Surviving as the Terminally Ill Young Lady of the North Sea Ice Palace - Chapter 29

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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 29
I skimmed through the names and descriptions of the Spirit Medicines in an instant.
There were Recovery Pills that Peng Zhong Geol had handed out to injured test-takers on the entrance examination day.
And Small Heaven Pills that had been distributed to those who passed.
Those were the cheapest medicines in their respective categories.
But Elixir Pellets that enhanced Inner Power, recovery Elixir Pellets—there existed higher tiers whose prices climbed exponentially.
Some could be obtained through materials, provided alongside the Merit Points required as payment.
But fundamentally, Spirit Medicines that increased the quantity of Inner Power or altered its purity were rare treasures that money alone could not buy.
The mere fact that one could obtain them at fixed prices was extraordinary.
“Special ones…… wait, they’re selling Fiery Yang Pills too!”
Could this be where Maeng Ryeong Ji’s brother had gotten the Fiery Yang Pills he’d consumed so much of?
In my sickly childhood, when I’d suffered gravely, Baek Ui Jin In had given me an Elixir Pellet made by mixing materials with strong Yang properties.
Though it couldn’t cure Severed Meridian Syndrome entirely, it might extend my lifespan by several years—or months.
Of course, the price was steep.
The Merit Points one could earn from chores were merely two or three points at best.
Right now, harvesting medicinal herbs in Stone Cave was a thirty-point Chore Assignment.
But Fiery Yang Pills started at one hundred points, Pure Yang Pills at two thousand, and Grand Yang Pills at a full ten thousand.
The highest tier, marked as Heavenly Flame Pill, was noted with a recommendation to consult the head of the Medical Hall about whether it was safe for consumption.
True, external missions typically awarded several dozen points, sometimes exceeding a hundred at most.
But Spirit Medicines weren’t like access to Zhen Wei Hall or the Library Pavilion—places one gained entry to upon crossing certain Merit thresholds. They were like weapons from the Blacksmith, a separate payment system entirely.
Considering one needed to accumulate ten thousand points just to graduate,
obtaining a Grand Yang Pill might require attending the Academy for twice as long.
“What is it? Do you have a complaint already?”
I was staring intently at the medicine list, my mind running calculations,
when an elderly man with a weathered face emerged from the inner room at the sound of my voice.
“Are you the head of the Medical Hall?”
The old man nodded without any particular emotion.
“That’s right. I am Gok San, the Medicine Sage.”
I doubted my own ears.
“The Medicine Sage, sir? You’re saying the Medicine Sage was the head of Tianwu Academy’s Medical Hall?”
“That’s correct. You look healthy enough—what brings you to the Medical Hall?”
This unremarkable old man was the famous Medicine Sage?
Did that mean I’d now met two of the Three Greatest Physicians under Heaven?
For the past twenty years or so, the world had believed the Medicine Sage had disappeared.
But Baek Ung Dae Ju had hinted that he’d likely incurred someone’s resentment and was receiving protection from the Academy Master here at Tianwu Academy.
And upon arriving at the Academy, the martial arts instructors mentioned the Medicine Sage without hesitation.
Apparently it wasn’t much of a secret here.
Still, I’d assumed he’d be living in seclusion somewhere.
Yet here he was, leisurely wandering the Medical Hall and producing Spirit Medicines!
“I received a Chore Assignment from the task office, and I was intrigued by how you sell Spirit Medicines like this.”
“Hmph. The way Tianwu Academy runs now—that’s all my doing.”
I steadied my racing pulse and answered his question.
“If it’s a chore assignment, Dark Secluded Grass? That would be quite demanding for a new student.”
“If it’s something I can accomplish through practice, I wish to undertake it.”
I quickly composed myself and made my request earnestly.
To accumulate Merit Points if nothing else, I genuinely wanted to do this.
“Hmm…… you’ve never been to Stone Cave yet, have you?”
“No, sir.”
There had been somewhat ominous warnings written on the map,
and since it was located on the far side of the mountain, I hadn’t visited it yet.
“It’s in a rather difficult place. Well, if you’re from a volcanic region like some new students, it shouldn’t matter much…… have you climbed rock faces before?”
From the way he spoke, it didn’t seem to be a place with bizarre mechanisms like those in the martial arts training hall.
If natural terrain was the only concern, I had nothing to worry about.
“I climb ice cliffs quite well. I don’t foresee any problems.”
The Medicine Sage looked me up and down, then nodded.
“Good…… you should manage. Try going once, and if you find it too much, back out. It won’t matter if the senior students arrive and bring them instead.”
He opened a book and told me which herbs I needed.
Primarily, I would need many Stone Ear Mushrooms, which grew in various spots throughout Stone Cave.
The main objective was to collect ten roots of Dark Secluded Grass, which grew between rocks.
I’d seen Stone Ear Mushrooms before, even in the Northern Sea.
Dark Secluded Grass had a distinctive form, so remembering it was hardly difficult.
“Should you happen to spot any Wall Auspice Grass, dig that up as well. If you bring it back, I’ll credit you accordingly.”
“How much?”
“Triple the merit.”
“……!”
I was startled, but Gok San waved a hand as if to dampen my hopes.
“Well, unless you’re extraordinarily fortunate, you won’t find Wall Auspice Grass anywhere. It might appear deep in the unmanaged upper caves, but it scarcely grows in the shallow sections. I mention it only as a long shot.”
So I shouldn’t venture deep to search for it?
Had the senior students already ransacked the place?
My mind was already spinning with calculations—even finding something within a month would be worthwhile.
Gok San spoke as if he’d read my thoughts.
“Every year, people venture deep in search of Fortuitous Opportunities and vanish. Don’t get any foolish ideas. Be cautious.”
Hmm…….
Now that he mentioned it, Maeng Ryeong Ji had spoken before about Artifacts appearing in the Stone Cave.
Was that how the seniors talked—because they’d stirred things up in the unmanaged sections?
I smiled at what I’d taken for a jest, and Gok San turned sharply away, as if to make clear he’d given his warning.
“My lord, wait just a moment.”
He was already heading back inside, as though he’d finished his explanation entirely.
I caught him quickly.
The dangers of the Stone Cave were worth investigating myself, but there was something far more urgent I needed to ask.
“What is it? Speak quickly—I’m busy.”
“Could any of the Spirit Medicines there treat Severed Meridian Syndrome?”
I broached the subject directly, my desperation laid bare.
There were brief descriptions beneath each Spirit Medicine name, but with my knowledge, I couldn’t judge how remarkable they truly were.
If Grand Yang Pill or Heavenly Flame Pill could treat Severed Meridian Syndrome—
Even if I had to rebuild my entire Merit Point tally from scratch and spend ten years at the Academy, I’d do it.
“Hmm? Is there a Severed Meridian patient in the Northern Sea?”
The question was so unexpected that Gok San asked it in return.
“Ah, yes. Someone precious to me…….”
I answered with a sad smile.
As I thought of Baek Ui Jin In, who had kept my secret all this while, I wondered if it would be safe to confide in Gok San, a physician.
But knowing so little of him yet, I chose discretion.
Besides, it wasn’t a lie.
The person most precious to me was myself.
“I’ve treated a patient with Triple Yin Severed Meridian before. It’s a difficult ailment, but if the child has never practiced martial arts at all, giving them Pure Yang Pill and careful Cultivation can work.”
Gok San spoke proudly of his experience treating Severed Meridian cases.
But unfortunately, my condition was not Triple Yin Severed Meridian.
When I’d disclosed my constitution to my father and subtly asked what stage I was at, he’d said clearly—
– Of course the highest stage!
I swallowed hard.
“……What if the patient had Nine Yin Severed Meridian, and practiced Ice Martial Arts, so their Yin Cold Energy became astronomical?”
“What? Such a patient exists?”
Gok San went pale with shock.
“Then this method won’t work. Pure Yang Pill extracts pure Yang energy—if you have no Inner Power at all, or haven’t practiced Heat Yang Martial Arts, the nature of your Inner Power will change entirely. It’s a terrible gamble. At best, you’d just lose the ability to use martial arts, but there’s a thirty percent chance you become an invalid and seventy percent you die.”
“Then, instead of Pure Yang Pill, could a higher-tier Spirit Medicine work, or could one be custom-made for the condition?”
He paused in thought before posing another question.
“How much Yin Cold Energy are we talking about, exactly?”
“They were among the most talented individuals the Ice Palace had produced. Enough power to freeze the upper section of Bing Yue Lake—a lake somewhat larger than this Academy itself.”
“…….”
I’d thought this description would give him some sense of it.
Instead, Gok San’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
“Without harvesting Ten-Thousand Year Fire Ganoderma, ordinary medicinal ingredients won’t suffice. And who would even be capable of performing Absorb Yin Supplement Yang on someone of that caliber?”
It seemed even Gok San had his limits.
Indeed, Baek Ui Jin In hadn’t been able to fully cure me either.
“I see…… Thank you. It seems that even the legendary Gok San cannot overcome Nine Yin Severed Meridian.”
It looked as though my original plan—purchasing Fiery Yang Pills periodically to extend my lifespan, while waiting for a man capable of bearing the burden—was my only path forward.
I didn’t hide my disappointment, lowering my head.
“Wait.”
But Gok San caught my arm just as I was about to accept the situation and head out to dig for herbs.
“There is no illness that I cannot cure!”
“Pardon?”
It seemed I’d inadvertently bruised his pride.
“Severed Meridian Syndrome isn’t difficult to treat in the first place! All you need to do is balance the yin and yang! The problem is that there’s nothing with such an extreme concentration of Yang energy to work with, but……!”
Something about qi and blood, something about yin and yang.
He spent a long while spouting words I couldn’t begin to follow.
If you just did this and that, it would work—but doing that creates another problem that kills you.
Then when you use some medicine to mitigate the side effects, it creates yet another problem.
So really, isn’t that the same as saying it’s an extremely difficult condition to treat?
“Ah, if only I’d mastered Ice Martial Arts completely, I could handle the energy mixed with Blood Treasure……but no, wait—could I use Yin-Nourishing Medicine to control its toxicity?”
I stood there waiting for him to gather his thoughts, but instead
he didn’t reach any conclusion.
He suddenly remembered a book he needed to find and rushed inside.
‘……What was that? Did he run away?’
Or could it be he might actually find a solution?
I waited for a while, then asked him carefully.
“Um, Master Baek. Do you need time?”
“Time? Of course I need time! But I’ll need an enormous amount of money too!”
Right—I’d been asking whether I should keep waiting here or go ahead and start gathering medicinal herbs.
“Could you please look into it? If there’s a way, I’ll do whatever it takes to secure the funds and materials.”
“You’re being too loud! Now get out! I’ll think it over and tell you!”
Bang!
Beyond the door that shut with a loud noise, I heard the sound of books tumbling.
Hmm……I suppose I’d managed to stir the curiosity of a genius pharmaceuticist after all.
Taking it to mean he’d conduct the research,
I decided to go ahead and start gathering the medicinal herbs first.
Surviving as the Terminally Ill Young Mistress of the Northern Sea Ice Palace (Serialized)
Author │ Sachyang Noru
Publisher │ Kim Ju Hyung
Published by │ J-Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae Hyuk
Address │ 401, Ace Techno Tower 8th, 33 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Sachyang Noru 2026
※This work is published by J-Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder, and the content may not be used in any form or means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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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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