Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 792
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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 792
As everyone gasped in shock, Jin Cheon-hee stepped inside and swiftly drew two chairs from the wall using his void-devouring technique.
Thud.
It was as if only Jin Cheon-hee and Sama Hyeon existed in a frozen moment of time.
Jin Cheon-hee settled into a chair with ease, crossing his legs, and Sama Hyeon took his position behind him.
At Jin Cheon-hee’s questioning glance, Sama Hyeon responded with his eyes.
[I’m your guard, after all. I should stand.]
‘Hmm, since this is officially just a visit, there’s no real need for that. Still, it’s better to let Hyeon do as he wishes.’
Especially since he was dressed properly in plain clothes.
[That said, the way things are being handled is quite refreshing. Is this what it feels like to unleash everything that’s been piling up all at once?]
[This is how such matters should be dealt with from the start.]
The best outcome is always a peaceful resolution.
Through dialogue, both sides understand each other’s positions, wrongs are apologized for and corrected, and matters resolve themselves—that would be ideal.
But reality rarely works that way, and once a blade is drawn, it must be seen through to the end.
I sat back leisurely and watched how things unfolded.
Sure enough, a group came rushing out.
“Who dares cause such a disturbance in the Goe family!”
‘Ah, so the Goe family has appeared.’
The Goe family was the direct line of Goe Heon, who had made quite a name for himself during the Three Kingdoms period.
Goe Heon served Liu Biao, an imperial relative during the late Han Dynasty, and was famous for having advised surrender to Cao Cao.
He eventually became subordinate to Cao Cao, lived quite well, maintained his family, and passed away with his legacy intact.
‘He was an expert in administration, and they say he was rather skilled in strategy and cunning schemes.’
Such men always managed to live well under the umbrella of power until the very end.
Even now, though not quite at the level of the Imperial Eight Families, they were known as a prestigious clan.
A family of the tier just below that.
‘Come to think of it, in the game, his ancestor had intelligence, political power, and charm all in the eighties, didn’t he?’
Your ancestor was quite useful as an administrative shuttle in that digital world.
He was good at his job!
While Jin Cheon-hee was making these irreverent remarks internally, his expression remained stern, solemn, and grave.
“Are you Goe Heon, the head of the Goe family and the Assistant Minister of Accounts for Jiangsu Province?”
“You impudent brat! Yes, I am Goe Heon! Our main family served until the Previous Emperor ascended to heaven, and we have produced a Grand Commandant of the Treasury! How dare you cause such a commotion!”
The elderly Goe Heon bellowed his words.
The Grand Commandant of the Treasury was an official position belonging to the Ministry of Revenue, one of the six ministries.
Since the Ministry of Revenue itself handled finances, the Grand Commandant of the Treasury beneath it was also a position that dealt with budgets.
So it made sense that this province’s Assistant Minister of Accounts came from their family.
The family itself had held financial positions generation after generation, and naturally, handling money meant wielding considerable power.
While the Goe family’s main branch was based here, most of their blood relatives had advanced into financial positions throughout the empire.
In other words, a faction far larger than expected!
Of course, our little hamster Hao-mun and Jin Cheon-hee didn’t give a damn about any of that.
Daring to embezzle taxes?
“Because of you lot, the budget for public health has been slashed, and now quack doctors are peddling fake smallpox vaccinations, which is why the plague has broken out again!”
Just as I was about to say something along those lines.
Behind me, Sama Hyeon amplified his voice with inner energy and shouted.
“The Governor of Gangso Province presents Jin Cheon-hee, Inspector of the Direct Imperial Inspection Bureau of Gangso Province, who holds authority to investigate all persons within Gangso!”
Ou, Hyeon-a?
When I looked back, Sama Hyeon answered through a sound transmission.
[This is something I could shout even if I came as your personal guard rather than the Imperial escort, isn’t it?]
‘That’s true enough.’
But from my perspective, I only wished Sama Hyeon would draw less attention.
Regardless, Sama Hyeon’s actions were correct.
That single shout infused with inner energy made the surroundings ring out sharply.
Everyone began to fall silent.
Everyone except Goe Heon.
He knew that surrendering here meant losing everything.
He needed time. Time to buy.
“Just because you hold the title of Direct Imperial Inspector does not grant you the right to treat me thus! Even if the Governor who came is Ju Wang-ya, this matter should not proceed in such a manner!”
So he hadn’t simply risen through the ranks on connections alone.
If I backed down now, he would swiftly manipulate the ledgers, report to his already-bribed superiors, and by the time I returned, he would be prostrating himself accepting punishment.
‘Yes. Then those high-ranking officials would use the favors he’s done them to arrange some form of leniency.’
He might lose his position, but surely Goe Heon wasn’t the only one involved.
Moreover, given the culture’s tolerance toward bribery, it would likely end with a light sentence.
Sure enough, I caught a glimpse of a subordinate dashing off somewhere with practiced haste.
A movement I would have missed if I weren’t a martial artist.
He was using the opportunity to hastily arrange things.
‘Still trying to buy time even now? How tiresome.’
Then. Sama Hyeon shouted again.
“Prefect Goe Heon! How dare you defy the command of Ju Wang-ya, a great elder of the Imperial Household and lord of the realm! What then of the Inspection Seal granted by His Majesty the Emperor?”
He had even learned and applied the very tone I use when I need to handle matters with overwhelming authority.
[Brother, that. Show that.]
[I told you not to draw attention.]
[There’s no faster way than this, is there?]
He had a point.
Sama Hyeon said.
[Once you draw the sword, you must see it through to the end.]
Sama Hyeon seemed dissatisfied that I was trying to shield him.
Protecting family. Helping family.
For Sama Hyeon, this was the most important thing, and everything.
This cunning boy understood what I was worried about and why.
I sighed and rolled up my sleeve to reveal the bracelet. Sama Hyeon was right. There was no faster path than this.
However, I harbored suspicions about the Emperor.
At the same time, I wanted to protect Sama Hyeon as his older brother.
Still. Now was the time to bring this out.
An Imperial Inspector’s badge bestowed directly by the Emperor was essentially the same as meeting the Emperor himself!
The moment everyone saw the bracelet, their faces hardened.
Normally speaking.
Upon seeing this bracelet, one should have fallen to their knees and cried out, “I pay my respects to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!”
It was as good as a divine artifact of the Emperor!
Didn’t historical dramas frequently depict such scenes?
When a court attendant arrived and declared, “The Emperor has issued a decree!” the recipient would immediately fall to their knees.
One misstep could lead to charges of lèse-majesté and execution!
However.
Goe Heon remained motionless with a rigid expression, his mind racing.
‘An Imperial Inspector’s badge from the Emperor himself!? A badge with authority to investigate even officials of the second rank… Wait. That young one… Could he be Ilgwang’s Governor Jin Cheon-hee!’
Had Jin Cheon-hee known what Goe Heon was thinking, he would have mused, ‘Indeed, bureaucrats grasp things slower than martial artists.’
Still, Goe Heon had heard various stories about Jin Cheon-hee.
Though not a physician, he possessed the divine trust of treating the Emperor himself! And it was known that he had risen to the position of Governor through imperial favor.
Though seeing him in person for the first time, he had heard much information about him.
‘I heard he was merely a puppet of Baek Rin-ui-seon, with Jegalling conducting affairs under his disciple’s name. This current matter must be the same.’
It had been a rumor circulating among officials for years.
Ilgwang’s Jin Cheon-hee was nothing but a puppet of Baek Rin-ui-seon Jegalling.
Most said that Jegalling was the one orchestrating affairs, while the disciple had little authority and merely wandered beyond the borders.
After all, journeys beyond the borders were typically where young men went to inflate their accomplishments.
Otherwise, why would one need to venture to such distant places?
It was perfect for fabricating records, far from the eyes and ears of other officials and nobles.
And though he occasionally conducted exploits in the martial world, most of those were said to be Jegalling’s work as well.
Even his martial prowess ultimately stemmed from his master, Jegalling.
Once this rumor spread, many officials felt reassured.
And for good reason.
How could someone so young have conceived of so much with his own mind?
Among the Imperial Eight Families, would the Ga Family’s Ga Wan, famous for her ruthlessness, have sided with him because of Jin Cheon-hee, or because of his master Baek Rin-ui-seon?
Though the Jegallim Family had suffered the calamity of extermination, their power remained formidable.
Why else would even the court attendants in the imperial palace have whispered about it for quite some time?
The truly terrifying one was Baek Rin-ui-seon behind him.
He was merely a puppet brought along.
As evidence, though outwardly cherished like an adopted son, he had not even been given the Jegallim surname!
In a nation where Confucianism was fundamental, not passing down one’s surname to one’s proclaimed heir carried significant meaning.
Of course one had to believe it.
Goe Heon hastily grasped at any words that came to mind.
“So the rumor that you are the Emperor’s hidden concubine was true! You certainly bewitched the Emperor with your beauty! You wretch. I shall execute you here and present a memorial to my Emperor demonstrating my loyalty!”
Even Jin Cheon-hee’s mind went blank at such insane words that would even halt the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong technique.
“…What the hell?”
A Korean curse slipped from my lips.
As I stood frozen by shock for three seconds, Goe Heon’s thoughts raced.
‘I cannot retreat here! No matter the cost. I must eliminate this child and use my connections to bury this matter. If the family’s secrets are exposed like this, we’ll suffer catastrophic damage! Even disrespecting the Emperor’s inspection bureau can be overcome somehow!’
If the higher-ups help us, we can fabricate any incident we want.
All evidence and witnesses will dance in the palm of my hand.
Even if the Emperor possesses special abilities, he cannot read the memories of the dead, nor can he scrutinize every single piece of evidence.
I don’t know what methods the upper echelons of the Imperial Eight Families employ against the Emperor—that’s classified—but how many incidents have they buried?
If I can just borrow their power, this matter will become even more shrouded in mystery.
Besides, everyone stationed here is my loyal subordinate.
We’re all in the same boat.
I must survive!
For the family’s sake! Even if I’m gravely wounded, I must protect the family’s secrets!
“Subdue that treacherous schemer! Kill him if he resists!”
At his command, the Goe family’s martial artists rushed forward.
As killing intent erupted from all directions, I finally regained my senses.
‘Wow, attacking someone bearing the Emperor’s inspection badge like this is certainly bold. I could end up branded a traitor and swept away later…. Does that mean the situation is dire enough to cloud his judgment? Or maybe not? He’s planning to subdue me moderately, then swap the testimonies and evidence.’
In a world without CCTV, no one would honestly confess everything.
‘Still, even for them this must be quite burdensome. What exactly are they hiding?’
As I rose to my feet while pondering this.
Sama Hyeon had already leaped high into the sky.
“Huh? Hyeon-a?”
Then she moved both hands toward the charging warriors.
Her form resembled the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, and countless projectiles covered the sky, piercing through the martial artists.
Splatter!
It was different from the Tang Family’s Ten Thousand Flowers Rain.
This was the pinnacle of killing techniques used by assassins.
Projectiles the size of a single finger struck with precision at vital points.
“Aaaahhh!”
“Block them! Quickly!”
“What kind of projectiles move like they’re alive!”
I recalled someone from Sama Hyeon’s movements.
The martial technique that ‘person’ I met in the desert had used felt like this.
Except he had used sand instead of projectiles.
Sama Hyeon landed softly on the ground and spoke.
“That was the Osalji Faction’s projectile technique: Thousand Guests Arrive. Were you satisfied, my lord?”
At those words, I understood.
‘Ah! So she became the Hao-mun’s Mun-ju. She’s mastered all the martial techniques of the five factions that form Hao-mun’s core! There was certainly a description suggesting this in the Jicheon Cheonma, but….’
The Jicheon Cheonma contains this story.
-Hao-mun is originally an alliance of five factions. However, there is a saying that the Hao-mun’s Mun-ju must master all the martial techniques of these five factions. Therefore, Sama Hyeon, who killed the original Hao-mun’s Mun-ju and impersonated him, strove to master the techniques of all the other factions. And as she grew stronger, she set the world ablaze. She desired a world with neither good nor evil, only flames. Ah, how cruel a thing this is.
This isn’t the style of modern web novels.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“Right. You’ve done well. Sama, as my ‘personal’ guard, you’ve served excellently. Step back.”
Jin Cheon-hee emphasized the word ‘personal’ as a warning to Sama Hyeon.
“I obey your command.”
Sama Hyeon deliberately exaggerated his movements, spinning back two steps.
I was worried about Sama Hyeon, yet I kept trying to protect my brother instead—that was the real problem.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke to him.
“Goe Heon of the Goe Family. To dare attack me, who carries the imperial seal of the Emperor and the Governor of Kangso Province, is nothing short of treason. Do you wish your entire clan to be annihilated?”
Goe Heon’s face went pale.
Only after his trusted warriors were swept away did he realize that Ilgwang Jin Cheon-hee’s reputation as one of the top ten masters of Gangho was no mere rumor.
‘I heard that most of the nameless wanderers roaming the streets were false reputations created by that Master…’
He’d also heard that even the battle against the Suksin Tribe was ultimately orchestrated entirely by that Master.
But seeing it firsthand was different.
He was far too strong to be merely a ruffian of Gangho.
His martial prowess was comparable to the great generals of the Empire itself.
“P-please… forgive me. This old man must have lost his senses!”
Realizing he could not overcome this through force, Goe Heon trembled and prostrated himself.
Jin Cheon-hee thought to himself.
‘But the higher-ups will likely spare no effort to keep this man alive.’
If the Imperial Eight Families were entangled in this, even the Emperor would find it troublesome.
What exactly were they hiding?
“The main residence has already secured the crucial evidence. If you obey the decree without resistance, we will spare your clan from extermination. Comply with the decree and cooperate with the investigation.”
“I shall follow your words…”
Thus, Goe Heon, the patriarch of the Goe Family, submitted.
‘Damn it. That information spread so widely among the eunuchs and palace maids—it wasn’t true?’
And it wasn’t just rumors circulating for a year or two either.
A puppet of Baek Rin-ui-seon.
If that weren’t the case, then why wouldn’t he pass on the family name?
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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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