Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 1028

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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 1028
While Jin Cheon-hee gained new enlightenment.
Ju Wang was the first to taste it.
Slurrrp—
The vinegar chicken noodles Jin Cheon-hee created—or rather, the Vinegar Chicken Beef Mutton Bone Noodles—were sucked into his mouth in an instant.
Slurp—
He tilted his head once, then swallowed again.
Slurrrrrp—
He ate, and ate, and continued eating.
This time, he wasn’t offering any commentary at all—just continuing to eat the noodles.
Muhua hesitated, unable to ask the royal for his evaluation.
Then something erupted above Ju Wang’s head.
Kuhaaaaang!
What rose above his head was flame itself!
The flames gathered and transformed into the shape of a bird.
The sight was truly.
“A chicken! A chicken! Prince Ju Wang has created a chicken from flames!”
The flame-made chicken soared in all directions, painting the sky!
“Ohhh, truly a prince!”
“So delicious it ignited the flames of a phoenix!”
The chicken had already transformed into a phoenix in everyone’s eyes. It had to.
Such immense grandeur couldn’t be contained by a mere chicken.
Only Yu Rang-hu nodded at the sight of those tremendous flames.
‘He’s so skilled in calligraphy and painting—it’s only natural the chicken would be majestic.’
The assembly was left speechless by this miracle Jin Cheon-hee had created.
“Such humble noodles could be this delicious?”
“Then what of the Eunuch General?”
At that moment, the Eunuch General set down his bowl with a clang.
“Ah! A grandfather’s smile spreads across his entire face!”
“What manner of Buddha’s countenance is this!”
The Eunuch General’s face bore a smile of such profound compassion it seemed to radiate in all directions, as if he had achieved enlightenment.
It was a smile so remarkable it made one forget how many he had sent to the Yellow Springs during the succession struggle.
Then Taeseong Bangjoo Ilgeol also set down his empty bowl.
“The Taesang Bangju of Gaebang has completely lost himself!”
“Ascension, is it ascension! Shedding the mortal coil to ascend!”
Even Wuying Touguai finished completely!
“Elder Toegoe is lost in rapture.”
Toegoe spoke.
“I’ve already decided what I’ll steal next.”
“Ohhhhh! There it is again! A theft announcement! The master of eating without paying! The king of thieves!”
Elder Toegoe shook his head.
“That’s not it. Ilgwang. I’m going to steal you away and feed this dish to our granddaughter three times a day!”
A confession, was it a confession?
No matter how Confucian the martial artists of Gangho were with their swords, words like these between men and women were typically a confession.
However, not a single person among them misunderstood his meaning.
He genuinely wanted to kidnap someone and feed them to his granddaughter.
“It must have been truly delicious.”
“How delicious could it be for such words about stealing a person from Elder Toegoe to come out?”
And finally.
Gwak. Jangja.
Only one person was evaluating the taste with a solemn expression.
Soon, Gwak Jangja’s thick, narrow eyes widened greatly, and he cried out.
“Exquisite! This is a fusion of beef, chicken, and mutton! One could call it the taste of the Three-Beast Chimera!”
The taste of the Three-Beast Chimera.
Wasn’t that a legendary monster?
To display such an unprecedented flavor—everyone was astonished, their eyes wide open, and only I, a modern person named Jin Cheon-hee, thought to myself.
‘Does he mean it’s like a chimera? …Is that an insult?’
And so.
Everyone sang in chorus that it was delicious.
That fervor was even hotter and more intense than the previous dishes!
Seeing such a reaction, I looked at Eom Suk-su.
‘Did you see, Eom Suk-su! This is my true skill! Can you, Eom Suk-su, truly bring joy to me as your master!’
My cold gaze was the same as Jegalling’s.
A master’s joy.
That is—the disciple surpassing the master!
In that sense, I continue to strive to bring joy to my master Jegalling, but… truthfully, I am still far away!
Did he read that gaze?
Eom Suk-su also conveyed his will through his eyes.
‘Of course, Master! This unworthy disciple Eom Mo has done my best for you. Please see!’
‘Good! Show me your dish!’
‘Yes! Master!’
It was a conversation of glances accomplished in the blink of an eye. Yet there was no error whatsoever.
Under the star of cooking, the two of us were already running in the realm of zero.
Whoooosh—
My enlightenment was growing ever greater.
I felt this scene becoming part of my inner landscape.
The Tae-sang Bangju of Gaebang was looking at me as if I were a madman, but that didn’t matter.
‘Cooking, what is cooking?’
“Universal praise! Everyone is absolutely melting away at Sojakju Jin Cheon-hee’s dish. The next contestant, the Iron-Bodied Housekeeper Eom Suk-su, must be nervous? Very well! It’s the next turn! Please bring out Eom Suk-su’s dish!”
“This humble one has prepared this. The dish is called Five-Spice Braised Pork with Four Meats! Please enjoy!”
Eom Seok-su brought out his dish.
Four varieties of meat were arranged neatly on the plate, while various vegetables and seafood adorned the surroundings appetizingly.
At the center sat an ice sculpture carved into the shape of a phoenix with wings spread wide.
Beautiful!
“To carve a phoenix from ice!”
“Such knife work is no ordinary skill…. Indeed. A rising master among the ranks of the Hundred Great Cooking Masters. Truly impressive.”
Elder Toegoe and the Taesang Elder of Gaebang reacted first.
These two elders had instantly grasped the extraordinary level of martial skill on display.
“Hmm. Cooking, they say, offers first the pleasure of sight, then the pleasure of aroma, and finally the pleasure of taste. The visual presentation has certainly passed inspection.”
Gwak Jangja, a true gourmet, spoke.
In truth, among these judges, wasn’t Gwak Jangja the most ordinary in status?
He simply possessed considerable wealth, but his station was merely that of a commoner!
Prince Ju-wang, of noble imperial blood. And the Eunuch General, one of the core powers of the empire. Along with Elder Toegoe and the Taesang Elder of Gaebang, already legends in Gangho.
Compared to these four, he was merely a gourmet praised for possessing an “absolute palate”!
Yet.
It was precisely because of this that Gwak Jangja was regarded as an expert who could discuss the finest cuisine under heaven.
His words carried such weight that the audience gasped in admiration.
“Four Roasted Meats, is it? So four varieties of meat were roasted….”
Then the Eunuch General Elder added his own comment.
Eom Seok-su answered him.
“Indeed. Five-Spice Braised Meat is traditionally a braised dish. However, these meats were first braised in five-spice sauce, then removed and roasted once more to impart a charred flavor before being cooled.”
“Hoh hoh. Such meticulous care…. Your Highness, do taste it.”
The Eunuch General urged Prince Ju-wang forward.
“Then, let me sample it!”
Prince Ju-wang picked up his chopsticks first.
In one bold motion, he grasped all four varieties of meat.
His movement contained the subtlety of the Golden Needle technique, drawing admiration from all present.
Ju-wang placed them all in his mouth and began to chew thoughtfully.
The other judges then followed, each taking a bite in turn.
Then.
“Moooooo! Cock-a-doodle-doooo! Baaaaaaa! Oink!”
Suddenly Gwak Jangja began making animal sounds!
“Sheep and cattle, pig and chicken—they live and breathe! They dance alive within the flames!”
Gwak Jangja spouting madness.
Elder Toegoe took a bite and spoke thus.
“This is…. It reminds me of a hen I stole and ate as a child. I stole so many chickens. Chicken was what I stole and ate most often.”
Hearing this, Gwak Jangja thought to himself.
‘Elder Toegoe, didn’t you say that in your youth you stole and ate pumpkins most often?’
I cannot discern which is the truth.
At an age like Elder Toegoe’s, perhaps such inconsistencies were simply to be expected.
Either way, the food was genuinely delicious.
“When I was young, I begged with my Master and ate pork that I’ve never forgotten. It was meat from a wealthy family’s feast, and it tasted so good that I’ve never once forgotten that flavor.”
The Eunuch General also spoke with enthusiasm.
“Hehehehe, it tastes like the mutton I secretly ate in my youth without my Senior knowing.”
Prince Ju-wang also spoke, recalling the past.
“This is… that feeling when I first shared a cup with Lang-lang! Ah, how wonderful.”
A flavor that stirred memories.
This dish possessed the power to transport those who ate it to their happiest moments.
Everyone ate with joy and delight.
If Jin Cheon-hee’s food was fire, this dish was water.
A battle between fire and water.
Soon the bowls were emptied.
The judges looked at one another.
Then, as if they had made a resolution, they nodded in agreement.
In the world of taste, grand words were unnecessary.
Prince Ju-wang rose as the representative of the judges.
Immediately, everyone prostrated themselves to show respect. Eom Suk-su also prostrated with a tense expression.
My heart felt like it would burst.
Everyone breathed heavily.
We had finally reached the end of this competition.
Prince Ju-wang spoke with a solemn voice infused with inner energy.
“The champion of this Bingho Tournament is hereby declared to be Jin Cheon-hee of Baekrin Uiseon!”
Roooaarrr!
The moment Prince Ju-wang signaled that they could rise, the venue erupted.
“Unbelievable! The Patriarch of Baekrin Uiseon has won the championship of the first Bingho Tournament!”
Jin Cheon-hee felt embarrassed and scratched the back of his neck.
‘Honestly, I wasn’t very confident about this one.’
My disciple Eom Suk-su had been too strong.
Prince Ju-wang continued.
“Eom Suk-su. Your cooking was certainly of the highest quality. Moreover, it evoked memories of the past. However, in terms of depth, it fell one step short of Jin Cheon-hee’s Vinegar Chicken Beef Lamb Bone Noodles. What a shame!”
A flavor that evoked memories versus simply delicious food.
The judges cast their votes for true taste.
Eom Suk-su nodded, accepting the verdict.
‘I’ve only been cooking for the competition.’
I had only tried to win with food that the judges would like, but perhaps my defeat came from never reaching the true end of taste as a dish itself.
“You are truly my Master. I lost this time, but I won’t lose next time!”
“Eom Suk-su. I hope you will polish yourself once more through diligent practice.”
Jin Cheon-hee’s manner of speech had changed.
The awards ceremony for Jin Cheon-hee proceeded amid the hot cheers of the crowd.
Prince Ju-wang came forward as the representative.
“I hereby bestow upon the champion Jin Cheon-hee the emblem of the Great Cooking Master of the Yellow Dragon!”
Roooaaarrr!
Praise the new supreme master chef of the realm!
Jin Cheon-hee’s victory was undisputed.
And so the Bingho Bingo Festival rushed toward its climax.
Then, Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes shifted unmistakably.
‘Ah, if I master the ice technique properly, I could kill or save a person with it.’
Hyeongyeong realm.
Amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd, I felt a distant enlightenment beyond them.
Whoooosh—
Cold energy began to spiral around Jin Cheon-hee, drawing flowers into being.
“Oh my, look at that!”
What was drawn there were countless small spirals of cold energy within a single expanse of chill.
A flower—a fully bloomed hydrangea.
“Wow! Is Ilgwang announcing the festival’s blessing!”
“Different from sword dances, but beautiful. Truly beautiful.”
The hydrangea Jin Cheon-hee created remained in bloom until the tournament ended.
The judges present at the scene, save for Gwak Jangja, wore expressions of shock.
And for good reason….
‘How many martial techniques are contained within a single flower?’
‘Did moving only the cold energy transform the world itself?’
‘Did the mind’s eye alter the landscape and summon winter itself?’
With such an enormous application of cold energy, there should have been injured people nearby.
Yet there was only the cheering and laughter of the crowd.
No one was hurt, and no one was afraid.
Thus bloomed snow flowers—not just one, but hundreds.
Amid the judges’ astonishment, Jin Cheon-hee smiled with an expression of lightness.
Where does enlightenment lead?
…It was summer.
* * *
Night.
The Medical Guild wanted to hold a celebration for the victory, but Jin Cheon-hee stopped them.
After all, hadn’t the festival already been celebrated extensively outside?
Instead, Sama-hye, Sama Hyeon, and Jin Cheon-hee decided to celebrate modestly among themselves.
‘Senior Namgung offered his congratulations in passing and went back to his duties.’
After that day, there were no “particular incidents” in the Namgung Family.
Of course, that was only on the surface. Beneath it all, things would be complicated.
And Namgung Un still faced the task of pushing aside his grandfather, now the Elder Tae-sang, and seizing the family’s power himself.
‘It won’t be resolved in a day or two.’
There seemed to be some business in Gangso Province, though it was not my concern.
So I didn’t bother asking either.
We had reached a point where that was enough between us.
Once everyone had gathered, Sama Hyeon spoke up.
“You went through all that trouble cooking, so it’d be awkward to cook again, right? Let me do it~”
“Oh, Hyeon-a. You’re going to cook yourself?”
From what I remembered seeing before, she had done it fairly well.
Still, as the Patriarch of the Golden Blood Hall, she probably ate far more food prepared by others than anything she made with her own hands.
“Since Gaga puts all her effort into cooking~ this younger sister has also been making an effort.”
With those words, she brought out a five-ingredient cold platter.
“A cold dish?”
Five-ingredient cold platter.
It came topped with five-spice soy braised meat, century eggs, jellyfish, jumbo shrimp, and abalone.
When you drizzled a tangy sauce over it all, the summer heat simply melted away.
“Wow, this is delicious!”
Sama-hye’s eyes widened in surprise.
I took a bite and spoke.
“Why didn’t you enter the Icy Lake Competition?”
I had long since forgotten the name “Yoo Ho’s Refrigerator Cup Tournament” in my mind.
Since everyone called it that way, even the one who created it had fallen into the habit.
“Is it tasty?”
“Yeah! With this level of flavor, you’d easily pass the preliminaries and have a real fight in the main tournament, wouldn’t you?”
Sama Hyeon’s cooking had a delicate quality to it.
Rather than applying strong wok heat like I did and boldly cutting things apart, he understood the flavor of each ingredient and built them up with exquisite seasoning until they teetered on the edge.
In modern terms, it was like watching a work of art built from playing cards.
Sama-hye spoke.
“A man who cooks well is cool!”
When Hye-a gave a thumbs up, Hyeon responded with a thumbs up as well.
“Want some more?”
I said.
“With that level of skill, why didn’t you participate? Even if you didn’t make it past the main rounds, it would definitely benefit the Golden Blood Hall.”
“Preparing five dishes was too bothersome~ Besides, I prefer making money off the dishes created by other participants.”
“Oh, so it wasn’t just the champion doing it?”
“This tournament is so popular. Starting next month, new special dishes will be added to the Golden Blood Guest House.”
He really was quick on his feet.
Even so, there was something special about Sama Hyeon’s cold platter. The elasticity of the meat, the unique springiness of the jellyfish, the fluffiness of the scallop muscle, and the rich, savory depth of the abalone and century egg.
Within all these textures, the sauce seasoned with exquisite balance, drawing out a refreshing tartness.
“Hyeong, is there anything else you’d like to eat~?”
Sama Hyeon playfully swayed his upper body as if to say I could ask for anything.
‘What a strange fellow.’
His eyes held such deep darkness, yet why did he smile with such joy?
Sometimes when I glimpse the shadows that occasionally cross Sama Hyeon’s face, I feel as though my breath catches.
Yet cooking for someone else requires that much resolve and determination.
My Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong senses the thick body scent emanating from Sama Hyeon.
A fragrance meant to mask blood.
Has he once again killed someone in the darkness and returned?
If he were injured from combat, he would hide those wounds. Should he seek treatment within Baekrin Uiseon’s territory, word would reach my ears.
Even without treatment, his mastery of Cheonryong-gong, a regenerative technique, is far too refined.
He conceals his wounds and hides his blood.
He presents the finest dishes to those he cherishes and smiles.
But what lies at the end of all this?
‘For some reason, I have a terrible premonition.’
There is no particular logic to it—merely the instinct of one who has died countless times.
I felt that I could not simply let him leave as things were.
So.
“If you ever have troubles, come consult with me anytime.”
Like a lighthouse in the night sky of the abyss, my words whispered to him.
“….”
A light that pierces through the heart itself.
At my unexpected words, Sama Hyeon’s eyes widen slightly. Watching his reaction, I thought to myself.
‘Will this fellow speak honestly?’
After all, he is Gangho’s greatest liar.

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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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