Doctor’s Rebirth

Chapter 118

The future is changing bit by bit. However, surprisingly, the main currents don’t change easily, and it takes a lot of effort to bend them.

It was like a river.

It’s extremely difficult for humans to change the current of a river.

While it’s possible to clear small pebbles or plant trees to change the scenery, to change a massive tributary, one had to be prepared to be swallowed and swept away by the river’s flow.

Most had to risk their lives.

‘Sama Hye’s post-surgery progress is good.’

The brace that Sama Hye would wear from now on had arrived.

The so-called Jin Cheon-hee-style ‘Milwaukee brace’.

It’s something that supports the spine while children are growing, and truthfully, I’ve never seen kids who like wearing it.

How many kids would be happy to be forcibly fitted with this at an age when they should be running around?

“I’ve also made a sleeping brace, so you need to wear this when you sleep.”

Surprisingly, Sama Hye’s eyes lit up as she followed Jin Cheon-hee’s instructions.

“Can you do it?”

At Jin Cheon-hee’s words, Sama Hye said:

“Of course. Wearing this means it won’t happen again, right?”

She’s been painfully attempting the external technique Jin Cheon-hee taught her, little by little, every day.

Poses that are easy for normal people are difficult for her.

‘She could be a bit more spoiled.’

He knew that was difficult.

Jin Cheon-hee stroked Sama Hye’s head.

“From now on, you’ll need to come to the Hangzhou branch periodically. I’ve assigned a primary physician who will be in charge of your care.”

“What about you, Great Hero Little White Dragon…?”

“I need to rest at the Celestial Inn until the next ship arrives. I’ve done all I can.”

Days of intense forced marches.

While he had been able to save many lives and teach many people, satisfaction and fatigue were separate things.

He needed to recharge.

Jin Cheon-hee decided to reward himself.

Deep disappointment showed on Sama Hye’s face. But it was only for a moment.

The child shook her head by herself and then said:

“I want to become a doctor when I grow up.”

“You’ll have to study a lot.”

“I will. I’ll study a lot…”

She clenched her fist tightly.

“Juniors are always welcome. But don’t forget, first you need to get completely better.”

Sama Hye nodded.

A child’s dreams change often.

Whether Sama Hye would actually grow up that way, or if she would dream of something else along the way, Jin Cheon-hee couldn’t know.

‘Just grow up healthy.’

That was the most important thing.

Because you need to be healthy to obtain happiness.

Jin Cheon-hee said to Sama Hyeon:

“I’ve spoken to the Celestial Inn. You’ll be able to earn money regularly there. They were very pleased.”

As Sama Hyeon nodded, Jin Cheon-hee continued:

“Since you stubbornly insisted on not burdening the medical pavilion any further, they’ve agreed to arrange accommodation for you, so you should be able to leave that place.”

It was more of an underground dugout hut than a house.

“Brother, I’m grateful, but there’s no need to do this much for worms like us.”

“Watch your language. Neither you nor your siblings are worms.”

“That’s…”

“And I’m not Buddha either, so I’m just helping a few people who catch my eye.”

Jin Cheon-hee smiled bitterly.

“Do you know about adult hypocrisy?”

“What?”

“Humans are beings who can comfort themselves by giving just one coin to a poor person. So adults, you see, treat themselves by helping people within arm’s reach, even if it’s just a little.”

“You mean helping others is also treating myself?”

“Yes. It’s good for mental health. This is quite a famous theory, you know?”

“There’s such a theory?”

“There is.”

Just as Jin Cheon-hee had somewhat changed Yeo Ha-ryoon, could he change Sama Hyeon this time?

He wasn’t confident.

But rather than doing it with intention, it was more for Jin Cheon-hee himself, so he continued speaking.

“Anyway, as you live, you’ll continue to be worn down by how hard the world is. You’ll have to lie sometimes even if you don’t want to, you’ll have to do things you don’t want to do. As a martial artist, there might come situations where you have to bloody your hands.”

“I’m already in that situation, aren’t I?”

“Yeah. That’s right. What can we do, the world is like this.”

Jin Cheon-hee gave a hollow laugh.

“These small good deeds prevent me from being worn down.”

“…”

“When you feel too tired and worn down, do some small good deeds and fill your self-esteem with that. That’s adult hypocrisy. It’s a way to protect yourself.”

That was the reason Jin Cheon-hee could continue his work as a doctor in this martial world.

‘I see. I’ve been avoiding taking lives to prevent myself from being worn down.’

Unless it was a situation where his companions acted first, if Jin Cheon-hee directly took someone’s life.

And then had to stand in front of the operating table to save someone.

The martial artist Jin Cheon-hee and the doctor Jin Cheon-hee would pull him from both sides.

If this life repeated, Jin Cheon-hee himself would eventually be torn in half.

Even if it was hypocrisy, it was fine.

“At least feed a hungry dog.”

Woof! – Master, quickly supply jerky!

The yellow dog immediately responded to the word ‘feed’.

“Will you give it to him?”

Jin Cheon-hee handed some jerky to Sama Hyeon.

“Well, I’ve never fed a dog before. I didn’t even have food for myself, why should I feed Sir Dog…”

“But you have food now, don’t you?”

“That’s true.”

Sama Hyeon handed the jerky in his hand to the yellow dog.

Chomp chomp.

The yellow dog swallowed the jerky in two bites and then licked Sama Hyeon’s palm.

“Brother, you’re really an eccentric~”

“I hear that a lot.”

Sama Hyeon hesitated before stroking the yellow dog’s head.

These were hands that could tear off human facial skin.

They could easily crush a dog’s skull. But the yellow dog seemed pleased and pushed its head forward.

Rub rub rub.

Enjoying being scratched, the yellow dog panted and smiled.

“And brother, what we’ve received is too big to be called a small good deed, isn’t it?”

“It’s enough if you grow up healthy, that’s all.”

And so Jin Cheon-hee left the branch.

As Jin Cheon-hee was leaving, Sama Hyeon asked:

“Where should I go if I want to meet you?”

They’ve become quite close, now mixing informal and polite speech.

“Right now I’m out wandering, but White Dragon Medical Pavilion main compound is my home. Oh, if you send a message there, it might reach me.”

“Might?”

“I might receive it at a medical branch in another region… I’m not sure.”

“So it’s not certain~”

Sama Hyeon’s pupils curved sharply. Regardless, Jin Cheon-hee, unaware of Sama Hyeon’s thoughts, said:

“Grow up well, you punk.”

“Don’t worry about that. Even if I can’t grow up to be good in this trash life, I think I can at least grow up well~”

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk like that?”

Instead of answering, Sama Hyeon lightly punched Jin Cheon-hee’s chest.

“You take care not to get hurt too. Got it?”

“Sure.”

Jin Cheon-hee waved his hand as he walked away.

Sama Hyeon stood at the doorway, watching Jin Cheon-hee for a long time until he disappeared.

Then, as if he had made some decision, he turned and disappeared somewhere.

***

The Celestial Inn was warm, luxurious, and delicious.

Jin Cheon-hee settled back into the Celestial Inn and pondered deeply.

‘The attendant recommended the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (Fotiaoqiang). But Gong Banha from the Gong-woon Escort Agency never recommended this place’s Buddha Jumps Over the Wall…’

He wondered if the attendant was really selling the dish or not.

‘Plus, it’s quite expensive. Not many people order it. Even in this situation, if I order the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall here, would I be a fool?’

Jin Cheon-hee’s worries deepened.

‘Three meals a day. I want to fill them with delicious things. But I also want to try new menu items.’

Finally, the boy slapped the table.

‘Let’s eat it. If it’s not tasty, that’s also a travel experience!’

But honestly, it’s an experience he doesn’t want to have.

“Attendant, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall! And dongpo pork with four… no, five-flavor cold dishes! Bring them all at once!”

“Yes! I’ll bring them right away!”

Oh well, eat and die. If it’s a disaster, at least he can console himself with dongpo pork.

‘I’m a fool. Moo! Moo~!’

Jin Cheon-hee the fool ended up ordering that expensive Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

It was unknown whether he would remain a fool today or become a gourmet with foresight.

Soon, steaming hot dishes were placed one by one before Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes.

‘The cold dishes and dongpo pork were guaranteed to be delicious from the start, but the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is different.’

The price of the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was more expensive than the other two combined.

Jin Cheon-hee’s expression became quite serious.

Finally, he carefully scooped up some broth with his spoon and swallowed it.

“Oh?”

A short exclamation. Then he took a second spoonful of broth. This time, he swallowed it with abalone.

“Hot, hot, hot!”

The basic clear broth contained chicken, abalone, matsutake mushrooms, and even bird’s nest.

‘Wow, it’s luxurious.’

It was worth being expensive.

At the same time, it was a taste worth taking a big risk for.

As if toasting to his own choice, Jin Cheon-hee grasped the hot bowl with both hands and drank it like soup, straight to his mouth.

Gulp gulp!

‘Wooow! How can it be so clear yet rich at the same time? These two qualities coexist?’

Was it because the matsutake mushrooms were grown in an unpolluted area?

The size, texture, and aroma were all perfect.

And there was the black-boned silkie chicken, cut with the bones.

‘Even the bones of the silkie chicken are black. Hehehe.’

Now that he had tasted the broth, it was time to properly tackle the solid ingredients.

As he was picking them up one by one with his chopsticks and eating them slowly, someone sat down abruptly in front of Jin Cheon-hee.

‘Hm? Who is it?’

As he looked up, he saw two familiar faces.

An incredibly beautiful woman and a handsome man. Their faces were strangely similar.

Mu-hwa and Mu-wol.

In the past, when Jin Cheon-hee had developed penicillin, he had treated their syphilis.

“Wow, you two were here? How did we end up meeting in this vast Hangzhou?”

Jin Cheon-hee opened his eyes wide and then added:

“Did you come looking for me?”

The two were from the Hao Sect.

Jin Cheon-hee immediately realized that it wasn’t a coincidence, given that the Hao Sect deals with information.

Above all, the expressions on their faces confirmed his deduction.

“We heard that you had come out into the martial world, so we came to greet you in person. It also happened that we both had business in Hangzhou.”

“Oh… I see.”

He thought they might have come a long way on purpose, but he quickly shook his head.

No matter what, it seemed too self-conscious to deduce that they had come all the way to Hangzhou just to see Jin Cheon-hee in this vast Central Plains.

Mu-hwa said:

“We heard that you were going to the Zhoushan Islands.”

“As expected of the Hao Sect.”

“You weren’t exactly moving in secrecy. Most people interested in you probably know about it.”

“They say in the martial world that eyes are stuck on the ceiling and ears are attached to the walls. It’s really true.”

Jin Cheon-hee let out a hearty laugh.