Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 653
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 653
I immediately recalled the contents of the Investiture of the Gods that I had read in the past.
‘Jang Cheon-gun, who wields the Red Sand Formation. And Jang Cheon-gun’s Red Sand Formation… there was a description of it being scattered and disappearing by the fan wind of the Southern Pole Immortal.’
Then there was a chance of victory!
I immediately sent a transmission to Sama Hyeon.
[Hyeon-a! Can you perform the Fist Dance?]
[Huh? All of a sudden?]
[Not in lines but in planes. Not attacking with fist energy, but attacking with the wind pressure created by fist energy. Even if strong energy doesn’t work on that sand, wind will.]
At those words, Sama Hyeon’s eyes widened slightly.
She understood how insane it was to ask her to perform the Fist Dance in a situation where her life hung in the balance.
Nevertheless, she trusted me.
Even if she were to die by mistake, she thought it would be her fault, not mine.
A trust bordering on madness created an oddly exhilarating sensation.
Wasn’t it thrilling?
Dancing on a thousand-foot rope was familiar to her.
It was more enjoyable without a safety net.
Suppressing the goosebumps rising on her back, Sama Hyeon laughed with a crimson flush.
“Okay~”
With those words, she began attacking the sand as if performing the Fist Dance with her swelling sleeves.
At that moment, the sand scattered with a whoosh rather than being compressed.
“Ooh~ it’s working as expected. Truly our Gaga~”
“Focus, Hyeon-a.”
I drew the Bingjeong Sword and began attacking the sand alongside Sama Hyeon as if performing sword dance.
I know that I’m not particularly skilled at the sword dances that performers execute.
Yet despite my clumsiness, I was scattering the sand, and gradually the Red Sand Formation was crumbling faster and more powerfully.
Each time I stomped the ground to execute a leg technique, the Red Sand Formation scattered in concentric circles.
“Sound attack technique?”
“Similar. The sword dance is a bit difficult for me.”
Strangely, while matching the rhythm of Sama Hyeon’s Fist Dance, my form never wavered.
All the while, I blocked the attacks of the (former) Dan Seok-san with the Bingjeong Sword while continuing to support Sama Hyeon.
Sama Hyeon whistled at my movement technique.
She couldn’t imagine how a person could calculate and fight like this, but it must be possible because it was me.
Like those stone statues arranged in a cat’s cradle pattern.
Twang!
Soon I retracted the sword I had released and changed how I gripped the Bingjeong Sword, spinning it.
The moment of transition from defense to offense.
[Hyeon-a, extend your strong energy.]
[Okay!]
Golden Divine Technique martial art—the ultimate move.
Sama Hyeon’s variant form.
Golden Fist Doctrine.
The moment Sama Hyeon extended his fist, my Taeul Danseonggeom technique was cast simultaneously beneath it.
Sama Hyeon’s golden radiant force struck first, while my Taeul Danseonggeom followed as the secondary attack.
Exquisite timing.
The former Dan Seok-san, who had blocked Sama Hyeon’s assault once, couldn’t withstand the Taeul Danseonggeom this time and was cleaved in half.
[What I learned from Master actually proves useful. Though I can’t wield it alone yet.]
He spoke with those blue eyes, then added one more thing.
[Just run.]
There were no instructions on how, where, or how far to run.
Yet Sama Hyeon immediately grasped his brother’s intent.
Thud!
The earth-shaking step flew forth with playful momentum.
The target was Dan Seok-san, who was chanting incantations!
I also leaped toward Dan Seok-san, but my movement technique was swift and restrained—the complete opposite of Sama Hyeon’s.
The two of us charged straight at Dan Seok-san.
Sand happened to be clinging to the wall, blown by the wind, leaving Dan Seok-san completely defenseless and exposed.
A moment that could be called an instant.
Dan Seok-san’s eyes widened in shock!
“Curse you! Breaking through the Crimson Sand Formation that grinds even sword energy to dust!”
“Classics are classics for a reason, old one.”
At that moment, the Icy Radiance Sword and Sama Hyeon’s palm strike simultaneously pierced Dan Seok-san’s body.
Burst!
Holes opened from his solar plexus down to his abdomen.
“Damn… damn it…!”
The man tried to deploy a defensive technique too late.
Dan Seok-san staggered backward, spitting fresh blood. However, the outcome was already decided.
“No… how can a mere human, and a young child at that, possess such strength…. Cough… the losses are severe. Kuh…. But you too shall soon experience something delightful. Hehehehe….”
His body began to swell like a tumor.
“See you again…. Seed of Banson.”
Kwaaaaaang–!
He artificially sent his inner energy into a rampage and self-destructed.
I had anticipated this and immediately unfurled a sword barrier to evade the blast.
“The fact that he didn’t surrender his soul to Hyeolseon tells me this is what I expected.”
“Transferring the soul to another body?”
“Yes. I’ll need to study the Soul Transfer Technique. To be able to capture him.”
“It’s strange for a heterodox cultivator like me to say this, but doesn’t such sorcery usually have side effects?”
At those words, I nodded.
“Right. So I’ll never use it myself. I just need to learn the method to counter it.”
My blue eyes gazed upon my younger brother.
Sama Hyeon met my gaze and then nodded.
“Is the case resolved with this?”
Dan Seok-san’s body had become sliced meat, and Dan Seok-han’s corpse was in pieces.
I shook my head.
“First, let me search for more survivors….”
At that moment, the cracked stone chamber door completely shattered.
It appeared to be the aftermath of Dan Seok-san’s self-destruction.
Crrrunch—
And through the gaps in that stone door, corpses covered in fungal growths stumbled out like zombies.
From the fact that they weren’t breathing, they appeared to be in a rigidified corpse state.
Grrrrgh— Crrrunch—
“Amitabha Buddha….”
Seeing that sight, the words escaped my lips unbidden, though I wasn’t even a Buddhist.
“Let’s put the deceased to rest. Hyeon-a.”
The beast’s death wasn’t the end of this.
* * *
Among the abducted, there were no survivors.
I sighed and burned down the entire headquarters.
In the process, I discovered documents describing how the elixir was made and what effects those elixirs had, but I burned them without hesitation.
Except for a few ledgers that would serve as evidence, I shoved everything into the flames.
Even ordinary commoners who consumed this elixir would experience healing and rejuvenation.
An eighty-year-old elder’s eyes would brighten and hearing would sharpen like a young man in his twenties.
As for sexual vitality—need I say more? This was the modern world’s Viagra.
Of course, the elixir’s effects were temporary; once they wore off, one needed to consume more. The addiction was severe as well.
Using the corpse of a martial artist with inner energy produced genuine immortal elixir effects, and with special sorcery added, it could create something comparable to the legendary Heavenly Stone Fungus.
That’s why I burned every last trace of writing thoroughly.
“If Gangho learns how to make immortal elixirs from human bodies, then every Black Dao cultivator will want to experiment with it.”
Sama Hyeon answered while setting the fire with me.
“…Do you really think only Black Dao cultivators would be interested~?”
Either way, the conclusion was too disturbing, so thorough concealment took priority.
As I emerged from the burning Dan Gajang, Dan Seok-san’s servants were shrieking and destroying everything in sight.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Kill! Die! Kill! Kill! Kill!”
It wasn’t just the servants.
Even the martial artists had lost their reason and were destroying everything around them.
Among them, I could see some with fungal growths sprouting from their bodies.
—However, you too will soon experience something pleasant.
“So that’s what you meant. Hyeon-a.”
“It seems like it was set to trigger when he died? Ooh~ how convenient~”
“Right. For an evil person, nothing is more convenient than this.”
I clicked my tongue. Sama Hyeon spoke.
“In Gangho, righteous heroes have always been the most troublesome and disadvantageous existence. Those of us in heterodox factions carelessly ignore the aftermath and disturb Gangho, but righteous heroes must strike us from behind, clean up the mess we leave—how exhausting it must be~”
“Hyeon-a, watch your words. You may be heterodox, but you’re still a righteous hero.”
At those words, Sama Hyeon laughed bitterly.
“Right. When it comes to food hygiene, I’m a righteous hero~”
Shring—
The Icy Frost Blade sang out as it was drawn low.
Sensing that chill, Sama Hyeon drew up the Golden Sphere.
* * *
A week had passed.
Doyeon Village became a hellscape for a time.
A heterodox sect was operating covertly in Gangho, and rumors spread that some residents who consumed a suspicious medicine created by the sect developed madness and mushrooms sprouted across their bodies.
Most of those afflicted with madness—
“Die! You Hyeolseonggyo lackeys!”
“I shall cut you down and achieve righteousness!”
That was it.
They were either eliminated by righteous heroes passing through Doyeon Village or executed by the guards and their commanders.
“Please spare me. I beg you! I haven’t lost my sanity yet!”
“Just once more. Please, just once more!”
Among them were those who took the medicine only once and never joined the group again, or those whose spouses, children, or parents gave them the medicine without knowing its true nature—they had consumed it only once.
Fortunately, my purification elixir worked on them.
“Thank you. Thank you so much… Master So Ui-seon.”
“We’re grateful you saved us!”
Toward the commoners who bowed repeatedly in gratitude, I responded with a calm expression.
“…This is only this once. Should you come into contact with Hyeolseonggyo again, I cannot guarantee what will happen then.”
“Of course! We had no idea it was connected to Hyeolseonggyo! Something felt wrong, so we only took it once and refused the second time!”
At those words, Sama Hyeon scoffed.
“If that were true, you should have spoken up during the investigation. I don’t understand why you lied to the commanders~”
“That is… well…”
I stopped Sama Hyeon and spoke to the person being questioned.
“Once you leave, guards will be standing at the door. Follow them and submit to questioning. Hyeon-a, this next part is the authorities’ work.”
“Sure, sure~”
Those who consumed only one pill.
Once they consumed the second, nothing could stop it.
The body was already dead, yet it continued moving—truly no different from a corpse demon.
Doyeon Village was filled with corpses.
And those corpses were listed, all being cremated that same day.
The fact that these mushrooms growing on human bodies were spirit medicine remained undiscovered.
And for good reason.
‘Anyone who would think to pluck and consume mushrooms growing on a human body in such circumstances must be Hyeolseonggyo.’
Still, taking no chances, I brought in some guards and commanders from other unaffiliated regions, along with garrison soldiers, to burn the corpses and set fire to the homes where they had lived.
[So there were guards from Doyeon-dong who joined Hyeolseonggyo?]
[Yes. I can’t even trust the garrison.]
Among those who had transformed into fungi and descended into madness, killing indiscriminately, were men who drew salaries from the magistrate’s office.
A mad tale from the mad Gangho.
Yet surprisingly, an ordinary Gangho story.
I drafted an inspection report to send to the Emperor.
‘These Gold and Silver royals have exhausted themselves using each other, and now they’re trying to use me as well.’
Ju Wang-ya is someone for whom fists are closer than law, so I can’t exactly employ her directly—instead, I unleash her like a dog in emergencies.
That easy (unofficial) younger brother is being worked at such a cheap rate. Absolutely.
‘Tch, I’ll end up bald at this rate!’
I closed the report and issued an order.
“Clerk. Go tell the Flying General to come in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The room being used as an interrogation chamber contained not just me and Sama Hyeon, but also a clerk—an administrative official who organized the work I had processed.
After he left, a military officer entered shortly after.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————