The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 227

Divine Physician of the Demonic Realm (227)

The Green Forest Bandits entered Muwi.

Their assigned place was in the northern outskirts.

The Green Forest Bandits couldn’t hide their bewilderment upon seeing their assigned quarters.

As the situation was rapidly unfolding, they didn’t have much time, so they had barely managed to move their men.

As such, they hadn’t expected any lodging in the first place.

They were used to sleeping in the open, enduring frost and dew while hiding in the mountains for days to rob caravans.

So, they would have been grateful even for a simple shack with a thatched roof.

But what was this?

Properly tiled houses with walls were waiting for them.

Complete with bedding, tableware, and all sorts of household goods.

They were rather taken aback by the lodging that had everything they needed to live in right away.

Its coziness and convenience were incomparable to the mountain fort they had been living in.

Jang Yi-geol, the fan-wielding strategist of the Iron Horse Unit, who was looking around the lodging, suddenly spoke to his superior, who seemed dazed.

“Did you know that?”

“Huh? What?”

Jang Yi-geol sighed quietly at the sight of Gwak Hong, the chief of the Iron Horse Unit, still unable to come to his senses.

“This used to be a slum.”

“A slum? This place?”

Gwak Hong was inwardly dumbfounded.

If this was a slum, what was their mountain fort?

“As the Shinma Merchant Guild grew, the first thing they did was educate the slum dwellers and accept them as guild members. These lodgings were originally built for the employees. They gave them to us because the situation is urgent.”

He added that thanks to this, there were no poor people in Muwi.

Gwak Hong frowned.

“What nonsense! Even the king can’t eradicate poverty!”

He had never heard of the government properly helping the poor in the first place.

If they had, they wouldn’t have been driven to pick up swords and head to the mountains out of desperation.

“But the Shinma Merchant Guild did it, didn’t they? They even accepted martial artists from the Demonic Realm as members of the guild.”

“Hmph! They’re just fugitives in hiding.”

Jang Yi-geol cast a pitiful glance at his superior, who couldn’t hide his discomfort.

After a moment.

Jang Yi-geol turned his head and took in the Shinma Merchant Guild workers diligently carrying luggage.

“Will the day ever come when I can wash my hands and live like that?”

“What did you say? Watch your tongue, before I cut it off.”

“Weren’t we not Green Forest Bandits from birth?”

Jang Yi-geol’s eyes were filled with envy as he looked at the workers.

“Working and getting paid… If I could enjoy such an ordinary life, eating warm meals with my wife and children with the money I earned, what would it matter if I had my tongue cut off?”

Gwak Hong growled quietly.

“I told you to watch your mouth, didn’t I? My subordinates are listening. So, keep such dreamy fantasies to yourself. Don’t demoralize the men.”

Even as he said that, Gwak Hong fully understood Jang Yi-geol’s troubled heart.

Muwi, which he had seen in person, was completely different from what he had seen from the outside.

In particular, the sight of Demonic Realm martial artists mingling naturally with ordinary people was shocking.

However, his pride as the chief of the Green Forest Bandits did not allow him to readily admit this.

So, he stubbornly denied the reality before his eyes and criticized the Demonic Realm martial artists of Muwi.

“They’re guys who gave up their pride for the sake of their own comfort. What’s so enviable about guys who worship a kid who’s not even reached adulthood like he’s their master?”

Jang Yi-geol sighed quietly and soothed Gwak Hong, who was putting on a stern face.

“Why are you getting so worked up? Let’s go. You must be hungry to be getting angry over something so trivial. I hear the food at the inns here is good. I’ll pay today, so put aside your anger.”

“What did you say? You’re getting shorter with me?”

“Or you can buy the meal, Chief.”

Gwak Hong’s eyes softened slightly at Jang Yi-geol’s easygoing manner.

“And order drinks too?”

“You say that as if you never do. Yes, I’ll pay for everything, so let’s go.”

With that, the two arrived at an inn, sat down at a suitable spot, and ordered food.

However, the food didn’t come out even after a long time.

Gwak Hong’s already short patience was gradually reaching its limit.

“Is this some kind of discrimination?”

Jang Yi-geol, who was looking around, shook his head.

“Isn’t this the busiest time? It looks like the orders are just backed up. The food for those Demonic Realm martial artists sitting over there hasn’t come out yet either.”

Just as Gwak Hong was trying to suppress his uncomfortable mood at Jang Yi-geol’s dissuasion.

A waiter, who was running busily around the inn, bumped into the chair Gwak Hong was sitting on.

Coincidentally, Gwak Hong was lifting his teacup, and as a result, he spilled tea on his pants.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

The waiter quickly apologized.

However, Gwak Hong, who was already in a bad mood, burst into anger.

“Is this bastard crazy?”

“Chief, please calm down.”

Jang Yi-geol hurriedly tried to calm Gwak Hong amidst the gazes pouring in from around them.

However, Gwak Hong raged, even emitting killing intent.

“Is this something that can be glossed over with a simple apology? I’m different from those gutless bastards! I’m Gwak Hong! Gwak Hong, the chief of the Iron Horse Unit!”

The waiter, startled by his murderous appearance, as if he would draw his sword from his waist at any moment, collapsed on the spot.

It was then that a man stood up from a table further away.

“How can someone who’s supposed to be a chief bully a young waiter? Please be reasonable. I don’t think this is a matter to get so worked up about.”

Gwak Hong’s eyes immediately turned fierce.

“Who was the bastard who just spoke?”

“It’s me.”

A wry smile appeared on Gwak Hong’s face as he identified the middle-aged man who stepped forward.

“If it isn’t Senior Jang Gok of the Nine Underworld Howl [a former renowned martial artist]?”

Jang Gok nodded as Gwak Hong recognized him.

“Has it been fifteen years? Even though you’ve become a chief, your quick temper is still the same.”

“What about you, Senior Jang? I heard you can’t even use your martial arts properly anymore? If you’ve decided to hide, you should stay quiet until the end. Why are you sticking your neck out for something unnecessary?”

“What?”

Jang Gok was momentarily enraged, but he suppressed his anger, recalling the rules of Muwi.

“Didn’t you hear the rules when you entered Muwi? No matter what happens, those who have mastered martial arts are not allowed to harm ordinary people. I’m holding back this once because of Doctor Dan’s words, but…”

Gwak Hong scoffed and cut off Jang Gok’s words.

“Doctor Dan? You’re treating a kid who hasn’t even lost his baby fat like he’s a religious leader. The title of Nine Underworld Howl is wasted on you. The martial artists who died by your hand must be ashamed and unable to close their eyes even in the afterlife.”

“Kid?”

A thick killing intent flickered in Jang Gok’s eyes.

He could overlook anything else, but he could never let anyone insult Dan Ak-seon.

He was once one of the most skilled experts in the Demonic Realm, but he had been experiencing prodromal symptoms of Qi Deviation [a dangerous imbalance of internal energy] for several years.

So, he naturally avoided using martial arts and often ran away from enemies.

But not now.

As a result of receiving consistent treatment from Dan Ak-seon, he had recovered most of his former martial arts.

Jang Gok had gained hope from meeting Dan Ak-seon, and he had also been able to restore his shattered self-esteem.

To him, Dan Ak-seon was a grateful benefactor who had bestowed upon him a favor that he could never repay.

“Consider yourself lucky. If this weren’t Muwi, I would have snapped your neck right away.”

Gwak Hong scoffed at Jang Gok’s threat.

“Hmph! I wondered why you were so gutless, but it turns out your liver is so swollen that there’s no room for your guts. What are you relying on to act so tough when you were running away with your tail between your legs back then? Ah! Is it that even a mutt gets half a meal in its own home?”

“You! Gwak Hong!”

“What? I didn’t make up anything, so why are you glaring at me like that?”

“Do you really want to die!”

“Can you even do it?”

The air surrounding the two instantly froze.

A tense atmosphere, as taut as a thread about to break, settled between the surging killing intents.

At that moment, Gwak Hong opened his mouth.

“Why don’t we go outside Muwi if you’re so confident? Ah! I forgot, you’ve lost your martial arts, so you’re just an ordinary person now? Then I shouldn’t touch you, should I?”

Jang Gok’s anger surpassed its boiling point at Gwak Hong’s sarcasm.

“Fine! Let’s go out!”

Several Demonic Realm martial artists who were eating at the inn tried to dissuade Jang Gok.

However, Jang Gok firmly refused.

“It’s alright, brothers. He proposed it first, so he won’t be able to take back his words.”

Eventually, the two left the inn and headed outside Muwi.

Dan Ak-seon, who was preparing for his afternoon clinic after finishing lunch, couldn’t help but be puzzled by the sight of A-du rushing in.

“Brother A-du. What’s wrong?”

“That’s…”

Dan Ak-seon, who had heard about what had happened at the inn from A-du, let out a deep sigh.

“Haa… The thing I was worried about has finally happened.”

Neng So-mil, who was thinking about something for a moment, nodded.

“This is drawing a line.”

“Drawing a line?”

“They’re testing the limits of what they can get away with here in Muwi.”

Dan Ak-seon frowned at Neng So-mil’s answer.

“This wouldn’t be possible without the tacit approval of the Supreme Leader, right?”

“Yes. It may seem like they’re acting as they please, but the Green Forest Bandits are surprisingly strict when it comes to discipline and order. Even if he didn’t give a direct order, this couldn’t have happened without Ak Ho-gun’s tacit consent.”

Dan Ak-seon shook his head.

“Even so, whose idea was it to simply leave Muwi?”

Neng So-mil flinched and glanced at Beom Gye-wi.

As expected.

Beom Gye-wi was wearing a troubled expression.

Unaware of this, Dan Ak-seon continued to speak.

“If they change their mindset and attitude just by stepping a few feet outside, what’s the point of the rules we made? They’re not children, they’re grown adults, and they don’t even know that… How pathetic.”

“……!”

Beom Gye-wi froze in place, as if he had been stung.

After a moment.

“I’ll go and punish those pathetic bastards!”

Beom Gye-wi jumped up and breathed out hot air.

Because of those stupid bastards, he had suddenly become a pathetic bastard himself.

But unexpectedly, Dan Ak-seon shook his head.

“There’s no need for you to do that.”

Beom Gye-wi wore a puzzled expression as Dan Ak-seon stood up and picked up Muk-ryong [his staff].

“If you handle it, the same thing will just happen again. They’ll just be holding back because they’re afraid of the Shinma Three Lords [powerful figures in Muwi].”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll have to sort things out myself.”

This was the only way to clearly convey his true intentions.

At that moment.

On a low ridge about five miles away from Muwi, a gruesome sight was unfolding that one couldn’t bear to look at.

Thwack!

“Cough!”

Gwak Hong coughed up blood repeatedly from Jang Gok’s fierce punches.

His face was already covered in blood and bruises, making it difficult to recognize his original appearance.

As soon as the sparring began, Jang Gok had relentlessly driven Gwak Hong into a corner with terrifying momentum.

On the other hand, Gwak Hong, who was flustered, was unable to counterattack properly because his hands and feet were in disarray.

As a result, the two men’s sparring match ended in Jang Gok’s unilateral beating.

However, Jang Gok stopped at the crucial last moment.

A cold killing intent flickered in Jang Gok’s eyes as he looked down at Gwak Hong, who was sprawled out powerlessly.

“Don’t you ever speak of Doctor Dan carelessly again. Next time, I’ll take your life, even if it means leaving Muwi.”

After saying those words, Jang Gok turned around.

It was then that a man walked out from among the Green Forest Bandits who had gathered to watch the sparring match.

He was a robust man in his thirties wearing a red top.

Jang Gok frowned as he recognized that he belonged to the Blood Wolf Squad, Ak Ho-gun’s direct military force.

“What do you want?”

The man from the Blood Wolf Squad smiled slyly and paid his respects perfunctorily.

“An unknown junior leading the Second Unit of the Blood Wolf Squad greets Senior Jang Gok of the Nine Underworld Howl.”

“I asked what you want?”

“The junior is simply fulfilling his duty.”

“Duty?”

“One of the few tasks that the Blood Wolf Squad can carry out with the authority to execute first and report later is when the chief’s safety is at risk.”

Execute first and report later.

In other words, it meant beheading first and reporting later.

Jang Gok’s eyebrows twitched at the blatant killing intent contained within those words.

“I showed mercy and spared his life, but you’re truly shameless. Well, I suppose it’s foolish to expect decency from a bunch of bandits?”

At those words, the man who identified himself as the leader of the Second Unit of the Blood Wolf Squad smirked.

“Hey, Jang Gok.”

“……!”

“I was going to treat you like a senior, but you’re just crossing the line.”

“What?”

“Do you think the Green Forest Bandits are that easy to deal with? Are we so weak that we can just let you cripple one of our chiefs and get away with it?”

As soon as those words were spoken, the Blood Wolf Squad warriors slowly walked out from among the Green Forest Bandits.

The Demonic Realm martial artists also opened their Qi Hulls [energy centers] and stepped forward at the sight of their eyes, which were filled with cold killing intent.

It was truly a touch-and-go situation.

A person jumped into the midst of the precarious, thin ice that seemed as if it would break at any moment.

“Stop.”

The owner of the clear voice.

It was Dan Ak-seon.