Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 656
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 656
I could discern the building’s true nature the moment I laid eyes on its exterior.
“A gambling den.”
We had seized the structure from a Black Dao cultivator who originally operated the establishment, and completed the renovation while I was away in Doyeondong.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“With all the fights breaking out in the fighting pits, we’ll have plenty of patients from there.”
“We’ve always had a high volume of trauma cases. But…”
There would certainly be more patients injured by the clumsily skilled Black Dao cultivators, making treatment far more challenging.
Just as fractures from masters are more difficult for a doctor to treat than those from mountain bandits.
As I approached, I could see patients lined up.
Then a child opened his mouth.
“Mom, it’s Ilgwang. Ilgwang!”
At those words, people startled and turned around.
“The Veiled Divine One!”
“The Veiled Madman has arrived–!!”
“Our Veiled Divine One, Ilgwang Jin Cheon-hee, who cuts down villains with a single blade and heals the commoners–!!”
Waaaaaaa!
Though they were clearly patients standing in line, they suddenly found energy from somewhere and erupted in cheers, their excitement palpable.
‘What is this… am I in some kind of hero movie?’
My eyes went wide in shock, and Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Hyeong, you’re quite popular~”
“No, this never happened at the Baekrin Medical Guild headquarters. Not even with other Buntas…”
I’ve always received a certain degree of gratitude, but this was something else entirely.
I had never experienced enthusiasm on this scale.
“From now on, you will.”
“Is that so? Has my reputation accumulated that much?”
Sama Hyeon shrugged.
Just then, the Medical Assistants working at the entrance came rushing out.
I cried out in exasperation.
“Please, go back inside. Everyone, return!”
Despite my protests, they all cupped their fists and shouted in unison.
“We greet the Patriarch–!”
“Goodness… I told you not to do this when we’re so busy.”
It had always been this way, but this time the admiration in the Medical Assistants’ eyes was particularly pronounced.
‘This is driving me mad. Does slaying bandits and returning from Dan Gajang’s territory stir their hearts more than anything else?’
I suppose it could be that way.
The Hyeolseonggyo and demonic sects are frightening when they infiltrate, but from a commoner’s perspective, mountain bandits are far more immediate and terrifying threats.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and headed inside.
Then the Middle-Aged Men came down the stairs.
“Ah, I told you to stop this!”
“Patriarch! You’ve arrived!”
As everyone bowed in respect, Sama Hyeon was puzzled about something else.
[Hyeong. Why didn’t Sang Ui-won come out?]
[They know me. That’s why they didn’t come out.]
Their bodies were already worn and exhausted, fragile from age.
The Medical Assistants and Middle-Aged Men were the type who would collapse, complaining their knees were worn out if they climbed the stairs with heavy footsteps like before.
Moreover, they were those who had experienced my temperament up close, so no matter what rumors spread, they never came out to greet me.
‘Actually, it seems they’re making an effort to avoid standing out.’
The more senior they became, the more they seemed to be the type who would quietly slip away to avoid me—weren’t they the Sang Ui-won?
Yet one of the Sang Ui-won came down, cold sweat dripping from his brow.
“Um… Patriarch!”
He didn’t even perform the formal salute.
Instead, he merely handed over the letter tube reluctantly.
“…Master?”
A letter from Baekrin Uiseon. And the seal on it bore the qilin—my Master’s symbol.
The moment I received the letter tube, Sang Ui-won claimed he had urgent matters upstairs and fled like a gazelle spotting a lion.
I opened the sealed letter with trembling hands.
-I’ve heard the gist of it. Even if your opponent is Hyeolseonggyo, a mere Sip Cheon-gun shouldn’t be able to defeat you. I’ve already taken care of the Bunta situation on my end.
Gulp.
I swallowed hard and continued reading through everything my Master had accomplished.
Each item was extraordinarily significant.
While I was away in Doyeondong, my Master had been handling an enormous workload.
‘M-Master…’
My eyes grew red.
And the final line was written in cipher, so I couldn’t read it immediately.
‘…What is this? What kind of code…? Oh… Could it be?’
My eyes turned blue.
‘…Did Master use oracle bone script reversed as a cipher…?’
If so, it must be something requiring absolute secrecy.
With trembling hands, I deciphered the code and finally could read the contents.
-Still, since you’re taking a rare outing. When you return, there will be quite a pile of nonsense to deal with.
So this is how Master says “I’m going to scold you thoroughly.”
It’s cold.
Master’s words are so cold.
If I hadn’t known about Jegal Ryang, I might have thought, ‘Wow, Master really missed me! How much must he have missed me to use the word nonsense?’
But between master and disciple.
The master had witnessed countless times how the disciple came charging in, head, shoulders, knees, and feet, knees and feet, claiming he would save the world, and had stitched him back together each time.
Meanwhile, the disciple had always told himself that these trials and hardships were part of his journey to save lives.
Already, the two of us knew each other far too well.
So my Master also knew that I could crush a mere Sip Cheon-gun of Hyeolseonggyo with my own hands.
‘…But how did Master know there was only one of the Sip Cheon-gun?’
I had sent a report to the Emperor about the situation, but could it have been intercepted along the way?
I pondered it, but no clear answer emerged.
‘Well, Master would naturally know such things.’
After all, Master had always possessed an uncanny ability to discern details about my circumstances that ordinary people would find impossible to know.
‘Truly, a descendant of Jegal Ryang—your mystical abilities are remarkable.’
In that moment, my faith in Master only deepened further.
In fact, Master’s supernatural insight extended far beyond this single instance.
‘He must have grown even stronger.’
I myself was growing stronger through enlightenment gained from real combat experience that danced between life and death, yet Master required no such trials.
The man simply breathed, and enlightenment would bloom—enlightenment plus one, enlightenment plus two, enlightenment plus three… such was his nature.
His very cognitive structure transcended ordinary people by an immeasurable distance.
Therefore, I could never entertain the thought of even treading upon Master’s shadow.
‘And if I return, I’m truly dead.’
And that genius had grown angry.
When he cursed in refined language, it meant he was genuinely furious.
* * *
‘Would Master be pleased if I told him I defeated the Hyeolseonggyo’s Sip Cheon-gun without sustaining major injuries?’
This time, all my limbs remained intact.
Though it feels awkward to say it myself, it’s quite encouraging!
I composed a lengthy reply to Master, assuring him that I had returned in good health and that the Sip Cheon-gun called Jang Cheon-gun was nothing—I had blown him away with a single strike, embellishing slightly for effect.
Additionally, to demonstrate that I hadn’t lost weight, I included my daily food intake and the circumference of my arm.
‘…Is this still not enough?’
As I continued deliberating and began listing all the people I’d encountered, Sama Hyeon spoke up.
“Hyeong… dial it back a bit.”
“Is it still not enough?”
“…Does Baek Rin-ui-seon have paranoia?”
“Watch your tongue about Master. And how would you even know about paranoia… no, never mind.”
“Anyway, you’re overdoing it~ Your Master isn’t in his right mind~ Normally, a proper master would be delighted and congratulatory when his disciple defeats a strong enemy and builds his reputation, wouldn’t he?”
I picked up my brush and pointed it at Sama Hyeon.
“Well said. Among all my martial siblings, not a single one has been happy about me building my reputation. Even you worry first!”
“Hyeong, why are you like this?”
“Anyway! Let me think about what Master would actually be pleased to hear.”
Sama Hyeon clicked his tongue.
Even when the Hyeolseonggyo cultivated humans like mushrooms and made flowers bloom and committed all manner of absurdities, Master wouldn’t bat an eye.
Yet this man who chanted “This is saving life. This is saving life.” while reciting sutras suddenly transforms upon receiving a single letter from Master.
“Ah, that’s right. There’s one more thing you need to do.”
“What is it?”
“Martial arts instruction.”
“What?”
“Hyeon-a, if you’re to face the Black Dao Cultivators as Hao Munzhu in the future, that level of skill won’t suffice.”
I opened my azure eyes and gazed at Sama Hyeon.
Those eyes were like blades, and goosebumps rose on Sama Hyeon’s back.
“What are you going to teach me?”
I answered Sama Hyeon’s question.
“Just a moment. Let me organize my Master’s letters first.”
Before me lay dozens of letters piled high.
How much was this mad priest planning to write and confess?
This insane priest.
* * *
What kind of person was Baek Rin-ui-seon, who made my brother so hesitant?
I couldn’t know, but one thing was clear—that person was essential to my brother’s survival. And there must be some reason worthy of my brother’s respect.
On the other hand.
My Master was someone my brother feared enough to hesitate over, yet my brother lived as he wished anyway, didn’t he?
He was afraid, yet he still walked his own path.
Even though my Master had a disciple like that crashing into him, he never blocked the essence of that path.
He merely vented his frustrations by dividing the world into three parts.
Of course, that was something impossible for an ordinary person’s mind, yet he accomplished it—it was simply astounding.
‘Everyone in the world knows that person’s disposition is foul.’
In any case, the relationship between those two could only be described as extraordinary, no matter how thoroughly one searched the Gangho.
Such a relationship.
I completed the long, endless letters to my Master and released dozens of messenger birds all at once.
“…Patriarch, wouldn’t it be better to entrust this to the postal service?”
“I’ve numbered each sheet properly.”
Messenger birds don’t arrive in the same order they depart, even if they leave simultaneously.
The third messenger bird might arrive first, and the twelfth might arrive later.
The first messenger bird, leading the way, could even arrive a day or two late.
‘Wait. Is he asking them to assemble the letters like a puzzle? And the Patriarch tolerates this?’
Both the sender and receiver had lost their minds.
‘Are they insane?’
‘Is this how Gangho masters and disciples behave? Is it different from the Medical Guild, so I don’t understand?’
‘If we did that, they would have called us in and personally demonstrated how sharp each sheet of the letter was?’
‘And they’re waiting while assembling it like a puzzle?’
While the middle-aged men and medical assistants were astonished, only Sang Ui-won remained composed.
“I understand. As long as you feel relieved, that’s what matters. Seeing how many you’ve sent, you’re planning to stay a bit longer.”
“Ooh, you understand well. There’s the matter of handing over duties and such, so I plan to work a bit more before returning.”
“Understood. For the record, that is your own voluntary decision, yes?”
Sang Ui-won was sensitive to survival.
He subtly—no, openly pushed the message that he would take no responsibility whatsoever.
“Understood. It’s all my voluntary choice.”
“Then we shall simply follow your lead.”
I had clearly settled the division of responsibilities.
‘Perhaps this is what it takes to become a Senior Doctor.’
The Medical Assistants lacked the capacity to grasp this level of thinking, so only the Middle-Aged Men truly understood.
‘If I’m ever to become a Senior Doctor myself, I’ll need to visit the Baekrin Medical Guild headquarters someday. That’s rather daunting.’
Everyone knew just how foul the Patriarch’s temperament was. And of all things, I was caught between the Patriarch and the Soggakju?
Such was life.
“Then I shall take note of it as decided.”
The Senior Doctor bowed respectfully.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————