The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 58

However, another challenge awaited them.

Although they had decided on the martial arts each would teach, another tense battle of nerves erupted over the teaching order.

Each person fiercely argued for priority, citing various reasons and justifications, but to no avail.

Unable to yield even an inch, the three eventually decided to leave their fate to a lottery once again.

Fortunately, this time, fortune favored Beom Gye-wi.

This placed Neung So-mil in an unfairly awkward position.

As the holder of the lots, responsible for ensuring fairness, Neung So-mil felt his lifespan shortening with every fiber of his being.

The murderous intent of Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa, who had drawn shorter twigs than Beom Gye-wi, was equally palpable.

Regardless.

Beom Gye-wi, beaming, was the first to face Dan Ak-seon.

“From today, I will teach Doctor Dan how to handle weapons.”

“Yes!”

Beom Gye-wi was already pleased by Dan Ak-seon’s eager anticipation.

“What do you think is the most important thing in handling weapons?”

“Is it understanding the characteristics of the weapon?”

“That’s right! As expected of our Doctor Dan!”

Beom Gye-wi heartily agreed and continued, “Then, how should we understand it?”

Dan Ak-seon pondered for a moment, then answered confidently, “If it were me, I would first try to hold the weapon.”

“And?”

“I would feel the weapon itself.”

Dan Ak-seon had never handled a weapon before.

So, he approached it methodically, like a doctor.

To diagnose a patient, he uses visual inspection, auscultation [listening with a stethoscope], percussion [tapping to assess underlying structures], and palpation [examining by touch].

Learning a weapon, he reasoned, was the same.

He believed it was crucial to grasp the essential nature of the weapon by engaging all five senses.

Beom Gye-wi nodded approvingly, as if very satisfied with the answer.

It was a fundamental and core principle that aligned perfectly with Beom Gye-wi’s own approach.

“You knew that right away without being taught? Have you ever handled a weapon without me knowing?”

Beom Gye-wi glanced back, just in case.

The figures of Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa, standing at a distance and watching, came into view.

But his suspicion was unfounded.

Dan Ak-seon smiled and shook his head.

“Acupuncture is basically similar. You have to be able to hear what the needles are saying through the sensation in your fingertips.”

“Hey, are needles and weapons the same?”

“I’ve heard that there are sects that use needles as hidden weapons?”

Beom Gye-wi blinked, looking blank, prompting Cho Ak-ryang to intervene, unable to resist.

“Are you talking about the venomous bastards of Sichuan?”

“Ah, those Tang Clan bastards!”

Cho Ak-ryang explained, taking over for the nodding Beom Gye-wi.

“They use needles as hidden weapons, but they don’t use martial arts. They fire them with devices. The Geummyeongseon (Life-Ending Fan), one of the Tang Clan’s five great hidden weapons, is a prime example. The ribs of a folding fan are made of steel, and a device is installed inside to fire hair-thin feather needles.”

Beom Gye-wi frowned and glared at Cho Ak-ryang.

“Hey, stop butting in. Isn’t this my time?”

“What? I was just trying to help…….”

“When did I ask you to help?”

Before Cho Ak-ryang could respond, Beom Gye-wi turned back to Dan Ak-seon.

“Anyway, such hidden weapons are for weaklings like girls. On the other hand, this Jemi-gon [iron staff]…….”

Koo-oong.

Beom Gye-wi lifted the iron rod he was holding and slammed it into the ground, sending a heavy tremor through the valley.

“It’s the best weapon that only a real man can handle.”

Beom Gye-wi continued his explanation triumphantly.

“Fancy tricks like geumna-sool [seizing hand skill]? If you get caught, your fingers will be crushed.”

Cho Ak-ryang’s eyebrows twitched as he listened.

“The same goes for miscellaneous qi [life energy] skills like ganggi [hard qi]. Just smash them to pieces as soon as they get caught.”

This time, Han Seol-hwa’s eyebrows fluttered.

Beom Gye-wi continued to speak with excitement.

“Some guys say that the sword is the king of all weapons, but that’s nonsense. The real best is this Jemi-gon that I’m teaching. Why? Because I’ve never lost to anyone who wields any other weapon.”

“Wow!”

Dan Ak-seon exclaimed and fiddled with the wooden staff in his hand.

Beom Gye-wi swung the iron staff he was holding.

With a chilling sound of tearing through the air, dizzying afterimages instantly filled the space.

“Once you get used to the weapon to some extent, you’ll feel it the moment you unleash a stance. It feels like the weapon is part of my body!”

Kwaang.

The iron staff that brushed past Dan Ak-seon’s eyes rotated powerfully and crushed a nearby large rock.

“Just like this!”

Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa, standing far away, were dumbfounded by Beom Gye-wi’s triumphant display.

“He’s a terrible teacher.”

Han Seol-hwa muttered, unable to contain herself, and Cho Ak-ryang smiled, trying to silence her.

“He’ll hear you.”

“Let him hear. I didn’t say anything wrong.”

At that moment, Beom Gye-wi turned his head and glared at the two.

“You guys are always so quick to eavesdrop.”

Han Seol-hwa turned her head away, and Cho Ak-ryang gestured for Beom Gye-wi to continue.

Beom Gye-wi huffed for a moment and then turned back to Dan Ak-seon.

Dan Ak-seon swung the wooden staff, imitating Beom Gye-wi’s movements. But he couldn’t even swing it a few times before dropping it.

The wooden staff was too long, and both ends hit the ground.

Dan Ak-seon smiled wryly, clenching and unclenching his numb palms.

“The Jemi-gon is a more difficult weapon to handle than I thought.”

“Huh? That can’t be.”

Beom Gye-wi belatedly realized the problem.

The Jemi-gon should be as tall as your eyebrows when standing.

But the wooden staff that Dan Ak-seon was holding was far taller than Dan Ak-seon.

Beom Gye-wi had matched the length to his own eyebrow height when he first carved the wooden staff.

Sure enough.

“Tsk.”

Cho Ak-ryang’s tongue-clicking sound was immediately audible.

“How can we entrust Doctor Dan to such a guy?”

Beom Gye-wi, his face red with embarrassment, drew his hand and cut off the excess length of the wooden staff.

Only then did Dan Ak-seon move the wooden staff around, feeling the weight and length with his hands.

With the length restriction gone, he was able to handle the Jemi-gon much more easily than before.

Dan Ak-seon was already short, his head only reaching Beom Gye-wi’s waist.

The sight of such a Dan Ak-seon wielding a short staff similar to his height was so endearing it made you want to laugh.

“Keep your back straight, and make sure the line of sight, shoulders, and the end of the Jemi-gon form a triangle……, that’s it! That’s right.”

Even while teaching the basic grip and a few stances, he could hear sighs.

Beom Gye-wi’s eyebrows twitched.

The sighs were more annoying and irritating than outright criticism. However, since Dan Ak-seon’s instruction was a priority, he tried his best to suppress his rising anger.

“No, no. That’s not it. There has to be a ‘whoosh’ and then a ‘pop!’ feeling. Just like this!”

Beom Gye-wi swung the iron staff, and Dan Ak-seon imitated the movement.

Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa were stunned.

How could he understand such an absurd explanation?

It was amazing that Dan Ak-seon was able to follow along so similarly.

How much time had passed?

Unlike the two, who were clearly dissatisfied, Dan Ak-seon’s eyes shone with focus, and he did not lose his concentration until the end.

“So, the key is that all weapons are ultimately held by hand, so you must properly understand how to grip them in order to fully handle the weapon.”

“Huh? Oh, that’s right. Exactly. That’s what I wanted to say.”

Beom Gye-wi paused for a moment.

He overheard a conversation between Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa.

“He speaks like a dog, but he understands perfectly.”

“I don’t know who’s teaching who…….”

Whack!

Beom Gye-wi glared, but the two were already pretending not to notice and looking into the distance.

As Beom Gye-wi began to instruct Dan Ak-seon again, Han Seol-hwa sighed softly.

“He used to say he was a genius of the world.”

“I hate to admit it, but it’s true.”

Han Seol-hwa was somewhat surprised by Cho Ak-ryang’s defensive tone.

Cho Ak-ryang said to her.

“From what I’ve seen for a long time, that…… guy is a genius.”

Beom Gye-wi’s internal energy cultivation method, Doban Samyang Gong [Unique Internal Energy Cultivation Method], was known to be on a different level from other internal energy cultivation methods in terms of the training process itself.

As such, very few people had mastered Doban Samyang Gong throughout the history of the Jianghu [Martial Arts World].

Not only was the training itself difficult, but it was impossible to even attempt it without sufficient understanding and talent.

It was amazing that the lineage had continued without interruption until now.

Just as Beom Gye-wi’s master had done, there was a good reason why the successors of Doban Samyang Gong cherished their successors.

“If it weren’t for the madness that makes him go wild when he sees blood, he could have reached a higher level. If he hadn’t stopped halfway, he would have surpassed me long ago.”

“But why is his teaching so bad…….”

Cho Ak-ryang wore a meaningful smile.

“It means that the talent for learning and the talent for teaching are separate.”

Beom Gye-wi’s face crumpled.

He thought they were taking his side for once, but that’s what they wanted to say after all.

“I can hear everything!”

Beom Gye-wi, bursting with anger, rolled up his sleeves and approached the two.

“Come at me, both of you!”

Beom Gye-wi’s thunderous roar shook the air.

“Let’s just have the winner teach everything!”

Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa exchanged glances.

At that moment, Beom Gye-wi’s heart sank.

He had spoken in anger, only to realize that his opponents were none other than Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa.

Sure enough.

The two of them started walking towards him.

“Wait! Isn’t a two-on-one a bit cowardly?”

“You told us to come at you?”

Beom Gye-wi, feeling embarrassed, turned his head towards Han Seol-hwa this time.

“Do we really have to do this between us?”

“What are we?”

“Uh……. A relationship where we held hands and spent the night together?”

“……!”

Han Seol-hwa’s expression froze like ice.

It wasn’t exactly wrong.

They often stayed up all night holding hands while researching the Wihwa Therapy to treat the daughter of the Murim Alliance Lord.

But the implication was very unpleasant and annoying.

“Let’s just die.”

Han Seol-hwa flew towards Beom Gye-wi, emitting cold air.

Cho Ak-ryang followed suit.

Now that the situation had come to this, Beom Gye-wi could no longer back down.

Just as the three were about to clash.

“Ah!”

The three’s gazes turned to Dan Ak-seon at the sudden childish scream.

They saw Dan Ak-seon rolling on the floor, covered in dust.

The three hurriedly ran to Dan Ak-seon.

Dan Ak-seon, frowning and rubbing his ankle as if he had sprained it, greeted the three with a bright smile.

“Martial arts are really fun.”

However, the three only stared intently at Dan Ak-seon’s face.

“You have a nosebleed.”

At Cho Ak-ryang’s words, Dan Ak-seon smiled awkwardly and wiped under his nose with his sleeve.

As a result, the nosebleed spread, making his face even more of a mess.

Han Seol-hwa quickly approached and stopped the bleeding, then carefully wiped Dan Ak-seon’s face with her sleeve.

Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi were inwardly surprised by her actions, not even caring that her clothes were getting dirty.

That alone was enough to show how much she cared for Dan Ak-seon.

They knew her personality, which bordered on germaphobia.

“How did this happen?”

At Han Seol-hwa’s question, Dan Ak-seon took the stance that Beom Gye-wi had taught him.

Han Seol-hwa shook her head.

“Don’t try to put your center on the staff, step your foot first. Like this.”

As Han Seol-hwa directly corrected Dan Ak-seon’s posture, Beom Gye-wi belatedly came to his senses.

“I’m going to teach him! He’s mine, at least for now!”

Cho Ak-ryang frowned.

“At least teach him properly! You’re making Doctor Dan have a nosebleed!”

“No, why is that my fault? If Cho Hyeong [Brother Cho] and the witch hadn’t been interfering with the training, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place!”

Beom Gye-wi flew forward and squeezed between Han Seol-hwa and Dan Ak-seon.

Then, like a hawk snatching a chick, he tucked Dan Ak-seon under his arm and immediately retreated, running towards the cliff.

The wind that was circling the valley was also surprised and scattered, such was the grim momentum.

“Is it okay to leave him to that guy?”

Han Seol-hwa also frowned her beautiful eyebrows at Cho Ak-ryang’s worried expression.

“It’s okay. I’ll make up for it while teaching him. Anyway, it’s my turn next.”

At those words, Cho Ak-ryang paused.

“Why is it your turn next? My lot was longer?”

“My lot was longer.”

“…….”

“…….”

Tension settled between the two, who were silently staring at each other.

In the end, the two went to find Neung So-mil to confirm the truth of the results.

Cho Ak-ryang asked abruptly.

“Which of the lots we drew earlier was longer?”

Neung So-mil was puzzled as to why they were doing this, but he answered obediently.

“Well, Senior Beom’s was the longest…….”

“Not that guy. I’m asking which of our two lots was longer.”

Neung So-mil couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t even checked that far.

“I, I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know! You made them, so you should know!”

Neung So-mil made a tearful face at Cho Ak-ryang’s shout.

“Why are you doing this to me?”