The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 65

A secluded mountain path, far removed from the clamor of the martial world.

An urgent figure on horseback raced along the ascending mountain trail.

A man, Poong Jin-sung, urged his steed onward, his face etched with worry.

Not long ago, a messenger hawk from Neung So-mil had arrived at the Jin-sung family estate.

The message, however, was brief and lacked detailed context, prompting him to ride out immediately. Recent rumors involving Dan Ahk-seon had already put him on edge.

He wished he could push the horse faster, but it was already exhausted.

Fortunately, the entrance to Shin-ma Valley came into view.

Worries and anxieties clouded Poong Jin-sung’s mind.

Yet, upon entering Shin-ma Valley, he realized his fears were unfounded.

The defensive formation was not active, and the atmosphere was much the same as always. Relieved, Poong Jin-sung dismounted and headed into the valley.

Then, he encountered an unexpected sight.

He spotted Dan Ahk-seon in the distance, sweating profusely as he moved.

Dan Ahk-seon was diligently practicing footwork, following lines and markings on the ground.

Beside him, Cho Ahk-ryang watched with a sharp gaze.

Occasionally, he would offer corrections to Dan Ahk-seon’s posture and movements.

“Don’t anticipate the next movement before your foot lands. Trust your instincts.”

It was a stern and commanding voice, quite unlike his usual demeanor.

“‘Strike first before his power is complete, yield gently after!’ You must forcefully penetrate before your opponent’s strength is fully formed. Conversely, when receiving your opponent’s force, let it flow away softly.”

Cho Ahk-ryang was imparting the most basic yet crucial teachings of footwork in the form of a mnemonic verse.

The explanation was so complex that it felt like a foreign language to Poong Jin-sung, who had no martial arts training.

Poong Jin-sung simply sat down to watch Dan Ahk-seon’s training.

Fortunately, Cho Ahk-ryang’s comments decreased as the training progressed, suggesting he was pleased with the results.

A faint smile played on his lips. Meanwhile, Han Seol-hwa, watching Dan Ahk-seon’s training from behind, could only offer a look of pity.

Then, suddenly.

“Oh! No!”

Poong Jin-sung stood up without realizing it.

Dan Ahk-seon, moving erratically, seemed to have tangled his footwork, losing his balance and tumbling roughly.

Yet, Cho Ahk-ryang didn’t even flinch.

Neither did Dan Ahk-seon.

Despite the loud fall, which must have been painful, he simply brushed off his scraped knees and resumed the footwork.

Watching this, Poong Jin-sung frowned involuntarily.

Just then, someone approached him and greeted him.

“You’ve arrived?”

It was Neung So-mil.

Poong Jin-sung greeted Neung So-mil with a smile.

“I received the letter you sent. I have a few questions regarding it.”

“I was just thinking of sending an additional letter, as the explanation seemed insufficient.”

Neung So-mil explained in detail what had happened.

Poong Jin-sung listened intently, sometimes surprised, sometimes lost in thought.

“How can those martial artists be so shameless…?”

Poong Jin-sung was genuinely angered by Neung So-mil’s explanation, but soon his concern took over.

Those targeting Dan Ahk-seon were likely not the only ones.

As they were deep in discussion about countermeasures.

“Uncle!”

Poong Jin-sung saw Dan Ahk-seon waving and running towards him. He smiled and handed him a handkerchief.

“Is your training finished?”

“No. I’m just taking a break for about an hour before continuing.”

Poong Jin-sung noticed a large bruise on Dan Ahk-seon’s forehead and frowned. On closer inspection, it wasn’t just his forehead.

His body was covered in scrapes and scratches.

Dan Ahk-seon, reading Poong Jin-sung’s expression, smiled sheepishly.

“Don’t worry. They’re not serious injuries, and I’m treating them as they happen.”

“Like applying saliva to scraped knees.”

“You saw that?”

Poong Jin-sung sighed at Dan Ahk-seon’s awkward smile.

“Even though a monk can’t shave his own head [meaning you can’t help yourself when you’re the best person for the job], you’re still a doctor, after all…”

“Hehe, sorry.”

Poong Jin-sung, gazing intently at Dan Ahk-seon, nodded.

“Still, I’m glad you seem cheerful.”

Having known Poong Jin-sung for a long time, Dan Ahk-seon immediately understood what he wanted to say.

“I’m going to face the world in a different way than my parents did.”

“You’ve made a good decision. Your parents wouldn’t have wanted you to live a life cut off from the world.”

In fact, Poong Jin-sung had always sincerely hoped that Dan Ahk-seon would venture out into the world.

It was then that Dan Ahk-seon hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously.

“I lied to you before, Uncle.”

“…?”

“I said I would be happy living here forever, like my parents.”

Poong Jin-sung looked puzzled.

He vaguely remembered hearing such words before. But Dan Ahk-seon’s next words made him laugh.

“Actually, I was always curious about the outside world. But I was worried about you…”

“Haha. There’s no need to apologize. I knew it all along.”

Poong Jin-sung encouraged Dan Ahk-seon with a warm smile.

“Do your best. You’ll do well here and out there.”

Dan Ahk-seon smiled brightly at the sincere words and turned away. Then, he returned to Cho Ahk-ryang to continue his training.

Poong Jin-sung felt a pang in his heart as he watched him go.

‘You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.’

Poong Jin-sung gazed at Dan Ahk-seon before unpacking the luggage he had brought. He wanted to help Dan Ahk-seon in any way he could, now that he was here.

He was in the middle of moving the luggage to the building when…

“Let me help.”

Cho Ahk-ryang, who had appeared unnoticed, lifted the heavy luggage with ease.

“Thank you.”

Cho Ahk-ryang waved off Poong Jin-sung’s thanks with a nonchalant expression.

“Are these medicinal herbs?”

“Yes. They’re for the Cheong-yang Pill.”

“Cheong-yang Pill?”

“It’s my own improved version of the Sacred Elixir of Divinity, which was my master’s secret recipe.”

Cho Ahk-ryang was taken aback.

Improvement meant fixing flaws to make something better.

“Are you saying that your Cheong-yang Pill is superior to the Sacred Elixir of Divinity?”

Poong Jin-sung smiled and shook his head.

“Of course not.”

“Then why do you call it an improvement?”

“Because I’ve addressed the biggest drawback of the Sacred Elixir of Divinity.”

“Drawback?”

Cho Ahk-ryang tilted his head, but he nodded in agreement at Poong Jin-sung’s next words.

“The cost of the medicinal ingredients required to make just one Sacred Elixir of Divinity is outrageously high.”

Moreover, the quantity that can be produced is very limited.

That’s why he came up with the Cheong-yang Pill.

It couldn’t compare to the Sacred Elixir of Divinity, but its advantage was that it could produce similar effects with common herbs. Although it didn’t have the ability to revive the dying or enhance internal energy, it was sufficient for fatigue recovery and internal injury treatment.

“You can think of it as being about one-tenth as effective as the Sacred Elixir of Divinity, but the manufacturing cost is only one-hundredth.”

“So that’s why you called it an improvement.”

Cho Ahk-ryang nodded.

He had sacrificed some efficacy for the sake of smooth supply but compensated for the drawback of manufacturing costs.

“Would it be comparable to the Small Rejuvenation Pill of Shaolin?”

Poong Jin-sung shook his head with a troubled expression.

“How can I compare it to Shaolin’s secret elixir? Perhaps the Sacred Elixir of Divinity, but…”

“There’s no need to be modest between us. I know your skills well enough.”

Poong Jin-sung, feeling embarrassed, turned his head to look at Dan Ahk-seon.

Dan Ahk-seon was focused on his training, his face serious.

Even after falling and stumbling several times, he immediately got up and corrected his posture, showing a determination that bordered on obsession.

Cho Ahk-ryang, who had been carefully observing him, frowned slightly.

“He’s pushing himself too hard.”

“Should I stop him?”

Han Seol-hwa suddenly spoke, having approached unnoticed.

“It’s been a while.”

Han Seol-hwa responded to Poong Jin-sung’s greeting with a slight nod before looking at Cho Ahk-ryang expectantly.

Poong Jin-sung shook his head as Cho Ahk-ryang hesitated.

“It’s no use.”

Poong Jin-sung smiled wryly at their questioning looks.

“You can’t stop Master Gok-ju [Dan Ahk-seon’s nickname] when he has that look in his eyes.”

“What do you mean?”

At Cho Ahk-ryang’s question, Poong Jin-sung recalled an old memory.

“When Master Gok-ju was five years old, he first learned the art of decocting medicine.”

He remembered how Dan Ahk-seon had guarded the stove, forgetting to sleep, determined to close the gap between himself and the master’s decoctions.

“His concentration and determination at the time were terrifying. So much so that the two masters tried to dissuade him.”

The Divine Doctor and the Demonic Doctor were second to none in their stubbornness.

Yet, even they had to yield to Dan Ahk-seon.

They couldn’t break Dan Ahk-seon’s will despite all their persuasion and threats. Eventually, Dan Ahk-seon collapsed from exhaustion.

Poong Jin-sung suddenly smiled bitterly.

He could still vividly remember the trouble he had gone through, caught between the two masters who were arguing over who Dan Ahk-seon resembled more as they watched him unconscious.

“He had that look in his eyes back then too.”

In the end, Dan Ahk-seon was able to perfectly decoct medicine in just one month.

A result that far exceeded the expectations of the Divine Doctor and the Demonic Doctor, who had asserted that it would take at least half a year.

“I understand now how he possessed such medical skills at that age.”

Han Seol-hwa nodded at Cho Ahk-ryang’s words.

As if suddenly remembering something, Poong Jin-sung looked around.

“Where did the other one go?”

Beom Gye-wi, who never left Dan Ahk-seon’s side, was nowhere to be seen.

“He had some business to take care of.”

Cho Ahk-ryang continued casually.

“We need to make sure to root out those who tried to harm Doctor Dan.”

Poong Jin-sung, thinking of Beom Gye-wi, felt a sense of unease. Reading Poong Jin-sung’s expression, Cho Ahk-ryang smiled quietly.

“Rest assured. It’s just a long walk.”

* * *

Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, was an ancient city with two thousand years of history.

Though it had been pushed to the periphery of the Central Plains with the changing times, it still played a major role in the Central Plains economy thanks to its remarkable commercial development.

The reason why so many sects were competing for power was also due to this.

However, the intense rivalry among them made it difficult for a large faction to establish itself.

There was a time when Jangnakbang had seized control of this area, but the head of the faction died in a full-scale war with the Beggars’ Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects [the most powerful and influential martial arts sects], and they began to decline.

‘Does the saying “flowers have no ten days of red” [meaning nothing lasts forever] ring true…’

Yeop Dan-yeong smiled quietly as he recalled those days while leisurely sipping his tea.

It was around that time that the martial artists in the area, who had been holding their breath under the power of Jangnakbang, began to come together and disperse.

It was a golden opportunity for him, who had been demoted to the periphery due to a power struggle within the organization.

It was only possible for him to rise again as a key figure in the organization, overcoming his bitter despair, because he had accurately grasped and utilized the situation at the time.

A great chaos that was despair for some, but an opportunity for others.

Yeop Dan-yeong was the latter.

The Yeongjo Temple, called the Twin Pagoda Temple, came into view in the distance.

The fact that he could start his day leisurely enjoying tea, using the entire top floor, was success enough.

“Good.”

The feeling of looking down at the people busily passing by below was also special.

But the good feeling didn’t last long.

Yeop Dan-yeong frowned at the sound of hurried footsteps climbing the stairs.

His subordinates, who would not disturb him for trivial matters, especially during his favorite time of day.

Yeop Dan-yeong put down his teacup with a regretful expression.

“What’s going on?”

A subordinate dressed as a waiter prostrated himself before him.

“We’ve lost contact with the children who were secretly tracking Jangnakbang.”

“How long?”

“Since three days ago.”

Yeop Dan-yeong tilted his head.

Contact loss is always expected due to the nature of informants acting independently in crisis situations. However, his face hardened without him realizing it at the subordinate’s next words.

“Even the search team and contact person we sent in case of emergency have disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

The nuance was strange, so he asked again, but the answer that came back was shocking.

“Yes. Like pebbles thrown into a lake, they left no trace.”

“How could that be possible?”

The answer came from an unexpected place.

“Want me to tell you where they are?”