Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Physician Yu, How Would You Treat It?
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"Physician Yu, how would you treat it?"
"What, even the White Crane Scholar is trying to recruit him?"
I suddenly recalled that the White Crane Scholar, Cho Jeong-yak, had mentioned the Clear Seclusion Clinic not long ago.
"Physician Cho, you're really trying to recruit Jang Wol to the White Crane Hall before I can, aren't you?"
Yu Ja-gyeom tilted his head slightly.
"Pardon? It didn't seem like he was trying to recruit him at all..."
But his words fell on deaf ears for Yu Ja-gyeom.
"No way! I had my eye on Jang Wol first—I can't let Physician Cho steal him away! So, where is that Physician Jang right now?"
"He was at the west side of the banquet hall earlier."
"The west side of the banquet hall? Got it."
Yu Ja-gyeom's steps halted abruptly as he started toward the spot she'd indicated. He whipped around to look at Yu Cheong-seon and Chae-hwa.
The two of them flinched.
"Don't push yourself too hard just because your bones have healed. No matter how skilled Physician Jang's medicine is, you should still take it easy for a while."
He turned back around and added,
"Congratulations on getting to return to Mount Emei as you'd hoped."
With that, Yu Ja-gyeom sauntered off.
Chae-hwa stared blankly at his retreating figure.
"Father, the Immortal Spirit Miracle Hand isn't just scary after all."
"Maybe I was the one who got scared for no reason."
"There sure are a lot of good people here in Deokyang, huh?"
"Yeah. Unlike other cities, it makes me want to come back again."
Yu Ja-gyeom headed to the west side of the banquet hall.
There, he spotted a group of people chatting together.
Familiar faces were mixed in among them.
The head of Deokyang's greatest martial family.
'Deokyang So Family Head So Mu-jin.'
Deokyang's richest man.
'Gold Flower Merchant Group Leader Byeok Geum-seok.'
And his own friend.
'White Crane Scholar Cho Jeong-yak.'
All renowned figures in Deokyang.
And they were gathered around one person, deep in conversation.
'Let's see just who this Physician Jang Wol is.'
At the center stood a young man, even younger than expected, with a frail impression.
'Huh? Wait, he looks familiar...'
Yu Ja-gyeom was sharp-minded. Even though their encounters had been fleeting, having seen him twice made the face come to mind.
'Isn't this the guy I passed by twice at the Famous Physician Tower?'
He hadn't recognized him right under his nose all this time.
'How did I not know?!'
He'd thought Jang Wol only dealt with the lowly. But Jang Wol already had thick ties with the renowned elite.
'I can't miss out on this...'
Just as he resolved to approach, another group headed toward Jang Wol.
Yu Ja-gyeom paused and observed.
'Emei Sect folks. Yu Cheong-seon must have brought them.'
An elder from the Emei Sect approached Jang Wol alongside Yu Cheong-seon.
"I'm Jeong-ryeon of the Emei Sect. I heard about you from Cheong-seon, so I've come to offer my thanks."
After exchanging greetings with Jeong-ryeon, Jang Wol humbly demurred.
"No, no. It's all thanks to the Immortal Spirit Miracle Hand's early treatment that she recovered so quickly."
Yu Ja-gyeom's eyes widened as he listened.
'He's that humble, too?'
Yu Ja-gyeom was surprised but pleased. Jang Wol hadn't forgotten him and had praised him—it was impossible not to feel good.
At that moment, Chae-hwa, who was nearby, chimed in.
"Big Brother Jang's acupuncture is truly amazing. He just moved his hand like this, and shh-shh-shh, the needles went in."
Jeong-ryeon chuckled and patted Chae-hwa's head.
"It seems Hwa likes Physician Jang a lot."
He clearly didn't believe her.
Yu Ja-gyeom felt the same.
'Childish exaggeration. I couldn't even needle that fast myself.'
Chae-hwa pouted and stepped back. Yu Cheong-seon laughed and patted her head, her eyes saying it was an inside joke between them.
Jeong-ryeon looked at Jang Wol with a kindly smile.
"Not only is your medicine exceptional, but you're humble too. It's a relief that Deokyang Medical District's future looks so bright. I heard two young physicians of great talent have emerged in Yangyang Medical District and Jeongju Medical District lately, but it turns out Deokyang has you as well."
With that, the Emei Sect group chatted briefly with Jang Wol before taking their leave.
Then the head of the Jeon Sword Manor approached Yu Ja-gyeom to greet him.
"Greetings, Immortal Spirit Miracle Hand."
"Ah, Manor Head Jeon. Hello. But I'm busy right now—let's talk later."
Yu Ja-gyeom brushed him off and headed toward Jang Wol.
Yu Ja-gyeom straightened his clothes for no reason and cleared his throat as he approached.
"Ahem."
Then the Deokyang So Family head, Gold Flower Merchant Group leader, and even the White Crane Scholar greeted him.
"Physician Yu has arrived."
"Heh heh, with Physician Yu here, it feels like all of Deokyang's famed physicians are gathered."
"You've come."
Yu Ja-gyeom exchanged greetings with them and soon locked eyes with Jang Wol.
Jang Wol bowed politely.
"Greetings. I'm Jang Wol of the Clear Seclusion Clinic."
"I'm Yu Ja-gyeom of Immortal Spirit Pharmacy."
"I've long heard of your reputation, Physician Yu. It's an honor to meet you."
Yu Ja-gyeom felt inexplicably pleased and smiled.
"Ha ha, my reputation, you say."
"I'm sorry I couldn't follow your advice last time."
Yu Ja-gyeom, who had been grinning happily, couldn't immediately recall what he meant.
"Hm? What advice?"
"Didn't you tell me to come to Immortal Spirit Pharmacy and work together?"
So Mu-jin and Byeok Geum-seok buzzed in surprise.
"Oh, so you'd already tried to recruit Physician Jang to Immortal Spirit Pharmacy. Impressive foresight."
"As expected, a great physician recognizes another. The Immortal Spirit Miracle Hand spotted Physician Jang's talent right away."
Yu Ja-gyeom was flustered that this had suddenly come out, but when they praised his judgment, he felt good. It wasn't something to hide anyway.
"Ha ha, that's right. I recognized your skill from the start. So why did you refuse back then?"
Jang Wol replied with a regretful expression.
"The Clear Seclusion Clinic is the one I inherited from my master. I have to uphold his legacy—I couldn't abandon it."
The people around nodded and murmured again.
"So Physician Jang stayed at that little clinic to honor his master's legacy."
"I thought the Clear Seclusion Clinic didn't suit Physician Jang's skills, but there's a story behind it."
When the master came up, Yu Ja-gyeom panicked. In the jianghu, a master was like the heavens. One wrong word could earn glares from everyone.
"Heh heh, I see. A master's legacy must be upheld. It seems I made an unreasonable request without knowing."
"Not at all. But I've always shared similar thoughts with you, Physician Yu."
"Similar thoughts?"
"Yes. Our Deokyang Medical District is in no way inferior to Yangyang or Jeongju Medical Districts. Yet the jianghu looks down on us compared to those two."
It was exactly what Yu Ja-gyeom had always thought. Excited that their minds aligned, he clapped in enthusiastic agreement.
"Exactly! Our Deokyang Medical District tends to be dismissed as a backwater of the jianghu!"
"Yes. That's why I plan to one day unite all of Deokyang Medical District."
Jang Wol continued explaining: cooperating on treatments, jointly handling intractable cases, exchanging knowledge and collaborating under the Deokyang Medical District banner.
Listening from the side, Gold Flower Merchant Group Leader Byeok Geum-seok nodded.
"This is about that investment in Deokyang Medical District that Physician Jang requested before."
Finishing his explanation, Jang Wol added to Yu Ja-gyeom,
"And for that, we absolutely need you, Physician Yu. I hope you'll lend your strength when the time comes."
This time, all eyes turned to Yu Ja-gyeom.
But he felt no pressure.
On the contrary, hearing Jang Wol voice the ideal he'd dreamed of made him feel great.
"Of course! If that's the goal, how could I not help?"
The people around gasped in admiration.
"As expected, Physician Yu steps up for the greater good."
"Heh heh, when the time comes, I'll invest big as Gold Flower Merchant Group leader."
A vision of Deokyang Medical District's future filled Yu Ja-gyeom's mind.
'Heh heh, Deokyang Medical District united under Immortal Spirit Pharmacy. Just thinking about it feels good.'
It would be a shining achievement that would stun the physicians from Yangyang and Jeongju Medical Districts, who subtly looked down on him.
Then Na Ho-pyeong, owner of Ten Thousand Winds Inn, came rushing over in a panic.
So Mu-jin asked,
"What's got you rushing over with such a worried face?"
"It seems Sang-a overexerted her internal energy. Her qi is depleted, and she's utterly exhausted."
For a martial artist accustomed to circulating qi, it wouldn't be a big deal. But for a child unskilled in it, delaying too long could be dangerous.
This was a gathering of Deokyang's famed physicians. Na Ho-pyeong judged he didn't need to act himself—just call a doctor.
Yu Ja-gyeom recognized Na Ho-pyeong. Normally, he'd never mingle with someone of his station, but things were different now. With so many watching, he thought to step up.
"Is that so? Well..."
"Physician Jang, could you take a look at Sang-a?"
"...then, huh?"
But Na Ho-pyeong had called for Jang Wol.
Yu Ja-gyeom felt a fresh shock. With him and the White Crane Scholar present, Jang Wol was called first.
'Come to think of it, I haven't seen Physician Jang's skills with my own eyes.'
He'd heard he'd treated the Ten Thousand Winds Inn owner's daughter and the Deokyang So Family head's daughter. But only secondhand.
'I didn't even see how he treated Yu Cheong-seon.'
Curious to witness Jang Wol's medicine firsthand, Yu Ja-gyeom decided to hang back.
Jang Wol said to Na Ho-pyeong,
"Where is Sang-a?"
"She's in the rear garden with Hong-ryeo."
As Jang Wol headed to the rear garden, the others followed.
Yu Ja-gyeom slipped into the group.
Walking beside him, White Crane Scholar Cho Jeong-yak remarked,
"You want to see Physician Jang's skills for yourself, don't you?"
"Have you seen them?"
Cho Jeong-yak replied proudly.
"I received treatment from him directly."
"What? You? For what?"
"I've spent my life researching poisons and antidotes, so my liver was wrecked."
Cho Jeong-yak explained the circumstances of his treatment.
Yu Ja-gyeom's eyes went wide.
A deteriorating liver was extremely hard to treat. Yet Jang Wol had fixed it in a single day.
"Truly astonishing medicine."
Then Yu Ja-gyeom stroked his chin and muttered to himself.
"He said he couldn't leave the Clear Seclusion Clinic to uphold his master's legacy. He must have learned that mysterious medicine from the Old Physician."
Moments later, they arrived at the rear garden.
Na Sang-a sat there in a meditative pose. Her body was drenched in sweat, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.
Cho Jeong-yak, standing nearby, said,
"Hyperventilation from sudden qi depletion. Probably due to inexperience."
"Exactly. She's not in immediate danger, but if left alone, she could fall into qi deviation."
"Physician Yu, how would you treat it?"
"I'd expel the toxins through forced circulation right away."
"But that Physician Jang hasn't learned martial arts."
"I see."
Yu Ja-gyeom watched Jang Wol quietly.
'Now, how will he treat her?'
His eyes, filled with anticipation, slowly widened.
Instead of treatment, Jang Wol lowered himself, kneeling on one knee to meet Na Sang-a's eye level.
With a gentle smile, he calmed her.
"It's okay. The most important thing in qi circulation is a calm mind. Breathe steadily and let your energy settle. Just as water flows from high to low, qi must flow naturally."
Words that banished fear from a child's heart and brought comfort.
Na Sang-a's breathing began to steady slowly.
It was a scene Yu Ja-gyeom, watching for some treatment, had never imagined.
"Physician Yu, how would you treat it?"