Doctor’s Rebirth

Chapter 26

Arc 3: Tree (2)

Seven days.

Jin Cheon-hee successfully absorbed the energy of the Five Elements.

‘Am I a person or an inner power circulating machine? By the way, it’s almost doubled.’

The One-Hundred Years Pine Pill, a spirit medicine, allowed for absorption and provided five years of cultivation power. But now, after consuming all five of White Dragon Medical Pavilion’s Five Elements Pills and cultivating the Five-Elemental Cultivation Technique, that inner power instantly became equivalent to ten years.

In fact, all five spirit pills combined aren’t as potent as the One-Hundred Years Pine Pill alone. Yet, the inner power increased this much due to the principle of mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements True Qi.

Jin Cheon-hee didn’t know this yet, but he felt that something was extraordinarily mystical.

White Dragon Medical Pavilion is one of the Three Great Medical Pavilions in the world.

If medical clinics are minor sects, medical pavilions are major sects.

Therefore, they have expertise in manufacturing and selling spirit medicines.

Of course, in the field of spirit medicines, many consider Hwaju Medical Pavilion, which has Yakseon, to be superior to White Dragon Medical Pavilion, but that doesn’t mean Baek Rin’s level is low.

Being such a prestigious institution, White Dragon Medical Pavilion produces various spirit medicines.

There are grades among spirit medicines, ranging from high to low.

High-grade spirit medicines are so rare that even White Dragon Medical Pavilion only produces one or two a year, so even Jin Cheon-hee, who has become the direct disciple of the Baek Rin Pavilion Master, can’t easily consume them.

However, low-grade spirit medicines could be given at the discretion of the Baek Rin Pavilion Master.

In other words, seven days ago.

In modern time terms, the five spirit pills consumed a week ago were exactly that. And there are still quite a few spirit pills left to consume in the future.

That is, he’s properly setting up his spirit medicine foundation.

‘In martial arts novels, direct disciples of major sects or direct descendants of large clans eat spirit medicines like rice from a young age. I never thought I’d become like this. Should I consider this fortunate?’

Of course, it doesn’t work just by doing it mechanically.

It must be circulated based on the understanding of the Five Elements. It’s not just about increasing the quantity of inner power.

“You’re amazing. How can a person do that, and then do it again, and again? You’ve hardly slept, haven’t you?”

Dawn inner power cultivation.

This is something everyone who has learned inner power does. And now, Yoo Ho came to speak to Jin Cheon-hee who had just finished his inner power cultivation.

‘Why has he come again? And man, you should try living the life of a trainee too.’

Back then, both body and mind were exhausted, and then exhausted again.

If there were modern-day slaves, the Korean medical resident system could be called that. He was like the lowest untouchable in the power hierarchy.

Back then, he was scolded for everything he did.

Scolded by patients, scolded by patients’ guardians, scolded by professors. Even scolded by passing dogs.

When he told a colleague, they said he was hearing things because he was too tired, and that the psychiatry department was on the second floor of the new building if he wanted to go, but Jin Cheon-hee clearly heard it then.

Everything in this world cursed at him.

Little medical slave Jin Cheon-hee was always filled with anger and sadness.

Later, he couldn’t feel anything at all.

He realized what it meant for emotions to be drained by fatigue.

Compared to that, here, just by practicing cultivation, his mind and body became clearer and more comfortable. Moreover, whenever he did anything, medical pavilion members would come and praise and encourage him, saying how amazing he was.

It was a life as the second most powerful person in White Dragon Medical Pavilion.

Jin Cheon-hee thought.

‘Ah, so I was a child who thrived on praise.’

“Hmm… It seems you’ve just entered the first stage of the Five-Elemental Cultivation Technique.”

“Is that fast? Come to think of it, I heard that achievements like the first stage are unrelated to the quantity of inner power. How is it measured?”

“As far as I know, it’s very fast. And martial arts achievements are evaluated based on the ability to handle true qi. To the eyes of an expert like me, it’s visible at a glance. By the way… Aside from your outstanding intelligence, how come you don’t rest at all?”

Yoo Ho had only come to check on Jin Cheon-hee on Zhuge Rin’s orders. And he just discovered that he had achieved the first stage of the Five-Elemental Cultivation Technique.

The speed of that achievement was beyond imagination, but his behavior was also astonishing to Yoo Ho.

“I am resting.”

“Is cultivation resting?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Jin Cheon-hee looked at Yoo Ho with a Buddha-like face.

Yoo Ho thought.

‘Eyes like someone who has experienced hell. How can a young child have such eyes?’

It was so deep that it was eerie.

‘Not the clear eyes of a child. The eyes of a long-suffering slave… What exactly is this boy’s past…?’

At that moment, the sound of the Qi Cultivation Room’s door opening was heard.

“Hee-ya!”

“Masteeer!”

Jin Cheon-hee returned to a child’s expression and ran to his master, hugging him tightly.

“Oh my, our genius puppy! I missed our Hee so I had a family member buy some delicious things from the marketplace,”

“My goodness, isn’t the market far? Did you climb up and down the mountain carrying food?”

“Don’t worry, Hee-ya. Adults are strong, so it’s fine.”

“Wow~ I see! That’s a relief~ Adults are okay! Master, can I eat more of this?”

“Of course. Hey there! Bring more sweets, more sweets. Don’t forget to use lightness skill to go and come back before they get cold.”

“Yes, yes! Pavilion Master! I’ll, I’ll go and return like the wind!”

That was more the voice of a tired office worker than a martial artist.

Startled by that voice, Jin Cheon-hee shook his head.

“Master, I’m fine. I’m full already.”

“No, no, Hee-ya. Are you worried? Look, you’re an adult, so you’re fine, right?”

“Yes! Pavilion Master! Of course I’m fine! Haha, ahahaha! Wahahahahaha!”

“See? He’s fine, isn’t he? Cheon-hee. You don’t need to worry.”

He’s a demon. A demon.

The master who had become completely doting turned into a demon just to see his disciple eat.

Yoo Ho decided to forget what he had seen today.

***

On the day Jin Cheon-hee achieved the first stage of the Five-Elemental Cultivation Technique, the new residence for Zhuge Rin to live in was also completed.

Normally, it would be impossible to complete it so quickly, but they shortened the construction period by using a lot of workers.

The residence thus created was finished with wood on the inside, and the walls were plastered with clay. This was also Jin Cheon-hee’s idea.

Jin Cheon-hee called this insulation, and the completed house had a quite different feel from the style of the Central Plains.

On one side, there was a glass window large enough to be called a wall, and inside, both ondol and a stove were installed.

It’s a house that shows a strong will to not tolerate even a bit of cold air.

The shape of the bed is also a bit different.

Originally in this world, it’s common to lay bedding on a wooden bed, but due to Jin Cheon-hee’s insistence that in an ondol house, one should sleep directly on the floor, it became a space that felt quite different from usual sleeping arrangements.

And today, when the house was completed.

Yoo Ho entered the house with Zhuge Rin.

“Ho ho… Isn’t this not just warm, but hot?”

“That’s because we put a lot of firewood in the furnace to see how high the heat would rise. We were trying to confirm if what the young master said was true.”

Yoo Ho would call Jin Cheon-hee ‘young master’ when he wasn’t around.

Zhuge Rin, passing over that casually, asked:

“Anyway, I don’t understand why you’re so strict only with Jin Cheon-hee, he’s not even a child. So, how is it?”

“Honestly… It’s beyond expectations.”

At Yoo Ho’s words, Zhuge Rin smirked.

“Yes. Beyond expectations. I’m curious where he got such knowledge from… But. Didn’t we agree not to ask? Someday, he’ll tell us. We’ve already seen his sincerity…”

Sincerity.

Jin Cheon-hee had said.

That he would make sure he doesn’t die easily.

“The stove alone really felt like it would keep me alive… This seems even better.”

They entered the house, took off their shoes, and stepped on the floor.

The heat rising from the floor was even hot.

It would be a room where normal people would sweat, but for Zhuge Rin, this was better.

He slightly reduced the inner power protecting his body’s interior, and felt the hot air penetrating into his body, neutralizing the cold.

His whole body warmed up as if he had entered a hot spring.

Feeling that pleasant sensation, Zhuge Rin smiled and headed towards the bed.

He sat down on it with a thud, and also tried lying down. The warmth on his back felt different from the heat of the stove.

“How is it, Master?”

“Very… very good. So this is ondol… Ho ho… It feels like applying moxibustion to the whole body…”

“Is that so.”

“Why don’t you start acknowledging him now? You can stop calling him ‘young master’.”

“Well, I still want to call him young master for now.”

“Tsk tsk. That stubbornness of yours. Anyway… This is really good. This is really nice.”

A smile appeared on Zhuge Rin’s face.

Seeing Zhuge Rin like that, even Yoo Ho’s expression softened a bit.

****

Even during the period when the ondol was installed and Zhuge Rin was immersed in it, Jin Cheon-hee’s training continued.

However, it was a bit different from the previous training.

Having gained ten years of cultivation power, Jin Cheon-hee now had to train to properly handle it.

Essentials of True Qi.

He began to learn the secrets, methods, or techniques for utilizing true qi. Of course, this required the education of his master, Zhuge Rin.

This needed to be accompanied by careful guidance.

In front of Zhuge Rin, Jin Cheon-hee slowly raised the Five-Elemental Cultivation Technique’s Fire Qi at his fingertips.

The Fire Qi that started in the danjeon finally gathered at Jin Cheon-hee’s fingertips.

A thin sheet of rice paper caught fire.

Whoosh-

“You’ve succeeded.”

People who don’t know might mistake it for the Samadhi True Fire, said to be used when surpassing the wall of supreme masters.

Jin Cheon-hee said:

“I can only set fire to such thin rice paper.”

“Everyone’s first step is the same. When you achieve greatness, even this will be possible.”

Zhuge Rin swung the fan he was holding once. Then, flames drew a line following the trajectory of that fan.

Boom-

A huge tree was cut down.

What was amazing was that only the cut part was charred, and the fire didn’t spread.

Looking at the cross-section, Jin Cheon-hee said in disbelief:

“How is this even possible?”

Instead of answering, the master said this:

“The basic nature of fire is destruction. Wood, iron, sword qi, sword aura, all eventually perish. That’s why…”

Master pushed the cut tree with the tip of his fan.

Then, the huge chunk of wood moved onto Master’s fan. Jin Cheon-hee asked:

“Is it Wind Qi?”

“The essence of wind is movement. It flows constantly without staying in one place.”

Master placed the wood back where it was originally cut.

Of course, he just placed it back on the cut spot, not reattaching it.

He said:

“It’s been eroded by Fire Qi, so if left like this, this tree will die. Would you like to try reattaching it with Water Qi?”

“…”

Jin Cheon-hee bit his lip and went to the tree. The task of saving a dying tree.

Water signifies life. But no matter how much he concentrated, he couldn’t succeed.