The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 258

Divine Physician of the Demonic Path (258)

The more Nangong Baek struggled, the deeper his sword plunged, each thrust causing more blood to gush from Noh Dan-yang’s chest.

“……!”

Nangong Baek’s eyes flickered.

The faint stream of internal energy faltered, receding like the tide. His fingers, which had been so tightly gripping the sword, gradually weakened and loosened their hold.

‘Did I miss the vital point, even slightly?’

Nangong Baek sighed inwardly, realizing his strike hadn’t been perfectly accurate.

Unfortunately for him, fate seemed to favor Noh Dan-yang.

As his hand slipped in the spreading pool of blood, Nangong Baek, who no longer possessed the strength to remain standing, collapsed.

Thud!

Noh Dan-yang, with a desperate kick, sent the collapsing Nangong Baek sprawling and leaped backward, putting distance between them.

Then, with a grimace, he slowly began to pull the sword from his chest.

“Kuh-uh-uh!”

With a strangled scream, Noh Dan-yang finally wrenched the sword free and threw it to the ground, the blade slick with his own blood.

Clang.

“Hah, hah…”

Noh Dan-yang, panting heavily, glared at the fallen Nangong Baek, his eyes bloodshot.

He desperately wanted to rush in and finish him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Fear held him back.

The desperate gamble of a man who no longer valued his life had awakened a long-dormant terror within him.

Moreover, the look in Nangong Baek’s eyes was no longer that of a living man.

He was already on the verge of death.

There was no need to risk everything against a man who was already hearing the call of King Yama [the King of Hell in East Asian mythology].

Noh Dan-yang smirked weakly.

He wanted to add a final, mocking word, but he was in no condition to speak.

‘In the end, I won.’

Noh Dan-yang turned away, watching Nangong Baek struggle to rise.

He needed immediate treatment, or he would be in mortal danger himself.

Finding a safe place to hide was now his top priority.

He was taking one painful step at a time when a sudden, ominous premonition seized him. Noh Dan-yang whirled around.

‘How……!’

Nangong Baek, struggling to his feet and using his sword as a crutch, was back on his feet.

Staggering, yet somehow standing tall, Nangong Baek offered a wan smile as he approached Noh Dan-yang.

“Didn’t I say we’d go together to the end?”

Nangong Baek raised his sword, pointing it unsteadily at Noh Dan-yang.

He was bleeding profusely, and his meridians [energy pathways in the body] and energy channels were in complete disarray.

It was a miracle he was even alive.

Even if the Great Luo Divine Immortal [a powerful deity], not Dan Ak-seon, came, his condition was irreversible.

Moreover, even now, his life force was rapidly fading.

Nevertheless, Nangong Baek continued to walk, each step an agony. He gradually closed the distance between them.

Finally, Noh Dan-yang gave up on running.

‘I’ll kill him!’

That was the only way to be rid of this monster.

When the distance between them narrowed to a mere three steps.

“Die!”

Noh Dan-yang screamed and lunged at Nangong Baek.

He was in no condition to use any sophisticated martial arts techniques.

However, his hand, raised with surprising speed, aimed directly at Nangong Baek’s neck.

Thwack!

The strike landed cleanly, and Noh Dan-yang was certain of his opponent’s demise.

‘It’s over!’

As if to confirm it, Nangong Baek’s body collapsed.

At the same time, blood gushed from Noh Dan-yang’s chest once more.

The wound had widened, exacerbated by the strain of his movements.

Noh Dan-yang frantically pressed his hand to his chest, trying to staunch the bleeding.

But something was wrong.

‘Huh?’

The chilling sensation of metal near his heart.

Hot blood poured out along the cold blade, a blade he hadn’t even realized had been embedded within him.

“……!”

Only then did Noh Dan-yang’s face turn ashen, realizing that Nangong Baek hadn’t been holding a sword when he fell.

“……Damn it!”

Those were the last words Noh Dan-yang uttered.

Thud!

Noh Dan-yang’s body crumpled to the ground.

He knelt, head bowed, as if in apology.

The blood flowing from the sword in his heart quickly formed a pool around him, but even that was soon absorbed by the parched earth.

Whoosh.

A cool breeze swept through the area after the fierce battle.

How much time had passed?

Breaking the heavy silence that had settled over the scene, a man appeared.

The man surveyed the surroundings, quickly assessing the situation, and let out a soft sigh.

“Too late.”

It was Ak Ho-gun.

The confrontation between Nangong Baek and Noh Dan-yang had occurred much sooner than he had anticipated.

“A mutual demise, it seems?”

As he spoke, he heard a faint sound.

It was a shallow breath.

“He’s alive?”

Ak Ho-gun frowned as he approached Nangong Baek.

He was in such critical condition that it was a miracle he was still drawing breath.

Then, he made eye contact with Nangong Baek, who was struggling to open his eyelids.

Nangong Baek opened his mouth, as if trying to speak.

However, his throat was severely damaged by Noh Dan-yang’s final strike, and he was unable to produce any sound.

Ak Ho-gun realized that he didn’t have much time left and lowered his head to listen.

“To think I have to hear your last words.”

At those words, Nangong Baek mustered all his remaining strength and whispered.

“My past mistakes…… I will take them all with me…….”

Nangong Baek, the head of the Nangong family and the once-powerful leader of the Murim Alliance [martial arts alliance].

With those words, he breathed his last.

Ak Ho-gun, looking at Nangong Baek with a mixture of pity and respect, slowly nodded.

* * *

The Zhuge family proudly considered themselves descendants of Zhuge Liang, the Chancellor of Shu Han [a famous strategist during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history].

The reason they had established their base in Hanzhong, Hubei Province, was also due to this connection.

Rongzhong in Jingzhou, where Zhuge Liang had lived, was now part of Hubei Province, and the Temple of Marquis Wu, his tomb, was also located nearby.

In fact, among the prominent families of the Central Plains, they were considered one of the oldest, alongside the Kong family, descendants of Confucius. They had exerted a significant influence on the Murim world throughout their long history, earning the title “Divine Strategist Zhuge.”

As such, their estate was considerable, with hundreds of people typically residing within its walls.

But today, the family estate was eerily quiet, as if deserted.

This was because today was the day the family head’s decree would be announced, naming his successor.

Kongming Hall, the office of the current Zhuge family head, Zhuge Gyeong, was where he gazed upon his son and daughter, who were kneeling reverently before him.

How long had it been?

Breaking the heavy silence, Zhuge Gyeong finally spoke.

“The next family head, who will take responsibility for the family after me, is……”

“……”

“……”

Zhuge Yeon and her brother, Zhuge Jin, waited for their father’s next words, swallowing nervously.

Then, words like a bolt from the blue struck them.

“It is San.”

The shoulders of the eldest son, Zhuge Jin, trembled.

On the other hand, Zhuge Yeon jumped to her feet and exclaimed.

“Why? Why are you handing over the position of family head to that guy who isn’t even here, instead of me?”

Zhuge Yeon bit her lip, her voice rising as she demanded an explanation from her father, Zhuge Gyeong.

“Even if San possesses the talent of Heavenly Calculation, it is I who have enhanced the reputation of our family! I’ve worked tirelessly! I even secured the position of Murim Alliance Leader for our family, which had always been in second place! So why him, and not me?”

Zhuge Yeon unleashed the anger she had suppressed for so long.

“Is it because I am a woman?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then why have I always felt alienated since I was young? Why are all the important positions in the family given to my brother and younger brother? I haven’t even made a single mistake like them!”

“No, you made a big mistake.”

Zhuge Gyeong’s eyes turned cold as he cut off his daughter’s tirade.

“You don’t even realize how wrong your decisions have been.”

“……?”

“Your biggest mistake is that you are absorbed in yourself. Your arrogance! You are trapped in your own little world, obsessed with the vain goals it creates!”

Zhuge Gyeong continued to scold Zhuge Yeon, who couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

“Those who are allowed to bear the name of Zhuge must never act in such a way.”

Zhuge Gyeong sighed softly at the sight of Zhuge Yeon still glaring at him.

“Daughter.”

Zhuge Gyeong’s voice softened.

“You inherited the blood of Zhuge, but it is not yours to own. It is merely a given surname. Only those who have earned the qualification can fully utilize the surname of Zhuge before their name.”

“…….”

“Do you truly not understand? Or are you deliberately turning a blind eye?”

Zhuge Yeon paused at Zhuge Gyeong’s next words.

“He is a person who knows how to capture people’s hearts. He is even born with that ability. If you lack talent, you should at least learn the method through effort, but you don’t even make that effort.”

Only then did Zhuge Yeon realize that her father, the family head, had seen through everything.

And it wasn’t difficult to guess who he was referring to.

Dan Ak-seon.

That damn brat.

Zhuge Gyeong spoke again.

“If you cannot change it, do not step forward. But if you step forward with the name of Zhuge, you must change it.”

Zhuge Yeon knew what he meant.

Because it was a saying she had heard since childhood.

“The world. And the people who follow the newly established ideology.”

That was the ideology of Kongming, the founder of the Zhuge family.

“You must become a compass, point the direction, and guide those people forward. Only for the common people! That is the reason for the existence of those who inherit the surname Zhuge.”

Without giving her a chance to argue, Zhuge Gyeong declared firmly.

“That is the difference between you two and San. And that is why this father, who must face the unfortunate bloodline that was not chosen, cannot suppress his bitter feelings.”

“…….”

Zhuge Yeon was dumbfounded.

‘Just because of that reason?’

She didn’t even notice the pathetic figure of her brother, who was silently weeping with his head bowed.

Zhuge Yeon raised her eyes, filled with cold fury, and met Zhuge Gyeong’s gaze.

“Since that is the family head’s will, I understand. With this, I can no longer remain here as the family head’s child.”

Zhuge Yeon stood up.

As soon as she left the family estate, Zhuge Yeon addressed the martial artists of the Murim Alliance lined up before the gate.

“I’m going to the Murim Alliance. I will carry out the next plan, so quickly inform the family heads.”

“Isn’t it too early?”

The new Cheonidan leader, who claimed to be her confidant, cautiously offered his advice.

“Without the full cooperation of the Zhuge family, it seems……”

“No.”

Zhuge Yeon cut off her subordinate’s words and moved forward, her face cold.

“Exclude the Zhuge family. Once they are completely isolated and become like the Nangong family, they will realize their choice was wrong.”

“However……”

“Stop!”

Zhuge Yeon glared at the Cheonidan leader.

“Do you also think I’m a joke?”

“H-How could this subordinate dare……”

Just then.

The martial artists of the Murim Alliance parted like the Red Sea.

And one person ran quickly through the opening.

It was Mo Yong-geuk, the head of the Mo Yong family.

“What brings you here?”

At first, Zhuge Yeon was puzzled by his sudden appearance.

But her expression changed at his next words.

“The Beggars’ Sect is approaching the Zhuge family. Moreover, they are leading a large number of masters from the Nine Sects. It seems they have discovered something.”