The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 45

The child who loses their parents is called an orphan.

The wife who loses her husband is a widow.

The husband who loses his wife is a widower.

But there isn’t a specific word to describe the parents who lose their child.

Because there is no word to express the unimaginable pain of such a loss.

Sa Mu-sim was one such parent.

The day she futilely sent her infant son away…

Sa Mu-sim floundered in endless agony, constantly thinking.

‘Why did this happen to me?’

He had lived virtuously, always fearing that if he committed a sin, the bad karma might be passed on to his child. Why should he suffer such pain?

He blamed the heavens, asking again and again.

‘Why me?’

The conclusion he reached was simple: money.

He couldn’t call a doctor because he had no money, and he couldn’t buy medicine because he had no money.

Hugging his child, whose flame of life had been extinguished, Sa Mu-sim’s heart also lost its light as he rubbed his cooling cheeks.

From that day on, she began to live desperately to make money.

People pointed fingers at her, calling her heartless and cold-blooded. It was perhaps natural that the vulgar title of ‘money-grubber’ followed her.

But she didn’t care.

Because on the day she lost her child, she realized that morality and compassion were of no help.

After about two decades, she had accumulated a considerable amount of money, though not quite a fortune.

Yet, the emptiness was not filled.

Rather, like a traveler who couldn’t bear the thirst and drank seawater, she suffered from an ever-greater thirst.

Then, by chance, she gave food to an unknown orphan on the verge of starvation. She saw the flame of life beginning to revive in the empty eyes of the dying child.

It was a moment when she could forget, even for a short time, the emptiness that had tormented her for so long.

From that day on, Sa Mu-sim generously donated all her money to children who had been abandoned, as if atoning for her deceased child.

The money quickly ran out, and once again, terrible emptiness rushed in like hunger.

Sa Mu-sim once again earned money like a demon, using any means to make money.

And she repeated the cycle of spending money for orphans again.

Giving, as it is called in Buddhism, or *dana* [the practice of cultivating generosity].

Perhaps it was an act filled with a vague expectation that she might be able to accumulate merit for the child she had lost.

Then, when the first sign of Inner Demon occurred, Sa Mu-sim immediately guessed the reason.

The discrepancy between body and mind.

The already unstable Demonic Art could not withstand the distorted balance between body and mind.

While the martial arts gradually became stronger, the mind that supported it was always tied to the past. From the moment her child died, her time had stopped on that day.

So she was able to accept the result calmly.

‘This life is enough for me…’

As Sa Mu-sim drifted in the sea of distant thoughts for a long time, she suddenly felt an intense chill pricking her skin.

This was not just a feeling, but a real danger accompanied by physical force.

It was truly a feeling of the blood in her whole body turning cold.

Sa Mu-sim, who shuddered, opened her eyes.

It was then that she discovered three pairs of eyes staring down at her.

“……!”

Sa Mu-sim, startled, jumped off the bed as if bouncing.

But soon her whole body stiffened while standing.

This was because the vortex of horrifying murderous intent raging in the room was pressing down on her whole body like a barrier.

“Are, are you going to kill me?”

At Sa Mu-sim’s words, the murderous intent emanating from Cho Ak-ryang, Beom Gye-wi, and Han Seol-hwa intensified even more.

“Kill the guy who fed us Gongcheong Seokyu (Supreme Celestial Oil)?”

“Are you making fun of us?”

“…….”

Sa Mu-sim couldn’t understand the reaction of the three people. Then, suddenly, she felt a sense of doubt.

“Gongcheong Seokyu? Isn’t that a legendary elixir? I’ve never even seen anything like that.”

“I guess not. Because it’s already in your stomach.”

At Cho Ak-ryang’s words, Beom Gye-wi approached Sa Mu-sim with a ferocious look.

“Why? Do you want to see it? I’ll show you if you want.”

Sa Mu-sim retreated to the wall at the murderous gaze of Beom Gye-wi, who was staring intently at her stomach.

Because it seemed like he would cut open her stomach any minute.

Beom Gye-wi, called Mangsan Choja [a title or epithet], was more than capable of doing that.

At that moment, Dan Ak-seon entered as the door opened. The three people except Sa Mu-sim tried to suppress their murderous intent.

Still, they didn’t forget to throw a word at Sa Mu-sim.

“Look forward to it.”

“We’ll make you work as much as the value of Gongcheong Seokyu.”

“…….”

Belatedly, Sa Mu-sim realized something.

“Is, is that true? I ate Gongcheong Seokyu?”

Dan Ak-seon smiled and said to Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi.

“Okay, let’s start right away.”

At that moment, Sa Mu-sim lost consciousness.

Because Cho Ak-ryang, who had already approached, had pressed her blood points [specific points on the body used in martial arts to control energy flow].

Sa Mu-sim had a dream.

An infant crying out in front of her eyes.

But heavy chains were wrapped around the baby’s body, suppressing it.

At a glance, it was not a thickness that the baby could handle.

‘Huh?’

But the baby’s appearance was familiar.

‘Gyeol-ah!’

Sa Mu-sim hurriedly called out the name and approached the baby. Because the baby in front of her was none other than her deceased son.

She grabbed the chains and tried to pull them down, but for some reason, they didn’t budge.

Eventually, Sa Mu-sim had to move along the chains.

After going back a long way and reaching the end of the chains, Sa Mu-sim was devastated. All the evil deeds she had committed so far had become the roots of the chains, binding her child.

The actions she took to soothe the child’s resentment and accumulate virtue were becoming karma, tormenting the child instead.

‘Ah!’

Sa Mu-sim wept. And she realized.

‘Baby! My child!’

I will let you go now.

How can I forget your face, your gestures, but I will only go this far.

Even if I cannot help the endless longing, I will leave here the resentment and grudges of this father who tormented you.

So go in peace.

Let’s meet again in the distant future.

Wherever that place is, this father will surely find you.

‘Definitely.’

Thud.

Sa Mu-sim heard something breaking.

The chains that had been binding the baby were all breaking one by one in front of her eyes.

And at some point.

The baby’s crying that had tormented him so much was no longer heard.

* * *

Sa Mu-sim slowly opened her eyes.

Sa Mu-sim, who got up, belatedly realized that her pillow was soaked with tears.

‘Farewell.’

Sa Mu-sim, who said goodbye once again, got off the bed.

But it was strange.

Even though she had a very troubled dream last night, her body felt refreshed. It had been so long since she had slept so sweetly.

Come to think of it, it was the first time since she had learned martial arts.

To learn martial arts in a short period of time, he chose Demonic Art.

The problem was that, as a Demonic Art that focused on the speed of training, its side effects were enormous.

Especially insomnia and fatigue, and the sharp temper that came from it.

Even if you sleep, you don’t feel like you’ve slept, so you can’t feel good. As such daily life was repeated for decades, there was no way her personality wouldn’t be eccentric.

But today was different.

Can a person feel this refreshed just by getting a full night’s sleep?

“I have received great grace.”

All of this was thanks to Dan Ak-seon and the noble martial arts seniors.

If you owe a debt, you should pay it back.

Sa Mu-sim, who was determined to return more than what she had received with interest, left the room. As she took a deep breath, the clear and cool air filled her lungs.

‘The air is sweet!’

The satisfaction she had forgotten for a long time.

It felt like the good energy contained in the air was melting into her whole body one by one.

But that coolness gradually began to turn into a chill.

The moment Sa Mu-sim turned her head at the strange feeling, she met the gazes of the three people staring at her.

‘Grace… I guess?’

Sa Mu-sim somehow felt like she could see her future.

* * *

That afternoon.

Dan Ak-seon informed Pung Jin-seong that she would return to the Divine Demonic Valley. Pung Jin-seong couldn’t hide his regret.

“Why don’t you stay a little longer?”

“I’m going to focus on treating the three of you for the time being.”

Pung Jin-seong couldn’t stop her any longer.

“Then I’ll visit you often.”

“Yes, anytime.”

Pung Jin-seong tried to offer a carriage, but Dan Ak-seon declined.

“The carriage can’t go up the mountain road. The others want to walk too. We’ll go back slowly while looking around, so don’t worry too much.”

“I understand. Then go carefully…”

Pung Jin-seong, who was saying goodbye, trailed off.

In the distance, a huge pile of luggage was staggering precariously. It was at least one fathom [approximately six feet] of luggage, and surprisingly, one person was carrying it.

At Pung Jin-seong’s expression, Dan Ak-seon also turned her head.

“Huh?”

Dan Ak-seon also looked at Sa Mu-sim with a surprised expression.

Various medicinal herbs and medical tools, as well as blankets and clothes, household goods, and even food. He was carrying all the luggage that had been loaded on the carriage like a tower.

“You’re not going to move all that by yourself, are you?”

At Dan Ak-seon’s worried expression, Sa Mu-sim smiled awkwardly.

“I’ve been resting comfortably for the past few days, so my body is stiff. I’m just lifting it for exercise, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Don’t overdo it…”

“It’s okay. I’ve taken as much as Gongcheong Seokyu, so this is nothing.”

Beom Gye-wi, who had already appeared, said with a sulky expression. Cho Ak-ryang, who was following, nodded and agreed with those words.

“Of course. If you’re having a hard time with that, then Gongcheong Seokyu is fake.”

Even Han Seol-hwa added a word.

“We should change your title. To Gongcheong Seokyu Sa Mu-sim.”

That’s how Sa Mu-sim’s second life was beginning.

* * *

It had already been a month since she entered the Divine Demonic Valley, but Sa Mu-sim was still busy.

Doing laundry, cleaning the outhouse, sweeping the yard, and pulling weeds were her daily routine.

Of course, procuring food and supplies was also her responsibility.

In addition, she had to clean the main building and the thatched house once a week, and the job of getting Cho Ak-ryang’s lumber was naturally passed on to her.

She was quite famous in the martial arts world, but here in the Divine Demonic Valley, she was no different from a handyman. Nevertheless, Sa Mu-sim did not complain at all.

She just did her best in the given task with a smiling face every time.

It was the same this morning.

Various medicinal herbs were placed on the table.

Cho Ak-ryang, who looked at the table with a half-resigned expression, suddenly discovered something.

“Doctor Dan, it seems like there’s a new herb today?”

“The uncles’ conditions have improved, so I changed the herbs a bit. It’s called Houttuynia cordata, and it’s very effective in dissolving blood clots.”

Hoping against hope, Cho Ak-ryang picked up the herb and brought it to his mouth. And he inwardly screamed at the new, terrible taste.

‘I knew the name was ominous from the start!’

Thanks to the newly added herbs, the already tasteless meal became even more difficult.

He couldn’t understand why the herbs smelled fishy.

Glancing over, Beom Gye-wi was also stuffing the herbs into his mouth with a dying face. That was how he wanted to get out of this terrible time quickly.

On the other hand, Han Seol-hwa’s appearance was peaceful itself.

Beom Gye-wi glanced at such Han Seol-hwa.

He envied her so much at this moment, as she couldn’t taste anything.

Cho Ak-ryang, who finished his meal, jumped up.

“I ate well.”

Then he disappeared like the wind.

Beom Gye-wi, who was looking at Cho Ak-ryang with envious eyes, was surprised to see his basket. He had clearly eaten about half of it, but it had returned to its original state.

It was obvious who did it.

‘This human?’

He had taken his share and disappeared while he was distracted for a moment.

In the past, Cho Ak-ryang, whose ghostly Gold Snatching Hands was regarded as the best in the world. Unless he was prepared in advance, he would be taken advantage of like this when he was careless.

“I went to the trouble of restoring your martial arts, and this is how you treat me?”

Beom Gye-wi glared at the direction where Cho Ak-ryang had disappeared, but he had already vanished without a trace.

“If it’s hard for you, shall I eat some more?”

Beom Gye-wi looked at Sa Mu-sim with surprised eyes at the unexpected help.

“You can eat this?”

“Isn’t this a favor bestowed by Master Gokju? It’s painful, but I should accept it with a happy heart.”

“Is it a side effect of Gongcheong Seokyu? Why have you changed so much?”

Despite the taunt, Sa Mu-sim just smiled and brought the herb to her mouth.