The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 79

Divine Doctor of Demonic Arts (79)

After the midday meal offering, the novice monks cleared away the bowls. Shortly after, they brought tea.

It was the famous Lotus Tea of Shaolin.

While savoring the subtle fragrance of the tea and awaiting Great Master Hyegong’s reply, Beopyeon came to see them again. Dan Akseon greeted him warmly, and Beopyeon hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“There is a favor I wish to ask.”

Han Seolhwa frowned.

“Isn’t that monk a little too shameless?”

Beopyeon’s eyes wavered slightly at Han Seolhwa’s rebuke, as he himself felt embarrassed and ashamed of the situation.

Restraining Han Seolhwa, Dan Akseon asked,

“What is the favor?”

Beopyeon sighed and met Dan Akseon’s gaze.

“Do you know of a condition where one falls asleep and cannot wake up?”

“Are you referring to narcolepsy?”

A rare condition where one suddenly falls asleep against their will.

However, Beopyeon shook his head.

“Not a symptom that comes and goes, but a case where one falls asleep and cannot wake up at all.”

“How many days has it been since they last woke up?”

Dan Akseon was shocked by the answer.

“In exactly five days, it will be a year.”

“A year?”

After a moment of thought, Dan Akseon wore a troubled expression.

“Well, I’m afraid I’ve never encountered such a case before…”

“I see.”

Although he tried to remain composed, Beopyeon couldn’t help but sigh.

He had been secretly hoping that Dan Akseon, who had inherited the legacy of the Divine Doctor, might know something.

“I think I need to see the patient’s condition directly.”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Beopyeon’s eyes, which had been sinking endlessly into despair.

Seeing Beopyeon, Dan Akseon smiled gently.

“It seems that this patient is the cause of the Abbot’s heart fire [a Buddhist term for inner turmoil or stress].”

Beopyeon was surprised once again.

“How did you know that?”

“Your eyes were twitching.”

“……?”

“That’s a typical symptom of when heat starts to accumulate in the heart.”

It wasn’t difficult to guess that his ailment, the heart fire, was due to the patient he had just mentioned.

Dan Akseon stood up.

“Lead the way.”

Han Seolhwa sighed softly at the sight.

“We can’t let the Abbot’s condition relapse after all that effort to cure him.”

Dan Akseon gave a plausible reason.

If they could treat the patient causing the heart fire, everything would be resolved.

Shortly after.

Guided by Beopyeon, they arrived at the furthest room in the corner of the Yakwang Hall [Medicine King Hall, a hall dedicated to healing].

Inside, a person was lying on a bed.

A tall figure with a handsome face.

A monk with a spirited air as bold as his strong eyebrows.

However, he was so emaciated that one might have mistaken him for a wooden statue if not for his faint breathing and the slight rise and fall of his chest.

After examining him briefly, Dan Akseon frowned.

It never rains but it pours.

That was exactly the situation.

The monk before him was barely clinging to life.

No, it would be more accurate to say that the flame of life was flickering out even at this moment.

“He lost consciousness during martial arts training and hasn’t regained it for a year.”

Han Seolhwa asked at Beopyeon’s explanation.

“Did he fall into demonic possession?”

“According to the Yakwang Hall’s senior monk, he’s in a deep sleep.”

With something suspicious in mind, Dan Akseon took his pulse once more. Then, he tilted his head.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Dan Akseon looked up at Beopyeon.

“His physical strength is weakening, but his inner energy is immense. In terms of internal strength alone, he could be called the best in the world.”

Of course, Han Seolhwa was an exception.

At that moment, Han Seolhwa stared intently at the monk lying on the bed.

She had gained a clue about the patient from Dan Akseon’s words.

“Beopryo.”

Dan Akseon asked in surprise.

“That Beopryo, one of the Five Greats?”

An absolute master who stood shoulder to shoulder with Cho Akryang among the Five Greats.

A genius of martial arts who had mastered more than half of Shaolin’s seventy-two supreme arts at a young age. He was known as the Walking Tripitaka [a vast collection of Buddhist scriptures] (步藏經), but now he was lying here in such a haggard state!

Beopyeon nodded.

“He is the Head of the Disciplinary Hall.”

The Disciplinary Hall was the only place with martial prowess surpassing the Lohan Hall [Hall of Arhats, enlightened disciples of Buddha], the most powerful martial force within Shaolin. It was responsible for arresting and punishing monks who had committed offenses.

A strange light flickered in Dan Akseon’s eyes.

Beopryo, the Head of the Disciplinary Hall, shared the same generation name, Beop (法), as the Abbot. Yet, he looked very young, no more than his mid-thirties at most. In fact, he looked more than ten years younger than Lohan Hall’s Head, Ryogong, who was of a lower generation.

Perhaps sensing Dan Akseon’s expression.

“Beopryo is a disciple Great Master Hyegong took in his later years. Therefore, although he was registered later than those of the Ryo (了) generation, he uses the Beop (法) name, which is of a higher generation.”

Dan Akseon nodded.

His generation or background wasn’t important now.

What mattered most was finding out why the patient couldn’t wake up.

“One day, Beopryo volunteered for closed-door training, saying he was on the verge of a great enlightenment…”

Beopyeon explained the situation at the time.

“About a month after he entered seclusion, a novice monk filling the water in the training room found Beopryo in that state. And he hasn’t regained consciousness since.”

“Enlightenment?”

Dan Akseon’s eyes sparkled.

Dan Akseon took out a Seonang needle and inserted it between Beopryo’s eyebrows, into the Mising point [acupuncture point between the eyebrows].

Dan Akseon’s eyes flashed as he carefully watched the needle.

He had confirmed the faint but subtle trembling of the needle.

“He’s conscious.”

Beopyeon’s eyes shook greatly.

“Conscious? But why can’t he open his eyes?”

“He’s in a state of selflessness (無我之境) [Wu wo zhi jing, a state of being without ego].”

“……!”

“His consciousness is wandering in Samadhi (三昧) [a state of meditative consciousness].”

Samadhi, also known as Similgyeongseong (心一境性) [a state of one-pointedness of mind], is a state of meditative concentration where the mind is focused and the body and mind become calm.

In other words, it is the most ideal state of practice in Buddhism.

“Can a state of no-mind last for a year?”

“In fact, he probably isn’t even aware of the passage of time. He’s completely free from all constraints.”

There was no other way to explain it.

He had to act before the connection between his body and mind was completely severed.

“Is there a way?”

Dan Akseon pondered over the old monk’s eyes, which were filled with desperation despite his long years of practice.

After a long period of oppressive silence, Dan Akseon spoke.

“There is one way.”

“……!”

“To awaken the body’s senses and nerves all at once with a strong stimulus. To forcibly bind the weakened connection. That’s the only method I know. But…”

Dan Akseon trailed off, looking up at Beopyeon with concern.

“The Abbot may be shocked.”

“Any method is fine. Please, save Beopryo!”

Dan Akseon nodded and took out a wooden case containing needles from his pocket.

“I’m going to use these to puncture blood points and shock the body.”

The needle in Dan Akseon’s hand.

The moment Beopyeon saw the jet-black needle engraved with a demon, he asked in surprise.

“The Demon Subduing Needle? Isn’t that a sacred object of the Deathly Demonic Physician?”

“Yes. She’s my mother.”

“……!”

Beopyeon stared with wide eyes, speechless for a long time, as if his soul had left his body.

How much time had passed?

“The Divine Doctor… the one who hated evil so much, he married? And to the Demonic Physician of all people?”

“My mother isn’t evil.”

Beopyeon was uncharacteristically flustered at those words.

“Of course, the Deathly Demonic Physician isn’t evil. However…”

Beopyeon suddenly recalled the distant past and sighed deeply.

How frustrating it was when a master of the Demonic Sect, whom they thought they had defeated, reappeared unscathed a few days later.

Moreover, it wasn’t just once or twice.

The Righteous Sect’s bewilderment when they belatedly learned that the reason was due to the Deathly Demonic Physician was hard to describe.

The injured from the Righteous Sect were treated by the Divine Doctor, and the injured from the Demonic Sect were treated by the Demonic Physician.

As long as they were alive, they would somehow be saved, which only prolonged the fighting. Eventually, some even complained about resenting the other side’s physician.

It was around that time that the two people’s reputations became known throughout the martial world.

“Those two, who were like mortal enemies, married and even had a child…”

Moreover.

‘That child of those two saved my life.’

He was also the only hope to save Beopryo.

Finally, Beopyeon looked into Dan Akseon’s eyes and nodded.

“I’m in your hands.”

“Then everyone, please leave. If I lose focus even a little, it will be irreversible.”

A light of conflict flickered in Beopyeon’s eyes.

If Dan Akseon made even a slight mistake, Shaolin would lose its greatest master. However, it didn’t last long.

He decided to trust Dan Akseon’s resolute gaze.

“I’m in your hands.”

With those words, Beopyeon left the room, leaving Dan Akseon and Beopryo behind.

Time passed, and it was already approaching dusk.

The sun had already set, and darkness began to descend upon the temple.

Beopyeon, who had skipped the evening meal, was pacing anxiously in front of the Yakwang Hall when it happened.

“What is troubling the Abbot’s nephew so?”

“Ah! Uncle!”

Beopyeon, belatedly discovering the old monk walking towards him, respectfully bowed.

“Disciple Beopyeon greets Great Master Daeju.”

Great Master Hyegong, who had walked over with his long eyebrows fluttering, also raised one hand in front of his chest and bowed his head.

“Shaolin disciple Hyegong greets the Abbot.”

After exchanging greetings, Beopyeon cautiously opened his mouth.

“I apologize for disturbing your deep meditation.”

“It’s alright, Abbot.”

Hyegong shook his head and turned his gaze towards the Yakwang Hall.

“I wondered why my spirit was already free, but my body kept holding me back. It seems I was trying to meet the child inside.”

Then, he gave a light smile.

“It must mean that even when leaving, I should settle old debts.”

“I would like to send a message inside, but…”

Hyegong shook his head, cutting off Beopyeon’s words.

“What could be more important than saving a person? Since it’s already late, I’ll wait a little longer.”

Hyegong turned his eyes to Han Seolhwa.

“It’s been a while, Seonja. It’s always good to see you looking the same.”

Even at Hyegong’s greeting, Han Seolhwa only nodded once, keeping her gaze fixed on the Yakwang Hall.

Beopyeon wore a troubled expression at her arrogant demeanor.

Hyegong said with a smile.

“It’s alright. She’s never known how to treat people kindly from the start.”

Beopyeon felt strange.

The uncle before him was past his upper years and approaching the age of heavenly longevity. It felt awkward for Hyegong to call the young-looking Han Seolhwa “that person.”

‘How old is she really?’

Leaving those questions behind, Beopyeon began to wait with Hyegong for Dan Akseon to come out.

Before they knew it, the night dew began to settle on their shoulders.

* * *

Early dawn.

Beomgyewi, who had been pacing around the tree trunk with an uneasy expression, suddenly asked Cho Akryang.

“Brother Cho, don’t you think something’s wrong?”

Cho Akryang grimaced.

He was already fed up with Beomgyewi’s constant nagging since several hours ago.

“No, Brother Cho, think about it. All we had to do was meet someone and come back. Shouldn’t it be taking this long?”

“Calm down.”

“No, I can’t. Something must have happened.”