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TL: ALT
Chapter 16 – An Artifact Desired By The World
[You have created a new medicine using your own combination method.]
[Rewards will be distributed.]
[The Yakseon’s Notebook records a new recipe.]
[Please name the medicine you have created.]
A message appeared before my eyes.
I dismissed the message and first checked the boy’s condition.
“Thankfully, his breathing is normal.”
“Young Master, what a relief!”
“Indeed. We cannot tolerate the death of such a young child.”
As a doctor, I could never stand by and watch that happen.
That’s precisely why I treated him so desperately this time, too.
Only after catching my breath could I look at the message again.
“My own recipe, you say.”
Honestly, I have no idea how I made that medicine.
I threw in whatever I thought might be good for detoxification.
That’s how the earlier medicine came to be.
Its effect surpassed any other medicine I’ve ever used.
“Let’s look at the recipe.”
I opened the Yakseon Notebook.
There, engraved on the very last page, was the recipe I had created.
[???Recipe]
[Ingredients: two regeneration herbs, mung beans (13 g), coptis (7 g), artemisia (8 g)…]
[Manufacturing Method: Finely grind all ingredients, then use the regeneration herb to…]
My very own recipe, truly engraved!
Moreover, it even listed the quantities in grams.
It seems it records things automatically after all.
“With this, I should be able to heal the injury somewhat, right?”
“You were already a capable young master, but now you’ve become even more so!”
For a traditional doctor, physical injuries are like rat poison.
Truthfully, that was the one thing I wasn’t confident about.
Fortunately, a new recipe appeared in that situation.
[Please name the medicine you have created.]
A message popped up, almost urging me.
“Hmmm… What should I call this?”
“How about simply ‘Regeneration Medicine’?”
“That’s not quite right. It also has detoxifying effects, and its regenerative power isn’t that strong.”
The boy’s wounds still weren’t completely healed.
That was likely the limit of what a rare-grade herb could achieve.
For someone with a larger wound, the effect would be negligible.
Such a minor effect couldn’t justify the grand name “Regeneration Medicine.”
Therefore,
“Vitality Medicine. That’s good.”
I decided on the name “Vitality Medicine.”
After all, that medicine restored the boy’s vitality.
[You have named a new recipe.]
[New recipe: Vitality Medicine.]
[The name “Vitality Medicine” is engraved in the Yakseon’s notebook.]
The Vitality Medicine recipe appeared on the last page!
I thought it would push out existing content to make room.
Instead, a new page had been created.
It was pure creation.
[Elixir Information]
▶Name: Vitality Medicine
▶Effect 1: Upon consumption, it neutralizes toxins absorbed by the body.
▶Effect 2: It possesses a slight regenerative effect.
I smiled contentedly at the newly created recipe.
“With this, I can save even more people.”
Similar cases had occurred in the past.
Back then, ordinary detoxification solved everything.
But in a special situation like this one, the power of Vitality Medicine was absolutely necessary.
“So, what reward did I get?”
The reward for creating a new recipe.
I wondered what it could be.
I checked immediately.
[Recipe Creation Reward Issued.]
[Artifact – Yakseon’s Flowerpot has been acquired.]
A flowerpot materialized before me.
It was quite large.
Bigger than my head?
“A flowerpot… What on earth is it for?”
“Hurry and check the info!”
Nureongi said this with a fluttering expression.
Well, it’s an artifact with the name “Yakseon.”
It couldn’t possibly be ordinary.
I checked the information.
[Artifact Information]
▶Name: Yakseon’s Flowerpot
▶Grade: Legendary
▶Effect 1: Though growth is slow, it can grow herbs of any grade.
After checking that information, I was stunned.
And no wonder…
“Heavenly Peach… I can plant it right away, can’t I?”
It was exactly what I needed.
* * *
I breathed a sigh of relief, opened the door, and stepped out.
At the same time, Yunseol approached me.
“Master Hua Tuo! How is Lapis’s condition?”
She looked worried.
Behind her stood a girl I had never seen before.
Her face resembled the boy’s who had been lying down.
They were probably twins.
“The surgery was very successful.”
“Thank you… Thank you so much!”
“No way! Did a Korean medicine doctor actually perform the surgery?”
Yunseol nodded her head in agreement.
The girl behind her muttered in disbelief.
“The patient’s condition is also very good. You can see him right away.”
“Thank you!”
“…Thank you.”
Yunseol and the girl thanked me before going inside.
Then, a commotion erupted.
They seemed overjoyed that the boy had survived.
I smiled warmly at the sight.
“Young Master, I feel strange!”
“What’s strange about it?”
“Seeing that scene made me feel proud!”
“Hehe! So you’ve finally stepped in, too.”
It’s an experience you can never escape once you’re in.
It was the catharsis of saving a patient:
Patients were saved and rejoicing.
Nothing else triggers such a dopamine rush.
“So, about that… I want to keep helping you, young master!”
“I’d appreciate that. Should I call you Nurse Nu from now on?”
“Young Master! I want to be a doctor, too!”
“Ah, it’s still too early.”
They say that even a schoolhouse dog can recite poems after three years.
[T/N: It’s a Korean proverb that means even someone inexperienced can learn a thing or two if they’re around long enough.]
But Nureongi hasn’t been around that long yet.
Still, if he inherits my knowledge, won’t he develop some decent skills?
“Master Hua Tuo, thank you so much!”
The words of thanks came from behind me.
I chuckled at the gesture.
“I’ve heard enough thanks already.”
“You granted my unreasonable request. No amount of thanks would be enough.”
“Honestly, this time was pretty close.”
I spoke bluntly to Yunseol.
“What exactly happened? The injuries that boy Lapis suffered were anything but ordinary.”
“…Do you really need to hear it?”
“It wasn’t just a stab wound. He was also poisoned by a toxin I’d never seen before. If I had taken him to a city hospital, he certainly would have lost his life.”
Healers could have treated the stab wound, but the poison was another matter.
But that poison?
They absolutely couldn’t have cured it.
The only answer was Cure, an antidote skill possessed by only a tiny fraction of healers.
But how many healers possessed Cure?
You could count them on one hand.
“I can’t go into detail, but to put it simply…”
Yunseol, who had been hesitating, opened her mouth.
“Ever since Master Hua Tuo disappeared, everything has gone wrong.”
“…Since I disappeared?”
“The once-quiet thugs started running wild, and the underworld organizations began scheming.”
I never imagined that.
That my disappearance alone could trigger such changes.
I wondered if it was just my imagination, but it didn’t seem so.
If Yunseol had come all the way here, it must be significant.
“Among them, there’s an organization called Voyager.”
“Voyager?”
“Well, calling it an organization is a stretch. It’s more like a one-man operation. That guy started running wild, especially after Master Hua Tuo disappeared.”
“So he went berserk, and that boy got hurt?”
“…The details are similar.”
I never imagined it could be related to my disappearance.
What kind of person is Voyager?
To go berserk just because I vanished? Honestly, I couldn’t understand it.
“Voyager was probably one of Master Hua Tuo’s patients. Do you have any idea who it might be?”
“I have no clue.”
My patients up until now?
Every single one of them was ordinary and nice.
No, scratch that “nice” part.
They were only nice in front of me.
So, what about their true nature?
“I have absolutely no clue.”
I was shocked by Yunseol’s true identity, too. That’s why no one immediately came to mind.
“You should be careful, too, Master. The back alley guys are missing you.”
“…They might come looking again.”
“Not just that. They might try to drag you back there.”
That was scary.
I didn’t want to be forced back into life at the back-alley clinic.
I was satisfied with my life now.
“So, if anything happens, please contact me.”
Yunseol handed me a business card.
It seems she intends to offer me protection.
Honestly, I was grateful for that.
“Actually, maybe settling down here wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Huh?”
“Hehe, it’s nothing.”
I felt like I had heard a similar story before.
“Um, excuse me!”
A voice interrupted my conversation with Yunseol.
It was the girl who had looked at me in surprise earlier.
“What is it?”
“I… I’m sorry!”
She bowed her head to me.
“Why the sudden apology?”
“I was actually suspicious of you. I was afraid that a doctor who couldn’t treat wounds might kill Lapis…”
The girl’s emotions were running high.
Seeing her twin survive must have brought her immense relief.
That relief must have quickly turned to guilt.
She had doubted me all along.
That’s why I…
“I understand everything.”
I stroked the girl’s head.
“…Huh?”
“I understand everything.”
“I…I doubted you and spoke ill of you. But why…?”
“The situation was that urgent, wasn’t it? I would have done the same.”
With her twin about to die, who wouldn’t be panicking?
I would have doubted and slandered the traditional doctor, too. That’s why I understood and forgave the girl.
“So you don’t need to feel so guilty.”
“…Master Hua Tuo!”
The girl threw herself into my arms.
I gently stroked her head.
Yunseol watched us, smiling contentedly.
“Looks like I have a new rival.”
“Rival?”
“Hehe, Lazuli’s become your fan too.”
I don’t know about fans, but it’s nice to have so many people think well of me.
That alone felt like recognition for my efforts.
“Then shall we settle accounts?”
“You don’t need to pay me. I don’t need it anyway.”
“I knew you wouldn’t. After all, Master Hua Tuo is immensely wealthy. That’s why I prepared an artifact.”
With those words, Yunseol thrust her hand into the air.
It seemed as if she were pulling something out of her subspace.
What she pulled out was none other than…
“A tree branch?”
It was a large, thick tree branch.
* * *
At the same time, in the martial arts world…
A man stood on a snowy mountain as snow fell fiercely around him.
Pung Yeung-do approached him from behind.
“Hyung-nim, I’ve come,” he said.
[T/N: This is a respectful or formal way to say “older brother” in Korean.]
As he spoke, the man slowly turned around.
The man’s face, thus revealed, bore a massive scar.
“Do not stand behind me.”
“…Have you been drinking?”
Yeong-do chuckled in disbelief.
The scarred man was startled.
“Yeong-do, your shoulder…”
“Hehe, indeed. The doctor is really on another level.”
Pung Yeong-do nodded at the man’s words.
“That’s right. It’s completely healed.”
“Huh, it’s not just temporary?”
“Well, that’s only natural. I mean, the Divine Doctor himself examined me!”
Divine Doctor.
At that word, the man’s face twitched.
The scarred man was also a physician.
But he couldn’t heal Pung Yeong-do’s shoulder.
Not even temporarily.
Yet suddenly, this man, whom they called the Divine Doctor, healed it completely.
“And he did it with acupuncture, no less.”
“Hoo, acupuncture…”
“His healing acupuncture seems superior even to yours at your prime, hyung-nim.”
“That’s obvious. My acupuncture isn’t for healing.”
The scarred man said this while repeatedly looking at Pung Yeong-do’s shoulder.
“So the rumors were true. I simply can’t believe it.”
“Moreover, I came looking for you because of the Divine Doctor.”
“…What about that gentleman?”
“The Divine Doctor also has a peculiar physique, you see.”
Pung Yeong-do recounted everything he had witnessed.
The warped vitality and the mysterious energy coursing through the body.
He also mentioned all the strange aspects he couldn’t grasp.
After hearing it all, the scarred man raised his eyebrows in apparent interest.
“Indeed, it seems far from ordinary.”
“That’s why I’m asking—I hope you can help the Divine Doctor.”
“From what I gather, he seems more skilled than I am.”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? It’s hard to diagnose one’s own body.”
“That’s certainly true.”
“So I hope you’ll examine the Divine Doctor.”
The scarred man fell silent for a moment after Pung Yeong-do’s words.
Understanding the meaning behind the silence, Pung Yeong-do spoke softly.
“Besides, who knows? The Divine Doctor might just be able to heal your finger.”
The moment he said that, the scarred man’s ears perked up.
That was the reason the scarred man had gone into seclusion.
It was the reason he had been cast out by his family and forced to live a miserable life.
It was all because of his damaged finger.
“That’s definitely a good idea.”
The scarred man accepted Pung Yeong-do’s proposal.
He thought to himself,
“I don’t know how skilled this Divine Doctor really is…”
But fixing my finger is impossible.
However, if by some miracle…
If by some real miracle…
“If that gentleman can heal my finger, I promise to repay him accordingly.”
He vowed to regard the Divine Doctor as his benefactor for life.
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