Chapter 47
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: A Lesson in Surgery
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Wi Ji-cheon glanced at them from beneath his mask before heading up the stairs and disappearing.
They didnt find me out, did they?
It seemed unlikely.
It was absurd to think that the dreaded fiend and the young doctor were the same person.
The admiring looks Hyun-un and Hong-gae had given him at the end were a bit unsettling, but he decided to let it go.
He had urgent business.
I have to treat Master Jangmyeong of the Zhongnan Sect.
Thanks to Dan Yeos emergency treatment, he hadn't died, but his condition was critical.
Wi Ji-cheon returned the way he came, changed back into his physicians robes, and rushed to his group.
Senior Brother!
Young Doctor Wi Ji-cheon!!
What happened? Are you all right?
We had a fight with some men from the Blood Cult. Can you treat Master Jangmyeong?
Please, I beg you, save my martial uncle! If you save Martial Uncle Jangmyeong, the Zhongnan Sect will never forget the debt we owe to the Medical Immortal House!
Everyone pleaded with Wi Ji-cheon, who nodded with a grim expression.
Honestly, he wasnt confident.
It was clear even at a glance that the patients condition was beyond the skills of a fledgling medical student like himself.
But he had to do it.
He and Dan Yeo were the only physicians here.
Junior Sister Dan Yeo?
Yes, Senior Brother. Lets do whatever we can, just the two of us.
I-Im here too.
Dan Yeo and A-seop responded with determination.
My diagnosis shows that a sword pierced his upper right abdomen, injuring the liver and gallbladder. The demonic energy has caused severe damage to the duct leading from the gallbladder.
What measures have you taken?
I applied pressure to the Daegu and Daepo points to stop the livers bleeding. I also used the twisting reinforcement and reduction technique with needles to calm the gallbladder.
Excellent.
It was perfect emergency treatment.
If it hadnt been for Dan Yeo, Master Jangmyeong would have already died.
However, he was now at his limit.
I have to use the surgical arts.
If illness is when the bodys balance is broken and invaded by malevolent energy, then an injury is when an external shock forces an overwhelming amount of that energy into the body.
Simply restoring the bodys balance wasnt enough; the surgical arts were needed to first correct the source of the problem with a blade.
It was the Medical Immortal House, once the world's greatest medical family, that first officially recognized what had been a secret art practiced only among a select few physicians.
In other words, the roots of the surgical arts lay with Hua Tuo, and it was the old Medical Immortal House that had nurtured them to fruition.
Of course, these days, the premier authority on surgical arts isn't the Medical Immortal House, but the Heavenly Peak Medical House, a Heaven-ranked medical family in the Martial Alliance.
Wi Ji-cheon believed that the surgical arts passed down in the Medical Immortal House were in no way inferior to those of the Heavenly Peak Medical House.
Junior Brother A-seop, please use the soporific draught and the Purification Powder.
With the expansion of the martial world, the surgical arts had also developed by leaps and bounds.
The surgical arts only became true medicine, rather than 'the butchery of a charlatan,' with the use of anesthetic elixirs and Purification Powder.
The Purification Powder, which cleansed the toxic energy that could worsen a treated area after a procedure, was especially essential to the art.
Lets begin.
He took out a clean surgical blade.
Wi Ji-cheon was a grandmaster of the sword, but this was his first time using a blade to save a life.
Open.
As he sliced through the skin, blood gushed out.
I cant see inside.
Over generations, the surgical arts had become more systematic.
Though methods varied slightly between medical houses, there were commonly established procedures for specific types of injuries.
For gallbladder damage, the key was to neatly reconnect the duct.
If any gap remained, bile would leak out and cause disaster.
The problem was
Damn the Blood Cults demonic arts. Its been torn to shreds.
Unlike the martial arts of the orthodox or unorthodox factions, demonic arts left far more severe after-effects.
The Blood Cults arts, in particular, had a sinister nature that literally ripped internal organs apart.
Its okay. I just have to connect them one by one.
The mental fortitude of a Transformation Realm master shone even in moments like this.
Surgery and swordsmanship were entirely different fields, but since they both involved a blade, Wi Ji-cheon proceeded with the operation skillfully.
Even Dan Yeo was impressed.
Im sure this is Senior Brothers first surgery, but to have such dexterity? Hes truly my rival.
However, Wi Ji-cheons expression grew darker and darker.
This isnt going to work.
Jangmyeongs pulse was growing fainter.
He would die before the treatment was finished.
I need to work faster. No, that alone isnt enough. What can I do?
Just as Wi Ji-cheon anxiously bit his lip, an unexpected shout was heard.
Ji-cheon, you brat!!
Get ready for a spanking!
It was Wi Ji-gang and Wi Ji-sang-ah, who had come to rescue (?) Wi Ji-cheon!
The two had been about to give their reckless youngest brother a good scolding when they noticed the situation and froze.
Hmm. The patient doesnt look well.
Yes, because Im not skilled enough.
Thats enough. We can talk about pointless things later. Lets save the patient first. Sang-ah?
Administering Life-Saving Pill. Commencing Heart-Strengthening Blood Circulation Technique.
Commence!
Wi Ji-sang-ah placed a pill in Master Jangmyeongs mouth, then pressed several points in sequence.
A surprising thing happened.
The fading pulse began to beat strongly once more.
But isnt this kind of method just a temporary fix?
It could even leave severe side effects.
Just then, Wi Ji-gang came to Wi Ji-cheons side and looked at the wound.
My. Demonic arts are truly terrifying. Its a complete mess.
If only I were more skilled in the surgical arts
Why so glum? You did a good job. For a first surgery, this is excellent.
A good job. Excellent.
Those words only made Wi Ji-cheons heart heavier.
They were meaningless comforts in front of a dying patient.
Wi Ji-gang suppressed a smile at his youngest brothers expression.
You little rascal. You really are a physician, arent you?
In truth, Wi Ji-gang was quite surprised.
He had seen the wound Wi Ji-cheon operated on, and it was far more skillfully handled than he could have imagined.
To have reconnected the tattered duct this well? Did he secretly practice the surgical arts?
Wi Ji-gang recalled the first time he had held a surgical blade.
It had been a disaster.
Even the usually gentle Wi Ji-seon had been furious.
An unprepared physician kills patients! Wi Ji-gang, you are not worthy of holding a blade!
Wi Ji-seons anger was a testament to how dangerous the surgical arts were.
It was a treatment method better left untouched if one couldnt do it properly.
And yet, this apprentice dared to cut open a patients stomach without a second thought?
He had been about to give him a stern lecture, but what was this?
Who would look at the work Wi Ji-cheon had done and think it was the work of an apprentice?
It was that good.
Honestly, in terms of sheer dexterity, he might be better than me. Even I cant connect a duct this mangled with such precision.
It was a startling thought.
After being scolded by Wi Ji-seon, Wi Ji-gang had devoted himself to the surgical arts and had already surpassed his father.
When it came to surgery alone, he was confident he was the best in Nanyang.
And yet, his youngest brothers handiwork was no less skilled?
Of course, surgical skill isnt determined by dexterity alone.
But dexterity was the most important talent for the surgical arts.
If one had clumsy hands, it was best not to even look at surgery.
If hes this good on his first operation, Ji-cheon might become the greatest master of the surgical arts in the Central Plains. He might even surpass the Heavenly Peak Medical House.
What pleased Wi Ji-gang wasn't just his talent.
It was the heart that blamed his own shortcomings for the patients sake.
His youngest brother possessed the most crucial quality needed to become a great physician.
Give me the blade. Sang-ah.
Wi Ji-cheon and Dan Yeo stepped back, and Wi Ji-gang and Wi Ji-sang-ah took over the surgery.
This was an operation performed by the two who had been hailed as the Twin Dragons of the Medical Immortal House in his previous life.
The two had already worked together countless times.
There was no need for words.
Wi Ji-sang-ah cleared the field of vision by wiping away blood with a clean, sterilized cloth.
She didn't even use much cloth.
She knew exactly how to wipe to secure a clear view and where to apply pressure to prevent bleeding from obstructing the treatment area.
Wi Ji-gang, too, moved the blade with swift strokes.
His lips were firmly shut, a stark contrast to his usual nagging self.
When silent, Wi Ji-gang was the epitome of a chic, cold beauty, fully embodying the image of the Ice Jade Physician, his title from the previous life.
Snip, snip.
Wi Ji-gangs treatment was different from Wi Ji-cheons.
He didn't try to save every duct.
He decisively abandoned those that couldn't be saved, like trimming the dead branches of a tree.
After cleaning up the wound, he connected the remaining ducts.
Brother Wi Ji-gang knows exactly which ducts to save and how to connect the remaining ones.
Wi Ji-cheon was in awe.
This kind of knowledge wasn't in any medical text.
It was something learned through experience.
This was why surgical skills differed even among those with the same level of dexterity.
What? Does your big brother look amazing?
Once the crisis had passed, Wi Ji-gangs demeanor relaxed again.
Listen well. Distinguishing between dead vessels and living vessels isnt something you can do with your eyes alone.
Yes, brother.
This was advice worth its weight in gold.
For a martial artist, it could be called a personal insight, a secret art.
However.
You must also observe the flow of qi, and furthermore what you did was good, but also the liver and gallbladder are corresponding organs when you first approached it blah, blah, blah.
Wi Ji-cheons expression turned awkward.
Why was it that, despite being invaluable advice, it sounded like nagging?
Brother, stop nagging.
Its not nagging! Ji-cheon, another thing you need to know is blah, blah, blah.
Wi Ji-cheon chuckled inwardly.
He could feel his brothers desire to teach him even one more thing out of concern.
It was nice, but
Still, big brother, I wish you'd nag a little less. In the future, you'll even earn the nickname 'Ice Jade Matron.' They say you have a chic look but are as noisy as a nagging hostess.
In any case.
Tak.
The surgery concluded as Wi Ji-gang closed the wound with sutures, and Master Jangmyeongs complexion eased.
He was saved!
And so, at the hands of the Medical Immortal House, the Blood Saga of the Sword Sovereign came to a safe conclusion.
Perfectly.
The news spread throughout the entire martial world.