Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 648

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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 648
Regardless of settling personal grudges later, finding the connection between the missing persons and the insurance fraud was the priority.
[Detecting scents is the most important task?]
[Dan Gajang’s main business is in fragrances, perfumes, and scented candles. Luxury goods, but they’re also used as medicines. Still, I didn’t expect his sense of smell to be at that level.]
Sama Hyeon answered his brother’s question immediately.
Fragrances and perfumes were items created and used since ancient times.
So it wasn’t strange that a family could establish itself and prosper through such trade.
Jin Cheon-hee asked again.
[You gathered information beforehand?]
[Yep~ Dan Gajang’s family martial art includes a technique called Cheon Gwan Gamgak Gi Gong, which is a martial art that enhances specific human physical functions, just like Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong.]
Sama Hyeon trailed off there, lost in thought for a moment before adding one more thing.
[However, since it’s difficult to master and rather crude, I had been looking down on it.]
The crime of insurance fraud—taking money and fleeing—I would never let it slide.
Sama Hyeon’s eyes gleamed with obsession.
[But to remember even the faint scent of someone who merely passed by to that degree?]
Sama Hyeon furrowed his brow slightly.
[No. According to my investigation, even if he reached mastery, he shouldn’t possess this level of olfactory ability right now~ I need to update my information.]
Sama Hyeon rubbed his chin.
[He must have either improved his martial art, or perhaps….]
At that moment, Dan Seok-han spoke while dismissing the martial arts disciples.
“This humble one shall guide the two of you.”
Jin Cheon-hee replied to that.
“No. We need no guidance. We shall conduct our own investigation, and if there is anything being concealed, it will be punished according to the law of the realm!”
Dan Seok-han answered calmly.
“Of course!”
‘Hmm, it seems he has something to rely on?’
Dan Seok-han led the way and entered inside Dan Gajang.
After passing through the main gate, a well-maintained garden first greeted Jin Cheon-hee and Sama Hyeon.
Following the carefully landscaped garden and pathways inward, grand mansions lined the way.
The kind of wealthy estate you’d see in martial arts films stood before my eyes, yet I found it neither particularly surprising nor novel.
After all, Yeo Ha-ryun had nearly demolished the Namgung Family’s villa, which was just like this!
Whoosh.
However, as I followed him inside, I felt the flow of air subtly twist.
It was a sensation that clung strangely and adhesively.
[Hyeon-a. It’s a formation. Be careful. Stay right next to me.]
[Yes~ Gaga~]
Sama Hyeon pressed close and even linked his arm through mine.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke without paying attention to Sama Hyeon.
“A rather exquisite formation. So you are Dan Seok-han?”
“You must already know, but yes, I use that name.”
“Even renowned martial families in Gangho rarely employ such formation techniques. What reason would drive someone to establish such a formation?”
With keen perception, I observed Dan Seok-han intently.
Yet Dan Seok-han smiled gently and spoke.
“It is due to the main family’s business.”
“Business?”
“The main family manufactures incense, spices, and perfumes that are recognized even throughout the Empire. Dan family incense sells exceptionally well to the powerful clans of the Empire.”
As I pondered this, Dan Seok-han’s voice continued.
“There are quite a few who covet the manufacturing methods of our perfumes and incenses. Wall-climbers have attempted theft many times. This formation exists to prevent such intrusions.”
His words flowed without hesitation, which made them seem natural. Yet that very naturalness felt suspicious.
Because.
He was certainly not this kind of person at the tavern.
“The manufacturing workshop is located in this estate?”
“Well, not exactly. The main family has also suffered several attacks.”
His expression turned serious.
Moreover.
From what I could discern, he was not lying.
If it were true, there would be no problem. But if it were false, then such training would already be ingrained in him.
[It’s as if the person has changed entirely….]
The sense of discord I had felt from the beginning.
A strange feeling, as though his very essence had transformed.
[Right. He counters like a loach, as if he’d practiced beforehand.]
[Could someone change that much in a single day? When he was at the tavern, his breathing wasn’t this refined. Even his gait has changed subtly. Can acting really alter someone to that degree?]
At those thoughts, Sama Hyeon fell into contemplation before speaking.
[No. Acting is ultimately mere imitation. It cannot change a person’s fundamental nature. There’s no reason to alter such minute, instinctive habits.]
Something was wrong.
I spoke.
[If the Dan Seok-han I first met was a careless heterodox faction type, then this one… feels like someone I’ve been dealing with all along.]
Someone my brother has faced.
The old masters of the Martial Arts Alliance, Sadoren, the Demonic Cult, and Hyeolseonggyo.
Sama Hyeon observes the change in his brother’s eyes.
Even now, his brother’s eyes do not turn blue.
A world where Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong is not used.
Within ordinary flowing time and ordinary flowing thoughts, my brother fights with all his might.
Unable to do what he could always do naturally.
It must feel like flailing limbs in the deep sea.
[So this is a different person from that shadow operative who sent out bounties and ordered kidnappings at night?]
Completely different.
I thought.
‘Could he be twins like King Gold and Silver?’
If so, I would be unable to detect the scent of two separate people.
He only realized it after coming face-to-face with me just now.
Since I hadn’t informed the coffin faction of exactly how I would disguise myself, even if there were a spy, there would be no way for them to know.
‘Or perhaps I was hiding far enough away that I couldn’t sense any presence, and then I caught the scent and transmitted a message through sound….’
It’s possible. But if the martial arts were capable of detecting such a scent, the Dan Family would have already risen to become one of the Eight Great Families.
‘Either way, I should assume it’s someone else.’
I exhaled softly and immediately set my body in motion.
* * *
I began a thorough inspection of the interior, bringing Dan Seok-han along with me.
I even investigated the underground warehouses, but from what I could see, there was nothing suspicious.
Most notably, if this had been the Dan Seok-han I’d seen before, he might have carelessly let slip a word or two, but strangely this time there was no sign of that whatsoever.
Rather, he remained composed about everything.
After finishing my investigation, I asked.
“Is Gaju Dan Seok-san present?”
My sudden question.
“My father is currently ill and unable to receive visitors.”
“Your Gaju is bedridden, yet you leisurely drink wine and harass women?”
At those words, Sama Hyeon thought to himself.
‘My brother just tested Dan Seok-han’s composure.’
My brother had learned how to live carelessly from me.
But I knew his true battlefield lay here. And those my brother faced were all difficult and dangerous individuals.
Seeing that Dan Seok-han had changed in some way, my brother seemed to have decided to resolve it in his own manner.
Dan Seok-han spoke calmly.
“You say my father is ill, but that doesn’t mean this Dan must live an ascetic life, does it?”
Rather, he came out shamelessly.
Sama Hyeon glanced at my brother.
What exactly were those eyes seeing?
Eyes that weren’t using Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong simply gazed steadily at the opponent.
Yet somehow, I felt a sharpness as if cutting someone down with a blade.
“It seems you’ve completed your investigation. Please take your leave now.”
Dan Seok-han issued the order to dismiss us.
* * *
The moment we stepped outside, I spoke.
[It seems to be the same person. Hyeon-a.]
My brother’s conclusion. If that’s what he said, then it must be true.
I accepted that fact without a shred of doubt.
[Really? That’s strange. Can a person change that much?]
“….”
I fell into thought.
Even without using Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong, this man maintained his usual dark, somber demeanor while discerning the situation.
He was relentlessly sincere, and in some ways, even arrogant.
He straightened his posture and continued speaking with perfect clarity of mind.
[First. The underground storage—it was far too clean. Normally, dust accumulates in warehouses. But there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere. Not a trace in any corner. Even the royal residence has dust in its storage rooms. Hyeon-a.]
[I see?]
[Second, the servants working there presented a problem. Their physical responses were abnormal.]
[In what way?]
A faint blue light flickered across Jin Cheon-hee’s pupils before his eyes darkened again.
[Even in the depths of winter, people sweat when they labor. Hyeon-a.]
[That’s true, isn’t it?]
[Yet not a single one of them was sweating.]
In that moment, goosebumps rose across Sama Hyeon’s back.
What ordinary people wouldn’t even sense as strange, my brother had observed.
Sama Hyeon asked.
[So you’re saying the people in this household aren’t in a normal state either.]
[Tonight. I must return and investigate further.]
[Won’t their guard be heightened?]
Jin Cheon-hee nodded.
[Yes. Of course it will be. But that doesn’t matter.]
He kept his head fixed forward, rolling only his eyes to glance behind.
At the front gate of Dan Seok-san’s residence behind Sama Hyeon.
Soon after, he walked forward as if nothing was amiss.
Then he pulled his long hair up so tightly the scalp strained, tying it firmly in place.
Even he seemed to have been under considerable tension—his pale nape was damp with perspiration.
[I can only hope the missing people are still alive.]
The Doctor had read madness in an ordinary residence.
And the village had permitted it.
* * *
Night had fallen.
Jin Cheon-hee and Sama Hyeon immediately changed into night clothes and slipped outside.
‘Well, at this point it’s practically formal attire. Formal attire.’
Two people infiltrating in night clothes at this hour aren’t exactly unknown figures.
But… let’s just consider it a matter of courtesy for nocturnal visitors.
Jin Cheon-hee moved toward Dan Gajang’s estate with a slight self-deprecating smile.
In the darkness, he lowered his body and leaped across the rooftops without making the slightest sound.
Thud—
Meanwhile, Sama Hyeon used the Tuo form technique, minimizing the time his feet touched the roof as he bounded upward.
Even that movement carried a peculiar playfulness.
‘This one seems like he’s here for entertainment.’
Indeed.
Sama Hyeon had even embroidered his night clothes with different black silk threads.
In darkness they appeared as identical black garments, but when caught by light, a black moon and black fox became faintly visible.
Even among blacks, the difference lies in saturation and luster.
I let out a small sigh, thinking that only this person would be compelled to wear a night garment—something ordinarily discarded after one or two uses—with such meticulous care and maintenance.
Truly, an extravagant indulgence!
‘Well. As long as you’re enjoying yourself, that’s what matters.’
And so we arrived at Dan Gajang’s estate.
On the surface, it appeared as nothing more than an ordinary, sprawling manor.
[Hyeong, is the formation array here really that intricate?]
[Yes.]
[From what I can see on the surface, it’s completely imperceptible~]
I had brought the flags I’d prepared in advance.
[Right. It would be.]
[How are you planning to break it? When you went in disguised as Dam Pyodo today, you were carefully examining the surrounding objects—does that have something to do with it~?]
This one’s perceptiveness was uncanny.
I clicked my tongue softly.

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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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