Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 88

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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 88
When not a single one of the ten throwing needles reached me, the Bearded Middle-Aged Man clicked his tongue in frustration.
It seemed his plan was to scatter my attention and make his escape.
In that instant, my figure reappeared before his eyes.
Simultaneously, a palm strike crashed against his temple.
Crack!
There was no need to resort to the Ten-Step Divine Spear technique.
It was merely a light strike.
Yet that single blow made his skull ring.
‘Even a slight disturbance to the vestibular system will make a person lose their balance.’
I had simply infused the palm strike with a touch of wind energy and directed it into his ear.
The moment he staggered, I seized his arm and wrenched it backward as if I’d been waiting for this.
Crack—
“Ahhhhh!”
I didn’t break it. I merely dislocated his shoulder.
The mere separation of bone from joint causes immense pain to any human.
“Don’t move. If you put weight on it carelessly, you’ll suffer lasting complications.”
“….”
When the Bearded Middle-Aged Man hesitated, I dislocated his other arm.
Crack—crack—
“Ahhhhh! Stop, stop!”
The Gaebangdo Members watching silently screamed within their hearts.
Injuries during combat were common enough.
Sword cuts and fractures from blunt force were countless.
But Seo Baek-ryong was something else entirely. He was calmly seizing both arms and dislocating them with methodical precision.
“You’ll stay still, won’t you?”
“….”
“Good. You have manners.”
As the Bearded Middle-Aged Man became more obedient, I smiled innocently.
Perhaps he became even more compliant because I was preparing to seize and wrench his ankles next.
“What should we do with this man?”
The Gaebangdo Members answered.
“Since he sought to take Seo Baek-ryong’s life, you may do as you wish.”
“You’re saying I can kill him?”
“It’s Seo Baek-ryong’s decision.”
At those words, I suddenly grasped the terror of Gangho.
The Bearded Middle-Aged Man spoke.
“Young Master, if you spare my life, I will do anything.”
“Well, I’m a doctor after all, so I have no intention of killing. But I can’t simply let this pass either….”
I fell into thought before speaking.
“I’ll seal your dantian by striking an acupoint for a while, so how about you do some rowing for me?”
“Rowing, you say?”
“We need an oarsman to cross the Yangtze River, don’t we?”
I laughed brightly.
“Since you’re in good physical condition, please keep rowing until I tell you it’s enough.”
When people list the most grueling professions, miners and oarsmen are always mentioned.
It was so undesirable that people were actually sold into the work due to debt, since no one wanted to do it willingly.
Even a person with an excellent physique would have their back ruined after just one month of rowing.
It was that harsh of a job.
Yet he was asking someone without inner energy to row.
I spoke.
“It’s fine. Even if you collapse, I can fix you!”
A healthy body houses a healthy spirit. I thought to myself.
‘Right. He’s a young man with all his limbs intact. At this level, I can fix his spirit and build his muscles—two birds with one stone.’
I didn’t know how he’d ended up on such a dark path, but he was still young.
The only problem was that my standards for fixing someone’s spirit were slightly different from ordinary people’s.
‘Hmm, yes. Isn’t this the grace of Gangho? I’m already beginning to show mercy. Truly, it’s me—it’s definitely me. A path befitting the direct disciple of Baek Rin-ui-seon.’
After all, no matter how many common criminals like this appeared, they never even reached the tip of my sword.
If I used them as oarsmen whenever I met them, wouldn’t that be productive work?
I thought positively and brightly.
“An oarsman…?”
The Gaebangdo members looked at the Bearded Middle-Aged Man with pitying eyes.
‘I remember that Seo Baek-ryong’s destination required going upstream through a tributary of the Yangtze River at one point…?’
Moreover, at this time of year, the wind direction was unfavorable, making it absolute hell for oarsmen.
Thus, I was assigned my first oarsman slave.
* * *
I gave the injured Gaebangdo members basic treatment and headed toward the Youngjeon Inn.
The whole way there, my skin felt oddly prickly.
Unlike the murderous aura the Bearded Middle-Aged Man had released, this felt stickier somehow.
‘It feels like someone’s watching me closely.’
I thought it might actually be true.
Upon arriving at the Youngjeon Inn, I handed the Bearded Middle-Aged Man over to the Gaebangdo members.
With his acupoints sealed by divine technique, he would be unable to use martial arts for a while.
“Since I sealed the acupoints with divine technique, only my Master and I can release them. If you try to force them open by finding another doctor, you’ll likely be unable to function as a person for the rest of your life.”
I calmly explained his current condition to the Bearded Middle-Aged Man.
“I’m a doctor, so I have no intention of torturing or killing you. Simply show me that you’ve reflected on your past misdeeds, and I’ll release you then. Until that time, you’ll work as an oarsman.”
The Bearded Middle-Aged Man nodded.
If he just rowed well, he’d be released—it was the best offer he could ask for.
The only issue was that the Gaebangdo members kept looking at him with such pitying expressions.
“Have this man row from the front.”
It was the place where one directly parted the waters and changed direction—the most grueling position.
“The vanguard… I understand. I’ll arrange for placement at the very front.”
The regretful expressions on the Gaebangdo Members’ faces grew even more pronounced.
The Bearded Middle-Aged Man, oblivious to this, spoke thus.
“I’ve never rowed a boat before. How do you do it?”
“Ah… well, we’ll teach you properly, so don’t worry. Other positions are problematic too, but the front position… truly… you’ll need to learn very quickly.”
“…?”
The Gaebangdo Members dragged the Bearded Middle-Aged Man, whose head was tilted in confusion, away with them.
They were those who had received treatment from Jin Cheon-hee. They had no intention of handling this matter carelessly.
‘Good. I’ve done a good deed today as well.’
Jin Cheon-hee entered the Yeongyeon Inn.
Inside, I could see quite a number of people.
Some were clearly Gangho members with swords at their waists, and there were also refined-looking scholars in expensive clothing.
The servers moved swiftly taking orders, and the heat radiating from the kitchen reached all the way here.
At that moment, a man and woman I’d never seen before approached me.
“We meet for the first time. Are you perhaps Seo Baek-ryong Jin Cheon-hee, Sohyeop of Baekrin Uigak?”
Both performed the martial salute and bowed, with the man speaking first.
‘Hmm? Who are these people?’
Both clearly possessed considerable martial skill.
Moreover, their clothing was refined, and the swords at their waists appeared to be famous blades.
It was natural they appeared to be Gangho members, and judging by their bearing and gait, they seemed to be from prestigious sects.
I performed the martial salute and bowed in return.
“I am indeed Jin Cheon-hee of Baekrin Uigak, but who might you two be?”
“It is an honor to meet the disciple of the illustrious Baek Rin-ui-seon. I am Namgung Un of the Namgung clan. My friends in Gangho call me the Dragon-Soaring Sword.”
‘Dragon-Soaring Sword Namgung Un? Ah. That man who would later be called the Emperor Sword and become one of the Three Swords of Heaven?’
I looked at Namgung Un with a slightly surprised expression. In that moment, the woman continued speaking.
“I… I am Namgung Yeon of the Namgung clan.”
‘Namgung Yeon, Namgung Un’s younger sister!’
The woman, Namgung Yeon, who spoke with a slight stammer, had a small frame with delicate features resembling a cat, while Namgung Un had a large build with drooping eyes and bold, open features resembling a large dog.
Observing the two of them, I was surprised for a different reason.
It was because I understood the significance of these two names.
First, the Emperor Sword Namgung Un.
The Namgung clan, which reigned as the overlords of Anhui Province, had long been renowned as a family of sword masters, famous for excellence in both swift and heavy sword techniques.
They were an indispensable pillar of Gangho when scholars debated the greatest sword under heaven, and had produced exceptional swordsmen generation after generation.
Among them, Namgung Un could be called the prodigy who mastered all the secret techniques of the Namgung clan.
At a young age, he became one of the Three Great Masters of Heaven and took his place as a pillar of the orthodox martial world.
He would later also become the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance.
He was famous for doting terribly on his younger sister Namgung Yeon, and she, who had stammered since childhood, followed him devotedly.
There was no mention in the records of the reason for her stammer, but it was suspected to be a psychological matter.
Indeed, after Namgung Un’s death, Namgung Yeon blamed herself severely for an entire month.
She transformed as if becoming a different person entirely.
Namgung Yeon, who had been mocked since childhood for her stutter, was no longer present in that moment.
Only a taciturn and merciless swordswoman remained.
She wielded her blade to reunite the Namgung clan and avenge her brother’s death.
But then, who was this enemy she sought?
Naturally enough, that enemy was none other than the protagonist himself.
Yeo Ha-ryun.
After engaging Namgung Un in a life-or-death duel, he killed him.
The narrative described how Yeo Ha-ryun had fought so fiercely against Namgung Un that he too had been prepared to meet death in that bloody clash.
He was counted among the strongest opponents in the entire story.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Though it seems you came knowing of me—I’m curious what brings you here.”
I answered calmly, masking my true thoughts.
Why had these two sought me out?
“We were merely passing through on a journey when we heard some rather amusing rumors. And when we discovered the subject of those rumors standing right before us, we thought it would be worthwhile to have a conversation. What do you say? If you’re willing, I’d like to treat Seo Baek-ryong to a meal….”
‘Hearing something I’d only read about in novels feels so strange….’
I felt a peculiar unfamiliarity listening to Namgung Un’s words.
When I was a modern Earth person, had I ever experienced such a conversation?
Since arriving in this Hua Empire, a world of martial arts, I had mostly remained within the Medical Hall, so this kind of experience—something I’d only heard about—was entirely new to me.
“I’d be grateful for the hospitality. But please, drop the formal speech. Since I’m younger, it would be a bit uncomfortable if you kept using honorifics.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
“Haha. You’re quite straightforward, little brother.”
I thought Namgung Un laughed in a heroic, magnanimous manner.
Following their guidance, I entered a small private room.
He ordered several dishes and then spoke.
“Brother Jin, the small dragon rolls here are exceptional—you must try them. And the pork dishes, whether it’s Dongpo pork or huiguo pork, are all specialties our chef takes pride in. Order whatever you’d like, or if there’s something else you prefer, just say so. What will you have, Yeon?”
At his words, Namgung Yeon’s face flushed as she spoke.
“I, I’m f-fine with any noodle d-dish….”
“You introduce yourself so well, yet you’re still shy. Just do it the way you practiced.”
Instead of answering, Namgung Yeon pinched her brother’s side hard.
“Ow, ow, ow! Brother’s dying here. My sister with the slowest speech but the fastest hands in the world, I tell you. Her specialty is pinching. Ow, ow, ow!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of them.
They were a close sibling pair, different from the Muhua and Muyue siblings I’d seen before.

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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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