Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 510

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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 510
After the battle, we collected the corpses and repaired the establishment.
Among the bodies were numerous demonic cultists.
Rumors spread throughout Hangzhou that someone from the Golden Blood House had colluded with the demonic cult, and that Sama Hyeon and I had crushed them.
“So the Patriarch of Baekrin Medical Guild is the hegemon of Hangzhou, and the Lord of the Silver Blood Society supports him?”
“Both Sama Hyeon and Sama-hye have become pillars of Hangzhou.”
“Still, his methods are truly….”
It was an incident that made all the martial artists of Hangzhou aware of Sama Hyeon’s affiliation.
Sama Hyeon laughed it off as “blood transformation,” but the bloodstains traced upon the ground were not easily erased.
Those who crawled up from the depths of Hangzhou had seen such sights surprisingly often.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen this.”
“Before Baekrin Medical Guild dominated Hangzhou, we saw this all the time.”
“No matter what slaughter occurred, even the constables turned a blind eye.”
When tragedy repeats, it becomes routine.
Some members of Baekrin Medical Guild were horrified by the scene Sama Hyeon had created.
“You don’t seem to be from Hangzhou.”
“How can you be so indifferent?”
“Well, I thought doctors would be accustomed to the martial world, so it would be fine.”
“But even so, the corpses created by Cheonmyeon Hori are… ugh…!”
Some retched from the shock.
For some it was routine, for others it was tragedy.
And for yet others, it was like a night’s theatrical performance.
Sama Hyeon descended.
“Rest yourselves, great heroes. The Silver Blood Society will handle the cleanup from here on.”
Cheonmyeon Hori’s epithet transformed into “Blood-faced Hori” or “Mad-faced Hori.”
Sama Hyeon considered it a favorable development.
As his reputation rose and Sama-hye’s reputation grew day by day, the fact that Sama-hye was his weakness could no longer be hidden.
Then his cruel methods would also become a weapon.
“Now then, let’s get to work.”
Cheonmyeon Hori smiles today as well.
At his smile, some laugh with him, while others gaze with expressions drenched in fear.
He was pleased with both.
“Brother!”
“Hye-a, come later. Why are you here now?”
Sama-hye tugged at her brother’s sleeve.
“I found something that Eun would like.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m busy, so you give it to him as a gift.”
With those words, she grabbed Sama Hyeon’s arm tightly.
Sama Hyeon stroked Sama-hye’s head.
Though I had spent a night drenched in blood, I remained a warrior and a human being.
A younger sister, and an older brother.
As long as I had two pairs of hands holding me steady, I would never fall.
* * *
The enterprise was proceeding smoothly.
There had been several attacks.
Each time, Jin Cheon-hee and Sama Hyeon had repelled them, and all who fell became sacrifices in Sama Hyeon’s cruel grasp.
The Golden King’s trial—the Geumhyeol Gaebang.
Sama Hyeon’s victory was solidifying with each passing day.
And so time passed, until finally.
A letter arrived from the Golden King.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Shifu is returning.”
“The Golden King’s trial will be ending soon.”
“Oh? How did you know?”
“Well, he said the time limit was one year, but he never specified the exact date, did he?”
At those words, Sama Hyeon nodded.
The agreement was one year.
One might commonly assume it would end exactly one year from the day the order was given, but if that were the case, wouldn’t he have stated the date clearly?
“You’re right. If more time passes and the situation seems like it won’t flip, then the trial loses its meaning and he’ll call us back, he said.”
Sama Hyeon stroked his chin.
“But if he called us for a mid-trial check, he could just send us back empty-handed. That’s the kind of person he is.”
Truly, a standard that drives one mad.
Is this what it feels like to play in the Golden King’s palm?
Ironically, the Golden King was considered relatively moderate among the heterodox sects.
After all, her standards were entirely dependent on money.
Then what of the Demonic Sect?
I recalled Heukun.
“Is there anyone who has earned more than us?”
“Hmm… I doubt it.”
Through various connections and intelligence gathered so far, there was no one who had accumulated such profits in such a short time.
Especially with all those long-term deposits stretching one year, two years, perhaps even three years into the future, resting soundly in Sama Hyeon’s coffers.
Currently, Sama Hyeon alone had earned more money than the entire fortune of the Eunhyeoldang.
“What will the other disciples of the Golden King do?”
An arrogant question.
My older brother, confident in victory, asked me this.
“Hmm…”
This bastard Sama Hyeon just averted his gaze and smiled silently.
I knew the answer, though.
Usually, when the heterodox sects see the victor’s position become clear like this, don’t they cut the throats of all the other competitors?
Just as there cannot be two queen bees in a single hive.
In the end, the victor must monopolize everything for the sect to maintain its face, wouldn’t you say?
After all, they are masters at ruling people through fear.
So they make examples of those who dare oppose them.
They dismantle those who supported their rivals.
And finally, they solidify the power structure as rigidly as a golden pyramid.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Killing is easier, sure, but then you create a vacuum.”
“A vacuum?”
“Business runs on systems, hyeong. Recruiting and training replacement personnel for that many people would clearly be wasteful.”
“The word ‘system’… again… no… I must have taught you that.”
I furrowed my brow.
Sama Hyeon continued.
“If they keep working as before, they live. If not, there’s no next time. That’s the standard~”
“Thoroughly capitalistic.”
Unexpected.
I thought he would be like the other sects—methodically slitting the throats of his former competitors and preparing to build his own empire.
But instead, he’s adopting an inclusive policy.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean blood won’t be spilled.’
Even if the period is brief, blood will seep from the gold blood sect’s coffers for a while yet.
Still, one could call it clever.
The gold blood sect, which once ruled through blood, fear, and money, would now do so through money and openness instead.
It reminds me of that milk king Al Capone.
He realized milk was more profitable than bootleg liquor.
“What about you, hyeong? What will you do now?”
“My business in Hangzhou is finished, so I’m heading back to the Medical Guild.”
Sama Hyeon nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said this.
“Samjeolchuho has been spotted in the area, hyeong.”
“Ah… her?”
Samjeolchuho Dobaekhwa.
She is searching for her younger sister, Do Baek-eun.
Do Baek-eun of Geumcheon-gun.
‘Then that bird I saw earlier must certainly belong to the Hyeolseonggyo.’
The fact that Samjeolchuho is here, and that he’s deliberately informing me, means I need to watch my surroundings carefully.
There’s a high probability that someone from the Hyeolseonggyo is nearby.
I nodded.
“Thanks for letting me know.”
“Don’t mention it~ More than that, be careful, hyeong.”
Sama Hyeon grasped my hand. Then, with eyes devoid of humor, he spoke again as if confirming something.
“You’d better be alive and in one piece when I return, understood?”
I wonder what I look like in that man’s eyes.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re found with all your limbs intact and still breathing.”
At those words, Sama Hyeon let out a soft chuckle. Yet her eyes still weren’t smiling.
Meeting Samjeolchuho was generally not a good thing, so her concern was understandable.
* * *
After sending Sama Hyeon away, I decided to return alone.
Normally, I would have to travel back laden with guards and riding in an iron carriage.
But Baekrin’s forces were stretched thin.
We had to protect the Gaebang in Hangzhou, and above all, with the Golden King’s trials nearing their end, there was a possibility someone might take Hye-a hostage—an unavoidable choice.
‘Besides, at this point, I’m nothing but a meat shield.’
My Master might consider it a gain if they died and bought even a second of time, but from my perspective, it was [one more life I had to protect].
No one in Baekrin’s forces could smell better than Hwang-gu, nor see farther than Noeji.
Fighting while protecting others would only hinder me.
‘And… a guest will be arriving.’
That guest preferred not to meet anyone other than me. After all, she was someone with complex entanglements of favor and debt woven throughout the Gangho.
She would be alone.
That was the condition.
So I found a suitable cave along the mountain path, lit a campfire at its entrance, and made camp.
Are not stars flowers that bloom in solitude?
The farther dawn seemed, the deeper the silence, the more distant the Milky Way appeared.
‘This is definitely not Earth.’
The constellations were different.
Well, in a world where stars fall when great men die, it would be absurd to find constellations identical to Earth’s.
Yet the awe humans felt gazing at the stars was the same everywhere.
Against the dark night sky, stars bloomed in profusion.
Hwang-gu and Noeji each claimed a hind leg of venison and tore into it with satisfaction.
I scored the meat, added various seasonings including pepper and herbs, along with butter, and roasted it.
The two spiritual creatures savored the exquisite taste.
‘Hmm, not tonight then.’
I had set aside a Jin Cheon-hee style Central Plains stew to rest, and was preparing to sleep when Hwang-gu’s ears twitched.
But faced with the unfamiliar presence, Hwang-gu showed no wariness whatsoever, simply burying his snout back into the meat he’d been eating and tearing away eagerly.
‘Hmm, she’s arrived.’
I straightened my posture.
How long had I waited? A gaunt woman approached.
“You were here. Younger brother.”
“Yes. Thanks to the mark you left at the cave junction, I was able to rest well.”
That was right.
As a method for secretly meeting with me, Samjeolchuho had left her mark at each cave junction.
Of course, she hadn’t drawn that mark on a cave wall or anything like that. Doing so would risk encountering unwanted visitors.
What she had left behind was a ‘scent’.
I know that whenever Jin Cheon-hee travels alone, he always brings Hwang-gu along, so I bury special spices obtained from the Western Regions in earthen jars in the ground.
The spices mature underground, and Hwang-gu follows the scent to find them.
When he digs up the spice jar, he receives a “reward”—meat cooked with those spices.
“Thanks to that, my nighttime meals have become quite abundant.”
“At first, I considered burying poison instead, but I knew you’d hate that. You wouldn’t want your beloved dog wandering around sniffing out poison. So I changed my approach.”
“Brilliant. Thanks to you, the broth has been perfected in Western Region style.”
A Central Plains stew, Jin Cheon-hee style.
“You certainly know how to eat well wherever you go.”
“It’s really delicious, I’m telling you. Just one spoonful and—”
As I reached for the ladle to stir the stew, Samjeolchuho quickly shook his head.
“I’d like to catch up after so long, but there’s no time.”
“Hmm?”
“There’s a patient I need to treat.”
“Treat?”
“I’ve uncovered the Hyeolseonggyo’s scheme. However, the person who holds this information is currently on the brink of death, so please help me.”
“Understood.”
I said so and rose to my feet, but I couldn’t help feeling regretful about the stew.
As my gaze kept drifting back to it, Samjeolchuho chuckled softly.
“I’ll clean up the campsite right away, so don’t worry.”
“Excellent!”
“You really do enjoy even sleeping outdoors. Most people hate being exposed to night dew.”
“Sometimes these moments are precious. A doctor rarely has time to himself.”
With that, I gathered my things lightly and followed Samjeolchuho.

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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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