Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 406

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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 406
“Now the Unryongpyoguk only has business rights remaining in Zhejiang. Having come this far, we have only two choices: cut all the retainers we’ve been keeping and start fresh, or hand over the Pyo Guk to the Gongseon Family.”
“It seems the Pyo Guk’s master carries a heavy burden in his heart.”
“Indeed. When I took his pulse at Baekrin Uiseon’s branch, I found deep-seated fire-sickness. Since no medicine proves effective, he’s taken to bed rest.”
A bitter taste filled one corner of my chest.
“Still, his entire family remains healthy, and he has more than enough wealth to live comfortably for a lifetime. He’ll recover soon.”
“The Gongseon Family must have paid a steep price. If they’d tried to haggle poorly, the Unryongpyoguk might have handed over only the form of a Pyo Guk while withholding the most crucial pyo-haengro.”
Pyo-haengro.
The routes that couriers travel.
Not merely maps, but documents containing the locations of bandits and bandit gangs, as well as the positions of waystations and springs along the way.
Each Pyo Guk’s courier routes differ slightly.
And safety and speed are determined by those routes.
Baekrin Uiseon also has established pyo-haengro.
‘Since our routes emphasize medicinal transport and patient transfer, they differ from the pyo-haengro other Pyo Guks possess.’
My master continued speaking.
“For that reason, we must proceed with the plan to acquire the Unryongpyoguk and link it with maritime trade. But tell me—what do you think is necessary for that?”
Without hesitation, Jin Cheon-hee grasped the Gongseon Family’s next move.
“Control over the commerce of the Yangtze River and Yellow River.”
“Precisely. You predicted it immediately.”
My master seemed delighted with his disciple and ruffled my hair enthusiastically.
Though I had grown into an adult, my master remained as carefree as ever.
“Hehe.”
I didn’t dislike my master for being this way. So I deliberately continued, showing off a bit.
“The Yellow River runs through the northern continent while the Yangtze pierces the south. By controlling these commercial routes and distributing goods, maritime trade becomes possible—the profits would be immense. The Gongseon Family wouldn’t overlook this.”
“Then you also understand what the single greatest obstacle is?”
“The hearts of the local people might be one concern, but the Yellow River-Yangtze River Waterway Alliance uniting both rivers would be the greatest problem.”
The Yellow River-Yangtze River Waterway Alliance was a coalition of various water bandits operating on both rivers—in essence, they shared the same lineage as the Eighteen Bandit Gangs.
What made this interesting was this:
Just as the Gongseon Family had history and tradition as a clan, villains too possessed history and tradition.
Like the Italian Mafia on Earth, they engaged in banditry generation after generation while maintaining collusion with government forces across generations.
It was despicable work.
‘Yet this too has weaknesses.’
As a coalition, they possessed the same vulnerabilities as the Martial Alliance.
Since they are an alliance, they also have the same weaknesses that the Murim League has.
They moved relatively loosely even under orders from the chief bandit.
Because of this, even though the Yangtze bandits had disappeared in Jiangsu Province, no other bandits stepped forward to fill that void.
Jegalling gazed at his disciple’s profile and spoke.
“The Veiled Madman of Baekrin Uiseon has earned a fearsome reputation among the water bandits. Unlike other aging masters, he remains vigorous and sharp, employing absurd martial techniques in absurd ways, making him difficult to counter.”
My blue eyes looked up at the sky before slowly turning back to my master.
“Hehe. So that’s precisely the Gongseon Family’s objective.”
“You’ve hit the mark precisely. What a perceptive disciple.”
Just moments ago, Master had called me dull, yet now he praised my acuity.
Perhaps such contradictions were simply the nature of a master’s heart.
I walked forward with that thought in mind.
Soon, we arrived before the reception hall.
The two tigers of the Gongseon Family would surely be waiting in the largest reception chamber.
I adjusted my sleeves and straightened my robes before following Master inside.
* * *
“So what is it you desire?”
“Partnership and alliance. Shall we not seize control of the Yellow River in Shandong together?”
My prediction had been correct.
The two handsome men of the Jegallga exchanged a brief glance.
The joy of engaging in a battle of wits and having one’s prediction proven right was beyond description.
Not the pleasure of a warrior, but the pleasure of a strategist.
Master and Jegalling exchanged glances like a pair of hands clapping together.
“I see.”
Gongseon Gang continued.
“Shandong Province lies to the north of Jiangsu Province, where the Baekrin Medical Guild resides. And above Shandong are Hebei and Liaoning Provinces—it is quite convenient to travel by boat between Liaoning and Shandong.”
Jegalling unfurled his fan and asked.
“I would like to hear why you specifically chose Shandong Province.”
“It is nothing of great importance. When we attempt to penetrate inland through the Yellow River in Shandong, the Hwangbo Family obstructs us—they are like a thorn in my eye. They do not even properly control the commercial rights, yet they do nothing but interfere. It is most vexing.”
The Hwangbo Family.
I recalled the twins of the Hwangbo Family whom I had met at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
Hwangbo Mu-hwi, the elder brother, and Hwangbo Mu-a, the younger.
Both possessed straightforward temperaments and were combative, yet they harbored ill will toward each other.
Born on the same day and hour with identical builds, they quarreled like dogs, constantly hurling insults at one another about being the older or younger brother.
Their father, the Great Sword Master Hwangbo Joongheon, lamented why other families’ siblings got along so well, yet his own household was like this.
‘Knowing their family circumstances and hearing of the conflict between the families paints quite a different picture.’
Conversely, the Gongseon sisters got along so well it seemed almost dangerous.
There had been an attempt to pass the position of Gaju to their cousin Gongseon Yeong, though it had not succeeded. Yet the day Gongseon Yeong dies would be the day a bloody wind sweeps through the martial world.
In any case, the Hwangbo Family, worried because their siblings harbored such enmity, and the Gongseon Family, worried because their sisters got along too well, despised each other.
But business was business, after all.
“I see.”
“The Hwangbo Family has long been known for their ignorance and foul temperament. It dates back to my great-grandfather’s time.”
“….”
This was the problem with conversations between major families.
Since both possessed deep histories and traditions, they would recite grievances from the time of great-grandfathers and great-great-grandfathers without end.
Master cut off the conversation before it could grow longer.
“You must endure much hardship. So it is for these reasons that you propose this alliance.”
“Indeed. Should you lend us your strength, the Gongseon Family will surely repay the Baekrin Medical Guild in kind.”
However, I immediately predicted what my Master would answer.
‘A proposal of this magnitude wouldn’t warrant an immediate decision.’
My Master opened his mouth.
“Would it be acceptable if we discussed this further internally before providing an answer?”
“Of course, given the significance of such a matter. I eagerly await your favorable response.”
Gongseon Gang and Gongseon Yeong cupped their fists in salute.
Jegalling and I responded in kind, exchanging the gesture.
‘An alliance proposal, then….’
Hwangbo Joongheon would have quite the headache over this.
Yet, weighing the gains and losses, joining hands with the Gongseon Family seemed the more advantageous path.
* * *
“What are your thoughts?”
My Master’s blue eyes looked down upon me.
I had never felt this man loom so large before.
No, that was merely because I hadn’t understood how vast a mountain truly was.
The more I mastered the duties of Patriarch, the more I began to perceive the countless responsibilities resting upon his shoulders.
And from that point on, my Master began to feel like an impossibly distant, towering wall.
Moreover, I realized this colossal mountain continued to test me relentlessly.
Though I am said to be his only favored disciple, my Master never spared his teachings lightly.
Gulp.
‘A wrong answer would only add to my studies.’
Still, my prediction from just before meeting the Gongseon Family had passed his scrutiny.
Today too, my Master heated his disciple in the forge of knowledge, then struck him with the hammer of contemplation.
I had no intention of breaking.
“Observing Baekrin Uiseon’s current alliance status, I would say it comprises the Sichuan Sect, Shaolin Temple, Hao-mun, and Oh Dok-mun.”
“Why do you not mention the Wudang Sect?”
“Though we have had dealings with the Wudang Sect, there was the past incident where you appropriated Dalgi’s belongings.”
“That was smoothed over adequately, was it not? Besides, are you not Gwon Je’s co-warrior?”
The moment my disciple showed the slightest gap, my Master drove his point home. I answered as if I had been waiting for this.
“Yes. Though it was smoothed over, there has been neither business partnership nor personnel exchange with the Wudang Sect. Therefore, while we may call them personally close, it would be difficult to classify them as a true alliance.”
At my answer, my Master snapped his fan shut with a decisive sound.
“At last, you have grasped the true meaning of ‘alliance’ as a strategist.”
No matter how emotionally close the leaders might be, or how I am Gwon Je’s co-warrior.
That remains merely a relationship as warriors.
An alliance here means business exchange.
‘Bluntly put, even if Baekrin Uiseon were annihilated, the Wudang Sect would suffer no loss. The reverse holds equally true.’
But the Sichuan Sect is different.
If Baekrin Uiseon were to disappear, the Sect would immediately lose its massive consumer of medicinal products.
They would need to pioneer new sales channels, but the problem is that medicinal materials and goods related to the Sichuan method can only be used by places employing the same method.
The only other faction in the Central Plains using the Sichuan method after Baekrin Uiseon is the Heukjeon Uiseon.
However, the Black Transmutation Medical Guild does not conduct official transactions with orthodox sects like the Tang Clan—they deal with heterodox sects and demonic cults instead.
Moreover, with established trading partners already in place, there would be no reason to involve the Tang Clan.
‘In other words, you could call a relationship where both sides are vulnerable to each other an alliance.’
But Oh Dok-mun’s Medical Guild is different.
Oh Dok-mun’s Medical Guild is completely subordinate to Baekrin Medical Guild. If Oh Dok-mun’s Medical Guild falls, Baekrin Medical Guild doesn’t necessarily fall with it.
That’s because we’ve already extracted their technical expertise and human resources.
Conversely, if Baekrin Medical Guild falls, there would be no one to provide funding to Oh Dok-mun’s Medical Guild, nor any martial sect to protect them—so Oh Dok-mun’s Medical Guild would effectively begin dissolution.
That is the nature of such an ‘alliance.’
Fundamentally, the Jegallim Family places little trust in human emotion.
They consider it an alliance only when both sides are mutually vulnerable—not otherwise.
In reality, even in Gangho, brothers and disciples who embrace and live together ultimately prioritize their own sect and family.
That’s why it was crucial to clearly distinguish this principle when formulating strategy and laying groundwork.
The reason Jegalling had not explicitly stated this to Jin Cheon-hee was simple.
If the disciple did not come to this realization on his own, he would eventually be swayed by emotional ‘alliances.’
‘Yet he grasped it so quickly.’
Normally, this would be the age when sentiment held sway.
Strangely, this one possessed insight beyond his years.
‘Then perhaps it would be good to tighten the reins a bit more.’
A playful smile crept across Jegalling’s lips.
“Then do you believe the Gongseon Family and the Unryongpyoguk are allies of Baekrin Medical Guild?”

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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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