Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 849

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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 849
The dish I was preparing was none other than dak-galbi—spiced chicken ribs.
And not just any dak-galbi, but a luxurious version made from chicken drumsticks.
I kept the minced chicken ribs in a bamboo container, taking special care to preserve them using the cold qi from the Minor Frost Formation to prevent spoilage.
Now I transferred it into a large iron wok and stir-fried it vigorously with vegetables.
Sizzzzzzle!
Arooooooo!
Hwang-gu suddenly tilted his head back like a wolf and let out a long howl.
It was his way of saying how delicious it smelled.
The charred flavor coating the ingredients was so appetizing that just watching made my mouth water.
Clang!
“Just eat casually this time.”
For something eaten “casually,” it already seemed far too luxurious, but apparently that’s what casual looked like to my brother.
After transferring the dak-galbi to a bowl, I then added the rice balls and began breaking them apart to stir-fry.
“Brother, I was wondering why you packed so many rice balls…?!”
“They’re delicious on their own, but stir-fried like this with the seasoning, it becomes instant dak-galbi fried rice.”
With that, he cracked an egg and stirred it in.
The next egg went into the second wok.
Egg soup!
Whoooosh!
The egg soup, enhanced with even more heat from the fire-starting technique, was complete.
Thunk—
The moment I set down the ladle, Sama Hyeon distributed the food into bowls as if he’d been waiting, and Cheonwoo began digging into the ground.
He was removing stones heated by the fire to create a makeshift ondol floor.
With a tent pitched over this, we could sleep warmly through the night, though not quite as comfortably as an inn.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Ahh~ I really do love ondol floors. I’ll have to install one when I build my own house later~”
“Your current place doesn’t have an ondol?”
Sama Hyeon nodded at my question.
“It’s just a temporary residence~ Why would I go through the trouble of installing an ondol there?”
Sama Hyeon was the type who absolutely wouldn’t do anything for someone else’s benefit.
And if he called it a temporary residence…
‘Then it must be where the Gumhyeolbang Sobangju stays.’
Sama Hyeon clearly didn’t consider that place his true home.
Cheonwoo spoke.
“I’m planning to install one when I return.”
“The Mudang Faction doesn’t have ondol floors?”
“No. They say that living warmly weakens the spirit. When all the other sects were installing ondol floors, they forbade us from doing the same.”
The Bota Trading Guild’s enemy.
Even at this very moment, the Bota Trading Guild was laying ondol floors throughout the Central Plains and giving me a portion of the profits.
“Does the cold sharpen one’s mental resolve, then?”
“Yes. My master, Gwon Je, held the same philosophy.”
‘Though Gwon Je is rather old-fashioned.’
The fact that Cheonwoo could speak of laying out bedding suggested his status within the Mudang Faction had risen far beyond imagination.
When the three of us shared the peach sweet wine that Cheonwoo had made, it was truly the perfect complement.
“Ahh, peach sweet wine pairs perfectly with spicy food.”
“I didn’t realize it would go so well together either.”
Sama Hyeon’s eyes gleamed brightly.
“Brother, sell me the recipe for this later~ I’ll take good care of you.”
“Hmm.”
“Did you make it the way Jeong Gajangju taught you?”
“No, not that way. If I had, there would have been intoxication.”
“Then it’s fine~ Even hermits need money, don’t they, brother?”
“Well… let me think about it.”
Watching this, Sama Hyeon tilted his head and thought, ‘Look at this brother, haggling like this~’
Observing the two of them, I reflected.
‘Their relationship seems quite good, actually.’
Perhaps it was because of the bond forged from rolling together on the battlefield.
It was pleasant to witness.
* * *
The next day.
Our party arrived in Jinzhou, a city in Hebei Province.
Located beside Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei, it was like a satellite city—not large, but prosperous under Shijiazhuang’s influence, with well-developed transportation.
The name of the provincial capital was peculiar.
Various theories existed—from the legend that the household of the legendary magnate Shi Chong once resided here (it’s called a theory because nothing has been confirmed) to the claim that the governor of this region was once surnamed Seok—but no one knew the true reason.
Jinzhou, located not far from Shijiazhuang, was the headquarters of Jin Ju-eonga.
A family renowned for brewing and funeral services.
We had arrived at that place.
It was a day when the sky was exceptionally high and clear.
Upon entering the village, broad avenues stretched out, and not a single horse dropping was visible.
It wasn’t that there were no horses.
Rather, one could see people diligently sweeping and cleaning.
The villagers had organized themselves to sweep and maintain the main roads.
Because of this, the scent of medicinal herbs was stronger than the smell of dung.
This was exceedingly rare.
In an agricultural society, the smell of dung was so common it seemed almost inevitable.
Where there were livestock, there was excrement in proportion.
Horse dung, cattle dung, dog dung, chicken dung, even human waste.
When I elevated Baekrin County to a prefecture, the very first issue I addressed was this matter of waste disposal.
The provision of latrines was directly connected to public sanitation.
There’s a reason why supporting a third nation means starting with replacing the toilets.
“It’s strange—unlike Hyeong’s neighborhood where they divided districts and replaced the toilets and maintained the sewage systems, this place doesn’t seem to have done that, yet it smells only of medicinal herbs~”
Jin Cheon-hee answered Sama Hyeon’s question.
“The absence of that and the presence of only medicinal herb scent means one of three things. First, all the villagers are virtuous and altruistic, so they maintain it on their own. Second, most people in this village are engaged in corpse crafting and funeral services rather than farming.”
“The medicine used in making corpses is quite potent, after all. Come to think of it, the scent is similar. It could be both. Looking at the people sweeping the streets earlier.”
“Exactly.”
Then Cheonwoo suddenly asked.
“What’s the third?”
“The third is… I’ve seen a village outside where everyone was happy, you see? To be precise, it was a village where everyone except one person was happy…”
At that moment, a bell rang from one side.
Ding ding—
“Go on. Go on. Let go of your attachments to this life and depart far away.”
Looking toward the sound, a middle-aged man in black robes was shaking a bell as he walked.
Behind him, ten demonic corpses followed.
Though they wore the garments of the deceased, each was dressed cleanly and properly.
The scent they carried was also neat and tidy rather than the stench of rotting flesh.
With talismans affixed to their heads, they moved in bouncing steps following the swordsman’s guidance, yet no villager seemed surprised.
It was routine for them.
“This is truly a village worthy of Jin Ju-eonga.”
“It must be. For these people, this is everyday life.”
Upon arriving at Jin Ju-eonga, the bodyguards immediately recognized Jin Cheon-hee.
“Ah, you must be So Ui-seon. We’ve heard about you. Please, come in.”
Clang!
“Did they recognize me because of Hwang-gu and Noeji?”
Jin Cheon-hee said this and tucked the Baekrin Medical Guild identification badge back into his sleeve.
“You stand out~ It could be because of Cheonwoo too.”
A large frame, Mudang Faction robes.
Many recognize the Mudang faction’s authority from these three things.
Cheonwoo sighed.
“I’ve heard that lately there are more heterodox factions impersonating us.”
“I see. Well, it’s quite distinctive after all.”
As they entered the inner quarters, for some reason the air felt stagnant.
No sound of birds flying, no sound of insects chirping could be heard.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“A formation?”
Jin Cheon-hee’s blue eyes moved from left to right. After quickly scanning all directions, he spoke.
“There is a formation too. But… this feeling is a barrier. In other words… this is similar to the method Sulgye uses. It’s different from a formation.”
“If it’s Sulgye, is it sorcery-based?”
“Yes. Handling corpses must have given him expertise in these things as well.”
Thus the three were guided to the reception hall.
Three cups of tea and refreshments.
Steam rose gently from the cups, suggesting they had just been poured.
Once I settled into my seat, Eon Jeong-mu soon appeared.
The same man who had taken three consecutive beatings from me at the past Yongbong Conference.
[Who is this~ picking fights from our first meeting and getting beaten by hyung, then beaten again at the Yongbong Conference, then going berserk after falling for the Bloodline Sect’s schemes and getting beaten by hyung again~ isn’t this Eon Jeong-mu who got beaten three times~?]
[Hyeon-a. Please, only transmit that through spiritual sense and never let it leave your mouth.]
I earnestly pleaded with Sama Hyeon before exchanging respectful greetings with Eon Jeong-mu.
Eon Jeong-mu spoke.
“Thank you for honoring my request. Jin Sogakju.”
His complexion was even paler than before.
His pupils were as white as if covered with a milky film.
His monotone voice resembled that of a demonic corpse.
I suppressed my urge to take his pulse and spoke.
“Eon Sogakju. It has been a while. These are my sworn brothers and sisters.”
“Pleased to meet you. Sama Hyeon. Cheon-u Dojang.”
His manner of speech was measured.
Eon Jeong-mu continued.
“First, I shall show you to your quarters. Rest today and recover from your journey, then we shall speak again tomorrow.”
“Very well.”
“Then I shall take my leave as I have matters to attend to. Please rest well.”
With those words, he walked out quietly.
Soon after, servants arrived and guided my group to the guest pavilion.
As we unpacked our belongings there, Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Hyung. That was strange, wasn’t it?”
“Strange doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
“Right~?”
Sama Hyeon’s brow furrowed playfully.
I spoke.
“Eon Jeong-mu… he’s not a living person, is he?”
Cheonwoo nodded.
“From the moment I first saw him, I observed carefully—he never took a single breath.”
It seemed he had been watching for the rise and fall of his chest.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“As expected of Cheonwoo hyung~ But if even your eyes couldn’t detect him breathing, then he’s definitely a corpse, right?”
“…”
I fell into thought before speaking.
“…It could be related to Kang Si-gong. We only know what’s commonly known about Kang Si-gong in the world. Or perhaps… he’s truly a demonic corpse but retains his rationality…”
Every martial arts novel has different depictions of Kang Si-gong.
Some describe it merely as the body becoming stronger and harder like a demonic corpse, while others actually depict turning a living person into a demonic corpse.
In the Jicheon Cheonma, it seems to lean more toward the latter…
If I delved deeper into it….
‘…Ha-ryun wasn’t the type to wait for others’ explanations, so he just killed them all.’
This man doesn’t even grant final words unless you’re on his side.
Reading it was refreshing, but now that it’s becoming reality, my chest feels tight.
‘Why did you do that? Jicheon Cheonma Ha-ryun. Why? Couldn’t you have given the villain a long monologue before killing them, or time for a flashback….’
Right. The Jicheon Cheonma barely has flashback scenes even for allies, so there’s no way he’d wait for an enemy’s backstory.
‘Wait, let me think. Didn’t he have a scene fighting Jin Ju-eonga?’
-Ha-ryun’s fist was merciless. Even Jin Ju-eonga’s robust body was torn like paper. The enemy belatedly realized he’d chosen the wrong opponent. Soon the man’s fist pierced through the enemy’s heart and burst out beyond the spine. Ah, judgment had fallen upon the betrayers who submitted to the Bloodline Sect!
‘Hmm…. There’s no martial arts description either. He just killed him.’
The Jicheon Cheonma’s protagonist is the embodiment of straightforward, no-nonsense charge.
Facing an enemy, does he agonize? Not at all.
The dead speak not, and our martial arts hero was a man who never looked back.
After that, four ghostly demonic corpses appeared and he fought them endlessly.
The corpses were stronger than people.
‘Eonga’s Fist, Ghostly Divine Fist, Floating Cloud Ghostly Technique, Dream Soul Ghostly Demonic Corpse Art. I know these, but they’re not enough…. Hmm.’
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Still, hyeong. This is someone else’s family matter. Unless they’re sacrificing commoners, we shouldn’t get involved, right~?”
Cheonwoo nodded as well.
“It doesn’t seem like they’re particularly tormenting the commoners either.”
“That’s true….”
Jin Cheon-hee said so and took a sip of tea.
Sama Hyeon became curious about what his hyeong was thinking.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“If Eon Jeong-mu were a corpse, moving with the memories of a living person while dead. Would Father have obtained his consent to be used as a corpse? At minimum, there should be some level of permission documented. And….”
“And?”
“In this world’s standards, if you make a corpse work while in that state, is it customary to pay Eon Jeong-mu a monthly salary?”
“Huh?”
“Or is a corpse in this world a kind of A.I. that operates with a donated body, so there’s no need to provide anything extra?”
Goosebumps rose on Sama Hyeon’s back.
He didn’t understand what it meant, but it was unsettling.
A thought no martial artist could ever have.
“I heard Hyeolsaeng Nogoe has thousands of corpses, but I’ve never heard of him paying them monthly salaries, hyeong.”
“Right. If he did, Nogoe would have gone bankrupt.”
His hyeong said he came from a different dream. What he also called a world.
‘Are all the people from that world like hyeong?’
The misunderstanding about Earth only deepened.

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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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