Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 504

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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 504
That’s simply how people are.
Some purchase things out of necessity, others buy things they don’t truly need for their lives simply to boast, and still others feel compelled to buy something because everyone else does.
When this current takes hold, it becomes a trend.
The moment work began at the imperial court, every notable official of consequence rushed to order mirrors.
Following Prince Ju-wang’s lead, people began inscribing “Bright Mirror, Green Mirror” upon them.
Some desired to write their own verses upon the mirrors, simultaneously displaying both wealth and refined taste.
“Every luminary in the empire scrambles to purchase a single mirror. How absurd. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“The superior man gazes upon the water mirror to cultivate his spirit, while the inferior man gazes upon the bright mirror merely to cleanse his face first.”
Such satirical verses were composed to mock this phenomenon.
And those very verses were inscribed upon the new mirrors themselves.
For some reason, satire appears more refined when written upon a mirror.
Since ordinary ink would bead with water droplets or fade quickly, they used special flexible ink to inscribe upon the mirrors.
Suddenly, this flexible ink sold so briskly that supplies were exhausted.
The situation had descended into absolute madness.
It was inevitable that the other successors of the Golden King would burn with rage.
Among them, one in particular.
Geumchi-jeok.
His elder brother Geumchisan, who had wagered Hangzhou and served as one of Hao-mun’s representatives in a martial contest, had suffered defeat at my hands.
Since that defeat, he felt his brother’s standing within the gambling sect crumble with each passing day.
“That cursed Ilgwang….”
Crack—!
Blood seeped from between his clenched teeth.
Sama Hyeon, who sought to seize the Geumhyeol faction’s position, was already a thorn in his side, and with Ilgwang added to the mix, his fury burned even hotter.
“Upon meeting with our sect, I’ve heard such troubling news as well.”
Heukun from the Demonic Sect sat before him.
His body was gaunt, far thinner than usual, with veins visible across the backs of his hands.
“Are we not both parties bearing grudges against Ilgwang? Perhaps this too is a destiny Heaven itself has ordained.”
“Hmm. That may be so.”
In the past, Heukun had suffered two defeats at my hands.
One during the struggle for the Patcheon Musang Divine Art, and the second when Tugoe’s assassination order came down.
These two defeats had branded Heukun with an indelible shame.
“First, we must destroy the workshop and set it ablaze.”
“Excellent! The ronin I’ve hired will assist. However, it must not end there.”
At those words, Heukun released a cold laugh.
“Of course, we must take Ilgwang’s head. A direct confrontation would prove difficult, but what of assassination?”
“You propose a surprise attack?”
“Why? Does it trouble you?”
At that, Geumchi-jeok shook his head.
“Already living the life of a dark path, I welcome it rather! I shall claim that wretch’s head and fashion it into a drinking cup!”
“Good posture.”
Heukun burst into raucous laughter.
He knew of Ilgwang’s reputation as well.
However, no matter how skilled a master might be, death comes swiftly if the neck is severed even slightly.
‘Dealing with that dog and bird must be the priority.’
Especially that dog.
With that ghostly sense of smell, I must eliminate the dog first.
* * *
“Hee has caused trouble again. That boy always manages to exceed my expectations….”
Jegalling and Yoo Ho were preparing to depart from Hwangdo after completing their business.
In truth, Jegalling hadn’t lifted a finger, leaving Yoo Ho to pack everything alone and command all the escort warriors.
Jegalling merely fanned himself idly with his fan.
Once, this would have seemed natural, but after encountering that Jin Cheon-hee, even Yoo Ho was beginning to develop a sense of resistance.
According to that bastard’s words, all humans are equal beneath heaven—so why was he laboring like this?
Was it because he wasn’t human?
‘No, that’s not it. Baek Rin-ui-seon is still my benefactor. I can’t compare him to that cursed dog-catching bastard Jin Cheon-hee.’
His blood pressure rose and fell of its own accord.
He’d never worried about low blood pressure before, and he never would in the future.
“…Well, things have worked out well regardless, Master. You had that secret business this time that the young master knew nothing of…. There’s no chance of it being discovered now.”
“That is indeed fortunate. So Yoo Ho, did you send ‘that’ safely?”
At those words, Yoo Ho nodded.
“Of course. I sent it safely. And I made sure to leave appropriate traces.”
“Good. Well done. With this…I can finally collect the blood debt from the past.”
Jegalling answered with a cold expression.
Watching him, Yoo Ho thought to himself.
‘He’s returned to his former self.’
Jegalling’s current demeanor was identical to his days as Hyeolrin Gwangssal.
When he had drawn his blade, resolved to repay the three families’ debts with his own strength alone.
He had abandoned everything and lived differently after meeting his disciple, behaving like a completely different person in his twilight years.
And now, he had donned the mask of Hyeolrin Gwangssal once more to protect his disciple.
What Yoo Ho had done was nothing remarkable.
He had sent the precious elixir his master Jegalling had painstakingly crafted to the Blood Sect, one of the Eight Sects of Sadoren—’not discreetly’.
It seemed trivial, but multiple schemes were woven into this action.
The Blood Sect had been collecting renowned elixirs for several years.
It was not unusual to send elixirs refined from Baekrin Medical Guild’s secret techniques to those who paid higher prices than other sects or families.
Substantial compensation could be obtained, and other medical guilds engaged in such activities as well.
However, most such transactions were conducted secretly and confidentially.
Yet Yoo Ho had deliberately ensured the elixir was sent ‘not discreetly’.
Moreover.
The elixir created this time possessed functions so rare in the martial world that it was a treasure beyond compare.
The elixir that Jegalling sent was a special spiritual medicine that required a particular method of consumption. Upon ingestion, one could obtain at least ten years’ worth of pure inner energy, and with its rejuvenation properties, one would appear ten years younger—a treasure beyond measure.
Unless one belonged to Hyeolseonggyo, crafting such a treasure was extraordinarily difficult, and the proper custom was to either consume it oneself or send it to someone precious.
Yet Hyeolrin Gwangssal sent it to an old enemy instead.
—Kekeke… Hyeolrin Gwangssal, think about it. You’ll be dead and gone soon enough. With a body that won’t last more than a few years, how could you possibly hunt down all of the Jegallga family’s enemies across this vast Gangho?
—Evidence? Fine. Bring me evidence. If the Jegallga family isn’t a dark sect, there should be evidence of that grievance. Why? Can’t you produce it?
The witness who could have testified at the time was suddenly murdered.
It was commonplace. A witness dying suddenly the day before. Even with precautions, it happened.
Jegalling was still young then, and alone.
Without evidence, if he merely acted on suspicion, the Martial Arts Alliance wouldn’t protect him, and the Martial Arts Alliance wouldn’t overlook it.
Even Mudang Gwon-je, who had looked after the young Jegalling greatly, couldn’t do anything beyond that point.
All Jegalling could do was repay the grievance by targeting only those with clear evidence.
Even finding physical evidence rather than mere suspicion was something only Jegalling could accomplish.
—If it’s only suspicion, then forget it. I’ve never been involved in the Jegallga family’s destruction. There are no living witnesses, as you said. How unjust.
To others, it would appear that Jegalling had completely forgotten all past resentments.
‘It’s not as simple as just consuming it; the preparation process requires approximately sixty days before one can ingest it.’
This was Hyeolrin Gwangssal’s scheme.
Therefore, even if one obtained it, one couldn’t consume the elixir immediately.
And Hyeolrin Gwangssal deliberately leaked information about this elixir.
“The center of this affair is the Blood Sect. Both righteous and evil sects will get entangled in it, with three or four factions fighting together. I’ve prepared quite the stage, and I’d like to see many participants. Wouldn’t you agree, Yoo Ho?”
A treasure requiring preparation before consumption.
Whoever obtained it could gain inner energy counted among the finest in Gangho.
When that information spread like wildfire, those caught up in the flames of desire would kill one another.
All for a single elixir.
Countless lives would shed blood and perish.
“….”
Yoo Ho swallowed hard.
What would happen if Jin Cheon-hee learned of this fact?
That his master was a cold-blooded person who would do anything to build a protective barrier for his disciple.
Unlike how Jin Cheon-hee viewed his master.
Jegalling was someone who had developed a sensibility that didn’t regard humans as human beings.
If asked to choose between the world and his disciple, he would gladly choose his disciple.
Of course, he hadn’t sent it out rashly.
While deliberating which sect would carry out the deed, he happened to spot some trash worth using.
The Blood Sect’s leader had long been obsessed with obtaining the elixir.
It began when he requested that Baekrin Medical Guild manufacture and sell it, and exploited the conflict between Jin Cheon-hee in Hangzhou and Hao-mun, subtly—yet effectively—attempting coercion as if he had leverage.
The witness to the Blood Sect that Jegalling, when he was Hyeolrin Gwangssal, had prepared was suddenly murdered the day before.
At that time, the young Jegalling still believed in Gangho.
And the evil that Jegalling harbored grew well even when he became Baek Rin-ui-seon, and the habits from those days remained, leading him to scheme again.
“Well, the Blood Sect is trash anyway, and the sects that will get involved here are all hypocritical ones. I’d be pleased if this became an opportunity for some cleaning. Moreover, it could also put a brake on Sadoren’s movements. Isn’t that killing three birds with one stone?”
Jegalling uttered words in a chilling tone and rose to his feet.
That was indeed the case.
While my disciple saved lives, I began committing vehicular homicide.
“But this will remain a secret from the young master, yes?”
“Of course. Why would our Hee need to know? After all, this will happen after I’ve swept away half the filth he despises anyway. Showing him only the results will suffice.”
“I can’t stop you.”
“Well then. Shall we depart?”
Jegalling left Hwangdo.
* * *
Though I joked about it being a meme—’Ah, you don’t know? This is precisely ■■’—
in any era, new technology translates to profit.
That’s why enterprises scramble desperately to secure patents, why researchers who contributed to those patents receive only salaries before being discarded, and why they file lawsuits.
Since patents don’t exist in this era, this technology will eventually leak to outsiders, but I should earn every coin possible in the meantime.
“I’ve never seen this man before! There’s no such person in Mak’s household!”
The reputation I’d built centered on Hangzhou’s slums was now bearing fruit.
Led by the craftsmen who entered the mirror workshop, the people of Hangzhou banded together tightly, screening out outsiders.
Even though Hangzhou was a densely populated city, it couldn’t compare to modern Seoul’s residential culture.
Just as all of Hangzhou remembered Sama-hye, their connections formed a web linking them together.

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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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