Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 170

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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 170
“Hahaha.”
Cheonwoo’s laughter rang out. He raised his arm and stepped forward as if to block Jin Cheon-hee.
“Brother, you’re a guest here. You haven’t even recovered from your journey yet—there’s no need to do such things, right?”
At those words, Elder Cheon Gyeong spoke first.
“Of course that’s true. But for young martial artists like us, the opportunity to witness the martial arts of another prestigious sect is rare indeed. Moreover, these are the techniques of the Jegal Family that nearly faded into obscurity. I don’t wish to miss such an opportunity.”
Nearly faded into obscurity.
Though he’d phrased it carefully, it was clumsy for a martial artist.
Or perhaps he’d done so intentionally. If he had spoken deliberately that way, then it was certain.
‘A provocation.’
I grasped Cheon Gyeong’s intention.
But why would he act this way?
The thought occurred to me that it might be because of the ashes I carried on my back. While my thoughts drifted, Cheonwoo spoke gently.
“Then why don’t you spar with me instead? You can manage that much, can’t you?”
At his words, the senior disciples of the Mudang Sect flinched in surprise and exchanged glances.
‘From their reaction, it seems Cheonwoo’s martial prowess is quite considerable.’
Though he had entered the Mudang Sect through Baek Rin’s influence, from the perspective of the existing disciples, he was like a rolling stone that had knocked out a fixed one.
Yet seeing how they hesitated rather than immediately growing angry suggested that Cheonwoo was indeed skilled.
Cheonwoo smiled and spoke.
“Leave my brother alone, seniors.”
The word “seniors” carried weight in his tone.
“No, it’s fine. Cheonwoo.”
I stepped behind Cheonwoo to stop him.
“Brother?”
“I’d also like to experience the martial arts of the Mudang Sect. An exchange among young martial artists—that’s good, isn’t it?”
I too became curious about what Jin Cheon-hee’s true intentions were.
* * *
As we headed to the Training Ground, I learned the situation from Cheonwoo through sound transmission.
First, Cheonwoo and Cheon Gyeong were of different ages but received their sect names at the same generational level.
Though I found it regrettable, the Mudang Sect is a prestigious sect of the Gangho.
While the settings differ slightly in martial arts novels, the common rule is that sect names aren’t given to just anyone.
Initially, disciples undergo training, and when they show promise, they’re accepted as Hermits and given sect names, with the first character distinguishing their generation.
It bears similarity to genealogical generational rankings—truly befitting a Confucian society where martial artists eat from the sword.
Cheonwoo received his sect name early, surpassing his age.
The one who entered as a Hermit that same year was Cheon Gyeong.
Though Cheonwoo calls him senior and shows outward respect, Cheon Gyeong’s sword has already broken his limbs once.
[So there’s a faction under a Hermit named Jeong Gwang?]
[Yes. Elder Jeong Gwang could be called the current power broker. He’s better at politics than swordsmanship.]
Since the old martial arts era, generational lines typically continue in twenty-year intervals.
This came about because a thirty-year-old martial artist would take in and raise a child around ten years old, continuing the lineage that way.
Coming to the Divine Martial Alliance, such matters could be easily corrected, but the Supreme Heavenly Demon still followed the hierarchy system of the old martial world.
‘After the Cheon generation comes one or two intermediate generations in between. Then comes the Tian generation.’
Since the Cheon generation had ascended to the positions of Sect Leader and Elder, the generation directly responsible for cultivating martial artists would be the intermediate generation between Cheon and Tian.
With only three generations, that was already sixty years.
[I see.]
[Hmm… Since my brother is essentially a direct disciple and junior patriarch of Baek Rin-ui-seon, by lineage he should be at a similar generation to my Master, so this provocation seems to have some ulterior motive.]
Moreover, this generational system wasn’t just applied within their own sect but also used in exchanges with other sects.
It wasn’t coincidentally similar to genealogy—the elders would count on their fingers saying, “Your generation character is Cheon? Then how many generations removed are you… the thirty-second descendant of that family, right?” and they did all of that here.
Heterodox sects didn’t have this, but orthodox sects valued their roots, so this culture was all the more firmly established.
For modern sensibilities, adaptation was still difficult.
Since Jin Cheon-hee was Jegalling’s first direct disciple, by generation alone he was at a similar level to martial artists in their forties and fifties.
‘It’s nice that you get halfway there no matter what you do… but modern people find it a bit confusing.’
Seeing that Cheonwoo had already finished calculating the generations, he’d become a proper member of the Great Mountain Orthodox Sect.
[What is the martial prowess of the hermit called Jeong Gwang?]
[I understand he cannot use one arm. I heard he lost it in place of the Sect Leader, but it’s such an old blood scar that I don’t know much…]
‘Now I understand a bit how the organization operates.’
Having finished his assessment, Jin Cheon-hee suddenly asked.
[Then you must have investigated extensively whether that arm could be restored.]
[Yes. All the renowned doctors said it was impossible. In fact, Hyeolsaeng Nogoe even became interested and attacked, but when he couldn’t fix it, he left shaking his head—it’s quite a famous incident. There were many witnesses.]
Cheonwoo continued.
[Ah, now that I think about it, they said it might be possible if one obtained the Dual Thought Technique.]
‘A nervous system problem. I can’t fix that either.’
Had Jin Cheon-hee not known about the Dual Thought Technique, it would be one thing, but now that he did, he immediately understood what Hyeolsaeng Nogoe had been discussing.
When it came to medicine, Jin Cheon-hee and Hyeolsaeng’s wavelengths matched remarkably well.
[Better than growing three arms.]
Jin Cheon-hee spoke in consolation.
[Elder Jeong Gwang would think that’s better.]
He seemed to be quite an unusual character.
‘Elder Jeong Gwang, who desperately desires the Dual Thought Technique. The hermit Cheon Gyeong within that faction…’
All the puzzle pieces fit together.
‘Hmm. Let’s beat it out of him first.’
Hadn’t my Master said so? Power makes everything convenient.
The Jegal way of answering was this.
Probably by provoking, he’d smash that Cheon Gyeong’s pot and see who came running, then smash that one’s pot too.
As he kept smashing, a time would come when someone had to spill the beans, and if my Master didn’t lose in a battle of wits but found thinking troublesome, he’d smash that one as well.
That was it.
My Master was of the Jegal Family and called a serpent, known in Gangho for his intellectual image, but he possessed a barbarism to match it.
And that had been passed down to me in full.
In the Training Ground, Cheon Gyeong and Jin Cheon-hee faced each other.
“What about the rules?”
“Let’s say the one who surrenders loses.”
Up to this point, it was a standard level of exchange.
“Hmm. I understand. A real sword…?”
“I’ve heard Seo Baek-ryong’s martial prowess is considerable. What about using a real blade?”
“….”
Normally, sparring was conducted with wooden swords. At the mention of a real blade, Jin Cheon-hee immediately understood.
‘They intend to see this through to the end. And there’s only one reason for that.’
[Brother. Shall I step in?]
Cheonwoo’s telepathic transmission carried anger.
[It’s fine.]
[Brother.]
[Let me handle this as I see fit.]
Since I spoke so firmly, Cheonwoo had no choice but to relent.
I continued speaking.
“Even if you say a real blade, I don’t have a sword. At the Haejeon Pavilion…”
“Ah. Then we’ll provide one.”
At Cheon Gyeong’s gesture, Cheon Ja-bae Murin standing beside him threw a sword.
The amusing part was that normally when presenting a sword, it should be given in its scabbard as a matter of courtesy, yet they threw it with the blade fully exposed.
[Brother. Those bastards are trying to provoke you…]
I used the Windcloud Qi to draw the sword into my sleeve as if sucking it in.
Everyone held their breath at that display of grace.
[What?]
[No, brother.]
[How anticlimactic.]
I spun the sword once in a smooth circle.
‘True to the Mudang Sect’s style—the weight distribution is well-balanced. The elasticity is quite good. Looking at the composition, it’s an alloy. An excellent blade for channeling the Dual Thought Technique.’
After grasping the sword’s structure, I was pleased with it. Such was the mind of a craftsman.
I spoke.
“Then let’s begin.”
In that instant, Cheon Gyeong moved first.
First strike wins!
From the opening move came a sword strike imbued with the mysteries of the Tai Chi.
The first form—
Mudang Eighteen Swords!
‘There’s killing intent.’
Clang!
I immediately read the murderous aura clinging thickly to the blade.
‘Ah, as expected. These bastards are curious whether I’ve mastered the Dual Thought Technique. To find out, they’d need to corner me. Even if it meant my death… yes. While collecting the remains of the deceased in the weakness, I could also obtain their secret techniques.’
Clang-clang-clang—
Using the mystery of softness subduing hardness, I deflected the sword strikes.
What was amusing was that he dissipated Cheon Gyeong’s full-force strike as easily as diluting wine with wine or water with water, showing not the slightest sign of exhaustion.
‘How peculiar. Isn’t it? He’s a Mudang himself. And yet he cannot master the Mudang Sect’s secret techniques, leaving him in this state… How truly….’
How truly corrupt.
The interest faded from Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes.
The deceased had to surrender the secret techniques in exchange for his own return home.
The regret of leaving behind his home, Mudang Mountain, and dying as a guest in a foreign land had become unbearable. I still remembered every single character written on that floor.
It was the anguished cry of a hermit.
Death was not beautiful.
Death was not clean.
At life’s end, those who could not return to where they belonged wagered everything.
The Dual Thought Technique.
I would not accept passing it to someone unworthy of learning it.
Meanwhile, Cheon Gyeong was flustered.
‘Blast…! Could the rumors actually be true? I thought it was absurd that a Doctor who had only recently learned martial arts could be so strong…!’
In this world without electronic devices, most martial arts rumors spread based on hearsay.
What one has not seen is difficult to believe.
And most such rumors are exaggerated.
Yet the moment Cheon Gyeong’s blade clashed with mine, he felt as though facing a great wall.
Clang, clang!
As blade met blade, Cheon Gyeong could not fathom my martial prowess at all.
Humans are creatures of emotion, and the heart is always poured into the sword path.
Yet my blade carried no thoughts whatsoever, not even the slightest anger.
I rejected Cheon Gyeong.
Cheon Gyeong could not land even the tip of his blade against me.
It was a bitter humiliation.
‘This won’t do. It won’t work. I must find traces of the Dual Thought Technique by any means.’
Then I dangled the bait.
“This is growing a bit dull. What do you say? Why don’t the other two join in as well?”
An offer that should not be accepted. A clear provocation. If he lost after this, he could not bear such dishonor.
But Cheon Gyeong’s desperation clouded his judgment.
“I shall learn a lesson. Come on, you two!”

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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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