Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 256

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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 256
The two of us stepped outside together.
I needed to begin preparing for surgery starting tomorrow.
Yet my mind refused to settle, and my Master suggested we take a walk through the bamboo grove together.
The night bamboo forest was filled with the rich scent of grass and crisp air.
Only the distant cries of wild beasts echoed through the darkness.
The luminous pearls that Baek Rin’s Medical Guild had installed were scattered like pebbles, illuminating the path beneath my feet and creating a beautiful landscape, yet my heart remained unsettled.
Whoooosh—
Like bamboo leaves swaying in the wind.
“The coded message you sent earlier reached the Eunuch General, didn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
When I asked what matters had been exchanged through correspondence, my Master replied.
“Nothing of great importance. The Eunuch General simply intends to use his granddaughter as the Emperor’s tool, whether her ears hear or not, regardless of what lies within her mind.”
“How ruthless.”
“No, he loves his granddaughter dearly. Because he loves her, he will extract every last ounce of her talent until the very end and put it to use for the Empire.”
It was a form of love that even the word madness could not adequately describe—something ordinary people could never comprehend.
“That letter was…”
“…a mission. The Eunuch General’s first task to the future Minister of Personnel—to one who will become the Emperor’s trusted confidant in his stead. Do you wish to know what it is?”
The wind blew, and my Master’s hair billowed like wings.
His blue eyes pierced through my thoughts.
As if refusing even a hint of hypocrisy.
‘He’s testing me now.’
Yet I harbored no fear of such a Master.
“Since I know your teachings lie within it, why would I flee?”
“Haha. Yes. This is one of the duties of the Patriarch of Baek Rin’s Medical Guild. Saving lives is the most fundamental task, but handling these behind-the-scenes matters smoothly is also part of the work. Tedious, isn’t it?”
My Master treated the letter from the Emperor’s trusted confidant as if it were worthless.
Beneath the moon, the moon also appeared on my retinas.
The moon in the sky was clearly yellow, yet why did the moon on my retina shine blue?
At the thought that this was something good, Jegalling smiled. A different smile than before.
It was a smile he only showed before his cherished disciple.
“On Han So-jeong’s wedding day, the Second Prince will suddenly die. And she will marry the Third Prince instead.”
“…This is no mere prophecy.”
“A prophecy must be fulfilled to be a prophecy, mustn’t it? Han Yi-jeong will make it happen.”
“That is the first…”
“Yes. The first mission for the chick who has chosen to become a viper. Though her blood is not of his line, she has perfectly inherited her grandfather’s talents, so she will likely handle it well.”
Once this first secret came into being.
“And conveniently, the Third Prince has suffered from a chronic illness since childhood, so he will need medicine every year, which means the younger sister will visit the older one. Yes, May when the pear blossoms bloom would be perfect.”
“…”
Suddenly.
I sensed that my Master had a hand in this plan as well.
Moreover, my Master would have already known before Han Yi-jeong and Han So-jeong arrived.
That he would have already been exchanging correspondence with the Eunuch General.
‘My Master always had Yoo Ho sort things into what should be kept and what should be burned.’
That letter was surely clearly in the “burn” category.
I asked my Master about this.
“Is this what you’re trying to teach me?”
“I’ll teach you properly someday. However, I must confess—this Master is conflicted. I still find joy in my disciple’s innocence.”
Innocence, once lost, can never be recovered.
Jegalling had decided to savor this moment.
“Consider it a small taste, Hope. Yes, when the time comes someday, I hope you’ll be less shocked. That is this Master’s wish.”
My Master said no more and fell silent.
“….”
I suddenly stopped walking and gazed up at the sky.
The moon visible between the bamboo groves shone brilliantly.
“How about we have a drink today? A new Emperor’s trusted aide has been born. Of course, he’s still a newborn who can’t even take his first steps.”
The disciple who served Baek Rin, the Medical Guild’s silver monster, as his Master answered calmly.
“…Pear blossom wine would be nice.”
“The Eunuch General has already sent some.”
“When did it arrive?”
“It came a full three months ago. He asked me to let him know my impressions of the taste, so I’ll send my thoughts today.”
The cry of a wild beast echoed from afar.
I suddenly turned around.
I stared blankly at the empty bamboo grove, then turned back to my Master.
In my turning gaze, a clear full moon rises on my retina.
“…May I write the impressions?”
At those words, the silver monster burst out laughing.
“Yes. You’ll master even difficult ciphers in no time.”
The large monster patted the small monster’s head. Thus, Master and disciple departed.
Today was a day to raise a toast.
The pear blossom wine the Eunuch General sent was sweet as flowers and bitter as blood.
Still, I quietly grumbled to myself that I really didn’t care for alcohol.
* * *
The day of surgery.
I bathed in cold water and then sat in meditation for quite a long time.
The brain is the most delicate part of the human body, and the scope of aftereffects from surgical failure operates on an entirely different dimension than other organs.
‘They say a half-successful surgery is the most terrifying.’
Death during surgery.
Generally speaking, the most frightening accident. But what of the middle ground?
What if the surgery succeeds but one area of the brain is damaged, causing functional decline?
I continued to review and examine everything I already knew.
‘Medical instruments really do make a difference.’
To secure a clear field of view and remove the tumor, I need precise pressure to retract the cerebellum without damaging the blood vessels surrounding it.
I slowly concentrate my inner energy to the tips of my fingers.
‘The battle with Yo Cheon-gun was grueling.’
An endless succession of tactical exchanges.
The moment I gave a wrong answer amidst the relentless waves of mounting problems, I would become nothing but a handful of blood—that much was certain.
Slowness was acceptable, but hesitation was not permitted, and the blade’s edge could not afford even a hair’s breadth of error.
I recalled the sensation of cutting through a serpent.
Strike too forcefully and the blade would slip against the scales.
The force had to be minimal, yet the blade itself had to be razor-sharp.
Simultaneously, to prevent the venom inside from rupturing, I had to pierce only the vital point with precision—never penetrating completely through.
Uuuung—
A thread of enlightenment descended through my solar plexus to my dantian, then returned to settle in my hands.
By repeatedly reliving the battle with Yo Cheon-gun, I continued to digest the insights gained from it.
The mental duel with Yo Cheon-gun in my mind approached its conclusion.
Five Elements Upheaval.
The realm of swordless mastery achieved by inverting and mixing the five elements, utilizing the power of manifestation.
I don’t need anything so grandiose. If I could merely extract its essence and apply it to an infinitesimal range…
‘If I could retract only what I need without causing damage.’
The greatest challenge in brain tumor surgery is securing adequate visualization.
‘Yet no matter what, retracting the cerebellum to secure the field of view inevitably places strain on the patient.’
I had formulated a plan and completed the preparations. But could there be something better?
In that moment.
A faint sensation brushed across my fingertips.
* * *
After finishing my meditation, I entered the operating room to find all the medical staff already prepared, greeting me respectfully.
Yoo Ho and the Acupuncture Guild Master.
And my Master was present as well.
In the center of the surgical table lay Han Yi-jeong, her head shaved in preparation for the procedure.
The Acupuncture Guild Master spoke.
“We will now begin anesthesia. Please relax slowly…”
Han Yi-jeong’s eyes were already slightly hazy, having drunk the medicinal decoction beforehand.
The Acupuncture Guild Master placed several more needles above and repeated the insertion and withdrawal.
Once anesthesia was complete, the Acupuncture Guild Master spoke.
“We’re ready.”
Now the Acupuncture Guild Master’s subordinates and the nursing staff would continue monitoring the patient’s condition.
‘As expected, the Acupuncture Guild Master is reliable.’
Many doctors fear him due to his obsessive nature, yet that very obsessiveness proves invaluable in anesthesia management.
A nursing staff member disinfected the surgical site that had been marked in advance.
“Then we shall begin.”
I lifted the scalpel with practiced ease.
Then I began to carefully excise the surgical area.
In modern medicine, one would use a drill to open the skull, but here there was no such necessity—which was an advantage in itself.
‘This is true swordsmanship.’
However, cutting only the desired location to the precise depth required was burdensome even for first-rate warriors.
Cleaving an enemy’s head and delicately incising a patient’s skull demanded entirely different mastery.
Yet I chose the latter without hesitation.
I stripped away the outer layer, fractured the bone, and carefully opened the skull with meticulous precision.
The medical staff, who had been trained in advance for cerebellar retraction, stood ready.
To properly remove the tumor, I would need to gently pull the cerebellum to the side with extreme care.
The purpose was to secure a clear field of view.
In surgery, establishing visibility is the paramount concern, and without it, the operation itself becomes impossible.
However, a single mistake during retraction risked damaging blood vessels or nerves, requiring thousands upon thousands of hours of practice.
I had already fabricated specialized instruments for the retraction.
Everyone watched in tense silence.
Then I spoke.
“I won’t perform cerebellar retraction.”
The medical staff froze in confusion at my words.
“But the field of view…?”
“It should be manageable.”
I proceeded to palpate using the water-based diagnostic technique.
‘Now I can do this.’
The method I had used when extracting the malignant tumor from King Eun in the past—yet more refined and far more distinct than that.
A doctor who had touched the Heart Profound could now see with crystalline clarity what could never have been perceived before.
Extraction.
I perceived the tumor’s size, location, and contours as clearly as if seeing with my own eyes, moving with precision to remove it.
“…!”
At this unimaginable technique, not only the medical staff but even the Acupuncture Guild Master’s eyes widened in astonishment.
‘If done this way, without the strain from retraction, in a single motion…!’
This way, the surgery could be completed safely without any associated risks or complications.
Amid everyone’s shock, only my Master gazed upon his disciple’s growth with quiet pride.
Clink—
The tumor rolled across the metal tray.

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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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