Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 126

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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 126
Lost in deep contemplation, I laid bare everything.
The current Sect Leader, the Sword Master Monk, and the Sect Elders sat in silence, listening to my words.
Just how vicious this plague truly was.
If we simply declared everyone fully recovered and released them back into the world, there was a real possibility that mutations could emerge in about ten years, causing it to ravage the land once more.
To completely eradicate it at the root, there was only one option: sealing the sect.
‘If drought strikes and people’s immunity weakens, it could return even faster.’
Of course, it might not happen at all.
After exhausting every physical disinfection method available, I’d applied the Hwahwashin technique for additional sterilization.
By implementing sanitation facilities and hygiene standards ahead of this era’s typical practices, perhaps we might be fortunate.
The fact that I’d managed to contain this early on certainly helped.
Yet even so, no one could guarantee anything.
What if that day came?
What if the plague we thought dead suddenly sprouted anew?
In the end, I found myself asking the same question that countless researchers grapple with.
‘What must we prioritize above all else?’
Should we hide everything and continue as we are?
Or should we seal the sect and wait until the plague is completely eradicated?
Nine Great Sects against Eight Great Families.
In this fierce competition, sealing the sect for one or two years might mean surrendering even the influence we currently possessed.
No matter how vast Gangho is, there are no empty spaces.
Other sects and families would never leave a void uncontested.
Sealing the sect.
At my words, everyone fell silent and sank into thought.
After a long moment, the Sect Leader spoke.
-When I was young, there was a typhoon that lasted for days. The rain fell so heavily that the entire base of Botasan was submerged.
-Even though the island is so vast, the waves crashed so fiercely and the rain fell so relentlessly that I felt as though I were beneath the sea itself.
Deep wrinkles carved the Sect Leader’s face, layered like geological strata formed by time.
-At that moment, my teacher held me close and said: no matter how great the waves, the island will not sink; no matter how fierce the typhoon, the island will never be submerged, so do not worry.
-….
-And those words proved true.
-Though the island is small, the sea could never swallow us.
Recalling my childhood, I smiled softly.
-We must follow Seo Baek-ryong’s words. Father.
-Hehehehe. I was already planning to tighten discipline among the disciples—they’ve grown lax lately, so this works out well.
-I wonder if one or two years will truly make a difference.
At that remark, the Elders burst into laughter.
-The Abbot and his wife have such formidable temperaments that the disciples will certainly have their hands full.
-It might also be worthwhile to teach the villagers who’ve become entangled in this affair basic martial techniques for self-defense.
No matter how fierce the waves, Botasan remained steadfast.
The Bota Clan did not hesitate.
Islands scattered haphazardly across a vast sea.
Within that expanse, the righteous sect stood firm, weathering the storm.
This time, they pressed their palms together in reverence rather than mere formality.
The teachings of Buddhism became an island amid the waves of hardship, protecting the people.
And that was the Bota Clan’s code of honor.
The Bota Clan’s disciples stubbornly held their ground like fools.
‘I explained it with difficulty, but thanks to that, I can rest easy.’
In this era, cholera’s mortality rate was fifty percent.
Though the transmission method differed, the infection rate was comparable to the modern COVID-19 virus.
Truly a vicious disease.
The children who recovered from the plague were as innocent as before.
“Master, Master!”
I returned from my reverie to the present, drawn back by the children’s clamoring.
“If you’re going, Master, can we come with you?”
“Yes, yes!”
The children burst into delighted laughter. The Abbot, watching them with satisfaction, spoke.
“From now on, we can manage things ourselves. Please, Master, do get some rest.”
“Understood. Then I shall rest.”
Led by the children’s hands, I entered the guest quarters.
There, I made sure to wash the children’s hands and feet thoroughly.
Using the Fire element of the Five Elements Divine Art, I even incinerated every last pathogen.
“Washing is such a bother….”
“You still have to keep doing it.”
“The older sisters said we should listen to everything Master says.”
‘Right. You should listen to your doctor.’
Who was it that said it?
Listen to your doctor and you’ll live long; live like a doctor and you won’t live long.
I was exactly that kind of person.
“For now, let me just get some sleep.”
At my words, the tallest child spoke up.
“Come on, everyone. Shh!”
“We need to tell the older sisters we succeeded in our mission.”
At that, the children burst into laughter in unison.
It seemed they’d been instructed to go put me to sleep since I looked about to collapse.
They’d targeted the fact that I was particularly weak to the children.
‘I suppose you could say I’m willingly deceived.’
Still, I was genuinely tired.
‘When I wake up, I should give them a proper scolding.’
With that thought, I shifted my body and drifted off.
‘Three deaths from cholera in total…?’
Fortunately, I was able to treat the rest in time and save them all.
That was why the Bota Clan held me in such high regard as a benefactor.
* * *
Now that the Bota Clan had decided to fulfill their obligations, it was time for me to walk my own path.
Before I left the Bota Clan, the Head Monk summoned me.
It seemed she had something particular she wished to discuss.
I packed my belongings, adjusted my medical robes, and made my way to the Bota Clan’s main hall.
In the spacious hall sat a Buddha statue gazing down benevolently upon the faithful, and beneath it, the Head Monk waited for me.
Ding—
The wind chime hanging from the eaves rang out broad and clear.
The scent of incense was thick and heavy, much like the very essence of Botasan itself.
I sat before her.
“I hear you are leaving us, benefactor.”
I nodded.
“I’ve done all I can here, so it’s time for me to depart.”
“I understand.”
The Head Monk fell silent in thought before speaking.
“But might this humble nun ask why you came to the Zhoushan Archipelago? I wish to repay, even in small measure, the debt of gratitude for saving the Bota Clan.”
There was no need to hide it. I decided to speak honestly about what I sought.
“Like any martial artist, I came seeking something I desire. I heard there was a spiritual creature in the Zhoushan Archipelago, and I came to capture it and consume its inner core.”
“You seek Cheonryeong?”
I nodded.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
At those words, the Head Monk closed her eyes.
It was not easy to tell a Buddhist that one had come to take a life.
Helping me would be aiding in killing, which violated the Buddhist precepts, yet simply letting me go would be abandoning the debt of gratitude, which would be turning my back as a martial artist.
Like a middle-aged man who had weathered all storms, I immediately sensed the Head Monk’s inner conflict.
‘But there’s no need to burden the nun so heavily.’
Whether to take a life or not was my decision to make.
So I quickly changed the subject.
“However, the more I investigated Cheonryeong, the more I learned how much the villagers cherish her. I even heard a tale of how she caught a child who fell from a cliff with her claws and brought him down safely. Remarkably, he had not a single injury.”
“Is that so.”
The Head Monk’s expression brightened somewhat.
“A spiritual creature that helps people is rare indeed. So I’ve decided to set aside my intention to take her life.”
But it was certain that the Hyeolseonggyo would cause trouble.
I had no intention of ignoring that.
“Still, having come so far, I would like to see her at least once.”
The Head Monk smiled warmly.
“Your heart is truly kind, benefactor. Then it seems this humble nun can be of assistance.”
The Head Monk rose to his feet and retrieved a wooden box from somewhere.
He set it down with a soft thud.
Opening the box revealed a bird’s feather—what appeared to be a rather large feather from a gyrfalcon.
“Handle it carefully. It still carries the essence of heavenly lightning.”
I protected my hand with the Five Elements Divine Art’s Earth element and grasped the feather.
A sharp crackle erupted.
Lightning flickered for just a brief moment.
Since I’d protected my hand beforehand, I felt nothing, but an ordinary person would have found it quite painful.
“Cheonryeong, true to its name, is a hawk that feeds on the lightning of storms and tempests. For that reason, it inhabits somewhere in the Zhoushan Archipelago. The typhoons and tempests here are always its domain, after all.”
The Head Monk gazed at me with a pleased expression.
“I’ve heard that the spiritual creature Hwang-gu never loses a scent once he’s caught it. So if you let him smell this feather, he will surely find it.”
Woof! – This feather smells strange. Master!
Whine? – The cloud smell tingles!
I let Hwang-gu thoroughly catch the scent of Cheonryeong before asking back.
“What if I were lying not because I wanted to see the bird, but because I desired an inner core instead?”
“This humble monk knows from his eyes that you are not such a person, but even if you were, I would trust that there would be good reason for it. So… I simply hope that whatever you desire will be aided by this.”
The Head Monk smiled through his weathered wrinkles and bowed deeply with palms pressed together.
“Amitabha Buddha.”
Then he handed me a wooden tablet.
“This is the Bota Tablet, crafted from the jujube wood of Botasan. It serves as proof of your benefactor status to the Bota Clan. Should you need assistance, you may go anywhere within the reach of the Bota Clan’s influence.”
Though we had decided to seal the sect, the Bota Clan was an orthodox, righteous faction.
While not larger than other scattered sects and independent forces, it was certainly not weak.
The Bota Pyoguk alone was the largest transport company in Hangzhou, earning substantial profits by shipping goods via sea routes.
Moreover, a small elite force possessed advantages that only such forces could claim.
No one in Gangho was ignorant of how formidable the Bota Clan’s swordmasters were.
I bowed deeply with fists clasped.
“Thank you.”
In truth, even if the Bota Clan offered spirit medicines, I couldn’t be certain they’d surpass those of Baekrin Uigak where I resided, and their sword techniques or movement arts wouldn’t harmonize with what I already possessed.
The Bota Tablet, however.
It was something that hadn’t appeared even once in the Heavenly Demon novel I’d read.
Given that the sect was established on an island, forming connections with them was an extraordinarily difficult matter.
‘I’ve gained connections within the Bota Clan.’
In one or two years, the Bota Clan would produce new swordmasters in abundance.
Stronger and more exceptional than before, they would inherit the Sword Master Monk’s blade and be formidable enough to live up to the title of Sword Sage.
‘Namgung Un will need to be on high alert.’
In Gangho, the sword carries special significance.
Sword King, Sword Sage.
And those who transcend that stage.
Sword Emperor.
Some enthusiasts prefer the term Sword Sovereign, but ultimately the meaning remains the same.
It referred to one who had reached the pinnacle of the martial world through the sword.

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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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