The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 445

신마의선 (445)

“I’m no different from you all. It’s been over ten years since I actually saw the Lord.”

The Chaejus [leaders of fortified villages or strategic points] were confronting Seol Nan-yeong.

The one-eyed man at the head of the group scoffed.

“Still, you must have a way to contact him, right?”

Seol Nan-yeong smiled at him.

It seemed he had the most say among them.

‘Dan Hong-do (丹紅刀) [Crimson Blade] Jo Gwi.’

It wasn’t hard to recognize his identity.

Of the thirty-six Jianghu [martial world] water camps,

he was the Chaeju of Noryongchae (怒龍砦) [Wrathful Dragon Fortress], who had built up a notorious reputation in Henan for his ruthless nature.

“As is often the case with cell organizations, the Lord can come to me, but I have no way to contact him first.”

Thump!

Jo Gwi slammed the table roughly.

“Are you spouting nonsense right now! Do you expect us to believe that?”

His tone changed instantly.

At the same time, a fierce murderous aura overflowed from his eyes.

But Seol Nan-yeong didn’t even blink.

“It’s the truth. Pressuring me like this won’t create a method that doesn’t exist.”

It was then that one of the men, who had been exchanging troubled glances, stepped forward.

Unlike Jo Gwi, he opened his mouth with a rather serious attitude.

“We are all going to be one under the name of the Sado Alliance [Evil Way Alliance] anyway. Shouldn’t we cooperate as much as possible for the future?”

Seol Nan-yeong stared at him intently.

Among the masters of the Demonic Sect flocking under Sa Jong-ak’s command,

this was U Moon-yang, the Blood Serpent Demon Whip (血蛇魔鞭), who stood out.

‘A spineless bastard speaking like that…….’

He was a true bat (蝙蝠) [a derogatory term for someone who switches allegiances easily].

A bat-like figure who stuck to one side and then the other for his own safety.

Not many knew that he had once devoted himself to the Demonic Cult.

But Seol Nan-yeong knew his true identity.

So, she inwardly ridiculed him but didn’t show it outwardly.

She had no intention of being manipulated by the typical method of trying to win someone over.

Pressuring the opponent with a rough and reckless person, then replacing them with someone skilled in rhetoric to soothe and interrogate.

The method was so obvious that it was pathetic.

“The Sado Alliance, you say…….”

Seol Nan-yeong, who had subtly started the conversation, shook her head.

“Everyone knows how the Murim Alliance [Martial Arts Alliance] ended. Are you going to walk the same path as them?”

“What?”

Jo Gwi flared up and shouted.

“So, Hao Mun is content to live as back-alley rats forever?”

“Then let me ask you one thing. If the Demonic Sects unite under the Sado Alliance, do you think the Orthodox Sects will just stand by and watch? Right now, the Nine Great Sects have suffered great damage and are undergoing internal strife, but if a huge enemy appears before them, they will unite again. The creation of the Sado Alliance is nothing more than giving them an excuse.”

“But they have no leader. On the other hand, we have the Alliance Lord.”

Sa Jong-ak had already completely taken control of the Water Route Alliance three years ago with the battle against Hwasan.

Seol Nan-yeong smiled bitterly inwardly.

‘Bangangryong [Overturning River Dragon].’

It meant a dragon overturning the river.

The arrogant title initially drew ridicule from many gossips.

But now, no one in Gangho [the martial world] could do that.

He had defeated Jinmyeong Jin-in and revealed his divine power, solidifying his reputation as a great master.

“As long as he is here, we will never fall.”

“In other words, if only he disappears, the Sado Alliance could easily collapse.”

“How dare you say such nonsense! Even the old man of the Hwasan Sect, who was called one of the Five Greats, was no match for him! Who in the current Murim can oppose him? Can’t you tell just by looking at how the other Five Greats are holding their breath?”

‘Ha!’

Seol Nan-yeong was so dumbfounded that she almost burst out laughing in their faces.

How many of them had actually encountered one of the Five Greats?

If they had, they wouldn’t dare to utter such nonsense.

At this point, U Moon-yang stopped the excited Jo Gwi and spoke again.

“Anyway, Hao Mun should also hurry up and make a decision. On the day the Sado Alliance flag is raised, those who are not there will all be considered our enemies.”

Seol Nan-yeong frowned at the blatant threat.

“Are you threatening me now?”

“It’s still advice. If we were going to threaten you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

Jo Gwi curled up a chilling smile.

“Why? Should I give you a proper threat?”

Seol Nan-yeong sighed softly at the murderous intent in his eyes.

If they were determined, it wouldn’t be difficult to turn this branch into a sea of blood.

“I’ll look for a way to contact the Lord.”

Jo Gwi nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Give us five days.”

Seol Nan-yeong, who had been groaning inwardly, asked the men as they turned around.

“But why are you suddenly looking for the Lord? Do you have a separate purpose you want to achieve?”

Seol Nan-yeong was convinced that she had hit the nail on the head when she saw them pause.

“Who knows? I might have information related to him. If so, there’s no need to go the long way around, right?”

“It seems you’ve caught a whiff of something!”

U Moon-yang stopped Jo Gwi, who was growling and spewing murderous intent again.

Then he warned Seol Nan-yeong in a low voice.

“It would be wise not to test us recklessly.”

Jo Gwi’s face turned red as he belatedly realized that he had been played by Seol Nan-yeong.

If he had made a mistake, he would have leaked important secrets.

“Remember. Five days.”

Jo Gwi glared at Seol Nan-yeong, still unable to contain his anger, and added one more word.

“I wonder if you’ll be able to act so cocky then?”

Seol Nan-yeong sensed a strong smell of blood in those meaningful words.

She couldn’t guess what they were plotting, but it was clear that something big would happen soon.

After leaving the Hao Mun branch, Jo Gwi kept clicking his tongue in regret.

U Moon-yang, who had read the unconcealable lust in his eyes, smiled slyly and spoke.

“Jo Hyeong [Brother Jo] is still full of vigor.”

“Ha, that’s…….”

Jo Gwi, recalling Seol Nan-yeong, whom he had just spoken to, stopped walking and turned around.

“If it weren’t for the mission, I would have already knocked her down.”

Seol Nan-yeong’s alluring beauty and smiling eyes lingered in his mind.

He had heard that she was nearing forty, but when he actually met her, she seemed to be in her late twenties at most.

Moreover, befitting the name Yo-eum Nan-hui [Bewitching Sound Nan-hui], she was on a different level from the courtesans he had experienced in brothels.

Her fully ripened and radiating seductive figure.

Her unique provocative atmosphere had a terrifying power that made a man’s blood boil.

“The opportunity will come soon. But now…….”

“I know.”

Jo Gwi retorted bluntly to U Moon-yang’s advice.

He couldn’t recklessly cause an accident right now.

As they were secretly moving on a certain mission, they had to avoid revealing their identities carelessly.

Jo Gwi, who had made an effort to shake off his lingering feelings, began to move again.

How long had they walked like that?

As they reached the end of the alley, there was a man entering the alley.

A tall and neat appearance.

With quite handsome features, he was a young man who made people frown.

Moreover, he was carrying something long wrapped in cloth on his back.

He seemed to be someone who had come to the Hao Mun branch here on business.

When their eyes met, the young man quietly stepped aside towards the wall.

Jo Gwi’s face, who had been staring intently at the young man’s face, was full of displeasure.

‘If I had that kind of face, I could freely flirt with any woman I wanted.’

He couldn’t understand why women were so crazy about that kind of face.

Courage and wildness were everything for a man.

“It seems to be that woman’s gigolo.”

Jo Gwi chuckled at U Moon-yang’s joke.

Then he suddenly opened his mouth towards the young man.

“Hey, you bastard.”

The young man’s face was filled with embarrassment when a stranger suddenly picked a fight.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah, you idiot. Who else is here besides you?”

Jo Gwi bumped his shoulder against him.

“Instead of working hard to become self-made, you’re just trying to please women and earn petty cash. Aren’t you ashamed?”

While the young man, who had been caught up in a sudden quarrel, couldn’t speak,

“That’s not how you live life, you idiot. What kind of man has nothing else to do? Tsk!”

“…….”

Despite being suddenly ambushed, the young man didn’t get angry or flare up.

He just smiled bitterly and quietly waited for them to pass by.

Jo Gwi, who had been giving the young man a very displeased look, and the rest of the group passed by, each mocking the young man who couldn’t even say a word.

Was that why?

They missed the young man’s eyes that flashed coldly for a moment and disappeared.

His gaze was fixed on one person.

As they exchanged dirty jokes and chuckled, they eventually disappeared completely from sight, and the young man finally began to move.

Creak.

The young man opened the door and entered the Shaanxi branch of Hao Mun.

Seol Nan-yeong, who was lost in thought with a complicated expression, raised her head and looked at the young man.

When their eyes met, the young man smiled brightly.

“It seems like you’re having some trouble.”

As if nothing had happened, Seol Nan-yeong responded with an even more radiant and friendly smile.

“Are you lost? You don’t seem like someone who would frequent a place like this.”

Seol Nan-yeong couldn’t help but feel a sense of doubt at the look in Dan Ak-seon’s eyes, who was quietly smiling.

It was definitely a face she had never seen before.

Yet, the feeling emanating from his eyes was strangely familiar.

It was after some time that Seol Nan-yeong opened her mouth.

“Do you know where this place is?”

“It’s the Shaanxi branch of Hao Mun.”

Seol Nan-yeong frowned slightly at the young man’s immediate answer.

“Did you bring a letter of introduction? Or…….”

The young man tilted his head.

“I didn’t need one when I came before.”

Seol Nan-yeong finally changed her expression.

It was rare to meet a client without scheduling an appointment in advance.

At the very least, a letter of introduction from a renowned figure in Murim was required.

The only exception was one.

Only a few cases that she could count on her fingers.

“Have we met before, perhaps?”

The young man replied to Seol Nan-yeong’s cautious question.

“It’s been a while.”

“Who……?”

“It’s not unreasonable that you don’t recognize me.”

The young man’s smile deepened.

“It’s me, Dan Ak-seon.”

At those words, Seol Nan-yeong’s eyes widened.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the same time.

The marketplace outside the alley leading to the Hao Mun branch was as crowded as ever with people coming and going.

A middle-aged beggar was dozing off against a warm, sunny wall.

Although his eyes were not visible as he was covered in rags, his gaze was constantly fixed on the alley, flashing sharply.

How much time had passed like that?

“Did I get bad luck? Or is the spot not good? I’m not getting much alms today.”

The beggar, gathering his rags and bowl, headed somewhere in a bent posture.

After a while, he entered a secluded alley and suddenly opened his mouth.

“Does anyone know the guy who just went in there?”

Before he knew it, beggars in similar attire had gathered behind him.

“Really, no one knows him?”

The beggars, exchanging troubled glances, soon shook their heads.

“Tsk. He doesn’t seem like an ordinary guy…….”

The middle-aged beggar scratched his cheek as if troubled.

After a moment.

“First, release the kids to track the bandits who came out earlier. Keep your distance as much as possible and be discreet. Run if necessary. Don’t be foolish.”

At the middle-aged beggar’s instructions, several young beggars ran out of the alley.

They were quick-witted and had a good sense of things, so they would take care of themselves.

“But, Hyangju-nim [District Chief].”

It was then that one of the beggars cautiously opened his mouth.

“Does our Beggars’ Union need to care so much about the Hao Mun branch?”