Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 24

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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 24
After Jin Cheon-hee left, Yoo Ho entered the room with a natural expression.
“Shall I open the window for a bit?”
“No need. A servant just did it.”
Even with the sealed heating stove I’d constructed, ventilation was still necessary from time to time. Still, it was nothing compared to before.
Jegalling lay in bed.
“It feels like I’m soaking in a hot spring. Thanks to my disciple, I can finally sleep comfortably for the first time in ages.”
“How are your meridians, Master?”
“Fine.”
Meridians—the pathways through which qi flows within the body.
Humans grow and live through these meridians.
Those born with blocked meridians must live their entire lives that way—a severed meridian condition.
Among them, I had battled the most vicious of all: the Nine Yin Severed Meridian. Originally, it was a body incapable of practicing martial arts.
That I had risen to martial arts mastery—and to a level counted among the finest in Gangho—was itself a miracle.
My relentless research into the Nine Yin Severed Meridian, driven by the desire to live even a moment longer, had borne fruit.
People speak of me with reverence as the “Uiseon”—one who transcends even divine skill to become a celestial being.
“I thought I only knew how to make elixirs, yet I never once considered the dwelling itself. I’ve truly wasted my studies. To think something could be this warm.”
“It wasn’t a doctor’s work, after all. Besides, the blueprints Jin Cheon-hee drew were quite intricate. And the techniques used here were not from our lands.”
“I heard it resembles something from the Western Continent.”
“It merely has the feel of the Western Continent, but it’s not strictly their work. It appears to be a more advanced form than what they have.”
Jegalling nodded.
“Of course. Whose disciple would he be?”
“Indeed. The master’s disciple, whom every branch boasts about.”
The Medical Hall has many branches throughout Jeonseoggu. Yet Jegalling had begun bragging about his disciple at every single one.
At those words, Jegalling let out an awkward cough.
“Ahem…”
“You don’t think I know about the disciple praise you wrote in the regular branch correspondence going out next week? Soon all of Gangho will be in an uproar asking who exactly Jin Cheon-hee is.”
Before that, rumors would spread that the great Baekrin Uiseon had taken on a disciple and then became a recluse.
Yoo Ho decided to leave that part out of the conversation.
Jegalling spoke.
“I did no such boasting.”
—The Uiseon’s disciple, Jin Cheon-hee, has developed a new heating stove design. Created for his master, his filial devotion reaches the heavens, and swift recovery is anticipated!
‘Good grief, swift recovery? We’ve only just begun.’
Watching his master’s shamelessness, even Yoo Ho’s face flushed red.
The regular correspondence sent by the Medical Hall was, in modern terms, an academic journal.
Its purpose was to reveal and share new treatment methods and newly discovered illnesses.
What would the regional doctors think upon receiving this branch correspondence?
‘Well, everyone’s been through enough hardship lately anyway.’
What on earth will the local council members think when they receive this circular?
“Well, everyone’s been through a lot during all this time.”
Jegal was already living on borrowed time, so how could the Medical Hall find peace?
The oppressive atmosphere that had made even breathing difficult had shifted, and that was a truly welcome change.
“Still, it’s rather excessive how much a person can change, isn’t it?”
“That’s enough—close the door and go. I’ll rest well.”
“I’ll take my leave.”
Yoo Ho extinguished the incense and stepped outside.
“Have a good night.”
“You too. Oh, and tomorrow, bring some dried persimmons. Our Cheon-hee seems tired of eating only sweets.”
“….”
At those words, Yoo Ho decided to abandon his previous thoughts.
This wasn’t merely an eccentric.
This was an utterly shameless eccentric.
“Why not simply keep them in your pocket?”
“Are you jealous of the boy?”
“Who said anything about jealousy!”
Yoo Ho grumbled before saying this.
“Then sleep well.”
“Yes. No aches today—it truly feels wonderful.”
Before long, his breathing became rhythmic and deep.
A profound sleep after so long.
It was a treasure that no amount of gold could buy.
Yoo Ho closed the door with utmost care, then ordered the other attendants to move even more quietly throughout the night.
* * *
The next day.
“The founder of our main family was Jegal Liang, and in later generations, he became known as Master Gongseon. Master Gongseon compiled the formation methods, mechanical techniques, and medical principles, which later generations have continued to develop to this day.”
Jin Cheon-hee nodded.
Jegalling continued.
“Ordinarily, I should have taken you as an adopted son to carry on the lineage, but changing the family name given by one’s parents is no simple matter. Now I wonder if such things truly matter, so I’ve taken you as a disciple instead.”
My master Jegalling and I sat alone together in a building tucked away in a corner of the Medical Hall, conversing.
There was no furniture, and the floor was laid with wooden planks.
There was only one small window, and a brazier sat in the corner.
My master Jegalling called this place the Woon Gong-sil—a space isolated from the outside world where the martial artists of the Medical Hall trained their inner energy.
While listening to his explanation in such a place, I found myself thinking of something odd.
‘But my Jin surname comes from the orphanage….’
It wouldn’t matter if I became Jegal Cheon-hee instead of Jin Cheon-hee.
‘And with Jegal at the front, doesn’t it sound more impressive somehow?’
My master added one more thing.
“And you’re already such a handful as it is—Yoo Ho was making quite a fuss about how much worse it would become if you were adopted as a son. If you wish it in the future, you may use the name ‘Jegal.’ Yoo Ho and all the servants of the Medical Hall will serve as witnesses, so have no worries.”
I realized that the “future” he spoke of did not simply mean after I had grown.
It meant after Jegalling himself had passed.
The weight of those words pressed down on me like a physical force.
‘Heavy.’
My master had postponed death, but deep down, he wasn’t truly expecting a complete recovery.
To show genuine hope, I would need to prove myself worthy of it. With that resolve, I clenched my fist tightly.
My master continued speaking.
“Our family’s foundation is a cultivation method that activates the mind. It enhances memory and accelerates thought. An activated mind liberates the body’s senses. Such things become possible.”
My master turned his body and flicked his finger. A striking sound rang out from the acupoint of the wooden dummy in the distance.
“Jugu acupoint.”
Thwack—
“Tianxiong acupoint.”
Thwack—
“Yutang acupoint.”
It was remarkable. To strike the acupoints of the human body with a simple finger flick technique from such a distance, without even seeing them.
Even more remarkable was that this time, he didn’t pierce through—he struck only the surface of the wooden dummy with perfect precision.
Last time, he had penetrated rock and wood, but now he left not a single mark, merely touching the surface.
That was incredibly difficult.
It was like the difference between making a gun’s firepower strong and controlling that firepower with precision—one was possible, the other nearly impossible.
‘Is that even possible?’
Seeing my astonishment, Jegalling spoke.
“Interesting. Most children would ask why the dummy didn’t pierce through like last time, or why the strike was so weak.”
“Because your control of force is perfect. You didn’t even damage the dye painted on the wooden dummy.”
“Haha, how perceptive.”
Jegalling continued.
“Our family has achieved far more than ordinary martial artists through the use of the mind in this way. That very arrogance became our downfall. But you need not worry—you will learn something far greater than what any of the Jegal family’s predecessors ever learned.”
He glossed over the destruction of the Jegal family vaguely.
Sensing the pain beneath his words, I pretended not to understand and asked a question.
“Is the Jegal family’s martial arts centered on the finger flick technique?”
“Haha, this is merely a game. To explain simply—the strongest display of martial force comes from the sword and fan techniques.”
“A fan?”
Now that I thought about it, in dramas and such, Gongseon always wielded a feather fan.
“Of course, that’s only the surface. Delve deeper, and you can master ten thousand weapons and formations. That is what makes our family truly fearsome.”
It was astounding.
‘Can he master any weapon he sees for the first time? Is that even possible?’
Yet looking at my master before me, it seemed not only possible but inevitable.
I spoke naively.
“Can I become the greatest martial artist under heaven too?”
“Yes. If you learn our family’s martial arts to completion, becoming the greatest is possible.”
My master answered calmly, as if I had asked something obvious.
Then he asked me this:
“Do you wish to become the greatest martial artist under heaven?”
‘If I become the strongest in the world, Little Heavenly Demon will probably come to kill me….’
To become the Demon Sect Master, one must prove that their martial prowess is unparalleled in the world.
So naturally, starting from being a junior sect master, one goes around challenging every strong figure in Gangho to claim their heads.
It’s the same in this novel.
‘Yeo Ha-ryun goes to claim the head of the strongest in the world. If I become the strongest, that bastard will come for my head. That bastard blessed with protagonist power in Cheonsal Province….’
I asked my Master.
“Master, what’s so good about becoming the strongest in the world?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure.”
Now that I’d asked it that way, even my Master was at a loss for words.
What’s so great about being the strongest in the world—I was essentially asking why countless martial artists have been breaking their bones in training all this time.
“I suppose you don’t get awards or plaques, do you?”
“You gain honor and admiration.”
“But Master, isn’t your honor already quite high?”
That was true. No matter how noble the justification, the essence of the blade doesn’t change.
Inevitably, reaching that height means creating mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Martial arts are like two sides of a coin.
It’s rare to find a martial artist who lives peacefully into old age and quietly passes away in their sleep.
In contrast, the other path is becoming the greatest doctor in the world. Saving lives is the true profession.
In Gangho, a profession with an average lifespan of seventy years was something remarkable.
While complete rebirth and rejuvenation are rare, because I’ve trained just enough martial prowess as necessary for a doctor, I have few ailments and remain healthy even in my later years.
When death approaches, it’s common for family, grandchildren, disciples, and close friends to gather and watch over the final moments together.
Given the nature of a doctor in Gangho, there’s no shortage of money, so while not wealthy, one is never impoverished.
“If you become the strongest in the world, you’ll gain power that no one else can enjoy.”
“But if Master looks down on you, you’ll be finished sooner or later anyway. Everyone tries to stay in Master’s good graces precisely because of that.”
That was also true.
Jegalling asked.
“So what do you want to become, Cheon-hee?”
“I don’t need to be the strongest in the world.”
“Then?”
“I want to become the greatest doctor in the world. Just like you, Master.”
Thump—
Even Baek Rin-ui-seon, the greatest in all the land, found this shocking.
Jegalling stroked my head vigorously as if he’d lost all reason.
“Oh my, oh my, what a lovely boy! How can someone be this lovely! Everything that comes out of your mouth is nothing but beautiful.”
Throughout the Jegal Family, he’d seen countless who wanted to become the strongest in the world, but Cheon-hee was the first to say he wanted to become the greatest doctor.
Jegalling thought this was destiny.
‘This boy is a doctor sent by heaven!’
Meanwhile, I thought to myself.
‘Right. To live long, I need to be a doctor. Even though Little Heavenly Demon is the Demon Sect Master and the protagonist, I’ve never seen a novel where they kill a doctor. They kidnap and brainwash, sure. But….’
What if the strongest in the world was also the greatest doctor in the world?
It was a distant dream, yet merely imagining it set my heart racing.
‘Hah. Yes, let me try.’
It would not be easy. But this is my second life.
I wanted to see where my limits lay. I wanted to attempt everything that was possible.
‘And Master. I will surely heal you.’
This was the first warmth I had ever received.
I never thought a day would come when I could receive such kindness from another without any ulterior motive.
I could not let him slip away so meaninglessly. I wanted to repay his grace.
That was the chivalry of Jin Cheon-hee.

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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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