The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 85

“Who are you talking about?”

Cho Ak-ryang chuckled at Beom Gye-wi’s question.

“The guy who threw lime powder in your eyes and ran away.”

Beom Gye-wi’s face instantly contorted.

“Ah! That son of a bitch! Just thinking about it makes me angry! If I meet him again, I’ll tear him limb from limb…”

Cho Ak-ryang interrupted Beom Gye-wi.

“That guy would be a worthy opponent for Dan Ak-seon’s martial arts match.”

Beom Gye-wi pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“Now that you mention it, you’re right.”

Dan Ak-seon became curious.

“Who is that person?”

“He’s called Gui Yeong-ma-ja (鬼影魔者) [Ghost Shadow Devil].”

Cho Ak-ryang continued his explanation.

“He’s a thief who roams around Jungwon [Central Plains, the heartland of China], mainly in the Shanxi area. He calls himself the Divine Thief (神偸) and loves to brag about himself.”

“A thief?”

“Yes. There are more than a few people who have it out for him.”

So much so that he had become one of the top public enemies of the Murim [martial arts world], regardless of whether they were righteous or evil.

Yet, the fact that he was still alive meant he was quite capable.

“His martial arts skills aren’t much to speak of, but his lightness skill is outstanding, on par with ours. Moreover, he’s skilled in all sorts of tricks. He’s even equipped with the unscrupulousness to use any means necessary to achieve his goals.”

“If Uncle Cho acknowledges him, he must be quite something.”

“Well, he’s not that great, but…”

Cho Ak-ryang trailed off, then smiled meaningfully.

“He will definitely be of help to you.”

Thus, their first destination in Shanxi was decided.

The group headed straight south to find Gui Yeong-ma-ja, Ga Du-dal.

Three days later, Mount Taebaek.

Although not as famous as the Five Great Mountains, Mount Taebaek, along with Mount Hua and Mount Jongnam, was one of the representative mountains of Shanxi.

The four seasons brought varied weather, and the mysterious, perpetual snow on the summit attracted countless poets and painters.

However, Dan Ak-seon’s group had no time to appreciate the stunning scenery of Mount Taebaek.

“That bastard is hiding really deep.”

Beom Gye-wi grumbled quietly as he traversed the deep valley.

Even though it was approaching the time between Misi (未時) [1-3 PM] and Shinshi (申時) [3-5 PM], it was already getting dark.

How long had they been searching the valley?

Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes lit up.

“There!”

Cho Ak-ryang darted towards a wide rock situated between the valleys.

It was clearly a place that had been artificially touched.

It was then that he noticed a haphazardly piled pile of stones.

When he cleared the pile of stones, a small incense burner hidden inside was revealed.

Beom Gye-wi approached the incense burner and gathered his true energy.

Hwaak.

He inserted his finger, which was covered in flames, into the incense burner, and it quickly caught fire.

Soon, a stream of blue smoke began to rise into the sky.

But the smoke was peculiar.

Although the smoke swayed in the wind blowing from the valley, it did not break or scatter.

It seemed to have been treated with something special.

“He’ll show up soon.”

Dan Ak-seon nodded at Cho Ak-ryang’s words.

“Then we’ll have to camp here tonight.”

It was then.

Pat, pat.

Suddenly, raindrops began to pour down.

The weather in the mountains is fickle.

Especially Mount Taebaek, which was famous for its unpredictable weather.

Dan Ak-seon began to look for a place to avoid the rain with a troubled expression.

At that moment, Han Seol-hwa quietly approached Dan Ak-seon.

“Huh?”

Dan Ak-seon looked up at Han Seol-hwa with a puzzled expression.

Even in the pouring rain, she still seemed calm.

“Ah!”

A soft exclamation escaped Dan Ak-seon’s lips.

Even in the pouring rain, not a single drop of water touched Han Seol-hwa and his clothes.

The raindrops that fell near Han Seol-hwa slipped away as if blocked by an invisible wall.

It was due to the naturally manifested protective energy.

“Amazing.”

Dan Ak-seon exclaimed and turned his head towards Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi.

Similarly, both of them were using protective energy to avoid the rain.

“You’ll be able to do it someday.”

Beom Gye-wi nodded at Cho Ak-ryang’s words.

“This isn’t a big deal.”

Beom Gye-wi boasted.

“There are many ways to avoid the rain, even without protective energy.”

“Really?”

Beom Gye-wi grinned at Dan Ak-seon’s question.

“Want me to show you?”

Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa cast a pathetic look at Beom Gye-wi.

“If you have nothing to brag about…”

Beom Gye-wi’s face turned red at Cho Ak-ryang’s taunt.

Dan Ak-seon quickly made a suggestion, feeling that Beom Gye-wi was becoming embarrassed because of him, and tried to somehow salvage the situation.

“Then why don’t we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

Dan Ak-seon continued, looking at Beom Gye-wi, who was asking back with a puzzled face.

“The person who gets hit by the rain first will prepare dinner with me. Of course, without using protective energy.”

Dan Ak-seon persuaded Cho Ak-ryang, who was somewhat reluctant.

“We have a long way to go, so I think we need some entertainment.”

Cho Ak-ryang chuckled at Dan Ak-seon’s request.

“It’s not difficult.”

With those words, Cho Ak-ryang picked up a branch lying nearby.

“Even if you don’t rely on protective energy…”

With those words, Cho Ak-ryang withdrew his protective energy.

At the same time, he began to swing the branch, accurately hitting the falling raindrops.

No, rather than hitting them, he was subtly touching them to change their direction.

“Wow!”

An exclamation burst out of Dan Ak-seon’s mouth.

It was so precise that it was hard to believe even when seeing it with his own eyes.

Although he was using a branch, Dan Ak-seon vaguely realized that the technique of Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Pounds, which applied Jeonsagyeong [a technique that uses minimal force to deflect stronger attacks], was added to it.

Cho Ak-ryang subtly raised a smile at Dan Ak-seon’s admiring appearance.

However, that smile did not last long.

“Trying hard, trying hard.”

Cho Ak-ryang’s face contorted as he turned his head to the voice of Beom Gye-wi, which came from the side.

Chiik.

The raindrops that fell near Beom Gye-wi vaporized and scattered into a hazy steam.

Just in case, he looked at Han Seol-hwa, but the situation was similar there.

The raindrops that reached near her turned into small ice pellets and poured down.

Han Seol-hwa, who met Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes, subtly raised a smile.

“As long as you don’t get hit by the rain, right?”

“…!”

Cho Ak-ryang was inwardly frustrated.

It was clear that neither of them was using protective energy.

But what was this if not protective energy?

Moreover….

‘Damn it!’

Unlike the two who still had余裕 [leeway/composure], Cho Ak-ryang became increasingly impatient as time passed.

He was gradually running out of strength.

At this rate, defeat was as good as certain.

Then, at one moment.

Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes flashed.

Cho Ak-ryang began to swing the branch, sending raindrops towards Han Seol-hwa.

Pa pa pat!

The hailstones that collided with the flying raindrops changed direction and flew towards Beom Gye-wi.

“What are you doing?”

Beom Gye-wi glared at Han Seol-hwa, bursting with anger.

Han Seol-hwa also glared at Cho Ak-ryang, raising her eyes.

At this, Cho Ak-ryang smiled slyly and opened his mouth.

“I thought about the conditions of the bet again.”

“…?”

“There was no clause that said we couldn’t interfere with each other.”

Beom Gye-wi’s eyes widened at those words.

Indeed, that was true.

At this rate, he couldn’t guarantee how long the match with Han Seol-hwa would last.

Moreover, if he could beat the two of them and win the victory alone, Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa wouldn’t be able to ignore him for a while.

Beom Gye-wi quietly approached Han Seol-hwa.

At that moment, Han Seol-hwa’s cold air wavered in the heat emanating from Beom Gye-wi.

One ice pellet melted and was about to fall on her shoulder.

“…!”

Surprised, Han Seol-hwa quickly moved to avoid the raindrops.

“What is this?”

Han Seol-hwa’s eyes turned cold at Beom Gye-wi’s provocation.

Han Seol-hwa, who had gathered a lot of true energy, waved her sleeve at Beom Gye-wi.

Then, the steam surrounding Beom Gye-wi condensed in an instant and poured down like rain.

“Ugh!”

Beom Gye-wi panicked and hurriedly struck out at the sky with his palm.

Peong!

With that impact, the water droplets shattered into fine pieces and turned into a hazy vapor.

“Are you trying to start something!”

Han Seol-hwa snorted briefly as Beom Gye-wi shouted in anger.

“With those skills?”

Beom Gye-wi became furious at Han Seol-hwa’s ridicule and unleashed a fist wind.

Han Seol-hwa also did not back down and waved her sleeves, constantly sending out cold air.

Peo peo peong.

Explosions erupted one after another between the two, and water droplets began to splash in all directions.

Thanks to this, Cho Ak-ryang’s hands became even busier.

In a situation where he was barely able to ward off the raindrops pouring down from above, water droplets were also pouring in from the side.

“Enough! You bastards!”

Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa turned their heads and glared at him as Cho Ak-ryang, unable to bear it, shouted.

“That human was the culprit!”

As soon as Han Seol-hwa’s words fell, Beom Gye-wi flew towards Cho Ak-ryang.

Cho Ak-ryang was startled and tried to step back, but Beom Gye-wi was a little faster.

In an instant, Cho Ak-ryang’s face was filled with despair as he was trapped in the sphere of Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa.

Then, at one moment.

“Okay! Let’s all perish together! You bastards!”

Poison began to drip from Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes.

In an instant, cold and heat became intertwined.

And when Cho Ak-ryang’s Jeonsagyeong was added to it, the scene soon began to descend into chaos.

The finely divided water droplets in the vortex of rushing energy and true energy soon turned into a hazy mist and enveloped the scene.

Dan Ak-seon watched the scene and sighed deeply.

“Haa…”

The sight of the three people fighting each other to the death, as if he was no longer in their eyes, was madness itself.

Thanks to this, Dan Ak-seon was soaked to the bone.

This was because there was no way to avoid the rain and wind that were pouring in from all directions.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

Dan Ak-seon inwardly reflected on the current situation.

The bet he proposed to stop the fight had only fueled the fight.

He had not expected that they would fight to the death over a mere bet.

It was the price of not knowing in advance the nature of the masters who valued their pride as much as their lives.

But regret is always too late, no matter how early.

‘Let’s not make any more bets.’

Dan Ak-seon shook his head, looking down at himself, who was so soaked that it would be better to just get rained on.

And he made up his mind once again.

‘Never! Never again!’

That night.

There was a figure secretly approaching, melting into the darkness of the valley.

He was probably in his early fifties.

He was a small man with small, rat-like eyes and a thin, goat-like beard.

He carefully approached the incense burner, constantly looking around.

‘What the hell happened here?’

The entire valley was a mess, as if a typhoon had swept through it.

Broken pieces of stone and piles of dirt were scattered everywhere, and there were traces of soot in places.

Moreover, it was all covered in muddy water.

But only the incense burner was intact.

That felt even more bizarre.

‘This is not good!’

His intuition, which had roamed the Murim world for a long time, sent a warning.

No matter how good the deal, it is best to avoid suspicious situations.

Ga Du-dal, seized by an ominous premonition, retraced his steps and slowly retreated.

It was an extremely cautious movement that did not make any sound.

But….

Tuk.

Before he could take a few steps, he bumped into something.

He turned his head and looked back without thinking.

In the dim darkness.

Something that was thinly curved and shining came into view.

Ga Du-dal, who belatedly realized that it was the gaze of someone who was smiling, felt goosebumps all over his body.

At that moment, an unforgettable voice shook his mind.

“Long time no see.”