Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 720

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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 720
It was a human head.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say it was “what used to be” a human head.
The teeth had sharpened like a shark’s, and the jaw hung open beyond its limits, clicking and clacking.
Below the neck of this grotesquely and horrifically mutated thing, there was no human body at all—only a long string of vertebrae.
Since human vertebrae are quite lengthy, in a way, it resembled a snake.
And this eerie creature crawled along on those vertebrae, moving at a speed that far surpassed any ordinary living being.
The monster slithered across the sandy desert like a serpent before launching itself through the air like a bullet.
Screeeech!
Yet the monster’s skull was caught mid-air by someone’s hand.
Crunch—
The forehead’s skin and bone crumpled.
Kieeeeeee!
The grotesque thing shrieked and thrashed its vertebral column. But soon after, its skull shattered into pieces and scattered.
A grip of inhuman strength—like a hydraulic press—had crushed its face to pulp.
And remarkably, not a single drop of blood clung to the hand that had pulverized it like a tomato.
Looking around, I could see dozens of similar horrific creatures scattered about in ruins.
Standing atop the fragments of their corpses was a man with glowing crimson eyes.
“I’ve been seeing these creatures frequently of late. No matter how I examine them, they don’t appear to be side effects of demonic cultivation.”
His voice was cold and measured.
-Kill them. We must kill them. Kill them!
And from within him, a voice like an active volcano screamed at him.
“You speak truth.”
Yeo Ha-ryun answered the voice of Cheon Sal-seong echoing from within and brought his foot down upon the ground.
With a thunderous boom, a shockwave of qi rippled outward.
The already-ruined monsters were pulverized further into fine dust.
And soon they blended with the sand, becoming invisible.
That was when it happened.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
In terrain consisting only of rocky mountains and sand, the crisp sound of applause echoed.
Beneath the full moon hanging in the sky, someone stood.
“Magnificent.”
He was a Veiled Foreigner dressed in exotic garments of white silk.
A hat attached to a flowing robe was pulled deep over his head, obscuring his face, but his frame was slender and thin.
A mysterious silhouette—impossible to discern whether male or female. And an aura that felt even more alien than that.
He laughed with ease.
“How troublesome. Cheonma surely desires the same sky as we do, yet she obstructs us in this manner.”
“Hyeolseonggyo again. How tiresome. Did you create these things?”
“To be precise, I created them myself. They are a type of hungry ghost. A great famine shall soon befall this land… so I prepare them in advance. They prove quite useful. ♪”
His manner of speaking—humming like a song—was peculiar.
However, Yeo Ha-ryun paid it no mind. The Demonic Cult had plenty of such tasteless fools anyway.
“…Then it would be best to kill you right here and now.”
Yeo Ha-ryun’s eyes gleamed with crimson light.
The sinister radiance burning in the darkness was enough to strike fear into any observer.
Yet the White-Robed Person showed no sign of concern whatsoever.
“Now, now… there’s no need to be so hasty…. Why not have a conversation instead?”
“Your life seems precious to you. Do you intend to negotiate even in death?”
“Hahaha, truly the living embodiment of death itself, the favored child of demise. Then what of your brother—would you not hear of him?”
“….”
The man in white did not miss how Yeo Ha-ryun’s brows rose slightly.
“I merely propose a simple accord—I shall not touch your cherished brother, and you shall not interfere with my affairs.”
“Is there any need for such talk?”
In that instant, Yeo Ha-ryun’s hand pierced through the man’s chest.
He felt ribs snap and a heart burst beneath his fingertips.
Yet in that very moment—
The man’s form scattered into sand and dispersed.
[Hahahaha! Surely one cannot meet Cheon Sal-seong without proper precautions, yes?♬]
“Tsk.”
A white moon appeared through the swirling sand.
Yeo Ha-ryun stared at the moon, then murmured softly.
“My brother approaches.”
Soon after, Yeo Ha-ryun’s form too scattered and vanished in an instant.
* * *
“From here onward lies Damjin. The gateway of Damjin, an oasis city and trading hub—Sayok.”
Sayok.
The jade of the desert.
In the local tongue, it is said to bear a name meaning the jewel or jade of the desert.
It appears this has been transliterated into the Central Plains language.
The city’s dome was shaped like a sphere with a spire affixed to its apex, and the walls were constructed from plaster mixed with stone and sand.
Thus the entire city ranged in color from white to gray.
The city’s scale rivaled that of any great metropolis in the Hua Empire.
Within these distinctive stone structures stretching endlessly, a vast lake commanded an impressive presence.
As I gazed upon this magnificent vista, a group of riders approached in the distance.
They appeared to be soldiers guarding Sayok.
Their numbers reached a hundred, and their uniforms differed greatly from those of the Hua Empire.
One might think it excessive.
‘I’m hardly one to speak, having brought five hundred elite cavalry.’
To be frank—
I had told the Emperor that since time was of the essence, we should travel modestly.
The only difference was that the Emperor’s and my definition of “modest” were not the same.
Soon, a general emerged from among the hundred soldiers.
His eyes were a striking blue, and his skin tone differed greatly from that of the Hwa Empire’s people.
“I am General Dorje, who oversees the defense of Saogyeok. In the Central Plains tongue, it means Geumgang. Who is your representative, and explain why you’ve come with five hundred troops.”
The name Dorje could also be pronounced as Dorje or Dolje.
It seemed to be the language of this region.
But what surprised me more was his manner of speech.
I was astonished at how fluent his Hwa Empire language was.
“I am Pyeon Janggun Sunyoung, dispatched to escort the special envoy of the Hwa Empire. The advance delegation should have already arrived. We stopped here for supplies before heading to the royal palace of Damjin.”
“General Sunyoung, I see. We did receive word, but… I didn’t expect so many to arrive. Didn’t the envoy dispatched last year number around a hundred?”
The general who identified himself as Geumgang asked with a somewhat fastidious tone.
“The gentleman beside me is Prefect Jin Cheon-hee, who has recently assumed his position. He enjoys the Emperor’s favor and serves as the representative of this delegation to the Damjin Kingdom. The Emperor has specifically ordered that there be no issues with his safety, which is why we’ve arranged things this way. I hope you understand.”
As I listened to their conversation from the side, I thought to myself.
‘So this is how officials converse… It’s quite impressive. There’s diplomatic rhetoric woven in. General Sunyoung is quite capable too.’
As I observed them with these thoughts, the general called Geumgang nodded.
“Very well. However, I cannot allow five hundred soldiers into the city. I ask that you establish an encampment outside and request supplies there. Of course, we cannot lodge such distinguished guests outside the city, so how about Prefect Jin Cheon-hee and Pyeon Janggun Sunyoung enter the city and receive our hospitality?”
As I marveled inwardly at their refusal to admit the troops while offering to entertain the leadership, a telepathic message tickled my ear.
[Prefect Jin, this is their custom, so it is proper that you accept their hospitality.]
[Then that’s what we’ll do.]
“I am grateful for General Geumgang’s kindness.”
Thus, Sunyoung and I entered the city.
Seon Geon remained behind to command the troops and establish the encampment.
* * *
An oasis city with a splendor distinctly different from the Hwa Empire.
As we entered the city, Geumgang struck up a conversation. When I responded to him in the language I had learned in the Dadu Kingdom, he shook his head.
“They use a different language here, so unless you’re a merchant, it won’t be easy to understand.”
‘Hmm, I’ll need to learn a new language.’
I followed Dorje into Saogyeok.
As both escort and guide, he taught me various things.
“I’ve heard that since Lamaism is the state religion of the Damjin Kingdom, the majority of its people practice Buddhism. But if Lamaism is the state religion, is it acceptable that other Buddhist sects like Hwanhwi-bul and Leibul-bul have also taken root?”
Dorje answered that question.
“Damjin does not persecute other religions. We simply pursue enlightenment within the grace of Buddha.”
‘Interesting, they don’t treat non-state religions as heretical.’
In this era, rejection is the norm—people throw stones at those merely different in skin color—so it was remarkable that they would tolerate different religions.
Dorje asked with evident interest.
“By the way, Prefect Jin, you seem quite knowledgeable not only about Hwanhwi-bul but also about Leibul-bul.”
That was true.
Just as Hwanhwi-bul reveres Hwanhwi-bul, Leibul-bul reveres Indra.
Indra is another name for the thunder god in Hinduism.
He wields the Vajra imbued with thunder and is both a Buddha and a protector of the Dharma.
The Great Thunder Sound Temple, known as the stronghold of Leibul-bul, preaches great compassion and virtue, in contrast to—
The Small Thunder Temple is characterized by advocating punishment and the eradication of evil, claiming that killing sinners and casting them into hell is itself their merit and practice.
‘In the Central Plains, they are recognized as an orthodox religion rather than a heretical sect, though they are treated as dangerous entities.’
Because they possess chivalry and Confucian values that do not corrupt public morals, they are tolerated to that extent.
Even if their methods are cruel, they possessed chivalry.
“I studied before coming to the Damjin Kingdom.”
“How remarkable. Usually, those coming from the Hwa Empire tend to dismiss other nations as minor kingdoms, excluding their own country, and show subtle contempt.”
‘…That’s true. There is a lack of courtesy.’
From childhood, they were taught that the Hwa Empire was the greatest on the continent, and many even served as officials.
It was natural that such an attitude would show through.
“I hear the Saerim Religion followers are also quite something?”
“Oh, you know even that much.”
“To be honest, I don’t truly understand the doctrines of any of the religions I’m discussing.”
“That’s only natural. It’s remarkable that you’ve studied this much without being a believer.”
‘Still, he was quite sharp outside, but now he’s being quite warm. Is it alright for a general to act this way?’
After that, the three of them continued conversing as they headed inside.
Of course, Saok-si’s soldiers accompanied them.
“We greet a noble from afar!”
Their eyes held anticipation. Conversely, some showed wariness.
“Haha, that’s understandable. Envoys from the Hwa Empire often bring bad news more than good news. Some are wary, wondering what schemes they’re plotting this time.”
The karma of the Previous Emperor. Or rather, the karma of those emperors?
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“It won’t be bad news.”
“I’m not so sure about that….”
He trailed off with a smiling face.
‘He clearly doesn’t believe me at all.’
Who would imagine that I came all this way to treat plague?

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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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