Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 667

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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 667
Master’s Subtle Test
I answered without hesitation.
“First, we should select fifty warriors, dress them magnificently, and send the Baekrin Medical Sect to the Jegallim Family. Additionally, it would be wise to express that this successful treatment was possible not merely through human effort, but because Heaven itself answered our prayers.”
The will of Heaven.
It also meant that Heaven had chosen Ga-won as the Gaju.
“Indeed. Gaju Gawan will work to firmly establish Ga-won as her successor.”
“Will there be bloodshed?”
“There won’t be. Gaju Gawan is a diligent farmer, so she will have already tidied up anything that might cause blood to spill.”
“So it will essentially be a notification.”
“There will be some commotion, certainly. But nothing will happen openly. That is the foundation of strength the Jegallim Family possesses.”
Among the Daoist sects like the Shamanic Sect and Shaolin, where blood is shed over succession despite lifelong cultivation, and the Imperial Eight Families who covet power.
That such a massive transition of the enormous Jegallim Family could occur so smoothly was nothing short of miraculous.
“Put bluntly, she never creates unnecessary risks from the start. Gawan is such a person.”
“Then we should respond similarly.”
“Can you manage that?”
“What work does a doctor have? I’ll simply say we received it well, show off the gifts, and be done with it.”
Master gently brushed my impudent head.
“And if it’s acceptable, I wish to send medicine for nourishing the body. It should help during her recovery.”
“How thoughtful. Considering Gawan’s nature, she won’t repay that with a gift, but… hmm.”
Master fell into thought before speaking.
“That is also your strength. Do so.”
Master took something from an envelope.
A neatly folded secret letter was sealed with a dragon stamp.
“…This is…”
“Your fellow disciples visited discreetly.”
Upon breaking the seal and reading, it contained the Emperor’s command to come to the imperial palace.
“Since it was sent in secret, I suppose I should use the back entrance.”
“Indeed. The matters you’ve handled are not one or two, are they?”
I narrowed my eyes and asked.
“Will he give me a reward?”
“Not just a reward. He’ll likely give you work as well.”
“I’m grateful it was a fellow disciple who came rather than an official.”
“Right. You need not dress formally—simply go and return in the plain attire of a wandering martial artist.”
I nodded.
Working alongside the Jegallim Family this time, I had learned something.
‘Ah, I must absolutely never take an official position.’
It was better to remain hidden like this. If I went to the center of power, I felt I would be flayed alive with my eyes wide open.
Thus I left the room.
Jegalling watched my departing figure intently.
Yoo Ho, who had been standing quietly, asked a question.
“Are you certain about this? At such a time?”
“It’s precisely because of this time that it’s fine. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to investigate the Hyeolseon Sect Members more thoroughly?”
As I spoke, I retrieved two books I had been hiding.
Fengshenbang – Secret Meaning.
Shanhaijing – Hidden Interpretation.
“These are among the few remaining texts that can shed light on the Hyeolseon Sect.”
“Indeed. They are treatises on the hidden aspects of the world, but they are written in codes and metaphors, so the work will take some time.”
Yoo Ho nodded.
“Once the interpretation is complete, Master will….”
“Nothing special. I’ll simply crush all of the Hyeolseon Sect. But perhaps I can do it more efficiently.”
They are parasites attached to my disciple.
And there are so many of them that they cannot be eradicated.
What’s more, this disciple keeps rushing off to exterminate the parasites and returning injured.
“They’re persistent and strong, which is troublesome.”
To kill parasites, one must first understand them.
Thus, Jegalling began researching pesticide formulations against the Hyeolseon Sect.
* * *
Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!
“Alright, alright! This time I’m really going to ride you!”
Woof! Arooooo! Woof-woof-woof-woof!
“I’m really going to ride you, I promise!”
Squeal, squeeeeal!
“I’m going to ride you, trust me.”
From Hwang-gu’s perspective, it was torture.
Why on earth did he have to match his pace to a slow horse?
No matter how much of a quasi-spirit beast that horse was, a quasi-spirit beast was still just a quasi-spirit beast. It wasn’t a true spirit beast.
So whenever Cheon Hee rode that horse, Hwang-gu had to match his gait to it, which was absolutely infuriating.
Though admittedly, since he was a dog, riding around on a dog would certainly draw attention.
Humans naturally wanted to stand out and be different from others, didn’t they?
So why was this Cheon Hee trying so hard not to stand out by riding a horse instead?
Woof! Woof! Woof!
“Look, look! I’m adding cargo! I’m adding cargo!”
Woof! Woof!
“No, no. You’re being deceived. I’m adding even more!”
Hwang-gu had already reached the level of cutting through cliffs with his body.
Because of that horse, he had to take the long way around even on paths he could traverse quickly—did that even make sense?
Why was he even riding a creature that couldn’t even climb cliffs?
Woof! Woof! Woof!
“Alright, alright. I’m getting on!”
In the end, I reluctantly climbed onto the massive Hwang-gu.
Squawk!
Noeji also clicked his beak with satisfaction.
Thus I began riding Hwang-gu and galloping forward.
In terms of speed, I was far faster, but in terms of endurance and raw power, the spiritual beast Hwang-gu held the advantage.
This allowed me to arrive at the imperial capital much faster than last time.
‘Master will be pleased.’
After all, wasn’t he the one who desired most that his disciple complete his business quickly and return?
As I showed my inspection badge at the palace gates and tried to enter, the Eunuch General came rushing out.
“My goodness, you’ve arrived already?”
With those words, he pushed me back outside.
“The Emperor finds it difficult to receive outsiders at the moment. Please return in a few days.”
“Hmm?”
“If he rests well, I will send word separately.”
Something was clearly happening within the palace.
‘I should make myself scarce for now.’
Considering my social experience from both my past and present lives, the fact that the Eunuch General himself came out to say this was a kindness.
No matter how I tried to interpret it negatively, this could only be considered a favor.
“Understood. I shall depart at once.”
“My, how sorry I am. Hehehehe.”
Jegalling, let’s flee quickly.
Our wicked Emperor seems to be detaining people and turning them into fried potatoes or some such thing.
The wind felt desolate, and the atmosphere was ominous.
Especially after treating a patient from the Geum family and catching a glimpse of how that neighborhood operated, I had no choice but to be cautious.
‘Fleeing is the best strategy—absolutely the best strategy!’
The Emperor and the Imperial Eight Families who dealt with him were beings far removed from human sensibility.
I had no desire to stumble into their affairs and invite calamity upon myself.
With these thoughts, I left the palace and headed toward an inn.
‘Let me find the inn that the Geum family provided.’
Recalling the location from the ledger, I found it, and a massive inn came into view.
The signboard read “White Crane Tower.”
Performers played the pipa at the entrance, though it didn’t seem to be the sort of place where one sat with performers on either side while drinking.
A clean atmosphere, a grand inn of about six stories.
‘Gaju Ga-won understands my nature well.’
Selling music and dance is natural for performers. But I had always forbidden the selling of people.
At the grand entrance stood a statue of Guan Yu.
‘…It seems she knows about Sama Hyeon and the Peach Garden Oath as well.’
She seemed to have placed it thinking I would like it, but what interested me was only its perfect balance and weight. What it represented was irrelevant.
At that moment, a guard waiting at the entrance came rushing over.
“Young Master! Welcome! Please come inside!”
Young Master?
The unfamiliar title caught me slightly off guard.
“Would you mind calling me Soggakju instead of Young Master?”
“Of course. Understood, Soggakju!”
At the guard’s resonant voice, a figure who appeared to be the innkeeper rushed out.
He quickly glanced at me and the guard, then expressed his respect in a calm voice.
“I greet you, Soggakju. I am Ga Jun-hwa, the manager overseeing the operations of this inn.”
‘A member of the Ga clan.’
Likely from some distant branch of a branch family.
Even in this Confucian-dominated Central Plains, such a distance would normally make us strangers, but given that he manages such a large inn, there must be some connection.
Not quite close enough to establish an inn for me, but close enough to entrust management to.
Ga Jun-hwa led me inside, and I followed him in.
“I am of the Ga clan, though from a distant branch, and I have worked here for twenty years now.”
My assumption was correct.
He continued speaking.
“This Baekhaknok is a traditional inn that opened one hundred fifty years ago, and its culinary secrets have been passed down through successive head housekeepers.”
Quite systematic.
‘And a hundred fifty years of tradition. To think they would hand this over.’
Considering the history of the imperial capital, a hundred fifty years might not even qualify as tradition.
Still, once an establishment exceeds a century, it gains recognition as rooted in the imperial capital and can be included in merchant guild meetings.
This is why rising families often attempt to acquire long-established inns.
The merchant guild meetings of the imperial capital involve such enormous sums of money that they encompass the entire empire.
The price Ga-won paid me was correspondingly substantial.
“Thank you. Since Baekrin Uiseon has now become the owner of Baekhaknok, I should conduct an inspection.”
Ga Jun-hwa nodded at my words.
“Of course. I shall retrieve the ledgers at once.”
With that, he led me to the innkeeper’s office on the highest floor, the sixth level.
The interior was simple, composed of clean lines and minimalist design, yet the view overlooking the entire imperial capital was nothing short of luxurious.
‘So this is why people seek out places with good views.’
In the imperial capital, this densely populated place, finding a location with good views and natural light is truly difficult.
Yet this place had achieved it.
‘Hmm. But using the best location as the innkeeper’s office seems wasteful. It would be better to charge premium rates and accommodate guests here instead.’
I spotted several areas that needed improvement.
“Here they are.”
Soon, Manager Ga Jun-hwa set down a mountain of ledgers.
“Thank you.”
My eyes gleamed with interest.
I began speed-reading through the documents, mentally calculating each transaction one by one.
Witnessing this, Ga Jun-hwa was slightly taken aback.
‘The abacus is merely decoration. He’s performing calculations without using it at all?’
Typically, such matters are handled by bringing in subordinates to review the ledgers.
Even the Ga clan of the Imperial Eight Families operates no differently.
Yet Jin Cheon-hee had only a dog and a bird to his name.
He began handling everything by himself.
‘I’ve heard that cheating the Jegallga out of money is an extraordinarily difficult feat, and now I truly understand why.’
Had he committed any impropriety during his time at the inn, his heart would have sunk.
For twenty years at Baekhaekru, he had never once engaged in such dishonesty—something he took genuine pride in.
“I shall bring refreshments.”
How much time had passed?
Only as the sun began to set did Jin Cheon-hee finally close the ledger with a decisive snap.
“Whew! I’ve seen it all!”
He stretched his body like a cat, extending luxuriously before speaking.
“It’s quite tidy.”
So he had read through everything in just half a day?
Manager Ga Jun-hwa felt a chill run down his spine.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“Your meticulous record-keeping made it easy to grasp the overall picture. There were a few calculation discrepancies, but those appear to be human error.”
What did he mean?
Perhaps because he was from the Jegallga, he was using words that were difficult to understand.
In any case, judging from the context, it didn’t seem to be a serious matter.

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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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