Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 154

Wangya Ju strode through the door located at the back of her palace.

After passing through a long corridor and entering a separate building, even the attendants were rarely seen.

And in that separate building.

Wangya Ju said as she opened the door:

“Remember my words, Little White Dragon.”

Creak-

Curtains were draped around the bed.

The patient’s face was hidden behind a mask, obscuring it from view.

‘It seems they’re thoroughly concealing their identity.’

Jin Cheonhee first tried to show the proper etiquette befitting royalty.

“Stop.”

As soon as the owner of the voice spoke, strangely, he couldn’t move his body.

Frozen-

‘What is this…?’

Then the voice said:

“Rather than showing respect, please take my pulse.”

The voice was too high to be a man’s, yet too low to be a woman’s.

As if enchanted by those words, Jin Cheonhee approached the patient’s side.

‘It’s an ability. The power to control people with words, is it?’

If Wangya Ju’s ability was focused on physical force, this imperial family member’s ability seemed to be centered on mental interference.

No matter how much it was said that the government and martial arts world didn’t interfere with each other, it would have been natural for some martial artists to harbor rebellious thoughts at some point.

However, the reason why no one was plotting rebellion now was because of this kind of ability possessed by the descendants of Fuxi the Great.

Unlike martial arts, it was unpredictable, and it was difficult to even gauge how it was activated.

Rather than fighting against such an alien ability, it was right to live without interfering with each other, like oil and water.

‘Even in novels, cases dealing with the imperial family are extremely rare…’

The Supreme Heavenly Demon follows the actions of the protagonist, Yeo Ha-ryoon.

Since Yeo Ha-ryoon would never harbor rebellious thoughts, there would be no occasion to describe the imperial family.

The most frequently appearing character is probably Wangya Ju.

‘It’s difficult to know who it is just by their ability.’

Jin Cheonhee first attempted to take the pulse.

The masked man appeared to be in his 30s.

His muscles and bones were quite solid, and he seemed to be quite skilled in martial arts, though not as much as Wangya Ju.

“Have you ever ingested poison in the past?”

“Hooh, that’s right. Even Medicine Sage Hwaju got that much right. Fortunately, I was able to survive by concocting an antidote.”

There were still traces of damage remaining in the stomach and intestines.

‘Indeed, the places where they get hurt are different from martial artists.’

The imperial palace would be in the midst of a quagmire of intrigue, just without guns and swords.

“Excuse me.”

Jin Cheonhee placed his hand on the man’s abdomen and sent out his true qi.

Jin Cheonhee’s true qi began to seep through the muscular abdomen.

“Your pulse-taking method is different from Medicine Sage Hwaju’s. It’s different from the imperial physicians’ as well.”

Instead of answering, Jin Cheonhee focused on examining the patient’s condition.

When pressure was applied to the abdomen, His Imperial Highness groaned slightly, seemingly in severe pain.

The pulse-taking took longer than expected. Even Wangya Ju, who was watching, cleared her throat awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Jin Cheonhee’s expression grew increasingly grim.

‘It doesn’t seem to be stage 1.’

Stage 2 or 3.

Fortunately, the progression had been slowed down by the power of money. It seemed he had taken every possible medicine that was antagonistic to the tumor.

He had managed to obtain and consume rare medicinal ingredients that were difficult to acquire even if one knew about them.

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly discovered cancer in our country.

To explain it simply.

Up to stage 1, where it has only infiltrated the mucous membrane, there is no lymph node metastasis, so it can be treated by simply cutting it out. The prognosis is good, and if the tissue biopsy results are favorable, additional chemotherapy is often unnecessary.

In stage 2, it has completely penetrated the serous membrane, but there is no lymph node metastasis.

Even in this case, the 5-year survival rate is 60-80%. Though lower than stage 1, if discovered at this stage, the chances of survival are still higher.

The problem starts from stage 3.

This is when lymph node metastasis begins. It’s unrelated to the size of the cancer.

The issue is whether there is metastasis or not.

From this point, the survival rate is about 30-60%.

Stage 4, where it has metastasized to places difficult to operate on like the brain or lungs, has a survival rate of less than 5%.

That’s why doctors unanimously recommend regular health check-ups from the age of 50.

‘If there are already symptoms or a family history of cancer, it’s better to get checked even earlier.’

If discovered at stage 1, the surgery is easier and the prognosis is good for this cancer.

Don’t think strangely of colonoscopies; timely screenings can save lives.

‘His Imperial Highness seems to have passed stage 2…’

This naturally gives me a headache.

‘Fortunately, it’s not rectal cancer but colon cancer.’

Cancer in the colon is easier to secure a surgical field of view, and even if widely excised, functional disorders rarely occur.

‘There shouldn’t be concerns about urination after surgery.’

There’s no artificial anus in this era, and if we had to touch the anus, it would be a headache.

Even without going that far, it seems we can somehow guarantee the patient’s quality of life.

‘For now, he’s unable to defecate due to the tumor blocking…’

The pain must have been considerable, but the fact that he endured it shows that royalty is indeed royalty.

After organizing his thoughts, Jin Cheonhee finished taking the pulse.

“What do you think, Little White Dragon? Can I survive?”

Jin Cheonhee pondered for a moment before speaking.

“My opinion to use surgery for resection remains unchanged, but I cannot guarantee whether you will live for five more years.”

The problem is not being able to guarantee which stage it is.

“Then can you assure that I will certainly live until this year?”

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to have spread to other organs, so that should be possible.”

‘Ban^[1]‘ is another term for cancer.

In this era, they may not accurately understand cancer, but they know about tumors growing in organs leading to death. They generally refer to it as ‘ban’ or tumor.

His Imperial Highness fell into thought.

“…That means you need to open my abdomen. Inevitably, I will be asleep.”

“If you’re referring to the mask you’re wearing, I absolutely won’t look at it.”

“I’ve already beheaded seven physicians who said such things. I don’t know how it will be this time, as you were personally recommended by my sister.”

The man’s stomach and intestines had already been damaged by poisoning.

That also implied betrayal.

It was strange.

The man before him had considerable martial bones, befitting a descendant of Fuxi’s bloodline.

However, scars remained not from bodily wounds but from internal organ damage.

It meant he had more occasions for scheming than warfare. It also meant he didn’t have many people to trust.

Wangya Ju eventually said to the masked man.

“Eun-ah. You’re still as suspicious as ever.”

It seems this Imperial Highness’s pet name was ‘Eun’. Maybe it was his childhood name.

However, with just a one-character pet name, it was difficult to guess his full name, so Jin Cheonhee stopped thinking about it deeply.

“If I weren’t, I would have long since followed my wet nurse. Sister.”

“Hmm. That’s true.”

Eventually, His Imperial Highness Eun spoke.

“I’ll need some time to think.”

Jin Cheonhee said.

“Then I’ll help alleviate the symptoms of intestinal blockage at least.”

“Does that also require opening my abdomen?”

“That won’t be necessary. I intend to control it with acupuncture and decoction.”

“Then do so.”

Despite the considerable pain, His Imperial Highness Eun received Jin Cheonhee’s treatment without a single groan.

***

After the acupuncture was finished, Jin Cheonhee and Zhuge Rin unpacked in the separate quarters where guests stayed.

Zhuge Rin said.

“You seem lost in thought, Hee-ya.”

“I was thinking how difficult it must be to live as royalty.”

“Hahaha, to reign in a high position, one must give up many things.”

At her master’s laughter, Jin Cheonhee made a slightly sullen expression.

“You seem calm, Master?”

“If it were me, I would have already said it was untreatable and left. I wouldn’t have taken the risk of trying to save the patient like you did. That’s also the truth.”

Whether the cancer is stage 2 or 3 is extremely important.

‘Perhaps with heaven’s help, when we actually open him up, it might turn out to be stage 1…’

However, judging from the pulse diagnosis, such luck didn’t seem likely.

“You seem to have more worries besides that.”

How did Master notice that? Jin Cheonhee nodded.

“His Imperial Highness Eun is too weakened. I don’t know if he can withstand the surgery. Moreover, since his esophagus and intestines have already been damaged once, that’s also a concern.”

“Yes. Even if poison is detoxified, once it has invaded significantly, side effects are inevitable. The human body is easily damaged but difficult to heal.”

Moreover, the fact that he couldn’t reveal his identity was also a big issue.

If anesthetized, he would completely entrust his body to Jin Cheonhee.

He had already nearly been poisoned to death amidst the rampant conspiracies in the imperial city.

To survive there, one must maintain a vigilance bordering on paranoia.

It was impossible not to imagine what might happen while unconscious.

“On the other hand, Wangya Ju seems to live very comfortably.”

“Power originally simplifies everything. Moreover, a person whose desires and intentions are simple and consistent makes those around them let their guard down. She also lacked ambition for power.”

“She also disliked being constrained.”

“Yes. As long as that doesn’t change, there’s no benefit in killing her.”

I could understand why Wangya Ju had given up the throne.

No, she was a person who never had any desire for it in the first place.

“Then, His Imperial Highness whose pulse I took today, regarding power…”

“Shh.”

Master raised his index finger to his lips.

“…It’s better not to think any further than that. Don’t even use sound transmission.”

There were no attendants anywhere around, and it was quiet.

But I could understand the meaning behind Master’s words.

It meant not to get involved.

Jin Cheonhee hugged her knees and fell into thought.

“Running a medical pavilion must be really tough.”

“I’m very pleased that my disciple understands.”

“Well, it’s not like I never knew before…”

“…You’ve caused me quite a bit of trouble, Hee-ya. This master’s back is nearly breaking trying to keep my disciple safe.”

“Ugh…”

Jin Cheonhee inwardly clicked his tongue. But he had nothing to say.

The scar from the sutures was still on the back of his hand, and thinking of his master who would have been suturing his lacerations instead of his disciple’s uniform, he had nothing to say even with ten mouths.

‘It was quite an act of filial impiety.’

Zhuge Rin said.

“Of course, if you hadn’t intervened, dozens of children would have all died miserably. Knowing that as well, I’m putting you through this hellish training.”

Master reached out and stroked his disciple’s head.

The long black straight hair fell softly between Master’s fingers.

“Are you going to call Yoo Ho?”