The Terminally Ill Youngest Daughter of a Medical Dynasty Is a Genius Physician - Chapter 37

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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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Episode 37
“Really? You mean it?”
I looked between the acupuncture needle case and my grandfather’s face, unable to believe what I was hearing.
“You’re really giving this to me?”
“I am.”
“Y-you won’t ask for it back later, will you?”
“Have I ever taken back something I’ve given you?”
“But this is……!”
I couldn’t bring myself to reach out, only stared at the needle case.
This needle case…….
“The Household Head treasures the acupuncture needle case passed down from the previous Household Head so dearly.”
Even in my past life, I’d heard countless times how much my grandfather valued this case.
It was said that even after becoming Household Head, he rarely entrusted it to anyone else’s hands.
Even Yeon Hui-cheon had coveted it greatly.
He believed that inheriting my grandfather’s needle case one day would be the proof that he was recognized as the successor to Yak Ryeongga.
And yet he was giving it to me.
‘……He’s giving it to me?’
Suddenly my fingertips tingled.
I carefully extended both hands and received the needle case.
It felt as though I’d been handed the entirety of my grandfather’s long years of life as a physician.
“…….”
My nose grew tight inexplicably, and I hugged the needle case close to my chest.
“I’m so happy.”
“……?”
“I’m so very happy, Grandfather.”
I’d meant to hold back, but my lips kept curving upward.
“I’ll use it so well. I’ll clean it every day, and I won’t lose a single needle! I’ll make it last even longer than when you were using it.”
“To use it longer than I have, you’d need to live quite a while.”
At my grandfather’s offhand remark, I blinked for a moment.
Then I nodded my head firmly.
“Yes. I will! I promise!”
“…….”
“I’ll live a long life and use it for a very long time.”
In that instant, my grandfather’s eyes wavered greatly.
I hugged the needle case even tighter and smiled broadly.
“And I’ll study so hard. I’ll observe patients carefully, and I won’t give up on sick people carelessly…….”
The image of my grandfather in the clinic just moments ago came back to me.
“I’ll survive and become a physician worthy of this needle case. Just like you, Grandfather.”
“……Ahem.”
My grandfather suddenly coughed and turned his head away sharply.
Then he looked down at the needle case I’d given him once more.
“And I, too…… will use it well.”
The corners of his mouth lifted slowly.
“This old man will also become a physician worthy of the needle case you’ve given me.”
At my grandfather’s response, turning my own words back to me, I laughed brightly as well.
“Yes!”
My grandfather gazed at me for a while, then spoke quietly.
“And.”
“Yes?”
“What kind of physician you’ll become—no one yet knows.”
I straightened my spine without thinking.
“But watching you in the Physician Entrance Examination, I found myself quite hopeful.”
A very faint smile hung at the corners of my grandfather’s mouth.
“You did very well. Yeon Ryeonghwa, Physician.”
“……!”
My heart pounded.
I never thought I’d hear such words from my grandfather.
I smiled broadly and nodded immediately.
“Yes! I’ll work hard!”
“Good.”
Grandfather reached out and gently stroked my head.
I loved the feel of his hand so much that I clutched the Acupuncture Needle Case to my chest and broke into a wide grin.
* * *
The morning the Physician Entrance Examination ceremony was to be held.
I woke earlier than usual.
Clear sunlight spread through the paper windows, but my heart had been racing relentlessly since before dawn.
I gazed repeatedly at the Physician’s Robe and Waist Sash laid neatly beside my bed, and the Acupuncture Needle Case Grandfather had given me.
Today was the first time I would don the Physician’s Robe as a newly certified Physician and stand before everyone.
‘I really made it this far.’
Still scarcely believing it, I carefully ran my fingertips along the sleeve of the robe.
It was certainly a joyful occasion.
Yet the unease I’d felt during the Entrance Examination hadn’t entirely faded.
‘That patient was strange too.’
There were too many details that didn’t add up to dismiss as mere coincidence.
If someone had deliberately intervened, there had to be a reason.
‘I need to look into it properly, whenever I get the chance.’
But for now, I needed to focus on the ceremony.
I pushed the lingering questions from my mind.
Then I heard a familiar voice from beyond the door.
“Ryeonghwa, may I come in?”
“Yes, Father.”
The door opened and Father stepped inside, dressed in neat formal attire.
His clothing was more ceremonial than usual, yet his face as he looked at me bore an unmistakable smile he couldn’t hide.
“You’re already prepared.”
“Almost done.”
Father came close and straightened my collar with his own hands.
His large hands adjusted the ends of my sleeves and tied the knot of my Waist Sash securely.
“Are you nervous?”
I hesitated a moment, then nodded honestly.
“A little.”
“More than during the Entrance Examination?”
“Back then I was so focused on the patient that I didn’t even notice I was nervous.”
Father chuckled softly at my answer.
“Then you’re free to be as nervous as you like today. You’ve already accomplished the hardest part.”
His tender words stirred my heart anew.
I bit my lip for a moment, then picked up the wooden box resting beside me.
“Father.”
“Mm?”
“This is… a gift.”
As I held out the box with both hands, Father’s eyes widened in surprise.
“For me?”
“Yes. Please open it.”
Father accepted the box carefully.
As the lid opened, ten dark brown Medicinal Pills inside came into view.
Over several days, whenever I had a spare moment, I had personally selected the ingredients, ground them, and kneaded them together.
‘I prepared something for Grandfather, but nothing for Father.’
So this time, I wanted to make something proper for him.
“You spent a long time in the Northern Regions, Father.”
“……”
“I thought your vitality must have suffered greatly, so I made these. Take one each day.”
I quickly added more earnestly.
“But don’t take several at once.”
Father’s eyes remained fixed on the Medicinal Pills for a long while.
“…… Did you make these with your own hands, for me?”
“Yes.”
I felt suddenly shy and fidgeted with my fingers.
“Since I’m a Physician now…… I can at least look after Father’s health, can’t I?”
Father’s eyes began to redden slightly.
“You’re giving me all of these precious things?”
“Of course. I made them for you.”
Father fell silent for a moment, then drew the box closer to his chest.
“How could I bear to eat this? It would pain me to consume something so precious.”
I lifted my eyebrows at once.
“No, you have to. I made these pills for you to take!”
“But these are medicinal pills our daughter crafted with me in her heart. How could I—”
“You still have to take them. If you don’t, I’ll come check on you every single day!”
At my firm words, Father burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha! Very well. If the Physician commands it, I have no choice.”
“I’m not a physician yet.”
“In my eyes, you already are.”
“Oh, Father!”
Father smiled and tucked the wooden box carefully into his arms.
Then, without warning, he bent down and swept me up into the air.
“Eek!”
My view of the world tilted upward in an instant.
I grabbed his shoulders in alarm, but Father only laughed—bright and unguarded as a child—spinning me in a slow circle.
“My daughter is a physician! My daughter! My own child!”
“Father, put me down! You’re wrinkling my robe!”
“Today, a few wrinkles hardly matter.”
Father gazed at me with a face full of laughter.
“Congratulations, Ryeonghwa.”
The playful tone from moments before softened suddenly into something tender.
At his heartfelt words, my throat tightened with heat.
Through all my many lives, I had longed for this moment with such desperation.
Not wanting him to see my tears, I wrapped my arms around his neck and held tight.
“…Thank you. Father.”
His embrace was warm and solid.
After a moment, he set me down carefully and straightened my clothes.
“Now then, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
I took his hand with one of mine and stepped out of the Separate Building.
Today, I felt as though nothing could frighten me.
The courtyard before the Main Hall was already filled with a great many people.
A long strip of pristine white cloth lay down the center, and at its far end stood the Household Head of Yak Ryeongga and four Elders.
Fragrant wisps of herbal incense curled from the burner, and a small wind chime hanging from the eaves sang out in clear notes with each breeze.
Ten physicians had passed the Physician Entrance Examination this year.
We stood in a line before the Main Hall, all wearing fresh Physician’s Robes.
Standing among children who seemed several years my senior, I appeared unusually small—yet I did not lower my gaze.
Around me, familiar whispers began to drift.
“That’s the girl Yeon Ryeonghwa.”
“The one with the shortened lifespan?”
I felt countless eyes settle upon me.
Without thinking, my hand rested on the Acupuncture Needle Case at my waist.
‘It’s all right.’
Today was not a day to concern myself with what others thought.
Today I was taking my first true step down the path of the Medical Arts as a physician of Yak Ryeongga.
‘Be confident. Ryeonghwa.’
I straightened my posture and fixed my eyes forward.
Boom, boom, boom—!
Three deep, resonant drum beats sounded in succession. The murmur of voices ceased at once.
Grandfather rose slowly from his seat of honor.
“All of you, raise your heads.”
Ten physicians lifted their heads in unison.
Grandfather gazed at us slowly, one by one.
His eyes were stern, yet within them lay a weighty expectation for the children standing before him.
“From this day forward, you shall begin in earnest to study the Medical Arts under the name of Yak Ryeongga.”
Grandfather’s voice carried clearly across the wide courtyard.
“The Medical Arts are not a skill for displaying knowledge. Remember always that your single judgment can determine the course of a person’s entire life.”
He paused, then surveyed us once more.
“Do not be bound by your own judgment, and do not be ashamed of what you do not know. A physician’s first step is to regard with utmost seriousness even the smallest sign that appears in a patient’s words and body.”
I pressed my palms together and held them still. I didn’t want to miss a single word.
All the patients I would face in the years to come. And all the countless judgments I would need to make before them.
This was where everything truly began.
“Yes! I will commit this to memory!”
Ten voices answered as one, their words echoing through the Main Hall.
Whissh.
Grandfather raised his hand, and attendants stepped forward carrying trays draped in white cloth.
As the fabric was drawn back, ten pure white jade badges came into view.
On each badge, slightly smaller than a palm, a fully opened white lotus was carved with exquisite precision.
On the back, the Xuanwu symbol representing Yak Ryeongga and each physician’s name were engraved in relief.
They were Physician’s Jade Badges—proof of official status as a physician.
The successful candidates were called forward one by one.
And at last, Elder Heo Un-baek spoke my name.
“Yeon Ryeonghwa, Physician.”
I took a deep breath and walked forward slowly.
Countless eyes followed my steps.
Elder Heo Un-baek stood before me, studying my face in silence for a long moment.
Then he reached for the Physician’s Jade Badge set apart on one side of the tray.
It was the same white jade as the others had received.
But looking closer, something was different.
A thin line of gold ran along its edge, and the white lotus on its face was carved with even greater refinement.
“For achieving the finest performance in this Physician Entrance Examination,”
Elder Heo Un-baek’s voice rang out with added clarity.
“I bestow upon Yeon Ryeonghwa the Chief Physician’s Jade Badge.”
The white jade badge with its gleaming gold border descended into my cupped hands.

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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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