The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 446

“What can I do? I just follow orders from above.”

After spitting out that disgruntled reply, the middle-aged beggar suddenly glared.

“Don’t you go snitching on me later, got it? Saying I, Geolhanggae, said this and that.”

“Assistant Branch Leader, really. Why are you bringing up old stories…”

The young beggar looked embarrassed and subtly avoided Geolhanggae’s gaze.

Though his words might be somewhat frivolous, he was still a Six-Knot disciple [a mid-level member of the Beggars’ Gang].

He was the Assistant Branch Leader, overseeing information in the Shanxi region.

As someone with only two knots on his rope, I couldn’t dare to look up to such a superior.

Geolhanggae chuckled and continued his explanation with a serious look.

“Once the Hao Moon [a secretive and potentially dangerous group] is absorbed into the Sado Alliance [a martial arts alliance], it’ll cause headaches in many ways. They’re dangerous enough as it is, but if they gain information power too? It’s like giving wings to a tiger.”

“But doesn’t the Hao Moon seem like they’d be easy to deal with?”

“Of course not. If they were, they wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

Indeed, the Hao Moon was not to be taken lightly.

Though their martial prowess might be insignificant, they possessed a history that rivaled any other.

That meant they had endured countless storms and vicissitudes over the years.

“At least the branch leader here, that woman, won’t easily fall to them.”

“I heard she’s quite friendly with Blood Hand Venerable, a Blue-Clothed Guest of our gang.”

Geolhanggae nodded.

“That’s why there was an order to save her if things took a turn for the worse. Glad it didn’t come to that.”

Geolhanggae was relieved.

Even if the Beggars’ Gang had to投入 [throw, invest] all its forces due to unfavorable circumstances, the opponents would have been renowned experts within the Water Moon Alliance.

The damage would have been significant.

Suddenly, Geolhanggae felt a sharp gaze and turned his head.

Seeing the young beggar’s expression, clearly wanting to ask something, Geolhanggae frowned.

“What is it? If you have something to say, say it. Don’t dilly-dally like a puppy about to pee.”

As soon as Geolhanggae gave permission, the young beggar asked his question as if he had been waiting for it.

“But isn’t it strange?”

“What is?”

“If you trace back the reason why Blood Hand Venerable became a valued guest of our gang, it’s because of his bad blood with the Hao Moon.”

“That’s right.”

Around the time after the Azure Mountain Bloodshed, when Cho Ak-ryang began to make a name for himself and took a seat among the Ten Evils [a group of infamous villains].

Someone had dug up information about Cho Ak-ryang and continuously provided it to the 正派 [orthodox, righteous] side.

And Cho Ak-ryang, having learned that the person was the Hao Moon Leader, tracked him down with Beom Gye-wi.

In the process, the two disguised themselves as beggars to lie low and temporarily stayed with the Beggars’ Gang.

And eventually, they achieved their goal.

They caught and killed the Hao Moon Leader of the time.

Naturally, the Hao Moon and Cho Ak-ryang should have been in a hostile relationship due to their old grudges.

Yet, Blood Hand Venerable and Seol Nan-yeong, the branch leader here, were on friendly terms?

However, the reason was surprisingly simple.

“The Hao Moon Leader at the time is dead, and thanks to that, the current Hao Moon Leader was able to take his place. He owes Blood Hand Venerable a debt of gratitude for giving him the opportunity.”

“Ah!”

“It’s also why the current Hao Moon Leader is hiding even more cautiously.”

Since there had already been an incident, it was only natural not to expose his identity carelessly.

Just then.

A figure suddenly cut in between the two.

“What are you all talking about so 재미있게 [interestingly]?”

The two men’s expressions changed in an instant.

The young beggar smiled brightly, while Geolhanggae’s face contorted.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties.

His clothes, worn and tattered to the point of being no different from rags, made him look like the poorest of beggars.

His face was also very grimy.

Still, his easygoing smile was quite pleasant to look at.

The young beggar grinned at Geolhanggae’s displeased look.

“Oh my, our Assistant Branch Leader is at it again. Why does he always make such a face whenever he sees me? It makes my already ugly face even uglier.”

Geolhanggae retorted at his joking remark.

“How can anyone welcome the sudden intrusion of the Surveillance Chief?”

The young man had seven knots tied around his waist, made of rope.

Basically, the Beggars’ Gang indicates one’s position within the organization by the number of knots.

New recruits who have just joined and have no knots at all are called White-Clothed Beggars, and only when they become formal members of the Beggars’ Gang are they allowed to have knots.

Generally, ordinary members of the Beggars’ Gang have one to four knots, depending on the years they have been with the gang.

Section Chiefs have five knots.

Above them, Assistant Branch Leaders, who oversee the entire region, have six knots, Chiefs who command Assistant Branch Leaders have seven knots, and Elders have eight knots.

And finally, the Gang Leader’s knot was nine.

The Nine-Knot knot, called the Dragon Head Gang Leader, was unique to Hong Jeok-mun, the Gang Leader.

Therefore, the young man was technically superior to Geolhanggae.

That was why Geolhanggae, who was obviously older, was using polite speech.

The young man curled up his lips meaningfully at Geolhanggae’s attitude.

“Are you going to be like this? Fine. Then shall I act like a 꼰대 [an older person who is condescending or preachy] for once in a while?”

The young man looked around once and began to point things out one after another.

“Hey! You there! Why are you all so close together? Are you openly advertising that the Beggars’ Gang is being watched? And why is the 배치 [deployment] of personnel so unnatural over there? Hey, hey! If you change positions like that, your field of vision will be limited. I didn’t think it would be like this, but why are the Shanxi branch guys so clumsy? Are they clueless, or is it a matter of the Assistant Branch Leader’s capabilities?”

Unlike the young beggars who were flustered and 군기가 들다 [disciplined, showing military-like obedience], Geolhanggae sighed deeply and glared at the young man.

“Why don’t you stop it? Or give me some manpower and then point things out.”

“Why don’t you just decide whether to speak informally or politely, 형님 [hyung-nim, older brother or respected senior]?”

“How dare I, even though you are the Surveillance Chief, a Seven-Knot disciple…”

“What does it matter? We’re friends.”

“Oh, um… Is that okay?”

When the young man readily nodded, Geolhanggae finally smirked.

“Hehe. Okay, good. Bang So-bang, you little peanut… No, you used to be a little peanut. Do you know how much I had to run around because of your words last time?”

“Oh my, our 형님 [hyung-nim] is excited again. So, what is it this time?”

“Sa Jong-ak released hunting dogs to catch you and 족치다 [to chase after and interrogate relentlessly].”

Bang So-bang chuckled.

“I thought it was something else.”

“It’s not something to laugh off. If you look at the faces of those guys…”

“Is that something that’s only happened once or twice?”

Bang So-bang, cutting off Geolhanggae’s words as if it were nothing, handed something to a young beggar nearby.

It was a large basket.

The young beggar’s expression brightened even more as he received it.

That was because a very delicious smell wafted from inside the basket.

“What is this?”

“I picked it up on the way. Take it and eat it.”

Bang So-bang, watching the young beggar happily running to his companions, put away his smile and turned his head towards Geolhanggae.

“Were there any special circumstances?”

Geolhanggae’s eyes also became serious.

“Just now, an unidentified guy went inside the branch.”

“Yes? An unidentified guy? No, our Beggars’ Gang shouldn’t be saying such things.”

“Then why don’t you find out? I’m saying it because I can’t figure it out with my 거지 같은 [beggarly, useless] eyes.”

“Hmm…”

Even if nothing else, he, the Assistant Branch Leader of this Shanxi branch, was a person with considerable experience within the Beggars’ Gang.

If he said that, it meant that the person was difficult to identify.

“I have no choice.”

Bang So-bang, letting out a soft sigh, began to move.

He intended to monitor the unidentified visitor who would soon reappear.

Even if he couldn’t identify him right away, he judged that he could get some clues by secretly following him.

As he headed towards the alley leading to the Hao Moon’s Shanxi branch, Bang So-bang smiled slightly as he passed the Beggars’ Gang members who were gathered in groups of three or five, sharing food.

The many roasted ducks had quickly turned into piles of bones.

“There’s not a single guy here who really knows how to eat properly.”

Bang So-bang picked up a duck bone and brought it to his mouth.

Crack.

“Why don’t they know that crushing the bones like this and sucking out the marrow inside is the real delicacy? Well, it’s good for me, though.”

Geolhanggae’s eyes softened as he watched the scene.

He was very pleased with Bang So-bang’s attitude of deliberately saying that so that the other members wouldn’t be afraid to eat as much as they wanted.

Despite being a Seven-Knot disciple, his unpretentious and easygoing manner was an example to many members of the Beggars’ Gang.

That was why everyone in the Beggars’ Gang especially liked him.

After waiting for a while, chewing on the duck bone.

Bang So-bang’s eyes sparkled.

The person Geolhanggae had mentioned finally reappeared from outside the alley.

It was then that a strange light appeared in Bang So-bang’s eyes.

“Who is it?”

No matter how much he searched his memory, he couldn’t recall a similar impression.

“Hmph! See? Would I have said something 허튼 [false, untrue]?”

Despite Geolhanggae’s nagging, Bang So-bang was lost in thought.

“If he had a private meeting with the branch leader in this situation, he wouldn’t be an ordinary guy… Could that guy be the Hao Moon Leader?”

“What?”

Leaving the surprised Geolhanggae behind, Bang So-bang spat out the bone he was chewing on.

“It means that the possibility is not entirely impossible.”

That was how long the Hao Moon Leader had not shown himself.

There were rumors that he had passed the position of Leader to a 후대 [younger generation], and there were also rumors that one of the branch leaders was actually the Hao Moon Leader.

“Anyway, that guy’s atmosphere is unusual. I’ll have to follow him myself this time.”

As soon as those words were finished, Bang So-bang’s figure melted into the crowds on the street.

How long had he been following him like that?

‘Huh?’

Bang So-bang, who was following the tall young man, flinched without realizing it.

That was because the direction the young man was going was unusual.

‘How the hell?’

Tension settled in Bang So-bang’s eyes as he guessed the destination.

The place the guy was heading to was clearly the Beggars’ Gang’s safe house secretly prepared in this Shanxi.

He wondered how he had found out about the safe house, which only a small number of people within the Beggars’ Gang knew about, let alone the branch.

And as expected, his prediction was correct.

Eventually, the young man stopped in front of a shanty house in the back alley tent village.

At this point, he could no longer hide.

“Tch.”

Bang So-bang clicked his tongue once and quickly drew out his figure.

At the same time, a sharp whistle echoed throughout the area.

As soon as Bang So-bang’s signal was given, beggars popped out from all over the safe house.

And they quickly surrounded the young man.

Each of them held a crude club in their hands.

The Beggars’ Gang’s ultimate skill, known as the pinnacle of 合擊術 [coordinated attack technique] along with the Shaolin’s Arhat Formation.

It was the 打狗陣 [Dog Beating Formation].

“Who on earth are you, a guest who came all the way to this humble place without being invited?”

Bang So-bang revealed a threatening look and approached the young man.

‘Smile?’

Bang So-bang frowned.

He swore he had never seen the guy before in his life.

Yet, he was giving him such a friendly smile.

Above all, his handsome face was so 샘이 날 정도 [enviable, jealousy-inducing].

Then suddenly, something flashed through his mind.

That was because he felt a sense of composure from the other person’s attitude.

“Did he know I was following him?”

The young man only smiled instead of answering.

But that was enough of an answer.

Although his pride was hurt, Bang So-bang began to search through all the information in his head to find out the other person’s identity.

But then.

“……!”

Bang So-bang’s face froze.

That was because he sensed a thick killing intent approaching from not far away.

In the current situation, there was only one place that openly showed hostility towards the Beggars’ Gang to this extent.

Bang So-bang gritted his teeth at the young man in front of him.

“You bastard! You were in league with the Water Moon Alliance bastards!”

A group of strong men barged into the area right after that.