The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 228

The appearance of Dan Akseon did not intimidate Lee Ho, the leader of the Blood Wolf Squad’s Second Unit.

Instead, he frowned at Dan Akseon.

“This matter didn’t originate from Muwi, nor did it arise from personal grudges. Therefore, it’s not something you should be involved in.”

Lee Ho’s somewhat rude tone clearly showed his disregard for Dan Akseon.

At this, the Murim’s [martial arts world] villains simultaneously emitted murderous intent.

In contrast, Dan Akseon met Lee Ho’s gaze with unwavering eyes.

“Grudges, you say?”

At Dan Akseon’s question, Lee Ho raised his hand and pointed at Jang Gok.

“Injuring the Green Forest’s Chaeju [leader of a bandit group] was a legitimate duel, so we won’t contest that. However, we cannot simply overlook the insult to the entire Green Forest by calling them shameless thieves.”

“So, what do you intend to do?”

“Naturally, we will resolve it in the Murim’s way.”

Dan Akseon sighed.

“Is it so difficult to respect and care for each other?”

Lee Ho smirked.

“The naive approach of trying to resolve issues through dialogue is a fantasy held by weaklings who haven’t truly experienced the treacherous Dosan Sword Forest. We Murim people have lived like this our entire lives, risking our lives to assert our will and beliefs.”

“If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do.”

Judging that reasoning was impossible, Dan Akseon gripped Mukryong [his staff] and took a step forward.

Lee Ho looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“What are you trying to do?”

“I’m going to resolve it in the Murim’s way, as you said.”

Lee Ho paused at Dan Akseon’s words.

“I heard that this incident started with slander against me. If so, I am entitled to hold you accountable, as the person involved, right?”

“That’s…”

The justification he had put forward.

Lee Ho had nothing to say when Dan Akseon applied it directly back to him.

However, he soon wore a troubled expression.

It was because of the presence of Beom Gyewi standing behind Dan Akseon.

Noticing this, Dan Akseon firmly opened his mouth.

“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, he won’t interfere.”

Nevertheless, Lee Ho was still reluctant about the current situation.

No matter how justified it might be, the idea of the young boy in front of him getting hurt was a separate issue.

Dan Akseon was the de facto decision-maker in this Muwi, capable of negotiating with their leader, the Supreme Leader.

His immediate position was secondary; there was a high possibility of putting the Supreme Leader in a difficult position.

‘Is there no other way?’

Just as he was about to apologize and move on.

“……!”

Lee Ho’s eyes changed.

It was because of a strand of telepathic communication that flew in from somewhere.

Swish.

Lee Ho, who nodded faintly, drew two curved swords from his waist.

“Swords have no eyes, so please be careful.”

“…….”

Dan Akseon answered by readjusting his grip on Mukryong.

Lee Ho snorted briefly at the sight.

Then, he immediately kicked off the ground and flew towards Dan Akseon.

Although he was facing him because of the Supreme Leader’s order, defeating a child was nothing to be proud of.

So, he wanted to end the situation as quickly as possible.

However, it didn’t take long for him to realize how naive that thought was.

Lee Ho’s face paled as he narrowed the distance with Dan Akseon.

Suddenly, something black appeared before his eyes.

Lee Ho belatedly realized it was the Mukbong [wooden staff] held in Dan Akseon’s hand and hurriedly tilted his head.

Thud.

He barely avoided the Mukbong, but a chunk of hair near his ear was torn off by the narrowly missed wooden staff.

Grit-toothed, Lee Ho charged straight at Dan Akseon.

‘This is the end!’

The moment he felt Dan Akseon was within the range of his curved swords.

The curved swords in Lee Ho’s hands tore through the air.

It was also then that the scenery before his eyes suddenly flipped.

He lost his balance as if the ground beneath his feet had suddenly given way.

By the time Lee Ho realized something was wrong, his body was already falling forward.

Lee Ho, who belatedly discovered the Mukbong sweeping up his ankle, adjusted his posture in mid-air.

And then, he slashed his twin swords vertically and horizontally.

But there was no sensation of the blade connecting.

Confusion spread across Lee Ho’s face.

It was because Dan Akseon, who should have been there, had disappeared.

Lee Ho hurriedly looked around and flinched.

Dan Akseon, who had somehow moved and taken a position behind him like a ghost, was casting a cold gaze.

Lee Ho’s heart sank.

At that moment, the Mukbong in Dan Akseon’s hand moved.

Thwack!

“Keuk!”

Lee Ho, who was unexpectedly struck on the shoulder, swallowed a groan and swung his sword in retaliation.

However, the curved sword he swung was blocked by the Mukbong and could not reach Dan Akseon.

Clang!

Rather, the heavy impact traveling up his wrist nearly caused him to drop his curved swords.

At that moment, the Mukryong in Dan Akseon’s hand began to writhe.

In an instant, the chaotic shadows of black ink filled his vision!

Lee Ho felt his hair stand on end as he faced it.

He belatedly realized that the space within the Mukbong’s reach was already completely under the opponent’s control.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

Lee Ho couldn’t come to his senses as he was repeatedly struck by the Mukbong.

Not only was the speed difficult to follow with his eyes, but it was also difficult to predict the trajectory of the Mukbong.

Moreover, the impact he felt each time he was struck made his bones ache.

“Kuaaa!”

Lee Ho screamed and frantically swung his swords to shake off Dan Akseon.

However, Mukryong skillfully weaved through the countless sword shadows, relentlessly targeting Lee Ho’s weak points.

And each time, it reliably incapacitated him.

Slam!

Lee Ho staggered and collapsed to the floor like a wet leaf from the heavy impact that struck his side.

“…….”

Silence descended upon the arena.

Dan Akseon used Mukryong to trip Lee Ho, sending him tumbling, then flew behind him and swung Mukryong to beat him down. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

In particular, the Blood Wolf Squad felt emotions close to astonishment, beyond mere surprise.

Although he was caught off guard, Lee Ho possessed superior martial arts within the Blood Wolf Squad.

They finally realized that Dan Akseon was a formidable expert, having seen him defeat Lee Ho in an instant.

“Not yet!”

Kwaaaa!

It was then that a chilling aura covered Dan Akseon, accompanied by a thunderous roar.

Lee Ho, who had been knocked away, charged again, wielding his twin swords.

Nevertheless, Dan Akseon stood tall in his place, casting a proud gaze.

The chaotic sword energy that surged in an instant surrounded Dan Akseon.

Clack, clack, clack!

Chunks of dirt and stone scattered as the sword energy scraped the ground.

Behind it, a sword that bit into a gruesome killing intent surged straight towards Dan Akseon’s waist and chest.

“Heok!”

A gasp escaped from the mouths of the villains watching the duel.

Lee Ho’s attack was that close to perfection.

It was truly an all-encompassing, watertight strike.

It was then that a flash of ink light flickered amidst the chaotic sword energy and thick dust.

Tear!

A black Mukbong, tearing through the layers of overlapping sword energy along with the sound of silk tearing, filled Lee Ho’s vision.

Bang!

Along with a heavy impact sound, a figure soared through the dust.

It was Lee Ho.

The sword energy that had filled the surroundings had disappeared like a lie.

Lee Ho flew for a long time like a kite with a severed string and collapsed on the floor.

“……!”

The crowd couldn’t close their gaping mouths.

They could only alternate between looking at Dan Akseon and the outstretched Lee Ho with dumbfounded expressions.

The same was true for the Blood Wolf Squad in the arena.

They had a higher sense of pride than anyone else, simply because they belonged to the Blood Wolf Squad.

Even they couldn’t properly see how Dan Akseon had landed the final blow on Lee Ho, despite having the numerical advantage, they were overwhelmed by the presence of Dan Akseon alone.

Ak Ho-goon, who was watching from afar, was not much different.

‘What happened?’

A slight twitch occurred around Ak Ho-goon’s eyes.

He couldn’t help but feel bewildered by the unbelievable situation, even though he had seen it with his own eyes.

“He’s a doctor, right?”

At Ak Ho-goon’s words, Chief Secretary Seok Dan-pyeong shook his head with a stunned look.

“They’ve raised a monster.”

What was even more absurd was that he was only fifteen years old.

“If he continues to grow like this…”

Seok Dan-pyeong trailed off.

But Ak Ho-goon could easily guess what he meant.

“Am I dreaming right now?”

Ak Ho-goon felt as if the beliefs he had held until now were being completely denied.

He had guessed that Dan Akseon had been taught martial arts by the Three Divine Masters, but he had never imagined it would be to this extent.

The problem was that he hadn’t even used his full power.

Of course, he was confident that he could defeat him if he stepped forward.

But to fight a fifteen-year-old kid with all his might?

The situation itself was unpleasant.

While Ak Ho-goon was feeling troubled.

Dan Akseon slowly raised his head and looked around.

Dan Akseon’s voice, colder than the frozen air, echoed throughout the area.

“呉越同舟 (Oh-wol-dong-ju) [Enemies in the same boat]. I believe everyone knows the meaning of enemies willingly joining hands for a single purpose.”

Dan Akseon continued, as if telling Ak Ho-goon to listen.

“Strictly speaking, I didn’t lay a hand on ordinary people, so I’ll let it go this time. But don’t test my patience any further. This is my last warning.”

There were still more than ten Blood Wolf Squad warriors standing in this place.

But no one opened their mouths.

Despite having the numerical advantage, they were overwhelmed by the presence of Dan Akseon alone.

Dan Akseon picked up Mukryong and turned around.

On the way back to the Divine Master’s Clinic.

“You did well, Doctor Dan.”

Beom Gyewi, who was constantly grinning as if he was so happy, raised a meaningful smile.

“That guy’s face was quite a sight, wasn’t it?”

“Do you think my intentions were conveyed enough with this?”

“He understood well enough.”

“I hope that’s the case.”

“Ak Ho-goon may be foolish, but he’s not an idiot.”

Beom Gyewi casually spat out words that Ak Ho-goon would have foamed at the mouth if he had heard them.

Fortunately, the peace of Muwi lasted for a while as Dan Akseon had hoped.

And a month passed like that.

* * *

The Murim Alliance Leader’s office.

“They’re consistently maintaining a non-response?”

Jegal Yeon, who was checking the reports from all over the Central Plains, let out a hollow laugh.

“What an impudent brat.”

It was obvious whose plan it was.

It had already been a month since the Murim Alliance declared the subjugation of the Green Forest.

Nevertheless, the Murim Alliance had not achieved any significant results.

“What about the Green Forest’s headquarters?”

At Jegal Yeon’s question, one of the subordinates rummaging through the documents sighed.

“Nothing was left. Not only the headquarters but also the other mountain fortresses we had identified are in the same situation. They had completely withdrawn, so there was nothing to salvage.”

Jegal Yeon chewed her lower lip.

The momentum that had risen like a fire at first had recently been faltering.

The heads of the aristocratic families, who had gathered their forces with great effort, were also beginning to cast suspicious glances.

“What about the matter of recovering the Green Forest’s business rights?”

The Green Forest did not rely solely on plunder for income.

In fact, there were many businesses throughout the Central Plains in which they were involved.

Starting with brothels, gambling dens, smuggling including salt, and even high-interest loans.

In preparation for such a situation, Jegal Yeon had already thoroughly identified the Green Forest’s businesses.

No matter how well they hid, they would have to reveal themselves if their money supply was cut off.

However, the returned report was disappointing.

“They have completely withdrawn from all businesses.”

“Is that even possible?”

Jegal Yeon was taken aback because it was something she hadn’t even considered.

But before long, she was able to guess the reason.

“Could it be that the Shinma Merchant Group has been covering their losses?”

There was no other way to explain it.

Jegal Yeon was silent.

They had cleanly cleared out and left before they were ruined.

They had absorbed the losses, so they could preserve their human resources and restart their business at any time based on this.

As such, the resumption of business would be faster.

“That brat couldn’t have established such a detailed plan…”

As Jegal Yeon organized her thoughts, a different light flashed above her eyes.

“As expected, is it Sujeon-gwi’s idea?”

At this time, one of the subordinates cautiously opened his mouth.

“The atmosphere among the family heads is not good.”

In fact, there hadn’t even been a small fight, so there were even talks of it being a waste of time.

They had been making fruitless trips for a month, so she couldn’t blame them for such complaints.

“The head of the Jinju Eon family has informed us that he will return to his family. He said he would come back if needed…”

Jegal Yeon frowned.

Everything is difficult at first.

If one person leaves, others will naturally follow.

It was a natural progression for her position to be shaken.

“Is this the worst-case scenario I had imagined?”

The expressions of the subordinates who heard those words darkened. But Jegal Yeon quietly smiled when she saw this.

“The fact that I expected it means I’m prepared for it.”

Jegal Yeon, who ordered to bring writing tools, began to write a letter.

“I’m looking forward to how that brat will respond this time.”