Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 233

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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 233
After moving to a room and preparing tea, I dismissed everyone.
I poured tea into Samjeolchuho’s cup and filled my own with hot water.
*Splash*
“I’ve obtained a position within the Murim Alliance.”
“Wow…! Congratulations.”
“I’ve become the leader of the Tiger-Seeking Squad.”
“Tiger-seeking? That’s quite an unusual name.”
“She seems to have taken my alias into consideration. But that’s not why I brought this up. The Tiger-Seeking Squad is a newly formed organization, but from the start, we’ve been coordinated with thirty members and the Gaebang, the Murim Alliance’s traditional intelligence network. And our mission is….”
I narrowed my eyes.
“To find the Hyeolseonggyo.”
“Exactly. And we’ve caught a thread—following that thread led us somewhere surprising: directly to this Murim Alliance.”
“Ah.”
I recalled the advice Seolgyeon from the Gaebang had given.
-We haven’t secured concrete evidence, so all I can offer are these vague suspicions. But here’s the thing… they’re definitely here. Hehehehe…. Does that sound insane?
Everything was connected.
“Likely they’ve noticed our pursuit. They’re probably moving while aware of it. I’d even suspect they’re laying a trap in reverse. That’s why I need your help.”
“Me?”
“You fought alongside the Hyeolseonggyo, and it was thanks to you that we could grasp their weakness. Beyond that, you have an unusually sharp intuition.”
“….”
I furrowed one eyebrow. However, she was right—I was the ideal person to track the Hyeolseonggyo’s traces.
It wasn’t because my intuition was sharp, nor because the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong could draw out genius through its functions.
It was simply because I knew the original story and remembered their characteristics.
I also knew how many people would die if I left things as they were.
‘…A doctor simply does a doctor’s work.’
If I had hesitated, I wouldn’t have come this far.
Samjeolchuho sensed the subtle intensity that flickered in my eyes.
“I have no choice.”
My expression was calm, but Samjeolchuho recognized it.
The eyes of one preparing to walk through hell.
He couldn’t understand how a youth not yet thirty could harbor such emotions.
“Hahaha, I’m sorry. I’m always indebted to you, Brother Jin.”
He simply smiled outwardly, his apology sincere.
* * *
Time was pressing, and staying in a room would solve nothing.
Samjeolchuho and I stepped outside.
[There are eight suspected members of the Hyeolseonggyo’s tail. We lost track of five, but three led us here.]
[And then you lost their trail again. If you’d found them, you wouldn’t have needed to find me.]
Normally, I would have waited patiently for the other person to continue their explanation.
The fact that I didn’t meant I understood how urgent this situation truly was.
[Hahaha, indeed. During the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, a peculiar incident occurred.]
[The fact that it didn’t reach my ears means it must have been quite trivial?]
[The personal belongings of the later-stage masters who participated in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering began disappearing one by one.]
[…Personal belongings?]
My retinas reflected a blue light.
Samjeolchuho recognized this gaze.
It meant the people of the Jegal Family were operating their brains through the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong, as evidenced by the light they often reflected.
What they needed was information.
As much and as detailed as possible.
Gathering it all together would be their task.
[As younger brother Jin predicted, they weren’t particularly valuable items. Combs, ornaments, fragrance pouches—that sort of thing. The problem is that even items carried in one’s bosom disappeared.]
[Impressive skill indeed.]
[Yes. The opponent possesses skill worthy of being called divine theft. They even infiltrated lodgings and stole items.]
[In other words, assassination would also be possible.]
[Exactly. If they have the skill to take only a comb from one’s bosom, they could just as easily plant a dagger instead. In fact, everyone was uncertain whether it was even theft. During martial contests, while drinking, or perhaps they simply forgot and lost them—isn’t that possible?]
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was already crowded with people. There was much to do, many to meet, and minds were scattered.
Had the items been truly valuable, the situation would have been different.
With such skill, they could have taken a treasured blade or poisoned chopsticks to deliver a meaningful blow.
[It’s remarkable that you discovered this, sister.]
[The heart ailment I’ve suffered from for so long… it helped.]
Since losing my younger brother, she had never once slept properly or eaten well.
All those years living in suspicion of everything, even of herself.
That vicious paranoia that gnawed at spirit and body had grasped a clue no one else could perceive.
[When did the disappearances begin?]
[…If the investigation is accurate, approximately twenty days ago.]
[When did you arrive, sister?]
[Three days ago. And even until yesterday, there were minor thefts. Some families that strengthened their vigilance seem to have escaped unscathed, but….]
[….]
[Something comes to mind, younger brother Jin?]
I clicked my tongue softly.
[…I’ve determined the purpose, but not the motive.]
In the heart of the Murim Alliance, I walked toward the four-way intersection.
It was early dawn when people should still be sleeping. Yet the bustling sounds persisted—likely from warriors still drinking at this hour.
[Still, tell me whatever comes to mind.]
[Curse is highly likely. Using familiar objects is the classic method for such things. But why? If they can infiltrate lodgings and steal items from one’s bosom, wouldn’t assassination or poison be more convenient?]
This world, governed by yin-yang and the five elements, makes curses genuinely effective.
Yet conversely, feng shui and talismans truly exist as well.
Not only wealthy family members but even poor commoners paste protective talismans above their thresholds.
Great families consider feng shui when choosing burial grounds and even when erecting a single pillar in a house. Places like the Shamanic Sect or Shaolin Temple have proper formations that constantly protect them.
[In short, why perform an act with such poor cost-effectiveness?]
[You wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble just hoping for a stroke of bad luck, would you?]
[Finding them as quickly as possible is what matters.]
[Yes.]
I recalled the Hyeolseonggyo sorcery techniques I’d read about in novels one by one, but they had never committed anything like this before.
[But you—I’m not in a position to say this, but aren’t you exhausted? I heard your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.]
At those words, Jin Cheon-hee let out a soft laugh.
[It’s fine. I’m used to it.]
Samjeolchuho wore an apologetic expression before taking the lead.
[I’ll have to make a formal apology to your Master later.]
[Let’s go.]
* * *
A dark secret chamber.
The blood stench clinging to the crimson altar was overwhelming.
The entrails arranged on the ceremonial plate were too large to be from a beast, and they evoked an eerie discomfort.
A figure in martial robes wearing a serpent mask laughed ominously.
He muttered ceaselessly like a madman before the altar.
After a long while of such muttering, the masked person whispered with a sinister tone.
“The ritual formation is already complete. I, Yo Cheon-gun, apostle of the Venerable Yo Hyeolseon, unfold the sorcery of ‘Beneath Great Renown, None Can Long Dwell.’ Through this, can anyone endure the scheme of ‘The Serpent’s Shadow in the Cup’?”
‘Beneath Great Renown, None Can Long Dwell.’
Literally translated from the characters, it was a proverb meaning that once one gains fame, it becomes difficult to maintain it for long—also signifying that those who envy multiply.
‘The Serpent’s Shadow in the Cup.’
It meant the lingering shadow of a serpent reflected in wine within a cup, and was an idiom used to convey that baseless suspicion, like paranoia, creates problems.
What scheme was this monstrous person, who called himself Yo Cheon-gun, plotting?
Yo Cheon-gun chuckled softly, then raised his inner energy with great force.
His sleeves billowed upward, carried by his surging inner power.
“Now then, all the insects are gathered in the jar. Only one task remains.”
Light flashed within the eyes of the mask.
“Kill and be killed by one another.”
* * *
‘Has the night ever been this long?’
The sky was still dark in the early dawn.
As I stepped onto the main road, I saw people walking about the streets in festive spirits.
Just as meetings bring joy, partings bring regret.
Since it was the final day, everyone raised their cups in celebration.
[I reported the missing items from the martial sects participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering and sent word for them to be on guard. However…]
[They probably said they’d handle it themselves. Whether it was theft or simply lost in the chaos, it’s all hazy.]
[Their pride runs deep. They’d sooner believe they lost something after a drink than consider that a master beyond their perception stole their belongings. Nine out of ten thought that way.]
[At least there’s one, so that’s fortunate.]
[You’re gradually adapting to the ways of the martial world. That’s right—fortunately, there were a few families who listened. That’s something we should thank Bangju of the Gaebang for.]
The warnings Seolgyeon had given while visiting each family one by one.
While many families felt it was inconsequential since there was no evidence as he said, there were certainly some whose hearts had been moved by the revelation.
‘Bangju must be having a difficult time of it.’
Though I had shed the heart demon, the handover itself was a mountain to climb, and once I crossed that peak, another mountain named Hyeolseonggyo still remained ahead.
I felt a small measure of sympathy for Seolgyeon.
[Most of them said they could handle it on their own, I imagine.]
[Even if it’s called the Martial Alliance, it’s ultimately a coalition—not a higher authority.]
As we passed through the main road, a fork appeared.
Before I could even say which direction to take, I turned right first.
[Jin brother?]
[Aren’t you heading to the Gongseon Family?]
[…That’s right.]
The Gongseon Family had declined the Yongbong Conference and instead strengthened their family’s defenses.
In that process, there was a possibility that Gongseon Yeong or Wang Gak-yeon might have discovered clues about the vicious beast.
[I hear the Gongseon Family made extensive preparations. Now that I think about it, you haven’t lost anything, have you?]
Woof!
Had Hwang-gu not heard the transmission, but instead read the atmosphere? He let out a short bark.
I answered.
[Because I have a guardian more excellent than anyone else.]
Pant, pant, pant.
I scratched Hwang-gu’s forehead vigorously.

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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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