Chapter 39
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: How a Korean Medicine Doctor Becomes the World's Best Physician in the Murim World
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"I've heard your medical skills are outstanding, but it seems you slipped up this time."
One of the most important things in the jianghu was seniority.
It was a crucial concept dividing ranks within sects, as well as seniors and juniors across the jianghu.
So when seniority differed greatly, it was hard for people to get along from the start.
Seniors had their pride, and juniors felt intimidated.
But White Crane Scholar Jo Jeong-yak was different. He had been obsessed with poisons from the beginning. It didn't matter in the least if the other person was a young girl.
If someone was versed in poisons, he wanted to meet them and talk.
"Who's that girl? From Immortal Spirit Pharmacy? Or Herb Fragrance Hall?"
Byuk Geum-seok answered Jo Jeong-yak's question.
"No. She's Dang Seol-yeong, an apprentice from Clear Seclusion Clinic."
"Dang Seol-yeong?"
A girl with the Dang surname, expert in poisons, in Deokyang Medical District of Sichuan Province.
One name naturally sprang to mind.
"No way—from the Sichuan Tang Family?"
Byuk Geum-seok laughed.
"Haha. I thought the same at first, but I don't think so. Clear Seclusion Clinic is just a small clinic. Would a daughter from a renowned jianghu family work there as an apprentice?"
"Well, that does make sense."
He had at least learned where she worked and her name.
"Anyway, it's a relief the wound healed and the poison was neutralized. I'll take my leave then."
"Take care."
Jo Jeong-yak left the Gold Flower Merchant Group's estate and returned to White Herb Hall.
"Clear Seclusion Clinic, Clear Seclusion Clinic."
He muttered as he entered White Herb Hall.
"Jo Physician, hello."
"It's Deung Baek-cho."
Deung Baek-cho was the herb gatherer from Deokyang City—a skilled one who frequently traded with White Herb Hall.
"I got the White Crane Mushroom you asked for last time."
Deung Baek-cho pulled a pristine White Crane Mushroom, leaves and fine roots intact, from his herb satchel and continued.
"What do you think? A fine specimen, isn't it? One of my masterpieces. Well, excluding the Earth Ginseng I dug up recently."
Jo Jeong-yak gave it a cursory look and nodded.
"Good. Come inside."
As Deung Baek-cho followed, he asked,
"By the way, weren't you muttering 'Clear Seclusion Clinic' earlier? Without even glancing at the White Crane Mushroom you'd been searching for so eagerly."
"That's right. Clear Seclusion Clinic. There was a time their Generate Pulse Powder made ours unsellable."
"Ah, yes, that happened."
"I got some and tried it myself. It was truly top-notch Generate Pulse Powder. Did that Dang Seol-yeong apprentice make it?"
Deung Baek-cho lit up with joy, raising his voice.
"You know Dang Seol-yeong apprentice?"
Jo Jeong-yak, who had been conversing in a murmur, finally turned his gaze to Deung Baek-cho.
"Huh? No, just heard the name. You know her well?"
"Of course. I once suffered a serious injury and got treated at Clear Seclusion Clinic."
"You—a herb gatherer of your standing—got treated at a place like that?"
"Yes. Jang Physician's skills there are incredible."
"Hoo. Sounds like the clinic's physician is highly skilled too."
"I got acquainted with Dang apprentice then, and we've traded a few times since. She has profound knowledge of herbs."
His curiosity about Dang Seol-yeong grew ever stronger.
After Deung Baek-cho left, Jo Jeong-yak began the day's consultations.
There were plenty of acupuncture patients, but most came to buy White Herb Hall's decoctions. They were that famous.
After morning consultations, during his break, Yu Ja-geom from Immortal Spirit Pharmacy visited White Herb Hall.
"Just give me ten bundles of Cloud Orchid Flower."
White Herb Hall stocked many exclusive herbs. Yu Ja-geom often stopped by to buy from his friend Jo Jeong-yak.
Jo Jeong-yak handed over the ten bundles and asked,
"Do you happen to know Clear Seclusion Clinic?"
Yu Ja-geom's eyes widened.
"What? You eyeing Jang Physician too?"
"Huh? What are you suddenly talking about?"
"I'm definitely recruiting Jang Physician to Immortal Spirit Pharmacy!"
Yu Ja-geom bolted out of White Herb Hall like a shot. As if he couldn't bear to lag behind his friend Jo Jeong-yak.
"Leaving without paying."
It wasn't a big deal. He'd collect the money later anyway.
What truly surprised Jo Jeong-yak was something else.
Even Yu Ja-geom, the Immortal Spirit Miracle Hand renowned for treating only the prestigious, already knew the details.
This left him as the only one in the dark.
'I need to have a talk about poisons with that Dang Seol-yeong apprentice.'
Late afternoon, Jo Jeong-yak wrapped up consultations earlier than usual. The rest could go to his disciples.
'I've heard about Dang Seol-yeong, but I need to see for myself.'
Jo Jeong-yak combined poisonous herbs into a simple toxin.
It produced red rashes on the skin of his left arm, but caused no itch whatsoever.
For Jo Jeong-yak—who had crafted countless poisons, tested them on himself, and antidoted them—it was child's play.
He ingested the poison, then applied a simple disguise to alter his face.
'No one will recognize me like this.'
He headed straight to Clear Seclusion Clinic, feigning itchiness and scratching his left arm.
He was the last patient. A young apprentice with a round, kindly face greeted him warmly.
"Welcome. Ah, first visit? Please write your name here and have a seat. Oh!"
Jo Jeong-yak scratched his rashy arm and asked,
"What's wrong?"
The apprentice drew near, asking worriedly,
"Are you all right? It looks terribly itchy."
"Feels like poison. Aren't you afraid?"
The apprentice shook her head.
"Afraid? How could I think that of a patient? We need to examine the symptoms more closely."
Jo Jeong-yak inwardly admired her.
'Even a young apprentice with such conviction. Clear Seclusion Clinic's training is remarkable.'
The concerned apprentice said,
"For poisons, our senior Dang is the expert. Shall I have her see you?"
"Very well. I'll have her treat me."
Moments later, Jo Jeong-yak entered the consultation room.
The room was simply partitioned. On one side, a young man was attending a patient.
'That must be Jang Wol Physician. They say his skills are exceptional.'
But Jo Jeong-yak's focus was on Dang Seol-yeong before him.
Dang Seol-yeong, finally met, was far younger than expected.
Yet he had heard of her prowess from Byuk Geum-seok and Deung Baek-cho—men who never lied.
Jo Jeong-yak sat before her, heart inexplicably racing, scratching his left arm nonstop.
'Now, let's see what she's got...'
"It's a rash with no itch at all. So why keep scratching?"
Before Jo Jeong-yak's thought could finish, Dang Seol-yeong's insight pierced through.
"Huh, huh? What do you mean?"
"No inflammation in the rash whatsoever. Like mere pigmentation deep in the skin. It shouldn't itch at all."
To the stunned, speechless Jo Jeong-yak, Dang Seol-yeong continued.
"Let's pulse first and take a closer look."
Dang Seol-yeong promptly gripped his arm and pulsed.
She then went to the medicine chest, selected a few ingredients, blended them swiftly, fashioned a pill, and returned.
"Take this."
"Wh-what is it?"
"Antidote."
Absurd. Even a simple poison shouldn't yield an antidote this fast.
Jo Jeong-yak unwittingly swallowed the pill.
Soon, the rash on his left arm vanished.
"...Impossible."
Dang Seol-yeong said offhandedly while tidying the herbs,
"But what brings White Crane Scholar here? Even with disguise."
Jo Jeong-yak startled, stammering,
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"A poison deliberately rash-limited to the left arm. Simple, but not for just anyone. Plus profound internal energy that's rare."
He'd felt no probe of his qi. Meaning her martial arts far surpassed his.
Dang Seol-yeong smiled faintly at him.
"In Deokyang Medical District, anyone like this is obviously White Crane Scholar Jo Jeong-yak Physician."
Jo Jeong-yak laughed in defeat.
"As the rumors say. I regret trying to fool an expert like you, Dang apprentice."
Jo Jeong-yak shed his disguise.
In the end, Jo Jeong-yak had no choice but to reveal his true face. He couldn't hide further, and denial would be rude.
Then Jang Wol approached, having sent off his last patient.
"White Herb Hall's White Crane Scholar?"
"You must be Jang Physician."
"Yes. Hello. Jang Wol of Clear Seclusion Clinic."
"I've heard much about your medical skills. But today, the one I wanted to meet was Dang apprentice."
Dang Seol-yeong tilted her head.
"Me?"
"I heard of your detoxification prowess. I simply had to meet you. And you truly live up to the hype."
"Thank you."
"I doubted it at first, but meeting you confirms everything. Profound poison knowledge paired with superior martial arts. Surely from the Sichuan Tang Family?"
"That's right."
Surprisingly, Dang Seol-yeong admitted it plainly.
Not just Jo Jeong-yak—even Jang Wol nearby was shocked.
"Is it okay to say that?"
Dang Seol-yeong nodded at Jang Wol.
"Just us three here. If word leaks, it means Jo Physician spilled it."
With a beaming smile, she added,
"But a jianghu elder like Jo Physician wouldn't have loose lips."
"Haha, words sharp as a hidden blade. Naturally. My lips are sealed."
Jo Jeong-yak had dealings with the Sichuan Tang Family, of course. But Dang Seol-yeong was unknown to him.
With skills like hers, direct lineage for sure.
But details didn't matter. He had no desire to pry.
For Jo Jeong-yak, simply having someone in Deokyang Medical District to discuss poisons with was more than enough.
"As for why I came like this..."
Jo Jeong-yak trailed off. Even he, ever straightforward, found it awkward to directly ask a far junior to chat poisons.
To the hesitating Jo Jeong-yak, Dang Seol-yeong said,
"Some tricky ailment, perhaps? Jang Physician, Jo Physician's pulse feels off. A vague deficiency somewhere, yet not quite. Hard for me to pinpoint alone."
Jo Jeong-yak panicked.
"Huh, huh?"
Undeterred by his fluster, Jang Wol and Dang Seol-yeong fell into perfect rhythm.
"Is that so? Let me pulse."
Jo Jeong-yak reflexively offered his wrist. Jang Wol took it, pulsed, and nodded.
"Indeed, liver strain—that's why you're here. Nothing shameful about seeking treatment elsewhere. No need to hesitate so."
Jo Jeong-yak stared at Jang Wol in bewilderment.
"What suddenly? It was perfectly fine when I pulsed this morning."
Even now, self-pulsing yielded a slight deficiency, but no true pathology. Merely the pulse of typical aging.
"I've heard your medical skills are outstanding, but it seems you slipped up this time."
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