The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 223

“Already? That’s faster than I expected.”

“How could I, Tang Ling, not know that the Alliance Leader’s time is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold? I should spare nothing and do my best.”

“Your words always please me, Clan Leader Tang.”

Tang Ling’s lips twitched at the bright smile Zhuge Lian gave him.

Pretending not to notice, Zhuge Lian asked, “How did you find out?”

“We caught two of their scouting parties.”

“Really? That’s unexpected. I thought the Green Forest bandits were quite tight-lipped.”

In fact, they had been captured several times, but they had never broken their loyalty to the Wicked Tiger Army, no matter the torture or persuasion.

Tang Ling wore a meaningful smile.

“No matter how stubborn they are, they cannot keep their mouths shut before my family’s secret techniques, built up over generations.”

His eyes and tone were full of pride, bordering on arrogance.

‘It’s probably just poison,’ Zhuge Lian thought.

Zhuge Lian sneered inwardly at him, but did not show it.

Tang Ling subtly revealed his intentions.

“Of course, I intend to earn the Alliance Leader’s favor with my burning heart.”

Zhuge Lian was also aware that he had once sent a matchmaker to the Zhuge Clan in the name of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

The Tang Clan Leader was the position next to the head of the Tang Clan.

As a key figure practically in charge of all the major and minor affairs of the Tang Clan, he was more than qualified as her spouse.

However, she clearly saw the snakes lurking in his belly.

Tang Ling was no different from her; they were of the same kind.

Zhuge Lian responded with a smile.

“I like people with great abilities.”

Perhaps he thought it was a positive answer, as a strange heat flickered across Tang Ling’s face.

“It is said that the lamp does not shine on its own base [meaning one often overlooks what is closest]. There is also a saying from the sages that the most precious relationships are right under our noses, isn’t it?”

She found it amusing that he was using literary references in front of her, but Zhuge Lian did not show it.

“Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to Clan Leader Tang’s efforts, we now have a justification to unite the heads of the clans.”

“Are we moving immediately?”

“Yes, we must. It’s the first achievement of the new Martial Alliance. In fact, we’re already late.”

Unlike her bright smile, a thick murderous aura flickered in Zhuge Lian’s eyes.

“It’s time to eradicate the great evil of the Green Forest from the martial world. We will carry out an unprecedented feat in the history of the martial world under the name of the Martial Alliance.”

“Then I should prepare as well.”

“I have no doubt in the Tang Clan’s abilities.”

At those words, Tang Ling’s eyes flashed meaningfully.

“I will not disappoint you.”

Zhuge Lian naturally brushed off Tang Ling’s burning gaze.

She knew better than anyone that the desire in those hot eyes was not just the feelings of a subordinate.

She had seen such gazes countless times.

Greed.

Or a lust for power disguised as ambition.

He himself may believe it is love, but the essence does not change.

The man before her, like her, harbored the ambition to raise his clan to the top of the Martial Alliance and, furthermore, to become the greatest clan in the world.

“Is there anything else to report?”

At Zhuge Lian’s dismissal, Tang Ling looked at her face and figure with regret for a long time before sighing.

“Then I will take my leave.”

As Tang Ling disappeared from the office, a venomous smile bloomed on Zhuge Lian’s face.

“It’s finally beginning.”

As she was lost in thought, someone disturbed her.

A man appeared before her and bowed respectfully.

It was Gongsun Zheng, the head of the personal guard.

“What is it?”

“He has requested a meeting.”

A bitter smile settled on Zhuge Lian’s lips.

The person referred to as ‘he’ between Gongsun Zheng and herself could only be one person.

“He must be very anxious.”

Judging from the fact that he had requested a meeting first, it was not difficult to guess the circumstances.

“Tell him to come to the meeting place in two days.”

Gongsun Zheng expressed concern at Zhuge Lian’s words.

“Is it really necessary for you to go in person? If you order, this subordinate……”

“No.”

Zhuge Lian interrupted Gongsun Zheng and continued with her usual smile.

“Sometimes, you need to show the dog who the owner is.”

* * *

Deep in the mountains, where pitch-black darkness had fallen.

A slender figure entered a hermitage that had been ruined by past wars.

Clatter.

It was then that a person stood up, stepping on the broken roof tiles scattered everywhere.

“You’ve come?”

Removing the veil that covered her face, Zhuge Lian responded in kind.

“It’s been a while, Great Hero No.”

Zhuge Lian cast a pitiful gaze towards No Danyang, who was walking out of the darkness.

“Oh dear, you look terrible.”

“……”

“I’m only saying that because I can feel the hardships you’ve been through. You don’t have to glare at me like that; I don’t mean anything else.”

No Danyang’s eyes narrowed.

As always, it was difficult to grasp the woman’s true intentions.

On the other hand, Zhuge Lian was surprised.

‘He’s like a different person.’

Not to mention his noticeably gaunt face, No Danyang’s energy had also changed noticeably.

The madness that occasionally flashed in his eyes was slightly unsettling, but his aura and overall energy were overwhelmingly dangerous, beyond comparison to what they had been before.

‘Perhaps he could even compete with Namgung Baek?’

She was making her own calculations when it happened.

No Danyang took something out of his pocket and held it out.

Zhuge Lian smiled brightly when she realized they were two martial arts manuals.

“It seems you’ve finished verifying them.”

At Zhuge Lian’s words, No Danyang nodded silently.

“The ones you mentioned circulating were indeed fake.”

The books in his hand were manuals describing the secrets of the Blood Demon Vajra [a powerful martial arts technique].

One was a handwritten copy she had given him directly.

And the other was a manual he had secured by attacking the Blood Cloud Temple.

“So you know that the manual I gave you is the real one?”

No Danyang nodded silently.

The Blood Demon Vajra he had obtained by attacking the Blood Cloud Temple’s hideout was fake.

It seemed perfect at first glance, but some parts were missing or subtly twisted.

Even he would have been fooled if he hadn’t had a manual with the complete content.

“Why are these fake manuals circulating?”

The smile on Zhuge Lian’s face deepened at No Danyang’s question.

“Who else but the Demonic Sect would plot such a scheme?”

“Demonic Sect?”

No Danyang’s eyes wavered.

“Why would those bastards……?”

“It’s been happening for a long time. But the important thing is not that.”

“……?”

“What’s important is that the manual I gave Great Hero No is the real one.”

No Danyang nodded and infused his hand holding the fake manual with internal energy.

A crimson haze flickered over his hand.

Crackle.

The manual was torn to shreds and scattered like dust.

Zhuge Lian smiled at No Danyang as he put the real manual back into his pocket.

“Now, it seems it’s your turn to repay the sincerity I’ve shown you, Great Hero No.”

No Danyang chuckled as he recalled his promise to her.

“It seems you have someone you want to kill?”

Zhuge Lian nodded.

Then, with a subtle look in her eyes, she opened her mouth.

“That’s right. And if Great Hero No faithfully fulfills his promise, I am prepared to show even more sincerity.”

“More sincerity?”

No Danyang was puzzled, but his eyes widened at Zhuge Lian’s next words.

“I’m only mentioning this in case you’ve forgotten……”

Zhuge Lian trailed off mysteriously.

However, the words that flowed from her lips were enough to shake No Danyang.

“The Demonic Sect manuals I possess are not limited to the Blood Demon Vajra.”

“……!”

Come to think of it, that was certainly the case.

During the Righteous-Demonic War, the Martial Alliance had secured a total of five demonic martial arts manuals.

The Blood Demon Vajra was only a part of them.

“Could it be……?”

Zhuge Lian smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth, in response to No Danyang’s cautious question.

Although she omitted a detailed explanation, her intention was sufficiently conveyed by that smile alone.

A madness bordering on obsession flickered in No Danyang’s eyes.

“Whose head do you want? Is it the Wicked Tiger Army’s?”

Zhuge Lian shook her head at No Danyang’s guess.

“Unfortunately, it’s not him. Beheading the Green Forest’s Chief Escort Officer must be an achievement of the Martial Alliance. His head is by no means light enough to be wasted on an assassination.”

Puzzlement arose in No Danyang’s eyes.

“Then who do you want to kill?”

Zhuge Lian smiled and sent a strand of telepathic message.

“……!”

No Danyang’s eyes widened in shock.

“You’re crazy!”

He was so surprised that he forgot to even use honorifics and blurted out a curse.

Nevertheless, Zhuge Lian’s eyes did not waver.

This was a perfectly natural reaction for anyone involved in the martial world.

“What I want is his head.”

After a moment of silence, No Danyang’s eyes flashed with an undisguised greed.

“Well, it’s not impossible. I accept.”

Zhuge Lian smiled brightly, having elicited the answer she wanted.

Even if the heavens rained down seven treasures, human desire knows no end.

No Danyang, standing before her, was no different.

As long as he was driven by that desire, he could never escape her grasp.

Did he even know that endless greed was a noose tightening around his own neck?

‘Even if he does, it doesn’t matter.’

She had already prepared several snares that would tighten even more as he struggled to escape.

Even if he was lucky enough to escape, the result would not change much.

Zhuge Lian, gazing at No Danyang as he turned away, looked up at the dark night sky when he had completely disappeared.

One star shone particularly brightly in the darkness.

A star called Sirius, said to resemble the eyes of a wolf looking down on the world.

As the night of conspiracy deepened in the nameless hermitage, Muwi was bustling about as usual.

“I’ll go alone from here.”

“But…….”

Despite Seok Danpyeong’s concern, the Wicked Tiger Army silenced him with a firm look.

‘There’s no need to show my subordinates a fierce sight for nothing.’

He feared no one in the world.

But the story was different if there were three of them.

No matter how he calculated, the situation was unfavorable to him.

It was already difficult to handle Beom Gye-wi alone, but with Blood Demon Lord and Ice Jade Immortal holding out, there was no other way.

However, he could not show such weakness in front of his subordinates.

It was a matter of the Green Forest’s morale, more than a matter of personal pride.

In the end, the Wicked Tiger Army shook off his subordinates and stepped into Muwi’s boundary stone.

It was then that a person blocked his path.

However, he soon realized that his opponent was the Wicked Tiger Army, bowed his head in respect, and stepped back.

A strange light flashed in the Wicked Tiger Army’s eyes.

“Has the wolf who roamed the Jianghu [the martial world], starving for duels, finally settled down as a mere gatekeeper? The alias ‘Chu Bi-murang’ is wasted on you.”

Even at the Wicked Tiger Army’s sarcasm, Gok Un-gyeong did not lose his polite attitude.

“It is a path I have chosen myself.”

“Hmph! You like choices. You must have been threatened by one of those three monsters.”

The Wicked Tiger Army scratched at his insides, but Gok Un-gyeong did not bat an eye.

Rather, he smiled as if understanding his uncomfortable feelings and opened his mouth.

“I have already heard that you were coming. Please go in. Head straight to the Divine Doctor’s residence. They will be waiting inside.”

The Wicked Tiger Army’s heart grew heavier at Gok Un-gyeong’s courteous attitude.

He had hoped to gain a favorable position in negotiations with those bastards by using any pretext for a quarrel, but even that was not easy.

‘It’s going to be a tough day in many ways.’

The Wicked Tiger Army sighed inwardly.