The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 117

The Divine Doctor of Mount Hua (117)

“You’ve grasped the method of wielding power!”

Cho Ak-ryang exclaimed, impressed by Dan Ak-seon’s movements, which had become far more fluid than before.

He had mastered the knack of applying and withdrawing force according to the situation.

Striking hard before the opponent’s power could build, and flowing gently when the opponent’s power had just passed its peak…

He was faithfully following the essence of what was called ‘Strike Firmly Before His Strength, Yield Softly After His Strength’.

And that wasn’t all.

Judging by his movements alone, Dan Ak-seon was neither particularly fast nor extraordinarily mysterious. However, without rushing and remaining calm, he displayed precise movements at the exact moments needed, adapting to his opponent’s actions.

‘When they are busy, I wait calmly; knowing the rhythm, I let you fight as you please.’

A mnemonic verse, taught in a song-like form to make it easy to remember.

He was reproducing it at his fingertips.

“I thought it would take at least a few more years of training to realize this…”

Cho Ak-ryang muttered to himself, almost unconsciously.

Seeing this, Beom Gye-wi grinned.

“Our Doctor Dan is a genius, after all.”

Feeling he had shown enough, Dan Ak-seon withdrew his hands and stepped back.

“Can I continue learning?”

Cho Ak-ryang wore a wry smile.

Having it directly confirmed before his eyes, there was no reason or justification to object.

He could only nod.

Thus, on the third day.

Dan Ak-seon was finally able to move the bells without making a sound. He even reached the point where he could accurately retrieve the bells without Ga Du-dal telling him where he had hidden them.

“With this, the preparations are roughly complete.”

Ga Du-dal, having confirmed Dan Ak-seon’s skills, wore a delighted expression.

“Let’s move tonight.”

“Yes, that sounds good. But where is the Won Gong Bo Sword located in Unjin Hermitage?”

At Dan Ak-seon’s question, everyone’s gaze turned to Ga Du-dal.

After hesitating for a moment, Ga Du-dal opened his mouth.

“Inside Unjin Hermitage, there are five private training chambers. Places where no one can enter without permission. One each is assigned to the Sect Leader and the elders, and Yang Il-so hid the Won Gong Bo Sword in the second training chamber, where he was training.”

“Did you see it yourself?”

“I, too, was skeptical and watched for a long time. But just once, he took the sword out of the training chamber. Perhaps the training chamber was too small, so he trained alone in the remote mountains where no one was around.”

“That’s strange. Is there a reason he’s so obsessed with the Won Gong Bo Sword?”

Lee Rip added an explanation upon hearing Dan Ak-seon’s question.

“There’s a legend passed down about the Won Gong Bo Sword.”

It was a story related to the Yeonhon Eight Swords, a lost martial art of the Mount Hua Sect.

“The reason Yang Il-so stole the Won Gong Bo Sword is probably because of that.”

There was nothing else that came to mind.

Perhaps, contrary to rumors, Yang Il-so harbored a sense of inferiority towards his junior brother, Jin Jo-un.

“Outwardly, it seemed like Yang Il-so voluntarily yielded the position of Sect Leader, but in reality, he might have been pushed out of the competition.”

It was an open secret in the Murim [martial arts world] that Jin Jo-un’s martial prowess far surpassed that of his senior brother, Yang Il-so. Perhaps that fueled his inferiority complex and led him to commit such an act?

“Has he unlocked the secret of the Won Gong Bo Sword?”

Lee Rip shook his head at Dan Ak-seon’s question.

“I don’t think so. A guy who would go so far as to steal the Won Gong Bo Sword wouldn’t have readily given up the position of Sect Leader. The Won Gong Bo Sword disappeared ten years ago, and Jin Jo-un took over as Sect Leader five years ago. Judging by Yang Il-so’s silence so far, it’s safe to assume he hasn’t unlocked the secret yet.”

Then, Cho Ak-ryang, realizing something strange, asked Ga Du-dal.

“But I thought you said there was a formation?”

No matter how skilled one was in the Art of Throwing Daggers, it would be useless if they couldn’t penetrate the formation [magical barrier].

“Hey, why are you like this? I’m Ghost Youngster. It’s not for nothing that I’m called Divine Thief.”

Ga Du-dal let out a confident laugh.

“I’ve already found the method to break it.”

“A method to break it?”

Ga Du-dal, seeing Cho Ak-ryang’s dubious expression, turned serious.

“Of course. I dedicated a whole year to studying formations for that.”

Beom Gye-wi cast a look of disdain.

“You study formations just to steal?”

“There shouldn’t be anything under the heavens that I can’t steal. To not be ashamed of the name Divine Thief, I have to do anything.”

Ga Du-dal nodded and took something out from his chest.

It was a piece of paper folded several times.

When Ga Du-dal unfolded the paper, tiny writing and complex symbols drawn between them were revealed.

“This is the method to break it. Existing studies alone were not enough, so I had to learn the rest by directly confronting it.”

Beom Gye-wi wore a disgusted expression at the vast amount of information densely packed inside the paper.

“How many times did you go?”

“About… thirty times?”

“It’s a wonder you weren’t caught.”

“That’s my job.”

Lee Rip looked at Ga Du-dal with a look of revulsion.

Whatever else, he couldn’t help but acknowledge his dedication to stealing.

It was then.

“Hmm?”

Dan Ak-seon, who had been intently studying the method to break the formation, wore a strange expression.

He traced it with his finger for a moment, then crossed his arms and fell deep in thought.

“Is there anything else, perhaps?”

Ga Du-dal wore a bewildered expression at Dan Ak-seon’s question.

“Anything else, you say?”

“You said there are five training chambers, right? This is the method to break the formation of the second training chamber.”

“Of course, there are others, but…”

Ga Du-dal scratched his cheek with a troubled look.

“There’s no reason to go in, so I only slightly touched the entrance and stopped.”

“Could I take a look?”

Ga Du-dal took out a few sheets of paper from his chest.

However, this time, it did not contain as much information as the first one.

Dan Ak-seon took it and began to compare it with the first one, checking something.

After being absorbed in the contents of the paper for a long time, Dan Ak-seon finally nodded.

“As expected!”

Dan Ak-seon turned to the bewildered group.

“Perhaps we don’t have to steal.”

“What!”

Ga Du-dal jumped up in surprise.

He had put in so much effort, and there was a risk that all the efforts he had put in so far would be in vain.

“Why suddenly, Doctor Dan?”

Ga Du-dal hurriedly tried to persuade Dan Ak-seon.

“We’re just retrieving lost items. It’s definitely not a bad thing.”

“I know. But I don’t think we need to do that.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Let’s go first. I’ll tell you the details on the way.”

Beom Gye-wi glared at Ga Du-dal at Dan Ak-seon’s confident appearance.

“We just wasted time. We should have shown Doctor Dan the method to break the formation from the beginning.”

Lee Rip smiled and nodded.

“Well thought out. Stealing doesn’t suit Doctor Dan. A pillar of the Kangho [martial world] who has to do great things in the future is a thief… It’s better not to do anything that could be criticized in many ways.”

Lee Rip cast a gloating look at Ga Du-dal, who was standing there with a bewildered face.

“Forget the tricks you’ve learned.”

“Yes? Why?”

Lee Rip wore a puzzled expression at Dan Ak-seon’s question.

“Isn’t it useless now?”

“But it’s very helpful.”

Ga Du-dal looked at Dan Ak-seon with a touched expression.

Dan Ak-seon was the only one who acknowledged him in this place.

“See?”

Ga Du-dal approached Dan Ak-seon and whispered quietly.

“I’ll teach you even more interesting things in the future.”

Now that things have come to this.

He thought it didn’t matter if he went sideways as long as he arrived at his destination.

Once people learn something, they want to use it. Once he has mastered all of the Public Security Bureau’s Art of Throwing Daggers, his fingers will surely itch to try it out.

‘There’s just a difference in order!’

The result does not change.

With this as consolation, Ga Du-dal soothed his aching heart.

* * *

The Namak Temple (南岳廟) is a place that boasts a long history among the countless pavilions located throughout Mount Hua.

It was so old that even the time of its founding was not accurately known, and it had been completely destroyed by several major fires in the past, and had been damaged by powerful people.

Nevertheless, it has been steadily rebuilt to its current grand scale.

From the Yeongseong Gate (欞星門) to the Gwaeseong Pavilion (魁星閣), Jeongcheon Gate (正川門), and Eobijeong (御碑亭), every building located within the Namak Temple exuded history and tradition.

In particular, the Main Hall was the largest building among them.

A Holsan-style (歇山式) roof that looked like two roofs stacked on top of each other.

Below it, the same number of stone pillars, symbolizing the seventy-two peaks of Mount Hua, supported the Main Hall.

“…So, it seems that the Beggars’ Sect Leader and the son of Shin-ui [Divine Physician], named Dan Ak-seon, will be visiting our sect within a few days.”

The people gathered in the Main Hall were delighted at the report of the senior disciple in charge of welcoming guests within the Mount Hua Sect.

“Not bad. It is very meaningful that they are putting our sect’s name on the Yeonpanjang [invitation list] instead of the Qingcheng Sect.”

“I agree. Regaining the status of the Nine Great Sects is our sect’s long-cherished desire.”

Jin Jo-un, the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect, listened to their opinions without saying a word.

Others also had no objections.

“We have received help from Shin-ui in the past, so shouldn’t we allow it?”

“Even the Beggars’ Sect Leader is coming in person, so it will also save his face.”

“Humph! Have you all forgotten what price we paid because of the Demonic Doctor?”

The gazes of the people gathered in the Main Hall all focused on one person.

Yang Il-so, the Sect Leader’s senior brother and an elder.

Unexpectedly, he was directly expressing his opposition.

“The child Dan Ak-seon is the son of Shin-ui, but he is also the child of the Demonic Doctor. How can we bring that hateful bloodline into our sect?”

Yang Il-so said that and looked around the hall and opened his mouth.

“A sect that forgets the past has no future.”

Yang Il-so glared and some people lowered their heads. However, some of them expressed their opinions.

“But shouldn’t we think about reality? This is the perfect opportunity for our sect…”

“Reality? Did you just say reality?”

Yang Il-so cut off the other person’s words and shouted.

“I can still see the faces of the disciples who died that day. I can’t forget the screams of those children every time I go to sleep, so I still have sleepless nights.”

“…”

A heavy silence fell in the Main Hall.

At that sight, Jin Jo-un sighed softly.

He had expected it, but he did not expect to encounter such fierce opposition.

Fifteen years ago.

The Mount Hua Sect clashed with a Black Faction sect over interests.

Hengshan County (衡山縣), which surrounds Mount Hua, has long been adjacent to waterways and land routes, with developed transportation, and as a result, it is a collection point for agricultural products from the surrounding areas.

Naturally, various human groups gathered in places where interests gathered, but while the Mount Hua Sect was unable to pay attention due to internal problems, a group called the Black Mist Clan secretly established a base.

By the time the Mount Hua Sect noticed this, they had already expanded their power tremendously. Only later did they realize that the Black Mist Clan was not a single-scale Black Faction sect.

Under the leader, Ghost King Demon Wheel (鬼王魔輪) Jo Go, a large number of experts dispatched from the Baeksa Society [White Sand Society], a group of Yeomhyo [salt smugglers], and Nokrip Chilseol Ichae [Green Hat Seven Killers] were stationed.

Jo Go was a person with a great grudge against the Mount Hua Sect.

In the past, one of the Mount Hua Sect’s disciples had been killed by his hand, so the Mount Hua Sect tracked him down, and eventually he was caught in Mount Hua’s net and fell below Cheonjang Cliff with his chest and stomach pierced by four swords.

He, who was thought to be dead, was leading the Black Mist Clan.

Belatedly, the Mount Hua Sect devised countermeasures, but Jo Go did not give them time.

Starting with the martial arts center of the Mount Hua Sokga [Mount Hua branch family], all the way to the Pyo Bureau [courier service/security escort agency].

Leading a large number of experts, they launched a preemptive attack under the cover of night.

The damage to the Mount Hua Sect as a result was truly significant.

Jo Go and the Black Mist Clan were wiped out, but at the time, many disciples lost their lives because of it.

Yang Il-so drove a wedge.

“Don’t forget. The person who saved Jo Go was none other than that Death and Life Demonic Doctor.”