Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 775

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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 775
Ah, just as I thought! Ilgwang was right!
I heard the sound of heads nodding from all directions.
They knew me, but I didn’t know them.
Such is the nature of fame.
Wang Mang hesitated for a moment, then seemed to reach a decision as his eyebrows hardened into a straight line.
“First, I would like to know the reason for your presence here.”
“I was merely passing through….”
“What business brings you to pass through?”
By this point, even I noticed something was amiss.
“I am currently attending to official duties under the Emperor’s command.”
Drawing on years of social experience across two lifetimes, I invoked the Emperor’s name first.
In the Gangho, where official matters were inviolable, it would spell trouble if the Emperor were dragged into this.
It was also a warning not to press further.
Sure enough, Wang Mang flinched in surprise.
‘That’s right. Ilgwang… became a provincial governor, didn’t he?’
Ilgwang was both a Kang Ho-in and a Doctor.
Rising to the position of provincial governor through medicine was nothing short of extraordinary.
‘A provincial governor’s rank… touching that would be asking for trouble. I’ve even heard he’s the Emperor’s personal physician….’
Wang Mang backed down.
“Hmm. I see. My apologies for being overly cautious.”
‘He’s apologizing? The Chilmu-dan Leader of Sadoren?’
I hadn’t expected him to relent this easily just from a warning to leave me alone.
“So then. What is the matter?”
“Well…. You’ll learn of it eventually anyway. I’ll tell you. We are currently at war with the Martial Arts Alliance.”
‘What!? A great war between the factions!?’
My eyes widened.
What turmoil had swept through the Gangho while I was away?
Wang Mang continued.
“We came to strike at the Sichuan Tang Family…. But we received orders to withdraw and were returning. We’ve agreed to pause the war temporarily and maintain a ceasefire.”
“I see.”
“We have no desire to fight you, which is why we’ve sought this conversation. I hope there are no misunderstandings.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Having explained this much, there was nothing more to discuss.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
I bowed briefly and returned to my subordinates.
The Chilmu-dan crowded into the furthest corner of the inn and ordered food.
It was clearly their determination to stay as far away from Ilgwang as possible!
Sure enough, they began whispering without even making eye contact with me.
Though they thought they were speaking quietly, with fifty of them, fragments of their conversation occasionally drifted over.
“Is that Ilgwang?”
“It’s Ilgwang alright. That bastard nearly ruptured my eardrums.”
“He produces strange sounds from his mouth, doesn’t he?”
“The lunatic makes bizarre noises and demands that all Kang Ho-in discard their weapons and disband. It’s enough to drive you mad.”
“What about the Haesa Bangju situation?”
I sighed while eating my meal.
Jasi, who was dining beside me, asked the question.
“You. What kind of life have you been living?”
“This is all part of the path of saving lives. Hehehehe.”
I laughed with an expression of enlightenment.
“Still, it seems I need to investigate something.”
I needed to know whether the Sichuan Tang Family had been attacked or not.
I was worried about Dang-a.
* * *
After finishing my meal, I followed Hwang-gu as we walked.
Soon, Hwang-gu stopped in front of a beggar.
The beggar’s belly protruded as he lay sprawled out, taking a lazy nap.
Woof woof!
The beggar woke from his sleep at the dog’s joyful tail-wagging, and he spat out curses.
“What the hell is this dog—”
In that instant, his eyes fixed on the knot hanging from Hwang-gu’s neck.
“This! Aren’t you the spiritual beast Hwang-gu, the honored one of the main branch!”
Pant pant pant pant pant—
Hwang-gu licked the beggar’s filthy face affectionately.
For an ordinary Gaebang member like this beggar, Hwang-gu was a direct disciple of the previous Bangju, so he held higher standing.
But a dog doesn’t know such things.
He simply licks because he likes the person.
Whether their face is covered in filth or not.
“Oh my, Lord Hwang-gu. Please stop… stop…! If Lord Hwang-gu is here, that means… Ilgwang?”
I answered.
“Greetings.”
“I heard you were supposed to be in the Western Regions…”
“I just returned.”
“Ah, I see.”
I smiled brightly.
“By the way, might I ask the name of this great master who recognizes me?”
“My apologies. I was too startled. I am Gaksan, a disciple of Gaebang.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Gaksan.”
Usually, if someone had a name known throughout the Gangho, they would be arrogant and conceited, reaching for the heavens.
Yet for some reason, I detected none of that in Ilgwang.
It was frightening how respectfully he conducted himself.
“Ahem, even calling me a great hero… Yes. What brings you to seek out this wanderer?”
“I’ve only just returned to Gangho. I heard there was a war, and I was hoping to learn more details.”
Gaksan nodded at those words.
“Mm, I’ll organize everything tonight and bring it to you as a document. The story is rather lengthy, you see…”
“Ah, yes. The inn where I’m staying is…”
I was about to explain the location of my inn when Gaksan answered first.
“No need to trouble yourself with directions. If you’re anywhere in this town, we’ll find you. Then I’ll see you tonight.”
It was remarkable confidence.
I found myself appreciating Gaksan’s attitude.
“Much obliged.”
I immediately bowed and handed over gold coins, causing Gaksan’s mouth to split wide open in a grin.
“Gold coins, not silver! You certainly are straightforward!”
* * *
At the same time.
The Chilmu-dan Leader exhaled a long sigh.
He had long since left the inn where I was staying and now sat in a different inn, as if fleeing.
He was mixing bamboo leaf liquor and drinking alone when an elderly man sat down across from him.
Thud—
The Chilmu-dan Leader glanced at the old man but offered no courtesy, speaking only to the point.
“Though Ilgwang is alone, he is not someone we can deal with.”
“Hehehehe, when did the Chilmu-dan Leader become so faint-hearted?”
The elderly man chuckled.
Half his teeth were blackened with decay, and his overall appearance resembled that of a snake.
Handok Hyeolsu. That was his epithet.
A master who had mastered the Handok Demon Art, a variant of the Freezing Cold Technique.
The Handok Demon Art required simultaneous cultivation of both yin-cold energy and poison energy.
This elderly man, who had mastered the Handok Demon Art to its extreme, was counted among the finest masters even within the Heterodox Faction.
Chilmudanju Wang Mang furrowed his brow at the sight of Handok Hyeolsu.
“You didn’t witness his actions in Bidong, so you speak carelessly. Besides, hasn’t the withdrawal order already been issued?”
“Is his martial prowess truly that formidable?”
“By the standards of that time, there were those in Gangho stronger than Ilgwang. However, his bizarre techniques drive Kang Ho-ins to madness. And his martial arts have surely grown stronger by now.”
The Sadoren military organization is not limited to just the Chilmu-dan.
There also exists the Nangsa-dan.
The Nangsa-dan.
A group specializing in pursuit.
Primarily hunters of those marked as enemies of the Sadoren, they are somewhat weaker than the Chilmu-dan but employ many underhanded tactics.
Because of this, they have a notorious reputation even within Gangho, and even other Heterodox Factions avoid the Nangsa-dan.
“Three hundred from the Nangsa-dan. Two hundred from the Chilmu-dan. A total of five hundred. Adding two martial sects belonging to the Sadoren, wasn’t the original plan to attack the Sichuan Tang Family with a force of roughly two thousand?”
“And we came here because of the withdrawal order.”
“No matter how remarkable Ilgwang is, he cannot defeat us.”
Nangsa-dan Leader Dong-jeok spoke with absolute certainty.
He was as arrogant as Handok Hyeolsu’s reputation suggested.
Chilmu-dan Leader sighed upon observing the elderly man’s wrinkled face.
“Hmm… that much is certainly true, but he possesses a peculiar martial technique.”
“My sect has a poison passed down through generations. We could simply use that.”
“You know he cannot be killed. Should Ilgwang die, Hyeolrin Gwangssal would surely demand blood compensation.”
At those words, Handok Hyeolsu clicked his tongue.
Though Chilmu-dan Leader was relatively young and had never encountered Hyeolrin Gwangssal, the aged Handok Hyeolsu knew exactly what manner of person Hyeolrin Gwangssal was.
He had once believed the time limit would provide safety, but now even that was no longer assured.
“Right. Of course he cannot be killed. That madman would reduce Sadoren to ashes. I still retain enough reason for that much. So I won’t kill him.”
“You guarantee this?”
“I do.”
“….”
At the elderly man’s words, Chilmu-dan Leader quietly raised his cup to his lips.
The moment of deliberation was brief.
‘If I simply withdraw now, all of Gangho will mock me. Let’s attempt it.’
Had I not journeyed far too great a distance to assemble so many masters only to return empty-handed?
“Very well. Then let us proceed.”
As though waiting for those words, Handok Hyeolsu laughed grotesquely.
“Kekekeke. Yes, let us try.”
* * *
I returned to the inn once more.
‘Good heavens, I finish one task and it’s already mealtime again. Every time I turn around, another meal arrives. Why is a day only twenty-four hours?’
Why indeed was a single day merely twenty-four hours?
I trudged toward the dining hall, grumbling.
Jasi had also rested thoroughly at the inn and was descending for a meal.
Jasi and I took a seat at the same table and ordered food.
As we exchanged various stories, Jasi’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Beggars have formed an organization? Truly, those Gangho people lack all sense.”
“Well, if I were to compare it to our world… it would be like an organization of beggars who have mastered martial arts or sorcery.”
“Why would someone with such abilities live as a beggar?”
A fair question.
I myself had always wondered about this.
But after experiencing the Gae-bang-do members and meeting both the current and previous Bangju,
“They say beggars are free. And that freedom makes it easier to uphold justice and righteousness….”
“Hmm…. How strange.”
At those words, I burst into laughter.
“Honestly, I don’t fully understand it either. I simply accept it as is. However, the Gae-bang has the largest numbers in all of Gangho. And thanks to those vast numbers, they rank among the finest in terms of information gathering.”
They would rival even the Golden Blood Hall’s intelligence network.
The difference would be that Gaebang has diverse information, while Golden Blood Hall has more advanced information.
That’s probably the extent of the difference.
“Just how many Gaebang members are there anyway?”
“Well, I’ve heard the number of people bearing the Gaebang name is close to a hundred thousand.”
“Huh…. That’s remarkable. Truly remarkable. Have all those people learned martial arts?”
“No, that’s not the case. Among them are ordinary beggars, orphans, and elderly with nowhere to go. By binding all those people together as Gaebang members, it becomes easier to help them should they face persecution.”
“Then the rumors about providing relief to people are true. It’s undoubtedly the way of the righteous warrior.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Yes. At the very least, the fact that many are protected from the lowest places is undeniable.”
Jasi pondered this.
In a way, the direction the Doctor before his eyes pursued bore some resemblance to his own.
As they conversed, the server set down the food.
The moment it was placed, Hwang-gu barked out loud!
Then he knocked the chopsticks from my hand with his snout.
“What? Huh? Could there be poison?”
Clang!
At that sight, Jasi immediately withdrew his spoon.
Unaccustomed to chopsticks from the Central Plains, Jasi ate most of his meals with a spoon.
I retrieved a silver needle and prodded the food.
“It hasn’t changed color.”
“True. But that alone tells us nothing. With high-grade poisons, silver needles are ineffective.”
Saying so, he picked up a bit with his pinky finger and tasted it lightly on his tongue.
“Ooh…. The distinctive pungent taste of Seven Treasure Pill!”
Seven Treasure Pill.
A deadly poison that causes one’s organs to twist and death after seven steps.
Of course, it was useless against me.
Though I would have some stomach trouble instead.
“Hwang-gu will have some diarrhea from this. Jasi, don’t eat it.”
“Why would you deliberately taste poison?”
“I’m immune to all poisons despite my appearance. Besides, my inner energy is formidable, and I’ve trained in poison techniques, so it’s fine.”
That too was an arrangement by my Master.
“It seems odd to eat poison just because it’s ‘fine’….”
At those words, I waved my hand dismissively.
“That can’t be right. According to legend, the Divine Farmer himself identified medicinal and poisonous herbs by tasting each one individually.”
Jasi looked at me with an expression of utter bewilderment.

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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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