Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 137

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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 137
‘I lack the confidence to face the Abbot again.’
Having witnessed a countenance as formidable as the Vajra Guardians who protect Buddhism itself, I resolved never to incur the Abbot’s displeasure.
Besides, how could I know how much stronger I would emerge after the Seal Closure?
‘Still, I doubt he would truly be angry.’
The Abbot’s nature held no room for blame toward me.
‘Rather, he would say this too is a tribulation I must endure.’
Do Baek-ha spoke.
“As for the price of this drink, I’ll tell you—in this city alone, there have been at least a hundred disappearances. All of them children, both boys and girls.”
“Is that so…?”
Children of both sexes—a term referring to young boys and girls.
In the Gangho, children held considerable value.
Beyond merely purchasing children like Haowen did and raising them to suit one’s needs, many were abducted to create special corpse puppets or to be trained as assassins.
“Particularly troubling is that even the grandchildren of Jeong Geom-mun-ju, who wields considerable influence in this city, have been abducted. This is no ordinary matter.”
‘They abducted the children of a powerful family?’
This changed the nature of the case entirely.
Poor children or orphans were easy targets for abduction to become corpse puppets or assassins. But to touch the offspring of a powerful family with guards?
It meant there was something worth the risk, something that had to be done.
Do Baek-ha continued.
“So when I narrowed down the possibilities, suspicion fell upon the Demonic Sect itself. To abduct children of such standing, only a group of exceptional masters could manage it. That’s why I was invited here.”
“So you’re investigating?”
“In a manner of speaking. One doesn’t pursue leads carelessly.”
She drank deeply, the sound of liquid filling the cup.
“Now then… an amusing question, but will you answer me one thing?”
I nodded.
“What is it?”
“Are you… perhaps still a virgin?”
My face flushed intensely at those words.
“What does that have to do with—!”
“Your reaction tells me everything.”
“I don’t wish to answer… wait?”
My eyes widened slightly. Do Baek-ha watched my expression shift and burst into laughter.
“Truly sharp-minded. I apologize for the rudeness, but this concerns lives. I suspect the abductions of these children weren’t for brainwashing by some organization, but rather for sorcerous purposes. In other words, they specifically targeted children with pure blood essence.”
Calming my startled heart, I answered coldly.
“If it’s for sorcerous purposes, the children might still be alive until the ritual’s appointed hour.”
“That’s the hope I’m clinging to. I’d rather resolve this than seek revenge.”
I nodded at those words.
“Do you believe the Demonic Sect is responsible, Samjeolchuho?”
“Half of me does. There aren’t many organizations with the power to abduct the children of influential families.”
“So the other half doubts it.”
“Still, that’s not the real issue. Even if they aren’t the Demonic Sect, it means there’s another mad organization with that much power.”
She rubbed her chin as she spoke.
“I’ve never wished so much that they were the Demonic Sect.”
Clink.
She set down the empty bottle she’d drained completely.
“Well, I suppose I’ve earned my drink then. I plan to stay here for quite some time, so if you come across any information, tell the server.”
“Why did you tell me this? Was it truly just for the drink?”
At my sharp question, she let out a soft laugh.
“Ah, so you knew but asked anyway. You’re hoping I’ll confirm it myself—which means you share the same thoughts, little brother.”
“….”
“In Gangho, there’s no better source of information than a doctor. And there’s not a single person in Gangho who wouldn’t be shaken hearing the alias Seo Baek-ryong.”
“I see.”
“Please, if you learn anything, tell me. I’m feeling quite cornered myself.”
I spoke.
“Do you have any of the kidnapped child’s belongings you could give me?”
“Hmm… anything will do?”
She rummaged through her sleeve and pulled out a small pony charm.
* * *
I returned to my room.
After unpacking, I sat in lotus position and pondered for a long time.
Not long after, Hwang-gu entered the room.
Woof! Whine. – Master, I couldn’t find a similar scent.
“What?”
I hadn’t expected this. Hwang-gu pressed his forehead against my hand, begging for pets.
As I scratched Hwang-gu vigorously, he continued.
Sniff! – The scent trail is broken.
“Broken?”
Hwang-gu was the one who could track contaminated water sources and trace the remnants of spiritual medicines and creatures. For even him to be unable to find it meant they’d taken precautions.
‘Certainly, there aren’t many groups capable of this.’
A headache was already forming.
‘Then my only option is to search through the novel meticulously?’
I recalled that there was no directly mentioned incident in the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong.
Then next, I needed to search for any indirectly mentioned parts in the novel. I pulled out the letters from my medicine box.
Low-quality information sent from Samsalchuseo, Hao-mun, and Gaebang.
Most would be false, but if truth existed within them, cross-analyzing with the original novel might reveal matching pieces.
‘This will drive me bald.’
I let out a small sigh.
‘Same-sex romance…’
I hadn’t answered then, but I am asexual. In my past life, I was a lifelong bachelor, and this life was no different.
A life where work is everything.
‘That’s how I ended up shot by rebels and died.’
The injustice of it stung, yet part of me couldn’t help but think—what else could I do?
Even in modern Earth, half of humanity starves.
Children’s rights only began to be protected in a minuscule fraction of human history, and only in certain nations.
The fact that one child dies of hunger every five seconds was surprisingly unknown to most.
‘The medical techniques I used to treat cholera were created the same way.’
Countless people died because the world lacked money for IV fluids and antibiotics. In some places, people perished simply because there was no money to buy materials for oral rehydration solutions.
So many scholars searched for alternatives, constantly lowering costs, desperately trying to save lives however they could.
It was no different in this world.
‘I hate seeing children sick, hate seeing them injured….’
I cursed myself as a fool.
‘Damn it. I could just close my eyes, let the children live or die as they will, and focus on cultivating my elixir….’
I scratched my head vigorously for a moment.
Then I furrowed my brow.
Perhaps I would have felt more at peace if the situation were certainly fatal.
But the thought that they might survive until the consciousness competition stirred the instincts of an ordinary Korean citizen passing through.
‘Fine. Since it’s come to this, I’ll just squeeze money out of the Jeong Geom-mun-ju.’
In that moment, I recalled a passage from the novel.
‘The Hyeolseonggyo. It’s them. And… my Ha-ryun passes through here?’
I called for Hwang-gu.
* * *
There was a passage in the novel related to this period.
-The road to the destination was quite desolate. Ha-ryun had recently heard from the Cryptic Blood Demon that young boys and girls had been disappearing, making the mood of the nearby villages uneasy. People suspected it was the work of the Demonic Sect and felt wronged.
-Ha-ryun didn’t bother to respond, but still thought it was cheap. The Demonic Sect had precedent for such things, and people needed someone to blame anyway—wasn’t that natural?
-In the end, everything follows its natural course. Ha-ryun had an intuition that this Demonic Sect, the Ilwol Divine Sect, would eventually face great calamity.
Merely a single line of description. No village name, not even the name of the missing child was written, so I normally wouldn’t have paid attention.
It wasn’t a major incident, just a device to show how terrible the Demonic Sect’s reputation had become.
The passage itself was short.
‘But….’
When I compared the characteristic terrain and climate scattered throughout the novel, the routes overlapped.
Moreover, the rumor mentioned briefly about young boys and girls disappearing. The uneasy atmosphere among the people.
The season roughly matched as well.
‘Of course, it’s all just speculation—what I read in the novel combined with my own calculations….’
To find out if my speculation was correct, it would be best to locate Ha-ryun.
“I can’t possibly fight the elite of the Hyeolseonggyo alone, Ha-ryun. Help your older brother out.”
I had Hwang-gu catch Ha-ryun’s scent and sent him off with Cheonryeong.
After pinpointing several major crossroads where Ha-ryun likely passed, the search radius narrowed considerably.
Meanwhile, I headed toward the Jeong Geom-mun.
* * *
Ding. Ding.
A space constructed from stone that admits no light.
In what was called a stone chamber, the sound of a bell rang out.
Then, one by one, people entered through an opening in one side of the stone chamber.
They were small in stature, their bodies frail.
Looking closely, their eyes were unfocused, as if they had lost all reason—they were all children.
Children between ten and fourteen years old.
These children walked like puppets, devoid of consciousness, and sat in chairs before a dining table placed within the stone chamber.
“Good. Good. You must eat well. Only then will your blood become pure and healthy, yes?”
An elderly man dressed in refined Daoist robes stroked his beard and laughed.
In one of his hands, he held a bell with a handle.
Had Jin Cheon-hee witnessed this sight, he would have spoken thus.
The Hyeolseonggyo!
Indeed, this old man was the perpetrator of the kidnapping incidents that had occurred in Tangbaek, the city where Jeong Geom-mun was located.
“Immortal Master, it is reported that Seo Baek-ryong has appeared at Jeong Geom-mun.”
“Seo Baek-ryong? You mean that young disciple of Baek Rin?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Is that youth also a virgin?”
“According to the spy who witnessed it, he was revealed to be a virgin in a conversation with Samjeolchuho.”
“Kekekeke.”
The old man laughed and shook the bell.
Ding. Ding.
“Chew it well. It must be easily digested.”
And the children began to move at his words.
They slowly ate and drank the prepared food.
It was a sight that made one’s skin crawl, yet the elderly Daoist seated at the head of the stone chamber merely laughed.
“That youth must possess the purest essence of all. Bring him to me.”
“I obey your command.”
The black shadow standing behind the old man vanished without a trace.
“Hehehehe. That bearded merchant still has no news of capturing Cheonryeong… Once this matter is concluded, I shall advance greatly. If all goes well, perhaps Sip Cheon-gun himself will transmit the Way to me….”
The old man murmured thus while watching the children eat their meal.
* * *
Thanks to Seo Baek-ryong’s name, entry itself was remarkably easy.
I had simply said I came to witness the renowned swordsmanship of Jeong Geom-mun.
Jeong Geom-mun welcomed Seo Baek-ryong’s arrival but explained that due to current misfortune, it was difficult to receive guests.
‘Oh, what a shame. Is there perhaps something I might do to help?’
With just a slight furrow of my brow, the lady burst into tears and told me everything.
It had been an ordinary day like any other, she said. But when she went to wake them the next morning, they were gone.
As a result, I could find no clues whatsoever.
‘Hmm. Indeed, the trail does not reveal itself so easily.’
Even with Hwang-gu and Noeji, two spiritual creatures, deployed, I could find no leads. And I myself was no master of tracking arts like Samjeolchuho, nor was I familiar with this region.
‘My goodness, it seems not just anyone can play the role of a passing scholar.’
Still, there remained one final method.

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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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