I Became the Oriental Doctor for Divine Beasts - Chapter 115

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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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The Divine Beasts’ Physician
#115
“I’m sorry?”
My eyes widened involuntarily at Kim Hye-jin’s response.
“The wound was extremely small. Sutures weren’t even necessary.”
“……Good heavens.”
A sigh escaped before I could stop it.
In truth, CRPS often triggered from causes so trivial they seemed absurd.
Falling off a bicycle, followed by persistent pain in the injured area.
Wearing high heels and twisting an ankle, then developing the condition.
In severe cases, something as minor as blood draws or intravenous injections could spark it.
‘No major accident, no dangerous work—just peeling a pencil, and seven months of suffering…….’
Though I hadn’t yet seen the patient’s face, my heart already felt heavy.
Kim Hye-jin continued.
“Of course, we haven’t been idle. We’ve combined Nerve Block Therapy, medication, and rehabilitation.”
“I see. Did it help?”
“Early on, yes—the pain index dropped from ten out of ten to about six. But it plateaued there.”
Her expression darkened.
“And now we’re dealing with Nerve Block side effects: tingling fingertips and abnormal sensation.”
The attending physician’s dark expression made perfect sense.
Treatment had hit a wall, and on top of that, treatment side effects had emerged.
‘Both patient and doctor must be exhausted.’
I nodded slowly and rose from my seat.
“Thank you for the briefing. That’s thorough enough. I’d like to meet the patient directly now.”
Kim Hye-jin stood as well.
“Of course. Follow me.”
We headed toward the hospital ward.
To meet Lee Ja-in, a twenty-three-year-old patient whose face I didn’t yet know.
* * *
Knock, knock.
Kim Hye-jin, standing before Lee Ja-in’s hospital room, called the patient’s name as she knocked.
“Ja-in. Coming in now.”
But the moment we stepped through the door, both Kim Hye-jin and I fell silent.
“Ahhh, ahhhhh……!”
A young woman in a hospital gown curled on the bed, hugging her left hand to her chest.
Her face was still youthful, matching the age in the chart.
Tears streamed down her pallid cheeks, suppressed whimpers leaking between parched lips.
She twisted on the mattress, clutching that hand as though it were burning in flames.
“Ja-in! What’s wrong? Does it hurt again? Hmm? Mom’s here!”
A middle-aged woman—the patient’s mother—stood vigil beside the bed, her face creased with barely suppressed tears.
Though desperate to soothe her daughter, she feared any wrong touch would worsen the pain, so she only trembled her hands in empty air.
“Lee Ja-in!”
Kim Hye-jin rushed to the bedside. I followed immediately.
We’d arrived in the midst of a pain attack.
“Professor, please, do something for our Ja-in. Please.”
The guardian pleaded in a trembling voice.
Kim Hye-jin immediately pressed the call button beside the bed.
“Station! Lee Ja-in is experiencing a pain flare. Have PRN analgesic ready. Confirm the low-dose Ketamine protocol.”
I took a deliberate breath and assessed the situation.
‘Think. There must be something I can do right now.’
Lee Ja-in remained clutching her left hand, thrashing in agony.
“Ahh, ahhhhh……!!”
Her hand back was flushed and mottled; her fingertips bore a bluish tinge.
The vascular changes, sensory disturbance, and extreme pain characteristic of CRPS.
The patient before me displayed every typical sign.
‘What I can do now…….’
Placing needles directly on a CRPS patient’s affected area was dangerous.
The condition meant even wind or fabric touching the skin could trigger screams of pain.
Especially during a flare like this—contact with the affected area could intensify the agony.
‘Then I must manage the pain without touching the affected site.’
In that moment, one method flashed into my mind.
I pulled out a packet of Sterile Acupuncture Needles from my coat pocket.
Rip—
As I tore it open, Kim Hye-jin jumped, turning to look at me.
“Director! Needles on this patient right now……!”
“I know.”
I answered calmly.
“Not on the affected area.”
Her eyes flickered with uncertainty.
But I was already examining Ja-in’s opposite hand and feet.
“Ja-in.”
I spoke as clearly as I could.
“I won’t touch your left hand. Instead, I’ll place needles elsewhere to ease the pain.”
The patient looked at me with tear-filled eyes, too exhausted to answer.
I located the acupoints swiftly.
Great Surge, Lesser Marsh, Supreme White, Great Mound.
Points on the feet and wrists, all distant from the affected area.
“Placing the needles now.”
I inserted them rapidly, infusing my Purification Energy very gently.
I worried that forcing the energy too strongly might itself become a stimulus.
I placed needles at only four locations.
“Hnngh…….”
Even after the treatment, the patient’s body continued to tremble.
But moments later, her breathing began to change.
“Uhhh… haa…….”
Her harsh breath gradually softened, and the violent writhing slowly subsided.
“Oh!”
“Please…….”
Everyone in the room held their breath, watching intently.
A nurse rushed in with pain relief medication.
“Professor, the medication is ready!”
But by then, the patient lay collapsed on the bed, gasping as she steadied her breathing.
The pain flare had visibly subsided.
“Oh my!”
The nurse’s eyes widened.
“The flare settled without any analgesic?”
The guardian stared between her daughter and me in disbelief.
“Good heavens. My daughter usually says she hurts for ages even after the strongest painkiller, but……. How on earth did you do that?”
Kim Hye-jin looked equally dumbfounded.
“That’s what I’d like to know.”
She turned to me.
“Director. What exactly did you do?”
I carefully checked Ja-in’s pulse, then spoke.
“Traditional Korean medicine has a technique called Saam Acupuncture.”
“Saam Acupuncture?”
“Yes. It works with meridian flow, primarily using acupoints on the extremities to regulate whole-body balance.”
While China and Japan have similar traditional medicine systems,
Saam Acupuncture developed uniquely in Korea.
Kim Hye-jin listened intently.
“For instance, when the abdomen hurts, you don’t necessarily needle the abdomen itself—you can use hand and foot acupoints to adjust digestive function.”
“Really?”
“Headaches work the same way: instead of pricking the head directly, you use foot and hand acupoints to reduce pain.”
I glanced briefly at Ja-in’s left hand.
Though still mottled, the color was returning to normal compared to moments before.
“Ja-in was in an extremely heightened state of sensitivity to stimulation in the affected area, so I couldn’t touch her left hand. Instead, I used Saam Acupuncture to place needles away from the injury and manage the pain.”
Kim Hye-jin exhaled softly in wonder.
“Saam Acupuncture……. It’s perfect for CRPS patients like Lee Ja-in. Pain control without touching the affected area.”
“Precisely.”
Of course, the Saam Acupuncture alone couldn’t have brought such rapid relief. My Purification Energy contributed as well.
But I couldn’t mention that here.
Kim Hye-jin exhaled briefly in admiration.
“You truly are as remarkable as I’ve heard.”
“I’ve never seen a patient’s pain settle before the medication even took effect,” the nurse murmured in amazement.
The guardian stepped toward me.
“Doctor.”
Then she bowed deeply.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. For easing our daughter’s suffering…….”
“No, no.”
I flustered, waving my hands.
“The treatment isn’t finished yet—I’ve only eased the acute pain a little.”
“Even so.”
The guardian’s eyes glistened with tears.
“That little bit means the world to us.”
Her words weighed heavy in my chest.
Lee Ja-in on the bed also gazed at me with tear-filled eyes.
“Doctor…….”
Her voice came out hoarse.
“Thank you so much. It’s strange—after the needles, the pain began to ease. Normally even the strongest injection leaves me hurting for dozens of minutes…….”
She caught her breath and continued with effort.
“This is the first time it’s settled so quickly.”
“I’m glad it helped.”
I replied, meeting Ja-in’s eyes—the first moment I truly faced the patient.

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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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