The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 68

He had spoken with difficulty, but Beom Gyewi answered nonchalantly.

“I fixed it.”

“Pardon?”

Beom Gyewi didn’t bother mentioning the Holy Water Shrine. There was no reason to tell them. However, Yeop Danyeong and Baek Woonhwi were simultaneously shocked, left with no choice but to believe his words.

Beom Gyewi’s madness had been cured!

Yeop Danyeong, struggling to suppress his surprise, opened his mouth towards Beom Gyewi.

“We’ve taken control of the inn.”

They had already placed their men in each room and put all the guests to sleep with Dream Mist.

Killing people to silence them was more troublesome than one might think. Aside from disposing of the bodies, a large number of missing persons could lead to an investigation by the Murim Alliance [a coalition of martial arts clans], which could expose their trail.

Only then did Baek Woonhwi realize why the inn was so quiet despite the commotion.

Yeop Danyeong glared at Baek Woonhwi.

“It means we can eliminate the two of you without a trace.”

Baek Woonhwi’s complexion turned pale at Yeop Danyeong’s murderous gaze.

“W-wait! Let’s negotiate!”

Baek Woonhwi hurriedly spoke.

“I have access to confidential information within the Murim Alliance.”

Yeop Danyeong was momentarily tempted.

Obtaining key information from within the Murim Alliance could be used to further solidify his position within the Black Dot.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

He wasn’t foolish enough to indulge his greed with Beom Gyewi right in front of him.

From the start, Beom Gyewi had no intention of letting Baek Woonhwi live.

It was something he shouldn’t even dream of. When his proposal didn’t work, Baek Woonhwi changed his approach.

“C-Seven Illusions Demonic Lord!”

He shouted a name that Beom Gyewi would surely not ignore.

As expected, Beom Gyewi reacted.

“Why that bastard?”

“I know about the deal between the Murim Alliance Leader and him.”

At those words, not only Beom Gyewi but also Yeop Danyeong’s expression changed. Wasn’t that one of the biggest questions in the current Murim?

Why on earth did the Seven Illusions Demonic Lord, one of the Ten Evils [a group of infamous villains], become the Vice Leader of the Murim Alliance?

“What deal?”

“P-promise to spare me.”

“Do I really need to make such a promise?”

Beom Gyewi grinned.

Thud.

Beom Gyewi reached out and grabbed Baek Woonhwi’s arm.

“W-what are you doing…!”

The smile on Beom Gyewi’s face deepened.

“Honestly, I am curious, but not enough to spare you. I’m going to kill that Seven Illusions Demonic Lord anyway. I’ll just ask him then, I guess.”

“W-wait a minute!”

Baek Woonhwi’s startled voice soon turned into a terrible scream.

Snap.

“Kuaaak!”

Beom Gyewi put strength into his hand and tore off Baek Woonhwi’s arm.

Baek Woonhwi, his arm ripped off completely below the shoulder, screamed in horror.

“P-please!”

“This is just the beginning. You’re going to die very painfully.”

When Beom Gyewi grabbed his other hand, Baek Woonhwi shouted.

“I-I’ll do whatever you want! So please!”

“I told you it’s no use.”

Swish!

Eventually, Beom Gyewi tore off his other arm and laid Baek Woonhwi on the table.

Looking at Beom Gyewi’s face looking down at him, Baek Woonhwi realized that he could never get out of here alive.

“You bastard…”

He wanted to curse him, but he couldn’t.

A strange heat that started from Beom Gyewi’s hand began to spread through his body. He felt his meridians [energy channels in the body] getting hot, and soon he felt as if his whole body was burning.

It was a terrible pain that made him forget that he had lost a part of his body.

The problem was that the pain was getting worse and worse.

He wanted to lose his mind, but he wasn’t allowed to.

“There are still four hours until sunrise. We can take our time.”

The moment he heard those words, Baek Woonhwi lost all hope of survival.

“P-please just, k-kill me.”

After an hour of pain as if he had fallen into hell, Baek Woonhwi finally shed tears and begged.

But Beom Gyewi raised his energy even more instead of answering.

“Kuaaak!”

A scream that seemed to take his breath away filled the inn.

He thought that what he had experienced so far was the worst pain, but there was even more pain than that.

Baek Woonhwi thought he would do anything to get out of this pain.

“B-Blood Demon Scripture.”

At that one word, Beom Gyewi withdrew his energy. Then Baek Woonhwi continued as if he had been waiting for it.

“The Murim Alliance obtained the Blood Demon Scripture in the Righteous-Demonic War. But I found out that the Murim Alliance Leader made a handwritten copy before destroying the Blood Demon Scripture.”

“A handwritten copy of the Blood Demon Scripture?”

“After that, the Seven Illusions Demonic Lord came to the Murim Alliance as Vice Leader.”

The book containing the martial arts that was like a symbol of the Demonic Cult was the Blood Demon Scripture. In other words, it was a situation that made sense.

Wasn’t No Danyang the one who was particularly pushed around among the Ten Evils?

That meant that his obsession with power was greater than anyone else’s.

“N-now, please kill me.”

“I will.”

Beom Gyewi smiled meaningfully as he watched Baek Woonhwi close his eyes with a rather comfortable expression.

Beom Gyewi injected energy again.

A tremendous heat beyond imagination enveloped Baek Woonhwi.

Between the tearing screams, Baek Woonhwi raised his bloodshot eyes and glared at Beom Gyewi.

“It’s my decision how to kill you.”

Baek Woonhwi trembled as he saw Beom Gyewi grinning.

“A guy like you shouldn’t die comfortably.”

For a full hour.

Only after feeling the terrible pain of all the nerves in his body burning did Baek Woonhwi breathe his last.

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

Beom Gyewi, who had dealt with Baek Woonhwi, asked, looking at Yeop Danyeong, who was next to him.

“N-no, I don’t.”

“Make sure to clean up the mess.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Have a good one, then.”

Beom Gyewi got up and smiled slightly as he passed Yeop Danyeong.

“See you again.”

At those words, Yeop Danyeong shuddered, recalling the dead Baek Woonhwi.

* * *

“Which one do you think is better?”

Namgoong Baek smiled quietly at the sight of his daughter holding up two kinds of fabric and comparing them.

Her smile, no longer the pale and sickly look of the past, but as bright as a flower, had the power to make him happier than ever.

“Both are good.”

“Dad.”

Namgoong Hyang pouted her lips and then smiled brightly.

“I’m already excited to go back to the family after a long time.”

With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, Namgoong Baek was planning to return to Anhui, where the Namgoong Family was located, for the first time in a long time.

It was because he had been away from the family for a long time due to Namgoong Hyang’s illness.

“I’ve also prepared the Spring Couplets and New Year Pictures in advance.”

Namgoong Hyang proudly shook the upside-down Bok (福) character [good fortune] and the fish painting.

These were things to decorate every corner of the house, wishing for good fortune in the new year.

The reason for attaching the Bok (福) character upside down is because the word for upside down, Do (倒), and the word for coming, Do (到), have the same pronunciation.

In short, it means that fortune is coming.

The New Year picture with a fish drawn on it is the same.

Fish (魚) has a similar pronunciation to Yeo (餘), which means abundance. It is a picture containing the wish for a year of abundance.

A bitter expression suddenly appeared on Namgoong Baek’s face.

It was because he knew better than anyone else that the family’s financial situation was not good right now.

He could picture the old chief manager still struggling to make ends meet to cover the family’s debt caused by the purchase of elixirs.

‘But I don’t regret it.’

The empty vault can be filled again.

But nothing can be compared to his daughter’s life. Then, Namgoong Baek suddenly felt a sense of doubt.

Namgoong Hyang, who had been very excited until just now, was staring out the window with a blank look.

“I have to say hello to that person…”

Namgoong Baek frowned slightly at Namgoong Hyang’s words, which she muttered unconsciously.

It was not difficult to guess who she was talking about.

“Are you talking about the young doctor?”

Namgoong Hyang, belatedly realizing that she had spoken her mind out loud, was startled and her face turned red.

“Yes…”

Namgoong Hyang continued, unaware of Namgoong Baek’s feelings.

“It’s thanks to him that I can celebrate the New Year like this.”

Namgoong Baek looked at Namgoong Hyang with complicated eyes.

Recently, he heard that the world was quite noisy because it was known that the young doctor was the son of a divine physician. But what he was worried about were the others.

The group that accompanied Danak Seon.

Pung Jinseong’s identity was certain, so there was nothing to doubt, but the other two were the problem.

Their atmosphere was not ordinary for doctors.

‘No. That’s not the problem.’

It wasn’t just a feeling of being unusual.

Even now, it was like that.

When he thought of those two, he could feel all the muscles and nerves in his body tightening without him knowing it.

—Alliance Leader.

The telepathic message came at that moment.

It was Yang Bulwi, the head of the Changcheon Unit.

“Then prepare slowly.”

Namgoong Baek left Namgoong Hyang, who was packing her bags for her return home, and went outside. Yang Bulwi, who was waiting for Namgoong Baek, bowed respectfully.

“A report has been filed on the missing Surveillance Agent.”

“Couldn’t find him this time either?”

At Namgoong Baek’s question, Yang Bulwi’s head dropped even lower.

“I’m sorry. My subordinates are lacking…”

Namgoong Baek shook his head.

It had already been three months since Baek Woonhwi, who was in charge of the Surveillance Agent position, disappeared.

His whereabouts were still unknown. The problem was that one of the elders of the Baekgeom Clan, to which he once belonged, also disappeared around the same time.

It was also right after Beom Gyewi appeared in the Baekgeom Clan.

It was too coincidental to be a coincidence.

“Is it certain that the person who broke into the Baekgeom Clan was Beom Gyewi?”

“Based on the testimonies of the witnesses, it is certain that the person who appeared in the Baekgeom Clan that day was Beom Gyewi.”

“Hmm…”

Beom Gyewi, who suddenly appeared and just disappeared.

His unpredictable behavior was rather fueling anxiety among the small and medium-sized sects under the Murim Alliance.

It had already been a considerable amount of time since he declared the extermination of the Ten Evils, and he could no longer sit idly by.

It was a matter directly related to the authority of the Murim Alliance, putting aside his own reputation.

“Summon the Vice Leader.”

The one who would act most desperately to prove his usefulness.

The person who would use any means to achieve his goal was him.

* * *

No Danyang, who had returned to his office, could not hide his discomfort.

It was because of Namgoong Baek’s scolding in front of him.

—Cho Akryang, Beom Gyewi, Ak Ho-goon. If they are still alive within the promised time, you will not get what you want either.

No Danyang sighed with annoyance.

He had been researching it from time to time, just in case, but the half-finished Blood Demon Scripture was useless.

He had to get the other half at all costs.

“What about Beom Gyewi’s whereabouts?”

At No Danyang’s question, one of his subordinates, who was watching his mood, quickly answered.

“He has disappeared without a trace.”

“…”

“We will accelerate the search even more.”

“Are you saying you’ve been searching roughly so far?”

“N-no.”

No Danyang frowned at the sight of his subordinate shaking his head in horror.

‘Incompetent bastards.’

It would only hurt his mouth to scold his subordinates for no reason. It was when he was only getting deeper in his worries because there was no other way.

“We have a guest.”

“A guest?”

No Danyang couldn’t help but be puzzled at his subordinate’s report.

Since he took on the Vice Leader position and joined the Murim Alliance, there had been no one who had visited him.

No one welcomed him, who was from the Demonic Faction and one of the Ten Evils.

The wall separating the Righteous and Demonic Factions was that high.

As such, he was very curious about the identity of the guest.

“Bring him in.”

A moment later.

The moment No Danyang saw the person entering with the guidance of his subordinate, he frowned.

The person who visited was the most difficult person to deal with.

A woman with calm eyes and a refined atmosphere.

It was Je Galyeon, the head of the Cheonidan [information organization], the information organization in charge of the eyes and ears of the Murim Alliance.