The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 26

The Divine Doctor of Mount Hua (26)

“Hmm.”

Dahn Ahk-seon looked at Cho Ahk-ryang, Beom Gye-wi, and Han Seol-hwa with a serious expression.

After observing the three of them intently for a while, Dahn Ahk-seon finally nodded.

“Uncle Beom, you pass.”

“Nice!”

Beom Gye-wi, shrugging his shoulders, stepped forward and stood next to Dahn Ahk-seon.

Wearing a wig he bought at the market and having cleanly shaved off his rough beard, Beom Gye-wi was a completely different person.

Han Seol-hwa also naturally stood next to Dahn Ahk-seon.

“Why are you standing here? You didn’t even disguise yourself.”

Han Seol-hwa coldly scoffed at Beom Gye-wi’s taunt.

“I don’t need a disguise.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t do anything to make my face known, unlike some people.”

Dahn Ahk-seon nodded.

Since she wasn’t known as an evil person, there was no reason for her to hide.

Now, only one person remained.

“Uncle Cho is the problem…”

“Me? No way…”

Cho Ahk-ryang looked at himself with a puzzled expression.

He was wearing a simple, elegant robe and a neatly combed hat. Moreover, he was holding an antique folding fan in one hand.

He looked like a perfect scholar.

Yet, Dahn Ahk-seon couldn’t hide her troubled expression.

‘The outfit itself is perfect, but…’

Cho Ahk-ryang’s sharp eyes were the problem.

Combined with his unique threatening aura, it created a sinister and dangerous atmosphere.

His ordinary attire only made his presence stand out even more.

“What should we do?”

Beom Gye-wi suddenly spoke, seeing Dahn Ahk-seon’s distress.

“How about cutting off one of his feet? Dahn Doctor can reattach it when we get back.”

“Even I can’t do that.”

“Oh, really? That’s too bad. I can do the cutting.”

A fierce murderous intent flickered in Cho Ahk-ryang’s eyes.

However, he managed to suppress his rising anger with superhuman patience.

Then, Han Seol-hwa spoke.

“I have a good idea.”

As everyone’s attention turned to her, Han Seol-hwa opened her mouth with an indifferent expression.

“He should dress as a woman.”

Cho Ahk-ryang’s face contorted.

On the other hand, Beom Gye-wi exclaimed with genuine admiration.

“Oh! That’s a great idea! Who would ever think that the Blood Lord of the Demonic Sect would dress as a woman?”

Eventually, Cho Ahk-ryang couldn’t hold back and shouted.

“You guys are really pushing it!”

Cho Ahk-ryang glared at Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa.

“Are you laughing now? If I can’t go, neither can you.”

Only then did the two of them start to seriously consider the situation.

Cho Ahk-ryang was right.

Given Dahn Ahk-seon’s personality, she would never leave Cho Ahk-ryang behind and go on a trip.

It was then.

“I’ve got it!”

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned at Beom Gye-wi’s shout.

“Don’t say it. There’s no way you could come up with a good idea!”

“Really! It’s such a great idea that even I’m surprised!”

Beom Gye-wi excitedly opened his mouth.

“I grew hair, so Cho *hyung* [older brother/respected male figure] should shave his hair off! That alone would make it impossible for anyone to recognize Cho *hyung*! And if we put a mole next to his nose with ink, it’ll be even more perfect!”

Cho Ahk-ryang was so dumbfounded that he wasn’t even angry.

He could understand Beom Gye-wi being an idiot, but the sight of the others nodding in agreement was simply absurd.

“Hoo…”

Finally, Cho Ahk-ryang sighed deeply and reached into his pocket.

“I didn’t want to take this out…”

After a moment, Cho Ahk-ryang took something out and covered his face. It was an incredibly elaborate human skin mask.

As soon as he put on the mask, he became a completely different person.

“You’re quite skilled. When did you make that?”

“I didn’t make it.”

“Then?”

“I took it from the Ghost-Faced Devil.”

“The master of disguise?”

Beom Gye-wi, who had been questioning, tilted his head.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t heard from him in a while. Did he go into hiding?”

“He’s dead.”

“Huh? When?”

“About five years ago.”

“How does Cho *hyung* know that?”

“I killed him.”

“Ah! So that’s why the human skin mask is in Cho *hyung’s* hands.”

Beom Gye-wi carefully examined Cho Ahk-ryang’s disguised face.

“Well, it’s tempting.”

Cho Ahk-ryang was dumbfounded.

“What do you take me for? Do you think I killed him just for this thing!”

“Hey, it’s okay. We’re all friends here, so what does it matter?”

“What, you little punk?”

“Are you going to hit me?”

“You and your loose mouth!”

Dahn Ahk-seon stepped between the two, who were glaring at each other with flushed faces.

“The Cho Ahk-ryang I know wouldn’t kill someone for that reason.”

“That’s because you don’t know… Ouch! Why did you step on my foot!”

Beom Gye-wi glared at Han Seol-hwa.

“Are you going to spend the whole day arguing like this?”

Beom Gye-wi clicked his tongue at Han Seol-hwa’s cold voice.

Then, Cho Ahk-ryang spoke.

“What would you do if someone was walking around with your face, pretending to be Mangsan Choja [Cho Ahk-ryang’s alias]?”

“What? I’d smash his head in right away!”

Cho Ahk-ryang nodded.

“Right? That’s what happened.”

Only then did Beom Gye-wi understand. It was a perfectly reasonable explanation.

“Wow!”

Dahn Ahk-seon, who had been carefully examining Cho Ahk-ryang’s new face, exclaimed with genuine admiration.

“Even knowing it’s a mask, I can’t tell.”

Whatever the story behind it, the human skin mask itself was surprisingly elaborate and natural.

With this, the biggest problem was solved.

Dahn Ahk-seon looked at the three of them.

“From now on, we are the people of the Jinseong Family.”

Beom Gye-wi nodded.

“I’ve already decided on a name.”

Beom Gye-wi grinned and continued without being asked.

“Jin Ga-hwi. It’s a pretty good name, isn’t it?”

The corners of Han Seol-hwa’s lips slightly turned up.

“Why don’t we just go with Evil One and Evil Three?”

“What does that mean?”

“Evil person number one, evil person number three.”

At those words, Beom Gye-wi raised his voice.

“Why am I number three! I’m number one! I used to be number two! And now that Cho *hyung* is in that state, I’m number one!”

Cho Ahk-ryang gave him a pathetic look.

“Only four of us survived, and you still want to be number one?”

“I don’t care! I have to be number one! I’ll be Evil One!”

Dahn Ahk-seon nodded.

“Then Uncle Beom’s name will be Evil One from now on.”

Cho Ahk-ryang smiled bitterly and decided on his own name.

“Then I’ll be Evil Craftsman.”

At those words, Dahn Ahk-seon made a suggestion.

“Since your names are similar, we can say you’re brothers.”

At those words, Beom Gye-wi became serious.

“What? I don’t like that.”

“Do you think I like it?”

Just as the two were about to start bickering again.

Poong Jin-sung approached at the right moment.

“All preparations for departure are complete.”

Dahn Ahk-seon’s face brightened.

“Then let’s go, everyone.”

And so, Dahn Ahk-seon’s first journey began.

* * *

The Martial Alliance headquarters, located in Hubei.

On the third day of their journey there, the group finally reached a wide road.

They had left the narrow path that only one carriage could barely pass through and entered an open highway.

“Wow!”

Dahn Ahk-seon couldn’t help but exclaim.

The first thing that caught her eye was the diverse group of people moving in their own groups.

Peddlers carrying large bundles.

Families moving their entire household on carts pulled by oxen.

Occasionally, people who appeared to be officials of the government rode past on horses, and there was also an old man enjoying a nap in a sedan chair carried by four servants.

Dahn Ahk-seon constantly looked around, taking in the various sights.

Everything was new and fascinating to her.

“I’m so glad I came on this trip.”

Cho Ahk-ryang smiled warmly at Dahn Ahk-seon’s excited appearance.

“New experiences are the joy of travel. You will see and experience many more interesting things in the future.”

Beom Gye-wi quickly added.

“Dahn Doctor, you can trust us.”

“Hehe. I’m looking forward to it.”

Cho Ahk-ryang looked around at the group and explained the upcoming journey.

“First, we need to meet with Family Head Poong, so let’s go to Lanzhou.”

Poong Jin-sung had left ahead of them to arrange a meeting with the Martial Alliance.

“After Family Head Poong joins us, we can go to Wuhan via Xi’an in Shaanxi Province. We’ll stop by Baoji and Mei County on the way to Xi’an. Once we arrive in Xi’an, we’ll rest for a few days. Chang’an [ancient capital of China] is only about three days away, so it wouldn’t be bad to visit there.”

Chang’an was an ancient capital with a long history, dating back to the Tang Dynasty. As such, it was full of food and sights to see.

Since it was Dahn Ahk-seon’s first trip, he wanted her to experience as much as possible, even if it meant taking a detour.

Then, Beom Gye-wi tilted his head.

“Cho *hyung*, wait a minute. Why did you leave out Qingzhou?”

Puzzlement appeared on Cho Ahk-ryang’s face.

Qingzhou was far off the path to Hubei.

“Why there?”

“There’s a place we have to go. A place that Dahn Doctor must experience.”

“Where is that?”

“Mihyang Pavilion.”

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned.

“That’s a brothel.”

“That’s why we have to go. Haven’t you heard that it’s recently surpassed the brothels of Sohang? Besides…”

Beom Gye-wi couldn’t continue.

In an instant, a cold wind seemed to blow, and his lips froze.

“Mph? Mmph!”

Beom Gye-wi glared at Han Seol-hwa.

It was obvious who was responsible.

Chiiik.

As Beom Gye-wi gathered his inner energy, the white frost that had settled on his face disappeared. Confirming that his lips were moving, Beom Gye-wi shouted at Han Seol-hwa.

“What are you doing!”

“I didn’t want to hear such pathetic things.”

“Pathetic! My Mihyang Pavilion is not pathetic at all! It’s amazing!”

Beom Gye-wi looked at Cho Ahk-ryang as if asking for help.

“Cho *hyung*, say something. Your lover used to work there.”

Cho Ahk-ryang’s face turned red.

“Why are you bringing that up again! You ended up snatching her away!”

“That’s because Cho *hyung* cheated.”

“I’ve told you so many times that’s not what happened! I was just pretending to be possessed by the Bewitching Skill to deal with a woman who used seduction techniques!”

“You seemed to like it too much for it to be acting? You were drooling all over the place.”

“Have you only lived being deceived? If someone tells you something, believe them!”

“Who would believe that?”

“Everyone but you believes it?”

“I don’t think so?”

Beom Gye-wi gestured with his chin towards Han Seol-hwa.

Han Seol-hwa was covering Dahn Ahk-seon’s ears with both hands. Although her expression was hidden by the veil covering her face below her eyes, the emotions in her exposed eyes could be felt.

“…”

“…”

Eventually, the two of them became embarrassed and shut their mouths, urging the group to continue on their way.

How long had they been walking?

“Huh?”

Dahn Ahk-seon suddenly stopped walking.

“What’s wrong? Dahn Doctor.”

“What is it?”

In response to Beom Gye-wi and Cho Ahk-ryang’s questions, Dahn Ahk-seon closed her eyes and began sniffing.

Then, in an instant, she jumped into the forest next to the highway.

Cho Ahk-ryang and Beom Gye-wi also hurriedly followed, using their movement techniques. Dahn Ahk-seon, who had been wandering through the bushes, discovered something and ran towards it.

“I found it!”

Dahn Ahk-seon held up her hands, holding grass.

“What is it? That grass?”

“It looks like leaves, not grass?”

Dahn Ahk-seon nodded at Cho Ahk-ryang’s words.

“It’s angelica. I didn’t know it grew wild in a place like this. And in a colony, too.”

“Is that also a medicinal herb?”

“Of course. The name itself is Angelica (*Danggwi*) [當歸 – a traditional Chinese medicine].”

When translated, it means ‘should return’.

“Since ancient times, men going to the battlefield would carry angelica given to them by their wives. Then, when they were exhausted in battle, they would eat the angelica and regain their strength to return home. It’s that good for restoring energy. And the scent is wonderful, too.”

Beom Gye-wi, who had been picking angelica leaves and smelling them, nodded.

“It really has a pungent scent. But you found this from that far away just by the smell? Even a dog couldn’t do that.”

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned.

“Are you saying Dahn Doctor is a dog?”