Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 175

Dang-

With the sound of the bell, incense smoke rose.

Compared to the preparations, the ceremony ended quickly. The core of it was to recite the prescribed words to Wudang’s ancestors, to announce that Jin Cheonhee had become a new member, and that Cheon-woo had become his direct disciple.

Jin Cheonhee and Cheon-woo paid their respects and bowed. Immortal Myeong Gil and the sect leader also bowed together.

That was the end of it.

Immortal Myeong Gil grinned.

“Come to think of it, about that letter. The White Dragon asked if I had gone senile, stealing disciples like this. Hehehehe!”

“Kuhep!”

Even though he was much older than Jin Cheonhee’s master, sending such a message meant he was really furious.

“But seeing that he gave you permission, it seems he concluded it was beneficial. That’s the kind of person the White Dragon is. His head is always cool, separate from his emotions. Even his anger might be to erase both debts of gratitude. And that has been achieved.”

“……”

“Others would beg barefoot if I offered to make them a joint personal disciple, but I gained you while incurring two debts of gratitude. Do you understand what that means?”

For some reason, Jin Cheonhee’s throat felt tight and words wouldn’t come out easily.

Immortal Myeong Gil continued, “Soon, I’ll be gone from here, whether I leave due to old age or ascend to immortality. In a few years, you’ll have only one master again. The White Dragon probably knows this too.”

In the original story, when the Heavenly Demon Blood Path opened, Immortal Myeong Gil wasn’t there. Wudang desperately needed him, but no one could save them.

Knowing the future, Jin Cheonhee spoke heavily.

“Those words are too heavy for me. Please…”

The old man’s eyes were filled with dizzying light.

“…When that time comes, I ask you to look after Wudang once.”

With those final words, Immortal Myeong Gil walked ahead.

Jin Cheonhee stared blankly at his back.

For some reason, Fist Emperor’s back seemed faint, as if it might disappear at any moment.

***

The next day, Jin Cheonhee stood before Immortal Myeong Gil with a determined look on his face.

“Please allow me to check your pulse once.”

“Do you know it’s rude to ask when I’m not your patient and I didn’t request it first?”

Jin Cheonhee nodded at those words.

Without much hesitation, Immortal Myeong Gil extended his wrist to Jin Cheonhee.

As Jin Cheonhee checked Immortal Myeong Gil’s pulse using his qi, he thought to himself.

‘There’s no particular place that seems to be in pain… and that’s the problem.’

If he had to point out what was ailing him, it was old age itself. A body growing old, accumulated fatigue from countless battles.

Immortal Myeong Gil’s body was now reaching its limit.

Whether he ascended to immortality or passed away from old age, his premonition that he wouldn’t be here in a few years was accurate.

‘I saw this in the original story too, but actually experiencing it makes my heart heavy.’

Reversing age and returning to youth is something allowed only to an extremely small number of martial artists touched by luck. Despite countless realizations, Immortal Myeong Gil’s body didn’t know how to turn back.

“Kukukukuk, how is it? Physician boy. You can’t cure old age, can you?”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“I can’t help but laugh seeing your expression, wanting to save me somehow. It’s been a while since I’ve seen eyes like that.”

“…Maybe if you had used your body a little less in your youth, it would have been better.”

Jin Cheonhee stopped checking the pulse.

“If I had fought less, I wouldn’t have become Fist Emperor. What is martial arts? It’s something you hone by risking your life. If you don’t stake your life, you can’t obtain martial arts, so a martial artist who doesn’t fight is just empty.”

This was the realization of a madman who had pursued martial arts alone throughout his life.

“I have no regrets. Not one. I’m only worried about what will happen after I’m gone.”

“……”

“One who can see Wudang from the outside, and one who will take root in Wudang with genius talent. With these two, somehow the next thirty years should be manageable. Both of them with quite the temperament.”

Jin Cheonhee raised one eyebrow.

“It’s fine if you insult me, but not Cheon-woo.”

Isn’t Cheon-woo the one with the best personality among Jin Cheonhee’s potential younger siblings?

“Klklkl. Is that so? To my eyes, he seems like he’s swallowed a thousand vipers. Every time that boy opens his mouth, the scent of poison is so intense, it can be smelled from a thousand ri away.”

‘Cheon-woo is being misunderstood again because of his appearance.’

Although Immortal Myeong Gil’s judgment was poor to evaluate Cheon-woo like this, Jin Cheonhee thought that his mind would change when he saw Cheon-woo’s righteous behavior and way of speaking in the future.

Thinking this, Jin Cheonhee said, “I understand. In any case, please take some tonic medicine to nourish your body. You should live as long as possible.”

“When you cultivate martial arts all your life at this age, you develop a strange intuition. You can guess who will live and who will die with uncanny accuracy.”

“I see.”

“If I want to ascend to immortality alive with this body, it seems I shouldn’t even touch such things. Kukukukuk.”

If it were a martial artist, they might nod at Immortal Myeong Gil’s words and admire, ‘The attitude of rejecting comfort and dedicating oneself to martial arts until the very end! I want to emulate that.’

However, to Jin Cheonhee, a modern surgeon, it felt a bit different.

‘…He’s a patient who doesn’t listen to the doctor.’

It was familiar.

Young martial artists would at least listen to physicians, but older swordsmen who had swung their swords a bit all seemed to have their own stubbornness.

Told not to drink alcohol, they’d drink saying they were disinfecting their stomachs. Told to refrain from salty foods for a while, they’d put salted fish on their rice saying it was fine.

Recalling the many old swordsmen flashing through his mind like a kaleidoscope, Jin Cheonhee nodded.

“I understand. I’ve said what I needed to say.”

“What’s with that look?”

Jin Cheonhee took out several White Dragon Divine Pills from his pouch and cut them into quarters.

“In martial arts terms, it’s a medicine especially effective for internal injuries, but it also contains the mysteries of the Five-Elemental Divine Technique, so it’s good for stabilizing internal energy and nourishing organs. Take a quarter each day.”

“Didn’t you hear me say I won’t take tonics?”

“It’s fine because it’s medicine for internal injuries. It’s not a tonic.”

Jin Cheonhee decided to insist as well.

But if he still refused to take it, there was no answer, as he wasn’t a three-year-old child.

“…Persistent fellow.”

Saying this, Immortal Myeong Gil accepted the White Dragon Divine Pills that Jin Cheonhee gave him and put them away.

“Wudang Sect has a lot of money, right? When you finish them, order new ones right away. I’ll tell the medical pavilion in advance, so they’ll come without delay.”

“Hmph! Now I see why White Dragon Medical Pavilion’s business is so good these days.”

“Come on, even if I’m trying to save your life, you say such things.”

Immortal Myeong Gil grumbled.

“Even if this extends my life, how much longer will it be? Will it add even a year? Not likely.”

“I can’t cure old age either. It’s just to make you less sick and suffer fewer minor illnesses,” Jin Cheonhee smiled brightly. “People are bound to die anyway. I know that. But as a physician, there are things I can do, so I’m just trying to do a little of that.”

“You’re quite stubborn too.”

Jin Cheonhee said only that much, then paid his respects and withdrew.

Human death cannot be prevented. He could only hope that Immortal Myeong Gil would succeed in ascending to immortality as in the original story.

However, with the original story deviating now, even Jin Cheonhee couldn’t be certain how far it would be possible.

‘Humans die. I know.’

A brief sadness flashed across Jin Cheonhee’s smiling face as he turned away.

But soon, his expression returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

It was because Cheon-woo was approaching Jin Cheonhee from afar.

“Brother, I’ve finished organizing the accommodations!”

Since Cheon-woo and Jin Cheonhee’s master had been decided, their residence had to change as well.

Cheon-woo had taken care of the aftermath.

“Thank you. Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Anything you make, brother.”

At those words, Jin Cheonhee ruffled Cheon-woo’s hair. It wasn’t an easy task given how big Cheon-woo had grown.

“Wait a bit. I’ll make you something delicious.”

“Okay!”

***

Immortal Myeong Gil had said.

One who can see Wudang from the outside. Another who will take root in Wudang with genius talent.

He said these two were needed.

For this, he used two debts of gratitude.

As the sect leader said, he was indeed an eccentric far removed from common sense.

At the same time, he was also someone who loved Wudang, having devoted his entire life to it.

“I will teach exactly as I learned. How you digest this will be up to you to handle. Kukukukuk… Are you scared?”

Jin Cheonhee shook his head.

Before the young man, Taoist classics were piled up like mountains.

“They say the Zhuge Clan’s Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique is quite impressive? Can you memorize it all in one day?”

“I’m not confident.”

Looking at Jin Cheonhee answering calmly, Immortal Myeong Gil replied amusedly.

“Somehow, you don’t act your age. Well, that’s how it should be. That’s what I liked, so it should be that way.”

After muttering to himself, he slapped Jin Cheonhee’s back.

“Do your best. This is a classic that everyone in Wudang, whether lay or direct disciples, memorizes. If you don’t memorize it by nightfall, I’ll beat you.”

“Yes.”

“Ah, and one more thing. You don’t have to call me master.”

Jin Cheonhee was slightly surprised at those words. Immortal Myeong Gil continued.

“Although you’ve formally become a joint personal disciple out of necessity, I won’t consider you my disciple, so you don’t need to think of me as your master either.”

“Then how should I address you?”

Immortal Myeong Gil stroked his chin and said this.

“Well, calling me Wudang Fist Emperor or Taiji Fist Emperor seems too stuffy. Hmm… How about grandfather?”

“Pardon?”

“If I had a grandson, he’d probably be bright-eyed and handsome like you. So call me grandfather.”

At those words, Jin Cheonhee thought.

‘Was I the type that appealed to elders…?’

Of course, Immortal Myeong Gil wouldn’t have made Jin Cheonhee a joint personal disciple based on looks alone, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it played a small part.

Humans are visual creatures, after all?

“Alright. Grandfather.”

“Cheon-woo, how would you like to call me?”

To that, Cheon-woo answered calmly.

“I don’t have any other master, and you are my only master, Grand Uncle Fist Emperor. I’d just like to call you Master.”

“Keulkeulkeul, one grandson and one disciple? My twilight years are bountiful indeed.”

Immortal Myeong Gil nodded, saying so. He seemed pleased.

“Cheon-woo, you come with me. I need to check your Wudang basics.”

“Yes.”

“If they’re lacking, know that you’ll have to learn everything from scratch, even the character ‘Jeong’ and the character ‘Ja’. Klklkl!”

It meant he’d kill all the sect leaders and elders.

Cheon-woo, on the contrary, nodded confidently.

“I understand, Master. I’ll do my best.”

Impressed by this, Jin Cheonhee clenched his fist.

‘Cheon-woo, do your best to survive.’

***

Reading and comprehending all ten core Taoist classics wasn’t a problem.

This was because the Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique itself was specialized in cramming such knowledge.

“Hooh, I thought you couldn’t do it, but you memorized it all. It doesn’t seem like all the Zhuge kids did this much.”

Immortal Myeong Gil tested Jin Cheonhee on a few passages and rubbed his chin amusedly as he answered.

Though he pretended otherwise, his expression looked extremely pleased.

Behind such a Jin Cheonhee stood Cheon-woo with a slightly injured body.

“Good. Rest well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”