The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 113

The Divine Doctor of Mount Hua (113)

No Dan-yang felt as though the blood that had been boiling within him instantly cooled at the sight of that terrifying display of psychokinesis.

Yang Bul-wi had exceeded expectations, but Namgung Baek was an unimaginable monster beyond comparison.

It was then that the message from Zhuge Lian came to mind.

“I have just one question. Do you possess the other half of the Blood Demon Scripture?”

Namgung Baek subtly curled the corner of his lips.

“Even in this situation, are you still clinging to a promise that has already been broken?”

No Dan-yang’s face twisted in anger.

“You never intended to give it to me from the start!”

“Perhaps…”

Namgung Baek, who had vaguely trailed off, smiled coldly.

“But one thing is certain. You are also one of the Ten Evils.”

At that moment, No Dan-yang darted away.

Simultaneously, a look of bewilderment crossed Namgung Baek’s face.

This was because No Dan-yang had dashed towards the Phasa Clan, who were lined up behind him.

In an instant, No Dan-yang disappeared through the ranks of the Phasa Clan.

“You will regret this!”

Namgung Baek let out a hollow laugh at No Dan-yang’s voice, which echoed from afar.

He had not anticipated that No Dan-yang would suddenly flee like this.

The warriors of the Phasa Clan who remained were equally taken aback.

Their faces were filled with confusion. They stood awkwardly, exchanging bewildered glances at the spot where No Dan-yang had disappeared. They could never have imagined that their leader would abandon them and flee alone.

“Shall we pursue him?”

Yang Bul-wi, who had somewhat recovered from his internal injuries, asked cautiously.

However, Namgung Baek shook his head.

“He has nowhere to go and nowhere to hide anyway. He is at odds with both the orthodox and unorthodox factions.”

Preventing any potential future troubles was important, but now was not the time. He had to deal with the Phasa Clan, who were watching him, at a loss of what to do.

“What are your plans for them?”

“We will have to proceed with disbanding them.”

Namgung Baek replied, then smiled quietly.

“Perhaps that will be the last thing I do as the leader of the Murim Alliance [Martial Arts Alliance].”

* * *

Late at night.

A figure was running through the pouring rain.

‘Come back alive?’

No Dan-yang’s eyes flashed with madness as he recalled the contents of the message from Zhuge Lian.

He didn’t know what that woman was thinking, but one thing was certain.

For now, she was the only support he could rely on.

‘Very well. I’ll give her one last chance.’

But if she spouted any more nonsense, he would snap her slender neck, which was worth less than a handful of dust.

His patience had long worn thin.

He ran without stopping, and when his inner energy was almost depleted,

No Dan-yang barely managed to reach Wuhan, where the main headquarters of the Murim Alliance was located.

Taking advantage of a weak spot in the surveillance network, No Dan-yang infiltrated the Murim Alliance and headed straight for the residence of the Second Division Leader.

Despite the late hour, Zhuge Lian’s residence was still lit.

Thud.

No Dan-yang opened the door and stepped inside.

“Welcome.”

No Dan-yang exuded a thick murderous aura at the sight of Zhuge Lian, who seemed to have been waiting for him, offering him a chair across from her.

“The journey must have been rough.”

Zhuge Lian smiled at No Dan-yang, who was glaring at her silently. Then, she took something out from under the table and held it out.

“That’s!”

No Dan-yang’s eyes shook violently.

A half-empty booklet with nothing written on it.

No Dan-yang instinctively knew that it was the other half of the Blood Demon Scripture.

Thump.

No Dan-yang snatched the booklet and began flipping through it frantically.

After a moment, an unmistakable look of joy appeared on No Dan-yang’s face.

It was just as he had expected. Although it was a handwritten copy, it was the remaining part of the Blood Demon Scripture.

Zhuge Lian smiled at the sight.

“The scripture was only half copied in the first place.”

“Then what is this…?”

“The leader doesn’t know about the other handwritten copy. Isn’t this what you needed?”

“Why… why are you giving this to me?”

“Well, why would I?”

Zhuge Lian’s eyes curved gently as she trailed off mysteriously.

“Isn’t it what you wanted? And right now, survival is what’s important.”

“What do you mean?”

“From what I can see, it doesn’t look like you can stay in the Murim Alliance any longer, can you?”

No Dan-yang flinched.

She was definitely not an easy opponent.

He could not match her insight, which allowed her to see several moves ahead.

“But you can’t go back to being a member of the Unorthodox Faction either. You’re truly in a desperate situation, surrounded on all sides and without any help. It seems I’m the only one who can help you, don’t you think?”

“…….”

“What are you hesitating about? In this situation. You don’t have a choice anyway.”

After glaring at Zhuge Lian for a moment, No Dan-yang suddenly opened his mouth.

“What do you want?”

“First, complete that martial art. And…”

“And?”

“Just help me a little.”

“What do I get out of it?”

Zhuge Lian raised her hand and pointed to the Blood Demon Scripture that No Dan-yang was clutching.

“You’ve already gotten one thing, haven’t you?”

Zhuge Lian smiled at the flustered No Dan-yang.

“Of course, I can help you with many other things besides that. For example…”

Zhuge Lian trailed off for a moment, then smiled.

“First, I’ll provide you with a means to ensure your safety. I’ll also provide you with a new identity so you can operate in the Jianghu [Martial World] again.”

“Is that possible?”

Zhuge Lian nodded at No Dan-yang’s question.

“Absolutely. If I become the new leader of the Murim Alliance.”

Only then did No Dan-yang realize Zhuge Lian’s true purpose.

“What do you say? Shall we join hands?”

No Dan-yang groaned.

As she said, he had no other choice in the current situation. But there was one thing he had to make clear.

“Even the leader deceived me. How can I trust you?”

“Don’t trust me. Because I don’t trust you either.”

“What?”

Zhuge Lian smiled at No Dan-yang, who still couldn’t shake off his suspicion.

“But it’s not like there’s nothing you can’t trust at all.”

“……?”

“Can’t we at least trust what each other wants? You want martial arts, I want power. What could be more reliable than that?”

No Dan-yang stared intently at Zhuge Lian, then nodded.

A satisfied smile appeared on Zhuge Lian’s face.

“There’s a hermitage called Jimyeongam on Jeonmyeong Mountain in Liaoning Province. You can hide there for the time being.”

A strange light flashed in No Dan-yang’s eyes and disappeared.

She had been anticipating that he would accept her offer from the start.

“You don’t have to feel burdened. Think of it as a kind of down payment.”

“If you say so, I’ll gratefully accept it.”

Zhuge Lian called out to No Dan-yang, who was turning to leave with the scripture.

“Oh, and this is just pure curiosity, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“……?”

“What do you want to do when you complete your martial arts?”

“…….”

No Dan-yang hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I’m going to prove it.”

“Prove what?”

“That I am the best in the world.”

“A lot of blood will flow, then.”

No Dan-yang curled up into a gruesome smile.

“That includes the one you want.”

Zhuge Lian bit into an even brighter smile.

“That’s exactly it. That’s why we can trust each other.”

* * *

The orthodox Murim [Martial Arts World] was very noisy due to the unprecedented situation in which the leader of the Qingcheng Sect was murdered by the hands of one of the Ten Evils.

The rumor, which spread like wildfire throughout the Central Plains, soon led to voices criticizing the Murim Alliance.

More precisely, it was the complaints aimed at Namgung Baek, the leader of the Murim Alliance.

Those who had been dissatisfied with Namgung Baek’s excessive actions took this opportunity to criticize the Murim Alliance and his mistakes.

And then, another rumor was added to it.

It was the rumor that Namgung Baek had expressed his intention to step down from the position of leader.

Although the source was unclear, the Murim Alliance’s response of remaining silent to such rumors certainly raised doubts.

In order to find out the truth, messenger birds flew from all over the Central Plains, and countless numbers of people rushed to Wuhan, where the Murim Alliance was located.

However, unlike the noisy Murim, the common people were living their peaceful daily lives.

The women lined up along the river were no exception.

Next to the women, who were chatting in groups of three or five, were piles of laundry.

The children were the same.

Even though it was too early in the season to enjoy swimming, they were splashing water everywhere and diving noisily.

One of the women, unable to watch any longer, shouted at the children.

“You brats. Go play upstream.”

At those words, the children rushed upstream.

But at some point, the children who were enjoying swimming ran out of the river.

“Ugh!”

When one of them started vomiting, the other children also put their hands on the ground and threw up what they had eaten in the morning. It was then that exclamations of bewilderment erupted from the women who were doing laundry.

“Oh my! What on earth is going on?”

The women hurriedly pulled out the laundry they had soaked in the river.

The clear river suddenly became murky, and an unbearable stench began to rise.

The women and children, covering their noses, hurriedly left the river.

Meanwhile, at that time.

Two people emerged from the water upstream.

One of them exclaimed.

“Ah, that’s refreshing.”

It was Lee Rip, the leader of the Beggars’ Sect.

“Has it been three years since you took a bath?”

Lee Rip shook his head at Hong Jeok-moon’s question.

“It’s been four years. I washed up the day before the last Beggars’ Sect competition.”

The two were enjoying their bath, unaware that the black sludge flowing from their bodies was heading downstream.

“Anyway, is this good enough?”

The two, nodding, walked out of the river. Then, they smiled at each other, seeing how the grime had washed off.

“Wow, who is this? You’re a completely different person!”

“You look like a bridegroom yourself. You’re all spruced up.”

Han Seol-hwa wore an dumbfounded expression at the sight of the two exchanging compliments.

“How can this be?”

“What’s wrong?”

Han Seol-hwa stared at Lee Rip and Hong Jeok-moon with disbelief at Dan Ak-seon’s question.

“How can the stench still be there even after taking a bath?”

Dan Ak-seon stopped Han Seol-hwa, who looked like she was about to throw the two back into the river.

“Please let it go. They said they only wash when it rains. I heard that bathing is a very humiliating thing for the Beggars’ Sect.”

“Of course!”

Lee Rip, who had heard Dan Ak-seon’s words, chimed in and approached. And Han Seol-hwa stepped back just as much.

Han Seol-hwa glared at Lee Rip with her brows furrowed.

The terrible stench that penetrated her nose was even making her consciousness faint.

She even missed the time when her facial senses were paralyzed and she couldn’t smell anything.

Lee Rip smiled awkwardly and said to Dan Ak-seon.

“We’ll have to move together for the time being.”

With the identities of Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi revealed, the Beggars’ Sect decided to help to avoid awkward encounters.

So Lee Rip and Hong Jeok-moon joined the group.

“Thank you for your help.”

“What thanks? If you think about it broadly, the reason for receiving the joint letter is also for the sake of the Murim fellows. It’s something we have to do.”

With that said, Lee Rip turned his head towards Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi.

“We’ll have to put our grudges aside for a while.”

Cho Ak-ryang frowned at those words.

“Is there a grudge? I don’t remember killing any Beggars’ Sect beggars?”

“There were quite a few who were injured.”

As Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes turned fierce, Lee Rip smiled affably.

“Anyway, wouldn’t it be better to settle any scores later? Now is the time to work together for Doctor Dan’s purpose.”

Cho Ak-ryang silently nodded in response.

Beom Gye-wi was the same.

His face was full of dissatisfaction, but he didn’t bother to show it.

Lee Rip cupped his fists towards the two and Han Seol-hwa.

“Then, please take care of me in the future.”