The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 187

Of course, the reaction to that was immediate.

“Are you crazy?”

“Stop it!”

Han Seol-hwa and Cho Ak-ryang immediately objected.

It was because they were the two who knew Beom Gye-wi better than anyone else present.

Sa Mu-sim and Neung So-mil felt the same.

However, they couldn’t openly object, so they just supported Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa with their eyes.

Perhaps because he hadn’t expected such fierce opposition, Beom Gye-wi was momentarily taken aback.

“What’s wrong? I’m Beom Gye-wi, the best problem solver in Gangho [the martial arts world], Beom Gye-wi.”

However, when no one responded, Beom Gye-wi’s eyes immediately turned fierce.

“Do you have a better solution?”

Only Dan Ak-seon asked Beom Gye-wi with hopeful eyes.

“Of course.”

Beom Gye-wi wore a confident expression.

“Just go and bring them.”

“How?”

“By gently coaxing, persuading, and reasoning with them.”

In fact, Beom Gye-wi had never failed to persuade anyone except for Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa.

“Of course, that’s a calculation that excludes the people who died in the process, right?”

Beom Gye-wi flinched at Cho Ak-ryang’s words.

Han Seol-hwa’s eyes narrowed.

“What if they refuse or you fail to persuade them?”

“Don’t worry. The success rate will remain the same.”

“By killing them all?”

“Huh? Uhm…….”

The crowd shook their heads at Beom Gye-wi’s hesitant appearance.

“Kidnapping is not allowed.”

Dan Ak-seon’s words made Beom Gye-wi hurriedly make excuses.

“No, not kidnapping, but…….”

However, he coughed and shut his mouth at Dan Ak-seon’s subsequent words.

“Threats are not allowed either.”

Neung So-mil sighed, unable to watch any longer.

“Bad rumors spread faster than good ones. We’ve worked so hard to create a favorable public opinion, but if rumors spread that the Shin-ma Medical Clan is kidnapping doctors and using them…….”

Neung So-mil shuddered.

“It’s horrifying just to think about it.”

It was then that Sa Mu-sim, who had been silently lost in thought, opened his mouth.

“I’d rather go and try to negotiate.”

“Negotiate? How?”

Sa Mu-sim replied with a benevolent smile to Dan Ak-seon’s question.

“There’s nothing that can’t be solved with money.”

“But those people don’t move for money because of their pride…….”

“If there is someone who doesn’t respond to money, it means the amount offered is wrong. In that case, you should reconsider whether the amount is too small.”

“Trying to buy a doctor’s conviction with money… Wouldn’t that be insulting to them?”

“You can give them so much money that they don’t even have to think about it.”

Dan Ak-seon looked at Sa Mu-sim with a troubled expression.

Even if a person changes to be benevolent, a money-grubber is still a money-grubber.

His blind faith in money was still the same.

“Wouldn’t that be too much for the medical clan’s profits to handle?”

Sa Mu-sim smiled at Dan Ak-seon’s question.

“It’s okay. We can pour in the resources of the Shin-ma Merchant Group.”

“What? But wouldn’t that be more than the main business?”

“The Shin-ma Merchant Group exists for Master Gok-ju anyway. There’s no problem at all.”

Everyone except Dan Ak-seon and Ju Cho-un nodded in agreement at Sa Mu-sim’s matter-of-fact answer.

Dan Ak-seon was even more taken aback by that sight.

Dan Ak-seon, who had lost his words, hesitated for a moment.

He soon shook his head and opened his mouth.

“That won’t do.”

Dan Ak-seon smiled bitterly at Sa Mu-sim, who was standing there with a puzzled expression.

“If a doctor betrays his beliefs for money, I don’t think I’ll be able to trust him from the start.”

Sa Mu-sim nodded, about to say something to Dan Ak-seon’s very Dan Ak-seon-like answer.

“I see. I didn’t think about that part.”

As Sa Mu-sim readily stepped back, Neung So-mil stepped forward this time.

“There’s also a way to utilize information.”

“Information?”

“Yes.”

Neung So-mil continued his explanation with a confident face.

“No one is completely clean. We can investigate the opposing doctor by using people around them. After digging up their dirty laundry, we can use it as an excuse to persuade them to join our side. What if there’s no dirt? Then we just have to change the way we dig.”

“…….”

Neung So-mil quickly said as Dan Ak-seon stared at him.

“Of course, there’s another way. We can spread bad rumors to completely isolate them from their surroundings. After driving them into a state of isolation, we can pretend to be kind and extend a hand. Then any doctor…….”

As Dan Ak-seon’s expression gradually worsened, the confidence in Neung So-mil’s voice gradually disappeared.

“Haa.”

In the end, Dan Ak-seon sighed.

“How is that kind of persuasion any different from blackmail?”

Neung So-mil wore an aggrieved expression.

It was because gazes of criticism flew from all directions as soon as Dan Ak-seon’s words ended.

‘If I do it, it’s romance, but if others do it, it’s an affair…….’

However, he couldn’t openly express his dissatisfaction.

In any case, he occupied the lowest rung of the food chain in the Shin-ma Gok ecosystem, except for So Jeok-san.

Neung So-mil returned to his seat with a dejected face.

Dan Ak-seon’s worries deepened as there were no suitable opinions.

As if comforting such Dan Ak-seon, Ju Cho-un spoke.

“There’s a reason why medical clans with traditions have been maintained for so long.”

Originally, it takes quite a long time for a medical clan to establish itself in a region.

Rather, the current case of the Shin-ma Medical Clan was very unusual and unique.

It was difficult to find a precedent for cases where patients flocked to it at the same time as its opening.

The balance of supply and demand that has been naturally built up over a long period of time.

Stable operation based on this was the basic framework that supported the medical clan.

Dan Ak-seon pondered.

‘How do I recruit doctors?’

It wasn’t that there weren’t any easy ways.

Increasing the number of doctors right away could be easily solved by asking for help from Pung Jin-seong.

But he didn’t want to do that.

It was because he knew the efforts that Pung Jin-seong had put in to build the current Jinseong Medical Clan.

It must have been Pung Jin-seong who had done his best with just the three people currently dispatched here.

If he asked for another favor here, he might close the Jinseong Medical Clan altogether and bring all the doctors here to join him.

‘Uncle Pung would do that.’

In that respect, Pung Jin-seong was as stubborn as anyone else.

‘That’s the same with me.’

Come to think of it, Ju Cho-un in front of him didn’t seem to be much different.

Perhaps such a disposition was necessary to become an excellent doctor.

Then, suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.

‘Wait a minute?’

Threats, kidnapping, persuasion…….

If we exclude all of these, what conditions would doctors be tempted by?

There was only one.

“How about sharing my medical skills?”

“……!”

The place was instantly silent.

Everyone, including Ju Cho-un, was speechless with a shocked face.

After a while.

Finally, one person opened his mouth.

It was Ju Cho-un.

“In fact, there’s no better way than that. I myself realized that I was a frog in a well [a person with a narrow view of the world] after meeting Doctor Dan. Unless they’re blind, if they confirm Doctor Dan’s skills, they’ll be competing to settle down here.”

That’s how much doctors’ obsession with medical skills was comparable to martial artists’ desire for martial arts.

“In fact, if you do that, I can recommend some good doctors.”

Ju Cho-un nodded towards Dan Ak-seon, who was delighted.

“I’ve probably met more doctors than anyone else while traveling around the Central Plains [ancient China]. Among them were those who had the skills but had not yet established themselves as doctors, or those who were not sought after by patients due to lack of reputation. What if we call them in? They wouldn’t have any major problems taking care of patients right away. If nothing else, their skills are certain.”

“Ah! You said you’ve been continuing your journey to treat Jang Myeong-i’s illness, right?”

Ju Cho-un, who nodded, asked back with concern.

“But still, something bothers me.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Are you really okay, Doctor Dan? I’m talking about sharing your medical skills.”

Dan Ak-seon smiled and shook his head at Ju Cho-un, who was expressing his cautious heart with his expression.

“I was going to reveal it someday anyway.”

Cho Ak-ryang, Beom Gye-wi, and Han Seol-hwa shouted in surprise.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“You were going to reveal it someday?”

They were the ones who had been with Dan Ak-seon for the longest time.

As such, they knew how precious Dan Ak-seon thought of the medical skills inherited from his parents.

That’s why they were even more surprised by Dan Ak-seon’s words.

“You know that I’m organizing my parents’ medical skills, right?”

How could they not know?

The vast amount of medical books named Seongsuuirok and Saengsauirok [likely fictional medical texts], and all kinds of clinical treatment records attached to them.

Dan Ak-seon was familiarizing himself with the contents of it whenever he had time and filling in the missing parts.

The work of summarizing, subdividing, and compiling the medical books, which were his parents’ legacy.

It was one of Dan Ak-seon’s main daily routines that he did every day since returning from his trip.

“When I finish all that work and think it’s perfect, I was going to reveal the contents of it to the world.”

Beom Gye-wi’s eyes widened.

“Reveal? Not just teach it, but just reveal it? Without any compensation?”

“Yes. That’s why I’m organizing it.”

Dan Ak-seon added.

“Of course, there’s also the purpose of honing my own medical skills.”

Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi were silent at those words.

“No matter how little greed you have, how can you…….”

“Even so, isn’t that too much of a waste?”

It was even more so when he thought about the time and effort Dan Ak-seon had put in so far.

Dan Ak-seon smiled shyly.

“How greedy I am.”

Dan Ak-seon continued his explanation for the two people who tilted their heads, not knowing what he meant.

“In fact, it’s not difficult to monopolize medical skills and stand at the top. But compared to what I truly dream of and desire, it’s just a small greed.”

Dan Ak-seon, who paused for a moment, revealed his true purpose.

“I’m going to reveal my parents’ medical skills and my research to advance the world’s medical skills. As long as medical skills exist in the world, their achievements will never be erased.”

Dan Ak-seon drove a wedge towards the people who couldn’t close their open mouths.

“Above all, excellent doctors who have mastered the revealed medical skills will appear in the world. They will save more people. There’s no greater greed than saving people.”

A heavy silence settled in the room.

None of the people gathered here could object to that opinion.

There was no room for rebuttal, and Dan Ak-seon’s eyes, filled with firm conviction, felt beyond the mundane and even awe-inspiring.

It was after some time that the silence was broken by Dan Ak-seon himself, who had created the silence.

“Of course, it will take more than ten years to organize everything.”

Dan Ak-seon, who said that, turned his head towards Ju Cho-un.

“First, can you give me the list of people you’re going to recommend, Doctor Ju? Then I’ll send them invitations along with some gifts.”

“If it’s a gift…….”

“Clinical records and treatments that they would be interested in.”

“Ah! That will be certain. I’ll prepare it right away.”

Ju Cho-un’s actions, who bowed his head, became more polite.

With this, the problem of recruiting new doctors was as good as solved.