The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 10

The Divine Doctor of the Demonic World (10)

A few days later.

Dahn Ahk-seon visited the village again.

It was to procure medicinal herbs for Beom Gye-wi, who was about to leave on a journey.

“Huh?”

Dahn Ahk-seon, who opened the box handed over by the herbal medicine shop owner, Mr. Im, couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

“You managed to find *Yongmyung* grass? I was told there weren’t any available for sale…”

“I got lucky.”

“It seems all the luck in the world comes to you, sir.”

Dahn Ahk-seon stared at Mr. Im.

Mr. Im tried to avoid his gaze.

“Sir.”

“Yes?”

“You’re not getting supplies from the Jinseong Medical Family, are you?”

Mr. Im, flustered, stammered.

“W-well, that’s…”

Before he could make excuses, Dahn Ahk-seon spoke first.

“I don’t mind you trading with Jinseong Clinic, but please don’t get the herbs I asked for from there. If you do this again, I won’t do any business with you in the future.”

“A-alright. I understand. I’ll do that.”

Only after receiving a firm answer did Dahn Ahk-seon leave the herbal medicine shop. Outside the entrance, Beom Gye-wi was waiting as always.

“Did you get what you wanted?”

Dahn Ahk-seon nodded at Beom Gye-wi’s question.

“Yes. Now, I just need to deliver the wooden statues, and I’ll be done.”

Beom Gye-wi turned towards the woodcraft shop.

As Dahn Ahk-seon entered, the owner, who also used the surname Im, greeted him happily.

“Welcome.”

“Hello, sir. Are the wooden statues selling well?”

“I can’t sell them fast enough.”

The wooden statues carved by Cho Ahk-ryang were incredibly popular.

The statues, which exuded a murderous aura, were perfect as talismans to ward off evil. Originally, commoners would write the names of Shindo and Ullu on their gates as a form of protection.

However, the price of those protective inscriptions was quite high.

That was because *Kyungmyun* vermilion [a special red ink made from monster blood], the red ink used to write on monster parchment, was expensive.

Therefore, Cho Ahk-ryang’s wooden statues were gaining popularity as an excellent alternative for the common people.

“That’s a relief. This time, it’s fifty pieces.”

“Thank you. But are you planning to continue trading with me in the future?”

“Yes, I am.”

“If so, I’ll give you a better price from now on. The profit margin is small, but I can sell a lot more that way.”

“Thank you.”

With that, he finished his business in the village by saying goodbye to Mr. Im.

Immediately after returning to the Demonic Divine Valley, Dahn Ahk-seon headed straight to the main building. Shortly after, he packed his bedding and headed to Cho Ahk-ryang’s cottage.

Cho Ahk-ryang greeted Dahn Ahk-seon with a gentle look.

“Has it already gotten this late?”

Dahn Ahk-seon replied with a slightly apologetic expression.

“Today’s treatment might be a little difficult.”

Cho Ahk-ryang felt a sense of foreboding.

And he was right.

“Because today, it’s my mom’s way.”

“……!”

Cho Ahk-ryang’s eyes wavered. That was because, unlike the acupuncture of a divine doctor, the acupuncture of a demonic doctor was excruciatingly painful.

“You’re not scared, are you?”

Cho Ahk-ryang flinched.

“Of course not. Who do you think I am?”

Cho Ahk-ryang spoke loudly.

But as soon as the acupuncture began, he screamed inwardly.

He tried his best to maintain his composure, but cold sweat poured down his face like rain.

It was that terrible of a pain.

“Hmm…”

It was then that Dahn Ahk-seon let out a strange moan.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

Dahn Ahk-seon wore a troubled expression.

“The head needs to get hot, but the heat isn’t rising easily.”

“Didn’t you say last time that you were following the principle of ‘raising water and lowering fire,’ cooling the head and heating the lower abdomen?”

“In your case, sir, your water energy is depleted. In other words, the kidney’s energy is weak, so the circulation of energy isn’t smooth. That’s why I need to intentionally draw heat to the head. And then, using acupuncture, I’ll lower that heat to forcibly induce the circulation of energy.”

Only then could Cho Ahk-ryang guess Dahn Ahk-seon’s intention.

He meant to treat the injury by using artificial rising and falling of true energy.

“But maintaining the state of ‘heat above and cold below’ isn’t easy.”

At that moment, Beom Gye-wi suddenly entered the cottage.

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned.

“Get out. Can’t you see I’m in the middle of treatment?”

Beom Gye-wi retorted to Cho Ahk-ryang’s rebuke.

“Geez, I just stopped by to say goodbye before leaving, and you’re kicking me out as soon as you see me?”

“Where are you going?”

“To bring that crazy woman back!”

“This is in front of Doctor Dahn. Watch your language.”

“Hmph! People should live according to their nature. I don’t want to live as slyly as you, Cho.”

“Sly? Me?”

“You act and speak so differently when Doctor Dahn is here and when she’s not.”

Cho Ahk-ryang’s insides churned just from exchanging a few words.

“Can’t we just kick that guy out? At least he listens to Doctor Dahn.”

“Just a moment.”

A strange light appeared in Dahn Ahk-seon’s eyes.

The rising energy felt through the needles was gradually intensifying.

“Uncle Beom, please sit there.”

“Huh? Why?”

Although he didn’t know why, Beom Gye-wi obediently followed Dahn Ahk-seon’s words.

Dahn Ahk-seon sat Beom Gye-wi across from Cho Ahk-ryang and instructed the two.

“Could you please make eye contact?”

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned.

He felt inexplicably irritated being so close to Beom Gye-wi.

“Hehe.”

On the other hand, Beom Gye-wi started grinning.

He felt good for no reason seeing Cho Ahk-ryang looking uncomfortable. At that moment, Dahn Ahk-seon exclaimed.

“It’s working! The heat is gathering towards the head!”

“Just from looking at that guy’s face?”

Dahn Ahk-seon nodded at Cho Ahk-ryang’s question.

“The fire of the heart is greatly influenced by emotions. Like when you fall in love or get angry.”

At those words, Beom Gye-wi was horrified.

“No wonder! He kept rubbing against me when I carried him on my back before!”

“What nonsense are you talking about! I’m angry, that’s why!”

“Why are you angry?”

“I don’t know… Why?”

Cho Ahk-ryang was flustered. He himself had never really thought deeply about the reason.

“Okay.”

At that moment, Dahn Ahk-seon removed the needles and asked.

“How do you feel?”

After checking his condition for a moment, Cho Ahk-ryang nodded.

“I definitely feel much lighter than before. But…”

“But?”

“I feel terrible.”

Dahn Ahk-seon smiled and looked at Beom Gye-wi.

“Are you leaving now?”

“Oh, I was about to.”

“Then please wait a moment. Now that I have the ingredients, I can quickly make a medicinal pill.”

Dahn Ahk-seon, who had packed his bedding, ran towards the main building.

Shortly after, Dahn Ahk-seon returned and handed a small box to Beom Gye-wi.

“Take one every three days before circulating your energy. If there are no special problems, this should be good for two months.”

Dahn Ahk-seon hesitated for a moment before adding.

“If you happen to see blood, take two pills immediately.”

“Alright.”

Dahn Ahk-seon asked Beom Gye-wi, who was turning around.

“What did I say?”

“Huh?”

“The precautions I just mentioned. Please repeat them.”

“Uh… Take one testicle every three days, and see blood before circulating energy, right?”

Cho Ahk-ryang, who was next to him, shook his head.

“I wonder if it’s okay to send a guy like that alone.”

At that moment, Dahn Ahk-seon took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Beom Gye-wi.

“I’ve written down the precautions just in case. Check it every day.”

“Hehe. You should have done that sooner.”

Beom Gye-wi chuckled, feeling embarrassed himself. Then, he immediately soared away.

“I will definitely bring that woman back!”

Beom Gye-wi’s voice quickly faded into the distance.

* * *

Three days after Beom Gye-wi left the Demonic Divine Valley.

Dahn Ahk-seon looked at the huge tree. It was the place where Beom Gye-wi always hung upside down.

“I wonder if he’s doing well. I’m worried.”

They say you don’t know a place when it’s full, but you know it when it’s empty. Beom Gye-wi’s absence was more noticeable than he had thought.

It was especially so on days like today when he had visited the village.

Not only did he feel that way, but Beom Gye-wi’s absence had brought about an unexpected problem.

The treatment effect on Cho Ahk-ryang had noticeably decreased.

The artificial rising and falling of true energy using heat above and cold below was inevitably influenced by psychological state.

But without Beom Gye-wi, there was hardly anything to get angry about.

Even Cho Ahk-ryang, the person involved, was starting to get impatient with this unexpected problem.

“It needs to get better today…”

Dahn Ahk-seon, carrying his bedding, headed to Cho Ahk-ryang’s cottage. Cho Ahk-ryang was carving a large log in the center of the valley.

“Sir, what are you doing?”

Cho Ahk-ryang raised the chisel and hammer he was holding.

“As you can see, I’m carving a wooden statue.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“It’s alright. I don’t even break a sweat doing this much anymore.”

“Can I watch?”

“Of course. But be careful not to get too close, it’s dangerous.”

As Dahn Ahk-seon took his place, Cho Ahk-ryang began to move his hands again.

Bang! Bang!

The chisel and hammer in Cho Ahk-ryang’s hands moved non-stop. Each time, wood chips flew in all directions.

After a while.

The log gradually began to take a distinct shape. Only then did Dahn Ahk-seon realize that it was a life-sized figure.

After roughly shaping it, Cho Ahk-ryang picked up a short sword instead of the chisel and hammer.

And began to carve in earnest.

It was an incredibly delicate and fast hand movement, incomparable to what he had done so far. In an instant, wood dust piled up around Cho Ahk-ryang.

Dahn Ahk-seon exclaimed at the sight.

“Wow! It’s exactly the same.”

The wooden statue, perfectly brought to life by Cho Ahk-ryang’s hands.

It was none other than Beom Gye-wi.

From his swaggering posture and twisted smile to the murderous look in his eyes.

It was a vivid image, as if he were alive.

Dahn Ahk-seon smiled.

“You must have missed him a lot. You were always bickering when you were together.”

At that moment, Cho Ahk-ryang stepped towards the wooden statue.

“Ptooey!”

Cho Ahk-ryang spat at the wooden statue.

“I think we can start the treatment now. Just looking at that bastard’s face makes my anger boil.”

Dahn Ahk-seon chuckled.

“Is that why you made it?”

On one hand, it was absurd, and on the other hand, it felt amazing.

In the end, Cho Ahk-ryang had found a way to treat himself. Fortunately, his efforts paid off.

“It’s working.”

The energy transmitted through the needles felt much more vibrant.

After finishing the treatment, Cho Ahk-ryang began his energy cultivation as usual. Leaving him behind, Dahn Ahk-seon got up from his seat.

It was to prepare a meal.

Shortly after.

Dahn Ahk-seon held out a basket he had brought to Cho Ahk-ryang.

“From today, you’ll be having this for your meals.”

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned as he checked the contents of the basket.

“This is a meal? It just looks like raw grass to me?”

Dahn Ahk-seon smiled quietly.

“So, I’ve prepared a separate dish as well.”

Dahn Ahk-seon took out one of the bowls in the basket.

Cho Ahk-ryang was inwardly dumbfounded when he opened the lid of the bowl, just in case. Inside the bowl was a thin broth, with only one dried *Nangnahwa* flower [a local flower with medicinal properties] as a solid ingredient.

Upon closer inspection, it looked similar to the *Nangnahwa* flowers that were in full bloom at the entrance of the valley.

“You don’t usually call something that hasn’t been processed a dish, do you?”

Dahn Ahk-seon replied nonchalantly to Cho Ahk-ryang’s question.

“What does it matter? Either way, steaming, drying, boiling, and cooking are all the same.”

“……”

Cho Ahk-ryang stared blankly at Dahn Ahk-seon.

‘I should have known since the last time we grilled meat…’

He definitely had no talent for cooking to the point of being absurd.

At that moment, Dahn Ahk-seon spoke.

“You said you wanted to recover quickly, right? There’s nothing better than this for controlling blood clots and protecting the meridians.”

Although he was reluctant, Cho Ahk-ryang picked up one of the herbs and brought it to his mouth.

Cho Ahk-ryang’s face contorted as he chewed the herb.

“This is… terribly bitter.”

It was not at a level that he could swallow at all.

No matter how effective it was in treating internal injuries, the repulsive taste that went beyond common sense made even him hesitate.

At that moment, Dahn Ahk-seon subtly stepped aside.

At the same time, the wooden statue of Beom Gye-wi, grinning maliciously, came into Cho Ahk-ryang’s view.

Dahn Ahk-seon smiled.

“Please watch him while you eat.”

At that one word, Cho Ahk-ryang’s eyes changed. Suddenly, he felt angry and his fighting spirit soared.

“Just you wait, you bastard. Once I recover my martial arts…”

Cho Ahk-ryang swallowed the herb he was chewing.

His face contorted in agony, but each time he looked at the wooden statue of Beom Gye-wi, he strengthened his will.

At this moment, he could understand better than anyone the heart of Goujian, the King of Yue, who vowed revenge while licking his gall bladder. As Cho Ahk-ryang was personally practicing *wasinsangdam* [lying on firewood and tasting gall: an idiom for enduring hardship for revenge], he looked at Dahn Ahk-seon.

“I think I’ll have to leave for a while soon.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find out some news.”

Cho Ahk-ryang continued his explanation.

“I think I need to keep track of the movements of the Martial Alliance guys.”

“It might be revealed to them that you’re here.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I have a way.”

“How many days will it take?”

“It should take five days.”

Dahn Ahk-seon nodded.

“Then I should prepare some medicine in advance.”

“Thank you.”

With those words, Cho Ahk-ryang continued his meal with the herbs.