Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 345

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

Chapter 345
‘The original story has diverged quite a bit.’
First, the common point was that Cheonma ordered Yeo Ha-ryun to capture him directly.
However, looking at the orders, it wasn’t just Yeo Ha-ryun stepping forward—Cheong-yeon Soegooju and Heukun Soegooju were also involved.
In other words, the three Soegoojus were to compete in bringing him in.
To be precise, the primary order was to recover the Poison Sovereign, and there was no mention of whether Tugoe lived or died.
‘However, Tugoe would do anything to save her granddaughter.’
She was a thief rather than a warrior and rarely stained her hands with blood, but when it came to her granddaughter, things would inevitably change.
“This is… somewhat disadvantageous conditions for you, Ha-ryun?”
Yeo Ha-ryun deciphered the code one step behind Jin Cheon-hee and mulled over the contents of the orders.
“Indeed it is. My foundation in the sect isn’t yet strong enough. They’re from the Mazong Six Houses with family support, so I’m far behind in information gathering.”
“Want my help?”
Yeo Ha-ryun slowly watched his brother’s eyes flash with blue light before returning to normal.
“I’m grateful that I became Hwagyeong thanks to you, but… this will certainly be dangerous. I’m not really…”
“Ha ha ha, you’re probably the only one who’d worry like that about your brother who’s achieved Hwagyeong.”
At Jin Cheon-hee’s words, Yeo Ha-ryun fell silent.
“…”
What words was he holding back behind those tightly pressed lips?
Jin Cheon-hee continued.
“If you win this power struggle, your position in the Demonic Sect will solidify further. Ha-ryun, your brother can’t bear to see your corpse cleaned up.”
“…Yes.”
Now that he was a Soegooju, it wasn’t simply a matter of losing or winning in a power struggle.
In the Cheonma Bloodline, everyone except one would die anyway.
Yeo Ha-ryun’s eyes looked upward from below, gazing at his brother.
Soon, as if he had made his resolve, he opened his mouth.
“I was arrogant. Understood. I’m counting on you, brother.”
“That’s right, you bastard. Good. That’s how it should be.”
Jin Cheon-hee ruffled his younger brother’s hair vigorously.
* * *
Meanwhile, Jin Cheon-hee was thinking.
‘Tugoe’s granddaughter dies, and ultimately Tugoe dies too. Even after death, the corpse was put to good use. It was an episode that showed just how vicious the Hyeolseonggyo was. Hmm!’
No matter what villainous deeds the antagonists in the novel committed, readers didn’t think much of it.
They simply thrilled at how the protagonist would crush these bastards.
But now it was reality, and a calamity that would unfold in the future. Somehow, I had to deal with it.
‘If I could save Tugoe’s granddaughter to stop the Hyeolseonggyo and bring Tugoe over to our side, that would be ideal.’
Even if she couldn’t become an ally, I at least had to secure the lives of both Tugoe and her granddaughter.
I knew from the novel how powerful Tugoe would be as a Jiangshi.
‘I’ll need to travel with Yeo Ha-ryun for quite some time.’
The problem was that my Master would clearly disapprove of it.
But Jin Cheon-hee was not one to stay silent about it.
“You’re going to help Yeo Ha-ryun with a task the Demonic Cult assigned him? Hehehehe, so you’ve finally succumbed to overwork, Hope.”
“But Master, if I consider the future, there is no other way.”
“Then let us simply allow it.”
My Master seemed to have made a firm decision this time.
This is truly unbearable. Absolutely.
Jin Cheon-hee furrowed one eyebrow.
“First, I will wear a mask and change my clothes properly. On the surface, no one will know I belong to Baekrin Uiseon. They will think I am merely a doctor affiliated with the Heukjeon Medical Guild.”
I had already received an identity badge and clothes from Hyeolsaeng Nogoe, marking me as belonging to the Heukjeon Medical Guild.
“You know that is not what I am worried about, do you not?”
I know… that much.
“No, Master! I am Hwagyeong! Hwagyeong, I tell you!”
“It would be better if I went with you.”
“Master, you stand out far too much!”
“If you are referring to my hair color.”
“…No… even so, you will stand out.”
There had been times in the past when my Master dyed his hair and waited outside to meet with me, his disciple.
However, regardless of my Master’s appearance, his towering frame of eight feet could not help but draw attention.
“Moreover, I heard that someone is coming from Shaolin.”
That was several days ago. A message arrived from the Shaolin Temple, known as the Great Mountain of the martial world, stating that they absolutely must meet with the Patriarch of Baekrin Uiseon.
By now, Shaolin has likely dispatched their emissary.
If Jegalling were to leave now, it would become a problem.
“…”
My Master’s brow furrowed slightly.
Even I do not know why Shaolin is sending someone.
It seems something is unfolding behind the scenes that I am unaware of.
However, the fact that my Master does not speak of it means there is good reason.
A disciple simply trusts his master.
Jegalling sighed softly.
“If you sense danger, flee.”
“If I set my mind to escaping, there are not many in this world who could catch me.”
“Be cautious of what you eat.”
“Do not worry.”
“Do not forget. Even if the Gangho were drenched in blood and melted in flames, you are all I have. Hope, remember that nothing is more precious than your life.”
“I understand.”
“…”
Jegalling gazed at the ceiling.
It was truly strange.
My disciple had grown at an unprecedented pace, and continued to grow.
He had become a master of Hwagyeong at a young age, and had defeated enemies one by one that I thought could never be overcome.
Yet despite all this, why do I feel such unease?
‘Gwon Je must feel the same way.’
Jegalling spoke.
“If I don’t give my permission, you’d climb over the walls to leave anyway.”
“Ha…hahaha….”
Jin Cheon-hee wore a sheepish expression.
Perhaps I should bind all four of his limbs with the Eternal Iron Shackles after all.
If I don’t give him a sword, at least breaking through the sword formation without raising his sword force would be difficult.
Or it might be easier to ignore my disciple’s dignity and paralyze everything below his neck.
‘But that would also block my disciple’s future path….’
As long as he was the master and Jin Cheon-hee was the disciple, this was unavoidable.
Since Jegalling was not one to be ignorant that this too was a teaching and opportunity of martial arts, his concern deepened.
“Go and return safely. Be sure to stay in contact.”
“Thank you.”
Jin Cheon-hee bowed deeply to his master.
Jegalling watched silently as Jin Cheon-hee prepared to depart.
Yoo Ho saw how the blue eyes reflected as if they had pinned the disciple in place for a long time.
“Are you alright?”
“…One cannot keep him caged, can one?”
“….”
Yoo Ho simply remained by Jegalling’s side.
“What do you think, Chief Manager? Will my disciple return without injury?”
“Well… he’ll surely come back hurt somewhere. That’s the kind of fellow he is. But still.”
Yoo Ho scratched his chin before answering calmly.
“He’ll come back. Even if his limbs are torn to shreds, he’s the type to crawl back on his own.”
“Is that so? Sometimes I worry he might leave me behind and go first.”
At those words, Yoo Ho chuckled softly.
“Would he die just because you told him to? That young master….”
“Somehow it seems you trust Hope more than I do.”
At that, Yoo Ho wore a sheepish expression.
“Goodness, forgive me. How many days have I been worked to the bone by that young master?”
“Hehehehe, that’s true.”
Jegalling was about to wave his fan when he clicked his tongue slightly.
Since he broke that fan, nothing had fit his hand properly.
“Hope.”
“Yes, Master?”
“If you see a decent fan on your way back, purchase one for me.”
At those words, Jin Cheon-hee smiled brightly.
“I’ve been seeing nothing but fans lately anyway. I’ll prepare one that fits your hand perfectly, Master.”
At that, Jegalling smiled in response.
* * *
A girl lay there with an exhausted expression.
Her face alternated between flushing red and turning pale, sweat pouring down like rain, yet her breathing only grew more ragged with each passing moment.
A woman looked down at the girl with desperate eyes.
“Why? Why won’t she recover? I was certain the poison… the poison should have been cured….”
“Grandmother.”
The woman called grandmother was, by any measure, a beauty of tender years who seemed to have forgotten the passage of time.
Wuying Touguai.
One of the Two Oddities of Gangho.
Like Hyeolsaeng Nogoe, she was an Oddity understood by no one and understanding none, living in solitary dominion over Gangho.
Yet even she possessed a weakness.
“Grandmother… I’m… I’m fine now. So please, don’t strain yourself.”
“No. This grandmother will surely heal you. My precious one….”
She grasped her granddaughter’s hand and pondered.
‘Cheonma, how far has she traced me? The medicine was certainly without falsehood.’
The Demon Elite among the Three Elites.
Cheonma.
The long span of time since she had earned the alias of Wuying Touguai, since Cheonma reigned as Cheonma.
There had been occasions when their faces met while living through Gangho.
Whether it was so for Cheonma, I could not say, but for Tugoe, it had always been the worst of days.
Tugoe knew all too well how merciless Cheonma was, having lived in solitary dominion over Gangho.
That Tugoe had survived in Cheonma’s hands was purely a matter of fortune. And because she had never touched Cheonma’s actual interests.
However, now that she had stolen her treasure, the price would undoubtedly be severe.
Yet Tugoe had no intention of releasing her granddaughter.
For that, she could do anything.
“Grandmother….”
“Do not worry. No matter how skilled a master of Hyeongyeong may be, they cannot capture this old woman.”
Ding—
At that moment, the bell hanging from the eaves swayed.
‘Have the Demonic Cult followers come this far.’
Faster than anticipated.
Was this the price of making the Ten Thousand Great Mountains an enemy?
Yet until her granddaughter recovered, she had absolutely no intention of giving up.
Stepping outside the house, the Demonic Cult’s martial artists were already standing there.
“Gong Ya-geon of Tugoe. For the crime of stealing this sect’s treasure, you must pay with your life.”
Fortunate.
Not of Soegooju rank—merely a scout unit of this caliber.
They would have sent word, so the main force of the Demonic Cult would arrive soon, but if she subdued them quickly, she could buy enough time to escape.
At that moment.
Tugoe’s form vanished.
What the dozen or so Demonic Cult members saw was only her feet.
Crack!
A devastating leg technique shattered their weapons and sent their jaws flying.
Just one exchange.
In a single exchange, over a dozen cult members found their faces pressed against the ground.
Tugoe spoke.
“I will not take your lives. Tell Cheonma that I will return the Poison Antidote later. I have no desire to shed blood over this matter. If you cease your pursuit, I swear by my sect’s name that I will return the Poison Antidote.”
She spoke with a heart full of anguish.
Even thieves have their own code.
She still did not wish to kill.
But Cheonma.
She was one who had already dyed the Ten Thousand Great Mountains with blood.
There was no way she would show mercy to Tugoe’s circumstances.
“Grand…mother.”
The door opened and her granddaughter’s face appeared.
Cough—
Dark blood spread beyond the paper door.
Tugoe embraced her granddaughter with an expression as though she might scream.
“It’s alright. It’s alright. Your grandmother is here, so don’t worry. You’ll recover soon. Everything will be fine.”
Then she embraced her granddaughter and fled somewhere once more.

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