The Terminally Ill Youngest Daughter of a Medical Dynasty Is a Genius Physician - Chapter 57

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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 57
“As you said, the overall condition has definitely improved.”
I pressed my fingertip to the first page of the records laid out before me.
“The pulse has stabilized compared to the initial assessment, food intake has increased, and the fever has subsided considerably.”
“Then what is different?”
Elder Nam Jin-o asked.
I turned to the next page.
“The right arm.”
“The right arm?”
“Yes.”
I pointed in sequence to the sections marked with dates and times.
“When I first began treatment, there was only a dulling of sensation in the fingertips. By the third day, it had spread to the palm, and by the fifth day, sensation loss extended up the inner arm.”
Yeon Hui-cheon’s face stiffened almost imperceptibly.
I laid out the initial records and the most recent ones side by side.
“The strange thing is that all the other symptoms continued to improve.”
I pointed with my fingertip to one set of records.
“The pulse stabilized, and vital energy returned.”
Then I moved my hand to the section documenting the changes in the right arm.
“Yet sensation in the right arm continued to worsen.”
The chamber fell silent.
Elder Heo Un-baek drew the records before me closer.
“Are these the results of Pulse Diagnosis recorded each time?”
“Yes.”
Elder Heo Un-baek turned through the records slowly.
“And Physician Yeon examined the patient daily?”
“That is correct.”
Yeon Hui-cheon replied.
Grandfather looked at him.
“Then you must have been aware of this change as well.”
“……I was aware.”
“Yet you determined it to be aftereffects?”
Yeon Hui-cheon’s lips tightened.
“Because the pulse and other symptoms continued to improve……I made that assessment.”
“I see.”
Grandfather replied curtly.
“So even when observing the same patient, there can be differences in reading the progression of illness.”
Yeon Hui-cheon’s fingertips stiffened slightly.
At that moment, Yeon Do-hwa spoke up calmly.
“As I said before—not a single small change can be overlooked in this patient.”
“……Yes.”
Yeon Hui-cheon bowed his head.
Yeon Do-hwa did not press further. Instead, he looked toward me and continued gently.
“Go on, Yeong-hwa.”
For some reason, his warm voice suddenly sounded unfamiliar to me.
‘……Is it just my imagination?’
I brushed away the inexplicable discomfort and nodded.
“Yes.”
After reorganizing the records, I continued.
“So I did not regard the remaining symptoms in the right arm as aftereffects.”
“Then?”
Grandfather asked.
“The poison appears to have been fully purged, but I determined that traces actually remain in the body.”
The atmosphere in the chamber shifted.
I unfolded the final sheet I had prepared.
It was a drawing of a poison herb with crimson leaves and slender stems.
“And while investigating this possibility, I discovered a poison herb with symptoms strikingly similar to Branch Family Head Byeok’s condition.”
Grandfather’s eyes narrowed.
“What is it?”
I pointed my fingertip to the crimson leaves.
“The Jeok-maek Herb.”
At the unfamiliar name, the elders’ gazes sharpened on the diagram.
“The Jeok-maek Herb…….”
Elder Heo Un-baek murmured the words under his breath.
“A name I’ve only seen in ancient records.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Yes. It’s a poison that grows in the damp ravines of the northeastern reaches of Jeok-hyeon Valley.”
“Jeok-hyeon Valley?”
Someone asked for clarification, and I continued.
“When first poisoned, the pulse becomes erratic and breathing quickens, but once the acute symptoms subside, the toxin appears to have dissipated—or so it was written.”
I opened Byeok Cheong-yeon’s records again.
“However, in truth, the poison remains deep within the blood vessels, and as time passes, it gradually dulls the sensation in the hands and feet while stiffening the muscles.”
Elder Heo Un-baek’s expression grew grave.
“That matches the Branch Family Head’s progression quite closely.”
“Yes.”
This time, Grandfather spoke.
“Where did you find that record?”
“In the Central Library.”
I answered.
“It was in an ancient text called ‘Herbs and Poisons Imbued with the Power of Vermillion Bird.'”
In that moment.
A subtle shift flickered across Yeon Hui-cheon’s eyes—the kind of change that suggested he’d been waiting for this very instant.
It was only the briefest flicker, but I didn’t miss it.
“Did you bring that text with you?”
At Grandfather’s question, I fell silent for a moment.
“……No.”
“No?”
“I checked this morning—it’s gone.”
This time, Father straightened in his seat.
“Gone?”
“Yes.”
“The book you brought back with me the other day?”
“That’s the one.”
The color drained from Father’s face.
“Where did you leave it?”
“I kept it in the drawer of my bedside table the whole time. But when I checked this morning, it had vanished.”
The meeting hall erupted into restless murmurs.
“An ancient text from the Central Library disappeared from the Separate Quarters?”
“Who would dare do such a thing…….”
I stole a glance at Yeon Hui-cheon.
His face remained perfectly composed.
But in that fraction of a second, I caught the slight curl of his fingers beneath the table.
That was when Yeon Hui-cheon spoke.
“What a shame. It was such a compelling hypothesis.”
His voice carried the tone of genuine regret.
“It means we cannot verify the original text now, doesn’t it?”
“…….”
Yeon Hui-cheon turned his gaze toward me.
“Yeong-hwa, I’m not doubting your memory.”
Both his voice and expression radiated warmth.
Yet in the eyes that held mine, there lingered the faintest shadow of a smile.
‘……Of course.’
In that instant, I was certain.
Yeon Hui-cheon had stolen the book.
He turned to address the assembly.
“But, Lord Family Head, this is a meeting to determine the treatment of the Geom-cheon Family’s Branch Family Head. If one is to propose a new poison, shouldn’t there be evidence that anyone can directly verify?”
Now that he put it that way, his logic was sound.
Which made it all the more infuriating.
“What if Yeong-hwa simply misremembered the contents of the ancient text? That could lead to serious consequences.”
“I didn’t misremember.”
Yeon Hui-cheon’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“How can you be sure of that?”
‘If you think I’ll just accept it as it comes…’
I met Yeon Hui-cheon’s gaze directly.
‘You’re making a grave mistake.’
“Because I’ve read it myself.”
In that moment, Yeon Hui-cheon’s eyes gleamed.
It was a flash so brief that anyone else would have missed it.
“Good. Then tell me.”
Yeon Hui-cheon’s gaze fixed precisely on me.
“Where it was written, and what exactly it said.”
The smile at the corner of his mouth became more pronounced.
I regarded that smile quietly for a moment, then opened my mouth with measured calm.
“Herbs and Poisons Imbued with the Power of Vermillion Bird, Volume Two, Page One Hundred Seventy-Three.”
Yeon Hui-cheon’s confident smile vanished in an instant.
“…What?”
I paid it no mind and began to recite the exact words from the ancient text.
“‘In the damp ravines of the northeast of Jeok-hyeon Valley grows a poisonous herb called the Jeok-maek Herb. It bears crimson leaves and slender stalks, and produces no flowers. It has almost no scent or taste, making it difficult to detect when mixed with other medicinal ingredients.'”
The conference chamber fell silent.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I continued to the next passage.
“‘When poisoned by the Jeok-maek Herb, at first the pulse becomes irregular and breathing quickens, but once the acute symptoms subside, it appears as though the toxin has dissipated.'”
All trace of amusement vanished from Yeon Hui-cheon’s face.
“‘Yet the poison lingers deep within the meridians, and as time passes, it dulls the sensation in the extremities and hardens the muscles.'”
I paused to collect my breath.
By now, all eyes in the room had turned toward me.
“And Page One Hundred Seventy-Five.”
Grandfather himself straightened in his seat.
I conjured the words of the ancient text in my mind once more and recited them faithfully.
“‘When the poison persists for a prolonged period, it impedes the flow of vital energy and blood toward the eyes. At first, sensitivity to light increases and vision becomes blurred, but as the condition deepens, one may ultimately lose sight altogether.'”
After reciting the final passage, I closed my mouth.
I became aware of the hush that had settled around me.
I looked directly at Yeon Hui-cheon.
“Shall I say more?”
“….”
Yeon Hui-cheon stood at a loss for words, unable to respond.
Soon, soft exclamations rippled through the surrounding observers.
“Not only the page number but the entire passage committed to memory?”
“And we were told it was merely borrowed yesterday.”
I stood as though unmoved, but inwardly I released a quiet breath.
‘Thank goodness.’
Since my past life, I had always been confident in my ability to read medical texts quickly and commit them to memory.
There had been many times when I could not afford to open books freely.
Moreover, this time a single life hung in the balance.
The fact that I had pored over the same passages repeatedly last night had made all the difference.
Yeon Hui-cheon fell silent for a moment.
Then, quickly enough, he composed his expression.
“Remarkable, indeed.”
His voice was far from genuine praise.
“But that is a separate matter.”
“…?”
“I understand your memory is exceptional. Still, human memory is prone to error.”
Power returned to his voice.
“Especially in a matter concerning the treatment of the Branch Family Head of the Geom-cheon Family. Wouldn’t it be necessary to verify the original text directly to ensure accuracy in what you’ve said?”
I pressed my lips firmly shut.
The person before me knew better than anyone why the ancient text had disappeared.
But I had no proof.
As I wrestled with how to break through this impasse—
“Then.”
A familiar voice emerged from the rear of the conference chamber.
“We need only verify it directly.”
“…!”
I spun around in surprise.
Byeok Cheong-yeon stood before the open doorway.
Behind him were two warriors from the Geom-cheon Family.
And in Byeok Cheong-yeon’s hands…….
A crimson-spined antique book, achingly familiar.
Without thinking, I half-rose from my seat.
Byeok Cheong-yeon walked inside and set the book down on the table before everyone’s eyes.
Thud.
“Physician Yeon Yeong-hwa. Were you searching for this?”
“Yes, I was!”
I answered at once, and Byeok Cheong-yeon gave a short nod.
“I thought as much.”
Then the two Geom-cheon warriors who had stood behind Byeok Cheong-yeon stepped aside.
Between them stood a man, both arms held fast.
His head hung low.
The moment I saw his face.
Yeon Hui-cheon’s complexion drained to ash.
Baek Cheon-ho lifted his head.
Upon catching sight of Yeon Hui-cheon, his face too went pale in an instant.
“Y-Young Master…….”
Silence fell.
Byeok Cheong-yeon’s blue eyes turned slowly toward Yeon Hui-cheon.
“It seems you know each other.”

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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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