Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 155

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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 155
“It’s fine because Master is here.”
Yoo Ho was anchored by Jin Cheon-hee at the Medical Hall.
Not for any other reason, but if Yoo Ho left as well, there would be no one left to cultivate the actinomycetes in Baekrin Medical Guild’s laboratory.
Actinomycetes didn’t grow on love alone, but they did grow through labor, so I had to maintain temperature and humidity constantly and tend to them with a farmer’s devotion.
“You’re really planning to fill ten thousand culture dishes. Cheon-hee.”
“Yes. I’m already incredibly anxious about it.”
The heart of a farmer who had abandoned his fields.
‘Ah, I wonder if Yoo Ho is doing well. I can’t forget to maintain the morning temperature control because he’s busy. How are the cultures doing? Are the middle-aged men being worked properly?’
Streptomycin, unlike penicillin, grinds people down in a different sense to be made.
Even with Master helping Yoo Ho and me, it wasn’t nearly enough, and I had to bring Sang Ui-won along to cultivate the cultures together.
After putting in such effort day by day each season, one crazed Sang Ui-won performed a ritual in front of the laboratory.
It was a fertility rite that farmers performed each spring before planting rice, praying for a good harvest—a prayer that only the desired bacteria would grow well.
On Earth, Jin Cheon-hee hadn’t believed in shamanism, but I knew that shamanism actually existed in this world. So I participated seriously as well.
That way, Jin Cheon-hee and one mad Sang Ui-won prepared the ritual.
The middle-aged men under that Sang Ui-won’s command also approached the ritual with quite serious expressions.
With the sole desire to escape this labor hell, even Yoo Ho joined in, and my laboratory came to perform the fertility rite with desperate hearts every spring.
What Jin Cheon-hee said at that time, delirious from overwork, was quite a sight.
‘Hahaha! On Earth, it took over twenty years of full-time research with twenty people to discover streptomycin, but how long will it take us! Hehehehe!’
The Medical Assistants couldn’t understand what the delirious Jin Cheon-hee was saying, but at least they could grasp that the discovery took over twenty years.
…They wanted to escape this hell.
But if they just endured here with eyes shut for a few more years, they could become the Patriarch of the regional Buntta.
A position as Imperial Physician might even be possible.
Illness afflicts royalty and warriors the same, and everyone needs a doctor.
In a world where people fail the civil service exam even after ten attempts, working like oxen here meant that in a few years, an official position would be within reach.
Jin Cheon-hee began to cultivate the crops each season together with his beloved laboratory slaves.
Whether it would become humanity’s great discovery or merely a futile labor in endless hell—only God would know.
Yet I couldn’t even curse about it.
The one grinding himself down the most was none other than Jin Cheon-hee himself.
Since my home was the Medical Hall, I had no vacations and didn’t count days off.
Every day I made rounds mechanically, cared for patients, and cultivated (?) in the laboratory.
I wrote medical treatises that I called papers, and in my remaining time, I underwent hellish training.
Our Professor Jin wasn’t human.
Rather, this period of receiving the Ju Wang’s imperial decree and coming to Juwang House could be called the most liberated time in recent days.
Thus liberated, Jin Cheon-hee trembled with anxiety like a house elf who had received socks.
“Master. Yoo Ho must be doing well, right?”
“Mm. He must be.”
“My actinomycetes must be cultivating well, right?”
“They’re growing on love, I’m sure.”
“The temperature….”
“Don’t worry—I’ll keep monitoring things as you instructed. But come now, we have some excellent refreshments here. Won’t you try a bite?”
My Master quickly arranged the delicacies on the table.
“The tea is still warm.”
“But Master….”
“Cheon-hee. The pastries from Juwang House are famous for their taste—surely you won’t refuse? They lose their flavor once they cool.”
Only then did this unworthy disciple reluctantly sit before my Master.
Yet worry still lingered in my expression, so Jegalling placed a delicacy directly into my mouth.
“…It’s delicious.”
The sweetness brightened my expression considerably.
Jegalling observed my face with the appreciation of one admiring a work of art.
“Try this as well.”
“I’ve never seen honey threads prepared this way before.”
“The chefs of Juwang House are renowned for their skill.”
Ju Wang, with his refined tastes, had sampled every delicacy under heaven.
Naturally, the chefs he selected possessed unparalleled mastery.
“And strangely, this seems like it would pair wonderfully with wine. Don’t you think?”
“Indeed it would.”
At those words, I nodded in agreement.
These were better suited as drinking accompaniments than mere refreshments, yet they remained delicious regardless.
I consumed all the delicacies as swiftly as a crab disappearing into sand.
“I want to study how to make these and prepare them at the Medical Hall later!”
“You’ll work yourself to death that way. Cheon-hee. Even if you were a genius, living like that would kill you.”
“Come now, Master is the genius—I’m merely talented or moderately skilled at best.”
“Then you’ll die even faster.”
Jegalling worried about my overwork.
“Once you’ve finished eating, the plum blossoms have bloomed in the Rear Garden. Shall we go see them together?”
“Plum blossoms?”
My Master nodded at those words.
“So you’d rather work after coming all this way? Besides, there’s nothing to work on.”
He was right. Only then did I grasp my Master’s intention.
‘He wants me to rest since I’ve come this far.’
Yet here I was, carrying out an imperial decree from Juwang House—it was madness of the highest order.
Still, it was true that I had been working with such desperation.
[Master, how do you think this will unfold?]
[I believe it will take at least three days before Eun Wang-ya makes a decision.]
[Why is that?]
[Hmm… I’m not certain. It’s not a logical judgment, but rather experiential intuition.]
[I see.]
[If I must find grounds for it… the imperial family must prepare contingencies when such situations arise. Eun Wang-ya is cautious by nature and doesn’t open her heart to many. That wariness will hinder her decision. Three days is actually a quick estimate.]
To become a physician in Gangho, one truly needs this level of experience and insight, I thought.
‘If this were Earth, I would have scheduled surgery immediately.’
Cancer had been discovered, yet they hesitated about surgery—it made no sense.
If the condition were already terminal and hospice care were the only option, that would be different, but this wasn’t such a situation. Surgery was needed urgently.
[I hope you won’t push too hard to persuade them. Even if there are no empty spaces in the vast Gangho, there is no one who can fill your absence.]
My Master’s voice transmission carried sincerity.
I responded calmly to my Master’s heart.
[Don’t worry, Master. I absolutely cannot die until my research is complete.]
I desperately wanted to succeed in the research and present a beautiful thesis to the nineteen slaves, excluding Yoo Ho.
Streptomycin’s potential extended far beyond treating tuberculosis alone. If successful, I could save far more lives.
My Master let out a small laugh at my response, apparently finding it amusing.
[Yes. That’s an answer worthy of you.]
I enjoyed refreshments with my Master and admired the plum blossoms together.
True to the Juwang House’s garden, which favored the color red, crimson plum blossoms bloomed abundantly.
“The plum blossoms of the Juwang House are famous for blooming early and lasting long.”
“Indeed, they truly are.”
I said this while holding my teacup with both hands.
I had come to enjoy the tea here so much that I began carrying around a large teacup and sipping from it as I walked.
The plum blossoms blooming amidst the snow created a breathtaking sight.
A rich fragrance filled the rear garden completely.
How long had we been strolling through the rear garden?
Ju Wang approached us.
“I’m pleased the rear garden has captured your heart.”
I bowed slightly in courtesy.
“Baek Rin, might I borrow your disciple for a moment?”
At those words, Jegalling reluctantly nodded.
“How could I refuse when the King himself makes such a request?”
“Hahaha, I’m not stealing your disciple, so don’t be so sharp with me.”
With that, he led me away.
* * *
“If treatment is administered, can one truly live for another year?”
Once we reached the hall, Ju Wang asked me this first.
Until recently, Ju Wang himself had been in a state of despair. That’s why he had told me not to risk my life with treatment and to prioritize my own safety instead.
But now that a path to survival had appeared, his heart wavered.
I explained everything I knew in detail.
“…Yes, I see. Remarkable indeed. I had already heard that Seo Baek-ryong’s medical skill has reached the realm of divine intervention, but to this extent….”
Ju Wang pressed his forehead and continued speaking.
“The imperial physicians, Hwaju Yakson too…well, I never expected much from him anyway, but all the renowned doctors have given up, and yet Seo Baek-ryong might actually cure this illness. Hehehehe.”
Ju Wang laughed emptily for a long while, then spoke thus.
“Honestly, I still covet you. No wonder Baek Rin is so protective. What powerful figure wouldn’t covet a treasure like you in all the realm?”
At Ju Wang’s praise, my face even burned with heat.
“You’re too kind.”
“Too kind? Nonsense! I envy Baek Rin so much. If I had discovered you when you were young, I would never have let you go. What fortune blessed me to win your heart like this?”
Ju Wang’s admiration knew no bounds.
And he made no effort to hide his jealousy toward Baek Rin.
“Is there anything you need? Money, fame, power—I’ll stake my name on it and give you whatever you want!”
“That’s not necessary.”
“That ‘Seo Baek-ryong Children’s Support Foundation’ of yours, isn’t it? It must require considerable funding. Treating children is like pouring money into a bottomless pit, isn’t it? I heard you’ve been expanding operations recently.”
So he knew that much.
I had known that Ju Wang had been keeping a keen eye on my affairs, but I hadn’t realized he was monitoring me to this extent.
As I showed my surprise, Ju Wang spoke.
“More people are watching your every move than you think. And I’m not the only one who knows this fact. There’s nothing strange about it, is there?”
They say a ruler is without shame.
Ju Wang had always been the type to do whatever he wanted without embarrassment.
I let out a sigh.
“I won’t tell my Master that you’ve made another offer.”
After saying that, I added one more thing with a sly smile.
“I won’t affiliate with the Juwang House, but if you’re willing to provide funding, I’d be grateful.”
I wasn’t the type to refuse money being offered.
“As expected, that’s exactly how you’d answer. Well, even if you didn’t tell him, Baek Rin would have already figured it out. He’s always been famous in Gangho for his keen insight.”
It was ambiguous whether that was an insult or a compliment. Since my conversation partner was a king, I decided to take it as praise.
“Haha, you’re too kind.”
“Sigh, there’s no helping it. Then what about this?”

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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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