Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 485

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

Chapter 485
“Cheonwoo?”
My blue eyes swept across my younger brother, whose frame seemed to dwarf my own.
“Understood, hyeong.”
“Don’t sulk about it.”
“…You really are… sigh, never mind.”
My younger brother’s intentions were transparent.
Standing before me were masters from the Gambling Faction, the Osalji Faction, and those summoned by Hao-mun.
I couldn’t speak to the masters from the Gambling Faction or Hao-mun, but the Osalji Faction—a faction of assassins—was the real problem.
Cheonwoo would undertake countless journeys through Gangho in the years ahead.
If he became entangled with the Osalji Faction and accumulated debts, it would become troublesome.
At minimum, my brother wanted to ensure that my younger brother slept properly and could rest easy.
And I had already devised a plan—fighting in the morning, then restoring the relief station and treating people in the afternoon.
How arrogant of me!
‘The funny part is, no one seems to notice it.’
Only those who had watched me for a long time—close friends, sworn siblings, or my master—could understand this side of me.
“Cheonwoo. I’ve called you three times.”
“Yes, yes.”
Only then did Cheonwoo move, beginning to gather the children.
To prevent them from witnessing what was about to unfold.
That was the task my brother had given me, so I had no choice but to obey.
* * *
“Shall we do a wheel formation?”
“You want me to engage in a numbers game against the Veiled Madman? Unfortunately, I cannot do that.”
“Then?”
“Is Ilgwang not among the ten greatest masters under heaven? Face all three of us simultaneously.”
“…What?”
As I clicked my tongue in displeasure, Amhyeol of the Osalji Faction spoke calmly.
“Did you expect us to fight like common warriors? Sending only the three of us was already sufficient courtesy to Baekrin Uiseon, was it not?”
I replied.
“I understand. Then….”
The moment I extended my hand, my long hair billowed upward.
My realm of intent spread forth unconsciously.
Whiiiing—
The Icebound Blade flew in as if drawn by suction, striking into my palm sheath and all.
I had deliberately displayed my realm, hoping they would recognize it and withdraw.
“Impressive. Truly Ilgwang!”
The three masters assumed their stances with excited expressions.
‘Tsk, it didn’t work.’
Whether white path or black path, once one reaches that level of mastery, the obsession with battle is identical.
The merchants in their hearts had already accepted as fact that Jin Cheon-hee, this Ilgwang, would be toppled and that they themselves would become the rulers of Hangzhou.
Jin Cheon-hee drew his sword partway from its sheath and gripped it lightly.
Without assuming any formal stance, he simply stood there, shoulders relaxed.
“Begin.”
The moment permission was given, the first to move was Geumchisan of the Gambling Faction.
He swung the hand axes in both hands sequentially, striking down toward Jin Cheon-hee.
‘Ah, so Geumchisan is the one who severed the wrists of cheaters in gambling dens? I’ve heard that even against masters, he will absolutely sever their wrists.’
True to that reputation, his attacks persistently targeted Jin Cheon-hee’s wrists.
‘My left hand would be problematic.’
I couldn’t afford to expose my weakness, so I needed to finish this quickly.
Jin Cheon-hee released a qi strike to deflect the side of the axe.
Clang—
While the axe wavered, the hilt of the Icebound Sword advanced toward the soft inner flesh of that man’s wrist. But this was a three-against-one situation.
Amhyeol, who had approached unnoticed, thrust a thin blade like a Western rapier with lightning speed, blocking the path of the Icebound Sword.
Clang!
Jin Cheon-hee’s form scattered like a mirage as he retreated.
‘They haven’t specifically trained in combination techniques, it seems… but still, three-against-one against Hwakyeong masters is quite difficult.’
If there were three opponents, there were six hands.
When Jin Cheon-hee attacked once, his enemies attacked three times. By simple numbers alone, three-against-one was certainly a formidable disadvantage.
Jin Cheon-hee opened his mouth.
“You said we should fight a battle of life and death… correct?”
“That’s right. Don’t think we fear your master.”
Amhyeol spoke in a grim voice.
At those words, Jin Cheon-hee nodded.
“I see… I do fear Hao-mun’s anger. But if I were to kill you all, wouldn’t I have to fight Hao-mun? That would be a sad thing. Truly.”
Then he spoke in a noticeably brighter tone.
“Having been on the battlefield this time, I’ve come to deeply understand that war is something that should never happen. So I say this: to subdue you all without killing you…”
Jin Cheon-hee shifted the hand holding his sword as he continued.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that I must become somewhat cowardly and underhanded. Still, I won’t kill you. I hope you understand.”
“Hahahaha!”
The Monstrous Person, whose identity remained unrevealed, burst into loud laughter as if finding it absurd.
“So you’re truly Ilgwang… Your mad words are quite refreshing. You’re not even Hyeongyeong, yet you claim you’ll refrain from lethal techniques against the three of us? Don’t you know that even now, such words are nothing but lies or arrogance?”
At those words, all the watching martial artists stirred with agitation.
‘That’s actually nonsensical.’
‘How could he possibly do that?’
The martial artists whispered among themselves.
Glancing around, I could see that not only the Baekrin Medical Guild’s escort warriors but also unnamed black-robed swordsmen and martial artists introduced by the Manpung Tavern had begun to gather.
And for good reason.
A battle that would determine Hangzhou’s future.
Missing this, one might regret it for a lifetime as a martial artist.
Or perhaps I might even glimpse the very edge of enlightenment.
‘Even the audience members wear swords and cut people down—that is Gangho.’
I knew this. I continued speaking in a theatrical tone.
“Well, of course I’m not stronger than Gwon Je. But still, there are many methods to be found if one looks. You understand what I mean, Amhyeol? Isn’t that what an assassin is—someone who shows no discrimination in the means and methods of killing?”
I learned much in Hangzhou.
I learned how vast and merciless evil could be, and how cost-effective it truly was.
I also learned that my hands could never remain clean while saving people.
If I must continue to soil them.
—Then that too is acceptable. I can simply change into fresh clothes afterward.
A collapsed relief station can be rebuilt.
As long as people are not broken.
—The rest I can handle myself.
As long as humanity does not shatter, tomorrow will come.
—If we must dance together in this mire regardless, then let us dance it properly.
As my atmosphere shifted, Amhyeol’s expression changed.
“Avoid it! What is this bastard—gack!?”
Amhyeol’s eyes flooded with crimson. Blood vessels began bulging grotesquely across his skin.
The same was true for the others.
“Poison!? When did you administer poison!?”
Geumchisan cried out in alarm, then swiftly sealed certain meridian points throughout his body.
The bloodshot eyes returned to normal, and the blood vessels subsided.
He had suppressed the poison.
The other two did the same.
All three now glared at me with expressions of vicious malice entirely different from before, beginning to move with predatory caution.
They had resolved to engage in a true life-and-death battle.
Scorching heat radiated from their bodies, and their internal energy spread in all directions.
A sinister killing intent!
Yet I remained composed.
“I used poison from the very beginning. Not the legendary formless poison, but I do know how to use a colorless, odorless variety. It won’t cause instant death. However, I would say your full strength has been reduced by roughly thirty percent.”
“Damn it! Veiled Madman!”
“You three are attacking together anyway. Now you must expend internal energy to prevent the poison from spreading, and your movements will become somewhat restricted, yes? Let me tell you one thing: I have many tricks.”
I lightly sprang from my seat and began bouncing forward.
A footwork technique mimicking the movements of a rabbit.
Rabbit Form Step.
Once used by Sama Hyeon at the Oh Dok-mun, it was employed to mock opponents.
I had modified it in my own way.
Much like a boxer in the ring, I moved lighter but in shorter, broken bounds.
“What kind of frivolous footwork is this!?”
Typically, martial arts emphasize the subtlety of stillness within motion.
Yet I mocked that principle, bouncing nimbly as I evaded their attacks.
Even as he spoke, Jin Cheon-hee’s mouth never ceased its relentless stream of words.
“Sound-based cultivation. Five Elements Divine Art. Poison cultivation. Dark Qi cultivation. And many others besides… but you’ve all already been poisoned. So then, shall I show you what comes next?”
“Block your ears!”
Amhyeol shouted and used his inner energy to seal his ears.
Yet the moment he protected his ears with inner energy, an unprecedented force crashed against them.
Shrieeeeeeek!
It was an ultrasonic frequency no human could produce! Transmitted with precision to his ears using the technique of thousand-li transmission.
Though he formed a protective barrier of inner energy around his ears, the sound struck before complete protection could form, delivering excruciating pain.
“Argh!”
Gritting their teeth, all three poured more inner energy into their ears to completely block out the sound.
Only then did they escape the agony, but the situation had already deteriorated.
Portions of their inner energy were rendered unusable by the poison, and now they were expending more energy to protect their ears.
At this rate, they would be drained dry!
Cheonwoo, overseeing the children from a distance while observing this spectacle, finally understood why his brother deliberately performed qi cultivation in such an inauspicious location at such an unfavorable hour.
‘Clever.’
Even the most ruthless cultivators perform qi cultivation in favorable locations at auspicious times to reach the Hwagyeong realm.
The ruthless are those drowning in wealth, after all.
They would never willingly subject themselves to difficult cultivation in harsh conditions.
And to exhaust oneself to the limit daily, then repeatedly restore qi in barren lands?
‘It’s madness. Normally, it would be impossible.’
Yet the difference could be discerned within the same realm.
Even using the same techniques, Jin Cheon-hee focused on extracting maximum efficiency from minimal inner energy.
Despite possessing monstrous inner energy born from such trials, he fought while conserving every last drop of his power.
‘Of course… Brother is doing this so he can still see patients this afternoon!’
What madness was this?
To defeat three Hwagyeong masters without killing them, then continue his afternoon work—what kind of insane attempt was that?
Normally, one would rest for three days and prepare for a month of recovery, wouldn’t they?
“Die!”
Whoosh!
Energy surged across Geumchisan’s entire body.
Inferior to a protective barrier, yet still possessing exceptional power to defend the entire body—he wrapped himself in protective qi.
It blazed like a roaring inferno.
Transformed into a living flame, he gripped his axe and began his charge like a war chariot.
Simultaneously, the axe in his hand flashed with the brilliance of reinforced energy.
A decisive strike without hesitation or retreat!
Though Geumchisan moved first, the other two followed suit.
Both wrapped themselves in protective qi and ignited their weapons with reinforced energy.
To Amhyeol, the three blades appeared transformed into light itself, while the unnamed one wielded twin swords wreathed in blood-red energy that flickered ominously.
‘The Demonic Sect! So Hao-mun does have ties to the Demonic Sect.’
Jin Cheon-hee continued his thoughts, his eyes—bright as the sky itself—taking in all three figures.
Transcendent Martial Arts Benevolence.
And another Transcendent Martial Art obtained from war is simultaneously deployed.
Life and Death Wisdom.

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