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Chapter 15 – Can’t Korean Medicine Doctors Treat External Injuries?
This is a common remark often heard about Korean medicine doctors.
“They can’t treat serious injuries, right?”
Korean medicine is just folk remedies.
They’re completely useless for severe injuries.
All of this was true.
After all, you don’t learn how to perform surgery in Korean medicine training.
“But I’m different.”
I endured all kinds of hardships in the back alleys.
I worked as a Korean medicine doctor, handling a wide range of treatments.
Even back then, I saw plenty of external injuries like this one.
Snap!
I slipped on surgical gloves.
Simultaneously, I instructed Yunseol.
“I’m starting the surgery now. Please step out.”
“B-but…”
“This place isn’t even sterile! Hurry!”
“Ah, I understand!”
Yunseol stammered incoherently.
She seemed to be under a lot of psychological pressure.
This child must be very important to her.
“Young Master, are you all right?”
“I’m used to situations like this. First, let’s sterilize this area.”
Of course, perfect sterilization is impossible.
So, what can we do?
I’ll just wipe the surroundings with alcohol.
Still, it’s better than doing nothing.
I wiped down the area as thoroughly as possible with alcohol.
At that moment.
“Young Master, how about trying to use clean energy?”
Nureongi said.
“Use clean energy?”
“Clean energy is pure and clear, isn’t it? If you spread that energy widely in the surroundings…”
“I don’t know if it’ll work, but it can’t hurt to try.”
I nodded at Nureongi’s words.
Then, I focused my mind.
I tried to draw out the clear qi from my dantian.
At that moment, pain radiated throughout my entire body.
“Guh!”
The qi in my body was in a state of chaotic entanglement.
Trying to forcefully extract the clear qi was painful.
But I couldn’t stop.
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to pull out the clear qi.
At that moment,
[The clear qi is affecting the surrounding environment.]
That message appeared.
“Whoa! Nureongi, you really did something great!”
“Hehe! Glad I could be of help!”
I wanted to pat Nureongi on the head for being so commendable.
But I couldn’t.
I was wearing surgical gloves.
Wait, should Nureongi even be here in the first place?
“By the way, Nureongi, you don’t shed, do you?”
“Young Master! That’s rude! I am clean!”
“…Well, I suppose that’s to be expected of a spirit.”
If that’s the case, I could use Nureongi as an assistant.
I resolved to begin the surgery immediately.
After sterilizing myself, I put on a mask and stood before the boy.
“Young Master, have you studied surgery?”
“No, I haven’t studied it.”
“Then how have you managed until now?”
“I just read whatever books came my way, and somehow it worked out.”
I was a crazy bastard myself.
I performed surgeries I’d never learned, all to save people.
The only saving grace was that I knew the human body inside and out.
I was also quite skilled with my hands.
Thanks to that, I’d managed to avoid any major incidents so far.
“Guh!”
“We need anesthesia first.”
In principle, a Korean medicine doctor is not authorized to administer anesthesia.
They aren’t qualified to begin with. What if there’s even the slightest mistake?
The patient could go into anaphylactic shock.
Even at the original Korean medicine clinic, they were extremely cautious about that.
But now?
“Yakseon’s notebook!”
There’s no need to worry about that.
Swish!
Pages flipped through the air.
This time, I managed to access the fourth page.
On the fourth page was written Yakseon’s recipe for a special anesthetic.
[Recipe for a Gentle, All-Purpose Anesthetic]
[Ingredients – Goblin Venom (58 g), Peony Root (38 g), Polygala Root (58 g), and Corydalis Rhizome (25 g)…]
[Preparation method: Mix ground peony root with goblin venom, then add polygala root…]
Goblin venom again.
But it’s fine.
I got quite a lot of it from the first floor of the tower.
I immediately began making the medicine.
The medicine finished incredibly quickly.
[Elixir Information]
▶Name: Anesthetic Powder
▶Effect 1: The area where the powder is applied becomes temporarily anesthetized.
▶Effect 2: Temporarily stops bleeding.
I made the anesthetic powder.
I applied it to the boy’s wound without hesitation.
A message popped up simultaneously.
[Master of the Herb Garden effect activated.]
[Anesthetic Powder Effect increased by 200%.]
The effect granted by my status as Master of the Herb Garden had activated.
Thanks to that, the boy’s complexion visibly improved.
“That’s a relief.”
“Then let’s get started with the surgery!”
“That’s the spirit.”
This is where the real work begins.
* * *
Meanwhile, Yunseol waited anxiously outside.
She gritted her teeth.
“It’s my fault.”
The boy with the piercing wound was Lapis.
He had been injured while trying to protect her.
That’s why she felt responsible.
At the same time, she radiated an immense killing intent.
“Voyager, you dare to break the pact?”
The pact.
It was a contract between the rival gangs that dominated the back alleys.
Among its terms was the stipulation that each organization would not interfere with the others.
But Voyager had broken it today.
“Your Majesty, shall I assemble the subordinates?”
Lazuli asked, her expression murderous.
She was furiously sharpening her blade at Voyager.
But the Empress immediately shook her head.
“Right now, Lapis’s condition is more important.”
Revenge could wait.
What mattered now was Lapis’s life.
Therefore, Yunseol had no choice but to trust Hua Tuo and wait.
Then, Lazuli asked in a creepy voice,
“Can Hua Tuo really save Lapis?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hua Tuo is certainly an outstanding traditional doctor. But external injuries are beyond what a traditional doctor can handle, aren’t they?”
“You’re worried, aren’t you, Lazuli?”
“…Yes, you’re right. I wonder if it wouldn’t have been better to risk arrest and go to a large hospital instead.”
In a way, this was a treasonous thought.
Yunseol had decided to entrust Lapis to Hua Tuo.
Therefore, Lazuli was now questioning Yunseol’s choice.
But Yunseol didn’t care about that.
Lazuli was more worried about Lapis than Yunseol.
“I understand your feelings completely. But you should leave this to Master Hua Tuo.”
“How can you trust him so much?”
“You don’t know because you’ve never been indebted to him.”
Yunseol knew.
She knew how extraordinary Hua Tuo was.
And how many lives he had saved!
Among them were bosses of organizations belonging to the Four Fiends.
Like Yunseol herself.
“Master Hua Tuo’s greatness isn’t merely about traditional medicine.”
“Then what is so extraordinary about him?”
“It’s that he never gives up on a patient.”
An ordinary doctor?
They’d give up at the slightest lack of hope.
It could damage their career or lead to lawsuits.
But Hua Tuo?
“He gives his absolute best, no matter the condition.”
Take Yunseol, for example.
She was in such a critical condition that death seemed inevitable.
Every hospital she went to turned her away.
They all said they couldn’t handle her.
But Hua Tuo was different.
“Please don’t die!”
He took Yunseol in after she collapsed from her worsening symptoms.
He massaged her for 10 hours straight.
With a body so frail, it seemed as if it could collapse at any moment!
When he barely managed to save Yunseol,
“It was so bad that Master Hua Tuo had to be carried away himself.”
That’s how much Hua Tuo cared about his patients.
That’s why Yunseol believed.
Hua Tuo would save Lapis.
And that he would return in his usual splendid manner.
“If Master Hua Tuo really does save Lapis, what should I do for him?”
“Since he saved our precious executive, Lapis, we’d have to give him an enormous reward.”
She had already prepared the reward in her mind.
“You haven’t sold that artifact we stole at the secret auction this time, have you?”
” You’re going to hand that over? It’s an item the entire world is scrambling to obtain!”
“It’s only fitting for such a favor.”
Nothing given to Hua Tuo would be too much.
That was Yunseol’s conviction.
Therefore, she prayed.
“I’ll give you anything. Please…”
Please, please save Lapis.
* * *
I managed everything from sterilization to anesthesia.
Then, I began treating the wound smoothly.
Initially, there were no problems.
I just did what I always do.
However…
“Stabbing wounds are really tricky.”
They were especially tricky.
There was one silver lining, though.
“It narrowly missed the organs.”
“Indeed! This boy is fortunate!”
“I’m not sure if you’d call this fortunate.”
If he were truly lucky, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the first place.
Still, I did my absolute best.
I stitched up the wound and took several other measures.
That part was very simple.
“This might be easier than I thought.”
I was just thinking that when—
“Young Master! Look at this!”
“…Huh?”
An anomaly occurred.
Swoosh!
The area that had clearly been fine just moments ago suddenly turned purple.
Simultaneously, the affected area began spreading rapidly.
“Could it be poison?”
Well, they are Awakeners.
Awakeners don’t fight in ordinary ways.
It seemed that some poison I hadn’t noticed was hidden there.
“Young Master, what should we do about this?”
“Damn it! Even I’m stumped in a case like this.”
An Awakener’s poison is never ordinary.
It must be beyond what conventional Korean medicine can handle.
But even so,
“I can’t give up.”
Abandoning a patient?
That would disqualify me as a doctor.
I will struggle until the very last moment.
That is a doctor’s duty.
“Think.”
I racked my brain in that fleeting moment.
The Yakseon’s notebook?
It still didn’t contain an antidote for Awakener poison.
What other antidotes did I know?
That might help.
But clearly, it would be insufficient on its own.
“Think, Heo Jin!”
My mind raced.
“That’s it! Regeneration Herb!”
One herb came to mind: It was the Regeneration Herb.
It was a rare herb that I had picked up when the gate opened.
Since trolls couldn’t mass-produce it yet, I’d only planted it in the field.
Using it should work, right?
“Nureongi! Go dig up the Regeneration Herb right now!”
“Aye, understood!”
“You must dig it up with the Lucky Hoe!”
“Of course! I’ll be right back!”
Nureongi dashed out the window.
I pulled out the necessary herbs simultaneously.
“Mung beans, coptis, and artemisia.”
Anything related to detoxification will do.
I gathered as many herbs as possible. Then, I began grinding them immediately.
“Young Master! I’m back!”
“Yes, what about the regeneration herbs?”
“I got two!”
“Very good!”
I immediately sterilized the detoxifying herbs with clean energy before grinding them.
I didn’t know the precise combinations or quantities.
I relied solely on instinct.
I made just the right amount for the patient.
And so, one medicine was born!
“I don’t know if this will work, but it’s all we have right now.”
I swallowed my saliva and fed the medicine to the boy.
He barely managed to swallow it.
Now, all that was left was to pray to the heavens.
At that moment,
[Master of the Herb Garden effect activated.]
That message appeared.
Simultaneously, something astonishing happened.
“Young Master! The wound on his stomach…!”
“Yes, it’s healing! The poison seems to be neutralizing, too!”
Could the combination of the antidote and regeneration herbs I’d thrown together randomly complement each other?
The boy’s stab wound began to heal rapidly.
Moreover, the poison seemed to be neutralizing immediately.
Seeing this, I finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Somehow, I managed to save him.”
The strength drained from my legs.
My body was already frail, and the intense focus had sapped my energy.
Still, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
I had saved a life once more.
That alone felt sufficient.
But apparently, the heavens didn’t see it that way.
[You have created a new medicine using your own combination formula.]
[A reward will be granted.]
[Yakseon’s Notebook records a new recipe.]
[Please name the medicine you have created.]
That message appeared before my eyes.
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