Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 211

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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 211
“But did we really need to go this far? Setting up a Huasheng formation and circulating it would damage the earth veins and consume considerable inner energy—that burden would fall on the doctor anyway. Surely washing hands should have been sufficient?”
The observing doctors murmured among themselves, each sharing their thoughts.
Though they spoke quietly so as not to disturb, with the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong and the Yang Medical
Heart
technique simultaneously activated, every word reached Jin Cheon-hee’s ears clearly.
“I’ve heard that Seo Baek-ryong has severe germaphobia.”
Must I begin the explanation from there again?
For a moment, darkness clouded my vision, but I shook my head.
‘It’s simply a matter of repetition. Those who learned it will pass it to their successors, and those successors will pass it to theirs. If the chain breaks… I’ll simply start again.’
The acupuncture points and needling techniques here remain unexplained by modern medicine, but conversely, modern science far surpasses this in surgical matters.
What’s lacking can be filled.
In my view, I was someone who could not afford to grow weary.
Until everything was finished, I could not permit myself to give up or grow tired.
For doctors of equal skill, three major factors determine the success rate of finger reattachment.
The time elapsed since severance, the condition of the cut surface, and the location of the cut.
A severed finger can survive at room temperature for a maximum of six to eight hours.
If it arrives after eight hours, the success rate drops dramatically to half or less.
The location of the cut was also important—the anatomical position and blood vessel distribution significantly affected success rates.
Regarding the degree of damage, wounds crushed and torn over a wide area had the lowest recovery probability, while cleanly severed fingers were easiest to restore.
‘In my past life, motorcycle accidents were most common from experience. Work-related accidents came next.’
Particularly with motorcycles, the severed finger was often unfound, or even when discovered, it would be stripped or crushed, making treatment extremely difficult.
Moreover, when patients arrived with such injuries, the finger was rarely the only problem—other organs were usually damaged as well, often requiring treatment for multiple organ failure.
Fortunately, in the martial world, such complications rarely occurred.
Most wounds were cleanly severed by sword qi.
Such reattachment surgery typically began by preparing the patient to a condition capable of receiving the procedure.
Then necrotic tissue was removed from the cut surface, the wound was opened to expose blood vessels and nerves, and they were sutured.
The suturing process required extraordinary delicacy—it was commonly compared to stitching together two strands of hair, and I agreed with that analogy.
‘Normally, it would be standard to rest during surgery and perform a second procedure. Like during the Prince’s surgery.’
Fortunately, the wound was clean and sharp, and the patient had arrived immediately with no tissue damage.
At my current level, I believed I could complete it in a single procedure without needing a second.
‘Heh, have I truly become a renowned physician?’
Without modern scientific technology, one makes do with what one has.
As I learned new techniques, increased my inner energy, and gained deeper understanding, things that were once impossible became possible.
‘Still, I mustn’t be careless.’
Speed had been achieved.
Next came precision.
If a finger’s function became incomplete, the patient’s quality of life would suffer greatly—that was the real problem.
In this cursed martial world, if a swordsman couldn’t wield a blade, he’d be discharged, and within a month he’d often end up as a beggar somewhere or worse.
If he had a sect or faction backing him, he could live comfortably in retirement, but for those from small places or wanderers living alone, natural death was virtually guaranteed.
‘That’s why I need to preserve not just the blood vessels connecting the fingers, but also maintain their functional integrity.’
This was truly difficult.
‘Fortunately, I’ve learned several divine techniques, or this would be impossible.’
I picked up the feather-fine needle that Dang-a had given me.
I also had one received from Hyeolsaeng Nogoe, but more was always better.
Dang-a had donated all the needles she brought, saying she had moved beyond relying on such tools.
She was a good child.
Thump—
In that moment, the subtle principles of the Tai Chi Blade flowed through my hands in a complete cycle.
‘The microfusion will be completed faster and more precisely than it was with Yeo Ha-ryun.’
I had grown stronger on Wudang Mountain.
When I fought a blood battle with Jeong Gwang, I had certainly gained enlightenment.
Within the hazy boundary between life and death, the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong consumed all the information visible before my eyes and digested it.
Sealing the screaming heart.
Fighting on with a body that constantly creaked and groaned.
What did the Doctor see at the end?
Rather than digesting that enlightenment into higher martial techniques, I digested it into higher medical arts.
Because there was not a moment’s hesitation, the word “monster” was truly insufficient to describe me.
Even the byproducts gained from medicine allowed my martial prowess to grow another level.
Hands that had glimpsed fragments of the Heart of Martial Arts became even more specialized in saving lives than in taking them.
The microscopic suturing continued using feather-fine needles and spiritual silk thread.
Using Five Elements True Qi to maximize my vision, the sensitivity of my fingertips grew increasingly acute.
What sustained this was thirty years of internal cultivation.
Thanks to recklessly consuming medicinal pills, my hands continued the surgery without fatigue.
‘This is insane. Is it even possible to reattach at such speed?’
‘Even if severed fingers are reattached, at best nine out of ten will rot and need to be amputated again, and even if they do attach, it’s impossible for them to return to their former state—or so I’ve heard, yet he’s doing it.’
‘Just now, it seemed like he was applying something similar to the Golden Needle technique…?’
What kind of insane talk was that?
‘This much is certain. Seo Baek-ryong is reattaching the hand using methods we cannot even fathom.’
Surgery existed in this world too.
Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian contained mentions of abdominal surgery in the biographies of Bian Que and Cang Gong, and even Hyeolsaeng Nogoe specialized in surgery.
The doctors here didn’t practice surgery, but they still understood its power.
However, that was merely the most basic of basics.
There was an inherent reluctance about opening the abdomen.
It wasn’t yet systematized and specialized like modern Earth medicine.
‘Has the gap in knowledge between Baekrin Uigak and us grown that wide…?’
‘It’s not Baekrin Uigak. It’s what Seo Baek-ryong is doing. There’s a rumor that Seo Baek-ryong was the one who first transmitted surgical techniques.’
‘Is there currently a doctor from Baekrin Uigak among us?’
‘All the doctors from that institution are undergoing retraining in the Acupuncture Hall and the Tuina Hall.’
‘Wait, is there really no one who can explain how Seo Baek-ryong is reattaching it right now?’
Thus, the Medical Practitioners of the Martial Arts Alliance could do nothing but observe.
One of them had subtly broached the subject with Seo Baek-ryong, asking for an explanation.
“The patient’s treatment is urgent, so I’ll arrange a time to discuss this after we’re finished.”
That was how he dismissed the question.
And when asked whether the reattachment would succeed,
“I’m doing what a person can do. We’ll need to observe the patient’s progress after they awaken.”
That was all the vague answer he would give.
He never once said, even as empty reassurance, that it would certainly succeed or that the patient would live as before.
When they tried to press further, he simply refused to answer.
They couldn’t raise their voices—doing so during this critical procedure would only earn the patient’s resentment for allowing them to observe in the first place.
‘He’s certainly polite in his responses, but whether those responses are actually good ones… well, that’s another matter entirely.’
Only then did the Medical Practitioners of the Martial Arts Alliance understand.
Seo Baek-ryong was undoubtedly Baek Rin-ui-seon’s direct disciple.
Though their approaches differed in opposite directions, he was a man of equally strong character.
And his skill, while different in direction from Baek Rin-ui-seon’s, was equally worthy of the word ‘divine.’
‘Well, well, well. In that case, all we can do is pray that Seo Baek-ryong finds time for us.’
They had come to observe hoping to gain something, but faced with a situation they couldn’t understand even while watching, what could they do?
* * *
“Patient, are you regaining consciousness? Ah, you’re already awake. First, we’ll move you to a ward prepared by the Martial Arts Alliance. Rest there, and I’ll come see you again later. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
“I’ll explain more in a moment, but first—the reattachment itself was successful. The severed portion was clean, and there were no major complications during the attachment process. But this is where the real work begins. You want to wield your blade exactly as you did before, don’t you?”
“…That is my wish.”
“Then there will be much you must observe from now on. Do you understand? For a martial artist, nothing is more important than the fingers.”
Why is life so easily broken?
And to mend it, how much more must we endure and bear?
Here too, I continued to do the work of a human.
The time a martial artist spends severing another’s fingers would be less than a single second.
Yet to reattach them requires countless experts and countless hours, and recovery demands endless suffering.
‘Still, we’ve crossed the greatest wave. That’s what matters.’
Our lives shatter easily, and restoration is difficult.
Perhaps that is precisely why we live with such desperate determination.
The patient spoke.
“Thank you. Thank you. Great Master… truly, thank you.”
“The road ahead is long. I’ll accept your gratitude once you’ve fully recovered.”
“The moment my fingers were severed, I thought I had to abandon my life as a swordmaster. I don’t know how to repay this debt…”
At those words, I hesitated for a moment.
To live as a swordmaster meant endless conflict.
It meant that someday, either he or another patient who had fought him would return.
I understood my Master’s inner conflict.
In the very heart of Dosan Swordforest.
Before the Yongbong Conference even began.
I answered him thus.
“The path ahead will be long. Truly, it will seem endless.”
Those words were meant for both the patient and myself.
* * *
“Phew… Is that finally everything?”
I switched shifts with the other Sang Ui-won.
The Yongbong Conference hadn’t even started, yet patients were already arriving.
Where people gathered, silver coins followed.
I had to continue treating the endless stream of patients without pause.
The fortunate part was that as the official date of the Yongbong Conference drew near, conflicts decreased significantly.
It was natural—everyone needed to regulate their body and mind before such a major martial tournament.
Another blessing was that I had trained several Sang Ui-won.
Those who had completed both theoretical study and practical training became reliable comrades.
For patients only I could treat, I would rush over, but until then I could entrust them to the other doctors—far better than fighting alone.
“Brother, are you done~?”
“Hyeon-a.”
Sama Hyeon had been waiting at the entrance for me to finish.
It must have been quite tedious, yet he waited patiently nonetheless.
“This is the second time. Waiting for you at the entrance.”
“That time we saw each other before parting.”
“Right. It was before entering Haowen.”

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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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