The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 306

The Divine Doctor of Mount Hua (306)

“It’s because Bilge, who was my Anda [sworn brother], betrayed my grandfather and joined them.”

“Anda?”

Samusim explained to Dan Ahk-seon, “It means sworn brother.”

An unexpected truth had been revealed by Bayan.

As the successor to Han, the chieftain, power would eventually be passed down in time.

However, his grandson, impatient for that day, defected with a large number of warriors, bolstering the Blood Cloud Squad.

Then Dan Ahk-seon asked Bayan, “What about you, Baghatur [hero or warrior]? Don’t you want to regain your lost honor?”

Bayan frowned. “My stance on welcoming you remains. However, that’s my personal view. As a member of the tribe loyal to Han, cooperating with people from the Central Plains is a different matter.”

“Then, do you have the strength to protect them? A harsh winter is coming. If you relocate here again, you’ll immediately face food shortages.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Dan Ahk-seon shook his head at Bayan’s outburst. “No. I just think we can have a real conversation if we acknowledge reality.”

“…….”

“I’ll say it again: we’re here to subdue the Blood Cloud Squad, and we will succeed.”

“If that happens, we’ll have nothing more to wish for.”

“Then will you help us?”

“As I said before…….”

“I’m not asking you to directly lend us warriors.”

“……?”

Bayan, puzzled, widened his eyes at Dan Ahk-seon’s next words.

“Bayan, please contact the tribes that rely on tributary trade and get their cooperation.”

“Are you suggesting we join forces with those traitors?”

“Regardless of their motives, they’re still people of the grasslands. They wouldn’t want the Blood Cloud Squad’s power to grow; eventually, it will tighten their nooses.”

“But…….”

“If they’d united from the start, the Blood Cloud Squad wouldn’t have been able to expand like this.”

Bayan was momentarily speechless at Dan Ahk-seon’s accurate assessment.

But only for a moment.

“This isn’t as simple as it sounds.”

Bayan sighed softly. Negotiations would be difficult, given their long history of hostility.

Then Dan Ahk-seon brought up an unexpected point.

“Since they value practical benefits over honor, wouldn’t they cooperate if you guaranteed them a clear price?”

“Price?”

“We can help with the supplies needed to contact them and provide resources to fight the Blood Cloud Squad.”

“……!”

Bayan was silent, momentarily shocked.

But no matter how much he considered it, he couldn’t understand their angle.

“What do you gain from this?”

He didn’t know their true intentions, but Dan Ahk-seon readily answered, “We only want one thing: no more tribes subjugated by the Blood Cloud Squad. That alone will weaken them.”

After expanding and occupying territory, management and governance are necessary.

However, an economic system based solely on force and plunder will eventually fail.

If the tribes unite and become stronger, the Blood Cloud Squad will struggle to plunder their territory.

Simply restricting their movements and confining them to a limited area would make the plan effective.

“Besides, tributary trade will soon be abolished. The tribes that rely on it will face immediate uncertainty. They won’t be able to refuse this offer.”

Furthermore, if profits from trade with Western merchants were consistently distributed, they wouldn’t need tributary trade, which has caused tribal conflict.

After a long silence, Bayan spoke. “But are you sure about this?”

“……?”

“It’s too early to say, but if the grassland tribes unite, your emperor won’t like it, will he?”

Dan Ahk-seon smiled. “It’s okay.”

Neng Somil would have screamed if he’d heard that, but Dan Ahk-seon didn’t care, trusting Neng Somil’s abilities implicitly.

Bayan nodded almost unconsciously at Dan Ahk-seon’s next words.

“Let’s focus on the enemy in front of us for now.”

Just then, a soldier rushed into the ger [nomadic tent].

It was the soldier who had guided Dan Ahk-seon’s party.

“They’ve appeared.”

Bayan jumped up, surprised by the Blood Cloud Squad’s sudden appearance.

“What’s their location?”

“Half a day’s ride to the northwest.”

“If it’s that direction…….”

That’s where a friendly tribe was settled.

Bayan hesitated. Morally, he should send reinforcements, but it could be a trap.

If they sent reinforcements, weakening their defenses, the enemy might bypass them, feinting east and attacking west.

As he contemplated, Dan Ahk-seon spoke. “We’ll go.”

“You?”

Puzzled by the unexpected offer, Bayan felt ashamed at Dan Ahk-seon’s next words.

“We’ll soon be allies, so we have to save at least one tribe.”

Dan Ahk-seon left the ger without delay and mounted his horse.

“Uncle Chief, please stay and discuss future plans.”

Samusim smiled and nodded. “I will.”

“Then I’ll be back.”

Bayan was taken aback by the group’s relaxed demeanor. They didn’t seem tense about facing the Blood Cloud Squad.

But he was soon embarrassed for another reason.

They stylishly revealed their new forms and mounted their horses, but their horsemanship was clumsy and 불안했다 [unstable].

It was hard to tell if they were riding the horses or clinging to them.

“Are you alright?”

Samusim smiled awkwardly at Bayan’s question. “Don’t worry.”

Samusim knew the group’s martial arts skills, including Cho Ahk-ryang and Han Seol-hwa, better than anyone.

But even he thought they looked unreliable.

‘When I get back, I’ll have to teach them how to ride properly.’

Samusim was embarrassed because even he was embarrassed by Bayan’s worried and distrustful gaze.

* * *

The burning red sunset painted the vast land.

However, the two forces facing each other below felt only anger and hostility.

How long had they stood like that?

“Admit defeat and pledge allegiance!”

A resounding cry cut through the cold air.

Maun, leading a special unit of one hundred men, was a martial artist from the Central Plains, a rare sight in the Blood Cloud Squad.

When the opponents remained silent, Maun continued to threaten, his expression overbearing. “There will be no more chances. Refuse, and you’ll all die.”

About thirty riders faced them.

Jang Han, at the forefront, gritted his teeth and retorted, “Shut up! We’re proud warriors of Subutaiya! We’d rather die than surrender to you!”

An angry shout erupted from the Subutaiya side.

A greedy madness flickered in Maun’s eyes.

This was what he wanted.

If they surrendered, the loot would be less, but if they were wiped out, the spoils would increase.

Since he’d already tried to appease them, he could justify his actions if reprimanded.

Maun ordered his subordinates, “Kill them all. I’ll distribute the loot and horses based on the number of heads taken. Tonight, we’ll take their women and celebrate our victory.”

“Waaaa!”

Hundreds of riders charged.

The Subutaiya warriors, only about thirty, were overwhelmed with despair.

They were outnumbered and outmatched.

They prided themselves on being the strongmen of the southern grasslands, but they’d suffered irreparable losses.

Their force, once three hundred strong, had dwindled due to fifteen days of constant battles.

Still, they couldn’t retreat.

“Let’s go! Let’s die honorably together!”

At Toolga’s cry, the Subutaiya commander, his warriors responded and spurred their horses forward.

Kwakwakwakwang!

Riders collided, and screams of agony erupted amidst the clash of metal.

“Keuk!”

“Keheok!”

Most of the screams came from the Subutaiya tribe.

Despite fighting with their last strength, they were soon pushed back.

Dark clouds loomed over the tribe’s future.

They tried to shake off the disaster, but the exhausted warriors began to fall from their horses.

“Don’t die alone! Take one of them with you!”

Despite Toolga’s desperate encouragement, there was no turning the tide.

Toolga shuddered in despair.

If they fell, the tribe’s women and children would become slaves, and their livestock would fuel the enemy’s power.

Then, Toolga’s eyes widened at the sound of approaching hooves.

Seeing a group of riders rapidly approaching, he shouted, “Reinforcements! Hold on a little longer!”

The flag at the head of the riders was that of the Bayan tribe.

But the hope quickly turned to disappointment.

While they aimed for the enemy’s rear, their numbers were too few.

About twenty riders couldn’t defeat the Blood Cloud Squad.

As expected.

“Humph!”

Maun, noticing them, snorted and ordered, “Fifty of you, follow me. Hit the newcomers. The rest, finish them off.”

Maun divided his forces and charged the Bayan tribe’s banner.

“Kill them all!”

Maun, with a gruesome smile, raised a red-tinged Yeonj 창 [spear] and attacked the nearest opponent.

Wooddeuk.

“……?”

Maun felt something was wrong as he fell from his horse.

In a split second, a dark Mukbong [dark staff] deflected the Yeonj 창, wrapped around it, and crushed his ribs.

His vision blurred with pain, but Maun tried to counterattack.

But…….

The young man wielding the Mukbong was gone.

The moment his neck tingled, his strength vanished.

‘When the hell!’

Unlike the horrified Maun, Dan Ahk-seon, having subdued his Ma 혈 [blood points], quietly spoke. “I think we have a lot to discuss.”

“……!”

Maun saw something unbelievable.

The force he led was being decimated by riders half their number.

It wasn’t a simple exchange; they were being crushed by unimaginable power.

The expression “blood wind” was inadequate.

‘Murim [martial arts world] people!’

They were incredibly skilled.

But even with this realization, the situation was irreversible.

As if devouring his subordinates’ lives wasn’t enough, the riders charged, targeting those pressuring the Subutaiya tribe.

‘No!’

Maun screamed inwardly.

However, the Blood Cloud Squad warriors, caught off guard, fell helplessly to the martial artists of Muryeong [a martial arts sect], led by Cho Ahk-ryang and Han Seol-hwa.

In the time it took to drink one Dagyeong [a small cup of tea], the Blood Cloud Squad’s special forces had vanished into the scarlet blood that soaked the earth.