Chapter 5
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: A Sister's Genius and an Unwelcome Guest
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This is the Sachiltang Decoction. Its effective for dissolving phlegm and suppressing nausea.
Wi Ji-sang-ah, speaking in her usual clipped manner, paused for a moment.
She seemed to think Wi Ji-cheon wouldnt have understood.
Dissolving phlegm and suppressing nausea is
I know. Dissolving phlegm means to break down phlegm, and suppressing nausea means to stop vomiting, right?
You? How?
No matter how little Ive studied, I at least know basic terms like that.
Seriously, what does she take me for?
These were terms one could understand just by knowing the characters.
But now that he thought about it, his past self probably hadnt known even such simple terms.
He wasnt called a failure for nothing.
What is the cause of phlegm and nausea?
Wi Ji-cheon pondered for a moment.
Although he had been an absolute master, the study of martial arts didnt include the causes of illnesses.
However, a perfect understanding of essence, qi, and the body was the most fundamental basis for advancing to a higher level, so he could deduce this as well.
Isnt it the stagnation of the seven emotions? If the seven emotions dont flow smoothly, it leads to phlegm stagnating in the body, which eventually manifests as nausea
He was in the middle of answering.
Clang!
Wi Ji-sang-ah dropped the spoon she was holding.
Her eyes had grown as wide as saucers.
You, youre not Cheon, are you?
You know Ive been studying hard late into the night recently, dont you?
You mean you werent just wasting lamp oil?
Sang-ah spoke at length for once, a testament to her surprise.
Taking the opportunity, Wi Ji-cheon asked something he had been curious about.
What are the herbs used in this decoction?
Cha So-yeop, Ban Ha, Ho Guk, Song Tae, and Yuk Geuk.
Wi Ji-cheon looked at the medicinal ingredients.
Most of them were herbs he didn't recognize.
However, by observing the properties they contained, he could roughly guess their roles.
This herb called Cha So-yeop seems to have a cold nature, so it must calm the excessive seven emotions, while Ho Guk, with its earth nature, must serve to replenish the damaged mind and body.
However, there was one herb he couldn't quite figure out.
No, he could guess, but something about it seemed strange.
By any chance, what is the role of this herb, Ban Ha?
To facilitate the circulation of the seven emotions.
Doesnt that overlap with the properties of Song Tae? Using this much could stimulate the seven emotions. How do you manage that?
Wi Ji-sang-ah clamped her mouth shut.
Then, without another word, she stared intently at Wi Ji-cheon.
Oops, was that a mistake?
A look of dismay crossed Wi Ji-cheons face.
He had asked out of genuine curiosity because he didnt understand, but depending on how she heard it, it might have sounded arrogant.
As if Wi Ji-sang-ah wouldnt have already considered something he knew.
But then.
How did you know that?
Huh?
Wi Ji-sang-ahs eyes were blazing.
Anyone who didn't know her might have been terrified, thinking she was glaring at an enemy, but Wi Ji-cheon knew this was the look she got when she was greatly excited.
Using the Sachiltang Decoction improves the nausea, but I was worried because in rare cases, phlegm can stagnate during the recovery process. Why didnt I think of what you said? Even the Secret Records of Pharmacology didnt mention that. Should I reduce the amount of Ban Ha? No, maybe its better to remove Song Tae and replace it with another herb?
On and on.
Words poured out of Wi Ji-sang-ah like a waterfall.
Then, she stopped.
Sorry. I got too excited.
Its alright.
Wi Ji-cheon smiled.
Others might misunderstand this eccentric side of Wi Ji-sang-ah, but not him.
On the contrary.
Ive missed this.
Huh?
Oops.
Uh, um. I mean, its been a while since weve talked like this, hasnt it? Youve been so busy since you took over the pill hall.
Youre strange.
Although Wi Ji-sang-ah turned her gaze back to the decoction and started muttering about Cha So-yeop and Ban Ha, Wi Ji-cheon knew she was just acting that way out of embarrassment.
I missed you, sister.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment.
Wi Ji-cheon hesitated before speaking.
The atmosphere seemed right to bring it up.
Sister, could you take a look at a prescription for me?
A prescription?
I once acquired a secret formula for making a pill in the market, and Im curious if its real.
As mentioned before, a disciple who hadnt undergone the Medical Examination Ceremony was forbidden from preparing medicine in the pill hall.
This rule applied even to the direct descendants of the family head. No, in fact, they were expected to set an example, so they had to adhere to it even more strictly.
In that case
Do I really have to make it myself? I can just leave it to the expert, my sister.
Wi Ji-sang-ah replied bluntly.
You shouldnt get involved in things like that. There are a lot of swindlers out there.
Still, please just take a look. I dont really trust it either, but something about it seems plausible. I think it would be good if you looked at it.
Perhaps because of the knowledge he had just displayed, Wi Ji-sang-ah fortunately didnt scold him further.
Taking it as a sign of her consent, Wi Ji-cheon recited the manufacturing method he remembered, and soon, Wi Ji-sang-ahs eyes began to widen.
Shes hooked.
Wi Ji-cheon grinned.
The martial world was in an era of great prosperity.
Countless masters roamed the continent, and the influence of the martial sects was stronger than at any time in the past.
Numerous orthodox sects championed justice, and in proportion, countless unorthodox sects of the underworld also ran rampant.
This prosperity in the martial world naturally led to the expansion of one particular field: the medical profession.
At the end of the day, martial artists lived by the sword.
A flourishing martial world meant that many fights and accidents occurred.
Moreover, martial artists were surprisingly susceptible to getting sick and injured.
It wasn't just when they fought life-or-death battles against enemies. They could get hurt while sparring with fellow disciples or from overworking their joints day and night, and they frequently fell ill.
Shouldnt practicing martial arts protect one from illness?
That was true if one reached the peak realm.
Peak masters were nothing short of superhuman.
However, the vast majority of martial artists never reached such a level.
The limit for an ordinary person was becoming a first-rate master. No, even becoming a first-rate master was not easy.
The absolute majority of martial artists were second- and third-rate common warriors, and in reality, they were more vulnerable to various illnesses due to the strain they put on their bodies.
This and other circumstances combined to cause explosive growth in the medical profession, and in the present day, countless medical houses had been established.
It could very well be called the golden age of medical houses.
With so many medical houses, people began to classify them by rank.
-Heaven-rank.
These were medical houses whose fame resounded throughout the entire martial world.
There were five such places, sometimes called the Five Great Medical Houses of the World.
The White Immortal Medical House, the sworn enemy of the Medical Immortal Medical House, was one of them.
-Star-rank.
Meaning medical houses that were like stars in the sky, they wielded great influence in their surrounding regions.
Usually, there was one or two per province.
-Earth-rank.
These medical houses acted as the local mainstays of a city.
In Nanyang, where the Medical Immortal Medical House was located, the two medical houses known as the Two Goodness Houses were of this rank.
-Village-rank.
As the name suggests, these were medical houses established in villages or neighborhoods.
So, where did the Medical Immortal Medical House fall among these?
At best, its village-rank. A neighborhood clinic thats falling behind even in Nanyang.
It was a bewildering story.
How could what was once the World's Greatest Medical House have been reduced to a mere neighborhood clinic?
But it was true.
Its fallen behind the times.
It wasnt that their medical skills had declined.
The fact that his older brother Wi Ji-gang and sister Wi Ji-sang-ah would gain fame as the Twin Dragons of the Medical Immortal in just a few years was proof that the medical arts of their house were still outstanding.
The problem was the familys policy.
Unlike other medical houses, they focused on saving the common people.
As mentioned earlier, the rise of medical houses coincided with the rise of the martial world.
Why was that?
No matter how many martial artists there were, they were still a minority compared to the entire population.
Common people didn't bring in money.
Medicinal herbs are expensive. Only a few can afford to pay enough for it to be profitable.
And so.
Aside from well-off martial artists and a few wealthy individuals, treating common people was simply not profitable.
It was fine back when the Medical Immortal Medical House was the greatest in the world.
The rich came from all over the continent with sacks of money, so they could cover the losses from treating the common folk.
The White Immortal Medical House, which had split off as a branch family, was quick to adapt to the times.
They stopped treating common people and focused on the wealthy. Thanks to that, they were able to remain one of the Five Great Medical Houses of the World.
The main family, the Medical Immortal Medical House, refused to abandon its principle of saving the people, and as a result, they grew poorer with each generation, to the point where they were now driven from their original home and barely maintaining their lineage in a corner of Nanyang.
Thats going to change now. Because Ive returned.
Wi Ji-cheon glanced inside his pocket.
There was a single pill inside.
It was the Taeso Pill, completed by Wi Ji-sang-ah.
As expected of a genius of pharmacology who would later be called the Flower of Medicine in the martial world, she had perfectly created the elixir just from hearing the formula.
It only had the effect of increasing internal energy by two or three years, but even the same amount of internal energy could be vastly different depending on who wielded it.
Just then, on his way back to his room, he ran into his father, Wi Ji-seon.
Wi Ji-seon was not alone.
Cheon, greet him. This is the esteemed Master Jang Sam of the Black Ghost Sect.
An unorthodox sect?
It wasn't unusual for a master from an unorthodox sect to visit.
Some medical houses refused to treat members of unorthodox sects, but that was only for those with close ties to the orthodox faction. Most medical houses didn't discriminate between patients, whether they were righteous or evil.
Why is he here? No matter how insignificant the sect, a master of his level would normally not come to our Medical Immortal Medical House.
As explained before, the Medical Immortal Medical House mainly treated common people.
They used the cheapest herbs possible, and their facilities were poor, so those with money rarely came.
What was most unsettling was
His eyes.
In his past life, he had been a demon.
He had met countless individuals from the evil and demonic factions.
Based on that experience, the man before him was definitely not a good person.