The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 147

The Divine Doctor of Primacy (147)

Cho Ak-ryang took A-du to a nearby inn.

Perhaps because it was past the usual dining hours, the inn was nearly deserted.

Even so, the waiter frowned at the sight of the young beggar entering.

“Find us a secluded spot,” Cho Ak-ryang said.

Overwhelmed by Cho Ak-ryang’s intimidating gaze, the waiter reluctantly led them to a table behind a pillar, out of sight. However, when Cho Ak-ryang ordered food, the waiter’s face brightened as if nothing had happened.

“Bring a roasted duck, steamed carp with seasoned vegetables, and sliced beef. Oh, and noodles too.”

The waiter hurried to the kitchen, his steps light, as these were quite expensive dishes.

Soon after, as the dishes were served, Cho Ak-ryang wore a puzzled expression.

It was because A-du was staring intently at the food placed on the table.

He swallowed hard but didn’t pick up his chopsticks.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

At Cho Ak-ryang’s question, A-du looked startled.

“Am I allowed to eat it?”

“Why? Aren’t you hungry?”

“Ah, no. It’s just…”

“…?”

“…I’ve never eaten at an inn like this before. And I didn’t expect you to buy me food.”

Cho Ak-ryang cast a brief, poignant glance at A-du, who seemed quite intimidated.

“Eat. It’ll get cold.”

“Really, I can eat it?”

Cho Ak-ryang nodded silently.

Even then, A-du cautiously picked up his chopsticks only after receiving confirmation several times.

“Ah!”

A-du exclaimed, surprised, as he put a piece of steamed carp, still steaming hot, into his mouth.

But that was only for a moment.

He hurriedly grabbed more food and brought it to his mouth.

Cho Ak-ryang simply watched A-du.

A-du belatedly felt something strange and looked up to gauge Cho Ak-ryang’s reaction.

“Why aren’t you eating, sir?”

“I’m not hungry because I ate not long ago. So don’t worry about me and eat.”

“Then…”

A-du hesitated, trailing off, then opened his mouth in a barely audible voice.

“Can I pack up the leftovers?”

Puzzlement flickered in Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes.

A-du hadn’t eaten much yet.

But it wasn’t as if he wasn’t hungry.

Judging by the way he glanced at the food on the table and the saliva pooling in his mouth, it was clear that he still was.

“Are you uncomfortable eating here?”

“No, it’s not that…”

A-du lowered his head deeply as he answered.

“…It’s for my siblings.”

“Siblings?”

A-du replied, still subdued.

“Yes. I have five younger siblings.”

Cho Ak-ryang was slightly surprised by the unexpected answer.

“You mean you have a family and yet you’re begging on the streets?”

Realizing that Cho Ak-ryang had misunderstood, A-du hurriedly replied.

“No. We don’t have the same parents. We’re just all beggars, and I’m the oldest, so we just live together.”

At those words, Cho Ak-ryang nodded with a strange expression.

The life of a beggar is harsh.

Those who manage to join the Beggars’ Sect [a large organization of beggars, often with their own internal hierarchy and rules] are the lucky ones.

A beggar who wanders around without any protection or place to rely on is not even treated like a human being.

Especially a young beggar like A-du.

Moreover, he was also disabled, so it must have been even more difficult.

Yet, instead of filling his own hungry stomach, he cared for others who weren’t even blood-related.

His thoughtfulness was admirable, yet also heartbreaking.

“Don’t worry. I’ll have the food packed separately for your siblings. So eat before it gets cold.”

No sooner had those words been spoken than A-du began to eat again.

Soon after.

It didn’t take long for the large amount of food to disappear as if by magic.

His stomach was full, and his pent-up emotions had been somewhat relieved; only then did A-du smile shyly.

“How did you hurt your leg?”

A-du’s expression darkened.

“It was because of the errand you entrusted to me last time.”

“…?”

“I searched all over the village to deliver the letter to someone named Neung So-mil. Then I met that person.”

“That person?”

From the description A-du gave, Cho Ak-ryang recalled that he was Lee Gyu, the vice leader of Shin So-bang.

“I once saw him entering a brothel with someone named Neung So-mil. I thought that if I followed him, I might meet Neung So-mil.”

A-du’s face was pale as he explained what happened next.

The man who pushed him into the river when he couldn’t move.

Recalling his eerie smile, his whole body trembled even now.

Cho Ak-ryang felt sorry for him and opened his mouth without realizing it.

“He will never bother you again.”

“Yes?”

“The guy is dead.”

“…!”

A-du looked at Cho Ak-ryang with surprised eyes.

He had belatedly realized that Cho Ak-ryang was also a martial artist.

“I didn’t kill him. I was just with him when he died. So you don’t have to be afraid of me.”

A-du, who had been very frightened, finally sighed in relief at those words.

In fact, Cho Ak-ryang had a large part to play in his death. He was the one who caught him and took him to Neung So-mil.

However, there was no need to tell the child, who was already terrified, the truth.

“Don’t you resent me?”

“Of course, I resent you.”

Cho Ak-ryang smiled bitterly.

How could he not resent him?

“But I should be grateful that I’m alive.”

Cho Ak-ryang suddenly became curious.

“But how did you survive? You couldn’t have swum with your blood points sealed [pressure points that, when struck, can temporarily paralyze or weaken a person].”

Remembering the time, A-du squeezed his eyes shut.

“I was swept away by the rapids and sank to the bottom, and I thought I was going to die like this.”

Then, he accidentally hit a rock that protruded from the bottom like a reef.

“I saw stars. It hurt terribly.”

After bumping into it several times, he was able to move his stiff body.

“My whole body ached as if it would break. Then I found a log floating in front of me.”

A-du clung to the tree with all his might.

His whole body ached as if he would die, and his fingernails were falling off, but he couldn’t let go of the tree, which was his only lifeline.

After drifting for a long time, he finally reached the point where the rivers merged, and when the current slowed down, he struggled to get to the shore.

“I didn’t know the way, so I followed the river back upstream.”

“Weren’t you scared?”

A-du teared up, looking as if he would burst into tears any moment, recalling Lee Gyu.

“But I had no choice.”

“Why?”

“If I’m not there, my siblings will starve to death.”

Cho Ak-ryang felt a new sense of admiration for the boy in front of him.

Overcoming the fear of death was by no means easy. Not to mention going back to a place where he might die.

Yet, A-du had thrown himself for the sake of others.

“I’m sorry.”

A-du was startled by Cho Ak-ryang’s apology.

No one had ever apologized to him before.

Moreover, Cho Ak-ryang looked like a great man at first glance.

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the presence emanating from his eyes and atmosphere was enormous.

“You suffered because of me.”

A-du smiled awkwardly at Cho Ak-ryang’s words.

“It’s okay.”

A-du tried to act as if he was okay and continued to speak.

“It’s okay. Thanks to you, my siblings got to eat delicious food.”

“Is mere food more important than your leg?”

“I can’t get my hurt leg back, but my siblings are hungry right now.”

No matter how resilient he tried to be, he was still a child.

That made him look even more pitiful and heartbreaking.

“Even in the midst of all that, you kept the silver coins without spending them.”

“I may not have anything, but I’m not without a conscience.”

Cho Ak-ryang glanced at A-du’s leg.

“Have you seen a doctor?”

“A doctor who was passing by looked at my leg for a moment.”

“What did he say?”

A-du shook his head with a bitter expression.

“He said there was no chance of recovery.”

Cho Ak-ryang thought about something for a moment and then cast a gentle gaze at A-du.

“I know a doctor. Would you like to go with me?”

“Yes? But…”

“He is a very skilled doctor. If he can’t help you, then there is no one in the world who can fix your leg.”

“He?”

“Yes. A female doctor…”

Cho Ak-ryang felt strange as he spoke.

‘Come to think of it?’

Since when had he become so interested in the affairs of a mere beggar boy?

And they had only met a few times.

‘I see.’

Cho Ak-ryang smiled bitterly as he belatedly realized the reason.

It was because of Dan Ak-seon.

The ruthless Jianghu [the martial arts world], where every day was like walking on thin ice.

The human heart that he had lost while walking through the Sword Forest of Carnage had begun to awaken again as he spent time with Dan Ak-seon.

Above all, the biggest reason was that A-du was about the same age as Dan Ak-seon.

“Let’s go together.”

“But…”

Cho Ak-ryang smiled and reassured A-du, who hesitated and trailed off.

“I’ll have someone take the food to your siblings.”

“Thank you!”

Only then did A-du follow Cho Ak-ryang with a brightened face.

* * *

“Hmm…”

Dan Ak-seon frowned and pondered as she examined A-du’s condition.

After a while.

“It’s probably going to be difficult.”

Cho Ak-ryang looked surprised at Dan Ak-seon’s words.

It was hard to accept that there was a treatment that was impossible for the world-renowned Dan Ak-seon.

“Is it that bad?”

Dan Ak-seon smiled bitterly at Cho Ak-ryang’s question.

“It’s not completely fused, but it’s been misaligned for too long. In the process, the muscles have also shifted from their original positions.”

A-du’s face clouded over at Dan Ak-seon’s words, as he had been hoping against hope.

Dan Ak-seon looked at him with a pitiful expression.

Cho Ak-ryang felt the same way.

“Is there really no way?”

“There isn’t no way, but…”

Dan Ak-seon trailed off and shook her head once more.

“It’s very dangerous and difficult, so I don’t want to recommend it.”

Cho Ak-ryang’s face lit up at those words.

“What kind of method is it?”

Dan Ak-seon hesitated for a moment and suddenly mentioned someone’s name.

“Do you happen to know someone named Yeom Suk?”

Beom Gye-wi, who was sitting next to her, pretended to know.

“Yeom Suk? Are you talking about Yeom Suk of the Jinchen Fist (振天拳) [Vibrating Heaven Fist, a martial arts style]?”

“That’s right. I heard that’s the title he uses.”

Beom Gye-wi grinned and stepped forward.

He was happy to have a chance to step up.

“How could I not know? He was once called one of the Four Great Fist Masters of the Central Plains. I heard he disappeared after losing to Beop-ryo of Shaolin [a famous Buddhist monastery known for its martial arts]? So now there are only three Great Fist Masters left.”

Dan Ak-seon nodded.

“I don’t know the details, but…”

Dan Ak-seon cast a glance at A-du and hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“His condition was similar. He came to my parents to treat his arm, not his leg.”

Cho Ak-ryang looked slightly surprised at those words.

Although he had never crossed hands with him, he had heard of the famous fist master.

It felt strange to hear the story of his sudden disappearance from Dan Ak-seon’s mouth.

Dan Ak-seon sighed.

“He also had a lot of time pass without proper treatment.”

Surprise flickered in the eyes of Cho Ak-ryang and the others in the room at Dan Ak-seon’s next words.