The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 186

“Hoo…”

Dan Akseon finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His face was covered in sweat, as if he had just survived a fierce battle.

Beom Gyewi, noticing this, gave him a worried look.

“Doctor Dan, are you alright?”

“Thanks to the two of you. If I hadn’t had your help at the last moment…”

Dan Akseon trailed off, forcing a smile.

Just thinking about it made him feel dizzy.

When the vital energy, which he thought would flow uninterrupted, had suddenly plummeted, his heart had nearly stopped.

But it wasn’t as if he gained nothing from it.

While helping Ju Jangmyeong circulate his energy, he was able to more clearly assess the state of his own body, including his meridians [energy pathways].

This alone was a considerable achievement.

Dan Akseon, having calmed his breathing with a few deep breaths, turned his head towards Ju Jangmyeong.

“Did you remember the feeling and the order in which the vital energy moved?”

“To some extent.”

“Then shall we try again?”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

Dan Akseon calmly nodded at Ju Jangmyeong’s worried gaze.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already opened the path, so it won’t be as difficult as the first time.”

It was then.

“Hmph!”

“Tch!”

Dan Akseon, who turned his head at the sounds from behind, wore a puzzled expression.

Before he knew it, Han Seolhwa and Beom Gyewi were holding hands.

Although the two didn’t particularly like each other, their concern for Dan Akseon was greater than their personal feelings.

Dan Akseon responded with a smile to the two who were willing to use Wihwa Therapy [a technique to transfer vital energy] for him.

Their joined hands touched Dan Akseon’s body.

A flood of vital energy poured into him.

With their help, Dan Akseon could feel his depleted inner strength being completely restored.

Dan Akseon gave Beom Gyewi and Han Seolhwa a look of gratitude before sitting cross-legged behind Ju Jangmyeong once more.

Once.

And once again.

By the fifth time, Dan Akseon was smiling.

As if he had grown accustomed to it, the speed of his energy circulation gradually increased each time he repeated the cycle.

When Ju Jangmyeong finally opened his eyes, Dan Akseon said,

“This time, would you like to try circulating your energy on your own?”

Ju Jangmyeong hesitated for a moment.

He had only managed to circulate his energy with Dan Akseon’s help.

He wasn’t sure if he could do it alone.

However, he slowly regained confidence at the sight of Dan Akseon’s smiling and nodding eyes.

More than anything, he couldn’t keep hesitating in front of Dan Akseon, who was clearly exhausted because of him.

Ju Jangmyeong sat cross-legged again and closed his eyes.

As he focused his consciousness to feel the internal vital energy once more, Dan Akseon’s voice was heard.

“I believe in you. You’re the bravest child in the world.”

“……!”

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to fight against the disease for so long.”

Children grow up watching their parents’ backs.

A firm will that never gives up, even when shaken.

Perhaps that was the greatest asset that Ju Choun had passed on to his son.

‘Because I was like that too,’ Dan Akseon thought.

It wasn’t just Ju Jangmyeong who was fighting against fate.

Perhaps it was thanks to Dan Akseon’s encouragement.

A subtle surprise appeared on Ju Jangmyeong’s face.

He had finally found the faint energy wriggling deep within his dantian [energy center located in the abdomen].

Ju Jangmyeong firmly grasped the awakened vital energy with his determination.

And he slowly began to circulate his energy, recalling the memory from just now.

How much time had passed?

“Excellent.”

Ju Jangmyeong smiled awkwardly at Dan Akseon’s praise.

Although it was slow and clumsy, he had completed the energy cycle on his own.

Dan Akseon, who checked Ju Jangmyeong’s condition by taking his pulse, opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“Keep practicing whenever you have time. Doctor Ju and I will also do our best, but the success or failure of the treatment depends solely on you.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Dan Akseon, who had imparted the Wihwa Divine Art in that way, bowed his head in return to Ju Choun, who was expressing his gratitude, and left the residence.

The cool night breeze that enveloped his face felt incredibly refreshing.

Cho Akryang, Beom Gyewi, and Han Seolhwa naturally took their places next to Dan Akseon, who was enjoying the solitary moonlit night.

As they stood side by side, admiring the moonlight,

Ju Choun, who had checked on Ju Jangmyeong’s condition, opened the door and stepped outside.

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude…”

Dan Akseon smiled as he turned to look at Ju Choun, who was unable to continue speaking due to overwhelming emotion.

“It’s a good night, isn’t it?”

It was a smile brighter than the moonlight.

Ju Choun nodded and looked up at the moon.

“Yes, it’s a wonderful night.”

It was after a long time that Ju Choun cautiously opened his mouth.

“From now on, I will take care of all patients except for those beyond my capabilities.”

Dan Akseon smiled wryly and shook his head.

“There are too many patients for that. It’s too much of a burden for one person to handle.”

However, Ju Choun did not back down.

“We need to select and focus.”

“Select and focus?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t it be better for Doctor Dan to focus on treating seriously ill patients? Aren’t you in an environment where it’s difficult to fully demonstrate your skills because you’re pressed for time? That means there will be more regrettable and frustrating situations.”

“That’s…”

Dan Akseon couldn’t deny it, so he replaced his answer with a sigh.

In fact, the point that Ju Choun mentioned bothered him.

Even now, there were quite a few patients who needed to be kept close and observed.

He wanted to prepare a ward and provide continuous treatment if possible.

However, he couldn’t even think about it due to the lack of manpower and time.

Inevitably, seriously ill patients had to travel back and forth between nearby inns and the clinic every day.

However, he couldn’t readily accept Ju Choun’s proposal because the burden he would have to bear was too heavy.

“I’m honestly afraid too. I’m afraid that I might miss a patient who could have been saved.”

When Dan Akseon honestly revealed his feelings, Ju Choun nodded in agreement.

“It would be fortunate if it only ended with worry, but that kind of thing could actually happen. And then…”

Dan Akseon’s eyes wavered at Ju Choun’s words, which continued after a moment.

“…there would be no turning back.”

Dan Akseon sighed deeply.

“What should I do in this case?”

Ju Choun had been running a clinic for generations, so perhaps he knew the answer.

And as expected.

“In the end, it’s a problem caused by having too many patients. In this case, there are two solutions.”

“Two?”

Ju Choun nodded.

“One is to increase the cost of treatment. That alone will cause patients with mild symptoms to seek out cheaper doctors, and naturally, the number of patients will decrease.”

“That won’t do!”

When Dan Akseon became serious, Ju Choun smiled as if he expected it and presented another solution.

“The other solution is to increase the number of doctors. In fact, many large clinics are operated by hiring doctors.”

“Ah!”

Since he didn’t want to discriminate against patients due to the gap between the rich and the poor, there was only one option left.

“Increase the number of doctors…”

Ju Choun gave Dan Akseon, who was quietly repeating those words, an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry that it’s not a miraculous method.”

Dan Akseon shook his head.

“No. The truth is always simple.”

Even Jinseong Clinic alone had more than ten doctors assisting in Pungjinseong.

In addition, each doctor had as many as twenty apprentice doctors.

The problem was that there was no suitable way to gather doctors right away.

“I think I’ll have to borrow the wisdom of others.”

“Who?”

Beom Gyewi, who was asking back with a puzzled face, readily nodded at Dan Akseon’s following words.

“Chief Manager Sa and Branch Leader Neung.”

“Indeed. There’s no one better than those guys when it comes to petty tricks.”

Beom Gyewi sent a telepathic message somewhere.

Soon, Sa Musim and Neung Somil ran over as if flying.

They were in comfortable clothes, as if they had just gone to bed.

“Did you call for us?”

Even though he was likely dissatisfied with being woken up from a sweet sleep, Sa Musim was still wearing a good-natured smile.

On the other hand, Neung Somil still had a dazed expression, as if he hadn’t fully woken up yet.

However, as soon as he heard Dan Akseon’s concerns, his eyes sparkled as if he had never been sleepy.

“Why don’t you put out a public notice at this opportunity?”

As people’s attention focused on him, Neung Somil naturally continued his words.

“The New Demonic Merchant Guild’s commercial power has spread to many regions. If we mobilize all of the guild’s contacts, we can put up a notice to recruit doctors throughout the Central Plains [the central region of China] within a month at the latest.”

Sa Musim nodded and added strength to Neung Somil’s opinion.

“You don’t have to worry about the funds needed to run the clinic. Although the treatment fees are low, the clinic itself has a considerable income. The costs for seriously ill patients are quite high, but there are more than enough patients with mild symptoms to cover the cost of hiring doctors on its own.”

In addition, most of the patients purchased New Demonic Pills without fail when they returned, so the income from that was also considerable.

“It may be rude to say this to Master Gok, but a situation of so-called ‘selling thin but profiting much’ has been created.”

Cho Akryang wore a bitter smile at those words.

“It was possible because Doctor Dan put his heart and soul into it.”

Beom Gyewi and Han Seolhwa also agreed with Cho Akryang’s words.

Sa Musim also smiled awkwardly, perhaps because he was embarrassed.

“I just wanted to say that we have enough money to hire doctors thanks to that.”

At this time, Ju Choun shook his head and opened his mouth.

“The two of you’s opinions seem reasonable, but there are two problems.”

Ju Choun continued his explanation to the people who were wondering.

“First of all, most of the hired doctors will likely not meet the level of skill that Doctor Dan expects.”

Even the young doctors who had been dispatched from Jinseong Clinic to this place were evaluated as having excellent medical skills in the world.

Even so, they were still far below Dan Akseon’s standards.

At least Ju Choun was someone he could entrust patients to with peace of mind.

“It will take a considerable amount of time to grow the newly hired doctors to meet Doctor Dan’s standards. It won’t be enough with just one or two years, no matter how fast they are. You may end up spending more time teaching them than taking care of patients.”

“Hmm…”

Dan Akseon muttered.

Ju Choun was right.

The reason for recruiting doctors in the first place was to buy time to treat seriously ill patients, but if that happened, it would be putting the cart before the horse.

It would be a reversal of roles.

“And the second problem is…”

Ju Choun opened his mouth with a complicated expression.

“It’s difficult to move doctors with excellent skills with money.”

In fact, Ju Choun had traveled around the Central Plains and met many doctors.

Among them, there were quite a few doctors with considerable skills.

“However, some of them had families that were declining and had to worry about food for tomorrow.”

They were doctors who had excellent skills but had not yet properly established themselves, pushed back by nearby clinics with fame and history.

Doctors with skills so outstanding that any clinic would welcome them.

However, the only reason they insisted on living such a poor life was their pride.

Ju Choun himself was like that.

If it hadn’t been for Dan Akseon, he wouldn’t have readily promised to stay at the New Demonic Clinic like this.