Discarding The Hunting Dog After The Rabbit’s Death

The cave was so clean that not even traces of animals could be seen.

‘So it’s true—the Black Butterflies erase all traces like ghosts.’

Yun-seon was bitter about missing his chance to uncover his enemy. He stared for a long while at the spot where Right Shadow had sat, but found nothing.

‘Right Shadow had been clutching my trouser leg—how could a hidden weapon have flown from behind me?’

Feeling the lump still raised on the back of his head, Yun-seon pondered. Since the traces were wiped so cleanly, the sub-leader must have taken Right Shadow. Then… was it he who threw the weapon?

Yun-seon quickly shook his head. If the sub-leader feared Right Shadow’s death at his hands, he wouldn’t have merely knocked him out—he would have killed him.

Then someone else? But if a third party existed, they’d have targeted Right Shadow, not him. There’d be no reason to spare the sub-leader, who had guarded the cave so tightly.

‘They came for Right Shadow but didn’t kill him?’

Unable to make sense of it, Yun-seon felt a tightness in his chest.

‘First, I should head to Dragon Gate Sect and rejoin my companions.’

He sighed deeply and turned to leave.

“Huh?”

The ridges under Yun-seon’s left hand on the cave wall felt like letters. Though shallow, the strokes were clean despite the dampness—recently carved.

“Mok… bul…”

Sounding them out one by one, he couldn’t be exact, but he could guess the letters.

“Mok bul… mok… bul… shikjeong?”

Yun-seon’s mind spun. The letters were at his height, so Right Shadow—who couldn’t stand—wasn’t the one. Then who?

‘Someone who didn’t want to kill me, who tried to help me, who knew I’d return here… someone who saved me?’

The inn’s two residents flashed in his mind, but it seemed unlikely. Even crippled, Right Shadow’s sub-leader required a top master to handle, and the old man was just a rustic.

He couldn’t guess who had written it, so instead he pondered why such words were left.

‘Mokbulsikjeong¹… Am I overlooking something obvious?’
Closing his eyes, he thought for a long time before moving. Do-pyeong’s malicious face, Hyeongjin abandoning him—these were the most suspicious. Hoping his doubts were baseless, Yun-seon left the cave with heavy steps.

‘They’ll think I’m dead. I’ll sneak in and observe.’

It was a way to protect himself, yet Yun-seon’s heart grew heavy.

Moving deliberately slowly, he reached the Dragon Gate mountain entrance at dusk. Guards made approaching difficult—then he remembered something Do-pyeong had boasted on the road.

“Ahem, being from Gyejeong, I know Dragon Gate Sect inside out.”

Kwak Do-pyeong had strutted and bragged endlessly to his brothers.

“They say ordinary folk can’t enter Dragon Gate Sect. How do you know so well?”

One disciple had asked curiously, and Do-pyeong smirked.

“The security’s so tight even my father, the town’s landowner, needed the sect leader’s permit each time. But me? Who am I?”

Do-pyeong had put a foot on a rock, pounding his chest.

“From the main gate, turn right and walk less than a mile—you’ll see a rabbit-shaped rock. Beneath it is a secret hole only Dragon Gate disciples know.”

Yun-seon had scoffed at his pride in crawling through holes, but now he was grateful.

‘I thought him useless, but he comes in handy.’

Keeping low to avoid the guards, Yun-seon circled right, finding the rabbit-shaped boulder perched on the cliff.

‘Magnificent.’

At night he couldn’t see its beauty fully, but the moonlit cliff was stunning. Yun-seon couldn’t delay—he felt around beneath the rock. Thick brush hid everything; he had to crouch and feel with his hands.

‘Ah! Here!’

Just as disappointment at another lie set in, his palm dropped into a hole. Clearing tangled brush, he saw a space barely enough for his body.

It was dark and damp, making him reluctant, but there was no choice. He inhaled deeply and slid in headfirst. The earthy stench filled his nose; something crawled on his nape, itching, but he pressed forward.

‘Where does this lead?’

Do-pyeong had only mentioned the hole’s existence. Yun-seon didn’t know where it led. He feared emerging in the wrong place, mistaken for an intruder.

“It seems our gathering is already exposed.”

Then, a familiar voice reached Yun-seon’s ears.

‘Uncle?’

Vibrations shook the ceiling above where he crawled—directly under Dragon Gate Sect’s main hall.

‘Damn.’

Leaders of the sects were gathered above. With their keen hearing, moving would expose him. He froze.

“Our Zen Cloud Sword Sect was also ambushed on the way here. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any masters, so while the casualties weren’t heavy, the damage is still severe.”

The woman with the calm and soft-spoken voice was So So-jeong, Sect Leader of the Zen Cloud Sword Sect. She had taken charge of sect affairs after her elder sister’s sudden death four years ago and had only recently risen to the position of leader.

“The Eminent Mountain Sect moved in great numbers, so we suffered no harm—but to be caught off guard by those demonic bastards like this, how lamentable!”

Go Geun-dong, who had succeeded the retired Elder Full Moon Shin Yang-seon as Sect Leader, jumped up from his seat and stomped his feet impatiently, true to his hot temper.

“Weren’t the disciples of the Emptiness Dhuta Sect hit the hardest? I heard one of them who arrived earlier has already died.”

Go Geun-dong poured himself a full cup of liquor from the table in front of him, drank it in one go, and turned to Jo Yang. At his question, Jo Yang pressed his forehead with one hand and lowered his head—it had been his mistake to send his young disciples ahead.

“And… what of the Sword God’s disciple?”

When Go Yu-saeng, the elder of the Yellow Stone Sect who had been listening silently, finally spoke, everyone’s gaze turned to Jo Yang. In truth, that was the question everyone wanted answered most.

“We’re searching, but there’s still no sign…”

Hyeongjin, seated beside Jo Yang, spoke on his behalf. His somber expression silenced the rest; no one dared to question further. Though none would openly show displeasure in front of the Martial Alliance Chief Jo Yang, the dissatisfaction on their faces couldn’t be completely hidden.

“It seems information has definitely leaked. We must inspect the communication lines of each sect and enforce strict secrecy. Also, as there may be spies among us, keep a close eye on your disciples.”

“The Eminent Mountain Sect would never collude with the Demonic Cult!”

Enraged by Jo Yang’s remark, Go Geun-dong sprang up again. After the horrific tragedy four years ago, if anyone dared collude with the Demonic Cult, even tearing them limb from limb wouldn’t suffice. Just thinking of his younger brother’s death still made his blood boil backwards.

“There’s no need to get so worked up. The Alliance Leader’s words are right—without an insider among us, there’s no way they’d know each sect’s movements.”

So So-jeong said coolly without even looking at Go Geun-dong, which only made him angrier, as if he were being accused.

“What then—since the Eminent Mountain Sect alone wasn’t ambushed, are you saying we’re the culprits?!”

When he stomped again, the vibration was so strong the hall’s roof seemed to shake.

“By that logic, the Dragon Gate Sect would be the most suspicious.”

A gloomy-faced man beside Jo Yang spoke quietly—it was Jo Sang-won, Sect Leader of the Dragon Gate Sect. The louder the sect leaders argued, the more uneasy his seat became; after all, it had been he who informed the Five Great Mountain Swords of the incident in Muncheon and urged this gathering.

“Let’s all calm down for now.”

Jo Yang gave a faint smile toward Jo Sang-won, a silent reassurance saying, You’ve done nothing wrong. Sensing his intent, Jo Sang-won bowed slightly, and Go Geun-dong, realizing the shift in mood, sat back down.

“The Emptiness Dhuta Sect dispatched a search party two shichen ago to locate our disciple Kang Yun-seon. Each sect should now send a reconnaissance team down the mountain to monitor the Demonic Cult’s movements, while we remain here to discuss our countermeasures.”

Upon hearing Jo Yang’s words, Yun-seon found it deeply strange. The path he had taken over the mountain was a single narrow road—if a search party had been sent four hours ago, there’s no way they wouldn’t have crossed paths.

‘Uncle, why would you lie…?’

Jo Yang continued speaking.

“For tonight, let’s finalize the scouting teams and reconvene tomorrow morning. Then we’ll properly divide roles and discuss concrete strategies.”

Aside from the Eminent Mountain Sect, each sect had brought only about a dozen people, so they decided to select three or four each to form reconnaissance teams. The Emptiness Dhuta Sect’s disciples were excluded due to one death and two serious injuries. When the discussion ended, no one spoke further—they had traveled long and needed rest.

“Alliance Leader, since this is the Dragon Gate Sect’s base, I’ll have my men guard the area thoroughly. My apologies to the Emptiness Dhuta Sect for the trouble caused.”

Once everyone left the main hall, Jo Sang-won bowed deeply to Jo Yang in apology.

“What are you saying? It was our own lack of discipline that led to the losses—it’s not your fault, Sect Leader Jo.”

Jo Yang smiled kindly and helped him rise.

“Besides, you’ve given us lodging in the innermost quarters for comfort—there’s only gratitude.”

After exchanging words of mutual respect for a while, Jo Sang-won finally left. Jo Yang remained behind with his disciple Hyeongjin to speak privately.

‘I don’t think I can hold this position much longer…’

Yun-seon’s legs were slowly going numb. Remaining frozen in the same position had reached its limit.

“So, what of Yun-seon?”

Jo Yang lowered his voice as much as possible, wary of being overheard.

“Trusting the innkeeper’s words, Ju-un followed the traces of those men in black, but it seems unlikely she’ll find them.”

A short while ago, Hyeongjin’s throat had been choked with grief—but now, he spoke almost lightly.

“Do-pyeong finally caused trouble after all.”

Jo Yang clicked his tongue at his disciple’s shamelessness and glared sharply.

“You knew that boy would harm Yun-seon, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Hyeongjin, unable to hide it any longer, decided to confess honestly.

“You told me to dispose of the boy at the right time, Master, but Ju-un made it difficult. So I had no choice but to entrust it to Do-pyeong. Luckily, the fool’s so lacking in sense he took the initiative himself.”

Hyeongjin suddenly felt grateful for Do-pyeong’s foolishness. The reason he had favored that talentless boy most was because he could easily control him—and this time, that convenience had paid off perfectly.

“But Master, you obtained the scripture four years ago—why protect that boy until now? If the Sect hadn’t taken him in, he’d have been dead long ago.”

Hyeongjin asked his master, whose face was full of disapproval. He’d long been frustrated by Jo Yang’s meddling in Yun-seon’s affairs—and Ju-un’s constant watchful glare only added to his irritation.

If Jo Yang hadn’t taken Yun-seon in, could he—the only one who knew the scripture’s whereabouts—have survived this long? The Black Butterfly Twin Assassins had crippled one of his arms, but others might have hacked off all four limbs.

“How foolish you are.”

Jo-yang clicked his tongue, glaring coldly at his disciple.

Jo-yang’s flat, casual tone chilled Yun-seon. The kind leader he’d trusted was more vile than any villain he’d ever faced.

‘Mokbulsikjeong…’

Tears welled and fell to the dirt.

“Who’s there?”

A heavy blow struck his back, hurling him into the air. Eyes wide in shock, he saw Jo-yang’s fierce countenance glaring down.

토사구팽 (兎死狗烹), When the Rabbit is Dead, the Dog is Cooked:

When the rabbit dies, the hunting dog that caught it becomes useless and is boiled and eaten by its master. This idiom describes the practice of using someone when needed and then ruthlessly discarding them when no longer required.