Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 736

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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 736
“Minor Sect Leader!”
“It’s not that there’s nothing to do. I’ll continue running the research facility here while preparing the inoculations. This place will serve as our base. We need to keep transporting supplies to the capital.”
“Aren’t you just making excuses to keep us from coming along?”
“Haha, I’ll admit it once I master the Threefold Restoration Technique.”
“That blasted Threefold Restoration Technique!”
The doctors all groaned in unison.
“You’re going to push yourself too hard.”
“What choice do I have? If I leave it alone, it’ll reach the Hwa Empire, and when it does, countless people will die.”
I patted the doctors’ shoulders reassuringly.
“I’ll bring back something delicious when I return.”
“Are we going on a market outing?”
“Seriously. And if the situation looks manageable when I get there, I’ll call for you. When I do, even if you cry and refuse, I’ll drag you along without hesitation.”
At those words, all the doctors looked at me.
‘Like a foolish genius, that one.’
In the end, they had no choice but to agree. Not that it would matter if they didn’t.
After all, I was the Minor Sect Leader of Baekrin Medical Guild and Ilgwang.
Clearly one of the ten greatest masters under heaven, someone whose realm even other masters found difficult to fathom.
Yet somehow, why did I feel so anxious? Like a child left by the water’s edge.
“Stay well, Minor Sect Leader.”
“And our little chicks too~”
I left the doctors in this safe place and set out from the city once more.
Hwang-gu’s lead cart was loaded with an enormous amount of supplies.
Yet Hwang-gu walked with such ease.
He pulled alone what eight horses would normally pull, his tail wagging happily all the while.
Ha-ryun sat beside me.
How long had we been traveling?
Screeeee—
Blue lightning streaked across the sky in horizontal lines. It was Noeji.
As I reached out my hand, Noeji dove like a hawk. The speed kept accelerating, growing faster and faster.
Finally.
Boom!
With a scatter of lightning from his wings, he came to an abrupt stop.
‘Wow, if that were a horse, it would’ve been startled and overturned the cart.’
Fortunately, since it was Hwang-gu, the cart remained unharmed.
Chirp, chirp chirp!
“Alright, alright.”
I took out some beef jerky and let Noeji take it in his beak.
Noeji pinned the jerky with one talon and tore it apart with his beak.
He held the pieces between his beak and savored them slowly, like melting ice cream.
It was Noeji’s own way of savoring the moment.
In the meantime, I had been reading the letter.
“It looks like the escort unit has arrived.”
“You didn’t work him too hard in the meantime, did you?”
“That’s right. I sent him on errands related to the vaccination for quite a while. But now that it’s done, we should be able to meet up in the capital.”
Originally, I had planned to investigate the remaining two regions, but circumstances forced me to develop the vaccine in the first city instead.
‘Well, I suppose this too is fate.’
I had saved many lives. I harbored no regrets about that.
Had I not learned at the North Sea Ice Palace what happens when one ignores the lives before their eyes?
Suddenly, I recalled what Ha-ryun had said during the human sacrifice ritual.
-Hyeong, I have something to tell you.
-Hyeolseonggyo is deeply active in this kingdom, and the Demon Sect is also tracking their movements.
-Soraeumsa has changed its name to Hyeolbulsa and is operating actively. Hyeolbulsa is deeply connected to Hyeolseonggyo, and our headquarters’ investigation team judges that it may be Hyeolseonggyo itself.
This nation does not have as many sects proliferating as in Gangho, but each one still possesses considerable power.
First, there is the Maitreya Religion.
‘A religion that teaches Maitreya will come and save everyone. The Maitreya Religion itself has quite a history. Its influence was weak, but recently, perhaps due to the plague, its influence has been expanding.’
And then there is Hyeolbulsa.
‘According to the information Ha-ryun provided, it’s the renamed Soraeumsa, and recently it has been greatly expanding its influence through human sacrifice sorcery.’
Finally, there is Lamaism, which is practically the state religion.
It goes without saying that the royal family believes in it as well.
‘Next is Hyeolpungsa. The Seryim Religion that came from Seryim Kingdom. What else was there?’
The Joyful Tantra, which split off from Lamaism.
I heard that the Joyful Tantra and Soraeumsa were originally one sect before they split apart.
And then there is the Ilwol Singyeo.
A total of seven sects… or rather, religious factions wielding power.
For some reason, my head was spinning.
‘Is this a gathering of pseudo-religions? No, wait. If I exclude Lamaism and the Seryim Religion since they’re not pseudo-religions, that’s five pseudo-religions?’
It was also difficult to call them completely pseudo-religions, since even Hyeolseonggyo demonstrates miracles in this place.
They’re pseudo-religions simply because they prioritize something other than love and peace.
“Come to think of it, Ha-ryun.”
“Hmm?”
“So why are you still here? You’re not staying just to protect me, are you?”
“….”
It was a question hyeong had asked several times already.
At that time, Ha-ryun had not answered. Hyeong is an immortal.
If Ha-ryun thought he was becoming a hindrance, he could have disregarded my presence entirely.
However, now it was fine. The major task was complete.
“The Cheonma gave me an order.”
“What order?”
“To eliminate all of Hyeolseonggyo in this region.”
“Do you know why?”
“She said she would mobilize the sect on a grand scale. Before that, she intends to sweep away all hostile forces in the rear territories.”
My eyes widened at those words.
“W-what do you mean? Grand scale?”
“I don’t know the details. The Cheonma didn’t elaborate on that part.”
“…I see.”
‘Surely she’s not planning something like a conquest of the Central Plains…?’
I sighed inwardly. It was certainly possible.
A man who should have achieved enlightenment and ascended to heaven was instead contentedly stealing someone else’s sweet and sour pork ribs.
“What brings you here, brother?”
Only now did I ask this.
It was so typical of Ha-ryun that I couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.
“To promote trade and eliminate plague.”
“Eliminating plague is certainly like you… but trade?”
I explained to him about toothpaste. And how much soda could accomplish.
Ha-ryun listened to my lengthy explanation without furrowing his brow even once, then spoke.
“Isn’t that ultimately just medicinal material? You haven’t changed, brother.”
“What? Why? I’m a doctor, after all. And once you get into the habit of using toothpaste, you can’t go back to the old ways, you know? If you mix it into hard candies just right, it creates this popping sensation on your tongue. Since you can’t taste, wouldn’t having varied textures be even better for you?”
I passionately expounded on the greatness of soda.
It was so much like a young child explaining the flavor of candy that it made me laugh.
That appearance was so very much like an older brother.
“I look forward to it. For now, since I’m with you, I can certainly taste things well enough.”
“Hehe. Good, good. Then let’s travel together this time. I was thinking I need to eliminate the Hyeolseonggyo anyway.”
Permission was granted.
Ha-ryun’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Good.”
“First, we head to the capital of Damjin Kingdom. Hwang-gu!”
I tossed a piece of jerky. Hwang-gu leaped high and caught it with a snap.
The carriage jolted heavily, but it was fine.
During the vaccine production, we had reinforced it repeatedly until it became much sturdier than when we first departed.
Aoooooo!
Hwang-gu howled loudly and began running at tremendous speed.
Once he started running in earnest, even the legendary Ha-ryun looked astonished.
“Truly fast. I’ve never seen a steed this swift even in the sect.”
“If it’s a horse used by the Demon Sect, it must be a genuine spirit beast.”
“Hwang-gu seems even faster than those horses. A dog faster than a horse… what in the world…?”
Woof woof woof woof!
Hwang-gu wagged his tail excitedly with joy.
* * *
Beyond the horizon, the capital finally began to come into view.
“Wow, they built this place around an oasis too.”
With a massive lake and towering mountain ranges at its back, this was the royal capital of the Damjin Kingdom.
Namchu.
Since the lake itself was called Namchu, the city had taken the same name.
“In the Hwa Empire’s language, it was called Namuok, but now they just call it Nammuok for easier pronunciation, I’d guess?”
Upon arrival, Noeji was so delighted that he flew up and circled the entire city in wide arcs.
Chirrrrrp—
His cry rang out as refreshingly as a waterfall.
“It seems the Hwa Empire’s escort hasn’t arrived yet?”
I instructed Noeji to alert me when the escort arrived, then immediately headed into the royal capital.
Chirp!
Noeji took off as if he’d been waiting, flying toward the direction the escort would come from.
Just as Hwang-gu loved to run, Noeji loved to fly.
“Being combative and active is a common trait among spiritual creatures.”
“How does the Demon Sect drain all this overflowing power?”
“They manage them exactly like demons. They make them fight. And the victor claims the loser’s spiritual core. Under the law of the strong, spiritual creatures cannot be exempt.”
“….”
That was right. If the Demon Sect had no regard for human rights, why would they care about the rights of spiritual creatures?
I regretted asking the question.
* * *
Chirrrrrp!
Thanks to Noeji, I had no trouble locating the escort and joining them.
I introduced Ha-ryun to them first.
“This is Yeo Ha-ryun of the Black Sword Sect, my sworn brother.”
At my calm and smooth introduction, General Sungeon’s mind went blank for about three seconds before reason returned.
‘That man is the Minor Sect Leader of the Demon Sect, a traitor! Hmm…. I knew he was sworn brothers with Prefect Jin, but I never expected him to appear so openly.’
Traditionally—and the word ‘traditionally’ itself felt odd—the Demon Sect was classified as a rebel organization.
This had begun when the Demon Sect occupied part of the Hwa Empire’s territory and Cheonma declared herself a demigod.
Though the empire wished to reclaim that illegally occupied land, it was practically impossible, and the distance was too great to easily dispatch troops.
Most importantly, the Demon Sect had no ambitions for the throne—their true desire was to unify the Gangho, not to become emperor.
As a result, the nation changed, the Spring and Autumn period came and went, empires rose and fell, split apart and reunified, until finally the word ‘traditionally’ became attached to everything.
According to ‘traditional’ doctrine, upon encountering a Demon Sect member, one must stake one’s life and behead them as a traitor.
However, in reality, unless one was from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it would be this side that died.
The opponent wasn’t even a demon-level cultivator—he was a Minor Sect Leader.
While the general’s personal martial prowess was strong, his true strength lay in his ability to command armies.
One strike of that man’s hand blade would sever this side’s neck.
That Minor Sect Leader was staring blankly, as if to say ‘I am of the Black Sword Sect.’
‘The Eunuch General did give me a heads-up beforehand.’
-Hehehehe, that Prefect Jin’s sworn brother has been quite helpful in many ways. Because he accepts sworn siblings regardless of origin, General Sungeon might find himself in a somewhat awkward situation. But tradition is tradition and reality is reality, wouldn’t you say?
He was telling me to pretend not to know.
Given Seon Geon’s nature, he would have simply followed protocol and let that white blade sever his neck.
The Eunuch General, knowing this, drove the wedge home.
-Yes, this is the Emperor’s will.
“How delightful to meet the sworn brother of Prefect Jin.”
I offered a light greeting.
There was no choice. The Emperor’s command was absolute, and his loyalty had only one direction.
I smiled gently.
“Excellent. By the way, I have some candied kumquats left over. Would you care for some? I made them myself and I’m quite protective of my stash.”
What on earth was the Divine Physician thinking?
‘Does he truly accept even Demon Sect members without discrimination?’
Surely he understood better than anyone how terrifying the Demon Sect truly was.
Yeo Ha-ryun, who called himself the Black Sword Sect, received the candied kumquats from me and devoted all his concentration to carefully breaking off small pieces and chewing them.
He ate with his eyes closed, as if he were starving and would perish tomorrow.
Seon Geon was left speechless by such an unguarded display.
In the end, he too accepted the candied kumquats from me.
Tart and sweet. It tasted like golden sunlight.
Thus we joined forces and arrived at the capital.
‘Why did the Emperor attach the Divine Physician to this expedition in the first place?’
The Divine Physician’s accomplishments were certainly remarkable, but there was no guarantee that this nation’s king would think and act the same way as the Hwa Empire.
Moreover, the other side was a place where human sacrifice could be arranged if circumstances allowed.
That was the religious element, and the difficulty of diplomacy.
“Oh, I made it myself, but it’s delicious.”
Even in this situation, rather than feeling tension, I was marveling at my own snack—a madman was truly a madman.

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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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