Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 554

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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 554
Upon arrival, Joo Dan-ha, the Chuuna Clan Leader, was already there.
And Sama-hye was waiting in advance as well.
“Thank you for your hard work.
Patriarch.
“Your Majesty.”
Joo Dan-ha patted my shoulder with a composed expression.
Sama-hye was chewing on skewered chicken with an expression that said “whatever happens, happens.”
“Would you like some? Eun Gong.”
Without hesitation, I accepted the skewered chicken and took a bite.
“It’s delicious?”
“Yes. It’s made at a street stall run by the Golden Blood Hall, and there was a reason my brother recommended it.”
The chicken’s characteristic juices and tender texture were exceptional.
“It seems to be made from chicken thighs?”
“Yes. The breast and head are used for chicken noodle soup.”
Of course it would be delicious then.
‘Wow, my stomach feels warmer and my mood has improved a bit.’
We shared the conversation from just moments ago, tearing off meat piece by piece.
It was truly remarkable.
The refreshments I had eaten just before were far more expensive and required much more effort, yet this simple skewered chicken went down so much more smoothly.
Joo Dan-ha poured wine and offered it to me.
“I know you don’t care for alcohol, but would you have a drink?”
I let out a soft laugh.
“No. It doesn’t seem like the right time to drink yet.”
“I understand.”
Joo Dan-ha drank the wine with a regretful expression, gulp after gulp.
After finishing the discussion from the meeting, Joo Dan-ha spoke.
“You did well against those raccoon dogs.”
“Did I?”
“Yes. It’s a place where you lose your footing the moment you open your eyes. In that sense, what will you do?”
….
I fell into thought and asked Sama-hye.
“Hye-a, what do you think you’ll do?”
Sama-hye fell into thought while tearing at a chicken leg.
Soon came a piercing question.
“Haven’t you already decided, Eun Gong?”
With that, she waved the skewered chicken.
“Originally, I thought about bringing chicken ribs and recreating the historical anecdote of ‘a chicken’s ribs’—something tasteless and worthless—but since I’m eating anyway, I wanted it to be something delicious.”
Had she predicted that much?
I felt a pang of embarrassment.
While Sama-hye may have access to more information than ordinary Bunta Masters, predicting my next move is an entirely different matter.
Soon, Joo Dan-ha asked.
“Are you planning to withdraw?”
A reference from the Records of the Three Kingdoms—Cao Cao’s tale.
The chicken ribs: a part too tasteless to eat, yet too wasteful to discard.
Cao Cao ultimately withdrew his forces.
Sama-hye had grasped that parallel.
‘Wow, once I shed these shackles, you soar, don’t you? Hye-a.’
Having cast off the strange shackles of perfectionism, responsibility, and guilt, Sama-hye continued to evolve.
“That’s correct. Baekrin Uiseon will withdraw. The Yongbong Conference has ended anyway, so there’s no reason to linger, is there?”
With those words, I issued the withdrawal order to the doctors.
I made sure not to forget a parting farewell to Cheonwoo.
* * *
“If you receive the land, you’ll be free from Hwaju Medical Institute’s interference. And even if you don’t accept it, there’s no need to go to the North Sea Ice Palace—either way, it’s a favorable outcome.”
After hearing my situation, Cheonwoo replied this way.
A profitable deal no matter which path I took.
Cheonwoo asked.
“But hyeong, I sense some regret in you. Why is that?”
At those words, I let out a sigh.
“Hmm… but the North Sea Ice Palace does pull at me somewhat.”
“Why would you want to go to such a frozen place?”
“Right, I know. But I’m curious about this Ice Frost Sword.”
It never breaks under any circumstance, and its blade never dulls.
Moreover, it actively emits cold energy to maximize support for my ice techniques.
I wonder where else such a blade could be found.
But from the perspective of the wielder, it feels like there might be some deeper secret still hidden within it.
The North Sea Ice Palace sent this sword as a gift when my Master had fully recovered, and since then, they haven’t come charging to kill me or drag me back, so it seems they’re not desperate enough to come after me immediately.
And above all else.
‘In any martial arts novel, doesn’t the North Sea Ice Palace always make an appearance? Cheonwoo.’
In practically every martial arts tale, doesn’t the protagonist’s journey to the North Sea Ice Palace inevitably occur at least once?
Some describe it as a palace made of ice, others depict it as laid with white marble to appear even more pristine—the descriptions vary widely.
At this point, aside from the descriptions that appeared in the Jicheon Cheonma, there’s only one thing I know for certain.
‘They bought a lot of ondol heating systems.’
The North Sea Ice Palace is the largest importer of ondol, truly a premium customer of both the Bota Trading Guild and Baekrin Uiseon.
They import more than ten times the ondol of ordinary major sects, and the Bota Trading Guild’s finest craftsmen are currently stationed there overseeing ondol construction.
Money doesn’t lie.
It didn’t seem like the situation had escalated to the point of a boycott.
‘And perhaps I could learn about my Master’s past.’
Thinking this far, I realized I was being overly sentimental, so I decided to stop.
‘That’s right. There must be a good reason my Master doesn’t speak of his past.’
I’m not going to pry unnecessarily into things that aren’t my business.
But learning things unavoidably when I go to the North Sea Ice Palace isn’t a sin, is it!
“The Icebound Sword is certainly a fine blade.”
“Right. It seems like there’s more hidden to it. Hehe.”
I answered thus and patted Cheonwoo’s shoulder repeatedly.
“Cheonwoo.”
“Yes, hyeong?”
“Back then, I’m glad you were there. You held me back.”
“…So it was true that you weren’t in good condition back then.”
“Yeah. I wandered quite a bit.”
I nodded and handed over the medicinal tea and spices I had prepared for Cheonwoo.
“Drink it during your martial travels.”
Cheonwoo nodded.
“I’m glad I could be your support.”
“Mm.”
I nodded.
“I don’t know what storms the Mudang Faction will face ahead, but I’m sure you’ll endure well. If it gets hard, send word anytime.”
With those words, I stepped back.
Outside, people were clamoring about whether the Soggakju was leaving.
I looked at Cheonwoo reluctantly for a long time before finally taking another step.
“Then I’m off!”
Parting is always difficult.
It seemed like it had never been easy, not even once.
Cheonwoo waved his hand from afar until I was out of sight.
* * *
When I arrived at the Baekrin Uiseon, Yoo Ho was waiting at the entrance.
“Oh, Yoo Hooooo! I missed youuuuu!”
“Haha, welcome, young master.”
Saying so, he clenched his fists tightly—a posture that said he’d kill me if I got any closer.
Seeing him like a beast with fur standing on end, I cautiously sidled in on crab legs.
“Still, I brought lots of things Yoo Ho would like. From chicken skewers made with chicken legs to jerky—you like all of it, right? The Golden Blood Hall’s famous inn recently developed new jerky, and it’s really delicious?”
By now, I had gradually learned how to handle Yoo Ho.
Fundamentally, this guy loves food.
At first, I was at a loss about how to tempt someone who wasn’t even swayed by monthly wages, but now I’m starting to get the hang of it.
‘As for alcohol… he sips it occasionally.’
He clearly said he disliked it, but he sips it alone from time to time.
My years of social experience tell me that disliking alcohol usually falls into one of three categories.
First. (Genuinely) dislikes alcohol.
Second. Dislikes (bad-tasting) alcohol.
Third. Dislikes (drinking with you) alcohol.
If he were the first son, he wouldn’t occasionally drink alone, so it must be the second or third.
So regardless, I’d prepare special liquor for Yoo Ho, and wouldn’t I be satisfied if I just kept myself somewhere roughly tucked away?
That was the conclusion Jin Cheon-hee had reached.
“I’ve prepared fine wines, and I’ll leave them within easy reach, so drink if you want.”
After saying so, I deliberately swept my hair back behind my ear and grinned widely.
“Preparations for mass production of Golden Tiger Divine Elixir are complete.”
“Excellent!”
My eyes gleamed like stars.
Golden Tiger Divine Elixir. In other words, streptomycin.
Of course, mass production here could never match a modern factory, but still, if the supply runs more smoothly than Baekrin Divine Elixir, that alone would be more than satisfactory.
“Yoo Ho, what would you like to eat… huh?”
As I said this and started to approach Yoo Ho awkwardly, I suddenly tilted my head once, then again.
“Is something the matter?”
“Yoo Ho, have you made progress in your inner energy cultivation?”
“Hmm?”
“Or is it that your scent has changed?”
After tilting my head a few more times, I said this.
“No, it’s just that Yoo Ho’s clothing is different from usual, so the atmosphere felt different.”
“How dull.”
After saying so, he threw me a small bamboo tube.
Thunk—
“It’s a letter from the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“These guys send it before they even arrive.”
After saying so, I pulled out the bamboo tube and read the letter’s contents for a while, then said this.
“Ah, as expected.”
“What is it?”
“I think I need to go on a business trip to the North Sea Ice Palace.”
“What?”
“Master is inside, isn’t he?”
As I said this, my eyes changed in an instant, and I strode forward purposefully.
* * *
I immediately purified myself through bathing and brought gifts to present to Master.
Of course, I didn’t bring an armful like before.
Too many gifts might cause him discomfort, so now I brought only the finest items.
Master gladly accepted my gifts and also received the letter.
“The North Sea Ice Palace, I see.”
I revealed to Master everything that had happened at the Martial Arts Alliance.
“And. I returned safely this time without any major conflicts.”
“So the friction with the Hwaju Medical Institute and Gonggong Faction in the middle, and the martial matches, don’t count as ‘major conflicts.'”
“Hehe!”
“True. At this point, it’s just a martial competition, nothing more.”
Wasn’t this the most normal thing he’d done among all the insane acts he’d committed?
He held the match in a place equipped with medical facilities.
It wasn’t one-against-many; it was one-on-one.
He nearly sent the Aged Taoist into demonic possession midway, but that’s acceptable, isn’t it?
After all, the opponent wasn’t even from Hyeolseonggyo, and they were the ones who provoked him.
At this rate, I could present my disciple with a passing medal.
“North Sea Ice Palace… they certainly suggested a good location. So did the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“….”
My Master fell into thought before speaking.
“There lies an old debt in that place.”
“Is it a threat to my life?”
“Not quite. Much time has passed since then, and the Ice Palace Master seems to have settled matters on her end. Besides, I’m not the type to burden my disciple with my debts.”
My Master sank deeper into contemplation.
“The Martial Arts Alliance certainly had a good idea offering up land.”
It was land in a different region, not in Jiangsu Province where Baekrin Uiseon was located.
From the start, they had to change regions entirely to cultivate diverse medicinal herbs.
Even so, this could be seen as a scheme to expand their sphere of influence.
Yet the vested interests belonging to the Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Families—the Martial Arts Alliance itself—had approved it.
“They said it’s a good place for cultivating medicinal herbs, so it probably isn’t a good place at all.”
“Right. It’s surely the most remote outskirts of the sect. Yet how many people have we killed just to gain a single span of land? Offering up that land means the North Sea Ice Palace is that frightening.”
“Is the North Sea Ice Palace strong?”
“A different kind of strength than Oh Dok-mun.”
My Master fell into thought.
“You’ve already decided to go.”
“Yes, Master. If it were a situation where I’d unconditionally have to draw my sword, I wouldn’t go. My life is precious to me too.”
At that moment, Jegalling couldn’t hold back and pinched my cheek.
Squeeeeal!
“Ow, M… Master!!”
“Go on. Finish what you were saying.”
Only after my Master released my cheek did I continue.
“If it’s not that kind of atmosphere, I want to go. If even a few fewer people die, it’s at least a bit comforting. And frankly, the Hwaju Medical Institute’s interference is starting to get annoying.”

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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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