Divine Doctor's Valley (1)
Dokgo Jin first came to know Namgung Woncheong because of the man's son, Namgung Jin.
At the request of Hao Sect Leader Eun Yakbyeok, Dokgo Jin had been waiting along the path for Namgung Jin, who was heading to the Wulin Alliance. Spotting a man approaching from afar, he opened a booklet.
"… Is that the bastard?"
Checking the portrait sketch Eun Yakbyeok had drawn for him, it seemed to match roughly enough.
As the man drew closer, Dokgo Jin raised his cherished weapon, the Demon-Slaying Blade, and blocked the road.
When the man stopped, Dokgo Jin compared the portrait to his face several times over.
"… What business do you have with me?"
"Blue martial robes embroidered with 'Changcheon' across the chest, the portrait matches roughly… Are you Namgung Jin?"
"… Do you have some business with me?"
In effect admitting that he was indeed Namgung Jin, Dokgo Jin bared his teeth in a savage grin.
"Keu-ha-hat, I do. That's why I stopped you."
"… It doesn't seem like good business."
"Uh… Before we get to that, let's have a match first."
Dokgo Jin rose from the rock and slung the Demon-Slaying Blade over his shoulder.
Seeing the man's confident air, Namgung Jin frowned.
"You're an arrogant one. Do you know who I am?"
"Son of the Sword God, they say. I don't like arguing, so just draw your sword."
"… What is your name?"
"Me? Dokgo Jin."
"So it was the Mad Demon…"
"Oh? Feeling like fighting now?"
When Namgung Jin drew his sword, Dokgo Jin lowered his stance.
Seeing that, Namgung Jin's brow furrowed.
… A strange stance.
He had heard lately that some fellow named Dokgo Jin was picking fights with the top hundred masters of the murim, but he never imagined the turn would come to him.
"… Just because you've beaten a few of the hundred masters, you overestimate your own strength…"
"Ah, shut the fuck up!!!"
Suddenly Dokgo Jin roared and charged.
Blocking the downward strike with his drawn sword, Namgung Jin clenched his teeth hard of his own accord.
Hea… Heavy!
Seeing his feet dig into the ground, Dokgo Jin's smile only deepened.
"Oh? You blocked that?"
"Kugh…! I don't know why you're doing this, but…!"
Clang!
Namgung Jin swung his sword to drive Dokgo Jin back a good distance and corrected his stance.
"I won't go easy on you."
"Keu-ha-hat, come on!"
Namgung Jin and Dokgo Jin charged at each other.
At the beginning their fight seemed, at a glance, evenly matched.
Having been taught directly by the Sword God, and raised from childhood with meridian cleansing and spiritual medicines in the finest environment the murim could offer, Namgung Jin quickly grew accustomed to Dokgo Jin's attacks.
But as the match wore on, Namgung Jin gradually fell into the man's schemes.
"Keu-ha-hat! You're pretty good!"
"Ugh…!"
Dokgo Jin was a being who shattered every scrap of common sense Namgung Jin possessed.
A clean, decisive strike? None.
Sword forms that moved according to fixed rules? Always something new.
And above all… Dokgo Jin would stop at nothing to win.
"Dirt in your eyes!!"
Dokgo Jin kicked up dirt from the ground with his toes and flung it at the man's face; Namgung Jin raised an arm to block.
"Damn! A dirty trick…!"
"Doesn't matter if I win!"
Whoosh!
Another powerful cleaving strike came crashing down from above. Namgung Jin abandoned the block, dodged sideways, and tried to slash across Dokgo Jin's waist.
Instead Dokgo Jin stepped forward, deliberately pressing his own waist against the blade.
Crack!
He could have cut far deeper, yet because Dokgo Jin had closed the distance it was only a shallow wound. A chill ran down Namgung Jin's spine.
A demon of combat…
Blood spurting from his waist, Dokgo Jin raised the blade once more.
"One more time!"
Seeing the man dig at the ground with his toes again, Namgung Jin reflexively threw up a hand.
But.
Crunch!
"Keok!"
"Keu-ha-hat! Honest bastard, this one!!"
The expected dirt never flew. Instead the man's foot slammed straight into Namgung Jin's gut.
Feeling the pain bloom in his belly, Namgung Jin gritted his teeth.
Stupid… Did I actually believe the enemy's words?
Before the fallen Namgung Jin could even push himself up, Dokgo Jin charged in and brought another heavy strike crashing down from above.
"If you get up!"
Bang!
"No way!"
Bang!
"I finally caught you!!"
"Kugh…!"
Bang!!
Once. Again.
Every time the Demon-Slaying Blade came down, Namgung Jin's body was driven deeper into the earth.
"Oh? You're holding on?"
"Ugh…!"
Just blocking those descending blows already made Namgung Jin feel as if his hands would shatter.
Yet he endured it and raised his sword once more. Dokgo Jin grinned.
"I'll spare you!! I like your spirit!!"
Once more Dokgo Jin raised the blade and brought it down.
Crunch!
"Keok…!"
At last Namgung Jin's sword broke.
The descending Demon-Slaying Blade planted itself right beside Namgung Jin's head, and the match was decided.
They had both poured out everything they had, yet the difference in experience settled the victory.
Dokgo Jin hoisted the Demon-Slaying Blade onto his shoulder and asked with a laugh.
"I won, right?"
In pure martial skill Namgung Jin might have been superior, but in a bloody brawl Dokgo Jin stood far above him.
Trembling with the humiliation of defeat, Namgung Jin forced the words out.
"Kugh…! Kill me."
"What the fuck are you talking about? I said I'd spare you."
"… Didn't you come to stop me from going to the Wulin Alliance?"
"Fuck, if you want to roll around in that shit-pit, why would I… Ah."
"…"
"Wait a sec."
Dokgo Jin rummaged through his clothes and pulled out the booklet.
Flipping through the pages in search of something, he finally laughed.
"Ah, here it is."
Squatting beside Namgung Jin's head, he asked,
"What do you think of the Tang Clan?"
"… What?"
"Answer!!!!"
"I… I don't particularly like them."
"Why?"
"… A martial artist using poison is a bit…"
"Good. Next… Do you want to become the Wulin Alliance Leader?"
"… Why are you asking these things?"
Dokgo Jin glared down at him with eyes full of irritation, then raised the Demon-Slaying Blade.
"Yeah. Fuck it, should I just cut your neck?"
"I… I do want to! And change that rotten Wulin Alliance!!"
"Hmm… Good answer. And next…"
After that Dokgo Jin asked several more questions, and each time Namgung Jin answered diligently.
He could have laughed the whole thing off as a madman's rambling, yet Namgung Jin sensed the truth of it.
That his life or death would be decided by the answers he was giving right now.
When the final question ended at last, Dokgo Jin seized Namgung Jin by the collar and hauled him up out of the dirt.
"…"
"What are you glaring at? Wanna die?"
"Ah… No…"
"Fuck off."
As Dokgo Jin sat back down on the rock, Namgung Jin rubbed his wrists—still numb from blocking the blade—and asked,
"Th… Then can I go now?"
"Where do you think you're going, bastard? You that… that… Ah, fuck."
Dokgo Jin scratched his head, then suddenly his face lit up.
"Near ink, black! You bastard."
"… What?"
"If you roll around in that shit-pit too, you'll turn into a bastard splattered with shit, right?"
"I won't."
"No, no. I've seen it—people change easily."
"But…"
"They change!!"
"Kugh…!"
When Dokgo Jin unleashed a lion's roar, leaves hanging from the trees rained down in a rustle.
His ears ringing from the sudden bellow, Namgung Jin frowned.
"Haa… Fuck. Hey, Namgung Jin."
"… Yes, Great Hero."
"Call me Great Hero and you die. I've got madness in me. That's why they call me the Mad Demon—got it?"
"… Understood."
"I fucking hate being asked the same thing twice. And I fucking hate having to say things twice."
"…"
"Answer!!!"
"Y… Yes!"
When Namgung Jin answered, Dokgo Jin rose from the rock with the Demon-Slaying Blade in hand.
"Get down."
"H… How?"
"Just fucking get down!"
When Dokgo Jin shouted again, Namgung Jin quickly prostrated himself on the ground.
Standing beside him, Dokgo Jin held the Demon-Slaying Blade at an angle.
"Be grateful. I'll hit you a few times."
"… What?"
"Fuck, people change easily. How do you keep from changing? You need a fucking huge wound. So today, instead of killing you, I'll give you one."
"Th… That's…"
"Like this!!"
Bang!
Dokgo Jin smashed the flat of the Demon-Slaying Blade across Namgung Jin's backside.
"Keok!"
"You awake?"
"I… I'm awake! Very much so!"
"You can still talk, so it wasn't enough. That won't do."
"Ah… No, wait!"
Bang!
"Keoeok…!"
"Still a sturdy bastard. One more."
"Great Heeeero!!!! Great Hero!!!!"
"I told you not to call me Great Hero!!"
Bang!
When Dokgo Jin delivered the final third strike, Namgung Jin's body shuddered, then went limp.
"… What, hey. Kid."
Even poking him with a toe produced no reaction. Dokgo Jin's heart sank.
"Ah, fuck… Is he dead?"
He had wanted to spare the man without killing him, yet now he felt he might have made a mistake.
Just in case, he carefully placed a finger beneath the man's nose. Thankfully a faint breath stirred against it.
"Ah… Fuck."
Dokgo Jin considered simply cutting the man's throat, then finally hoisted Namgung Jin onto his shoulder.
"… You said you live in Anhui Province? Close enough."
Figuring that a son of a wealthy house would be patched up once he got home, Dokgo Jin set off running toward Anhui.
The Namgung Clan was famous throughout the province, so he found it quickly enough.
Before the main gate of the Namgung Clan, Dokgo Jin ignored the guard warriors, stopped, and gathered his breath.
"Is the Sword God here!!!!"
"Kugh…!"
At that massive shout the guards clapped their hands over their ears and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing them, Dokgo Jin grumbled.
"What the fuck—the bastards guarding a famous clan's main gate are this weak?"
"Who are you?"
"Ugh, fuck!"
An old man's voice suddenly sounded right beside his ear. Dokgo Jin startled and spun around.
There stood an ordinary-looking yet well-dressed old man holding a tree branch, gazing at him.
"… Who are you, old man?"
"The father of the child you're carrying."
"… Quite an age difference."
"Keul-keul-keul, true enough. More than that, I have something to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Are you the one who beat my son?"
"That's right."
When Dokgo Jin nodded boldly, Namgung Woncheong looked rather flustered.
"Uh… Do you know who this old man is?"
"The Sword God, right? One of the strongest in the jianghu."
"K… Keu-ha-hat! Knowing who this old man is, you boldly admit to beating my son?"
"I beat him, so what of it. But don't worry. I hit him so he wouldn't die, and I liked the fellow, so I just roughly disciplined him."
"Disciplined?"
One of Namgung Woncheong's eyebrows shot up. Dokgo Jin answered with a laugh.
"If he gets friendly with the trash of the Wulin Alliance, won't this guy turn into trash himself? I hit him a bit so that wouldn't happen."
"Oh… Is that so. Thank you."
When Namgung Woncheong cupped his fist in salute, Dokgo Jin returned the gesture, accepting the greeting.
"But… What is your name?"
"Dokgo Jin."
"Ah~, so it was the Mad Demon. Now I understand."
"Understand what?"
No sooner had the words left Dokgo Jin's mouth than energy exploded from Namgung Woncheong's entire body.
"How you can stand so boldly in front of this old man."
"Kugh…!"
"Thank you for disciplining my child, Mad Demon."
"Kuuugh…!"
Under that massive pressure Dokgo Jin's knees began to buckle.
As his body sank lower and lower, he drew the Demon-Slaying Blade, planted it in the earth as a prop, and forced himself upright.
"Indeed… Sword God…!!"
"Receiving this old man's energy and still baring your teeth at me? Keu-ha-hat, better than my son!"
Namgung Woncheong laughed loudly again, then looked at the tree branch in his hand.
"Hmm… Good. This must be fate as well."
"What…"
"This old man will show you a skill of his, and with this we'll settle the score."
Namgung Woncheong raised the branch.
And very slowly—
from upper right to lower left—
he drew it down.
"If you die, it is because you are lacking."
Dokgo Jin simply stared blankly at the scene.
But the moment the trajectory of that ordinary branch reached its end—
"!!"
Dokgo Jin freaked out and flung himself flat on the ground.
"Huff…! Huff…!"
It had been nothing more than the swing of a common tree branch, yet Dokgo Jin had truly believed he was about to die.
Sweat poured from his whole body; his heart began to hammer madly.
Seeing him, Namgung Woncheong laughed and lifted Namgung Jin onto his back.
"Keul-keul-keul, still quite a capable friend. See you next time, Mad Demon."
"Th… This is…"
"It is the Heart Sword. If you think you can dodge it again, come find me. I'll treat you to tea."
Blankly lying on the ground, watching the main gate of the Namgung Clan swing shut, Dokgo Jin felt his legs give out and sat down hard.
He remained there a long while. Only after the sun had set did he finally rise.
As he left, he made a vow.
Monster old fart… I'll never set foot in Anhui Province again.
That was the only time in his life—the first and the last—that Dokgo Jin truly came to fear another human being.