Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 662

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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 662
‘Ah, those people think in a fundamentally different way than someone like me.’
It was different from the favoritism I witnessed at the North Sea Ice Palace.
Rather, how absurd that was—it was refreshingly straightforward.
‘So they simply discard their children if they’re useless.’
In any case, this was the patient’s last chance.
He had already half-given up… no, mentioning even suicide suggested he’d nearly surrendered completely.
I returned and reported to my Master what I had seen and heard.
“That’s how the Geum Sect members are. Even Gae Pa Josa didn’t particularly favor him.”
“He disliked him?”
“Hmm, it’s something different from that.”
My Master fell into thought before speaking.
“Their paths were simply too different.”
‘From a modern perspective, roughly… a capable employee A at someone else’s company.’
Jegal Ryang had stayed with the conviction that “if this company falls, I fall with it!”
Ga Hu did more than what he was paid for, but ultimately… his was a life that considered changing jobs.
Even their temperaments were different.
“I would think he felt more affinity for Sun Mun, but regardless, Gae Pa Josa was such a unique individual.”
‘Yes. Rather than remaining in official positions as a strategist across generations, he innovated martial techniques and went to the Gangho.’
Though the Sun family seemed to have endured hardship, they at least maintained their official positions across generations.
‘Come to think of it, the Geum Sect lives lavishly while the Sun Sect suffers in minor posts—how does that make sense!’
The Three Kingdoms enthusiast felt a thousand flames ignite in his chest.
‘May Cao Cao rot in hell!’
As I clenched my fists, my Master spoke.
“Why do you seem so fond of the Three Kingdoms era?”
At those words, I felt a pang of guilt.
On Earth, the Chronicles were fiction, but here wasn’t this true history?
Of course, seeing that Gae Pa Josa survived and ascended, there were quite a few differences from the Chronicles as written.
“Haha, yes. That’s right.”
When I was young on Earth, everyone naturally read the Three Kingdoms.
You only had to turn on the radio and Three Kingdoms dramas would play.
‘Well, this world isn’t one where virtuous people prosper—though Earth isn’t either.’
In any world, the virtuous suffer more losses.
The ruthless Geum Sect thrives as one of the Eight Great Families of the Empire, while the Sun family, who sought to preserve a dynasty by serving Cao Cao, languishes in minor posts.
‘Why does my mouth taste so bitter?’
If that’s what life is, why bother being good and diligent?
‘This place seems to have no karma or divine retribution just like Earth—so what is this Heavenly Fortune?’
Do these people not work much?
* * *
In any case, the victor was Master Gongming.
Accomplishing one’s mission in life, then casting aside official position in one’s twilight years to rest in the countryside—a magnificent existence.
‘Wait, that’s not right. At this rate, the Jegal Sect will end with Master’s generation, won’t it?’
Master still has no intention of marrying.
For reference, he doesn’t even bother searching for survivors of the branch families.
From an omniscient Confucian perspective, those two households might be the best off.
Actually, if you consider quality of life, the Sun Sect might be the best off.
I understand the Ga Sect is wealthy and powerful as one of the Eight Great Families of the Empire, but from a modern person’s perspective, their work-life balance doesn’t look that appealing.
After all, they’re living lives where they must constantly clash with two Emperors and keep each other in check.
Honestly, the Emperor who doesn’t particularly like martial artists wouldn’t favor the Eight Great Families either.
Out of curiosity, I searched for related documents and found that the Emperor ascended to the throne and, just one year later, threw a bombshell saying, “I lack virtue and wish to step down from the throne.”
Isn’t this quite familiar to the Republic of Korea?
The abdication show of ancient kings.
If you respond with “Please step down. We will find a good successor,” you’re committing high treason with intent to rebel.
Regardless of what’s in your heart, according to the principles of Confucian virtue, you must earnestly bow your head and wail while tearing at your chest, crying out, “Who but the Emperor could lead the Hwa Empire? If you insist on abdication, then step over my corpse to do so!”
‘So the Emperor insisted on abdication for a full month, visited his father’s tomb for ancestral rites, then brought up the abdication issue again, and for some reason conducted renovation work on his father’s tomb…’
It’s complete chaos.
By the way, during the ancestral rites period, even officials cannot eat.
They’re doing all this while performing an abdication show?
During the ancestral rites period where they claim their legitimacy, they say they lack virtue and wish to cease being Emperor?
And all the useful bloodlines except Prince Ju-wang have been thoroughly eliminated, haven’t they?
Why is the imperial tomb being renovated anyway? Ah… pay loyalty with money?
But if you pay?
Isn’t that essentially a loyalty oath?
Under the strict principles of Confucianism, officials had to perform stone penance during the abdication show while fasting, fast during the ancestral rites period, and fast again during the imperial tomb renovations.
Even if a warrior possessed extraordinary stamina, doing this for a month would drain their energy completely, and they’d just want it to end quickly.
It’s not just fasting—they must also shout, prostrate, and wail in great sorrow while squeezing out tears that don’t exist.
‘Twins are two people, so their stamina is doubled.’
With a two-shift rotation, the burden is halved.
‘Wow, this is absurd. Absolutely absurd.’
And the one who endured all this was from the Eight Great Families—Ga Wan, whom I met today.
Master said it.
“By leaving two heirs at this critical moment, the Emperor gains a pretext to divide the sect. Considering the Emperor’s abilities, that’s what he was calculating.”
“But normally people don’t go this far, do they? Usually they just concentrate all power on the eldest son from the start.”
“That’s right. Normally.”
What if, by some chance, the sole heir suddenly died?
Did he calculate even that and conclude having two heirs was safer?
I don’t know. That world is beyond my understanding.
I added a comment.
“Come to think of it, the Emperor normally wouldn’t go this far just to consolidate imperial authority, would he?”
“That’s right. Normally.”
Like Emperor, like subject. My chest naturally grows narrow.
And I spoke.
“Perhaps I should be grateful that you’re allowing me to operate unofficially like this.”
The fact that I’m not being summoned to the palace at all is blessing enough.
I want to be satisfied with being the Emperor’s secret auditor, his secret hands and feet.
In any case, now that I’ve learned what I was curious about, it’s time to return to my patient.
* * *
I returned to my patient.
The child was curled up in the darkness.
Even though raising the bamboo mat would allow clear visibility, the child wasn’t doing so—it seemed the darkness itself was preferable.
“You must have seen your mother.”
“Ah, yes. She asked me to do my very best to treat you well.”
I selected the better words from what I’d heard and spoke them.
“Indeed. That way, giving up becomes easier.”
The child, already knowing the Gaju’s true intentions, stared blankly at the ceiling.
“A useless child should disappear, shouldn’t they?”
Why was it? Something surged up from my solar plexus.
“I will do everything I can to help you live among ordinary people.”
In the end, I spoke what I wanted to say.
I knew I shouldn’t make such a definite promise, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Do you know how many doctors have said such things? I’m fine. I only hope that the place where I’m confined will be a good one.”
“….”
I didn’t know what to say.
So I spoke of what I could do instead.
“There are hair roots. Just as plants have roots, hair has them too. I’m going to try to remove them.”
“Then it won’t grow back a second time?”
At those words, I nodded.
“Usually, that’s correct.”
If it were a simple genetic condition, I could manage it.
But what if it were something like a curse beyond human wisdom?
Having witnessed all manner of bizarre phenomena while dealing with Hyeolseonggyo, it was difficult to say anything with certainty.
So I could only do my best.
“….”
The child stared blankly at the ceiling before sitting up.
“May I go outside and play?”
“Pardon?”
“If the treatment fails anyway, I’ll be confined immediately. I will simply disappear from the outside world. So I want to go out and play one last time.”
“….”
If the treatment were to fail, this would be the child’s last chance to feel the outside air.
And so the child had become desperate.
I responded.
“I’ll need to speak with your guardian.”
“I’m fourteen years old. Surely there’s no need to discuss this with my mother?”
Fourteen would be considered an adult by Gangho standards.
However.
“The person paying the medical fees is your guardian and the Gaju. As a matter of filial duty, I cannot avoid consulting with them first.”
This is a Confucian world.
Whether a child is thirty or forty years old, if they came with their parents, the doctor must consult with the parents first.
* * *
“That is part of the proper order of things, so it should be fine. Please go ahead.”
With Gaju Ga-wan’s permission, she was able to step outside.
“It’s strange to ask now, but might I know your name?”
Baekrin Uiseon occasionally had patients who came without their names recorded or under aliases.
The nobility preferred that their medical records not circulate outside.
Of course, there were drawbacks.
If done this way, when they returned next time, I couldn’t find their records and had to start everything over.
So for patients who might visit frequently, I would record at least an alias.
But this patient had no name recorded at all.
A one-time visit with no return expected.
“Ga-won.”
“Miss Ga-won, I understand.”
She was already small in stature, and wrapped up in layers of clothing, she looked like a dwarf.
Yet she wore a wide-brimmed hat, thoroughly concealing her face.
She even covered her furry wrists.
“Why don’t you seem disgusted when you look at me, Doctor?”
“Why should I judge appearance when someone is afflicted with illness?”
At my words, Ga-won laughed bitterly.
“Thank you. For saying such things.”
“So where shall we go?”
“….”
She pondered for a long while before speaking.
“I want to go somewhere I’ve never been before. I heard there’s a marketplace that opened in the lower village. Would it be alright to go there?”
“Understood. Um… just a moment. Hwang-gu.”
Woof woof!
Hwang-gu rose to his full height.
“You can ride on him. He can traverse paths that war horses cannot.”
“Wow, a dog that….”
“A spiritual beast.”
“A spiritual beast….”
Her eyes brightened with wonder.
After a moment, she gasped in surprise and answered.
“I’ve been confined to the household all this time, so I know little of such spiritual creatures. I apologize for my rudeness, young lady.”
“Oh, no. It’s only natural.”
Then I spoke.
“You seem to enjoy animals.”
“Yes. Animals don’t care what I look like.”
Woof, woof!
She grasped Hwang-gu’s back with her soft hands.
Hwang-gu deliberately presented the knot at the back of his neck as if it were nothing.
With the Gaebang knot, even if a child pulled at it, Hwang-gu wouldn’t budge.
Yet Ga-won shook her head.
“It’s fine. This is enough.”
A low rumble—
Hwang-gu made a soft sound, then nodded his head.
Ga-won smiled brightly as she stroked Hwang-gu’s back, clearly delighted.
She wanted to enjoy this outing with all her might, perhaps knowing it might be her last.
“Then let’s go.”
As I sprang forward, Hwang-gu leaped up alongside me.

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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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