The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 23

The Divine Doctor of the Demonic World (23)

“Gongcheong Seokyu… are you talking about that?”

At first, I thought it was a joke.

But it wasn’t. Dan Ak-seon’s eyes were as clear as ever. That’s why I couldn’t help but feel even more embarrassed.

Cho Ak-ryang chuckled at the sight.

“It looks like I’m going to see a Gongcheong Seokyu [a legendary and highly sought-after medicinal ingredient], which I never thought I would see in my life.”

“Is that something you can get just by asking?”

Han Seol-hwa answered Beom Gye-wi’s question.

“It’s like asking for wild ginseng after finding deodeok [a type of Korean root vegetable, less valuable than wild ginseng].”

Only then did Dan Ak-seon notice the embarrassed expression on Pung Jin-seong’s face.

“Ah! I’m sorry. Please pretend you didn’t hear what I just said.”

Pung Jin-seong finally came to his senses belatedly.

“No. I will do my best.”

‘I can’t guarantee it’ lingered in his mouth, but Pung Jin-seong didn’t say it in the end.

But at some point, Pung Jin-seong’s eyes sparkled.

“Ah! Maybe there is a way.”

At those words, Dan Ak-seon shook his head.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Now that I think about it, it’s already meal time.”

Pung Jin-seong stopped Dan Ak-seon, who was getting up to prepare breakfast.

“I’ll prepare it.”

“No. I’ll do it.”

Dan Ak-seon quickly ran towards the main building.

When Dan Ak-seon was completely out of sight, Pung Jin-seong bowed his head to the other three.

“I’ll be in your care for a while.”

“For a while?”

“Yes. I’m thinking of taking a few days off here.”

Cho Ak-ryang, who was quietly staring at Pung Jin-seong, smiled faintly.

“You don’t trust us?”

Pung Jin-seong did not deny it.

“I ask for your understanding.”

“I understand. I would have done the same.”

Cho Ak-ryang smiled and nodded. But his eyes flashed coldly.

“I’ll ask for your understanding in advance.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We don’t trust you either.”

At that moment, Beom Gye-wi, who had been silent, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Don’t even think about taking advantage of an innocent kid who doesn’t know the ways of the world. If you do, you’ll die by my hand.”

“Would I ever do that?”

“Yes. You shouldn’t.”

Pung Jin-seong looked at the villains in front of him in a slightly new light. He had heard that they were the worst villains in the world….

They were stubborn, but they even seemed innocent.

But it was clear that they were villains who had killed dozens, even hundreds of people. So, he couldn’t relax.

A little later, Dan Ak-seon brought breakfast made of medicinal herbs.

Pung Jin-seong chewed on the herbs, savoring the taste, and nodded with admiration.

“Hmm, not bad. The taste of Duseongcho [a type of medicinal herb] is excellent.”

“This guy is very good at lying? How can this be delicious?”

Everyone’s eyes were on Beom Gye-wi.

Beom Gye-wi blinked in surprise.

“Did I say that out loud? I was thinking it in my head, but……”

Pung Jin-seong smiled at Beom Gye-wi, who was slurring his words.

“At first, it’s bitter and astringent, but once you get used to it, you can feel the subtle flavors within. If you chew it for a long time, a sweet taste comes up.”

As if to prove those words, Pung Jin-seong slowly and thoroughly chewed and swallowed the herbs.

“I guess there’s a special method? The aftertaste of sweetness lasts longer than generally harvested Duseongcho.”

Dan Ak-seon smiled and nodded.

“Of course! I knew you would recognize it, Mister.”

Dan Ak-seon explained in detail which parts he put effort into and paid attention to while cultivating the medicinal herbs.

“Huh, did you go that far?”

Beom Gye-wi, who had been carefully watching Dan Ak-seon’s enthusiastic explanation, grabbed the medicinal herb in front of him and put it in his mouth.

At the same time, Beom Gye-wi’s brow furrowed.

The bitter taste filled his mouth even before he chewed it a few times. However, Beom Gye-wi forced a smile and looked at Dan Ak-seon.

“Umm! As Doctor Dan said…, if you chew it for a long time, the taste is excellent!”

“Uncle Beom finally knows the taste……. Huh?”

Dan Ak-seon looked at Beom Gye-wi with surprised eyes.

His expression was definitely smiling, but his eyes were filled with tears.

Then, his gaze went to the medicinal herb that Beom Gye-wi was holding.

“Uncle, that’s Gosimrak (Bitter Deep Joy) [an extremely bitter herb]…….”

The medicinal herb that Beom Gye-wi was chewing was Gosimrak, which had the most bitter and terrible taste. The more you chew, the more the bitter taste doubles.

“Yes, you’re really enjoying it.”

Cho Ak-ryang actively responded to his tearful efforts.

“Here, take mine and eat it.”

“This too.”

Han Seol-hwa also joined in.

His face felt like it was cramping from forcing a smile, but he couldn’t back down.

Beom Gye-wi exerted superhuman patience.

In the end, he had to chew and swallow all the Gosimrak that the two had offered. On top of that, he sneered at Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa.

“Hmph, you’re just ignorant people. What good is it if you only know martial arts? You don’t even know the ‘mi’ in ‘misik’ (gastronomy) [a Korean term for gourmet or fine dining].”

“Wipe your tears and talk!”

“Tears? What tears?”

Only then did Beom Gye-wi realize that his eyes were filled with tears.

“Doctor Dan told you last time. Gosimrak is not meant to be chewed, but just chewed once or twice and swallowed.”

“What? When?”

Han Seol-hwa joined the conversation between the two.

“That’s enough. What are you trying to explain now?”

Then he smiled slyly at Beom Gye-wi.

“Please take good care of me in the future. Mi-sik-ga (Gourmet) [a person who appreciates and enjoys fine dining].”

“Mine too.”

Only then did Beom Gye-wi realize something and shouted.

“Are these guys daring to deceive me?”

“We’re just ignorant people who don’t even know the ‘mi’ in ‘misik’.”

Dan Ak-seon burst into laughter as he watched the three bickering.

‘How strange, how strange.’

Pung Jin-seong revealed an interesting look.

‘These are the people who were called the Gods of Death in the Murim [martial arts world].’

The eyes of the three people looking at Dan Ak-seon now contained an affection that could not be hidden.

‘Are these people really the Ten Great Evils?’

So, I’m worried.

I didn’t know whether this relationship would be a good one or a bad one. But one thing was certain. This relationship should not be repeated in the same form as the unhappiness of the past.

I couldn’t let Dan Ak-seon follow in the footsteps of his teachers.

‘Should I watch a little more for now?’

Hasty conclusions are forbidden.

Because it was about Dan Ak-seon’s future.

* * *

After the meal, Dan Ak-seon started treating Beom Gye-wi as usual.

While he was putting needles in, Pung Jin-seong came to visit.

“Am I interrupting?”

“Of course not. It’s okay.”

Unlike Dan Ak-seon, who greeted him with a smile, Beom Gye-wi glared at Pung Jin-seong.

“I’m not okay.”

Dan Ak-seon looked at Beom Gye-wi with surprised eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? No, Doctor Dan. That’s not what I meant……”

Beom Gye-wi was momentarily speechless.

He belatedly discovered the needle in Dan Ak-seon’s hand. It was a huge needle that was more than a foot long.

Seeing that, his anger subsided as if it were a lie.

“Just in case, if there’s anything wrong during the treatment, you must tell me right away.”

“If I tell you?”

“I have to take action before it’s too late.”

“Does taking action mean……?”

Beom Gye-wi glanced at the large needle neatly placed on one side of the floor.

Dan Ak-seon nodded.

“Don’t worry. It’ll hurt a little, but the effect is certain.”

The thought of such a large needle piercing his body made even the great Beom Gye-wi feel a chill down his spine. So, he did his best to maintain his composure.

Dan Ak-seon, who was continuing the treatment, looked at Pung Jin-seong.

“But what’s going on?”

Pung Jin-seong opened his mouth and asked Dan Ak-seon.

“Do you know about a disease in which the blood turns cold and the whole body hardens shortly after the age of fifteen?”

Dan Ak-seon nodded.

“Are you talking about the case where the Yin Meridian (陰脈) [one of the body’s energy channels in traditional medicine] develops and becomes a Severed Meridian (絶脈) [a blocked or damaged meridian]?”

“That’s right.”

“What are the symptoms?”

“Anemia, dizziness, decreased physical strength, and fever.”

“It seems hasty to diagnose it as a Severed Meridian with just that?”

“Yes, so I scratched the skin lightly. Before long, dark red spots appeared.”

The rupture of invisible microvessels.

The skin spots that occur when it is not stopped are one of the typical symptoms of Severed Meridian.

Dan Ak-seon, who was organizing his thoughts for a moment, said.

“Most of those with Nine Yin Severed Meridian (九陰絶脈) [the most severe form of Severed Meridian] are stillborn in the womb, and even if they are lucky enough to be born, they cannot live for more than a year, so that patient is probably Seven Yin Severed Meridian (七陰絶脈) [a less severe form] or Five Yin Severed Meridian (五陰絶脈) [an even less severe form].”

The internal balance is broken because the Yang energy cannot support the strengthening Yin energy, and as a result, the whole body, including the Qi and blood, becomes cold, eventually leading to death.

Severed Meridian is an incurable disease beyond difficult to cure.

But there was one exception.

“I know that my teachers treated Severed Meridian in the past.”

“That’s right.”

“Is there any record of that at that time?”

Pung Jin-seong’s face brightened.

“Could I see that medical book?”

“I don’t think that’ll be possible.”

“Yes?”

Disappointment appeared on Pung Jin-seong’s face.

It was because he didn’t expect Dan Ak-seon to refuse. Dan Ak-seon smiled and replied.

“Because it’s not recorded in writing. At the time, both of them were focused on treatment, so they were too busy.”

“Then?”

Dan Ak-seon nodded.

“I remember it.”

“Ah!”

This time, Dan Ak-seon asked Pung Jin-seong, who was exclaiming.

“Who is suffering from that disease?”

Pung Jin-seong hesitated for a moment, then looked at Dan Ak-seon as if he had made up his mind.

“It’s the youngest daughter of the Murim Alliance Leader [leader of the martial arts alliance].”

“Ah! So that’s why you’re involved with the Murim Alliance.”

“Yes. I am in charge of treating the youngest daughter of the Murim Alliance Leader.”

Pung Jin-seong nodded and continued.

“Thanks to you, I was able to finish the Pasa Group’s work smoothly this time. But the problem is…….”

Pung Jin-seong hesitated and sighed.

“The treatment is far away. We’re pouring all kinds of spiritual medicines into her, barely keeping her alive.”

“Is that so? Then the starting point is wrong…….”

“Yes?”

Dan Ak-seon carefully opened his mouth to Pung Jin-seong, who was puzzled.

“Severed Meridian is not the cause but the result. It’s one of the symptoms that appear due to the disease.”

“……!”

“The reason why other doctors haven’t been able to treat Severed Meridian until now is because of that. It’s been wrong from the start. You have to pinpoint the cause and treat it, but you keep focusing on the symptoms, so there’s no way it can be cured.”

“Ah!”

Dan Ak-seon felt sorry for Pung Jin-seong, who seemed shocked and speechless for a while.

After a while, Pung Jin-seong smiled bitterly.

“I’ve been relying on old medical books for most of the rare diseases I haven’t experienced, so I think I’ve unknowingly become complacent.”

“There’s no need to blame yourself. My parents had a hard time realizing it too.”

Changing one’s perspective was that difficult.

“Do you remember something from a long time ago?”

At Dan Ak-seon’s question, Pung Jin-seong tilted his head.

“What are you talking about?”

“The patient that my parents gave up on as impossible to treat for the first time.”

“Yes, I remember. That Lama…….”

Pung Jin-seong opened his mouth absentmindedly, then hurriedly trailed off. Then he quickly continued.

“Are you talking about the person who had a chronic disease and was poisoned, and ended up falling into Inner Demon [a state of mental imbalance and potential madness in martial arts cultivation] because he was forced to fight the poison?”

“Yes, that’s right. At that time, my parents cooperated for the first time and saved him. His symptoms were very similar to Severed Meridian. With the treatment of that person as an opportunity, my parents found a way to treat Severed Meridian.”

“Ah!”

Pung Jin-seong, who was exclaiming, suddenly felt strange.

“But why didn’t you teach me that treatment method?”

“You didn’t teach me either. I just stayed by your side and learned it.”

“It’s a pity that I was away from the valley for a while at that time.”

“There was nothing you could do. Severed Meridian is not a common disease either.”

Dan Ak-seon looked at Pung Jin-seong with a serious expression.

“Besides, Severed Meridian is not a disease that one doctor can handle. Even my parents said that they couldn’t even think of treating it alone.”

“Hmm.”

Dan Ak-seon gave a smile to Pung Jin-seong, who was making a low, murmuring sound.

“I think that’s probably why you didn’t tell me. Because you know better than anyone else that Uncle Pung doesn’t care about himself and pours everything into the patient.”

“Does that mean…….”

Pung Jin-seong’s complexion darkened.

Severed Meridian was a difficult disease that even the Divine Doctor and the Demonic Doctor could barely treat by joining forces.

Furthermore, Dan Ak-seon is the only one who knows the treatment method now.

‘Is there another doctor with similar skills to Lord Gokju [Dan Ak-seon]?’

Pung Jin-seong smiled bitterly inwardly.

I have exchanged with the royal doctors of the imperial family, but I have not yet met a doctor with the medical skills of Dan Ak-seon.

Pung Jin-seong finally sighed.

“Still, I think it was a good thing to visit Lord Gokju like this. I feel like the fog in front of me is clearing.”

At that time, there was a voice interrupting their conversation.

“Um……”

It was Beom Gye-wi.

“I’ve been here all the time. I was wondering if you forgot about me.”