Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 525

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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 525
‘So many subordinates gathered around him like this.’
It was nothing special, yet my chest felt heavy.
During this period, Yeo Ha-ryun had always been alone.
Though many pledged their loyalty and entrusted themselves to him thanks to the unique charisma of a protagonist, none survived.
To make matters worse, he was swept up in Cheon Sal-seong’s madness and killed his own comrades by his own hand, falling into irreversible despair.
At that time, he dug graves for his comrades with his own hands, but what weighed on me more was the absence of emotional description in those moments.
After that, he tried to do everything alone.
Of course, being the protagonist, companions continued to appear, but in the end, he would always be left alone.
“Brother, why are you happy?”
“Ah… my younger brother has grown well.”
“…I suppose that counts.”
Haha, I couldn’t hide my emotions. There’s no helping it.
Even as Yeo Ha-ryun was worn down by Cheon Sal-seong, his senses tangled, and he transformed from human to killer, it was thanks to these people that he could maintain his reason.
I’m grateful I met you.
Ha-ryun.
Soon after, Ilkana handed a letter to Yeo Ha-ryun, and he read it before burning it with Sammaejinhwa.
“How troublesome. A mission the moment I emerge.”
Yeo Ha-ryun lifted his dark eyes to look at me and spoke.
“Don’t go west for a while.”
“West?”
“Some madman carelessly distributed elixir, and now a blood wind has risen. Multiple sects are entangled in conflict.”
Right. Gangho never changes.
“Much has happened while I was in Hangzhou.”
“That’s how it is. It involves the Blood Sect, and there are already many casualties—even if you went, there’s nothing you could do. On top of that, old grudges from the past are mixed in, and there’s no sign of it settling,” Yeo Ha-ryun said flatly. It seems this fellow is heading there himself.
Yeo Ha-ryun spoke as if driving in a nail. It seems this guy is heading there too.
“I understand. My limit is only what my hands can reach. I cannot bear anything beyond that. I lack the capacity.”
“That’s fortunate.”
He looks relieved.
Why does human greed never change?
And this time, even if beaten to death, I cannot go. My reserves are already exhausted.
Once the blood wind ends, nearby Bunta doctors will be dispatched to handle it as usual.
“Then I’ll depart.”
“Go. Take care of yourself.”
Squeak—
As Ilkana made a high-pitched sound, the bamboo forest stirred.
‘What?’
That’s right. The five or six subordinates before my eyes were merely the tip of the iceberg.
Following Yeo Ha-ryun were already dozens of subordinates—an entire battalion’s worth.
They were elite enough to keep pace without losing sight of their lord as he moved away using the Gyeongsin technique.
“Wow.”
Ha-ryun’s influence has grown tremendously.
So the one-two education method really was the best after all?
* * *
‘I suppose it’s time for me to depart as well.’
Since I’ve sent my younger sister off, I should pack my things and prepare to leave.
I went to say goodbye to Hye-a, but from the direction of the office came a strange sound—”Kkheh, kkhehehehe! Kkhehehehehehe!”—while torn bamboo strips scattered through the air.
…Well. Best not to disturb her.
That’s the kind of laughter that emerges when someone’s mind breaks from juggling too many tasks at once.
Managing a medical institute—that’s the real problem.
Once you step into management, you have to multitask and handle several things simultaneously.
‘She’ll probably miss the days when she could focus solely on her duties as a doctor. Poor Hye-a.’
Now she’d become the sort of person who had to worry about even the most common ingredient—licorice root—in her pharmacy.
And she’d have to compete with the Hwaju Medical Institute too.
‘The Hwaju Medical Institute is so petty—they keep monopolizing medicinal materials.’
The finest medicinal herbs were still being claimed first by the Hwaju Medical Institute.
The frustrating part was that even offering more money wouldn’t budge them.
Since herb gatherers and every intermediary pharmacy had conducted business with the Hwaju Medical Institute for generations, changing that policy in one’s own lifetime required tremendous courage.
As a result, the Hwaju Medical Institute continued to monopolize and distribute the finest medicinal materials.
That’s why the Hwaju Medical Institute maintained its almighty position in the pharmaceutical world even in this situation.
But the problem doesn’t end there. The pharmacies that deal with the Hwaju Medical Institute have high loyalty to them.
So they request that nearby pharmacies and herb gatherers send medicinal materials to the Hwaju Medical Institute.
If they’re close enough, they’ll give the Hwaju Medical Institute priority on herb supplies.
‘Before you know it, you can’t even find common dandelion roots to brew. That’s how it goes, Hye-a.’
Sama-hye had taught her the theory, so she’d understand it.
The Headmaster of Bunta First Branch in Hangzhou probably explained the supplier side as well.
But coordinating all that is truly a headache. Hehehehe.
From here on, it’s the real world. She’ll have to learn through experience.
Even if she went to the Baekrin Medical Institute headquarters for training, they couldn’t teach her this—every region is different.
‘Still, Sama-hye has connections in Hangzhou, so she’s better off than other branch masters.’
As I quietly prepared to leave without saying goodbye, I noticed someone’s face peeking through.
Namgung Un.
“Oh, haven’t you returned home yet?”
“The Tamho Daejoo asked me to handle something. Ahem. May I come in?”
“Of course, please do.”
*Creak—*
Namgung Un’s face turned red as a jujube, embarrassed that I’d openly asked why he hadn’t left yet.
“I wish I could offer you tea, but I’ve already packed most of my things.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I just need to handle what I was asked to do and then head back.”
Still, I couldn’t just leave him standing there.
On the way back, I pulled out what I had prepared to eat.
“This is a trial version I prepared….”
Potato corn dog…. No, I’ll just call it a hot dog like I did when I was young.
This vicious thing contains calories, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins all in one, making it great for replenishing energy on long journeys… or rather, it’s just delicious to eat while walking, so I made it that way.
When I warmed it with a heat stone, it became piping hot like it was freshly fried.
“…You really do make all sorts of things, don’t you?”
“And. Um…. I also made clam soup. So at least have this for now.”
I opened the bamboo tube lid and handed it over.
It reminds me of those insulated lunch boxes from childhood.
I never had anyone to pack those for me, so I was always envious of the other kids.
Suddenly, a strange sweet-and-salty triathlon was complete.
When I took the first bite, it was surprisingly edible?
Crunch—
Namgung Un bit into the potato hot dog and his eyes widened.
“This…. You’re not selling this?”
“The ingredients are quite expensive.”
First of all, the oil for frying.
In modern times, cooking oil is abundant, but in this era, frying is rather costly.
Moreover, for mass production, you’d have to repeatedly discard and replenish the oil, which doesn’t make sense for street food pricing.
And sugar is expensive too. Tomatoes are expensive.
The Gangho has potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and sugar, but under the reign of the Gold and Silver King, sugar slavery is forbidden, so naturally it’s expensive. (Of course, prisoners are an exception. Prisoners of the Hwa Empire labor in mines, salt mines, sugarcane farms, and cotton farms as a means of rehabilitation and reformation.)
Of course, with developed agriculture and logistics, commoners can afford it, but in terms of unit cost, syrup is far more economical.
But you can’t roll a hot dog in syrup, can you?
“The price doesn’t matter much.”
Yes, a hot dog served respectfully on a plate at a high-class inn.
I can’t even imagine it.
“Later, when my younger sister at the Geumhyeol Branch starts a business, I’ll teach her then.”
Hyeon is thinking about how to lower the unit cost and popularize it.
She can’t forget the taste of the hot dog she ate with her younger sister.
Namgung Un eagerly consumed the clam soup and potato hot dog combination, and only after finishing most of it did he bring up the main topic.
“This is quite an exquisite delicacy. You really are a master of cooking.”
Then he pulled something from his sleeve.
An old book.
When I examined it to see if it was a secret manual, it was written in Sanskrit.
“I received it but it’s written in Sanskrit, so I have no idea what it says.”
“A Buddhist mantra that is sincere and contains no falsehood.”
“My goodness, can you actually read this?”
Namgung Un’s eyes widened in surprise.
“To work as a Minor Sect Leader, I need to know various languages.”
“Why don’t you have your subordinates do it?”
Right, that makes sense. Major families like the Namgung Family wouldn’t have someone else do the translating—they’d handle it themselves.
“Ah, I see. Since you’re also handling the duties of a strategist, you need to draft orders in various languages and decipher codes.”
I answered my own question.
“Yes, that’s correct. Neither I nor my Master handle the strategist’s duties directly, but it’s a tradition that’s been passed down regardless.”
“I wonder why you haven’t formally registered with the Jegallga.”
‘True. Jegalling does sound cooler than Jin Cheon-hee.’
I’d already received all the education that a Minor Sect Leader would get, and besides… well…
‘Because I’m not blood-related, after all.’
If my Master were to take a consort and produce an heir, then I myself would become an obstacle.
From a strategist’s perspective, that would make an adopted son pushing out a legitimate child—a logical contradiction.
In a way, I could consider it fortunate that my Master seems to have the will to produce an heir.
“I… spoke carelessly. I’m certain my Master simply wants you to live a freer life.”
Had my expression grown too dark?
“Regardless of which path I take, my respect for my Master—treating him like a parent—will never change.”
It’s difficult.
Perhaps it’s harder precisely because this is my first family.
Normally such bonds would form naturally, but since I’ve never experienced that, it’s all the more difficult.
That’s probably why I feel jealous of Namgung Un.
This man would have possessed all such things naturally from birth.
He probably has no idea what it feels like to have the ground crumble beneath your feet.
‘The problem is, I don’t even dislike this person. That’s the real problem.’
As I thought this, Namgung Un wore an awkward expression.
Perhaps he thought he’d inadvertently touched upon something personal.
“Bah! Let’s look at this secret manual instead. Since Samjeolchuho entrusted it to you, it must be something remarkable.”
He’s quite skilled at changing the subject too.
Let me take a look.
As I flipped through the pages, it was indeed something from Cheonchuk.
In this world, Buddhism is said to have come from Cheonchuk, which is located roughly northwest of the Dadu Kingdom.
Since this is a different planet from Earth, its location is somewhat similar to India yet quite different.
In any case, to reach Cheonchuk, one must cross a massive desert, and upon arrival, one finds the birthplace of all manner of religions.
The most famous in the Gangho is the Seohjang Esoteric Buddhism.
Seohjang Esoteric Buddhism is known as a strange group that employs both sorcery and Buddhist techniques, making it a staple in martial arts fiction.
However, in the Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon, they’re only mentioned and never actually appear.
They’re the most distant faction among the external forces.
In essence, they can be considered a completely remote foreign land.
Yet they exert tremendous influence in martial arts fiction.
A secret manual from that place.
This must be what was used to counter Geumcheon-gun’s sorcery. Now that we’ve captured him, it seems he left behind this manual.
It appears Samjeolchuho learned only a single Sanskrit mantra related to souls.
It contains methods for repelling evil things.
‘Hmm, if this works out, I might be able to install it in the Medical Guild to block Saenggangsi from entering.’
If all goes well, the Bunta members could finally be safe from the Hyeolseonggyo.
“Is it a valuable book?”
“Yes. It’s a tome that cannot be obtained with money. Even within the Library, it would be difficult to acquire such a secret manual, yet you’ve managed to obtain it.”
“As I thought. I’ve heard that many covet this secret technique.”
“Yes. That would be the case.”
Had Samjeolchuho’s journey come to an end?
Perhaps it was only just beginning.

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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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