Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 286

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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 286
A single question stripped of all context.
Its meaning was surely to ask whether I had concluded my deliberations correctly.
Or perhaps the conclusion had already been reached, and my Master was simply observing how I would respond.
“Yes, that’s right. Once the appointed time passes, I’ll depart. Likely… to the Demonic Sect.”
“So you’ll be connected to that Cheon Sal-seong.”
“Um… yes, Master. I know you dislike Yeo Ha-ryun, but…”
“…Since you understand, say no more, Hope. I will handle it as I see fit.”
With those words, I felt reassured.
Yet my Master still showed no inclination to improve his assessment of Yeo Ha-ryun.
My Master’s silver-white hair cascaded down.
“Yes. You’ve always been one who wishes to save people. To prevent future calamities, I suspect you’ll need him. Leave the rest to me and visit the Imperial Palace’s Secretariat.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“However, rest for a few days before you go. You appear exhausted.”
“Ah, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
At those words, my Master furrowed one brow.
“I speak of your spirit, not your body. Surely you haven’t forgotten that fatigue impedes judgment and slows the flow of thought, have you, Hope?”
Faced with my Master’s sound reasoning, I fell silent.
Jegalling continued, displeased with his disciple.
“I sent you for rest, yet you’ve become entangled in all manner of affairs. I resent Eun Wang-ya for it. Truly, the royal family has never once kept their word.”
“Master, it was something I had to do.”
“Yes. Considering the future, it was something you had to do. I understand that as well.”
As my Master gazed into his disciple’s eyes, a headache seemed to press upon him, and he pressed his temples firmly.
“In any case, explain the details more thoroughly. What I know from information and what I hear directly from your own lips are different things.”
“Haha. Master, I… brought refreshments from Wannung! I sealed them carefully and kept them cold.”
“Very well. Bring them out.”
I laid out Wannung’s specialty goods before my Master and began to speak of various matters.
Stories of learning sorcery, and tales of the Third Prince and parasites—what might be called endemic diseases.
Life straws.
That is, he showed great interest in the creation of water purification tubes.
“Activated charcoal… it appears to have many uses.”
When making the water purification tubes, we used it as a kind of filter, but activated charcoal itself had numerous applications.
Materials with holes riddled throughout their surface and interior, like basalt, are called porous materials.
The basic principle is that this porous material, activated charcoal, adsorbs and removes contaminants.
Beyond purifying contaminated water, it can be used as a material when making gas masks.
It’s also effective for deodorization and dehumidification.
“Using activated charcoal, we could purify the drinking water of Baek Rin’s Medical Guild, nearby villages, and Yeonmu City.”
“To do so, we’d first need to establish water facilities, which requires considerable budget and time.”
“In the old days, we wouldn’t have dared dream of such things.”
Even in modern water purification processes, activated charcoal is used.
Of course, the process is on an entirely different level from the simple purification system I created.
Water that has already undergone purification is treated with ozone to sterilize and eliminate bacteria and carcinogenic substances.
Then the remaining microscopic residue is filtered out again through activated charcoal.
‘Well, conversely speaking, modern Earth’s water quality and this world’s water quality are also on different levels.’
Steam engines haven’t even appeared yet.
A world where the very concept of buying water is unimaginable.
Even with just minor adjustments to the basics, things could become far more sanitary.
‘But the unit cost is expensive… this is.’
There’s no mass production system like what steam engines would provide—it’s all just money.
‘For now, let’s not attempt anything grand. Just separate the water sources to prevent contamination and install basic filtration as a trial.’
I tapped my head and began drafting the basic design.
“Hope.”
“Yes…?”
“Stop what you’re doing.”
“…Yes.”
At my words, the blue light in his eyes returned to normal.
Jegalling furrowed his brow.
“Why is it that everything about you, from start to finish, has your thoughts jumping to work?”
“I apologize…”
“Didn’t I tell you to rest since you’re here? Your master isn’t even welcome?”
Ugh, he’s really saying it like that.
Jegalling wore a somewhat sad expression.
At those words, my heart softened.
“Y-you’re right, Master.”
“And tell me of other matters as well.”
“I thought there might be progress in the antibiotic research that’s currently stalled, so I brought soil samples.”
Dozens of sealed small bottles tumbled out.
“You’ve been maintaining them continuously with Five Elements Qi.”
“Yes, yes. The bacteria would die otherwise.”
“It’s strange. Bacteria survive perfectly fine even in soil with extreme climates, yet why do they die so readily the moment they enter the laboratory…?”
Indeed.
Professor Jin grew melancholy.
“It’s because I haven’t made enough offerings yet. Still, I thought cultivation using sorcery might make culturing easier.”
“That would certainly accelerate progress by several times over.”
“Yes. And once this is complete, I plan to move on to the next research.”
“Next research?”
Aspirin.
In this era, willow bark is already widely used as a medicinal ingredient in pharmacies.
There are records of its use in ancient Egypt, and Hippocrates left documentation of using it.
In our country, the Donguibogam mentions that rinsing one’s mouth with willow bark alleviates toothaches.
The price was also relatively reasonable compared to other medicinal materials.
Thus, the antibiotics I needed immediately.
Compared to penicillin or streptomycin, it held a relatively lower priority.
However, I didn’t merely seek pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects, but rather something with different medicinal properties.
‘Well, that’s still a distant concern.’
For now, resolving the streptomycin problem I was hitting a wall with took precedence.
Flick!
“Ow!”
Stars burst before my eyes. My Master had flicked his finger against my forehead.
“Thinking about work again.”
“Ah… Master.”
“The Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong makes this one thing convenient. I can tell immediately whenever you’re thinking about work.”
“But…”
“If you dislike that, why not try calculating without the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong? Your efficiency would drop considerably then.”
‘Argh!’
My Master disapproved of me overworking myself once again.
So he reluctantly dangled bait before me.
“It seems you’re not curious about the letters your younger siblings sent.”
“…!”
My eyes widened.
The eyes of an older brother concerned for his younger siblings.
‘Still, having such an upright nature is problematic…’
Yet, as a doctor, it was the finest quality one could possess.
And thanks to that nature, countless people continued to exchange correspondence with me.
“There’s also a letter from Sama-hye.”
“Oh! I wonder if she read the medical text I sent her well.”
“She passed the Ha Uiwon examination safely, and after apprenticing in Bunta, she’ll come to the main sect to take the Middle-Aged Men examination, so it would be best to see her then.”
At those words, I furrowed my brow.
‘The Middle-Aged Men examination is difficult…’
My serious involvement begins from the Middle-Aged Men examination onward.
“I’m worried she won’t pass.”
“Do you really think that child would abandon her dreams over something so trivial? You’re underestimating her too much.”
That was true.
“Wang Gak-yeon also sent a letter. It said she’s accumulated considerable renown. It seems she’ll return to Baek Rin Medical Guild soon.”
“Wow… really?”
“Yes. Though I’m not sure what level of renown she’ll be satisfied with.”
I received so many letters and gifts from my fellow disciples and younger siblings.
My flushed cheeks revealed how much I had missed those connections.
Jegalling clicked his tongue at the sight of me, yet thought it was fortunate that at least for now I could forget about work.
That’s what he thought.
* * *
I began by reading through all the letters from my younger siblings and writing replies to each one.
Surprisingly, Cheonwoo had written the longest letter.
Sama Hyeon had sent the most gifts.
Yeo Ha-ryun’s letters were neither lengthy nor accompanied by gifts, yet he wrote most frequently.
The most joyful news was that Sama Hyeon and Sama-hye had reunited.
I read the letters from both siblings simultaneously.
‘Ah, Sama-hye is a bit sulky.’
My only older brother.
I had sensed long ago that he was hiding something, but I never expected him to have concealed it for so long.
It was understandable to feel hurt.
‘Still, the fact that they’ve reunited means… the “house cleaning” has progressed to a certain extent.’
I couldn’t know the exact scale of what Sama Hyeon meant by cleaning, but at the very least, it was more than sufficient to ensure my younger sister wasn’t harmed.
‘There must have been internal changes in the Golden Blood Pavilion.’
Every gift Sama Hyeon sent looked expensive, making me hesitant to even touch them.
‘There’s something for decorating the room and an ornament for the blade’s tip. Hmm… this ceramic is even more frightening because I don’t know its origin.’
There was also silk that looked unmistakably precious.
This too was frightening precisely because no source was listed.
‘I’d rather he just gave me money. Just have him make a donation to Baek Hwan-hu!’
But then it wouldn’t be a gift.
Next came Cheonwoo.
His letter detailed the current state of the Wudang Sect and Master Gwon Je’s well-being in detail.
Despite the length of the letter, it was oddly concerning that he said nothing about himself.
‘Is he doing well?’
From the letter alone, I could infer he was devoting himself to training at the Wudang Sect… but that was merely an impression from how he had written it.
Tap, tap—
I tapped the table, lost in thought.
‘If it’s simply a wall he’s hit in martial arts, a shift in mindset like that is certainly possible.’
It was a process of endlessly refining oneself.
There would naturally be moments when one didn’t want to talk about oneself.
Conversely, he might not want to worry his older brother.
‘Hmm…’
After deliberating, I decided to send a gift.
One was a pair of gloves made from white silk thread. While they might be slightly inferior in performance compared to those made from heavenly silk thread, I had succeeded in preserving some of their functions.
Since I kept starting and stopping the work, there was still some finishing left, but it seemed I could complete it quickly with a few days of rest at the Medical Guild.
For my reply, it would be good to mention that while martial training is commendable, health should come first.
‘And something along the lines of—if there’s anything troubling him, it’s fine to discuss it anytime.’
What on earth had happened to Cheonwoo?
I hoped it was nothing serious.
In an age without messengers or phones, these letters we exchanged were ultimately all we had.
In the end, my heart could only circle endlessly, with nowhere left to go.
‘Even if I crash against a wall, I hope I can still move forward.’
When we parted at the Yongbong Gathering, Cheonwoo seemed unusually lost in thought.
As his older brother, I would do what I could.

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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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