Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 551

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 551
“If you’re too careful, it might actually look suspicious. Just do it in moderation. By the way, what do you think about Ilgwang’s martial prowess?”
Man Haksa asked while looking at the other two.
“Martial prowess? Why are you asking about that?”
At Sim Haksa’s gruff response, Jang Haksa let out a soft chuckle and opened his mouth.
“Sim Haksa, you still seem dissatisfied… but I think he’s now on equal footing with the Two Emperors.”
The Two Emperors.
The weight that title carried in the Central Plains was as immense as Mount Tai itself.
“The Three Elites and Two Emperors. Below them are the One King, One Empress, and One Ilgwang. But Jang Haksa, you’re saying Ilgwang is equal to the Two Emperors?”
“That’s right. So shouldn’t he be called the Medical Emperor rather than just Ilgwang…? Well, that’s my opinion anyway.”
“That’s unrealistic.”
Man Haksa raised an objection.
“Why is that?”
“Because Ilgwang is no longer just Ilgwang.”
“Then what is he?”
“The Madman of All Under Heaven! The craziest person in all the world—that’s Ilgwang of All Under Heaven, Jin Cheon-hee!”
The three men stared at each other.
And soon, as if their thoughts aligned, all three raised their cups.
“To the Madman of All Under Heaven, Jin Cheon-hee!”
“To the new absolute master!”
The three began making a commotion again.
But one thing was certain.
Defeating Jin Seongjja, the Sword of Gonggong, had far greater ripple effects than defeating Haesa Bangju, the leader of the Heterodox Faction!
In this world, just before the righteous and heterodox war was about to break out, it was causing unexpected shockwaves.
* * *
“Hyeong. I know it’s a bit much to say this, but you really seem crazy.”
“What? I didn’t say anything that harsh, did I? It was an emergency patient.”
Cheonwoo slowly shook his head with a stern, solemn, and serious expression.
“Most martial artists wouldn’t speak that way in such a situation.”
“It’s fine. I’m not a typical martial artist anyway. I’m a Doctor. One of the top ten doctors in Gangho!”
Cheonwoo thought that there was only one person capable of displaying such medical skill—his hyeong.
Of course, Baek Rin-ui-seon was also a renowned doctor, but he still felt his hyeong was superior.
Because Baek Rin-ui-seon couldn’t cure Cheonwoo’s illness, but his hyeong did.
‘Though he probably didn’t even try.’
How could an orphan like himself ever meet such an exalted figure as the great Baek Rin-ui-seon?
Regardless, that wasn’t the important part here.
Normally, when one wins in such a martial duel, at best they’d say something like, ‘Curse it, how frustrating! I never expected your martial arts to be so profound!’ or ‘Hehehehe! Elder, the world is now mine. Please just keep your position, Elder.’ or something like that.
If they were a courteous righteous faction warrior, they’d finish with something like, ‘You’re too kind. Today I was fortunate enough to win against you, Elder.’
So what did Jin Cheon-hee say at that moment?
-It’s an emergency patient.
With that declaration, I calmly performed acupuncture point location, pulled out several needles from my needle case, inserted them, and then carried the Hermit to the Princess’s arms before rushing to the ward.
After I left like that.
The martial arts arena fell silent, filled only with confusion and sighs.
The tremendous martial prowess of knocking down the formidable Jin Seongjja of the Gonggong Faction with nothing but defense, without a single killing strike.
And that impudent personality, telling Nodo Jang to attack while he would only defend from now on.
Even the madness of carefully examining the condition of Nodo Jang, who had collapsed from fury, declaring it an early stage of qi deviation, and immediately taking his pulse and inserting needles right there.
Cheonwoo wiped his face dry.
-Watching that temperament reminds me of my Master, Hyeolrin Gwangssal.
-If he had Hyeolrin’s personality, he would have just cut the opponent’s neck the moment they used a killing strike. Did you see how he showed mercy just because the opponent was Nodo Jang?
-Right. If inserting incense was easier than inserting needles, he would’ve inserted incense instead.
-And compared to Hyeolrin… he’s rather kind in his own way. He picked up the Elder and ran when his condition suddenly worsened.
-…Any possibility of conflict between the Gonggong Faction and Eun Gong has been completely cut off.
After I left, the elders of the Martial Arts Alliance shared such conversations among themselves. However, because there were other aspects to consider, gossip also spread.
-To inflict such humiliation upon a warrior….
-The Gonggong Faction won’t be able to show their faces going forward. What exactly… what on earth….
-If that happened to me, I think I’d cough up blood from qi deviation even after treatment.
-This isn’t just knocking down the Gonggong Faction. Slapping their cheek and spitting—well, not quite spitting, but it was severe nonetheless! Severe, I tell you!
-How could he disregard a warrior’s pride like that! Ilgwang!
-Not just Ilgwang. He’s the Ilgwang of All Under Heaven!
-We shouldn’t challenge the Ilgwang of All Under Heaven. He turns perfectly healthy people into patients!
-I knew from when he told a kidney stone patient not to drink alcohol. That’s madness. He could even tell a perfectly healthy person like me that I have kidney stones!
-You’re from the Namgung Family, aren’t you?
The Martial Arts Alliance was in chaos.
The martial match between Jin Seongjja, the Gonggong Single Sword, and Ilgwang (now being called the Ilgwang of All Under Heaven), Jin Cheon-hee, was spreading confusion and madness like this.
To that extent, my actions were something, something utterly alien.
“Listen carefully, Cheonwoo. Nodo Jang kept calling me a lecher, so I made him feel my feelings.”
“So you responded to provocation with provocation?”
“Right. Having done that much, Nodo Jang should now understand my shame and humiliation. And I did consider hitting him directly, but no matter how I thought about it, it seemed like it wouldn’t end at just breaking joints. But that doesn’t mean a martial match only ends when limbs are snapped off or organs spill out from the abdomen, does it?”
“Well…. I suppose not?”
“So I was just telling Nodo Jang to use up all the inner energy he had and rest comfortably. Is that so strange?”
“But then he collapsed?”
“Right. At that age, if it progresses to qi deviation, it’s dangerous? I immediately began emergency treatment and transported him to the Medical Guild’s temporary treatment facility.”
“….”
Is that the whole story of this incident?
When I explain it piece by piece, it does sound reasonable.
But when put together, something, something feels off.
Cheonwoo thought to himself.
“That’s right, hyeong. The world is wrong. The world that calls you Ilgwang is the problem.”
“Yes! Well said!”
I even clapped in agreement.
“These kinds of incidents keep happening, so we doctors need to put in effort too. Mental fortitude isn’t important for nothing. Not for us Gangho physicians.”
That’s when Sama-hye entered.
“Phew, I finished all the work. Eun Gong.”
“Thanks. Hye-a.”
“No, thanks to you I learned a lot too.”
Sama-hye had learned to headbutt whenever she felt annoyed.
It was an advanced technique that would have been impossible in the hierarchical Central Plains, a skill that required equipping oneself with the mindset that our Medical Guild wouldn’t collapse at this level and that I was right.
“And in an organization, you don’t need to take responsibility for everything. Even if the other party is the Patriarch of the Hwaju Medical Institute, you can still beat up anyone who acts out of line.”
“….”
Sama-hye’s pupils trembled.
The perceptive Jin Cheon-hee sensed that Sama-hye was worried whether this whole mess had happened because of her.
I’d experienced something similar back on Earth in the past.
That time, it ended with a resignation letter.
In modern times, it’s a story that wouldn’t even make it into a drama.
In martial arts novels, usually when a third-rate villain acts out like this, the protagonist defeats them on the spot and it ends satisfyingly.
But I disliked both outcomes. I didn’t want to end it that way.
I grasped Sama-hye’s shoulder.
“Hye-a. Listen to me.”
“Yes, yes. Eun Gong.”
“Did you join Baekrin Medical Guild just to repay a debt to me?”
“Eun Gong.”
“Would you work even without receiving a monthly salary?”
“That’s not it, Eun Gong.”
‘Good. This is straightforward. I like it.’
I continued speaking with that thought.
“You work to be happy, Hye-a. To display your skills, and surely you have something you want to become in your later years? You work for that future.”
“….”
Sama-hye was flustered, but eventually spoke.
“That’s true.”
“Right. Everyone works for themselves. So don’t bear it alone—let’s do this together. If it’s unfair pressure, you can headbutt them right there. So don’t worry about it. All our Medical Guild physicians can do that.”
‘Am I saying this right?’
I chose my words carefully for a long time.
Physicians like Hye-a have no backing.
Even in modern times this is difficult, and I can’t even imagine the burden an orphan bears in this world.
In a world where it’s natural for lower-ranking physicians to brew morning tea and prepare wash water for senior physicians every morning.
In a world where even doing that is considered doing too little, and other medical guilds are said to slap first and ask questions later.
I only know that if I’m not careful, it becomes hypocrisy.
“So my fight with the Gonggong Faction wasn’t because of you, but because of that bastard from the Hwaju Medical Institute. And… uh….”
I’m not sure if I’m saying this right.
Still, I should do something, shouldn’t I?
I don’t know what the best words would be. But I do know that what matters is maintaining interest and continuing to converse with each other.
So, tell me.
At those words, Sama-hye burst out laughing.
After laughing for a while, tears streamed down her face. Then she laughed again.
“It’s strange, Eun Gong. You really are….”
Sama-hye wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and spoke like this.
“Now I understand why the senior Doctors from Baekrin Medical Institute don’t leave this Medical Guild. There are many places that offer far more money.”
“Really? We actually pay quite a lot.”
“Even so, there are times when the Sega or the Imperial Palace deliberately offer even larger sums.”
Sama-hye scratched her head.
“For you, Eun Gong, the Medical Guild holds a different meaning than a martial sect.”
“Hwaju Medical Institute and Heukjeon Medical Institute do tend toward that. Medicine is fundamentally non-transmissible knowledge, after all. But I don’t want to be that way.”
“And yet it’s not as light as a merchant guild either.”
“Right. We’re dealing with human lives, so we can’t be.”
Sama-hye closed her eyes in thought, then spoke.
“I think I made the right choice joining Baekrin Medical Institute too.”
“You did.”
“Then, Eun Gong. Can I be a bit shameless?”
“Hm?”
Sama-hye deliberately spoke in a villainous tone.
“If other Doctors who have reached marriageable age suffer like I do, would it be alright if they use you as an excuse?”
At those words, Jin Cheon-hee burst out laughing.
Yes. This was the kind of person she was.
Once things settled, she’d charge forward without hesitation.
That exaggerated expression tinged with playfulness was probably her way of apologizing.
“I already told you before the match. It’s fine. So don’t worry about it. I actually prefer it that way.”
Then Cheonwoo, who had been quietly observing, spoke.
“We Swordsmen had a lot of concerns about that too, but this feels strange. Hyeong.”
“Hm? Don’t you all have to live as celibates your whole lives anyway?”
“Our lay disciples suffer. We need to build connections with the Mudang Sect, and suitable marriages are necessary for that. So people with family debts or children of lower-ranking officials suffer like this. And incidents like what happened to Miss Sama occur in that process.”
“What about the Mudang?”
“We… well…. There’s no particular way we handle it.”
I see. That’s usually how it goes.
It’s not some martial arts novel cliché after all.
The same applies to Sama-hye as well as Baek Hwan-hu.
If they were doing this to repay a debt of gratitude, I’d decline.
The same goes for Sama-hye.
‘At least she answered that she needs a monthly salary to work. That’s a relief.’
Modern people find such excessive loyalty burdensome.
The burning grudges of Gangho are painful, but repaying a debt of gratitude is not for children, and I decline.
Sama-hye asked.
“What about the Gonggong Faction’s Jin Seongjja?”
“His condition has stabilized, and he’s sleeping now. Once he wakes up, he’ll need to drink medicinal broth all day long. Stabilizing one’s qi and blood doesn’t mean the work is finished, after all.”
After saying that, I asked Sama-hye and Cheonwoo.
It was the question I had asked most frequently throughout my entire life.
“So, have you eaten? If you haven’t, let’s go get something delicious.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————