The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 207

“Shall we go then?”

Kwan-jung guided Byuk Hwa-ryung to the lead carriage of the merchant band.

His quick-witted subordinates had already prepared a spot in the carriage, complete with a plush cushion.

As the carriage set off again, the Hainan Sword Sect warriors naturally positioned themselves to the left and right of the carriage, as if escorting Byuk Hwa-ryung.

Kwan-jung tried his best to match Byuk Hwa-ryung’s mood, exchanging jokes as they went.

Then, struck by curiosity, Kwan-jung pointed to the coffin on the cart.

“May I ask whose body it is?”

If someone of the Hainan Sword Sect’s vice leader rank was personally escorting it, the body lying in the coffin must also be of extraordinary status.

He couldn’t help but be cautious in his inquiry.

At his words, Byuk Hwa-ryung chuckled.

“No, it’s not that kind of thing.”

“Pardon?”

“Why? Curious?”

Byuk Hwa-ryung gave him a playful smile.

“It’s not hard to tell you, but I don’t want to.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it’s an important secret of our sect. If I tell you, I might have to kill you.”

Kwan-jung paused at Byuk Hwa-ryung’s chilling words.

However, reading the playfulness in Byuk Hwa-ryung’s eyes, he soon burst into a hearty laugh.

“Haha, you’re quite the comedian.”

“Right? That’s usually the typical reaction.”

Byuk Hwa-ryung, who laughed along, suddenly barked at the bamboo-hatted men who were silently following the carriage.

“Hey! Are you going to put your swords away? It’s a joke, a joke.”

Seeing the bamboo-hatted men subtly sliding their half-drawn swords back into their scabbards, Kwan-jung belatedly broke out in a cold sweat.

Byuk Hwa-ryung sighed.

“It’s been a living hell traveling with those guys.”

Kwan-jung nodded as if understanding.

“But what brings you to Muwei?”

“Bum, my brother… Ah, he’s recently called the Divine Devil Trinity, right? I have a connection with Mangsan Choja among them.”

Byuk Hwa-ryung’s eyes turned wistful.

“Now that I mention it, I miss him again.”

At her sorrowful smile that naturally evoked pity, Kwan-jung was momentarily at a loss for words.

“And there’s something I need to find out.”

A flash of lightning-like intensity flashed across Byuk Hwa-ryung’s eyes as she stared at the coffin.

Even Kwan-jung, who prided himself on his considerable courage, felt a moment of suffocating terror.

So he couldn’t ask any further.

But before long, an opportunity to confirm the contents of the coffin presented itself.

Piing.

A signal flare shot into the sky.

At this signal, people wielding menacing weapons rushed out from all directions, surrounding the merchant band.

‘Damn it!’

Kwan-jung swallowed a curse as he saw them.

His ominous premonitions never missed; bandits had appeared.

Heeheeing.

The horses, startled by the sudden bandit intrusion and the murderous aura they exuded, bucked and struggled.

The merchant band members hurriedly calmed the horses.

But coincidentally, there was no one managing the cart carrying the coffin.

Thump.

As the cart suddenly stopped, the coffin on the cart was pushed forward by inertia and fell off.

Crash.

The coffin shattered into pieces upon impact.

The body inside tumbled onto the ground.

“Oh dear!”

Startlement burst from Kwan-jung’s mouth as he witnessed this.

However, Byuk Hwa-ryung remained calm.

“Ah, it’s alright.”

At Byuk Hwa-ryung’s gesture, the Hainan Sword Sect warriors approached the body rolling on the ground.

It was then that a sense of bewilderment settled in Kwan-jung’s eyes as he watched them.

It was because of the sturdy rope tightly binding the body.

The Hainan Sword Sect warriors placed the body back on the cart.

And they cast stern gazes, guarding their surroundings.

Belatedly, Kwan-jung noticed that the chest of the rope-bound body was subtly rising and falling.

“Is he alive?”

Byuk Hwa-ryung nodded at Kwan-jung’s question.

“He’s in a state of Qi Deviation [a dangerous imbalance of internal energy]. We tied him up just in case.”

“Ah! So that’s why you’re going to Muwei?”

Byuk Hwa-ryung nodded.

“Because the Divine Doctor of the Martial World is the only one who can cure Qi Deviation in the current Jianghu [the martial arts world].”

At that moment, some of the bandits surrounding the merchant band stepped forward.

A gaunt-faced giant covered in scars.

And a short, limping man with a long whip wrapped around his waist.

“The Chief Protector told us not to kill them, right?”

At the limping man’s words, Kwak Young-ho, the leader of the Doanreung Stronghold, cast a fierce gaze as befitting his large frame.

“Well, losing an arm or a leg should be fine, right? It’s a rare chance to score a hit, and the boys need to taste some blood.”

Byuk Hwa-ryung was beyond exasperated at their swaggering approach.

So was Kwan-jung.

The bandits he usually avoided so much now seemed merely ridiculous.

No matter how fearsome a pack of wolves might be, how could they compare to the tiger smiling before them?

Yet these fools, failing to grasp the situation, were trying to pluck the tiger’s whiskers without any fear.

Kwak Young-ho raised a massive beheading sword with a long handle attached to a double-edged blade and grinned.

“This place is under the jurisdiction of our Doanreung Stronghold. Anyone passing through here must pay a toll.”

“I’ve never heard of a mountain having an owner before?”

At Byuk Hwa-ryung’s words, Kwak Young-ho’s eyes gleamed strangely.

He had been captivated by her beauty, which was rarely seen in such remote mountainous areas, and his lust had been aroused.

Seeing this, Kwan-jung hurriedly stepped forward.

It was best to resolve the situation through dialogue first.

“So, you are the heroes of the Doanreung Stronghold who rule this place. I am Kwan-jung, leading this merchant band. If you could openly tell me how much toll you desire, I am willing to show sufficient sincerity.”

Despite Kwan-jung’s polite words, Kwak Young-ho didn’t even glance at him.

He was already so fixated on Byuk Hwa-ryung’s beauty that nothing else mattered.

“One hundred nyang [a unit of currency].”

Kwan-jung paused at Kwak Young-ho’s abrupt words.

After a moment of contemplation, Kwan-jung sighed.

‘I have no choice.’

Initially, he had intended to use the power of Byuk Hwa-ryung and the Hainan Sword Sect to drive away the bandits, but not anymore.

He had come to realize that she was a valued guest of the Divine Doctor family.

Especially since she was clearly close to Bum Gye-wi, one of the Trinity, there was no need to face any hardship.

Although one hundred nyang was a large sum, it wasn’t a price he couldn’t afford if it meant resolving the situation smoothly.

However, Kwan-jung’s eyes widened at Kwak Young-ho’s next words.

“Not in silver, but in gold.”

“Is he crazy?”

Kwan-jung hastily shut his mouth at the curse that had escaped him without his knowledge.

But Kwak Young-ho had already heard it, and he chuckled as he gripped his beheading sword.

“Well, if you don’t have money, you can offer something else instead.”

Kwak Young-ho’s lewd gaze lingered over Byuk Hwa-ryung’s figure.

“Hehe, that girl. She’s quite something.”

“Was that directed at me just now?”

Byuk Hwa-ryung scoffed in disbelief.

“That’s somewhat refreshing, I suppose?”

Byuk Hwa-ryung’s eyes, which were restraining the Hainan Sword Sect warriors who looked ready to leap out at any moment, were filled with an incomparably alluring smile.

“Even a madman has an eye for beauty, it seems?”

That haughty attitude only fueled the fire in Kwak Young-ho’s heart.

“Hehe, indeed. She needs to have that sharp edge to make it fun to tame her.”

“But what to do? You don’t seem very fun.”

Kwak Young-ho frowned as Byuk Hwa-ryung shrugged and shook her head.

“You seem quite experienced in dealing with men, so you must be a well-worn courtesan. How about filling my cup tonight? In return, I’ll fill your body with hot yang energy.”

A burst of laughter erupted among the bandits. At this, Byuk Hwa-ryung stopped joking.

“The filthy mouths of bandits and brigands are all the same. And they all deserve to die.”

It was Vice Chief Dan-gwi, whose flattery towards the chief was ingrained in his bones, who reacted to the scathing criticism.

“How dare you speak so insolently!”

Swoosh.

With a chilling sound that tore through the air, a black whip hurtled towards Byuk Hwa-ryung.

Crash.

The whip, which had shattered the carriage railing as it flew, coiled around Byuk Hwa-ryung’s wrist like a living snake.

“I’ll make sure those eyes of yours are properly lowered!”

With a cruel smile, Dan-gwi yanked on the whip.

The smile vanished from his face immediately afterward.

Despite pulling with all his might, the whip didn’t budge an inch.

Dan-gwi’s hair stood on end as he met Byuk Hwa-ryung’s gaze.

‘A master!’

And not just any master.

As expected.

A terrifying killing intent surged and poured out from Byuk Hwa-ryung’s entire body.

“You’ll make me lower my eyes?”

With those words, Byuk Hwa-ryung moved.

No, she was already standing in front of Dan-gwi when he thought she had moved.

“Kkeuaaak!”

The sound of a horrific scream echoed through the air at that moment.

Blood seeped out from between the fingers of Dan-gwi, who was clutching his face and rolling on the ground.

“Hmph!”

Byuk Hwa-ryung smiled coldly and spread her palm.

“Gasp!”

Kwak Young-ho gasped as he saw the two eyeballs placed on it.

Even though he was right next to her, he hadn’t been able to properly see when she had made her move.

“Ah ah…!”

Kwan-jung sighed at the sight.

He sensed that the situation had spiraled out of his control and reached a point beyond repair.

Although it was an orthodox sect, the Hainan Sword Sect was known for its resolute nature and ruthless methods, more so than any unorthodox sect, due to dealing with the rough seas and pirates.

But actually facing it in reality left him too shocked to speak.

“How dare you try to humiliate me, you rat bastards who were chased out of the Murim Alliance [a coalition of martial arts sects] and forced into hiding?”

A streak of chilling sword light traced a trajectory in the air.

And at the end of that trajectory hung a person’s head.

Thud. Roll.

“…!”

The vice chief’s head rolled on the ground.

Seeing this, Kwak Young-ho began to tremble.

“B, Byuk Hwa-ryung?”

Only then did Kwak Young-ho recognize the identity of the woman standing before him, belatedly discovering the Byukpa Sword in her hand.

Swoosh.

It was then that the sword in Byuk Hwa-ryung’s hand stirred.

That short and simple movement, combined with the wide swinging of her arm, caused the Byukpa Sword to draw a large circle in the air.

“Those who try to take what belongs to others don’t deserve to live.”

The blade flowed silently, gliding over the ice.

It was almost simultaneous that Kwak Young-ho saw three heads soaring into the air, following that chilling trajectory.

By the time he realized what had happened, Byuk Hwa-ryung’s sword was already targeting another victim.

Thwack!

With a chilling sound, one of the bandits, his chest split open, collapsed.

The divine might of the Two Swords Unnecessary (二劍不要) [a sword technique], taking the opponent’s life with a single strike.

“W, wait a moment!”

Kwak Young-ho hurriedly shouted, trying to stop Byuk Hwa-ryung, but even in the midst of that, another bandit was boarding the ship to the afterlife.

No one could stop Byuk Hwa-ryung, who was indiscriminately cutting down and slaughtering the bandits who were obstructing her path.

It was truly a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood (屍山血海) [a scene of utter carnage].

The scene was instantly filled with the stench of blood and death.

Kwak Young-ho realized that something had gone terribly wrong.

But there was nothing he could do at the moment.

All he could do was stare blankly at the hellish scene unfolding before his eyes.

‘A monster!’

Byuk Hwa-ryung, who was cutting down people without hesitation, was like a Rakshasa [a demon] who had escaped from the underworld.

No…

She was beyond that.

A Tanjagwi (呑邪鬼) [a mythical beast] from legend, who ate three thousand demons in the morning and three hundred in the evening.

It was as if Cheokgwak (尺郭) [a vengeful ghost], a ghost, had escaped from hell.

Then, he suddenly realized that she was a monster who devoured the pirates called the Nightmare of the Southern Sea.

For her, pirates and bandits were no different.

Once he reached that thought, Kwak Young-ho was overcome with fear.

There were only five bandits left alive, including himself.

They, too, were simply standing there, their faces pale, crushed by Byuk Hwa-ryung’s terrifying killing intent.

It was then that Kwak Young-ho felt a chilling gaze flying towards his face and piercing him.

It was Byuk Hwa-ryung.

Kwak Young-ho screamed in surprise, realizing that the killing intent swirling in her sword was targeting him.

“T, the Chief Protector personally ordered this!”

The sword, which had been gliding silently, stopped right in front of Kwak Young-ho’s nose.

It was then that Byuk Hwa-ryung’s incomparably chilling voice was heard.

“So, that Ak Ho-goon bastard ordered you to humiliate me?”

“…!”

Kwak Young-ho’s face turned ashen.

The situation was already twisted.

But on top of that, there was a growing sense that something was being greatly misunderstood.