Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 1025

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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 1025
And so, the quarterfinals.
Following Jeong Hyeong’s defeat, numerous Great Cooking Masters from Gangho began to fall one after another.
“Myeon Geom Sik Do Duwak versus Stir-Fry Tyrant Wu Song! The match begins!”
Myeon Geom Sik Do Duwak!
He too was a Great Cooking Master of the Yellow Dragon and a martial arts master! Standing before such a figure was one who introduced himself as the Stir-Fry Tyrant.
The character for stir-fry.
In other words, a housekeeper who called himself the tyrant of stir-fried cuisine.
However.
The Stir-Fry Tyrant was no match for Myeon Geom Sik Do.
“Cold fish broth mixed with meat noodles! The praise is pouring in! With his chilled fish and meat noodles, Duwak advances to the semifinals!”
Duwak’s victory with chilled fish and meat noodles!
“Iron Body Housekeeper Eom Suksu versus Pork Virtuoso Chu Hyeon! The match begins!”
The next match featured Eom Suksu, who claimed to be Jin Cheon-hee’s disciple! In Gangho, he was known as the Iron Body Housekeeper.
And his opponent was Chu Hyeon, the Pork Virtuoso! True to his title, he was a master of pork cuisine!
And.
“This white pork belly has a richness that is unmatched!”
“Ten out of ten points.”
Eom Suksu, the Iron Body Housekeeper, wins with his white pork belly!
“Master Jin Cheon-hee! I will come to face you soon!”
Eom Suksu shed hot tears as he awaited his match against Jin Cheon-hee.
“Master of Ocean Fishing Hae Pa-cheon versus the Blue-Eyed Divine Physician Jin Cheon-hee.”
And the next match.
Hae Pa-cheon, master of seafood cuisine, collides with Jin Cheon-hee, the Soggakju of Baekrin Uiseon.
Though it remains unclear why Jin Cheon-hee, who has become known as one of the Four Great Divine Physicians of the realm, entered this cooking tournament, the world already knows that his culinary skills are extraordinary.
After all, he defeated the Great Cooking Master of the Yellow Dragon Geum Bong in a dumpling competition!
Rumors had already spread throughout the realm that his culinary prowess, having confidently triumphed with the legendary dumplings of the Jegallim Family, was comparable to the Ten Great Cooking Masters of the realm.
Thus, Hae Pa-cheon and Jin Cheon-hee pitted their cuisines against each other.
And the dish Jin Cheon-hee presented was five-spice soy-braised pork!
“Ah, so for cold dishes, there is five-spice soy-braised pork.”
Five-spice soy-braised pork.
This too is a dish originating from Suzhou in Gangso Province.
A dish of pork braised and stewed together with spices called five-spice herbs and soy sauce.
While five-spice soy-braised pork can be eaten on its own, it is often served with cold vegetable sides rather than immediately after braising.
What Jin Cheon-hee presented was precisely this five-spice soy-braised pork served with cold vegetable sides.
For the special sauce, pork blood mixed and solidified with five-spice herbs was used.
As a result, victory!
And so the quarterfinals concluded.
After several days of preparation, they advance to the semifinals.
* * *
At the same time, Jegalling.
“Is this the place?”
Surprisingly, Jegalling was not in Shaolin Temple’s rock cavern—the Hall of Repentance.
The pitch-black earth and the sky visible beyond it at the horizon were gray.
Even gazing upward, no sun existed there, and the entire world was dyed crimson.
A formation seal that imprisoned the Hall of Repentance.
An otherworldly realm created by the effects of that formation.
The applications of formation seals are diverse.
They isolate from the outside world, or like the formation at Wudang Mountain, they aid in the cultivation of Daoists.
Sometimes they are used inversely to induce hallucinations.
Their foundation lies in geomancy, and occasionally they are applied to cultivating rare herbs and exotic plants.
‘Or formations are used to create seals like this as well.’
Even so, a formation capable of twisting the very foundations of the world itself was unprecedented for me.
Yet the core of it was undoubtedly from the Jegallim Family.
‘I heard that before Gae Pa Josa ascended, he arranged various things, and perhaps this is one of them.’
A formation that can twist the laws of the world itself?
I could not fathom how this was possible, but merely observing it allowed me to make some educated guesses.
‘The phenomenon of the landscape changing is similar to when using an alchemical furnace.’
Grrrrgh—
And then.
Before me lay countless monsters, carved into fragments and piled like mountains.
What was remarkable was that the monsters remained alive even in their fragmented state.
Not a brain prison where human-born demon lords were confined, but truly a place where demons and malevolent creatures were imprisoned.
I questioned them.
“Hmm. Curious. Is it impossible to die within the Hall of Repentance?”
Grrgh, grrrrgh—
The monsters all emitted agonized shrieks.
[How is it that a creature like you can walk freely beneath the heavens….]
Snap—
I unfurled my fan and waved it leisurely.
That unhurried demeanor would have seemed like a mere outing, were it not for the hellish surroundings.
I answered.
“Hmm, well. I’ve heard it’s because the Heavenly Mechanism is breaking down.”
The otherworldly beings in the Hall of Repentance conversed upon hearing the news that the Heavenly Mechanism was deteriorating.
[The end times… are the end times approaching.]
[Is it premature to infer the end times merely from the Heavenly Mechanism breaking down? After all, even the end times themselves are determined by the Heavenly Mechanism.]
[Then… in such chaos…!]
Saying so, a monster whose body had recovered extended thorns toward me.
[At least I shall kill you and find peace!]
Massive, pitch-black thorns!
The mere movement of those spines split the earth and tore the air asunder.
Truly, mythical destructive power!
Yet Jegalling’s eyes held only cold contempt.
Screech!
Jegalling severed the monster’s spine with the edge of his fan.
But that was far from the end.
The blade wind—no, the fan wind that Jegalling conjured swept through the monsters behind it in an instant, slicing them apart once more.
[Krrrraaaaaaagh!]
The monsters trapped in Chamhoedong screamed in unison.
Yet there was not a shred of mercy in Jegalling’s eyes.
That was right.
This place had no disciples.
There was no need for him to pretend to be human here.
And so he spoke.
“Is there one among you who wishes to become my slave? Just one. I shall free only one from this place.”
[….]
The monsters fell silent as one.
Then, after a moment, one of them growled in response.
[Rather than become a slave to the likes of you… I would endure another thousand years in Chamhoedong….]
Perhaps I was too harsh with my blade.
I thought these creatures, locked away since ancient times, would have considerable fortitude, so I pressed them accordingly—yet they seem far more fragile than expected.
‘I had high expectations given their reputation for strength and cruelty. Can they only endure the level of pain humans experience?’
Jegalling was both a Gangho master and a doctor, and once a terminally ill patient—so he understood pain better than most.
Especially how repeating the same pain eventually leads to adaptation, and how mixing it with slight pleasure makes it far more agonizing.
So I inflicted pain that would drive a human mad, subduing them with it.
‘Yet their spirits broke entirely.’
I never expected them to lack such resolve!
‘Or perhaps—were they not chosen as predators from birth? It makes sense they would have less tolerance for pain than humans.’
They likely don’t go mad because their mental structure differs from humans. Yet they don’t seem to possess any special fortitude either.
Either way, I’m disappointed.
‘Are there truly none like Yoo Ho among them?’
Jegalling surveyed the creatures and continued speaking.
“Seven shichen or more of work daily. Room and board provided, three meals guaranteed. I’ll even pay wages. Work ten days, get one day off. How does that sound?”
Seven shichen.
In other words, over fourteen hours of work daily.
Grueling conditions that would be difficult for humans to endure! Yet Jegalling’s eyes as he spoke were utterly shameless.
And strangely enough, some monsters actually seemed tempted.
[Grrr… that actually sounds rather decent…?]
[Don’t be fooled! Can’t you see his nature? That one is not human!]
[…But even so, isn’t it better than waiting for the end of days here? Grrr….]
Fourteen hours of labor per day.
For the monsters continuously experiencing hell within Chamhoedong, such conditions were hardly demanding.
What did it matter if a day of rest came once every ten days?
Their bodies had already transcended any mortal limitations.
Wasn’t this far better than being trapped here for nearly an eternity?
[But if dragged before that author… what horrors might befall us… Grrrrgh.]
The glimpse of intent Jegalling had briefly shown was sufficient to break their fighting spirit.
Then.
One of the fragmented monsters completed its regeneration and rose to its feet.
A demon resembling a deer with quite an endearing appearance.
By appearance alone, one might not recognize it as a demon at all.
“This humble lesser demon shall serve you as master!”
“What are you?”
“I am known as Luo Li Dasheng!”
Luo Li Dasheng.
A demon from Journey to the West.
One of three demons who held sway in the nation of Chaji.
Though the name Luo Li Dasheng sounded grandiose, its true nature was that of a deer demon.
It wielded a technique called the Five Thunder Method, and possessed skill in various other minor arts.
‘In Journey to the West, it’s said to have died in combat against the Tripitaka Master’s party… but it seems it didn’t die.’
In later accounts, it was treated not as a great demon but rather as a minor lackey.
I never expected such a weak creature to be trapped here alongside these powerful demons.
Moreover, Luo Li Dasheng had been suffering abuse among these demons for its weakness, unable even to die.
What manner of intent Jegalling possessed was irrelevant.
“Very well. Luo Li Dasheng. Will you pledge your name and follow me?”
A contract.
When demons of this caliber pledged their names, such contracts held considerable weight.
Luo Li Dasheng found it somewhat humiliating to stake its very name before a mere human, grinding its teeth with displeasure.
‘But such shame is fleeting. After all, humans scarcely live a hundred years.’
It then tore open its own hoof, drew blood, and inscribed its name upon the void.
“I pledge my name to serve you faithfully for as long as you draw breath. Please, I beseech you, honor the one day of rest every ten days.”
“Agreed. From this moment forward, you shall obey my commands faithfully and spend your life in atonement.”
Uuuuuuung—
A contract was sealed between Luo Li Dasheng and Jegalling.
According to ancient pact, it must now serve him for all its days.
Jegalling spoke.
“Your name is… too grandiose, so I shall call you Yourok… wait, if I do that, Yoo Ho will take offense.”
‘Yourok? Isn’t that too careless a naming?’
Soon Jegalling opened his mouth again.
“I’ll simply drop the ‘Dasheng’ and call you Nokryeok. Few would associate your name with Journey to the West anyway.”
A name bestowed with absolutely no sincerity whatsoever.
‘Is there truly someone named Yoo Ho before me?’
What kind of life was that person leading?
Soon, as Jegalling activated the formation, the world shattered and dissolved.
And Jegalling appeared at the entrance of Chamhoedong.
Behind him stood something in human form with deer antlers protruding from its head.
“Since demons can transform into anything, choose your gender however you find most comfortable.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. The formation has been repaired as well, so my work here is done. And fortunately, there’s also profit to be gained for Hee.”
Hee?
It seemed to be the name of someone I would meet in the future.
Jegalling asked.
“Yes. I have received your vow to live a lifetime in repentance.”
“Yes, sir!”
Luo Li bowed his head.
But then Jegalling posed a question that he could never have imagined.
“So then, how much interest do you have in the advancement of humanity?”
“The advancement of humanity? What do you mean by that, sir?”
“Do you know chemistry?”
“Chemistry, sir…?”
“What medicinal properties does the deer antler on your head have when ground and consumed?”
“?!”
And so another graduate student who would never graduate was added to the Research Hall.
It was summer.
* * *
At the same time, in Gansu Province.
It lay directly beside Qinghai Province and bordered the Xinjiang region.
If Xinjiang, ruled by the Demonic Sect, was to the northwest, then Qinghai Province lay directly west of Gansu Province.
Because of this.
When the Righteous-Demonic War occurred, it was the first region to be invaded.
Thus, the Gonggong Faction, one of the Nine Great Sects representing Gansu Province, had the tradition of abandoning their main temple and relocating whenever the Righteous-Demonic War broke out.
In past Righteous-Demonic Wars, Gonggong Mountain had burned, and corpses of their disciples had piled up between the halls of the Gonggong Faction.
And yet.
Gonggong Mountain was burning again.
It was not due to the invasion of countless Demonic Sect followers.
“Ahahaha! This is my first time at the Gonggong Faction… but they’re so weak♪”
“Rather, it’s not that they’re weak—it’s that you’re simply too strong, Baekcheon-gun.”

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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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