Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: How a Korean Medicine Doctor Becomes the World's Greatest Physician in the Murim World
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Despite the flurry of messages popping up one after another, leaving him bewildered, Jang Wol decided to focus on treating the man first.
His condition was already crystal clear through Pulse Eye.
The meridians connected to the lungs were blocked in several places, and the stagnant qi and blood were rampaging wildly under excessive pressure.
This had caused the blood to flow backward, making the man vomit blood.
"Your lungs are injured."
"Ugh... yeah, figures..."
The man nodded as if it were obvious.
But Jang Wol's diagnosis didn't end there.
The lungs were damaged, yet there wasn't a single external wound—his body was pristine on the outside. The injury had come from within.
"Your lungs have suffered internal damage. From overzealous internal energy training or a powerful external strike. But given the tangled meridian flow and lack of external wounds..."
He had read about this kind of martial art countless times in wuxia novels.
"It looks like you were hit with a type of Internal Heavy Hand Technique."
The man's eyes widened at Jang Wol's calm statement.
"...You don't seem to have trained in martial arts. How did you...?"
Internal Heavy Hand Technique.
A type of martial art that struck from the outside but damaged the body's internals.
"I've just picked up a lot of random knowledge here and there."
Well, it wasn't wrong. He'd read wuxia novels until he was sick of them.
The man started to say something more, his face full of shock, but his condition had worsened further. His breathing turned rough, like the rasp of metal.
Jang Wol supported the man and led him inside the clinic. It was a shabby, small place, but it had everything it needed.
There was a medicine cabinet for herbs, a bed for patients, equipment for decocting herbal tonics, and even a brazier.
He laid the man on the bed and lit the brazier to boil water.
Unwrapping the bundle from his body, he pulled out a plain cloth pouch. It was his acupuncture needle case.
'Was planning to sell it for startup capital to learn martial arts.'
But that didn't matter anymore. His path was set.
Opening the needle case revealed several smaller pouches inside, each containing needles of different sizes and shapes.
Nine needles in total—the Nine Needles.
Probing Needle, Blunted Needle, Fine Needle, Lance Needle, Wing Needle, Round-Prick Needle, Fire Needle, Long Needle, Great Needle.
These were the needles said to have been passed down from the ancient Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, used in classical Korean medicine.
'They even showed up in that drama about Heo Jun.'
They were relics of the past, rarely used nowadays.
In modern times, the Fire Needle was the standard, while the others had either fallen out of use or been modified due to advances in medical technology.
'I've only ever used the Fire Needle myself.'
For now, he picked up the one he was most familiar with—the Fire Needle.
'Huh?'
Seeing the message float before his eyes, he pieced it together.
'The first message said I could master all nine needle techniques and elevate my realm.'
That meant his current proficiency with the Fire Needle was clear.
With a hunch, he picked up another needle—a Long Needle, far longer than his spread hand.
Long Needle was Basic, huh.
'At least the Fire Needle I used in my past life is Proficient.'
He didn't know the full range of levels, but Proficient sounded reassuring, so he picked up the Fire Needle again.
Gazing at the needle in his hand and the man lying on the bed, he wondered.
'Can I heal lungs damaged by Internal Heavy Hand Technique with just Fire Needle treatment?'
From a modern Korean medicine perspective, it was absurd.
But here, he had been granted a special ability.
Master of the Nine Needles.
He had no choice but to trust in its power.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he rummaged through the medicine cabinet.
'First, disinfect the needles.'
The cabinet was worn, but it was stocked with well-dried herbs.
'Master kept the herbs in good order even after he passed.'
He pulled out honeysuckle, coptis rhizome, and gardenia fruit—all herbs with disinfectant properties when boiled in water.
He boiled the herbs and disinfected the needles.
With the sterilized Fire Needles in hand, he approached the man.
The man's condition was...
"...Cough, cough."
His coughs weakened to a deflating wheeze, and his complexion grew even paler.
Pulse Eye had confirmed it: the lung meridians were blocked, internal energy twisted.
The damaged lungs were causing bleeding and qi stagnation, weakening the flow of qi and blood to surrounding organs.
'First, stop the bleeding. Then, unblock the qi and blood clogged by the enemy's martial art.'
Regulating his breath, he first inserted a Fire Needle into the Conception Vessel point at the center of the chest.
To stop bleeding, he needed to stimulate related meridians, regulate blood flow, and stabilize qi circulation.
The Conception Vessel point was closely linked to the lungs and a key nexus for all energies.
Feeling the needle's sensation, he inserted it carefully, then gave it a slight twist to stimulate the point.
Without delay, he took out more Fire Needles.
'Next, Heavenly Projection point below the throat.'
It aided qi and blood circulation and helped clear blocked meridians.
Then, he inserted into the Great Abyss and Middle Capital points as well, deeper than the previous two, stimulating them thoroughly.
"...Hoo, ha."
The man's ragged breathing steadied bit by bit, color returning to his face.
'Holy crap, it's working this fast?'
It was truly astonishing power.
But no completion message had appeared yet.
'Normally, you'd get a completion notice and reward by now.'
That meant the man wasn't fully cured.
'Bleeding and breathing have improved for now. I'll decoct some tonic and monitor him for a few days.'
He opened the cabinet again, scanning for suitable herbs.
'Ophiopogon, pinellia, and fresh ginger. Perfect for Generate Pulse Powder.'
These were ideal for a lung-tonifying Ophiopogon Decoction.
He soaked the herbs in water and set them to simmer over medium heat.
Soon, the water boiled, the herbs' color infusing it. A soft, mildly spicy aroma filled the clinic.
'In my past life, I loved this smell—that's part of why I couldn't quit Korean medicine.'
He lowered the flame and simmered a bit longer until the decoction deepened in hue.
'That should do it.'
Straining out the herbs, he cooled the tonic and brought it to the bed, feeding it to the man.
Having regained some strength, the man could sip it slowly.
'Need to watch his progress for a couple of days.'
But that wasn't the case.
The next morning, waking in his own bed, a message hovered before his eyes.
'Already fully cured?'
Curious about how to use Insight, he prioritized checking on the patient.
Leaving his room, he entered the clinic. The man was sitting up on the bed.
He stared down at his body in amazement, muttering to himself.
"I was definitely hit by the Yin Sound Old Freak's Yin Sound Palm..."
Spotting Jang Wol, he trailed off.
Yin Sound Old Freak's Yin Sound Palm, huh.
What terrifying aliases and technique names. Clearly struck by some monstrous expert's vicious art.
'This world really is brutal. Good thing I got healing powers instead.'
Recalling yesterday's thoughts of learning martial arts, he shook his head.
Approaching the man, he took his pulse.
It was stable. As if he'd never been injured.
"You're in the clear. The damaged lungs have healed, tangled meridians normalized. You can move around right away—no problem. You're fully recovered."
Full recovery verdict.
"..."
The man stared at him in a daze.
From his blank expression and trembling eyes, Jang Wol read a lot.
He'd only hoped for emergency aid, never dreaming of such perfect healing.
'I didn't expect it either.'
He hadn't imagined the Master of the Nine Needles would be this potent.
As if reading his mind, the man spoke.
"Sichuan has many famed physicians, but to think a young genius like you was in such a rundown clinic."
Famed physician.
In his past life, he'd studied tirelessly for that title, opened his own clinic. But reality crushed him under veteran weight—he barely treated patients.
To hear it here, though...
Suppressing a grin that threatened to split his face, he feigned solemnity.
"Just doing my duty."
"Little Brother, what's your name?"
Already Little Brother status.
"Jang Wol."
"I'm Ha Mok-tae."
Jang Wol recalled what Pulse Eye had shown yesterday about the man's affiliation.
'He was cultivating Murim Alliance inner arts. Probably with the Alliance.'
But Ha Mok-tae didn't volunteer his affiliation.
"How can I ever repay this life debt?"
"Just think of it as a regular clinic visit."
Ha Mok-tae pulled a silver ingot from his bosom.
"I'd give more, but this is all I have on me."
In modern terms, worth millions of won.
Far too much for one treatment.
Jang Wol waved his hands.
"That's too much."
"No. I owe you my life—this isn't enough."
If he insisted that much...
"Alright, then."
Pretending reluctance, he accepted it. Ha Mok-tae got down from the bed, gathering his sword and belongings.
"It's a long road ahead. I'll be off."
Seeing him out, Jang Wol stepped outside the clinic. Unconsciously, his eyes flicked to the low wall the man had tumbled over yesterday.
"Don't worry. I left no traces."
True martial expert. He read those glances perfectly.
As Ha Mok-tae turned to leave, he looked back.
"Any thought of coming with me?"
Not trying to use him as a healer just because he cured that vicious strike so easily, was he?
Either way, no interest in tagging along.
A Murim Alliance expert would be deep in battles with villains. Hanging with him meant getting dragged in.
In this savage wuxia world, neutrality like Switzerland was the way.
"I'll pass. Born to be a physician."
Subtle admiration crossed Ha Mok-tae's face.
"I'll never forget this lifesaving grace. One day, I'll repay it properly."
Ha Mok-tae stepped out and leaped away, vanishing swiftly.
"Whoa."
Martial arts never ceased to amaze.
Back inside, he pulled out the silver ingot and gazed at it. More than the silver, Ha Mok-tae's promise lingered.
'Still, gaining favor with a Murim Alliance expert isn't bad.'
In wuxia, favors and grudges were everything.
A favor meant they'd risk life to help; a grudge made you their eternal foe, hellbent on your death.
'Better avoid grudges at all costs.'
His thoughts shifted to the completed mission. A message appeared immediately.
He didn't know the full progression of levels.
Still, he decided to enhance the Fire Needle first.
'Use Insight on Fire Needle.'
"..."
A thorough system, indeed.
He'd have to pick a different needle.
After some thought, he chose one.
Lance Needle.
A triangular-tipped needle for drawing out blood or pus.
In reality, he'd have chosen differently, but this was different.
'Wuxia means poison, too.'
A world teeming with myriad toxins—that was wuxia.
To extract poison, Lance Needle was most effective.
Enhancing it brought up messages.