Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 414

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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 414
Thus, the princess and her Gongseon Family entourage made their way to the premium inn.
The princess walked forward in silence, yet her sharp nose and fair complexion unmistakably revealed her beauty.
The princess thought to herself.
‘Somehow… I want to die. At my age…’
Indeed.
Jin Cheon-hee, Gongseon Yeong, and Wang Gak-yeon!
Jin Cheon-hee was dressed as a woman, while Gongseon Yeong and Wang Gak-yeon were dressed as men.
[No, will they really fall for just this?]
[According to my sister, even if she’s not a princess, as long as we focus on a female expert, that’s enough.]
‘Ugh…’
[Think of the greater good. Where could we find a more convincing disguise than this? My sister said if you really hate it, she’d get you a top-grade human skin mask, but you said you didn’t want that either?]
Indeed.
What Gongseon Hyeon was trying to obtain was a top-grade human skin mask.
So natural that even masters wouldn’t notice.
The problem was that in the martial world, human skin masks of that caliber were truly made from actual human facial skin.
Because they were made from real human faces, even the Gongseon Family refused to use such masks.
If Jin Cheon-hee truly despised wearing women’s clothing, she would solemnly say she’d obtain one distributed through the underworld instead.
But a modern person couldn’t muster the courage to wear that with a clear mind and act.
[You should know that even using transformation techniques won’t deceive the eyes of masters.]
The greater good.
What exactly was the greater good?
Unable to bring myself to use actual human facial skin no matter what, I reluctantly donned a palace dress, wrapped my face in cloth, and resigned myself to it.
Conversely, Gongseon Yeong and Wang Gak-yeon became impressive foreign guards with bold, masculine features.
‘In a sword-wielding Confucian society, cross-dressing—whether feminine or masculine—isn’t exactly common.’
Just how uncommon? So uncommon that cross-dressing appears as material for traditional folktales.
If it were common, it wouldn’t even qualify as folktale material.
Yet if something has been passed down for thousands of years, people still perceive it as a taboo, and they find entertainment in stories that transgress that taboo.
That’s precisely why such tales continue to spread from mouth to mouth.
Of course, there were exceptions.
In classical opera like the Hegemon King Bids Farewell to His Concubine, men would cross-dress and perform female roles.
As I analyzed all this in my mind, I decided to enjoy this situation a little.
‘When I think about it, how many times in a lifetime would I get an opportunity like this?’
I insist I’m forty years old, but counting the years since my reincarnation, I’m already a grandfather.
‘Still, I want to insist I haven’t aged beyond forty.’
Sigh.
I decided to count myself as still being forty.
In any case, this “forty-year-old” decided to view this as another form of amusement.
‘As long as I don’t run into anyone I know, it should be fine.’
Fortunately, this place was outside the sphere of activity for Yeo Ha-ryun and Sama Hyeon, and Cheonwoo wasn’t coming down from Mount Wudang.
I need time to consolidate the enlightenment I’ve gained from wandering through the secular world.
Wang Gak-yeon sent a telepathic message.
[Cheon-hee, just hold on for two more days.]
[I’ve decided to embrace peace of mind.]
A spirit that still hypnotizes itself as being beyond confusion has chosen to keep an open heart.
Suddenly, while calculating money, my eyes met with the young lady who had been doing the calculations.
She flushed and turned her gaze away.
[When wearing women’s clothes, I don’t discriminate between genders. Oh my, my friend’s charm….]
[Gak-yeon… that’s too much. Let’s stop….]
Next time, I’m thinking of switching from a veil to a myelip—a type of hat that covers the face with thin cloth draped over a bamboo hat.
Still, the fortunate thing is that the inns and street food in this neighborhood are quite delicious.
‘Oh, there’s a craftsman here who makes goldfish out of candy.’
I watched the craftsman’s work for quite some time and decided I’d have to try it myself later.
The craftsman was startled upon seeing me in the veil and tensed his shoulders more than usual.
Crack!
The goldfish’s fin broke.
‘Hmm… this is troublesome. Everyone gets nervous when they see me. Is the title of princess really that burdensome?’
I thought that was probably the case.
The ship is being guarded by two hundred Unryongpyoguk escorts, and around me are Wang Gak-yeon and Gongseon Yeong in male disguise, plus ten close guards following along.
“Wow, that young master is so handsome.”
“He’s so exotic…. Do only beautiful men live in that country?”
The young ladies whispered among themselves, but they spoke so loudly—perhaps because they had tensed their bodies too much—that everyone could hear them.
They soon realized they had failed to control their volume and burst into laughter as they walked away.
As they left, they didn’t forget to wave shyly (yet vigorously) at Wang Gak-yeon and Gongseon Yeong.
[Hey, now that I’m in male disguise, I’m getting quite popular.]
Wang Gak-yeon puffed up with pride.
The craftsman summoned by the Gongseon Family was quite skilled, and after all, a beauty in male disguise becomes a handsome man—that face doesn’t go anywhere.
Just as I, a handsome man, become a beautiful woman in female disguise—that face doesn’t disappear either.
The most popular among us is Gongseon Yeong.
Perhaps it’s because of the natural bone structure of the Taiyang physique.
She had a large frame from childhood. She grew even taller during her growth years, and her height continued to increase even after twenty.
Now she’s the tallest in our group, so she stands out even more.
“Brother, where do you live?”
“Brother, won’t you come back next time?”
“How old are you?”
Despite being undeniably handsome, I’ve never received the kind of aggressive advances that Gongseon Yeong gets.
Does this really depend on the atmosphere?
For reasons unknown, women all seem to approach Gongseon Yeong with desperate eyes.
It was fierce.
“Brother! Is it okay if I call you brother?”
Gongseon Yeong spoke in flustered surprise.
“Wait, I’m on guard duty. Just a moment.”
“Huh… why is your voice so pleasant?”
Had she been from an evil sect, she might have released killing intent to drive them back.
But in Gongseon Yeong’s life, never had she been this popular with women.
Then Wang Gak-yeon spoke.
[Oh my, sister. The Cheonsung Clan sisters will be jealous.]
Turning around, she saw the female swordsmen of Cheonsung Clan, dressed identically in men’s clothing, glaring with eyes that screamed ‘Stay away from our sister, you wretches!’
…So she was already popular.
[You’re quite the beauty among women, Gongseon Yeong.]
[Quite? That sister has always had everyone clinging to her just from breathing. I mean, where else would you find someone so dependably handsome?]
With the added effect of male disguise, the local women swarmed like ants to sugar.
[How exactly does she appear?]
[She has this charm—good-natured and trustworthy, but if you fall for her seriously, your life will be utterly ruined. That kind of appeal?]
‘No, shouldn’t I be running away then?’
To the panicked Jin Cheon-hee, Wang Gak-yeon transmitted her voice calmly.
[She has an antlion-like charm. The kind of dandelion-moth appeal that only those who know understand.]
Jin Cheon-hee, who had lived his entire first life as a virgin and remained unchanged in his second, grew increasingly bewildered.
In any case, that “dandelion-moth” Gongseon Yeong couldn’t be harsh to ordinary people.
And the antlion trap created by her innate gentle nature began to ensnare the women.
A charm that would ruin one’s life.
That was the moth.
Jin Cheon-hee knew nothing of this terror.
‘Gongseon Yeong could be a martial arts novel protagonist.’
Modern martial arts novels are somewhat different, but in older ones, you’d see descriptions where women would gasp breathlessly and cling to the protagonist just from meeting his gaze.
Even then, reading it, I thought it was utter nonsense.
I never expected to witness it in reality, and from a woman in male disguise no less.
[Help me out a bit.]
Wang Gak-yeon answered Jin Cheon-hee’s plea.
[If I get involved, I’ll just be pouring oil on a burning house. Why don’t you try calling her “gaga~” and link arms with your sister?]
[Save me.]
Jin Cheon-hee said this while eating a piece of taffy shaped like a goldfish with its fins shattered.
‘Hmm. The taste is decent. I wonder if the taffy becomes smoother the larger the surface area exposed to air?’
Recalling the Western dessert called “angel hair,” he thought it would be nice to attempt something new.
Jin Cheon-hee left Gongseon Yeong floundering in the swamp of women’s attention and set off in search of the next delicacy.
* * *
In response to the moves made by the Gongseon Family and Baekrin Medical Guild, other factions began to read the situation.
First, the Martial Arts Alliance.
Akjin, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, read through the report.
Beside him, Dokgo Seon, the Martial Arts Alliance’s Chief General, continued speaking.
“Intelligence has arrived indicating the expansion of the Gongseon Family, along with what appears to be an alliance between the Unryongpyoguk and certain orthodox sects.”
“By certain orthodox sects, you mean?”
“The Hwangbo Sega….”
Dokgo Seon hesitated at that point before finally speaking honestly.
“…and the Sandong Ak Family.”
The Sandong Ak Family was the clan of Changwang Akjin.
He closed his eyes and fell into deep thought for a long while.
“The intelligence is reliable, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Unfortunately.”
“…I have failed at raising my son. I raised him poorly. Or rather, I scarcely laid a hand on his education, so perhaps I have no right to speak.”
Deep shadows fell across Changwang Akjin’s face.
He recalled the moment his son first took his first steps.
The moment that child first grasped a spear.
And when he fell and cried out “Waaah~” before wiping away his tears with his hands when his father arrived, straightening himself up as though he were a grown man.
Yet he had almost no memories of watching him grow.
The last time he had seen the child was only at the general assembly of the Martial Arts Alliance.
The tea tasted bitter.
It was the taste of reaping what one had sown.
“…The Hwangbo Sega is unexpected.”
“A good father is not necessarily a virtuous family head.”
It was not uncommon for a man to be a good husband at home yet commit despicable acts abroad.
If one aspect of a person were righteous and all aspects were righteous, then that would not be human.
Humans were inherently contradictory and sordid.
That was what it meant to be human, and the gathering of such humans formed the Gangho and the Martial Arts Alliance.
Dokgo Seon continued speaking.
“Moreover, if one considers the Hwangbo Sega’s interests, they would have judged that course to be more advantageous. Since the Black Ice Poison Dragon Gongseon Hyeon took her seat as acting family head, the Gongseon Family’s expansion has been abnormally aggressive.”
“So in the end, they reached out to that extent.”
“Yes.”
“…It seems they made a hasty decision out of urgency…. But they appear to have greatly underestimated Gongseon Hyeon. The Gongseon Family suffered the least damage during the Dragon-Phoenix Conference. It was Gongseon Hyeon who orchestrated that.”
“They made a bold judgment with limited information in a short time.”
“If the family head were Gongseon Yeong, who possesses martial power, with Gongseon Hyeon serving as chief manager beneath her, that would be one thing. But now Gongseon Hyeon is the head and Gongseon Yeong serves as her limbs. She is not one to be pushed around.”
“Will you aid the Sandong Ak Family?”
“….”
He recalled his son’s face.
His son, who had joined hands with the Unryongpyoguk rather than lose to a rival sect.
After a moment, he spoke.
“As the Martial Arts Alliance Leader and family head, I have already provided sufficient convenience. As a father and son… it is best to leave things as they are.”
“Do you believe the Sandong Ak Family will fall to the Gongseon Family, Alliance Leader?”
“Such matters always proceed toward their inevitable conclusion.”
He said no more and exhaled a deep sigh.
Where did things go wrong?
However, now that it was revealed she had trained with the heterodox sects, even if she were from his own family, he would treat her the same.
“Do not help under any circumstances, and if a warrior is requested, do not answer. However, if they wish for mediation with the Gongseon Family, then we will help. It is the Martial Arts Alliance’s duty to shed less blood.”
“What if the Gongseon Family does not wish for it?”
“Then that too is the natural course of things.”
He spoke coldly and swallowed another bitter sip of tea.

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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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