Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 825

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 825
Jegalling’s Birthday Side Story
Long ago. Not long after Jin Cheon-hee arrived at the Medical Guild.
A tale from childhood.
“Do ordinary children usually celebrate their parents’ birthdays at that age?”
“….”
It was the first thing Jegalling said as he entered the study.
Jin Cheon-hee.
When I first came here, I was no bigger than a tangerine, but these days I’m only the size of a potato.
Either way, it meant I was still tiny.
“I’m not sure. I only know that human children are weak and die easily.”
“Right. Come to think of it, there’s no way you’d know. I asked a foolish question. My apologies.”
Such a lifeless apology existed. Jegalling spoke in a voice that showed no remorse whatsoever.
But that was his nature to begin with.
Hyeolrin Gwangssal Jegalling.
Once a being who scattered blood upon both the righteous and heterodox factions, he now lived quietly having established the Baekrin Medical Guild, yet his fundamental nature remained unchanged.
“Perhaps you could ask a warrior who has raised a child? I believe it would be helpful if they had raised someone of exceptional talent or genius—not an ordinary child—or if they themselves were such an existence.”
“Genius and exceptional talent. Now that I think about it, I’ve met plenty of them…. But I killed them all, didn’t I?”
“….”
Jegalling said this and pressed his forehead, lamenting, ‘Right. I killed them all. I killed every last one. If I’d known it would come to this, I should have kept a few alive.’
The reason for his regret wasn’t some newfound sense of indebtedness to Gangho or a sudden awakening of humanity, but simply that he’d killed all the people he could have consulted about child-rearing—a fact that only added to this man’s depravity.
He had never felt much need to socialize with humans in the first place.
Those called geniuses, exceptional talents, or talented scholars throughout Gangho had challenged Jegalling, and as a result, he had become even more isolated.
To have a conversation, one had to keep them alive, but the Hyeolrin Gwangssal of that time showed no mercy in his hands.
“If I’d kept that Young Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace alive, could I have consulted him about our Hee?”
That fellow’s talent was worth acknowledging, after all.
Jegalling slouched his massive frame and muttered to himself.
It was a ridiculous situation.
The great Jegalling troubled over child-rearing.
“Now that I think of it, I heard the Minor Sect Leader of the Qinghua Faction had a child with exceptional talents.”
“I killed both of them before I met you.”
“….”
“Gangho’s information network is slow. Yoo Ho. As Chief Manager, you need to study more to blend in among humans.”
What was he saying? This bastard.
A surge of murderous impulse, the predator’s true nature, welled up, but I suppressed it with sincere effort.
Even if he was such a man, he was one who had shown kindness in a desperate moment.
My contract with him still held.
“What of the Minor Sect Leader of the Sichuan Tang Family? Hasn’t he become the Family Head now?”
“That one lacks talent. I heard his daughter Dang-a has exceptional abilities…. Given the nature of the Sichuan Tang Family, they seem to practice a very different form of child-rearing than I do.”
“They’re said to be obsessed with blood and slaughter.”
“It’s not like the Demonic Cult, fighting without distinguishing friend from foe, but it’s different. In many ways. Still, if I ask a few things, they might answer within what they know. After all, I did let them live.”
Though I drove acupuncture needles through their fingers and tortured them, I did spare their life.
So wouldn’t that make us the kind of people who can have a conversation with each other?
Normally, one would chew a bear’s gallbladder at that point, sleep on firewood, and sharpen their resolve for revenge.
The Three Great Divine Physicians of the Realm were arrogant.
All humans would fall ill someday, and there were many cases where Baekrin Medical Guild could cure diseases that the Black Heaven Medical Guild and Hwaju Medical Institute could not.
Of course, the opposite existed too, but how could I know when, where, or how my daughter would fall ill?
Besides, it was rare for Hyeolrin Gwangssal to spare someone’s life.
Especially with acupuncture needles driven into every joint of the fingers—medical skill so miraculous it could leave no aftereffects.
As Jegalling, showing such mercy to someone who came to kill me was my way of demonstrating sincerity toward the future with the Sichuan Tang Family.
If you come to kill someone, isn’t it normal to be prepared to die yourself?
Normally I would kill them, but this time I gave them a lesson worthy of death and spared their life.
If the martial artists of Gangho heard this, they would surely say it was just like that Hyeolrin Gwangssal, but I remained composed.
That’s simply how the world was for this man.
“No, that’s enough. From here on, you’ll have to think for yourself. After all, that girl Dang-a wouldn’t wake up one or two hours before the first bell rings and fold her blankets at right angles while maintaining proper posture, would she?”
“She is quite young, after all.”
Jin Cheon-hee was doing exactly that.
“Right. And she wouldn’t go through all the medical texts of Baekrin Medical Guild, saying she wants to repay the debt of gratitude my Master showed her.”
“Even a genius would dislike books at that age, being a martial artist’s child.”
“Yes. And while moving those water buckets every day, she wouldn’t be thinking about repaying her debt to her Master.”
“That’s right.”
“She wouldn’t bring technology that doesn’t exist in the Western Regions and renovate the entire house either.”
“No, she wouldn’t.”
“With medical techniques unknown even in the Western Regions, after saving patients, she wouldn’t suddenly sing songs like ‘My hands go there, my hands go, my hands go to the tuna can’ on the way back. What in the world does that even mean?”
How would I know, human.
“It doesn’t appear to have any mystical significance.”
“Right. If you say so, then that must be it.”
Snap—
Jegalling opened a book, turned a few pages, then closed it.
“No matter how many times I search, it’s not from the Western Regions. Of course, there are fundamentally similar aspects to Western medicine, but this is clearly different—an evolved form of medical technique beyond that.”
“….”
“There’s one more thing I don’t understand.”
“What is it?”
“Whenever his eyes meet an adult’s or the situation becomes awkward, he suddenly makes a lisp.”
“….”
If that young master heard this, he might seriously consider taking his own life.
In any case, Jegalling was serious.
“It’s not like he naturally lisps, and he performs medical techniques perfectly fine, but when asked how he does it, he says ‘I don’t know~’ in that drawn-out way. Do other families’ children do this? Is this the natural growth process of a genius? Rather than that, this is more like….”
“….”
Hmm, perhaps I won’t think about it much.
He might just drown his nose in the dish water and die the moment he hears it.
“Master, what was your childhood like?”
“My childhood, you say…”
Jegalling rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
“Well, I did devour the family’s medical texts when I was young.”
I had hoped to find a way to cure my own body.
“I also worried about my mother.”
There was no way to stop the family head, and I didn’t know how to treat my son, so ultimately I had to offer bitter medicine, but my mother loved Jegalling deeply.
Young Jegalling worried about what would become of the Jegallim Family after he died.
And whether his mother, left behind, could endure well.
Reality turned out to be the opposite.
“Yes. When my mother’s worries became too severe, I sometimes deliberately acted childishly. Now that I think about it, there could be similar aspects. If the child worried about me just as I worried about my mother.”
“…”
“At least it’s more realistic than the hypothesis that a middle-aged man is pretending to be a child. Logically speaking, that makes no sense whatsoever.”
He muttered that he had already confirmed during the Beolmosesoo examination that there were no traces of even learning martial arts, let alone Banlowhwandong.
In a way, wasn’t it remarkable that Jegalling’s thoughts had reached that far.
Jegalling fell into thought again.
“I want to give the child many things I never received, but it’s difficult. On top of that, isn’t it even harder to pretend not to know when I’m preparing a surprise birthday feast for myself?”
The young master doesn’t know, but Jegalling is aware of his disciple’s every move.
He has no idea how far a master can sense an opponent’s presence, or how vast the perception range of Baek Rin-ui-seon, the last successor of the Jegallim Family who perfected the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong, truly is.
It was only natural.
You cannot tell how high a mountain is from a distance.
You can only know by approaching and beginning to climb.
Currently, the young master is just beginning to train his stamina and learn the basic meditation techniques.
How could he possibly know how high that mountain is.
“Then what will you do?”
“Still, I should do my best to pretend not to know. There’s sincerity in it, after all. You help me keep up the act as well.”
“Understood.”
It was the first time. Seeing this man worry like this.
“Raising a child is truly difficult. And it’s even harder because Hee is a genius.”
“…”
* * *
“Yoo Ho! Help me pound the rice cakes!”
“…”
The young master came rushing over at dawn and caused this commotion. I let out a small sigh.
“That’s what you call asking…”
“Gyewhwa cakes and blue cakes! I’m making two kinds. A birthday feast definitely needs rice cakes! Yes, yes!”
…This guy doesn’t even try to hide himself in front of me.
Does Master know this guy is running around like this.
‘Right. He told me to keep up the act.’
I rose to my feet.
“Understood. So it’s a secret then?”
“Yep. It’s a secret from my Master.”
He grins widely, baring his teeth.
Everyone at the Baekrin Medical Institute knows there’s something odd about this child.
But when he smiles like that, people tend to overlook it and move on.
After all, he possesses an unusually cute appearance from birth, and a child’s laughter has the power to soften people’s hearts.
I thought no more of it and began helping Jin Cheon-hee prepare the birthday cake.
“Oh! While we’re at it, I should make palace tteokbokki too.”
There it is.
A dish that doesn’t exist in the Central Plains.
Even when making gyewhae-tteok and cheongdan, she pretended to be a local kid, but in the end, there’s no competing with her picky eating habits.
“Soy sauce, honey, a bit of sweetened rice syrup, and some alcohol too…”
The young child is spinning a wok as large as his own body.
Having trained his foundational physique to the limit and now beginning to learn the mental cultivation method, he spins it with such ease that it’s quite a sight—as if this is nothing to him.
“You reckless brat.”
“Hm?”
“Your sleeve’s on fire.”
“Aaaah!”
Only then did Jin Cheon-hee panic and pat his sleeve frantically.
The fire doesn’t go out easily.
An ordinary person would have suffered severe burns, but it seems he quickly circulated his energy to protect his arm—which is why the Master mistakenly thinks my disciple is a genius.
What can I do?
In the end, I grabbed the brat’s sleeve with my fingertips.
Then the flames were drawn into my hand of their own accord.
“Ooooh! Yoo Ho, is that martial arts too?”
He still lacks the eye to distinguish between martial arts and what isn’t.
“Figure it out yourself.”
Fire is my domain.
One of the most powerful attributes that compose my tails.
Just as there is no dragon that cannot command water, there is no fox that cannot command fire.
Though I’ve lost most of my power now, what remains would still appear as a miracle to humans.
I gently pushed the brat back and took the wok instead.
“Should I stir-fry it?”
“Yep yep! You have to fry it vigorously. It needs that burnt flavor to taste good. That’s how you make it.”
Burnt flavor?
I’m not sure what he means, but it seems he wants me to give it a charred taste.
Humans are fond of food cooked over fire, after all.
Their digestive systems are weak to begin with—eat raw food wrong and they’ll die from that alone.
Not even from poison mixed in, just from a simple stomach upset.
For such a person, fire is a tool of survival.
Crackle!
A young child’s eyes gleamed as he watched the roasted fruit.
“That looks delicious.”
“Are you preparing a birthday feast for your master, or are you making something you want to eat yourself?”
“Ah, it’s a bit of both, really.”
This little one wouldn’t understand.
What kind of being stood before him, what sort of person he was serving.
Well, it didn’t matter anyway.
If I could truly save my master as I boasted, then I would. And if he dies, it will be by my hand.
Tap.
One dish was finished.
“Is this enough?”
“While you’re at it, would you stir-fry something else for me?”
“Huh?”
“Look, my arms and legs are short, so I caught fire earlier too. I didn’t choose to be short.”
With that, he swung his arms back and forth.
They were indeed short.
I could even understand why my master was troubled—why a middle-aged man was acting like a child.
“I suppose I have no choice. We can’t have you burning your clothes again.”
“Kehehehe! Thank you.”
With that, he began pulling out the meats he’d prepared earlier in the kitchen.
There were quite a lot of them.
“You’re going to make all of that?”
“It’s a birthday feast, after all. If I make this many dishes, surely at least one will suit his palate. I still haven’t fully grasped my master’s tastes, you see. So this is my effort to hit upon at least one that he’ll like.”
This fellow’s way of showing filial piety was certainly peculiar.
* * *
“Master, please close your eyes and follow me for a moment. I’ll hold your hand.”
“Hmm, I wonder what our Hee is up to.”
My master displayed impressive acting, tilting his head in curiosity.
Why was that? Perhaps because he’d suffered so much at the hands of that rascal.
Suddenly, I found even Jegalling, who was playing along, detestable.
But since that wasn’t a thought I should harbor toward my benefactor, I ultimately shook my head.
“Hehe, it’s nothing special, but please trust me and come along.”
“I suppose I have no choice.”
Jegalling closed his eyes as he spoke.
The little one grasped Jegalling’s hand and walked down the corridor.
Jegalling, even with his eyes closed, could perceive all the energy around him and likely even knew the number of ants crawling beneath the earth beyond, yet he deliberately stumbled slightly.
“Oh, watch your step, Master!”
And finally, he led his master into a small room.
I used a fire starter to light the candles, then opened my mouth.
“Master, you may open your eyes now.”
Jegallim slowly opened his eyes and feigned surprise.
“What is all this? Cheon Hee!”
Jin Cheon-hee broke into a radiant smile.
“Master, happy birthday!”
A birthday table prepared with heartfelt care.
At its center sat a large white rice cake.
Candles were planted atop the cake, and the characters for “long life and good health” were written using bean powder.
“Thank you.”
“So that you and I live together for a very long time, Master!”
Jegallim had tasted every delicacy under heaven. Even with my small contribution, it would likely fall short of his palate.
Yet why was it?
The smile on Jegallim’s face didn’t seem like an act.
[I wish I could live long enough to see this child leave Gangho.]
Jegallim sent a secret transmission.
[That may be possible.]
The three of them each harbored their own secrets.
But perhaps, just for this moment, it didn’t matter.
Everyone was praying for the survival of Baekrin Uiseon Jegallim, this one man.
For a long time.
Please, for a very long time.
[I can only hope my body holds out until then.]
Unaware of what transmission Jegallim was sending, my disciple laughed brightly.
“Master, you make a wish and blow out the candles!”
Jegallim made his wish as his disciple instructed and blew out the candles.
No one was ignorant of what that wish was.
‘How many more birthdays will I celebrate?’
It was unknowable.
But tonight, weren’t the stars brighter than usual?
Clear skies, clear night.
A day so crystalline that the cold seemed to seep through.
There was no better night for making a wish.
Just as that young master said, I prayed that my lord would live long.
“Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
“Master, happy birthday! Happy birthday to you~! Happy birthday to you~! Happy birthday dear~ Master!”
He began singing another strange song.
Though I didn’t understand what it meant, at least it seemed more comprehensible than that tuna song.
Happy birthday.
Master.
Please live long and happily.
That’s roughly what it means.
Q&A Response
Q. Has anyone around Cheon Hee cooked for him?
-Yurang
Fundamentally, most martial artists of Gangho know how to cook to some degree because of camping and sleeping rough.
Without inns in the mountains, eating only dried meat for all three meals would make you collapse before even fighting.
And resolving meals with sandy-tasting wall-grain pills is torture.
You could call it a matter of survival.
Baek Rin’s Medical Institute received meals from both Yoo Ho and my Master. And from my friend Wang Gak-yeon as well.
The person from whom I received the most meals is, surprisingly—or perhaps inevitably—the Chief Manager Yoo Ho.
When I was young, I owed much to Yoo Ho. In a way, it might be the taste of home cooking.
Especially since he’s a fox and skilled with fire, all his dishes carry that charred flavor.
He often makes grilled dishes, though Yoo Ho himself prefers raw meat.
There was once when he begged to stir-fry just one serving of jjajang with spring sauce, and it was said to be exquisite.
I still haven’t forgotten that taste.
Next was my Master, Jegalling, who cooked for me most often.
He’s also a master of medicinal cuisine and personally brews liquid food I can swallow when I return with my limbs shattered. He also makes medicinal broths.
When too busy and wanting to eat simply, he steams dumplings with his own hands to feed his disciple.
Otherwise, I might just stuff wall-grain pills into my mouth carelessly, so he steams dumplings and places them before me.
He watches until I finish eating.
Wang Gak-yeon would hunt and grill meat with me on hunting days.
When young, her seasoning was imperfect, so I would adjust it once more from beside her.
These days, while camping with Gongseon Yeong, she cooks various things, but since their tastes differ, they bicker occasionally.
Later, they each brought different cookware and cooked their own meals separately, but…
Since Gongseon Yeong often fails at cooking, Wang Gak-yeon simply makes two dishes at once.
Wang Gak-yeon has better practical living skills, and Gongseon Yeong is somewhat scatterbrained despite appearances.
Yeo Ha-ryun, Jin Cheon-woo, and Sama Hyeon—these three sometimes cook for me as well.
But usually I step forward to cook first, so they find it difficult.
Since Yeo Ha-ryun has difficulty tasting, he usually eats wall-grain pills or reluctantly eats what his subordinates provide.
When he absolutely must cook, he cuts ingredients into large pieces to at least feel the texture.
He also chooses menus that won’t fail easily.
He prefers spicy seasonings. Spiciness is the only flavor he can actually feel.
When with his brother—meaning during those short times when he can taste—he grills vegetables and meat himself to enjoy them.
Since these opportunities are rare, he wants to experience diverse flavors during those times.
Cheon-woo is basically vegetarian, but sometimes vegetables alone don’t provide enough energy, and since others prefer balanced meals, he often cooks meat as well.
Surprisingly, his specialty is side dishes for alcohol, because the late Gwon Je enjoyed grain tea and he prepared dishes to pair with it. For the same reason, he often makes home-style cooking suited to the elder’s palate.
These days, he’s personally brewing alcohol to offer at Gwon Je’s memorial tablet.
He’s not one to enjoy drinking himself, but he apparently has considerable talent for it.
Thanks to that, the pomelo trees on Mudang Mountain are ripening beautifully.
I prefer desserts and tea served after meals rather than the main course itself.
My specialty is surprisingly non-greasy dishes. When Hye-a was young, her stomach was weak and she frequently suffered from indigestion, so I naturally began preparing lighter meals. (Now that she’s trained in martial arts, she’s fine. Though I still worry.)
Since Hye-a loves fish, I’ve become quite skilled at fish-related dishes, particularly at deboning. That’s why all my steamed and soup dishes contain only fish meat.
Sama-hye says I’m a master of pepper, a small-bone assassin, and an expert at shrimp deboning.
Q. Is cross-dressing a hobby for you, or are you just doing it to tease your brother?
-Professor Love You
Despite appearances, the act of disguising myself is actually quite calculated.
Even though there’s endless effort and risk behind it, I believe the true skill is making it look effortless and fun on the surface, executed perfectly.
Truth be told, I have no particular preference for any specific disguise. Though difficulty level certainly varies.
The reason I come in female disguise when meeting Jin Cheon-hee is because it’s the thing most likely to catch him off guard.
If a grown warrior came running, I’d wonder if it was an assassin and throw a punch.
If a child came, I’d seriously look for their parents, so I chose the female disguise since my brother has the least resistance to it.
Success is just about one second of him being flustered.
Q. I’m curious about the daily schedules and main activities of Jin Cheon-hee, Jegalling, Yoo Ho, my sworn brothers, Sama-hye, Dang-a, the Namgung siblings, Ga-won, or the Medical Assistants, etc.! Even just the fixed routines would be helpful!
-🐾
The Medical Guild staff basically wake up before or when the first bell rings to prepare breakfast.
The earliest risers are Jin Cheon-hee and Yoo Ho.
Jegalling leisurely wakes around the second bell.
Now that he’s healthy, unlike his sickly days, he has more leisure.
Sama-hye used to wake around the same time as Jin Cheon-hee, but after becoming the family head, she wakes around the third bell.
The first thing everyone does upon waking is sit in lotus position and practice breathing exercises.
All Medical Guild doctors train in martial arts, so they need time for breathing exercises.
After that, they wash and change clothes.
Since I wake before the first bell, I have time for simple martial arts training, and I never miss that opportunity.
However, I don’t do rough things like hitting wooden dummies or sparring. Instead, I move through forms very slowly while checking my progress—to an unknowing observer, it looks almost like I’m frozen in the same posture.
Sometimes I’m found standing motionless in horse stance, or meditating on one finger in a handstand.
With only my neck or body balanced on my fingertips, like a statue of Guan Yu.
After that, I have a brief morning meeting with the medical staff, make rounds, and handle scheduled duties like consultations and treatments.
Around lunchtime, I head to the Research Hall to receive reports on its status or hold separate meetings for new projects.
After lunch and various other tasks, after the Shen hour (around 3 PM), I handle paperwork, make rounds before the Xu hour (around 7 PM), and hold meetings again.
After the Xu hour, I spar with Yoo Ho. Sometimes my Master watches as well.
After that, I write medical texts or martial arts manuscripts before sleep.
About once a week, I meet with the Upper Physicians of the Pusul Hall to discuss the progress of past patients, treatment directions, exchange information with Upper Physicians visiting from other regions, and share new medicines and techniques to promote development.
Two or three times a week, I take time for hobbies.
Sama-hye wakes latest and sleeps latest. On days when Ga-won comes for training, I eat lunch with her, though I usually curse Jegalling.
Surprisingly, I’m close with Muyue too, and the three of us curse Jegalling together sometimes.
Muyue is my late-night work mate. When I go out because we’ve run out of tea in the middle of the night, Muyue is often there with a blank expression brewing his own tea. These days, he brews mine too.
When our timing doesn’t match, Muyue brews it ahead of time and covers the teapot with a blanket to keep it warm. Then I come and take the covered teapot and shuffle around with it.
By the time we finish that tea, we’re both asleep. We’re the two who sleep latest in the Medical Guild.
When Yeo Ha-ryun is not on missions or engaged in the Young Lord’s wars, he spends his time cultivating in his quarters and looking after his subordinates.
He still circulates his qi upon waking in the morning, but his breakfast typically consists of either Bigyokdan pills or food prepared by his subordinates.
Though he cannot taste it, he eats nonetheless because his body still requires nourishment.
After that, he trains his subordinates and cultivates himself.
Unlike the old days, recently he has taken to sitting in lotus position with his eyes closed far more often. Though not circulating qi, it is merely meditation—eyes closed in silence.
Since this is a new form of cultivation, his subordinates wonder if their lord has entered a higher realm.
After lunch, he receives all internal and external information about the Demonic Sect from Ilkana, then determines the direction of future actions.
Though Ilkana serves as his strategist, there are letters Yeo Ha-ryun himself must write, so he composes and sends them from that very place.
At night, he spends his time interrogating enemies imprisoned underground to extract information, or sometimes negotiating with hostages he has taken.
When personal assassinations are needed outside of official missions, Yeo Ha-ryun personally goes out during these hours to kill and return. (Ilkana constantly nags him to delegate to subordinates.)
Upon returning, he transcribes Buddhist sutras to calm Cheon Sal-seong, or practices the flute for ensemble with his brother, before finally retiring to sleep.
Sleeping late and waking late are the characteristics of the Demonic Sect.
If not for situations requiring blood on his hands, Yeo Ha-ryun’s life would resemble that of a hermit who has cultivated for many years.
Sincere, simple, and serene.
Cheonwoo, on the other hand, wakes early and sleeps early, following the Mudang Sect’s lifestyle to the letter.
Recently, after Gwon Je passed away, a new generation of children entered, and several were assigned to Cheonwoo.
They are merely elementary school age, and rather than true master-disciple relationships, they are temporary charges—more akin to the relationship of a senior elder of the sect.
Later, once their aptitude and perseverance are observed, if they are formally accepted, then they will become true master and disciple.
He, who once only learned from Gwon Je and his brother, now receives treatment as an elder of a sect.
Though somewhat bewildered at teaching others much younger than himself, he still helps the children entrusted to him grow well.
Because the Blackline Sword often requires leaving Mount Mudang empty, he has not considered formal master-disciple relationships, hoping instead that another elder will take them in.
Cheonwoo’s days focus on cultivating proper habits in the children and developing their bones and muscles.
Other children boast about having learned several forms of Taiji Palms or several techniques of the Xiaojing Sword Method, but strangely, the children under Cheonwoo’s care only perform basic cultivation instead, causing great dissatisfaction.
Even other cultivators have criticized Cheonwoo, wondering if he simply dislikes nurturing the next generation.
Cheonwoo does not listen.
But recently, at some point, the children under Cheonwoo’s care began growing so strong and large that their bones and muscles became noticeably superior to other children, and others began to take notice.
Of course, the large-scale martial competition among Mudang Sect disciples next year—
The Taiji Tournament will make it all clear.
Cheonwoo’s days begin early in the morning, washing the children’s clothes, cooking and feeding them personally, cultivating, meditating, then having them perform basic cultivation and meditation again.
When their energy depletes and they collapse, he carries them and puts them to sleep.
In truth, the rice the children eat contains the highest-grade medicinal pills Sama Hyeon provided, but it is a secret.
This is also why Cheonwoo cooks for them directly rather than using the perfectly good dining hall.
Indeed.
While basic cultivation is essential for developing bones and muscles, in reality, money is necessary as well.
It is a secret even the children eating it do not know.
Sama Hyeon, like Sama-hye, tends to sleep late and wake late.
Of course, this only applies within the Golden Blood Hall; when on missions, he moves differently depending on the task at hand.
Upon waking, he first circulates his qi and performs basic cultivation, then goes to the Golden Blood Hall to confirm only simple matters.
Unlike his brother who must deal with matters of life and death, it is merely business, so meetings are brief and best avoided altogether.
Thus, even the Golden Blood Hall staff rarely see Sama Hyeon’s face unless they hold high positions, and Sama Hyeon likewise rarely sees the faces of his employees.
Sama Hyeon believes that regardless of the establishment, the less the owner and employees meet, the better it is.
The owner receives results, and the employees receive their wages—that’s all that matters.
For this reason, personal relationships are surprisingly shallow.
Since he destroys any factions he discovers, company gatherings are rare.
He simply distributes bonuses to each person and sends them on their way.
Information work is done in the afternoon.
Information about Hyeong and Sama-hye arrives by letter around dinner time—the day’s entertainment.
After selecting gifts to send to Hyeong and Hye-a, training, and organizing information, night falls.
In the late hours, I either go catch those who’ve embezzled funds, or if my subordinates bring them in, I spend the time productively interrogating them.
The Namgung Family is busy these days.
An unfortunate incident befell the Gaju, and now Namgung Un serves as Gaju with Elder Tae-sang assisting in managing the family.
In times like these, Elder Tae-sang understands well that martial prowess ultimately determines the family’s future.
Thus, he wakes the family’s children an hour earlier than before and puts them through training.
Namgung Un is no different.
Upon waking in the morning, he performs his breathing exercises, washes, and handles the basic duties of a Gaju.
Afterward, he discusses with Elder Tae-sang how to educate the next generation and deliberates on the status of other families and the Namgung Family’s response.
Since he assumed the position of Gaju unprepared, he still lacks much.
Recently, he proposed that whereas the Namgung Family previously transmitted its secret martial arts only to the main branch, now even branch family children with talent should be able to receive the transmission.
Naturally, Elder Tae-sang opposed it, and he’s facing resistance.
Still, being stubborn by nature, he intends to try persuading them.
Of course, his grandfather, Elder Tae-sang, is equally stubborn, so it will be difficult.
After that, he eats dinner and practices martial arts with his younger sister, Namgung Yeon.
Compared to before assuming the Gaju position, his martial training time has decreased, which frustrates Namgung Un. However, he understands this too is the weight of being a Gaju and cannot be helped.
Before sleep, he visits his father, who is confined, and has lengthy conversations with him.
Then he returns and organizes various letters and tomorrow’s tasks.
Surprisingly, he spends his days quite diligently.
Meanwhile, Dang-a is fortunately not the Gaju.
The current Gaju is in good health and has plenty of time to train in martial arts.
Upon waking in the morning, she performs her breathing exercises and washes just like the others, but then dashes straight to the training ground to practice whip techniques and hidden weapons.
Before lunch, the elders come to capture her to make her do work as the Minor Sect Leader.
She escapes.
They come to capture her again.
She escapes.
After practically training the main branch’s concealment techniques and evasion that way, she eats lunch and reluctantly does some Minor Sect Leader work.
Only about half of it.
Then she heads back to the training ground to practice martial arts.
By then, the other main branch children and martial disciples have mostly finished their day’s tasks, so sparring matches begin immediately.
The disciples and children are simply beaten by Dang-a, but they learn something from each beating.
Such is the mysterious nature of martial study.
Around then, the elders realize that Dang-a has only done half her work and come to capture her.
He escapes.
I go to catch him again.
He escapes once more.
As the sun sets, it becomes time for dinner.
After eating dinner, I complete only one-third of the remaining work and return to training.
Once I devote myself to training until sleep, there are still duties as the Minor Sect Leader remaining, but I defer them to tomorrow.
When work piles up for more than a week like this, eventually the Da Family Head handles it for me.
Though he appears stern, he’s surprisingly soft-hearted.
With talent, effort, and environment combined, no one in the Sichuan Tang Family could match Dang-a.
Perhaps only Elder Tae-sang, who has retired from the front lines and rests, could be a match for her.
Q. Do the medical siblings exchange with each other? If so, I’m curious how they do it.
-Hwabun
Not frequently, but we do exchange occasionally.
Cheonwoo and Sama Hyeon surprisingly exchange letters quite often.
Yeo Ha-ryun doesn’t exchange with anyone, but when it concerns Jin Cheon-hee, he uses his false identity as the Black Sword Sect of the Mysterious Martial School to send letters to Cheonwoo.
Cheonwoo, being the third brother, sits between the second and youngest who don’t get along.
Merdariostin
Q. I’d like to know cute anecdotes about the furry friends!
Lately, Cheonjin and Nanman keep bringing snakes down from the mountains, which troubles Jin Cheon-hee.
I wondered if they were hunting to show gratitude, but they only eat the Medical Guild’s food anyway.
As Cheonjin and Nanman grow, they become obsessed with all sorts of things in the world—the recent trend was rabbits, and before that it was deer.
At this point, I’m seriously contemplating whether they’re showing gratitude or simply playing and leaving the cleanup to me.
Fortunately, though, both the rabbits and deer were eaten well.
The snakes were also taken to the medicinal herb hall to be used as medicine.
Noeji has recently become obsessed with jewels, and whenever I go to the nest, there are ornaments that appear to belong to others placed around.
Strangely, neither the Medical Assistants nor the patients have ever lost such jewels, so I’m just floating about a million question marks.
In fact, the owner of the items is the legendary great thief Wuying Touguai, and she’s forgotten which items are which because she’s stolen so many over the years.
She returned the large items she stole in the past, but these small ornaments—after ten years, both the thief and the martial families who were robbed forget about them entirely.
Noeji continues to plunder Wuying Touguai’s warehouse today, luxuriously decorating her nest.
Hwang-gu has developed a taste for digging.
Whenever he has time, he keeps digging away, and once he got scolded for digging up a potato field. He’s become a mischievous pup who digs up potatoes and eats them too.
Ever since he dug an enormous burrow against an assassin last time, he’s been digging with even more enthusiasm.
Jin Cheon-hee decided not to stop this energy but rather to channel it somehow, so he’s having him dig a burrow in a place somewhat distant from the Medical Guild.
Once it’s completed, that solves one secret passage for the doctors.
Q. When fighting the Suksin Tribe, cannons appear, but are the small gunpowder weapons hand cannons like the Seungja Cannon, or are they at the level of arquebuses or muskets like the arquebus? With the appearance of cannons, it seems like you’ve already surpassed the level of attaching gunpowder weapons as auxiliary to spears like fire lances.
-jeledon
The Fire Nation does manufacture and use cannons.
However, the problem is that these are roughly equivalent to early-stage cannons from the 13th to 14th century on Earth.
Currently, the cannons in the martial world apparently don’t produce enough power to actually destroy city walls, true to their early-stage nature.
They were mainly things placed on top of city walls and used for defensive purposes.
Still, it’s true that once one thing is created, other things tend to follow, wouldn’t you say?
Tada! Hand cannons like the Seungja Cannon have been developed. However, due to manufacturing difficulties and the fact that their actual power seems inferior to arrows, they aren’t widely used. (Though they are currently undergoing further refinement and development in response to the Suksin Tribe)
However, regarding the Sudden Rainstorm Pear Blossom Box—a weapon the Sichuan Tang Family uses to fire projectiles with gunpowder—I struggled greatly with how to handle its power.
Since this is a martial arts novel, I decided to amplify that aspect with some narrative license for the sake of spectacle.
That was the battle scene you saw with Namgung Un, Sama Hyeon, and Jin Cheon-hee previously.
Q. How many documentaries has our Professor Jin actually watched?
-2020
I probably couldn’t count them all myself.
As a student, I loved dinosaur and animal documentaries, in university I watched history documentaries, and these days I just zone out to whatever short streaming content is available.
The last documentary I watched on Earth was one that speculated the T-Rex might have had downy feathers.
It’s better than the feather restoration videos I saw before, but downy feathers are still unacceptable.
I was quite sad—the king of dinosaurs shouldn’t have fuzzy feathers.
Professor Jin firmly supports the smooth T-Rex.
Q. Where is Sama Hyeon’s workplace, the Golden Blood Hall headquarters, roughly located? Cheon-hee is in Jiangsu, Ha-ryun is way far in Xinjiang, Cheon-woo is in Hubei, and Hye has the main sect in Jiangsu and her hometown Hangzhou where Bunta is. I’m curious where Sama Hyeon’s base of operations is!
-stayalive Kim Sa-sha
It’s in Guangdong Province, specifically Guangzhou, the provincial capital.
The further south you go, the stronger the Heterodox Faction becomes compared to the Righteous Faction, so by positioning himself in the middle, he’s managed to establish a place where he can conduct business with both the Heterodox and Righteous Factions, and even the great sects.
Q. No matter how you look at it, Jegalling is the most beautiful person in the universe, but surely there was at least one marriage proposal that came just for his face, despite his terrible personality?
-Eun-sol
There was a childhood betrothal, but it naturally dissolved when Jegalling fell ill.
After that, during the Hyeolrin Gwangssal period, there was a marriage proposal from the Demonic Sect.
They suggested that if the Jegallim Family would just join the Demonic Sect’s Six Great Families, they could even become the Seven Great Families, and asked if he wouldn’t come and produce heirs to continue the line.
They even offered that if he wished, they could extend his lifespan somewhat through the sect’s great dharma.
In truth, since he was treated like breeding stock, he still harbors ill feelings toward the Demonic Sect.
For the Heavenly Demon to make such a proposal to someone who could wipe out the entire Demonic Sect branch alone without leaving a single ant—she must have quite the personality herself.
I have a question^^
-Blue Rose
Q. What time of day do you usually write?
I typically start writing between 8-9 AM, and if my condition is poor, I lose about an hour there.
Either way, I start writing before noon.
If I don’t get something done when my mind is sharpest, the afternoon becomes much harder.
Last year, while living abroad where the language wasn’t understood, when I felt isolated and depressed, “The Doctor Lives Again” was like an oasis. Thanks to that, when I first returned to Korea, I even went to see Jin Cheon-hee caught up in history. On one hand, I envy Jin Cheon-hee for acquiring a language so quickly, but it’s nice that I can share the experience of eating shashlik for the first time abroad like Jin Cheon-hee did^^.
Q. The story is really interesting, and there’s a point where it could easily become a Marvel-like multiverse, but you’re balancing between that and the martial arts, medicine, and cooking storyline—what direction do you think it will go?
Request: Please let the Doctor live well~!
-GMEWPRNGKHXYFJA
As some of you may already suspect, Jin Cheon-hee is an extremely difficult character to handle.
Even when I set out chapter scenarios, he rarely follows the original path and keeps probing in all directions. And he keeps picking up foreshadowing from everywhere and consuming it.
Secret settings that were originally supposed to appear only near the ending, or secret worldbuilding that existed only in my setting notes—he keeps poking at them.
I never planned to expand the worldbuilding this much, but the author is being pulled along by the character.
Thanks to that, the story is developing in more interesting ways than I originally anticipated, so I’m quite fascinated by the situation myself.
Since I’m already serializing seven times a week, I’m following along to see just how far I can push things.
The direction is one where Jin Cheon-hee handles the work and I manage the aftermath (?)
I’m trying to redirect my attention elsewhere so I don’t cause any more trouble here.
I need to channel this energy somewhere, just not into expanding this household—stay strong!
Somehow, I feel like a servant taking care of a large dog… That’s the feeling.
Q. I’m curious about the profiles of Namgung Un and Namgung Yeon siblings!
Congratulations on the second anniversary of serialization, and I hope you stay healthy and continue for twenty years….😍💗💗
-Sama Hyeon’s Wife
Namgung Un (南宮雲)
Height: Early 190s
Birthday: September 18th
Blood Type: O
Favorite Foods: Fine wine, various fried foods (he barely drinks anymore since becoming the Gaju)
Disliked Foods: Bok choy, cabbage varieties
Hobbies: Collecting fine wines from various regions, collecting renowned swords from various regions, collecting expensive antique furniture from famous craftsmen
Namgung Yeon (南宮蓮)
Height: Early 170s
Birthday: April 10th
Blood Type: AB
Favorite Foods: Sour fruits, various fried foods (her tastes became similar to her brother’s through his influence)
Disliked Foods: Foods with sticky textures, wood ear mushrooms
Hobbies: Calligraphy, jewelry making, embroidery, collecting renowned swords
As befits disciples of a prestigious family, both of them have hobbies that require considerable expense.
Namgung Yeon occasionally creates jewelry by stringing together gems like jade and amethyst, and she’s become famous for how beautiful they are.
Q. I’m curious about the current nicknames that Cheonwoo is mainly called by ^^….
-Jin Cheon-woo’s Wife
Cheonwoo was once called the Lone-Eyed Iron Fist, but after the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, he’s been called the Mudang Lone Dragon or Mudang Mad Fist.
Particularly, Mudang Mad Fist lasted quite a while, but after Gwon Je’s forty-ninth memorial service, he began to be called the Mudang Fist King. It’s a nickname that carries the recognition of Gangho that he succeeds Gwon Je.
Especially the duel with the Sword Empress, the Abbot, remains an entertaining topic among gossips—whether the Abbot truly showed mercy to the disciple of his old friend Gwon Je, or not, remains hotly debated.
As he’s been appearing more frequently in Gangho lately, his reputation as a Fist King continues to grow.
Congratulations on the second anniversary! I hope you stay healthy, always healthy.
Q. When Red Jade came out, did the Gold Silver Kings actually try it? If they did, I’m curious about their reviews on Red Jade ^^
-⌯’▾’⌯
This sort of thing is more fun with four than with two.
There was a time when the Eunuch General and Ju Wang joined in, making four of them play together. Of course, they set a rule not to use supernatural abilities and all enjoyed it equally.
The betting prize was fine wine from the Western Regions.
The Silver King employed psychological warfare, while the Gold King countered with strategy. It was almost evenly matched.
Ju Wang… simply rolled the dice diligently, and the Eunuch General did his best to keep the game entertaining.
Ju Wang won the match, but not for any other reason than luck—rather, he secretly manipulated the dice using martial arts despite the rule against using supernatural abilities.
Since it wasn’t a supernatural ability, he figured it was fine.
A mean older sister.
Q. In martial arts novels, it’s commonly said that the master-disciple relationship is like that of parent and child. Does Cheon Hee cherish Ga-won as much as that?
-LL
As the direct disciple, it’s not in the form of transmitting secret techniques of the sect, but rather like a secular disciple of a martial arts master. It’s closer to the relationship between a village schoolmaster and student than parent and child.
After all, Sama-hye also learns from Jin Cheon Hee quite often.
But even so, it carries a different weight than modern academy teachers and students, so the affection they share for each other remains.
Both have good boundaries in their personalities, so they don’t share intimate conversations, but they still prepare delicious food for each other or give nice fabrics when they see them.
Currently Ga-won’s best friend is Sama-hye, and when receiving instruction from Jin Cheon Hee, Sama-hye often serves as her sparring partner.
She’s receiving the love she couldn’t get from her mother through her Master and close friend, and she’s living happily.
Of course, she still loves her mother as well.
Congratulations on your 2nd anniversary, author!!
Q. Cheon Hee usually calls his younger siblings by their names only, so I’m so curious about their reactions when Cheon Hee calls them by their full names!! (It’s like when parents suddenly call their children by their full names, right?)
-Yurang
Jin Cheon Hee: Yeo Ha-ryun!!
Yeo Ha-ryun: Hmm, what’s the matter, brother?
No particular thoughts. He just checks if something’s chasing after his brother. Only Cheon Sal-seong screams in fear of nagging.
Jin Cheon Hee: Jin Cheon-woo!!
Jin Cheon-woo: …Brother? Why are you like that?
He makes a worried expression, but at the same time quickly calculates whether he’s done something his brother would dislike recently.
Jin Cheon Hee: Sama Hyeon!!
Sama Hyeon: Gaga~?
There are too many things that could be caught, so guessing is pointless—he tries to brush it off with aegyo instead. More than that, he tries to figure out who told his brother about it.
Q. What is the favorite place of Professor Jin, who travels throughout the entire Central Plains? Excluding Baekrin Medical Institute!!
-Gugugaga
First would be the Imperial Library.
He greatly loves quiet spaces with only himself and books.
He’s always liked reading, so the Imperial Library is the best place.
He also likes the Sword Pond of Mount Wudang, but since the Wudang Sect’s Sword Pond appears from classical martial arts novels to modern new martial arts, he’s had a romantic longing for it for a long time.
Though the landscapes described differ from novel to novel, their essence remains the same.
He especially loves the large tree at the Sword Pond.
Q. Is it okay if I make fan merchandise and send it to you? If I send it, should I send it to Golem Factory??
-…
If you send it, I’ll carry it to my grave and decorate my coffin with it. Thank you. I’ll treasure it dearly.(/deep bow)
191 Suseok-ro, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Room 502 (Jeungsan-dong, Doobil) In front of Golem Factory
Q. What is Jegalling’s favorite dish made by Jin Cheon Hee? Does he prepare meals even without disciples?
Congratulations on your 2nd anniversary, author! Please stay healthy and continue serializing for a long time~!
-Psycho Collector
He doesn’t mind anything.
He loves warm food made with sincerity.
Saying it this way sounds orthodox…but this sincerity actually contains the meaning of considering the other person’s taste preferences, so it’s surprisingly difficult to match.
There is no phrase more difficult than “anything” when it comes to deciding what to cook.
Still, if I make something, he eats most of it without complaint.
Due to health concerns, he frequently consumes and enjoys dishes containing medicinal ingredients.
When Jin Cheon-hee is absent, Yoo Ho tends to look after him, but he often finds it bothersome and just chews on Bigyokdan pills instead.
Yeo Ha-ryun, who is a Cheon Sal-seong, cannot taste food so he chews Bigyokdan pills, whereas my Master simply finds eating troublesome and doesn’t eat at all—quite the difficult situation.
From the perspective of serving him, he is an opponent of extremely high difficulty.
Still, he is less troublesome than Jin Cheon-hee.
That concludes my answer.
This response turned out a bit longer than last time.
I originally had no intention of writing this much, but I got carried away in the middle. Phew!
Still, it was enjoyable to write.
Thank you for reading such a long piece all the way to the end.
Though I’ve said this greeting many times already, good things are still good, so I’ll offer it once more with sincerity.
Everyone, may you receive abundant blessings in the new year! May the new year be filled with only good things and good health!!
Happy birthday, Jegalling!!

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————