The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 4

The Divine Doctor of the Demonic World (4)

A weapon that looked vicious at a glance.

It was a flail with thorns sticking out in all directions, the Great Glass Club.

“Brother Cho?”

A bald giant with bristly whiskers like a porcupine suddenly poked his face in.

Bum Gye-wi stared at Cho Ak-ryang intently, then tilted his head.

“What is it? The Blood Demon Venerable [a title implying Cho Ak-ryang’s high rank and fearsome reputation] of all people is giving up ground so easily?”

“Enough, just pack your bags quickly.”

“The voice and appearance are definitely Brother Cho, but…”

Clang.

Bum Gye-wi sheathed his weapon and asked back.

“But why are you suddenly telling me to pack my bags?”

“Because the Murim Alliance [a coalition of martial arts clans] bastards are coming.”

“Huh? Why are they coming?”

“Don’t tell me… you don’t know anything?”

Cho Ak-ryang sighed at his still clueless expression.

“The Murim Alliance has declared the subjugation of the Ten Evils [a group of infamous villains, including Cho Ak-ryang and Bum Gye-wi].”

Bum Gye-wi smirked.

“I thought it was quiet for a while, but they’re starting again. I’ll deal with those bastards right away…”

“Don’t bother.”

“……?”

“Can’t you see what state I’m in?”

“Oh? Now that I look at it…”

Bum Gye-wi, who had been scrutinizing Cho Ak-ryang, grinned.

“You look like you’re about to kick the bucket?”

“…….”

Cho Ak-ryang, his pride wounded, shut his mouth.

“Don’t tell me the top expert of the Ten Evils got his ass kicked by the Murim Alliance bastards?”

“You’re subtly dropping honorifics, aren’t you?”

“Seems like it’s okay to do that now?”

Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes trembled. But soon, he suppressed his anger with superhuman patience. He didn’t have time to waste bickering with this idiot.

“Yes. I came to save you with this messed-up body. So, don’t waste time and pack your bags.”

“Since when have you been so worried about me? Didn’t you say you’d pluck out my beard and plug my ass with it?”

“Didn’t you say you’d pluck out my eyeballs and use them as your third ball!”

The two stared at each other silently. But this time again, Cho Ak-ryang exercised patience.

“Let’s go for now. We can talk on the way.”

“Why do you keep saying let’s go? You said the Murim Alliance guys are coming, right? We should wait here and smash their heads in as they come.”

“Let’s postpone that and fix your illness first.”

“Illness? What illness are you talking about?”

“That madness where you go crazy when you see blood!”

“Eh… If there was anyone who could cure that, I would have turned the world upside down three times to find them.”

“There is someone. Someone who can cure your heavenly punishment.”

Bum Gye-wi couldn’t hide his surprise at Cho Ak-ryang’s next words.

“I found the Divine Doctor.”

“……!”

But it didn’t end there.

“I also found the Divine Healer.”

Bum Gye-wi looked at Cho Ak-ryang with suspicious eyes.

“Brother Cho, are you perhaps a spy for the Murim Alliance?”

“What?”

“Are you trying to trick me into going with you and then sell me off to the Murim Alliance?”

Cho Ak-ryang quietly sighed. Then, he suddenly reached out his hand towards Bum Gye-wi.

“What are you doing?”

“Check it out. You can tell by taking my pulse, can’t you?”

Offering one’s pulse was tantamount to entrusting one’s life to the other party. Although suspicious, Bum Gye-wi wasn’t one to miss such a golden opportunity.

Bum Gye-wi reached out like lightning and grabbed Cho Ak-ryang’s pulse.

After a moment.

A look of bewilderment appeared on Bum Gye-wi’s face.

“Brother Cho, are you perhaps a zombie?”

His pulse was barely detectable, and his meridians and blood vessels were twisted in a mess.

It was a miracle that he was even alive.

“I met the Divine Healer and lived.”

“Oh! Is that so?”

Cho Ak-ryang’s heart turned cold.

Because he read the murderous intent that surfaced in Bum Gye-wi’s eyes as he smiled at him.

“So, you’re saying that if I wanted to, I could just send Brother Cho on his way like this?”

Cho Ak-ryang hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Think about our memories together!”

“Memories my ass. Have you forgotten that you poisoned my food last time? I had diarrhea for a month because of that nasty poison.”

“You pissed in my alcohol!”

“You were the one who set me on fire while I was sleeping first.”

“Because you messed with my lover!”

“Messed with? That woman came on her own. So, who told you to cheat?”

“You were the one who told me about it!”

“That’s because…”

The two, who had been going back and forth for a while, suddenly closed their mouths.

Because they were embarrassed even thinking about it themselves.

It was a past too embarrassing for two experts who shook the world to speak of.

After a long time.

With a sigh, Cho Ak-ryang opened his mouth.

“If I can’t ascend to immortality, it’s all because of you.”

“Don’t go around saying things like that. Have some conscience.”

“What, you son of a bitch?”

“After killing so many people, what kind of immortal are you talking about? If the hermits who are holed up in the deep mountains trying to ascend to immortality heard that, they’d laugh so hard they’d fall off a cliff.”

“Originally, the source of my martial arts is…”

Cho Ak-ryang, who was about to explain, shook his head.

If he was the type of guy who could understand, they wouldn’t have gotten off on the wrong foot like this from the start.

“Anyway, you said that your martial arts progress is blocked because of that madness, right? If you fix that, you’ll be able to overcome your current wall. If that happens, the Murim Alliance bastards won’t dare to touch you.”

“Hmm…”

Bum Gye-wi stroked his bald head.

Even if he didn’t care about other things, he had been worrying about his martial arts reaching its limit for a long time. After pondering for a while, he nodded.

“Alright. Let’s go. I’ll trust Brother Cho for once.”

“Wait.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Since we’re not coming back here anyway, take everything that’s worth money. We need to bring money for the medicine.”

Bum Gye-wi wore a dumbfounded expression.

“Don’t tell me you came all this way just for the medicine money?”

“You bastard! I risked my life to save you, and this is how you repay me! Anyway, consider this as repayment for our old grudges!”

“Ah, is that why you did it? Alright. If the treatment works as Brother Cho says, I’ll consider those grudges settled.”

* * *

Half an hour later.

Cho Ak-ryang was flying through the air. Of course, he was being carried on Bum Gye-wi’s back.

Bum Gye-wi, who was speeding along at a terrifying pace, yelled.

“Ah, stop moving around! I don’t have a hobby of rubbing bodies with men!”

“If you want to cure your illness, shut up and go.”

“I’m saying if you tell me where it is, I’ll run there right away!”

“You think I don’t know you’re trying to abandon me?”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Do you trust me?”

The two were silent.

* * *

Another day passed, and Cho Ak-ryang and Bum Gye-wi entered the Divine Demonic Valley.

Dan Ak-seon, who was waiting at the entrance, beamed as he saw Cho Ak-ryang.

“You’re not late.”

“Cough!”

It was then that a scream burst from Cho Ak-ryang’s mouth.

Because Bum Gye-wi had thrown Cho Ak-ryang down like a piece of luggage. Bum Gye-wi, impatient, immediately pressed Dan Ak-seon.

“I heard there’s a Divine Doctor here? Guide me! Quickly!”

But an unexpected answer came back.

“They passed away?”

“What?”

Bum Gye-wi blinked.

“Then bring out the Divine Healer.”

“They also passed away.”

Whirr.

Bum Gye-wi turned his head and glared at Cho Ak-ryang.

“That child is the son of the two of them.”

Cho Ak-ryang frowned and rubbed his aching waist.

“He inherited all the skills of both of them.”

Bum Gye-wi pointed at Dan Ak-seon.

“This little runt?”

Bum Gye-wi couldn’t believe it.

“Did you get your mind broken after being humiliated by the Murim Alliance?”

“Have you forgotten already? You checked my condition yourself.”

Bum Gye-wi pointed at Dan Ak-seon.

“That’s that kid’s doing? What can a little peanut like that possibly do…!”

Bum Gye-wi hurriedly swallowed his words.

Because Cho Ak-ryang was glaring at him with a terrifying look.

“Watch your mouth, Bum Gye-wi. He is the benefactor who saved my life.”

“No, I mean…”

Bum Gye-wi, startled, trailed off.

He didn’t expect Cho Ak-ryang to reveal such murderous intent so openly.

Even if he couldn’t use his inner energy, Cho Ak-ryang was still Cho Ak-ryang.

The name of the Blood Demon Venerable, one of the Five Greats of the World, wasn’t earned for nothing.

It was just a change in his eyes, but that alone changed the person in an instant.

‘Was it all an act?’

Otherwise, there was no way to explain that presence.

In the end, Bum Gye-wi took a step back.

“Ahem. Alright. I’ll be careful. Why are you getting so serious about something like that? It’s embarrassing.”

It was embarrassing, but he should never provoke Cho Ak-ryang with that look in his eyes.

It was one of the lessons he had learned from wandering the Murim world for many years.

“Shall we start with a pulse diagnosis?”

As Dan Ak-seon approached, Bum Gye-wi blankly held out his wrist. Dan Ak-seon, who had been taking his pulse with his eyes closed, sighed and opened his eyes.

“It’s not easy.”

Dan Ak-seon, who had started speaking, looked at Bum Gye-wi.

“The biggest problem is that the meridian [energy pathway in the body] leading to your head is out of place. So, when you use your inner energy [cultivated life force] to the extreme, the inner energy touches the brain. Then you lose consciousness.”

“……!”

Bum Gye-wi turned his head towards Cho Ak-ryang.

“Did Brother Cho tell you?”

Cho Ak-ryang shook his head.

“Only that he goes crazy when he sees blood.”

Bum Gye-wi believed Cho Ak-ryang’s words. Even if he didn’t care about other things, he was someone who never lied.

Dan Ak-seon continued.

“The second problem is the Crooked Marsh point on your left arm. Since that vital point of the Pericardium Meridian is like this, it must have been very difficult to bend your arm…”

Bum Gye-wi couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Did you get hurt recently?”

Bum Gye-wi nodded without realizing it. He had no choice but to acknowledge the medical skills of the boy in front of him.

Because the injury he had just mentioned was something that even Cho Ak-ryang didn’t know about.

“And the last thing is…”

Dan Ak-seon gestured for Bum Gye-wi to come closer.

Then, he whispered something in Bum Gye-wi’s ear.

“……!”

Bum Gye-wi’s eyes widened.

A weakness that he had kept buried as his own secret for many years! The young doctor in front of him had accurately mentioned it.

“Co, could it be…”

Bum Gye-wi asked cautiously.

“Can you fix that too? Ah, no. Can you fix it?”

Bum Gye-wi’s tone had become respectful without him realizing it.

Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.

“Of course.”

“Then shall I trust you, just for the heck of it?”

“Then would you mind lowering your head for a moment?”

“Like this?”

“Yes. Keep breathing comfortably in that state.”

At that moment, Bum Gye-wi felt a prickling sensation near the top of his head.

Bum Gye-wi, who belatedly discovered the needle in Dan Ak-seon’s hand, was startled.

Dan Ak-seon calmly turned around and approached Cho Ak-ryang.

Then, he reached out and inserted a needle near Cho Ak-ryang’s solar plexus. Cho Ak-ryang felt his stuffy chest become much clearer.

At that moment.

Dan Ak-seon pulled the needle out with a whoosh.

At the same time, black, dead blood gushed out from where the needle had been inserted.

The bleeding stopped quickly, but Cho Ak-ryang’s face turned pale.

“Be careful!”

Cho Ak-ryang grabbed Dan Ak-seon’s shoulder and quickly hid him behind his back.

“Didn’t I tell you! That bastard goes crazy when he sees blood!”

Cho Ak-ryang stood between Dan Ak-seon and Bum Gye-wi.

But…….

“Huh?”

Cho Ak-ryang soon lost his words. Bum Gye-wi, the person in question, was the same.

Bum Gye-wi looked at Cho Ak-ryang with surprised eyes.

“I’m fine, right?”

“That’s right. Normally, you would have gone crazy right away…”

The eyes of the two, who had been looking at each other for a moment, were all focused on Dan Ak-seon.

Dan Ak-seon said with a smile.

“I said I could treat you. It will take time to fully recover, though.”

Bum Gye-wi prostrated himself towards Dan Ak-seon.

“Teacher!”

“Dan Doctor is enough.”

Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.

“Welcome to the Divine Demonic Valley.”