Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 100
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100
Fire
‘It feels just like playing a game. Though back then, it didn’t hurt.’
The problem was that the one being hit wasn’t a game character, but Jin Cheon-hee himself, and the one doing the hitting wasn’t a game character either, but Jin Cheon-hee himself.
If something broke from a mistake, it wasn’t a game character’s health bar that depleted—it was Jin Cheon-hee’s bones that fractured.
‘Back then, I used to play those bullet-dodging games in front of the stationery shop for 100 won.’
That young Jin Cheon-hee had pulled off the feat of defeating the final boss with just 100 won.
Of course, it required some luck, but the concentration was still remarkable.
Now, even with 10,000 won, I couldn’t do it.
That kind of tracking vision, concentration, and judgment were only possible at that age.
But that feeling from back then had awakened once more.
I dodged the wooden puppet’s fists thirteen times in rapid succession.
Deep in concentration, I made the mistake of thinking a thought I shouldn’t have.
‘How am I even dodging this right now?’
In that instant, the fourteenth fist struck my solar plexus without mercy.
“Gasp!”
From the relentless vital point attack, my waist bent, and the four wooden puppets, as if they’d been waiting, subjected me to a group beating.
Thwack thwack thwack!
“Ahhhhh!”
To survive here, I had to use the inner energy of the Five Elements Divine Art to heal my body as much as possible while employing the Five Elements Diamond Body Technique as my outer technique.
Getting beaten is training too! Outer techniques are learned by getting hit and healing from it! A body that grows stronger through tempering!
That is outer technique training!
Two birds with one stone!
‘My human rights… are gone.’
In this era, there was no such thing as educational rights.
Even if you fell off a cliff and became paralyzed, it was your own fault. Even if your joints wore down from old age and you suffered, it was your own fault.
Even if you ended up losing your fingers by plunging your hand into heated sand, that was your own fault.
By these standards, this was actually quite gentlemanly education.
‘I know… I know, but… does martial arts really have to be taught this way?’
It was a very fundamental question.
‘If children receive this kind of education during their formative years, it doesn’t seem emotionally healthy for their development…?’
I was thinking thoughts that would shake the very foundations of the martial arts world.
‘When you read martial arts novels, there are countless children who’ve lost their parents to grudges, and this too affects emotional development…’
In a world where human life was worth less than a fly’s, such contemplation was futile.
Perhaps it was because of the Xuanyuan Zhuantan Divine Art’s function.
Getting beaten like this made my thoughts multiply.
Then I heard the sound of a bell ringing—ding ding ding.
At the same time, the wooden puppets that had been beating me stopped moving.
“You’re quite enthusiastic about your outer technique training, Young Master.”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t tease me about it.”
“I’m not teasing you. I’m genuinely amazed at how diligently you work. There’s probably no one else in this household who uses wooden puppets so generously.”
‘That’s exactly what teasing is, you bastard.’
I let out a groan and pushed myself up from the bed.
“What’s the matter, Chief Manager Yoo?”
“A guest has arrived from the Namgung Family.”
“The Namgung Family…?”
I paused briefly in thought before answering.
“Ah, kidney stones.”
Namgung Un.
“Well, that works out. Namgung Un gets better, and I get some rest.”
“Were you in much pain?”
“My external cultivation has grown, so it doesn’t hurt as much as it did at first.”
I spoke while channeling air into my lungs.
“Ho, then I’ll need to refine the technique further next time. If it doesn’t cause pain, there’s no point in training external cultivation.”
‘This damned bastard!’
I turned to Yoo Ho.
“Don’t you have work to do, Chief Manager Yoo?”
Perfect timing. Since things had come to this, I decided to use this as an excuse to make him work hard.
* * *
I returned to my room, washed myself, and changed into fresh clothes.
‘Hmm. My height hasn’t grown much since the Bone Replacement and Flesh Shedding.’
Perhaps because I had grown all at once during the Bone Replacement and Flesh Shedding, my height had barely changed since then.
However, I was satisfied since I was taller than my peers at this point.
‘Now I’ll probably grow at a normal child’s pace.’
The handsome face in the mirror looked back at me. I felt proud of my appearance, which was incomparably more beautiful than my previous life.
With my newly tailored martial robes on top of that, I looked exactly like a portrait of a beautiful young master from a painting.
I tied my hair neatly and opened the door.
Standing right outside was Wang Gak-yeon.
She had been about to knock on my door, and she awkwardly lowered her raised hand.
“What’s the matter?”
At my words, Wang Gak-yeon scratched her head.
“I have something to talk about. So I came looking for you.”
I suddenly noticed that the martial robes Wang Gak-yeon was wearing were completely different from any I had seen before.
“Is this something others shouldn’t hear?”
Wang Gak-yeon started to shake her head but paused in thought before nodding.
“I’d prefer if Father didn’t know.”
At those words, she and I walked for a while toward the bamboo forest.
‘What’s going on with Gak-yeon?’
She wasn’t officially part of the Medical Guild.
While her father Gungwi had been specially recruited as an executive of the Medical Guild’s martial division, Wang Gak-yeon wasn’t actually employed at Baekrin Uigak. As a result, she was essentially just another mouth to feed.
Of course, neither Yoo Ho nor my Master would hold that against her.
Everyone at Baekrin Uigak adored Wang Gak-yeon.
Watching her smile amid the grueling life of the Medical Guild lifted everyone’s spirits naturally.
It was the kind of affection one might feel toward a beloved niece.
After walking for some time, we ventured deep into the bamboo forest when Wang Gak-yeon suddenly spoke.
“I’m going to venture into Gangho. I want to make my debut in the martial world.”
“What? So suddenly?”
“Suddenly? You snuck off to Gangho yourself, didn’t you?”
At her words, my cheeks flushed.
“Well, that’s true.”
“I watched you go in for closed-door training and return with a reputation spread throughout Gangho. I’ve thought about it a lot since then. I want to try it too.”
I considered this.
‘I… want to stop her.’
In my eyes, Wang Gak-yeon was still a child, and Gangho was a frightening place.
Of course, I wasn’t underestimating her abilities.
I knew better than anyone how brilliantly she fought against the Demonic Sect’s assassins.
‘What should I do? She won’t listen to objections, and I’m hardly in a position to stop her.’
I thought quickly and said this instead.
“Money—what about money?”
“With martial skills, I can earn enough to get by doing something.”
“Why not try the Yunlong Courier Bureau? The Baekrin Uigak can arrange work for you there too.”
“Oh, that would work?”
“Of course! Actually, the Yunlong Courier Bureau might be better for earning money than the Uigak. When I made my debut in Gangho before, I sent them a letter of introduction from Samsalchuseo. I heard they’re already paying back their debt.”
…
Wang Gak-yeon fell silent at my words, lost in thought. I calculated quickly.
‘Yes. The Yunlong Courier Bureau is perfect. The Chief Manager is a good person, and since it’s a courier station, he’s perceptive. It’s ideal for Gak-yeon to safely learn the ways of Gangho.’
Though my body’s age was estimated to be similar to Wang Gak-yeon’s, my mind was that of a distant adult.
In my eyes, Wang Gak-yeon was still just a child.
The thought of such a young girl making her debut in Gangho weighed heavily on me.
What made it even heavier was that Wang Gak-yeon resembled her father Gungwi too much—she was the type who wouldn’t listen to anyone’s objections.
“But… the Yunlong Courier Bureau has done business with Father several times, and if they catch me and drag me back…”
“If you sign a formal contract as a courier, they won’t be able to say anything.”
“Then… all right. I’ll do it.”
At Wang Gak-yeon’s answer, I released a sigh of relief.
“Wait here, I’ll write it quickly.”
I hurried back to my room and wrote a letter of introduction for Wang Gak-yeon with brush and ink, then handed it to her.
“Archers are treated with great respect at courier stations. The Chief Manager will be delighted to see you.”
Wang Gak-yeon nodded.
“Cheon-hee. Thank you.”
She suddenly pulled me into an embrace.
Jin Cheon-hee patted Wang Gak-yeon’s back and spoke.
“Take care of yourself. If you get injured, call me immediately. Since you’re affiliated with the Medical Bureau of Baekrin Uigak, I’ll always be reachable.”
“Okay. I’ll be careful. Thank you for worrying about me.”
She tightened her grip around Jin Cheon-hee’s arms, closed her eyes, and fell into thought.
‘I’ll come back stronger, Cheon-hee. And I’ll protect you.’
After completing her journey through Gangho, Wang Gak-yeon watched Jin Cheon-hee grow stronger with each passing day, yet she had hit a wall.
To overcome that barrier, she needed a different approach than before.
Jin Cheon-hee suddenly remembered something and hurried back toward the brush and ink.
“I’ll write letters of introduction for Gongseon Hyeon and Gongseon Yeong as well.”
“The Gongseon Family? So there was a connection there too… Ah, now I remember. I heard about it in passing long ago.”
Gongseon Yeong was the one who saved me when I first came to this world.
Moreover, she had guided me toward enlightenment and helped me overcome my barriers.
If they were sisters, they would never treat Wang Gak-yeon carelessly.
“The Dog Faction will already know, so there’s no need for more there.”
“You really do know a lot of people.”
Wang Gak-yeon carefully stored the letters of introduction and quickly departed.
“I can’t stay any longer. If I do, I’ll only want to be with you more.”
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and vanished like the wind with her lightness technique.
Jin Cheon-hee waved to Wang Gak-yeon as she left.
‘So this is what it feels like when a child grows up.’
It was unfamiliar. I had spent my entire life healing others, but I had never raised a child.
With complicated feelings, I watched until Wang Gak-yeon disappeared from sight, then suddenly spoke aloud.
“Are you alright?”
“You noticed I was watching?”
Gungwi descended from the beam.
“I didn’t realize it myself, but while writing with brush and ink, I felt a tingling at the back of my head.”
“I must have been watching too long. Hehehehe. Your cultivation is still lacking.”
Gungwi said this and let out a sigh.
“She resembles me far too much. At her age, I also left home. She didn’t need to copy this part too…”
Gungwi scratched his head vigorously, then continued with an embarrassed expression.
“It’s a decision made as a martial artist, so I should support it. Besides, with the Yunlong Courier Bureau, I’ll be able to hear how she’s doing from time to time. Did you arrange things that far ahead?”
Instead of answering, Jin Cheon-hee simply smiled.
“I always receive so much from you, Master.”
“No. With Wang Gak-yeon’s abilities, she really wouldn’t need this kind of help. I was just being meddlesome.”
“Hehehehe. Excessive modesty isn’t pleasant to see either.”
He gazed at Jin Cheon-hee with warm eyes.
At times, I seemed like a mere child, yet at other moments, I displayed the wisdom of someone who had lived through the ages.
‘Though I show no outward sign, sometimes my heart trembles at the sight of him.’
Gungwi was grateful for Jin Cheon-hee.
“By the way, Young Master, be careful of Namgung Un, and especially the child of the Tang Family.”
“I heard that people from the Tang Family came as well. But why?”
“The Tang Family members all have peculiar temperaments, whether due to their poison cultivation or not. Especially the adolescent—he’s particularly difficult to understand.”
‘Aren’t adolescents inherently difficult to understand?’
I tilted my head in confusion.
In the novel, the only Tang Family members of significance were those who had reached adulthood. There was no description of the adolescent from the Tang Family.
“Well, it shouldn’t be anything serious.”
I simply thought it was Gungwi’s unnecessary worry.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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