The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 474

“What brings you here?”

At the boy’s cautious question, Dan Ahk-seon stepped forward, representing the group.

“We’ve come to see Great Hero Kang Wi-ryong. Is he perhaps staying here?”

“Whom shall I say is calling?”

The boy’s immediate response brightened Dan Ahk-seon’s face.

Fortunately, they had found the right place.

“Please tell him that Dan Ahk-seon requests an audience.”

“Huh?”

The boy’s eyes widened.

“Could it be… the esteemed Doctor Dan of Muwi, known as the Divine Doctor?”

“You know me?”

At Dan Ahk-seon’s question, the boy nodded with a bright smile.

“Of course! I’ve heard a lot about you from my master.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the boy shouted loudly toward the hut.

“Master! Come out! You have a guest! It’s Doctor Dan of Muwi!”

Thump.

It was then that the door of the hut opened, and a man with a particularly tall stature walked out.

It was Kang Wi-ryong.

His appearance itself hadn’t changed much from ten years ago.

However, his demeanor was quite different from the past.

Though his words used to be light, and he possessed the free-spirited and hearty nature befitting the title of Jugwangdogwi (Drunken Mad Demon), he was now very calm and had a somewhat heavy look in his eyes.

“It’s been a while,” Dan Ahk-seon said with a smile.

However, Kang Wi-ryong, who had been silently scrutinizing Dan Ahk-seon, frowned.

“You’re a mess.”

At his blunt words, confusion arose in the eyes of Bang So-bang and Woon Joong-san, who were standing beside Dan Ahk-seon.

On the other hand, Dan Ahk-seon smiled bitterly.

He might be able to deceive everyone else, but he couldn’t escape the discerning eyes of a master who proudly held a name among the Five Greats of the World.

“Those people wouldn’t have readily allowed you to travel, would they?”

At Kang Wi-ryong’s subsequent question, Dan Ahk-seon quietly smiled.

“They trust me that much.”

“Hmm…”

After staring intently at Dan Ahk-seon with a strange look for a moment,

Kang Wi-ryong turned his gaze toward Bang So-bang and Woon Joong-san, who were standing there with puzzled expressions.

“Are they your companions?”

“They are my friends.”

No sooner had Dan Ahk-seon finished speaking than Bang So-bang stepped forward and bowed his head.

“Bang So-bang, a junior of the Beggars’ Union, greets Great Hero Kang Wi-ryong.”

A different light flashed in Kang Wi-ryong’s eyes.

He, too, had heard stories about the rising new master of the Beggars’ Union who had recently come to prominence.

“I am Mu-gyeol of the Wudang Sect. I consider it an honor to meet one of the Five Greats of the World, whom I have always admired.”

Kang Wi-ryong chuckled and nodded.

“Come on in, for now.”

At that moment, Bang So-bang lifted the large fish he had brought.

“It’s a small token of my sincerity.”

“Like master, like disciple.”

“Pardon?”

“I heard that Hong Du-ta has a disciple he took in his old age. They say he’s called Soseogae (Little Rat Beggar) because he eavesdrops on everything like a rat?”

Bang So-bang’s face turned red in an instant.

He never imagined that a master of Kang Wi-ryong’s caliber would know his childhood nickname.

But soon, doubt crept in.

“How do you know so well?”

“He was one of my few kindred spirits.”

“Kindred spirits?”

“He was the only one with whom I could have a candid conversation about alcohol. Unlike those who flattered me just to chase the taste of alcohol, he was a friend who truly understood and appreciated the way of the drink [the philosophy and appreciation of alcohol] that I pursued.”

It was the first time Bang So-bang had heard this story.

He knew that Yi Rip liked alcohol, but he never knew that he had such a close friendship with Jugwangdogwi.

“He shouldn’t have gone like that… He left too soon.”

At Kang Wi-ryong’s sincere tone, Bang So-bang’s eyes welled up with tears without him realizing it.

Although he had passed away, someone still remembered and mourned his master.

It was then that Kang Wi-ryong opened his mouth toward the boy.

“Take it and cook it.”

“Yes, Master.”

The boy took the fish from Bang So-bang’s hand and disappeared into the kitchen.

“Since I’ve received a gift from a beggar, I can’t just let you go empty-handed. Come in. I’ll offer you a drink or two.”

As Kang Wi-ryong disappeared into the hut first, Bang So-bang, who had been wiping away tears, grinned.

“Did you see that? This brother’s grand plan.”

Bang So-bang boasted.

“My master said so. If you’re a martial artist, you must taste the Peach Blossom Spring (Doenghyang) at least once.”

“Ah, so?”

At Woon Joong-san’s question, Bang So-bang nodded with a hopeful expression.

Shortly after, as the three entered the hut, Kang Wi-ryong was already waiting for them, having placed a jug of alcohol on the table.

“Ooh! Is that the Peach Blossom Spring?”

Although the jar was sealed with several layers of oiled paper, the room was already filled with a fragrant aroma.

And as Kang Wi-ryong tore off the seal, the fragrance became explosively richer.

Gurgle, gurgle.

As Kang Wi-ryong tilted the jar, translucent, light red alcohol filled the glasses.

“This is the alcohol I promised to drink with you someday.”

Dan Ahk-seon, recalling the time he had a bet with Kang Wi-ryong long ago, quietly smiled.

He was too young to drink at the time, but now there was no reason to refuse.

Dan Ahk-seon took a sip of the Peach Blossom Spring, savored it for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

“So this is what it tastes like.”

At that moment, as if possessed by something, Bang So-bang approached the table.

However, there was someone who grabbed Bang So-bang’s shoulder to stop him.

It was Woon Joong-san.

“Ah, why?”

Behind Bang So-bang’s urgent gaze, Woon Joong-san opened his mouth toward Kang Wi-ryong.

“May I ask what you meant by what you said earlier?”

“…?”

“The conversation you had with Ahk-seon earlier. What’s a mess, and why does Ahk-seon need to get permission?”

Instead of answering, Kang Wi-ryong looked at Dan Ahk-seon and asked.

“Didn’t you say they were your friends?”

There was a hint of reproach in his question, as if asking why they didn’t know.

In response, Dan Ahk-seon quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, your demeanor has changed a lot.”

Knowing his intentions all too well, Kang Wi-ryong chuckled.

“The last time I saw you was ten years ago. It’s been a time when mountains and rivers change, so there’s no reason why people should always be the same.”

“Was there any special occasion?”

“Nothing much. I just feel more at ease now that I’ve let go of what I was obsessed with.”

“What did you let go of?”

“Empty fame (虛名).”

At Kang Wi-ryong’s subsequent words, Dan Ahk-seon couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

“On that day, all of the Five Greats of the World were together in Shinji. But the person who actually embraced the Heavenly Demon and committed mutual destruction (同歸於盡) [a suicide attack to kill the enemy] was someone else.”

“…”

“One of us should have rightfully played that role. As much as we were called the Five Greats of the World and received respect, we should have lived up to that name. But we placed all that burden on a boy who wasn’t even twenty years old. How can we not be ashamed?”

“That’s…”

“I’m not the only one who felt a similar sense of doubt. Although they didn’t say it, everyone in that place had a similar look in their eyes.”

Kang Wi-ryong raised his glass to his mouth.

It was after he slowly emptied a glass of alcohol that he spoke again after a while.

“Feeling doubtful, I thought I no longer deserved to be called one of the Five Greats of the World. So I tried to step down from that position.”

From there, Kang Wi-ryong began to wander the Jianghu [the martial arts world] to find a suitable place for seclusion.

Then, he happened to visit a village where he had stayed for a while in the past, and there he met his current disciple, the boy.

“His name is Jin Neung-ha. It’s been eight years since I took in the boy, who was just a babe in arms at the time, and settled here. It was shortly after he was weaned.”

Kang Wi-ryong’s eyes softened as he mentioned his disciple.

The moment he felt the affection settled within, something flashed through Dan Ahk-seon’s mind.

“Could it be…?”

Dan Ahk-seon, who was about to ask a question unintentionally, trailed off.

It could be a big discourtesy.

In response, Kang Wi-ryong chuckled and nodded.

“Looks like you’ve noticed.”

In fact, from the moment he first saw the boy, Dan Ahk-seon had been harboring curiosity.

That’s because Kang Wi-ryong’s disciple had eyes and a nose that resembled his master, Kang Wi-ryong, so much.

Sure enough.

“There was a woman I once shared affection with.”

Kang Wi-ryong continued with a lonely expression.

“Faced with opposition from her family, she couldn’t marry me, and in the end, I had to let her go.”

It was only later that he found out, but there was already a life between the two of them growing in her womb.

“She gave birth alone, and when her family found out, they kicked her out.”

She, who had grown up as the precious daughter of a prestigious family, was thrown into the middle of the world without a place to rely on.

The place she chose to survive with her only young child was a brothel (妓樓) [a house of prostitution].

Because she had excellent skills in poetry, writing, music, and painting (詩書琴畵) [the four arts of a scholar], which she had cultivated as accomplishments since she was a child, it was not difficult to live as a courtesan (藝妓) [a female entertainer skilled in the arts].

Then, a high-ranking official who liked her wanted to take her as a concubine, and she readily agreed.

It was because of her maternal love that she wanted to provide a stable environment, at least for her child.

“Fortunately, the high-ranking official was of good character, so he put her child’s name on his own family register.”

As she wished, the child grew up safely, got married, and started a family.

And he passed the civil service examination and entered government service, just like his father.

“I saw the father of that boy for the first time in that village I visited again after a long time. It was in the place where he was being dragged to the execution ground, tied with ropes.”

Kang Wi-ryong could not forget the moment when their eyes met by chance.

“I couldn’t take my eyes off him.”

He realized for the first time how strong the pull of blood was.

Jin Neung-ha’s father.

His son as well.

He couldn’t sleep that night because he couldn’t forget the sight of him looking at himself with a lonely smile until the end, so he headed to the prison that night.

―I want to die as a proud descendant of the Jin family until the end.

Those were all the words the son left behind in response to Kang Wi-ryong’s offer to get him out of this place.

And the next morning, he disappeared as dew on the execution ground.

“Ah!”

Dan Ahk-seon let out a sigh of regret.

Then, he suddenly paused and asked back.

“You said that was eight years ago? Do you happen to know his position?”

Coincidentally, it was the time when Neung So-mil was newly assigned to the Dochalwon (都察院, Censorate) [an ancient Chinese governmental organization that acted as a high-level supervisory agency] and given a new mission.

He had once heard a story that some of his subordinates were caught up in the Eastern Depot’s (東廠) [a secret police organization in the Ming dynasty] plot and eliminated in order to check Neung So-mil, who was seizing control of the Dochalwon and expanding his influence at the time.

It was also one of the reasons why Neung So-mil gritted his teeth if he was from the Eastern Depot even now.

But as expected.

“He was a Gyeongryeok (經歷, official in charge of records) of Jongyukpum (從六品, Junior Sixth Rank) belonging to the Dochalwon.”

At Kang Wi-ryong’s answer, Dan Ahk-seon once again let out a heavy sigh.

The Gyeongryeok was an official in charge of records within the Dochalwon.

They were the ones Neung So-mil particularly cherished.

“Don’t worry. I don’t have any resentment towards him.”

Kang Wi-ryong, who started like that, continued.

“Anyway, I went to find the child’s mother that way.”

The Eastern Depot, once entangled, would not let go of other family members easily.

Knowing this better than anyone else, she entrusted her grandson to Kang Wi-ryong.

And a few days later, she hanged herself with her daughter-in-law.

“I took that boy as my disciple that day. Although he inherited my blood, he had a father and grandfather who used the Jin family name.”

That was the reason why he couldn’t reveal himself as his great-grandfather.

There was no family without a story in the world, and Kang Wi-ryong was no exception.

Dan Ahk-seon finally understood why his atmosphere had changed so much from before.

It was then.

The door opened and Kang Wi-ryong’s grandson, whom he had taken as his disciple, entered.

He was holding a large plate with his hands.

Kang Wi-ryong chuckled.

“My disciple’s cooking skills are quite skillful, so it will be worth eating.”