Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 363
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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 363
‘So now only the matter with Namgung Un remains?’
I methodically resolved each lingering issue one by one.
Namgung Un nodded after hearing my account.
“The Sega decided to consider it settled—neither debt nor favor owed—now that the Great Spear Palace’s Unbound Sword Formation has been broken.”
“Clean and simple.”
“The Sega is a place where schemes and stratagems flourish, but martial prowess ultimately simplifies everything. You and that mysterious guest demonstrated such martial skill that matters became remarkably straightforward.”
Namgung Un sipped tea instead of wine.
He looked quite displeased, but having received a stern lecture from the Sega elders, he would need to abstain from alcohol for some time.
“Ah, and those eight hundred martial artists certainly simplified matters as well.”
“…Did Master send them…?”
“Indeed. They didn’t accomplish anything particularly spectacular, but—no, rather, simply assembling such a force in such a short time was itself a remarkable feat. The backdrop changed, didn’t it?”
“Yes. Master drew quite the backdrop for us.”
“In any case, Baek Rin cannot bear to see his disciple oppressed. Because of that backdrop, everything became remarkably simple. Even if someone wanted to act, blood would have to be spilled, and if that happened, the Namgung clan wouldn’t escape unscathed either. What choice would they have?”
Master had once told me this.
You will save the world, and I shall save you. For your sake, I will build a dike.
‘Master, the dike is… far too vast.’
At that time, I hadn’t imagined it would reach this scale.
“One thing is certain—it’s no longer merely a display of the Baekrin Medical Guild’s power. Now they’ve shown what happens when someone touches his disciple. All the Sega families will know this now.”
“Ha… haha.”
“It’s enviable, I suppose… though I do feel a bit sorry for you, brother. Now wherever you go, the Sega families will voluntarily report to the Baekrin Medical Guild. Free cooperation will be difficult.”
That’s… a good thing, isn’t it?
Namgung Un regarded me with eyes that held a hint of sympathy.
“Still, it’s a good thing, isn’t it? Your affairs ought to be somewhat extraordinary. Only then will you be able to save lives.”
‘Ah… Master. This is too much.’
Before parting, I took Namgung Un’s pulse.
I discovered another kidney stone in a condition similar to before.
It had indeed recurred.
‘How did he even survive until his life-or-death duel with Yeo Ha-ryun?’
Could it be that when Yeo Ha-ryun’s blade struck him, he didn’t die because his footwork was lacking, but rather because he had a stone lodged in his abdomen, preventing him from displaying his full strength…?
‘But surely the pain would have been excruciating? How could he even fight a life-or-death duel… well, he could. There are plenty of mad martial artists in Gangho who would treat a sword in the belly as nothing.’
In any case, it’s something that won’t happen now. The truth is something I’ll never know.
A doctor simply does a doctor’s work.
I gently struck Namgung Un’s abdomen with my palm once more, shattering the kidney stone.
And this time, to ensure he wouldn’t forget, I let him experience the agony of kidney stones firsthand.
I also sent a letter to the Sega elders, urging them to enforce strict abstinence from alcohol this time.
He’ll probably drink anyway… but there’s nothing more I can do.
I must do what I can.
After completing these final arrangements,
I departed for Jiangsu Province—the Baekrin Medical Guild—along with the Baekrin Medical Guild’s martial forces and Tugoe.
Yeo Ha-ryun stood beside his senior, holding the poison antidote, and set off on a journey together.
“Shouldn’t you be heading straight to the Demonic Cult?”
“Well, I’ve already sent word that I’ve obtained it, so a slight delay should be acceptable.”
“In other words, you’re taking a vacation.”
“Yes.”
Yeo Ha-ryun gave a brief reply and urged his horse forward alongside him.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“Then let’s search for a fan on our way back.”
Having created such a mess, my Master’s anger would be considerable.
To receive even a slightly lighter punishment, I had to find a fan that would suit my Master’s tastes by any means necessary.
“It’s a matter of life and death… I absolutely need to find the right fan.”
At those words, Yeo Ha-ryun’s brow furrowed noticeably.
“What exactly is this fan for… that it matters so much?”
“Yes. I’ve marked all the locations of famous fan workshops on the map.”
“Why not simply commission a merchant guild instead?”
“I’ve already tried that. Now all that’s left is to search directly at the workshops.”
Since my Master was quite particular, I had resolved to simply wear out my shoes searching.
031. Using Poison to Counter Poison
“It seems you couldn’t find the fan you wanted after all?”
At Tugoe’s words, my shoulders slumped.
It was true.
On the way back, I had visited the most renowned workshops in each region, unfolding and examining every fan the craftsmen had recently created.
Yet none of them differed significantly from the fans my Master had rejected before.
Yeo Ha-ryun asked.
“Then why not take the fan you broke last time and ask them to make an identical one?”
“I already tried that. In fact, I did that from the very beginning.”
“Hmm?”
“He seemed oddly dissatisfied with it.”
I let out a sigh.
“I really don’t understand what makes that fellow so special that he’d make such a fuss over a single fan in front of his disciple.”
‘Wow, that’s harsh. Really harsh.’
My senior seemed displeased with how I was running around searching for my Master’s fan.
As we continued our conversation, I suddenly felt something amiss.
‘What is it?’
A small tea room within a large inn.
Only three of us were inside, but outside, hundreds of martial artists from the Baekrin Medical Guild were enjoying drinks and relieving their fatigue.
Sensing something strange, I slid open the tea room door.
There stood a woman.
Dressed in plain, unadorned hemp clothing with a simple sword bearing no decoration.
A woman with hair as black as night and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s.
“To sense my presence… you have grown considerably in this time.”
In that instant, my eyes swelled with azure light.
All the martial artists around us acted as though she had never existed from the start.
Only Yeo Ha-ryun remained seated, his gaze fixed upon her.
The Cheonma.
[I heard they sent someone to retrieve the Poison Antidote Wine, yet I never imagined the Cheonma would come in person.]
At Yeo Ha-ryun’s telepathic transmission, I turned to look back, only to find Tugoe had already vanished.
“….”
Truly, the foremost master of lightness technique under heaven.
Her every movement is uncanny.
The Cheonma looked down at Yeo Ha-ryun and spoke.
“Still lacking in courtesy, young one. All other sect members are busy revering me as a deity, yet here you are.”
“….”
Even in this moment, Yeo Ha-ryun offered only a casual bow.
‘No, even in such urgent circumstances, the protagonist’s charisma is dazzling!’
No matter how much I had ascended to Hwagyeong, my opponent stood on the threshold of Deng Xian.
Yeo Ha-ryun was not one to be ignorant that at this distance, should the Cheonma’s mood sour, a mere hand strike could sever his neck.
Yet despite this, Yeo Ha-ryun did not offer her proper courtesy.
As though addressing not a deity or elder, but a senior peer, even the Cheonma found herself at a loss, letting out a soft chuckle.
‘Impressive. One truly must reach that level to pull off being a martial arts protagonist! But… I wish you’d do this when I’m not around.’
The thought that we could both die together made my heart uneasy.
The martial arts enthusiast within me and the modern commoner’s self were grappling for control once more.
The Cheonma simply entered the tea chamber.
Step, step.
Her casual footfalls made her appear utterly ignorant of movement techniques.
Yet strangely, not a single strand of her hair moved carelessly as she walked.
She traced such fluid curves as though moving with profound understanding of martial principles.
She took her seat without ceremony.
Without moving a single finger, she closed the tea chamber door through sheer will alone.
“….”
Then she picked up the mountain wine jug placed before Tugoe and filled the empty cup with a gurgling sound.
It seemed the Cheonma preferred wine to tea.
“Soegooju Ha-ryun. Produce our sect’s treasure.”
“As you command.”
Yeo Ha-ryun retrieved the Poison Antidote Wine from his robes.
“Hm.”
The Cheonma lifted the Poison Antidote Wine through empty-hand grasping, turned it slowly in a circle, then with a murmur of “genuine article,” tucked it into her sleeve.
Into the Cheonma’s sleeve.
Even Tugoe could not steal from there now.
It would be no exaggeration to call it the safest place in the world.
Cheonma sipped the crimson mountain berry wine and spoke toward the empty air.
“Wuying Touguai. I already know my granddaughter is here. Since you cannot flee far, why not come out?”
“….”
“Since I have recovered the Poison Master’s Pearl in such a short time, I swear to you that I shall not lay a finger upon my granddaughter.”
Thud—
Only then did Tugoe leap down from the beam above.
“As expected, you could not flee far.”
“…You must have already guessed my location, yet you left me be all this time. It seems you intended to spare my life from the beginning.”
“Well, thanks to that, I have come to understand what manner of women serve as Soegooju in this sect. I am satisfied with that much.”
Gulp—
Cheonma continued speaking as she drank deeply from the crimson wine.
“You have stolen countless treasures from this sect over the years. Do you know why I spared your life despite that?”
“Because I did not touch anything of true significance—no divine artifacts or legendary weapons.”
“Precisely. The sect’s wealth is as abundant as feathers. Even if you coveted such trinkets, I would merely sever the responsible steward’s head. There would be no need to mobilize the entire Ten Thousand Great Mountains. But the Poison Master’s Pearl—that crossed the line.”
“….”
“I would have you understand that I found it too tedious to even lift a finger merely to swat a single mosquito.”
Comparing Wuying Touguai to a mosquito, Cheonma extended her empty cup toward her.
“Will you have a drink?”
“…Ugh.”
“Did you not spend all those years fleeing at the mere sight of my face? After all, once you register your retirement from the martial world, we shall have no further dealings with each other. This parting drink seems most fitting.”
At those words, Tugoe reluctantly poured the mountain berry wine into Cheonma’s cup.
Cheonma, in turn, poured wine into her cup as well.
“You have survived a long time, Wuying Touguai. I had thought this time you would surely perish.”
Cheonma spoke as though discussing someone else entirely.
Though it was Cheonma herself who had issued the execution order.
“….”
“Well, what is good is good. Among the warriors of our era, you are the only one who has properly built a family.”
“…But you will register your retirement.”
Wuying Touguai spoke with great difficulty, mustering her courage.
At those words, Cheonma let out a soft laugh.
“That is so. I shall soon touch the heavens. But you, who harbor no ambition in the martial way, shall remain forever upon the earth. Have you ever contemplated how tedious and dreary such a life would be?”
“Not at all.”
“How reckless. You have lost your daughter, and soon you shall lose your granddaughter as well. You pursue neither the heretical path that I do, nor have you abandoned human sentiment like Hyeolsaeng Nogoe, that fellow monstrosity. Do you truly believe such a being can endure eternity? How foolish.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“That I shall show mercy before you are worn down and ground to dust.”
“Mercy?”
Shing—
Cheonma’s blade sang softly from its sheath, as though it had divined its master’s innermost thoughts.
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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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