Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 605

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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 605
The Day the Hot Spring is Completed!
The children leaped with joy.
“Doctor, Doctor! Now we can bathe without boiling water!”
“I hate bathing.”
“You have to. You’ll get itchy.”
Today as well, Jin Cheon-hee was lounging in the alley, handing out sweets to the children and chatting away.
On days off, playing with these little heroes was my greatest pleasure.
I spoke.
“The snow is melting quickly now.”
“Spring must be coming. The snowman is melting too!”
“Indeed.”
Children are the same whether on Earth or here.
Adults shrink when it’s cold, but children build snowmen when it’s cold.
A snowman at the corner of the alley was slowly melting.
‘It seems summer here brings the spring weather of the Central Plains.’
This was a place where winter was long and summer was short.
Spring hardly existed at all.
Seeing the melting snowman, the children lamented.
“It melted and now it’s ugly.”
“We can build another when winter comes. It’s fine.”
I comforted the children and handed each one a candy.
Then suddenly, one child spoke.
“Doctor.”
“Yes?”
“Why is your hand like that?”
When one child asked, the others chimed in one by one.
“Doctor, you’re missing your pinky finger?”
“Who cut it off?”
“Did a bear eat it?”
“No! It was probably never there!”
Watching the children chirp like sparrows, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Well… spring has come, and I think I’ve melted a bit too. Like that snowman.”
“Come on, that doesn’t make sense!”
“No! The doctor could too! My mom said the doctor is a living immortal!”
“Is an immortal a snowman?”
…It seems this child’s parents have imported some strange religion.
Even so, I sensed Prince Han-bing approaching from a distance.
“Hello there!”
“Haha, you’ve arrived?”
“If I can’t find So Ui-seon, I should look for where the children are instead. So that’s actually true.”
“That’s what Gongseon Yeong taught you, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
With those words, Prince Han-bing spoke with an intentionally serious expression.
“The Palace is calling for you.”
“Ah, as expected. I thought it was about time they called.”
I brushed off my backside and stood up as I said this. Then I handed over all the remaining sweets.
“Eat these and listen well to your parents. Study your characters diligently too.”
“Yes, yes, yes–!!”
The answer was loud and clear.
I thought this was exactly the same as Earth.
“Ah, no. Let’s just live carelessly. At that age, you can get by without much effort. As long as you’re healthy, that’s all that matters.”
Why work so hard already? They’re just children.
I brushed the head of the melting snowman once, then looked down at my own severed fingers.
‘Good things always come after bad things, that’s how it goes.’
So it seems we melted together.
* * *
When I returned to the Palace, the Holy Maiden—or rather, now the North Sea Ice Palace Master—stood there.
I bowed lightly to her, and she smiled gently in return.
“Holy Maiden… or should I call you Gunkuibak now?”
Now she had a name.
“White Turtle. My mother said she dreamed of it in a prophetic dream. Originally, she planned to give me a name related to that dream, but since I received a prophecy before I was even born, she couldn’t give me one.”
It seemed I had no childhood name either.
She spoke.
“How does it sound in the Central Plains accent?”
I fell into thought, then spoke honestly.
“It does have a ring somewhat close to the Heterodox Faction’s aesthetic, but well, I think it looks good.”
Whether Gunkuibak used the character for turtle or ghost—what did it matter.
The North Sea Ice Palace was weakened both internally and externally.
‘And the Holy Maiden. Or rather, Gunkuibak, doesn’t understand the ways of the world.’
She was the one who had been hesitating whether to lie to those Heterodox Faction outsiders trying to take over the North Sea Ice Palace.
Though she had now resolved to lead the North Sea Ice Palace no matter what blood she had to stain her hands with.
‘Honestly… the very fact that she speaks like that proves her innocence. That’s what this is.’
I knew that the sect leaders of each faction immediately resort to spies, assassinations, fraud… and such things are secondary.
I know how much they evade taxes.
As if the Righteous Faction lives cleanly.
Not a chance.
Given such circumstances, I grew worried about the Holy Maiden—or rather, the North Sea Ice Palace Master.
‘Gunkuibak… it doesn’t roll off the tongue.’
Just looking at the name, it sounds like she could wipe out several Heterodox Faction sects.
The name means “white turtle”—a soft, gentle name.
Moreover, the Holy Maiden’s appearance resembled a round cat like a British Shorthair, which only reinforced the impression.
She laughed awkwardly.
“Normally, the Grand Hall should be where gifts are bestowed. But this is rather uncomfortable. Being a Gungju isn’t something anyone can do.”
Due to the North Sea Ice Palace’s nature, the Grand Hall was vast and frigid. And since traces of that battle still remained, it felt desolate.
I responded.
“Would you care for some tea?”
“Yes. That would be preferable.”
* * *
“Is the restoration of the formation proceeding well?”
The Hyeolseonggyo had forcibly altered the feng shui within the North Sea Ice Palace, causing the formation to reverse.
Where the clear Han Bing energy should have circulated through the North Sea Ice Palace, turbid energy now flowed instead.
‘Even on Earth, people quarrel over grave site arrangements.’
Typically in Korean tradition, the grave of the eldest ancestor sits at the highest point of the family burial ground, with descendants’ graves arranged in descending order below.
However, sometimes with deliberate intent, the youngest descendant’s grave is placed at the top while ancestors are positioned below.
This involves calculating feng shui directions and reversals to determine grave placement.
When done this way, disputes arise between main and branch families over where the fortune energy flows.
Moreover, since Gangho is a world where yin-yang and five elements are real, any sect with considerable power invariably summons feng shui masters.
From the outset, even the foundational structure is arranged according to feng shui principles.
This means even minor placements carry significance, and since the Hyeolseonggyo tampered with it, everything became a mess.
At my words, the Gunkuibak sighed.
“Yes. Thanks to that, I’ve been troubled. Summoning an exceptional feng shui master is the priority, but for that, I’ll need to dispatch people to Hangzhou at minimum to bring someone back, and I’ll need to bring craftsmen suited for the task as well.”
While feng shui items can be purchased from outside merchants, a place like this requires everything to be custom-fitted to the palace.
‘This is a story of craftsmen that rarely appears in martial arts novels.’
Whether in films or novels, martial artists typically take center stage.
The circumstances of the craftsmen, doctors, and merchants moving behind the scenes are seldom shown.
Even when depicted, it ultimately comes down to drawing swords and pacifying Gangho, making it difficult to reflect the lives of ordinary people.
I myself had been unaware.
There were countless things I’d only learned along the way.
“Would you… allow me to take a look?”
“If So Ui-seon would examine it, we would be delighted!”
She accepted without hesitation.
It seemed she had secretly hoped I would help, but felt too indebted to ask directly.
“I don’t know much about the North Sea Ice Palace’s martial arts, so there may be parts that don’t align with them. Still, if the goal is to purify the turbid energy first, there should be something I can help with. After that, you’ll need to invite professional feng shui masters.”
“I’ve heard the Jegallim Family is skilled in formations.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“While I’m competent with formations, architecture is another matter entirely. Those specialists will have their own perspectives.”
With that, I took the map and made several corrections.
“The residences of the martial artists around the North Sea Ice Palace are all destroyed anyway? We should factor that into the feng shui as well.”
Saying so, I pulled out a pencil and began sketching rapidly.
A graphite pencil, not a brush.
Gunkuibak had seen it used a few times when taking notes quickly.
In just a day or two, I had grasped the general framework.
“Until now, the North Sea Ice Palace and its martial artists have monopolized the hot spring water veins. That’s not good feng shui, you see. Water shouldn’t stagnate—it must flow.”
In terrestrial feng shui, water symbolizes wealth.
That’s why feng shui masters often place fountains.
If this position isn’t arranged well, it’s said that money flows out instead, so one must be careful in placement.
In the martial world, flowing water represents vital energy.
‘Especially hot springs are believed to contain the earth’s spiritual essence, and if this flow is cut off, the vital energy ceases—so one must be cautious.’
In that sense, the North Sea Ice Palace had poor feng shui.
“How curious. It resembles the old North Sea Ice Palace map somehow.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s changed much now, but the map my predecessor drew had this arrangement. Of course, the map burned and was lost, but that’s how I remember it.”
“Fortunate. While we’re at it, did you give any thought to public health?”
At those words, Gunkuibak laughed for quite some time.
“Thank you.”
“There must be public bathhouses and laundries. And this—I drew it before—there’s something where you turn a handle and clothes get washed.”
With that, I pulled out the design for a washing tub.
“Put powdered soap in here and turn it with a crank—laundry becomes much easier. Lye water works well too.”
“Won’t the clothes get damaged?”
At that, I nodded.
“They’ll get damaged somewhat. I can’t say otherwise. Still, it’s easier than hand washing. It would be good for things like washing bedding.”
Thus I exchanged various ideas back and forth with the Northern Palace Lord.
As the atmosphere grew ripe, she finally spoke.
“You’ll be heading back soon, then?”
At that, I nodded.
“Yes. I believe I’ve completed what I came to do.”
Gunkuibak stared intently at my pinky finger, then spoke apologetically.
“I owe So Ui-seon a great debt.”
“Not at all. I’m simply grateful to have gained martial knowledge at the North Sea Ice Palace.”
She shook her head and gestured with her chin.
Then martial artists brought in a large box.
When opened, inside lay an ice crystal the size of a human skull.
“Wow… ice crystals can grow this large?”
Gunkuibak answered.
“Yes. This ice crystal is a rare treasure that grows larger on its own if left alone. We break off pieces and use them. It’s a primordial ice crystal.”
Such a miraculous thing existed!
I opened my eyes wide in astonishment.
“Few of these remain in the North Sea Ice Palace, but I thought this much of a gift would be appropriate for a benefactor. Please accept it.”
She had said this anticipating that I would hesitate and refuse.
However, Jin Cheon-hee was different.
“Thank you so much!”
An immediate response!
And fearing she might take it back, he eagerly accepted it and pulled it into his embrace.
‘My goodness, how many research projects could I conduct with this!’
And cooking too!
Watching Jin Cheon-hee openly radiate happiness without a care for propriety, the Holy Maiden pressed her temples repeatedly.
“By the way, that Bing Jeong Sword was crafted from North Sea Han Bing and this Primordial Ice Crystal.”
“Oh!”
So that’s why it continuously emanated such frigid energy!
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“The master craftsman who forged the Bing Jeong Sword is said to have departed elsewhere, but according to records, she was a woman with quite an eccentric temperament.”
“I see.”
“It is written that as a woman, she single-handedly managed the blacksmith’s forge—work that even men find burdensome—and continued to forge renowned blades. The records state she wielded martial arts of unparalleled excellence.”
“Someone from several hundred years ago?”
“A person from a thousand years past. Had she settled somewhere and established a lineage, we might encounter her descendants. However, whether those descendants would practice blacksmithing with such precious martial arts in their possession remains uncertain.”
Only the martial arts would be transmitted, while the master blacksmith’s techniques might fade into obscurity.

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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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