The Terminally Ill Youngest Daughter of a Medical Dynasty Is a Genius Physician - 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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Chapter 23
A bitter taste bloomed on my tongue, followed by the sweetness of honey and a faint tartness from the Maekhyeol Berry.
I closed my eyes tightly and swallowed the Medicine Pill.
A moment passed.
Warm energy began to spread from deep within my chest.
The heaviness that had always weighed me down gradually lifted, and warmth returned to my fingertips, which had been cold and stiff.
I breathed in slowly and deliberately.
“Ahhhh…….”
It was much easier than before.
Father fixed his eyes intently on my face.
“How do you feel?”
“Breathing has become easier.”
I pressed my palm to my cheek—the skin that had been cool just moments ago now felt warm.
Father immediately seized my wrist and took my pulse.
His fingertips moved along my heartbeat for a time, then stilled, and his rigid expression softened very slightly.
“Your pulse has indeed stabilized. It’s not a fundamental cure, but while the Medicine Efficacy holds, you’ll suffer less pain.”
He exhaled quietly.
“Even so, what a relief. Truly.”
I felt my spirits lift and broke into a broad smile.
“How long will it last?”
“I’ll need to observe further to be certain, but it appears to be roughly half a day—six Double Hours, in other words. However, it could damage the stomach, so you mustn’t take it continuously for more than three days. You must rest for at least one day.”
Half a day.
The Medicine Pills I’d made before couldn’t even hold up for three Double Hours properly.
Since the efficacy had doubled in duration, it was clearly significant progress.
‘But it still falls short of Grandfather’s conditions.’
A full day, at minimum.
And it had to be taken consecutively without a break.
‘This still isn’t enough.’
Unease pressed heavily against my chest.
Father seemed to read my expression as he gazed down at the Medicine Pill. “Are you disappointed?”
“A little…….”
“There’s no need to be.”
Father gently stroked my head.
“The efficacy has doubled compared to what you made at first. That means the direction you identified was sound.”
“But it still doesn’t reach the full day that Grandfather mentioned.”
“No. It still falls short.”
Father offered no empty reassurances, but acknowledged the truth plainly.
“Then you simply make another batch.”
I lifted my head.
“Adjust the proportions and reconsider the order in which you process the ingredients. There must surely be a way to hold the Medicine Efficacy longer.”
“Can we find it?”
“We must find it.”
Father’s lips curved into a confident smile.
“Whose daughter are you, to lose heart on the very first attempt after achieving this much?”
I pressed my lips together, then nodded firmly with renewed resolve.
“Yes. I’ll try again.”
“Rest today. While your body stabilizes, we should also observe how the Medicine Efficacy shifts.”
“But I promised Grandfather I’d present the Medicine Pill tomorrow.”
With so little time remaining before the Entrance Examination, Grandfather had instructed me to bring the Medicine Pill by tomorrow.
“We must buy some time, however little. Don’t worry. I’ll speak to him well.”
Father spoke as if to comfort me, but I understood the truth.
By tomorrow, the roster of Entrance Examination candidates was scheduled to be finalized.
If my name appeared on the list only after the deadline had passed, tongues would wag—of that I was certain.
“……I understand.”
Yet there was no other option left to me, so I answered without strength.
And I looked down at the Medicine Pill resting in my palm.
Half a day.
It still fell well short of Grandfather’s conditions.
But at least the direction was not wrong.

That fact mattered.
* * *
The night had grown late, but sleep would not come.
Father had returned to his quarters, and though I lay in the Sleeping Quarters, I’d lost count of how many times I’d turned over.
The moment I closed my eyes, Grandfather’s voice echoed in my mind.
“The Medicine Efficacy should last at least a full day.”
Father said we could simply make it again, but the truth was that the current Medicine Pill would make it difficult to win approval.
‘How can I make the Medicine Efficacy last longer?’
I retraced every step of the process from this afternoon when I’d crafted the Medicine Pill.
The order in which I’d removed the leaves from the Cheongmaek Herb, the size of the Hwangjeong Root pieces.
The moment I’d added the Maekhyeol Berry, even the intensity of the flame.
The medicinal ingredients themselves weren’t wrong.
We’d used the same materials, yet the Medicine Efficacy lasted twice as long as before.
Then perhaps the problem wasn’t the ingredients themselves, but how long the medicinal potency persisted within the body?
“……Wait.”
I bolted upright.
‘If I change the proportion of the mixture and the order I add things, the way the medicinal potency manifests could shift too.’
Several methods flashed through my mind.
I wanted to test them immediately.
I could not lie still any longer. I pulled on my outer robe hastily and made for the small Herbal Pharmacy Room at the rear of Byeoldang.
Creak.
As I opened the door, the familiar scent of herbs tickled the tip of my nose.
This space had been prepared for brewing my medicine, so all the basic medicinal materials and tools were laid out.
I kindled a flame in the Brazier and lit the Oil Lamp.
Small flames flickered and cast the Herbal Pharmacy Room in soft yellow light.
“All right. Let me try this.”
I arranged the medicinal materials I needed across the table.
There wasn’t much time until dawn.
But starting from the preparation work alone while working by myself, my pace wasn’t as swift as I’d hoped.
“Chirp?”
Rustle-rustle.
At that moment, a familiar sound came from behind me.
I turned to see Yeoul’s small, bean-black eyes peering at me intently through the gap in the door.
“You……?”
Slip.
Yeoul slid inside as if she’d been waiting for just this moment.
Then she bounded up onto the table where the medicinal materials lay spread out, twitching her nose.
Sniff. Sniff-sniff.
Her eyes gleamed like jewels at the sight of the herbs.
Already, saliva glistened at the corners of her mouth.
“Do you… want to eat them?”
-Yes!
Yeoul looked up at me with her front paws neatly aligned.
Then, as if she’d caught on that I was making medicine, she grasped a small mortar and began miming the motions of grinding with it.
-I want to help! I’m good at it! I’ve been to every place that smells wonderful!
She thumped her chest proudly, as if to say I could trust no one else.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re going to help me again?”
-Yes! Because Yeong-hwa is our precious child, so I’ll help!
I was running short of hands to do the work alone.
A small assistant had appeared at just the right moment.
“All right. If you work hard and help, I’ll share some of the herbs with you.”
-The aged ones! The tangy ones!
She made her demands with perfect clarity, as if she’d been waiting for this.
“Understood. But you can only eat things that have no poison.”
I cut a very small piece from the end of the Hwangjeong Root and placed it in my palm.
Yeoul eagerly took it and chirped with delight.
-Promise!
Before she’d even finished saying it, she bounded off into the pile of medicinal materials.
“Huh?”
I thought she was going to devour everything thoughtlessly, but moments later, Yeoul returned with a single stalk of Cheongmaek Herb clamped between her teeth.
She dropped it in front of me and tilted her head.
-This one’s next, right?
“How did you know?”
-I know everything about Yeong-hwa! I can tell what you want to make and how, without you saying a word!
“You can read my mind?”
-Yes!
Yeoul puffed up proudly, her tail swishing left and right.
‘The way I dimly sense Yeoul’s feelings… can she sense my intentions the same way?’
I couldn’t fathom the exact principle behind it.
But for now, I was simply grateful to have found such a reliable assistant.
“You’re truly extraordinary.”
-Right? I’m amazing, aren’t I? I’m the best?
“Yes. Incredibly amazing.”
“Squee!”
Delighted by the praise, she spun in place and darted back into the pile of medicinal herbs.
Rustle, rustle.
Whenever I pointed to an herb I needed, Yeoul swiftly retrieved it in her mouth.
She had an uncanny knack for identifying damaged materials and winnowing them out, while carefully nudging the good specimens within easy reach of my hands.
Before long, we had fallen into a graceful rhythm.
When I reached for the mortar, she brought the next herb; when I added ingredients to the Medicine Decoction Vessel, she was already placing the materials I’d need next before me.
We moved like longtime colleagues engaged in the same research.
“By the way, what should I call you?”
After we’d been working for a while, I asked. Yeoul tilted her head.
-A name?
“Yes. What do others call you?”
Yeoul paused to think, then shook her head brightly.
-I don’t have a name!
It seemed that Spirit Creatures didn’t need to call each other by name to recognize one another.
“Would it be all right if I gave you one?”
-You’d call me by a name?
Yeoul’s ears perked up.
Her bean-like eyes glimmered with hope.
“You’ve helped me so many times already. I want to be there for you too when you need it.”
I hesitated for a moment, then spoke carefully.
“And if possible… would you like to be my friend?”
The herb tumbled from Yeoul’s paws.
-Me, I…!
She opened her round eyes wide, her tiny feet dancing with excitement.
-I will! I want to be friends with Yeong-hwa! Give me a name! I want to have a name too!
I thought for a moment, then gazed at the herbs she had carefully gathered.
Suddenly, words my father had spoken came back to me.
Good medicinal herbs grow best on the banks of clear-flowing streams.
“…Yeoul.”
Yeoul’s ears stood straight up.
-Yeoul?
“Yes. You find herbs better than anyone else. How does Yeoul sound?”
Yeoul blinked for a long moment, then broke into a broad smile.
-I like it! I’m Yeoul!
Bounce!
Unable to contain her joy, Yeoul leaped into my arms.
Soft fur tickled my cheek.
“Thank you for being my friend, Yeoul.”
-Yes! I’ll help you with everything!
A creature who loved me without doubt or calculation.
The warmth was still unfamiliar, but I didn’t dislike it.
I held her damp, warm body a little closer.
“I’ll cherish you.”
In my arms, Yeoul let out a contented purr.
Soon after, we returned to preparing the medicinal herbs.
That night, the small Herbal Pharmacy Room echoed with the sound of the mortar and Yeoul’s delighted laughter long into the hours.
And just before dawn broke.
At last, the final Medicine Pill came to rest in the palm of my hand.

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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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