The Terminally Ill Youngest Daughter of a Medical Dynasty Is a Genius Physician - Chapter 38

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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 38
A ripple of barely suppressed excitement swept through the gathered crowd.
‘Me…… Chief Graduate?’
I looked up at Heo Un Baek, unable to believe what I’d heard.
His gaze held steady, unwavering as he regarded me.
I hadn’t misheard.
I, whose life was numbered in months, had truly become the Chief Physician.
“Yeon Hwa, Physician. Hold fast to the compassion you showed before that patient.”
I accepted the Chief Physician’s Badge with both hands, bowing deeply.
“I shall remember your words.”
Returning to my place, I fastened the gleaming jade token to my belt.
Click.
The Acupuncture Needle Set and Physician’s Badge chimed together, a clear, delicate sound.
I glanced down at my waist for a moment.
In my past life, I’d never stood anywhere near this position.
No one had offered me a chance, and everyone had declared that a sickly body could never become a physician.
And yet now, a badge bearing my name hung unmistakably at my side.
When I lifted my head, Father stood below the great hall, his face shining with more pride than anyone else’s.
His lips moved silently.
‘My daughter is the finest.’
My heart swelled, and I offered him a small smile in return.
Once every new physician had received their badge, the Certification Ceremony flowed naturally into a celebration.
Senior members of the family and elder physicians came forward to offer brief words of congratulations to the new physicians, and the children who’d passed alongside me received blessings from their families.
But an unusual crowd had gathered around me.
“Congratulations, Miss Yeon Hwa.”
“I heard the prescription you demonstrated at the ceremony was extraordinary!”
“Your future achievements are much anticipated.”
Beneath the polite felicitations ran currents of scrutiny and wariness.
But Father seemed utterly indifferent to such undercurrents, keeping his arm around my shoulders as he proudly presented me to everyone he met.
“Indeed. Our Yeon Hwa gifted me Healing Pills, and the harmony of their medicinal properties is already extraordinary. All ten of them! It’s remarkable, truly.”
“Father…….”
“Listen here. At the ceremony, when the patient couldn’t swallow the medicine, he coaxed her digestive system with honey and warm water before administering it? That’s the sort of thing you’d only learn through actual practice in the field. Truly, my daughter stands apart in every way…….”
“Father, please stop…….”
Heat flooded my face as I tugged at his sleeve, whispering urgently.
But Father only smiled warmly, shrugging as if to ask why I objected.
Grandfather, watching this exchange, cleared his throat.
“Baek Gang.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Everyone knows Yeon Hwa excels. But she is not merely excellent, is she not?”
His tone was grave, yet his words rang strangely.
“Of course. Yeon Hwa is also quite charming.”
“Indeed. My granddaughter is not only brilliant but truly endearing and lovely.”
The sight of the two of them nodding in agreement with their matching faces was truly a spectacle.
Soft laughter rippled through those gathered nearby.
“Really…… you both…….”
I too finally surrendered to laughter.
Being celebrated before so many people, laughing alongside my family—
……it was all a first for me.
For a moment, I wondered if perhaps, in this life, I might truly know ordinary happiness.
That was when it came.
From beyond the Main Hall’s Main Gate, the sound of hoofbeats echoed toward us.
Clop-clop, clop-clop.
The rapid approach slowed as it reached the gate, and shortly after, an attendant hurried into the Front Courtyard with urgent strides.
“Master of the household.”
The attendant dropped to his knees before Yeon Hui Cheon.
“Yeon Do Hwa has returned.”
In that instant, Yeon Hui Cheon’s face—which had been subtly subdued all evening—brightened noticeably.
“Mother has……?”
Relief mingled with a faint thread of anxiety in his expression.
Yeon Do Hwa—Yeon Hui Cheon’s mother and the eldest daughter of the Yak Ryeong Family.
She had earned recognition for her exceptional Medical Arts and was requisitioned as the Imperial Palace’s personal physician.
Normally, a married woman would follow her husband’s family, but Yeon Do Hwa was different.
Instead, she brought in a live-in son-in-law and raised Yeon Hui Cheon as a member of the Yak Ryeong Family.
Years later, when Yeon Hui Cheon’s father passed away from illness, she left her young son in his birth family’s care and departed for the Imperial Palace once more.
‘In my previous life, Aunt rarely returned to the Yak Ryeong Family.’
Before I knew it, I was tensing as I watched the Main Gate.
Even in my past life, Yeon Do Hwa had always been a formidable presence to me.
Though we encountered each other only a handful of times, I knew full well that she treasured Yeon Hui Cheon above all others and intended to raise him as her successor.
‘Of all days, she had to return today…….’
Soon, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed beyond the Main Gate.
As attendants and warriors parted to either side, a woman draped in a wine-red robe slowly entered the Front Courtyard.
Yeon Do Hwa.
She bore traces of dust on her garments and the long locks of her hair, as if she had ridden hard without pause on her journey.
A Medicine Pouch and an Acupuncture Needle Set, worn dark with long years of use, hung at her waist.
Exhaustion was plainly evident, yet her spine remained straight and her stride unwavering—composed and steady.
The moment she crossed the threshold, the festive atmosphere of the crowded celebration naturally subsided.
Yeon Do Hwa first approached Grandfather at the seat of honor and paid her respects.
“Father. I have returned from the Imperial Palace.”
“You have worked hard.”
Grandfather studied his daughter’s appearance and let out a low click of his tongue.
“Had it not been urgent, you might have rested a day along the way before arriving.”
“There was a matter requiring verification, so I made haste.”
Yeon Do Hwa replied calmly, then rose from her seat.
Only then did Yeon Hui Cheon step forward as if he had been waiting.
“I greet you, Mother.”
Yeon Hui Cheon bowed with noticeably greater formality than usual.
Yet upon closer inspection, his fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
‘Is he nervous to see his mother after so long?’
Given that Yeon Hui Cheon was ordinarily skilled at concealing his emotions, I found it somewhat strange, but I thought little of it.
“I am glad you have returned safely.”
Yeon Do Hwa regarded Yeon Hui Cheon in silence for a long moment.
That brief silence alone caused Yeon Hui Cheon’s shoulders to stiffen further.
At last, Yeon Do Hwa’s gaze withdrew.
She swept a glance over the physicians attending the Certification Ceremony, then turned her attention to me.
“Yeon Hwa.”
“Yes.”
“I hear you passed the Certification Ceremony.”
“Yes.”
“Congratulations.”
Unexpectedly, she offered a plain congratulatory greeting without further inquiry.
At that, Yeon Hui Cheon’s rigid expression eased ever so slightly.
“Thank you, Aunt.”
But I saw it.
Yeon Do Hwa’s gaze slowly descended to my waist.
There hung the Physician’s Badge of the Chief Graduate and the Acupuncture Needle Set that Grandfather had given me, side by side.
Her pupils narrowed ever so faintly.
Yeon Do Hwa did not stop at a greeting but stepped toward me.
Startled, I quickly clasped my hands before me and bowed deeply.
“Lift your head and look at me.”
At her words, I carefully raised my head.
Yeon Do Hwa studied my face in silence for a time.
Her gaze was sharp, yet strangely not unpleasant.
It was measured, like a physician assessing a patient’s complexion. After a moment, her lips parted.
“Your physical condition does seem to have improved.”
“……I created a Healing Pill that temporarily alleviates the symptoms, though it is only provisional.”
“You made it yourself?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Do Hwa’s eyes brightened slightly.
“You have accomplished something remarkable.”
At those words, Father’s expression, standing beside me, grew noticeably brighter. Yeon Do Hwa turned to regard him as she continued.
“Seeing Yeon Hwa, it’s no wonder your brother is so proud of her.”
“Of course. She’s my daughter.”
Yeon Do Hwa’s gaze drifted back to my waist.
“And I hear she placed first in this Certification Ceremony.”
“Yes.”
“So Father gave her the Acupuncture Needle Set he treasured for so long.”
The air around us stiffened almost imperceptibly.
“…!”
Yeon Hui Cheon’s face had grown so rigid it could no longer hide his reaction.
Whether Yeon Do Hwa noticed her son’s expression, I couldn’t tell.
She simply turned her gaze back to me and spoke with measured precision.
“Truly, my congratulations. That is remarkable.”
“…Thank you.”
“But reaching first in the Ceremony does not mean your studies are complete.”
“No.”
“Do not rest content with today’s achievement.”
Her tone was cold and austere, yet there was truth in it. I shared the same conviction.
With both hands clasped before me, I answered clearly.
“I shall bear that in mind, Aunt.”
At my response, Yeon Do Hwa gave a curt nod.
I glanced toward Yeon Hui Cheon without thinking. He remained standing in perfect posture.
Yet beneath his sleeves, his fists trembled ever so slightly.
‘…Why is he so tense?’
Yeon Do Hwa’s gaze moved quietly between me and Yeon Hui Cheon.

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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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