The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 410

Jo Eum-seo looked at the other Demonic Sovereigns with a bewildered expression.

They couldn’t possibly be unaware that the negotiation initiative had completely shifted to Zhuge Shan.

“Now, tell me. What can you offer me?”

Jo Eum-seo felt a surge of anger at Zhuge Shan’s characteristically chilling smile.

“At the very least, I’ll guarantee your life.”

Zhuge Shan nodded, as if urging him to continue.

“And I promise that even if we wipe out all the sects in the Central Plains, we will try our best not to harm the Zhuge Clan.”

“And?”

“…….”

At Jo Eum-seo’s continued silence, Zhuge Shan gave him a dumbfounded look.

“Is that all you have to offer?”

Zhuge Shan chuckled.

His expression was full of ridicule, as if it were utterly absurd.

“I believe I mentioned this before? I will no longer be sold off for a pittance.”

“You!”

Supreme Fist.

Cheok Dae-gwang’s thunderous voice shook the prison.

It was a wonder that he, with his fiery temper, had endured this much.

Clench.

Grasping the iron bars, Cheok Dae-gwang growled, his eyes flashing with a chilling light.

“You’ll only shed tears when you see your coffin! Do you truly wish to taste something hot?”

“Something like this, perhaps?”

“……!”

Cheok Dae-gwang paused.

It was because of Zhuge Shan’s appearance, smiling as he slowly raised both hands.

“First, they pulled out my fingernails, and then they cut off my fingers, joint by joint. They cauterized the severed ends with fire under the guise of stopping the bleeding. They did it with great care, very slowly and deliberately.”

Both of Zhuge Shan’s hands were in a state where only one joint of each finger remained.

Zhuge Shan chuckled and threw a sneer at the Four Demonic Sovereigns.

“Yoon Bong, you couldn’t have been unaware that the old eunuch had spent his entire career in the Eastern Depot [a secret police agency in the Ming dynasty], could you? Perhaps that’s why he was so skilled in torture techniques.”

Zhuge Shan cast a mad smile at Cheok Dae-gwang, who was flustered and unable to speak.

“I have expectations. I hope you are more skilled than Subo. In the end, he ran out of ideas and begged me.”

“This crazy bastard…….”

The moment Cheok Dae-gwang, turning red and blue, unleashed his killing intent.

“Stop!”

Jo Eum-seo, judging that there was no solution as things stood, stopped Cheok Dae-gwang.

Then, with a soft sigh, he glared at Zhuge Shan.

“Tell me what you want.”

“You should have said that from the start. Save me? Not harm our clan?”

Zhuge Shan smirked.

“What good are those things? Even if I survive like that, it won’t affect me at all, since I’ll be rotting away in here anyway. Besides, the clan will be treated as traitors who betrayed the Central Plains.”

“I told you to say what you want.”

Zhuge Shan fell silent as Jo Eum-seo cut him off.

The gaze of Zhuge Shan, silently staring at him.

Facing the madness-like heat flickering within, Jo Eum-seo felt a strange sense of unease that was difficult to explain.

How much time had passed?

The moment Jo Eum-seo, unable to bear the frustration, frowned.

Zhuge Shan suddenly opened his mouth.

“I want the manuals.”

“Manuals?”

At Jo Eum-seo’s question, Zhuge Shan nodded with a leisurely attitude.

“That’s right. The real Demonic Art manuals of you guys, once called the Ten Protectors. If you bring me those supreme techniques, I might open my mouth.”

Jo Eum-seo and the other Demonic Sovereigns couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded.

They had guessed that he wasn’t in his right mind, but they never imagined he would be this crazy.

‘Come to think of it…….’

Jo Eum-seo suddenly recalled the time when Zhuge Shan had caught the attention of the Demonic Cult in the past.

The fake Demonic Art manuals that had been spread to cause chaos in the Central Plains and to recruit masters who had succumbed to Demonic Qi Deviation.

He had been tempted by those Demonic Art manuals and had come to find the Gangmyeong Inn.

“What are you going to do with them?”

At Jo Eum-seo’s question, Zhuge Shan replied nonchalantly.

“What else? Research.”

“Research?”

“Because there’s nothing else to do.”

“Ha!”

Jo Eum-seo was dumbfounded.

Putting aside the fact that he was switching between honorifics and casual speech, he was appalled by the fact that their sacred techniques were merely a pastime to relieve his boredom.

When Jo Eum-seo fell silent, Zhuge Shan, misunderstanding this, smiled and opened his mouth.

“Ah, you don’t have to worry about me practicing Demonic Arts. That old eunuch has ruined my dantian [energy center] like this.”

With those words, Zhuge Shan lifted his upper garment.

The gruesome scar left on his lower abdomen.

The traces, distorted by burns and healed haphazardly, showed at a glance that his Sea of Qi [area in the body where energy is stored] had been destroyed.

In that state, no matter what he did, he would not be able to contain internal energy.

Jo Eum-seo exchanged glances with the other Demonic Sovereigns.

They were reluctant, but there was no other way at the moment.

Even if they handed over the manuals to him, they could just kill him later.

Their supreme techniques would not be leaked to the outside.

Moreover, since it was impossible for him to learn martial arts, there was no need to worry about future troubles.

The deliberation did not last long.

While the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts were beyond their authority, the decision-making power over their own martial arts belonged solely to them.

“Alright. We’ll do that.”

At Jo Eum-seo’s answer, Zhuge Shan smiled brightly and gave him an affectionate look.

“Now, then, tell me the problem. You must explain it in as much detail as possible. That way, we can create a plan to prevent any unforeseen variables.”

Although his pride was greatly hurt, Jo Eum-seo soon honestly mentioned the current situation of the Demonic Cult and the problems they faced.

As the explanation continued at length, Zhuge Shan occasionally nodded and sometimes exclaimed, listening attentively to the story.

“Hmm. The martial arts of the Three Demonic Exalted Ones have become that strong? Amazing, truly amazing.”

Zhuge Shan, who had been nodding, closed his eyes and pondered.

How much time had passed?

Zhuge Shan, who opened his eyes, smiled slightly.

“In truth, it’s not a difficult problem.”

“You have a solution?”

“It’s simple. So simple that I’m almost sorry for the solution.”

“Simple?”

“That’s right. So, the key is to buy time until the devils of the Divine Land are completed, isn’t it?”

When Jo Eum-seo nodded, the smile on Zhuge Shan’s lips deepened even further.

“Let them discover the Divine Land.”

“What? Are you serious…….”

Zhuge Shan suddenly asked a question to Jo Eum-seo, who was furious.

“If they discover the Divine Land, how do you think they will act afterward?”

“They will gather the strength of the Central Plains and try to strike.”

“That’s right. They will try to decide the outcome in one fell swoop before the Great War between Righteous and Demonic factions breaks out. After wiping out the Divine Land, they will ride that momentum and come straight to this base of the Demonic Cult.”

“Knowing that, you’re spouting such nonsense?”

“How far do you think it is from the Central Plains to here?”

“……?”

“If they gather their forces, that area will surely be Sichuan [a province in China]. In order for a large number of people to move at once, the movement will be that much slower.”

At Zhuge Shan’s continued words, Jo Eum-seo swallowed a groan.

“If they gather their strength and head to the Divine Land, then the Central Plains will be no different from an empty, undefended land. If you charge into the Central Plains and wreak havoc, it will eventually cause problems for their supplies.”

“Hmm…….”

“They will have no choice but to struggle. If they attack the Divine Land as is, their own territory will be devastated, and if they withdraw the forces they have painstakingly gathered, it will only result in unilateral damage without any gains.”

“Exchanging each other’s key locations?”

“The key to this plan is how much more damage you can inflict on the opponent. Either way, a war of attrition is unavoidable.”

Beyond Zhuge Shan’s relaxed smile, a clear conviction could be felt.

“Although the Demonic Host being nurtured in the Divine Land is said to be insufficient, haven’t they said that they are on the verge of completion? They will be able to hold out for some time. On the other hand, the Central Plains, with its elites gone, is no different from an empty house. Which side do you think will suffer more damage?”

“…….”

“In the end, they will have no choice but to turn back. But by then, their base will already have suffered enormous damage. At this point, your elites, who have swept through the Central Plains, will gather their strength and go into entrenchment, and when the Heavenly Demon finishes his training and leads the remaining forces to strike the enemy’s rear, the Central Plains side will be isolated and forced to fight enemies from both sides. If the situation turns out like that, there’s no need to bother estimating which side is more advantageous and disadvantageous.”

Listening to it, it was a very simple solution.

Zhuge Shan smiled at Jo Eum-seo, who was nodding.

“Then I trust you will keep your promise.”

At Zhuge Shan’s words, Jo Eum-seo cast a cold gaze.

He had gotten what he needed.

It was clear that something had been damaged by the torture, but he was definitely useful.

“Don’t worry.”

It was then that Zhuge Shan hurriedly called out to Jo Eum-seo, who was turning away.

“Ah! And one more thing!”

“……?”

“Call So-gun.”

“So-gun?”

Jo Eum-seo, casting a puzzled look, asked the guard who was prostrating as if dead near the prison entrance.

“Do you know anything?”

The guard hurriedly replied.

“Wang Zhaojun [one of the Four Great Beauties of ancient China], is the name of the courtesan provided to him.”

At the guard’s explanation, Jo Eum-seo frowned.

“Subo allowed such a thing?”

Considering his cautious and careful nature, it was difficult to understand.

At Jo Eum-seo’s suspicious gaze, the guard quickly replied.

“If you are worried that the situation inside here might leak to the outside because of that woman, you don’t have to worry.”

“Why is that?”

“That’s…….”

It was then that Yeomjon Ma Young-gi, who had been standing blankly on one side, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Bring her.”

Unlike Jo Eum-seo, Ma Young-gi showed great curiosity.

Wang Zhaojun was a woman who was counted as one of the legendary Four Great Beauties, along with Xi Shi, Yang Guifei, and Yu Ji.

He was curious as to how beautiful she was that someone like Zhuge Shan was so attached to her.

However.

“What is this?”

Ma Young-gi frowned deeply after confirming the appearance of the woman the guard brought in a little while later.

He had been full of expectations, but those expectations had been shattered without exception.

The expressions of the other Demonic Sovereigns were not much different.

They all looked very disappointed.

That was because the name Wang Zhaojun was too much like a pearl necklace on a pig’s neck for the woman in front of them.

And Jo Eum-seo realized why Subo had allowed that woman to enter this central area.

“Is she blind and deaf?”

Putting aside the fact that she was ugly, she had no ability to take the information inside here and convey it to the outside.

Since she was blind, she would not be able to read, and since she was deaf, she would not be able to speak.

There was no way to convey information at all.

Jo Eum-seo laughed in vain and cast a pathetic look at Zhuge Shan.

“A match made in heaven.”

Even at the blatant mockery, which implied that they were well-matched, Zhuge Shan grinned.

“How many pleasures can one enjoy in here?”

Jo Eum-seo could read the flames of lust flickering beyond Zhuge Shan’s eyes.

Jo Eum-seo smiled quietly.

“If you cooperate with us, we can show you this much generosity.”

Unexpectedly, the way to handle Zhuge Shan was not difficult.

There was a good reason why Subo, who had experienced him before, had taken this approach.

Jo Eum-seo turned around with a bitter smile.

“Then have a good time.”

In the end, no matter how much he pretended to be smart, he was just a weak human being.

As long as he was trapped in this Geummyeong Prison, he would have no choice but to reveal his true colors.

The unpleasant feeling he had felt throughout the conversation with Zhuge Shan disappeared at once.

The next head of the Divine Zhuge Clan, who was said to have the talent of Heavenly Calculation.

His downfall was like seeing the future of the Central Plains martial arts world, and he was very pleased.