The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 336

Divine Physician of the Demonic Realm (336)

“How much of a discount do you want…?”

“Ten *nyang* [ancient Korean currency].”

The head of the Black Dragon Merchant Guild was delighted by the answer.

At first, he thought he had misheard.

After paying a huge sum of twenty thousand *nyang*, he was only asking for a ten *nyang* discount?

There was no need to feign reluctance.

As the other party readily took out ten *nyang*, Han Seol-hwa handed it back to Yang Yi-seo.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

Han Seol-hwa replied briefly to Yang Yi-seo, who was puzzled and didn’t know what was going on.

“It’s a brokerage fee.”

Yang Yi-seo, who had accepted the ten *nyang* in a daze, was moved by Han Seol-hwa’s next words.

“I heard you like roasted duck.”

“Yes?”

“Your daughter said so. When I asked her what her favorite food was, that’s what she said.”

“Ah!”

Han Seol-hwa cast a curious glance at Yang Yi-seo’s suddenly clouded expression.

After a moment.

“My daughter has never eaten roasted duck before.”

Yang Yi-seo told an unexpected story.

“Roasted duck is my favorite food. One day, on my birthday, my daughter asked me what I wanted to eat most if I became rich. So, I remembered the roasted duck I had tasted when I was young and answered that way. But that…”

Han Seol-hwa tilted her head at Yang Yi-seo’s fading voice.

“Are you in such a difficult situation that you can’t even afford a single roasted duck? I know that the salary paid by the Divine Demon Merchant Guild is not small.”

“I have some debt.”

“Debt?”

Yang Yi-seo nodded with a bitter expression and explained how he had incurred the debt.

“My late father was a wealthy farmer who farmed on a large scale, so much so that he was known as a *thousand-seok* man [a measure of wealth based on rice production].”

But one day, a large flood diverted the river and covered the farmland.

His father, who had rushed to the rice paddies to quickly repair the damage, was swept away by the water and died, and that year’s harvest was also a major failure.

Yang Yi-seo, who was young at the time, could do nothing against the creditors who visited so often that their doorsteps wore out.

“I struggled to survive while holding on to the debt that had accumulated in that way, but… it wasn’t easy. For a while, I wandered around as a refugee before settling in Muwi, and now I’m gradually paying off the debt with my salary.”

He couldn’t pass on any wealth to his daughter, but at least he didn’t want to pass on any debt.

So, except for the money to buy the bare necessities for his family to live on, he was pouring most of his salary into paying off his debts.

The reason he volunteered to be the branch manager here, in this remote area that everyone else avoided, was also because of that.

Because additional salary was attached under various pretexts.

“For that reason, I couldn’t easily afford foods like roasted duck.”

Han Seol-hwa, who had been staring at Yang Yi-seo, suddenly opened her mouth.

“How much is the total debt?”

“About two hundred *nyang*.”

Han Seol-hwa nodded and then turned her gaze to the head of the Black Dragon Merchant Guild.

“That’s what he says.”

“Yes?”

The head of the merchant guild, who was bewildered and unable to speak, was taken aback by Han Seol-hwa’s next words.

“You’re not thinking of ignoring your benefactor’s plight, are you?”

The head of the Black Dragon Merchant Guild, who belatedly grasped the situation, hurriedly opened his mouth.

“O-of course, I will pay it off for you!”

But Yang Yi-seo refused the offer.

“I can’t do that.”

Han Seol-hwa frowned at Yang Yi-seo’s firm attitude.

“Why not?”

“If he pays off my debt for me, I will surely suffer from all sorts of gossip while running this branch in the future. I have a responsibility to manage this place properly. Despite a fair transaction, there will be speculation that I have provided favors to the other party, or that I have caused damage to the merchant guild… If such conjectures begin to arise, the credibility of the Divine Demon Merchant Guild will greatly decline. And above all…”

Yang Yi-seo, thinking of one person, smiled brightly.

“I want to be remembered as an upright father to my daughter.”

How could she not know that heart, wanting to be a dignified father to his child?

Han Seol-hwa had no choice but to respect his choice and will.

“There was a reason why that child is so proud of her father.”

Han Seol-hwa nodded.

“Still, take the brokerage fee.”

Then she smiled faintly.

“Be sure to buy the roasted duck.”

“Roasted duck can’t be even one *nyang*.”

“Then you can eat it several times.”

He couldn’t dare to refuse when she was taking care of him this much.

“Thank you. I will not forget the kindness you have shown me. When I return to Muwi, I will definitely buy my daughter roasted duck.”

Han Seol-hwa nodded and turned away silently.

Soon, she flew away, leaving the two behind.

‘Dan Eui-won also liked roasted duck.’

The roasted duck that Beom Ga, that idiot, had once gone all the way to Beijing to buy.

Han Seol-hwa, recalling Dan Ak-seon, who was amazed by the texture of the crust that crunched like a cracker, smiled without realizing it.

Five days later.

When Han Seol-hwa returned, Dan Ak-seon greeted her more happily than anyone else.

“Welcome back! I missed you.”

Han Seol-hwa smiled quietly and took out something she had been hiding behind her back and handed it to Dan Ak-seon.

“What is this?”

Dan Ak-seon, who opened the bamboo basket Han Seol-hwa had given her, smiled brightly.

It was the roasted duck she had tasted once before.

Cho Ak-ryang, who had approached her, wore an unexpected expression.

“I’ve lived long enough to see this. Han-nuna [term for older sister] buying food and coming back.”

Then, Cho Ak-ryang suddenly cast a curious glance.

“Huh? This is real, proper Beijing roasted duck?”

Beijing-style roasted duck was originally a specialty of the Nanjing imperial court.

However, after Emperor Yongle moved the capital to Beijing, it naturally became a dish symbolizing Beijing.

Roasted duck, with the skin roasted as crispy as possible, is commonly referred to as Beijing-style roasted duck, but in fact, there are many different types.

Authentic Beijing roasted duck has a very complicated cooking method.

First of all, the ingredients themselves do not use just any duck.

Ducks that are two and a half months old after hatching are used, but food is forcibly fed to them for about half a month before slaughter to fatten them sufficiently.

Afterward, the prepared duck is inflated like a balloon by inserting a bamboo tube to inject air between the skin and the meat, then lightly blanched in boiling water, evenly coated with sugar and starch syrup, and dried thoroughly for several days.

After adding seasoning, it goes through a complicated and complex process of being baked in a kiln.

Because of this cumbersome process, Beijing roasted duck could not be properly cooked without a skilled cook.

On the other hand, there was also a commoner-style Beijing roasted duck that was different from this.

It was a method of simply pouring seasoning and grilling it over charcoal, omitting the complicated process.

However, what Han Seol-hwa brought was a proper Beijing roasted duck at first glance.

You could tell just by looking at the other dishes that came with it.

From Black Pepper Beef, which is stir-fried with beef and various vegetables with pepper and seasoning, to Kung Pao Shrimp, which is mixed with shrimp in Kung Pao Chicken seasoning, to Garlic and Green Beans, which are stir-fried with garlic and green beans.

“Don’t tell me you went all the way to Beijing to buy it like Beom Ga?”

Han Seol-hwa paused at Cho Ak-ryang’s question.

Dan Ak-seon smiled and pulled the two of them by the hands.

“What does it matter? Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”

While they were sitting around and sharing food together.

Cho Ak-ryang sighed softly.

“It’s a shame that Beom Gye-wi isn’t here at times like this.”

Han Seol-hwa cast an unexpected glance at Cho Ak-ryang.

This was because it was not easy to understand, considering the usual relationship between the two.

But as expected.

“If it were that guy, he would have brought it without it getting cold.”
Han Seol-hwa was inwardly dumbfounded at Cho Ak-ryang’s words that followed.

To think that she would be compared to Beom Gye-wi.

“I guess you’re not hungry enough to pick on it.”

Cho Ak-ryang, facing Han Seol-hwa’s cold gaze, realized his mistake for a moment.

“Now that I think about it, the cold one might be crispier and tastier? After all, this is a dish to eat the skin…”

Cho Ak-ryang belatedly tried to fix the situation, but the basket containing the food was already in Han Seol-hwa’s hands.

Of course, he couldn’t even touch the food after that.

Cho Ak-ryang, who had brought up unnecessary words and couldn’t even find his original intention, couldn’t hide his disappointment, but it was already water under the bridge.

Still, as a master, he couldn’t bring himself to ask for it again, and Cho Ak-ryang was appeasing his hunger with *Bigokdan* [a type of energy pill].

* * *

Beijing Street, where the mansions of high-ranking officials are concentrated.

Among them, a large mansion, which is one of the top three, was lit up until late at night.

“This is our last chance. We must somehow prevent that man, Neung So-mil, from running wild any longer.”

The people gathered in the room nodded with hardened faces at one person’s words.

Neung So-mil, who rose to prominence as the core of power with the emperor’s favor on his back.

The people gathered here were the senior and junior officials of the opposition party to check Neung So-mil.

They could no longer stand by and watch Neung So-mil’s existence, which was destroying the existing order.

Moreover, he did not take the civil service examination in the past, nor did he go through the proper procedures for appointment.

It was only through their efforts that the new emperor was able to remove the remnants of the previous emperor and establish the current political system.

How much blood had they shed for this?

Their efforts of grinding their teeth were finally paying off and taking hold, but the foundations of the Jongmyo Shrine [royal ancestral shrine] were being shaken to their roots by a con man who had popped out of nowhere.

Due to Neung So-mil’s recent prominent activities, the power of the Ministry of Personnel was rising rapidly, and the center of power was gradually tilting toward that side.

In addition, the Ministry of War, which was once the center of the existing conservative forces, was also trying to subtly switch horses to Neung So-mil’s side.

As a result, the conservative camp, which had once been far ahead, was now being pushed back by the new forces and was barely maintaining a precarious situation.

They could no longer sit idly by.

At this time, someone opened his mouth.

“The person we should be aiming for is not Neung So-mil.”

“Not Neung So-mil?”

“That guy is so cunning that no matter how many traps we set, he will surely slip out like a loach. Just like he has been doing so far. Rather, there is a high possibility that we will be counterattacked if we attack him rashly.”

“Then is there another way?”

“That’s why I gathered you here.”

“If that’s the case, I will listen carefully. What is the way to bring him down?”

“To defeat a general, you must first shoot the horse. No, in this case, it would be more appropriate to say ‘*擒賊擒王* [seize the ringleader to defeat the enemy; *qin zei qin wang* in pinyin]’.”

“To defeat the enemy, you must first aim for the king?”

“According to what I’ve heard, there is someone else he is truly loyal to.”

“Who is it?”

“He is a young doctor who has recently begun to make his name known in the Murim [martial arts world] as the Divine Physician of the Demonic Realm.”

“I have also heard stories related to him.”

At those words, Minister of Taxation Yang So, who was leading the meeting, asserted.

“If we get rid of the boy named Dan Ak-seon, Neung So-mil will also lose his power.”

However, someone immediately expressed concern at his words.

“Get rid of him? I heard that there are fearsome masters swarming around that place? Is that even possible?”

“It is not always necessary to use force.”

“Then?”

“Isn’t there an audience with His Majesty soon? It is enough to make His Majesty dislike the boy named Dan Ak-seon at that meeting.”

“How so?”

“According to my investigation, Dan Ak-seon is said to be intolerant of injustice and acts according to his beliefs. It means he is an idealist who does not know the ways of the world.”

“Hmm. That’s not the kind of personality His Majesty likes.”

Minister of Taxation raised a smile toward the conservative ministers who were pondering.

“More than anything, there is something else that comes with it when he falls out of favor with His Majesty.”

“What is it?”

“It’s the Divine Demon Merchant Guild.”