Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 996

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

Chapter 996
While Sama-hye was thinking such thoughts.
The protagonist who had moved the Lord of the Tang Family by opening his mouth.
Jin Cheon-hee remained composed.
“Not at all. This was only possible because there was a cooperative spirit within the Lord of the Tang Family. Had there been no such willingness, he would have abandoned the idea entirely.”
“…But to encourage that cooperative spirit, you even brought out the Shaolin Diamond Technique….”
“…Ah! That was merely an example to persuade the Lord of the Tang Family!”
Words that could cause serious trouble.
And Jin Cheon-hee harbored different intentions.
‘Truth be told, if he had refused to the end, I was planning to do it myself.’
It was better in appearance and easier for the commoners to accept if the Great Sichuan Tang Family did it themselves, so I had spoken thus.
In fact, Jin Cheon-hee had obtained several poison techniques from the Imperial Palace Secret Records through multiple searches.
The Sunyoung Poison Technique, the Yin-seo Poison Technique, the Six Sage Poison Technique, the Poison Blood Qi Technique, the Water Absorption Poison Technique, the Earth Frog Poison Technique, and many others….
Among them were even a few poison techniques of the Divine Technique level.
Thanks to the martial arts I had comprehended back then, the Black Dragon in my left arm was gradually being subdued.
‘Medicine is, after all, also about handling poison.’
Gulp—
Jin Cheon-hee thought thus and quietly swallowed his tea.
Tang Mukha, who saw this, spoke.
“You are truly a frightening person.”
“Is that so? I haven’t thought of myself that way… Anyway… do you happen to know where our Young Master, the Hyeolpyeon-wang, is located?”
“!”
At those words, Sama-hye’s eyes sparkled with light.
Hyeolpyeon-wang Dang-a!
The one I had long admired.
Tang Mukha answered.
“The Young Master has gone to hunt evil entities. She went to deal with what is suspected to be the cause of the recent rapid spread of the plague.”
“Evil entities….”
Just as martial artists who do evil deeds are called the dark path or demon heads, so too are spiritual beings.
Among spiritual beings, those that cause serious harm to humans are sometimes called evil entities.
According to historical records, powerful evil entities have brought rain, caused droughts, or spread plagues.
“Suspected, you say…. It could be otherwise, then.”
“Yes. But we must do what we can. Sichuan Province is our foundation.”
“….”
“The fallen Qingcheng Sect certainly cannot claim dominion, and even the Emei Sect cannot assert ownership of this land. Our main family has dwelled in this foundation for thousands of years. In the past… we even united with the Liu clan and mingled our blood.”
The Liu clan.
It must refer to the imperial Liu family from the era of the Three Kingdoms.
In other words, the bloodline of Liu Bei had also intermarried with the Tang Family!
The Sichuan Province region was once called the Kingdom of Shu in the distant past.
Shu silk, as it is called, is treated as the finest silk in the empire.
“…I see.”
“The Young Master is at Gu Valley Mountain. If you wish to find him, I’ll assign a guide to accompany you.”
“The way you speak suggests the malevolent creature must be quite formidable.”
I pierced the heart of the matter with my azure eyes.
Tang Mukha flinched and spoke honestly.
“Yes. Just as the Minor Sect Leader did, I deliberately fanned the flames to test you, but I didn’t expect you to see through my intentions so quickly.”
“No matter. So what is the situation?”
“…The Young Master of the Tang Family insisted he could handle it alone and rashly charged out, but everyone from the Elders to the Family Head is deeply worried. It must be an extraordinarily dangerous creature. However….”
“It seems he wouldn’t listen to reason.”
“Yes. He said everyone was busy with this plague outbreak anyway, and moreover, it seems he’s hit a wall in his martial studies lately, so he rushed out regardless.”
Namgung Un rubbed his chin.
“Youthful impetuousness….”
He knew Dang-a’s temperament very well.
“What of the Lord of the Tang Family?”
“At first he tried to stop her, but later he grew angry and told her not to return to the family if she couldn’t overcome this trial. And the Young Master shouted back that he shouldn’t worry, and… well…. He cursed and bellowed that he’d return with the creature’s head soon, so the Lord should wash his feet and go to sleep.”
Like father, like daughter.
‘I see. His outburst of old temperament must have stemmed partly from worry about his daughter.’
No matter how deeply cultivated a martial artist becomes, the heart toward family cannot be controlled.
He fought boldly, yet his heart was clearly burning with anxiety.
“They should simply speak honestly with each other.”
Typical martial artist parents.
Inexpressive and strict, yet they worry about everything.
At my words, Namgung Un replied.
“Even if they spoke honestly and openly, given Dang-a’s nature, she would have rushed out anyway.”
“….”
An age brimming with youthful vigor.
Indeed, if honesty alone could bridge hearts, child-rearing would be half as difficult.
A friend who raised children once told me that persuading your own flesh and blood is a hundred times harder than convincing a complete stranger.
They simply won’t listen. They do the opposite instead.
Watching that process itself is like the path to enlightenment spoken of in Buddhism.
As you watch, wisdom continues to flow from your navel, he said.
‘That’s right. From a parent’s perspective, Dang-a is… a child with an iron will.’
Especially here in the martial world. Knowing she might die, she still charged out like a stray dog to achieve her ambition.
Martial artist parents love their children no less than any other parents.
On the other hand.
Sama-hye spoke.
“…That courage to charge forward alone without hesitation before the enemy. Truly, the Hyeolpyeon-wang is a great hero.”
She clasped her hands together, her voice dreamy.
She didn’t seem to entertain even a passing thought that Dang-a might be injured or killed.
Well, Sama-hye has been with her hero since childhood, hasn’t she.
A hero who became my pillar of support whenever times grew difficult.
‘Ah, now that I think about it, the hair ornament Hye-a is wearing… it’s a Hyeolpyeon-wang ornament.’
A spear-shaped hairpin.
It seemed she had worn it with the expectation of meeting a hero in her childhood.
I felt a bit worried.
‘She shouldn’t get hurt….’
The heavens tore open, and things that had been hidden before began to walk freely.
Even I couldn’t predict how strong that power would be.
How many times had I witnessed people become nothing but a handful of blood.
‘Please be safe. Dang-a.’
Sama-hye and Dang-a.
I hoped the two of them could meet and smile together.
* * *
My group decided to head immediately to where Dang-a was grappling with the evil creature.
‘Could that evil creature really be causing this mosquito plague?’
Not all mosquitoes carried malaria and yellow fever.
But if some evil creature had appeared and was releasing specific mosquito species in massive quantities, that would be different.
‘And in a season like this, no less.’
I distributed mosquito-repelling sachets made by Baekrin Uiseon to everyone.
Since the ones used in this area were becoming increasingly ineffective, I used those from Baekrin Uiseon instead.
Fortunately, none of the doctors had been bitten, as the sachets worked well against the local mosquitoes.
The guide was a spirit creature.
A white snake as thick as a human forearm.
When examined closely in sunlight, its scales shimmered with rainbow colors, creating an extraordinarily luminous appearance.
“It is called the Seven-Colored Spirit Snake.”
Tang Mukha said.
“It is a spirit creature raised by our Sichuan Tang Family, and truthfully, if we were to rank it by grade, it is not particularly high.”
Tang Mukha spoke with extreme caution, knowing the Seven-Colored Spirit Snake would bite him if he called it a low-grade spirit creature.
Fortunately, the Seven-Colored Spirit Snake seemed unbothered by this comment and slid leisurely across the ground.
Then it encountered Hwang-gu.
Pant, pant, pant, pant!
Hwang-gu, who had grown into a high-grade spirit creature by now, gave the Seven-Colored Spirit Snake a nose kiss, and the snake reciprocated.
Did it take a liking to him?
The Seven-Colored Spirit Snake eagerly licked his scales.
Lick, lick, lick, lick!
“I will go search for Dang-a together with this Seven-Colored Spirit Snake.”
“I’m coming too. Eun Gong!”
When Sama-hye spoke, Namgung Un also said something.
“I’m going as well.”
After leaving the Sichuan Tang Family, how much further did we walk.
Jin Cheon-hee suddenly came to a halt.
“Is something the matter, younger brother Jin?”
“Namgung, you should head back soon.”
[If I’m not mistaken… didn’t you come here to conduct secret dealings with the Lord of the Tang Family? If you slip away now, the perfect moment for a private audience will arrive.]
“…!”
Namgung Un’s eyes widened slightly at Jin Cheon-hee’s transmission.
[Does the Jegallim Family possess some ability to read minds or foresee the future?]
[Nothing so extraordinary. I simply know well the circumstances facing the Namgung Family. And the Sichuan Tang Family as well.]
This man—a romantic and yet a realist simultaneously.
There was no way he had come to the Sichuan Tang Family without reason.
Since he didn’t appear to have any particular business with Dang-a, it must concern the Lord of the Tang Family.
And if it were a confidential matter that couldn’t be entrusted to others, a private audience would be necessary regardless—this much Jin Cheon-hee had deduced.
A simple calculation that seemed trivial when merely heard aloud.
[Right about now, it being lunch time, all the martial artists of the Sichuan Tang Family should have headed to the dining hall. The Lord of the Tang Family, occupied with compiling new martial techniques, would be in the study chamber with a select few elders.]
[…Hearing it laid out like that, I’m beginning to feel a chill.]
Namgung Un reflected.
‘From just a single glance, he’s already grasped the movements of the entire Sichuan Tang Family!’
If such insight were turned toward assassination, he would become a truly formidable adversary.
Jin Cheon-hee himself understood this, which is why he ordinarily refrained from such disclosures.
However, the other party was Namgung Un.
To be of assistance, there was no choice but to speak openly, so Jin Cheon-hee did not conceal it.
Furthermore….
[Yet you do not despise me.]
[I know that the Gangho is not forgiving enough to despise you, Namgung. I also understand how heavy the burden you must bear truly is.]
As the patriarch, he had to resolve the matter of Ju Yeong-yeong, a spy for the Demonic Sect.
He could strike openly, severing her neck before all eyes.
However, there was also another path—to interrogate quietly and resolve matters in silence.
‘Already, with Ju Yeong-yeong moving in the shadows, countless martial artists have been tainted by the Demonic Sect. Moreover, from the previous incident, the patriarch—my father—has become a husk. If this situation is left to fester, the remaining family will suffer the same fate.]
That many of the Namgung Family’s martial artists had died under mysterious circumstances was something anyone could discern, strategist or not.
Dialogue?
Peace?
It would be wonderful if such were possible.
However, no sermon could bring back the dead.
‘Ju Yeong-yeong doesn’t even have a bounty on her head, and even if I wanted to report her to the authorities, her false identity is flawless. In the end, all that remains is combat.]
He had already come to know the darkness within humanity.
And he understood what choice Namgung Un had made.
To preach before him would be nothing but hypocrisy.
‘Younger brother Jin is not the sort to judge people in such a manner.]
Before departing this place, Namgung Un had observed Ju Yeong-yeong’s movements.
Looking with suspicion, unlike before, he realized there had been far too many martial artists who died in her vicinity in the past.
All this time, I thought I had lost my life in combat with enemies, but was that truly the case?
‘The taste of the tea I was drinking became strange.’
Upon discreet investigation, it was not poison.
If it had been poison, I would have been caught long ago.
It was merely tea that forcibly awakened me and prevented sleep.
‘What are they planning?’
One by one, the martial arts disciples protecting Namgung Un began to be replaced as they contracted mysterious illnesses.
Tea that disrupted sleep and caused exhaustion.
And the disciples being replaced.
Even a fool could understand it.
That I was the next target.
‘However, if the people around me become obstacles, they will attack them as well.’
My younger sister Namgung Yeon is strong and clever enough to protect herself, but what of Namgung Jin and Namgung Seon below her?
And my son, Namgung Su.
Should I let that child live?
However, the enemy is the Demonic Sect… I know how terrifying their fanaticism can be.
‘Must I fight to survive?’
And resolve this matter in secret.
‘It seems my younger brother Jin has seen through all of this.’
What was even more remarkable was that he was still helping me despite that.
After all, not killing was merely my own philosophy.
I do not impose it upon others.
And if I myself faced mortal danger, I was prepared to stain my hands with blood to survive.
From Namgung Un’s perspective, Jin Cheon-hee was like this.
‘Generally speaking,’ he did not kill.
To others, it might seem like a rather lukewarm philosophy.
However, Namgung Un saw it differently.
‘One who understands this harsh Gangho well, and its hidden depths too.’
Had he not said that even his standard of “generally speaking” was established to protect himself?
[I hope you can make a good deal with the Lord of the Tang Family and protect the Namgung Family.]
[…Is that sarcasm?]
[It is sincere. When creating the martial arts to teach to commoners this time, the intellectual capacity of the Namgung Family seems to be of some help. If you emphasize that aspect, they will readily agree to the deal.]
[You are… frightening.]
[I am not a good person. I merely… hope that if someone must die, it is not young children or those around me. I dare not be greedy beyond that.]
Jin Cheon-hee finished his transmission and smiled.
Embracing reality.
Yet still pursuing ideals.
Namgung Un did not dislike this strange contradiction.
For some reason, such contradiction felt familiar to him.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Namgung Un offered me a light bow and disappeared in the opposite direction.
After he had gone some distance.
Sama-hye spoke.
“Eun Gong. The fact that the Namgung Family Head met privately with the Tang Family Lord is confidential, isn’t it? Should I simply explain later that I went to provide support with Dang-a and our paths diverged?”
Her perceptiveness was sharp.
Sama-hye couldn’t fathom the reason why Namgung Un had come to the Sichuan Tang Family.
But the fact that I had told Namgung Un to return alone at this particular moment surely meant it was for something secretive.
Though I didn’t know the contents of their spiritual transmission.
Since Namgung Un was a family head, wasn’t I trying to create an opportunity for him to meet privately with the Tang Family Lord, who was also a family head?
It was a different method of deduction than mine, yet it led to the correct answer.
Sama-hye was also the master of the Baekrin Medical Guild.
She understood intimately how the Gangho operated.
I answered her.
“That depends on the two of them later.”
“I’ll need to read the situation carefully and act accordingly.”
“That’s the way of it.”
Even while going to meet someone she admired, she grasped the realities of worldly conduct.
Truly, she was an exemplar for modern people.
‘Hye-a has grown to this extent.’
For a doctor, something more important than martial prowess existed.
It was perceptiveness.
‘Sama-hye’s perceptiveness has already reached the level of Hwagyeong. At this level, she won’t find herself stabbed in the back when facing any difficult patient from the great sects.’

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