Doctor’s Rebirth

Chapter 30

Treatment room.

Originally, this was a place for performing medical techniques using needles or moxibustion. But this time was different.

In the middle of the room, on a bed that had been cleaned spotless and disinfected with strong alcohol, lay a young girl.

Divine Doctor Baek Rin and Jin Cheon-hee were looking down at the girl.

As always, Yoo Ho stood quietly behind Zhuge Rin.

“Is it possible with the medical skills you know?”

“…I can’t give a definite answer.”

This is a world without X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs. There are no various medicines, not even IVs or syringes.

‘If the description in the novel is correct, then maybe…’

“First, we need to check how the insides are shaken up. Is that possible, Master?”

Divine Doctor Baek Rin nodded.

“You want to know more in detail than examining through pulse diagnosis?”

“Yes. I can’t do qi pulse diagnosis yet.”

This was one of the things that surprised Jin Cheon-hee the most since coming to this martial arts world.

Qi pulse diagnosis.

The ability to diagnose the inside of the body using qi.

It was similar to ultrasound, but even more accurate.

It’s because of qi perception.

To put it metaphorically, one could feel the inside of the body as if touching it with hands by flowing qi through it.

Zhuge Rin placed his hand on the child’s abdomen.

Thump-

It seemed like a sound resonated, but there was almost no vibration transmitted to the abdomen.

Inner power so weak that ordinary people wouldn’t feel it penetrates the abdomen like sound waves.

‘It’s amazing no matter how many times I see it… I have enough inner power too, so if I try harder, I should be able to use it, right?’

Jin Cheon-hee already has ten years’ worth of inner power. However, he still couldn’t perform qi pulse diagnosis because his qi control wasn’t refined enough yet.

If he achieves a higher level of attainment, he should soon be able to do such pulse diagnosis.

While Jin Cheon-hee was thinking this, Zhuge Rin closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensation at his fingertips.

Feeling the returning waves of inner power, he began to draw the patient’s condition on rice paper.

Jin Cheon-hee stared blankly at this astonishing technique.

‘…Is this what it takes to be called a divine doctor in the martial world?’

Zhuge Rin said:

“What I’m about to say should only be known to us three. Understand?”

Yoo Ho, seeming used to this, didn’t even answer.

Only Jin Cheon-hee nodded heavily.

“The one who attacked the child used quite a profound internal injury technique. And there are quite unique characteristics left. This is only possible with learning an original martial art.”

At those words, Jin Cheon-hee recalled the martial arts novels he had read.

There was only one answer.

“Does this mean the culprit belongs to a specific sect?”

“Yes.”

In novels, martial arts leave characteristic wounds depending on their origin. Like appearing as if mauled by a tiger’s claws, or leaving marks as if sawed.

There are many scenes where characters in novels exclaim, “Ah! This is O sect’s △ martial art…! How vicious!” upon seeing this.

‘Master is one of the Three Great Divine Doctors of the martial world. It’s natural for him to deduce the martial art through wounds… In 21st century Earth terms, is it similar to identifying the type of gun by looking at bullet wounds?’

Zhuge Rin continued with difficulty:

“It’s someone from the orthodox path, the righteous side.”

Orthodox path.

No matter how deep the grudge, it was unimaginable for them to attack someone’s family, especially a child.

That was something only the unorthodox path, and the worst of them at that, would do.

‘It was complexly entangled.’

In the novel, the Phantom Archer never found the assailants.

Zhuge Rin said:

“Hee-ya, I’m sorry for having to show you such things.”

“It’s the world that’s bad, not you, Master. And we need to know to be able to do anything.”

Humans can’t be defined in one way.

There can be those in the orthodox path worse than the unorthodox, and those in the unorthodox path more admirable than the orthodox.

The same goes for doctors.

There are colleagues who cling to money under the pretext of treating patients, and those who cause medical accidents by operating while drunk.

It’s said they didn’t hesitate to lie to the bereaved families, saying the illness was too deep and nothing could be done.

Some snort anesthetic drugs like narcotics in the bathroom.

Conversely, there were those who voluntarily made house calls to slums without receiving a penny.

There were those who went around saving people as much as they could, even though no one acknowledged them. There were even those who saved lives until they died from overwork.

It didn’t matter whether it was orthodox or unorthodox.

Groups were just mud pits made up of people.

Jin Cheon-hee thought:

‘If this spreads wrongly, it’ll be troublesome.’

If the assailants were from the orthodox path, they would do anything to silence them.

Jin Cheon-hee said:

“That grudge is that man Phantom Archer’s business, not something we should get involved in.”

There was an indifference that couldn’t be thought to belong to a child.

Jin Cheon-hee’s interest was focused solely on saving the patient.

Zhuge Rin somehow felt that Jin Cheon-hee resembled his own bad parts. But that was also an important quality for a martial world doctor.

‘Originally, this was a patient I wouldn’t have even accepted.’

He had already felt it when first checking the pulse.

That this child couldn’t be saved. And that even if saved, it could become very troublesome.

If it were his usual self, he wouldn’t have even put a foot in.

“Let’s do that.”

If it weren’t for his disciple. Absolutely not.

***

‘Intestinal rupture and necrosis has occurred internally. The fact that she’s still alive must be due to that guy’s qi and the existence of spirit medicine?’

He agreed that it wouldn’t be strange if she died at any moment.

Nevertheless, seeing that she was still breathing, the qi of this world was truly amazing.

‘Fortunately, the surgical method itself seems somewhat possible. The question is whether the patient has enough strength to endure even if we start the surgery.’

There’s no 100% certainty.

Even Jin Cheon-hee couldn’t guarantee this.

After conveying all this to his master, Jin Cheon-hee said:

“I think we’ll need family consent.”

“Quite systematic, aren’t you.”

Jin Cheon-hee flinched at those words.

‘No, then how do you perform surgery without guardian consent… Ah… They don’t… But what if the patient dies… Medical lawsuit… doesn’t exist… In the martial world, do they just kill the doctor in one strike according to martial world laws? Isn’t that something the unorthodox path would do? But looking at that child, there’s not much difference even if they’re from the orthodox path?’

Having thought that far, Jin Cheon-hee immediately said:

“All the more reason we should tell them.”

“Alright. Then will you explain?”

Jin Cheon-hee shook his head.

To others, he would just be seen as a young disciple, not as a doctor.

At times like this, tact is important.

“Please do it, Master.”

At those words, Zhuge Rin smiled bitterly.

“You’re making me change a lot too.”

***

Zhuge Rin explained as simply as possible to the waiting Phantom Archer.

After listening, the Phantom Archer opened his mouth:

“So there are two options. One is to die peacefully. With the Medical Immortal’s acupuncture, there will be no pain until the last breath, and it’s possible to wake the consciousness for a short conversation with the return of the light. And the deceased’s body will be clean. Is that right?”

Zhuge Rin nodded.

“That’s correct.”

“The other option is to fight the illness to the end. Today is critical, and you’ll use surgical techniques, so if it fails, the deceased’s body will be damaged, and my daughter might be in pain…”

This is an era without modern medicine. It was uncertain whether the surgery would go as desired.

The Phantom Archer’s expression contorted.

Perhaps he was reminded of his wife who died painfully.

“You’re the Medical Immortal, aren’t you? Why can’t you guarantee it?”

“…”

Zhuge Rin’s expression turned bitter at those words.

In the silence, the Phantom Archer spoke:

“Still… it’s a hundred times better than the first doctor who guaranteed a perfect cure.”

The man’s hand trembled.

“Are you asking me this so that if it fails later, I won’t blame you because it was my choice?”

Zhuge Rin answered:

“No. It’s because I, a stranger who just met the patient today, can’t arbitrarily choose the patient’s fate. You know the patient best, don’t you? What the patient would want.”

“…”

The Phantom Archer blankly recalled his daughter. In the past, his daughter had said to him:

-Disguise? It’s okay! I’ve always liked this kind of thing! I’ll make sure the bad guys never find out, so Dad has to defeat them all, okay?

His daughter was braver than anyone. He couldn’t bring himself to tell such a daughter what he was really doing.

-These days, even heroes earn a lot of money. There must be many good people. Bodyguards? You need those too? It’ll be hard to make friends. It’s okay. They can come over to play. And I’m good at playing alone.

He lied to his daughter.

He said Dad was a hero of the martial world, earning money through righteous deeds. So don’t worry and spend the money Dad earns freely.

The child innocently believed until the end.

-Tell me martial world stories, Dad.

The daughter would plead with her father before going to sleep.

She believed she could become like that too, listening to stories of cool heroes in the martial world. She said she wanted to learn martial arts following her dad and do righteous deeds together.

She said she wanted to become a great hero.

-Why did you come so late, Dad… Dad… I couldn’t be like… Dad. But I still fought well… against the bad guys… didn’t I…?

At that time, his daughter was colder than usual. Her temperature was like his wife’s.

Blood seeped through her clenched teeth.

He was a liar. And a coward.

He was the kind of person who hated suffering from poverty but was afraid of being pointed at by his daughter.

The man spoke in a suppressed voice as if shouting:

“Then please let her go peacefully. Without any more pain.”

Zhuge Rin asked at the Phantom Archer’s voice:

“Are you really going to do that?”

“If she dies… If she dies, just like my wife…”

He couldn’t speak anymore.

The man’s face was riddled with pain. With trembling lips, he said so. No more.

Zhuge Rin gave Jin Cheon-hee a look.

Jin Cheon-hee sighed and nodded.

‘Yes. That too is a choice…’

Just as Zhuge Rin was about to get up, the man shouted:

“…Please save her! Just save her… please…”

It was the cry of a father who couldn’t accept his daughter’s life being extinguished.

He grabbed Zhuge Rin’s clothes.

He had made his choice.

It was something raw and human that couldn’t be expressed in any words.

“Please, I’m just asking you to save her. I’d rather be sick instead. I wish I could die instead… Why should that child die when this foolish father is alive and well…!”

The cry of a parent who must have thought this a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times comes out.

It should have been him dying. It should have been him, the liar.

Zhuge Rin didn’t answer.

He just bowed deeply to his choice and came out.

Then he asked:

“Hee-ya. Do you think the child will live?”