The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 283

Divine Physician of the Demonic World (283)

A short while later.

People were entering Hyeonjung Hall.

All of them were elderly.

From Tang Gok’s perspective, they were thorns in his side—the elders of the Tang family.

They lightly bowed to Tang Gok, who was seated at the head of the table, and then took their respective seats.

Each of their faces was shadowed with gloom.

They had already been briefed on the situation before coming here.

The current head of the Tang family, Tang Gok, opened his mouth with a cold glint in his eyes.

“What should we do?”

At Tang Gok’s question, the six elders hesitated to speak.

They merely pondered deeply, gauging each other’s reactions.

How much time had passed?

The eldest of the elders, Tang Un-sim, stroked his white beard and spoke.

“Hmm, it seems the family head is overly concerned.”

At those words, several elders nodded in agreement.

“No martial arts force in this world would dare to provoke our family, which has reigned as the overlord of Sichuan for over five hundred years.”

“Are you saying we shouldn’t make a fuss over nothing?”

Tang Gok, wearing a dumbfounded expression, slammed the table.

Bang!

“You are far too complacent! Can you even call yourselves elders of this family?”

The elders frowned at Tang Gok’s unusually harsh tone and gaze.

Tang Gok unleashed his fury upon them.

“Have you forgotten who killed the leader of the Qingcheng Sect?”

“……!”

Tang Gok continued, addressing the flinching elders.

“He didn’t earn the ominous title of Blood Demon Venerable for nothing. Do you wish to follow in the footsteps of the Murong family, who suffered a terrible tragedy?”

Tang Gok watched the visibly shaken elders with a pathetic gaze.

Tang Gok’s rebuke continued, directed at the elders who remained silent.

“Cho Ak-ryang. That man is a tenacious viper who never forgets a grudge.”

“Is the family head certain that he is coming here to avenge a grievance?”

Tang Un-sim retorted, speaking for the elders.

“Why now of all times? If he had the will to avenge a grudge, why would he have left Tang-ryeong alone? I believe they have encountered each other several times already?”

Tang Gok immediately countered.

“When they first encountered each other, the child Dan Ak-seon was visiting the Emei Sect to complete the joint memorial service. He must have thought that bloodshed there would hinder the completion of the joint memorial service. The same goes for the Beggars’ Sect leader’s funeral and the Mount Hua Sect leader’s sixtieth birthday celebration. He has been enduring it to avoid harming those who are moving with him.”

The elders fell silent.

Tang Gok, not expecting an answer either, pressed the elders with an expression full of irritation and reproach.

“Now, tell me your countermeasures.”

The elders avoided eye contact and remained silent.

At their pathetic behavior, Tang Gok finally erupted in anger.

“Come up with a plan! You pathetic old men!”

The elders’ faces crumpled like discarded paper at his thunderous shout.

They were, in name, the elders of the family.

Even if he was furious, he couldn’t act like this.

On the other hand, Tang Gok was frustrated.

Those who had been clamoring day and night to avenge the previous family head’s blood debt were now silent as a crisis loomed.

“What would the family head have us do?”

At Tang Un-sim’s question, Tang Gok slumped back and answered.

“Open the Forbidden Poison Chamber.”

“Heot!” [A gasp of surprise]

The elders gasped in astonishment.

That was because the Forbidden Chamber was a vault where forbidden poisons were sealed, poisons banned from use in the martial world.

“Are you saying we should burn down the house to catch a flea?”

The elders nodded in agreement with Tang Un-sim’s concern.

There was a reason it was called the Forbidden Poison.

To release the ultimate poison, whose use was prohibited by agreement with the martial world?

This was an act of turning all the sects of the martial world into enemies.

They would have no excuse even if they were immediately branded as evil demons.

However, Tang Gok calmly nodded.

“A gentle breeze cannot extinguish a wildfire. It will only fuel the flames.”

Not to mention the Blood Demon Venerable, one of the Five Supreme Masters.

“There is no other choice. He is not someone who resolves grudges through dialogue.”

“…….”

“Besides, if you think about it differently, his visit could be an opportunity for our family.”

“Opportunity?”

“Fortunately, he is coming here alone. If Mangsang Choja and Bingok Seonja are not with him, we can deal with him with our family’s strength alone.”

This was Chengdu.

The Tang family’s front yard.

They could manipulate all evidence and public opinion as they pleased, at least here.

The voices of all those who depended on the Tang family for their livelihood would become justification for the Tang family.

“How are you going to handle the aftermath…….”

When Tang Un-sim trailed off, Tang Gok only smiled silently.

The sharp murderous intent lurking within that smile.

Feeling this, Tang Un-sim’s heart sank.

Tang Un-sim bit his lip and pondered deeply.

Tang Gok did not urge him in any way.

He simply sat there, gazing at the elders.

How much time had passed?

Eventually, Tang Un-sim nodded with a heavy sigh.

“I… I consent.”

Tang Gok smiled eerily.

“This is the Sichuan Tang family. Anyone who enters with hostility cannot leave alive. Even if that person is one of the Five Supreme Masters.”

Tang Un-sim, letting out a heavy sigh, rose from his seat and left Hyeonjung Hall.

Watching the elders hurriedly leaving the hall behind him, Tang Gok curled up a chilling smile.

* * *

Winter rain, signaling the beginning of full-fledged winter.

A figure entered the inn, piercing through the cold, drizzling rain.

It was Cho Ak-ryang.

The inn was deserted due to the fine but all-day rain.

Only a few merchants, stranded by the unexpected rain, were sharing stories with food and drinks on the tables.

A faint smile appeared on Cho Ak-ryang’s face as he looked around the inn.

But soon, Cho Ak-ryang, regaining his usual indifferent gaze, took a seat by a quiet window.

Shaleuk.

A middle-aged man, parting the curtain at the entrance to the kitchen, walked towards the table where Cho Ak-ryang was sitting.

“It’s not even the rainy season, but what’s with this rain?”

The middle-aged man handed Cho Ak-ryang a towel he had prepared in advance, wearing a warm smile.

“Welcome. What would you like to order?”

“A bottle of Huaju [a type of Chinese wine] and a simple side dish, please.”

“Is this your first time at our Yeongjin Pavilion?”

“Why do you ask?”

The middle-aged man, as if waiting for the question, opened his mouth with a delighted expression.

“Our Yeongjin Pavilion, boasting a history of over a hundred years in this Chengdu, is famous for its food in the vicinity. From common dishes such as Mapo Tofu to Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which even monks are said to have jumped over the wall for its taste, there is nothing that is not famous.”

At his self-praise, Cho Ak-ryang looked around with a dubious expression.

The overall old and shabby interior was dark and even gave off an eerie feeling.

Seeing one thing, you know ten, and he wondered if such a place could really be famous for its food.

As if reading Cho Ak-ryang’s expression, the middle-aged man opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“Of course, the building is a bit old as much as its long history, but the food is excellent.”

He placed the teapot he was holding on the table.

“Even the tea we serve to our guests is on a different level from other places.”

The middle-aged man, who poured the tea himself, gave a friendly smile.

“Cold rain harms the body. This is very high-quality Longjing [a variety of green tea]. Warm up your body with this first before the food comes out.”

“Thank you.”

Cho Ak-ryang picked up the teacup and brought it to his mouth.

He didn’t expect much, but the tea tasted surprisingly good.

In particular, the fragrant aroma that filled his mouth was by far the best among the teas he had ever tasted.

“Good tea.”

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded at Cho Ak-ryang’s exclamation.

“Of course. It’s a special tea that we only serve to our distinguished guests.”

The smile on the middle-aged man’s lips deepened.

“Not to mention if that guest is the Blood Demon Venerable.”

Cho Ak-ryang quietly smiled at his appearance, which was raising a thick murderous intent instead of a friendly smile.

“You were waiting for me?”

“My introduction was late. I am Tang Jong-ho. I am in charge of the external affairs of this family.”

“Tang Jong-ho?”

Cho Ak-ryang tilted his head.

It was definitely a name he had heard somewhere.

And soon, he was able to easily recall a person’s alias from his memory.

“Tang’s family’s unique hidden weapon, the Blood Butterfly Dart, which specializes in destroying the opponent’s protective energy. The same name as the person who handles it like a ghost. His alias was probably Chuhonsu (Soul Reaper)?”

“Haha, this is an honor. That the Blood Demon Venerable, one of the Five Supreme Masters, recognizes this humble person.”

The Tang family’s unique closed family style.

Due to this, information about the people of the Tang family was rarely known in the martial world.

Except for the family head and the elders, it was about the Tang family’s Eight Hands, which are said to be the strongest masters in the Tang family.

In particular, Chuhonsu Tang Jong-ho, who is smiling in front of him, has been quite famous for a long time.

The Tang family, composed of blood relatives, was famous for its tenacious revenge.

The Chuhondan [a special assassination squad] was the most prominent in this.

And the person who leads the Chuhondan is Tang Jong-ho, the head of the outer hall, this very person.

Cho Ak-ryang smiled and raised his teacup.

“What did you put in this?”

“Did you notice?”

“I didn’t think the Soul Reaper of the world would bring out ordinary tea.”

“Chilbodanjang (Seven Steps to Intestinal Rupture) [a deadly poison].”

“Oh! Isn’t that one of the Tang family’s ten ultimate poisons? To serve me such an expensive and famous poison. So that’s why it tasted so special?”

Cho Ak-ryang, who burst into exclamation, picked up the teacup and brought it to his mouth.

And emptied the tea.

Tang Jong-ho’s eyes were filled with doubt at his calm and composed appearance.

To continue drinking tea even after knowing that it contained poison.

He couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

Chilbodanjang was not a common poison circulating in the martial world.

It was one of the most potent poisons that only a few people within the Tang family were allowed to handle.

It was a poison that caused extreme pain by melting internal organs as soon as it was ingested and caused death before taking seven steps.

Tak.

Cho Ak-ryang put down the teacup.

“Is this the Tang family’s answer?”

No sooner had those words ended than the people who had taken their places here and there in the inn rose up.

Tang Jong-ho curled up a slight smile.

No matter how well he pretended, he would not be free from the effects of taking Chilbodanjang.

But Tang Jong-ho’s figure, who was sneering, froze on the spot.

Cho Ak-ryang’s gaze staring at him.

Beyond the calm gaze that could never be believed to be a poisoned person, something chilling was wriggling.

The old man who had been responding with a relaxed smile until just now was no longer there.

The absolute master who is proudly listed in the Five Supreme Masters.

Only the Blood Demon Venerable existed there.

It was then that a terrifying pressure filled the inn.

Tang Jong-ho, who faced Cho Ak-ryang’s aura head-on from a close distance, vomited blood and opened his mouth with a pale face.

“How!”

Instead of answering, Cho Ak-ryang took out the antidote from his bosom and placed it on the table.

The antidote, which was originally white jade, had turned black.

“Keuk!”

In Tang Jong-ho’s hand, who hurriedly stepped back, was already a gruesome blood-colored hidden weapon.

His signature hidden weapon that chases after the targeted opponent to the end and plants sharp poisonous fangs.

It was a Blood Butterfly Dart, with butterfly-shaped wings and a body made entirely of sharp blades.

The Blood Butterfly Dart, which left Tang Jong-ho’s hand, rushed towards Cho Ak-ryang.

Flash.

It was then that a stream of hand shadows rushed into Tang Jong-ho’s eyes.

It seemed that the Blood Butterfly Dart lost its trajectory and bounced in all directions due to its formidable power, but in an instant, something gruesome flew towards his chest.

“……!”

Tang Jong-ho felt his hair stand on end and a chill of terror run down his spine.

Tang Jong-ho, who hurriedly stepped back, crossed his arms to defend his chest.

But the opponent was Cho Ak-ryang.

He didn’t get the name of the Five Supreme Masters for nothing.

Kwaang!

A roar that seemed to shake the entire inn erupted, and one person’s body flew away.

It was Tang Jong-ho.

Tang Jong-ho, who flew for a long time like a kite with a broken string, crashed into one of the inn’s walls, collapsing it.

“Keoheok!”

Tang Jong-ho, who vomited a handful of blood, staggered and raised his figure.

His arms were hanging limply.