Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 359

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

Chapter 359
‘Ah… Master…’
I felt tears welling up for some reason.
My Master’s kindness was so immense and weighty that I couldn’t move an inch.
‘Still, the rumors spreading like wildfire must be because of the Demonic Cult and Hyeolseonggyo, right? The Demonic Cult probably did this to prevent Yeo Ha-ryun from earning merit. As for Hyeolseonggyo, they’ve likely been drooling over Tugoe’s corpse for years.’
I had carefully devised a strategy to obtain the Poison Master without fighting Cheonma, but now it seemed like ashes were being scattered over a finished meal.
Jin Cheon-hee continued his thoughts.
‘The other Soegoojus of the Demonic Cult are too far away to act directly anyway. The real problem is… whether Hyeolseonggyo will make a move or not.’
Since I couldn’t know that the Leader of Hyeolseonggyo had personally ordered them to exercise restraint for years, I had to account for this variable as well.
‘No matter how I think about it… if I want to handle this cleanly, a direct breakthrough seems to be the answer. As for Yeo Ha-ryun… I shouldn’t expose him.’
Having decided this internally, Jin Cheon-hee opened his mouth.
“I’ll go out myself.”
“There’s no need for you to personally step forward, Soegooju.”
“No. I’m currently the highest-ranking person in charge here. Besides, I’m the one treating Tugoe. So I’ll go out.”
Let me see what kind of people have come.
That’s what Jin Cheon-hee thought.
* * *
Haesambangjoo, the Eighteen Bandit Gangs, and Hyeolbu.
Among these, Haesambangjoo and Hyeolbu each dominated the southern regions of Hwaguk.
As for the Eighteen Bandit Gangs, they were scattered throughout the Central Plains, making it difficult to say which was their primary territory.
Bandits existed everywhere, after all.
The current empire was said to be at its greatest prosperity in history, but one shouldn’t interpret it through a modern person’s sensibilities.
By modern standards, the public order was no different from that of a war-torn nation or a developing country.
Streets with streetlights everywhere, convenience stores and banks equipped with CCTV where one could call the police anytime.
If one compared it to the level of public safety in twenty-first century Korea, the difference was as vast as the distance between heaven and a grain of millet.
‘After all, there’s no 112 emergency number, no telephones, and no automobiles to come rushing over.’
Hwangbo Sega and Shaolin Temple were established north of Anhui Province.
Hwangbo Sega controlled Shandong Province, while Shaolin Temple controlled Henan Province.
Interestingly, bandits also existed in the territories they controlled.
And now both the righteous and demonic sects had gathered in front of the Namgung Family’s Muho Port merchant estate, which Baekrin Uiseon was temporarily leasing.
As a result, they found themselves unable to easily cause a disturbance.
After all, righteous and demonic sects would draw their blades first if they met on a deserted street!
From the perspective of righteous sect members, demonic sect members were like this:
‘Excellent! That’s the notorious villain from the demonic sect! If I capture him, I’ll earn merit and raise my own value!’
That’s right.
To them, demonic sect members were like monsters that increased their fame and market value when captured.
Then what about the demonic sect?
‘That bastard is a famous hypocrite from the righteous sect! Perfect. I should kill him, steal his secret techniques, or use his corpse as leverage to extort money from his family!’
From the demonic sect’s perspective, righteous sect members typically appeared as walking bags of money.
Of course, this viewpoint was far too simplified.
Add to that the debt of gratitude, and
the personality of the individual in question, and
when I consider various political matters and the interconnected interests of the regions involved, the blade tends to be drawn under far more complicated circumstances.
As I pondered the dynamics of power within Gangho, I stepped forward to the front gate.
And I saw it.
‘Wow… this looks like a scene from a movie.’
In those ancient classical martial arts films, there existed scenes where people from multiple sects would gather before the gates of a single faction and shout.
‘Your sworn brother is someone from the Demonic Cult! Reveal his location!’
Scenes like that where they would pressure the protagonist while shouting.
In those films too, the antagonists were always the protagonist’s sworn brothers.
Recalling that classical film anew, I surveyed my surroundings.
Their numbers had reached nearly fifteen hundred.
Compared to the eight hundred of Baekrin Medical Guild’s Twelve Martial Forces, that was almost double!
Moreover… by my keen senses, there were as many as five individuals who appeared to be at the Hwagyeong level.
“It is an honor to meet the esteemed seniors of Gangho. I am Jin Cheon-hee, Soggakju of Baekrin Medical Guild.”
I spoke with resolve and offered a respectful fist salute.
“What brings such a crowd to visit?”
“Veiled Madman Jin Cheon-hee. So you’re the young one who’s been making a name for yourself lately?”
Then.
A man stepped forward and spoke in a booming voice.
Thick, unkempt beard. One leg was a prosthetic, and an eye patch covered one eye.
In one hand he gripped a thick broadsword with a blade width of a full chi—about twenty-five centimeters—slung across his shoulder, a middle-aged man of imposing presence.
Haesambangjoo Hae Yeon-do.
An absolute master of the heterodox path who surpassed Ha Buk-paeng-ga, known as a master of saber techniques, and claimed the title of Dorang.
One who had dipped his hand slightly into the past struggle for secret manuals but withdrew midway.
Thus, he was someone with whom I had no prior acquaintance.
“So you are Haesambangjoo Hae, the senior. It is an honor.”
“Krhrhrhrhrhh. Your manners are proper, much like those hypocritical orthodox sect dogs. No need for lengthy words. Tugoe is receiving treatment here, is he not? Hand him over.”
I gazed steadily at Hae Yeon-do, who laughed roughly.
The title Dorang did not seem to have been earned through mere luck; this was a man whose presence radiated intense power.
Though his appearance was that of a stereotypical pirate captain, he was a seasoned killer who had made his bones in naval warfare.
“Amitabha. Please, honored benefactor, hold your words for a moment.”
Another presence of Hwagyeong stepped forward.
Dressed in monastic robes, with nine precept marks tattooed upon his head.
This indicated that this monk was recognized even within Shaolin Temple itself.
I had heard of this monk during my early lessons with Soggakju.
Arhat Hall Master Won Jin.
In Gangho, he was called by the epithet Golden Arhat.
The Arhat Hall itself was the most externally active martial organization within Shaolin Temple, and as its master, he was quite active in Gangho as well.
True to his epithet of Golden Arhat, he had mastered the Diamond Tathagata Divine Art and was renowned as an external martial expert whose body could withstand both blades and strong qi—a man who had crushed the skulls of countless heterodox masters.
‘Haesambangjoo and Nahanjeongju. And the remaining three….’
Jin Cheon-hee shifted his gaze.
He could see people from Hyeolbu Sect, the Eighteen Bandits of the Green Forest, and the Hwangbo Family.
‘Hyeolbu Sect has its sect leader, Tugoe the Mighty Blood Axe, Chu Gwang. The Eighteen Bandits of the Green Forest… there’s the Spear of Slaughter Oh Sin, rumored to be from the government forces. I’m not sure who the Hwangbo Family sent.’
Jin Cheon-hee contemplated each of the Hwagyeong masters based on the information he had gathered.
“Huh? You bald monk, what gives you the right to speak up here? You want to get beaten?”
“Amitabha Buddha. How do you intend to atone for all those karmic debts after death? Why not accumulate good karma starting now?”
“Bullshit. So you’re saying you don’t need the treasures Tugoe collected?”
“Those are merely worldly possessions. Our temple simply wishes to give Tugoe the opportunity to settle his karmic debts.”
Oh wow, this is truly like a genuine martial arts novel!
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes gleamed inwardly.
The two warriors continued their exchange.
“So. You’ll lock him in the Repentance Cave and then swallow the treasures yourself?”
“…That is not our intention.”
“What a load of crap.”
“Haesambangjoo is right. If you’re going to spout such hypocritical nonsense, why don’t you just leave?”
Oh Sin, the Spear of Slaughter, stepped forward.
Behind him, bandits belonging to the Eighteen Bandits of the Green Forest surged forward in a crowd.
Oh Sin, known to be from the government forces, wielded a shield and short spear as his primary weapons.
‘Come to think of it, everyone from the government forces uses shields. Well, shields are effective, I suppose. They have high versatility and are strategically sound weapons.’
As Jin Cheon-hee pondered this.
A representative from the Hwangbo Family stepped forward.
This man was a muscular giant with a head taller than both Haesambangjoo and the Shaolin Nahanjeongju, and only Tugoe the Mighty Blood Axe could match his massive frame.
“Why don’t you stop with the scheming? No matter what we say, if that girl refuses, there’s nothing we can do about it anyway.”
‘Skilled… for someone so large, his mind works quickly. Who exactly is this?’
“Hey. Don’t twist your words around, you bastard. No wonder they call you the Bear-Skinned Fox—always scheming.”
‘Bear-Skinned Fox? Ah. That person, the outer patriarch of the Hwangbo Family! He looks like a bear, but earned that nickname for his cunning.’
Hwangbo Sun, the Bear-Skinned Fox.
True to the Hwangbo Family, external martial arts and fist techniques were his specialties.
But his true strength lay in his ability to scheme.
In other words, he was a strategist type.
A peculiar individual whose martial prowess was equally formidable.
He had been a major contributor to the Hwangbo Family’s considerable gains.
‘Hmm~ this is truly the essence of martial arts novels. I’ve met quite a variety of people since coming here.’
Jin Cheon-hee marveled inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.
“Look, no need for more talk. Hand over Tugoe. Then we won’t touch Baekrin Uiseon.”
“Amitabha Buddha….”
Master Won Jin shook his head and uttered a low chant.
Even for Jin Cheon-hee, it was difficult to discern what it meant.
“Whether we cook Tugoe or roast him, we five will handle it ourselves, so you stay out of this, boy. Understand?”
“Haesambangjoo. How dare you threaten my Soegooju?”
That was when it happened.
Gungwi Wang Chae-baek, who had been standing behind Jin Cheon-hee, stepped forward.
“Oh? Aren’t you the distinguished Gungwi? Hey, you stay crouched over there. What’s a punk whose rank doesn’t even match doing acting tough?”
“Hmm… So you’re saying this one’s rank doesn’t match… Is that what you’re saying, pirate captain?”
“What, you bastard? Your neck’s getting cut off today…”
Ping!
An invisible arrow flew toward him.
As a result, Haesambangjoo Hae Yeon-do had to hastily jerk his head back mid-sentence.
“Huh… Look at this? Did you just fire a Formless Arrow?”
“Say it again, pirate captain. Who doesn’t have the right rank?”
The Gungwi Elder’s temperament from his wandering days had emerged.
Gooooooo.
The fighting spirit radiating from the two collided, heating the air.
There was something in the fighting spirit that two absolute masters conjured before thousands of Gangho warriors that made everyone else fall silent.
However.
There was one person here whose way of thinking was completely different from the other Gangho warriors…
“Stop, please.”
Jin Cheon-hee.
The handsome young man who had gained the new epithet of Veiled Madman and become known as one of the eleven greatest masters under heaven stepped forward and severed the fighting spirit.

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