Doctor’s Rebirth

Chapter 111

Jin Cheon-hee finally arrived in the city with the people from the escort agency, the injured, and the bandits tied up with ropes.

Thanks to handing over the bandits to the authorities, he was able to receive a small bounty.

When asked for his name, before Jin Cheon-hee could give his, the escort who came with him proudly said, “He’s the Little White Dragon!”

For some reason, just accompanying Jin Cheon-hee seemed to be a source of pride, as the escort puffed out his chest.

“Little White Dragon. Are you really the Little White Dragon? The righteous disciple of White Dragon Medical Pavilion…?”

The way the officers were rolling their eyes suggested they might present Jin Cheon-hee to some high-ranking official. Once you start taking care of the bodies of such noble lords, there’s no end to it.

Master had told Jin Cheon-hee something.

“Say you’re busy, Hee. You must always say you’re busy.”

No noble would refuse a doctor.

He’d never get out of there within a week.

After being treated to a feast of delicacies, he might end up having to check the pulses of even distant relatives.

Jin Cheon-hee immediately said:

“I have urgent business to attend to.”

“B-but…”

“I’ll gladly accept the travel expenses. Well then!”

In a split second, Jin Cheon-hee used his Heaven’s Foresight to quickly escape.

The officers gaped at the ghost-like disappearance.

The escorts, seeming to have caught on, left a parting “Well, we’ll be going too!” to the officers and ran after Jin Cheon-hee.

The lead escort, Gong Ilsang, said:

“Are you going to continue on like this?”

“I think I’ve done all I can.”

At those words, Gong Ilsang scratched his chestnut-like head.

“I think my brother made a mistake. I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s alright. I was going to leave soon anyway.”

Gong Ilsang’s face turned red.

“Even though you say it’s fine, I feel uneasy. You said you were going to Hangzhou, so if it’s alright, would you stop by our escort agency? We’ll take responsibility for providing you with lodging.”

“…”

When Jin Cheon-hee didn’t answer, Gong Ilsang hastily added:

“I just feel uncomfortable letting you go like this. Ah, there’s a famous restaurant in Hangzhou. I’ll have them reserve the best room for you.”

A famous restaurant in Hangzhou.

If nothing else, the prospect of good food was quite tempting.

As a modern person, Jin Cheon-hee was quite a foodie. In the past, he could easily find out which places were good and what their ratings were just by picking up his phone, but here he had to rely solely on his instincts.

As a result, he had experienced several bitter disappointments.

‘Good food. Good food is… important.’

For Jin Cheon-hee, it was a crucial factor in deciding how to spend his day.

Moreover, Hangzhou’s specialty was dongpo pork.

Just thinking about the rich soy sauce aroma and the tender, chewy meat made his mouth water.

“Alright.”

If he were to fail to find good food after going all the way to Hangzhou, he would regret it for a long time.

Jin Cheon-hee resolved to eat the best dongpo pork in Hangzhou.

Gong Ilsang then pulled out another pouch of silver.

“This is for your escort services. I felt bad that we only gave you treatment fees earlier.”

“That’s…”

“I’d like you to accept it, benefactor.”

As he accepted the pouch, Jin Cheon-hee realized:

‘The escort agency… they make quite a lot of money.’

Was it because they risked their lives?

Even a small agency like this could afford to give such a reward.

Jin Cheon-hee didn’t refuse the money offered.

“Thank you.”

He planned to use this for more delicious food as well.

***

Hangzhou.

Located at the end of the winding Yangtze River, where it meets the sea.

Since the construction of the Grand Canal during the Sui Dynasty, it has flourished as a center of commerce.

On Earth, Marco Polo once described it in his “Travels.”

Countless pavilions stretched endlessly below the vast Yangtze River.

The scents of octagon, loquat, and soy sauce wafted through the market streets.

“Wow.”

Hangzhou itself was a commercial district, tourist area, and entertainment district all in one.

Where there’s much light, there’s also much darkness, so smuggling was rampant, and it was the place where the Hao Sect had the most influence.

It was also where the Yangtze River Pirates operated.

Overall, while evil sects were dominant, it wasn’t that righteous sects had no presence.

The Namgoong family from Anhui was always trying to expand their influence here, and the Putuo Sword Sect’s territory on the Zhoushan Islands also belonged to this region.

In other words, one could say that in Hangzhou and Zhejiang Province, evil sects like the Hao Sect and Yangtze River Pirates were in a tense balance of power with righteous sects like the Namgoong family and Putuo Sword Sect.

As a place where money gathered, both righteous and evil sects could continuously maintain their influence.

‘Thanks to studying these power dynamics in advance with Master, and also because this place had quite a significant role in the novel.’

This is where the Hao Sect Leader and Yeo Ha-ryoon meet.

The Hao Sect Leader is here in Hangzhou.

As the leader of the Hao Sect, a criminal organization, he rarely showed his face in public.

Eventually, he encounters Yeo Ha-ryoon and puts an end to a massive incident.

That also became the beginning of a new incident.

‘But that’s still 15-20 years in the future, isn’t it?’

Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, considering various events that happened after Yeo Ha-ryoon became the Heavenly Demon, I estimate it to be about 15 to 20 years from now.

‘At this time, the Hao Sect Leader must be just a little kid. He was described as quite young.’

It’s hard to believe that such a vicious and evil guy is just a child now.

He’s so wicked that he could make friends with snakes.

‘I can’t know if he’s in Hangzhou when he’s young.’

The future Hao Sect Leader was in Hangzhou, but there’s no way to know if the past Hao Sect Leader is here too.

Even in the novel’s description, it wasn’t written what kind of background led him to become such a villain.

Much about this antagonist was shrouded in mystery.

‘The novel content I read was about the future 15-20 years from now, so things must be quite different now.’

According to what Master taught me, Hangzhou is currently jointly ruled by four sects.

The Anhui Trading Company, created by a relative of the Namgoong family and functioning as both a sect and a merchant group.

The Celestial Pavilion, directly established and managed by the Hao Sect.

The Putuo Escort Agency, founded by a lay disciple of the Putuo Sword Sect.

The Red Dagger Sect, backed by the Yangtze River Pirates.

These four are at the center of Hangzhou.

‘It’s complicated. Is the Putuo Escort Agency where I need to go?’

The Gong-woon Escort Agency, where Gong Ilsang is from, is allied with the Putuo Escort Agency. In fact, it’s more like the larger Putuo Escort Agency outsources work to the Gong-woon Escort Agency.

Both were founded by lay disciples from the Putuo Sword Sect, and from what I know, the Putuo Escort Agency gets priority in profit distribution.

As they were fellow disciples who shared the same background, the larger Putuo Escort Agency was backing the smaller Gong-woon Escort Agency.

It was their way of mutual support.

‘Even though they’re competitors, they’re quite open-minded.’

This is possible because in the martial arts world, being from the same sect carries a deep meaning that’s hard for a modern person to understand.

‘Seeing things like this somehow makes my blood boil.’

Romantic notions are good things.

Jin Cheon-hee grinned.

***

Since the Putuo Escort Agency was such a large place, it wasn’t difficult to find.

Even at this moment, numerous packages and people were coming and going.

‘Since I need to go to the Zhoushan Islands anyway and take a ship, it’s better to get help from the escort agency.’

As I entered through the large gate, an escort approached me.

“For requests, you need to go through that door over there.”

Oops, it seemed this was the back entrance where escorts came and went.

Jin Cheon-hee first took out the identification tag from under his sleeve and showed it to him.

“I’m here to see the people from the Gong-woon Escort Agency.”

The silver identification tag of White Dragon Medical Pavilion.

Seeing Jin Cheon-hee’s name, he exclaimed in surprise:

“Oh! Are you the Little White Dragon? We received a message from the Gong-woon Escort Agency! You’re quite young.”

It seemed the story about Jin Cheon-hee had already spread to the Putuo Escort Agency.

“The Little White Dragon is here!”

As he shouted, escorts from upstairs came rushing down. They were wearing the uniforms of the Gong-woon Escort Agency, not the Putuo Escort Agency.

It seemed they were indeed subletting space here.

Nevertheless, it was interesting to see the escorts from different agencies addressing each other as brothers.

“I am Gong Banha, the head of the Gong-woon Escort Agency. I’m pleased to meet you, Hero Little White Dragon.”

Gong Banha was a woman with a simple appearance, and as befitting a lay disciple of the Putuo Sword Sect, she wore a long sword at her waist.

Though her clothes were more humble than those of the Putuo Escort Agency, her aura was that of a righteous sect.

“Shall I guide you inside? As a benefactor of the Gong-woon Escort Agency, we should welcome you as an honored guest.”

Although they were poorer compared to the Putuo Escort Agency, none of the Gong-woon Escort Agency members were dressed shabbily.

Jin Cheon-hee shook his head.

“I’d feel bad imposing on you like that, so it’s fine.”

“Don’t worry about it. If we don’t properly show our gratitude for such matters, the martial arts world would laugh at us!”

This person seems determined to escort Jin Cheon-hee inside no matter what.

“It’s really okay. Actually, this is my first time in Hangzhou, and I’d like to stay at an inn with delicious food.”

Jin Cheon-hee finally revealed his true colors.

Good food.

What could be more important than that when traveling?

Of course, the food in the escort agency’s guest room wouldn’t be bad, but he really wanted to eat dishes freshly prepared by a chef at an inn.

Especially dongpo pork!

Placing hot, freshly steamed dongpo pork on rice would be the ultimate delicacy!

He didn’t want to miss that opportunity. Jin Cheon-hee was desperate.

“Ah! I see. I apologize, benefactor. I made a mistake. I understand. As it happens, we received instructions to reserve a good inn for you. Is there anything else we can help you with?”

Gong Banha, the agency head, was quick to catch on.

Normally, one would linger, hoping for a chance to serve tea or food and perhaps receive a free pulse diagnosis from the future Divine Doctor. But she didn’t do that.

“There’s a precious medicinal herb on the Zhoushan Islands, so I’m on my way to collect it personally. Could you arrange a boat for me? I’ll pay adequately, so please arrange the fastest boat possible.”

At Jin Cheon-hee’s words, she shook her head.

“Payment? That’s out of the question! Just a moment, Chief Escort!”

The Chief Escort ran over and whispered something in her ear.

After a while, she nodded.

“There’s a boat heading to Mount Putuo on the Zhoushan Islands in three days. We’ll try to arrange a place for you. Can you wait until then?”

Three days later.

He hadn’t expected to be able to leave so quickly, having anticipated about a week’s wait.

‘It seems they’re trying to forcibly arrange a spot, but…’

Jin Cheon-hee wasn’t one to ignore such kindness.

“Thank you.”

“Then, Hero, would you follow me? I’ll arrange a suitable inn for you to stay.”

He hadn’t expected the agency head to guide him personally.

Jin Cheon-hee scratched his cheek.

“If you could just tell me the location, I can go on my own.”

“The streets of Hangzhou are complex and numerous, and outsiders often get lost. I’d feel uneasy sending you off like this, so please allow me to do at least this much.”

At those words, Jin Cheon-hee glanced at her.

Her intention to gain his favor through this connection was obvious, but there seemed to be no other malicious intent.

“Alright. I’ll follow you.”

“Then, excuse me for taking the lead.”

She walked one step ahead, leading the way.