Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 675

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 675
The next day.
Everyone at Mudang Mountain prepared for the funeral.
It wasn’t a sudden death, but rather a farewell for which everyone had mentally prepared themselves.
Without calling a funeral director, the Jinin personally attended to the body, and everyone moved with perfect coordination.
Sniffling sounds echoed throughout the grounds.
Though they had prepared themselves mentally, that didn’t make it any less sorrowful.
I prepared the funeral feast alongside the Mudang swordsmen.
As I worked, I learned that the Mudang Sect didn’t conduct funerals in any particularly distinctive way.
‘I thought the forty-nine-day memorial was only performed in Buddhism. Ah, perhaps the forty-nine-day rite itself is connected to Daoism.’
Just as Buddhism embraced Daoism, the Mudang Sect also embraced Buddhism.
In other words.
They conducted the same familiar funeral rites that everyone else knew.
As I arranged the food, I reflected.
‘If they only held a three-day vigil, the number of mourners would certainly decrease.’
Of course, that wasn’t the reason, but the sentiment of mourning remained the same.
‘After all, funerals are for the living.’
To mourn the departed and prevent overwhelming sorrow by holding hands together.
Wasn’t everyone’s heart the same in that regard?
They burned spirit money and enshrined the body in the cemetery within the Mudang Sect’s shrine.
If the deceased wished it, they would perform cremation, but Elder Gwon-je had left no specific testament regarding that matter.
“He was never meticulous by nature anyway. That old man.”
Hacheong Jinin muttered while stir-frying vegetables.
“He really did leave as he pleased. Truly. Without a care for anyone’s feelings.”
Saying so, he secretly wiped away tears with his sleeve.
Hahyeon Jinin, who stood behind him, added a word.
“It would have been so nice if he’d said goodbye to us too before leaving. Ah, I’m not speaking ill of So Ui-seon.”
“It’s fine.”
I said while cutting chicken into large pieces.
Since it was a Daoist sect, vegetarian dishes were primarily served, but meat dishes were still necessary for the mourners and young disciples.
I was handling that responsibility.
Hahyeon Jinin spoke.
“In any case, a good death is still a good death. Living over a hundred years—that’s a blessing in itself.”
“What good death! Anyway! He did everything his own way to the very end!”
“Sasuk seems to have quite the regret that Myeonggil Jinin left without saying goodbye.”
“…Enough. Let’s just cook.”
“Hehehehe.”
“Don’t laugh!”
The two bickering inspectors secretly wiped away tears with their sleeves once more.
“How should we season it?”
“At Mudang Mountain, funeral meals are prepared with plenty of water and mild seasoning. Instead, we provide soy sauce separately so people can season to their own taste.”
“Ah, I see.”
And so I continued learning the Mudang Sect’s cooking methods.
That was when it happened.
Crash! Bang! Bang!
A loud commotion erupted outside, followed by someone calling my name.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
I set down my kitchen knife and immediately headed outside.
Sure enough, numerous Mudang Sect warriors came rushing down with swords at their waists.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, I descended with them.
Haejeonji.
Below Haejeonji, countless members from other sects were gathering in force.
All wore weapons at their waists, yet they did not cross Haejeonji—a matter of courtesy and justification.
‘Crossing Haejeonji would mean declaring war to the death against the Mudang Sect.’
In the tense atmosphere, the Mudang Sect members began slowly descending to encircle Haejeonji.
Like a crane spreading its wings.
In this precarious moment ready to explode at any second, I counted the numbers.
‘Between the Mudang Sect members who came down and the other sects… roughly five thousand people?’
This was, in a sense, the habit of a Gangho physician.
If violence erupted, treating the wounded would fall to me.
I exhaled quietly.
Soon, Jin Seongjja from the Gonggong Faction stepped forward from among the warriors.
“Our sect once had Myeong-gil Jingin and Eun-won. But now that Myeong-gil Jingin is dead, shouldn’t his Eun-won be inherited by his disciple?”
At those words, Jeong Hyeong, the Mudang Sect Leader, responded sharply.
“You couldn’t say a word while your Sasuk was alive, and now you come with this? Aren’t you ashamed before the fellow cultivators of Gangho, Jin Seongjja?”
I stepped forward as well.
If this could be resolved through words, it was better that no blood be spilled.
“How shameless for one who practices the Way! No wonder you cling to the false reputation of being among the ten greatest masters under heaven—you even lost to me in our martial match!”
‘My apologies, Elder Jin Seongjja! I’ll treat you before you fall into a heart demon! After all, it’s better than exposing each other’s organs at your own funeral, isn’t it?’
I would provoke Jin Seongjja to achieve peace.
The physician prepared with a wicked(?) heart to verbally tear into Jin Seongjja.
Sure enough, Jin Seongjja’s face flushed crimson with rage.
“Silence! Ilgwang! Do you have no respect for your elders? Moreover, this is a matter between the Mudang Sect and me!”
“But I am also a joint disciple of Myeong-gil Jingin, am I not?”
Then a Taoist from the Jeomchang Sect stepped forward.
“Amitabha Buddha. However, are you not also a disciple of Baek Rin-ui-seon? This matter has nothing to do with Baek Rin-ui-seon, so step back.”
‘Good heavens, these fools orchestrated this entire situation beforehand.’
I had vaguely suspected it when they all gathered.
Yet they called themselves the Righteous Faction.
I hadn’t thought people could become this ugly, but this was truly shocking.
“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first as a matter of courtesy?”
“I am Wol-seon-san-in of the Jeomchang Faction.”
Wol-seon-san-in. The greatest master of the Jeomchang Faction!
He was in the same situation as Jin Seongjja.
He too had come to demand blood debt from the disciple instead of settling his debt with Mudang Gwon-je himself.
“How delightful. Factions of the caliber of Jeomchang and Gonggong gathering here just to collect blood debt from a disciple~”
“Grrrrrgh!”
Wol-seon-san-in erupted in fury.
Jin Cheon-hee carefully calculated whether he could stir up these two elders and defuse the situation.
After all, it was better than everyone here dying while disemboweling each other.
‘No, they keep coming.’
Wol-seon-san-in spoke.
“Surely you don’t mean to say that Baekrin Medical Guild will split the debt?”
Jin Cheon-hee’s weakness was Baekrin Medical Guild.
There was no one in Gangho who didn’t know how he regarded and protected his medical guild.
“Ha.”
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes began to turn cold.
Then another figure stepped forward.
“I am Do Seon-jin-in, Sect Leader of the Jongnam Faction.”
The Mudang Sect Leader Jeong Hyeong-do-in spoke.
“Speak, Do Seon-jin-in.”
“Infinite Buddha. We need only settle our debt with Myeonggil Jinin. In the past, Myeonggil Jinin brought shame upon our sect by claiming that Mudang martial arts were supreme under heaven.”
“That’s right! There was an Elder who couldn’t bear that humiliation and coughed blood to death!”
“Indeed! Jongnam will never forget this!”
At Do Seon-jin-in’s words, the other martial artists each added their own remarks.
“Silence!”
At Do Seon-jin-in’s command, everyone stopped speaking.
In the now-quiet Sea Sword Pavilion, Do Seon-jin-in continued.
“Now it is the Mudang Faction’s turn. If Ilgwang steps forward, that’s fine too! Because that would be admitting that the Mudang Faction has no confidence in its own martial arts!”
Roooooaaaaargh!
All the martial artists roared in agreement at those words.
The Mudang Sect Leader Jeong Hyeong-do-in pressed his forehead.
‘What should I do? Myeonggil, you cursed disciple! Why didn’t you listen when the Masters said to act with some restraint!’
But Jin Cheon-hee was not one to be intimidated by such words.
“Hahahaha. When Myeonggil Jinin was alive, you couldn’t say a word, but now you do this? Very well. Then I can visit the Jongnam Faction after Do Seon-jin-in passes away too. Right? The rest of you as well.”
His laughter, mixed with dark energy, was truly a brightness filled with madness.
Jin Cheon-hee continued.
“I’ll make sure to visit the Gonggong Faction later, and the Jeomchang Faction too, how wonderful. I’m still young with a long life ahead~ They say the waves behind the Yangtze push the waves before it—do you think I can’t do that?”
As he spewed crude insults, the aged Taoists all began trembling with rage.
“This madman!”
“That bastard Ilgwang!”
“A disrespectful fool! Performing last rites hoping the sect leader dies quickly!”
Jin Cheon-hee continued without blinking his cold, piercing eyes.
“The Jegallim Family has always excelled at longevity cultivation, you see~ Just look at my Master—not a single wrinkle, skin so taut! Even if you called him barely an adult, everyone would believe it. So naturally, I’ll live a long life too~ Would you care to taste the waves of the Yangtze pushing forward?”
I was firing off insults in writing, so ultimately, I couldn’t hold back.
“Yooooou! I knew Ilgwang was crazy, but now he’s a disrespectful thunder-struck fool!”
In the end, Do Seon-jin-in couldn’t contain himself and roared.
But after that, there were those who genuinely agreed.
“He’s got a point. That bastard is still young…”
“He’s one of the ten greatest masters under heaven now, but when he ages, he’s already being counted as one who’ll reach the top three.”
“Truly the Jegallim Family… how does heaven allow such a madman to exist…”
The martial artists began buzzing like a swarm of bees.
“Enough–!”
The Sect Leader shouted with inner force.
Huff, huff.
I was breathless and my head ached.
Whether it was because of those fools trying to start trouble instead of mourning the deceased, or because of Ilgwang firing off insults at the old masters to see who’d die first—I couldn’t tell.
First, as Sect Leader, I had to resolve this situation. That was the priority.
“If this sect owes a debt, it’s only natural that this sect settles it. So what exactly are you proposing?”
“…Originally, I planned to drag out all of Gwon Je’s disciples, but that Ilgwang bastard changed my mind.”
“Hmm?”
-The waves of the Yangtze behind push forward the waves ahead, do they not?
Ilgwang was truly something else.
Thinking of that bastard who said he’d repay the debt after his death, planning to sweep away the Jeondan Sect and the Gonggong Faction entirely—my blood ran cold.
So then.
“…Let us hold a martial competition!”
I had no choice but to revise the original plan.
“A martial competition?”
“Indeed. Through one-on-one martial competitions, we shall break the martial arts of the Mudang Sect.”
Wol-seon-san-in’s eyes met with Do Seon-jin-in’s.
Soon after, he nodded slightly in agreement and spoke thus.
“From now on, forty-nine matches. One person per day fighting!”
“However, surely you won’t put that Ilgwang bastard forward? If you do, it means the Mudang Sect’s martial arts are inferior to the Jegallim Family!”
The Sect Leader ground his teeth.
Then suddenly, his gaze turned to Jin Cheon-hee.
Snicker.
He was smiling.
This madman had wanted this from the start.
[Sect Leader! Now I only need to treat one person per day, maybe two at most. Oh, my workload just decreased~!]
Is he insane?
If he orchestrated this, then a genius truly is a genius. But he burned through the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong at full intensity just for this?
Jin Cheon-hee continued sending voice transmissions.
[Could I send a letter to Baekrin Medical Guild right away and bring two Senior Doctors, two Middle-Ranked Doctors, and three Junior Doctors?]
“….”
[Is that too many? Then how about one Senior Doctor, one Middle-Ranked Doctor, and two Junior Doctors…?]
“….”
My head was spinning.
The Sect Leader maintained his grave expression and spoke.
“Very well. This is the Mudang Sect. I shall accept your challenge!”
[…If…that doesn’t work either, then just one Senior Doctor… How could that fail? I’ll do my best to persuade him and get him to cooperate.]
Watching this madman losing confidence.
No, watching this madman who was somehow virtuous and brilliantly insane.
In a different sense, a strange heart demon seemed to be rising within me.
‘Sasuk, Sasuk… what were you thinking accepting this madman as a joint Immortal? Sasuk….’
Did you perhaps call that Ilgwang fellow before you passed just for this reason?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————