Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 197

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 197
“Shall we make camp here?”
Woof!
“Hwang-gu agrees as well.”
I gently stroked Hwang-gu’s chin. Noeji was already sleeping atop my head.
Using me as a mobile bed, he showed no signs of waking.
When my Master commanded Gungwi, he and the guards began preparing to spend the night here.
I quickly dismounted and set up a campfire, then began cooking in a large pot.
“What are you making?”
My culinary skills were fairly well-regarded even within the Medical Guild.
The Medical Assistants were already licking their lips in anticipation.
“Just whatever comes to mind. Simple fare—soup and rice, along with some roasted lamb ribs.”
“That sounds delicious.”
“Hehe.”
If Jegalling was a master of medicinal cuisine, I was an expert in home cooking.
“With so many mouths to feed, I’ll need to make a large batch, so I’m keeping it casual.”
“Casual, you say. How intriguing.”
Within the Medical Guild, there were quite a few enthusiasts who favored my casual cooking.
Somehow, hastily prepared dishes seemed more appetizing than carefully crafted formal meals.
I brought the broth to a boil and began preparing dried vegetables.
That’s when Hwang-gu barked toward the distance.
Woof, woof!
“Seems we have visitors.”
“Who could it be at this hour?”
Jegalling gazed ahead with a cold smile.
He was contemplating burying anyone audacious enough to interrupt his meal with his disciple.
Gungwi read that expression and stepped forward first.
“I shall investigate.”
No need to upset the boss when the mood was so pleasant.
Indeed, Gungwi was a master of social navigation.
At Gungwi’s signal, the Samsalchuseosam Brothers and Bido followed behind him.
The four of them had barely disappeared into the distance.
Soon they returned with a group of people.
Jegalling smiled brightly.
“The Hwangbo clan, I see.”
“We spotted your firelight and came this way, though I never expected to meet you like this…”
The Hwangbo clan members cupped their fists toward Baek Rin-ui-seon.
Baek Rin-ui-seon returned the salute respectfully.
“If it would not be an imposition, we would like to share your camp for the night.”
At those words, Gungwi looked toward Baek Rin-ui-seon.
“….”
There was only one answer to this.
Simply sharing a fire together. Refusing the Hwangbo clan would be strange.
Yet Baek Rin-ui-seon fell into thought for a moment. Soon, he nodded.
“We would be delighted to welcome you.”
“Hahaha! To camp alongside the Three Pillars of the Martial World—what an honor indeed!”
The Hwangbo clan members burst into cheerful laughter.
The Hwangbo clan.
One of the families consistently mentioned from the Old Martial Alliance era to the New Martial Alliance era.
A household renowned for their sword and fist techniques, characterized by their large frames.
Whether woman or man, their bones were thick and their stature towering.
Drawing from their superior height, they wielded tyrannical fist and sword techniques.
In particular, the Lightning Divine Fist, known as their divine technique, ranked among the top five fist techniques in the martial world.
The Hwangbo clan was often described as having a distinctly different character from other martial families, for many of their bloodline had devoted themselves to military service.
Thus, in the martial world, they were sometimes slandered behind closed doors as the Emperor’s dogs.
Their primary enterprises included agriculture through vast landholdings, maritime trade, and the weapons business.
They owned several large forges and were a family that supplied military weapons in massive quantities.
As the New Martial Alliance era progressed, these circumstances shifted somewhat, yet their fundamental nature remained unchanged.
This was likely due to the positional advantage the Hwangbo clan possessed.
‘About twenty people. All mounted on horses, traveling in two carriages.’
They too had been searching for a camping spot when they spotted the firelight and followed the path upward.
Since the day hadn’t completely darkened and the Hwangbo clan also bred and distributed military horses, the narrow path posed little difficulty for them to reach this place.
As they prepared to camp together, they exchanged formal greetings.
“Hwangbo Joongheon pays his respects to Baek Rin-ui-seon. It has been quite some time.”
“Indeed, it has been a while. Master Taeho Gwon.”
Baek Rin-ui-seon responded gracefully.
The Hwangbo clan members prepared to camp alongside the martial force of Baek Rin’s Medical Guild.
Strength simplifies all things.
At the entrance of the campsite, they hung the flags of the Hwangbo clan and Baek Rin’s Medical Guild in a cross pattern.
These flags were not for fellow travelers, but for the bandits.
No matter how bold a bandit leader might be, facing the elite of the Hwangbo clan and Baek Rin’s Medical Guild would make risking one’s life for plunder impossible.
It was a way to avoid misunderstandings and unfortunate incidents.
‘Even masters grow mentally exhausted if they spend their days cutting bandit throats and seeing blood constantly. That’s why they do this.’
Slaughtering commoners is only entertaining in virtual games; in reality, it’s mass murder.
The masters of this world also employed their own methods to preserve their sanity.
Besides, if one were unlucky enough to be struck by a stray blade, even if not killed, one could easily succumb to blind infection. The fewer fights, the better.
‘Perhaps I’m thinking too cynically about this.’
With that thought, I finished the cooking preparations.
After all, it was just a hastily made broth.
Once it boiled, people could simply divide it among themselves. The grilled meat’s prep work was complete, so all that remained was to portion it out and let people cook it themselves.
Looking around, I could already count seven campfires scattered across the area.
The tents were already set up, and people who would share the warmth of each fire sat clustered together.
It seemed the night watch had been assigned, as members of the Martial Arts Alliance and the Hwangbo clan were chatting animatedly.
I joined my master Jegalling at the campfire where he was warming himself.
“Your cooking skills have improved considerably.”
“I just threw it together, so I’m not sure if it’ll taste good.”
“Hmm. Well, I’ve never tasted anything you’ve made that wasn’t delicious.”
At those words, I chuckled lightly.
‘It’s nice having more people around.’
My initial wariness toward the Hwangbo clan had quickly faded.
I adapted to this atmosphere faster than expected.
After some time had passed, Hwangbo Joongheon approached the campfire where my master and I sat and greeted us casually.
I responded in kind, maintaining an easy rapport without any awkwardness.
Soon, he moved to the main topic.
“These are the children from the main house who will be participating in the Yongbong Assembly this year. Introduce yourselves.”
“We greet the Patriarch of the Medical Guild.”
“We greet the Patriarch of the Medical Guild.”
A young man and woman bowed together.
They had identically thick eyebrows and remarkably similar features. If not for their different clothing, one might have mistaken them for twins rather than siblings of opposite genders.
My master then introduced me.
“This is my successor and the one who serves as the Deputy Patriarch. Come, introduce yourself.”
“We greet Taeho Gwon.”
“Hehehehe! So this is the famous Seo Baek-ryong I’ve heard so much about. Your reputation precedes you.”
From my master, I felt a wave of delight—the aura of the Eight Immortals.
“You flatter me. I’m unworthy of such renown. Would you care to join us?”
“Flatter? Your exploits at the Mudang Sect are known throughout the realm. Moreover, I hear you’ve become a lay disciple of the Mudang Sect and have even been taught a divine technique! A divine technique passed to a lay disciple—surely this is unprecedented?”
‘The Hwangbo clan’s information network is quite impressive. They know about me becoming a lay disciple and my accomplishments, but knowing about the divine techniques… though it seems they don’t know all the details. And that flattery technique is remarkable! He’s carefully selecting only words that please my master!’
I mentally upgraded my assessment of the Hwangbo clan by two levels.
In reality, the divine techniques I received were three: the Dual Thought Technique, the Taeching Mountain Water, and the Taiji Wisdom Sword.
The reason my evaluation rose by two levels was simple.
It was his silver tongue!
His eloquence in selecting only words that would strike my master’s heart was truly remarkable.
At Taeho Gwon Hwangbo Joongheon’s words, my master pulled out his fan and discreetly covered his face.
Seeing his eyes crinkle softly, I could tell a complete smile was playing at his lips.
‘Why must I be the one feeling embarrassed!’
My face flushed slightly.
“Taeho Gwon is certainly gilding my disciple’s reputation. These two children of yours also seem far from ordinary.”
“Ah, gilding? Their deeds are already well-known throughout the realm.”
Watching the two adults praise each other, I felt even more embarrassed than before.
“By the way, since the Patriarch has spoken so favorably of our two children, allow me to introduce them properly. They are twins, born on the same day and hour. The elder is Hwangbo Mu-hwi, and the younger is Hwangbo Mu-a.”
As he spoke, Hwangbo Joongheon warmed himself by the campfire alongside his two sons.
Mu-hwi and Mu-a.
I understood their names contained the character for martial (武) in their Chinese characters.
‘I’ve heard both are quite formidable and will be enlisting in the military soon.’
Hwangbo Mu-hwi, the Gale Fist.
A master of fist techniques with “gale” in his epithet, he wielded a domineering style of martial arts, and I’d heard he was already approaching the transcendent realm at such a young age.
Hwangbo Mu-a, the Crimson Wind Blade.
A master of blade techniques, she wielded a swift saber at her age and had single-handedly annihilated a bandit den, or so I’d heard. She too stood on the threshold of the transcendent realm.
‘Hmm, approaching transcendence at that age is quite remarkable.’
Since I myself was progressing through an absurd path, my growth rate was insane, but normally, reaching such heights would earn one the title of rising star.
“Ah, I’ve heard much of their renown as well.”
Just then, the dishes I had prepared began to be served one by one.
Egg drop soup, fried rice, and Sichuan-style lamb ribs.
When tired from travel, spicy food calls to you. However, eating only spicy food can upset the stomach, so I prepared the egg drop soup to accompany it.
I added eggs and butter to the fried rice.
Food eaten on the road should be high in calories.
This wasn’t a world with energy bars, and one’s stamina could easily be depleted otherwise.
Hwangbo Joongheon took a lamb rib into his mouth and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh my, I’ve heard Seo Baek-ryong’s culinary skills are exceptional, and indeed, the reputation is well-deserved.”
“You keep gilding my face like this—I don’t know where to put myself. Haha. Do have another.”
My master, pleased by the compliment, added another rib to his plate.
‘Master… Ah. Oh no…’
I couldn’t bear to watch and squeezed my eyes shut.
As the meal continued.
Hwangbo Mu-a, eating beside her father, spoke as well.
“I never expected to eat such delicacies while sleeping rough. It’s truly delicious.”
She was tearing into the lamb ribs one by one with each bite.
My master replied.
“I’m delighted you’re enjoying it so. This Jegalling could ask for nothing more.”
“The scent of the campfire is like the night, and the bonds forged through travel grow ever deeper. With delicious wine and meat to share, what more could one desire?”
Hwangbo Joongheon, his spirits lifted by the wine, spontaneously composed a poem on the spot.
‘Indeed, delicious food is the best way to grow close.’
I nodded slightly and continued eating alongside them.
Then, Hwangbo Mu-hwi alone furrowed his brow, eating half-heartedly before setting down his plate.
Jegalling, watching this with interest, smiled faintly.
“Does the food not suit your palate, Sohyeop Hwangbo?”
“That’s not it. Rather…”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————