Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 22

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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 22
The Medical Report is the voice of the Medical Guild.
Each month on a designated day, it flies to the subordinate medical offices centered around Regional Physicians, introducing the current state of Gangho medicine and new treatment methods.
‘There are three Medical Guilds of note in Gangho.’
The Baekrin Uigak, which Baek Rin-ui-seon oversees.
The Hwaju Uigak, which Hwaju Yakson controls.
And finally, the Heukjeon Uigak, operated by Hyeolsaeng Nogoe.
These three Medical Guilds were called the Three Great Medical Guilds of the Realm, and their masters were titled the Three Great Divine Physicians.
Among them, Baekrin Uigak excels in acupuncture, while Hwaju Uigak dominates in herbal medicine. What’s peculiar is Heukjeon Uigak, which shows strength in bone-setting—a rare specialty even in Gangho.
‘Still, calling him “Master” doesn’t quite roll off my tongue easily….’
The more I think about it, the more remarkable Baek Rin-ui-seon seems to become.
He truly is a remarkable person, after all.
Master, Jegalling Master.
‘I’d be far more comfortable with “Professor” or “Teacher.”‘
It’s difficult for someone from the modern era.
My master spoke.
“Come in.”
Following my master’s guidance, I entered the room.
‘It’s impressive, but somehow… it feels rather empty.’
In the center of the room stood a brazier.
A large window was wide open, and inside the brazier, white charcoal burned brightly.
The sparse room, devoid of any decorations or ceramics, was almost austere in its barrenness.
Yet it possessed a certain elegance. One could sense the bearing of a scholar. However, to Jin Cheon-hee’s modern sensibilities, several problems became apparent.
‘Wow. This is exactly what I’ve seen in dramas… but the more I look at it….’
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes grew sorrowful as he surveyed the room. It was far too cold.
Watching period dramas set in martial arts worlds, one could understand why characters’ breath misted and their hands and feet grew numb even while indoors during winter—it wasn’t mere theatrical effect.
Keeping windows open even in the depths of winter! It was utterly shocking.
‘I really should install an ondol heating system in my master’s residence….’
The ondol.
Korea’s ancient and venerable heating method, boasting a long history.
‘I didn’t think of this during my last conversation with my master… but this works out well. I should improve the house too. With an ondol system, I could surely do something about that window….’
Jin Cheon-hee glanced at the wide-open window.
‘I understand opening the window to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, but doing so even in the depths of winter is excessive… this alone isn’t nearly sufficient. No, at the very least, use a sealed bronze brazier or something!’
Such technology had not yet been invented in this era.
Though my master is a genius in medicine, he is not a god.
He can save the dying, but he lacks the ability to bring forth inventions from the future.
Jin Cheon-hee exhaled deeply.
‘There’s a long road ahead… The ondol would be a major renovation, so I can’t use it now. What’s immediately necessary is a proper stove. A stove, and for better lighting, glass windows. For ventilation, a heat exchanger would be ideal too. But how do I make glass windows?’
Jin Cheon-hee clicked his tongue.
‘Glass-working techniques don’t seem to be completely absent, but I haven’t seen a single house with glass windows on my travels here.’
Looking around, I checked off the necessary items, while Jegalling watched me with a faint smile.
Jegalling, seated before the brazier, opened his mouth after a moment.
“You think for quite a long time. So, what were you pondering so deeply about?”
‘Oh!’
Only then did I snap back to attention at his words and look ahead.
“I’m sorry, Master. I got lost in thought and….”
“That can happen. But as I asked just now, would you tell me what you were thinking about?”
‘Should I say it… no, I should. Master is my patient after all.’
“I was considering how to create the optimal environment for treating your Severed Pulse Condition, Master.”
“Hmm?”
Jegalling’s eyes widened slightly with interest.
I moved to sit across from my master and spoke.
My master lifted the kettle onto the brazier.
“Blocked Yin Pulse Condition. A constitution where yin energy accumulates in the body and the meridians become blocked in strands. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s correct.”
“When we speak of yin energy, in practical terms it means heat disappears from the body and cold settles in. Looking at it simply, if we merely supplement the body’s lacking heat, we can alleviate the complications caused by Blocked Yin Pulse Condition.”
“That’s what you explained last time. I thought it then too, but it’s a unique perspective. So?”
“First, this room is the problem. If you continue to reside in this room, Master, your condition will only worsen.”
I stated this with certainty.
At my words, Jegalling’s smile faded and his expression became serious.
“Then what solution do you think there is?”
“From here on, it’s no longer medicine but the realm of architecture. Not a physician’s domain but a mason’s. Yet doesn’t the patient need both?”
Few beings are as sensitive to environment as a physician.
The reason modern doctors wear white coats stems from this. White is the color where dirt and filth show most quickly.
That’s not all. One must always be mindful of hygiene.
Secondary infections are among the primary culprits in disease transmission.
In modern times this is common sense, but in this era it was not.
From that perspective, environmental improvement is an area a physician cannot help but be concerned with.
“First, this room is far too cold. One brazier alone won’t suffice.”
“Then we must increase the number of braziers? But if we do, one can suddenly die. The cause remains unclear, but from my diagnosis, the symptoms seem somewhat similar to drowning… I believe.”
“Drowning… it does seem similar. To be precise, it’s carbon monoxide poisoning.”
“Hmm?”
“We breathe, but strictly speaking, it’s something called oxygen that sustains our breathing. However, when we burn something like this, something called carbon monoxide is produced instead of oxygen. And if one inhales too much of it….”
“One dies as if drowning. Death by breathing rather than by water.”
Despite lacking foundational knowledge, he reasoned swiftly.
At his response, I clicked my tongue in admiration.
‘A genius is truly a genius.’
“Yes, that’s right.”
I nodded lightly. But Baekrin Uiseon, Jegalling, shone his eyes with a serious expression.
“Where on earth did you learn such knowledge? My family has pursued knowledge for ages, yet I’ve never heard what you speak of anywhere.”
“It’s a secret.”
“Even from your master?”
“Yes. Even if I were to tell you, you wouldn’t believe it, and it’s dangerous.”
‘I can’t lie about this. The Baekrin Uiseon from the novel—no, my master isn’t an ordinary person. He’s a genius. And a sage. But he’s not someone to be easily fooled either. Given that he took revenge against the Jegal Family, he must possess both decisiveness and ruthlessness.’
My master’s gaze pierced through me. But soon enough, he nodded.
“I’ve come to understand that you’re no ordinary child. That’s why I said you need not answer anything. I’ve decided to accept everything about you. So… yes. Thank you for trusting this master with such matters.”
With those words, my master smiled gently.
“So then, we simply need to build a new house?”
At that trusting gaze, my chest grew heavy with emotion.
‘Why does this person trust me so completely?’
Me, who can’t even speak a single truth properly.
Why does he trust me like this?
Is this what a master truly is?
Suddenly, the face of the orphanage director from my childhood came to mind.
I felt tears welling up unexpectedly.
But I held them back and opened my mouth.
“First of all…”
I continued my explanation and obtained his permission.
* * *
I asked Jegalling to introduce me to a craftsman.
Jegalling said,
“For most tasks, Yoo Ho should suffice.”
Yoo Ho held the position of chief administrator of the Medical Hall.
His primary duty was assisting Baekrin Uiseon.
It seemed he handled such matters as well.
I shaved cooled charcoal into pencil-like shapes.
‘Ah, at least having this makes things better. I just can’t get used to brushes.’
My hand drew out reasonably detailed blueprints.
A Korean-style ondol heating system.
Originally it existed in my mind, but translating it into drawings was no simple task.
Still, it was manageable. Perfection wasn’t necessary.
What mattered was clear communication.
Watching numerous documentaries in the past seemed to help now—things like ondol construction and the history of heating systems.
‘While I’m at it, should I sketch a few more things?’
I became absorbed in the work, continuing to draw until my fingernails were blackened with charcoal.
Then I quickly brought the sketches to Yoo Ho.
* * *
‘Can this actually be built…?’
Yoo Ho was bewildered. The words came from a child not yet in his twenties, yet they were neither fanciful nor illogical.
It even seemed theoretically possible. The claim about eastern regions building houses this way also rang true.
“Is this what you call an ondol?”
“Yes.”
“And this is a stove.”
Yoo Ho pointed to the drawings I had sketched. Among them, the stove was a sealed model that wouldn’t allow gas to escape.
The exact same shape as the stove we used to warm our lunch boxes back in elementary school, before it was renamed from its old name.
That didn’t mean it would be easy to construct. The essence of a stove lay in its sealed function. If gas leaked, it would be catastrophic.
I paused to think for a moment.
‘Ah. Do they use heaters in elementary schools these days?’
The name had changed to elementary school. My memories of it were growing hazy now.
Still, I remembered studying from the textbook where the stove’s structure was briefly explained.
Back then, I didn’t have the means to obtain study materials, so I memorized the textbook until it was worn black from repeated reading.
“Is this… making walls out of glass?”
“Windows.”
“Windows, I see…”
“You can receive sunlight without even opening the windows.”
“Is sunlight that important?”
To explain it simply, I racked my brain as much as I could.
“Light is yang qi itself. The sun is the symbol of yang qi. Right now, even in broad daylight, your bedroom receives no light, so it lacks yang qi, doesn’t it? For someone with a yin-cold meridian constitution like yourself, you need a home where sunlight enters well. To achieve that, the glass must be made especially transparent. Can you manage it?”
Those with a yin-cold meridian constitution always had cold bodies.
So, in addition to the heat from the ondol, receiving sunlight to warm the body would help maintain health.
‘But this alone isn’t enough.’
What was needed along with heat was vitamin D.
It was essential for those with cardiovascular disease.
However, the vitamin D produced through windows was far less than what one would get from direct sunlight exposure.
‘Proper outdoor activities and dietary therapy would be most effective, but…’
Still, it was better than having nothing at all. If glass windows could be made, it was absolutely worth making them.
And the most important thing lay elsewhere.
‘Given the nature of the Transcendent Heavenly Horse World View, there’s a passage stating that to ward off yin-cold qi, it’s best to stay in bright, well-lit places.’
This world was truly one governed by yin-yang and the five elements.
As a reader, it was important to utilize the worldview knowledge from the Transcendent Heavenly Horse.
I was actually considering whether to write out the entire glass manufacturing process as well.
Among the various documentaries I’d seen in the past, there was one about the history of glass.
At my small provocation, Yoo Ho let out a soft chuckle.

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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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