Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 714

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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 714
If one followed the principle of “luck comes in seven, opportunity in three,” Jin Cheon-hee would need to open a shop and wait for fortune to arrive.
But wasn’t this kidnapping luck itself and bringing it here?!
“Hahaha! Master, a true strategist must even bring luck itself. This event is precisely for that purpose!”
Where exactly did my disciple go wrong?
‘If that other world where this fool presumably existed also operated by human logic, he must have been called a madman there too.’
If that place followed the principles of human nature, there was no doubt he’d earned that reputation there as well.
Jegalling thought to himself.
“Well then, Master. This disciple shall now commence the event.”
“Very well. Proceed.”
Jegalling sat in the seat of honor, regarding Jin Cheon-hee with weary eyes.
Jin Cheon-hee descended from the platform.
Crowds of people had already gathered.
Jegalling was not the only one seated in the place of honor.
The notable figures of Baekrin Prefecture had also come, and even Ga-won of the Gaga family was present.
One might wonder why Ga-won was here, but the hot spring region where Baekrin Medical Guild was located had become extraordinarily popular of late.
Ga-won, who had purchased land nearby, had constructed a hot spring villa there.
With the Head of the Gassi Family, one of the Imperial Eight Families, arriving in person, the officials were rubbing their hands together busily.
Of course, the same applied to Jegalling.
Everyone was eager to win his favor by any means possible.
“The successor to the Divine Physician is truly remarkable.”
“You flatter this Jegalling far too much.”
“As Mencius said, ‘to follow step by step’—indeed, the disciple follows the path the master treads.”
“He has grown of his own accord. I have done nothing.”
Jegalling enjoyed praise for his disciple, but remained indifferent to praise directed at himself.
‘Hyeolrin is difficult to please even when one tries, so be it.’
Baekrin Uiseon Jegalling could only use praise of his disciple as his sole tool.
Simple yet difficult.
Ga-won took a seat beside Jegalling.
“I am delighted beyond measure to share this occasion with you.”
An unprecedented event was unfolding—one of the Imperial Eight Families attending the opening of a mere dumpling shop—yet Jegalling appeared unbothered.
“Since that fellow insisted on doing this, I must allow it.”
“Hehehehe, my daughter Ga-won is learning well under him, and I hear her achievements are quite remarkable.”
Ga-won’s rapid progress.
While the Gassi Family, rooted in the academy, naturally should support civil officials, some spoke of her exceptional talent even in martial arts.
Jin Cheon-hee taught the fundamentals, and Jegalling taught the applications.
Originally, Jin Cheon-hee should have taught the applications as well, but as a blind man forbidden from martial training, his master Jegalling had taken his place instead.
This had actually proven beneficial for Ga-won.
Though she and her close friend Sama-hye would beat their pillows with their fists at night while cursing that Jegalling fellow, such was the situation.
A peculiar master-disciple relationship, or rather, a peculiar master-granddisciple relationship, one might say.
“It is our honor to teach such a talented individual. Truly a blessing for the Gassi Family.”
“Not at all. I cannot express how honored we are to entrust our daughter to the gifted hands of the Jegallim Family.”
The two exchanged glances before breaking into laughter.
There it was. The classic move.
The secret art of social interaction.
Gilding each other’s faces!
The key here was not to praise the other’s accomplishments.
One had to compliment the other’s daughter or disciple instead.
And the effect was remarkable.
The event began in a much warmer, more harmonious atmosphere.
I changed into the housekeeper’s clothes and began my speech.
“First, I wish to thank Ga Wan, the head of the Gassi Family, and my Master, the Lord of Baekrin, the White Medicine King, for gracing us with their presence today.”
A lengthy speech commenced.
No one cared whether the grammar was correct.
The important thing was that it had to be long.
Just as drowsiness began to settle over everyone’s eyes, I finally picked up my cleaver and ignited the flame with a thought.
Whoooosh!
“Ohhhhh!”
“It begins! The legendary cooking of Jin Sogakju!”
“Indeed, the momentum from the very start is extraordinary!”
Everyone clenched their fists and watched intently.
Among them were some martial artists whose jaws had gone slack.
“I may be mistaken, but did he just ignite that flame using only his will to light the burner?”
“…I’m wondering if I’m imagining things too. But he seems to be using it merely to heat a pan?”
“And that knife work… it looked like he made three cuts simultaneously without any inner force… didn’t it?”
Indeed.
The martial artists with discerning eyes were shocked for an entirely different reason.
“I heard he lost his sight temporarily, but it seems his achievements during that time have been remarkable. How is he doing that without inner force… why…?”
There was no way to understand how such a thing was possible.
Yet it was happening right before their eyes.
“If he possesses such profound insight, why doesn’t he demonstrate it through martial combat or sword forms, but instead wastes it on making dumplings!”
His voice rose involuntarily.
At that moment, he felt a chilling sensation pierce beneath his throat.
When he turned to look, Jegalling was staring at him.
“Hiss…!”
Faced with such terrifying killing intent, he momentarily hallucinated being devoured by a snake.
Death, death, dea. th.
Darkness crept in. He thought it might be sorcery, but it was not.
It was merely his own mental image created in the face of extreme terror.
Only when he was on the verge of losing control did Jegalling withdraw his gaze, and the martial artist closed his mouth. The other elders watching him fell silent in contemplation.
‘Hyeolrin’s personality… really.’
‘…That fool should understand this isn’t a normal situation—a disciple demonstrating martial insights while making dumplings!’
Regardless, Jegalling fanned himself with an amused expression, laughing as though my disciple’s cooking was nothing short of extraordinary.
My disciple cooked with confidence, buoyed by my master’s unwavering support.
Thus the dumplings entered the steamer.
The fried rice that would accompany them gleamed golden, crackling softly.
And then came the spicy beef jjamppong broth.
Shhhhhhh!
Not a single drop of broth splattered—every bit settled into the bowl with perfect precision. This was undoubtedly the realm of martial intent.
The crimson whirlpool of jjamppong spun with the fire’s essence, coiling like a dragon.
“…Is that also martial technique?”
“What head chef or housekeeper could make broth spin in such a vortex with dragon coiling?”
“…Truly, the Cheonhailgwang.”
Bang!
In an instant, all the dishes to serve everyone gathered in the hall were complete.
“Please let me know if you’d like more!”
Yoo Ho, dragged into service, distributed bowls to everyone with a reluctant expression. Then he saw it.
‘That bastard is Sama Hyeon?’
The old woman in the back row was unmistakably Sama Hyeon.
Had her reverse cultivation technique reached such heights that she could even conceal her scent?
Yet Yoo Ho’s eyes, sharp enough to pierce through even Hyeolsaeng Nogoe’s reverse cultivation, could not be deceived.
‘Hmm, I should pretend not to know.’
Seeing that Jin Cheon-hee was also unaware and letting her eat in secret, I decided to leave her be.
It seemed her presence here couldn’t be revealed due to Hao-mun’s internal circumstances.
Come to think of it, how desperately she had clung to the news that her older brother’s eyes had gone blind.
She’d even purchased an estate in the village below Baekrin Uiseon.
So naturally, Hao-mun would be talking about it.
Yet despite all that, she came here using reverse cultivation just to attend her brother’s opening ceremony and applaud—it was quite peculiar.
‘Crazy woman.’
Anyway, as I set down the bowl pretending not to notice, the old woman—Sama Hyeon in disguise—ate with sparkling eyes.
She savored every grain of rice as though she wouldn’t miss a single one.
That was when it happened.
[Yoo Ho, you’ve worked hard. I’ll make you special dumplings too.]
Jin Cheon-hee sent a telepathic message.
Dumplings with the gamey smell removed using Cheonilchwi.
Using such precious Cheonilchwi merely to remove the gamey smell was itself a luxury, but its fragrance was so subtle that after the dumplings were made and steamed, the alcohol scent would dissipate, leaving only that delicate aroma infused into the meat.
Naturally, the material cost alone was astronomical.
He said he would make those dumplings for Yoo Ho.
[What about you, Master?]
[Master said he likes the dumplings made here right now.]
Cooking meant flavor, but it also meant memories.
That’s why Jegalling wanted to remember this peculiar disciple’s endeavors for a long time.
[That’s fine. Then give me the same thing.]
[It might not suit Yoo Ho’s palate, are you sure?]
[…It’s too bothersome to worry about.]
[Understood.]
Jin Cheon-hee said so and removed dumplings from the steamer.
The same dumplings as everyone else here.
“Wow, these dumplings are incredible!”
“Can we really sell this at this price?”
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s because Ilgwang made them, but if another housekeeper made them with the same ingredients, they’d taste different.”
Everyone enjoyed the dishes Jin Cheon-hee had prepared with delight.
Jin Cheon-hee whispered to Yoo Ho.
[The dessert is hotteok. Since this will be more expensive than the meal itself, I made it without worrying about unit costs. Anyway, hardly any establishments will carry this menu item.]
He spoke strangely again. Still, Yoo Ho understood well enough.
Jin Cheon-hee observed the boiling oil meticulously and concentrated, like a surgeon performing an operation.
Carbohydrates plus sugar were always right.
Especially when you fried them!
The wicked Gangho doctor began frying hotteok.
Sizzzzle—
And even sugar-coated sweet potatoes on top!
‘I want to go to a highway rest stop.’
The taste of home, the taste of Earth.
* * *
There were about seven inns in Baekrin Hyeon that specialized in dumplings.
Seven sounds like a lot, but Baekrin Hyeon already boasted an enormous land area.
In fact, it was quite few.
“I crossed two mountains just to eat one dumpling!”
“I crossed three!”
Indeed.
In a world where crossing a mountain daily to reach the academy wasn’t even worth bragging about, coming this far just to eat one dumpling was truly remarkable.
Yet, the desire to experience something new transcends time itself.
People lined up to eat dumplings.
“The taste is good, but I’m not sure it’s worth standing in line like this…?”
The situation had arisen where people had to wait quite long.
“Still, after eating them, they’re great. I should wrap the leftover dumplings in a cloth and eat them with Mother.”
With the foundation laid, it was time to proceed to the next task.
‘What’s left is large-scale land reclamation.’
Land reclamation.
It was one of the first things those who governed did, and one of the things they continued doing until the end.
“Are you truly planning to proceed this way?”
Muyue posed the question, and I answered.
“Yes. Give them the reclaimed farmland after three years.”
“Why not immediately?”
“If we distribute it right away, taxes arise. The impoverished have no money for taxes, do they? Besides, land reclamation isn’t something accomplished in a single year.”
A friend I knew from overseas who had leveled mountains to create fields told me this.
Land reclamation is beyond what humans can accomplish.
No, it’s beyond what machines can accomplish either.
No matter how many trees you fell and roots you extract, new stones and roots keep surfacing.
Then the tractor gets caught on something and breaks down—not once or twice.
Then you need repairs.
Some people even get mechanic certifications to fix it themselves, or do shoddy repairs without proper qualifications, but inexperienced new farmers just call a repair technician and watch their money disappear.
“Three years is barely enough to make it usable?”
“In the meantime, I’ll provide grain rations.”
“Right. To reclaim land, you need strength. I’ll release grain stores to support them.”
Muyue’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Is it safe? Inspectors could be sent down from above.”
“They won’t like it if we give it away for free. Later, I’ll take sixty percent of the harvest. That covers the grain cost, the land value, and taxes on top.”
“…If that’s the case, many people would volunteer.”
“Only the impoverished. Commoners who already own land are excluded.”
Muyue watched me walking ahead.
‘This is what they mean by a man sharp as a blade.’
Blind or not, inner strength lost or not—his work remained eternally the same.
I couldn’t fathom what lay at the end of all this.
‘Surely he’s not trying to create an earthly paradise.’
He himself knew better than anyone that such a thing was impossible.
Yet many still followed him because they believed he could forge a tomorrow better than yesterday.
Muyue was fond of him for that reason.
Which is why.
“What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Abalone.”
“Oh, how luxurious.”
“You work better on a full stomach. Kehehehet!”
Eun Gong laughed like a villain today too. Still, I was always grateful for his concern for the officials.
“…And the Master said he would cook it himself.”
Cancel that.
‘I might get indigestion tonight.’
I must survive. Muyue!

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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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