiled brightly, giving a thumbs-up. Yeomdo and Binggeom seemed to agree.

“It’ll be a good nutritional supplement after all this time.”

Yeomdo was already salivating, his anticipation evident. He was tired of dry rations. It was understandable that he craved something warm, chewy, and flavorful.

“You were amazing earlier, the way you caught that dog so cleanly.”

“You flatter me…”

Binggeom replied. It seemed he was responsible for procuring their food. One side was busy preparing the meal. They built a makeshift stove with stones and placed the pot on top. They gathered dry firewood and lit it. The Vermilion Bird Squad handled most of the work, their movements efficient and practiced, as if they had done this many times before.

Click! The firewood finally caught fire with the sound of flint striking steel. The wait for the water to boil felt agonizingly long.

Once they crossed this small village and the mountain pass beyond, they would enter the territory of the Mount Hua Sect. Their destination was just ahead.

*The Office of the Black Heaven Alliance Leader*

Gal Jeung cheon, the leader of the Black Heaven Alliance, was reviewing two reports. He was a man with the imposing presence of a towering mountain. His eyes, beneath his thick, black eyebrows, gleamed like a thousand-tempered sword. His sharp gaze scanned the reports that had just been delivered.

One report stated that the delegation from the Heavenly Demon’s Pavilion was nearing Mount Hua and would soon enter the Mount Hua Sect’s territory. However, as his gaze moved down the report, his eyebrows shot up in anger when he read that the delegation had been attacked en route, despite their precautions, and had suffered casualties. And when he reached the final line, “Pursuit failed,” his expression contorted with rage.

He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, and fell into a brief silence.

When would they finally catch a break? They had sent trackers, yet they had failed again. Even with all their precautions and meticulous planning, it was the same story. A deep sigh, laden with frustration, escaped his lips.

The other report stated that an explosion and a flash of light had been witnessed on a mountain near the path to Mount Hua, followed by a wildfire that had raged for three days and nights.

“Did the military’s gunpowder depot explode? Or was it an accident during a firearms experiment?”

Firearms were forbidden in the martial world. And gunpowder was a top military secret, strictly controlled and handled with utmost care, making it impossible to obtain illegally. It was an unusual incident, but not one they could ignore. And the fact that it had occurred near the path to Mount Hua was unsettling. He decided to investigate further and picked up the next report.

Just then, the door to his office burst open, and a middle-aged man rushed in, panting heavily. It wasn’t an intruder. It was Mun Suk, a first-rate strategist from the Black Heaven Brain, the alliance’s think tank.

Gal Jeung cheon frowned slightly.

“Can’t you enter more quietly? You’re going to break the door.”

But Mun Suk seemed oblivious to his words, his mind focused on catching his breath. He was so out of breath that he could barely speak. He exclaimed urgently, forgetting even to apologize for his rudeness,

“L-Leader! S-Something terrible… terrible has happened! Huff, huff, huff!”

What could be so urgent that he was in such a state of panic? Gal Jeung cheon frowned, his annoyance growing.

“Why are you making such a fuss?”

It was natural for him to frown. As a leader, he couldn’t afford to be easily shaken. He had to maintain a calm and objective perspective. If the leadership panicked, the entire organization would crumble.

He had always emphasized this lesson to his subordinates. So, it was only natural for him to be displeased by Mun Suk’s panicked state. But the strategist, kneeling before him, seemed oblivious to his displeasure.

Gal Jeung cheon had never seen Mun Suk so flustered. What could have shaken this man, who was usually as unyielding as a glacier?

“Catch your breath and speak properly. How am I supposed to understand what happened if you just pant?”

Mun Suk finally caught his breath and began his report.

“W-What?!”

Gal Jeung cheon jumped to his feet, his face contorted with shock. His rosewood chair toppled over with a crash. He couldn’t believe his ears.

“What did you just say? Repeat that!”

The fact that he asked him to repeat it showed how shocked he was. Although repeating it wouldn’t change anything, Mun Suk obeyed.

“Yes, reporting again. The S-Supreme Leader… is missing.”

“Missing?”

Gal Jeung cheon’s reaction was more of disbelief than shock.

“Y-Yes! Missing.”

“Don’t joke around…”

He didn’t bother adding, “Know your place.”

“It’s true.”

“That’s absurd!”

Crash!

Crack!

Another expensive table met its demise. Mun Suk silently calculated the cost of the table that had just been sacrificed for the noble purpose of venting his leader’s anger.

‘Another unnecessary expense.’

As a financial advisor, he was displeased, but he didn’t dare offer such dangerous advice to his fuming leader.

“Where… Where could he have gone? This has never happened before…”

He was his father, but he couldn’t even address him as such. Even though he was the leader of the Black Heaven Alliance, Gal Jeung hyeok, the Demonic Martial God, was that kind of existence to him. He didn’t think anything bad had happened to him. It was no exaggeration to say that no one in the current martial world possessed the ability to harm him.

His father had been heartbroken for nearly twenty years after the sudden disappearance of his only friend and rival, the Martial God Hyeok Wol-rin, forty years ago. And then, one day twenty years ago, he had suddenly started drinking and grieving with a sorrowful expression.

He had said that he had lost his only worthy opponent in the way of the sword. He couldn’t understand his father’s grief.

“He must have gone into seclusion to avoid all the attention. Who could possibly harm him without the Blood God?”

Gal Jeung cheon thought it was an unnecessary worry. He didn’t believe illness could conquer his father’s body. And his martial prowess was unquestionable. He believed that someone with the same abilities as hi father’s couldn’t possibly meet a meaningless end. But his father had shaken his head.

“No. I have a feeling I’ll never share a drink with him again. I can feel it. He’s no longer in this world…”

His voice had been filled with certainty. But Gal Jeung cheon still didn’t believe it. Even though it was his father’s word, he couldn’t accept it.

“It’s just a feeling! It’s not confirmed. He is still so strong, how could anything happen to him? Don’t worry.”

“…”

The Demonic Martial God, the pinnacle of the demonic path, remained silent. And that day, his father had stepped down as the leader of the Black Heaven Alliance and gone into seclusion. On the same day, he had become the new leader.

As far as he knew, his father, Gal Jeung hyeok, had never left his secluded retreat since that day. But to think he would leave after twenty years without any notice or message… A shadow of anxiety loomed over him, even though he tried to dismiss it.

“So, what are you doing here?”

Gal Jeung cheon’s gaze, which had been lost in thought, turned to Mun Suk.

“Y-Yes?”

Mun Suk stammered.

“I’m asking why you’re standing here like a statue instead of going to find him!”

He roared, his tiger-like eyes flashing with a sharp glint.

“Send out men immediately and find out where my father is!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Mun Suk scrambled out of the office at Gal Jeung cheon’s command. The Black Heaven Alliance leader watched him go, clicking his tongue disapprovingly.

“Did he really just run away?”

There was no one to answer his question.

*The Depths of the Heavenly Demon’s Pavilion*

The Young Master tore the report in his hands to shreds. The pieces of paper, like white flower petals, fluttered in the air. Lightning Flash Demon Sword Dongfang Xue, deceased. Lingering Thunder Demon Saber Gong Pai, severely injured. Flying Snake God Lord Mo Sa-ryeong, missing. In addition, Blood Chain, Blood Spear, and Blood Bow were dead.

It was a painful loss. And a completely unexpected blow. Chi Sa-han was trembling, his forehead pressed against the floor in apology, but the Young Master didn’t even glance at him.

However, when the Young Master received another report, his anger instantly transformed into joy. It was a rare and astonishing sight to see the usually cold and emotionless Young Master burst into laughter.

“Uhahaha! Is this report truly accurate?”

“It must be true, considering Venerable Gong was driven to the brink of death.”

Chi Sa-han replied, his forehead still pressed against the stone floor.

“Excellent, excellent! If this is true, it’s a priceless achievement, far outweighing our previous losses. The obstacles that have been holding us back, hiding in the shadows, are finally gone. Nothing can stop us now. If one of them is gone, it’s the same as both being gone.”

“T-That’s right. There’s no one left in this world who can stand in his way. What joyous news!”

“But there are still many thorns in our side. Strategist Chi!”

The Young Master called out to Chi Sa-han gently. It seemed his anger had subsided.

“Yes! Your command?”

His eyes, like cold, sharp blades, stared into the darkness.

“Prepare yourselves! I’m going to Mount Hua myself.”

“As you command!”

Chi Sa-han replied, prostrating himself with utmost respect.

The Young Master had finally decided to make his move.