The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 20

Divine Doctor of Demonic Arts (20)

“You spend all your money on medicinal herbs.”

Dan Akseon chuckled sheepishly at Cho Akryang’s lament.

“The more expensive the herbs, the more effective they are. If I could, I’d even get my hands on Gongcheong Seokyu [a legendary and extremely rare medicinal stone], but there aren’t any available.”

Beom Gyewi interjected abruptly.

“If you can buy it at a herb shop, it’s not Gongcheong Seokyu. Even if it is, it’s definitely fake. So, if someone says they’re selling it, you need to verify it several times.”

“How?”

“Huh?”

“Cho, have you ever seen Gongcheong Seokyu?”

Cho Akryang was momentarily speechless.

He had never even smelled it, let alone seen it. That’s how legendary Gongcheong Seokyu was known to be.

As if he expected that, Beom Gyewi retorted.

“How are you going to tell if it’s real or fake?”

“Well… wouldn’t you be able to tell if you ate a little bit?”

After racking his brain, Cho Akryang came up with a lame answer.

Beom Gyewi and Han Seolhwa exchanged pitiful looks.

Cho Akryang flared up at their expressions.

“Well, do you guys have a better idea?”

“Why not just not eat it?”

“What?”

“If you’re not greedy, you won’t get scammed.”

While Cho Akryang was flustered by Beom Gyewi’s unexpected answer.

—Even an idiot knows that…

The following telepathic message turned Cho Akryang inside out.

Dan Akseon smiled and dissuaded the three of them.

“Don’t worry. I can tell whether it’s genuine or not.”

The eyes of the three people focused on Dan Akseon all at once. Dan Akseon opened his mouth casually at the question in their eyes.

“I’ve had it a few times when I was young.”

Surprise flashed in their eyes.

At this time, Dan Akseon wrapped the ginseng in silk cloth again and headed to the main building.

“It seems like it will take a long time to brew, so I have to hurry. Then, please continue your conversation.”

After Dan Akseon left.

Cho Akryang, who had been deep in thought, opened his mouth to the other two.

“I have something to discuss.”

Han Seolhwa and Beom Gyewi looked at Cho Akryang with interest.

“About Doctor Dan…”

Cho Akryang paused for a moment, then nodded as if he had made up his mind.

“I think I should teach him martial arts.”

Beom Gyewi immediately agreed with those words.

“That’s right. We can’t let him be threatened by those weaklings.”

Beom Gyewi pounded his chest with his fist.

“Leave it to me! I’ll pass on all my martial arts.”

Cho Akryang frowned.

“Just the martial arts of the third-ranked member of the Ten Evils? No way. I’ll teach Doctor Dan martial arts.”

“Then what about me?”

“Just cheer him on or something.”

“Doctor Dan can solve the weaknesses of my martial arts! Just looking at the martial arts itself, my Samyang… whatever it is, is the best!”

Han Seolhwa chuckled telepathically.

—Can you even teach him properly? He’s just asking to suffer Qi deviation [a dangerous imbalance of internal energy].

Beom Gyewi snarled at Han Seolhwa.

“Why? Witch, are you greedy too?”

—Don’t be ridiculous. I have no intention of joining your foolishness.

The eyes of Cho Akryang and Beom Gyewi, who were looking at Han Seolhwa, softened slightly.

For now, one strong competitor has disappeared.

However, before long, the eyes of Cho Akryang and Beom Gyewi clashed fiercely.

“Why don’t you give up?”

At Cho Akryang’s words, Beom Gyewi retorted without backing down.

“Why should I?”

“Are you going to make Doctor Dan a eunuch? He’s the only descendant of the divine and demonic doctors, so he needs to continue the line.”

Beom Gyewi shouted with a flushed face.

“What about you, Cho! What’s the use of martial arts that almost got you killed by a few guys?”

Han Seolhwa looked at the two people arguing back and forth with a pathetic expression.

How much time had passed?

“Okay. Let’s let Doctor Dan decide!”

“Agreed!”

After agreeing that there would be no complaints once Dan Akseon made his decision, the two showed confident smiles.

‘It’s not for nothing that I’m one of the Five Greats!’

‘He’s closest to me, so he’ll choose me!’

Thinking different things, the two waited for Dan Akseon.

After a while, Dan Akseon returned.

“Martial arts?”

“Yes. Whose martial arts will you learn?”

While Dan Akseon was contemplating, Beom Gyewi opened his mouth.

“You saw my lightness skill, right? If you learn martial arts from me, Doctor Dan, you can fly yourself!”

Cho Akryang hurriedly interjected at Dan Akseon’s brightening expression.

“If you are taught the Gold Catching Hand from me, you can subdue your opponent without hurting them. Isn’t it funny for a doctor to hurt people? Beom’s martial arts are too full of murderous intent.”

“What? Too full of murderous intent? Cho, of all people, is saying that to me?”

The two rushed to urge each other to teach their martial arts. Looking at the two, Dan Akseon carefully opened his mouth.

“But I heard that talent is important in martial arts, right?”

Cho Akryang and Beom Gyewi nodded at the same time.

“And I heard that you have to learn martial arts from an early age…”

Cho Akryang and Beom Gyewi paused.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t too late to enter the world of martial arts.

Usually, it is common to learn martial arts around the age of seven. This is because even if you learn martial arts after your muscles and meridians begin to harden, it is difficult to expect rapid progress.

“Then, I guess we should check first.”

Cho Akryang asked Dan Akseon.

“Can I examine your body condition?”

“Yes.”

Cho Akryang approached Dan Akseon and began to check his bones and muscles, stroking his whole body, including his arms and legs.

But his expression was very serious.

“From now on, I will inject true energy [internal energy]. Don’t be surprised.”

Cho Akryang grabbed Dan Akseon’s pulse and bit his lip tightly. After a while, Cho Akryang took his hand off and sighed as if the ground was sinking.

“I guess it’s a little late.”

“Why? What’s the problem?”

At Beom Gyewi’s question, Cho Akryang shook his head with a stiff face.

“It’s impossible to learn advanced martial arts.”

“Is Doctor Dan’s talent that ordinary?”

“Yes. There’s nothing more to see.”

Leaving Beom Gyewi, who couldn’t hide his disappointment, Cho Akryang looked at Dan Akseon and said.

“It’s okay. It’s not for nothing that the saying ‘a slow horse can also reach the destination if it keeps going’ exists. Natural talent can be made up for with effort. Of course, this is only true when you learn proper martial arts from a great master.”

Then he smiled quietly.

“I was like that too, so you can believe it.”

“Was Cho Uncle’s talent ordinary?”

“Yes. So you have to learn martial arts from me. I became the best expert in the world with ordinary talent, so I know the method better than anyone else.”

Cho Akryang continued with a serious look.

“If you do that, you too can become the best expert in the world someday, following in my footsteps.”

As Cho Akryang gave hope with a smile, Han Seolhwa, who had been quietly watching, stepped forward.

Cho Akryang blocked her.

“Why?”

“Suspicious.”

Cho Akryang flinched at Han Seolhwa’s answer.

“Suspicious? What?”

“You talk too much.”

“I told you there’s nothing more to see?”

“For someone who says that, you’re being too desperate.”

While Cho Akryang hesitated, thinking of an answer, Han Seolhwa’s figure swayed lightly. Cho Akryang hurriedly reached out to stop her, but Han Seolhwa had already grabbed Dan Akseon’s pulse.

Han Seolhwa stared at Cho Akryang.

But the atmosphere was unusual.

Her eyes, which had been cold and indifferent, were flickering with a strange heat.

After a while.

Thump.

Han Seolhwa suddenly hugged Dan Akseon.

“He’s mine.”

Cho Akryang flared up and shouted.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t join our foolishness?”

“I changed my mind.”

Han Seolhwa replied nonchalantly and looked at Dan Akseon.

“I can’t leave such martial talent to you guys.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? You said he was ordinary?”

“……”

Beom Gyewi was furious at Cho Akryang’s appearance of avoiding his gaze.

“You tricked me?”

Cho Akryang coughed awkwardly as the situation became embarrassing.

“Ahem. Then, let’s go back to the beginning and let Doctor Dan decide who to learn martial arts from among the three of us…”

“Cho should be excluded.”

“Why should I?”

“From the moment you tried to deceive us, you’re already disqualified.”

Leaving Cho Akryang, who flinched, Beom Gyewi shouted at Han Seolhwa.

“Witch, you’re disqualified too!”

“Why?”

“You gave up in the first place!”

However, Han Seolhwa was calm.

“I’ll take some flak, so what? It’s better than committing a sin.”

“What sin?”

“If I knew about this child’s talent and left him to you, I would be irresponsible. My conscience as a martial artist won’t allow it.”

“You lied because you have a conscience? Give Doctor Dan back right now!”

“Try to take him.”

“Huh! You want to use force? Good! Let’s decide the superiority once and for all. The winner gets to teach Doctor Dan.”

Cho Akryang shouted hastily.

“Let’s compete with stances only!”

Han Seolhwa and Beom Gyewi snorted at the same time as if it was not worth considering.

This was because they had to reduce the competition by any means possible.

“Are these guys serious?”

At this point, Cho Akryang’s eyes were also filled with murderous intent as if he was angry. The eyes of the three people, which had suddenly become fierce, were intertwined in a chaotic manner.

It was truly a touch-and-go situation.

It was a soft sigh that loosened the tense string of tension.

“Please let me go now.”

It was Dan Akseon.

Dan Akseon, who had escaped from Han Seolhwa’s arms, looked at Cho Akryang.

“Do I really have talent for martial arts?”

Cho Akryang nodded with a bitter smile.

“The bones and muscles you possess are truly unparalleled. None of the talents of the Nine Great Sects, who are famous for being picky about choosing disciples, can dare to compare to you.”

Han Seolhwa also agreed.

“Not to mention the Governing and Conception Vessels, the Gate of Life and Death is already open. The Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Principal Meridians are also well-honed.”

Dan Akseon nodded.

“I see.”

The eyes of the three people focused on Dan Akseon.

“Did you know?”

At Cho Akryang’s question, Dan Akseon smiled slightly.

“To some extent.”

And continued.

“When I was in my mother’s womb, she deliberately took elixirs. Immediately after I was born, I received Bone and Marrow Cleansing [a secret Buddhist art that enhances the body for martial arts].”

The three people looked at Dan Akseon with surprised eyes.

Bone and Marrow Cleansing, a type of Great Reformation Art, is a secret Buddhist art that improves the body of the opponent into a constitution suitable for martial arts.

But there was a big problem with that.

First of all, the caster consumes enormous internal energy.

There were many cases where people lost their lives by pouring out even the original true energy, which is the foundation of life, while performing Bone and Marrow Cleansing. Therefore, even the Shaolin Temple, which can be said to be the home of Buddhist martial arts, does not attempt it rashly.

However, once Bone and Marrow Cleansing is successful, its function is truly amazing.

This is also the case with Gyeyulwonju Beopryo, one of the Five Greats and known as the best expert in Shaolin.

A genius of martial arts who entered martial arts at the age of five and perfectly mastered more than half of Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Arts by the age of twenty.

The reason why hobbyists call him Bojanggyeong (步藏經) [Walking Tripitaka], meaning a walking Tripitaka, is because of this.

His divine power, who defeated the elite of the Demonic Cult with a single fire poker when the Demonic Cult invaded Shaolin long ago, has long been a legend of Mount Song.

It was also known that he had received Bone and Marrow Cleansing at a young age.

“I also took a lot of precious elixirs when I was young. My mom and dad also gave me acupuncture from time to time to make me healthy.”

The three people were even more anxious.

They began to seriously roll up their sleeves and argue about why Dan Akseon should learn their martial arts.

The atmosphere began to overheat again.

Then, in the end, murderous intent swirled.

Eventually, Dan Akseon dissuaded them.

“Do I have to choose one of you?”

Cho Akryang nodded.

“Since it’s a unique martial art, there’s no other way.”

“Hmm…”

Dan Akseon was lost in thought with a serious face. The other three could only hold their breath and wait for Dan Akseon’s decision.