Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 290

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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 290
‘Yes. This is what a true fleeting encounter in fate looks like.’
Meeting someone by chance in this vast Gangho—wasn’t that the very essence of destiny and the romance of the martial world?
Every time I read such scenes in martial arts novels, my heart would race. I never thought I’d actually experience it.
‘Of course… if Hwang-gu hadn’t been there, our sleeves might never have brushed at all.’
He’d simply helped make this fateful meeting happen a bit more easily, you could say.
Delighted at this reunion, the two of us quickly found a nearby inn.
The innkeeper took one look at the large dog and the blue hawk, then stared intently at my face before asking this:
“Are you perhaps the Baek-ui Sinryong, Sohyeop?”
“W-well, yes, I am.”
“Please, please come in! Welcome!”
Light flashed in the innkeeper’s eyes.
‘Is he planning to hang a sign later saying “A restaurant approved by the Baek-ui Sinryong”? Is that what this is?’
I’d heard that the Changyong Sword was quite the gourmet, and inns he’d dined at would hang signs proclaiming “A restaurant approved by the Changyong Sword.”
‘If it tastes bad, there’s no forgiveness.’
Professor Jin wouldn’t forgive poor taste when his own name was on the line.
I would judge just how delicious this place truly was with my own palate.
The innkeeper led us to the finest seat in the establishment—a private room reserved only for the most distinguished guests.
This confirmed it.
This owner fully intended to profit from the Baek-ui Sinryong’s name.
But I wasn’t one to refuse such treatment.
I sat down and ordered a few dishes that caught my eye from the menu.
The owner hurried downstairs with enthusiasm.
It seemed he’d add plenty of extras as well.
‘This reputation in Gangho has its perks.’
When I first ventured into Gangho, I had to struggle desperately to avoid being overcharged. Now people were competing to serve me.
The moment the owner left, I asked:
“What brings you here? And alone, no less.”
At my words, Cheonwoo smiled gently.
“I’m on a Gangho training journey. Other sects naturally send their young warriors out for such training around my age.”
‘Ah, so it’s already that time.’
A brief aside on common knowledge.
Gangho training.
It refers to young martial artists from a sect venturing alone or in small groups into Gangho to gain experience before returning.
Martial skill doesn’t grow simply by swinging a sword at a wall.
While basics can improve through repetition, without real combat experience, one can never truly become a warrior.
One must experience the world itself, clash with it, and cross blades with others within it. Only then does martial skill truly grow.
Martial arts isn’t merely about how skillfully one swings a blade.
It’s about who to strike, how to strike, and with what heart to strike.
One must grapple with all these questions, clash with them, despair—and yet continue forward.
‘From a reader’s perspective, it contains the very thematic question inherent to the martial arts genre itself.’
Without struggle, there can be no growth.
This period of wandering through Gangho is treated as a significant element in any martial arts story.
‘Usually, many take on escort agency work during such wandering, but there are also quite a few warriors who roam as drifters, performing righteous deeds.’
Escort agencies are the modern equivalent of courier protection services.
Since escort work is as grueling as loading and unloading packages, they’re always waiting for young warriors.
Performing righteous deeds is something many warriors from wealthy sects choose to do.
Some warriors genuinely perform righteous acts, but others simply wander around on allowances provided by their sects.
Of course, if one wastes time that way, their martial skills don’t improve at all and they return only older, so many sects deliberately send disciples out with minimal spending money.
“So you’ve reached that stage already.”
“Yes. My Master said that at this level, I need real combat experience. But people keep suspecting I’m from the Mudang sect. I have the robes and sword and all.”
“Hmm….”
‘Did I make the eye mask poorly?’
I had embroidered the Mudang symbol in silver thread on a black leather eye mask.
I’d reinforced it so he wouldn’t be disrespected anywhere, but instead it made him look like a wealthy sect leader from the dark path.
And as he grew, his expression became increasingly cold and sharp, making him look less and less like a hermit.
His imposing presence from his large frame didn’t help either.
“Still, you look more dignified than before.”
At my praise, Cheonwoo’s expression brightened immediately.
“If you see it that way, then it must be so.”
“Now that I think about it, you must have left before receiving the gloves.”
“Gloves?”
Cheonwoo’s eyes widened.
“Yes, gloves made from white silk. I sent them to the Mudang sect.”
At those words, Cheonwoo made a face as if struck by a blade.
“I should have delayed my departure a bit.”
Gloves made from white silk, no less.
Any warrior would desire them.
Moreover, I’d designed them so that once you gripped a sword, you’d never lose it—reinforcing the inner palm so external impact couldn’t dislodge your grip.
They were gloves made specifically for Cheonwoo.
It would be strange if he weren’t disappointed.
“So where are you heading, brother?”
“I’m going to Beijing.”
“Beijing? Surely not the imperial palace…?”
At those words, my eyes widened slightly.
“Why would you think that?”
“Well, with your medical skills, I thought you’d easily qualify for that level.”
‘He’s got good instincts.’
Though it’s like catching a rat with a cow’s hoof, I am indeed going to the imperial palace.
More precisely, not to treat the Emperor, but to receive the reward for having treated him.
“Then would it be alright if I came along as well?”
An unexpected proposal.
“You said you were training in Gangho?”
“Wandering around like this is Gangho training, isn’t it?”
Besides, because of his fame, martial artists had been making increasingly frequent requests for sparring matches.
I had been wondering if I’d need to travel with the Pyo clan members again, but this was something I could welcome with both hands.
From the perspective of those issuing the sparring challenge, if Cheonwoo stepped forward and said “You must defeat me first to spar with my brother,” the already slim chances of victory would vanish entirely.
Whether they fought or not, having an extra person meant losing half your advantage from the start.
“I’m fine with it.”
At those words, Cheonwoo let out a relieved sigh.
‘This guy. Did he think I’d refuse?’
He had a subtle tendency to find me intimidating.
Jin Cheon-hee found this amusing and chuckled.
* * *
With this settled, I rented two fresh horses from the relay station.
“Ah, brother. I have something to confess.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve… never ridden a horse before.”
“What?”
This was quite unexpected. As I stared at Cheonwoo, he flushed and scratched the back of his head.
“Well… there’s no reason for horses to come to Mudang Mountain. And with lightness martial art, why would I bother learning? I suppose children from wealthier families would have opportunities to ride, but I’m not in that situation.”
‘Ah… I see. Cheonwoo never had the chance.’
Even without being particularly wealthy, a typical merchant family’s child would have opportunities to ride horses.
Cheonwoo, being an orphan from birth, had nowhere to go even if he left Mudang Mountain like the other disciples on their outings.
‘Did I touch on something painful?’
As a fellow orphan, I understood which parts might be sorrowful, and I felt a bit apologetic.
“Cheonwoo! Horses are originally learned when you set out for Gangho training. Everyone learns that way. You’re absolutely not late?”
I spoke deliberately brightly and selected the most docile horse, handing its reins to Cheonwoo.
In that moment.
Neeeigh!
The horse began rearing up the instant it saw Cheonwoo.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, why are you getting scared?”
Majigi quickly tried to calm the horse.
Seeing this, Cheonwoo seemed uncomfortable and touched his eye patch.
“Actually, animals tend to be a bit afraid of me too, brother.”
“Why would they be scared of your face? Just wait!”
I carefully selected horses one by one and brought them to Cheonwoo.
Snort!
Neeeigh!
Every single one reared up on its front legs in front of Cheonwoo.
“…Brother, you don’t have to push yourself.”
“No, no! These horses here are a bit temperamental!”
…Majigi felt a bit wronged.
No, with twenty years of experience handling horses, this was the first time all of them were rearing up on their hind legs like this.
But to say such a thing to someone carrying the insignia of the Imperial Inspection Bureau felt impossible.
Unable to curse, I could only feel sorrowful inside.
Soon, I grasped the reins of the largest horse roughly.
Neigh!
I wrapped my arms around the horse’s head and whispered.
“Don’t be afraid, alright?”
Then, unable to watch any longer, Hwang-gu let out a low bark.
At the spiritual creature’s cry, the large horse’s ears fluttered violently, and soon, as if surrendering to everything, its head drooped.
I laughed brightly.
“Cheonwoo! Found one! Hey, this one’s big enough that your height matches perfectly.”
Saying so, I handed over the reins.
“Thank you, Brother.”
“Don’t mention it~ Now you just need to learn how to ride. Warriors naturally have reflexes on a completely different level from ordinary commoners. You’ll learn it all in less than an hour.”
Making a fuss like that, I urged Cheonwoo to mount the horse.
Cheonwoo felt grateful toward his brother for some reason.
* * *
Indeed, riding itself became familiar in less than an hour.
“Oh, truly my brother. I knew you’d pick it up quickly.”
“Brother… it’s fine. I ride well now.”
Cheonwoo’s face turned red up to his ears.
It wasn’t unpleasant, but being coaxed like a child was driving him mad.
“Walking down the main road, I noticed nobody’s picking fights anymore?”
“Ah… that’s probably because of my appearance, Brother.”
“What’s wrong with your appearance?”
“Well… if a massive man over eight feet tall wearing an eye patch is riding alongside me, wouldn’t people wonder what sect I belong to? Brother, you seem merciful so they’d probably think you’re letting me live, but I don’t seem like that kind of person.”
“Your appearance isn’t fierce at all. You’re handsome, you fool!”
Slap!
After patting his back, Cheonwoo smiled bitterly.
Being handsome and looking kind were different matters.
Mudang Gwon-je had once evaluated his disciple this way.
-You clearly received Daoist teachings and attained Daoist enlightenment, so why does your presence feel so ominous? Even that Cheon Sal-seong fellow looks cleaner than you.
That was true.
Even Mudang Gwon-je had given up somewhat.
-It really seems to be a matter of appearance… tsk, anyway. Looking at that eye patch, you’re not Hou Dun either.
He was originally someone who spoke without hesitation.
He would poke at his disciple’s sore spots and move on.
—If his eyes at least looked a bit kinder, it might help. Hmm… if he smiled more often… no, don’t smile. It’s unsettling. Why does such a handsome face look so ominous? Seriously.
Cheonwoo had given up.
It wasn’t a one-time or two-time occurrence—whenever he went out on cooperative missions and saved a young child, people would take one look at him and become so terrified they’d have a fit.
“If you just didn’t look so scary, that would solve everything.”
Cheonwoo said only that much and offered a small smile.
Tap, tap—
As we walked along the main road talking, the sun had already begun to set.
Hwang-gu looked a bit tired too, and Cheonryeong was perched on top of my head, nodding off drowsily.
“Once we cross this ridge, there’s a village. Let’s stay there for the night.”
“How do you know that?”
“I looked at a map at the relay station before we left.”
“…But?”
“But what? I saw it, so I know it.”
‘He remembers after seeing it just once?’
Cheonwoo was astounded.
He knew that all members of the Jegallga Family were sharp-minded.
He also knew his brother was particularly exceptional among them.
Yet his brother never boasted of his knowledge, and there was no trace of the typical scholar’s aura about him.
Rather, he seemed like an ordinary, good-natured Doctor.
Just that much.
But there were moments when Cheonwoo suddenly felt that his brother was different from everyone else.
Cheonwoo liked that about him.
“…”
“Why are you smiling?”
“Just because.”
“You’re hopeless.”
He wished everyone in the world could recognize his brother’s exceptional nature.
In fact, the rumors circulating these days about the Baek-ui Sinryong were actually understated.
Few people truly knew his brother’s real self.
That felt like such a waste.
The thought that he was one of the rare few who knew his brother’s true nature made him feel a little proud.
Though his brother would never notice.

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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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