Chapter 51

Surgical Procedures and Antibiotics (2)

"You want to take that child with you?"

Moo-hwa widened her eyes in slight surprise.

Since receiving treatment from Jin Cheon-hee, her condition had noticeably improved.

It was something she had thought impossible.

There were already patients who had been completely cured.

She, too, could dream again.

'Anyway, the child is almost nonexistent in the Hao Clan.'

There was no use.

There were no expectations of what the child might become in the future.

The child had never been taught the martial arts of the Hao Clan, nor did they know any trivial internal information.

Not even having a name was proof of that.

"If that's the case, don't worry. I'll take care of it."

Jin Cheon-hee's face brightened.

"Is it really okay?"

"Yes. You don't have to worry about what comes after."

There was no need to report it.

It was a matter that could be handled as if the child never existed in the first place.

With her remaining abilities, it was possible.

Moreover, a complete cure was just around the corner.

If she returned like this, she could be reinstated as a branch leader.

Jin Cheon-hee, who was unaware of the internal circumstances, nodded.

'Now, I just have to persuade Master.'

This process was easy.

If Master opposed, she could just treat the child well and ask Gung-gwi for help.

'Smart and talented, they'll be welcomed anywhere...'

Suddenly, Jin Cheon-hee wondered if there had ever been a nameless expert in the Supreme Heavenly Demon.

But that thought was brief, and she shook her head.

'Because of syphilis, they probably wouldn't have lived long.

And without martial arts training, there wouldn't have been an opportunity to appear.'

In a way, it's similar to Wang Gak-yeon.

A route that disappears without much significance in the novel.

'Same goes for me.'

Jin Cheon-hee still didn't know the origin of this body.

Even though Gong Son-hyeon and Yoo-ho had secretly investigated, nothing came up.

It felt like fate.

Jin Cheon-hee checked Moo-hwa's pulse.

'Judging by the improving condition, fortunately, it doesn't seem to have spread to the nerves.

That's a relief.

The prognosis looks good.'

Finally, it was time to talk about a complete cure.

As soon as she said it, Moo-hwa shed tears.

"Young Master, Young Master, are you really... Mu-wol-ah. Is what I heard true?"

"Yes, sister. It's true, sister!"

Mu-wol hugged Moo-hwa and cried.

It was only natural since the sister he thought would die had come back to life.

Jin Cheon-hee spoke.

"How should I write down Mr. Mu-wol's name?"

Pretending to have syphilis to take care of his sister was caught on the first day.

Jin Cheon-hee scolded him, saying he wouldn't tell the Hao Clan members but not to do it again.

Seeing the big man being scolded by a child was quite a sight, and Moo-hwa burst into laughter for the first time in a while.

Was it from then? Somehow, there was an unfounded premonition that things would go well.

Mu-wol was completely obedient to Jin Cheon-hee's words.

Now that his sister was starting to heal, he seemed like he would even pretend to die if told to.

"Please say I was healed too."

"Hmm..."

Jin Cheon-hee slightly frowned.

"Don't deceive the doctor next time. They'll all find out."

"Young Master is the strange one. Everyone else was fooled."

'No way.

They must have pretended not to know.'

Before syphilis was accurately identified, people thought that just being near a syphilis patient would spread the disease.

That was the same for doctors.

Because it was Baekrin's Pavilion, they could treat through contact like this; elsewhere, they would have distanced themselves as soon as they heard the symptoms.

Jin Cheon-hee didn't think that far.

He just thought the other doctors were very kind.

"Come to think of it, I heard reports that there's an effect of increasing internal energy. When I actually checked the pulse, some patients' internal energy had increased."

Could it be because the Five Elements Qi Gong was used as an air pump? He heard there was an effect of spiritual medicine.

It didn't apply to all martial artists, but for those who took it for a long time, the effect was significant.

The interesting thing is that without reciting incantations or absorbing it, it naturally comes and attaches as if it was their internal energy from the start.

The amount of internal energy isn't as large as specialized spiritual medicine, but resolving an incurable disease and increasing internal energy is quite a significant effect.

And the fact that there's no collision of different energies, making it safe, was different from other spiritual medicines.

Some spiritual medicines cause collisions depending on the type of energy.

Moo-hwa began to circulate her energy.

'My internal energy really increased?!'

The heaviness felt in her dantian increased a bit more.

Especially since she had been on medication for a long time due to her illness, Moo-hwa increased even more.

The moment she realized that, a single tear flowed from her eye.

"Young Master, I will return to the Hao Clan and sit back in the position of branch leader."

For the first time, she spoke of the future.

Jin Cheon-hee listened to her words calmly.

"Congratulations in advance."

"When that time comes, I think I can be of help to you in some way."

She took out an ornament from her bosom.

It had a unique pattern embedded in jade, but otherwise, it was a simple design.

It looked good to attach to clothes or decorate a sword.

"This is my heart for you. It may not be even a fraction of the grace you have given me, but I will repay it throughout my life. If you ever need information, show this ornament, and I will help you. And Mu-wol!"

At his sister's command, Mu-wol knelt on one knee.

"I'm a scoundrel with no loyalty to the Hao Clan. But I know how to repay kindness."

Jin Cheon-hee was surprised and said.

"I'm fine. Please, don't do this and get up."

Mu-wol didn't budge.

"If you need me, call me anytime. If you look for someone without a moon in any branch of the Hao Clan, I will come."

Moo-hwa and Mu-wol.

The siblings pledged their loyalty to Jin Cheon-hee.

After discharging all the patients, Baekrin's Pavilion held a small banquet.

It was to celebrate Jin Cheon-hee's success.

"Young Master! Congratulations!"

However, Jin Cheon-hee, while happy, showed a slightly regretful expression.

Out of thirty syphilis patients, one was faking, and three had a different disease with symptoms similar to syphilis.

That disease couldn't be treated.

Leprosy (Hansen's disease).

People in this region called it 'leprosy.' It often looked similar to syphilis, leading to confusion, but it was a distinctly different disease.

Penicillin couldn't treat leprosy.

Penicillin antibiotics attack the cell walls of bacteria to destroy them.

However, unlike ordinary bacteria, this one protected itself with a waxy coating, blocking penicillin.

To catch this one, rifampicin antibiotics, which interfere with RNA synthesis, were needed.

'Moreover, it can't be used alone.

Resistance develops during treatment, so it must be used in combination with other antibiotics.'

Rifampicin is one of the antibiotics that can be extracted from soil.

It's the next antibiotic Jin Cheon-hee is aiming for.

Once he can isolate and culture streptomycin, a tuberculosis drug, smoothly, rifampicin should also be possible.

However, Jin Cheon-hee was currently only at the completion stage of penicillin.

Just treating the incurable syphilis was enough to put the pavilion in a festive mood.

'Yes.

I have to take it one step at a time.'

"Young Master, congratulations! No, this is a blessing for the Central Plains!"

"The patients all had expressions of disbelief."

"Who would have thought syphilis could be treated, who could have imagined such a thing!"

Master, too, seemed pleased and was busy patting Jin Cheon-hee whenever he saw him.

"Where did such a lucky charm come from? You're better than me."

"No, Master. Without you, I couldn't have made this medicine. Moreover, there's still acupuncture, manipulation, and pharmacology, nothing is lacking."

'And martial arts aren't lacking either.'

To become the best doctor and the best martial artist in the world, Master was an essential existence for Jin Cheon-hee.

Beyond simple necessity, Master was the only family Jin Cheon-hee had gained.

In two lifetimes, he finally had a place to belong.

'I won't let you die.'

With the completion of penicillin, it became possible to prevent a significant portion of infections that could occur after surgery.

People can die unexpectedly easily, but sometimes, their lives are prolonged painfully.

Jin Cheon-hee had seen those who lived long in the intensive care unit as their organs failed one by one.

'Hoo...'

He buys time and reduces variables.

If it's not there, he makes it.

"Hee-ya. Somehow, you don't seem happy."

At Master's words, Jin Cheon-hee forced a smile.

"Because there's a long way to go."

"I hope you don't rush too much."

As if discussing someone else's life, Master said so.

Jin Cheon-hee thought while looking at Master.

'Is Master already detached from life and death? Truly a martial artist.

But this can't be.

I must save Master!'

He clenched his fist and resolved again.

"By the way, Hee-ya. About that child, Cheon-woo."

"Yes, yes!"

Cheon-woo was the child Jin Cheon-hee treated for syphilis and even named.

When he asked Master for a favor, he only said he'd think about it and didn't give an answer.

"As you said, the talent is great, but it's not suitable for our Jegal family. So I'm thinking of sending him to a more proper sect."

"A proper sect..."

"If it's the head of the Wudang Sect, he owes me a debt from the past, so I don't think he'll refuse. Moreover, since there's such a talented child, I don't think he'll refuse even more. What do you think?"

Wudang Sect means Hubei.

'If he goes, I won't be able to see him much...'

As if reading Jin Cheon-hee's mind, Master said.

"If it's a position where the head himself steps in, there's no better opportunity, right? It's a rare talent, so I tried to use my influence."

"Yes. It's a good thing. You're right."

Jin Cheon-hee forced a smile.

Master replied.

"It'll be hard to see him for a while, but once his training progresses to some extent, you'll be able to see him."

Every word was true.

Jin Cheon-hee nodded.

'I got really attached to Cheon-woo.

It's a shame, but it can't be helped...

Wait, Wudang Sect?'

Wudang Sect is a place that appears often in novels.

Jin Cheon-hee recalled what happens to the Wudang Sect in the novel Supreme Heavenly Demon.

'Wasn't there a secret manual behind the statue of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable?'

A good excuse to visit the Wudang Sect for a house call came up.

"Master! Let's send Cheon-woo quickly!"

In Jin Cheon-hee's eyes, the words 'secret' and 'manual' shone.

On the day Cheon-woo departed.

"Brother. You must come to Wudang Sect to visit. You must!"

The two children hugged each other and shared a warm farewell.

Jin Cheon-hee's name was also 'Cheon-hee,' so 'Cheon-woo' felt like a younger brother's name.

When he named him, he just attached what came to mind, but it felt like fate.

"It's not a visit, it's a house call. I have to check if your condition is improving, so stay there. Be good to the Wudang Sect people. And recite the scar-removing incantation every day!"

It's not a great incantation.

It's one of the miscellaneous skills passed down in the Jegal family that removes scars and enhances regeneration.