Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 12. Prodigy
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While living and working at the Luoyang Medical Hall, Yuseong had treated many patients with external injuries.
People with bruises or hairline fractures, and even those with full breaks, had come to him, but he had successfully healed them all.
The reason that had been possible was that only patients within a treatable range had come his way.
Naturally, no patient wandering in such a critical state had ever visited the medical hall before.
The sword embedded in the boy's chest was positioned in a spot that could have pierced vital organs with the slightest mistake, and there was considerable external bleeding as well.
If the injury had occurred anywhere but nearby, he would have died before even reaching the medical hall.
"You'll be seen next, so please step aside for now!"
Yuseong sent out the patient he had been treating in the temporary consultation room and brought the boy inside.
"What happened?"
The man who had carried the boy in quickly explained.
"In that alley over there, it seems Soun accidentally bumped into some underworld thug. He was barely even a martial artist—just a street punk. That guy did this to him. But when his sword broke, he got mad at Soun instead, kicked him once, and left. I remembered it was the day the Physician comes, so I rushed over carrying him."
"Did you make sure not to touch the sword while carrying him?"
"Yes, I remembered you explaining that it should never be removed in cases like this, so I left it as is and just carried him. Can you save Soun? The poor kid... He already lost his parents to underworld scum when he was young..."
Yuseong raised a hand to cut off the man's unnecessary words and infused divine power into the broken sword blade as he gripped it.
'There's a lot of bleeding, but fortunately, the internal damage isn't beyond repair. They carried him here shaking his body violently with the sword still embedded, and he's only this bad? This boy is extremely lucky.'
Yuseong made his judgment right away and spoke to the man.
"He might be savable. I have to treat this boy today, so I may not be able to see the others. Please let them know and ask for their understanding. You wait outside as well."
The man, hearing there was a chance, bowed repeatedly with thanks and requests to do his best, then closed the door as he left.
Outside the temporary consultation room, people bombarded the man who had carried Soun with questions.
Among them, the one who seemed angriest grumbled indignantly.
He was someone who had always doted on Soun.
"Hey, who the hell were those guys who did this to poor Soun? Even if underworld scum act out of line, touching an innocent civilian is going too far."
"I didn't recognize the faces."
"Aren't you a Beggars' Sect disciple? Shouldn't you be able to tell?"
"I'm just an unaffiliated lay disciple who hasn't even learned any martial arts—what power do I have to figure that out? I know you like Soun because he's so diligent and kind, but let's wait for now. The White-Clothed Physician said he might be able to save him."
"Wait for what? Even if the Physician's skills are incredible, how could he save someone in such a critical state? Forget that—find out who they are. If we pool our strength, we could even get revenge on martial artists."
"You're talking crazy—that could cause big trouble. Even if we found out who it was, we couldn't beat them. Don't say nonsense. And have you not heard the rumors about the Physician properly?"
"What rumors?"
"That the White-Clothed Physician saved the Demon Subduing Division Leader, whom even the Divine Physician had given up on. Maybe he can save Soun too."
Someone else chimed in.
"I heard that's not true. Didn't the Demon Subduing Division Leader give up on treatment himself? I heard he was quietly preparing to pass on."
"No. I heard it straight from the branch leader, so it's gotta be true. The Demon Subduing Division Leader himself said the treatment was going well."
"Then Soun really might live?"
***
'I'm glad they remembered the basic common sense I taught them during the spare time after using up my divine power and didn't pull out the sword. If they had, I couldn't have saved him with the divine power I had left.'
Yuseong's gaze drifted to the broken sword as he habitually reached for his acupuncture needles.
'I don't need to pull out the sword and treat with needles. If I heal while sealing the wound as is, I can minimize unnecessary divine power expenditure.'
Careful not to cut his hand, Yuseong gripped the blade and poured in divine power.
The sword glowed with a holy golden light. The wound was so severe there was no room for fine control.
Activating the healing skill caused the organ pierced by the sword to recover, slowly pushing the blade outward.
If it came out too quickly, the sharp edge could cause unnecessary additional damage.
Yuseong maintained his focus and carefully treated the boy.
How much time passed?
When the sword had been pushed out nearly to the skin, Yuseong stopped the healing skill.
'Many people saw how severe this boy Soun's wound was. Fortunately, treating external injuries at the medical hall has built up my know-how.'
Yuseong skillfully took out his suturing tools and began stitching the unhealed skin.
If the spot stabbed by the sword healed cleanly as if washed, it would raise suspicions. Suturing the skin would prevent those who couldn't look inside from discovering the miraculous phenomenon.
After roughly finishing the suturing and applying golden wound salve.
Yuseong, feeling the treatment had ended too quickly, decided to check Soun's pulse while waiting for him to wake.
It would be a shame if he died from some other illness after all that treatment.
'Hm?'
Sensing something off, Yuseong examined Soun's body more closely and soon discovered something astonishing.
'What great bone structure. He's malnourished and looks stunted, but his bones are sturdy and his meridians wide open—perfect for learning martial arts. In this slum, a boy with better aptitude than even the Demon Subduing Division Leader?'
It wasn't strange that a boy born with such excellent physical traits hadn't learned any martial arts.
Unless a martial artist or physician happened to examine him, no one could tell his aptitude just by looking.
Naturally, the beggar boy Soun had never been seen by a physician.
As Yuseong curiously prodded Soun's body here and there in wonder, the boy woke and sat up.
"You're Soun, right? Are you conscious?"
"Ugh... Who are you?"
Yuseong explained the situation to Soun.
"So you're the White-Clothed Physician I've only heard about in rumors. I thought I was done for, but thank you for saving me."
"No need. You were just lucky. But you must be careful to avoid conflicts with martial artists as much as possible."
"Urgh... Those bastards... I accidentally bumped into him without seeing, but that guy could have dodged and deliberately didn't. Do you think I'd pick a fight with a martial artist? But he swung his sword at me and said, 'My sword broke because of you, you unlucky bastard'..."
Soun, grumbling indignantly, suddenly staggered.
"You lost too much blood, so don't overdo it. Buy yourself some nourishing food with this for the time being."
Soun jumped up when Yuseong handed him a pouch with some money inside.
"Oh no, I can't. I'm a beggar, but everyone dotes on me, so I don't go hungry. I can't take money after you treated me too."
Yuseong found it admirable how the boy, a few years younger than him, knew manners and acted maturely.
"This is part of the treatment too. You need to eat well for the wound to heal faster—take it."
"...Thank you. I'll never forget this grace."
"Make sure to thank the man outside who brought you here too. You would've died without him."
"Yes, Physician."
Yuseong laid Soun back down, as he still couldn't steady himself well, and headed out to see the other patients.
But when he glanced back, wasn't Soun shedding tears?
"Why are you crying?"
Soun wiped his eyes with his hand. His fist was clenched tight.
"It's nothing."
"It's fine. If there's anywhere you're uncomfortable, tell me."
After hesitating, Soun spoke up.
"My body's fine. It was such a serious injury, but surprisingly only the surface hurts and the inside feels perfectly fine—it's just amazing. The reason I'm crying is because of those underworld scum."
"I see. It's natural to feel upset after getting hurt by martial artists when you did nothing wrong."
"That's part of it, but it reminded me of my parents. Thinking I almost died the same way they did makes me feel so wronged and angry that the tears came."
Yuseong recalled what the man who carried Soun had let slip earlier.
He'd said his parents died to underworld groups?
'I wasn't going to get involved, but with such excellent martial aptitude, it should be fine to give him a chance.'
As someone who had been an ordinary modern person, Yuseong didn't like the underworld who ignored law and order and solved everything with brute force.
And when a boy he quite liked was suffering such injustice and nearly dying, wasn't it okay to at least point him toward a path for revenge?
"Soun, while you were unconscious, I took a quick look at your body. You seem to have outstanding martial aptitude."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. If you learn martial arts, you can gain the strength to get your own revenge."
"...!"
Leaving the startled Soun behind, Yuseong left the consultation room.
***
After Yuseong returned from treating the other patients with the divine power he cherished more than expected and the medical knowledge he had acquired.
The Beggars' Sect lay disciple who had carried Soun made a ridiculous request.
"What? Suddenly you want me to introduce you to the Sect Leader? Do you know how busy the Beggars' Sect Leader is?"
"I can tell my brother. The White-Clothed Physician just said I have outstanding aptitude."
"Is that real?"
"So please introduce me. You said recently that the Beggars' Sect Leader is looking for kids with great aptitude."
"That's true. But you? I had no idea. Well, I wouldn't have a way to tell anyway."
"Please, I beg you."
"Fine. If it's the Physician saying it, I can trust that. But wait until you're fully recovered. You might look fine, but your insides probably aren't."
Soun touched the area around his chest and tilted his head.
'No matter how I look, the inside feels fine and only the surface hurts... It's really miraculous.'
***
A Beggars' Sect Leader commanding a hundred thousand disciples like Dragon Flower Divine Beggar naturally had countless headaches.
The biggest among them was that the position of sect successor had been vacant for a long time.
'How can there not be even one usable talent with martial aptitude among over a hundred thousand Beggars' Sect disciples?'
In truth, most Beggars' Sect disciples were ordinary beggars who hadn't learned martial arts, so he simply hadn't examined them all, but from Dragon Flower Divine Beggar's position, not found was as good as nonexistent.
Then one day.
Dragon Flower Divine Beggar, who happened to be staying at the Murim Alliance, received a bold request through a branch leader from a lay disciple with a single knot.
"He says a physician told him he has outstanding martial aptitude, so I brought him."
Dragon Flower Divine Beggar reacted indifferently.
"Those kinds aren't one or two. To inherit my ultimate techniques, even decent aptitude can only imitate at best."
"Should I send him back?"
"Hm, no. You never know—let's meet him. Bring him in."
Dragon Flower Divine Beggar was shocked upon seeing Soun in person.
"This kid! Where have you been hiding until now! Do you know how long I've been searching for you!"
He rejoiced greatly, as if he had found a long-lost son.