The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 375

Unspeakable rage surged within him.

Beneath it lay a deep sense of self-loathing for the current situation.

석단평 [Seok Dan-pyeong] let out a low groan at the sight of the Supreme Overlord.

He had long served as a strategist, assisting 악호군 [Ak Ho-gun].

Therefore, he knew well how furious he must be feeling.

“The atmosphere is ominous.”

“…….”

악호군 [Ak Ho-gun], who would normally have exploded in anger, remained silent this time, swallowing his rage.

He was well aware that the weakening of his own position was causing a significant shake-up in the solidarity of the Green Forest, which had been built on the authority of the Supreme Overlord.

“First, let’s confirm the intentions of the other chiefs.”

The consent of the remaining chiefs was necessary to convene the Green Forest Assembly.

After dismissing 석단평 [Seok Dan-pyeong] and being left alone in his office, 악호군 [Ak Ho-gun] let out a dry laugh.

“I’ve become a pathetic sight.”

He, who was once unmatched in reputation, had now been reduced to a position where he had to be mindful of everyone’s opinions.

“I shouldn’t have gone to 무위 [Muwui].”

In the end, all this trouble had started when he accepted 단악선 [Dan Ak-seon]’s proposal.

If he had confronted the 무림맹 [Murim Alliance] head-on back then, the sacrifice might have been greater, but the entire Green Forest wouldn’t be creaking like this now.

But as always, regret was always too late, no matter how early it came.

“So, in the end, we’ve come full circle.”

He had struggled and strived so hard, but in the end, he had nothing in his hands.

Yet, what still sustained him was only one thing.

It was the last remaining stubbornness.

“I am 악호군 [Ak Ho-gun].”

No matter what, his pride would not allow him to be overthrown by someone else.

As the Supreme Overlord of the Green Forest, he would at least choose his own end.

악호군 [Ak Ho-gun] slowly rose from his seat and left the office.

“Inform all the mountain fortresses.”

악호군 [Ak Ho-gun] announced his decision to the subordinate who first met his gaze.

“As of this moment, we are terminating the agreement with the 신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan, the Divine Devil Merchant Group].”

It did not take long for that order to be transmitted via numerous messenger birds to the eighteen Green Forest fortresses throughout the Central Plains.

* * *

The Yangtze River and the Han River.

Wuhan, embraced by two massive waterways, was a crucial strategic point in Hubei Province.

This was why the 무림맹 [Murim Alliance] had once established itself here.

It facilitated the rapid collection of information and dispatch of personnel through the waterways.

Therefore, the first thing 남궁백 [Namgung Baek] did after forming the 무림맹 [Murim Alliance] was to push out the 장강수로연맹 [Janggang Suro Yeonmaeng, the Yangtze River Water Alliance].

As a result, many water camps, including 거경방(巨鯨房) [Geo Gyeong Bang, the Giant Whale Clan], lost their bases and withdrew from Wuhan.

However, they later reorganized their forces and blocked both waterways.

Ironically, the merchants in the area bore the brunt of the damage.

But now that the 무림맹 [Murim Alliance] was gone, Wuhan was vastly different from the past.

Above all, new courier companies and merchant guilds were rapidly emerging, enjoying unprecedented prosperity.

천화표국 [Cheonhwa Pyoguk, the Thousand Blossom Courier Company], which 단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] visited, was also one of the places that was greatly expanding its business.

The head of 천화표국 [Cheonhwa Pyoguk], 심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong], was a legendary, self-made figure in this industry.

Starting as a lowly embroiderer at the young age of thirteen, he became a 표사 [pyosa, a courier] around the age of twenty, and by forty, he had become a 표두 [pyodu, a courier chief], leading the courier operations and gaining fame.

Then, at the age of seventy-one, called 망팔(望八) [mangpal, ‘hoping for eighty,’ a traditional Korean expression for someone in their seventies], he founded a courier company.

Everyone said it was too late, but even now, with his hair as white as snow, he was leading the business more vigorously than anyone else.

The reason 단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] came to meet him was also because of this.

He had been in this industry longer than anyone else, so his influence in this field was considerable.

단악선 [Dan Ak-seon], who met with 심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong], briefly exchanged pleasantries about each other’s recent activities before immediately bringing up the purpose of his visit.

“Excuse me?”

심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] asked back with a surprised expression.

“You’re saying we should unilaterally raise the tolls and tributes that the merchant guilds and courier companies pay to the Green Forest?”

Even though there was an age difference, 단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] was the de facto owner of 신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan].

From the perspective of the head of a courier company that had recently benefited greatly from 신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan], he was not someone to be treated carelessly.

단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] nodded with a calm expression.

“신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan] will support the increase in that amount.”

“Hmm… It’s not like we’re losing anything, so it doesn’t really matter to us, but is there a reason why you have to go that far?”

“A cornered rat will eventually bite the cat.”

At 단악선 [Dan Ak-seon]’s words, 심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] burst into laughter.

No matter how much their momentum had waned recently, the Green Forest was still the Green Forest.

How many people in the entire Central Plains could treat them as weaklings, comparing them to a 궁서설묘(窮鼠齧猫) [gungseoseolmyo, a cornered rat biting a cat, a Korean idiom for a desperate act]?

After a while.

심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong], who had stopped laughing, carefully opened his mouth.

“Well… In a desperate situation with no way out, there’s no difference between humans and animals.”

“You knew?”

At 단악선 [Dan Ak-seon]’s question, 심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] smiled and nodded.

“We’re a courier company, after all. 표사 [pyosa], who travel all over the Central Plains, are more sensitive to rumors than anyone else.”

The ominous rumors that had been circulating recently.

The rumors, whose source and basis were unclear and were being spread by word of mouth, were revealed to be true when 흑암방 [Heukam Bang, the Black Rock Clan] was shattered.

단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] nodded.

“We are trying to propose a new negotiation in exchange for the Green Forest giving up the cultivation of 앵속 [aengsok, opium poppies].”

“Are you willing to take a loss for the sake of the greater good?”

“앵속 [aengsok] is that dangerous. More than anything…”

단악선 [Dan Ak-seon], who had paused for a moment, moistened his throat with the tea that 심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] had handed him, and continued.

“If the Green Forest collapses, the aftermath will be considerable.”

It was beneficial to the 강호 [gangho, the martial arts world] in many ways that 악호군 [Ak Ho-gun], the Supreme Overlord, was in control of the Green Forest.

심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] nodded his head without hesitation.

“We will follow your instructions.”

“Thank you. You’ve taken a load off my mind.”

“Hahaha. We and the 표사 [pyosa] should be the ones thanking you. Thanks to 신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan], we are enjoying an unprecedentedly peaceful time. Those vicious and greedy packs of wolves are now wagging their tails like docile puppies.”

단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] wore an embarrassed smile.

Knowing the uncomfortable relationship between the Green Forest and the courier companies, he didn’t express it differently, but it was such an insulting remark that 악호군 [Ak Ho-gun] would have immediately drawn his sword if he had heard it.

That’s when the negotiation was coming to an end.

The door to the head’s office burst open, and a middle-aged 장한 [janghan, a strong and brave man] rushed in with a pale face.

“Father!”

심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] frowned.

“What’s going on, 표두 심 [Pyodu Shim]? You should know that we have a distinguished guest?”

“I’m sorry. Father… No, Head. But a report came up from 지급 [Jigeup]…”

심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] sighed and asked 단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] for his understanding.

“I’m sorry. He’s not usually this frivolous…”

“I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”

심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] scolded his son with stern eyes.

“If the matter is not serious, I will severely punish you.”

However, 심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] was also surprised by the report that followed and jumped up from his seat.

“The goods that were going to Henan were robbed by 녹림도 [Nokrimdo, Green Forest bandits] under the 철산채 [Cheolsanchae, Iron Mountain Fortress]!”

“What?”

철산채 [Cheolsanchae] was one of the roughest among the eighteen Green Forest fortresses.

Besides, there was no way the 표사 [pyosa] would have stood by and watched their goods being taken away.

Clearly, there must have been a physical clash.

“What about the 표사 [pyosa]? What happened to them?”

“They say they’ve all been captured. They are demanding their ransom along with the price of returning the goods.”

“Huh…”

심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] was speechless for a while.

This kind of thing used to happen quite frequently a long time ago.

But recently, there had been no such blatant conflicts.

Then, 심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong] suddenly remembered something and asked back in a fluster.

“If it was goods heading to Henan, 신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan] must have been accompanying them?”

“신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan] has also been detained as hostages by 철산채 [Cheolsanchae].”

단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] was also shocked by those words.

“녹림 [Nokrim] finally…”

단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] couldn’t help but sigh.

The thing he had been so worried about had become a reality.

However, he was embarrassed because the timing was much earlier than expected.

단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] smiled wryly at 심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong], who was looking at him.

“I’ll take care of this.”

단악선 [Dan Ak-seon] hurriedly left 천화표국 [Cheonhwa Pyoguk], leaving 심대명 [Shim Dae-myeong]’s greetings behind.

* * *

Henan Province was mostly located south of the Yellow River(黃河) [Hwangha].

When 우(禹) [Woo], the legendary king famous for 치수(治水) [chisu, flood control], divided and ruled the area into 구주(九州) [Guju, the Nine Provinces], it was located in the center, so the area is still called 중주(中州) [Jungju, the Central Province].

It had the largest granary in the entire Central Plains, and thanks to its geographical conditions as a transportation hub since ancient times, it was the most abundant in products.

On the other hand, it was also a place with many mountains, with plains accounting for half and mountainous areas accounting for the other half.

This was because the 태행산맥(太行山脈) [Taebaeksan Mountain Range], 복우산맥(伏牛山脈) [Bongu Mountain Range], 동백산맥(桐柏山脈) [Dongbaek Mountain Range], and 대별산맥(大別山脈) [Daebyeol Mountain Range] surrounded three sides in a semi-circle.

For this reason, 산채 [sanchae, mountain fortresses] belonging to 녹림 [Nokrim] were concentrated in this area.

철산채 [Cheolsanchae] was also one of them.

“Chief, is this okay?”

곽릉산 [Gwak Reung-san], the chief who ruled this 철산채 [Cheolsanchae], smiled at the concern of his cousin, 곽가 [Gwak Ga], who was his right-hand man.

His already rugged face, befitting his nickname 철산노호(鐵山怒虎) [Cheolsan Noho, the Iron Mountain Raging Tiger], became even more distorted.

The scars engraved all over his face, as if representing his harsh life so far, were similar to the patterns on a tiger’s face, hence the name.

He stared at the thirty hostages who were bound in front of him with fierce eyes.

“It’s okay.”

“But…”

“This is a 효시(嚆矢) [hyosi, the first arrow shot in a ceremony, a signal] to announce that we have returned. The bigger, the better.”

“Will they really pay the ransom and the price of the goods willingly?”

“If they don’t pay?”

“What if masters like 신마삼존 [Sinma Samjon, the Three Divine Devils] come rushing in…”

곽가 [Gwak Ga] was concerned about capturing even the people of 신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan], let alone the 표사 [pyosa] of 천화표국 [Cheonhwa Pyoguk].

Above all, 신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan] was full of fearsome masters.

무위 [Muwui] was a place teeming with masters of the 사파 [sapa, the Demonic Path], including 사무심 [Sa Mu-sim] and 능소밀 [Neung So-mil], not to mention the three monsters who were no different from disasters.

It was truly a 용담호혈(龍潭虎穴) [yongdamhyeol, a dragon’s lair and a tiger’s den, a dangerous place].

They themselves had once stayed in 무위 [Muwui] following the Supreme Overlord, so they knew better than anyone else how scary that place was.

However, 곽릉산 [Gwak Reung-san] was calm.

Rather, he smiled and uttered chilling words.

“Then just die.”

“Yes?”

“That’s our 녹림 [Nokrim]. Since when have we lived looking at the faces of 표국 [pyoguk, courier companies] or 상단 [sangdan, merchant groups]? Don’t you know the true meaning of the Supreme Overlord breaking the agreement with 신마상단 [Sinma Sangdan]?”

곽가 [Gwak Ga] secretly sighed at the chief’s stubborn attitude, who was full of stubbornness.

A hard-liner who never wavered in his support for the Supreme Overlord in any situation.

곽릉산 [Gwak Reung-san] was one of the few ardent followers among them.

“If you’re going to whine unnecessarily, go get some 술 [sul, alcohol].”

“Suddenly?”

“Yeah. It might be the last time, so you should drink as much 술 [sul] as you can.”

At 곽릉산 [Gwak Reung-san]’s words, the 녹림도 [Nokrimdo] of 철산채 [Cheolsanchae] burst into cheers.

However, there were quite a few who showed complicated eyes.

That night.

곽릉산 [Gwak Reung-san], who had been drinking heavily until late at night, suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

As expected.

콰직 [Kwajik – Onomatopoeia for a shattering sound].