The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 86

The Imprisoned Moon hastily turned and fled.

The moment he recognized the voice, his body reacted before his mind could catch up.

‘Why is the Blood Demon Lord here…!’

This was a complete shock.

At least Cho Ak-ryang wasn’t chasing him…yet.

Perhaps he hadn’t expected him to run so quickly.

He couldn’t waste this opportunity.

But when bad luck strikes, it pours.

From the darkness ahead, a massive figure that had been hidden suddenly rose…

“Our Moon is busy again today?”

A chilling voice echoed.

The color drained from the Imprisoned Moon’s face, twisting in horror.

‘Even Mangshan Choja [a powerful and infamous figure]!’

Beom Gye-wi, waving his hand in greeting, felt like the Grim Reaper beckoning him to the underworld.

‘Damn it!’

The Imprisoned Moon gritted his teeth and mustered every ounce of his remaining energy.

At the same time, his figure flickered.

“Oh?”

Beom Gye-wi let out a soft exclamation.

The Imprisoned Moon, who had vanished for a moment, reappeared several yards away.

“You can even use Transposition [a technique for instantly moving short distances]? Not bad.”

The Imprisoned Moon’s lightness skill [a martial art focused on agility and speed] had improved since their last encounter.

But someone else was waiting for him.

It was Han Seol-hwa.

Just then, the clouds parted, revealing the full moon.

Standing with a dignified posture under the blue moonlight, Han Seol-hwa’s beauty was truly unmatched.

He even paused, forgetting his desperate need to escape.

But that was a fatal mistake.

‘Crap!’

The Imprisoned Moon belatedly snapped back to his senses.

But…

‘Huh?’

He couldn’t move his feet, as if they were glued to the ground.

Startled, the Imprisoned Moon looked down, his eyes widening in shock.

Pure white ice had already encased his ankles.

Suddenly, the image of the woman waving her sleeve flashed through his mind.

‘No way!’

The Imprisoned Moon’s face turned ashen as he struggled to break free.

The figures of the two approaching monsters loomed closer and closer.

“Haha…”

The Imprisoned Moon forced a smile.

It was a smile more akin to a cry for help.

“Have you been well?”

A moment later.

The Imprisoned Moon, who had shrunk back, looked up at Han Seol-hwa with suspicion.

“That person is the Ice Jade Fairy [a legendary title for a powerful female martial artist]?”

At first, he’d assumed it was a title passed down through generations.

But it wasn’t.

Even fifty years ago, even a hundred years ago…

The only person to ever use that title was her.

Initially, he’d dismissed it as a joke, but it clearly wasn’t.

Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi weren’t the type to make idle boasts.

The Imprisoned Moon sighed deeply.

Even after spending so many years in the Jianghu [the martial arts world], he couldn’t maintain his composure in this situation.

선자불래(善者不來) 내자불선(來者不善)이라 [a Korean proverb meaning “Good people don’t come, and those who come are not good.”]

He was already terrified of Cho Ak-ryang, but now there was also Beom Gye-wi, the walking mountain of corpses, and Han Seol-hwa, a legend of the Murim [another term for the martial arts world] he’d only heard about in exaggerated stories.

‘Am I dreaming?’

The situation felt utterly surreal, surrounded by the three of them.

The Imprisoned Moon looked up at them with the most pitiful expression he could muster.

“Why are you doing this to me…?”

As if waiting for this, Beom Gye-wi stepped forward.

“You threw lime powder in my eyes. I’ve come to collect that debt.”

“Huh? Out of the blue?”

The Imprisoned Moon whimpered, looking wronged.

“Isn’t that a story from over ten years ago? Besides, I already paid the price back then!”

“Oh? Did you?”

“Yes!”

The Imprisoned Moon shouted, recalling the past.

“The Mihyang House in Cheongju! The courtesan who was the Blood Demon Lord’s lover at the time! You told me to secretly deliver a letter to that woman. Do you know how much trouble I went through to deceive her guards and approach her…?”

The Imprisoned Moon trailed off.

A chill ran down his spine, and his hair stood on end.

“That was you?”

Turning his head at the chilling voice, he saw Cho Ak-ryang glaring at him.

The blue light flickering in his eyes nearly made the Imprisoned Moon soil himself.

The Imprisoned Moon grabbed onto Beom Gye-wi’s pants and clung to him.

“Please, say something!”

But Beom Gye-wi simply looked away, ignoring his desperate plea.

“You wouldn’t complain if you died by my hand here, would you?”

The Imprisoned Moon stammered at Cho Ak-ryang’s murderous tone.

“But that’s what you told me to do…”

“I’ve already settled all my debts with that guy.”

“Yes?”

“We had too many entanglements, so we decided to sort things out.”

Beom Gye-wi nodded, and the Imprisoned Moon carefully asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“Then me…?”

“That’s not the case.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t your debt with me just beginning?”

“I’m being wronged!”

“How many of the dead don’t feel wronged?”

The Imprisoned Moon turned pale.

Surrounded by three grandmaster-level martial artists, he couldn’t even dream of escaping.

Just when he thought he was doomed, a rope was lowered from the sky.

“Shall I give you a chance?”

When Cho Ak-ryang cautiously offered, the Imprisoned Moon nodded without hesitation.

“Yes! Please do! Of course, you should!”

Now was not the time to be picky.

Even rolling in dog poop was better than death, an unchanging truth.

Cho Ak-ryang presented a condition to the Imprisoned Moon, who had eagerly taken the bait.

“If you spar with that child and win ten times, I’ll let you go.”

The Imprisoned Moon turned his head towards where Cho Ak-ryang was pointing.

On one side of the valley.

The figure of a child sleeping soundly under a tent set up to ward off the night dew came into view.

Perhaps the day’s training had been strenuous.

Even amidst the noisy surroundings, Dan Ak-seon was fast asleep, not even stirring.

An undeniable suspicion arose on the Imprisoned Moon’s face.

He’d expected a much harsher condition; this seemed too easy.

“Is that all?”

He asked again, just in case, but the answer remained the same.

“Sparring once every three days. The child hasn’t even been learning martial arts for a year yet. It shouldn’t be too difficult.”

The Imprisoned Moon looked back and forth between Cho Ak-ryang, Beom Gye-wi, and Han Seol-hwa.

There were definitely suspicious points, but the opponents were too intimidating to openly question.

In the end, he had no choice but to accept.

At that moment, Beom Gye-wi suddenly spoke.

“If you want to run away, you can do so anytime.”

“Really?”

Beom Gye-wi grinned at the Imprisoned Moon’s question.

“Actually, I’d be more grateful if you did.”

“Yes?”

“I haven’t tasted blood lately.”

“……!”

The Imprisoned Moon was startled and bowed deeply to the three of them.

“Please take care of me for the next month!”

Escape? Absolutely not.

He couldn’t even entertain the thought.

Even in the midst of all this, the Imprisoned Moon still glanced at Dan Ak-seon, who was still fast asleep.

No matter how much he had been taught by the three of them, it had only been a year at most.

Moreover, he was still a young child whose body hadn’t even fully developed.

On the other hand, the years he had spent navigating the Sword Forest of Dosan [a dangerous and challenging area] were far greater than the child’s age.

‘This is a piece of cake.’

He just wanted to fulfill the conditions as quickly as possible and escape from the monsters in front of him who didn’t even seem human.

The next morning.

“Ah! So you’re Senior Shintu [a respectful title for a martial artist].”

The Imprisoned Moon’s lips twitched involuntarily at Dan Ak-seon’s bright smile and greeting.

Perhaps it was because of the grudges he had accumulated over the years.

Others rarely called him Shintu.

“Yes. I am Ghost Shadow.”

The Imprisoned Moon, feeling pleased, was about to boast when…

A stream of telepathic communication flew in.

-The moment you reveal the details of our deal, you’re dead. Remember that you volunteered to help with the sparring.

It was Cho Ak-ryang.

Following that, Beom Gye-wi also sent a telepathic message.

-Did I mention? You can run away anytime if you don’t like it.

The Imprisoned Moon flinched and forced a smile as he approached Dan Ak-seon.

“I have received grace from those people, and I have been eagerly waiting for the day I can repay that grace. It seems like the heavens have helped and given me this opportunity.”

The Imprisoned Moon continued to speak smoothly.

“I will wholeheartedly help you with your martial arts training for the next month.”

“Yes. Please take care of me.”

“Shall we begin then?”

The Imprisoned Moon was eager to complete the ten spars as soon as possible, so he became impatient.

Dan Ak-seon readily nodded and immediately prepared for the sparring.

The Imprisoned Moon, standing facing Dan Ak-seon with some distance between them, suddenly felt strange and looked around.

Then he quickly realized the reason.

It was because of the warm gazes of the three people watching Dan Ak-seon.

That the Blood Demon Lord and Mangshan Choja could have such gentle smiles!

There was even a faint smile on the cold face of Han Seol-hwa, who seemed to be carved from ice.

The Imprisoned Moon could immediately tell how much they cherished Dan Ak-seon.

‘Maybe?’

The moment he thought he might be able to escape this place by taking Dan Ak-seon hostage…

-Try it, go ahead.

A telepathic message immediately flew in.

Startled, he turned his head and saw Beom Gye-wi wearing a meaningful smile.

But his eyes were as murderous as ever.

Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa were the same.

They had already dealt with countless villains.

Guessing the other person’s intentions with just their eyes was as easy as flipping their hand.

Gulp.

The Imprisoned Moon swallowed hard without realizing it.

The sharp gazes, as if they were cutting his heart to pieces, made him wonder if they were the same gentle people from just now.

“Th, then let’s start.”

The Imprisoned Moon tried to pretend that nothing was wrong, but his spine was chilling.

At that moment, the sparring began with Dan Ak-seon’s preemptive strike.

As promised, the Imprisoned Moon did not use internal energy [a martial art technique that enhances physical abilities].

First, to gauge Dan Ak-seon’s capabilities, the Imprisoned Moon focused on observing while deflecting attacks as much as possible.

‘He’s imitating quite well.’

The Imprisoned Moon chuckled inwardly at Dan Ak-seon’s attacks, which seemed to imitate Cho Ak-ryang’s Golden Capture Skill [a specific martial art technique].

But it wasn’t just a clumsy imitation.

Then, suddenly.

“Oh?”

Bewilderment escaped the Imprisoned Moon’s lips.

The longer they exchanged attacks, the more precise Dan Ak-seon’s movements gradually became.

After exchanging a few moves, it was clear that he was not to be taken lightly.

The attacks that targeted openings were quite fierce and sharp.

Moreover, his reaction speed was impressive.

Not to mention the movements of grabbing, twisting, pressing, and pulling, his ability to push, strike, and deflect was also extraordinary.

‘Is this even possible?’

It was hard to believe that he was a child who hadn’t even been learning martial arts for a year.

Those monsters must be cheating.

That was the only explanation that made sense.

At that moment.

Tear.

The fabric on the Imprisoned Moon’s chest was torn.

Startled, the Imprisoned Moon hurriedly stepped back.

“……”

The Imprisoned Moon’s face turned red.

Even though he wasn’t using internal energy, he hadn’t expected to suffer such a setback against a young child.

As expected.

Turning his head slightly, he saw the monsters’ gazes of disbelief.

‘Damn it!’

Shame and frustration surged.

If he wanted to, there were at least a hundred ways to kill the brat in front of him right now.

But if he did, his head would fly off first.

‘They said I could do anything but that, right?’

The Imprisoned Moon grinned.

In that instant, the Imprisoned Moon disappeared from Dan Ak-seon’s sight.

And then, he reappeared right in front of Dan Ak-seon.

He had decided to use his specialty, lightness skill, to win.

Although he wasn’t using internal energy, his movements were incredibly fast, as he had devoted his entire life to lightness skill.

However, Dan Ak-seon was already fully prepared.

The Imprisoned Moon’s eyes trembled slightly as he faced the wildly extending hand shadows.

The constantly pouring Golden Capture Skill attacks were not to be underestimated.

‘But it’s useless.’

A cold light flashed in the Imprisoned Moon’s eyes as he stared at Dan Ak-seon.