The Terminally Ill Youngest Daughter of a Medical Dynasty Is a Genius Physician - Chapter 43

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

Chapter 43
* * *
A month had slipped past since I’d become a formal apprentice physician and began attending classes.
In that time, the way people in the Medical Dormitory looked at me had shifted considerably.
“Ryeong-hwa, would you take a look at this?”
“About that method you showed us before……”
The physicians who’d initially fretted over a sickly child now sought me out whenever they encountered something they didn’t understand.
The problem was that I’d revealed too much skill.
After carelessly drawing on knowledge my body had learned in my past life a few times, I’d only later grasped the danger.
‘……I went too far.’
In this life, I was merely seven years old.
If I kept demonstrating knowledge that didn’t appear in any book, someone would inevitably start questioning where it came from.
Indeed, lately the way Yeon Hui-cheon looked at me had taken on an unsettling quality.
‘I need to be careful from now on.’
I resolved not to answer immediately when asked something, but instead to blend what I’d already studied with what I knew, offering a measured mixture.
There was no need to stay ahead of others except when absolutely necessary.
‘Only as conspicuous as needed.’
Once I’d drawn that line, my mind felt somewhat lighter.
Still, life in the Medical Dormitory was quite enjoyable.
Except for the moments when Yeon Hui-cheon would study me with that fixed gaze.
He remained the affectionate older brother in front of others, but whenever our eyes met, I sensed something searching in his expression.
‘What’s he looking at like that?’
It bothered me, but I didn’t let it show.
After all, I too was watching him—to verify what had happened in the Medical Examination Hall.
And today.
The class I’d been waiting for finally arrived.
‘Acupuncture!’
Today was the first day we would learn Acupuncture.
I’d placed needles before in my past life, but this was my first time formally receiving Acupuncture instruction as a physician.
I paused mid-step and looked down at the Needle Case hanging from my waist.
The Needle Case that Grandfather had used since his youth, and the silver needles arranged neatly within it.
‘At last, I’ll use this.’
From the moment I’d received the Needle Case at the entrance ceremony, I’d quietly been looking forward to this day.
Without thinking, I ran my fingers across the case.
What kind of lesson would it be?
Would they have us identify acupoints from the start, or would they first teach us how to hold the needle?
The faster I thought, the quicker my steps became.
“You’re that excited, miss?” Ryu Jin asked with a smile from behind me.
“I am!”
I nodded vigorously, making no attempt to hide it.
“Today I’m using Grandfather’s needles for the first time.”
Somehow, I wanted to do well.
Thinking that my grandfather’s needles, which he’d used for so long, would now save lives through my hands—my heart couldn’t help but race.
Just as I was heading toward the Acupuncture hall in that eager state.
Rapid footsteps sounded from behind.
At first, I thought it was just someone passing by. But the footsteps didn’t slow.
“Miss, wait just a——”
The moment Ryu Jin spun around in alarm.
Thud! A violent impact slammed into me from behind.
“Oh!”
My small body lurched forward helplessly.
My palms and knees struck the rough floor, and at the same instant, something tore free from my waist.
Clatter.
‘My Needle Case!’
The sandalwood Needle Case tumbled across the floor and fell open.
Delicate silver needles scattered in all directions.
Forgetting the pain, I reached toward the nearest needle.
In that moment.
Crack.

A large boot blocked my hand.
Two silver needles were crushed flat against the earth.
“Oh, no.”
A laugh—scornful, drawn from above—fell down on me.
“It was an accident.”
I lifted my head slowly.
A man vast as a mountain stood looking down at me.
Baek Cheon-ho.
The bodyguard who was always trailing after Yeon Hui-cheon.
“I didn’t know you’d trip so suddenly, miss.”
Even as he said this, he didn’t move the foot crushing my needles.
‘Deliberate.’
That was when Ryu Jin bristled and stepped forward.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“Ryu Jin.”
I caught her arm quickly.
Without proof, making a scene first would only hurt us.
Instead, I looked directly at Baek Cheon-ho.
“If it was truly an accident, move your foot.”
“Move my foot?”
“You’re standing on my needles.”
All eyes around us fixed on his boot.
Baek Cheon-ho’s smile went rigid for a moment.
I added one more thing.
“They’re silver needles my grandfather used for years and gave to me with his own hands.”
Only then did Baek Cheon-ho slowly lift his foot.
The silver needles buried in the earth came into view.
Ryu Jin rushed over and picked them up.
“Thank goodness, miss. They’re not bent.”
I exhaled in relief.
That was when Baek Cheon-ho chuckled.
“You use some fine needles, I see.”
My eyes narrowed.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing in particular.”
Baek Cheon-ho glanced down at the soil-smudged silver needles and spoke with leisure.
“It’s just that no matter how fine the needle, if the patient doesn’t trust the physician, it’s worthless, isn’t it?”
My gaze hardened in an instant.
…….
“I hear you had quite a difficult time at the Medical Examination Hall.”
‘Wait.’
How did he know about the patient rejecting me at the Medical Examination Hall?
That day came flooding back through my mind in a rush.
It was then that a familiar voice cut in.
“That’s enough.”
It was Yeon Hui-cheon.
He walked toward us as though he’d only just noticed the commotion.
“Ryeong-hwa, are you all right?”
…….
“Cheon-ho didn’t mean it that way.”
His voice was gentle.
But I looked back and forth between Baek Cheon-ho and Yeon Hui-cheon.
What had happened at the Medical Examination Hall.
And what Baek Cheon-ho had just said.
‘Could it be……?’
My suspicion deepened.
“Still, I should receive an apology.”
Yeon Hui-cheon’s brow twitched faintly.
“Your brother’s bodyguard pushed me, and he trampled the very needles my grandfather gave me.”
The gazes of the physicians gathered nearby turned toward Yeon Hui-cheon.
Yet he soon recovered his composure, his expression softening.
“Ryeong-hwa. Cheon-ho himself admitted it was a mistake, didn’t he?”
“Then it’s even simpler.”
I cradled my Needle Case against my chest.
“The person who made the mistake just needs to apologize.”
A brief silence fell.
That was when it happened.
“Exactly.”
An unfamiliar voice echoed from the end of the Corridor.
“Is it really so difficult to offer an apology after trampling on someone else’s belongings?”
Everyone turned their heads at once.
At the far end of the Corridor, where morning sunlight streamed through.
There stood a boy with a familiar face.
“……!”
I gasped, my eyes widening in surprise.
‘Isn’t that the boy I saw at the Marketplace?’
I’d been too distracted to look properly at him then, but seeing him now, I realized he was quite a striking figure.
Sharp, refined features. Black robes. A sword hung at his waist, adorned with nothing but its own simplicity.
Most striking of all was the keenness of his bearing, utterly unbecoming of a child.
Several attendants trailed behind him.
‘Could he be here seeking me out because of that poison from before?’
“Well…….”
At this sudden appearance, Yeon Hui-cheon’s expression darkened as he spoke.
“Who are you?”
Though Yeon Hui-cheon had been at the Marketplace with the boy, he showed no sign of recognizing him now.
That made sense. He’d been so focused on the collapsed patient that day, his attention never wavering, so it was hardly strange that he couldn’t recall the boy’s face.
The boy regarded Yeon Hui-cheon.
“Is who I am truly important right now?”
“You’ve intruded into our family’s affairs without introducing yourself. Surely that warrants an explanation.”
“Family affairs, you say…….”
The boy glanced once at the Silver Needle lying on the ground and then at my dirt-stained clothes.
“To me, it looks as though one side has suffered a clear injustice.”
Yeon Hui-cheon’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
The boy continued, his expression unmoved.
“If it was truly a mistake, then an apology should settle it, shouldn’t it?”
“…….”
“I can’t fathom why that would be so difficult.”
A heavy stillness descended.
The smile that had been lingering at Yeon Hui-cheon’s lips gradually faded.
Sensing all eyes upon him, he forced himself to maintain an air of indifference.
Yet even he could not hide the fist clenched beneath his sleeve.
Blue veins stood out starkly across the back of his hand.

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