Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 543

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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 543
The preliminary rounds of the martial arts tournament commence.
“Since Sama-hye will be competing as the Bundata Master’s representative, it falls to you as Sojakju to oversee her matches.”
“Ah, so this is what my Master did when I competed back then.”
“Precisely. We are doctors, and in martial tournaments, avoiding injury takes precedence over victory. If danger looms, we should intervene. Better to lose by disqualification than to let a doctor fall—after all, we cannot treat others if we ourselves are dead.”
“Yes, I believe that reasoning is sound.”
“The Patriarch had his faults, boasting about his disciples and all, but he always prioritized your safety over winning or losing.”
So now I inherit that responsibility.
Rather than let someone suffer grave injury, I should step in and accept defeat.
Baekrin Uiseon’s identity leans far more toward the medical guild than toward martial families, making such a decision possible.
‘My Master truly is bold.’
Most traditional Gangho families would choose to fight to the bitter end rather than bear such dishonor.
‘Perhaps that’s why I both despise and love Gangho.’
How could mere words like “love and hate” ever capture this feeling?
I returned to my quarters and dressed in formal attire.
Not the light martial robes I wore daily, but the ornate ceremonial garments befitting a representative of Baekrin Uiseon.
Clothing symbolizes authority.
A protagonist in martial novels can wear plain cloth robes without consequence because they need not represent anyone or anything.
But when the Mudang Sect Leader wears robes embroidered with the Taiji symbol, and the Huashan Sect Leader wears robes embroidered with plum blossoms, one must wear appropriate attire when appearing in official capacity.
Especially if one wishes to avoid being looked down upon—one must wear the finest silk.
‘That’s how it is. If I don’t dress well, I’ll hear whispers that Baekrin Uiseon is falling apart.’
After dressing as impressively as possible, I recalled that trivial wisdom adults always spoke—that dignity flows from wealth—and headed straight toward the tournament grounds.
Remarkably.
“The Mudang Sect’s Cheonwoo Swordsman! Those wishing to wager on Cheonwoo Swordsman, come this way!”
Indeed.
Cheonwoo was competing again this year.
Though I was technically in the later age bracket.
‘If he enters again this year, he’ll face endless ridicule.’
A man in the later bracket who became one of the ten greatest masters under heaven?
He’d only hear demands to stop showing off.
It’s the same reason Hyeolpyeon Wang Dang-a no longer competes in tournaments.
‘Come to think of it, did Dang-a come to the Dragon Phoenix Assembly this year?’
Even without competing, she might have come for other business, just as I might.
‘There’s no phone in this world, so I wouldn’t know.’
A simple message would answer such questions in my old life, but that’s impossible here.
Sometimes it frustrates me, yet other times I find it the very romance of martial arts novels. A modern person’s heart is complicated indeed.
‘As expected, the Heterodox Faction wasn’t invited this year.’
Looking at the tournament bracket, the Heterodox Faction was completely absent.
Naturally, the Demonic Cult wasn’t either.
That scene of unity displayed before the Hyeolseonggyo had now completely vanished.
With war against the Heterodox Faction looming, the Yongbong Gathering had become a unified space for the Righteous Faction alone.
Once the formal declaration of the Great Righteous-Heterodox War was made, the Hao-mun branch would have to close its doors and withdraw.
It was like having a Soviet embassy in America during the Cold War.
When war breaks out, everything must be evacuated.
‘That’s right. Everyone has war on their minds. They want to see blood spilled.’
If that’s what they desire, shouldn’t I let them have it?
At this point, it might not even be a matter of heavenly will.
It’s simply that humans want it and choose to do it.
Aren’t these people who’ve spent their entire lives honing their blades? Of course they desire to speak the language of the blade—its purpose. Yet here I am, holding them back alone.
‘What right do I have to stop them?’
Gritty sand lodges uncomfortably in my chest.
I sit in the pre-arranged VIP seating, exchange appropriate greetings with the nearby sect leaders and elders, and wait for Sama-hye’s turn.
Again, several participants ascend the martial stage simultaneously.
Sama-hye wears martial robes instead of her usual doctor’s garments.
The judges call out the names of all the participants at once.
It seems rather perfunctory, but this is just the preliminary round anyway.
These hot-blooded warriors won’t wait for individual introductions.
Everyone assumes their opening stance.
Sama-hye also draws her sword and takes her opening position.
Whoosh.
I watch her take a deep breath.
‘You’re nervous, Hye-a.’
Of course you are. This isn’t like dealing with some troublesome patient.
How many formal martial matches has a doctor actually participated in?
‘Her fingertips are tensing. The blade will tremble at this rate.’
And indeed.
The tip of Sama-hye’s sword trembles visibly.
‘Oh no, I hope she doesn’t get seriously injured.’
If she’s going to lose, perhaps the preliminary round is better. It’s better than pushing herself to the finals and returning wounded.
‘Ah, I wonder if Master watched with this same heart.’
“Begin the match!”
At the judge’s cry, the young masters move with urgency.
Clearly peak-level masters. Fortunately, no transcendent masters are visible.
Huff!
Sama-hye swallows hard and boldly steps forward directly. She locks eyes with one opponent and launches a frontal attack.
Clang!
Sama-hye’s sword strike traces an elegant arc, deflecting her opponent’s blade.
‘Oh! Quite fierce!’
Watching this, I feel oddly exhilarated.
The martial technique Sama-hye is employing is Moonlit Sword.
It’s a sword technique characterized by drawing large circles.
At first glance, it resembles Tai Chi made manifest through the blade, but it differs significantly.
While Tai Chi uses softness to overcome hardness as its foundation, drawing circles to deflect an opponent’s attacks, the Moonlit Sword also uses softness to overcome hardness as its base, yet it’s far sharper.
The clarity created by the circles strikes down and neutralizes the opponent’s techniques.
‘Master really did prepare a fine blade for me.’
The Frost Crystal Sword that Jin Cheon-hee wielded was exceptional, though not quite at that level.
‘Indeed, victory in combat comes down to equipment.’
Meanwhile, the opponent was a Jeomchang Sect Disciple.
The Jeomchang Sect employed the Shooting Sun Sword Technique.
The hallmark of this technique was its blindingly fast thrusts.
These thrusts weren’t merely quick—their penetrating power was exceptionally stronger than other martial arts.
‘But it has terrible compatibility with the Moonlit Sword. Hye-a chose her opponent well.’
I suspected this was no coincidence.
Given her nature, she wouldn’t take risks in such an important first real combat.
Sama-hye must have investigated her opponent beforehand.
After all, the Moonlit Sword was best suited to counter fast, linear sword techniques.
The Jeomchang Sect’s sharp sword strikes were repeatedly consumed by the moons created by the Moonlit Sword, and the swordsman’s wounds accumulated one after another under Sama-hye’s assault.
‘Hmm. Hye-a doesn’t account for treatment situations and just attacks. Wait, or was I the strange one?’
Jin Cheon-hee suddenly reflected on himself.
‘Right. I’m so focused on fighting and winning that I’m diagnosing while striking. That’s definitely the strange part.’
And finally, the tip of Sama-hye’s blade touched the Jeomchang Sect swordsman’s neck.
“I yield.”
Clang—
The Jeomchang Sect swordsman dropped his sword himself, conceding defeat.
In the meantime, the others had mostly finished their matches, leaving only one opponent remaining.
The Haenam Sword Sect’s Southern Sea Wave Sword!
This technique, named after the waves of the Southern Sea, moved like the undulating surface of waves, and its formidable power was akin to waves that pierced through stone.
Yet Sama-hye raised her blade to overcome those waves.
Her eyes glowed with a soft blue light.
A radiance so subtle that one wouldn’t notice without careful observation.
It wasn’t from the main branch of the Jegallim Family, but rather a branch family martial art.
She manifested the Hyeonwon Divine Art to perceive the waves.
Reading the undulations from the sword’s tip, the Moonlit Sword advanced.
Watching the initially chaotic rhythm transform into something orderly.
‘You’ve finally read the sword’s path. Hye-a.’
Crash!
The Moonlit Sword severed the Haenam Sect’s blade.
The broken blade flew through the air and embedded itself in the ground.
“I… I yield.”
와아아아아아아—!
Everyone began to shout at the emergence of the new prodigy.
“Baekrin Uiseon Patriarch Bundata Master Sama-hye wins!”
Uwaaaaaaaaa—!
The Gangho drowned out the judge’s words with their celebration of the newcomer’s arrival.
Sama-hye exhaled heavily and sheathed her sword. Then she steadied her breathing and descended from the platform.
“Oh, Eun Gong!”
Only then did Sama-hye realize that Jin Cheon-hee had been watching, and she waved her hands enthusiastically.
‘Looking at her like this, she’s unmistakably that age group.’
Did my Master watch over me with this same heart?
“Wow, did you see? That child is Patriarch Bundata Master. I treated her directly when she was young, you know. Even then, she showed remarkable brilliance.”
“Indeed. My congratulations. Baekrin Uiseon Sojakju.”
“What do I have to be congratulated for? It’s Hye-a who is truly exceptional.”
Why is this?
I cannot stop boasting.
I find myself bragging about Hye-a to the sect leaders sitting on either side of me, whose disciples fell in the preliminaries.
Can I help it?
‘My Hye-a advanced to the finals so magnificently!’
Is this what it feels like to have a daughter?
“I haven’t taught her anything, yet she’s grown so splendidly on her own. My Hye-a. Isn’t it moving?”
“Hehehehe, what a blessing for Baekrin Uiseon.”
“Ah, what blessing? What use is it for a doctor to be stronger than a martial artist anyway? Goodness, what will become of our Hye-a as she grows? Using a sword even better than warriors. What am I to do?”
I’m bragging indirectly.
My mouth spills praise of its own accord.
‘Hye-a! Thanks to you, I’ve become happy!’
Just moments ago, I was troubled—do martial artists love blood, what should I do here, does any of this have meaning?
Am I not just running on a hamster wheel in the same place?
I was wrestling with such concerns, but now that I’ve become this happy, I find myself laughing at myself.
‘This is what living truly means. This is the taste of life.’
Without even this joy, how could I endure such a long life?
Then a tremendous voice echoed from afar.
“Our Hye with the golden glow! I love you, our Hye!”
What is this? No matter how I look at it, isn’t this giving off modern person vibes?
The tone is absolutely perfect?
Turning my gaze, I saw Sama Hyeon in the middle of the gambling grounds, waving a massive golden calf while sharing this joy.
The hero banner Sama Hyeon wore had [Baekrin Uiseon ★ Sama-hye] embroidered on it.
‘He embroidered the hero banner like that?’
This fellow might not be a martial artist after all.
* * *
The next turn is Cheonwoo’s.
One of the sect leaders, tired of Jin Cheon-hee’s bragging about Sama-hye, finally stood up from his seat, and Sama Hyeon quickly took that spot beside me.
“You… is it alright for me to sit here?”
Even if the Orthodox-Heterodox War hadn’t begun yet, could someone from the Heterodox Faction really be permitted to sit in the guest of honor’s section like this?
Sama Hyeon answered my question simply.
“The owner of this seat said I could sit in their place.”
[Are they also a customer of the Golden Blood Hall?]
At my sudden telepathic transmission, Sama Hyeon replied without changing his expression, completely composed.
[My child is the customer. They’re always running off to the gambling dens throwing money around.]
Ah, gambling.
Regardless of other vices, gambling was the most insidious habit capable of destroying a family’s foundation—whether on Earth or in Gangho, this truth remained unchanged.
[They must have borrowed quite a bit?]
[Yeah~ normally when someone borrows this much, the interest should exceed the principal, but since the principal is larger, that says it all.]
[So they’re still borrowing continuously.]
[Exactly~ and if the Golden Blood Hall won’t lend to them, they seek out loan sharks with even higher interest rates and greater danger, so your Patriarch watches my every move very carefully.]
Politics was entangled like a spider’s web.
Yet I still couldn’t understand why we had to fight at all.

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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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