The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 51

The Divine Doctor of the Demonic Path (51)

“Huh?”

Ah Du was bewildered.

The person he had been chasing had suddenly vanished.

He had confirmed the figure turning the corner of the alley and immediately ran after them, but there was no one in sight.

Moreover, the alley was a dead end.

At that moment, a chilling voice came from behind him.

“Are you from the Beggar Clan (a large, influential network of beggars)?”

Startled, Ah Du turned around to see the man who had disappeared blocking the entrance to the alley he had entered.

“What level disciple are you?”

“Excuse me?”

Ah Du was perplexed.

What was this Beggar Clan, and what were these levels? Then, he suddenly remembered something.

The world’s greatest gang, composed of beggars, the Beggars’ Sect.

There was no place in the world without beggars. Wherever people lived, there were beggars, and many of them belonged to the Beggars’ Sect.

Of course, it had nothing to do with him.

Ah Du, intimidated by Lee Gyu’s aura, answered in a barely audible voice.

“I am not a martial artist.”

Lee Gyu stared at Ah Du with cold eyes.

Indeed, there was no knot symbolizing a Beggars’ Sect disciple anywhere to be seen.

“Then why were you following me?”

“It’s because I’m looking for someone named Neung So-mil…”

Lee Gyu’s eyes flashed.

“What for?”

“That, I cannot say… Aaaagh!”

A scream erupted from Ah Du’s mouth.

Lee Gyu’s hook-like hand gripped his shoulder. If he wasn’t a disciple of the Beggars’ Sect, but just a street beggar, there was no reason for him to hold back.

“The Eagle Claw Hand I’ve mastered can make finger holes in most rocks. But what do you think would happen if the target were a human body?”

Lee Gyu’s eyes turned grim.

In the face of the terrible pain of his shoulder being torn off, Ah Du hurriedly opened his mouth.

“A letter! I was told to deliver a letter!”

“Who told you to?”

“I don’t know their name! Aaaagh!”

Lee Gyu searched Ah Du’s body and found the letter, pausing for a moment.

It was because of the red letter written in the center of the letter.

Blood (a symbol of urgency or a threat).

The moment he saw the single, scrawled character, he felt the blood in his whole body boiling.

‘It’s him!’

Although there was no other content, Lee Gyu immediately sensed that this was the person behind Neung So-mil’s order to investigate the Murim Alliance.

Heaven was truly giving him a chance.

Lee Gyu lowered his head, bringing his gaze close to Ah Du’s.

“Follow me. If you try anything funny…”

Lee Gyu trailed off, smiling quietly.

The murderous intent layered on top of the eerie smile was threat enough.

Ah Du nodded with a frightened face.

“Good.”

With a satisfied expression, Lee Gyu began to walk. Ah Du hurriedly followed behind Lee Gyu.

At that moment, raindrops began to fall from the sky.

Swish!

The raindrops, which had been falling one or two at a time, soon turned into thick streaks of rain, loudly drumming against the ground. People walking along the street hurriedly began to run from the sudden rain. But Lee Gyu still leisurely continued to walk.

Because of this, Ah Du had to endure the pouring rain.

It was then that Lee Gyu, who was walking ahead, suddenly spoke.

“Have you delivered this kind of letter before?”

“Yes…”

“When was that?”

Ah Du rummaged through his memories and readily revealed the date he had delivered the letter.

Lee Gyu’s eyes narrowed.

‘That was the day.’

Ye-wol-hyang, the famous courtesan of Hyang-yeon-ru (a high-end courtesan house).

It was the day Neung So-mil, who had confidently set out to embrace her, returned with a hollow look on his face.

Looking back, his behavior had definitely changed noticeably from that day on.

‘There was nothing written in the letter.’

That meant the meeting place had been decided in advance.

As the vice leader, he knew all of Sinsobang’s (likely a gang or organization) secret meeting places.

‘Heaven is really helping me.’

Meeting the young beggar who identified himself as Ah Du, and that beggar just happening to have a letter from someone suspected to be the mastermind.

It was as if it had all been arranged for him.

‘Only an idiot would pass up this kind of opportunity.’

Suddenly, Ah Du felt a chill in his chest.

Lee Gyu, who had stopped in the middle of the bridge, was staring at him expressionlessly.

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t said thank you yet.”

Ah Du wanted to say something, but he couldn’t.

Lee Gyu, who had rushed in like a bolt of lightning, had struck a pressure point.

Instantly, Ah Du’s body stiffened, and his face turned pale.

“You’ve done well.”

With those words, Lee Gyu pushed Ah Du over the bridge railing.

Ah Du screamed, but even this was swallowed by the sound of the pouring rain.

Splash.

Creating a splash, Ah Du sank below the stream.

It was late at night, and it was raining, so there was no one walking on the bridge. Even if he was found somewhere downstream by chance, there would be no traces left on the drowned body.

It was truly a perfect way to eliminate evidence.

“Is the only thing left negotiating with the Murim Alliance (a martial arts alliance)?”

Lee Gyu, who thought he had grasped the hilt of the sword, immediately began to walk towards the Murim Alliance branch.

* * *

A dilapidated temple located on the outskirts of Nan-ju (a city or region).

The temple, which had not been touched by human hands for a long time, was extremely shabby. No, it was so shabby that it seemed like it would collapse at the slightest touch.

The pillars supporting the walls were leaning at an angle, and the roof, barely held together by dirt and tiles, was also half-collapsed and could collapse at any moment.

“Tsk.”

Cho Ak-ryang clicked his tongue briefly.

Because the severely leaking roof made it pointless to try to avoid the rain.

His whole body had been soaked by the rain pouring down from everywhere for a long time.

Moreover, what was even more annoying was that Neung So-mil was still nowhere to be seen, even though the appointed time had passed.

How much time had passed?

Cho Ak-ryang’s eyebrows twitched.

Because he sensed the presence surrounding the abandoned temple. And it wasn’t just one or two people.

‘Twenty… no, is it twenty-one people?’

At that moment, someone entered the temple.

Cho Ak-ryang was able to immediately identify the person’s face.

‘That bastard?’

It was someone he recognized.

It was Palbi-yosu Wang Il-cheon, one of the henchmen of No Dan-yang, the Seven Fiends Monarch, who had now turned traitor.

Cho Ak-ryang’s mouth tasted bitter.

It was because Wang Il-cheon was wearing the uniform of the Murim Alliance, specifically the Pasa-dan (likely a division or unit within the Murim Alliance).

‘Did he sell me out…?’

He thought he had a good eye for people, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. He never imagined Neung So-mil would betray him.

‘There’s no choice.’

Now that things had come to this, there was no reason to stay here any longer.

“How amusing.”

Wang Il-cheon was startled by the voice that came from the darkness.

“Who is it!”

No sooner had Wang Il-cheon’s words fallen than the Pasa-dan warriors rushed into the abandoned temple. The torches they held in their hands flickered, dispelling the darkness inside the temple.

Cho Ak-ryang, who had been hiding in the darkness, walked out into the flickering light.

“How pathetic. The Pasa-dan is following such a low-level gang from the Demonic side (Sapa, often refers to unorthodox or evil martial arts sects).”

Wang Il-cheon, who had been wearing a dazed expression for a moment, recognized Cho Ak-ryang and gasped.

“H- Blood Demon Lord!”

Wang Il-cheon’s voice trembled severely, he was so flustered.

He never imagined he would suddenly run into Cho Ak-ryang in such a place.

‘Damn it!’

Among the words uttered by the person who identified himself as the vice leader of Sinsobang, there was no mention of him anywhere.

He had only said that there was someone suspected of ordering Neung So-mil, the leader of Sinsobang, to investigate the Murim Alliance, and that there was a place expected to be his meeting place.

Still, he couldn’t just ignore it since he had received the information.

But Cho Ak-ryang, of all people.

It was like poking around in a rabbit hole and suddenly a tiger popping out.

‘What should I do?’

Wang Il-cheon’s mind was filled with the thought of escaping this place immediately.

If the entire Pasa-dan had concentrated their forces here, it might have been different, but with this number of people, he didn’t dare to try to fight.

Like fire spreading to dry firewood, his agitation quickly spread to those around him.

Then, one of his subordinates opened his mouth.

“L- Leader. Shouldn’t we report to the Danju (likely a commander or leader of the Pasa-dan) first?”

The moment Wang Il-cheon heard the terrified voice of his subordinate, it was as if a ray of light was shining in front of his dark eyes.

It was a plausible excuse.

In any situation, reporting should be the top priority.

No matter how ruthless No Dan-yang was, he would give a reward if he deserved it, but he wouldn’t punish him.

It was then.

“You’re still a coward, now as ever. Fine, I’ll give you a special chance out of old friendship. Go back.”

A look of bewilderment appeared on Wang Il-cheon’s face at Cho Ak-ryang’s words.

‘He’s just going to let us go?’

There was no way the Blood Demon Lord would show mercy for no reason.

Then, he suddenly remembered a story he had heard before.

The Murim Alliance experts who had been dispatched to kill Cho Ak-ryang had eventually lost their lives, but he wouldn’t be safe either.

The person who had recovered the bodies at the time was his superior, No Dan-yang.

He was also a martial arts expert.

His conclusion, based on the traces left at the scene, was reliable enough. Wang Il-cheon decided to probe him slightly, even if he had to retreat.

“Are you really the Jonja (a respectful title, possibly meaning ‘master’ or ‘lord’) I knew? I never knew you were such a generous person.”

Cho Ak-ryang frowned.

“Too much suspicion is a disease.”

Wang Il-cheon’s suspicion deepened even further.

Cho Ak-ryang was not the kind of person who would bother to say so much; he would have just killed them.

At this time, Cho Ak-ryang’s appearance caught his eye.

There was something strange about Cho Ak-ryang’s appearance, soaked like a drowned rat.

Then, something suddenly came to mind.

Cho Ak-ryang was an expert who had reached the realm of Simui-ungi (a high level of martial arts mastery, possibly involving mind-body coordination), where his true energy would rise on its own if he willed it.

Moreover, he hated getting his clothes wet.

Even if he had no choice but to get caught in the rain, he would surround himself with Hosinganggi (protective energy shield) to block the rain altogether.

The sight of raindrops sliding off as if blocked by an invisible wall when they reached near Cho Ak-ryang was amazing in itself at the time.

Now, it was quite the contrast from then.

Looking closely, his fingertips were faintly trembling.

Moreover, he was trying to hide it, but there was a clear sign of anxiety somewhere.

“…….”

Wang Il-cheon was certain.

Various circumstances indicated that Cho Ak-ryang was injured.

Wang Il-cheon secretly sent a telepathic message to his subordinates.

The atmosphere of the Pasa-dan, which had been shrinking, changed in an instant.

They began to give off a chilling look, like hungry wild dogs surrounding a wounded beast. When the heightened murderous intent reached its peak, Wang Il-cheon’s cold voice shook the air inside the temple.

“Attack!”

No sooner had his command fallen than the warriors of the Pasa-dan rushed towards Cho Ak-ryang all at once.

At that moment.

“……?”

As expected, Cho Ak-ryang was retreating. But what was that faint smile on his lips?

A deep sense of doubt arose in Wang Il-cheon’s eyes.

‘Could it be?’

Wang Il-cheon felt his heart sink.

“A trap…!”

Wang Il-cheon hurriedly opened his mouth to warn his subordinates.

But before he could finish speaking, the room suddenly went dark. The sudden, powerful force had extinguished all the torches they had brought.

Darkness instantly swallowed the surroundings.

In that darkness, terrible sounds erupted one after another.

Crack.

“Kkeuaak!”

Crunch.

“Keok!”

Startled, Wang Il-cheon hurriedly backed away.

At that moment, Wang Il-cheon’s nose was torn off with a burning sensation. Before he could even scream, Wang Il-cheon staggered backward.

If he had been even a little late, he would have been mixed in with those screams as well.

‘Damn it!’

Wang Il-cheon couldn’t come to his senses from the overwhelming despair that washed over him.

He had been completely deceived.

If they missed even one of them, a report would be sent to the Murim Alliance. To prevent this, Cho Ak-ryang had lured them to a distance where he could kill them all at once.

Wang Il-cheon turned around and began to run.

It was difficult to even gauge the direction because it was late at night and it was pouring rain, but he just ran blindly.

But this was also a meaningless escape.

Because Cho Ak-ryang was already standing like a ghost at the entrance of the village he had reached, panting for breath.