The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 29

The Divine Doctor of Mount Hua (29)

“What kind of thug is that…”

“He’s worse than us!”

The two men, having exchanged curses telepathically, nodded in unison.

Seeing this, Beom Gyewi cracked his knuckles, producing a sharp snapping sound.

“If you’re unhappy, come at me…”

“We will.”

“Huh? That easy?”

Beom Gyewi, who had been slowly getting into it, was taken aback by Wangnyeom’s immediate response.

“I’ll go get it right now.”

As Wangnyeom turned around, Wanggyeol slumped to the ground.

It was his way of volunteering to be a hostage until his brother returned.

Their willingness to comply so readily made Beom Gyewi even more uneasy.

“Wait!”

Beom Gyewi frowned and muttered.

“What’s the problem? Why are these guys being so cooperative?”

“Are you asking us?”

Wanggyeol’s question prompted Beom Gyewi to scowl fiercely.

“Yeah. Why are you just handing over a spirit herb like the Guji Seonyeop Grass [a rare and valuable medicinal herb]? I heard it’s incredibly valuable.”

“Well, you asked for it as a gift…”

“So why are you just giving it away? Is it something you just hand out when someone asks for it?”

“No! You asked for it, so we’re giving it to you!”

Wanggyeol’s voice unintentionally rose, causing Beom Gyewi’s eyes to narrow.

“Are you angry right now?”

“N, no way. I’ve been having trouble hearing lately… My voice sometimes gets louder without me realizing it.”

Beom Gyewi stared intently at Wanggyeol, who was stammering excuses.

It was then that a telepathic message arrived.

—There’s something more important than the Guji Seonyeop Grass.

It was Han Seolhwa, who had been observing the situation from afar.

Beom Gyewi smirked.

“Alright. Then bring it here first.”

No sooner had he said those words than Wangnyeom disappeared.

A moment later.

Wangnyeom returned with a wooden box about the length of his forearm.

Beom Gyewi opened the box.

At that moment, Han Seolhwa’s telepathic message came again.

—The Guji Seonyeop Grass has nine branches, and the leaves are long and thin like silk.

Beom Gyewi nodded.

It matched the characteristics Han Seolhwa had described perfectly. Beom Gyewi closed the lid of the wooden box and pushed it aside.

Then, he reached out his hand again.

“One more.”

Wangnyeom’s eyes were filled with bewilderment.

“Not the Guji Seonyeop Grass. The other thing, you know.”

“The other thing?”

“Yeah, that thing.”

Wangnyeom’s pupils trembled.

He couldn’t figure out how much Beom Gyewi knew about their tribute.

“Even so, that’s…”

Seeing Wangnyeom hesitate, Beom Gyewi unleashed his killing intent to the fullest.

“……!”

Wangnyeom and Wanggyeol’s faces turned pale in an instant.

They had known from the start that their opponent was a monster.

They had been beaten to the brink of death before.

But the aura he was exuding now was on a completely different level than before.

The overwhelming difference in presence froze their bodies.

“W, we will give it to you.”

This time, Wanggyeol moved, and Wangnyeom remained as a hostage.

A moment later, Wanggyeol returned from the carriage carrying the tribute, bringing a palm-sized box and carefully placing it in front of Beom Gyewi.

At Beom Gyewi’s gesture, Wanggyeol opened the box.

In that instant, a dazzling light illuminated the surroundings.

It was due to the Night-Shining Pearl inside the box.

It was clear at a glance that it was a treasure of immense value. Seeing Beom Gyewi’s satisfied expression, Wangnyeom cautiously spoke.

“Then, we’ll be on our way…”

In that instant, Wangnyeom and Wanggyeol felt a surge of unease in their hearts.

It was because Beom Gyewi’s smile had deepened.

As expected.

“Just one more thing.”

—Damn it!

—Son of a bitch!

The faces of the two men, who had exchanged a brief telepathic message, gradually began to show resentment.

“Is this really the last one?”

Beom Gyewi nodded.

“Have you ever seen me go back on my word?”

Having received confirmation, Wangnyeom stood up and began to walk towards the carriage.

At this point, Beom Gyewi also began to feel something was amiss.

“Wait.”

Beom Gyewi called out to Wangnyeom.

“Are you really going to bring it?”

“You asked for it, didn’t you?”

At that moment, the smile disappeared from Beom Gyewi’s face.

The eyes of Beom Gyewi, filled with swirling madness, caused the faces of the Three Despicable Devils to harden. Although Beom Gyewi might seem somewhat comical due to his often lacking words and actions, there was no one among those who knew his true nature who did not fear him.

He was Mount Bukmang itself [a mountain known for its desolate and dangerous environment].

He was the entrance to Yubu itself [Yubu is likely a reference to the underworld or a place of death].

“Where are you two headed?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking where you’re going with all these precious treasures.”

The Three Despicable Devils exchanged glances and looked at Beom Gyewi with grave expressions.

“We have to survive, don’t we?”

“What does that mean?”

“Recently, the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance] declared the subjugation of the Hundred Great Evils.”

“The Hundred Great Evils? Not the Ten Great Evils?”

“Yes. They announced that they would execute a hundred newly selected villains based on their own criteria.”

“Are you two among those hundred?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?”

The two men bristled.

“Even before the Murim Alliance branded us as the Hundred Great Evils, we were already listed among the Hundred Great Masters of the Murim [martial arts world].”

“We’re probably in the top ranks in the Black Murim [underground martial arts world].”

Beom Gyewi snorted.

“So? Where are those great masters, who are avoiding the Murim Alliance, seeking refuge?”

“We cannot reveal that.”

Beom Gyewi unleashed his killing intent once more.

However, this time, the Three Despicable Devils gritted their teeth and endured. Despite their pale faces and streams of cold sweat, they ultimately did not open their mouths.

Seeing their determination, Beom Gyewi reached behind his back.

The Three Despicable Devils flinched and gripped their weapons.

The outcome was obvious, but they couldn’t just stand there and be defeated. Even if they were going to die, they had to swing their swords at least once to be considered Murim warriors.

At that moment, Beom Gyewi grabbed something and threw it at them.

The Three Despicable Devils instinctively caught the object that was thrown at them and were startled.

It was the box containing the Night-Shining Pearl.

“Why are you giving this back to us?”

“Use it to cover your travel expenses.”

“Excuse me?”

“You said you’re running away to survive, right? I can’t just send you off empty-handed, can I?”

“Th, thank you.”

Having offered their thanks in a daze, the two men cautiously backed away, watching Beom Gyewi’s every move. Then, at some point, when the distance had widened, they began to flee.

—Wait! This is what we gave him, isn’t it?

—Even so, it feels kind of nice to get it back after it was taken away, doesn’t it?

—Okay, let’s use that trick next time too.

Exchanging such telepathic messages, the two men disappeared into the darkness.

And a moment later.

Neigh! Neigh!

The sound of a horse neighing echoed in the middle of the night.

They had decided to hasten their journey through the night to get away from Beom Gyewi as quickly as possible. As the Three Despicable Devils and their escort moved away, Cho Akryang and Han Seolhwa approached Beom Gyewi.

Han Seolhwa gazed in the direction where the Three Despicable Devils had disappeared, and Cho Akryang, following her gaze, suddenly spoke.

“What are they guarding so fiercely with their lives?”

“That’s what I’m saying. They weren’t usually so tight-lipped.”

“It seems like there’s a central figure gathering those guys somewhere.”

Beom Gyewi nonchalantly replied to Cho Akryang’s words.

“Well, it’s none of our business, is it?”

“I guess not.”

Beom Gyewi, who had been absentmindedly walking, wore a puzzled expression.

He had belatedly noticed the look in Cho Akryang’s eyes, which were flickering with intense killing intent.

It wasn’t difficult to guess the reason.

It was because of the increasingly outrageous actions of the Murim Alliance.

“How about we turn the Murim Alliance upside down this time?”

At Beom Gyewi’s probing words, Cho Akryang frowned.

“Are you trying to make Doctor Dan a public enemy of the Murim?”

“No, we can’t do that.”

In any case, having safely secured the Guji Seonyeop Grass, the three hurried back to the campsite.

They wanted to see Dan Akseon’s joyful face as soon as possible after seeing the spirit herb they had been longing for.

The destination of the Three Despicable Devils was already out of their minds.

* * *

As expected, Dan Akseon was overjoyed to receive the Guji Seonyeop Grass.

Cho Akryang, Beom Gyewi, and Han Seolhwa were the same.

Until now, they had only received from Dan Akseon.

That’s why they always felt a sense of burden, but they felt like they had relieved one of their burdens through this incident.

After that, Dan Akseon never let go of the box containing the Guji Seonyeop Grass.

She even slept with the box in her arms.

“Is she that happy?”

Cho Akryang, looking down at the sleeping Dan Akseon, smiled contentedly.

“She looks like she has all the spirit herbs in the world.”

At Han Seolhwa’s words, Beom Gyewi’s eyes flashed.

“That’s it!”

Beom Gyewi continued, addressing the two people who were looking at him in bewilderment.

“Let’s make Doctor Dan the richest spirit herb owner!”

Cho Akryang and Han Seolhwa looked at Beom Gyewi with surprised eyes.

It was quite reasonable when they heard it. In fact, Dan Akseon had almost no desire for material possessions. Even when she occasionally had a large sum of money, she would squander it on buying medicinal ingredients, and she rarely spent money on herself.

The only time she showed greed was when she encountered spirit herbs.

Even those spirit herbs were used for patients.

“But how?”

“Huh?”

Beom Gyewi, flustered by Han Seolhwa’s question, looked at Cho Akryang. He hadn’t thought that far.

“志在有徑 (zhì zài yǒu jìng) [Where there is a will, there is a way].”

Cho Akryang, who started the conversation, continued.

“Where there is a will, there is a way. Now that we have gathered our will, let’s slowly find a way.”

Since there was no immediate solution, Han Seolhwa and Beom Gyewi reluctantly nodded.

And so, they continued their journey.

And fifteen days later.

They arrived in Lanzhou, their first destination.

They headed straight to Howonru (浩倇樓) [a famous restaurant or inn], one of Lanzhou’s famous attractions.

It was the place where they had agreed to meet with Pung Jinseong, who had left earlier.

“Wow!”

Dan Akseon exclaimed as she entered Howonru.

First of all, she was surprised by the enormous size.

The space, large enough to hold a banquet, had four pillars, and around those pillars were four Eight Immortals Tables (八仙桌) [traditional square tables often used for banquets].

Since up to eight people could sit at one Eight Immortals Table, it meant that one floor could accommodate over one hundred and twenty people.

“It’s amazing.”

Cho Akryang nodded at Dan Akseon’s words.

“It’s said to be among the top three in terms of size in the entire Gansu Province. Moreover, the chefs here are all famous for their excellent cooking skills.”

The price of the food was quite high, but he deliberately didn’t mention it.

He didn’t want to ruin Pung Jinseong’s consideration for Dan Akseon.

“That’s why there are so many customers.”

Cho Akryang looked around with a puzzled expression. As Dan Akseon said, there was only one table left.

It was strange.

No matter how famous Howonru was, it was now Misi [around 1-3 PM], well past lunchtime. It was unusual for it to be so crowded with customers at this time.

There was another suspicious point.

Despite the large number of people gathered, there was no lively laughter or boisterous atmosphere.

Above all, their gazes were all focused on them.

Each and every one of them had cold eyes filled with hostility.

‘A trap?’

The empty table was also coincidentally located right in the center.

—They’re from the Murim Alliance.

At Han Seolhwa’s telepathic message, Cho Akryang and Beom Gyewi’s killing intent surged. But they didn’t show it. If there was an ulterior motive, it wouldn’t be too late to figure out the details and move.

“Let’s sit down first.”

Led by Cho Akryang, the other three also took a seat on each side of the table.

After ordering from the waiter and waiting for the food, Beom Gyewi sent a telepathic message.

—It doesn’t look like they were waiting for us?