The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 32

I never imagined I would see him again in Xi’an, especially since it was Huashan Sect’s territory.

A moment later.

A number of Murim Alliance warriors rushed in the direction Sa Musim had disappeared.

It was obvious they were chasing Sa Musim.

Just then, one of the Plum Blossom Swords quietly slipped out of the inn and returned.

“What’s going on?”

At Jin Hyun-jin’s question, the Plum Blossom Sword replied respectfully.

“They are warriors from the Murim Alliance. It seems they’re after an evil person who triggered their surveillance network.”

“An evil person?”

“He is called Sa Musim, the Water Demon.”

Jin Hyun-jin clicked his tongue, displeased.

“Tsk. Is that what all the fuss is about?”

As Myung-geom quietly rose from his seat, Jin Hyun-jin shook his head.

“Don’t interfere. This isn’t your concern.”

“But, Martial Granduncle…”

“It’s their job. Right now, you are representing our sect and serving a precious guest.”

At the stern rebuke, Myung-geom lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, I was hasty.”

“Above all, remember there are no eternal enemies or allies in this world. We may be working together now, but don’t think of the Murim Alliance and Huashan as one.”

“I understand.”

As Myung-geom sat down, a small voice was heard next to him.

“Grandfather doesn’t seem to like the Murim Alliance?”

“Grandfather?”

Jin Hyun-jin was momentarily taken aback.

But realizing the question came from Dan Ahk-seon, he smiled kindly.

“Not everyone can have the same opinion, can they?”

Because Poong Jin-sung treated Dan Ahk-seon with respect, Jin Hyun-jin also paid attention to his words and actions.

“What parts are different?”

As Jin Hyun-jin considered an answer, Myung-geom carefully spoke.

“Saback [Senior Uncle], there are many ears listening.”

“When have we ever been conscious of our surroundings?”

“But shouldn’t we be wary of those who twist words to their advantage?”

“It’s alright. We’re just saying what’s right.”

Jin Hyun-jin scoffed and spoke loudly, as if wanting to be heard.

“The current Murim Alliance’s actions have been excessive and arrogant for a long time. I wonder where the original intention of promoting peace in Murim [the martial arts world] has gone.”

“Saback…”

“As the saying goes, ‘Even dew can form an ocean.’ How can they not know that the karma they are accumulating is becoming unbearably large?”

At this point, Myung-geom could only smile bitterly, as if he had given up.

It was clear that if this story were to leak out, it would cause considerable conflict between the Murim Alliance and Huashan.

“I thought you were ignorant of the world because you were stuck in the mountains, but it seems you have the right ideas.”

“As a leading disciple of Huashan, I must have at least this much insight.”

Evil Il and Evil Gong seemed friendly, so Myung-geom could relax a little.

Suddenly, Jin Hyun-jin asked Dan Ahk-seon.

“What does Doctor Dan think?”

“I’m still young, so I don’t know much, but…”

Dan Ahk-seon added with a smile.

“I learned that there is no distinction between justice and evil for those who are sick.”

Jin Hyun-jin smiled and nodded.

It was a fundamental answer, but the meaning contained within was by no means light.

“What do you mean by no distinction?”

At Jin Hyun-jin’s question, Myung-geom smiled bitterly.

It was because Jin Hyun-jin always tormented his disciples with this kind of Zen question even within the sect.

If you keep answering the questions, you will eventually run out of things to say.

It was a way to make them realize their shortcomings with a short, sharp word.

“Martial Granduncle…”

Realizing his mistake belatedly at Myung-geom’s voice calling him, Jin Hyun-jin laughed heartily.

“Haha, I apologize. If it’s difficult, you don’t have to answer. ‘A leaky bowl will leak inside and out,’ they say. Habits are so scary.”

“It’s okay. I was the one who asked first.”

Dan Ahk-seon answered unexpectedly coolly.

“It means that the sea accepts all rivers without discrimination.”

“Oh?”

Jin Hyun-jin showed interest in Dan Ahk-seon’s answer.

“Our young doctor is dreaming of the sea.”

Despite Myung-geom’s dissuasion, Jin Hyun-jin asked.

“Then let me ask you one thing. Have you ever thought about why the sea can embrace and accept everything?”

Dan Ahk-seon replied with innocent eyes.

“Because it’s in the lowest place.”

Jin Hyun-jin clapped his knees without realizing it.

“That’s right! Truly a foolish question, a wise answer! A foolish question, a wise answer!”

Myung-geom looked at Dan Ahk-seon with surprised eyes.

It was very rare for his Martial Granduncle to acknowledge someone so readily.

At the same time, envy and shame washed over him.

It was because he knew better than anyone that he would not have been able to give such a quick and satisfactory answer to the same question.

He saw Dan Ahk-seon in a new light.

It was an innocent, childlike answer, but it was difficult to fathom the depth contained within.

What was even more surprising was that the group was accepting Dan Ahk-seon’s appearance as if it were natural.

That meant they were used to this kind of situation on a regular basis.

On the other hand, Dan Ahk-seon was bewildered.

He had only said what he had always been thinking as a doctor, but he did not expect Jin Hyun-jin to praise him so much.

At that moment, Bum Gye-wi got up from his seat.

“I’ll be back after visiting the restroom.”

“Again?”

Bum Gye-wi smiled awkwardly.

“I must have eaten too fast. My stomach feels a little uncomfortable.”

Dan Ahk-seon looked at the food in front of Bum Gye-wi with a puzzled expression.

It was untouched, just as it had been when it first came out.

Realizing this, Bum Gye-wi hurriedly brought the food to his mouth. He swallowed it as if stuffing it into his stomach without chewing it properly, and quickly left his seat.

“I’ll be back before the poop gets cold.”

At that moment, Cho Ahk-ryang also slipped out of his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“That guy has severe constipation, so I have to keep him company. That way, he’ll poop faster.”

Cho Ahk-ryang followed Bum Gye-wi, leaving behind Han Seol-hwa’s contemptuous gaze.

* * *

Sa Musim could not close his mouth at the sudden turn of events. The Murim Alliance’s pursuit team of thirty had turned into cold corpses in the blink of an eye, lying in a pool of blood.

A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!

It was as if a scene from hell had unfolded.

In the middle of that hellscape, there was someone beckoning to him.

It was Bum Gye-wi.

Swallowing hard, Sa Musim approached, and Bum Gye-wi glared at him.

“Why are you still loitering around here?”

“That, that’s…”

“I should just finish you off!”

As Bum Gye-wi raised his blood-stained fist, Sa Musim trembled as if having a seizure. The sight of the Murim Alliance people dying helplessly at the touch of that hand was still vivid.

At this time, Cho Ahk-ryang, who had been carefully observing Sa Musim, opened his mouth.

“What’s the reason?”

“…”

“If we’ve saved you twice, don’t you think we deserve to hear it?”

Cho Ahk-ryang asked Sa Musim, who was hesitant to answer.

“Do you think I’m a joke?”

“No!”

Sa Musim, startled, blurted out his inner thoughts without thinking twice.

“There’s something the Murim Alliance needs to find.”

“Something?”

Sa Musim put his palms together, leaving a slight gap between them.

“It’s a wooden box about this size. They raided my hideout and took it, but I don’t know where they’re keeping it…”

“What’s in that wooden box? Is it treasure?”

“It’s not treasure, but… it’s more precious to me than that.”

“Enough to risk your life?”

“Yes.”

Bum Gye-wi tilted his head.

“You don’t even know where it is, right?”

Cho Ahk-ryang nodded and said to Sa Musim.

“Give up. There’s nothing more valuable than your life.”

“If I see you again, you’ll die by my hand, not the Murim Alliance’s. Got it?”

Sa Musim’s face turned pale at Bum Gye-wi’s threat.

“I will keep that in mind.”

Cho Ahk-ryang, who was about to turn around after receiving confirmation, asked in passing.

“What about the children you took in?”

“They are safe.”

Cho Ahk-ryang nodded at Sa Musim’s answer.

“Take care of yourself as much as you care for those children.”

“I’ve never seen a busybody live a long life,” Bum Gye-wi added.

* * *

The group, exhausted from their long journey, decided to stay at an inn to relieve their fatigue. Dan Ahk-seon fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed, as if the journey had been quite tiring.

And the remaining people continued their conversation.

“Serves them right. The Murim Alliance is quite a mess.”

Poong Jin-sung nodded at Bum Gye-wi’s words.

“It seems that the conflicts have become more serious these days. They must be constantly turning their attention to the outside to manage the internal strife.”

Cho Ahk-ryang took the words.

“The Murim Alliance is about to create even non-existent enemies to justify its existence.”

“Wasn’t that Huashan guy earlier quite disgusted with the Murim Alliance?”

“Is it just him? If you look into it, there will be more than a few.”

But it was only a guess.

As outsiders, they had no way to look into the internal affairs of the Murim Alliance.

Then suddenly, Cho Ahk-ryang thought of someone.

“That’s right, that guy was there.”

Shinsobang, an information organization in the middle of justice and evil.

Cho Ahk-ryang, recalling 능소밀 [Neung So-mil, likely a character’s name] who was leading the Shinsobang, smiled faintly.

“I’ll have to meet him again soon.”

“Who is that?”

“There is such a guy. He dreams of being a tiger, but he’s too timid and can only be a fox.”

Bum Gye-wi changed the subject as if he wasn’t particularly curious.

“What should we do with those kids? We can’t keep carrying them around like baggage.”

Jin Hyun-jin had returned, but Myung-geom and the four Plum Blossom Swords were staying at the same inn for protection.

Cho Ahk-ryang didn’t have a good solution for this either.

Now that Poong Jin-sung had accepted them, he couldn’t send them back. Bum Gye-wi scratched his head and grumbled.

“I can’t even take off my wig. It’s so itchy from the sweat. I can’t even study martial arts because I’m so worried.”

Bum Gye-wi, who was getting annoyed, suddenly got up.

“I’ll just have to take care of it.”

“How?”

Bum Gye-wi smiled and made a gesture of slitting his throat with his thumb.

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned.

“You’re driving Doctor Dan to his death. You’re going to kill a Huashan disciple in front of the Huashan Sect? And a direct disciple who inherited the lineage of the sect leader? Even if I don’t know, you’ll see the most Huashan disciples since the Righteous-Demonic War.”

“Ah, then what am I supposed to do!”

It was then that Han Seol-hwa, who had been silent, quietly got up.

“Where are you going?”

At Cho Ahk-ryang’s question, Han Seol-hwa answered casually.

“To solve it.”

“What?”

Leaving behind the bewildered Cho Ahk-ryang, Han Seol-hwa disappeared down the stairs.

“Will it be alright?”

At Poong Jin-sung’s concern, Cho Ahk-ryang shook his head.

“I can only hope she doesn’t cause an accident.”

At that moment, Bum Gye-wi jumped up.

“Good!”

Bum Gye-wi smiled meaningfully.

“Now is the chance when the witch is not here!”

“Chance? What chance?”

“A trip to the red-light district!”

Cho Ahk-ryang frowned.

“Is that all you have in your head?”

“Of course. I’m always thinking about Doctor Dan.”

“Why is Doctor Dan coming out of there?”

Cho Ahk-ryang’s expression hardened as he recalled what Bum Gye-wi had said before.

“You… Don’t tell me?”

He was suspicious, but it was as he thought. Bum Gye-wi suddenly left the room and entered Dan Ahk-seon’s bedroom.

“Doctor Dan, wake up. We have somewhere to go.”

“Umm… Where?”

“A place where you can be reborn as a real man.”

Bum Gye-wi, holding Dan Ahk-seon, who was rubbing his sleepy eyes, flew out of the window.

It happened before Cho Ahk-ryang could even stop him.

Poong Jin-sung was just dumbfounded by his sudden action. Cho Ahk-ryang gave him a bitter smile, unable to hide his embarrassment.

“Don’t worry. I’ll bring him back.”

Leaving behind Poong Jin-sung, who was sighing deeply, Cho Ahk-ryang also flew out of the window.