Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 68
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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 68
“Hehehehe. Do you truly wish to die, Young Master? There’s no need for such theatrics. Simply make a proper request, and I shall comply at once.”
“That’s absurd, Chief Manager Yoo. How could I refuse a letter from you? I must open it before everyone with utmost gratitude.”
Yoo Ho pronounced two syllables so quietly that no one else could hear.
“Why advertise to the entire neighborhood that it came from the Demon Sect?”
Indeed. The letter had come from the Demon Sect.
And by intuition, it seemed to have been sent by Little Heavenly Demon, Yeo Ha-ryun.
Jin Cheon-hee answered indifferently.
“Our Medical Hall has connections with the Demon Sect as well.”
“That is an internal matter, and surely you understand it is not something to broadcast throughout the neighborhood.”
If Hwaju Uiseon oversaw the righteous path and Heukjeon Uiseon oversaw the demonic path, then Baekrin Uigak belonged to neither.
Patients who sought out Baekrin Uigak were accepted regardless of their allegiance.
What mattered was not the patient’s personal ideology or sect affiliation.
What mattered was the illness they suffered from.
While this sounds noble, the reality was somewhat different.
To be more precise, my Master showed no restraint in the means and methods used to research his own body.
Even if it involved the Demon Sect, he would not hesitate if there was a clue to be found.
In a way, if one considers only his greed for knowledge, he might not be so different from Hyeolsaeng Nogoe.
My Master simply packaged it in a subtle manner and walked the middle path.
He even accepted patients from the Demon Sect.
By the standards of the righteous sects, this was serious, but to Jin Cheon-hee, a modern person, it was of no concern whatsoever.
‘Treating patients without discrimination is a fine virtue for a physician.’
Jin Cheon-hee simply smiled instead of answering.
“I’d like to open your head and examine it, Young Master. Never mind. I shall take my leave, so please open it leisurely by yourself.”
“Ah, you’re leaving?”
“Yes. After inspection, I found nothing dangerous inside. Well, those people have always been courteous to the Medical Hall, so it’s only natural.”
“Very well. Then one more cup of tea.”
“Ugh. Understood, Young Master.”
Yoo Ho admitted defeat.
Jin Cheon-hee sat alone in the empty room and examined the wooden box.
The wooden box was tied with silk cord, and it was quite fine.
Jin Cheon-hee untied the knot and opened the box.
Click—
The perfectly fitted box, like a single piece of wood, split in half with a sound.
A letter and a silk pouch.
The letter read as follows:
—The sect said it was fine to send a letter, but the only person I could send it through was my brother, so I’m sending it this way. I am doing well and healthy. When the time comes, I will visit you in person.
There was no signature, but it was clear who had sent it.
‘Has his rank already risen considerably? Will he become the Deputy Sect Leader soon?’
“Has your rank already gone up a lot? Will you really become a small sect leader soon?”
For a member of the Demon Sect to send letters outside, one needed to hold at least that level of position. Yet this was far too swift.
Originally, it should have taken a full five years. What on earth had changed…?
‘Ah. I see now. It accelerated because of my teachings.’
What I had taught Yeo Ha-ryun was merely basic principles of conduct.
Not the logic of force wielded between martial artists, but simply how people ought to treat one another. Nothing extraordinary.
Basic common sense that everyone knows.
‘His rigid manner of speech suggests his nature hasn’t changed. Hmm.’
There was one more thing. I had asked him to think three times before taking a life.
Yeo Ha-ryun said three times was too many—he would do it twice instead.
That had created this situation.
‘A frightening man. It must not have been easy to overcome the instincts of the Heavenly Slayer.’
And there was one more thing.
‘He succeeded in suppressing the blood curse.’
That was what the message about him living well meant.
As a physician, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
‘Well then, I need only open this silk pouch.’
It felt quite substantial.
I opened the pouch. Inside lay a pitch-black bracelet.
True to the Demon Sect’s nature, a black dragon ornament coiled around it.
‘This, could it be… that thing I saw in the novel? Originally, Yeo Ha-ryun himself would be wearing this?’
I wasn’t certain.
I twisted the head of the black dragon.
Click—
Then, a thread so fine it was nearly invisible emerged—a black silk strand.
A string finer than thread itself, yet sharp enough to sever flesh. The hidden weapon among hidden weapons.
‘Gasp, the Black Heaven Blood Thread? Why on earth did this precious thing come by letter?’
The Black Heaven Blood Thread.
One of the hidden weapons used by the Heavenly Demon.
In the Demon Sect where blood and flesh scatter, one needs something to protect oneself.
That does not refer merely to a great broadsword.
An invisible string that strangles and cuts an enemy’s throat. In times of crisis, it has created traps that ensnared hundreds of masters.
‘He has formed a connection with Heukjeon Amgoe. Has he become his disciple?’
It is the protective weapon possessed by Heukjeon Amgoe, called the king of hidden weapons.
In the original work, the Little Heavenly Demon Yeo Ha-ryun barely defeats Heukjeon Amgoe and obtains this Black Heaven Blood Thread.
Its tensile strength rivals elephant sinew, and when infused with special inner force, the weapon becomes sharp enough to cut diamond.
More fearsome than ten thousand throwing blades—a treasure that Heukjeon Amgoe cherished his entire life.
Heukjeon Amgoe is a relatively sensible figure within the Demon Sect and quite a formidable expert. Yet Yeo Ha-ryun, unable to overcome the nature of the Heavenly Slayer, kills his child.
That occurred during the Blood Calamity of the Lesser Sect Leader.
The wound Yeo Ha-ryun sustained then became shackles that tormented him.
But this time, it seemed different.
The bracelet bore not a single scratch.
With my current cultivation, forcibly taking it back would be impossible.
It seemed he had forged something far more binding than resentment.
Whether by becoming Heukjeon Amgoe’s disciple, by bestowing favor upon his only son, or through some other means—he had obtained this precious treasure four years ahead of schedule through proper channels.
‘But why would the Heavenly Demon give this to me? He should use it himself.’
And he had tossed it to me without the slightest pretense, as if he’d merely picked up some random trinket.
‘If I were an ordinary person, I wouldn’t even know the value of this bracelet. What if I had sold it?’
It was cold.
The Heavenly Demon’s coolness was far too cold.
I equipped the bracelet.
It was slightly loose now, but once my body grew, it should fit properly.
‘I should write a reply.’
Since someone might peek at it, I should avoid writing a name here as well.
Besides, even if the letter reaches Jeonseoggu and arrives at the Demon Sect’s Buntta, there’s no guarantee it will properly reach the Heavenly Demon himself.
I wrote a brief reply.
It was a formal message, merely wishing him to eat well and maintain good health.
* * *
After sending off the letter, I sat on the veranda and fidgeted with the Heukcheon Hyeolsa.
Indeed, at first glance it was an ordinary bracelet.
No, it looked quite luxurious and expensive, so it was far from ordinary.
‘The craftsman who made the Heukcheon Hyeolsa must be a strange fellow who loves flashy things.’
Shouldn’t a hidden weapon be as plain as possible to conceal?
By the standards of a wealthy young master’s household, this bracelet is ordinary.
Even so, I couldn’t quite grasp that this was such an incredible treasure.
As a test, I turned the dragon head and drew out the Heukxian.
The tension was impressive, but the cutting power didn’t seem particularly high.
Suddenly, I channeled my inner energy through it.
“….”
There was barely any change from this alone.
This time, I tried infusing my inner force with different combinations, bit by bit.
When I mixed the metal and water energies from the Five Elements Divine Art in roughly a 2-to-1 ratio, finally a reaction came.
Shiiing—
The entire Heukxian responded.
When I placed my finger at the string’s end, a red line appeared. It had the cutting power of a scalpel.
‘I heard that infusing special inner force would do it, and it seems I can roughly mimic it with the Five Elements Divine Art.’
Originally, it would have responded to the Demon Sect’s demonic cultivation.
‘Hmm. The shortcut tastes bitter indeed.’
How much did Yeo Ha-ryun know when he sent this?
I fell into thought.
“What are you thinking about, sir?”
Yoo Ho collected the tea and refreshments that Jin Cheon-hee had consumed, along with the wooden box.
I touched the bracelet and answered calmly.
“I was curious about how it could be used to save lives.”
“You’re saying you’ll use a hidden weapon designed to kill people for medicine?”
“Does that sound insane?”
“When has Young Master ever been in his right mind? For you, that’s probably normal.”
‘This bastard?’
I was wondering how to respond to him when Yoo Ho added one more thing.
“That’s precisely why I gave it to you. Because you’re not in your right mind, I thought you might use it in a direction different from what others would.”
“…?”
How does this bastard know that? I glanced back at him.
Yoo Ho furrowed his brow.
“Well, those who’ve hit rock bottom tend to think alike. If someone like that gets their hands on it, their usage becomes predictable.”
“Rock bottom, rock bottom…”
Yoo Ho’s words carried a strange persuasiveness. As if he himself had been there.
Come to think of it, he sometimes referred to himself as insignificant.
Did he roll around in slums as a child? Or was he perhaps kidnapped by some heterodox sect or the Demon Sect when young and managed to escape?
He might have even been brainwashed and kidnapped by a sect that made assassination their profession.
That’s how Gangho is. You can’t tell by appearances alone.
‘Well, I have no intention of letting slide the man who constantly threatens to kill me.’
In any case, it seemed Yeo Ha-ryun wanted me to use it in a different direction.
Of course, there would be self-defense applications too.
‘He’s half right. I was already considering whether it could be applied for medical purposes.’
Yoo Ho placed another cup of tea and three cakes in front of me before leaving.
With a touch of sarcasm.
I laughed helplessly and let him have his way.
Sitting alone on the veranda like that for several hours.
While I was earnestly experimenting with applications of the Heukjeon Hyeolsa in my mind, I felt someone approaching.
‘Is it Yoo Ho? No, it’s not.’
Yoo Ho’s footsteps are more like those of a four-legged beast than a human.
It’s probably the influence of the martial arts he’s been cultivating, but these footsteps were different.
Light and swift steps.
“Cheon-hee.”
It was Wang Gak-yeon.
She had long since recovered and even opened all twelve meridians throughout her body.
Among her peers, there were scarcely any who could match her, even searching through the prestigious families of Gangho.
A large composite bow hung on her back.
It was a Pasa Composite Bow, a weapon that, while not a divine artifact, had been modified to work well with Pasa Divine Technique.
With the patina of use, it was the bow that her father Gungwi once wielded.
For Gungwi, who had reached the stage of Hwagyeong, the Pasa Composite Bow was no longer necessary.
He had transcended the stage of being bound by the bow.
So he passed it down to his daughter, Wang Gak-yeon.
Though the bow was large for a young girl’s frame, she wielded it with perfect control.
“What’s wrong? Why are you breathing so heavily?”
Wang Gak-yeon spoke.
“You’re good at lightness martial arts, aren’t you?”
“I know a bit of the Samjae Lightness Technique derived from the Samjae Footwork.”
The Samjae Lightness Technique was no different from the Samjae Footwork.
Left, right, forward. That was all there was to it.
Normally it would be dismissed as a joke—a low-tier lightness technique—but Wang Gak-yeon’s expression was serious.
“Would you follow me for a moment? There’s someone I’d like you to treat.”
She carefully withdrew one silver coin and nine copper coins from her pouch.
I knew this was her entire fortune.
“What’s this about?”
“Please….”
It meant she couldn’t answer right now.
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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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