The Genius Doctor of the Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 19

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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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Huashan Sect Prodigy Physician — Episode 19

Yet Baek Hyeon did not proceed directly to treatment.
There was something he needed to confirm first.
Whether this was truly a cataract, to begin with.
“I’ll conduct a few examinations now, if you’ll permit me.”
“Very well.”
“Does the world appear hazy, as though there’s mist before your eyes?”
“Yes, that’s it exactly—a feeling of opacity.”
“And in bright places, do your eyes feel more strained than before? Does the light cause discomfort?”
“It does. And the light seems to scatter somewhat.”
“What about at night?”
“The field of vision grows hazy, and I see poorly. I’m accustomed to it now, but in the beginning, it was quite troublesome.”
“Have you experienced any pain, or noticed the eyes becoming severely inflamed?”
“Nothing of the sort.”
Baek Hyeon nodded thoughtfully.
“These are textbook symptoms of a cataract.”
Had there been pain, the diagnosis would differ; but such does not appear to be the case.
Baek Hyeon continued with his next question.
“Which eye troubles you more—left or right?”
“The right is hazier. Truthfully, I can barely make out the outlines of people.”
“I see. Then next, I’d like to assess the extent of the cataract opacity spreading.”
With that, Baek Hyeon blocked every opening through which light entered the room. In the darkened space, he lit a lamp and asked:
“Can you see it?”
“I can.”
“How about this?”
Baek Hyeon brought the lamp closer to Baek Ya’s face. The old man’s brow furrowed.
“The light scatters—I can’t see well. Put it away.”
Baek Hyeon then dimmed the lamp’s wick.
“What of this?”
“Better. I can make out your face’s outline, it seems.”
“The cataract opacity is covering the center of your pupil. When I observed the pupil’s response, it moved well—which means you haven’t lost vision entirely.”
The opacity was merely obstructing the eye. Remove it, and the eye’s function would recover to a considerable degree.
And finally…
“Trust me with your body.”
Baek Hyeon drew up his internal energy and directed it through the vision vessels surrounding the eye.
It was to grasp the internal structure completely. He focused his awareness and examined within.
‘The vision vessels extending behind the eye remain unbroken. The eye fundus still holds vitality. If I remove only the opacity, the chances of regaining sight are high.’
The assessment was complete.
Baek Hyeon relayed everything he had learned to Baek Ya, and the old man’s face filled with astonishment.
“Are you saying—truly saying—that I might actually recover my sight?”
“It remains only a possibility. And I cannot treat you immediately.”
“What? Why not?”
“Preparation is necessary. Most importantly, your own preparation.”
“My preparation?”
“I intend to use a sterilized golden needle to remove the opacity from your eye. But if you were to move even slightly during the procedure, you could lose your sight entirely.”
“…!”
“Moreover, even if the treatment succeeds, if inflammation or infection develops afterward, that alone could cost you your vision. I must proceed under the best possible conditions.”
“Then what must I do?”
“For two days, prepare your body as I’ve instructed. Abstain from alcohol, avoid spicy foods, rest sufficiently, and allow yourself complete ease. And if anything seems amiss with your eyes—anything at all—tell me at once.”
“Understood. And you will…?”
“Make other preparations of my own.”
Baek Hyeon rose from his seat as he spoke.
“May I use whatever medicinal herbs are here?”
“Of course. Use as much as you need.”
Baek Hyeon moved through the clinic, surveying the stock of herbs.
Fortunately, he found several that would serve his purpose.
‘A clinic is a clinic indeed. Everything one might expect is here.’
With these materials, he could prepare a numbing powder suitable for application to the eye. He gathered them and refined the mixture using his own methods.
‘The way my teacher taught me.’
Fortunately, he had experience performing cataract surgery before, just as he’d told Baek Ya.
That is to say, he’d prepared all the medicinal substances needed.
“Baek Hyeon, is there anything I can help with?”
As he was preparing the Numbing Powder, Yun Sang approached and asked. Baek Hyeon nodded and handed him a list of medicinal ingredients.
“Please prepare the herbs I’ve written down.”
“Coptis, scutellaria, honeysuckle, forsythia, licorice?”
“After the treatment is finished, I plan to make an eye drop called Clear Light Toxin-Blocking Water to prevent infection. Please decoct the herbs I’ve listed repeatedly, and collect only the medicated steam vapor. Then filter the resulting medicinal liquid at least three times until you have a completely clear liquid remaining. I’ll verify that it’s been properly filtered and check for any toxicity.”
“Understood. I’ll do my very best.”
“Since it goes into the eyes, there’s no room for any mistakes whatsoever. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Yes, you can trust me.”
Yun Sang thumped his chest with the look of someone who had made a firm resolve.
Baek Hyeon nodded and entrusted him with preparing the Clear Light Toxin-Blocking Water. At the same time, he prepared the Numbing Powder and made the Clear Heat Toxin-Resolving Decoction to reduce inflammation.
“Mm…”
Baek Ya, who had been watching quietly, let out a murmur of admiration.
Though he’d already recognized from their initial exchange that this was a skilled physician, the way he was now preparing the treatment with such professionalism was deeply reassuring.
It was almost as if he were witnessing a Divine Physician at work.
‘To think I’m calling a child a Divine Physician.’
He found it rather absurd even to himself, but he couldn’t help it.
To Baek Ya, Baek Hyeon seemed no different from a Divine Physician.
Two days passed in this manner.
All preparations were complete.
It was time to begin the treatment.

* * *

“Now then, sir. I’m beginning.”
Baek Hyeon secured Baek Ya’s head firmly in a sturdy rest.
He dropped a few drops of the specially prepared Numbing Powder onto Baek Ya’s pupils.
Then he inserted needles into the Zanzhu Acupoint, Yuyao Acupoint, Taiyang Acupoint, and Hegu Acupoint to ease the tension and pain around the eyes.
“No matter what happens, don’t move your eyes.”
“Understood.”
“Then I’ll truly begin now.”
A Golden Needle, finer than a human hair, approached the edge of the white of Baek Ya’s eye.
At the needle’s tip flowed internal energy far more delicate than a thread.
Rather than relying on sight, Baek Hyeon felt the resistance within the eye through his fingertips. Soft fluids, taut membranes, and within them the cataract opacity, hardened like stone.
‘Found it.’
The needle tip began to push the clouded lens downward, bit by bit.
If he applied even the slightest excess force, the membrane inside the eye would tear. Conversely, if he was too gentle, the cataract opacity wouldn’t budge.
What was needed was precisely the right amount of force—enough to move the opacity without damaging the eye.
Cool sweat dripped from Baek Hyeon’s forehead as he focused entirely on the procedure.
And then.
‘It’s done!’
At last, the white shadow that had covered the center of the pupil descended downward.
Baek Hyeon exhaled a deep breath that welled up from within. In truth, performing such a major procedure in his current body was something he’d never done before, and he’d been quite nervous, but in the end he had succeeded.
‘I need to secure the cataract opacity in the empty space below the eyeball so it doesn’t rise again.’
Otherwise, it risked rising back up or causing damage inside the eye.
Baek Hyeon meticulously finished the work to prevent this from happening. All the procedures were complete not long after.
“Sir, close your eyes.”
Baek Hyeon covered Baek Ya’s eyes with a clean cloth treated with medicine.
“You mustn’t open your eyes now.”
“D-did it succeed?”
“I’ve removed the cataract opacity. But what matters more than the procedure is what comes next. If toxins enter the eye before the wound heals, everything will be for nothing. You could even go blind.”
“…!”
“So for several days, you must keep your eyes covered. Don’t touch them, and don’t lift anything heavy. Also, you must apply the Clear Light Toxin-Blocking Water at set intervals and monitor your progress.”
“Understood.”
“You must follow these instructions strictly. Do you understand?”
“Of course. I’ll follow your words precisely.”
“Good. Now please drink some of this decoction. It will help suppress inflammation.”
Baek Hyeon poured some of the Clear Heat Toxin-Resolving Decoction and handed it to Baek Ya, who took it in his mouth, swallowed, and smiled.
“It’s such a strange feeling. Here I am, always the healer, now the patient being healed.”
“Physicians often experience that emotion, sir. Are you in any discomfort?”
“My eyes sting a bit, but it’s bearable. Even if this treatment goes wrong, I won’t hold it against you.”
“There’s no chance of that, so please don’t worry. The treatment has gone very well.”
Baek Hyeon smiled softly.
“In four days, you’ll witness a miracle.”

* * *

Rather than return to the Huashan Sect, Baek Hyeon remained at the Baek Ya Clinic for those four days, monitoring his condition closely. Should any emergency arise, he needed to be ready to respond at once.
‘Fortunately, nothing of the sort occurred.’
Baek Ya took the herbal decoction at the prescribed times and applied the medicinal eye drops as promised. Each time Baek Hyeon felt his pulse and channeled his internal energy, no signs of inflammation appeared.
‘But you never know until the end.’
At last, the moment to remove the bandages had arrived. Baek Hyeon carefully unwound them and spoke.
“Don’t open your eyes yet.”
After he’d removed the final cloth, he drew the window curtain halfway closed to dim the light in the room.
“Now, open them slowly.”
Baek Ya’s eyelids quivered faintly.
Eyes that had been submerged in darkness for so long opened with utmost care.
“…….”
No words came.
Baek Hyeon’s expression grew taut.
“Sir?”
Baek Ya did not answer. He only gazed for a long time in the direction where Baek Hyeon stood, his eyes still misty.
Baek Hyeon spread three fingers.
“How many do you see?”
The old man’s lips trembled.
“Three.”
“…….”
“I can see three fingers.”
Tears streamed down his face.
“Not just the fingers—I can see your face too.”
It wasn’t a sharp image.
The contours were slightly blurred, and focusing on nearby objects remained difficult.
But there was light.
The world that had gradually faded to cloudiness over more than a decade was returning to his eyes once more.
With a trembling hand, Baek Ya reached out and touched Baek Hyeon’s cheek.
“You’re so young.”
“Age alone doesn’t substitute for skill.”
“Heh heh…….”
Even as Baek Ya laughed, tears continued to flow for a long while.
“I truly…… truly don’t know how to repay this debt.”
“You mustn’t let your guard down yet. Your eyes need more time to heal completely. And while your vision will be better than before, you may have difficulty with small characters. A device called Eyeglasses, which came from the Western Regions, will help greatly.”
“I shall do as you say. After all, you’ve given me back my sight—I must heed your words.”
Baek Ya spoke thus while gripping Baek Hyeon’s hand.
“Wait just a moment.”
“Sir?”
“I wish to express my gratitude to you properly. But surely mere words cannot repay such a debt?”
Baek Ya rose carefully from his seat.
He reached into the deepest corner of his medicine cabinet and withdrew an old wooden chest. It had been locked since the very first day Baek Hyeon arrived at this place.
“I wish to give this to you.”
“Sir, this is…….”
With trembling hands, Baek Ya opened the lock.
Click.
As the chest’s lid swung open, slender needles as white as snow revealed themselves. A faint blue luminescence emanated from the tips where they caught the lamplight.
Baek Ya smiled gently.
“They’re called the Ice-White Silver Needles.”

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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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