Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: [Secret Clinic] Epilogue
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In front of the weathered main gate of Yakseondang.
I gripped the door handle and hesitated for a moment.
The great Taoist Yi Gildong, who had sent the kingdom's Chief State Physician to the grave, deceived a king of a nation, and subdued the Queen Dowager in her bedchamber—yet here I was, dithering over crossing a mere threshold.
'Ha... How the hell do I explain this? I vanished without a word for three whole days.'
This was no small matter.
Even in modern society, an part-timer going radio silent for three days meant instant dismissal.
The boss at my convenience store gig back home would dock an hour's pay for just being a minute late.
How much stricter could Joseon's rigid apprenticeship system be?
A disciple learning medicine ghosting his master for three days without so much as a heads-up?
I'd have no grounds to complain if I got excommunicated.
Sure, getting booted from here wouldn't ruin me completely, but I still had skills to learn—getting chased out now would be a real pain.
"I've got the Deception skill, so maybe I can bluff my way through somehow..."
But Master Heo Seol wasn't the type to miss a thing.
Even when I shamelessly spun my lies, there was this uncanny pressure, like he could see right through me.
And look at this timing.
Right now, fresh off treating the Queen Dowager, but soon an edict would go out in the king's name: Taoist Yi Gildong cured her.
My disappearance lines up a bit too perfectly with the taoist's sudden appearance.
It had passed as a joke, but I'd already heard whispers like that.
Tsk tsk.
On the way back from eating, I'd washed up thoroughly by the stream, and since my clothes reeked too badly, I'd swiped some others and left plenty of coin behind.
I'd left more than enough, so no issues there.
This should cover the nonstop sex smell, at least.
But no solid excuse was coming to mind.
I racked my brains for a good long while, scratching my head raw.
"Screw it, whatever."
Nothing for it but to face the music.
Creeeak.
I eased the gate open and stepped into the courtyard, where the sun was dipping low, casting long shadows.
Quiet around here.
Everyone busy with patients, maybe?
The thought had barely crossed my mind when a kid burst out from the kitchen.
A little lady with neatly braided pigtails swinging as she ran—Samwol, the girl who handled all the clinic's odd jobs.
"Oh no! Foreman Lee Jun! Where on earth have you been? You're just getting back now?!"
She called me "foreman" out of respect for my position as second-in-command under Master Heo Seol, but her face screamed bounty hunter nabbing a runaway slave.
"Ah, well... I got lost in the mountains..."
In the end, mountains were my go-to excuse again.
Joseon mountains were notoriously treacherous, after all.
No well-paved trails like back home.
Tigers were everywhere too—getting eaten wasn't uncommon.
"The mountains again? Why are you so obsessed with those things? And lost this time? In the back hills? For three days? Come on, you're a grown man—how do you have zero sense of direction! Master was searching everywhere for you!"
"Master was looking for me?"
"Of course! Three days without a peep—who wouldn't worry? He was debating reporting it to the magistrates or figuring you'd been mauled by a beast. Barely slept a wink for days!"
Samwol's scolding poured out like machine-gun fire.
"And do you know how hard it's been covering your chores on top of mine?"
She smacked my back with her little hands.
It didn't hurt a bit, of course, but the way she treated me like a wayward big brother made me flinch anyway.
Kinda felt like I'd gained a new little sister.
"Sorry, Samwol."
"Just don't let it happen again!"
They'd managed fine before I came along, so why fuss over a few days' absence?
But with my superior physical abilities, I handled the heavy lifting fast and efficiently.
Turned out there was more work than expected, so my absence must've left a real gap.
'Master losing sleep over me...'
I hadn't realized he cared that much.
As I stood there fretting,
"Noisy out there. Is that Lee Jun?"
The inner quarters door slid open, and Master Heo Seol appeared.
"Yes, M-Master. I'm back."
"Overheard from inside—you went to the mountains again, I take it. Nothing serious happen?"
"Ah, yes. The terrain was rough, so I tumbled down a slope... Lost consciousness, and when I came to, I was somewhere else entirely. Took a while to find my way down."
I spun a passable yarn.
Lying to Master—who'd always treated me well—was tougher than usual.
Deception worked best with brazen confidence, but it felt weaker here.
Still, the skill did its job, more or less.
Master eyed me steadily, then nodded.
"Good. You look unscathed. That's what matters."
"...Pardon?"
"As long as your limbs are intact, what more is there to ask? Samwol, brew a bowl of medicinal soup. He looks drained—body's taken a bit of a hit."
"Huh? Oh, yes! Right away!"
Samwol dashed off to the decoction room at Master's command.
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
That was it?
For real?
"Don't just stand there gawking. Go wash up and rest. Catch up on work starting tomorrow."
With that, Master retreated back inside.
I scratched my head, staring at the closed door.
'What just happened...?'
Something felt off, but hey—if I'd dodged the bullet, great.
I let out a relieved sigh and headed to my room.
Quite some time passed after that.
Life at Yakseondang settled back into peaceful routine.
Mornings sweeping the courtyard, prepping herbs; afternoons assisting Master with patients, learning medicine; evenings massaging VIPs when they flooded in.
But beneath the surface, things were wrapping up.
'That Cheonbong kid—always knew he was sharp.'
A few nights back, when I secretly met him, I clocked him with a solid flick on the forehead the moment I saw that smug face.
It was a real knuckle-shot, tears welling in Cheonbong's eyes as he yelped.
Then he protested his innocence.
Made sense when he put it that way.
Stashing it somewhere obvious risked someone else grabbing it first.
Worse, it could've ended up with the corrupt officials.
To ensure the king found it himself, it needed to be in a blind spot—unseen normally, but in his line of sight when resting.
'Sharp kid, as expected.'
He was so indignant, I promised to teach him some sorcery later to smooth things over.
How to actually teach it? Eh, next time I hit a wuxia world, snag some qi circulation method or whatever.
Kim the eunuch's matter was settled too.
After busting him from the Royal Guard, Governor Jang had kept him.
With the Chief State Physician nabbed, his false charges were cleared.
I had Jang drop him near the palace.
Kim vanishing wasn't big news amid the chaos.
If anything, rumors spread that I'd saved the wronged eunuch, reformed him, and sent him back—boosting Taoist Yi Gildong's rep even higher.
My name value just kept climbing.
Next, the bodyguard, Governor Jang.
This burly warrior had nowhere to go and clung to me.
He had decent martial prowess by this world's standards, and I'd vetted his loyalty over time—too valuable to discard.
But the vigilante gig was scrapped, so no immediate use.
Couldn't bring him to Yakseondang either—too recognizable as the Chief State Physician's guard.
Suggested scarring his face beyond recognition; he freaked out.
Scarred warrior faces are cool, right?
Anyway, put on hold for now.
If I return to this world, he'll come in handy then.
Told him to lay low with Cheonbong meanwhile.
And...
Heh heh heh.
Just thinking about it brought a grin to my face.
Nightly rendezvous with Lady Min Jo-hee and Lady Choi Soo-jung for "special house calls."
Pure power sex under the guise of treatment, of course.
Now they showed up unbidden with excuses.
Drag 'em inside for a wild romp, and they were putty—worshipping the ground I walked on.
And the Queen Dowager.
As Taoist Yi Gildong, I'd visit Gyotaejeon every few days under pretense of well-wishes.
The king, thinking I was treating her aftereffects, gratefully stepped aside.
Then barrier up with magic, and hot reunions with her.
The lofty Queen Dowager cuddling into me, acting all coquettish.
This was living.
Can't fathom how I'd survived without sex before.
Past me felt kinda pitiful.
'Truly dreamlike days.'
Wasn't just lounging around eating though.
Kept studying medicine with Master like before, but post-[God's Hand] skill, my learning speed exploded.
This morning, acupuncture lesson from Master.
"Ho... You've already mastered the needle placements. And that fingertip sensitivity—far from ordinary."
Master praised me like that, but honestly, I hadn't memorized all the acupoints yet.
So many pressure points—endless, even after cramming.
Boredom made me yawn sometimes.
Still, watching and imitating, [God's Hand] made my hands move on autopilot.
That's why Master phrased it as "mastered," not "memorized."
"All thanks to your guidance, Master."
"Nonsense. Your talent is downright frightening. Your needlework outshines physicians five years my senior. That's enough for today."
Along with Master's praise, a system chime blared.
'Oh, it popped.'
Finally, acupuncture as a proper skill.
Now with skill bonuses on top of just needling.
Stats ticked up too.
[Precision hand movements slightly increase Agility.]
No real scraps since arriving here, so Strength and Magic barely budged.
Only gains from absorbing ghost qi via [Divine Pill: Pungyanghwan].
Constantly chopping herbs, needling, massaging, and nightly romps—fingers and hips working overtime.
Makes sense.
The few fights? Just pounding weaklings.
But dexterity-related stats? Steady climbs from clinic work.
Plus all the dashing around in taoist getup.
Anyway, not the time.
True mentor watch... not quite.
Bow to my true master, Heo Seol.
"Thank you, Master. Sorry to keep you so late."
"You're welcome. You worked hard too. Get some rest."
Master waved dismissively and vanished.
Even his retreating figure was artistic.
Wonder if I'd pull off that charm in Love and Peace.
Hard to picture.
'Feels like I've squeezed most of what I can from here.'
Realizing it now, but damn, I've been in the [Famed Physician Heo Seol] world for a good while.