The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 53

The Divine Devil Doctor (53)

“How can we trust those guys? They act like they’d give us their liver and gallbladder now that they need us, but their roots are in the Orthodox Sect. It wouldn’t be surprising if they discarded us at any moment. It’s especially suspicious to entrust a heavy responsibility like the Pasa Chief to a demonic figure like the Seven Fiends Demon Lord. Do you really think they’ll keep their faith to the end? I don’t think so. They’ll use us as much as they need and then abandon us without regret.”

Cho Ak-ryang nodded.

Even though he was supposedly the leader of an information organization, he had considerable insight.

“So? Do you have anywhere to go now?”

Neng So-mil wore a bitter smile.

Fortunately, he had saved his life, but now he could no longer return to the Shinso Group. Unless the Murim Alliance [a coalition of martial arts clans] guys were fools, they would have issued an arrest warrant.

“I’m going to kill that bastard Lee Gyu first and then think about it.”

“With that body of yours?”

Neng So-mil emitted a thick murderous aura from his eyes.

“A guy like that only needs one tooth. I’m going to chew him up from head to toe, bones and all.”

“Good. Then we’ll talk again after that.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t I say? I’m a person who repays debts and settles grudges.”

Cho Ak-ryang smiled slyly.

“And I always keep my word.”

With those words, Cho Ak-ryang took something out of his pocket and threw it to Neng So-mil. Neng So-mil, caught off guard, received it and looked at Cho Ak-ryang with doubtful eyes.

“What is this?”

“It’s a spirit pill.”

“A spirit pill?”

In reality, it was a health pill made by Dan Ak-seon, but Cho Ak-ryang nodded.

He had never eaten spirit pills like the Great Revitalizing Pill of Shaolin or the Violet Cloud Pill of Mount Hua, so he couldn’t compare, but the efficacy he had experienced with his body so far was tremendous.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Leaving those words behind, Cho Ak-ryang disappeared. It was a terrifying Shin-beop [a technique of extreme speed and stealth] that was hard to believe even when seeing it with his own eyes.

“What? Suddenly…….”

Muttering with a dazed expression, Neng So-mil looked at the pill that Cho Ak-ryang had left behind.

“Surely it’s not poison, is it?”

Neng So-mil stared at the pill for a moment before letting out a smirk.

There was no reason to save a dying man only to kill him again.

Besides, Cho Ak-ryang was a person who was far from poison from the start. No, he was a person who hated poison itself. The fact that his feud with the Tang Clan arose because of poison was already a famous anecdote in Murim [the martial arts world].

The Tang Clan had dispatched the best martial artist in their family to kill Cho Ak-ryang.

Cheonsuamje.

His martial prowess was as great as his reputation, and it was openly said that he would be next in line if a seat among the Heavenly Five Masters became vacant.

That’s how deeply ingrained their mutual resentment was.

‘Well, even he has become a lonely soul under the moon now.’

Cho Ak-ryang had simultaneously drowned three such monsters in the underworld.

If he wanted to, he could have killed him with a flick of his finger.

There was no reason for him to bother using poison.

Neng So-mil carefully peeled off the beeswax that was wrapping the pill.

Then, a pungent and fragrant smell spread around.

Neng So-mil could immediately understand why Cho Ak-ryang had called it a spirit pill. Fearing that the medicinal energy would dissipate, Neng So-mil quickly brought the pill to his mouth and chewed it.

Soon, a warm energy filled his entire body, and the pain began to subside in an instant.

Neng So-mil couldn’t help but be amazed at the effect, which far exceeded his expectations.

“At least you have a conscience, you son of a bitch.”

At that moment, a shadow fell behind Neng So-mil.

“……!”

Startled, Neng So-mil hurriedly turned around. But there was no one there. It was the shadow of a tree caused by the moon, which had briefly revealed itself through the clouds.

“Hoo.”

Neng So-mil let out a sigh of relief and calmed his surprised heart.

Then, he slapped his mouth with his palm.

“Watch your mouth!”

Neng So-mil, who had been waiting endlessly for Cho Ak-ryang, pondered repeatedly.

Cho Ak-ryang said he would return, but he couldn’t just stay here forever. Before long, the deaths of the interrogator and the Pasa Chief would be known, and it was obvious that the Murim Alliance would search the area.

‘Should I just run away?’

Just as he was seriously contemplating this.

Thud!

Something heavy fell in front of his eyes.

Neng So-mil’s eyes widened as he reflexively stepped back in surprise.

“Huh?”

The man who had been thrown to the ground.

His face was all too familiar.

The other person also recognized Neng So-mil and was startled.

“C, Chief!”

Neng So-mil’s eyes widened as he recognized Lee Gyu’s face. At that moment, Cho Ak-ryang descended between the two.

“Why did you bring that bastard here?”

At Neng So-mil’s question, Cho Ak-ryang asked back with a puzzled expression.

“Didn’t you say you’d think about it after killing this bastard first?”

“That bastard looks perfectly fine, though?”

No matter how he looked at it, Lee Gyu didn’t seem to be seriously injured.

On the other hand, he had been tortured and was in no condition to fight.

Cho Ak-ryang chuckled and asked Neng So-mil.

“Didn’t you say you only needed your teeth?”

The expression on Neng So-mil’s face, which had initially been bewildered, began to be filled with venom.

“I did.”

Crack.

Neng So-mil gritted his teeth once and glared at Lee Gyu with fighting spirit.

“C, Chief! Please listen to me…….”

“Shut up and come at me.”

Neng So-mil, his face contorted like a Yaksha [a fierce, demon-like being], moved towards Lee Gyu.

“I’m going to chew you up from now on.”

Neng So-mil screamed and rushed towards Lee Gyu. And soon, they became entangled in a dogfight.

However, Neng So-mil was severely injured and could not fully display his martial arts.

However, his spirit was different.

Neng So-mil rushed to kill, disregarding his own life, while Lee Gyu was only thinking of running away at the opportunity.

The difference in their attitude towards the fight showed a clear difference in results.

While entangled and tumbling over each other, Lee Gyu’s Eagle Claw Technique was embedded in Neng So-mil’s side.

“Ugh!”

Neng So-mil, who had vomited a mouthful of blood, laughed like a demon.

“……!”

Lee Gyu’s heart sank.

The sight of Neng So-mil, his face covered in blood, narrowing the distance was all the more terrifying.

Neng So-mil spat the blood that had pooled in his mouth towards Lee Gyu’s face. While he was floundering in embarrassment, Neng So-mil climbed onto Lee Gyu’s chest and sat down.

Lee Gyu’s arms were completely sealed by tucking them under his thighs.

Neng So-mil tilted his head back.

Then, he headbutted Lee Gyu’s face.

Crack!

Once.

Crunch!

And twice.

After five consecutive headbutts that completely crushed Lee Gyu’s face, Neng So-mil laughed like a madman without even wiping the blood flowing from his torn forehead.

Meanwhile, Cho Ak-ryang, who had been preparing to intervene at any time if Neng So-mil was in danger, was inwardly impressed by the unexpected result.

He didn’t expect Neng So-mil, who was not in good condition, to beat a perfectly fine guy to death.

Cho Ak-ryang couldn’t help but acknowledge that much of his venom.

Cho Ak-ryang approached Neng So-mil, who was panting.

“Is there anyone else left to kill?”

“There’s one more, but I’m going to give up.”

Cho Ak-ryang made a puzzled expression at the unexpected answer. But he chuckled at Neng So-mil’s subsequent words.

“That person is beyond my ability.”

“Then let’s continue our story. What are you going to do now? Do you have anywhere to go?”

“I’ll have to go into some mountain and live in hiding. Damn it! Wolhyang told me to come and play because she opened a new brothel!”

“If the Cheonidan [a powerful group within the Murim Alliance] comes out in full force, there will be nowhere to hide, right?”

“Is there any other way? Then I’ll have to die.”

Neng So-mil lay flat on the floor and took a rough breath.

“Don’t worry. I won’t mention the Venerable’s name even then. If you’re still suspicious, you can just kill me cleanly here.”

Neng So-mil muttered, looking at the sky as if he didn’t care anymore.

Looking down at such Neng So-mil, Cho Ak-ryang said.

“Get up.”

“Are you really going to kill me?”

Cho Ak-ryang chuckled at the expression on Neng So-mil’s face, which was filled with tension.

“I’ll provide you with a place to stay.”

After much deliberation, Neng So-mil finally decided to follow Cho Ak-ryang.

After all, it was unlikely that he would survive no matter where he went.

Fifteen days later.

‘No. This isn’t it.’

Neng So-mil couldn’t believe the current situation.

He wanted to turn around and run away without looking back.

But it was an impossible dream.

On the right, Blood Demon Venerable was holding out, and on the left, Mangsang Choja was standing.

‘And even Bingok Seonja!’

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was.

‘How can I live in a place like this?’

He would rather be chased by the Murim Alliance guys.

Of course, Cho Ak-ryang had briefly told him a few things before coming here.

But there was no story about them.

Besides…….

‘Sujeongwi [a title for someone obsessed with money]!’

He never imagined that he would encounter the money-crazed ghost that the Murim Alliance was looking for with their eyes wide open in this place.

Sa Mu-sim, who met Neng So-mil’s eyes full of confused emotions, gave him a good-natured smile.

However, Neng So-mil shuddered.

The tenacious money-crazed ghost who, once entangled, had nowhere to run but the afterlife.

Because he knew the notoriety well, Sa Mu-sim’s smile felt creepy and ominous.

Besides…….

‘This kid is the son of the Divine and the Devil?’

Neng So-mil, who was the leader of an information organization, knew about the rumors that had recently started in the Murim Alliance.

It was about how the successor of Seongsu Shin-ui’s legacy had treated the Murim Alliance Lord’s daughter.

Moreover, he had treated her severed meridians.

But he was so young.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Dan Ak-seon shed a pitiful look at Neng So-mil’s appearance, which had been messed up by torture.

“To keep your loyalty to Uncle Cho even while being subjected to such harsh torture…….”

At Dan Ak-seon’s words, Neng So-mil just smiled bitterly.

It wasn’t that he wanted to protect him.

It was just spite.

“Fortunately, you took good emergency measures.”

Neng So-mil tilted his head at Dan Ak-seon’s words.

“Emergency measures? I didn’t do anything…….”

In an instant, Neng So-mil’s heart sank at the murderous intent pouring out from all directions.

It was a terrifying murderous intent that would stop his heart as he sat there.

“……yo.”

Neng So-mil quickly changed his tone to a polite one.

Then, the murderous intent that had been tearing his whole body apart disappeared like a lie.

“You contracted your muscles to fix the broken ribs?”

Dan Ak-seon looked at Cho Ak-ryang with admiring eyes.

This was because the ribs were a place where it was difficult to maintain the state of bone setting even if splints were applied because the broken area would open up every time he breathed.

Cho Ak-ryang smiled awkwardly.

He prided himself on being the best in the Central Plains, at least when it came to Geumna-soo [a bone-setting technique].

He had no choice but to have a high understanding of the movement of bones, joints, and muscles.

“It’s a crude level compared to Dan Doctor’s medical skills.”

Neng So-mil was embarrassed by Cho Ak-ryang’s humble appearance.

This was because it was so unexpected that the Blood Demon Venerable of the world would respect the other person in such a humble manner.

Dan Ak-seon admired it again.

“If you apply martial arts, this kind of treatment is also possible.”

Dan Ak-seon smiled and said to Neng So-mil.

“You were lucky. If you hadn’t met Uncle Cho in time, you would have been much worse off now.”

Neng So-mil, who looked around, wondered if he was really lucky.

‘Everywhere is full of monsters, can I drink water comfortably?’

Dan Ak-seon, who had no way of knowing such Neng So-mil’s inner thoughts, continued.

“You need rest for the time being. The broken ribs will heal over time, and fortunately, the internal injuries have also improved. It seems that all you have to do is treat the burned areas and prevent the external wounds from getting worse. Until your condition improves, try not to move as much as possible and get plenty of rest.”

Dan Ak-seon looked around the group and asked for their opinions.

“If everyone else allows it, I think it would be good to stay here, what do you think?”

“If Doctor Dan is okay with it.”

In response to Beom Gye-wi’s acceptance, Han Seol-hwa also nodded in response.

Sa Mu-sim also gave a good-natured smile.

“I’m fine with it too. Hehe.”

In this way, the stay in Sinmagok was decided unanimously regardless of the will of Neng So-mil, who was the person involved.