Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 358
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 358
Tugoe.
One of the ten greatest masters under heaven.
Though some these days speak of him as the eleventh greatest master under heaven.
Yet no one dares to look down upon Tugoe, who has maintained his place among the ten greatest masters for decades.
However, this Tugoe is not a villain who has committed atrocities that even heaven and earth condemn.
Having worked as a righteous bandit for quite some time, there are quite a few among those belonging to the Martial Alliance who have debts of gratitude or enmity with him.
Some are enemies, others are benefactors.
This is why the Martial Alliance has no justifiable pretext to act directly.
“I see… This is quite different from the matter of the Pactaeon Musang Divine Art from before…”
“Among those targeting Tugoe, the major sects—perhaps five from the Orthodox faction—and from the Eight Sects of Sadoren, all except Hao-mun and Haesabang would likely aim for him…”
She paused there, lost in thought for a moment, then continued.
“Considering distance and various political complications, ultimately those who would act directly are probably two from the Orthodox faction and three from the Unorthodox faction. And only elite forces at that.”
“Indeed, if they were to mobilize warriors on a large scale, they might inadvertently trigger war with other powers…”
“In the end, Sadoren won’t make a move either.”
“What of the Demonic Sect?”
“The Demonic Sect would never let Tugoe, who stole their treasures, go free, so they will certainly make some move. But currently, it’s unknowable. They are those who can clash with either the Unorthodox or Orthodox factions at any time.”
Ilwol Singyeo.
This religious organization, branded as a demonic sect long ago, possesses such formidable martial arts that it once sparked a massive war in the past.
“Hmm… Then. Prepare to ambush those moving from the Unorthodox faction.”
Words of surprising baseness flowed from the Master’s lips.
“It would be better to reduce these lawless villains who bring nothing but harm in this opportunity.”
“I shall prepare accordingly.”
I had once evaluated the Master as the incarnation of utilitarianism.
And my assessment appeared to be accurate.
* * *
“It has been long since we last paid our respects, Patriarch.”
Four men prostrate themselves before me, shouting in unison with powerful voices.
These are the Masters of the Twelve Martial Forces, from the First to the Fourth.
The Martial Arts Guild Master and Vice Master serve as executives, with the Masters of the Twelve Martial Forces positioned beneath them.
First Master Guan San.
Second Master Shi Yi.
Third Master Ji Wushan.
Fourth Master Man Seon.
Naturally.
All of them are supreme masters.
Those with such outstanding abilities that they could establish a small sect and be called its sect leader!
The First and Second Masters of the Twelve Martial Forces were direct disciples of Dokgo Junghu, the Martial Arts Guild Master, and had been pillars supporting the Martial Arts Guild for a long time.
The Third and Fourth Masters.
These two were external recruits.
Originally, they were wanderers roaming the Gangho.
Warriors whose martial prowess had reached first-rate level experienced explosive growth to the pinnacle after training in Baekrin Uiseon’s martial training city.
After that.
These two resolved to dedicate themselves to Baekrin Uiseon, and now they hold the positions of the Third and Fourth Masters of the Twelve Martial Force.
They even married Doctors belonging to the Medical Guild!
They had truly become one family.
The First and Second Masters are known to have inherited to some degree the Dokgo Six Swords, the family martial art of Dokgo Junghu, and are masters of the blade.
The Third Master was uniquely someone who wielded the whip-flail as his primary weapon.
The Third Master, Ji Wushan, was eight feet tall with a muscular, giant frame.
He carried a shield in one hand and wielded a whip-flail in the other, making him a distinctly anomalous presence in the Gangho.
Speaking of his past, he had devoted himself to the military and participated in warfare on the front lines for ten years.
After retiring due to discord with his superiors, he lived as a wanderer.
However, the lethality of his martial prowess surpassed that of other Gangho warriors.
The only problem was that his inner cultivation technique was shallow, preventing him from manifesting his qi into tangible form.
Combined with his monstrous strength, his whip-flail technique shattered even pinnacle masters like pottery.
When I say pottery shattered, it was no mere metaphor, given that his weapon was a whip-flail.
The whip-flail, translated literally, is an iron flail.
Above the handle hung one or multiple hexagonal iron columns—this was the whip-flail.
Similar to an iron mace, but the difference lay in how these hexagonal iron pieces hung from chains.
It was a weapon resembling the Western flail.
Naturally, few in the Gangho wielded such a weapon.
However, the military frequently employed the whip-flail.
Especially among mounted cavalry, the whip-flail demonstrated formidable power in close combat.
With a single motion of raising it high and striking downward, multiple iron pieces scattered in all directions, making it nearly impossible to evade or block.
In the moment of hesitation, skulls and joints shattered instantly.
The drawback, however, was that such a weapon made it difficult to incorporate subtle variations or techniques.
When Ji Wushan changed his inner cultivation technique to the Honwon Ohaeng Gwichong Gigong and received appropriate medicinal supplements, he blossomed magnificently.
He already possessed abundant practical combat experience and considerable talent, which made this transformation possible.
Having become a pinnacle master, he rose to the upper echelon even among pinnacle experts.
When his whip-flail descended imbued with manifested qi, it could pulverize boulders in a single strike.
Finally, the Fourth Master, Man Seon.
This man was originally a fisherman from the Yangtze River.
At twenty-five, he lost his parents and siblings to the Black Blade Sect, which became his impetus to enter the Gangho.
He learned martial arts for revenge and at thirty-five finally achieved his vengeance.
During that process, he learned the Ten Thousand Hook Technique, the martial art of a reclusive master known as the Yangtze River Elder.
…His weapon was a fishing rod.
The very etymology of the Ten Thousand Hook Technique means “to catch anything,” and perhaps because of this, he is said to have some skill in illusion arts, a form of sorcery.
The Ten Thousand Hook Technique itself is intertwined with illusion arts.
Unlike Ji Wushan, this man achieved the pinnacle through the Ten Thousand Hook Technique but was blocked by a wall and could not enter the realm of the super-pinnacle.
He joined Baekrin Uiseon on a day when he suffered an injury while living as a wanderer.
She underwent treatment at Baekrin Uiseon and married a handsome Doctor after their eyes met.
Moreover, this woman also became a supreme master through Honwon Ohaeng Gwichong Gigong, so her loyalty has become exceptionally deep.
Each of these four individuals was a formidable master.
The moment one steps into the realm of supreme mastery, they already transcend humanity.
These four stood clearly at the apex even among such supreme masters.
Especially Ji Wushan.
With his tremendous practical combat experience and unique weaponry—a whip-staff and shield—his lethality in battle was unmatched.
As the Soggakju, I naturally had met or conversed with these individuals several times.
It would be impossible for the Soggakju to have no involvement in Baekrin Uiseon’s martial organization.
In fact, Ji Wushan’s son had received direct treatment from me through a fortunate connection, so his loyalty was exceptional.
Standing beside these Twelve Martial Masters’ leaders was Gungwi in a respectful posture.
“It’s been a long time, everyone. Please, rise. This formality makes me quite uncomfortable…”
“As you command.”
The four responded thus and rose from their positions with disciplined grace.
From my perspective, while the First and Second Masters could be expected to act this way, it was curious that the Third and Fourth Masters displayed such composed bearing.
The Third Master came from a military background, so that was understandable, but the Fourth Master had been a complete outsider to Gangho, yet his adaptation was remarkable.
“Um… Soggakju. Do I perhaps have an illness?”
“Pardon?”
“Well, you were staring at me so intently…”
‘What do they think I am? Do they believe I’m some kind of Bian Que?’
Bian Que.
A divine physician who lived during the Spring and Autumn period.
A historical figure, yet accompanied by tales so extraordinary they strain belief.
The incredible legend was that Bian Que possessed miraculous powers—he could see diseases within a person’s body merely by looking at them.
“I was simply lost in thought. Anyway, it’s been quite some time since I’ve seen all of you.”
“Indeed it has. The Soggakju must be terribly busy, after all.”
Guan San, the First Master, replied.
A distant ancestor was supposedly Guan Yu, though he was not a direct descendant but rather a distant collateral branch.
“Since this matter concerns me, I asked you to come and exchange greetings while discussing it. It would be shameless for the person in charge to not even show their face in such affairs.”
“You’re too kind. If it’s work the Soggakju undertakes, we would throw ourselves into fire itself!”
The Third Master, Ji Wushan, spoke in a resonant voice.
At his display, I felt somewhat burdened and had to laugh awkwardly.
“Then I ask for your continued support. The treatment should be complete in approximately ten days, so I need only your assistance until then.”
“As you command!”
All four responded with vigor.
Then a voice came from beyond the door.
“Vice Master, a problem has arisen.”
“Enter.”
At the words of Vice Master Gungwi Wang Chae-baek, a Warrior opened the door and stepped inside.
“I greet the Soggakju.”
“Please give me a report first.”
“Multiple martial sects have gathered outside the estate and are applying pressure. It seems the Deputy Patriarch and the Masters should come out to assess the situation.”
Multiple martial sects gathered in groups?
‘Sigh… So it’s finally come.’
In the original Jicheon Cheonma, multiple sects would rush to capture Tugoe.
Now that Tugoe is actually here, they seem to have come even more readily.
“How dare they. Disrespect the Medical Guild… Which sects have arrived?”
Gungwi spoke with visible anger.
‘I hope Uncle Gungwi doesn’t revert to his old days as a vagrant with that killing intent.’
The murderous aura was that intense.
“The Haesa Bang and Nokrim Shibpaechai belonging to the Sadoren Eight Sects, and the Hyeolbu Sect—three sects have arrived, with five additional evil sects connected to them. The Hwangbo Sega and Shaolin Temple belonging to the Martial Alliance have also arrived, along with four righteous sects connected to them.”
‘Shaolin Temple came too? They didn’t particularly engage in hypocritical behavior in Jicheon Cheonma…’
I was inwardly startled upon hearing the report.
Because of Shaolin Temple.
The Hwangbo Sega are called righteous, but they sometimes act hypocritically.
However, Shaolin Temple, along with the Huashan Sect, was one of the few sects that performed good deeds even in Jicheon Cheonma.
Shaolin Temple appeared?
Moreover, Shaolin Temple had definitely made an appointment with my Master, Jegalling, and by now, there would have been more than enough time for them to have already met with him.
‘Did Master allow Shaolin Temple to move? It seems he has some plan in mind…’
Jegalling, descendant of Zhuge Liang, the greatest strategist under heaven.
Once called the Bloody Wheel Massacre.
He slaughtered all those who had destroyed the Jegalling Sega and killed them brutally—this much I had heard with my own ears.
Though he was an insignificant figure in Jicheon Cheonma, in this reality, my Master was surely a peerless genius whose influence on the Gangho was far from negligible.
And such a Master had allowed Shaolin Temple to move toward us…
‘Is he testing me…’
-Hahaha. My disciple, overcome this level of tribulation! Find it difficult? Then let us research medicine together here at the Medical Guild.
It felt as though I could hear my Master’s true intentions.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————