The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 158

Late afternoon, a few days later.

Dan Ahk-seon, who was descending Mt. Gongdong, suddenly stopped and stared at the list of signatures he was holding.

Han Seol-hwa, who was watching him, quietly spoke.

“So, you’ve received all the signatures from the Nine Great Sects.”

“Yes.”

The signature list was now on the verge of completion.

All that remained was to fill in the signature of Lee Rip, the Beggars’ Sect Leader.

Yet, Dan Ahk-seon’s expression didn’t seem very bright.

“Is there a problem?”

At Han Seol-hwa’s question, Dan Ahk-seon sighed deeply.

“It’s nothing. It’s just…”

Dan Ahk-seon hesitated for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

“Actually, I wanted to receive an apology from the Gongdong Sect.”

“An apology?”

Dan Ahk-seon nodded at Han Seol-hwa’s question.

“About the ill-fated relationship between my mother and the Gongdong Sect. If you trace the reason back, it’s because of them that my mother was called a demonic woman and ostracized by the orthodox sects.”

However, Hyeongjin Dojang, the Gongdong Sect Leader, never said anything about it.

If he were to receive an apology, it would have to be from the person involved in the matter.

But as long as they remained silent, there was no way for Dan Ahk-seon to find out.

Because his mother, the person in question, was no longer in this world.

“If you want, we can go back and get an apology right now.”

Dan Ahk-seon shook his head at Han Seol-hwa’s words.

“No.”

Dan Ahk-seon smiled bitterly and continued.

“What sincerity would there be in a forced apology?”

Han Seol-hwa nodded silently.

He knew that the true apology Dan Ahk-seon wanted required acknowledging and repenting for the past mistakes.

“Anyway, getting an apology from them is something I have to do. And I will someday.”

He couldn’t involve Han Seol-hwa in his personal affairs.

“I want to grow up quickly.”

If he grew up and gained fame, they wouldn’t be able to ignore him anymore.

Han Seol-hwa felt sorry for Dan Ahk-seon.

“But don’t grow up too fast.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve missed out on many things that children your age should have enjoyed. Shouldn’t you experience all of that slowly, even now?”

Dan Ahk-seon smiled awkwardly at Han Seol-hwa’s pitiful gaze.

“I’m happy enough as I am now.”

As they were coming down the mountain.

Dan Ahk-seon, who spotted Cho Ahk-ryang and Beom Gye-wi waiting ahead, smiled brightly and raised the signature list high.

“I did it!”

Cho Ahk-ryang and Beom Gye-wi smiled and nodded.

“Good job.”

“Congratulations, Doctor Dan! I knew our Doctor Dan would do it.”

Dan Ahk-seon, who ran up to them, mentioned their next destination with a bright smile.

“Now, let’s go to Namchang.”

“Namchang?”

Beom Gye-wi, who was tilting his head, exclaimed.

“Ah! Scarlet Flame Iron!”

He belatedly remembered that he had left the Scarlet Flame Iron he had obtained from Haenam Island with the Moga Blacksmith.

“Of course. We have to go get it. I went through so much trouble to get that.”

“Trouble?”

“Yeah. To get Byeokhwa-ryeong off my back…, cough!”

Beom Gye-wi, who was talking, grabbed his side and sat down.

Cho Ahk-ryang, who had cut off Beom Gye-wi’s words by swinging his elbow, quickly sent a telepathic message.

—Why? Why don’t you just reveal that you lied about dating Han Nui?

“Gasp!”

Beom Gye-wi belatedly gasped for air.

Then, he forced an awkward smile as if nothing was wrong.

“…It wasn’t that much trouble.”

Beom Gye-wi, who suddenly felt a stinging gaze, glanced back.

As expected.

He met Han Seol-hwa’s gaze, who was staring at him intently.

“What are you hiding?”

Beom Gye-wi became serious at Han Seol-hwa’s question.

“Me? Hide? What?”

“…….”

“You know what? That’s a disease, suspicion. Do you think I’m always causing trouble?”

The more Beom Gye-wi vehemently denied it, the more suspicious Han Seol-hwa became.

At this moment, Cho Ahk-ryang stepped in and quickly changed the subject.

“Doctor Dan, aren’t you excited?”

“Yes?”

“Soon, you’ll have a weapon that can be called your signature weapon.”

“I’m excited!”

Dan Ahk-seon had recently begun to improve his martial arts rapidly.

And the more he did, the more he craved martial arts.

“Then we should hurry.”

With those words, Beom Gye-wi lifted Dan Ahk-seon onto his shoulders. Then, without giving Han Seol-hwa a chance to say anything, he dashed forward like the wind.

“Cho Brother…”

Han Seol-hwa tried to say something to Cho Ahk-ryang, but by then, Cho Ahk-ryang’s figure was already far away.

Han Seol-hwa frowned slightly.

She couldn’t put her finger on it, but the unnatural behavior of the two was strangely unsettling, and suspicious.

It was clear that they had something to hide.

The problem was that there was no way to find out right now.

In the end, Han Seol-hwa reluctantly chased after the two who had run ahead.

* * *

Dan Ahk-seon and his party arrived in Namchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, in just a few days.

“I wish Ga Doo-dal could have come with us.”

Seeing the Pavilion of Prince Teng [a famous historical landmark in Nanchang] that suddenly came into view, Dan Ahk-seon suddenly thought of Ga Doo-dal.

He could vividly picture Ga Doo-dal explaining the origin, history, and related stories of this place.

Dan Ahk-seon took out a folding fan from his pocket and unfolded it.

The familiar landscape painting that he never got tired of looking at came into view.

Cho Ahk-ryang cautiously spoke as he watched Dan Ahk-seon staring at the painting in the fan.

“You have quite a few signatures now.”

“Yes. The Hwayoung Sect also readily agreed to sign the list.”

In addition to the existing Nine Great Sects, the signature list had increased considerably.

This was because they had visited large and small sects on their way here and received signatures from those who were considered to be somewhat famous.

As they were continuing their conversation, they arrived in front of Moga Blacksmith.

“Huh?”

A look of bewilderment appeared on Dan Ahk-seon’s face.

Because the atmosphere of the smithy was different from before.

The clanging sound that had been deafening had disappeared without a trace, and it was all enveloped in silence.

Moreover, the main gate was tightly closed.

Dan Ahk-seon looked up at the signboard above the gate.

It was definitely the Moga Blacksmith he had visited before.

“What could have happened?”

Before anyone could answer, the impatient Beom Gye-wi pushed the gate open with all his might.

Crack.

The tightly closed gate swung open with a sound of something breaking.

Several blacksmiths, startled by the noise, rushed over.

“What is going on…”

At first, they were about to get angry, but when they saw Beom Gye-wi, they smiled bitterly.

“I’ll inform the Master.”

Having already heard that they would be coming, one of them disappeared towards the inner quarters.

The remaining blacksmiths could only sigh as they looked at the broken bolt and the half-detached hinge.

After a while.

A man crossed the Wol-dong Gate and approached Dan Ahk-seon and his party.

Then, he politely clasped his hands.

“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Dan Ahk-seon, who was initially puzzled because he didn’t know who it was, shouted in surprise.

“Why have you lost so much weight?”

At those words, Cho Ahk-ryang and Beom Gye-wi couldn’t hide their surprise either.

“No, how… ?”

“What? Why did that fatty become a zombie?”

Surprisingly, it was Mook Bi, the master of this place, who used to boast a massive physique.

In just half a year, he had become so emaciated that he was unrecognizable from his past self.

Moreover, his hands, which were revealed through his loose sleeves, were also skin and bones.

His complexion, which had been healthy, was pale, and he looked ten years older due to the sudden weight loss.

Yet, he was smiling more brightly than ever.

One of the blacksmiths behind Mook Bi sighed.

“The Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, the Scarlet Flame Iron, and the Cloud Iron all have very different properties, so we couldn’t use the method of melting and mixing them together. In the end, we had to hammer and mix them at the same time.”

Another blacksmith nodded in agreement.

“It’s easy to say, but in reality, it’s a reckless method that no blacksmith could dare to attempt. The Master has literally sacrificed his lifespan to complete it.”

Dan Ahk-seon’s expression darkened at those words.

“Why did you have to go this far…”

Mook Bi burst into a hearty laugh.

“What’s the big deal if it’s for a masterpiece that no one can surpass? Thanks to that, I was able to forge a monster that is tougher and stronger than anything else in the world with my own hands.”

“Wait a minute. Let me take your pulse first.”

Dan Ahk-seon grabbed Mook Bi’s wrist without hesitation.

After taking his pulse for a while.

Dan Ahk-seon frowned without realizing it.

“Your body is a complete mess.”

What on earth had happened?

Clearly, half a year ago, he was healthy except for being overweight.

He was so perfectly healthy that even Dan Ahk-seon had never experienced it before.

But now, his health was so ruined that he didn’t know where to start.

The vital energy that had been flowing smoothly was shaking unstably, and his pulse was irregular.

When he put his ear to his back and listened, he could also feel symptoms of pneumoconiosis [a lung disease caused by inhaling dust].

It was presumed that his cardiopulmonary function had deteriorated due to the fine metal powder generated during the process of hammering and forging the metal.

“I know. I know what you’re going to say.”

Mook Bi, who met Dan Ahk-seon’s eyes, who couldn’t hide his concern, smiled gently.

“But even now, I’m happier than ever.”

Dan Ahk-seon sighed.

“Haa… First of all, I think you should go inside and lie down. We need to start treatment before your condition worsens.”

“Thank you. But there’s something you need to see first.”

Mook Bi nodded towards the family members who were waiting behind him.

Then they brought a long wooden box and placed it in front of Dan Ahk-seon.

“Check it out.”

Dan Ahk-seon opened the box with a pounding heart.

Then, a dark cyan staff with a subtle luster, as if mixing black with pure color, revealed its appearance.

“Wow!”

Dan Ahk-seon exclaimed.

Upon closer inspection, a pattern resembling waves flowed smoothly across the surface, wrapping around the entire staff.

Perhaps because of this, it exuded an incomparably elegant yet dignified feeling.

This was not only felt by Dan Ahk-seon.

“Excellent.”

“Cool.”

Cho Ahk-ryang and Beom Gye-wi exclaimed in admiration.

Han Seol-hwa was the same.

Although she didn’t say anything, she nodded with a more than satisfied look in her eyes.

Dan Ahk-seon put his hand inside the box and picked up the staff to gauge its weight.

The staff, which gave a heavy feeling, stuck to his hand familiarly.

“It’s perfect!”

Dan Ahk-seon, who lightly swung the staff a few times, showed a more than bright smile.

At that moment, Mook Bi smiled and opened his mouth.

“Try using the Wihwa Divine Art.”

“The Wihwa Divine Art?”

Dan Ahk-seon, who tilted his head, used the Wihwa Divine Art while holding the staff as Mook Bi said.

Then, an amazing thing happened.

“Huh?”

The irregular wave pattern that flowed across the surface became noticeably clearer.

It was as if it was emitting light on its own, showing off its presence.

But the really amazing thing was something else.

The vital energy of the Wihwa Divine Art that had permeated the staff suddenly increased as if it had exploded.

Dan Ahk-seon couldn’t hide his surprise at the mysterious effect of accepting and amplifying vital energy as if it had its own will.

Cho Ahk-ryang asked at his unusual expression.

“What’s wrong?”

Dan Ahk-seon explained the mysterious phenomenon he had just experienced to the three of them.

A subtle surprise floated above Cho Ahk-ryang’s eyes.

He had heard that there were weapons that amplified internal energy, but this was the first time he had seen it directly.

“If that’s the case, it will be very useful in actual combat.”

Beom Gye-wi took Cho Ahk-ryang’s words.

“Not to mention training. It will be a great help.”

Dan Ahk-seon turned his head and looked at Mook Bi.

“Thank you so much. I will cherish it from now on.”

Mook Bi was sincerely pleased with Dan Ahk-seon.

“Rather, I’m grateful.”

“Yes?”

“That guy will be reborn as a divine weapon through you. As the signature weapon of the Divine Doctor of New Demonic Arts.”

“The Divine Doctor of New Demonic Arts?”

“Didn’t you know? There’s a lot of talk about you in Gangho [the martial arts world].”

“About me?”

Mook Bi laughed heartily at Dan Ahk-seon’s bewildered appearance.

“I can say with certainty that if you were to pick the biggest topic in Gangho today, it would definitely be you.”