Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 115

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 115
“Can it be treated?”
“It’s possible. But there are risks involved.”
With my current abilities, I felt I could manage the treatment. However, surgery was unpredictable—one could never know what complications might arise.
I explained the potential side effects and dangers inherent to surgery, following the principles of modern medicine.
Jin Cheon-hee recited the side effects and risks associated with surgery according to the principles of modern medicine.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“But that means there IS a way to treat her, brother!”
“True. But I can’t guarantee success.”
“Either way, if we don’t treat her, Sama-hye will die anyway.”
“Yes.”
Sama Hyeon’s dark pupils dilated, then filled with tears. Sama-hye, lying down, covered her eyes with both hands.
“….”
Sama Hyeon embraced me. I spoke.
“It will be a time of endurance. Can you fight through it?”
“Damn it! If I can stay alive without killing myself, why couldn’t I do this!”
The boy couldn’t hold back and cursed.
I stroked Sama Hyeon’s black hair.
‘I believe there’s a Baekrin Uigak Buntta branch here as well. I’ll need to move the children there. There’s going to be a lot to prepare for the surgery.’
There was so much to consider, from beginning to end.
I felt the sensation of stepping into the ring.
* * *
As I led the children toward the Hangzhou branch of Baekrin Uigak,
dawn broke.
The constables and their captain, having received a report, slowly made their way to the murder scene.
Crime was commonplace in Hangzhou, and not a single one of them was uncorrupted.
“What is this? The facial skin has been flayed off?”
Fights among ruffians were ordinary. They’d seen all manner of corpses, but having the entire facial skin torn away was uncommon even for them.
“Damn Gangho bastards must have had themselves a brawl.”
“Captain, what should we do?”
In an era without forensic science, there was also no will to investigate.
Their duty was to dispose of what was visible; they had no desire to meddle with what wasn’t.
“What else? For those with identification tablets, file a report to the Gwana. For those without, just take them to the burial grounds and bury them. It’s not like we can do anything about it anyway. We’ve been doing this for days on end.”
“That may be true, but…”
“At least we don’t have to clean up children’s corpses today.”
Sometimes they had to clear away children’s bodies mixed among the adults.
Even the constables felt something wear away inside them at such times.
Even in a life dulled to numbness, it still happened.
“Just another dawn in Hangzhou. Even if the wounds are a bit unusual, that’s all there is to it.”
“Indeed.”
And so, exchanging words, the constables cleared away the corpse.
At that moment, from the far end of the street corner, someone watched those constables.
“Finally… I found them.”
The black-faced figure vanished like scattered dust after those words.
* * *
“Seo Baek-ryong, Seo Baek-ryong has arrived!”
“Seo Baek-ryong has finally come to our Buntta!”
Roaaaar!
Hangzhou Buntta.
I felt as though I had become some kind of superstar.
‘Was I really that famous…? No, I am famous. Right. Yeah.’
In a place where even Sama Hyeon, who performed in Hangzhou, was known, the people of Baekrin Uigak Buntta could not possibly be ignorant of me.
My mind understood it, but my middle-aged soul felt a little embarrassed.
“We wish to learn from you!”
“We always watch your medical techniques!”
“In fact, people from our Buntta have been dispatched to Baekrin Uigak Headquarters several times!”
Their eyes blazed with enthusiasm.
I understood the reason.
Hangzhou was a place where trauma patients constantly filled the treatment center—what would be called an emergency room in modern times.
Since Baekrin Uigak had always accepted patients regardless of orthodox or heterodox sect, emergency trauma cases never ceased.
If medical care were compared to warfare, Hangzhou’s Baekrin Uigak Buntta was firing from the very front lines.
Martial artists carried in every single night.
It was impossible to treat all these trauma patients with only existing acupuncture and manipulation techniques.
‘This is good.’
Living within the comfortable cage my Master created, I had only vaguely contemplated the reality of Gangho through a modern person’s sensibilities.
This was an opportunity to treat the children and educate the doctors.
“First, let’s have them washed. One of them will enter Buseol Hall. I believe they’ve all mastered the basics of diagnosis.”
“We have Baekrin Divine Elixir. And Baekrin Stone Oil as well.”
“Excellent.”
I directed everything step by step.
* * *
“Even if Buseol succeeds, everything isn’t finished. After that, you must do physical therapy every day.”
“What is physical therapy?”
“Hmm… would you understand if I said it’s a technique for conditioning the muscles?”
“Ah, yes!”
Life returned to Sama-hye’s face.
Even at this very moment, she must be in considerable pain, yet the child was seeking life.
“Yes. That’s a good expression.”
Fortunately, despite her curved spine, she had not developed paralysis.
I managed Sama-hye’s condition and treated the other children who needed additional care.
Of course it was free, but before treating them, I produced a certificate.
“Seo Baek-ryong’s Benevolence Foundation… in the Rear Garden?”
Having one child who could read made the explanation much easier.
“Yes. It’s nothing complicated. It’s a certificate stating that when you grow up, you must bestow three acts of kindness upon Gangho.”
In this era, medicine was a lucrative profession.
Naturally, Baekrin Uigak, one of the three greatest medical halls under heaven, earned considerable wealth. And as the Busul Dangju of that prestigious medical hall, my monthly stipend was equally substantial.
What I had vaguely conceived while treating young Gak-yeon back then had gradually taken shape, step by step, until it reached this point.
I created a system where I could accumulate a portion of my monthly stipend to provide free medical treatment to impoverished young martial artists.
When I mentioned this, the other three Dangju suddenly felt deeply moved and contributed their own funds.
-Kugh, I never knew someone so young possessed such depth of character.
-We also contributed what we could. We sincerely hope you use it as you see fit, Young Dangju.
As for me, my master’s wealth was my wealth, and through treating famous figures of Gangho, I had accumulated an enormous fortune beyond my years.
Money I could never spend in a lifetime—I created this system to share it with the growing saplings of tomorrow.
However, this Seo Baek-ryong’s Benevolence Foundation came with a condition.
-Children who receive this support must one day bestow three acts of kindness upon Gangho.
-That will be considered repayment for their medical treatment.
When I set this condition, I had no particular intention behind it.
Just as a person changes between entering and leaving a restroom, the standard of “kindness” was vague, and no deadline was specified.
Even rescuing a single dog on the street counts as an act of kindness.
I had no way of knowing whether these children would walk the righteous path or the wicked path as they grew.
There was no way to prevent it, and what life they lived was their own freedom.
I simply hoped that someday, when they remembered, they would share warmth with those around them.
It was merely a more elegant way of saying “grow up to be a fine person.” Yet for some reason, the children of Gangho fell silent and contemplated the matter gravely.
Suddenly, some children wiped their eyes with their sleeves.
Even the people from Eui-gak Buntta who brought out the certificates looked solemn.
“….”
‘No, they shouldn’t take it so seriously.’
Suddenly, one child tried to bite his finger.
I quickly stopped him.
“No blood oaths, children. Young ones shouldn’t be making blood oaths!”
Flinch.
The children stopped at my words.
Truly, these were the saplings of Gangho.
“I, Mak Jin-hu. In accordance with this covenant, I solemnly pledge to bestow three acts of kindness upon Gangho!”
At that solemn declaration, the Buntta Master wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
“Seo Baek-ryong. You are truly the light of Gangho.”
That was true. This world had no modern sponsorship system.
The state might distribute relief grain to the starving or dispatch doctors to plague-stricken regions, but this was not an era where doctors of Gangho would step forward to systematically provide medical support.
In a world without medical insurance, Gangho’s first children’s benevolence foundation had been born.
The children solemnly signed the certificates with ink rather than blood.
Among them were the future Hao Munzhu and Sama Hyeon.
“…Will this really be enough? It’s hardly a profitable venture, brother.”
After treatment, with the extent of the younger sibling’s rehabilitation and success rate unknown, Sama Hyeon had taken the photograph in her stead.
That was the Seo Baek-ryong Patient Care Foundation. In short, Baek-hwan-hu.
Children from Baek-hwan-hu were created that way.
* * *
As I prepared for surgery, my thoughts grew heavy.
‘The doctors here in Hangzhou’s Buntta are certainly skilled. But will they be able to keep up with this surgery?’
I began a thorough diagnosis of Sama-hye.
Multiple café-au-lait spots larger than 5mm.
Skeletal abnormalities. Ocular tumors. Axillary involvement.
Family history was difficult to ascertain in detail due to the child’s limited recollection.
After careful pulse diagnosis and examination, I was able to diagnose neurofibromatosis-induced scoliosis.
Neurofibromatosis type 1.
A surprisingly common hereditary disease. Of course, commonality and severity are separate matters.
‘So the scoliosis is ultimately a consequence of this genetic condition.’
Fortunately, many cases could be resolved through conservative management, but when surgical intervention was necessary, an experienced surgeon was essential.
‘First, there’s the possibility of neurofibromas transforming into malignancy.’
Most neurofibromas are benign. However, in extremely rare cases, malignant transformation could occur.
In such cases, even I would be helpless.
Cancer treatment requires not only surgical intervention but also radiation and chemotherapy. If that were the case, treatment would be impossible with this era’s technology.
Modern Earth itself hasn’t conquered pediatric cancer.
‘But from my pulse diagnosis alone, it doesn’t appear to be malignant.’
That was fortunate.
I don’t know how many times I wiped my chest in relief.
‘The second concern is whether the patient’s body can withstand the surgery.’
Fixation extending to the pelvis is necessary.
Due to the vascular characteristics around the spine, vasoconstriction doesn’t occur easily, so the patient could die from ischemic shock during surgery.
Since most neurofibromatosis scoliosis patients are young children before their twenties, the risk is already considerable.
‘I can dissect the muscles around the spine quickly with my abilities. That should be fine.’
Without teeth, one uses the gums—this world has martial arts where modern equipment doesn’t exist.
Now that I’ve mastered the Hyeonwon Jeondan Divine Art, muscle dissection poses no problem.
‘To reduce the burden, I need to rely on speed and precision. Will blood supplies be sufficient?’
Blood procurement for surgery had now become standard knowledge at Baekrin Uigak.
It was thanks to me grinding myself like a millstone as the Busul Dangju.
‘Next is the tumor size.’
Ideally, this surgery should begin after reducing the tumor through radiation therapy.
The oncology department would need 6 to 12 weeks of preparatory work.
‘Radiation therapy is impossible in this era.’
But again, without teeth, one uses the gums.
The critical factor is dissecting it without damaging the nerves.
While not quite reaching the level of inscribing the Heart Sutra onto a grain of rice with a sword’s tip, it demanded an extraordinary degree of concentration, observation, and precision.
Remarkably, there were martial artists in this world capable of such feats.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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