Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 400

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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 400
First, the Oh Dok-mun organization was no longer the Oh Dok-mun of old.
While the name might persist, there was a high probability it would splinter into fragments—divided among the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and the various poison sects that formed its roots.
In that chaos, Jegalling moved swiftly to absorb the Odok Medical Institute.
Simply absorbing a medical institute was remarkable enough, but its true significance ran far deeper.
‘The exclusive right to monopolize every rare medicinal herb in Yunnan.’
It was an extraordinary privilege.
Yunnan, particularly insular as it was, rarely revealed to outsiders what treasures it possessed.
And now—
He had consumed everything: the complete inventory of those herbs, the laborers who could harvest them, and the doctors who could utilize them.
Medicine can save lives, but it can also take them.
Now the Baekrin Medical Institute could stand as an equal to the Hwaju Medical Institute, whose specialty was pharmacology.
‘That’s extraordinary. Acupuncture was already my brother’s primary discipline, and he’d already carved out a distinct territory in bone-setting that rivaled the Heukjeon Medical Institute. Now pharmacology too.’
Especially considering the emergency trauma treatment methods my brother had pioneered were saving countless martial artists even at this very moment.
The Pyo Guk, which required long-distance travel, had begun requesting that doctors from the Baekrin Medical Institute be dispatched for any major commission exceeding one hundred silver coins.
When an escort suffered injury during a journey, how quickly treatment could be administered determined whether that person lived or died.
Beyond mere survival, preserving the full function of limbs was crucial—a matter of grave consequence for any martial artist.
My brother had been the first to forge that path.
‘And now pharmacology on top of it all. Hmm…’
Sama Hyeon didn’t know what Baek Rin-ui-seon was constructing.
But he knew that adding his own spoon to the pot would bring no loss.
‘Money is always right~’
As Sama Hyeon entered the temporary Geumhyeolbang Bunta, everyone bowed in unison.
“Silver
Lord,
you’ve arrived–!”
True to their merchant nature, their voices rang out with vigor.
“Enough, back to work~”
Sama Hyeon waved his hand, and everyone returned to their posts with practiced ease.
While my brother lay incapacitated, Sama Hyeon had conducted his own affairs.
His Sa Jeo had not betrayed him and had fortunately brought mercenaries, medicinal materials, and other personnel. He had also remembered to bring the bandits affiliated with the Geumhyeolbang.
‘Land grows fertile from the blood and flesh of martial artists~ Then flowers bloom, and fruit bears~’
Those flowers would surely be golden.
The Geumhyeolbang was a flower that fed on the blood of martial artists, and its fruit was silver coins.
The Golden King permitted the Yunnan Bunta with familiar ease.
She was the one who harvested the fruit.
Once a full basket of fruit accumulated, she distributed it among those who followed her.
Since Sama Hyeon’s contribution was greatest in this affair, he would receive the largest basket.
“Wealth that would make princes envious. I can scarcely believe it.”
Sa Jeo pressed his forehead repeatedly.
At that moment, Sama Hyeon thought that Sa Jeo Lim Un-hyeon might betray him.
Of course, that would constitute a betrayal of righteousness.
But the two of them were both heterodox practitioners, having witnessed the depths of human nature together.
So if Sama Hyeon simply disappeared, she could become the next Silver Blood
Gang
Gang
leader.
Sama Hyeon did not trust people.
There was only one person in this world he could trust.
He was a peculiar human of extreme self-sacrifice and compassion, so the chivalry and righteousness he displayed differed from what ordinary people conceived them to be.
It was both a fatal weakness and a strength.
Because of this.
Because of this, Sama Hyeon cast the yoke of money upon Sa Jeo for the sake of that single person.
‘Sa Jeo, did you know the etymology of marble comes from the Kingdom of Dali~?’
Before the empire’s annexation, the Kingdom of Dali had existed.
Of course, it was so long ago that few remembered such tales anymore.
‘Anyway, the stone from that kingdom was so expensive and abundant in quantity. So people began calling stones from the Kingdom of Dali “marble”~ Isn’t that fascinating~?’
Sama Hyeon pointed to the ground beneath his feet.
‘Sa Jeo, listen carefully. All of this is money~. So you must definitely tell the Golden King, and if things go well, you should secure a share for yourself too~?’
That was right.
The city walls and buildings of Oh Dok-mun were entirely constructed of marble.
And the reason marble buildings were so abundant in Wan Nong, which was relatively close to Yunnan.
Meant that marble quarried from the Kingdom of Dali was so plentiful it was rotting away.
Amusingly, once Oh Dok-mun locked its gates, the marble trade naturally dried up.
‘It’s quite amusing, really. That closure matters more than money.’
Sama Hyeon could not comprehend it, but he thought ignorant fools had no fear.
Time continued to flow, and centuries passed.
Sufficient time for humans to forget something.
Eventually, the Central Plains naturally began using inferior marble that was more expensive than Yunnan’s marble.
Sa Jeo’s eyes sparkled with keen intelligence.
“They’re buying up land and seem desperate. Everyone’s selling cheaply—it’s chaos.”
The noble families were the first to sell.
They had decided to escape this tedious place for the sake of one household, one inn.
Interest-free.
However, compared to the true value of the land Sama Hyeon intended to purchase, such terms were easily manageable.
They did not know the true worth of this marble.
‘Well~ good is good. If they still harbored attachment to that land, things would become troublesome. But the Odok Munzu must be quite upset~’
The noble families would soon be incorporated into the Geumhyeolbang and scattered across various regions.
They would operate inns, collect and sell information, and occasionally earn money using poisons or hidden weapons.
‘Learning inn management techniques will take several months. But for a new life, that’s a bargain.’
When the Sa clan began selling their land and leaving, other clans soon followed suit.
Sama Hyeon instructed them to sell without discrimination.
The reason was simple.
‘On the surface, it looks better to live in ignorance about the marble. If rumors spread that Geumhyeolbang manipulated Odok Munzu out of greed for the marble, that would be troublesome.’
Rumors themselves weren’t particularly bothersome.
However, I couldn’t give the righteous sects an excuse to reclaim Odok Munzu’s land.
That would be a losing proposition.
Therefore, Sama Hyeon and Jegalling employed a second strategy.
“It seems Odok Munzu wishes to make a fresh start with the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace… We should support him generously.”
“Ho, you’re closing the debt of gratitude like that?”
“If you dislike it, you can either fight Odok Munzu to the death or not.”
Though closed-off, couldn’t some distant relative of Odok Munzu’s come wielding a blade and cause trouble, asking why the sect was disbanded?
That would not be right.
Sa Jeo narrowed his eyes.
“You really… do you need to be this meticulous?”
“Sigh… Sa Jeo… listen. If these delicate hands get scarred handling some thug, what then~?”
As he spoke, striking a pose with his refined hands, Sa Jeo felt an urge to curse.
He remembered how Sama Hyeon had cracked the skulls of his competitors with those very delicate hands.
“Fine… preserve them well. Those refined hands.”
“Of course~ these hands are for counting money and playing the pipa. Precious hands, you know~”
With his brother fallen and the situation calming, martial artists began arriving.
During that chaotic period, Sama Hyeon had smashed quite a few Odok Munzu disciples’ heads.
After smashing them, he always won them over with money.
Fear and money.
That was the essence of the evil path and what Sama Hyeon did best.
“I’ve already taken my share, so that’s fine. It seems Baekrin Uiseon also secured some marble mines.”
“You can’t eat this alone or you’ll get indigestion. And it’s time for my brother to release a premium grade jade. Marble jade.”
Sa Jeo’s mind conjured an absolutely chaotic red jade, but he decided to keep his mouth shut.
Officially, Jin Cheon-hee wasn’t the founder of red jade, but Sa Jeo felt a sense of awe regardless.
Either way, there was no need to offend that crazy bastard Sama Hyeon, so Sa Jeo decided to just secure his earnings.
‘Sigh… I want to retire early and go back home.’
They say human greed knows no bounds, yet somehow he was beginning to feel satisfied with what he had.
* * *
My Master arrived this quickly thanks to Yoo Ho.
‘I don’t know what method Yoo Ho used, but he’s truly remarkable.’
I didn’t ask what method he’d employed.
However, according to my Master, Yoo Ho possesses many talents, and one of them appears to be expedited delivery.
I saw my Master the entire time he was bedridden, but Yoo Ho has been so busy since arriving here that he’s barely shown his face.
‘Well, from now on, the Chief Manager’s duties will be substantial.’
Yoo Ho is here in Yunnan, while Muyue is at Baekrin Uiseon.
Both sides are assisting with the affairs to come.
All things return to their proper place.
Looking at Oh Dok-mun, that was the only thought that came to mind.
Everything had begun returning to its rightful position.
The silver Oh Dok-mun had scattered throughout Yunnan would flow its own course, and debts would flow theirs.
When I began moving my body and stepped outside, the landscape before me was entirely transformed.
‘So much has changed in merely twenty days.’
The separation of those staying and those departing had already concluded, buildings that once stood had crumbled or changed hands, and new structures had begun rising.
Then I saw what had been introduced to Yeonmu City—a water purification system.
Nothing extraordinary.
Based on principles used in the Roman era, I had constructed sedimentation pools and drainage basins, then added an additional purification stage using activated charcoal.
Since this region had abundant mountains and water sources at elevated locations, I could use this to transport water across great distances.
‘Given Yunnan’s geographical characteristics, I won’t need to employ inverted syphon techniques.’
It was one of the aqueduct construction techniques dating back to the Roman era—a construction method that uses elevation differences to force water upward when aqueducts must traverse cliff terrain like gorges, creating a U-shaped structure.
It resembles the letter U.
It remains one of the techniques used in modern times for certain terrains, but the construction costs are prohibitively high, water quality inspections are difficult, and the structures break easily.
Repair costs are substantial, so the technique is gradually being phased out.
Still, without it, there are no teeth—when establishing Yeonmu City, I employed every technique available.
I had worried whether major construction would be necessary this time as well.
‘Fortunately, it requires less labor.’
What I am currently installing in Yunnan can be described as a fusion of modern appropriate technology with Roman water and sewage systems.
Farewell to that wretched typhoid fever.
Once this is completed, it will be a victory for human civilization. Kahahaha!
‘I’m building it while constructing Yeonmu City’s sixth branch.’
It’s just like how surrounding areas develop together once a single landmark is created.
Moreover, with the marble quarry now established, Yunnan is poised for a redevelopment boom.
‘I never thought I’d actually use that story about marble’s etymology that I once told Sama Hyeon.’
On Earth, the Dali Kingdom persisted for three hundred years before being destroyed by the Mongols.
This martial arts world also had a Dali Kingdom.
Of course, it wasn’t destroyed by the Mongols, and the detailed history differs, but the essential trajectory flows similarly.
‘Rome certainly had plenty of marble.’
In a sense, I thought, wasn’t Yunnan the ideal place to implement Roman aqueduct systems?
‘Many things will change.’
I began to sense that the time to depart this place was drawing near.
Before that, I went to pay my respects to another benefactor.
The Six-Horned Venomous Snake.
The spirit beast that had moved to detoxify me despite having consumed the medicine.
I owed it my gratitude.

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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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