Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 559

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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 559
Once I completed the procedure, a beautifully crafted molar had been finished.
When the perfectly completed spirit jade inlay fit into place with precision, I felt an oddly satisfying sensation, as if solving a puzzle.
‘This feels different from when I worked with gold.’
I then secured it properly with dental cement and completed the finishing touches.
“The remaining spirit jade should be refined into spirit medicine. What a waste.”
“Hmm? There’s some left? I thought we’d used it all.”
Hearing this, I felt a pang of regret—I should have pocketed some of the excess.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“You must reduce your sugar intake and brush frequently. This isn’t perfect. Once a tooth is filed, it cannot regenerate.”
This world also has toothbrushes.
They’re made by plucking bristles from wild boars, though bear hair or horse hair are sometimes used as well.
They’re expensive.
So I recommend willow branches to common folk.
For toothpaste, this era uses salt.
The Baekrin Medical Guild recommends diluted salt water.
Using coarse salt directly can damage teeth and easily wound the gums.
‘Once I develop baking soda, I can make proper toothpaste.’
First, I need to find a lake.
The Hwa Empire has several lakes similar to Earth’s natron lakes.
The problem is that the tendency to distrust outsiders makes it difficult to purchase land.
“Please be sure to use it once the toothpaste is ready.”
“…Yes, I will.”
A glimmer of madness flickered in Jin Cheon-hee’s blue eyes.
For some reason, Emperor Geum-wang found it difficult to meet that gaze directly.
“And please have the remaining spirit jade refined into spirit medicine.”
“I’ll have the imperial physician handle that. Consider it compensation for this dental procedure.”
“Thank you.”
Good. He didn’t quibble over it.
The Emperor certainly has a generous spirit.
“Oh, and you mustn’t circulate inner energy through your mouth. Even though spirit jade is strong, it will dissolve instantly if you use inner energy. My master is also cautious about this.”
“I’m no martial artist, so that won’t be an issue.”
Pung Ha-geum observed Jin Cheon-hee carefully.
‘Indeed, the mad doctor is truly mad.’
Normally, when a tooth rots, extraction is standard.
But adding supplements to treat it—I’ve never seen such a thing before.
Thanks to this, the tooth had returned to quite an acceptable appearance.
“Ah, and you may experience some foreign sensation for a while. If the tooth feels too high or too low when chewing, let me know. Hot and cold water may also feel more intense than before.”
I recorded various notes to myself.
Clearly, I was documenting this to create a related academic journal once again.
How presumptuous of him.
Yet strangely, I find myself not angry. Perhaps it’s because his motives stem not from personal gain, but from something far more distant and difficult to fathom.
“Here then, take this.”
A jet-black ebony tablet with a dragon etched upon it.
“What is this?”
“A permit for entry into the Imperial Palace’s secret archives.”
“Huh!”
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widen in shock.
I can sense this madman is already itching to rush off and plunder books from the Imperial Palace’s secret archives once more.
“However, I grant this only after you return from the North Sea Ice Palace. Surely you haven’t forgotten your mission to the Aisha Kingdom?”
“Ah, yes, I understand.”
And there it is—his expression immediately droops.
‘Is he truly a genius? Honestly.’
When he engages in strategic games like the cunning elders, he’s formidable, yet in moments like these, he appears nothing more than a child obsessed with knowledge.
Jin Cheon-hee pouts his lips.
“May I take my leave now?”
“Go. Oh, and the supplies you’ll need for your journey north—I’ve had them placed with the spirit beast you keep with you.”
“Hwang-gu?”
“Yes.”
Of course, when entering the Imperial Palace, one must surrender their weapons and leave spirit beasts behind.
A spirit beast itself is a weapon, after all.
Eun Wang-ya added her own remark from beside me.
“Going north so unprepared—I thought you’d lost your mind.”
“I’ve prepared adequately, I assure you.”
“Not at all. You underestimate the cold of the North Sea Ice Palace.”
How cold could the North Sea Ice Palace possibly be? I’d prepared supplies as carefully as one would for climbing an iron mountain.
036. Carving Fate into Frost Crystals
“Ha ha, a wind-resistant robe made from polar bear hide… and a scarf from the same material? This is why one shouldn’t associate with Imperial Palace people.”
Does he think I’m a fool who wouldn’t prepare such things? These madmen.
Where in the world did they even capture a polar bear?
In the modern world, polar bears evoke images of climate change victims or happy Christmas mascots holding cola bottles, but in this era, they’re ferocious beasts that even martial artists struggle to face.
In a world where eagles are tent-sized and moths are as large as a human head, polar bears receive corresponding proportions—they’re house-sized.
Some might think this is metaphorical, but they truly are house-sized.
They’re so massive they rival tigers in body mass.
These creatures possess intelligence rivaling that of mountain lords, and when hidden in white snow, they move like ghosts—often hunting and devouring hunters instead.
Without firearms, relying only on spears and martial prowess to fight them is inhuman.
Better to hunt seals instead.
Thus, even in the North Sea Ice Palace, garments made from polar bear hide are exceedingly rare.
In the snowy wasteland, they’re more terrifying than tigers.
Multiple hides had been sewn together to prepare shoes, undergarments, and wind-resistant robes—a complete set.
I’ve even made ones for Hwang-gu and Noeji.
‘This was definitely prepared in advance to send ahead, wasn’t it?’
It struck me as a reasonable suspicion that the imperial palace had also contributed a hand in the Martial Arts Alliance sending an envoy to the North Sea Ice Palace.
‘A schemer of that caliber received dental treatment from me.’
Well, this feels rather strange.
In any case, the hat attached to the back bore the maker’s personal taste—it even had polar bear ears sewn onto it.
‘If this were Earth, I’d say “Bear, I’m sorry…” But here, should I say “Hunter, I’m sorry…”?’
In any case, the person wasn’t wrong.
The hunter too must have had to engage in a terrifying battle with such a massive beast armed with nothing but a harpoon, whether for money or at the command of their superiors.
There were limits to blocking the cold by circulating inner energy.
Even martial artists’ fingers would freeze in such a frigid place.
I couldn’t even fathom how they managed to catch such a colossal creature with just a single harpoon.
Woof!
When I placed the hats attached to the back on both Hwang-gu and Noeji, they looked incredibly adorable.
‘There must certainly be someone among the imperial embroidery specialists who was ahead of their time.’
Thus, I departed Beijing aboard a military vessel.
I arrived at the port city of Dalian in Liaoning Province.
Upon arrival, Gongseon Yeong was waiting to greet me at the entrance.
“Hey there!”
Dalian Port appeared even more prosperous than before.
On all sides, I could see high-rise inns and merchant establishments under construction. Of course, “high-rise” was by this era’s standards—not by modern ones.
Regardless of construction techniques, without elevators, climbing them was arduous unless one was a martial artist.
Still, there were red tiles, blue tiles painted over them, and even tiles mixed with gold pigment that sparkled with brilliant effect.
Along with dragon ornaments and immortal decorations, even turtle ornaments symbolizing longevity.
All manner of roof fixtures were being bustled about.
“Wow, Dalian Port is expanding tremendously, isn’t it?”
“People have a supernatural sense for the scent of money. With the Gongseon Family at the center and other merchant houses joining in, Dalian Port continues to grow larger by the day.”
I see. How fascinating.
Gongseon Yeong led me to the Gongseon Family residence.
“The main house is undergoing repairs and expansion, so my sister is staying in the separate quarters.”
So the Gongseon Family was renovating again this time.
Surely they’d decorate it lavishly with dragons and phoenixes like the other great families?
Just then, what passed before me were mountains of tiles black as ink.
“Surely not the Gongseon Family?”
At those words, Gongseon Yeong broke into a grin.
“Yes. My sister loves black. The elders protested, saying it wasn’t some demonic cult and why decorate the house like that, but she simply overruled them.”
I see.
The Black Ice Poison Dragon.
The Gongseon Family residence was being constructed to match that very epithet.
Gongseon Yeong continued speaking.
“Still, I did manage to get her to plant plenty of flowers and trees in the garden and courtyards as I requested.”
That’s a relief.
If there is Gongseon Hyeon of darkness, then there is Gongseon Yeong of sunlight.
It seems the Gongseon Family’s interior won’t be entirely barren after all.
‘In modern terms, it’s like plant décor bringing balance to a monochromatic tile house filled with neutral tones.’
As we walked toward the temporary annex in the distance, Gongseon Yeong spoke.
“I heard from my sister that the Martial Arts Alliance dumped something annoying on you. Little benefactor.”
“Ah, you’ve already heard about it?”
“Of course. An Elder went in my sister’s place, but I heard she participated properly in the meeting. You were put in charge of coordinating with the North Sea Ice Palace, right?”
“Yes. I heard that the Aisha Kingdom has a different language, unlike the Dadu Kingdom. The Dadu Kingdom is a famous trading hub, so many people there know the Central Plains language, but apparently that’s not the case with Aisha.”
“You’ll need an interpreter then?”
As she said this, Gongseon Yeong suddenly began spouting off several words in the Aisha Kingdom’s language.
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You speak it well?”
I couldn’t judge the pronunciation, but the way she rattled it off so fluently suggested she’d studied quite a bit.
“My sister forced me to learn it so she could use me in trade. But then I ended up causing massive losses, so we gave up on it.”
…Well… I see.
So Gongseon Hyeon still hadn’t given up on Gongseon Yeong.
‘Even after experiencing how much Gongseon Yeong has squandered, how can she keep pouring money into her like this?’
Jin Cheon-hee felt love in that money.
It was a blessing that Gongseon Yeong didn’t have a talent for business.
If she had possessed such a talent, Gongseon Hyeon would have uprooted the very foundations of the Gongseon Family to support Gongseon Yeong’s endless failures.
‘This is love. This is what love truly is.’
Even parents and children couldn’t manage this.
When we arrived at the Gongseon Family residence, Gongseon Hyeon greeted us in her usual pitch-black scholar’s robes, her posture hunched as always.
“I pay my respects to Baekrin Medical Guild’s Heavenly Radiance.”
It was a courteous greeting, but there was a hint of playfulness in the title “Heavenly Radiance.”
“I pay my respects to the Gongseon Family’s Black Ice Poison Dragon.”
She regarded Jin Cheon-hee with her dark eyes.
“I was the Black Ice Poison Dragon when we first met, and I remain so now, yet it seems the Heavenly Radiance has changed his title several times over.”
“Hahaha.”
Gongseon Yeong doubled over with laughter, clutching her stomach.
‘Why is that even funny?’
Gongseon Hyeon seemed pleased with her own sophisticated humor, her lips twitching slightly as she smiled to herself.
It felt as though Jin Cheon-hee couldn’t even dip a toe into the world shared by these two sisters.
After a moment, Gongseon Hyeon spoke.
“There’s no need for a long discussion. A Hyeolma has been prepared, so ride it and go with the Patriarch.”
“You want me to interpret? Sister?”
“Yes. Go and come back.”
Jin Cheon-hee answered.
“I appreciate the thought, but wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”
“Who knows? Perhaps this journey will help our Yeong learn the ways of commerce after all.”
This affection clung to me like a goblin’s claw—tiresome and relentless.
If I had a daughter who made as many mistakes as Gongseon Yeong, I would never entrust her with managing a business.
And what was this endless, overflowing attachment all about?
‘Moreover, a Hyeolma? The Gongseon Family possesses a Hyeolma?’
A military steed of quasi-supreme-grade quality.
Known as a horse that sweats blood, it possessed remarkable resistance to cold and extraordinary speed—so legendary that some scholars theorized even the Red Hare from the Records of the Three Kingdoms was a type of Hyeolma.
Such an extraordinary creature it was.
‘I truly wish to take its pulse and understand the mechanism behind the blood-sweating phenomenon. I’ll have to ask Gongseon Yeong about it later.’
Thus, Jin Cheon-hee and Gongseon Yeong departed together for the North Sea Ice Palace.
The journey would take them through Liaoning Province, into Jilin Province, and across Heilongjiang Province.

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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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