Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 652

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 652
Sama Hyeon pondered the situation.
‘Things have gotten quite messy~’
I’d only planned to investigate a bit of insurance fraud and then go sightseeing with my brother.
But somehow, like a rolling snowball, the matter had grown to this scale.
‘Why did things become so complicated? Anyway, this is problematic. From here on, it’s more my domain~’
Living as a Black Dao cultivator, I’d learned there were far more lunatics than one might expect.
Especially the Black Spots.
These days, we simply called black market dealers who sold everything the Black Spots.
But the original Black Spots referred to places that sold human flesh.
Among Black Dao cultivators, they possessed the most twisted minds, and at this stage, they didn’t move for money.
There were always such gruesome tales in the Central Plains.
Strangely delicious dumplings, and while eating them, a human finger appeared?
It was true. But through investigation, I learned something.
Human flesh was saltier and fishier than expected, so if someone could cook it deliciously, they would’ve made far better profits selling beef, chicken, or pork instead.
So these creatures didn’t move for money—their minds were simply twisted in a way that made them derive pleasure from eating it themselves and feeding it to others.
They called it gastronomy.
Some had gone so mad they’d even cut off their own fingers to taste.
In that context, this one wasn’t particularly strange to observe.
Human darkness ran deep even without the Hyeolseonggyo.
What was even more hellish was parents selling their own children for money at these Black Spots.
Because of this, Sama Hyeon remained composed even in this deranged situation.
Rather, I felt a strange comfort amidst such scenes.
This was my workplace, after all.
When I was with my brother, I felt like a lone fly that had wandered into the sterile chamber of Baekrin Medical Guild, but I’d consoled myself—wasn’t I at least a pretty fly?
The real problem was this.
‘Oops, this feels like a workplace inspection~’
The more these creatures disturbed the standards of food hygiene, the more our Golden Blood Hall’s inn lost credibility.
We didn’t report them to the authorities—we simply severed their heads and displayed them cleanly.
If any family members had a dantian and cultivated inner power, we destroyed the dantian as well.
My brother might call collective punishment harsh, but usually when children inherited their parents’ martial arts, the odds of becoming the same were high.
Surely someone twisted enough to sell human flesh wouldn’t master the renowned techniques of Daoism or Buddhism.
Nine times out of ten, they’d learn demonic arts and go mad after thirty.
The pattern of their madness also followed their parents.
Later, they’d slice human flesh identically.
In any case, Sama Hyeon despised contaminated food more than anything in the world.
I was merciless.
Through the terror this created, no more Black Spots would emerge, and our Golden Blood Hall, the Hao-mun inn, aimed to sell food that wouldn’t cause stomach troubles—even if we had to sacrifice taste.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Let’s just use wood to grow mushrooms~ Hmm? I don’t understand why the Gangho is so full of people who turn human bodies into food ingredients~”
Saying this, I crack my knuckles with a sharp sound.
“Hahahahi! Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Jang Cheon-gun, the Left Commander of the Blood Immortal Ten Thousand Soldiers, and I have held this position for a long time.”
“Hyeong, those types always care about their image. They all have some kind of personal theme with their clothes.”
Even though I used the word “theme,” Hyeong doesn’t respond.
It seems his mind is somewhat adrift.
There’s nothing I can do about it. This isn’t really his area.
The problem is that these types are perverts who enjoy people’s shocked reactions.
If Hyeong had even screamed, it would have become a joyful memory he could milk for ten years, but he doesn’t go that far.
His face just grows a bit paler.
But that’s not because of fear or shock at the cruelty or the inhumane process itself.
‘It’s the malice of the village people who allowed this. Their thoughtless malice.’
They cover their eyes and pretend ignorance about how the elixir is made, yet they faithfully offer up people.
Closing your eyes and covering your ears doesn’t make something cease to exist.
‘People love braised pork belly but don’t want to know how it’s butchered—that’s humanity’s twisted nature~ I like it~ that sort of thing.’
And yet this is about people. People are dying to become elixir.
Everyone closes their eyes and covers their ears.
They only wanted the elixir.
Sama Hyeon finds this twisted aspect of humanity unbearably delightful.
But precisely because of this, Sama Hyeon knows he is not in his right mind either.
‘That’s why I can imitate Hyeong but can never become him.’
So I’m merely a stage actor after all.
That person spoke.
“I am one who has received teachings from the Blood Immortal for a long time.”
A sinister aura rose around him.
“Now then, Heaven-Defying Cultivator Jin Cheon-hee and Sama Hyeon, the Lord of Hao-mun. Both of you shall become the seedbed for my mushrooms!”
In that instant, the corpse of Dan Seok-san suddenly rose and began rushing toward us.
Simultaneously, the statues all around began moving abruptly.
Clatter-clatter-clatter—
The statues are moving!
Both Jin Cheon-hee and Sama Hyeon couldn’t help but be startled, but regardless, it was time to act.
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes, now alert, blazed with blue light.
Since my identity was already exposed, there was no reason not to use the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong.
Feeling a freedom as if released from a thousand-pound weight, I asked.
“Hyeon-a! Among those selling human flesh, are there any who’ve mastered corpse animation techniques?”
Hyeong was thinking the same thing.
Sama Hyeon’s eyes began to glow with golden light.
“Surprisingly, there are quite a few. Cooking and corpse animation are apparently similar in some ways~”
Saying this, Sama Hyeon stands before Hyeong.
“Once this is over, I’m going to demolish this entire inn and build a string of Golden Blood Hall and Hao-mun hygiene inns!”
“The taste will be rather inferior then.”
“It’s fine. I’ll separate out the skilled ones and send them later. For now, we need to stop this kind of mushroom from circulating in the market~ Hyeong.”
“Well said.”
The corpse of the dead Dan Seok-san wrapped itself in inner force and charged forward.
Meanwhile, the moving statues didn’t wrap themselves in inner force, but their bodies—made of metal, not mere iron—emitted bizarre sounds as they rushed in.
Sama Hyeon naturally rushed toward Dan Seok-san’s corpse first.
Jin Cheon-hee matched his momentum and charged toward the statues.
Screech!
Each time the statue threw a punch, the stone chamber crumbled like tofu. Terrifying power.
“It’s remarkable that they can be this strong without sword energy or sword force. What on earth is the principle?”
Jin Cheon-hee’s blue eyes gleamed as I immediately drew the Heukcheon Hyeolsa from my wrist.
“Ho, I thought you’d use the Frost Jade Sword? Isn’t Ilgwang famous for that Frost Jade Sword?”
Dan Seok-san asked, and Jin Cheon-hee answered.
“It’s ‘inefficient’ to use right now.”
With only that reply, I began evading the statues’ attacks with a peculiar movement technique.
The way I brushed past them with just the minimum single step made Dan Seok-san gasp in admiration.
“Your movement technique is unmatched in the Central Plains. But isn’t there no point in merely evading?”
Instead of answering, Jin Cheon-hee extended the Heukcheon Hyeolsa and began loosely binding the statues’ bodies.
My hands moved as if playing cat’s cradle, wrapping around the statues again and again.
“Ho! So that’s why you were evading by mere fractions of a step!”
‘This elderly man really does love to talk.’
Jin Cheon-hee grumbled inwardly.
As expected, he spoke.
“Keke, I’ve forgotten how many times the Emperor has changed, but watching a fight is still entertaining. Isn’t it funny? I’ve grown tired of most pleasures and luxuries, yet this battle alone still brings me joy.”
“Why don’t you fight directly yourself, Elder?”
Saying so, Jin Cheon-hee grasped the string of the Heukcheon Hyeolsa and pulled.
Screeeech!
In that instant, the statues became pulleys for one another and began being drawn together.
The harder I pulled, the more forcefully they were dragged in.
“Ho, is such calculation possible with the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong?”
Crash!
The statues clumped together and fell.
Jin Cheon-hee answered.
“I’ve done cat’s cradle so much since childhood that I’m tired of it.”
“I heard there’s something similar in the Baekrin Medical Guild’s training curriculum. Is that what this is?”
“I’m not sure. Anyway, you’ve investigated quite thoroughly, haven’t you, Elder?”
While Jin Cheon-hee bound the remaining statues with the Heukcheon Hyeolsa, Sama Hyeon was engaged in a blood battle with the (former) Dan Seok-san’s body.
“This is driving me crazy~ Why do the Hyeolseonggyo corpses use inner force instead of sword energy, of all things~”
“Hyeon-a, should I help?”
The younger one answered the older brother’s question.
“No way. Hyeong~ You focus on your fight. I’ll handle this defective product somehow~”
“Okay!”
I replied to Sama Hyeon and glanced at Dan Seok-san.
That person had drawn out a wooden sword used by swordsmen and was chanting something.
‘I need to handle this quickly.’
I didn’t know what that incantation was, but I’d never seen a proper spell from a Hyeolseonggyo swordsman.
“Hyeon-a, I was going to tell you to handle it yourself, but we need to finish this fast!”
Sama Hyeon caught on quickly to his brother’s words and immediately spotted Dan Seok-san.
“Okay~ Let’s dispose of this defective product and restore food hygiene standards!”
“…You’re not actually a warrior, are you?”
My brother grumbled and pulled the Black Heaven Blood Thread again.
Screeeech!
As the Black Heaven Blood Thread was pulled, the remaining stone statues toppled and became entangled.
“Brother. You really use that thing well.”
“The superior the divine technique, the better it functions.”
“It seems only you could do it. A warrior who loves knots and string work, and on top of that, has mastered divine techniques.”
I laughed casually and joined Sama Hyeon.
The corrupted Dan Seok-san attacked me. This time, I drew out the Ice Crystal Sword.
Clang!
“Whoa, inner qi! A mushroom has inner qi?!”
“That’s how defective products in Gangho are these days~ Brother.”
“The principles of Gangho have fallen to the ground. How could anyone eat something like this?!”
Saying so, I danced-like movements to block the corrupted Dan Seok-san’s attacks.
Sama Hyeon assisted his brother and answered.
“Both the principles of Gangho and food hygiene have fallen~ That’s why I’m so busy. Whenever these kids do anything, they keep trying to eat human flesh. I don’t complain about scorpion skewers or cicada skewers~ Just don’t eat people, you bastards~”
“Do you really sell scorpion skewers?”
“That’s for tourists~ The local natives just eat chicken and pork. Grasshoppers are still roasted and eaten though.”
Grasshoppers.
There aren’t any now, but when I was young, we used to roast and eat them in the countryside when autumn came.
Then, Dan Seok-san shouted from behind.
“Hongsa, manifest your infinite power here!”
Whoooosh!
Sand suddenly began pouring out from the ground where Jang Cheon-gun stood.
It rippled like small waves, which was truly shocking.
I fired Haneum Jigi mixed with inner qi from the Ice Crystal Sword.
Boom!
Strangely, instead of exploding from the inner qi, the sand crumbled and the inner qi crumbled along with it.
I muttered in disbelief.
“Could it really be the Hongsa Formation?!”
The Hongsa Formation.
A formation technique used by Jang Cheon-gun, one of the Immortals of Severed Teachings from the Investiture of the Gods.
The ancient texts describe Hongsa as something that crumbles and shatters anything it touches, tearing it to shreds.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“If it can shatter even qi, then this is no ordinary sand~”
“Right. And the fact that it’s not destroying this underground chamber means….”
Somehow, this sand seemed alive—capable of distinguishing between enemy and ally.
And there was something else.
The sand was increasing, but not enough to fill the entire chamber.
From all directions, the sand began closing in like a siege, gradually narrowing toward the two of us.
And as if on cue, Dan Seok-san came charging forward?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————