Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 258

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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 258
I had successfully treated Han Yi-jeong, and a letter from the Eunuch General arrived.
My Master read through the cipher written in dots and lines, then spoke.
“The Eunuch General is quite pleased. It’s only natural, given that his granddaughter has recovered.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
“I still don’t understand how people of such high status think.”
“Haha, and they likely won’t understand us martial artists either.”
And as a modern person, I understood neither side.
Still, when in Rome, follow Roman law, as they say. I simply accepted it as the way of things.
“He will bestow a great reward soon. Bolts of silk, spices, medicinal herbs—they’ll arrive by cart.”
“That’s merely the surface reward, then.”
“Correct. The hidden rewards are more substantial. First, several of the Eunuch General’s connections will shift their dealings to the Baek Rin Medical Guild. The greatest gift is that he will transfer empty lands near the Baek Rin Medical Guild’s headquarters. He will also provide convenience regarding the silver mine you discovered.”
My eyes widened.
“Wow, that’s far more generous than I expected.”
“He’s someone who spends when it matters. And there’s another hidden intention behind such generosity.”
At those words, a flash of blue light crossed my vision briefly.
“…He wishes to keep me bound as Han Yi-jeong’s personal physician.”
“Precisely. The Eunuch General is advanced in years, and while we cannot pinpoint exactly when, he will likely retire due to old age.”
“Han Yi-jeong, who will have risen to become one of the Six Ministers, will succeed him. A capable physician will be essential to ensure there are no disruptions in her duties.”
My Master nodded, then tilted his head slightly.
Silver hair flowed down like mist.
“Here, ‘capable’ carries the meaning of ‘trustworthy.’ Currently, the Baek Rin Medical Guild belongs to the Ju Wang faction, and Ju Wang-ya is called the God of War. Her temperament is far removed from schemes and machinations. She is also a prominent supporter of the Emperor.”
“This is becoming quite troublesome.”
My disciple sighed heavily.
“A doctor merely treats patients, but a Medical Guild leader must consider many things. Hope.”
That was bothersome.
Simply treating patients was already overwhelming, let alone having to calculate all the political maneuvers surrounding me.
“I wish you would remain the Medical Guild leader forever, Master.”
“Haha, you truly detest troublesome matters.”
“Of course.”
“Yet you must learn. You will likely live longer than I will.”
…Will that truly be the case? My Master already stands on the threshold of a complete transformation.
‘There is a possibility he might ascend in the distant future…’
In the current situation, it was difficult to imagine my Master living out his natural lifespan through old age.
“For now, let’s make use of the reward we received from the Eunuch General.”
I nodded at those words.
“The land and administrative conveniences, then.”
“Yes.”
My Master smiled like a mischievous child.
‘He looks incredibly delighted.’
Even I find this somewhat enjoyable.
The path ahead is distant regardless.
A bit of excitement along that journey would be something to be grateful for.
The two disciples shared their plans for the future as if fitting together puzzle pieces.
* * *
Two months had passed since Han Yi-jeong’s treatment.
The money flowing through the Yeonmu City was gradually becoming substantial.
Now people were even beginning to wait a month just to enter Yeonmu City.
The martial artists waiting a month gathered in small groups at the inn for waiting guests and struck up conversations.
“Will we have to wait this long for the second branch that finally opened this time?”
At those words, the other martial artists sitting at the same table each opened their mouths.
“Don’t even mention it. I heard there are already martial artists there who’ve been inside for a year and don’t want to leave.”
“Hah, the fees for Yeonmu City aren’t cheap either, yet a year?”
“The money flows in well enough, but I heard that mediocre sects—ones that can’t even dream of having a branch like the major martial factions—are sending their disciples there.”
“What… it’s a preparatory academy then. I heard those advantageous for the civil service exams are entered that way.”
“I wish they’d open a third branch too, but I heard they’re being cautious about opening the third one.”
A third branch?
At those words, the martial artists at the neighboring table suddenly stopped passing around their cups.
Their ears were indeed turning that way.
“A third branch? Please, tell us more.”
“Ahem!”
When he only coughed without speaking, the eldest martial artist among them quickly said:
“Server! Bring us one Bamboo Leaf Blue here! Put it all on my tab!”
“Yes sir! One Bamboo Leaf Blue!”
The fragrant bamboo-scented liquor fills the cup to the brim.
Gulp—
Once the alcohol goes down his throat, the words finally flow freely.
“My sworn brother belongs to the Baek Rin Medical Guild, and there’s a rumor that the third branch is a special training ground exclusively for Baek Rin Medical Guild martial artists.”
“Huh! Keeping something so good all to themselves… Well, it was theirs from the start anyway.”
Still, it was enviable.
“Then the martial artists belonging to the Baek Rin Medical Guild don’t need to stand in line like us, do they?”
“The affiliated martial artists weren’t waiting around like us in the first place.”
“But it’ll be even more convenient for them.”
It was indeed enviable.
“You need high skill to pass the test, but having high skill doesn’t guarantee you’ll be accepted either…”
That was true.
There’s a separate martial competition for selecting martial artists to join the Baek Rin Medical Guild.
The interesting thing is that even winning that competition doesn’t guarantee acceptance.
The competition is held under the watchful eyes of the Patriarch or Soggakju, and there have been cases where even victors were rejected.
“They say they decide based on growth potential…?”
Upon entering Baek Rin’s Medical Guild, one learns the sect’s martial techniques, so assessing martial talent and making assignments is only natural.
That much was reasonably understandable.
One warrior spoke.
“There’s a rumor that they can distinguish spies infiltrating from outside.”
“How can one identify spies through martial combat alone?”
“By observing the minor habits formed when gripping a sword, the way internal energy is circulated, the movement of tendons—such things reveal whether someone learned martial arts elsewhere. Isn’t that how they distinguish them?”
Everyone shook their heads at those words.
“No, theoretically it makes sense. But how could anyone possibly distinguish that in just a few exchanges of combat? Is there even a warrior capable of such a thing?”
“….”
No matter how I thought about it, identifying spies that way seemed impossible.
Another warrior spoke.
“Besides, once someone enters as a warrior, they undergo pulse diagnosis, so their martial background is bound to be exposed anyway. So why would they need to be so meticulous? It’s the Medical Guild, after all.”
“And it’s true they face fewer attacks compared to other sects. Their business doesn’t even overlap with ours.”
“Ah, it’s not that simple. I’ve heard other sects are starting to keep watch on them.”
“Well, there’s talk they’ve hired two thousand warriors alone… they’ve reached a level that doesn’t fall short compared to the major sects.”
“Still, they’ve only matched the numbers so far. There aren’t many with outstanding abilities among them….”
Crunch, crunch—
“We’ve already finished all of this. Server, bring us another bottle of Bamboo Leaf Green… no, two more bottles!”
“Yes, right away! I’ll add some more side dishes for you!”
“Hahaha, this inn’s server knows how to run a business.”
Hahahaha.
The warriors at the inn burst into laughter.
“I’ll have a bottle of Bamboo Leaf Green too!”
“Me as well!”
The Hooded Black-Clad Man glanced at the scene.
“You seem to be in good spirits, Young Leader?”
“Patriarch.”
At those words, his subordinate flinched and began slapping his own mouth frantically.
Wherever you go, there are always incompetent fools—this law holds true even in the Demonic Sect.
Had I not learned patience, I might have severed his neck.
I’ve discovered one advantage in this fool and am making good use of it.
“There appears to be no poison.”
By merely smelling, he could detect the presence of poison in any food.
Even the most secretive Yunnan Mountain Sect poison could be detected by scent alone—a formidable special talent.
Thanks to this, Yeo Ha-ryun overlooks his subordinate’s minor mistakes and keeps him around.
Then another subordinate asked Yeo Ha-ryun.
His entire body was wrapped in massive muscle, and he carried an axe the size of a man on his back—a burly man with a fierce appearance.
“Will you only be handling this one task, Patriarch?”
‘Task’ was another word for ‘mission.’
Yeo Ha-ryun answered calmly.
“It would be good to meet one of the brothers if he’s passing through.”
Here, “brothers” referred to the Demonic Cult’s other Sub-Leaders.
[Will you kill him?]
“….”
Yeo Ha-ryun did not answer to that question.
He hadn’t made a complete decision yet.
However, it was true that to master the Cheonma Divine Art, I had to continuously hunt other Sub-Leaders who had consumed the Crimson Demon Blood Pill.
Gulp—
Yeo Ha-ryun, who had been slowly swallowing the bamboo leaf tea, finally answered.
“We are a merchant caravan, and surely we should decide only after observing what kind of transaction the traveling merchant brings.”
At those words, Yeo Ha-ryun’s subordinates nodded their heads.
Rather, Yeo Ha-ryun’s gaze was directed toward the martial artists who were chattering about his older brother Jin Cheon-hee’s exploits.
Yeo Ha-ryun’s eyes seemed strangely pleased, so none of his subordinates dared speak further.
* * *
“It seems other sects want to check us too, but since there’s no overlap in interests, it’s ambiguous.”
My Master answered my words.
“Ah, but it seems there are some places that have started secretly copying and selling jade, ondol heating, and soap. For jade and ondol, it appears the Gongsun Caravan and the Bota Caravan are handling the countermeasures themselves.”
“What about the soap?”
“They copied only the fragrance, not understanding how it’s made. It seems to have no cleansing power whatsoever.”
‘These fools… if you’re going to make counterfeits, at least do it properly!’
If you remove the most important cleansing property, it’s nothing but a fragrant sachet.
My Master spoke.
“And most critically, their unit price is cheaper than ours.”
“…There’s no merchant’s code of honor.”
“Is there only no merchant’s code in the martial world? There’s no human life either. Hope.”
I was sparring with the wooden dummies again today.
Not taking one-sided hits like before, but a proper match this time.
However, since it was within the Absolute Stillness technique, my abilities were greatly diminished.
This time, I had to face the wooden dummies with limited internal energy by temporarily blocking several meridian points.
Thwack, tap-tap!
Whenever the wooden dummies swung their swords, my wooden spear immediately intercepted them.
Facing multiple wooden dummies at once meant there were times I had to expose my body to attacks, but unlike before, my body no longer trembled from a single strike.
“The depth of the Qiankun Golden Strength’s transformation has grown, and you’ve finally reached the stage where sword energy cannot pierce.”
That was right.
The wooden spear I wielded had no blade, but the weapons the wooden dummies wielded all had proper edges.
With sword energy mixed in, an ordinary martial artist wouldn’t last even one exchange and would become finely sliced meat.
Meanwhile, even when sword energy grazed my body, only my clothes tore—no wounds appeared.
“Once you master spear techniques, what will you learn next?”
“I’d like to try learning the saber.”
My current goal was to master all weapons.
Even possessing the Icy Sword, a treasure of the martial world, one could never have too many weapons in their arsenal.
“So you intend to keep digging multiple wells to the very end.”
“If I can use a weapon, doesn’t that mean I can also predict how an opponent will attack with it?”
“…And you would also come to understand what kind of wounds that weapon inflicts and how to treat them.”
My Master immediately grasped the true intention hidden beneath my disciple’s words.

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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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