Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 1016

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 1016
‘Why is he so frightened? Am I really that terrifying? Well, I suppose the weight of being a provincial governor would do that to anyone.’
The title of provincial governor carried far more weight than the epithet of Divine Physician.
‘If he were a true martial artist of Gangho, he would think of the Divine Physician first. Perhaps I’ve been too immersed in the ways of Gangho.’
As I left the shop, I let out a sigh.
The owner had looked ready to flee in terror before finally offering his wrist for examination.
Apart from being extremely, extraordinarily nervous, he was in good health.
But why did I have this feeling?
I had an ominous premonition that the shop would remain closed for another month or more.
‘Have I fallen out of favor as well?’
Well, I had essentially chased away a customer, so it was only natural.
The thought made me feel dejected.
Then I heard a voice.
“Brother!”
“Hye-a!”
Sama-hye came running from afar, waving her hand.
Sama Hyeon broke into a wide smile and embraced his younger sister warmly.
“You came without even sending word? And you’re the Hao-mun Rumor Master.”
At Hye-a’s words, Sama Hyeon chuckled.
“That’s just how martial artists are, isn’t it? Doctors say it themselves—unemployed swordsmen carrying blades around~”
“Well, that’s just a joke among doctors. So you’re the same way?”
“I only handle the major matters and delegate most simple tasks to my subordinates. At my level, if I got involved in minor affairs, my subordinates would feel burdened instead~ This is the true art of managing a martial sect.”
“Why do I smell Eun Gong’s influence on you?”
“Sharp as ever, aren’t you?”
Listening to the siblings’ conversation, I found myself thinking anew.
‘Perhaps this is what they mean by watching your words around children….’
Sama Hyeon—a frightening child.
Having learned far too much, Sama Hyeon had become capitalism itself.
“Anyway, I had some business in the area, so I thought I’d stop by and see your face while I had some free time. Do you have time?”
“Fortunately, I do. My patient load for procedures has decreased recently. And all the doctors under me are now capable of handling their own work.”
“That’s fortunate then~ So, shall we go out and have some fun, my princess?”
“It would be my honor, General.”
Perhaps because this was the Hwa Empire, it seemed to be the national custom for a princess and a general to go out together.
In Western fantasy terms, it would be like a knight and a princess, I suppose?
“Aren’t you coming with us, Eun Gong?”
“I need to do some culinary research.”
At my words, Sama-hye’s expression turned weary, while Sama Hyeon wore a look that said, ‘As expected of our brother~’
“You’re… planning to enter the competition, aren’t you?”
“Oh, you got me.”
A madman. A true madman.
What could the Soggakju, the very person who created the ice storage and ice cream, possibly accomplish by going there?
That’s what Sama-hye’s eyes were saying.
“Sigh, I have no idea. Well then, Eun Gong. I’ll be heading out and coming back!”
“Have a safe trip.”
“See you later, Hyeong~”
With that exchange, the siblings Sama Hyeon and Sama-hye bid farewell and leave the Medical Guild.
I watch their departing figures quietly.
Despite their bickering, smiles never leave their faces.
It was a good thing.
No matter how many times I rewound time, I would save Hye-a and swear to stake my life for Hyeon.
Because that was one of the most radiant memories in my life.
Even if I defy fate itself, the conclusion remains always the same.
I save those two people.
Even if I might die, even if greater dangers lurk ahead, I would pull them out of that place with these hands countless times over.
Because they are that precious to me.
I quietly turned my body and headed toward the inner sanctum of the Medical Guild.
The place where my Master once demolished a pavilion and rebuilt it in the Saeoe style.
There exists a private kitchen reserved exclusively for Jegalling and me.
It was also where Jegalling had once made various dumplings with his disciples and the Jegallim Family.
Upon entering the kitchen.
I could see everything was neatly organized.
‘Yoo Ho must be tidying up every time.’
The strange thing is that I’ve never once witnessed Yoo Ho actually organizing.
Whenever I leave and return, everything is already arranged.
I retrieved the cooking tools and ingredients.
In one corner of the kitchen, the Yoo Ho refrigerator already stands in place.
I could use the Small Ice Pavilion, but for the fairness of the competition, I plan to use the same refrigerator as the other participants.
‘I’ll be making various dishes from the preliminaries, but ultimately the finals should be with the dish I’m most confident in, right?’
If that’s the case, there is indeed one.
Cold noodles.
This world does have cold noodles, but not the kind that requires large quantities of ice.
It’s quite different from the cold noodles I ate in modern Korea.
Moreover, without a refrigerator, all they do is place noodles washed in cold well water into cooled broth.
In other words, it falls far short in terms of being truly cold.
Besides, the type of noodles is different, and the broth varies greatly as well.
In fact, it would be inaccurate to call it the same cold noodles as those from Earth Korea that I remember.
The term “cold noodles” itself simply means chilled noodles.
Therefore, it’s only natural that there are countless varieties of cold noodles.
The cold noodles I ate during my time in Korea typically had a chewy texture created by mixing buckwheat with starch.
There were broths made by mixing the stock from boiled meat with dongchimi broth.
Some versions include seafood, while others use only the pure dongchimi broth.
There were also cold noodles mixed without broth, and even sashimi cold noodles topped with raw fish.
Many varieties existed and were popular among the masses.
In contrast, cold noodles in the Hwa Empire were merely an occasional delicacy, not particularly popular with the general population.
Their varieties were completely different from the Korean-style cold noodles I remembered.
“Still… if the food is too unfamiliar, it’ll be hard to receive good evaluations from people.”
Buckwheat. Noodles made primarily from starch, somewhat resembling chewy jjolmyeon.
Would it really sell here?
I pondered this and shook my head.
Foods that divide opinion are difficult to win in competitions.
Not all judges would be able to praise it as delicious.
Then I’d need to change the noodles.
What about wheat noodles?
Cold wheat noodles certainly existed. As I was thinking that far,
my thoughts even extended to cold udon.
There were several types of noodles—seimyeon referred to thin noodles, joongmyeon were medium-sized noodles, and taemyeon were thick, large noodles.
Udon noodles, from a Hwa Empire perspective, would be somewhere between joongmyeon and taemyeon, or perhaps thick enough to be called taemyeon.
In the Hwa Empire, hand-pulled noodles called napmyeon, made by stretching dough with both hands, were generally considered the finest.
Usually they were pulled as somyeon or joongmyeon, but in fact, yongsumyeon—hand-pulled noodles as thin as dragon whiskers—were also considered the highest art of noodle-making.
What if I tried making yongsumyeon with hand-pulled noodles?
Would that even suit cold noodles?
After turning these thoughts over in my mind, I placed both hands on the cutting board.
“I’ll know once I try.”
First, I’d make them one by one.
Then the shape would become clear.
I retrieved flour and began kneading.
The true energy of the Five Elements Divine Art shone from my hands.
Uuuuuung—
* * *
At the moment I threw myself into culinary research (though my real profession was as a doctor, not a housekeeper),
Sama-hye and Sama Hyeon were wandering about, eating, drinking, and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Even before the festival began, many tourists had already arrived.
Because of this, there were many performers.
In one open space on the street, there were those performing acrobatics, and elsewhere, wandering musicians played the guqin while singing.
There were those performing sword dances, and others who drew their blades to display their skills.
“Hye-a, are you enjoying life these days?”
“Yes!”
Sama-hye answered without the slightest hesitation.
It meant she was that happy.
Sama Hyeon gazed at his younger sister with affection and gently stroked her head.
The hands that had killed a Black Swordsman just yesterday were warm only toward his younger sister.
Playing joyfully, eating, drinking like that.
After spending time in a blur talking about the surroundings, night had fallen before I knew it.
Even at night, lanterns filled every direction, and people still wandered through this city that never slept.
However, it was time for Sama-hye to return to the Medical Guild’s quarters.
With Sama-hye’s earnings, she could have found a house in the city below the Medical Guild, but she lived in the quarters like a bound spirit to the Medical Guild.
She said it was more comfortable that way.
Still, because she held the position of Patriarch, she occupied an entire fine pavilion.
“Well, I’m heading in!”
“Sure. See you again next time~”
The two siblings exchanged farewells. Sama-hye climbed the stairs.
Though it appeared empty, vicious formations and martial artists from the Baekrin Group were hidden throughout the staircase.
Anyone attempting to sneak in would be immediately subdued.
“Well, that makes sense. With those two monsters there….”
Sama Hyeon turned his body toward the street, recalling his beloved older brother, that brother’s Master, and the mysterious monster beside the Master.
Since childhood, he had possessed a talent for observing others.
That’s why he became a disciple of Seok Nosa, a master of the Thousand Transformations Sword Technique.
Observing others, mimicking others, and eventually performing as others until he became that person himself.
The higher the realm, the more authentic it became.
And the more certainly he could transform and even use that power.
The essence of it was closer to sorcery than martial arts.
He had only recently come to understand this clearly.
It was probably because of what his older brother had destroyed—something called “Cheon-gi”.
That was also why he had been busy recently.
At some point.
Something inhuman had quietly slipped into Hao-mun.
They had allied with the Demonic Sect and attempted to form various factions within Hao-mun.
To kill and expel them, Sama Hyeon, the Rumor Master of Hao-mun, had no choice but to step forward.
After all, Sama Hyeon possessed the keenest sense for finding things pretending to be human.
However.
Because of that, various resistance had emerged, and recently things had become quite hectic.
That was also why he had come to this city.
“Hmm~”
Sama Hyeon’s gaze fell upon the guards walking down the street.
One Podoo. Two Patrol Sergeants. Five Guards.
The Podoo carried only a single hexagonal club, but the Patrol Sergeants wore shields on their backs along with ropes at their waists.
The Guards following behind them carried crescent spears, and one could tell just by looking that their formation was well-balanced.
It was the standard formation of guards commonly seen in Baekrin.
I heard that even if a master of the highest realm caused a disturbance, they could hold their ground and buy time for other guards to arrive.
They were capable of immediately subduing first-rate masters.
“Hmm, hmm, hmm~”
I hummed a tune as I ventured into an alley that grew progressively darker.
Unlike the other cities under Baekrin’s control, this city where the Baekrin Medical Guild was headquartered had never developed into a properly planned metropolis.
Some districts had become chaotic due to unregulated development, with buildings erected haphazardly, which is why such dimly lit, desolate alleys existed throughout the city.
This situation arose because when Sama Hyeon’s sworn brother Jin Cheon-hee expanded the Baekrin Medical Guild’s influence, the administrative authority over this city had not yet fallen under their control.
Having grown under such circumstances, property rights became tangled throughout each district, and demolishing everything indiscriminately would violate the laws of the Hwa Empire in ambiguous ways.
Perhaps that was actually more fitting.
The planned cities Jin Cheon-hee created were certainly beautiful, efficient, and convenient to live in.
But sometimes, even someone like me finds them suffocating.
That’s what Sama Hyeon felt.
“Well then, everyone, shall we begin?”
Standing at one end of the alley, Sama Hyeon spoke. And then—
From the darkness at one side of the alley where Sama Hyeon stood, a black shadow burst forth like a flash of lightning.
An ambush from a blind spot!
The shadow’s blade flowed with a deep dark-blue sword aura, targeting Sama Hyeon’s solar plexus.
Crack!
However—
Sama Hyeon’s hand lightly caught the blade and stopped it.
Despite grasping a blade burning with sword aura bare-handed, his hand remained completely unharmed.
‘Indeed, Gwang Myeon-hori—truly formidable!’
And this was without even wearing the black gloves made from heavenly silkworm thread.
However—
The shadow showed no surprise or made any sound.
The shadow’s face, its mouth portion moved, and then a hidden projectile was launched.
A speed like lightning that seemed impossible to shoot from the mouth!
‘Die, Gwang Myeon-hori!’
The attack erupted at Sama Hyeon’s brow with murderous intent.
In that instant, Sama Hyeon realized he had created an opening while blocking the opponent’s attack.
The assassin smiled with satisfaction at this turn of fortune.
The opponent was regarded as the most vicious and fearsome figure in the Central Plains.
Yet, regardless of that, he was still merely human, just a person.
As long as he was human, a hole through his brow would mean death!
At that moment, Sama Hyeon thought—
‘The skill level of the assassins sent to kill me has improved quite a bit. It seems the bounty on my head has risen considerably~’
Even in the midst of facing death, I thought about money.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————