The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 274

The sudden mention of the Heavenly Demon’s name astonished everyone except the Dalai Lama.

Cho Ak-ryang, in particular, was visibly shaken.

Unlike the others, he was the only one who had actually fought the Heavenly Demon.

It was then that Cho Ak-ryang broke the heavy silence.

“Indeed, he was in pretty bad shape back then.”

No one present doubted that he would survive.

His injuries were that severe.

The fact that he had clung to life for over a decade afterward was infuriating.

He regretted not finishing him off at the time.

The Dalai Lama looked around at the assembly and said,

“Even before the Divine Doctor and Demonic Doctor were abducted, numerous physicians had already gone missing or disappeared. All of them were renowned and skilled doctors.”

“Did the Demonic Sect kidnap them to treat the Heavenly Demon?”

The Dalai Lama nodded.

“According to our investigation, that is the case.”

“But why wasn’t this known in the Central Plains?”

“Because it happened outside the Great Wall, in the outer regions.”

Cho Ak-ryang made a sound of disapproval.

That was true.

Although Kunlun, which directly bordered the Demonic Sect, was monitoring their movements, their manpower was limited.

The same went for the information organizations of the Central Plains, including the Beggars’ Sect.

Their eyes and intelligence networks were limited to the Central Plains.

Moreover, this had occurred sporadically over a long period, so even the Potala Palace was unaware of it.

They only found out belatedly while investigating the disappearance of the Divine Doctor and Demonic Doctor.

“Wait a minute!”

Dan Ak-seon, who had been standing blankly, cried out urgently.

“Then, is it possible that my parents are still alive?”

If they had been kidnapped for treatment, they wouldn’t have rashly harmed them.

However, the Dalai Lama shook his head with a look of pity.

“They have already passed away.”

“……!”

Dan Ak-seon’s hopes, which she had been clinging to, crumbled.

The Dalai Lama sighed softly and continued.

“We learned this while investigating someone within the palace who was colluding with the Demonic Sect.”

By tracing back the person within the Potala Palace who had cooperated with the Demonic Sect, they were able to identify him, and then used him to lure out the Demonic Sect’s contact.

After subtly inducing the two to meet, they used the trap to successfully capture a prominent figure in the Demonic Sect.

“We confirmed information related to their deaths while interrogating him.”

Following the Dalai Lama’s explanation, Dan Ak-seon cautiously asked,

“Is there any possibility that he gave false information?”

Cho Ak-ryang shook his head at Dan Ak-seon, who couldn’t let go of her lingering hope.

“That’s unlikely.”

Although it now possessed a gentle disposition, the Lama Order harbored all sorts of secret and esoteric techniques from the Left Way Esoteric Sect (a heretical Buddhist sect) on the other side.

If they were determined to interrogate him, he would have no choice but to reveal the truth, no matter how strong his will.

“…….”

Dan Ak-seon lowered her head and stared at her toes.

Tuk, tuk.

Tears fell silently to the floor.

Her appearance was heartbreaking, but no one dared to speak to Dan Ak-seon.

They simply shared this moment with her with a heavy heart.

How much time had passed?

“……So that’s what happened.”

Dan Ak-seon, who wiped away her tears with her sleeve, raised her head.

The Dalai Lama opened his mouth, meeting Dan Ak-seon’s swollen and reddened eyes.

“But there is one strange thing.”

Dan Ak-seon’s eyes widened with surprise at the Dalai Lama’s words.

“The Demonic Doctor briefly left the Demonic Sect’s main base and moved freely.”

“……!”

“What’s even stranger is that the Demonic Doctor herself voluntarily returned to the Demonic Sect. And not long after that, both of them lost their lives.”

“Mom went back to the Demonic Sect on her own?”

Dan Ak-seon suddenly recalled the letter her mother had left for Poong Jin-sung.

In it, she had already clearly mentioned their deaths.

The meaning was clear.

‘She went to the Demonic Sect already prepared to die.’

She couldn’t guess the reason right now, but that fact alone broke her heart.

“Our guess is that perhaps the two of them failed to treat the Heavenly Demon and faced death as a result of their responsibility.”

Dan Ak-seon shook her head at the Dalai Lama’s cautious speculation.

“That can’t be.”

She knew her parents’ skills better than anyone else.

If they were already dead, that would be one thing, but as long as the patient was still breathing, they were parents who would have done whatever it took to save them.

“Or maybe they refused treatment.”

Dan Ak-seon shook her head, denying even the other possibility mentioned by the Dalai Lama.

They were two people who didn’t attach any meaning to the distinction between good and evil in front of a patient.

They wouldn’t hesitate to save any villain, so why would the Heavenly Demon be any different?

Then suddenly, an odd thought occurred to her.

“What is the reason for your judgment?”

At Dan Ak-seon’s question, the Dalai Lama paused for a moment, thinking about something, and then slowly opened his mouth.

“Because the Heavenly Demon has not shown himself even once since their deaths.”

* * *

The night sky of Seojang was deep and dark.

Perhaps that was why.

The stars, which seemed within reach if one stretched out a hand, filled the sky.

Dan Ak-seon, who had been staring at the stars in the night sky as if they would fall down if touched, quietly clenched her fist.

‘What on earth happened?’

The more she tried to shake off her troubled mind, the more endless sadness and anger washed over her.

‘Demonic Sect…….’

As she thought of those who had taken her parents away, the ferocious murderous intent that had been dormant somewhere deep in her heart slowly opened its eyes.

And soon, an unfamiliar emotion took over her body and mind.

A destructive impulse she had never felt in her life!

Dan Ak-seon’s clenched fist trembled.

The eyes of the three people who were watching such Dan Ak-seon from afar clearly revealed their troubled minds.

They had never seen Dan Ak-seon reveal such murderous intent before.

That was why the sight was even more unfamiliar and heartbreaking.

“Does revenge suit that child?”

Han Seol-hwa opened her mouth without realizing it, feeling sorry.

Cho Ak-ryang, who let out a soft sigh, took the words.

“If she didn’t know, she wouldn’t, but now that she knows the reason her parents died, it can’t be helped even if she makes such a decision.”

“What kind of crazy bastards kill doctors?”

Beom Gye-wi, who was grumbling, stared at Dan Ak-seon with worried eyes.

However, Dan Ak-seon was still standing there, staring up at the night sky without moving.

How much time had passed like that?

It was not until dawn, when the distant east was breaking, that Dan Ak-seon turned her head towards the three.

“I have to avenge my parents.”

As if she had already made up her mind, Dan Ak-seon’s eyes and voice were filled with a firm determination that would not be easily shaken.

The three exchanged glances.

They didn’t want the still young Dan Ak-seon to throw herself into the vortex of revenge.

Only for a moment.

Cho Ak-ryang suddenly opened his mouth.

“Life is too short to waste on revenge.”

Dan Ak-seon was momentarily taken aback, as if she hadn’t expected Cho Ak-ryang to oppose her like this.

However, her eyes wavered at Cho Ak-ryang’s subsequent words.

“But that’s only knowing one thing and not knowing two.”

He was able to say that because he had already walked that path.

“I didn’t want a life bound by grudges either. But there are things in this world that must be done.”

A person who should not have died had died.

And because of this, he had suffered enough.

Then, of course, those involved in the death should also suffer.

It was only fair that they writhe in agony and regret for their sins.

This was not just to relieve the hatred that had built up in his heart.

It was a more sublime act that had to be done in order to commemorate and not forget the departed.

“Someone once told me. Wouldn’t it be nice to let go of everything and be comfortable? Your deceased teacher would want that too. If he knew you were struggling so hard, trapped in the cycle of revenge, he wouldn’t be able to close his eyes in peace even in death.”

However, Cho Ak-ryang firmly rejected this.

“If I give up revenge just to be comfortable, what about the person who went first?”

Isn’t that person the only one who is pitiful?

“So I couldn’t give up.”

Revenge always involves blood.

No matter how great the cause is and how much it is packaged with beautiful words, that is its nature.

Nevertheless, Cho Ak-ryang supported Dan Ak-seon’s decision.

“Revenge is not for the dead, but for the living.”

Longing and guilt towards the person who went first.

If left unchecked, that attachment becomes a poison and a shackle that torments those left behind.

Only by sending the dead from the heart through revenge can those left behind shake off the pain and move forward.

“No matter how futile the end…… And even if only regret remains at the end, I will be with you.”

“Uncle…….”

Tears welled up in Dan Ak-seon’s eyes.

At this time, Han Seol-hwa hugged Dan Ak-seon tightly.

“I will walk that path with you by your side.”

Beom Gye-wi, who had been robbed of the first move by Han Seol-hwa, gave off a resentful look, but soon nodded with a resounding voice.

“Trust me! Doctor Dan! The Demonic Sect? Hmph! Tell them to come out! Even if it’s the Jade Emperor or King Yama [the ruler of the underworld in Chinese mythology], I’ll take care of it all!”

Dan Ak-seon was overwhelmed by the sight of the three people willingly stepping forward for her.

“Thank you…… Thank you so much.”

Beom Gye-wi, who was looking at the sobbing Dan Ak-seon with pity, felt a fire burning deep inside his heart.

‘How dare you make our Doctor Dan cry!’

Beom Gye-wi pounded his chest.

“I will throw all the guys involved in your parents’ death into hell without leaving a single one behind! I’ll make them kneel in front of those two and beg for forgiveness!”

But then, Beom Gye-wi suddenly felt strange.

“Huh?”

Cho Ak-ryang cast a doubtful look at Beom Gye-wi’s flustered expression.

As expected.

Words that no one expected came out of Beom Gye-wi’s mouth.

“But if there is hell, there must be paradise, right?”

Cho Ak-ryang, who was wondering what he was talking about, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by Beom Gye-wi’s next words.

“If they are two people who have been treating patients all their lives, wouldn’t they naturally be in paradise? How can the guys who fell into hell ask for forgiveness from the two people in paradise?”

“……!”

Even the great Cho Ak-ryang was momentarily speechless and unable to answer the difficult question.

But as if nothing had happened, Beom Gye-wi grinned.

“Well, does it matter?”

Then he curled up a gruesome smile.

“We’ll go and scold them again, what.”

“What are you talking about?”

At Cho Ak-ryang’s question, Beom Gye-wi gave him a pathetic look.

“Cho hyung [older brother] and I are doomed to go to hell anyway. The witch too.”

Cho Ak-ryang laughed in disbelief at Beom Gye-wi’s words.

“Isn’t hell the only place we can go after we die? So let’s send those guys first and then we’ll go back later and scold them for Doctor Dan’s parents.”

Then he smiled at Dan Ak-seon with an indifferent face.

“It’s a pity that we can’t be with our Doctor Dan, but it can’t be helped. Doctor Dan will have to go to paradise and meet her parents.”

It was then.

Dan Ak-seon reached out and hugged Beom Gye-wi tightly.

“No.”

“……?”

Beom Gye-wi, who was wondering, couldn’t hide his deeply moved eyes at Dan Ak-seon’s next words.

“Wherever it is, I will be with you.”

Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes curved softly.

“I won’t stop you from walking the path of revenge. Rather, we will do our best to help.”

Cho Ak-ryang advised with a serious expression.

“But as I said before, revenge is for the living. As such, you must not lose yourself by being buried in the purpose of revenge.”