Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 445

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 445
The wounds on my back healed so rapidly I could feel it happening in real time.
It must be the effect of the Preservation Jade.
The Preservation Jade accelerated fatigue recovery to superhuman speeds, and similarly enhanced inner force recovery at superhuman rates as well.
Its wound-healing effects were exceptional—I could feel the injuries on my back regenerating like a YouTube stream being played back.
Yes, something potent enough to keep me alive against Hyeongyeong-level toxins could certainly repair an arrow lodged in my back.
‘But why hasn’t the pain in my arm healed? Is it some kind of phantom limb pain…?’
Even my Master couldn’t explain this.
Still, the pain in my left arm was manageable enough to fight through.
While I was thinking this, someone pushed aside the tent flap and entered.
Measured footsteps.
Looking down, Hwang-gu’s tail was already wagging, but he didn’t bark.
The reason was obvious.
Someone who shouldn’t be known to others.
At the same time, someone I could trust.
I recognized him instantly from the familiar scent and presence.
But how in the world did he get here?
“How did you get here? You’re not supposed to be conscripted from your district.”
Click—
I turned around to see a dark-haired handsome young man removing his mask and looking at me.
His eyes were crimson, yet there was no trace of murderous intent.
I couldn’t tell if he’d reached some compromise with Cheon Sal-seong, or if another demonic technique was responsible.
Yeo Ha-ryun.
He quietly rolled his eyes to examine my wounds.
The large bamboo tube in my hands and the straw protruding from it.
Even the pungent medicinal broth smell.
“You’re still carrying around strange inventions, hyeong.”
“It’s medicinal broth Americano. Master keeps telling me to drink it, so I have to suck on it like this.”
“Doesn’t it taste bitter?”
“That’s exactly why I drink it. It’s good for staying awake.”
What kind of medicinal broth keeps you awake… Yeo Ha-ryun thought it must be some kind of stimulating decoction.
“I heard you did something crazy, so I stopped by. Fortunately, you seem unharmed, hyeong.”
“Who am I? I’m your hyeong.”
“Right. My crazy hyeong.”
Yeo Ha-ryun approached steadily.
Unlike when he deliberately announced his presence at first, these two steps made no sound at all.
I spoke.
“You’ve made progress. Your bones and muscles have grown stronger too.”
“You could say that.”
“I’m envious. Your growth plates haven’t closed yet.”
“Will you grow any taller, hyeong?”
“…Yeah, it might be a genetic issue. But this is still above average.”
“I see.”
Yeo Ha-ryun placed his hand on my forehead while speaking nonsense.
“You don’t seem to have a fever.”
“Are you playing doctor in front of a doctor?”
At those words, Yeo Ha-ryun let out a quiet laugh.
Finally, a crack appeared in his perpetually expressionless face.
It was a relief.
The Yeo Ha-ryun I hadn’t seen in a long time carried a much thicker scent of blood than before.
There are scents that never fade no matter how much you wash. Human blood was especially like that.
All blood leaves traces.
Just as all death leaves traces.
Seeing that other scents also emanated from Yeo Ha-ryun, it seemed he carried a fragrance pouch to mask the smell.
‘Yet when he conceals himself, it’s flawless. How curious.’
The Cheonma was like that too.
She transcended mere absence of presence—there was something peculiar about her, as if she were a paper cutout of a person.
Clearly she made sounds, carried scents, and had presence, yet when you closed your eyes, you couldn’t feel her at all.
Yeo Ha-ryun was gradually advancing toward that realm as well.
And yet, he was fast.
This speed was… not normal.
“It must have taken quite a while to come all this way from the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. How did you manage it? Did the sect issue orders?”
“Something like that. The sect is also keeping watch over this war. I came for reconnaissance and tactical purposes.”
A calm and level voice.
‘Reconnaissance and tactics… That’s different from the Cheonma’s actions in the original story.’
In the original story, it was pure chaos, so the demonic sect wouldn’t have had the capacity to pay attention.
“You’re not here to kill all the imperial soldiers… and take the opportunity to assassinate the King, right?”
I made a throat-cutting gesture with my hand.
“The Empire won’t suffer any harm, so you don’t need to worry. This is a different matter.”
“Is that so? Then I can rest easy.”
The murderous aura unique to Cheon Sal-seong kept making people tense.
Or perhaps it was more because I knew the other person was the ‘protagonist’ walking the path of blood.
Yeo Ha-ryun is the ‘protagonist.’
How must I appear to such a protagonist?
A supporting character? An extra?
The number of encounters seems too few to call myself a main supporting character.
So… I suppose I’d be safe calling myself an extra, but still, since I’m his hyeong, I might be a supporting character.
“Hmm… Your wound recovery is certainly fast.”
“How would you know that if you’re not a doctor?”
“Mm.”
Yeo Ha-ryun simply said that much and offered nothing further.
‘He must know some method. After all, he’s the protagonist.’
My brother might have learned some martial technique or divine perception that I’m unaware of, or perhaps studied a bit of medical knowledge.
Yeo Ha-ryun spoke.
“Even so, I wouldn’t do something that insane. Brother.”
“…Hearing that from the original madman Cheon Sal-seong himself is somehow irritating?”
Jin Cheon-hee grumbled, then laughed hollowly and added a word.
“The angle presented itself then. It had to be that moment.”
“Angle?”
“When I measured the angles, it seemed doable.”
“Angles?”
This sounds somewhat modern.
Yeo Ha-ryun grasped the context and nodded.
“I understand what you mean. But don’t do it. You’re meant to come to the Demonic Sect with your whole body intact, so you must cherish yourself.”
He’s been saying things like that since childhood.
That I’m destined to come to the Demonic Sect, that he’s already decided it.
I don’t understand why someone currently locked in a bloody struggle over the position of Soegooju is telling me to organize my affairs first.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“If formal knowledge exchange with the Heukjeon Medical Guild happens, I’ll consider it. Anyway, what’s the operation? Is the Demonic Sect participating in the war?”
I thought he couldn’t answer due to secrecy, but Yeo Ha-ryun responded more easily than expected.
“No, we’re not participating in the war. We’re merely observing. That’s the order handed down by the sect.”
“Observing?”
“Yes, the Cheonma commanded us to watch how this war unfolds. And… if we discover the Hyeolseonggyo, we’re to execute them on sight.”
“Not capture them if they surrender, but simply execute them? That’s different from the Tugoe situation.”
“Yes. That’s right. However, since the Cheonma reigns as a living Demon, there must be a reason for that decision.”
It’s a race against time—whether Yeo Ha-ryun discovers the Hyeolseonggyo or if this war ends first.
“Want my help?”
“No, I won’t let you get involved. I won’t let it play out like last time with Yo Cheon-gun.”
It seems he still harbors resentment about being used as bait back then.
“I suppose you didn’t come alone.”
“The other Soegoojus and their followers are hidden here with me. I also have my own people mixed in among them.”
‘Hmm, ‘my people’….’
I recall that by this point in time, many of those Yeo Ha-ryun could call his own people had already died.
‘He’s building his forces quite solidly.’
The Demonic Sect under Jicheon Cheonma is political.
Strength is the first priority, but how one employs that strength through schemes matters greatly.
That’s why the current Cheonma, as a living Demon, spreads darkness across the Central Plains.
What’s terrifying about her isn’t merely the martial force she commands.
It’s her intellect.
She became the Cheonma through methods that transcend human righteousness, morality, and common sense, and the Central Plains has had to clash with her countless times because of it.
Apart from my Master, the only ones in the demonic sects who could hold their own against her through strategy were the current Demonic Sect Leader Sulche, the Technique Emperor, and Guihonma.
And the Golden King Myo I-ryeong.
In the righteous sects, though they struggle, there’s the Martial Arts Alliance Leader Changwang Akjin and, oddly enough, Mudang Gwon-je.
And the Immortal Sage shrouded in mystery.
As for neutral factions—though it’s hard to call them that—there’s Wuying Tugoe and Hyeolsaeng Nogoe, who simply live as they please.
However, Hyeolsaeng Nogoe is, strictly speaking, in a cooperative relationship with the demonic sect, so it’s ambiguous to group him with them.
Well, even so, if someone the demonic sect wants appears, he’ll drag them in and forcibly treat(?) them, so it’s also ambiguous to call it a complete cooperative relationship with him.
My older brother gazed at my crimson eyes with his blue ones.
“You take good care of your people, and your martial achievements look impressive. You’ve grown well. Truly remarkable.”
At my brother’s sincere praise, Yeo Ha-ryun’s rigid face flushed slightly.
“You praise the oddest things, brother. And you nearly died.”
“Haha, despite being like this. I know you’ve lived with all your strength.”
When I reached out to ruffle Yeo Ha-ryun’s hair, he lowered his head on his own and quietly accepted my touch.
“Stay healthy. You must stay healthy.”
“You too, brother.”
“If you get injured, come running to my quarters. I’ll hide you no matter what I have to do.”
“Okay.”
“If any of your people get hurt, I’ll do the same for them. Your brother will manage it somehow.”
“Got it.”
Yeo Ha-ryun nodded.
‘When I see him like this, he’s unmistakably someone my age.’
Perhaps it was my imagination, but the blood scent emanating from Yeo Ha-ryun seemed to grow slightly fainter.
* * *
I exchanged some conversation with Yeo Ha-ryun.
Stories of how we’ve been living and how he’s been using the lute I sent him well.
Of course, I didn’t mention exactly how I’d used it. It was just a courtesy exchange, after all.
The boy was still worried about me.
“Brother, do you know something?”
“What is it?”
“When I see you, it’s more often that you’re either injured, about to be injured, or planning to get injured than when you’re perfectly fine.”
“Hmm… The timing of our reunions has always been rather peculiar. That’s true.”
Whenever I didn’t specifically invite him, we seemed to meet when construction work was at its busiest.
“Here.”
What Yeo Ha-ryun offered was a wooden case.
Curious, I opened it to find a pipe carved with a black dragon pattern inside.
How had he managed to bring such a thing, and how did he know I’d use it here?
Looking at him with bewilderment, Yeo Ha-ryun answered.
“I obtained this item by severing the neck of a Soegooju I knew on the way here. I happened to hear information about this place, and they said you were smoking cigarettes?”
“Ah, it’s not a habit. I only smoke them during warfare.”
Yeo Ha-ryun didn’t ask why I smoked them at that remark.
Instead, he simply said this.
“Besides, I’ve used this pipe stem to burn medicinal herbs before. That fellow learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art incorrectly, so I always had to suppress the demonic nature with medicine. It looks valuable enough at a glance, so it should serve its purpose well.”
“Hmm….”
As I examined the pipe stem with an uncomfortable expression, Yeo Ha-ryun sighed.
“There’s no blood on it. And since it’s a rare artifact of sorts, it should be useful.”
“You certainly possess quite a lot of things, don’t you?”
“That’s what the Demonic Sect is like. Mystical objects and rare artifacts are everywhere, but human lives are the only thing in short supply.”
Yeo Ha-ryun spoke to me with a cold sneer.
“If it doesn’t work out, just discard it.”
“Hey, why do you say such things? You called it a rare artifact?”
“I told you. We have plenty of items of this caliber in our sect.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————