Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 542

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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 542
My destination was where Sama Hyeon was located.
The Hao-mun branch of the Martial Arts Alliance.
‘It’s amusing that the Hao-mun has a branch in the Martial Arts Alliance. In a way, it feels like having a Russian diplomat in America, doesn’t it?’
I summoned someone from Hao-mun and sent word that “Baekrin Uiseon Sojakju Jin Cheon-hee wishes to see Silver Blood Hall Master Sama Hyeon,” then arrived at the Baekrin Uiseon’s temporary branch of the Martial Arts Alliance.
Upon arrival, I received word that Sama Hyeon was already there.
‘How did this bastard arrive before me?’
I thought he’d at least have time to change his shoes after arriving, yet there he was already sitting in the tea room, having received his tea.
‘This is infuriating.’
The moment I entered the tea room, Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Hey there, hyeong. You called for me? You didn’t need to come all this way yourself—you could’ve just grabbed any random shop owner passing by and told them, and the message would’ve gotten through~”
“How exactly do you find out about things so quickly?”
“I have eyes and ears throughout the entire Martial Arts Alliance. Why wouldn’t I know?~ And I got promoted, you know~”
Exasperated, I clicked my tongue, and Sama Hyeon grinned at my reaction.
*Pour…*
He poured Longjing tea and brought out some snacks.
“Star candy! This stuff is incredibly delicious.”
Since he was a child who loved sweets, I was certain he’d enjoy it.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, I got straight to the point.
“I heard that the Righteous Faction and Heterodox Faction war is coming.”
“Yeah~ it’s coming.”
“So it’s really happening then…”
“Of course~ The elders of the Righteous Faction are just now noticing that the Heterodox Faction’s movements are suspicious, but those Heterodox bastards are already fully prepared for war.”
“What’s their justification?”
“It’s not about justification—it’s about profit~ There are many things they want, but regarding the issue involving you, hyeong, it’s probably the maritime routes that the Gongseon Family controls? Since that’s dried up, they’ll kill some of the Gongseon Family’s warriors to secure the routes and rebuild their smuggling operations.”
“…I see.”
“Besides that, there’s plenty more~ The Mudang Sect’s interests need to be seized too, and the same goes for the Huashan Sect and the Bota Clan. As for the Namgung Family… they hadn’t properly settled accounts before, but this time, by suppressing the Sea Shark Gang alongside you, they’ve accumulated grievances.”
“You’re not considering blaming the Hyeolseonggyo for this?”
“The Hyeolseonggyo is one thing, and profit is another. Why would they fight before the smuggling routes are rebuilt?”
…
I pressed my forehead repeatedly.
“If I presented a method for them to earn money without resorting to smuggling or banditry, would that calm things down?”
At those words, Sama Hyeon smiled with a reddish tint.
“Hyeong, the people who would want that have already joined the Pyo Guk. Commoners who became bandits because of excessive taxes are one thing, but third-rate warriors who entered the greenwood and learned martial arts—they choose their own path.”
“So you’re saying I should be more cold-hearted.”
“Rather than that, it’s just that you’re far more precious to me than those small-time thugs. Once it’s gone that far, there’s no need to extend such sympathy.”
Sama Hyeon continued speaking while crunching on star candy.
“Well, seeing how your atmosphere has changed, it seems like you’ve made your own resolve?”
How does this bastard always figure it out? It’s terrifying how well he reads my mind without even learning mind-reading techniques.
Even without learning mind reading, you understand my innermost thoughts so well that it’s frightening.
“There’s no resolve to speak of. I’ve simply become more composed, as you said.”
“Well, take care of yourself~ You’re not a god, are you? It’s impossible to change someone who’s already gone astray. The righteous-heterodox war will happen~ Blood will flow.”
“Understood. Then could I ask for some information? The current precise situation, the war faction members who support the righteous-heterodox war, and what they’re saying publicly and the atmosphere around them. Hao-mun should have already gathered such information. Both the Righteous Faction and the Heterodox Faction.”
“I already have it~ But why us instead of Gaebang?”
At those words, I rubbed my temples.
“Because Gaebang sees things from the same perspective as me.”
In the end, he was compassionate toward humanity and wished even villains wouldn’t die.
Gaebang watched the Central Plains from the very bottom of human society, and even in the mud, he saw warmth.
That’s necessary when observing people’s nature and selecting them.
But conversely, for matters like this, Hao-mun is the better choice.
“I brought it anyway~ I prepared it from the moment you received the call from the Martial Arts Alliance~”
This fellow’s instincts are uncanny.
As I grumbled, Sama Hyeon answered.
“Oh, brother? This is the bare minimum to earn a living~ Do you think making money off others is easy? And since it’s just the two of us here, but I’m the Sobangju of the Golden Blood Hall now. Promotion~”
Saying so, he made a V-sign with his fingers.
‘Did he learn that from me too?’
I have no idea why he memorizes every single gesture and action. This fellow.
He must consider me the first adult who protected him since Elder Seok.
“Sobangju, no less. Congratulations. So you’re properly the Golden King’s successor now?”
“Yeah. Of course, I can’t let my guard down. Considering my Shifu’s nature, I need to maintain this position to the very end.”
So that’s what he meant about having eyes and ears everywhere.
After all, which street merchant hasn’t received money from the Golden Blood Hall?
The Golden Blood Hall doesn’t just sell illicit goods—they also engage in loan sharking.
Business is like the weather; clear days don’t last forever.
Sometimes droughts or floods come, and that’s when loan sharks like the Golden Blood Hall are needed.
Some borrow from the Righteous Faction, but those lacking credit seek out the Heterodox Faction, and among them, the Golden Blood Hall is the most moderate.
Especially under the system Sama Hyeon built, if a shop goes bankrupt, they sell it to the Golden Blood Hall and instead become a branch manager in the Central Plains chain.
This was a far cry from the old days when they’d sell people to salt mines or quarries, and pretty children to brothels.
Because of such methods, more merchants borrowed from the Golden Blood Hall.
And Sama Hyeon acquired those shops that couldn’t repay and made them his territory.
‘Truly a frightening tale.’
But only I, a modern person, felt that fear.
Most people wondered why the Heterodox Faction would bother with such methods when using swords to forcibly acquire shops would be easier.
If a shop acquired that way didn’t turn a profit, wouldn’t the Golden Blood Hall take the loss?
Of course, Sama Hyeon had found the answer to that too.
‘Information.’
This information in my hands was precisely the reason those shops were kept alive.
A location that was hopeless from the start couldn’t be saved no matter how many shops were acquired.
‘Delicious food and good goods don’t guarantee success. That’s what business is.’
So those places became intermediate information hubs under Sama Hyeon’s direct command, logistics collection points, or private relay stations used by the Heterodox Faction.
‘Or used as a hideaway for smuggled goods.’
The way resources were packed together without a single gap—like a parking lot on New Year’s Day—this was precisely why the Golden King employed Sama Hyeon as the Gumhyeolbang Sobangju.
‘Perhaps because they’re from the Heterodox Faction, they’re unconventional. They don’t even bother with fair distribution.’
I quickly read through the information booklets Sama Hyeon provided, then read them again.
Sama Hyeon watched with a grin as I read through them like that.
Time passed.
I closed the book.
“Phew… troubles really do come from all directions.”
“Right. I told you. A righteous-heterodox war will happen~ Even for someone like you, it’s impossible this time, so give up~”
“This is…”
“You’re from the Jegallim Family, so you try to find some deeper insight into everything, but don’t overthink it, brother. With something like this, it’s better to see it one-dimensionally.”
“One-dimensionally?”
Sama Hyeon raised his left hand. Golden inner energy swirled around it.
The Golden King’s golden technique. He moved his hand like a puppet master.
“Kwaaak! I’m from the Heterodox Faction! My power is dwindling, so a righteous-heterodox war is the answer!”
Then he brought out his other hand. The energy coalescing around it was a vivid crimson. He continued the puppet show with it.
This time, his voice sounded as though it came from a different throat.
“Gal! As a member of the Righteous Faction! I shall annihilate the weakened Heterodox Faction and seize their profits! Is there any better opportunity than now?!”
As he spoke, his left and right hands collided.
The golden and crimson energies clashed, producing an eerie sound.
Sama Hyeon paid it no mind and continued his puppet performance.
“Sob, sob, stop it. Don’t fight. We won’t make money this way~ You fools~ This is the Golden Blood Hall’s position.”
Suddenly, Sama Hyeon’s eyes were tinted with golden light.
“You’ve become Sobangju and learned a new martial art from someone?”
“Gaga~ I’m performing an excellent puppet show right now, and you’re only looking at my eyes?”
“Fine, fine. So the Golden Blood Hall wants to prevent this unprofitable war?”
“Precisely. Normally, I’d profit from this righteous-heterodox war, but the system I’ve built generates far more revenue through peace.”
The profits from commerce itself far exceeded what I made from selling weapons and information to martial artists.
This was somewhat surprising.
“In this situation, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader is going ‘Stop it! Stop it! You fools!'”
The energy in Sama Hyeon’s left hand changed to white light this time.
“Shaolin, Wudang, and Huashan oppose it because they have no interest in the profits. The Eight Great Families are in favor. The Demonic Sect is just being the Demonic Sect as always.”
The energy shifted to black once more.
I couldn’t understand the principle, but the new martial art Sama Hyeon had learned seemed capable of altering the nature of his inner energy.
‘How is this possible? It looks different from the Five Elements Divine Art.’
I felt a chill thinking about how powerful the Golden King, who was teaching Sama Hyeon, must be.
“In any case, the atmosphere isn’t good right now.”
“It’s especially severe among martial artists. The Emperor won’t enforce their profits based on law, so everyone must fend for themselves. And everyone thinks they have a chance of winning.”
“…They would have fought even if victory seemed impossible.”
Sama Hyeon watches my eyes grow distant and heavy.
It was distrust of humanity itself.
‘No matter how much he’s my older brother, this is exhausting.’
Even if I were to break here, it would be so inevitable that I wouldn’t even think much of it.
I wiped my forehead.
“Thank you, Hyeon-a.”
As I tried to rise, Sama Hyeon urgently grabbed my collar.
“Brother?”
“What else can I do? I have to do what I can.”
What kind of change in heart had occurred within me?
The afflictions that always weighed on me were barely perceptible now.
What I felt was merely the solemnity that appears when a person walks their own path.
Falling and rising again, brushing off one’s knees and walking forward—only that unique atmosphere existed there.
“You won’t give up, will you, brother?”
Sama Hyeon had read it.
“Well, what can’t be done can’t be done. Separate from that, I’m just doing what I can.”
Why was it?
Why did my brother’s figure appear so vastly larger?
Even this man with a small frame and no particular imposing presence seemed to radiate pressure.
“Thank you, Hyeon-a.”
I smiled gently.
“Aren’t you afraid, brother? That no matter what you do, Gangho won’t change?”
Why was it?
Despite knowing it could wound, Sama Hyeon spoke.
I listened to those words calmly and answered.
“I don’t know. I’m not trying to do anything so grand. I’m just going to protect what I can reach with my hands, like I did in Hangzhou. It’s already a difficult world as it is.”
Blue eyes gazed straight ahead.
The sky after rain existed there.
How could a person possibly be this strong?
In the end, it was Sama Hyeon who looked away first.
‘I heard he met Cheonwoo briefly. Could that have had an influence?’
I couldn’t tell.
“Ah, Hyeon-a. Could you get me some shoes?”
“Hm?”
“My shoes are worn out. I need new ones.”
“Sure. I’ll get them fitted for you.”
The conversation ended there.
I pushed off and left.
‘There’s no time.’
Then again, it had always been that way.

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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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