Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 560
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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 560
“Ahhhhh! This is so incredibly difficult!”
Gongseon Yeong screamed.
She rode atop a Hyeolma and spewed every curse word in existence from this world.
I had no idea the Central Plains contained so many profanities, and when I heard that she’d learned half of them from Wang Gak-yeon, my face grew even paler.
‘Gak-yeon… what were you doing during your vagrant days?’
I’d realized it when she mentioned decapitating bandits and storing their heads in salt boxes, but would the Gungwi Elder know about her transformation now?
The Hyeolma and Hwang-gu ran together toward the north.
“We absolutely must keep running until the sun sets!”
Gongseon Yeong twisted her head to look at the sun’s direction but only caught rainwater in her face.
That was right.
Rumble!
Not snow—cold rain was pouring down.
Snow you could at least brush off, but rain, especially rain laced with freezing cold, sent shivers through you just from its touch.
Even Gongseon Yeong, a Solar Body cultivator, spoke thus.
“You’re absolutely insane!”
“I hear that quite often!”
But across this vast plain, there wasn’t a single inn or person in sight. Once you started lingering, there would be no end to it.
So it was better to trust Hwang-gu and the Hyeolma’s speed and traverse as quickly as possible—it was more advantageous in terms of time and stamina.
However, that was only because both of us were young with overflowing vitality, confident we’d be fine taking this rain head-on. I wouldn’t impose this on someone else.
Running through the night like that, the rain finally stopped.
“Achoo!”
Hwang-gu could run through the night without issue, but the Hyeolma needed rest.
My sharp eyes spotted a few trees standing in the distance.
I immediately galloped toward them and began unpacking.
With my sword, I cut several branches to just under one zhang in length.
It took only a quarter of an hour to arrange them in a cone shape and establish the foundation.
Next, I retrieved the waterproof cloth that had been rolled up and tied to Hwang-gu’s back, and spread it over the cone frame—a comfortable tent was complete.
But that wasn’t the end.
I entered the tent, created a space in the center for a brazier, found a flat stone nearby, and placed it underneath.
After that, I cut a few more branches and lit them with Sammaejinhwa, and the inside of the tent quickly became warm and cozy.
The top of the tent had an artificially made hole through which smoke escaped.
Having lit the fire, I retrieved an iron pot, collected rainwater in it, and placed it over the flames.
The warmth and coziness increased even more than before.
‘If you just light a campfire, the heat rises straight to the sky. But when you place an iron pot or kettle like this, it heats the water while radiating heat around it, making the surroundings warmer.’
While I thought this, Gongseon Yeong’s face filled with admiration.
“Wow, even the guards from the merchant caravans I travel with can’t do this!”
“I enjoy this sort of thing. It has atmosphere, you know? Ah, sister. Change your clothes. I’ll wash and dry them for you.”
Saying so, I even created a Jin Cheon-hee style campfire, placing a pot and iron cookware on top.
I even threw a wide, flat stone of unknown purpose into the fire.
Gongseon Yeong changed into fresh clothes and hung the wet garments to dry.
Jin Cheon-hee asked her a question.
“Would you like some curry?”
“Curry?”
“Well… anyway, I have something delicious. When I camp, I like to make curry with plenty of meat and finish it off with a fried egg on top.”
With those words, I began preparing the curry.
“I should stir-fry the vegetables first to build up the heat properly.”
Chop, chop, chop!
Gongseon Yeong watched in a daze as I prepared the food with astonishing speed.
“Are you alright, Yeong?”
“Watching you cook is entertaining.”
“Haha, is that so?”
“Yeah. It’s fun just staring blankly at it.”
She gazed intently at me as I cooked.
And for good reason—I wielded the wok with the mastery of a cultivator at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, and whenever the heat seemed insufficient, I channeled my life force to intensify the flames further.
“Ah, I need to add this too.”
Splash—
Celestial Intoxication.
A legendary wine that had slumbered in the imperial treasury was now being used as a cooking ingredient.
“This makes the meat more tender and adds a deeper flavor.”
Whoooosh!
Flames erupted alongside the rich aroma of the Celestial Intoxication.
Gulp—
Gongseon Yeong unconsciously swallowed hard.
“Aren’t you going to give me some of that wine separately?”
“I can’t. This is only for cooking.”
“Can’t you give me just a little?”
“Yeong.”
“So you’re the kind of ruffian who works people in the rain without even offering them a cup of wine?”
“Ugh. Your eloquence suddenly becomes impressive when alcohol is involved. Fine, Yeong. I understand. I’ll pour you a small glass.”
With that, I completed my Central Plains-style curry rice.
I ladled the curry—filled with minced meat and vegetables—over rice, then topped it with a large pork chop steak.
And for the egg—
“Soft-boiled or hard-boiled?”
“Soft-boiled.”
“Understood.”
I placed the soft-boiled egg on top.
A luxurious dish was complete.
And at Gongseon Yeong’s request, a glass of Celestial Intoxication to cleanse the palate.
Glug, glug, glug, glug—
I warmed the alcohol over a heat source, and white steam rose gently from it.
As I swallowed a cup, a deep fragrance filled my nasal passages, and my chilled body warmed pleasantly.
“Ah, this is wonderful.”
After finishing the entire bowl, the night sky finally came into view.
Stars bloomed abundantly across it.
I had eaten so ravenously that I couldn’t even remember how I’d consumed it all.
“A meal I’ll never forget in my lifetime.”
“Mission accomplished.”
“Your cooking skills have improved.”
“Of course. As my martial arts grow, my culinary skills naturally advance as well.”
The exquisite swordplay demonstrated when slicing vegetables with the ornate golden knife—
Cooking itself had become both martial art and fine art.
‘But why am I using such precious martial techniques just for cooking?’
If improved martial arts automatically made one a better cook, every master in the martial world would possess the skills of a high-class inn’s head chef.
Slicing people and slicing vegetables require entirely different martial techniques.
Even the weapons differ—one is a long spear, the other a kitchen cleaver.
To manifest sword energy with that cleaver and use the golden knife technique, one would naturally need dedicated practice.
In other words—
‘What warrior practices just to slice vegetables?’
Yet this man apparently had done exactly that.
There was no point asking why.
‘Slicing vegetables is far more valuable than slicing people. This is saving lives! Saving lives!’ He’d probably spout some nonsense like that.
“Sleeping rough was always such a nuisance, but this… this is rather nice.”
“I’ve placed potatoes and sweet potatoes with butter under the campfire. You can eat them in the morning.”
“You truly know how to savor life.”
“Of course! You should enjoy things as much as possible while you can. Now then, next is your sleeping arrangement.”
Jin Cheon-hee said this, then cleared away the food and dug an elongated patch of ground where Gongseon Hyeon would sleep.
Then he laid out the broad stone that had been heated in the campfire until scorching, covered it with soil to make it soft and cushioned, and spread a blanket over it.
Perfect! An instant ondol!
It would easily maintain its warmth for several hours!
“Since Hwang-gu and Noeji are warm, I can sleep holding them, but you can’t. This becomes an instant ondol, you see? It stays heated surprisingly long like this.”
“…You do such things.”
“Haha. Sleep warmly, sister. I’m sorry for making you march in the rain earlier.”
She had already softened long ago from the food and alcohol.
With the ondol prepared on top of that, Gongseon Yeong’s facial muscles relaxed completely.
“Now I understand why you’re so popular. But don’t be too kind to people. You foolish boy.”
Popular, but falling for him would probably become exhausting.
‘Anyone who fell for him would probably end up with holes in their stomach.’
Gongseon Yeong muttered to herself.
The tent he had made, saying his sister had worked hard, was so cozy and warm that Gongseon Yeong was able to fall into a deep sleep.
* * *
When Hwang-gu and Noeji combined, that meant two sets of fur.
Two bundles of hair with body temperatures higher than humans.
Especially unexpected was Noeji—duck down wasn’t the finest bedding for nothing.
When Noeji also released his muscle-locking technique and fell asleep, the tent became so warm and toasty that it was hard to believe it was winter outside.
‘Hot… it’s so hot. This… this is like a sauna.’
As I grew, these two grew with me, and I was the first to wake in the stuffy tent.
‘Thanks to the Precious Jade’s effects, my fatigue recovered incredibly fast.’
So I sat in meditation and began my inner energy cultivation.
After completing the Heavenly Circulation and finishing my breathing exercises with deep sighs, Hwang-gu suddenly sprang to his feet.
Woof!
A short, low bark.
The signal it conveyed was obvious.
I dressed quickly, sent Noeji up into the air for reconnaissance, and woke Gongseon Yeong.
“Sister, sister!”
Gongseon Yeong sat up.
“What’s wrong? Little benefactor.”
“I think attackers are coming.”
“They caught up with us? How? That’s surprising…?”
The two of us hurried outside the tent.
It was still too early for sunrise, but we were both martial artists.
Sharpening my vision, I could see horses galloping toward us from beyond the horizon.
“Yes, they’re coming as expected.”
I said this and began casually moving a few pebbles from the ground.
“A formation?”
I answered Gongseon Yeong’s question calmly.
“Isn’t setting up a formation during camp a basic necessity? The world is dangerous, sister.”
‘Is this guy insane?’
Or do all the Jegallim Family members do this?
From the look of things, it seemed he’d set up a formation while I was asleep, but even for someone like Gongseon Yeong, I knew that formations weren’t something you could create so easily.
A skilled geomancer might reach the realm of immortals, but I doubted Cheon-hee had reached that level.
Still, it seemed he understood that this location was a place where spiritual meridians of feng shui passed through.
Tap, tap tap—
“Are you seriously setting up a formation like children playing house, crouching like that?”
Shouldn’t you plant flags around and write Sanskrit on trees and such?
How is this any different from children’s play?
Cheon-hee spoke.
“Formations don’t need to be that elaborate. As long as the directions, heavenly stems, and positions align, that’s all that matters. Planting flags and such is just for visual effect so people pay more money.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Actually, using natural materials like this to harmonize with nature creates a more natural formation. My Master taught me this method, which he learned through actual combat experience.”
Ah, so Hyeolrin Gwangssal must have used this while personally splitting open someone’s skull.
Soon after, I dusted off my hands.
“Good. Open Formation!”
Whoooosh—
A gust of wind swept past once.
Yet the surrounding landscape remained completely unchanged.
I spoke.
“Let’s see~ who will take the bait~ the Righteous Faction, the Demonic Cult, or perhaps the Heterodox Faction~”
The way I sang in that affected voice was utterly irritating.
“The Righteous Faction? Surely it wouldn’t be the Righteous Faction.”
“Well, you see. Usually in situations like this, someone you know is more terrifying. Sister.”
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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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