Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 691

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

Chapter 691
If penicillamine seemed untrustworthy, I had no choice but to approach it with a more familiar name.
It was an impressive-sounding name that the warriors of Gangho favored.
Jin Cheon-hee hesitated for three seconds, wondering if I should deceive them by claiming that injecting this into the blood would unleash the power of the Qilin, before opening my mouth.
“Wasn’t it the Hwaju Medical Institute physicians who originally supplied elixirs made from mercury?”
Then someone stepped forward.
“If the tonics from Baekrin Medical Guild alone are insufficient, what can we do? Of course, I asked my uncle and brought the divine pills from Hwaju Medical Institute.”
Lady Wiji.
That was right.
She was the second wife of the Namgung Family and had connections to Hwaju Medical Institute.
It seemed the Namgung Family’s cooperation with Baekrin Medical Guild displeased her, as she seized every opportunity to bring in people from Hwaju Medical Institute.
Namgung Un stared at Lady Wiji for a long while, but his expression suggested he found it difficult to say anything further.
Even if she wasn’t his biological mother, she was certainly his mother.
And his biological mother had already passed away.
Namgung Un stood with his arms crossed, looking uncomfortable.
“Ahem…”
Jin Cheon-hee calmly surveyed the surroundings.
‘Well, if Hwaju Medical Institute can treat it, that settles the matter.’
I had said everything I could say.
Now it was the patient’s guardian’s responsibility to choose, and they would bear the consequences of that choice.
Contrary to appearances, my inner thoughts were surprisingly cold.
Working as a physician, I didn’t encounter such situations just once or twice, and I had far too much work to get heated over each one.
‘Both the mortal realm and Gangho have their share of such commonplace affairs.’
It wasn’t uncommon for family meetings in hospital rooms to descend into chaos.
Disputes over inheritance while the patient was still alive were common enough.
Arguments about whether the patient should stay in this hospital or transfer to another were far too frequent.
The physician wanted to escape.
“That concludes my explanation. The choice is one the guardians must make.”
I’d seen this scenario countless times in family-based martial arts novels.
And of all places, it had to be the Namgung Family.
The most common setting in family-based stories.
‘This clan operates differently from Daoist sects, so their conflicts unfold in different ways.’
The biological mother has passed away, and rival concubines rise to prominence!
The family head, whose health has deteriorated, has gone into seclusion!
This was a typical development of a family-based story in Korean martial arts literature.
The protagonist then seizes power through force, driving out all opposing factions within the family or burying them somewhere in obscurity…
‘Hmm…’
In Jicheon Cheonma, it was Namgung Yeon who did that.
“…”
Yet Namgung Yeon stood with a timid expression, trembling with fear.
No one could have imagined it. That Namgung Yeon, whom everyone thought was a coward, was actually the most terrifying presence of all.
And her brother Namgung Un was suffering precisely because of the principles of filial duty.
As long as Namgung Un remained alive, Namgung Yeon would not make a move.
Had she ever wanted to stain her hands with her family’s blood from the beginning?
This was the happiest time for Namgung Yeon.
Though the Gaju’s condition had shaken things slightly, her beloved brother was by her side.
So from here on, did this fall within the realm of a patient’s affairs?
I’ve witnessed more than one bloodbath in a sickroom.
Surprisingly, Jin Cheon-hee felt at ease.
Perhaps it was because my expectations of humanity were so low.
And the Hwaju Medical Institute physicians found it peculiar that Jin Cheon-hee remained so unperturbed.
We thought he would be angry, but why…?
* * *
The Namgung Family compound contained numerous buildings.
And naturally, there existed a building where the family’s senior members gathered for conferences.
That place was called the Changyong Pavilion.
It was grand and spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of people, with the Gaju’s throne positioned at the seat of honor.
Its design was modeled after the imperial palace, making it appropriately magnificent and solemn.
Yet today, only a handful of people had assembled there.
When the Gaju was gravely ill, the Vice-Gaju would preside in his stead—such was the law.
The Vice-Gaju was Namgung Cheong, known as the Brain-Breaking Sword.
He was the man who had once wagered against Yeo Ha-ryun, Jin Cheon-hee’s sworn brother, over a medical examination and lost.
And assisting him were the Twin Dragon Swords.
These two had also suffered defeat at the hands of Yeo Ha-ryun’s Pacheoniilgong during their past struggles to settle grievances with Tugoe.
By now, both had gritted their teeth and pursued martial advancement with determination, achieving such progress that they had earned the title of Grand Elder.
According to the Namgung Family’s protocols, these three occupied the upper seats directly below the Gaju’s throne.
The Gaju’s throne itself remained empty.
Though the Gaju lay in a comatose state, for anyone else to sit in that seat would constitute sacrilege.
Below them gathered Namgung Un, the Medicine Hall Master, the Chief Manager, the Second Consort, and the Third Consort.
The family’s other senior members could have attended as well.
However, since this gathering’s purpose was solely to discuss treatment methods, only the Gaju’s closest family and most trusted aides were present.
Namgung Yeon had gone to bring refreshments to Jin Cheon-hee.
In other words, she had deliberately absented herself from the conference.
Within that conference chamber, Namgung Cheong bore an expression of exhaustion.
Sigh…
He suddenly exhaled a long breath.
“Lady Wiji, was it truly necessary to summon the Hwaju Medical Institute?”
The Second Consort, Wiji Yeon.
Daughter of the Wiji Family.
While the Wiji Family did not rank among the Eight Great Families, their power was only slightly inferior to them.
And the Wiji Family was famous for being close to the Hwaju Medical Institute.
She had one son and one daughter, and she was the most influential figure within the Namgung Family.
She herself had mastered the martial arts of the Wiji Family.
She was quite an accomplished master.
“How can you trust the Baekrin Medical Guild? They claim their medical techniques are unparalleled, but that’s only regarding surgery—when it comes to elixirs, everyone here knows the Hwaju Medical Institute cannot be matched. And mercury is poison! The Hwaju Medical Institute uses only the finest cinnabar. Isn’t that right, Yeong-yeong?”
At those words, the Third Lady Ju Yeong-yeong tilted her head uncertainly.
Ju Yeong-yeong.
She came from the Ju Family, a merchant house of modest influence, and had one son.
Though the Ju Family was not renowned for martial prowess and had few warriors, as a merchant clan they possessed abundant wealth.
Thus, their strategic marriage to the Namgung Family was perhaps inevitable.
Unlike Lady Wiji, who was known for her decisive nature in all matters, she was famous for her wishy-washy personality—like adding wine to wine or water to water.
“Oh, I’m not really sure. Both are famous places, after all.”
“What do you mean by that…!?”
Lady Wiji, who had expected her to take her side, was displeased.
Then the Twin Dragon Swords spoke.
“Yeon’s point has merit.”
The Twin Dragon Swords called Wiji Yeon “Yeon the Sister.”
The character for “sister.”
In other words, he treated her as a sister.
The Twin Dragon Swords’ mother was also from the Wiji Family.
So it was inevitable that they were particularly close since childhood.
“Well then, elixirs are the Hwaju Medical Institute’s domain.”
“That Hyeolrin fellow knows how to save lives, but his elixirs are mediocre.”
Words spoken to please his sister.
But they held some truth. That was the common perception.
Elixirs belong to Hwaju Yakson!
This saying was indeed widely spread throughout the Gangho.
However, Namgung Cheong sighed at his cousin’s words.
“But we conduct far more business with the Baekrin Medical Guild. Moreover, recently their elixirs have become superior as well. You’re not saying this because of the Tugoe incident, are you?”
At those words, the Twin Dragon Swords’ expression grew serious.
“No! What, what, what! Why are you bringing up old matters now!”
“Go ask anyone in the streets! They’ll tell you the Hwaju Medical Institute’s elixirs are better!”
It was a fair point.
“In any case, things became complicated, but the real issue is that the Hwaju Medical Institute proposed using their pride and secret elixir, the Hwaju Divine Pill, for the corrective treatment method. Of course, we must pay a substantial price.”
The corrective treatment method using the Hwaju Divine Pill.
That was the answer the Hwaju Medical Institute physicians had proposed.
The Hwaju Divine Pill was rumored to be comparable to the Great Restoration Pill of the Thousand-Year Shaolin Temple.
Thirty years ago.
A precious elixir said to have extended the Emperor’s life by three additional years!
Lady Ju spoke.
“Isn’t what matters most which of us can treat him better?”
Lady Wiji immediately countered that remark.
“I believe the Hwaju Medical Institute is superior. Un, I know you’re close with Ilgwang, but this concerns his life. You understand that, don’t you?”
Namgung Un let out a small sigh.
It was a difficult matter. But he had to speak truthfully.
“I understand. That’s precisely why I insist we entrust him to the Soggakju of the Baekrin Medical Guild. I believe the medical techniques of Baekrin Medical Guild surpass those of Hwaju Medical Institute.”
“….”
Namgung Un had no intention of backing down.
He knew the capabilities of his younger brother Jin.
Soon, Namgung Cheong rubbed his eyes.
“The conversation keeps circling back to the same point….”
“If he’s unconscious, then the Patriarch must make this decision. Please use a physician from the Hwaju Medical Institute.”
However, Namgung Un had no intention of yielding either.
“Precisely because it concerns Father, we must entrust him to the Soggakju of Baekrin Medical Guild.”
The eyes of Namgung Un and Wiji Yeon clashed in the air.
The Twin Dragon Swords supported Wiji Yeon with their gaze, while the Third Lady Ju Yeong-yeong merely wore a troubled smile.
“What will you do if something goes wrong with him?”
“Mother. Even Hwaju Medical Institute’s medicine might not cure him.”
Wiji Yeon spoke with the implication that if the Patriarch died due to Namgung Un’s choice, he would bear responsibility, and Namgung Un countered with the same logic.
If the Patriarch died after using Hwaju Medical Institute’s divine elixir, wouldn’t the responsibility ultimately fall upon Wiji Yeon?
Namgung Cheong sighed while watching the two of them.
‘The Patriarch….’
The Patriarch’s life hung in the balance.
Which choice should he make?
* * *
At the same time, I was wandering around the Namgung Family estate with Namgung Yeon.
“Ah…. This is lovely.”
“The trees are beautiful.”
“Yes. Flowers bloom every spring, and they’re quite pretty.”
Her speech was still somewhat halting, but she spoke far more than before.
Even when she stammered as a child, I had treated her without prejudice.
I knew what people whispered behind her back—that she was the shame of the Namgung Family, a burden, a useless sister to her remarkable brothers.
As a result, in her childhood, people fell into two categories for her.
‘Those who despised me, and those who sought to use me.’
Strangely, I was neither.
What was peculiar was that I didn’t befriend her the way Dang-a did.
An appropriate relationship. An appropriate distance.
To her as a child, that had seemed quite admirable.
Now, having grown in such a way.
No one could dismiss her now that she had begun to display her martial talent.
The strong respect strength.
In Gangho, one’s sword proves one’s worth.
Moreover, she had corrected much of her stammering habit and introverted nature, reaching a level where she could manage social interactions reasonably well.
Now many people had grown fond of her, and she was living quite well within the family clan.
Still, childhood memories don’t simply vanish, do they?
Since I had no desire to participate in the main family meeting anyway, I stuck close to Jin Cheon-hee’s side.
Jin Cheon-hee, in turn, was conducting a full-scale exploration of the Namgung Family alongside Namgung Yeon.
While the guardians tore at each other in their fiery hell, Ilgwang was satisfying his intellectual curiosity.
It was paradise.
‘Ou, this is interesting?’

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