The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 217

“……I don’t know.”

Dan Ahk-seon was disappointed by the short answer.

At the same time, the man in black, who had been moving his lips, took a long breath, and with that last exhale, he no longer inhaled.

The time allotted to him had run out.

As the man in black breathed his last, a heavy silence descended upon the scene.

It was Han Seol-hwa who broke the stifling silence.

“Do you have questions about your parents’ death?”

“Rather than questions, there are parts I don’t understand. I was just asking in case.”

Dan Ahk-seon said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

“Still, we found out who was behind the mastermind.”

Dan Ahk-seon, who had been staring at the man in black with a composed expression as he closed his eyes, bit her lip.

“Is it okay to allow such an evil person to have a peaceful death like this? It feels unfair.”

Complex emotions that she wouldn’t normally feel filled Dan Ahk-seon’s heart.

Looking at the peacefully closed eyes of the man in black, she felt angry without realizing it.

At the same time, she hated herself for feeling such emotions as a doctor.

Han Seol-hwa reached out and gently embraced Dan Ahk-seon’s shoulders.

“It was a wise choice.”

Dan Ahk-seon smiled sadly.

“Will I have to do even worse things than this in the future?”

Bum Gye-wi patted his chest.

“Don’t worry, Doctor Dan. You can leave the rough stuff to us.”

“I can’t do that.”

Dan Ahk-seon opened her mouth, meeting the questioning gazes of Bum Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa.

“They are targeting me. It would be cowardly for me, the person involved, to hide behind you.”

A firm determination was evident in Dan Ahk-seon’s eyes.

“I can’t let others shed blood because of me anymore. If they do shed it, I’ll shed it with them, and if we roll in the mud, we’ll roll together.”

Dan Ahk-seon reaffirmed, as if making a promise to herself.

“If it’s to protect my people and uphold the Martial World, I won’t hesitate to do anything.”

At those words, everyone, including Bum Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa, could guess how much Dan Ahk-seon had been agonizing over the matter.

They also realized that she was no longer a child.

She had steeled her heart to step into the center of the bloody storm.

On the one hand, that made them feel even more sorry for her.

Han Seol-hwa and Bum Gye-wi exchanged glances and nodded silently.

No matter what hardships Dan Ahk-seon faced, they would always be there for her.

Dan Ahk-seon was never alone.

* * *

An endless prairie.

Cho Ahk-ryang’s eyes gleamed as he gazed at the horizon where the sky and earth met endlessly.

“Have I finally found it?”

In the distance, he could see a cluster of yurts, densely packed together in formation.

These were the mobile tents called Gers, or “窮廬 (gung-lyeo)” [poor dwellings].

Cho Ahk-ryang had been wandering the prairie for a long time because the Blood Cloud Squad was known for constantly moving without settling in one place.

This area was not the territory of the Tartars (韃靼) [a historical term for the Mongols], the rulers of the prairie.

A red flag fluttered on top of the round roof.

Confirming the clear demon insignia inside, Cho Ahk-ryang was certain that the tents in front of him belonged to the Blood Cloud Squad.

Cho Ahk-ryang carefully approached, concealing his presence as much as possible.

Then, in a moment.

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned.

A foul stench wafted from the tents with the wind.

Cho Ahk-ryang soared through the air and leaped into the nearest tent.

“Hmm…….”

Cho Ahk-ryang made a short sound as he looked around the tent.

The first thing that caught his eye was the corpses scattered everywhere.

However, each and every one of those corpses was unspeakably gruesome.

The bodies were torn and mangled beyond recognition.

Among them were quite a few women and children.

Most of the corpses were already in a state of decay, as if several days had passed.

“What happened here?”

Cho Ahk-ryang’s eyes fixed on one spot.

The cut surfaces of the corpses and the neatly aligned cracks in the pillars.

From the traces of fierce and overbearing energy spreading out like a spider web, he could recall one particular martial art.

“Blood Demon Energy.”

It was a demonic art considered to be among the highest levels of the Demonic Sect’s secret techniques.

The problem was that the style in which the Blood Demon Energy was used was familiar.

“No Dan-yang?”

Seven Fiends Demonic Lord No Dan-yang.

He checked several times, but it was clear that it was his doing.

Whoosh.

A sharp whistling sound was felt nearby at that moment.

Cho Ahk-ryang reached out and snatched the arrow that had been fired at his back.

Then, he turned his gaze towards the place where the arrow had been fired from.

The corner of a pile of haphazardly stacked leather hides.

An arrow and a gaunt arm holding it were visible, sticking out from between them.

Cho Ahk-ryang unleashed a powerful gust of wind with a wave of his hand, blowing away the pile of leather hides.

Then, the identity of the hidden assailant was revealed.

He was probably about ten years old.

It was a boy with the unique braided hair of an ethnic minority.

This was also the reason why Cho Ahk-ryang had entered this tent.

He had sensed a faint sign of life in this area, where only the stench of death lingered.

The boy screamed incomprehensible curses and charged at Cho Ahk-ryang.

Cho Ahk-ryang, seeing the blue dagger in the boy’s hand, used his Locking Hand to subdue the boy in an instant.

Thud.

The dagger fell to the floor.

The boy, whose wrist was grabbed by Cho Ahk-ryang, glared with resentment and screamed.

Cho Ahk-ryang released the boy’s hand and stepped back as he struggled violently and kicked.

Then, he asked the boy, who was panting.

“Do you speak the Central Plains language?”

The boy immediately spat out a sentence in Chinese.

“You disgusting Central Plains bastard! I’ll pluck out your eyes and throw them to the eagles, and tear your limbs apart to feed the dogs!”

Cho Ahk-ryang chuckled at the coarse curses and stepped back.

Then, the boy hurriedly tried to pick up the dagger.

Clang.

Cho Ahk-ryang flicked his finger, sending the dagger flying far away.

Then, he asked the boy, who was glaring at him, panting.

“Did you happen to see the culprit?”

“You’re the same! You vile Central Plains bastards!”

Through the boy’s words, Cho Ahk-ryang was able to confirm that the culprit was No Dan-yang.

“I’m here to catch him.”

“What?”

“I have no intention of harming you. So, how about you help me?”

“Why should I?”

“You want to avenge these people, don’t you?”

“……!”

Cho Ahk-ryang, reading the boy’s wavering eyes, continued to persuade him with a gentle expression.

“You can’t handle him. But I can. If you tell me where he went, I’ll take revenge for you.”

The boy, biting his lip, turned his head and looked at the corpses around him.

After a while.

“I didn’t see him clearly. I just saw him leaving from afar.”

The boy revealed what he knew.

On the day the massacre occurred.

He had been patrolling the area to scout the surroundings and had returned to find that a bloody storm had already swept through the tribe.

In his eyes, who had luckily escaped death, he saw a figure running towards the northeast.

A demon covered in blood and running with his hair disheveled.

Through the appearance described by the boy, Cho Ahk-ryang once again confirmed that No Dan-yang was the culprit.

“You said he headed northeast?”

Cho Ahk-ryang, gauging the direction, suddenly had a strange thought.

“But why did he attack this place?”

“I don’t know.”

Cho Ahk-ryang fell into thought without a word at the boy’s blunt reply.

There must be a reason why No Dan-yang, who should have been hiding to avoid people’s attention, acted so conspicuously.

Cho Ahk-ryang began to search the surroundings.

However, there was nothing particularly noticeable.

Then, he came to a tent that was particularly large in size.

“Who used to use this place?”

“Uncle Tulhui. He’s the strongest warrior in our tribe.”

Upon entering the tent, he could see the figure of a strong man in his forties who had died clutching a spear.

A large hole had been pierced through his chest, and the place where his heart should have been was empty.

Scattered blood had solidified black on all sides, and all sorts of objects were scattered haphazardly.

It was a complete mess.

However, there was something particularly strange.

The man named Tulhui was naked.

In addition, the thick fur that had been laid on the floor of the tent was piled up on one side, and the dirt floor was deeply dug up in various places.

‘He was looking for something.’

Cho Ahk-ryang’s eyes grew heavy as he confirmed the traces of No Dan-yang’s martial arts that were felt everywhere.

Although he didn’t know the reason, it was now clear that No Dan-yang was not on the same side as the Blood Cloud Squad.

However, the problem was that it had become difficult to track No Dan-yang through the Blood Cloud Squad.

It was as if the only clue he had been relying on had disappeared.

Cho Ahk-ryang was deeply troubled by the frustrating situation.

“……?”

A look of bewilderment appeared in Cho Ahk-ryang’s eyes.

Just in case, he had spread his senses like a net in all directions, and a strange presence had been caught.

A stable gait and stride.

It was clear that it was someone who had learned martial arts, and Central Plains martial arts at that.

Cho Ahk-ryang deeply concealed his inner strength and erased his presence.

Suddenly disappearing from in front of him, the boy who was left alone looked around in confusion.

Then, as if belatedly discovering something, he hurriedly hid in the corner of the tent.

A moment later.

A figure entered the tent.

A man carefully examining something.

It was difficult to find anything special about him except that he was wearing black clothes.

The man in black, frowning, searched the surroundings and suddenly flew towards one spot.

The boy, grabbed by his hand and dragged out, struggled.

However, there was no way he could escape the hands of a martial artist who had mastered martial arts.

The man in black spat out fluent Tartar language.

Cho Ahk-ryang couldn’t understand it, but it was clear that he was questioning the boy.

Fortunately, the boy simply glared at the man in black with his mouth shut.

The man in black, letting out a cold laugh, slowly raised his hand.

Cho Ahk-ryang, seeing the murderous intent flashing in his eyes, moved like a ghost and preempted the man in black’s rear.

“A Central Plains person.”

“……!”

The man in black, startled by the sudden voice, hurriedly turned around and swung his hand at Cho Ahk-ryang.

Screech.

Fingers like claws tore through the air and flew towards Cho Ahk-ryang’s chest.

A strange light flashed in Cho Ahk-ryang’s eyes.

He recognized that the opponent’s martial art was based on Orthodox Mind Method [a traditional and righteous cultivation technique].

In particular, the technique he was using right now was a claw technique rooted in the Golden Dragon Claw (金龍爪) [a specific martial arts style].

At a glance, he could tell that the opponent’s mastery of martial arts was by no means low.

However, he was extremely unlucky.

Because Cho Ahk-ryang, who had dominated the world with his Locking Hand, was right in front of him.

Crack.

“Kuh-ack!”

With a single wave of Cho Ahk-ryang’s hand, which he lightly swung as if chasing away a bug, the man in black’s fingers snapped off like dry stalks.

The chaotic movements that had filled the tent were long gone.

Cho Ahk-ryang, who had nullified the opponent’s attack so easily, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Why is a member of the Murong Clan loitering around in this remote area?”

The man in black flinched at those words.

He had revealed his martial arts in his surprise.

The man in black, belatedly recognizing Cho Ahk-ryang’s face, shouted with a pale face.

“Blood Hand Master!”

The man in black immediately turned around and ran away.

However, he collapsed to the ground before he could even take a few steps.

It was because Cho Ahk-ryang had flicked his finger, sealing his blood points [vital energy points in the body].

“I think I have something to hear from you.”

Cho Ahk-ryang, grabbing the man in black’s pulse, began to inject his vital energy.

“Kuh-ahhh! Stop! Please, stop!”

A desperate scream filled the tent.

Cho Ahk-ryang cast a cold gaze, increasing the amount of vital energy flowing through the opponent’s pulse.

“You still haven’t answered.”

“……!”

The Murong Clan warrior, belatedly realizing something, hurriedly opened his mouth.

“No Dan-yang! I received orders to monitor No Dan-yang!”

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned, withdrawing his vital energy.

Fortunately, he wasn’t a man of strong will.

However, what he said was unexpected.

“Why is the Murong Clan monitoring him?”

“It was the Lord’s command.”

“The Lord? Are you talking about Ji Nang-ri?”

Cho Ahk-ryang’s chilling voice flew towards the man in black, who was hurriedly nodding his head.

“So? Where is No Dan-yang now?”