The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 152

The Divine Doctor of Primordial Demise (152)

Before coming here, Ryun So-mil had stopped by a tavern, paid in advance, and asked for a few bottles of liquor to be delivered.

“Isn’t this Shanxi Fen Wine?”

Seo Dam-myeong couldn’t hide his surprise as he checked the bottles brought in by the porters.

“I sincerely regret that I can only accommodate you in this way due to my lack of time. I will make time later to treat you properly.”

“No, next time, I should treat you.”

‘Yeah, right.’

Unlike his inner thoughts, Ryun So-mil responded with a smile.

“Shall we have a drink first and continue our conversation?”

Seo Dam-myeong swallowed hard, as if the liquor bug in his stomach was already stirring.

Seo Dam-myeong, who emptied the glass Ryun So-mil poured for him, wore an ecstatic expression.

“This is amazing.”

Ryun So-mil, on the other hand, only lightly touched his lips to the glass.

Normally, it would have been rude, but he didn’t care.

That’s because he knew Seo Dam-myeong’s personality well.

Rather, he would be secretly pleased that there was less liquor for him to drink.

After a few rounds of drinks, Seo Dam-myeong became quite drunk and began to slur his words.

Shanxi Fen Wine was a famous liquor with excellent taste and aroma, but it was a very strong distilled spirit.

So, if you recklessly drank it like this, you would easily lose consciousness.

“Shall we start talking about business now?”

“Huh? Ah, that’s right. Yes. We should talk about business.”

Seo Dam-myeong, flushed with alcohol, laughed heartily as if he was in a good mood.

“If you promise long-term transport of goods, I’ll cut the transport fee by 10%. And I’ll lead the transport myself.”

Ryun So-mil inwardly sneered at his ambitious attitude.

He didn’t know when the last time he had led a transport, but it was impossible for him in his current condition.

Not to mention that he was too fat to even ride a horse properly, he seemed like he would cause an accident due to his fondness for alcohol.

“Rather, how about asking them to dispatch one or two experts from the main branch? Of course, we will generously pay the donation for that.”

Seo Dam-myeong frowned.

“That might be difficult.”

“Why?”

“That’s…”

Ryun So-mil wore a disappointed expression at Seo Dam-myeong’s hesitant words.

“Then I’ll get up now.”

“No, why suddenly?”

Ryun So-mil sighed at the flustered Seo Dam-myeong.

“I think I’ll have to look for another escort agency.”

Seo Dam-myeong’s eyes wavered at those words.

“Please understand. After all, the items we handle are not ordinary items, so I’m worried about relying on ordinary escorts. The gift I gave you was purely out of goodwill, so you don’t have to return it.”

Seo Dam-myeong grabbed Ryun So-mil, who was turning away without regret.

“Hey, don’t be so hasty.”

Seo Dam-myeong looked around to make sure no one was listening, then lowered his voice and opened his mouth.

“A problem has arisen that cannot be easily revealed to outsiders.”

“Are you talking about the Joint Union?”

Seo Dam-myeong nodded.

Normally, it was a story that should not be uttered.

But he was in high spirits due to the unexpected windfall, and the alcohol added to it.

Most of all, he was anxious about losing a big customer.

“The people who were supposed to return haven’t come back. Instead, only a letter arrived. Since then, the atmosphere at the main branch has changed rapidly.”

Seo Dam-myeong explained the situation in detail.

“Gong Hyeon-ja, the second disciple of the sect, and his disciple, Hyeon-geom. The whereabouts of those two are unknown.”

Hyeong Jin-dojang, the current sect leader of the Joint Union, had two disciples, the eldest of whom was Gong Hyeon-ja.

And Hyeon-geom was the disciple Gong Hyeon-ja had recently taken.

“Gong Hyeon-ja went on a training trip with his disciple during the winter. But the date they were supposed to return passed, and there was no news. The main branch hurriedly began to dispatch search personnel.”

Around that time, a letter arrived for the sect leader.

And Hyeong Jin-dojang abruptly sent out external personnel and closed the sect gates.

‘So that’s what it was.’

Gong Hyeon-ja was the direct disciple who was scheduled to succeed Hyeong Jin-dojang as the next sect leader.

In addition, his disciple, Hyeon-geom, was also recognized for his extraordinary talent and was praised as a promising figure to lead the future of the Joint Union.

“Do you know what was written in that letter?”

Seo Dam-myeong shook his head at Ryun So-mil’s question.

“Don’t even think about it. What kind of trouble would I get into? Even the content I’ve mentioned so far was learned through a close acquaintance of the sect. So don’t go around blabbing your mouth. You must keep it to yourself. Understand?”

“Of course.”

“Then the business story…”

“Let’s continue. You’ve shown me so much trust, how can I refuse? Come on, come on. Let me offer you a drink.”

Ryun So-mil kept offering drinks, giving all sorts of reasons, and Seo Dam-myeong emptied his glass without hesitation.

Thud.

Ryun So-mil left the Dragon Ascending Escort Agency, leaving Seo Dam-myeong, who was sprawled out in the middle of the hall, completely drunk.

Ryun So-mil, who returned to Daru [a type of traditional Korean tea house] where Dan Ak-seon and his party were waiting, immediately reported what he had learned.

Unlike Cho Ak-ryang, who nodded nonchalantly, Dan Ak-seon couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Amazing! How did you find out?”

“Isn’t it Gansu Province? Although the New God Faction has disappeared, the connections remain.”

“Even so, it’s still amazing. It’s information that even the Beggars’ Union couldn’t find out.”

Ryun So-mil shrugged as if it was nothing.

“Didn’t I tell you? No one but him could find out.”

Ryun So-mil smiled slyly at Cho Ak-ryang’s words.

“But what should we do now?”

Cho Ak-ryang, who was thinking about something for a moment at Ryun So-mil’s words, opened his mouth.

“The person who was supposed to return didn’t return. And a letter replaced them… The sect leader closed the sect gates. What does this mean?”

“Although it’s not certain, nine out of ten times, it’s a case of the two being taken hostage.”

Beom Gye-wi exclaimed at Ryun So-mil’s answer.

“They kidnapped the next sect leader? And with his disciple? Whoever it is, they have some nerve.”

“There was also someone who killed the Kunlun disciples in front of the Kunlun Sect, so what.”

“I guess.”

Beom Gye-wi nodded.

“There are a lot of crazy people in the world. Don’t you think?”

Ryun So-mil smiled awkwardly at Beom Gye-wi’s words, seeking agreement.

He was the last person who should be saying that.

“Anyway, the cleanest solution is to make sure the two return to the Joint Union safely.”

Dan Ak-seon tilted her head at Cho Ak-ryang’s words.

“But how do we find those people?”

Cho Ak-ryang’s gaze naturally turned to Ryun So-mil.

But this time, Ryun So-mil had no good ideas either.

“I’ll try if you order me to… but it’s difficult to guarantee a positive result.”

Ryun So-mil gave a troubled look.

“First of all, there’s not enough information. There’s no guarantee that they’re in Gansu Province. Above all, I don’t have enough manpower to accompany me.”

“I know there are many people affiliated with the New Demonic Merchant Group?”

“They’re not suitable for this. Gathering information must be done secretly and quickly, but they’re not experts, so they’ll leave traces in the process of inquiry. And most of all…”

Ryun So-mil pointed out the most critical problem.

“Because of my position as the head of the New Demonic Merchant Group, I’m already exposed to the outside world. If it becomes known that we’re inquiring about the two missing people…”

Ryun So-mil trailed off.

But you could guess the rest without hearing it.

The bastards would definitely try to cut off the tail.

In that case, the lives of the hostages could not be guaranteed.

Then Beom Gye-wi suddenly opened his mouth.

“What about the Black Dot kids?”

“Black Dot… are you talking about?”

“You said you needed secretive guys, right?”

Ryun So-mil frowned without realizing it.

Everything from stolen goods to information, and even people’s lives.

The underground trading group that trades anything that makes money is them.

They exist in a point-organization form and are operated by a thorough top-down system, so most of the organizational system, including the head of the branch, is unknown.

They were that much unpleasant to deal with.

Moreover, due to the nature of the point organization, the only people who could be contacted were the lowest ranks.

Still, he asked cautiously, just in case.

“Do you happen to know someone there?”

Beom Gye-wi answered casually.

“Yeop Dan-yeong, I think he’s the Shanxi branch manager?”

“…!”

Ryun So-mil was startled.

If he was a branch manager, he was a key figure in the Black Dot.

“Should I go and bring him?”

Ryun So-mil shook his head at Beom Gye-wi’s words.

“No. I think it’s better for me to go.”

“Why?”

“There’s a high possibility that the three of you here are being watched.”

He had already heard about the situation at the Kunlun Sect.

“What if the mastermind who tried to frame the seniors is related to this incident?”

Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes sank heavily.

He hadn’t thought about it until now, but it wasn’t an impossible assumption.

“If they caused a stir to interfere with Master Gok and the seniors, they must have put surveillance on this place.”

Beom Gye-wi tilted his head.

“I didn’t notice anything particularly strange?”

“If that were the case, they would have assigned someone with that much skill.”

Cho Ak-ryang nodded.

It wouldn’t hurt to prepare for even one in ten thousand cases.

“So I’ll go.”

At least if he left this area, he wouldn’t have to worry about the enemy’s surveillance.

In the first place, there were only a few experts throughout the world who could secretly monitor three masters.

Of course, the number of people put into that task would also be very small.

It was obvious who they would monitor between them and himself.

“Please write me a recommendation letter to prove my identity.”

Ryun So-mil carefully put the recommendation letter that Beom Gye-wi had written into his pocket.

Afterwards, he left Daru to head to the Shanxi branch of the Black Dot, which Beom Gye-wi had told him about.

To avoid the suspicion of any possible watchers, he led the merchant group out of Gansu, and then disguised one of the merchant group members as himself and ordered them to head to Muwi, before secretly leaving the group.

And he used his lightness skill all night.

It wasn’t until late in the afternoon of the next day that Ryun So-mil was able to visit the Shanxi branch of the Black Dot.

‘No wonder they can’t be easily spotted.’

A towering four-story pavilion stood before his eyes.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary Daru.

Most of the guests coming and going were clearly outsiders at a glance.

They seemed to be pilgrims visiting the nearby Yeongjo Temple, called the Twin Pagoda Temple.

Ryun So-mil entered the Daru and slowly began to climb the stairs.

But the pavilion was only being used up to the second floor.

The stairs leading to the third floor did not exist at all.

As he was loitering around, a clerk approached him.

“Are you looking for something? Customer.”

Ryun So-mil smiled and nodded.

“I’m trying to build a house, but I’m looking for a place to put the rafters.”

The clerk’s eyes flashed coldly at those words.

He had noticed that it was a clever wordplay that deconstructed the character “Jeom (店)” from “Black Dot (黑店).” [The character ‘Jeom’ (店), meaning ‘shop’ or ‘store,’ is part of the name ‘Black Dot’ (黑店), and the wordplay involves finding a place for the rafters (屋梁) of a house, subtly referencing the components of the character.]

Since it was already the time when the twilight was slowly setting, Ryun So-mil took out the recommendation letter that Beom Gye-wi had given him and handed it to the clerk.

“Please give this to your superior.”

The clerk stared at Ryun So-mil with strange eyes for a moment, then disappeared into the crowd.

After a while.

“Follow me.”

A strange woman approached Ryun So-mil and quietly grabbed his sleeve and led him.

Following the woman to the corner of the second floor, Ryun So-mil was able to find the stairs leading to the upper floor.

It was a staircase that hadn’t existed until just now.

As he climbed to the third floor, he was showered with stinging gazes from all directions.

He couldn’t confirm their appearance because they were secretly hiding their presence, but he could clearly feel the wariness in their eyes.

At this time, the ceiling opened and the stairs leading to the fourth floor appeared.

Like the third floor, it was a sliding door-type staircase door that could be concealed as needed.

He stepped on the stairs and headed to the top floor, the fourth floor.