Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 1027

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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 1027
“First, I’ll serve the Han Bing Cold Noodles to each judge.”
With that, Geonheon’s dish settled quietly before everyone.
“Let me taste the Han Bing Cold Noodles first.”
Gulp—
Saliva already pooled in the judges’ mouths.
And for good reason.
Cold noodles were Geonheon’s specialty.
He had been saving this dish, preserving it carefully until now—what could his intention be?
Was it not his very resolve to defeat Jin Sogakju?
The moment the noodles entered their mouths with chopsticks, the first sensation was a numbing spice.
The Sichuan peppercorn launched its time-delayed assault with an aromatic kiss across the tongue, and at its conclusion came a refreshing tartness.
A subtle citrus brightness cooled the palate delightfully, while crushed peanuts crunched between molars, revealing the soul of the earth itself.
“A flavor like this?!”
“Heavens! Can mere cold noodles be this delicious?”
“Han Bing Cold Noodles? To achieve such harmony with the traditional dish!”
Even Ju Wang spat out his saliva after tasting the Han Bing Cold Noodles.
‘There’s nothing more to see. My brother has lost this round.’
What is it but Xing Ren Tofu, after all?
There was no way it could overcome the weight this cold noodle dish had created.
This was truly the ‘real deal’!
I felt all their expressions surrender to these cold noodles.
Unable to restrain themselves, they continued wielding their chopsticks, again and again, until—
Clink!
The chopsticks struck the bottom, revealing there were no more noodles.
“Oh no, this, this can’t be!”
“Can’t we get more noodles?!”
“Compose yourselves. There is still the next dish, is there not?”
“Tsk. What a shame… If this weren’t a competition, I would have stolen every last bite.”
Elder Toegoe even announced his larcenous intentions.
Geonheon spoke.
“Have no worry. Should I win the championship, I will prepare one hundred servings. For the judges, I shall certainly prepare three portions each.”
“Ooooh!”
Tae-sang Bangju’s ears were already fluttering with excitement.
A flavor so potent it made even judges forget their impartiality.
This taste was nearly violent in its power.
The moment the whirlwind of a meal ended.
“Have you all finished at last?”
As I asked, all the judges nodded apologetically.
“We have finished.”
Yet that gaze held no need to continue judging further.
‘I suppose I’ve lost the wager.’
Still, it seemed impossible to overcome this cold noodle dish.
Yet I remained unfazed.
“Then tea, if you please.”
At my words, the judge nodded and raised his flag, whereupon a palate-cleansing tea was placed before each judge.
Oolong tea. The most fundamental of teas.
It aids digestion and cleanses the palate.
Though this was an ice-themed competition, the tea was served warm—likely due to the common understanding in the Fire Empire that cold tea damages the stomach.
The judges sipped the warm tea and exhaled deeply.
“Please, begin.”
A refreshingly chilled almond tofu was set down with a soft clink.
“Hmm…?”
Upon the almond tofu, a flower had been painted with peanut powder.
“Is that an apricot blossom?”
“Almond tofu is typically served warm, isn’t it?”
“With this refreshing texture, let’s see how it works.”
So saying, they took a bite.
In that instant…
The honey that had been layered throughout the almond tofu flooded across their tongues.
“What—how is this possible?!”
The rich aroma of milk was heavenly, and the honey infused within it had surely been layered inside the tofu before bursting forth.
In that moment, Elder Tae-sang beheld a vision.
Celestial beings dancing with cattle before his eyes!
“Such a flavor exists?!”
The aftertaste finished with a bright tang—the fragrance of apricot was overwhelming.
“An apricot blossom blooms within my mouth!”
“Milk can be this rich!”
Coming to their senses, the almond tofu had already vanished.
‘When did I finish it all?’
Hadn’t they been full just moments ago?
The cold noodle dish had been so generous that they’d felt utterly sated, unable to eat another bite.
Yet they’d cleared it away entirely, and the almond tofu had slipped firmly into their mouths.
“Delicious, damn it. What sorcery is Soggakju working with food now?”
“Why is the almond tofu so small! Even as a dessert, shouldn’t it be made larger!”
They protested vehemently, but the competition was merciless.
As if trapped within the formation of spring itself.
The sensation of spring bursting upon their tongues as they ate the almond tofu remained vivid still.
The fragrant nuttiness of the almond as well.
“Judges, please assign your scores!”
The judges’ foreheads furrowed at those words.
“This is difficult. This match is truly difficult.”
“The weight and substance of the beef brisket noodles against the lightness and airiness of the hand-pulled tofu. One is far too heavy, the other far too light…”
That was when Ju Wang spoke.
“It’s like a battle between heaven and earth. A life-or-death struggle unfolding upon the dining table—the clash of creation and destruction in a single throw! My spirit reels at the sight!”
Heaven, represented by the character for creation, and earth, represented by the character for receptivity—the two meet and clash in a single decisive moment!
In that fleeting instant, Ju Wang had already found the ancient verse and recited it, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
Uooooooh!
Truly, this was Ju Wang in his element—a man who loved composing poetry.
The enthusiasts quickly began transcribing the verses Ju Wang had recited.
Separately, wrinkles deepened upon Ju Wang’s own brow.
All the judges began to deliberate, wrestling with their thoughts.
Time flowed on, and on still.
“Time limit reached! Judges, please submit your votes!”
“Ugh… this is maddening.”
Gwak Jangja clicked his tongue before finally writing down a single name.
Elder Muyeong Tugoe and Tae-sang Bangju did the same.
So did Ju Wang.
It was the Eunuch General who had shown no hesitation.
He had already cast his vote.
And then…
An eternity passes in a single moment.
Muhua stared at the paper for a long while before speaking.
“What is this…?”
She muttered softly, as if bewildered herself.
Soon after, as if she had made her decision, she cried out in a loud voice.
“Three to two! I never expected a match that had been decided by near-unanimous consensus to be split like this.”
Uooooooh!
The audience watched with bated breath, palms sweating.
The Three Scholars were no different. Both their fists were clenched tight.
Everyone’s attention was fixed upon Muhua’s lips.
Muhua spoke.
“The victor is… the victor is…! Jin Cheon-hee, Soggakju of Baekrin Uiseon!”
At those words, everyone’s eyes widened.
A shocking reversal upon a reversal of expectations!
우와아아아아아아—!!
“In the clash of creation and destruction—heaven and earth’s singular throw—heaven has emerged victorious!”
At those words, Geonheon collapsed to the ground.
“This… this cannot be! My beef brisket noodles… defeated!”
At the same moment, I gazed toward a distant place.
There stood Eom Suksu, arms crossed.
My victory meant the next match would be master against disciple.
The battle of the century was about to begin!
‘Now that I’ve reached the semifinals, things are getting challenging.’
I wiped the sweat from my brow.
* * *
Only the finals remained.
The next day.
Both chefs ascended the platform with full preparation.
Muhua took the stage in the most elaborate attire befitting the finals, and among the martial artists, followers of hers began to emerge.
“Now we finally proceed with the finals. This tournament draws to a close. There’s no need for lengthy words. What matters is the result!”
As her voice, infused with inner power, spread in all directions, everyone clenched their fists in anticipation.
“Eom Suksu, who takes himself as the disciple of Jin Sogakju! And Jin Cheon-hee Sogakju, the direct heir of the Jegallim Family, united by culinary pride!”
Both Eom Suksu and I raised our hands in greeting.
The two of us gazed at each other.
“Now then, would you each share a few words?”
I opened my mouth.
“I never imagined that the debt of gratitude I once repaid to my master would return to me in this new joy.”
Eom Suksu, meeting my gaze, was resolute.
“No matter what anyone says, my culinary master is Jin Cheon-hee Sogakju. I will surely surpass you and display my cooking.”
Who would win?
What was certain was that regardless of the victor, this match would undoubtedly remain etched in the annals of martial history.
“Then let the finals begin!”
지이이잉—!
* * *
Eom Suksu versus Jin Cheon-hee.
Eom Suksu began preparing the meats.
Chicken. Cow. Pork. Lamb.
He began combining all these different meats into a single dish!
Truly, there was no extravagance quite like this.
Inner energy was employed in slicing these meats, bringing out their vivid freshness!
This was the Living Blade. No—the Living Food Knife!
The meats, thus refined, were placed into a pot generously filled with various spices and braised!
Splash!
Then he removed them and even grilled them over flame once more!
“Next, straight to the refrigerator? …Straight there it goes!”
Meanwhile, I retrieved the cold-aged meat.
‘Should I do something wasteful?’
I began boiling broth using that cold-aged meat instead!
‘From my perspective, making broth from cold-aged meat is far more extravagant than using suckling pig.’
As expected, spectators in the audience began pointing at their foreheads one by one, lamenting, “What a waste! Why didn’t he roast it!”
And at the same time, he pulled out a chicken neck and began simmering it whole.
“Could it be that he’s mixing two different broths–?”
On Earth, this is also called double soup!
And then came the secret ingredient.
He added broth made from simmered lamb bones!
Triple soup!
While Eom Seok-su created his dish with four types of meat, I was creating mine with three different broths.
“A battle of meat versus broth!”
The simmered broth went straight into the ice bath.
While it cooled in the ice bath, I immediately began pulling noodles.
‘Using the Five Elements True Qi to add elasticity to the dough, then pulling it into hand-pulled noodles of medium thickness!’
At that moment.
Uuuuuung—
Along with my blue eyes, a mysterious aura began to frost over my hands, my knife, and everything around me.
“Huh?!”
Tae-sang Bangju saw it.
The colors around me began to shift. The world itself started to tint with various hues!
‘Surely that madman isn’t pouring the realm of Hyeongyeong into his cooking, is he?’
He couldn’t believe it even as he witnessed it.
Yet this man was the type who used the realm of Divine Sword Unity to make lamb skin wrapping.
After pulling the noodles like that.
He began simmering the noodles not in plain water, but in the leftover broth he’d made earlier!
Both Eom Seok-su and I distributed our time with precision—neither rushing nor leisurely—exactly as we needed.
Compared to how we’d been exerting ourselves to finish even slightly earlier before this, it was truly a peculiar sight.
“Cooking time is over! Oh, this time Soggakju finished first by the narrowest margin. What hidden secret technique could be concealed here?”
It was an uncommon occurrence.
Elder Muyeong Tugoe, witnessing this, offered his assessment.
“It seems like he just finished first because noodle dishes taste bad when they get cold?”
At those words, I nodded as if I felt wronged.
It was a simple, unremarkable story.
‘No. Why are people even talking about secret techniques just because I’m making noodles? This is ridiculous.’
I was beginning to feel sorrowful wondering what these martial artists thought I was.
Still, I changed my expression and presented the dish.
“Vinegar Chicken Beef Lamb Bone Noodles! Please, have a taste!”
Literally translated, it means ‘noodles in broth made from chicken, beef, and lamb bones.’
I seasoned it primarily with vinegar.
To be precise, this is an arrangement of Korea’s Chogye Guksu from Earth!
Chogye Guksu is one of the cold noodle dishes well-known in Korea as a summer delicacy.
It’s also a nourishing tonic dish.
Some establishments add cordyceps to this, but I had created it using three types of bones in a triple soup method.
“One could say the cooking is surprisingly simple, in a way.”
“Hmm, haven’t all the dishes Ilgwang has shown us been interesting and fresh?”
“That’s true. Using kabocha squash to evoke childhood memories, or just yesterday creating intrigue with almond tofu.”
“Could it be that he’s lost his original intent…. Ilgwang.”
The judges each spoke with concern.
Yet I simply smiled.
‘Soggakju. Surely you’re not thinking of losing to your disciple at this stage?’
At that moment.
Huuuuum—
Tae-sang Bangju’s eyes widened slightly.
‘The colors are still changing?’
I had thought the phenomenon would unfold briefly during cooking and end. But that wasn’t the case—the colors continued shifting around me.
The landscape transformed so faintly that it was difficult to perceive normally.
Most would mistake it for mere reflection of sunlight, and those standing even slightly farther away would not have noticed.
And for commoners without enlightenment, observation would be impossible.
Hair swaying in a direction slightly different from the wind.
‘Could it be that this madman is still maintaining Hyeongyeong’s enlightenment… That can’t be. The cooking is already finished?’
Only then did he arrive at an absurd possibility.
‘Could it be that from the beginning it wasn’t intentional, but rather he simply entered a state of selflessness while cooking and began to attain enlightenment?’
And it was Hyeongyeong’s enlightenment at that.
Did this even make sense?
‘Is he about to transcend mid-cooking and become an immortal or something?’
He hadn’t thrown himself into the martial way at a crossroads of life and death, so what kind of nonsense was this—attaining enlightenment while making some cold noodle soup?!
‘This crazy bastard?!’
Huuuuuum—

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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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