The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 363

The Divine Doctor (363)

“Isn’t Doctor Dan too late?”

At Cho Ak-ryang’s worried words, Beom Gye-wi cast a disdainful look.

“Isn’t it good if he’s late? It would be even better if he didn’t come at all.”

“Still, an overnight stay is too soon.”

Beom Gye-wi scoffed at Han Seol-hwa’s blunt reply.

“That’s because you don’t know anything, witch. History is made at night. That’s why they say you can build the Great Wall in just one night.”

He was proud of showing off his knowledge after a long time, but only for a moment.

He was immediately rebuked.

“That saying is often understood to mean ‘you can form a deep relationship even if you haven’t known each other for long,’ but its original meaning is different. It means you have to build the Great Wall until you die as a price for spending one night. It’s completely different from the commonly known love affair between a man and a woman; it’s a warning against greed.”

Cho Ak-ryang’s retort made Beom Gye-wi’s face turn grim.

Byeok Hwa-ryeong soothed Beom Gye-wi.

“Don’t worry, Ga-ga. We actually made new history in one night. In that sense, Ga-ga’s words are not wrong.”

“Thank you, my woman.”

“Ga-ga…….”

Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa turned their heads as if they couldn’t bear to watch the two people exchanging affectionate glances.

It seemed to be quiet for a while, but it started again.

Then, Byeok Hwa-ryeong looked at the entrance of the Divine Doctor Valley with worried eyes.

“I hope nothing really happened.”

The sunset that had been hanging over the edge of the valley was now giving way to the encroaching darkness.

Soon, night would fall.

Just as Cho Ak-ryang was secretly contemplating whether to go down to the village, Dan Ak-seon entered the valley entrance, silhouetted against the dim sunset.

“Did you have a good meeting?”

As Cho Ak-ryang approached Dan Ak-seon, feigning composure, a sense of bewilderment arose in his eyes.

That was because Dan Ak-seon’s expression was much brighter than he had expected.

Unlike the morning when he had reluctantly left the Divine Doctor Valley, he was now grinning from ear to ear, unable to hide his smile.

It wasn’t hard to guess the reason.

Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the handkerchief that Dan Ak-seon was holding so dear.

It was silk that looked very luxurious at first glance, not a common material that could be easily found in the market.

It was clear to anyone that he had received it from Princess Yeongsun.

Just as Cho Ak-ryang was about to broach the subject, Beom Gye-wi suddenly asked a question.

“Doctor Dan, did you have fun today?”

Dan Ak-seon smiled and nodded.

“Yes. It was a really enjoyable time. We decided to meet again next time.”

Surprise flashed in the eyes of everyone except Dan Ak-seon at the unexpected answer.

Dan Ak-seon’s change, which had become more proactive than when they had watched from afar, was that much more bewildering.

“Oh, and I’ll skip training today. I have something else I need to focus on right now.”

With those words, Dan Ak-seon hurried towards his residence.

As Dan Ak-seon’s figure disappeared into the residence, Cho Ak-ryang, who had been standing there with a dazed expression for a moment, opened his mouth.

“Is this a good thing?”

Beom Gye-wi tilted his head.

“It must be a good thing, right?”

On the other hand, Han Seol-hwa expressed doubt.

“What could Doctor Dan be focusing on that he would even skip training?”

Since they had gathered here to start training together, Dan Ak-seon had never skipped training, even if he skipped meals.

After a moment of silence.

“Well, isn’t it a good thing that the relationship between the two of them has progressed, whatever the reason?”

The others nodded at Byeok Hwa-ryeong’s words.

And soon, they each wore proud expressions.

Dan Ak-seon wouldn’t have taken the initiative to advance the relationship, so this whole situation must have been led by Princess Yeongsun.

They were each proud that their advice had played a big role in the process.

Meanwhile, Dan Ak-seon, who had entered the residence, immediately cleared the books and utensils piled on the table.

And he carefully placed the handkerchief that Princess Yeongsun had given him.

Dan Ak-seon took out the Heavenly Elixir wrapped in the handkerchief and placed it on his palm, recalling the conversation he had with her at the end.

―The bet must be fair, so you can use any method you want.

Dan Ak-seon smiled and nodded.

“She’s a really good person.”

Dan Ak-seon took a few tools from the shelf and arranged them on the table.

Then, he peeled off the beeswax that was covering the Heavenly Elixir.

A sweet and slightly bitter fragrance instantly filled the room.

He savored the scent for a moment.

Without hesitation, Dan Ak-seon placed the Heavenly Elixir in a mortar and began to crush it with a pestle.

If anyone else knew this, they would be horrified, but Dan Ak-seon didn’t care at all.

In order to accurately analyze the efficacy and ingredients, it had to be finely powdered first.

The imperial secret elixir that had been passed down was reduced to a mere sample for research.

* * *

It is often said that time is like flowing water.

If you take your eyes off it for a moment without properly recognizing it, it has already passed far ahead.

Muwui was no exception.

The seasons changed and winter arrived, and before they knew it, spring was coming again.

Around the time when the seeds that had been crouching under the frozen ground all winter began to sprout.

Muwui had expanded so much that it could no longer be called a village.

Not to mention the trade with the Western Regions merchants centered around the Muwui Hall, [a trading center], the influx of a tremendous population due to the merchants from all over the Central Plains who visited here almost every day.

Even though they had expanded the lodging facilities several times, there were so many people pouring in that the surrounding inns were not enough.

It was literally transforming from a mere administrative unit in name only into a city befitting a directly controlled territory.

The rapid change was so dramatic that the expression “a world of difference” was inadequate.

The problem was that the growth rate, which had been sluggish during the cold winter, increased explosively as the weather began to warm up.

Naturally, new commercial districts were formed, and small and large noises began to emerge everywhere.

In response, the Divine Doctor Merchant Group cooperated with the government to actively intervene.

They preferentially provided good jobs to prevent the natives from being harmed by the outsiders, and through this, they made them take on a central role in leading the development of Muwui.

The status of Muwui, which had suddenly risen as a land of success for the Central Plains merchant groups and merchants, was comparable to the sleepless city of the Southern Song Dynasty in the past.

Perhaps that’s why the streets were filled with the laughter of merchants and commoners.

On the other hand, there were also people who were not so happy.

Nung So-mil, the administrative officer, had even more work to do and had to spend most of his time tied to his office.

Sa Mu-sim, who had taken on the heavy responsibility of managing the merchant groups and medical families belonging to the Divine Doctor Valley, was also in the same situation.

As the chief manager, he was spending his days without a moment to spare.

The situation was not much different for the Divine Doctor Family.

The number of patients had increased sharply as the number of people flowing in had greatly increased.

The doctors were so busy with the constant stream of patients that they were panting.

Fortunately, the Divine Doctor Merchant Group directly stepped in to supply new doctors, but if they had been even a little late, the doctors would have died of overwork first.

So, every day was bustling in Muwui, but on the contrary, there was also a place where an extremely heavy atmosphere had settled.

It was none other than the Divine Doctor Valley.

Early dawn.

Beom Gye-wi, who had been hanging upside down from the eaves, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

As Beom Gye-wi landed on the ground, Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa appeared as the door to the residence opened at the same time.

Byeok Hwa-ryeong happened to be away from the Divine Doctor Valley on business in Muwui.

“Something seems to have happened to Doctor Dan?”

Cho Ak-ryang gave serious advice to Beom Gye-wi, who was staring at the residence where Dan Ak-seon was staying.

“Just watch. It’s not a problem we can help with.”

Han Seol-hwa was also worried, but she nodded silently.

Beom Gye-wi, who had already sensed the strange aura flowing from Dan Ak-seon’s residence, carefully opened his mouth.

“I’m not the only one feeling this, am I?”

“It’s not an ominous or unstable feeling. Maybe…….”

Beom Gye-wi asked back to Cho Ak-ryang, who was slightly slurring his words.

“Will he be able to break through the wall this time?”

“I don’t know. Theoretically, we can’t even keep up with him anymore.”

“What’s the problem?”

Everyone who participated in this training achieved great results.

Not to mention themselves and Byeok Hwa-ryeong, even Sa Mu-sim and Nung So-mil had achieved achievements that were incomparable to before.

On the other hand, only Dan Ak-seon was staying in place.

They knew Dan Ak-seon’s understanding and efforts better than anyone else, so they were all the more puzzled.

Behind Ju Jang-myeong, who was sitting in a deep samadhi [a state of meditative consciousness], Dan Ak-seon was also sitting in the same posture.

Then, he placed his palm on Ju Jang-myeong’s Myeongmun blood point [acupoint on the lower back] and poured in the Wihwa Divine Art.

It was the treatment he had been doing every morning.

But today, he added one more thing to it.

He had gained an insight in the process of researching the Heavenly Elixir he had received from Princess Yeongsun.

Unlike the widely known elixirs of the Jianghu [martial arts world], the Heavenly Elixir was thoroughly focused on saving lives.

Instead of enhancing internal energy, it stimulated the innate energy to discharge toxins from the body and maximized the regenerative power for a moment.

It was an eternal elixir that could save a life once, unless it was an extreme situation where the head was cut off or the whole body was burned.

And this was something that could be done with the Wihwa Divine Art.

In the first place, the Wihwa Divine Art itself was rooted in the Wihwa Therapy, which was created for the purpose of treatment.

If the current attempt was successful, Ju Jang-myeong’s condition would noticeably improve.

If the other person was an ordinary person, he would not have dared to do it rashly, but fortunately, Ju Jang-myeong was also learning the Wihwa Divine Art like Dan Ak-seon.

Even if an unexpected event occurred, there would be no side effects of conflicting energies.

Moreover, he had already helped Ju Jang-myeong’s circulation several times, so the location of the meridians and blood vessels was clearly imprinted in his head like a map.

Dan Ak-seon, who had made up his mind, began to slowly increase the amount of energy he was pouring in through Ju Jang-myeong’s Myeongmun blood point.

First, in order to awaken the innate energy, he had to completely dominate the opponent’s energy and take the lead.

How much time had passed?

Ju Jang-myeong, who had been wandering in a state of ecstasy with his eyes closed, flinched.

At the same time, a strange light flashed in Dan Ak-seon’s eyes.

‘I succeeded!’

The awakened innate energy began to run through the meridians of the whole body, following the flow of the Wihwa Divine Art.

Feeling this, Dan Ak-seon put the next move he had prepared into action.

The heart blood vessels and muscles of Ju Jang-myeong, which were distorted and constricted and not functioning properly.

He pushed the condensed energy into the space between them, forcibly creating a gap.

As the location was the location, extremely delicate energy operation was required.

It was a task that consumed a great deal of concentration and mental strength.

Sweat was already beading on Dan Ak-seon’s forehead.

At that moment.

Following the energy of the Wihwa Divine Art that had begun to flow along the newly created path, the innate energy rushed in like a wave and began to correct the twisted and distorted parts.

Although it was partial, it was a clear transformation.

Only Dan Ak-seon, who had led it, was not properly aware of the fact.

“Ah!”

Dan Ak-seon, who had taken his hand off Ju Jang-myeong’s waist and stepped back, exclaimed.

The complete blood color had returned to Ju Jang-myeong’s lips, which had been purplish.

He checked again for abnormalities through pulse diagnosis, but the result was the same.

The irregular pulse could not be found, and the heart was beating very strongly.

“You’ve worked hard, Jang-myeong.”

He wouldn’t be able to hear it, but Dan Ak-seon still smiled quietly and spoke.

Whether his attempt was effective or not, it was a treatment that he could not have even attempted from the beginning if Ju Jang-myeong’s pure mind had not supported him.

Two Wihwa Divine Arts.

The synergistic effect through the interaction of the same mind had created the current result.

And above all, Ju Jang-myeong’s efforts were great.

‘I should also express my gratitude to Princess Yeongsun.’

He could not deny that the idea of being able to treat Ju Jang-myeong came from the bet she had proposed.

Anyway, Dan Ak-seon felt a sense of accomplishment for the first time in a long time.

A sense of liberation that came after pouring out all his strength and mental power.

‘Come to think of it…….’

The baby he had received and even named suddenly came to his mind.

He had definitely felt something similar to what he was feeling now back then.

Then, he suddenly became dazed and froze in place.

Because one old memory that had been deeply buried came to mind.