Jin Cheon-hee observed that Yoo-ho was truly reaching his limit.
Even though that fellow was handling nine tasks simultaneously, which was far beyond human capability, it seemed he couldn't work endlessly.
"What a shame," he thought, feeling like he was witnessing the limits of a hard drive's capacity.
Whether it's 10 terabytes or 100, eventually, there's a limit to how much you can store.
That's how it felt.
"Still, if I coax him a bit more, he might manage," Jin Cheon-hee thought.
To him, Yoo-ho wasn't quite human, so he felt no guilt in pushing him further.
Yoo-ho spoke up.
"You asked about the relationship between the master and me."
"Oh, are you in the mood to talk?"
"Heh, not really. It's just that you're being a bother, so I thought I'd give you something to chew on."
"So, what is it?"
Yoo-ho's brush paused slightly before he spoke again.
"He resolved a grudge for a lowly creature."
"A lowly creature?"
"To people, it might seem insignificant, but even such creatures have grudges. He resolved one of those for me."
"When you say 'lowly creature,' you mean animals or plants, right? Why do you refer to yourself as such?"
Yoo-ho didn't answer, only smiled bitterly.
"Are you curious?"
"Of course."
"Good. Keep being curious. It would be perfect if you got so frustrated that you fell ill."
Jin Cheon-hee reached out and grabbed Yoo-ho's cheeks, pulling them sideways.
With a bright smile, he said to Yoo-ho, "Doing this makes our Yoo-ho look much more handsome. Indeed, a bit of cheek flesh is auspicious, according to physiognomy."
"Even if you say that, I won't say more. Maybe I'll tell you when I'm about to kill you."
Jin Cheon-hee, still holding Yoo-ho's cheeks, asked, "Is it something like 'kill and destroy'?"
"If you're curious, maybe you should fail in treating the master."
This damned fox.
The two bickered for a while.
When Jin Cheon-hee finally let go, Yoo-ho said, "I'm not telling you for your own good. Though I doubt you'll believe that."
"......"
"But it is fascinating."
"What is?"
"That there's a living human who can work me this hard and dig into my past like this. In that sense, can I take one of your fingernails? I won't kill you."
"Just get back to work. The next is the spleen."
"We're going in the order of surgery."
"Many of the medical practitioners who applied to the surgical hall have participated in surgeries with me. The doctors of Baekrin Medical Hall have a solid foundation, and they've experienced practical situations. It's good to refresh their memories."
"Oh, that's quite a good idea. I was wondering how you'd organize the contents... Honestly, I'm impressed."
"Oh, you're impressed? So you don't want to kill me anymore?"
"But I still have to draw the illustrations and edit the book."
"Yes, that's true."
"You're not human, young master."
Regardless, Jin Cheon-hee continued to push Yoo-ho.
The production and education of medical books were progressing smoothly.
Those who received Jin Cheon-hee's knowledge were opening their eyes to a new world.
In a few years, it might be possible to compile and teach at least the knowledge Jin Cheon-hee knew into books.
And Baekrin Medical Hall might become the best medical hall in the world, dominating the medical system of this world.
007. Surgery and Antibiotics
Winter was deepening.
Jin Cheon-hee was still busy, but recently, there had been a change in his routine.
The work of compiling surgical knowledge into books was almost finished with Yoo-ho's help.
Now, they had officially started activities as a surgical hall.
They decided to accept patients who needed surgery in the vicinity of the main base of Baekrin Medical Hall.
That was just a few days ago.
Naturally, Yoo-ho worked hard for this.
He was the only one who could make the necessary surgical tools.
"With this, it feels like a surgery room from the early to mid-20th century. I'm really curious about Yoo-ho's true identity. The master just laughs and doesn't tell me anything. The heads of the family seem to know something."
Jin Cheon-hee admired the surroundings while wearing a white coat.
There were glass IV bottles, fluid lines, and catheters.
There were also various sharp small knives, scalpels, and forceps.
All were made by pushing Yoo-ho.
Even things that seemed impossible to make were created, and they had distilled and redistilled disinfectants ready.
And today was the day of another surgery since Wang Gak-yeon.
It wasn't a sudden plea for help like a ghost, but a patient who came through proper diagnosis.
Even the renowned Baekrin Medical Hall had shaken their heads, saying survival was difficult for this patient.
The diagnosis was acute appendicitis, commonly known as a burst appendix.
"The patient is coming in."
With a shout from outside, the patient was wheeled in.
The medical bed with wheels that the patient lay on was also made by pushing Yoo-ho, and it was now recognized for its usefulness and being produced by other local craftsmen.
"So this is the surgery room. Fascinating..."
"Now we can witness the surgical skills of the rumor."
Besides the patient and the medical practitioners assisting with the surgery, Master Jegal-rin and three of the four heads of the family, excluding the martial arts head, came in.
During the past surgery of Wang Gak-yeon, they couldn't attend due to their respective duties.
Today, they came to observe directly.
Naturally, Yoo-ho, the nurse, was also present.
Recently, they were training nursing staff through Yoo-ho, but no one was as satisfactory as Yoo-ho yet.
"Then, let's begin the surgery. You've all checked the medical diagnosis records, right?"
Everyone nodded, and finally, Jin Cheon-hee picked up the scalpel.
This time, Yoo-ho assisted as a nurse, and Jegal-rin helped from the side.
First, he placed his hand on the patient's abdomen with his non-dominant hand.
He moved his energy to feel the inside.
Since learning from Jegal-rin, he had practiced continuously, but it felt new every time.
It was like gaining a new sense, so it was inevitable.
Jin Cheon-hee's expression crumpled as he confirmed the intestines.
"As expected, it's a mess... Usually, in this state, it's hard to survive without antibiotics."
Appendix surgery, originally known as acute appendicitis, refers to the blockage and perforation of the appendix.
When this happens, the contents of the digestive organs spill out, infecting and contaminating the inside.
If not handled quickly, it leads to death.
"According to the medical records, the stomach pain started five days ago. It's unclear when the appendix perforated... But considering this, the vitality is still good. Truly, energy is amazing."
He picked up the scalpel.
With a sharp knife, he slowly cut across the abdomen.
As he skillfully opened the belly, a foul smell emerged without even opening the peritoneum.
The appendix had perforated, spilling everything from the intestines, so it was natural.
"Stop the bleeding! Suction!"
At Jin Cheon-hee's words, Jegal-rin's hand moved like lightning to stop the bleeding.
The blood stopped instantly, and at the same time, Yoo-ho reached out and used his ability to suction the waste inside the abdomen.
However, the inside was still a mess.
"Organ extraction! Is the water ready?"
He took out the intestines entirely and washed them in pre-boiled water.
He repeated the process until the contamination was removed, then stitched up the burst appendix.
His hands were quick and precise.
There was no bleeding during this process.
He managed to suture without touching a single artery.
"Alcohol!"
Alcohol, distilled and redistilled to high purity.
He used it to clean and wash the organs and the inside of the abdomen once more.
Then, he suctioned it again and pushed the organs back inside.
"Indeed..."
"Heh..."
The three heads of the family watched the process in astonishment.
For them, this kind of medical treatment was something they had never seen before.
Baekrin Medical Hall, being one of the top three medical halls in the world, did use surgical techniques, but they had never seen or performed anything at this level.
While they were in awe, Jin Cheon-hee quickly began to suture and close the abdomen.
Everyone watching was repeatedly impressed.
"The surgery is over. Move the patient to the recovery room and ensure proper blood transfusion."
Thanks to the glass IV bottles made by pushing Yoo-ho, blood transfusion was now possible.
Although making the fluid for the IV bottles was still challenging, with research, it might be possible to some extent.
"So much to do..."
The surgery ended safely, but Jin Cheon-hee's face was not bright.
In contrast, everyone else was full of admiration.
The head of the pharmacy, Manpagok, spoke first.
"Truly amazing. Even the Blood Sage couldn't perform such surgical techniques."
At those words, the head of acupuncture, Samabyeong, fell into thought.
"Opening the abdomen, washing the intestines, suturing, and putting them back... Usually, once you cut open the belly and remove the intestines, the patient dies, whether quickly or slowly."
In this era, there was no knowledge of infection and inflammation.
Samabyeong's question was natural.
The head of manipulation, Judanha, spoke.
"Internal energy can extend life to some extent, but unless you're a master, recovery is impossible. Even if you become a master, if the wound is deep, there's no way to avoid death."
At those words, Samabyeong frowned.
"Usually, they die after a severe fever. Moreover, with a perforation in the intestines, eating and excreting become practically impossible, so death is just a matter of time."
Appendicitis surgery is relatively simple in modern times.
However, in this era, it was a terrifying disease that claimed many lives.
The head of the pharmacy asked the head of acupuncture.
"Head of acupuncture, what do you think will happen to that patient?"
"The suturing is perfect, and the bleeding is minimal, so it seems unlikely... but we'll have to watch the progress."
Can they solve the fever issue? The head of the pharmacy felt the weight on her shoulders.
"The young master has done his part. The rest is up to me!"
She, too, had dedicated her life to saving patients.
Internal medicine is the most challenging to prepare.
It requires considering the patient's wounds, constitution, food intake, and even the cause of the internal injury.
Achieving this much without antibiotics was already a great feat.
At that moment, Jin Cheon-hee left the surgery room.
All the heads of the family gathered around him.