The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 360

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 360

The Strongest and Most Fearsome… what?

Why on earth did Kawasaki Yumi’s new work, whose previous work was 【Silver Mage】, end up with such a title?

I thought I should say it was good out of courtesy, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“How did this happen…? Did the editorial department recommend it?”

“Absolutely not!”

At those words, the companion standing next to Kawasaki interjected and vehemently denied it.

When he lowered the two hands that had been covering his face, an almost tearful expression was revealed.

The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, and his deeply aggrieved appearance was even pitiful.

“What might your relationship be?”

Family? Acquaintance?

At my question, the man took out a business card from his bag and bowed his head while offering it with both hands.

It was a posture I seemed to have seen somewhere in Japanese manga.

“I apologize. My introduction was late. I am Takahashi Yusuke, the editor in charge of 【Exiled from the Sky City, But When I Realized It, I Had Become Humanity’s Only Hope ~The Strongest and Most Fearsome Wind Magic User~】.”

“Ah?”

“I’ve been working together since 【Silver Mage】, and I’m also an old friend.”

“Oh! I see!”

The business card had the name of a famous manga magazine company written on it.

When I let them know that I was a fan who had enjoyed 【Silver Mage】 very much,

Takahashi seemed to feel a little better as he smiled and ran his hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry, Takahashi. Kawasaki just told me that she came up with it herself, but I asked without thinking.”

“It’s fine. I understand. Everyone thinks that way…”

But as soon as the title topic came up, Takahashi seemed to become depressed again.

“Does the title of my new work sound that bad to you too, Clinic Director? I think it’s much better than something like 【The Strongest Wind Magic User】 or 【The Exiled Wind Magic User】. It’s eye-catching, and most anime these days have titles like this!”

Kawasaki said with an embarrassed face.

Even though I was a fan of Kawasaki Yumi, even if the author came up with it herself, I just couldn’t bring myself to say it was good…

“I’ve told you many times, but those are based on light novels. Since they started as web serials, they had to catch attention with their titles. But we’re magazine serializations, and above all, it’s manga where your art style is immediately visible! There’s absolutely no need to attach such a provocative title!”

“Still, how should I put it… it’s trendy. If it can attract attention anyway, I don’t think it’s bad.”

“That attention is the problem! All that reader attention leads to cursing at the editor!”

The two seemed to have already had the same exchange many times before.

Takahashi was pulling at his hair, while Kawasaki tilted her head with an “Eh- really?” kind of feeling.

“Actually, that’s why we came here.”

“Yes. Takahashi has been getting cursed at quite a lot. I felt sorry for him, so I decided to cover the travel expenses and treatment costs and came along.”

From the preliminary examination at the desk, Kawasaki’s treatment areas were her back and wrist.

And Takahashi had written down headaches.

“Ah, are the headaches related to that title?”

At my question, Takahashi nodded vigorously.

“Exactly! Since news of Kawasaki’s new work came out after such a long time, an enormous amount of attention poured in. But… as I feared, when the title was revealed, fans collectively gasped in shock. After the serialized chapters went up, there was even more talk. When the volume came out, there were many complaints that the title overshadowed the characters.”

I glanced at the volume I had received as a gift.

Indeed. It felt designwise unharmonious as they had to arrange the characters to avoid the excessively long title.

“People everywhere were cursing at me, asking ‘Did the editor force this?’… My hands and feet were trembling and my head was throbbing…”

It was truly a pitiful story.

How frustrated he must have felt?

But as a doctor, I needed to accurately record the current medical history, so after briefly empathizing, I asked another question.

“Was the part about your hands and feet trembling not a figurative expression, but actual psychogenic hand tremors?”

“Psychogenic hand tremors… that seems right. But that got better after I slept. However, the headaches are still a problem. When the title catches my eye or I suddenly remember comments, sharp pain shoots through my temples.”

“Does it continue to hurt even after taking painkillers?”

“It’s not continuous. The headache surges up and I feel momentarily dizzy, but then it gets better quickly. I haven’t tried medication yet.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to have become chronic yet.

Takahashi shook his head.

“I suspected it might be somewhat psychosomatic, but he said it hurt so much.”

Kawasaki said jokingly, and the fact that Takahashi glared at her meant the symptoms weren’t too serious.

“Ah, it’s not psychosomatic. You did well to come quickly. I can see bloodshot eyes, and your face is slightly red too, isn’t it? Even when you’re not agitated, isn’t it redder than usual?”

Takahashi’s face clearly showed flushing.

I initially thought the bloodshot eyes were from poor sleep, but after hearing about the onset of his condition, both were signs of liver fire flaring upward.

“That’s right, exactly. Sometimes my face gets hot along with the headaches. Sometimes it gets red even when I’m just sitting still.”

“Now that you mention it… it does seem that way.”

Takahashi clapped his hands, and Kawasaki also nodded after checking Takahashi’s face.

“Do you have any bitter taste in your mouth, getting angry more easily, or pain in your sides?”

“Oh! Yes! Is this related too? I have a burning sensation in my throat, and I recently got mouth sores! I thought the aching in my sides was from sleeping wrong.”

When I mentioned a few more symptoms that could occur with liver fire flaring upward,

Takahashi was very surprised and said they were all correct.

“You haven’t reached the point of insomnia, anxiety, tinnitus, or problems with bowel movements, have you?”

“Um… I wouldn’t say I’m anxious to that degree.”

He thought for a moment then shook his head.

As I expected from the fact that he hadn’t received any treatment,

Fortunately, it seemed the fire didn’t flare up on its own unless ignited by that problematic title.

“Let me check your pulse. Please stick out your tongue too.”

The pulse was definitely rapid.

I also confirmed that his tongue was red with a yellowish coating.

Considering the coating was quite thick compared to the mild symptoms, I would need to use Hwanggeum or Hwangryeon for this.

I chose a prescription in my mind while explaining the pathology to him.

“Liver fire… you can just think of it as stress. Whenever there’s any stimulus, the liver fire rises upward, causing headaches, facial flushing, and bloodshot eyes. The bitter taste in your mouth, feeling impatient, or getting angry easily are all the same pathology.”

“Ah!”

“If the fire continues to stay up there, the symptoms would persist, but fortunately your body’s immunity isn’t completely broken, so it returns to normal after a moment passes. However, if it repeats many times, it could become chronic, so it’s better to treat it early.”

“I see. So that was the pattern.”

“Can it be treated with acupuncture like my arm last time?”

Takahashi nodded, saying everything made sense after hearing the explanation.

In contrast, Kawasaki, who had only thought of Takahashi’s condition as mild, expressed concern.

“Of course we’ll start with acupuncture treatment today. It should improve to some extent, but it’s a bit difficult to cure completely in one session. How long will you be staying in South Korea?”

“I did prepare some reserves, but it’s not abundant. I’ll be returning on a 4-night, 5-day schedule.”

“Then it’ll be difficult to do multiple acupuncture treatments. I’ll prepare two weeks’ worth of medicine for you to take continuously even after you go to Japan.”

“Will two weeks be enough?”

Based on the fire energy I could sense, he should recover after receiving acupuncture today and taking medicine for about a week.

Two weeks was a generous estimate considering additional treatment wouldn’t be possible.

However, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that the condition might worsen if something angering happened in between, or recur due to similar issues later.

“If it’s insufficient or recurs later, you can go to any hospital in Japan, explain your symptoms, and tell them you previously took Yongdamsa Gantang, and they’ll prescribe it well for you.”

Anyway, over 90% of general clinics in Japan prescribe herbal medicine preparations from major pharmaceutical companies, so it shouldn’t be difficult to obtain.

Only then did Kawasaki look relieved and smile.

After finishing Takahashi’s consultation,

I also checked the progress of Kawasaki’s back and wrist and sent them both to the treatment room.

* * *

Kawasaki shuddered the moment the needle went in.

“That feeling of energy shooting into my body with a sharp sensation… it’s truly ecstatic, I’d say. I put quite a bit of effort into expressing that sensation in my work.”

‘Isn’t it a battle action story anyway? What exactly appears in the work?’

I finished the treatment somewhat awkwardly and went to Takahashi on the next bed.

Since this was his first time receiving acupuncture, I used the thinnest needles and penetrated as painlessly as possible.

First, I inserted needles into both Taiyang acupoints where the blood pathways were blocked, then flowed cool energy through them.

I gradually untangled the tangled qi and blood and lowered the fire heat.

He wasn’t as sensitive to qi sensation as Kawasaki, so he didn’t marvel at each moment the needles went in, but naturally, this was the normal reaction.

“Please rest like this for a bit. Just focus on your breathing.”

Worried he might think about it more if I told him not to think about elephants, I had him take deep breaths without mentioning the title.

And 20 minutes later.

“I can immediately feel my head clearing up. I didn’t know acupuncture could be this refreshing…! Now I think I understand how Kawasaki-sensei came up with the inspiration for her work!”

As expected, Takahashi felt immediate improvement.

I smiled with satisfaction.

Actually, treating muscles and ligaments in wrists or backs is something any Korean medicine doctor can do given enough time.

But instantly calming rising liver fire like this was my specialty.

“Since you called it divine acupuncture, I wondered how effective it would be… it’s truly remarkable.”

“Takahashi-san, look. The bloodshot eyes are gone too.”

When Kawasaki handed Takahashi a mirror, Takahashi marveled that his complexion seemed to have become paler too.

He looked in the mirror and blinked several times, then suddenly opened his mouth as if something had occurred to him.

“Ah!”

Don’t tell me the editor is getting inspiration too?

I was looking around wondering if I should prepare some paper, but instead of looking for paper, he spoke to Kawasaki.

The two of them whispered something in Japanese for about 10 seconds.

They finally reached a conclusion.

“Would you be able to do a brief interview? We’ve been allocated some space in the back of the magazine as a supplement related to Kawasaki Yumi-sensei’s return. We’d like to hear more details about this treatment and that, liver fire… those aspects!”

“Sorry to bother you when you’re busy. We can come back around the time your consultations end!”

They made a strange proposal to me.

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