Book 12 Chapter 14

The Great Dog Escape

"Dad! Dad!"

A child ran over and tugged at his father's pants.

The tears welling up in the child's eyes indicated that something was seriously wrong.

"What? What's wrong?"

"It's a disaster! A disaster! Our old dog ran away."

"What! You mean, that dog, now that it's past the hottest part of summer? Did he realize it's his turn next year? He's too old to have run off with a female… Ugh!"

The man's contemplation was broken by the child's insistent tugging, strong enough to loosen his belt.

"Dad! Dad!"

The child tugged at his father's pants again. The father shouted,

"Stop pulling! You rascal! Why are you clinging to me like that? My pants are going to come off."

The man, called "Dad," feigned disinterest as he listened to his son.

"Nogu, Nogu, Nogu! Go find Nogu quickly!"

"How am I supposed to find a dog that ran away on its own? It probably ended up in some hungry beggar's pot."

The man said, pulling away his son's clasped hands.

"Waaah, Nogu! Find Nogu quickly!"

Unable to refuse his son's tearful plea, the man flustered.

"Alright, alright! I'll do it, so please stop crying! My pants aren't a rag, you brat!"

The father had no choice but to embark on a search operation for Nogu for his son. However, no matter how thoroughly they searched the village, Nogu's whereabouts remained unknown. While inquiring here and there, he encountered some suspicious martial artists, but the man quickly dismissed his own thoughts.

'Could people dressed so smartly have done something like that… Look at that old man in white at the front! He looks so noble and majestic. There's no way he would have done that. Of course not.'

Moreover, they were all armed. A simple villager like him wouldn't have the courage to even speak to them. The group of martial artists the man saw left the village with grim expressions. Driven by curiosity, the man watched them for a moment before returning to his search for Nogu.

A small clearing a short distance from the village. Bing Geom said with a solemn face,

"Will this be enough?"

"It will be enough somehow,"

Bilyeon replied.

"Tsk! I wish there were more… Just one, that's all!"

Yeomdo said regretfully.

"What about the pot?"

"No Hah has already fetched it."

"And the seasoning?"

"San San said he'd go get it."

"Hmm!"

Bilyeon nodded with great satisfaction.

"It replenishes blood and supplements vital energy, plus it tastes good! It's the best for patients!"

He grinned and gave a thumbs-up. Yeomdo and Bing Geom seemed to agree.

"This will be a much-needed nutritional supplement after so long."

Yeomdo's mouth was already watering with anticipation. He was utterly tired of dry food. It was understandable that he was filled with hope for something chewy with a warm broth.

"That neat skill of catching the dog earlier was truly remarkable."

"You flatter me…"

Bing Geom replied. It seemed the task of catching the food was Bing Geom's accomplishment. One side was busy preparing the meal. They made a stand with stones of appropriate size and placed a cauldron on top. Dry firewood, gathered from below, was lit. Most of the work was handled by Jujakdan, their movements precise and skilled as if they had done it many times before.

Clink! With the sound of flint striking flint, the firewood finally caught fire. The time it took for the water to boil felt agonizingly long.

Leaving this small hamlet and crossing just one mountain pass would lead them into the territory of the Huashan Sect. Their destination was now within reach.

Black Heaven Alliance Headquarters, Black Heaven Chamber of the Black Dao Alliance

Gal Jungcheon, the leader of the Black Heaven Alliance, was examining two reports laid before him. He exuded the imposing presence of a colossal mountain. His eyes, beneath strong, charcoal-black eyebrows, held a sharp glint like a sword honed ten thousand times. These two sharp gazes were now meticulously scanning the newly submitted reports.

One report stated that the delegation from Macheon Pavilion was nearing Huashan and would soon enter the safe zone of the Huashan Sect. However, as his gaze moved down the section describing the casualties from an ambush during their journey to Huashan, despite pre-emptive defenses, his eyebrows shot up in fury. And when he read the final phrase, 'Pursuit failed,' his expression contorted terribly.

He closed his eyes for a moment, leaned back in his chair, and fell into a brief silence.

When would they be able to catch these people? Despite sending secret trackers, they had failed again. They had been cautious and meticulous, yet the outcome was the same. A deep sigh filled with anguish escaped from the depths of his lungs.

Another report detailed a sighting of an explosion and a flash of light on a mountain along the route to Huashan, followed by a mountain fire that raged for three nights and four days.

"Was it a military gunpowder depot that exploded? Or did a fire experiment accidentally set the mountain ablaze?"

Firearms were forbidden items in the martial world. Furthermore, gunpowder was a top military secret. It was handled with extreme caution under strict government control, and it was never to be taken out carelessly. While there was nothing remarkable in itself, it was a matter that could not be overlooked. Moreover, the location, precisely on the route to Huashan, was particularly unsettling. He thought that a more detailed investigation might be necessary and picked up the next report.

Just then, the office door was roughly opened, and a middle-aged man burst in, panting. The intruder was not unwelcome. The man was Mun Suk, a top strategist from the Black Heaven Brain Trust, the Black Heaven Alliance's elite think tank.

Gal Jungcheon's brow furrowed slightly.

"Can't you come in more quietly? The door's going to fall off."

However, the man seemed not to hear the words of Gal Jungcheon, the leader of the Black Heaven Alliance, such was his haste. The middle-aged man was concentrating all his attention on catching his breath, unable to speak coherently. Without even apologizing for his rudeness, the middle-aged man exclaimed urgently,

"M-My Lord, a d-disaster, a disaster has occurred! Hahh, hahh!"

What kind of urgent event could make him so flustered and terrified? Gal Jungcheon's displeasure grew.

"Why are you so flustered?"

It was natural for his brow to furrow. One who stands above others should not easily be swayed like everyone else. One must always observe the situation with a calm gaze. If the command center panics, the organization simply becomes a mob.

He had always instilled these lessons in the leaders who assisted him. Yet, seeing such panic made his displeasure understandable. However, the soldier kneeling before him, on the verge of collapsing, seemed to disregard that fact.

Gal Jungcheon felt as if he had never seen such a pale and flustered soldier before. What could possibly shake him, who was like a solid block of ice?

"Stop panting and speak properly. How else would I know what's happening?"

The man, having finally caught his breath, began his report urgently.

"W-What!"

Gal Jungcheon exclaimed in shock and leaped from his seat. With a "thud," the rosewood chair toppled backward. Gal Jungcheon couldn't believe his ears.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

His repeated question clearly indicated how shocked Gal Jungcheon was. Although the content wouldn't change, the soldier, having received the order, repeated what he had said.

"Yes, I report again. The Supreme Leader has gone missing."

"Missing?"

Gal Jungcheon's reaction was not one of intense emotion, but rather of disbelief.

"Yes! M-Missing."

"This is a joke…"

He didn't bother to add, 'You should be more careful.'

"It's true."

"You fool!"

CRASH!

CRACK!

Another expensive table met its end today. The soldier silently calculated the cost of the table, which had heroically sacrificed itself for the purpose of venting the leader's rage.

'Another unnecessary expenditure.'

As a financial advisor, he was very displeased, but he didn't want to offer such dangerous advice to the grumbling leader.

"Where on earth, where on earth did he go? Something like this has never happened before…"

He could barely bring himself to call the man his father. Despite being the leader of the Black Heaven Alliance, such was his relationship with the Martial God Gal Jung Hyuk. He didn't believe his father had met with any misfortune. 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 his only friend and unmatched rival, the Martial God Hyuk Wolrin, mysteriously disappeared forty years ago. Then, one day, twenty years ago, he was drinking sadly with a dejected face.

He said he had lost his sparring partner in martial arts forever. He couldn't comprehend his father's sorrow.

"He probably went into seclusion to escape the constant pestering. Without the Blood God, who could possibly harm him?"

Gal Jungcheon considered it unnecessary worry. Illness could never conquer that body. His martial prowess was beyond question. He believed that death would never befall someone with abilities equal to his father's. However, his father shook his head.

"No. I have a feeling I will never share a drink with him again. I can feel it. The fact that he is no longer in this world…"

His voice was filled with conviction. Yet, Gal Jungcheon still didn't believe him. No matter how much his father, whom he respected like heaven, said it, he couldn't trust it.

"It's just a feeling! It's not confirmed. If our esteemed father says so, is there really anything wrong with him? Please don't worry."

"…"

The sky of the Black Dao remained silent, offering no reply. That day, his father abdicated his position as leader of the Black Heaven Alliance and began his seclusion. On the same day, he became the leader of the Black Heaven Alliance.

As far as he knew, his father, Gal Jung Hyuk, had never left his secluded dwelling since that day. For him to go out after twenty years without any notice or message… He told himself that such a thing was unlikely, but the shadow of anxiety deepened.

"By the way, what are you doing standing here?"

Gal Jungcheon's gaze, momentarily lost in thought, turned to the soldier.

"Yes?"

The soldier replied, startled.

"Why aren't you out searching for him? Why are you standing here like a doll?"

A sharp glint, like a dagger from tiger-like eyes, flashed, and a roar erupted.

"Send out people immediately to search for Father's whereabouts!"

"Yes, yes!"

At Gal Jungcheon's command, the soldier hurried out. The leader of the Black Heaven Alliance clicked his tongue, watching his hasty departure.

"Did he really run away?"

There was no one to answer this question.

Deep within Macheon Pavilion

The Grand Disciple tore the report he was holding into pieces. The torn paper, like white petals, scattered in the air. Dongbang Hak, the Thunderous Demon Sword, was dead. Gong Pae, the Residual Thunder Demonic Blade, was severely injured. Mo Saryeong, the Unrivaled Divine General, was missing. In addition, Hyeolswe, Hyeolchang, and Hyeolgong were dead.

It was a painful loss. And it was a completely unexpected blow. Chisahan, with his forehead pressed to the floor, trembled apologetically, but the Grand Disciple didn't even spare him a glance.

However, when the Grand Disciple received another report, his anger instantly transformed into joy. It was an exceptionally rare and astonishing sight to see the Grand Disciple, who was as cold and calculating as a frozen hell, burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Is this report truly true?"

"It must be true, as Gong Bong-gong was pushed to the brink of death because of it,"

Chisahan replied, still with his forehead pressed to the floor.

"Good, good! If this is true, it's a tremendous treasure, a monumental achievement far beyond the previous losses. The obstacle that had been suppressing us, hidden away for so long, has been cleanly removed from this world! Now, nothing will be able to stop us. If even one of them is gone, it's as good as both being gone."

"Y-Yes. Now, there is no one in this martial world who can stand in his way. Truly a joyous occasion."

"However, there are still many eyesores left. Military Advisor Chi!"

The Grand Disciple called out gently to Chisahan. His anger seemed to have subsided.

"Yes! Please command."

His eyes, as sharp as a cold blade of ice, gazed intently into the deep darkness.

"Prepare! I will go to Huashan myself."

"Understood!"

Chisahan bowed with utmost politeness.

Finally, he had decided to take action himself.