Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Please Tell Them I Came from Clear Seclusion Clinic
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"Please tell them I came from Clear Seclusion Clinic."
Na Ho-pyeong's question made Chu Man-seok tilt his head.
"They seem pretty close, but I doubt he'd hand over something as precious as snow lotus to little miss Dang."
"Nah. Look here—it says the White Crane Scholar got treated by Jang Physician. That means his skills are no joke. He must owe him a huge debt of gratitude."
"Well, could be."
Na Ho-pyeong glanced back and forth between the request form from Silver Ear Pavilion and the report on Jang Wol.
Without taking his eyes off the request, he asked Chu Man-seok,
"Do Herb Fragrance Hall and Esteemed Benevolence Clinic know the snow lotus is at White Herb Hall?"
"They suspect it. But they haven't met the White Crane Scholar, so they couldn't confirm."
"I see. And those two clinics don't think much of our Jang Physician."
"They view him unfavorably. He's this rising young physician, and now he's connected to Famous Physician Tower, just like them."
"Those two aren't bad people at heart. If they were, they wouldn't have reached their current status. Just give them one chance to interact with Jang Physician, and they'll come around."
"You really think so?"
Na Ho-pyeong raised his voice at the skeptical Chu Man-seok.
"Have you ever met anyone who dislikes Jang Physician?"
"Nope. I was shocked when I first met him. I thought physicians were all stiff and self-centered."
Chu Man-seok recalled the day he first met Jang Wol and those words.
- You must be incredibly busy. With your back hurting and so much work piling up, I can only imagine the strain.
A smile crept onto Chu Man-seok's lips unbidden.
"Why the sudden grin?"
"Just remembered that day. Couldn't help it."
"Exactly. Jang Physician can make even a blockhead like you smile. Those two will warm up to him with just one encounter."
"So, what do we do?"
"First, tell those two clinics that the snow lotus is only at White Herb Hall and impossible to obtain. As for the rest..."
Chu Man-seok listened intently to Na Ho-pyeong's instructions.
"Got it. I'll handle it that way."
Once Chu Man-seok left, Na Ho-pyeong leaned back in his chair and muttered to himself.
"Man, our Jang Physician is something else. Already buddies with the White Crane Scholar and Jo Jeong-yak."
As he muttered, a voice came from outside.
"It's Seong Chu."
"Come in."
"Huh? Did Brother Man-seok already leave?"
Seong Chu peeked inside after opening the door, hesitating awkwardly.
"You didn't come back just to say you'll return later, did you?"
"Haha, of course not."
Seong Chu approached and handed Na Ho-pyeong a letter.
"It's from the Gate Lord."
"The Gate Lord?"
Na Ho-pyeong unfolded and read the letter.
"Looks like they want a summary on Jang Physician."
"We did send a lot."
"But what can I do? There's just so much to say about him."
"At this rate, even the Gate Lord will know everything about Jang Physician."
"What do you think?"
"About Jang Physician? Or the Gate Lord?"
"No, about Deokyang So Family. Couldn't they easily call in the Emei Sect? We were just talking about that."
"...Ah, you're picking up from there again?"
Should've said I'd come back later. Seong Chu regretted it, but it was too late.
"Cough! Cough!"
The old warrior lying on the bed in Herb Fragrance Hall coughed violently. Each cough brought up blood, staining his clothes and the bedding red.
Herb Fragrance Hall's physician Sa Gong-yak and Esteemed Benevolence Clinic's physician Jong Ri-sung.
The old warrior had originally come to Herb Fragrance Hall, but with no improvement, they'd called in Jong Ri-sung for a joint consultation.
"Damn, the hemoptysis is starting again!"
But all the two physicians could do now was wipe away the blood.
They'd tried acupuncture, moxibustion, and decoctions, but nothing had helped much.
So they'd concluded...
"A decoction made with snow lotus would surely cure him."
"But even Silver Ear Pavilion couldn't procure it. They said it's only at White Herb Hall in Sichuan Castle, impossible to get."
That's why Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung had tried to visit White Herb Hall and meet the White Crane Scholar.
But the two had little prior connection with him. And lately, the White Crane Scholar hadn't been seen outside White Herb Hall at all.
Then a disciple's voice came from outside the consultation room.
"Physician Song from Famous Physician Tower is here."
"Song? Send him in."
Song Heon-ro entered and was startled by the blood-soaked bed. The coughing had paused briefly, but the sight was shocking.
"What's the patient?"
"Lung pathology causing nonstop cough and hemoptysis."
Song Heon-ro listened, then examined the patient himself. But the other two had already concluded snow lotus decoction was needed.
Song Heon-ro couldn't do much on the spot either.
Sa Gong-yak asked the grim-faced Song Heon-ro,
"What brings you here?"
"Didn't you call me?"
"Us?"
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung exchanged puzzled looks.
"Doesn't matter. The patient's treatment comes first. Let's call Jang Physician."
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung's faces fell.
"Jang Physician? The young one from Clear Seclusion Clinic?"
"That's the one."
But the two hesitated. Calling Jang Wol wouldn't change anything.
"Time's critical. Why hesitate?"
At Song Heon-ro's words, Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung finally nodded.
"Alright. We'll call him."
In the end, they sent someone to Clear Seclusion Clinic.
As Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung waited, they whispered.
"Think that young Jang Physician will actually help?"
"Honestly, no idea. Song says he interacts with him, but we haven't seen it ourselves."
Shortly after, a voice came from outside.
"Jang Physician from Clear Seclusion Clinic has arrived."
"Send him in."
Jang Wol entered with Dang Seol-yeong.
"Hello. Jang Wol from Clear Seclusion Clinic. This is Dang Seol-yeong, my apprentice."
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung were stunned. He was far younger than they'd heard.
"Come in. We are..."
"I've long heard of the esteemed reputations of Physician Sa and Physician Jong, my seniors. I'll examine the patient first, then receive your wisdom later."
"R-right. That's proper."
Flattered yet focused, they stepped aside with nods.
Jang Wol approached the old warrior.
"Ugh... I must deliver this item..."
He gripped the warrior's wrist for pulse diagnosis as the man clutched his chest in agony.
But the patient's treatment came first.
"Pulmonary yin deficiency with phlegm-fluid cough."
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung gasped. "Haesu" meant cough with phlegm.
Jang Wol had diagnosed it solely from the pulse, without even watching the cough.
"Cough! Cough!"
The old warrior—No Jeon-do—started coughing and spitting blood again.
Sa Gong-yak shouted urgently.
"The patient's name is No Jeon-do. As you said, pulmonary yin deficiency cough causing this."
Blood splattered onto Jang Wol's face. He didn't flinch, swiftly unpacking his needle pouch and drawing fire needles.
Shick. Shick.
The fire needles pierced No Jeon-do's body in an instant.
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung's jaws dropped. Astonishing acupuncture.
"Th-those silver needles... from Needle Master Cheon Jang-gong!"
"And the cough and hemoptysis have already calmed..."
Song Heon-ro, unfazed, approached.
"Started at Heavenly Pivot acupoint. Care to share the insertion method?"
"Yes. Beginning with deep insertion at Heavenly Pivot."
As Jang Wol explained the technique, Song Heon-ro nodded in admiration.
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung watched wide-eyed. Sharing his secrets so freely.
They edged closer, asking timidly,
"...May we listen too?"
"Of course. Sharing insights is key."
His straightforward reply held no hesitation.
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung suddenly felt ashamed.
A young physician so bold and generous.
They cringed at their own petty bias against him.
Sa Gong-yak, nodding along to the explanation, asked,
"B-but is the patient stable now?"
"No. Just temporarily stopped the cough and bleeding. The raspy cough and dry throat suggest a chronic condition. Acupuncture alone has limits."
Song Heon-ro asked,
"What about your moxibustion?"
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung murmured.
"Moxibustion? Jang Physician excels there too?"
"Yeah, I'd love to see his moxa work."
Jang Wol nodded at Song Heon-ro's question.
"Moxibustion would only be temporary too. Must combine with decoction."
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung chimed in, emboldened by agreement.
"Exactly what we thought. But the decoction's hard to make."
Instead of replying, Jang Wol glanced at Dang Seol-yeong. She knew martial world decoctions better.
Dang Seol-yeong stepped forward.
"From Jang Physician's description, you two likely planned Lily Bulb Metal-Preserving Decoction with snow lotus."
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung blinked in shock. The young girl had nailed their intent.
"H-how did you know?"
"It's the best option now. Means you found the perfect treatment."
Praise from a mere girl, yet it warmed them. Working with Jang Wol, she seemed extraordinary.
"But the snow lotus is the issue?"
"Yes. We even asked an info broker. Only at White Herb Hall."
Dang Seol-yeong clapped delightedly.
"Perfect! Then we go to White Herb Hall."
"What nonsense is..."
But Jang Wol and Dang Seol-yeong were already leaving. Song Heon-ro followed.
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung had no choice but to entrust the patient to disciples and tag along.
Still, they whispered behind.
"No word from the White Crane Scholar lately."
"Right. He's holed up in White Herb Hall, not meeting anyone."
"How do we see a recluse like that?"
Soon, they reached White Herb Hall. Dang Seol-yeong told a servant,
"Please tell them I came from Clear Seclusion Clinic."
Sa Gong-yak and Jong Ri-sung watched indifferently.
Moments later, their jaws dropped.
"Oh! Jang Physician, little miss Dang—come in!"
White Crane Scholar Jo Jeong-yak was sprinting toward them from afar.