I Became the Oriental Doctor for Divine Beasts - Chapter 23

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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 Beast’s Physician
#23
That afternoon, I returned to the clinic and found myself lost in thought between patients during the afternoon consultation hours.
Two main concerns weighed on me.
‘First, what Differential Diagnosis should I use for Yang Si-heon’s insomnia?’
‘Second, I need to definitively improve Soon-mi’s arthritis within three sessions—what method would be most effective?’
Actually, there was one more thing.
I cast a sideways glance at the drawer of my office desk.
Hidden there was my mother’s Diary, which I’d received from Soon-mi.
‘And this blasted Diary. What on earth is inside it?’
To put it plainly, my worry that Soon-mi might have looked at its contents beforehand was unfounded.
The Diary bore a small Magical Padlock.
‘The problem is, I can’t open it either……!’
It looked like an ordinary, flimsy padlock at first glance, but it appeared to be one of those special items infused with Spiritual Energy.
Snap!
“Ow! My hand!”
I’d tried cutting it with wire cutters, but a blue light flashed like an electric current and only my hand tingled in pain.
The padlock itself didn’t have a scratch on it.
It seemed I would ultimately need the Key to open the Diary.
“Sigh. Where am I supposed to find the Key?”
I’d already searched through all of Mother’s belongings and even picked through an old jar in the corner of Baek Myodang’s garden, but the Key wasn’t there.
I heaved a long sigh and called for the cat.
“Alfred, do you know anything about this?”
Alfred, who’d been dozing on the office sofa, twitched his ears.
[I do have something that’s been bothering me, actually.]
“What is it?”
[What if the young mistress hid the Key somewhere during the time she went missing and then returned?]
“……!”
I jumped up from my seat.
“That’s possible. If that’s the case, the area near the mountain where Jeong Ra-bit saw Mother would be the most likely place.”
Besides, Baek Eun-ho said he was tracking traces of Mother, so I’d need to ask him about this as an additional request.
I nodded to myself and turned my gaze back to the monitor.
For now, I planned to read through all the research papers on degenerative arthritis of the fingers.
* * *
As the afternoon consultation was ending.
I was able to sketch out a basic treatment plan for Soon-mi.
Degenerative arthritis falls under the category of Obstruction Syndrome in Korean medicine—a condition where joints become painful and stiff.
When significantly affected by damp, cold weather, it’s due to invasion by Wind-Cold-Damp Evil.
In cases of chronic, gradual progression with age, it’s usually attributed to Liver-Kidney Deficiency.
‘In Soon-mi’s case, it’s Liver-Kidney Deficiency combined with Qi-Blood Stagnation from overusing her hands.’
I covered the printed papers covered in highlighter marks and exhaled slowly.
“Well… Soon-mi should improve with acupuncture and Korean Herbal Medicine, plus a few additional special treatments.”
The real problem was Yang Si-heon.
His insomnia was not straightforward.
I lacked the decisive factor to determine whether it stemmed from Deficiency Syndrome, Depression Syndrome, or something else entirely.
Just as my concerns deepened, a familiar voice called from beyond the office door.
“Unnie~ we’re here~!”
“Unnie! We’ve come for treatment!”
Today, Jeong Ra-bit and Ma Yun-sang had come to see me simultaneously again.
“Seriously, is it okay for you two to come this often? Two superstars gracing me with your presence?”
I gestured for the pair—or rather, the two Divine Beasts—to the sofa and asked the question with mock formality.
“Hehe, my active period just ended!”
“My director said I could come get acupuncture from Unnie whenever I want, and he even asked if I could ask you to be our team doctor while I’m here.”
Ra-bit flashed a bright smile, and Yun-sang shrugged his shoulders.
That’s when it happened.
Ra-bit, who’d been gently swinging her legs from the sofa, suddenly narrowed her eyes and asked.
“Yeon-hee, do you have something on your mind?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
Was it that obvious?
When I raised my eyebrows, Yun-sang chimed in.
“Your eyes look darker than usual.”
I sighed as I looked between the two of them.
“Well, you see, I’ve had a difficult patient lately. I need to decide how to prepare their Korean Herbal Medicine, but I can’t make a decision on the Differential Diagnosis.”
“Wow, Differential Diagnosis? What’s that?”
Ra-bit’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Hmm, it’s a concept in Korean medicine. To put it simply, think of it as a ‘type.’ It’s about classifying the causes and patterns of illness.”
“Ah~! So illnesses have types too?”
“That’s right, Ra-bit. The problem is that the herbal medicine differs a lot depending on this Differential Diagnosis, so I’m stuck…….”
As I trailed off weakly, Ra-bit rested her index finger on her chin and murmured thoughtfully.
“Hmm… when we’re unsure about a concept for a new album, we sometimes release ‘Version A’ and ‘Version B’ with two different concepts. Couldn’t you do the same with the herbal medicine?”
Version A, Version B?
My eyes widened at this fresh perspective.
That’s when Yun-sang chuckled and shook his head from side to side.
“Give both? They’d all mix together. How would that work?”
“Hehe. You’re right?”
“If it worked that way, patients would just take every medicine available whenever they got sick.”
I listened as the two of them, the same age, sat side by side and eagerly debated the matter.
Logically, of course, Ma Yun-sang was correct.
And yet, something about this felt strange—a ticklish sensation that told me I shouldn’t dismiss Ra-bit’s suggestion so lightly.
‘…….’
I touched my chin thoughtfully with a serious expression.
A few seconds passed.
‘……Wait.’
Yes, that method could work!
As if struck by lightning, I snapped out of my daze—
“Ra-bit!!”
and immediately wrapped her in a warm embrace with a bright smile.
“You’re so clever, my clever little rabbit! Thanks to you, I’ve thought of a great idea!”
“Really? That’s great! I’m not sure what I did, but… I’m glad it helped!”
When I cried out in excitement, Jeong Ra-bit covered her blushing face with both hands, her cheeks flushed peach-pink.
Ma Yun-sang, meanwhile, took on the expression of someone who’d been struck on the back of the head.
“How could this be! Unnie, would you call me your clever little colt too…….”
“Huh? Yun-sang, what did you say?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
When I tilted my head in confusion, Yun-sang muttered something with a slightly wounded expression.
He looked as pitiful as a drenched puppy—or rather, colt.
Ra-bit giggled as she watched the two of us.
* * *
The Baek Clan Main Estate.
Though the night had grown late, the lights in the study remained on.
A map of Seoul lay spread across the table, with mountain names marked in complex patterns throughout.
“Young master, I will make my report.”
Subordinates in formal dress bowed before Baek Eun-ho as he scanned the documents with sharp eyes.
“There are no traces whatsoever on Surak Mountain.”
“The same is true for Umyeon Mountain, young master. There are no remnants of barriers or any Spiritual Energy reactions.”
Eun-ho exhaled quietly and pressed his fingers to his brow.
“Hmm… I see. The search continues to bear no fruit. That’s all for now—dismissed.”
The subordinates, looking ashamed, lowered their heads and hurried from the room.
“…….”
Left alone, Eun-ho studied the map once more when the door quietly opened and Baek Ho-jung, the head of the Baek Clan, entered.
“Eun-ho, did you receive the report?”
“Yes, Father. I’ve searched half of the major mountains in Seoul, but found no clues whatsoever.”
Eun-ho replied, his lips pressed thin.
“According to Jeong Ra-bit’s memories, the last place Go Yeon-hee’s mother was spotted was near the base of a mountain. But with over forty mountains in Seoul, it’s not easy.”
“Mm. I suppose so.”
“Dr. Go mentioned that there’s also a possibility her mother hid the Key to the Diary in that location.”
The patriarch walked slowly forward, released a quiet sigh, and lowered his gaze to the map.
“Is there no way to destroy the padlock on the Diary?”
“No. It seems the only way to open it is to find the Key.”
“Hah, that’s like finding a needle in a desert. Given that there’s even a spell placed on it, the Diary must contain some crucial clue, so we can’t give up.”
A heavy silence fell, and then Eun-ho turned his gaze toward his father.
“Aside from that, Father—was introducing Yang Si-heon to Dr. Go going too far?”
“Too far?”
“Yang Si-heon is… like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, isn’t he? Every time I speak with him, I can’t see through him at all. Even a Purifier would find him difficult to treat.”
Eun-ho’s brow furrowed with disapproval.
The patriarch smiled slowly.
“You’re worried about that girl.”
“Worried? I am not!”
Eun-ho turned his head away sharply and spoke coldly.
“I merely questioned whether it’s meaningful to expend a Purifier’s efforts on such a man.”
Watching this exchange with an oddly pleased smile, the patriarch’s tone soon turned grave.
“Yang Si-heon possesses the greatest talent for Precognitive Dream among all Divine Beasts of his kind—at least, before his severe insomnia began.”
The patriarch clasped his hands behind his back and gazed into the distance.
“If his abilities fully recover, the tide of this Divine Beast War will shift. For now, Dr. Go is our only hope. Do you truly think treating him will be difficult?”
A brief silence fell.
After hesitating, Eun-ho spoke bluntly.
“……No. If it’s Dr. Go, she’ll surely manage it. She doesn’t shy away when it comes to her patients.”
His somewhat gruff tone and the stiff set of his mouth made it sound like genuine conviction.
The patriarch, seeing this subtle expression, smiled softly.
“Yes. We’ll leave that to Dr. Go, and we must do our part.”

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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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