The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 288

The awkward silence settled over the training grounds.

One of the Hainan Sect’s unit leaders, belatedly understanding the situation, glared at Wang Yisu with a stern expression.

“Are you the madman who dared to utter such nonsense?”

“Ah, no… That’s…”

The faces of the Hainan Sect warriors hardened at Wang Yisu’s flustered and hesitant demeanor.

“How dare you…!”

Wang Yisu’s legs weakened, and he nearly collapsed under the glares of the unit leaders, who were practically growling at him.

Wang Yisu had no idea how much the Hainan Sect warriors had suffered from Bikhwa Ryung’s constant torment.

They had roamed the seas for a long time.

And there was only one thing they feared most.

It wasn’t the ever-changing sea, nor the pirates they had fought their entire lives.

Not even Byukdae Gyeong, the sect leader of the Hainan Sword Sect.

Without a doubt, it was one person.

Bikhwa Ryung, the vice-sect leader, was their true nightmare.

In their eyes, she was like a Rakshasa [a fierce, demon-like being] risen from hell.

It was a daily routine for her to drive them to harsh training, and if she found anything unsatisfactory, the sound of wailing would echo throughout Hainan Island that day.

Recently, the marriage talks of Bikhwa Ryung, which had been stagnant for some time, were being discussed by many people.

Moreover, Bikhwa Ryung, who had returned from her travels away from Hainan Island, was a completely different person.

She smiled more and wasn’t as prickly as before.

No one in the Hainan Sect had failed to notice the change.

To them, Bum Gye Wi was their only hope for salvation.

An outgoing woman.

When Bikhwa Ryung married, she would leave Hainan Island, and her older brothers would naturally take over her position as vice-sect leader.

That’s why they had been consistently supporting Bikhwa Ryung’s love to come to fruition more than anyone else.

Some even offered pure water every morning and prayed.

What insane man in the world would take a fearsome woman like Bikhwa Ryung as his wife?

Bum Gye Wi was the only one, even if they searched the entire world.

That’s why they couldn’t help but be favorable to Bum Gye Wi.

Even though they were dragged here while enjoying a rare moment of leisure due to being stranded by the storm, they followed Bum Gye Wi without showing any displeasure.

“What are you doing?”

“Yes?”

The unit leaders, who had been glaring at Wang Yisu as if they would devour him, belatedly came to their senses at Bum Gye Wi’s voice.

Bum Gye Wi shook something at them.

Wang Yisu’s eyes widened as he realized it was a bundle of vouchers.

‘How much is all that worth!’

With that much money, he could easily set up three or four new stores of this size.

One of the unit leaders chuckled at his inwardly screaming figure.

“A Shinma Merchant Guild store recently opened nearby. You should go there instead.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yes. Its quality and prices are much better.”

Wang Yisu looked like he was about to cry.

He had recently made aggressive investments to expand his business in order to counter the newly opened Shinma Merchant Guild store.

Bum Gye Wi nodded, grabbed a handful of vouchers, and thrust them into the hands of the unit leaders.

“Why are you giving these to us?”

Bum Gye Wi grinned at the bewildered unit leaders.

“You guys know what Bikhwa Ryung likes the most, right? Go quickly and spend it all without leaving any money behind. Buy everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Even for us?”

“Once I marry Bikhwa Ryung, you’ll all be one family anyway. What’s the problem? I’m just giving gifts to my family.”

“But this is too much…”

“Just hurry up and move. It’s not every day I get to give gifts to my woman’s sect, so we have to do this much.”

The unit leaders couldn’t help but be impressed.

They thought that only someone with such generosity could handle a woman like Bikhwa Ryung.

Wang Yisu, who had kicked away such a golden opportunity, could only swallow tears of regret, lamenting his lack of judgment in recognizing people.

* * *

When the fierce storm subsided, a ship laden with gifts arrived at the port of Hainan Island.

The Hainan Sect people, who had already been contacted, were waiting at the pier.

At the head of them stood an old man with a good build as well as a fierce impression.

It was Byukdae Gyeong, the sect leader of the Hainan Sect.

Behind him were Bikhwa Ryung’s older brothers.

“Welcome, our son-in-law.”

Bum Gye Wi, who got off the ship, bowed to Byukdae Gyeong, who greeted him with a bright face.

And then he looked around with a puzzled expression.

Because Bikhwa Ryung was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is Bikhwa Ryung?”

Byukdae Gyeong’s eyes flickered for a moment.

So did Bikhwa Ryung’s older brothers standing behind him.

They exchanged strange glances with complicated expressions, maintaining a strange silence, and Bum Gye Wi felt uneasy.

“Let’s talk as we go.”

Bum Gye Wi couldn’t help but ask.

“Is something wrong with Bikhwa Ryung?”

“Well… That’s…”

Bum Gye Wi felt an unknown anxiety rising from deep within his heart at Byukdae Gyeong’s hesitant and evasive response.

“What is it?”

Byukdae Gyeong flinched at the aura Bum Gye Wi suddenly emitted.

It was because of the presence that had become incomparably stronger than before.

He, too, was a master who had roamed Dosan Sword Forest for many years.

Even he was momentarily intimidated, and Bum Gye Wi’s energy was truly terrifying.

It was already widely believed that he had few rivals in the world, but in the meantime, he had broken through the wall and reached a higher level.

“Cough!”

Byukdae Gyeong sighed at the groan that came from behind.

It was an aura that even he found difficult to face.

There was no way his sons, who were weaker than him, could withstand it.

“Bikhwa Ryung went to Hamgok Island (含哭島) [Island of Containing Tears].”

“Where is that?”

“It’s where the Eight Gates of Hell (地獄八關) [a deadly trial] are located.”

“Hell… what?”

Byukdae Gyeong opened his mouth with a bitter smile.

“The Eighteen Arhats, who are called the elite of Shaolin. To obtain that qualification, one must pass through Shaolin’s special gates. Have you ever heard of that?”

Bum Gye Wi was momentarily bewildered.

Why was Shaolin suddenly appearing when he was asking about Bikhwa Ryung’s whereabouts?

However, his expression hardened at Byukdae Gyeong’s next words.

“Once upon a time, a legendary eccentric of the Jianghu [the martial arts world] called Tak Yo Shin, who was called Incomprehensible (不可解), visited Shaolin. He seemed to have gained great inspiration there. So, in order to create a gate that surpassed Shaolin, he traveled the world and came to Hainan Island.”

“Could it be…?”

Byukdae Gyeong nodded.

“The Eight Gates of Hell is a kind of mechanism he created.”

Bum Gye Wi was slightly dumbfounded.

‘Why does that man have a foot in everything?’

The formation installed in Shinma Valley was also his work.

Besides, he felt like he had been hearing that name frequently lately.

Just a while ago, the Dalai Lama at Potala Palace had mentioned him directly.

Byukdae Gyeong continued with a sigh.

“Actually, we tried to stop her until the end, but we couldn’t break her stubbornness. She said she couldn’t be your weakness.”

“So, what happened to Bikhwa Ryung?”

“It’s been a month since she entered the Eight Gates of Hell, and we haven’t heard from her yet.”

Byukdae Gyeong added that, due to the nature of the Eight Gates of Hell, one could never escape until passing through all eight gates.

“We had no other choice. We can only wait.”

“Does it usually take that long?”

Byukdae Gyeong’s eyes showed distress at Bum Gye Wi’s question.

“We don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know?”

“Because no one has ever passed through the Eight Gates of Hell before.”

“……!”

“It seems that Tak Yo Shin was too enthusiastic and made the mechanism too difficult.”

That’s why the island where the Eight Gates of Hell was installed was also called Hamgok Island.

It meant an island where the cries of women who had lost their husbands and children lingered.

“So, we closed it a long time ago.”

Bum Gye Wi snapped at Byukdae Gyeong’s words.

“And you allowed her to go there?”

Byukdae Gyeong continued, unconcerned by Bum Gye Wi’s somewhat rude tone.

“Because that’s the rule of Hainan Island. Since she chose it herself, it’s something we can’t interfere with. And more than anything…”

Byukdae Gyeong paused for a moment before sighing again.

“We couldn’t break her will to come out as a woman worthy of you. She said she would pass through there with dignity and be qualified to marry you.”

“Ha…”

Bum Gye Wi was inwardly dumbfounded and couldn’t speak for a while.

What father in the world would stand by and watch his daughter throw herself into such a dangerous place?

That was when the warriors of Hainan Island standing at the pier became tense.

Suddenly, a tremendous killing intent began to emanate from around Bum Gye Wi.

After a while.

Bum Gye Wi got back on the ship that had brought him.

“I’m going to Hamgok Island.”

The unit leader who was commanding the speedboat looked at Byukdae Gyeong.

Regardless.

Bum Gye Wi opened his mouth as if growling.

“If anything happens to Bikhwa Ryung, you’re all dead.”

What meaning would Hainan Island without Bikhwa Ryung have for him?

“……!”

Byukdae Gyeong frowned at those words that crossed the line.

But Bum Gye Wi’s voice that followed struck his heart.

“Including me.”

Everyone in the Hainan Sect, including Byukdae Gyeong, closed their mouths at those words that felt sincere.

How much time had passed like that?

“I’ll guide you.”

Byukdae Gyeong, who had leaped into the air, boarded the speedboat.

“Father, but…!”

One of Bikhwa Ryung’s older brothers shouted in panic.

Because the principle was to break through the Eight Gates of Hell alone without anyone’s help.

“I’ll take all the responsibility.”

“However…”

Byukdae Gyeong replied with a firm expression to his son’s worried eyes.

“If you’re not going to step up, then shut your mouth. I’m also just sad that I can’t help Bikhwa Ryung directly. We should be grateful that our future son-in-law is stepping up.”

As soon as Byukdae Gyeong’s instructions were given, the Hainan Sect warriors who had boarded in advance raised the anchor.

No sooner had the ship turned its bow than the sails were unfurled, and the speedboat, embracing the wind to the fullest, began to cut through the waves at a rapid pace.

After sailing like that for a while, Byukdae Gyeong pointed to a huge cave located in the center of the coastal cliff when they arrived at Hamgok Island.

“That’s the place.”

At that moment, the huge speedboat seemed to surge greatly once.

Kwaang!

Bum Gye Wi’s figure, which flew through the air like a fired cannon, disappeared into the cave in an instant.

‘Oh no!’

Byukdae Gyeong swallowed his embarrassment.

It was because Bum Gye Wi had rushed out before he could explain the information and precautions for each of the eight gates.

But he tried to fix his expression and stared at the place where Bum Gye Wi had disappeared.

‘I’m counting on you, son-in-law.’

Byukdae Gyeong’s eyes held a desperate wish and deep trust.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bum Gye Wi, who had fearlessly jumped into the cave, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.