Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 670
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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 670
I fell into thought before asking.
“Eunuch General, do you know anything about my childhood?”
“Ah, so now you’re curious about it. Your lost memories, I presume.”
I hadn’t explained in detail, but he’d already guessed it was amnesia.
Well, it made sense—when I first arrived in this world and saved people, I’d lied about amnesia during interrogation too.
My subsequent actions certainly aligned with that amnesia story.
‘Can I really call that my lost memory? Those are the original body’s actions.’
An extra who didn’t appear even once in the novel had died.
I had possessed that corpse.
According to Yeo Ha-ryun’s testimony, the skull was definitely crushed and life had ended, so that was likely correct.
So I was controlling a dead body.
That’s why I hadn’t tried to learn about the past. These weren’t my real family anyway.
But now that I knew of this strange ability to turn back time, and seeing the two Emperors’ peculiar trust in me, I wondered if learning about this body’s past might help somehow.
The Eunuch General spoke.
“I know little of it. Back then, I was merely a lowly eunuch, struggling just to survive.”
“…I see.”
I nodded.
Trying to learn things this way would only deepen my ties to the Imperial Palace anyway.
Just as I was about to suppress my curiosity again, the Eunuch General spoke.
“However…”
After hearing the Eunuch General’s story, my eyes widened slightly.
* * *
“You there, Court Attendant, what is this? Every time I use the privy, I hear thunder and lightning crackling.”
“Ah, you don’t know? This is called a flush toilet. An invention made by Cheonhailgwang. When you defecate, everyone in the palace now knows about it—a truly ingenious alarm clock.”
“Ohhh! So everyone will know when I’m defecating! But what advantage does that have?”
“Well, you won’t drown if you fall in, and sitting for long doesn’t hurt as much. Less smell and fewer insects are bonuses.”
“Oh! Truly Cheonhailgwang. To create such a miraculous invention that eliminates waste!”
“It doesn’t eliminate it. Everything just flows to the sewage treatment facility.”
A new wind began to blow through the Imperial Palace.
“Oh! This isn’t a new guillotine faucet! Other Court Attendants seem to be getting tortured again.”
“Ah, you don’t know? Using water pipes, it flows down automatically. We still need to inspect it daily, but Court Attendants no longer need to haul water every time like before.”
“The Emperor is changing his punishment methods!”
“If he can’t find any other penalties, he can just execute people, so from now on, watch your tongue and your actions.”
That was right.
Many changes had come to the Imperial Palace.
Of course, we’d only changed some areas in haste, but not just the Court Attendants—even the court officials were peering around curiously.
I thought to myself.
‘Am I a doctor, a chef, a construction company president, or a public enterprise?’
Somehow, the chef and construction work were becoming more famous than my original profession as a doctor.
Even Ju Wang-ya heard about it from somewhere and came running, experiencing everything herself before patting my shoulders enthusiastically.
“Truly, Ilgwang! You’ll leave one for our castle too, right?”
“I’ve already given the technology to the Imperial Palace, so if you construct it accordingly….”
“Hahaha! I’ll take that as a yes, you’ll make one for us.”
Goodness! These Gold, Silver, and Red Wang-yas are something else!
The three of them are working people like cattle!
This damned Imperial royal blood.
Ju Wang-ya spoke.
“Creating something this innovative must have earned you quite a few points with the Emperor.”
“…What good does earning points do?”
“It does plenty. That’s why everyone tries so hard to catch the Emperor’s eye. But why does Ilgwang seem so indifferent?”
“I’d just be grateful if you’d send me back.”
“Of course I’ll send you back. Your Master is glaring at me—how could I not? Still, it’s strange. You’re receiving this much favor from the Emperor, yet you seem to want nothing.”
“I want many things.”
At my words, Ju Wang-ya’s eyes gleamed.
“Oh?”
I spoke with solemn conviction.
“Please give me plenty of money. I’d like substantial funding for Baek Hwan-hu.”
“Puhahahaha!”
Ju Wang clutched her belly, laughing at what amused her so.
After laughing for a while, she rose to her feet.
“Anyway, you’re impressive. No wonder those cold ones favor you. I’ll trust you with this.”
And so Ju Wang casually entrusted the work to me.
Court Attendants came rushing forward one after another.
“We bow in admiration!”
“To seize even Ju Wang-ya’s palace affairs! This lowly one is humbled!”
“Truly worthy of So Ui-seon. We bow in admiration!”
Everyone gazed at me with eyes full of reverence.
‘Is this really such a big deal?’
I just have one more task to handle.
But I roughly understood why they reacted this way.
The Eunuch General said it first.
“From now on, no official, no matter how high their rank, will dare look down upon Baekrin Medical Guild. Even if not quite the Imperial Eight Families, any power below that level will have to show respect to Baekrin Medical Guild.”
“That… is….”
“That’s how significant this accomplishment is.”
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
‘Does this mean they’ll let me access the Soul Transfer Technique again from the Imperial Palace Secret Records?’
Of course, improving public health and providing pumps and latrines to everyone was a good deed.
However, that wasn’t the real purpose.
‘But if I ask for that now, will they think I’ve lost my mind again?’
No, but I really do need the Soul Transfer Technique.
* * *
After finishing my work, I finally had a private audience with Emperor Geum-wang.
This time, not with Empress Eun Wang-ya, but with Emperor Geum-wang himself.
I’ve met Empress Eun Wang-ya many times, so I’m somewhat accustomed to her, but Emperor Geum-wang still makes me uneasy.
As soon as he saw me, he spoke.
“Baekrin and Fukzhou City in Fujian Province.”
“….”
“I myself received reports from the Medical Guild regarding the operation of water systems and disease prevention in these two places, and I’ve verified their effectiveness through separate investigations. This recent installation was merely an extension of that work, and I see no particular problems.”
“….”
I sipped my tea and waited for him to finish speaking.
Pung Ha-geum spoke.
“So, do you truly have no interest in taking an official position?”
“Pfft!”
What an outrageous thing to say. This king.
I sprayed out my tea.
Emperor Geum-wang continued.
“Originally, the empire has six ministries: the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Works. I am thinking of establishing one more.”
“What ministry would that be, Your Majesty?”
“The Ministry of Medicine.”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
The tea I had just spit out went down the wrong way, and I coughed for quite some time.
“I must respectfully decline…. Cough. Cough!”
“Tsk, tsk. I thought you’d say that.”
Gulp—
Emperor Geum-wang swallowed his tea and examined me carefully.
I pulled out a handkerchief and wiped my mouth, trying my best to clean up.
The court attendants rushed over and told me to stop, saying they would handle it themselves.
Emperor Geum-wang asked.
“This is a place where you could achieve the universal healthcare you desire…. Why do you avoid it?”
At those words, I nodded.
“Your words are absolutely correct, Your Majesty. However, I am not a politician. The moment I become one, I cannot be certain whether I can actually save people as I do now.”
“Hmm?”
“The way I can treat patients and develop new medicines now is because I am free and unbound by anything. If I were to become part of a political organization, it would clearly become difficult to move as I do now.”
“You fear being manipulated by those with power.”
“….”
I did not answer. But that silence was affirmation enough.
Emperor Geum-wang sighed softly.
“Even with imperial authority this strong, the nature of power remains uncontrollable. It is troublesome.”
“Is that not the nature of human desire? From the start, I have no interest in official positions or politics. I simply prefer to help occasionally as a commoner.”
“Tsk. Then there’s no helping it.”
Power falls into the hands of those who hunger for it.
If one lacks such ambition, no matter how high a position they occupy, they will only lose it.
Geum Wang-ya exhaled softly.
“Still, my offer remains valid whenever you reconsider.”
I can only hope that one day his mind might change.
Though for now, it seemed unlikely.
The doctor before me appeared to covet wealth, yet ultimately refused to be swayed by it. The same applied to power.
He was a madman who treated power as worthless compared to money, perhaps because it lacked utility.
The reason the Emperor refused to give up was singular.
‘If his resolve ever breaks, that day might come.’
Life was never easy, after all.
Moreover, the ideals he pursued were remarkably lofty, so perhaps an opportunity might arise.
‘Or perhaps it’s simply impossible.’
As I pondered this, Jin Cheon-hee flashed a grin.
“While we’re at it, let me examine your teeth.”
“Ugh. Must we really do that?”
“We must. I’ll need to take Eun Wang-ya’s pulse again as well.”
That was true.
For the sake of saving lives, this man would stop at nothing, even before an Emperor.
* * *
After examining both Wang-yas, all business in the Imperial Palace was concluded.
“Will you use the Imperial Palace Secret Records again?”
“Yes.”
“Tsk. Go on then.”
With that, he tossed me a passage token for the Secret Records.
I was astounded that Eun Wang-ya threw such a precious item as casually as a lavatory key, but well, having received it, that was that.
Taking the passage token, I descended swiftly toward the Imperial Palace Secret Records.
‘It’s practically my second home now.’
The Imperial Palace Secret Records, which I hadn’t visited in some time, remained exactly as I had left it.
“The Soul Transfer Technique… where was it located… Ah, there it is.”
Among the countless shelves holding thousands upon thousands of volumes, I located the exact position of the Soul Transfer Technique.
The book was still shelved upside down.
“This time, I must read it carefully, guarding against demonic possession.”
Such martial texts could twist one’s qi and blood merely through reading, causing heart demons to arise.
So ordinarily, I avoided reading them, and when I did, I skimmed them quickly and moved on.
But that approach wouldn’t suffice against the Hyeolseon Sect, who ground souls and grafted them anew.
“Huu…”
Before reading the Soul Transfer Technique, I meditated for a while using the One-Day Scripture.
Once my mind was completely settled and I felt confident my inner force was fully controlled, I withdrew the Soul Transfer Technique and began to read.
After several days of careful study, I reached a conclusion.
“There are quite a few varieties of dark sorcery here.”
Soul Resurrection Technique, Calling Bird Bell, Soul Viewing Technique, Spirit Compulsion Incantation, and so on.
All of them were arts that dealt with souls.
Soul Resurrection Technique summoned the souls of the dead to the living world.
Calling Bird Bell sent the deceased back to the afterlife.
Soul Viewing Technique allowed one to perceive spirits.
Spirit Compulsion Incantation was a verbal art that forced souls to obey.
There were many others, but from what I could see, these were the ones the Hyeolseon Sect Members would likely use.
‘If I seriously studied this, I’d lose my mind. This stuff.’
There was only one technique that wasn’t dark sorcery—the Calling Bird Bell.
It was a true incantation that returned the deceased to where they rightfully belonged.
“Oh, if it’s this one, I could learn it too.”
It would allow me to prevent those who moved between bodies and committed atrocities.
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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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