The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 178

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 178

 

“You’re going to put acupuncture needles in my arm?”

 

Roberto tilted his head in confusion.

 

He seemed unfamiliar with traditional Korean medicine treatment. Even among Koreans and patients who came to the Oriental Medicine Clinic on their own, it wasn’t uncommon to find those receiving acupuncture for the first time, so this wasn’t strange at all.

 

Since the culture is different, he probably doesn’t know much about how the treatment works either.

 

“Wow, you’re confident you can get immediate results with distal point selection? Where are you going to place it?”

 

But Hwangseoyeong, why are you so surprised?

 

“If I were to place just one, it would be here.”

 

I pressed firmly on the Jangmun point.

 

Three finger-widths up from the wrist on the pinky finger side.

 

When I stimulated that spot, Roberto frowned.

 

“Ah, why does that hurt?”

 

“It hurts when your intestines aren’t in good condition. This point reveals problems with the organs while also making treatment possible from here.”

 

Hwangseoyeong asked me.

 

“What’s this point? Zhizheng? Small Intestine Meridian?”

 

“It’s on the Small Intestine Meridian line, but it’s about halfway between Yanggu and Zhizheng. It’s the Jangmun point.”

 

It’s quite well-known as an acupoint that helps you hold it when you urgently need the restroom.

 

It regulates intestinal hypersensitivity and activity, so it’s frequently used for acute and chronic enteritis, diarrhea, and intestinal diseases.

 

“Isn’t Jangmun on the side?”

 

“That’s the Liver Meridian’s Zhangmen point. This is Dong’s Acupuncture Method’s Jangmun point.”

 

“Oh? You studied Dong’s Acupuncture Method too?”

 

Don’t we use the Jangmun point more than the Zhizheng point?

 

Even if I don’t memorize everything, I use the useful acupoints together.

 

What we memorized by rote and tested on in school were the regular meridian points of the 14 meridians, but there are many useful ones among the extra-meridian points as well.

 

“Nothing beats Dong’s Acupuncture Method for immediate effects.”

 

“Right. Come to think of it, when Professor Kim Sungchul was here, he would tap the hand with Dong’s Acupuncture Method and the legs would move right away, right?”

 

Who was Professor Kim Sungchul again?

 

Even though I remembered acupoint names well, recalling forgotten people was quite difficult.

 

“When we used to observe before…”

 

Ah.

 

He was the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department professor at my alma mater before Professor Lee Minseok.

 

I also vaguely recalled the days when I was doing hospital internship.

 

He used to predict treatment progress by placing a few needles in the patient’s hand for the first time and watching the feet move.

 

I remember patients being very surprised and pleased because the movement changed completely as soon as the needles were inserted.

 

“Alright, I’m going to insert it. It’ll only sting when it goes in.”

 

Should I try following that example?

 

“Ah.”

 

“I’m going to move it a little.”

 

Originally, I was going to place several needles along the Small Intestine and Large Intestine meridians, but placing just one would be more dramatic.

 

“Breathe comfortably. Inhale—”

 

I gently rotated the needle and pushed the energy through smoothly.

 

It wasn’t the orthodox even reinforcement and even reduction of Dong’s Acupuncture Method, but there shouldn’t be any problem moving the energy.

 

“I’m going to put my hand on your stomach for a moment.”

 

With one hand I stimulated the needle, and with the other I directly moved the energy in the digestive system.

 

And when I withdrew the needle.

 

“Roberto, how is it?”

 

Hwangseoyeong asked with a very excited expression.

 

For me, it was a natural result since I knew the energy that had been turbulent just moments before had calmed down.

 

“It was boiling just a moment ago, but now it’s completely fine!”

 

“Really? Thank goodness!”

 

Both of them were very surprised.

 

“Wow, Hanyewon, you’re really a divine physician. You seem even more amazing than our Old Man in his prime? You’re not famous for nothing.”

 

“Teacher Hwangje can even make paralyzed people walk, right?”

 

“Oh, that must have happened by chance. Something that can’t be reproduced… something something. Only Old Man can do it.”

 

Professor Kim Sungchul had shown it before.

 

It was a scene where Hwangje placed needles on a patient brought in on a stretcher and made them stand up, and it was so shocking that I still remember it.

 

Of course, I never saw Hwang Sanghun perform such treatment. I thought maybe he left the family early and didn’t receive the full transmission, but from what she’s saying, it seems even the children can’t do it.

 

…Is Hwangje the only one with the innate ability to read and channel energy?

 

So he can distinguish patients who will show dramatic effects?

 

Of course, it could be completely for show.

 

Hwangseoyeong looked like she couldn’t bring herself to say it, but somehow I didn’t think that was the case.

 

“Anyway, if you’re okay now, let’s go out. But I think touring ice cream shops might be too much.”

 

“Thank you! I don’t know how I got better like this. I’ve received your kindness twice now.”

 

“This time was nothing.”

 

I’m going to get neurotic, so I’d appreciate it if you could stop talking about ‘kindness’ and ‘grudges’ for a while.

 

No, not just for a while—ordinary people would never have occasion to mention or hear it for their entire lives!

 

The three of us moved to a restaurant that sold porridge.

 

Do Westerners also eat porridge when their digestive system isn’t good? Rice gruel? Soup?

 

Roberto said porridge was fine too and followed us.

 

He pointed to the most colorful food on the menu.

 

“Should I try this?”

 

“Will you be okay? It’s spicy?”

 

“I’m all better now.”

 

What he pointed to was none other than spicy octopus and pork belly porridge.

 

I had just barely finished treating him—how could he be okay?

 

“Hey, we need to stop him!”

 

In the end, Roberto ordered vegetable porridge, and I got to eat premium abalone porridge.

 

Anyway, going around ice cream shops and asking me to check out store locations were just excuses.

 

I had expected this even before coming to Seoul.

 

No matter what food was set before us, their beautiful love story continued endlessly.

 

I nodded calmly while faintly sensing Mario’s presence, who was trying his best to hide his aura.

 

“You said you have separate plans for the evening?”

 

“Oh, yeah.”

 

“Songpa Branch? Are you going there? I still can’t get used to it—my friend being a network CEO.”

 

“Clinic Director Kim handles everything well on her own, so it would just be a nuisance if I kept dropping by. I’m meeting someone else instead.”

 

“Like a meeting? Like with Ri… Chairman last time?”

 

It would be similar to Chairman Rich in that it was half business meeting, half personal encounter.

 

“Have a good trip~. Contact me when you come again! I’ll visit you next time!”

 

“Sure, sure. Have a beautiful romance.”

 

The person I was meeting this time was none other than

 

Korean Medicine Doctor Shin Jinho.

 

He was the uncle of Shin Yejin, who had bought various types of candy before.

 

After confirming the taste and effects to some degree, he had approached me about wanting to officially sell them at his clinic.

 

We had decided on wholesale and retail prices, and even finished adjusting the written contract.

 

But then he said he wanted to have a face-to-face meeting?

 

He said he could come down himself, but since I had business in Seoul anyway, we arranged to meet in the metropolitan area.

 

“Wow, it’s an honor to meet you!”

 

Shin Jinho was in his 40s, a younger Korean Medicine Doctor than I had expected.

 

When I first heard he was an uncle, I thought he would be the same age as Kim Chunsik.

 

“I heard a lot about you from my niece. She said you’re incredibly skilled, and there’s even a hymn about you…”

 

“That’s an exaggeration.”

 

“I saw you on TV too! Was it Lemon Soda? Those guys helped spread the excellence of Korean medicine widely on public television thanks to you!”

 

“It’s Melon Soda Horizon. …They actually sang that on TV?”

 

“Hahahaha!”

 

Damn, even Teacher Emperor probably doesn’t have a hymn.

 

“It was coincidental, but I’m embarrassed to receive praise for treatment that everyone else does.”

 

“That’s not true. Word is spreading everywhere about your extraordinary treatment skills and business abilities.”

 

“Word?”

 

When I checked the community last time, there wasn’t much there.

 

It was only a bit noisy when we clashed with Haneul Clinic, but there shouldn’t have been any buzz since then.

 

“Yes. At the Korean Medicine Doctor Soccer Club and in the Overattack Chat Room, your name comes up so often. Everyone will be envious when I tell them I met you today.”

 

…So it was offline talk.

 

Really? I don’t play online games much, and since offline sports groups are centered around the metropolitan area, I hadn’t joined that type of small group he was talking about.

 

Since it’s where social people gather, all kinds of stories probably circulate, right?

 

They might have only shared good stories, but I didn’t feel too bad about it.

 

Before signing the contract, Shin Jinho asked me various things he was curious about.

 

“How did you think of opening a clinic right after graduation? Did those band members come completely by chance?”

 

Some were personal questions.

 

“What stage is your product development at now? Am I joining at the prototype stage?”

 

There were naturally business-related parts too.

 

“Development of the products we agreed to supply is finished. Of course, more will be added continuously. The External Decoction Room is at the stage just before official public release.”

 

“Oh, will you also take decoction orders like a typical external decoction room?”

 

“Yes. The website will be completed soon, and we’re planning to do some modest promotion.”

 

The decoction room we had been planning since the early establishment of the network was almost complete.

 

Certification procedures and such were finished, and we had prepared to use a proper homepage instead of just writing prescriptions and sending them internally.

 

“So I’ll be the first to use it from outside the network? It’s an honor! I’ve heard a lot of talk about how excellent the medicine is too.”

 

Really? That kind of talk is going around too?

 

“We’ll have different wholesale prices for inside and outside the network…”

 

“Oh, I naturally understand that! Even considering that, I’d like to try it once.”

 

Shin Jinho was enthusiastic, saying he would place an order as soon as the homepage was created.

 

I had expected there wouldn’t be many decoction orders since the wholesale price differs quite a bit from regular medicinal materials.

 

Would there really be demand as Shin Jinho said?

 

If so, would we need to hire more staff for the decoction room? Should I separate the space from An Juhui?

 

“I’ve signed it. Please take care of me from now on!”

 

“Yes, I look forward to working with you as well.”

 

And so I finished both my personal matters and meetings over the weekend and came down to Busan.

 

I thought the latter would end quickly, but it turned out to be an unexpected opportunity to hear various stories circulating in the industry from Shin Jinho, who has a sociable personality.

 

* * *

 

The next day. Korean Medicine Clinic examination room.

 

“The meeting went really well.”

 

I flinched slightly at Jeon Yu-ri’s words.

 

But there’s no way she could know about my meeting.

 

She was talking about her own overseas meeting that she had attended.

 

“Even while you were abroad, you didn’t experience severe pain and felt okay? How was it during the break from treatment?”

 

“It was really, really good.”

 

Jeon Yu-ri smiled with overwhelming emotion.

 

Although she couldn’t receive acupuncture treatment for several days, it seemed she maintained her condition quite well while taking the medicine.

 

“But may I ask what kind of medicine it was?”

 

“Of course. Wasn’t it written on the medication guide?”

 

“The composition was listed, but I wondered if it had a name. Like Ssanghwa-tang or Galgeun-tang.”

 

“Ah, it’s a modified version of Cheongsanggyeontong-tang, which is the basic formula for headaches. There were quite a few herbs added and removed, so maybe that’s why they didn’t write down the original formula.”

 

Cheongsanggyeontong-tang is the first choice for excess-type headaches caused by qi stagnation.

 

It’s a prescription that helps the body find balance by reducing heat accumulated in the upper body and providing pain relief.

 

“Ah, I see. People from the country I went to for the meeting suffer from migraines a lot, apparently? That’s why I asked.”

 

“Did you give them some?”

 

“Oh, no way. I paid good money to have it made. And it’s common sense not to misuse medicine carelessly.”

 

That’s right. But there are quite a few people who don’t follow common sense.

 

“I just said I’d ask and let them know. And you were already much better even before taking the medicine, right? When I said acupuncture treatment seemed to be the main thing, people were disappointed.”

 

“Which country did you go to? Somewhere without acupuncturists?”

 

Whether from South Korea or China, there should be some presence there.

 

“Saudi Arabia. When I searched, it seems like there are one or two places.”

 

Ah, Saudi Arabia. I hadn’t thought of the Middle East.

 

“I don’t know much about that area either. If there are any, please tell them to go and get treatment. They need to do it consistently for at least 10 sessions.”

 

“I will. Phone prescriptions would be difficult for you too, right?”

 

“Yes, well…”

 

It wasn’t ideal.

 

While it wouldn’t be difficult to listen to symptoms and write a prescription, since I haven’t met them in person, information like physique, complexion, and pulse wouldn’t be considered.

 

Even if that doesn’t have much impact, problems could arise during the process of shipping herbal medicine overseas.

 

If something goes wrong with shipping or storage, the responsibility becomes ambiguous too.

 

“There should be pill forms of the original Cheongsanggyeontong-tang formula sold at pharmacies, so it would be better to send those instead. Although the dosage would be smaller. Oh, and if they’re very weak, they shouldn’t take it.”

 

Rather than taking unnecessary risks by making custom prescriptions, medicine from pharmaceutical companies would be better.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I just asked just in case. Those people will get proper treatment at medical institutions. I only told the person in South Korea to come directly.”

 

Jeon Yu-ri smiled, saying it was fine.

 

It would be nice if I could help, but I guess it’s beyond my reach.

 

“Oh, is there also a migraine patient among the Saudi people in South Korea?”

 

“Yes, yes. I happened to find out this time that the Ambassador to Korea has similar symptoms to mine.”

 

…What?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————