Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 871

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

Chapter 871
After a long time, the three great scholars of Gangho gathered together.
Sim Haksa, Jang Haksa, and Man Haksa.
In Gangho, they were known as connoisseurs, but at home they were treated as idle sons from wealthy families.
And the treatment given to idle sons in wealthy, powerful clans was not much different from how ordinary families treated their idle sons.
It meant they were nagged endlessly.
Even though they had some standing in Gangho, at home they were treated as nuisances, so they hadn’t been able to travel in some time. Finally, they managed to set a date and the three of them gathered at last.
The place where they sat was Baekrin Inn.
Ever since tasting the Medical Guild’s dumplings at the dumpling competition, they always ate here.
They ordered the most expensive dishes.
They had plenty of time and plenty of money.
“I heard that ten thousand corpses were spotted in the Jin Ju-eon clan recently?”
At Sim Haksa’s words, Jang Haksa immediately responded while eating his dumplings.
“That’s right. There’s been rampant rumors in Gangho that the greatest clan under heaven is actually the Jin Ju-eon clan, not someone else.”
Baekrin Inn’s dumplings had absolutely exquisite meat juices.
“Is that all? I heard that since Ilgwang is the benefactor of the clan, he withdrew from the Martial Arts Alliance and joined the Five Rings Society.”
“Withdrew entirely? I thought the Five Rings Society basically doesn’t mind even if people play both sides with the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“That’s only true for smaller clans. They need special consideration. And isn’t all of this just a scheme for expansion? Since there’s no loss, they let him dip his foot into the Five Rings Society, show him the taste of money, and then later promise him even more money if he withdraws from the Martial Arts Alliance.”
At those words, Sim Haksa felt chills run down his spine.
“The Jegallim Family is really something else. This is like having your nose cut off while your eyes are open.”
“They know how to do business. They’ve even abandoned the pretense and pride unique to Gangho people.”
“Still, seeing how the Jin Ju-eon clan suddenly announced their withdrawal and left right away… it must be a huge blow to the clan too. What exactly did Ilgwang do?”
“Who knows? Maybe he healed a sick child.”
“I heard rumors that Eon Jeong-mu, who was the minor sect leader, destroyed his own dantian of his own accord…?”
“It’s unclear. But there are widespread rumors that it’s related to ten thousand corpses.”
The three scholars nodded.
“Cheonhailgwang is truly worthy of the name. Incomparable. I wonder if he performed some extraordinary dance and bewitched them with his beauty.”
“There are rumors that he’s a lustful person who doesn’t discriminate between men and women.”
The three scholars spoke words that would have made Jegalling draw his blade if he’d heard them.
In any case, this was merely jest.
Not serious talk.
Anyone who had experienced even a little of his nature would know he wasn’t that kind of person.
And the three scholars, who had observed Ilgwang from afar, also knew these were baseless rumors.
“Still, this must be troublesome for the Martial Arts Alliance.”
“Indeed. There’s the Peng clan in Hebei Province, but you can’t ignore the Jin clan, can you?”
“Moreover, the Medical Guild is also receiving the Emperor’s favor.”
This was also incomprehensible favor to those who didn’t know the full story.
“Even though he healed the Emperor’s body, they don’t show such favor to imperial physicians, do they?”
“We know he contributed to the war against the Suksin Tribe, but they don’t show such favor to General Ryu Heon of the Imperial Army either.”
Hmm.
The Three Scholars furrowed their brows.
Things were happening beneath the surface that they knew nothing about.
The eye of that typhoon was Ilgwang.
Yet they had no way of knowing how Ilgwang had managed to roast all of them alive.
“Well, in any case, the landscape of the Gangho is about to get interesting.”
“Remarkable. Truly remarkable.”
The Three Scholars spoke thus and each picked up a dumpling, placing it in their mouths.
The steaming filling melted delicately on their tongues, creating a taste of paradise.
“By the way, do you know that Baekrin Uiseon is starting a new business venture?”
“What is it?”
“A delivery service, they say.”
“What? Delivery?”
“It’s limited to areas near the Baekrin Inn, but apparently you can receive Baekrin Uiseon’s food every morning on a regular basis.”
“Hmm, even so, delivery wouldn’t be easy.”
“That’s not all. If you pay a bit more, they say a Kang Ho-in will deliver it directly using light movement techniques.”
“Using a Kang Ho-in trained in light movement for that? Isn’t that like the tail wagging the dog?”
Setting aside the pride of Kang Ho-in, how could they afford such expensive labor?
Man Haksa clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“Just hearing about it, this business is doomed to fail.”
“Right?”
“Even the legendary Ilgwang will fail at business this time.”
“Yes. The soap business already went under once, so this will be just like that.”
The Three Scholars clicked their tongues in disapproval.
Using a Kang Ho-in just to deliver a single dumpling.
There was no way this could succeed.
* * *
Three days had passed since Jin Cheon-hee returned to Baekrin Uiseon.
My hair grew thicker with each passing day.
I was channeling the Heavenly Dragon Technique at full power.
Ever since Sama Hyeon mentioned that my hair had become fuller, I’ve been pushing even harder.
Young people don’t understand.
When you age, having thick hair is the greatest blessing.
My Master was simply born as the most beautiful in the realm, so he would never understand such concerns, but for me, hair thickness was crucial.
I paused my cultivation of the Heavenly Dragon Technique and met privately with Muyue.
“Delivery… service?”
“Yes, sir.”
At those words, my eyes wavered.
‘Wait, delivery?! In this Gangho?!’
What was interesting was that unlike with Hyeon, I hadn’t particularly shared many stories about modern times with Muyue.
Yet the fact that he’d arrived at this idea meant it was purely something Muyue and his children had conceived on their own.
Evolution.
Since the revised cultivation method, Muyue and his direct subordinates—the chicks under his command—had been growing stronger.
It was only natural, one might say.
There was no need to be a martial master who had reached Hwagyeong.
White teeth that wouldn’t shake even when biting into a raw apple, a spine free from disc problems, a brain that slept soundly without insomnia.
Add to that brighter eyesight than before and skin free from athlete’s foot and acne—the ultimate complexion—and didn’t the quality of human life improve dramatically?
Muyue continued speaking.
“Currently, Jiangsu Province has such excellent public order that it’s said there are no thieves and no one starves to death, but….”
Baek Rin County had become Baek Rin Prefecture.
The Medical Guild had established logistics distribution centers throughout Jiangsu Province.
Baek Rin Convenience Stores were exactly that.
‘The entire size of Jiangsu Province is actually larger than Korea.’
The size of the Martial Realm’s world exceeded imagination, and naturally the Hwa Empire was also enormous in scale.
South Korea would fit entirely within a single province.
As Jiangsu Province developed, Baek Rin Convenience Stores expanded into it, and logistics transportation emerged.
Naturally, mountain bandits, thieves, and even the dregs of the Heterodox Faction began to be swept away entirely.
‘The Heterodox Faction hasn’t completely disappeared, though.’
There was nothing to be done about that.
They possessed the self-sustaining vitality of weeds.
In an era without CCTV, automobiles, or telephones, this represented the best that could be achieved.
With just this, it became impossible for them to openly extort wealth from commoners as they had in the past.
So what remained of the Heterodox Faction was….
-X haircuts…. Even so, the kids still gamble.
Gambling dens.
Gambling addicts never go extinct.
They don’t even know how to read economic cycles.
Whether in recession or boom, as long as they have money in their pockets, they come running and spend it.
Moreover, in this Martial Realm’s Gangho Land, gambling wasn’t illegal, so it operated very smoothly.
And the Heterodox Faction ran most of it.
And then next.
-Make those who borrowed money tighten their belts however you can! Collect every last coin!
Loan sharking and usury.
Usury wasn’t illegal in this world either.
Beating someone to collect that money might be illegal…or it might not be, but the beaten person doesn’t report it and the beater doesn’t report it either.
And unless it’s Baek Rin Prefecture-level, the magistrate’s office just tells them to handle it themselves.
In a world where human rights have been abandoned, it’s only natural when you think about it.
Just preventing the sale of people into slavery was already tremendous progress.
Of course, that conclusion was also derived not from the principle that all humans are born equal and have the right to freedom, but rather from conclusions drawn based on the ideology of this era.
Having experienced real Gangho, I wondered how far we’d really come.
-In any case, it’s not impossible for Baek Rin Prefecture to extract protection money.
They even prevented the distribution of stolen goods.
Using orphans for begging? They simply arrested them and administered beatings.
So naturally, everyone flocked to gambling dens and loan sharking operations?
But there was already an organization that had established itself in both gambling and loan sharking.
-Damn bastards, if you touch the gambling den and loan sharking business I claimed first, your arms will fly off!
It was Hao-mun.
A traditional powerhouse.
Muyue continued speaking.
“Currently, individual small and medium organizations are competing against Hao-mun.”
“What about the Golden Blood Hall?”
Muyue answered calmly to my question.
“Despite working harder than anyone else, they’re pretending not to be involved out of modesty. Since they’ve come into the light, they’re being mindful of their reputation.”
“A change brought about by Sama Hyeon.”
“Even so, they haven’t completely withdrawn. There are no vacant positions in the Gangho, no matter how vast it is.”
Even if the Golden Blood Hall withdrew from loan sharking, loan sharking wouldn’t disappear—it would simply mean another heterodox faction would become the second Golden Blood Hall.
‘Well. That’s just how the Gangho works.’
I spoke.
“Still, they must be operating more gently than other heterodox factions.”
“The consequences for non-payment are different. Being sold to a mine versus having payments withheld while running an inn—there’s a significant difference, isn’t there?”
That was true enough.
From the commoners’ perspective, the Golden Blood Hall’s methods were far preferable.
“From Baekrin Medical Guild’s standpoint, Hao-mun and the Five Rings Society are actually allies, so we’re providing support behind the scenes. Even so, the result is that unemployed warriors have appeared in Gangso Province.”
Pfft!
I couldn’t help but laugh at that statement.
“…?”
“No, my apologies. My apologies.”
‘Unemployed’ and ‘warrior’.
Two words that couldn’t be more mismatched.
‘Ah, I see. When there’s peace, swords become unnecessary.’
I knew this.
I knew it, but how often had such a thing occurred in the history of the Gangho?
That’s precisely why it seemed so absurd that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“As for the courier services, small and medium courier houses have already closed or been absorbed and merged into places like Unryongpyoguk and Gongsun Courier Service. Our Baekrin Medical Guild has also absorbed a considerable number ourselves.”
‘Hmm, this reminds me of corporate monopolies.’
I sipped my iced Americano through a bamboo straw, thinking.
“Even so, unemployed warriors remain.”
“Of course. The courier services can only employ a limited number of people. Besides, including us, each organization has cultivated quite a few talents of their own.”
After thinking that far, I asked.
“Why don’t they just leave Gangso Province? There should be work elsewhere.”
Baekrin was the only strange one.
The Gangho is the Gangho.
Its essence never changes.
“It was truly remarkable that Baek Rin-ui-seon abandoned Hubei, where the Jegallim Family once thrived, and came here. Relocating one’s foundation to another region is a difficult endeavor, especially for those of the Gangho. Even if a Gangho warrior wanders about like duckweed blown by the wind, the place they ultimately return to is always their sect or clan.”
The meaning of ‘home’ in this era carried a dimension entirely different from what it meant in Jin Cheon-hee’s time.
In the end, they would not abandon their swords, nor would they truly leave their homes.
And therein lay the complexity.
Many of the grudges and blood debts of the Gangho begin in such circumstances.
To put it plainly, it was like a powder magazine awaiting a spark.
If they scattered to different places and ignited separately, that would be fortunate. But with nowhere to go, they remained still within the powder magazine, and the moment a spark flew, everything would detonate at once.
‘No matter how much one desires peace under heaven, perhaps this is why the Gangho burns.’
Why had it been made this way?
Meanwhile, Muyue’s eyes shone like the moon as he gazed at Jin Cheon-hee.
‘It seems he has something he wishes to say.’
Jin Cheon-hee answered calmly.

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