Chapter 132
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The Divine Demon Trading Company
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“Huh? It’s not a fake?”
As Beom Gye-wi stood there looking bewildered, Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa entered the clinic.
“Didn’t you just say you never made it?”
Dan Ak-seon tilted his head at Cho Ak-ryang's question.
“I know. Why would they call this a Divine Demon Pill?”
Dan Ak-seon picked up a bit of the contents from the mortar, tasted it again, and nodded.
“I’m sure of it. No matter how I look at it, this is clearly a Restorative Pill.”
Dan Ak-seon turned to the physician, who was still standing there with a dazed expression.
“Where did you get this medicine?”
The physician from the Hong Clinic asked back, his expression still bewildered.
“You can tell if a medicine is genuine just by tasting it?”
“Because I’m the one who made it.”
Still, the Hong Clinic's physician couldn't erase his doubts.
It made sense; you could count on one hand the number of people in the world capable of creating such an outstanding medicine.
Even he, who had dedicated his entire life to the medical arts, couldn't hope to replicate it.
How many months had it been since he started spending sleepless nights trying to analyze the combination of herbs in this medicine?
Dan Ak-seon smiled wryly and listed the ingredients of the Restorative Pill.
“It contains arrowroot, dried lacquer sap, patchouli, and chives. There's also balloon flower root, angelica root, and peach kernel.”
The physician's eyes lit up.
“Peach kernel? But peach pits are poisonous and would cause stomachaches, wouldn't they?”
“Of course, it has to go through a detoxification process. I used a method of roasting it with turmeric in hot lime. Then, later, I blended it with kochia fruit and scallion whites to draw out its warm energy.”
“Scallion whites, scallion whites... I see. So the sweet aftertaste came from the dried scallion roots. With that method, you could certainly maximize the effects without the medicinal energies clashing.”
The physician, nodding in admiration, asked a few more questions.
Each time, Dan Ak-seon answered without hesitation.
And a moment later.
“...”
The physician's lips moved, but no sound came out, like a man struck dumb.
His eyes, wide and trembling, couldn't seem to find a place to rest.
It was beyond surprise; he was simply dumbfounded.
The shock he felt was truly indescribable.
The medical skill of the boy before him was far, far beyond his own.
“Are you truly the Divine Physician's son?”
At this point, he had no choice but to believe.
When Dan Ak-seon nodded, the physician let out a sigh so deep it seemed the ground would collapse.
He had realized that with his skills, he could die and be reborn and still never be able to create a medicine with the same effects as the Divine Demon Pill.
The head of the Jinsong Clinic, who was the subject of rampant rumors among physicians lately.
Only someone of that caliber, someone even the imperial physicians sought to learn from, could even dare to be compared.
“I got it from the Divine Demon Trading Company.”
“The Divine Demon Trading Company?”
The physician nodded at Dan Ak-seon's question.
“Was it three months ago? A man who introduced himself as the company's head visited and gave me the medicine. I had an urgent patient at the time, so I tried it, and its effects were so astonishingly good that I've been ordering it ever since.”
Dan Ak-seon, who had been tilting his head, let out a small gasp at the physician's continued explanation.
“He looked to be around forty? A man with a gaunt face and eyes slanted like a weasel's.”
“Ah!”
Dan Ak-seon asked again.
“By any chance, was his surname Neung, with the first name So-mil?”
“I don't remember exactly, but I'm certain his surname was Neung. He never came back after that day, though. Different men have been delivering the Divine Demon Pills each time.”
Dan Ak-seon finally understood what had happened.
“A weasel face? That's Neung So-mil, that bastard.”
At Cho Ak-ryang's words, a thick murderous glint poured from Beom Gye-wi's eyes.
“What? That bastard was the one committing fraud using Physician Dan's name?”
Seeing Beom Gye-wi, who looked ready to charge to the Divine Demon Valley at any moment, Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
“It's not that... It seems Steward Sa is the one running this Divine Demon Trading Company.”
“What! That bastard Sa Mu-sim is in on it too? I'll kill them...!”
Cho Ak-ryang sighed.
“Never mind. There’s no point.”
Dan Ak-seon smiled and explained instead.
“I think they named the trading company after the Divine Demon Valley.”
The very first thing Sa Mu-sim had asked Dan Ak-seon for after taking on the steward's duties was to make the Restorative Pills.
The basic effects of the Restorative Pill were similar to the Sacred Hand Divine Pill, but it was made with common herbs instead of expensive ones, making it relatively cheaper.
However, its quality was incomparably superior to the existing pills traded through clinics.
“Before I left, the Steward asked if he could use the herbs in the warehouse to mass-produce the Restorative Pills. So I told him the recipe.”
When he thought about it, this whole farce was his own fault.
It was because he hadn't been able to contact the Divine Demon Valley while wandering the martial world because of the joint petition.
Dan Ak-seon bowed his head to the physician of the Hong Clinic.
“I'm sorry for taking up your time. I think you can continue selling the Divine Demon Pills.”
Leaving the physician, who nodded with a bewildered face, Dan Ak-seon left the clinic.
“Huh? Where's Uncle Beom?”
When Beom Gye-wi didn't follow, Dan Ak-seon turned his head back inside.
“I did it out of love. You understand, right?”
“What?”
“There, there. Hold still.”
Beom Gye-wi was patting the body of the man whose head he'd been holding, smiling brightly. It was his own way of expressing his apology, but the terror his smile induced was hardly different from when he'd been gripping the man's head.
“I-I'm fine now.”
“Oh? You are? Really?”
“Yes!”
“No, no. I can make your internal organs warm for three months and ten days. Just wait.”
As Beom Gye-wi raised his steaming right hand, the man's pupils trembled.
“I'm really fine!”
“Huh? Well, if you're going to refuse so strongly. Alright.”
Beom Gye-wi finally gave a wave and left the clinic.
As he came alongside, Dan Ak-seon resumed walking.
“Steward Sa is really amazing. I heard he was going to run a trading company, but I didn't know he would have expanded this far already.”
Beom Gye-wi and Cho Ak-ryang nodded.
“He's not called the Money-Grubbing Ghost Lord for nothing.”
“Expanding all the way to Sichuan means they're already distributing the Divine Demon Pills in other regions.”
Dan Ak-seon was once again struck by how quickly time passed.
“In just three more months, it'll be a year since we left the Divine Demon Valley.”
Back when he only went between the Divine Demon Valley and the village, time had passed so slowly, but now it was flying by at a startling pace.
“I'm sure they're both doing well, right?”
Dan Ak-seon's mood lifted upon hearing unexpected news of the two and their activities.
“I should work harder too. For the sake of those two, who are trying so hard.”
***
Meanwhile.
At the same time in Wuwei, Neung So-mil and Sa Mu-sim were walking through a dark back alley.
After walking for some time, they reached their destination, where So Jeok-san, who had been waiting for them, bowed deeply.
“You've arrived?”
“Are the preparations ready?”
Despite Neung So-mil's harsh tone, So Jeok-san answered politely.
“Everything is perfect.”
Sa Mu-sim smiled warmly and patted So Jeok-san's shoulder.
“Thank you. You always go through so much trouble for us.”
“Not at all. Rather, we are grateful for your kindness.”
Seeing the heartfelt sincerity on So Jeok-san's face, Sa Mu-sim and Neung So-mil smiled quietly.
Even Neung So-mil, who had initially been reluctant to entrust the trading company's work to back-alley thugs, had changed his mind. The Yiuidang, led by So Jeok-san, was performing far beyond their expectations.
Having left behind their days as the Sunuibang roaming the back alleys, they had long since established themselves as a cornerstone of the Divine Demon Trading Company.
“Please, come in.”
Guided by So Jeok-san, Sa Mu-sim and Neung So-mil entered a shabby hut. The interior was dim, as no sunlight entered, and filled with the smell of musty dust and old odors.
So Jeok-san approached the inner wall and pressed a spot on its surface.
*Grrrr.*
With a heavy sound, an entrance leading to a basement below the wall was revealed.
The three men descended the stairs, guided by the dim light of an oil lamp.
At the bottom of the stairs was a vast space that was hard to believe existed beneath such a rundown hut.
However, it was a complete contrast to the floor above.
The interior, filled with the faint scent of medicinal herbs, was brightly lit.
Not only that, but it was fully equipped for making pills, from herb cutters and decoction pots to refining furnaces.
The facilities for pill production were properly set up.
“Are these the men?”
So Jeok-san nodded at Neung So-mil's question.
Men bustled about the basement, engrossed in making pills.
There were more than thirty of them.
“Yes. They used to make aphrodisiacs, so their skills are guaranteed.”
“You've weeded out the untrustworthy ones, I assume?”
“Of course.”
In fact, most of them were men who had been captured by the Black Dragon Society and lived like slaves.
When So Jeok-san absorbed the Black Dragon Society, he guaranteed their freedom and provided them with new jobs and wages.
Now, they had been reassembled at Sa Mu-sim's request.
“When it comes to making pills, they're better than most physicians.”
“You explained the rules clearly, I hope?”
“Yes.”
To maintain strict secrecy, conversation was forbidden inside the basement.
If necessary, they could only communicate through the Yiuidang managers stationed there.
Furthermore, the production process for the Divine Demon Pill was strictly compartmentalized so that no single person would know the entire method.
Just then, a few men bowed politely toward Sa Mu-sim and Neung So-mil.
They were the neatly dressed managers from the Yiuidang.
Now reborn as members of the Divine Demon Trading Company, they showed no trace of their former back-alley thug appearances.
“Attention!”
At Neung So-mil's booming voice, everyone's eyes gathered on him.
“From now on, you will not be making medicine that kills people, but medicine that saves them. As long as you remain faithful, we will never cast you out, and we will guarantee you fair compensation and rights as written in the contracts we signed and divided beforehand.”
At those words, the men exchanged glances.
A few smiled brightly, but most looked half-convinced, half-doubtful.
It was the result of being exploited and tormented by the Black Dragon Society for so long.
Sa Mu-sim offered them a benevolent smile.
“Please, trust us. I too once lived my life full of suspicion, just like you, but after meeting the Valley Lord, I came to see the world differently.”
“...”
“It may be difficult for now, but I hope that one day, you will feel the same. My friends and I will also work harder, so please continue to help us.”
After speaking, Sa Mu-sim bowed respectfully to them. Neung So-mil was taken aback but quickly followed Sa Mu-sim's lead and bowed.
So Jeok-san also swiftly followed their example.
A look of bewilderment appeared on the faces of the men gathered in the apothecary.
So Jeok-san, the great leader of the Yiuidang.
They had never imagined that two men of even higher rank would show them such courtesy first.
“W-we'll be in your care.”
One of the men bowed his head with a flustered expression.
This started a chain reaction, as the other men hurriedly bowed back in turn.
“Thank you!”
“We will do our best!”
“We will never forget this kindness!”
Their expressions and voices, brimming with stirred emotions, were all filled with heartfelt sincerity.
A short while later, waiters began bringing down alcohol and food from the stairs connected to the upper floor.
The men cheered at the feast of all sorts of delicacies they would normally never get to taste.
Though they were young, the waiters were all official members of the Yiuidang.
Therefore, there was no fear of the secrets of this place leaking out.
Suddenly, Sa Mu-sim stared intently at one of the waiters.
Seeing this, Neung So-mil looked puzzled.
“What is it, brother?”
“Ah, it's nothing.”
Sa Mu-sim smiled quietly and pointed at the waiter.
“Looking at that boy reminds me of the Valley Lord. He must have grown a lot by now, wouldn't you say?”
Only then did Neung So-mil smile along with Sa Mu-sim.
“When he left the Divine Demon Valley, he was about that boy's height, so he must have grown by at least a head by now, don't you think? Children grow so fast.”
“I suppose so.”
As Sa Mu-sim nodded, a flicker of longing appeared in his eyes.
“I miss the Valley Lord.”
“Me too. I hope he returns safely.”
Neung So-mil's gaze deepened as well.