The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 309

Divine Physician of the Demonic Realm (309)

Gayuguan Outer Gate.

“Open the gates!”

Under the command of the Shijao realm expert overseeing the area, the massive gates that stood between the Central Plains and the grasslands swung open.

Through the opening, horses and carts entered.

The injured lying in the carts seemed momentarily stunned by the immense scale of Gayuguan, forgetting even their groans as they gazed up at the majestic fortress walls.

The men on horseback entering Gayuguan were no different.

Though not as severely injured as those in the carts, they too bore various injuries, large and small.

Each of them advanced through the gate with tense expressions.

Along the road, soldiers of the Central Plains stood in formation on both sides.

Their sharp gazes and imposing presence allowed for no lapse in vigilance.

However, the expressions of the Ming soldiers guarding Bayan’s tribe were also grim.

“Do we really have to go this far?”

“Aren’t they supposed to be friendly to us?”

“Even so, bringing those barbarians into His Majesty’s territory…”

“It’s an order, so we must follow it. If you’re unhappy, get promoted.”

Bayan’s tribe passed through the soldiers whispering among themselves in the unfamiliar Central Plains language and arrived at a large plaza.

People who had been waiting approached Bayan’s tribe.

They were personnel dispatched from the Shinma Merchant Guild.

The first to speak were the physicians.

“First, classify the patients! We need to separate the severely injured from the lightly injured!”

“Aren’t they all severely injured?”

At someone’s retort, the physician who had spoken first snapped.

“Then we need to get disinfectant and hemostatic agents [agents that stop bleeding] to sterilize the wounds! And sutures too!”

The physicians, who had undergone rigorous training under Poong Jin-sung and Joo Cho-woon, each took charge of treating a patient.

“Huh?”

One of the physicians exclaimed.

“What is it?”

The elderly physician overseeing the dispatched personnel took the paper offered by the young physician and nodded.

“As expected of Doctor Dan!”

The injured each held a piece of paper, on which their injury status and treatment direction were briefly scribbled.

Having it or not made a world of difference.

It was because they couldn’t communicate with the patients due to the language barrier.

“For now, start treating the patients immediately, and move all the women and children to temporary lodgings.”

The women and children, watching the patients being moved to makeshift tents, couldn’t hide their uneasy expressions.

And this was no different for the injured.

Injuries aside, this was not their territory.

As such, there was nothing they could do no matter what happened to them.

What held their wavering hearts was the look in Dan Ak-seon’s eyes that they had faced before parting.

‘Still, if it’s that person…’

The women and children, trying to shake off their anxiety, began to move, following the unfamiliar Central Plains people.

How long had they walked?

They arrived at a place where shelter had been prepared.

Although it wasn’t a cozy ger [a traditional, portable round tent of Central Asian nomads], it was a building sufficient for resting.

The women and children who entered let out sighs of relief.

The inside was warm, and comfortable padding was laid on the floor.

Moreover, there was a mountain of toys for the children.

Bayan’s first wife, Enghtoya, who was acting as the leader of the women here, bowed her head in the Central Plains style to express her gratitude to the Shinma Merchant Guild people who had guided them.

Neng So-mil smiled and returned the greeting.

Then, she took something out and handed it to her.

“Here is a whistle, so please feel free to call us whenever you need anything. We will always be stationed nearby. This is not for surveillance, so please don’t misunderstand. These people are martial artists to take responsibility for your safety in case of an emergency, so you don’t have to be afraid.”

Enghtoya was surprised when the unfamiliar Central Plains person spoke fluently in their language.

It was then that the Murim [martial arts world] people of Muwi, who were lined up behind Neng So-mil, grinned.

Enghtoya was surprised in another sense when she faced that sight.

Enghtoya, whose name meant always shining, couldn’t smile at this moment.

It was too scary.

Was it a congenital limitation?

They each tried their best to smile as gently as possible, but when the men with ferocious impressions smiled all at once, it was terrifying in itself.

It was then.

“Madam!”

A man pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

One of the women standing silently next to Enghtoya was startled and ran out.

It was Jolchimke, her maid and longtime friend.

Hugging her husband, who had suddenly appeared, she burst into tears.

She never expected to encounter her husband here, who had been injured in the first battle with the Blood Cloud Squad and transferred a long time ago.

“I’m fine. So don’t cry.”

“But…”

Baira, a man from Bayan’s tribe who was patting his weeping wife, knelt before Enghtoya.

“I’ve been waiting.”

“Is your injury okay?”

Baira smiled and nodded at Enghtoya’s question.

“This level of injury will heal quickly. As soon as my injury heals, I will run back to Bayan and ride with him.”

“Don’t overdo it. By the way…”

“…?”

“How is life here?”

“There is no discomfort at all. The sleeping arrangements are comfortable, and the food is plentiful.”

Neng So-mil and the Murim people of Muwi gave way so that they could talk comfortably.

Thanking them for their consideration, Enghtoya began to ask various things in more detail.

Baira, who had experienced life here earlier, honestly explained what he had felt.

“The people who manage this place are also taking care of the children with utmost care without any discrimination. In fact, the children’s condition has also improved.”

“But I guess you’re not completely comfortable.”

“Please bear with it a little longer. As long as Bayan does not give up his will and our grassland warriors are together, we will surely win victory with our own hands.”

“I hope so too.”

Enghtoya raised her eyes and cast her gaze towards the distant grasslands.

Although the huge Great Wall blocked the view and the grasslands could not be seen, she could clearly feel the wind blowing from there.

The horses of the Hu (胡) kingdom, which are said to cry towards their homeland whenever the north wind blows, must feel this way.

Enghtoya was already missing her husband and the vast grasslands.

* * *

Crack.

The solid armrest of the chair made of sandalwood shattered under the grip of his hand.

“Annihilation? A force of nearly three hundred?”

At his subordinate’s report, the face of Borteh, the leader of the Blood Cloud Squad, twisted like a demon.

“And that too, by a tribe that is nothing but weak?”

At Borteh’s sharp gaze, the subordinates prostrating before him bowed even lower.

“Ha!”

The more Borteh thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Although the training process was not yet complete, it was a force that had been selected from among the merged tribes, choosing only the fiercest ones.

Moreover, the one in charge of their training was Auruuga, a fairly well-known warrior within the Blood Cloud Squad.

Not only that.

The bad news that flew in almost every day made Borteh furious.

It was common for reconnaissance teams that had lost contact to be found as corpses, and even the tribes that had succumbed to them and were holding their breath seemed to be harboring other intentions.

Borteh gulped down the strong liquor placed in front of him to suppress the fire rising from within his chest.

However, at the report of another subordinate that followed, he finally burst into anger.

“The nearby tribes are rapidly uniting, centering around Bayan.”

“Are you saying you were just watching that happen!”

“…”

His subordinate prostrating before Borteh closed his mouth.

It was a silent protest.

That sight turned Borteh’s stomach even more.

‘These guys?’

He knew why the subordinate in front of him was betting his neck and acting presumptuously.

It was because he had not inherited the lineage of the previous commander.

But what was so important about that?

In the grasslands, only power is everything.

A mass of murderous intent poured from Borteh’s eyes.

He judged that an example was needed at this point, even for the sake of the commander’s authority.

Another subordinate, noticing this, quickly opened his mouth.

“We couldn’t catch up with them.”

Borteh frowned.

“How can they move faster than us when there are women and children?”

“It’s just the men.”

“What?”

“They abandoned the gers and only Bayan and his subordinates are moving. The women and children were nowhere to be seen.”

“…”

His subordinate, watching Borteh’s mood, continued his report.

“Above all, the movement path has begun to be restricted as they increase their power. As a result, it is becoming difficult for the reconnaissance team to avoid their attention.”

“Are you even saying that!”

Thud.

Clang.

The man who was hit in the forehead by the glass Borteh threw gritted his teeth.

However, he lowered his head even further to hide his burning eyes.

Borteh’s gaze softened slightly at the sight of his subordinate, who was prostrating with blood dripping from his forehead without even wiping it off.

“Send a gathering order to the scattered squad leaders.”

As things had turned out this way, he had no choice but to step forward himself.

He would lead the elite of the Blood Cloud Squad and stain the grasslands with blood.

He vowed to engrave in their blood and souls why the Blood Cloud Squad was called the Blood Cloud Squad, and a thick murderous aura flickered over his eyes.

The subordinates who received his instructions crawled out of the ger on their knees while prostrating.

However, one subordinate was still kneeling in his place, as if there was still something to report.

“What is it?”

The one-eyed man who remained until the end opened his mouth.

“A group of people entered the grasslands through Anmun Pass. The scale is about two hundred people, and they are presumed to be Murim people.”

“Murim people?”

“What should we do?”

“…For now, keep an eye on them.”

Misfortunes never come singly.

The fact that Central Plains people had joined Bayan’s side and the situation was turning strangely was already a burden, but the fact that Murim people had crossed the Great Wall again was a considerable burden.

The subordinate stepped back, and Borteh, left alone, turned around with a heavy face.

“What should I do?”

Clearly, there was no one there until just now, but before he knew it, one person was standing behind him like a ghost.

Pale skin reminiscent of a corpse and eyes that made his heart chill just by facing them.

It was difficult to guess his age, but his aura made him feel instinctively intimidated.

One of the six strongest people in the Demonic Cult, excluding the Heavenly Demon.

It was the Secret Death, known to be able to engrave anyone’s name in the Book of the Underworld.

That was why Borteh, who had acted like an emperor in front of his subordinates, was bowing his head with a respectful attitude.

The person who had placed him in this position, who had always remained in the position of second-in-command, overshadowed by the previous commander, was the old man in front of him.

The Blood Cloud Squad, which had reigned as the terror of the outer regions, was caught up in an unexpected internal strife due to a series of misfortunes.

The commander who led the Blood Cloud Squad at the time.

His only son, who was his successor, was captured by some Murim people and handed over to Bayan’s tribe.

The enraged commander directly murdered the Blood Cloud Squad who had set out on a mission at the time.

Some of the Blood Cloud Squad who were dissatisfied with this rebelled, and eventually led to a fight where they killed each other.

But then.

Suddenly, the commander died.

It was later discovered that the person who killed the commander was from the Demonic Cult, but the situation was already irreversible.

He, who identified himself as Soo Bo, entrusted him with all the power of the Blood Cloud Squad.

Those who led a part of the Blood Cloud Squad and opposed the commander had been swept away by a man named the Seven Severing Demon Lord who had come from the Central Plains.

The scattered Blood Cloud Squad naturally gathered again under Borteh’s banner.

In the process, Borteh realized the fear of the old man in front of him deep in his bones.

Those who defied or opposed him could not avoid death.

Dark尊 (Amjon) [likely a title or honorific within the Demonic Cult].

As long as he was behind him, no one dared to challenge the commander’s authority.

At this moment, the old man smiled slightly and opened his mouth.

“A good opportunity.”