Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 152

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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 152
023. The Emperor’s Summons
Wang Sam was a merchant who ran a shop in a small city at the foot of the mountain where Baek Rin Medical Guild was located.
These days, as Baek Rin-ui-seon’s health improved and Seo Baek-ryong’s influence grew by the day,
the families of patients began to stay in this small city thanks to Baek Rin Medical Guild.
Consequently, the commercial district in this area expanded, and Wang Sam’s shop became quite renowned as well.
The finest confectionery and shop in the city!
Not just confectionery, either.
He also sold various pastries and snacks, and his regular customer was none other than Baek Rin-ui-seon himself.
I heard he buys so much just to feed his disciples.
Moreover, the dried persimmons that surprised Gongseon Hyeon when she tasted them at the tea service with me were also Wang Sam’s creation.
On her way down, Gongseon Hyeon had people purchase an enormous quantity—dried persimmons, dried persimmon slices, and even pastries made with dried persimmon filling.
That day was when Wang Sam made a fortune.
Thus, Wang Sam’s fame grew day by day, and he earned considerable wealth, living comfortably.
He had made it so that not only he but all his children could live without financial worry.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Wang Sam was working even more diligently these days.
Moreover, watching his youngest take his first steps and say “dada,” he spent his days in great happiness.
“Wang Sam, are you that pleased with it?”
“Don’t even mention it. Once you feel that warm floor against your back, you’ll naturally think of dried persimmons. Heh… once work ends, I need to hurry home and lie down.”
“Is the ondol really that remarkable?”
“Indeed it is. When I see my children sprawled out sleeping on it, I can’t imagine anything more blissful.”
“What about the youngest’s cough?”
“That child used to cough even with a brazier, but lately he’s become quite healthy.”
Wang Sam burst into foolish laughter.
“And my second son has been learning characters by watching Cheongok lately.”
“Cheongok? That’s supposed to be fun.”
“It certainly is.”
Wang Sam nodded, and his friend who saw this said,
“If you’re going to brag like that, why don’t you let me stay over! And Cheongok too!”
“I’d rather not?”
“You shameless bastard….”
“Hey, quiet for a moment. The Patriarch is coming out.”
“Huh? Where, where. A pig-sized dog and bird—can’t see the face but it’s definitely the Patriarch. Yes, that’s him!”
Indeed.
Hwang-gu and Noeji had long since shed their initial sharp, wild appearance and become nothing more than a fat dog and bird.
Humans might diet when they gain weight.
But furry friends remained cute even when plump, and their rounded silhouettes were actually growing more popular by the day.
‘Do spiritual creatures not suffer from adult diseases?’
They’ve grown so large that I can’t see ahead, and I’m even doing compression exercises, so what couldn’t be managed at this point?
I descended into the city alone for the first time in a while, examining various goods.
‘Master’s birthday is coming up soon. It would be nice to prepare something for him.’
Baek Rin of the Medical Guild was hardly a poor man, and he had surely grown tired of seeing all manner of delicacies.
Moreover, Master himself showed little interest in ornaments or silk, making it difficult to find an appropriate gift.
“Noeji. I can’t see ahead.”
Chirp chirp!
Noeji understood and chirped in acknowledgment, then compressed his body once more.
Second stage of Shrinking Technique.
‘These days, he understands everything without me even needing to use the law artifact.’
I could transmit my inner energy and have him translate, but we’ve been together for far too long now.
We understand each other with just a glance—a mere hint suffices. There’s rarely any need for such formalities anymore.
Woof woof! – Master, look at that dried duck over there! It smells delicious!
“You just ate some a moment ago, Hwang-gu.”
I regretted sending inner energy through the law artifact, just in case.
As Hwang-gu continued to whine, I had no choice but to purchase dried duck and divide it between the two of them.
I was grateful that Cheonjin and Nanman had gone out to play in the neighborhood.
If those two had come along, the market would have turned into a festival.
Woof… Bark!
“I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you.”
Hwang-gu’s nose was now directed toward a fresh chicken marinated in medicinal herbs.
I pretended not to notice.
“They say ondol heating systems are finishing up quite nicely these days.”
This early stage of inner energy cultivation had become quite familiar to me now.
Thanks to it, I could hear the voices of people speaking from far away.
I didn’t need to catch every sound—just the ones that mattered.
“Ondol? There’s quite a lot of talk about it. People from prestigious families say that if they have the money, they’re building new annexes just for it.”
“The annex becomes the inner quarters. Once winter arrives, nobody wants to leave, so it naturally becomes the inner quarters.”
“Is ondol really that remarkable…?”
It had been several months since I began selling ondol heating systems.
It was a massive success.
Not just success—extraordinary success.
This wasn’t a contract with the Medical Guild; it was my personal contract.
Even at this very moment, vast sums of money continued flowing into my coffers.
The Bota Trading Guild had excellent business acumen.
They gathered victims of faulty ondol installations and provided funding behind the scenes so they could file lawsuits with the magistrate’s office. The officials who had accepted the Bota Trading Guild’s money then brought down the full force of the law upon the trading companies that had sold the defective ondols.
An era where emotional judgments were possible.
When people died or became disabled from faulty ondols, it fell to the officials to decide whether to prosecute it as fraud or murder.
After thoroughly beating down the fraudulent trading companies with the law’s cudgel, they proclaimed that there existed a proper construction method guaranteed by the Medical Guild.
However, for this to work, we had to execute ondol installations with absolute precision.
If the same harm occurred, rival trading companies would do exactly the same thing.
Under Gong Ban-ha’s leadership, the Bota Trading Guild conducted construction with almost obsessive precision, emphasizing the use of dry firewood and teaching the importance of proper ventilation.
For those who found such meticulous preparation troublesome, they began delivering and selling dry firewood.
The woodcutters’ profits suddenly increased dramatically.
Though the construction costs rose significantly, the martial families of the realm weren’t unable to build due to lack of opportunity—they simply lacked the funds.
The elders of the Medical Guild who had experienced the comfort of ondol heating were still throwing tantrums at this very hour, demanding that one be built for them.
-Cough, cough. This old rustic has grown too aged and lacks the vigor to teach the next generation anymore. Life is determined by heaven. As winter approaches, my body grows cold and breathing becomes increasingly difficult each day, so I sense that the day heaven calls me cannot be far off.
Since he made this declaration every morning while spewing blood continuously, the patriarchs of the families wept as they called upon the Bota Trading Guild.
Whether in the martial realm or on Earth, life among people is all the same.
Before I knew it, my personal available funds had increased substantially.
‘I should invest some of it into the soap business and put the rest into the Seo Baek-ryong Foundation for orphans.’
Since ancient times, charitable foundations have always been money-consuming entities.
There are no opportunities to earn money, only ways to spend it, which makes it all the more so.
Yet with this windfall, even now I’m saving many children who lack treatment funds.
“Chung-ok, stop that already!”
“No, I’m telling you today’s sales are done.”
“Is that the end of it? We still need to organize the ledgers and prepare tomorrow’s inventory!”
In the distance, a mother was pulling her son’s ear.
Unlike ondol, which brought in large sums all at once, Chung-ok generated steady, continuous income in smaller amounts.
Moreover, while there were people who had never tried Chung-ok, there were none who tried it only once.
With profit margins higher than ondol, this could truly be called the real gem of the business.
‘Gongseon Hyeon sent a request for a new set of Chung-ok.’
Following the martial realm edition, she asked me to create an imperial palace edition.
The merchant’s strategy of striking while the iron is hot is truly formidable.
‘There’s still some time before the deadline, so I’ll think about it later.’
What should I use for the imperial palace edition Chung-ok?
If I use the golden key chance for the imperial palace edition, should it be activated by imperial decree?
Since this would also become nourishment for the Seo Baek-ryong Foundation, my deliberation was considerable.
I purchased several items as gifts for my Master.
Leather and jade tablets that had undergone a craftsman’s processing.
In the end, I decided to make them myself.
My Master had expressed jealousy upon seeing me knit scarves and wind-protection garments for my younger siblings, so he made a comment about it.
I also bought various small items and plenty of candies from Wang Sam’s shop.
Thus I returned with both hands full.
* * *
The entrance to the Medical Guild was in disarray.
Gungwi appeared surprised, as if he had just come to fetch me.
“Silver Benefactor, fortunately our paths didn’t cross.”
“What’s the matter?”
“An urgent matter has arisen. Silver Benefactor, please come inside at once.”
Wondering what it could be, I followed Gungwi’s guidance inside.
Upon arriving at the conference hall, I found the Four Guild Masters, my Master, and Yoo Ho seated with grave expressions.
“Perfect timing, Cheon-hee.”
On the table lay a brilliant crimson silk, and upon it were ornate characters written in gold leaf.
Whether the calligraphy was crude or refined, the mere sight of it possessed a power that made one’s nerves tighten.
The Four Guild Masters rose and bowed respectfully to me.
“We greet the Patriarch.”
Under normal circumstances, they would have greeted me with bright expressions, but their faces now looked as though they’d bitten into something foul.
Particularly, the Herb Guild Master Manpagok’s face had flushed red with anger.
‘What on earth has happened?’
Manpagok possessed a bold and easygoing temperament.
For someone like her to become this enraged was rare indeed.
Jegalling spoke.
“Ju Wang has sent a letter.”
“What sort of letter?”
….
My Master merely furrowed his brow slightly in response.
The expressions of the Guild Masters grew even darker.
‘This is clearly a troublesome matter.’
I accepted the letter from my Master and read it.
True to his nature, Ju Wang’s letter was sparse in flowery language, yet it still required time to summarize.
“So the Emperor’s younger sibling is ill, and His Majesty wishes for me to treat them?”
“However, if His Majesty were to designate this directly, an imperial edict would need to be brought forth. In doing so, naturally those seeking to read the Emperor’s intentions would emerge, so it appears Ju Wang has stepped forward in his stead.”
The Acupuncture Guild Master Sama Byeong spoke.
“Patriarch, might I offer a word?”
“What is it?”
“Though it is not a formal imperial edict but rather sent in Ju Wang’s stead, this is no light matter. The imperial physicians are renowned for their skill, yet I cannot fathom why such a situation has arisen.”
In short, it was a complaint—why must we suffer because the imperial physicians are incompetent?
The Martial Arts Guild Master Dokgo Junghu continued.
“What if the Patriarch has met with an accident and cannot take the pulse?”
At those words, the Chuna Dangju Joo Dan-ha spoke.
“Does the imperial palace seem so simple? The ailment must be severe enough that one cannot dismiss it as malingering. If a leg is broken, they’ll send a palanquin; if an arm is broken, the Patriarch must substitute. To avoid this, one would need internal injuries, yet if the Medical Guild cannot heal internal injuries on their own, we’d be covered in filth either way.”
“There is no way to avoid this matter.”

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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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