The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 37

The Divine Doctor of Mount Hua (37)

“A bed made of Qinghua jade…”

A subordinate, catching Nangong Bai’s eye, retrieved a prepared list of stored items from the warehouse and consulted it.

“It’s in the second warehouse on the north side.”

“Let’s go.”

Nangong Bai headed to the warehouse with Dan Akseon and his party without delay.

Cho Akryang’s face briefly showed disappointment upon entering the warehouse. He had anticipated a trove of rare treasures and elixirs, befitting the Martial Alliance, but instead found a disorganized collection of dusty odds and ends.

Following Nangong Bai’s directions, a warrior managing the warehouse guided the group to the bed in storage.

“Is this the cause?”

In response to Nangong Bai’s question, Dan Akseon brushed the dust off the bed and lay down on it, saying,

“I need to check.”

He closed his eyes and focused intently.

While Nangong Bai waited with a stern expression, Cho Akryang surveyed the surroundings.

‘Those must be recent additions.’

Unlike the other items, they were relatively dust-free.

Judging by the note marked “Seized Item” in red lettering, they appeared to be goods confiscated from enemy factions.

Dan Akseon opened his eyes.

“I definitely sense a unique energy.”

After carefully examining the bed, Dan Akseon suddenly began to look around.

Then, after a moment, he nodded as if he had come to a realization.

“What is it, Doctor Dan?”

At Beom Gyewi’s question, Dan Akseon pointed to the bed.

“There are no spiderwebs near the bed.”

“Oh? Now that you mention it…”

Dan Akseon looked at Beom Gyewi with a troubled expression.

“I wish we could cut this open.”

It was a necessary step to easily identify the cause. However, he couldn’t reveal Beom Gyewi’s martial arts prowess in front of Nangong Bai.

At that moment, Nangong Bai stepped forward.

As Dan Akseon got off the bed, a streak of milky white light flickered like starlight.

Cho Akryang and Beom Gyewi exchanged glances.

Undeniable surprise was evident in their eyes.

—Was that Sword罡 [Sword Aura]?

At Beom Gyewi’s telepathic message, Cho Akryang nodded almost imperceptibly.

It was such a fleeting glimpse that it was too early to be certain, but given the circumstances, it strongly suggested Sword罡.

‘That sly old fox.’

A thousand-year-old serpent was no different.

Until now, Nangong Bai’s reputation in the Jianghu [the martial arts world] rested more on his political skill and decisive leadership of the Martial Alliance than on his martial abilities. But it now appeared he had been concealing a formidable weapon.

The jade was cut soundlessly.

Its smooth cross-section was a warning that he was a very dangerous individual.

‘One sword cleaves mountains, one sword cuts rivers.’

The epithet “Severing Hills and Rivers (斷陵斷湍),” which he had previously dismissed as hyperbole, now seemed almost inadequate.

It was then.

“Do you see this?”

Dan Akseon, who had been meticulously examining the cut surface of the bed, pointed to a specific spot.

Cho Akryang nodded.

A grayish-white mineral was sparsely mixed within the blue-tinged jade.

Dan Akseon looked up at Nangong Bai.

“Could you separate this part for me?”

Nangong Bai’s sword cleanly excised the section of jade.

Thud, roll.

Dan Akseon picked up the fallen grayish-white mineral, pondered for a moment, and then hurried outside.

“I need two bowls of honey and a beehive.”

Nangong Bai, puzzled, instructed his subordinates accordingly.

Soon, one of his subordinates returned with a beehive covered in netting.

Dan Akseon placed the bowls of honey some distance apart.

Then, he placed the mineral fragment he was holding into one of the bowls and removed the net from the beehive.

The bees, freed from the hive, buzzed around and flew towards the bowl containing honey.

However, they avoided the bowl containing the mineral fragment entirely.

“As expected…”

Dan Akseon placed the mineral fragment on his palm and held it out towards Nangong Bai.

“Death energy (死氣) is emanating from it.”

Dan Akseon continued his explanation.

“I found it strange. The symptoms resembled those of severed meridians [energy pathways], but the energy channels were intact. Now I understand why other doctors were baffled.”

“So, it’s not severed meridians?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with the energy channels themselves. However, the blood is stagnant and severely unbalanced. As a result, the true energy [internal energy] lacks strength and cannot flow properly through the energy channels. The cause is this death energy.”

Normally, new blood should be constantly generated in the body, but that process had been disrupted, and new blood was not being produced.

“And that stagnant energy continued to accumulate and became toxic.”

Nangong Bai sighed.

The bed that had caused his daughter’s illness had been a gift he had received. He had given it to her out of love and affection, but that decision had brought Nangong Xiang to this state.

It was clearly his fault, however unintentional.

“Is treatment possible?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“That’s not enough!”

Nangong Bai revealed his pent-up emotions.

That damn ‘best,’ ‘best.’ He was sick of hearing that tiresome word from so many doctors, and he couldn’t suppress his anger.

“Save her! By any means necessary!”

Dan Akseon unflinchingly met Nangong Bai’s intense gaze, which felt almost menacing.

“Are you threatening me?”

The moment Nangong Bai’s eyes flickered.

“Pressuring me like this won’t improve the patient’s condition.”

Dan Akseon continued calmly.

“Actions like this only impede the treatment of the patient.”

Nangong Bai inwardly recoiled at Dan Akseon’s resolute demeanor.

‘What disgraceful behavior is this….’

Unable to speak, overwhelmed by belated shame, he suddenly felt a sharp jolt run down his spine as every nerve in his body tensed.

The instinct honed by years as a martial artist was warning him of danger.

“……!”

The moment Nangong Bai turned around in surprise, he was met with a chilling murderous intent.

The scholar and the giant accompanying Dan Akseon.

Their cold gazes pierced his heart like daggers.

It was such fierce animosity that he momentarily forgot he was in the Martial Alliance headquarters. Startled by the force of it, Nangong Bai instinctively released his own energy.

That’s how extraordinary the opponents’ presence was.

“What are you doing?”

Nangong Bai snapped back to reality at Dan Akseon’s sharp question.

“Is this how you treat someone who came to help?”

“Th, that’s…”

Nangong Bai was genuinely flustered.

He had momentarily been taken aback by the spirit emanating from them, which seemed far beyond their apparent ages. Nangong Bai hastily withdrew the energy he had gathered.

“I see that the Alliance Leader prefers people who are obedient and follow orders without question.”

Dan Akseon turned away and said.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m that kind of person. We’ll be leaving now.”

Nangong Bai felt his heart sink at Dan Akseon’s cold tone. He had endured countless quacks and had finally found a doctor who might be able to treat his daughter. He couldn’t afford to lose this glimmer of hope.

“Please wait a moment!”

Nangong Bai quickly stopped Dan Akseon.

“I apologize. I made a mistake because I was too worried about my daughter.”

Nangong Bai, abandoning all pretense, apologized again.

“Not for my sake, but for the sake of my daughter Xiang, that poor child, please forgive me just this once.”

—See, medicine is the best, right?

Cho Akryang smirked at Beom Gyewi’s sudden telepathic message. However, he was soon overcome with a strange, indescribable emotion.

It was because Dan Akseon said this to Nangong Bai.

“Okay. But don’t you ever treat our uncles carelessly again!”

Nangong Bai had a bitter taste in his mouth, but he had no other choice.

“I will keep that in mind.”

For now, he had to swallow his pride.

“Until the treatment is over, no one affiliated with the Martial Alliance is allowed to approach the detached residence. That includes the Alliance Leader, of course.”

“What? But…”

Dan Akseon frowned.

Nangong Bai sighed and nodded.

“I will comply.”

“And you must not interfere with us in any way until we leave this place.”

“I understand. I will not interfere with whatever the doctor and his party do.”

Nangong Bai accepted all of Dan Akseon’s demands.

He was a man who valued honor, but he valued practicality even more.

That’s how he had risen to his current position.

Having already compromised his pride once, he was willing to discard it as many times as necessary to save his daughter.

Having settled the matter, Dan Akseon left Hyeonjeong Hall.

As he moved away from the palace, Dan Akseon sighed deeply.

“Doctor Dan, has your anger subsided a bit?”

At Beom Gyewi’s question, Dan Akseon smiled brightly.

“I wasn’t angry to begin with.”

“……?”

“The patient’s guardian becomes extremely sensitive when the patient’s condition is critical.”

This time, Cho Akryang asked.

“If the Alliance Leader hadn’t apologized, would you really have left this place?”

“Of course not. How could I do that when the patient would die if I left?”

Beom Gyewi burst into laughter.

“Our Doctor Dan, seeing you like this, you’re quite the daredevil, aren’t you? To be scamming the Martial Alliance Leader of all people.”

“I can’t stand it when you two are insulted, even if it’s for something trivial….”

A flicker of emotion crossed their eyes for a moment.

“Now that I think about it, I’m getting angry. Should I just kill him?”

Beom Gyewi eagerly supported Cho Akryang’s words.

“Yeah! Doctor Dan, forget about the treatment! If you say the word, I’ll go smash that Alliance Leader’s head and burn this whole place down!”

“Haha. Thank you, even if it’s just empty words.”

“Huh? It’s not empty words?”

Dan Akseon looked up at Cho Akryang and Beom Gyewi and responded with a naive smile.

“I don’t know how fortunate I am to have you by my side. I feel so secure.”

Dan Akseon, completely at ease, walked on with a light step. At that moment, Cho Akryang slipped back.

“Where are you going?”

At Dan Akseon’s question, Cho Akryang gave a meaningful smile.

“I’m going to check if the Alliance Leader is keeping his promise. I’ll be right back, so don’t worry.”

* * *

After Dan Akseon’s party returned to their residence, Nangong Bai leaned back in his chair and replayed the recent events in his mind.

The two men’s actions were more than mere threats.

The force emanating from them was so intense that his instincts had reacted first.

“It wasn’t the kind of power one would expect from ordinary escorts….”

If he could, he wanted to investigate their identities immediately.

But less than an hour had passed since he had made his promise.

If that man held him accountable for breaking his word, the consequences might be irreversible.

He was dealing with an opponent who wouldn’t respond to threats or appeasement.

“Is there no choice but to wait until Xiang’s treatment is complete?”

Nangong Bai, struggling to suppress his rising anger, rubbed his tired face.

It was then.

“Alliance Leader!”

A man approached Nangong Bai with a troubled expression. It was Yang Bulwi, the head of the Changcheon Unit, who was secretly guarding him.

“What is it?”

Changcheon Unit Leader Yang Bulwi hesitated for a moment. But soon, he sighed and spoke.

“That doctor called Ak Gong is urinating.”

Nangong Bai was inwardly dumbfounded.

Why would someone of the Changcheon Unit Leader’s rank report something like that?

But his face hardened at Yang Bulwi’s next words.

“On the pillar at the entrance of Hyeonjeong Hall.”

“What?”

Nangong Bai couldn’t believe his ears.

Just then, a clear voice echoed from outside the palace.

“Ah! That’s refreshing! Where’s the bathroom around here? This place is too big, I can’t find it!”

Nangong Bai’s eyebrows twitched.

Seeing this, Yang Bulwi spoke.

“What should we do? If you give the order, I will….”

“Leave it alone.”

“……!”

“Didn’t I say not to interfere with their affairs? Are you trying to make me a petty man who goes back on his word?”

At that moment, a thunderous sound echoed from outside the palace.

Flap! Flap!

Yang Bulwi’s face turned red. A telepathic message had arrived from a subordinate stationed outside.

“What’s that sound?”

“Th, that is….”

Yang Bulwi couldn’t readily answer Nangong Bai’s question.

Even he found it hard to believe what he had just heard.

“The one called Akil….”

Nangong Bai recalled the giant who was with Dan Akseon.

“What about him?”

At Nangong Bai’s urging, everyone’s eyes turned to Yang Bulwi.

“Haa….”

Yang Bulwi sighed deeply and closed his eyes tightly, as if reluctant to speak.

“He went to the entrance of Hyeonjeong Hall and… defecated.”

“Gasp!”

“Cough!”

Sounds of shock and sputtering erupted from various places in Hyeonjeong Hall.

“Are these guys crazy?”

Someone cursed, speaking for Nangong Bai, who was speechless with disbelief. But he quickly silenced himself.

A telepathic message had just arrived from the subordinate outside.

“Bingok Seonja [Ice Jade Immortal] is approaching.”

“……!”

Nangong Bai’s face turned pale.

“What?”

“Could it be?”

“No way……. Right?”