Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 1006

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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 1006
Strangely enough.
Even in this situation, the Doctor’s expression remained composed.
“Phew, you certainly are a handful, aren’t you?”
Jin Cheon-hee pressed down on Namgung Un’s blood vessel to stop the bleeding.
“…You’re not going to ask what happened?”
“What would I ask after seeing this? There’s no need to trouble Namgung with questions.”
With that, he retrieved a wide cloth from his medical supplies and spread it out, then began unpacking various items needed for emergency treatment.
“Ha. Jin’s younger brother… you truly are… remarkable.”
“I’m not sure I deserve such praise.”
“In all my years, I’ve never met anyone quite like you. Your Master, the Head of the Jegallim Family, was incomprehensible and frightening… but you, you seem human yet not human at all.”
“…”
Jin Cheon-hee did not respond.
Namgung Un’s words had struck a sensitive chord in his heart.
But he knew this was merely his own sensitivity, not Namgung Un’s fault.
“…I am human. Regardless, please lie down here.”
Once Namgung Un lay down, Jin Cheon-hee retrieved small flags and installed them in all directions, then carefully arranged stones.
Thus a simple formation was established.
“We won’t be visible from outside.”
“Such things exist?”
“A Doctor must be prepared. Honestly, without proper supplies, one cannot practice medicine. Now, disinfection.”
“Kugh!”
“Ah, I forgot to mention it would sting.”
“This is more than a sting—are you doing this on purpose, Jin’s younger brother?”
At that, Jin Cheon-hee let out a small laugh.
He had said it was only emergency treatment, but to Namgung Un’s eyes, it seemed like much more.
Typically, what ordinary Doctors call emergency treatment amounts to nothing more than pressing pressure points to stop bleeding and applying splints.
Yet Jin Cheon-hee appeared to be doing something far beyond that.
Had his tension eased?
Lying on his back, Namgung Un gazed at the sky and let out a quiet self-deprecating laugh.
“After hearing your account, I conducted my own investigation quietly.”
“…”
“Hm… Just as you said, the Third Mother was indeed a vice-leader of the Heart Demon Returning Spirit Sect… and she was the one who drove my father into demonic possession… And over all these years, she has harmed countless members of the main family… her crimes are debts that cannot be repaid in a lifetime…”
But what of Su? What of Sua?”
“So… you came alone then? That is dangerous.”
A cold response.
Yet he knew it was the right answer.
This was indeed a gamble.
To handle matters perfectly for the sake of the Sect, one had to stake one’s life.
Namgung Un did so without hesitation.
“It’s fine. Even if I were to die, Grandfather still stands strong. The main family will be alright.”
“Namgung….”
What could I even say to that?
“It’s not something the Head of the Namgung Family should be saying, I know. But this is how we return. A Gaju is ultimately a position where one must abandon their life for the sake of the family. Father himself sealed his dantian the moment he judged himself a burden to the family.”
That scene was embedded in Namgung Un’s chest like a massive nail.
In that situation, he found himself unwillingly bearing the burden of Gaju.
Yet if he were to set down this burden, the other children would have to bear it instead.
“…That can’t be. How could it be?”
Namgung Un trailed off his words quietly.
“Still, I’m glad to see you. Even if this were the last time, wouldn’t that be enough….”
With those words, Namgung Un collapsed from exhaustion.
Jin Cheon-hee checked his pulse and let out a small sigh.
It seemed the tension had released amid extreme fatigue.
“Saying ‘last time’ in front of a Doctor… you certainly speak boldly.”
Since things had come to this, I pressed the anesthetic acupoint.
‘The real problem isn’t the external trauma! He’s been poisoned too. Is this poison from the Demonic Sect?’
True to his nature as someone with excellent luck, Un had avoided the vital points.
However, he was already in a state of poison accumulation, and—
Brain qi rode upon a heart demon, churning throughout his entire body.
It was only because the Namgung Family’s martial arts were orthodox that he hadn’t already died several times over from qi and blood boiling up.
“There’s no choice.”
Jin Cheon-hee retrieved a Five Elements Divine Pill from the emergency kit, compressed it into one, placed it in Namgung Un’s mouth, and dissolved it by infusing inner force.
“Whoosh!”
As the inner energy was stimulated, Namgung Un’s limbs convulsed and began twisting like tree roots.
In that state, Jin Cheon-hee placed one hand on Namgung Un’s solar plexus and guided the circulation through the heavenly circuit.
Crack-crack-crack—
Namgung Un’s body returned to normal, and he spat out a clot of blood from his mouth.
Gush!
Pitch-black blood.
Toxin liquid.
In that instant, the shadow of Jin Cheon-hee’s left arm greedily absorbed even the toxin Namgung Un had expelled.
“Yes. Eat well. Eat well.”
Over a hundred needles emerged from their case of their own accord and embedded themselves in Namgung Un’s body.
‘Namgung, be grateful that I’m your friend. If I hadn’t received the secret transmission from my Master, I would have died a hundred times over. And one more thing….’
In that moment, the colors around Jin Cheon-hee began to shift faintly.
Not like the Jegallim Family’s furnace or the transcendent realm my Master used—everything didn’t change that dramatically.
Just a slight additional brushstroke over a photograph in watercolor.
Still incomplete.
An extremely incomplete space merely occupied the area around Jin Cheon-hee.
‘…And one more thing. Thanks to Namgung teaching me the secret techniques of the Namgung Family, I’ve gained expertise in brain qi.’
If I hadn’t known what kind of inner art Namgung Un was using, I wouldn’t have been able to fully counter his Heart Demon possession.
Namgung Un’s Heart Demon possession had already progressed far beyond its initial stages.
‘Well then, let me treat this.’
Crack, crackle—
Furious lightning qi began scattering around Namgung Un.
But that was fine.
It was better for it to dissipate outward than to damage his body.
“Namgung, I’ll spare your life, but I’m taking exactly ten years’ worth of cultivation.”
My palm absorbed Namgung Un’s true qi like a suction technique, then met with the Five Elements Divine Art and transformed it.
Then I began returning it to Namgung Un’s body.
The lightning that had been raging moments before began turning into docile electricity as it passed through my palm.
‘As the head of a sect, he’ll figure out how to consume healing elixirs and resolve this himself.’
* * *
How much time had passed?
I withdrew my hand from Namgung Un and rose to my feet.
Namgung Un’s complexion had improved considerably.
After finishing the emergency treatment, I exited the formation and walked toward a tree.
I brushed off the tree once and spoke.
“This spot would be good for the tent.”
Clang!
Hwang-gu sprang to his feet.
“What is it? Will you help too?”
Pant, pant, pant!
Instead of answering, Hwang-gu began digging at the ground.
Digging was the most enjoyable thing.
I stopped Hwang-gu once and pointed with my hand to show where to dig.
Thud, thud, thud!
Each time Hwang-gu’s front paws struck the earth, the ground caved in as if heavy machinery were at work.
‘At this rate, we could build an actual house instead of just a tent.’
Noeji waited for the moment and scattered lightning across the area, incinerating all the insects.
With faint traces of lightning qi lingering in the air, not a single mosquito would dare approach for some time.
‘Except for the Sichuan Tang Family. Those mosquitoes there are no joke.’
Now that the evil creatures had disappeared, perhaps something would change.
I tamped down the earth, set up posts, and pitched the tent.
I gathered firewood and lit a fire, then found a large stone and placed it over the flames.
I prepared dried fruit.
As I completed all these preparations, I fell into thought.
‘Did Namgung eliminate Ju Yeong-yeong, the deputy head of the Heart Soul Returning to Spirit Sect? Or did he attempt it and fail?’
For now, there was no way to know.
Given the nature of the Demonic Sect, it was rare for superiors to avenge their subordinates.
Yeo Ha-ryun was a peculiar one.
Usually, when superiors lost so many subordinates, they would simply cut their losses and flee—it happened all the time.
‘But the fact that he had relaxed his guard….’
* * *
Namgung Un had a long dream for the first time in ages.
‘Brother! The magnolias bloomed magnificently again this year!’
His half-brother, Namgung Su.
The boy spoke thus and tugged at Namgung Un’s sleeve.
Behind the Namgung estate, beautiful magnolias were in full bloom.
That place was where Ju Yeong-yeong, where Namgung Su stayed, resided.
There, Namgung Su would greet Namgung Un and they would admire the magnolias together.
In the past, he would bring a bottle of wine to view the magnolias, but these days he would bring sweet rice wine without alcohol and share it with Namgung Su.
After all, even young children could drink that.
Beneath the azure sky, magnolias bloomed like grains of rice.
In the midst of such breathtaking beauty, Namgung Su spoke.
‘Come to think of it, Father planted a magnolia the year before last, and it’s finally blooming now, they say.’
Let us go see it together.
A small magnolia is still a magnolia, and no less beautiful for it.
The small magnolia tree that Namgung Un went to see with Namgung Su.
But standing there instead of the tree was Ju Yeong-yeong.
Blood seeped through her robes, and magnolia blossoms bloomed crimson in her hairpin.
‘Ja Mokryeon!’
Ju Yeong-yeong’s eyes were closed.
From her eyes, tears of blood streamed down.
And when those tears of blood touched the ground, red magnolias bloomed anew.
Beneath her feet lay stacked the heads of countless Namgung Family members. Among them was even Father’s.
Ja Mokryeon—Ju Yeong-yeong resembled Ja Mokryeon.
Normally it would have been a purplish hue, but this magnolia alone produced a vivid crimson.
Suddenly looking down at his own hands, he found an axe gripped within them.
‘Ah, I see. So that’s what it is.’
Without hesitation, Namgung Un swung the axe toward this Ja Mokryeon.
Crack!
‘No! Brother! You mustn’t do such a thing!’
Namgung Su embraced Namgung Un while weeping.
His younger brother clung to his legs, crying that it must not be, but Namgung Un pushed him away and swung the axe again and again.
This Ja Mokryeon could not exist within the Namgung Family.
She had already consumed countless family members, and had she not consumed Father as well?
Soon she would consume Namgung Su too.
Ja Mokryeon spoke.
[As the Demonic Sect flourishes, the Cheonma reigns supreme.]
What am I to do?
What am I to do?
‘I hate you, Hyeong! I will spend my life despising you!’
Ah, Su.
It’s fine. I am prepared to bear your hatred.
But this Ja Mokryeon… I cannot allow it.
Even if you come to resent me when you grow older, I will accept that.
But this Ja Mokryeon, I must handle with my own hands before I go.
So…
‘형니이이이임—–!’
With Namgung Su’s anguished cry mixed with sobs, Namgung Un—
Namgung Un… looked down at his chest.
A blade was embedded in his chest.
Behind him stood the grown Namgung Su, glaring at him.
I’m dying. I’m dying.
As Namgung Un died, he looked forward.
Did I cut down Ja Mokryeon?
Though Namgung Su drove his blade into his back again and again, Namgung Un did not stop.
He was the Gaju, the one who must protect the Namgung Family.
He delivered one final axe strike toward Ja Mokryeon.
And the moment Ja Mokryeon crumbled with a crack, Namgung Un’s eyes opened.
“Gasp…!”
The sound of boiling water reached his ears.
Inside the tent.
Bandages wrapped around his entire body.
A splint was bound to his right arm—it appeared to have been broken.
“Ugh… ugh…”
I steadied myself and briefly examined my internal injuries.
The inner force that had been raging like an angry horse, desperate to kill me, had somehow grown calm.
The Heart Demon had been quite severe, but it seemed to have been subdued.
Instead, bruising covered every meridian—my younger brother must have struggled tremendously to grasp the vital energy.
‘He saved me. He actually saved me.’
Heart Demon was a term used in Gangho, and it was said to be an affliction that no doctor could completely cure.
Truly, a Divine Physician.
“…”
Suddenly, the nightmare I had just dreamed came to mind.
The grown Namgung Su was stabbing Namgung Un’s back.
But why was it?
Rather than fear or a sense of betrayal, my only thought then was whether I could cut down that Ja Mokryeon before dying.
I even understand why Namgung Su hates me.
Ju Yeong-yeong is Namgung Su’s mother.
It is a child’s right to punish the one who killed their parent.
Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to dislike her.
‘Still, Ja Mokryeon was cut down and died. Cut down and died.’
Seeing that I could think of nothing else, the Namgung Family’s imperial education was truly terrifying.
Stepping out of the tent, Jin Cheon-hee was preparing something in a pot.
“Is that porridge?”
“Yes. Do you enjoy chicken porridge?”
“I used to eat it when I was ill.”
“Hahaha… Yes. You know well, I see.”
Sizzzzle!
The chicken porridge Jin Cheon-hee made had a subtle smoky flavor despite being the same dish.
I couldn’t believe porridge could be infused with such a smoky taste, but considering my younger brother was a madman who applied martial arts to cooking, it seemed possible.
“Forget that—can’t you make proper rice instead? Something like Sichuan-style braised pork belly?”
“Hahaha, it seems Namgung is feeling better.”
He ladles out the porridge as if to say stop talking nonsense.
Then, after a moment of consideration, he scrapes something from the bottom of the pot with a ladle and offers it.
A large chicken leg.
“Eat this and recover.”
He places it right on top of the porridge bowl.
Then he sprinkles thinly sliced scallions over it and adds some unidentifiable powder as well.
The appearance and aroma were quite convincing, and Namgung Un found himself swallowing involuntarily.
Gurgle-gurgle-
My stomach was demanding that I put this food in it immediately.
“That’s quite a large chicken.”
“Actually, it’s pheasant.”
“Are the pheasants in this area that large?”
“I was surprised too when I saw it. Well, it worked out. Your luck really is extraordinary, Namgung. I was preparing to make porridge when a plump pheasant just wandered over on its own.”
“I’ve always had good luck.”
“Yes, yes~ So please have the leg, Namgung.”
Namgung Un chuckled softly.
“Still, it’s strange how light my body feels. They said I managed to avoid the vital points, but I thought my internal injuries were so severe that I had only days left to live. Yet you healed everything. And how did you suppress the Heart Demon? It seemed like I’d already passed the initial stage at least.”
“I may not know other things, but you can trust my medical skills.”
“Don’t say such things elsewhere. You’ll get beaten. If it were you, wouldn’t you be the best in the world?”
“My Master is the best in the world. I’m… perhaps around sixth?”
“Does that ranking include the Medical Guild lords and Hyeolsaeng Nogoe? You’re really talking nonsense. Be honest with me. You think you’re second, don’t you? Right after your Master?”
At those words, Jin Cheon-hee burst into a distorted laugh: ‘Kehehehe.’
It was quite a sight to see such a beautiful face contort with such a ruined laugh.
‘This is why Ilgwang…’
Thinking so, I picked up the spoon with my left arm and took a spoonful of porridge.
The rich broth from within the porridge filled Namgung Un’s mouth, while the finely sliced meat maintained its tender texture.
The skin had been deliberately left on rather than peeled away.
Normally such an ingredient would be divisive in taste, the kind of thing restaurants avoided due to personal preference. Yet here, it brought out the full richness of the porridge itself.
It was a wild, untamed flavor.
Wild pheasant porridge.
“Delicious.”
“I drizzled sesame oil on top as well. Whew, I’m done for.”
Sesame oil.
Jin Cheon-hee’s secret weapon.
“I cold-pressed it to absolutely explode with fragrance, you know? Even plain tofu tastes amazing with just a drizzle. One spoonful of this with soy sauce over egg fried rice, and even the pickiest child will devour an entire bowl.”
I had no idea what he was talking about.
In any case, it sounded like he’d made it using some incredible secret method.
On top of that, he’d served spicy dried squid as a side dish.
“What is this?”
“Shredded squid. Porridge alone can be a bit bland. And there are pickled vegetables too.”
No matter how I thought about it, my younger brother was far more devoted to flavor than to martial arts.
But for Namgung Un right now, that was something to be grateful for.
A feast eaten after a battle that danced between life and death!
I’d newly realized that a single meal helped more than ten thousand words of consolation.
“You’re not in your right mind.”
“I’ll take that as thanks.”
The fact that I’d burned through ten years of inner strength during the treatment was something best left unsaid.
Suddenly, Namgung Un burst into laughter like a madman, as if something had struck him as hilarious.

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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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