Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 425

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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 425
‘Money is truly a wonderful thing.’
The Nine Immortal Sects and the Eight Great Families.
Were they truly so remarkable?
What made them the powerhouses they were today was the divine arts they possessed and the gold accumulated across generations.
I chuckled softly.
It was the warm smile I had shown before Namgung Un.
‘If you desire martial arts so greatly, then I shall provide them. The Jegallim Family offers anything.’
However, this gift was not for you alone.
Why not try to dismantle and analyze it just like ‘back then’?
Whimper?
Hwang-gu sensed his master’s mood and let out a small sound.
“It’s fine. I’m fine, Hwang-gu.”
I stroked Hwang-gu’s head.
Woof?
“Really. It’s just… I wanted to earn a lot of money… I was simply thinking about that.”
Whimper.
“Yes. Of course, I did think about other small matters too. In Gangho, there are things more terrifying than swords, after all.”
Whine?
“Don’t worry. It’s fine. Perhaps… they will think it’s fine too. Usually, people don’t know what they’re losing until they actually lose it.”
So I shall give them plenty.
The martial arts of the Jegallim Family that you desired so much.
I hope you don’t choke on it.
My chest aches slightly. The pain eases a little when I look at Hwang-gu.
This isn’t actual physical pain—it’s merely a heart ailment.
How long had I been walking?
The end of the Baekrin Medical Guild’s stairs finally came into view.
My Master stood at the entrance.
“This time you returned without injury. Well done.”
“Am I a child? Getting hurt every time?”
“I wonder. Should I tell you how many times I’ve stitched your body?”
“Ugh… Master.”
I laughed brightly despite my embarrassment, as I always did, and walked inside with my Master.
“By the way, I acquired a fine piece of calligraphy and painting. The price should appreciate.”
Collecting calligraphy and paintings was my Master’s modest hobby.
Being such a discerning person, he didn’t purchase frequently, but whatever caught his eye was undoubtedly a masterpiece.
Even paintings by unknown scholars that no one knew of would become invaluable works that money couldn’t buy after a few years.
My Master led his disciple to the study.
‘What kind of painting will it be this time? Come to think of it, he was growing tired of orchids.’
And in the center of the study hung a portrait of a beautiful princess.
The painting bore an inscription.
Princess Seon-hee.
The meticulously rendered portrait captured every strand of hair with such vivid detail that it seemed almost alive.
“A painter from the Western Continent, I’m told. Originally a sailor, but he drifted across the sea and washed ashore in the Eastern Continent. Goes by the name James Miller. I specially commissioned him for this work. What do you think? Don’t you believe the value will only increase?”
“….”
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
Master and disciple locked eyes, both possessing those blue irises.
A soft smile.
Jegalling smiled.
“The commission cost me a fair sum, but surely your master deserves such modest indulgences, don’t you think? Hope.”
“….”
My legs gave out.
I collapsed to the ground, unable to support my own weight.
My Master spoke while unfurling his fan.
“My disciple keeps secrets from me—it truly saddens this old master.”
“Master…. That is….”
“Speak. Princess.”
“….”
What could I possibly say?
I could only stare at the floor with a pallid expression.
* * *
What is life, truly?
I decided to forget about the princess’s life, at least for now.
In any case, that three-dimensional Western Continent-style portrait now hung prominently in my Master’s study.
Only Yoo Ho and the Four Great Patriarchs could enter my Master’s study.
Even if other Medical Assistants glimpsed it, they would merely comment, “What a portrait of an incomparable beauty! It looks as though she might step right out of the frame.”
They would never discern the true meaning behind this painting.
‘Damn it. I wish to forget the princess, and I hope my Master will forget her too.’
But my Master never forgot anything.
Whether he was teasing me or genuinely fond of it, he displayed that portrait prominently upon the wall for all to see.
Thus, Princess Seon-hee became my Master’s memento.
Several more months passed in this manner.
I trained leisurely, pursued hobbies at a relaxed pace, and spent my days researching cost reductions for streptomycin and aspirin production.
Despite the portrait of Princess Seon-hee hanging in my Master’s study.
I had ultimately returned safely without incident.
There were no major complications, and I created no great rumors throughout Gangho.
‘It seems my Master’s trust in the Gongseon Family has increased by roughly a hundred points.’
Having brought the disciple and returned her unharmed, Gongseon Hyeon would receive my Master’s warm hospitality going forward.
As for my cultivation, I continued researching and applying the secret techniques of the Patcheon Musang Divine Art to myself.
Progress at the pace of a crawling ant—truly glacial advancement.
“The Pactian Shadowless Divine Art possesses the ascending characteristics befitting one of the Eight Absolute Techniques. If we examine its essence, it can be described as explosive force.”
“Explosive force, you say.”
“It blends the power of mutual destruction and detonates it, sweeping away everything through that destructive force—that is its essence.”
At the pinnacle, it is recorded that in modern terms, it possesses roughly hydrogen bomb-level destructive capability.
‘No… Setting aside the difficulty of reaching mastery, should a single individual even possess this level of destructive power?’
Of course, mastery is extraordinarily difficult, and even upon achieving it, if one’s spirit, qi, and body are not perfectly aligned, the practitioner themselves will be injured upon using it.
However…
‘No, hydrogen bomb-level? Even if it’s a miniature bomb, why does this era lack a nuclear umbrella…’
Upon further reflection, it is said that those of the Three Elites rank can erase an entire city from the map.
In the modern Earth, one would oppose the fact that a single individual could possess such destructive power.
Each time a technique is used, it would require national referendum approval.
‘No. And they don’t even consider ethical responsibility, just hoping the practitioner will use it with a righteous heart?’
Zheng Si-ma caused a bloodstorm over this very technique.
I blocked it with my body and became the Veiled Madman.
If the last person had been someone like Cheong-yeon, a pure evil of the Demonic Sect, how would they have dealt with the aftermath?
I laughed hollowly and spoke.
“Master… This is a martial art that requires no doctor. Because it causes instant death.”
“True. It would require a mortician rather than a doctor. If one could even recover the corpse.”
“At first glance, it resembles the Five Elements Annihilation of the Five Elements Divine Art, but examining its essence more carefully reveals it is completely different.”
“Ho, so you’ve discerned that much.”
“In terms of explosive force alone, it would be several levels more powerful than Five Elements Annihilation. Of course, the requirements would be proportionally greater as well.”
My Master Jegalling nodded.
“It is an offensive martial art that does not even employ the minimum defense to protect one’s own body.”
“Exactly. The greatest destruction achievable through the Pactian Shadowless Divine Art’s core principle is the explosion of two force spheres. One creates two force spheres and collides them to generate the explosion. The Five Elements Divine Art uses the five elements to increase stability, but this form collides two extremity forces. It is a spiral collision method.”
“Yes. And if it were merely collision, the Wudang School possesses martial arts utilizing yin and yang. However, this goes one step further—after perfecting the force sphere’s form, it collides them in a spiral pattern.”
“Yes. The Wudang method collides them while in qi form… but this requires force spheres as a minimum prerequisite…”
I pressed my forehead firmly.
“It would be difficult to block even with protective qi.”
“Yes. I agree.”
“Compared to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, in terms of pure destructive force, I believe this holds the advantage.”
“Then will you give up?”
At those words, I shook my head.
“I know you have already achieved higher mastery than I have, Master. What is your assessment?”
In response, Jegalling created two force spheres instead of answering.
However, they were so small—merely the size of fingernails—that calling them force spheres felt embarrassing.
Flame and Ice.
The two small force spheres spiraled in my Master’s hand.
As he released them, the two force spheres flew swiftly and collided in the center of the training ground.
With an ear-splitting thunderous sound, what had been the training ground simply vanished.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
“…!”
My eyes widened.
‘No, how did he manage that so effortlessly without even a preparatory stance…?!’
Facing my Master’s Oseng, goosebumps erupted across my back.
If my own progress crawled at an ant’s pace, my Master soared through the heavens.
“You haven’t quite reached the realm of Grand Mastery yet.”
“…What… This isn’t Grand Mastery?”
“There’s no particular need to reach Grand Mastery.”
“I….”
Conversing with a genius was exhausting.
I didn’t consider myself dull-witted, yet my mind reeled at the question of whether it was even possible to keep pace with my Master.
My Master spoke.
“My cherished disciple, you have fallen into a grave misunderstanding.”
“What do you mean…?”
“There is no need to force Grand Mastery. Simply extract the insights you require and apply them toward your goals. Isn’t that precisely what the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong is for?”
“That’s…true. Master, though it is.”
“Why did you venture into the Imperial Archives? Was it not to obtain these divine techniques and martial arts? Yet you do not practice every single technique contained within those halls, do you?”
“No. You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”
Except for the Chilma Geum, which I use most frequently, I acquire only the essence of the rest. Of course, even that is no simple task.
In the end, one masters the primary martial techniques most thoroughly.
“Then you need only extract what is necessary. Like this.”
“….”
I gazed out at the vast crater that had once been the training grounds.
Yet it seemed impossible to match my Master’s level.
“I…. I shall remember this.”
That was all I could say.
Even if I crawl forward at an ant’s pace, at least I’m moving ahead.
* * *
“Let me examine you, young one. Yes, the bone has healed well.”
“Waaahhh!”
“There, there, there. We’ll observe for a few more days, and if all looks good, you can be discharged with your father. Just be patient a little longer. Come now, why are you crying? You’ll get something delicious to eat later, so why the tears?”
“Wahhh! Waaahhh!”
I smiled as I took the child’s pulse while he wailed.
The child’s father watched me with anxious eyes.
“The child….”
“He’s fine. The fracture is healing excellently.”
The father wiped his chest in relief.
When they first arrived, neither the father’s life nor the child’s life on his back could be guaranteed.
Though emergency treatment had been administered at the branch, the poison from the heterodox sect was so virulent that detoxification proved difficult.
The adult could endure through internal energy, but the child was the greater concern.
Pediatric head trauma.
Surprisingly, it’s one of the most common emergency injuries.
Especially since the patient is a young child under two years old, pulse diagnosis isn’t straightforward, and at such a tender age, even minor wounds can result in fractures or pathological changes.
Even with modern Earth imaging medicine, detecting lesions isn’t easy.
Because of this, it’s crucial to understand how the injury occurred—whether from a fall, a collision, or beatings.
If it’s a fall, from what height did the child drop?
If it’s a collision, where exactly did the head strike?
If it’s from beatings, I needed to know what weapon was used and how forcefully.
The latter is rarely mentioned by parents themselves, so the doctor must deduce it.
Babies can’t speak, after all.
Even if they were old enough to talk, they’re usually taught to hide such things by their parents.
The Gangho is similar yet different.
Many injuries come from ambushes.
In the Gangho, the Black Dao Scoundrels show no mercy to the children of warriors.
When this child, not even two years old, was brought in on his father’s back just as Wang Gak-yeon had been in the past, I can’t describe how heavily my heart sank.
‘Thank goodness he recovered. Thank goodness he’s well.’

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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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