Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 842

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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 842
“Baek Rin County has its own laws, after all. You’ve violated those laws, so shouldn’t you come with me~?”
“Ho, what law have I supposedly broken?”
Sama Hyeon spoke with deliberate precision.
“Hygiene. The blood on that iron rod, those filthy towels, insects. And making dumpling filling with unwashed hands—you haven’t followed a single rule~”
As Sama Hyeon methodically pointed out the hygiene violations, Cheol-san laughed and replied.
“My goodness. I wasn’t aware of Baek Rin County’s regulations. According to the Daehua Imperial Code, there’s no problem as long as spoiled ingredients aren’t used…?”
In other words: ‘Do your local rules supersede imperial law?’
With that, he suddenly pulled something from his robes!
“This is the Cheonha Culinary License, personally bestowed by the Emperor himself at the Grand Cooking Championship! With this authority, I can open a shop anywhere and operate a street stall!”
A passerby who heard this cried out in shock.
“If you have the Cheonha Culinary License, shouldn’t you be working as the Emperor’s personal chef? Why are you running a dumpling stall?!”
“Isn’t this guy actually insane?!”
Meanwhile, I remained composed.
‘…Could the Emperor’s colon cancer be connected to something like this?’
It seemed he didn’t pay much attention to kitchen hygiene after all.
Well, that made sense.
Humanity only recently identified bacteria and began caring about hygiene in cooking.
‘He probably kept things clean during the competition, at least.’
It was an imperial cooking competition—everyone would have been thoroughly monitored.
“To question a chef recognized by the Emperor himself—could it be that the Jegallim Family is picking a fight because their dumplings taste worse than Cheol-san’s?”
What?
My eyes widened slightly.
Cheol-san, as if he’d been waiting for this, spoke louder, infusing his voice with inner energy.
“Oh my! What a shame. My dumplings are far more delicious than those of the Jegallim Family!”
At Cheol-san’s words, a passerby muttered.
“Just as I heard. He charges at them like a dog to settle the dumpling dispute…”
Normally, people would applaud and cheer in response.
I’d expected the crowd to erupt in shouts and mockery now that the Emperor’s license was revealed.
Yet strangely, the passersby’s trust in me was absolute.
“The dumplings were tasty, though.”
“Still… how will the Pale-Eyed Divine One respond?”
“But isn’t the Pale-Eyed Divine One a doctor? Is it even right for a doctor to pick a fight over dumplings?”
They were lukewarm about it.
“How would we understand the thoughts of geniuses? So, which dumplings taste better?”
That was all.
I’d expected a roaring inferno, but instead people were thinking, ‘We took it as a joke until now, but if So Ui-seon seriously dislikes it, we should probably stop eating these dumplings,’ and were actually trying to leave the line.
Only then did Cheol-san realize something had gone wrong.
‘Damn, this isn’t how it was supposed to go?!’
He’d pulled out the Emperor’s Cheonha Culinary License, yet this was the reaction he got?
I never expected to receive such support from the commoners.
At that moment, my lips parted.
“…Very well.”
“Hmm?”
“You. To challenge me over cooking like this means you’re quite confident, doesn’t it?”
“Hehehehe. Indeed. I, Geumbong Ilmi Cheol-san, pride myself on having the finest dumplings under heaven. In fact, I’ve already surpassed every dumpling master throughout the empire years ago. Truth be told, I’ve been feeling rather bored.”
The boredom of being the supreme master under heaven, no doubt.
Cheol-san’s thick but sharply defined Honam-style face breaks into a grin.
“But then! When the legendary dumplings of the Jegallim Family appeared, how could I not rush over?”
His eyes blaze as he looks at me.
“Get to the point.”
My cold voice scrapes through the air.
From what I’ve heard, this Ilgwang fellow is always laughing.
Even if a mad warrior comes and swings a blade, he supposedly just laughs—uh-hehe-hehe—while dislocating their joints.
But the man before me… how to describe it.
Gulp—
Cheol-san swallows involuntarily. There’s a quiet, eerie chill.
Like a winter snow-capped mountain.
In the darkness, I feel the sub-zero cold that quietly steals away body heat.
Is this Ilgwang’s true nature?
‘My heart is racing. This…’
A chill runs down my spine.
How long has it been since I felt this sensation?
Cheol-san’s instincts scream. Those eyes—one more step forward and I’d be torn to shreds.
Mentioning the family and scratching his pride seems to have worked.
To witness this side of him.
He grins and responds.
“A cooking duel with dumplings. What do you say?”
I nod at his words.
“Very well. Let’s have that cooking duel. Dark Chef.”
My cold voice scrapes across his very being.
But something about that title feels strange.
Dark Chef?!
Cheol-san couldn’t understand what it meant.
“I don’t understand what ‘Dark Chef’ means… but there’s one thing I must ask.”
And his expression becomes very serious.
“Jin Cheon-hee. Are you a legitimate successor of the Jegallim Family?”
He drops the formal speech he’d been using.
This is no longer addressing Jin Cheon-hee the provincial governor.
He now faces the Minor Sect Leader of the Jegallim Family in Gangho.
There’s no way Jin Cheon-hee wouldn’t know that.
“….”
I closed my eyes.
Deep anguish flickered across my furrowed brow.
Yet, as if I’d made a decision, I slowly opened my eyes.
“…That’s correct. A legitimate successor.”
Conflict seeped through my voice.
But having declared myself thus, I could no longer retreat.
“Hehehehe. Then excellent. Let us determine which of us is the greatest dumpling master under heaven!”
This man. He was serious.
That heart burning to claim the title of greatest dumpling master under heaven.
When it came to dumplings, he was more serious than anyone.
Yet I, facing him, was serious in a different way.
“I shall call this battle a sacred crusade. Against pathogenic E. coli, vibrio, and salmonella—humanity’s sustenance shall never yield!”
I raised my hand as if taking an oath, pronouncing each character with deliberate clarity.
My sincere commitment to public health and hygiene.
I cannot forgive those who toy with food!
That is my true conviction!
Yet the others grew increasingly bewildered by what Ilgwang was even saying.
But Cheonhailgwang!
Since he’s from the Jegallim Family, it’s only natural that ordinary people find him incomprehensible.
“How bold. Does the Jegallim Family’s dumpling truly believe it can surpass my dumplings, I who am the Empire’s greatest housekeeper!”
Thus began a sacred culinary battle that would be remembered in human history.
“Dark Chef. Come at me.”
My eyes gleamed like blue jewels.
The dumpling showdown would take place one month hence!
* * *
The dumpling showdown between Cheol-san, the greatest dumpling master under heaven, and Jin Cheon-hee, minor sect leader of the Jegallim Family!
Word of it spread like wildfire.
Throughout the Gangho and among the common folk alike.
Yet those with particular interest were none other than Gaebang.
“Ilgwang is having a dumpling showdown?”
“I heard it’s against that bastard Cheol-san.”
Just then, Elder Taesangbangju approached.
“Ilgwang is having a dumpling showdown?”
In the past, young Jin Cheon-hee had sought him out together with Seolgyeon, who is now the Bangju, and treated his frozen condition.
The Elder Taesangbangju had then transferred his position to Seolgyeon and prepared for death, but was healed by Ilgwang’s miraculous medicine and completed rehabilitation.
Back then, he had even prepared to lose his limbs, but lost only two fingers.
The Elder remains vigorous still.
“Hooo, a dumpling showdown. A dumpling showdown, you say….”
Watching Elder Taesangbangju stroke his beard and fall into thought, the beggars of Gaebang pondered.
‘Ah, dumplings are what the Elder loves most.’
‘Whenever we bring dumplings from Baek Rin’s Inn, our Elder Taesangbangju is always the first to eat them….’
Indeed.
Even beggars naturally have their preferences.
And what Elder Taesangbangju loved most was none other than dumplings!
“Ahem…. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen young Ilgwang. Perhaps I should pay my respects while I’m at it. And I should greet that mutt Hwang-gu as well. That ungrateful beast has been eating the meals Ilgwang provides, yet he’s completely forgotten about me…. Ahem, ahem!”
It was certainly not a craving for dumplings.
This was purely a courtesy visit.
Was the Elder not simply expressing that point?
In the end, the quick-witted Samgeolgae and Sageolgae swiftly catered to the Elder’s mood.
“Of course, of course. This is a perfect opportunity to enjoy some dumplings and pay your respects.”
“What better shows of kindness than this!”
“Meeting like this from time to time is the very bond of the Gangho!”
Pleased by the flattery, the Elder broke into a grin.
“That’s right, isn’t it?”
With those words, the Elder’s afterimage scattered and vanished in an instant.
A movement technique approaching the realm of the miraculous.
“Whew, quite fast indeed.”
“No matter one’s age, dumplings always taste good.”
Where the Elder had stood.
The remaining Gaebang members offered prayers for Jin Cheon-hee’s well-being and Hwang-gu’s safety.
* * *
Today, Elder Sujje was also pressing Bukgung Sansan hard.
“You fool. If there’s a hole in the finances, you should fill it yourself. Isn’t that what I keep you around as a scribe for?”
“How am I supposed to fill the hole left by the Golden Blood Hall’s departure, Elder Ryeon?”
Sano, Sadoren’s scribe and Bukgung Sansan, shed tears of blood.
Until now, Sadoren had possessed an inexhaustible spring.
That spring was the Golden Blood Hall.
Now that the Golden Blood Hall had departed, the question was where to fill this void.
Sano decided it was time to play his trump card.
“Speaking of which, I heard that Ilgwang is holding a dumpling competition this time.”
“What? A dumpling competition?”
True to his epithet, Sano, with his cunning mind, chose to redirect his superior’s attention rather than solve the problem.
“Yes. Ilgwang and that… Cheol-san, who won the Heavenly First-Rate Housekeeper Tournament last time, are facing off with dumplings. Well, it’s not really our concern, but…”
“….”
“Then I should finish my work.”
At that moment, Elder Sujje erupted in anger.
“…How is it not our concern! That… that, what is it. If my brother is holding a competition there, that means the Golden Blood Hall’s leader is also there! Since he hasn’t returned to the Golden Blood Hall yet.”
“That’s right.”
“I need to go on a business trip!”
The scheme succeeded.
Sano narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“Ah, then who should we send?”
“Who to send there? We have Ilgwang and that bastard Gwang Myeon-hori. If I send someone carelessly, won’t they get fleeced? I should go myself.”
At those words, Sano nodded his head and quickly began flattering him.
“Ah, I see. Indeed, there’s no one else but you, Lord Ryeon, who could go.”
“This is troublesome!”
Despite his words, Elder Sujje’s pace quickened at the thought of eating dumplings.
Dumplings. Ilgwang’s dumplings!
There may be those who’ve never eaten Jin Cheon-hee’s rice, but among those who’ve tasted it once, you’d be hard-pressed to find one who doesn’t seek it a second time.
* * *
While the entire Gangho was stirring over that dumpling competition.
Jegalling happened to return to Baek Rin County at an opportune moment.
At the entrance to Baek Rin County, for some reason, the massive Yoo Ho Toyong statue was holding dumplings instead of pearls.
People could be seen making and eating deep-fried dumplings, pan-fried dumplings, glass noodle dumplings—mountains of them.
Upon witnessing this spectacle, Jegalling’s impression was as follows.
“Hmm, it’s more lively than usual.”
“Surely the young master has done something.”
“Is that so? Let me see… From what the people are saying… Hmm? A dumpling competition?”
In that instant, Jegalling understood everything the passersby were saying and immediately deduced the conclusion.
A remarkable ability he rarely displayed before others.
Many were excessively cautious, finding Baek Rin-ui-seon’s process of gathering information to be alien and inhuman.
Thus, he typically merely waved his fan slightly, keeping his thoughts unspoken.
But the one beside him was his own servant.
This fellow paid little mind to Jegalling’s alien nature or any such thing.
“A dumpling competition? Humans truly do the most trivial things.”
“What is garbage to one person may be important enough for another to stake their life upon.”
Jegalling said this while covering his mouth with his fan and smiled wickedly.
“That Hee fellow, though. He certainly lives an amusing life.”
To Yoo Ho, Jegalling appeared to be enjoying this situation.
Was that not the case?
His disciple was a madman who shattered his master’s predictions and pressed forward.
Even with all manner of arrangements made to match such a fellow, in the end he was one who burned himself out before the world.
‘But what if that young master moved only according to the master’s predictions?’
At some point, he might grow bored.
Of course, the master’s affection for his disciple would never cool, but still, Jegalling’s enjoyment of life would diminish considerably.
This incident was the same.
No matter how much of a genius Jegalling was, how could he possibly predict a dumpling competition?
Seeing his disciple seriously grappling with a master of nearly a hundred of the world’s greatest experts while engaged in a dumpling showdown—it was enough to make him laugh.
Moreover, it’s not even a matter of a disciple’s life hanging in the balance.
It’s happening right before my eyes in Baek Rin Hyeon, no less.
‘He’s in quite the mood.’
A harsh world.
I predicted the movements of Hyeolseonggyo, used the Gongseon Family as pawns on a board, conversed with Hyeolseon, and read through their schemes.
I had to engage in a battle of wits against those who have lived for ages untold.
Blood, madness, death.
Returning with a weary body from all that, my disciple is putting on quite the entertaining show all on his own.
I think I might just tease that disciple a bit.
‘This joy is no accident.’

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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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