Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 369

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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 369
In the end, I enlisted even martial artists to make rib dumplings.
Scraping the rib meat to create the filling, wrapping it in dough, steaming it until the juices remained locked inside—an epic undertaking.
It was madness, but sheer determination to eat them saw it through.
…It was worth it.
The remaining ribs were grilled and distributed to the martial artists who complained of insufficient portions.
The experience of wrapping thin ice-rimmed broth noodles around grilled ribs wasn’t something one could easily enjoy.
After such a pleasant voyage, our party disembarked safely at Nanjing and resupplied once.
During the resupply, we decided to rest at the largest inn in Nanjing.
My Master had made advance reservations.
Man Seon wore an expression of slight unease, but I, his disciple, felt perfectly at ease.
For a strategist, calculating provisions and logistics was the most fundamental task.
Determining where to resupply and which nearby location would be best for rest was surely nothing for my Master.
‘Besides, inns large enough to accommodate this entire group are surprisingly rare.’
Adding another point: I, Hwang-gu, and Noeji were all extraordinarily refined gourmands.
Of course, the two spiritual creatures had developed such particular tastes because of me, their master, but regardless, we needed a place capable of satisfying the palates of one human and two spirits.
‘The beds can be a bit hard! Food comes first.’
There was nothing sadder than eating tasteless meals while traveling.
Settling into the inn and taking seats at the best table, we ordered and were eating when
a performer took the stage with a pipa in hand.
Her beauty was striking enough that all the martial artists, regardless of gender, focused entirely on her.
She wore a form-fitting dress with a high slit that exposed her legs, so I averted my gaze, uncertain where to look.
A servant boy appeared to make introductions.
“A beautiful musician popular at Hong Ze Lake! Would you care to hear her perform?”
Roaaaaar!
She played the pipa while singing in a husky voice.
‘The skill is higher than I expected?’
Impressed by her remarkable technique, I finally turned my gaze to watch her.
Then our eyes suddenly met.
She gave me a knowing smile with her eyes, as if she’d been waiting.
‘What, what is this?’
In any case, she fixed her gaze back on the pipa and continued her performance and song.
The performance ended.
Roaaaaar!
All the martial artists applauded with delight.
‘Perfect for relieving travel fatigue.’
I was impressed that the performer’s skill exceeded my expectations.
Moreover, the pipa technique she’d just demonstrated gave me much to reflect upon.
‘Here I am, having mastered the Seven Demons’ Zither, one of the most exquisite sound arts, yet I only use it for trolling in actual situations.’
Had the Grand Master of the Seven Demons’ Zither learned this, he would have risen from his grave.
* * *
After spending time in such pleasant company, I entered the guest quarters.
Being a rather luxurious inn, hot water had been prepared in the bath beforehand, so I took a light bath and emerged refreshed.
Someone cleared their throat outside my room.
“Who is it?”
From the presence, there was only one person.
Soon a voice rang out.
“I have come seeking an audience with the Baek-ui Sinryong.”
Ah, that musician’s voice from before.
I considered the matter calmly.
‘It must be one of three things. A spy, an assassin, or someone with a sick family member.’
My romantic sensibilities had long since withered into vestigial remains, leaving me incapable of imagining variables beyond these three.
Hwang-gu wagged his tail and barked.
Perhaps he was carrying food.
If it were an assassin, it would be difficult to fool Hwang-gu’s nose… but.
That was only true for ordinary assassins, and I’d heard that the Gangho was vast and deep—elite assassins could even deceive a dog’s nose.
But Hwang-gu wasn’t just any dog; he was a spiritual creature.
I didn’t know.
Perhaps as his master, I was simply trusting him too much.
“Please, come in.”
Creak—
She entered.
With tears glistening in her eyes, she spoke to me.
“It’s been a long time, Sangong.”
“Pardon?”
No matter how I looked at it, this was our first meeting.
‘…Wait.’
The moment she rushed forward to link arms with me.
I felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, and.
I asked immediately.
“…Are you Sama Hyeon?”
“Hehe. You catch on fast~ my brother!”
In that instant, with tremendous grip strength, she linked arms with me.
“Whoa, whoa!”
“Hahaha! Still, I got you halfway fooled~”
“So you’ve learned to alter your skeletal structure now?”
Those exposed legs were unmistakably clothed in a woman’s garments.
“My Muscle Bone Transformation Technique has reached perfection.”
“What about your voice?”
“Once you reach that level, the vocal cords transform too~”
…You’ve become a completely different person.
* * *
A reunion after so long.
I poured myself tea while Sama Hyeon uncorked a bottle of wine, and we drank slowly.
There were countless stories accumulated between us, yet time was always insufficient. Still, that wasn’t reason enough to spoil this moment together.
The two of us continued our conversation leisurely beneath the moon.
“Setting that aside, you sing quite well, don’t you?”
“I’ve been performing in Peking Opera, after all~ Of course, acting is most important, but the songs within the performance matter too. Since my vocal cords have been altered, my voice isn’t my own anymore, so it’s a bit challenging~”
Now that I thought about it, there was a scene in Jicheon Cheonma where Sama Hyeon killed a righteous faction member’s child and mimicked his voice to lure the target.
What Sama Hyeon said at that moment was this.
-Ahhh, Father! Father…. Dad! Hao Munzhu is! Daaaaaad!
No patriarch could maintain sanity hearing those words.
As he rushed around the corner to save his child, a blood-stained hand reached toward him, and the father grasped it.
In that instant, he realized how unusually cold that hand was, and when he looked down, there was nothing below the wrist.
The narrative described how Sama Hyeon, like a puppeteer, pulled tendons to manipulate joints, naturally mimicking the child’s touch.
Facing that horrific sight, the righteous faction warrior’s blade grew sluggish.
He had his facial skin flayed by Sama Hyeon.
Sama Hyeon then wore that skin for a time, imitating the righteous faction member.
‘The Sama Hyeon from Jicheon Cheonma and the Sama Hyeon I’ve met are the same person, yet walking different paths.’
“Hyeong, what are you thinking about?”
“Hmm, just feeling somewhat satisfied.”
The Sama Hyeon from Jicheon Cheonma is someone completely broken as a human being.
I felt fortunate I wouldn’t have to see him.
If I did encounter him, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.
This current Sama Hyeon has people to protect—the Sama Hyeon I bound with my oath as Baek Hwan-hu.
Of course, this doesn’t mean he’s become a virtuous person, and in some ways he still bears traces of wickedness, but at least he’s not the kind to dance while setting fires.
Slurp—
As I audibly drank my tea, Sama Hyeon watched me intently, then poured some of his wine into my cup.
“Hey, hey!”
“What? I thought you wanted some since you made that expression craving alcohol~”
“What kind of expression is that?”
“The kind that says you’re bearing all the world’s karma on your shoulders?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
I grumbled irritably, but ultimately swallowed a cup of the plum wine mixed with Longjing tea that Sama Hyeon had poured.
“It’s surprisingly drinkable.”
“Even people who hate alcohol tend to drink this.”
So that’s why he ordered it.
We continued sharing stories from the past.
I told him about meeting Sama-hye and how much she had grown, sharing these details with him.
“She could just stay home and live comfortably…. I don’t understand why she dislikes it so much~”
“That seems to bore you.”
Money is an important motivation, but sometimes people discover something more precious than that.
“It’s all because of you, hyeong~ You planted some pointless sense of mission in the kid, and suddenly he went and got himself a… goal like that, didn’t he, hyeong… what was that word you used? ‘Role model?’ That’s it, right?”
‘Did he memorize that word too?’
I couldn’t even remember when I’d said that.
Yet this fellow remembers and uses each word perfectly.
‘Well… my Master and the Uigak-won often remember the foreign words I use frequently too.’
Back on Earth, foreigners used to employ gaming terminology that Koreans frequently used.
The same went for idol-related terms.
I wonder if language spreads like this—through contagion.
Though Hyeon is certainly more enthusiastic about it than most.
“So what’s your next move, hyeong~?”
“I’m planning to visit the Sacheon Tang Family and then stop by Oh Dok-mun.”
“The Uigakju seems to be laying quite a bit of groundwork~”
Sama Hyeon appeared to have grasped the general picture from my movements alone.
“Exactly. The fact that we’re turning what was merely a face-saving medical exchange into something serious is itself a political move. Of course, I have my own ambitions regarding the medical exchange itself as well.”
Several of the common poisoning antidotes and side effect treatments discovered among the common folk were created through this very method.
Moreover, having experienced this Tugoe incident, I’ve come to understand the burden that patients suffer from—going beyond simple ‘detoxification’ to conditions like acute renal failure.
Cases where even after the poison is neutralized, organ function deteriorates and the patient dies.
‘Commoners are problematic, but martial artists too… hmm… Though they’re healthier than commoners, so it should be fine, but…’
Even if a martial artist dies from acute renal failure, there’s no way for them to know whether death came from delayed detoxification caused by the poison, or from some other cause entirely.
“Anyway, you’ve always been obsessed with saving people, hyeong.”
“Hahaha. Let’s call it unwavering dedication as a Doctor.”
This world has no Hippocratic Oath.
Of course, there are virtues expected of a Doctor, but the laws of Gangho take precedence.
A systematic ethical code like in modern times has never been established here, nor could it be.
‘That’s probably why I’m called the Mad Doctor.’
Thinking of what I did before Jeong Sama… well…
It was something I brought upon myself.
I have no regrets, and if I could go back to that moment, I’d do it again.
“Anyway, I’ll also arrange some herbal medicine trades and pharmaceutical requests with the Sacheon Tang Family. I called you here because I wanted you to arrange the connection with Hao-mun. The Gold Blood Method has considerable influence within Hao-mun, doesn’t it?”
“Not considerable—it’s the greatest. There’s no way you wouldn’t know that, hyeong~”
“Right. I’m asking for your help.”
I looked at Sama Hyeon with steady eyes.
“….”
Sama Hyeon looked at me and let out a soft chuckle.
This hyeong hasn’t changed since I was Seo Baek-ryong.
It was the same when I was the White-Robed Divine Dragon, and the same when I was the Veiled Madman.
People have begun calling me the Lesser Divine Doctor, and even if I were to be recognized in Gangho as such, this hyeong would never change.
That’s what I liked about him.
Fundamentally different from myself—someone who, since birth, has been unable to resist the urge to dissect whenever I see a human face.
I was fond of my brother like that.
Sama Hyeon slowly plucked the pipa.
Ding-ling—
“I’ll take a song request~”
“In whose voice?”
“Gaga~”
“…No, use your own voice. Not that.”
My brother spoke with an expression of revulsion.
Sama Hyeon readily sang in his own low voice.
I rested my chin on my hand, listening to Sama Hyeon’s song, and found myself humming along to a melody in some language I couldn’t identify.
A simple hum without any inner energy behind it.
For some reason, it felt like it might have been a song of parting lovers.
I couldn’t say why.
Just intuition.
As we listened to the song, Sama Hyeon poured me more wine.
I grumbled about it, but ultimately drank another cup.
Yes, I was fond of my brother like that.

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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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