Doctor’s Rebirth

Chapter 73

Following the servant, they arrived at a place where Hwanggu, branch leader, and several beggars were seated.

The beggars seemed to hold quite important positions, as evidenced by the four or more knots on their waistbands.

“The translation of the letter has just been completed, Young Master.”

‘This is going to be incredibly troublesome, isn’t it?’

Jin Cheon-hee immediately replied.

“Should I step out so as not to interfere?”

Master had said it. Treat, but don’t get entangled in troublesome affairs.

He said that in the martial world, knowing too much doesn’t always lead to good things.

The branch leader held Jin Cheon-hee back.

“Uh…”

Absolutely necessary. It must be a matter requiring a physician.

For some reason, Jin Cheon-hee recalled one of the incidents he had seen in the novel.

‘Surely not that…?’

The branch leader spoke.

“The Chief is in hiding after being attacked by unidentified assailants.”

“Attacked?”

“Yes, the Chief had been traveling around for a long time to recover a certain divine object. He said he recovered it, but at the same time, he suffered severe internal injuries from an attack by a black-masked assailant, according to the letter.”

Jin Cheon-hee realized who the assailant was.

‘Little Heavenly Demon…? Perhaps? If so, then that divine object might be…?’

It’s a divine object related to the Demonic Cult. In the novel, Heavenly Demon sets out with other Demonic Cult members to establish merit.

This could be considered one of the journeys to become a candidate for the position of Young Cult Master, before actually becoming the Young Cult Master.

“What about the assailants?”

“He said he defeated all but a few of them. However…”

“However?”

“He mentioned that one of the assailants was particularly strong, which worried him. He couldn’t finish him off and let him escape. But he said he inflicted severe internal injuries, so he probably didn’t survive…”

Something was off. Originally, the Beggar’s Sect’s Chief should have died from these assailants’ attack.

A butterfly effect had occurred. Or perhaps it wasn’t such a significant variable.

If Wang Gak-yeon hadn’t discovered Hwanggu and asked Jin Cheon-hee for help, Hwanggu would have died, and the Chief who is now hiding and enduring would have also died.

It might take some time to track down, but in any case, the divine object would have ended up in the hands of the Demonic Cult.

‘So in the end, both Heavenly Demon Yeo Ha-ryoon and the Beggar’s Sect’s Chief were injured?’

But Jin Cheon-hee has only one body.

***

Arc 11: Like a Dog Hit by Snow (1)

Not far away, an avalanche occurred. The roar of falling snow was nearly deafening.

The masked child assessed the power and range of the avalanche.

‘Fortunately, it’s far enough away.’

The protagonist of the novel “Supreme Heavenly Demon” and the one Jin Cheon-hee calls Little Heavenly Demon.

It’s Yeo Ha-ryoon.

True to his protagonist status, the child had grown considerably taller since the last time he was seen. Yeo Ha-ryoon slowly dragged his legs, searching for a place to hide. He had no inner force left to use lightness skills, and he had lost too much blood.

“Kugh…”

His delicate brow furrowed in pain.

Fortunately, a small cave came into view. Yeo Ha-ryoon burrowed deep into the cave.

‘One strike. If I had just struck one blow deeper, that old man would have died.’

It was a good night for an ambush.

All the members sent by the Divine Sect were skilled individuals. Each of them had ambitions to rise higher.

That old man… was weak to compassion.

Despite searching for the Demonic Cult’s divine object, he tried to carry a child with a broken leg down the mountain on his back.

That child was, of course, a member of our sect.

Logically speaking, could a five-year-old child break their own leg to deceive someone?

In the Sun Moon Divine Sect, it’s entirely possible.

And how many people could ignore a child crying out for their mother, begging to be saved in the cold mountains?

At least that old man wasn’t one of them.

For someone who is the Chief of the Beggar’s Sect, holding vast amounts of information, he couldn’t be cruel in the face of a grandchild-aged child’s screams.

‘To easily expose your back, led by personal feelings, he is unqualified to be the Chief.’

That’s how the leader of this assassination team evaluated him.

Survival of the fittest.

That was the most important principle of the Sun Moon Divine Sect.

Compassion is a weakness. And that old man fell victim to the Black Blood Mountain Venom injected by the child.

No matter how skilled a martial artist is, things change when hit with Black Blood Mountain Venom.

The interesting thing is that even while being ambushed, that old man couldn’t bring himself to kill the child who had stabbed his back.

He just gave the child one sad and pitiful look.

He was soft but strong.

Strong enough to kill all the other team members while his body was turning black and stiffening from the Black Blood Mountain Venom.

But not strong enough to kill Yeo Ha-ryoon.

‘Why couldn’t I deliver that final strike?’

Yeo Ha-ryoon entered the cave, pressing on his wound, lost in thought.

The blood of the Heaven-Killing Star was still ordering him to kill.

In that excitement and frenzy, Yeo Ha-ryoon’s sword tip hesitated for a moment.

This is the result of that hesitation.

Yeo Ha-ryoon pressed hard on his wound. Blood seeped through his palm.

It’s deep.

Yeo Ha-ryoon thought.

‘I wonder if the divine object I sent arrived safely with my brother.’

He was someone who could do nothing but kill.

He knew that no matter how precious the divine object was, once it was in his hands, it would become nothing but a tool for murder.

Following the blood, following fate, kill… and kill. What lies beyond that?

The boy pondered the same thought he had been having since his first memory.

At that moment, a low growling sound echoed from deep within the cave.

The stench of a beast assaulted his nostrils.

It seemed there was already an occupant in this cave.

A bear as black as a mountain growled lowly inside.

He wasn’t sure if he had enough strength left to kill it. But Yeo Ha-ryoon raised his sword.

***

‘Who should I save first?’

Jin Cheon-hee went to the medical ward of the White Dragon Medical Pavilion to prepare.

As expected of their affiliated medical ward, he was able to gather most of the necessary supplies.

Outside, the Beggar’s Sect disciples were organizing a pursuit team.

‘No, let me rephrase the question. Can I even save Little Heavenly Demon in this situation?’

If he went to save Heavenly Demon now, it would be perfect for being seen as a Demonic Cult spy.

‘Still, that bastard is the protagonist, so he won’t die easily… right?’

When reading the novel, even in times of crisis, he had thought, ‘He’s the protagonist, he won’t die. There’s still so much of the book left.’ But in reality, there’s no such assurance.

People die easily.

Will Yeo Ha-ryoon really overcome this crisis and return safely on his own, just like in the novel?

‘Ugh, I shouldn’t be the one saying this since I’m the one changing the novel’s content, but can’t we just follow the original plot? Damn it.’

The deliberation wasn’t long, and there was only one person he could fully trust here.

Someone with excellent skills, tracking abilities, and lightness techniques.

“Oh, are you ready?”

It was Wang Gak-yeon. She was just warming herself up in the lower part of the medical ward’s guest room.

She was also in the middle of eating some roasted potatoes.

“Gak-yeon. Are you planning to join the pursuit team too?”

“Of course. Who else is going to protect you here?”

She grinned and handed Jin Cheon-hee a potato.

The well-roasted potato looked delicious.

It was hard to imagine that just a few hours ago, she had been shooting arrows, taking down one bandit with each shot.

‘Is this what the martial world is like?’

Even though it was time to get used to it, it was still a bit difficult.

“It’s an extremely difficult problem, but can I ask you a favor? It’s okay if you refuse.”

“Why are you talking so formally? Just spit it out.”

Her mouth curved mischievously.

***

After finishing preparations and stepping outside, a woman was standing among the Beggar’s Sect disciples. True to the Beggar’s Sect style, she was dressed in shabby clothes with her hair tied with a straw rope.

She appeared to be in her mid to late thirties.

She had a large scar on her face and carried the Beggar’s Sect’s symbol, a hitting stick, at her waist.

“Damn it, I knew that old geezer would get into trouble.”

Her speech was as rough as her appearance.

However, the number and pattern of knots at her waist indicated that she was no ordinary member.

The Beggar’s Sect’s Rear Beggar (後丐). The one destined to become the next Chief.

Seol Gyeon.

‘Her original name was Seol Hwa, wasn’t it? Using the character for ‘flower’.’

However, her actions included gambling, stealing dog food, drinking and causing a ruckus… among others.

From a young age, she had talent in martial arts, mastering the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms by the age of twenty, and had been assisting behind the scenes in major and minor affairs of the martial world. The problem was that at some point, for some reason, she went completely off the rails.

What kind of conduct does a beggar need in the first place? It’s enough to beg well and sleep well.

However, as long as one claims to be part of the righteous faction, there’s a minimum line that must be maintained. Especially for someone who is to become the next Chief.

She began to commit quite eccentric acts, even by beggar standards.

It started with getting drunk and urinating on the wall of the Murim Alliance.

She had been doing such things for ten years.

People didn’t hesitate to call her Seol Gyeon (Seol the Dog).

‘Well, I know why she went crazy.’

The martial world is truly a strange place. Jin Cheon-hee scratched his head vigorously.

‘People really think she’s a real dog.’

When the Beggar’s Sect finally started to give up on finding the Chief, she was the last one still searching.

Giving up even the position of Chief, she searched alone for 8 years. And finally, she learned who the real culprit was.

Yeo Ha-ryoon. The Heavenly Demon.

The martial world was shocked, but that was all.

No one stepped forward to settle the Beggar’s Sect’s grudge.

Not even the other Beggar’s Sect members.

Not even the next Beggar’s Sect Chief who had taken the position thanks to Seol Gyeon’s concession.

Everyone said to give up.

Seol Gyeon said this:

‘Hehehe, do you know why my alias is ‘Dog’? Once I bite, I don’t let go.’

Seol Gyeon hid for 2 years, preparing for revenge. And the trap she had set worked quite well.

She had cornered the Heavenly Demon. However, the title of this novel is “Supreme Heavenly Demon”.

As long as the protagonist is the Heavenly Demon, he would never die. Finally, Yeo Ha-ryoon’s hand penetrated Seol Gyeon’s solar plexus.

Spitting bright red blood, Seol Gyeon said:

‘For the great Heavenly Demon to use even his primal energy just to catch one dog, the world would laugh. Huahahahahaha–!!’

Seol Gyeon laughed, consumed by madness.

The Heavenly Demon Yeo Ha-ryoon watched until the end as his nemesis died. And true to his protagonist nature, he buried her respectfully.

It was a truly strange scene as a reader.

In the martial world, it’s common to sacrifice one’s life to avenge one’s sect.

Even if the opponent is the Heavenly Demon, even if it’s an opponent you can never defeat, that’s what the grudges of the martial world demand.

‘But did Seol Gyeon really need to go that far?’

Jin Cheon-hee knew why she had become a dog.

It was all karma that started from the Chief.