Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 536

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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 536
Whenever I caught beef, the first thing I did was prepare a meal for Yoo Ho.
Yoo Ho received a salary, but no matter how much I gave him, he never showed joy the way humans did.
Human currency was merely a medium of exchange between humans, after all.
Instead, it became my routine to prepare food for Yoo Ho every day upon returning to the Medical Guild.
I gave him the finest cuts of beef, seasoned with perilla oil and sesame oil, mixed with freshly laid duck eggs or chicken eggs to make raw meat dishes.
Sometimes I even made inari sushi to give to Yoo Ho.
Yoo Ho said he preferred raw meat, and I muttered, “I suppose that’s something that only works in subcultures?”
In the end, I split that inari sushi in half, filled it with sweet rice, and presented it to my Master.
Jegalling ate the inari sushi I made quite deliciously.
Instead, the pastries made from fried inari were greatly loved by Yoo Ho, so that was fortunate in its own way.
Yoo Ho’s world was fundamentally different from the human world.
It was similar to the world of Hwang-gu or Noeji.
In their world, the most precious things were not silver or gold, but food—delicious food at that.
It was even better if internal energy went into making it.
My disciple probably didn’t think that far ahead, but he was continuously bringing out and feeding this fox the best weapon for winning him over.
‘In the end, despite all the talk, he does care for Yoo Ho.’
It was a different form than how he treated his younger sister or Master, but it was his own way of caring.
In a sense, it could be said he was even touching upon the most human aspect of himself.
‘Heh, how uncharacteristic—I’m even feeling jealous.’
After all, that fox was the only existence toward whom Jin Cheon-hee showed weakness.
He couldn’t afford to be stubborn even before his Master, yet he indulged himself freely with Yoo Ho.
“Offering, sustenance, and faith. In the end, you’re providing all three things he needs.”
“Sustenance is the finest meat dish prepared with sincerity, so I suppose that counts, but surely you don’t mean the Research Hall when you say ‘offering’?”
“Why not? Only designated people may enter, and no one can be admitted without your permission. It’s amusing to say, but it’s the most sacred place in Baekrin Uiseon.”
“Ha.”
Yoo Ho exhaled in exasperation. Yet he couldn’t refute it because it wasn’t wrong.
“Moreover, you’re doing good deeds there. Haven’t countless lives already been saved from that place?”
“That is… true enough.”
“And on top of that, getting beaten by him constantly—you could even say you’re offering your own blood and suffering as well, couldn’t you?”
Should this be called human sacrifice?
Ordinary people couldn’t endure the blood and pain that came with it.
What was amusing was that he was willingly clinging to Yoo Ho.
It was nothing short of madness!
“Surely you don’t mean faith is that… graduate student who can’t graduate, muttering incomprehensible things?”
“Surprisingly, it’s almost fanaticism. Whenever something happens, he starts shouting ‘Yoo Ho, please.'”
“Good grief.”
Yoo Ho furrowed his brow. His Master chuckled softly.
“Of course, it could be an overinterpretation. In any case, he seems unaware of it, but the fact that he does it naturally is remarkable. Either way, be careful—you could end up like that Six-Horned Venomous Snake.”
“Are you truly warning me, or are you just teasing?”
“Recently, he’s been preparing to manufacture Heavenly First Intoxication.”
A supreme liquor that, once tasted, intoxicates one for a thousand days.
It’s a secret formula obtained from the imperial archives long ago.
He hadn’t used it until now, but decided to brew a special batch for Yoo Ho, thinking he needed to coax him a bit more.
“It doesn’t truly intoxicate for a thousand days, but according to legend, once you taste it even once, it remains unforgettable for a thousand days. Don’t you enjoy alcohol?”
“Is there anyone among my kind who dislikes alcohol?”
“True. Alcohol is instinct.”
Jegalling grins widely at the fox, whose nose is being steadily led around.
Sensing that Jegalling would tease him further, Yoo Ho quickly changed the subject.
“So, Master, what do you think? According to your calculations, this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering will be different from last time, won’t it?”
“Indeed.”
“Perhaps he’ll finally see what true hypocrisy is. But even then, will that boy remain unshaken and continue pursuing salvation?”
“….”
Jegalling doesn’t answer readily.
After a moment, he only utters, “I cannot know. Especially not with that one.”
Soon after, Yoo Ho asks in return.
“Then, Master, what do you desire?”
“I’m not sure. If he were to become disillusioned with people like me and abandon them, it would oddly bring me peace. Is that strange?”
“There’s nothing strange about it, but why is that?”
“At least this child would know how to protect himself. He wouldn’t suffer further wounds. When the long journey ends, that too would be acceptable. He could spend his remaining years peacefully at Baekrin Medical Guild. That would suffice.”
“But what if it’s the opposite? What if, despite everything, he chooses to continue forward?”
“If he doesn’t crumble and continues to save even these hypocrites drowning in mud….”
In that moment, snow falls before my Master.
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering always begins in cold and ends in cold.
Why must it be winter?
Why does the Blade Banquet that determines the future of Gangho bloom in the heart of winter?
My Master watches a single snowflake.
Soon it strikes the ground and melts away.
The earth still retains warmth, so one or two snowflakes easily transform into water and are absorbed.
But if this snow continues. If it falls tomorrow as well, and if winter deepens further.
Jegalling opens his lips.
“…If he saves them nonetheless. Then I will still believe there is hope in people.”
“Master.”
“That doesn’t mean I’ll believe in Gangho again. It simply means that if what that child wishes to save is people, then so be it.”
Six-pointed snowflakes pass through Jegalling’s blue eyes.
For one who has reached such distant heights, the sight of falling snow appears different from how ordinary people see it.
He sees a world of six and eight points.
“I hate people, Yoo Ho. I despise humanity, despise family, despise kinship. I cannot fathom why all of it wearies people so. I am such a person.”
White is said to be the color of rejection.
It was white because it hadn’t mixed with any other color.
Jegalling gazed upon snowflakes that resembled himself.
“I despise parents. I’ve never even considered the affection between man and woman. It irritates me that a sentient being breathes beside me.”
Even Jegalling himself couldn’t help but scoff at how twisted he’d become.
The child who had set out to exact revenge upon Gangho in place of the father who abused him and the mother who abandoned him had ultimately grown weary of everything.
Yet because there remained something good, he had persisted in his vengeance through sheer stubbornness.
But there was no such thing as eternal warmth in this world, and when he looked back, even that had worn away alongside the Sisanbyeolhae.
All that remained was an empty monster with barely enough strength to light a single stick of incense.
If that was what he was.
Jegalling could not fathom why his disciple revered such a monster as his master and followed him with the devotion of faith.
Yet shouldn’t he do something regardless?
He had forcibly extended that madman’s life to save him, and now he was rushing off to find a burial ground, declaring he would save the world.
Shouldn’t he do something for this lunatic?
“…Actually, I wish he’d grow disillusioned with the world. Am I twisted?”
“Well, then I’d have less work, so that would be fine by me.”
“Haha. That’s quite the answer.”
* * *
As we descended toward the village, two hundred members of the Baekrin Order stood ready, preparing for departure.
Along with thirty physicians from the Baekrin Medical Guild of superior, middle, and lower ranks.
‘Couldn’t I just take fifty people and send the remaining one hundred fifty back? That’s probably impossible, isn’t it?’
Given Master’s temperament, he’d probably tell me not to leave the Medical Guild at all if I suggested that.
Among the Four Great Guild Leaders, Joo Dan-ha, the Chuuna Clan Leader, was also joining us.
Her reason for coming along was simple.
‘Because her martial prowess is the most outstanding.’
Both Sima Bing, the Acupuncture Hall Master, and Manpagok, the Herb Guild Master, had trained sufficiently to defend themselves.
But Joo Dan-ha, the Chuuna Clan Leader, was different.
She was a master of the fist.
Since Chuuna techniques themselves were optimized for treating bodies damaged by striking or grappling arts, she naturally understood how to strike as well.
Moreover, since she herself enjoyed moving her body, her individual combat prowess rivaled or nearly matched that of Dokgo Junghu, the Martial Arts Guild Master, among the Four Great Guild Leaders.
And naturally, Dokgo Junghu, the Martial Arts Guild Master, was joining us again, maintaining a perfect attendance record.
“…Sigh, I really wish you’d let me retire now.”
He grasped the reins of the carriage with a voice utterly devoid of enthusiasm.
And I boarded the luxurious iron-plated carriage that Master had prepared.
There I gave Hwang-gu snacks, petted Noeji occasionally, and repeated the cycle of stopping at small villages to provide aid before departing again.
Finally, I was able to reunite with Sama-hye along the way.
“Eun-gong~!”
Sama-hye was accompanied by ten members of the Baekrin Order.
“Hye-a! Gangho is so perilous—how can you travel with only ten members of the Baekrin Order!”
I expressed my concern for Sama-hye, saying words that would have broken Master’s heart had he heard them.
“Aw~ Eun-gong. Ten is more than enough. I was originally planning to travel alone, but there was an uproar in Bunta, so I had no choice.”
“Listen here, Hye-a. This silver-ranked master travels with two hundred of Baekrin’s finest. You’ll need to increase your own escort as well.”
All those thoughts I’d had before departure—about reducing the numbers just a little, maybe cutting it down to a mere one hundred fifty—evaporated into thin air.
I brazenly declared that I moved with such a large entourage.
“But Master, I’m a peak-stage expert in my own right!”
“That’s impressive, considering your age.”
“Coming from someone who reached Hwagyeong at such a young age, that’s rich.”
Sama-hye suddenly slumped her shoulders as she spoke.
“Oh, by the way, we discovered a mountain fortress along the way.”
My eyes widened at her words.
“Was someone injured there…?”
“No, no, it wasn’t like that.”
According to her account, when they arrived at the mountain fortress, there were already half-dead bandits sprawled about, and they were all terrified of some expert from an external heterodox sect.
“An expert from an external heterodox sect?”
“Yes. Wearing a wind-blocking robe made from white tiger leather…”
…Could it be?
* * *
Hwang-gu and Noeji were exceptional trackers.
If they didn’t know someone, they couldn’t find them. But if someone they knew was nearby?
They would find them no matter what.
Hwang-gu locked onto the scent and determined direction, while Noeji flew overhead to scout the area. Not long after.
Woof woof!
Screeeee!
Noeji landed on Cheonwoo’s head and pecked at his forehead, while Hwang-gu’s tail wagged violently as he stood on his hind legs and planted both paws on Cheonwoo’s shoulders.
Despite Hwang-gu being enormous, Cheonwoo simply thought, “Oh? My brother must be nearby,” and without stumbling backward, naturally reached up to stroke the dog’s forehead.

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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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