DR Chapter 211

“But was all this really necessary? Using the Transformation Formation will drain the earth veins and consume a lot of internal energy, which will burden the physician. It’s not something that ends with just washing hands, is it?”

The observing physicians whispered among themselves.

Though they spoke quietly to avoid interference, Jin Cheonhee’s ears caught everything while activating both the Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique and Dual Mind-Intention Technique.

“I heard the Little White Dragon was obsessively clean…”

Must he start explaining from there again?

For a moment everything went dark before his eyes, but he shook his head.

It’s just a matter of repeating. Those who learn will pass it on to their successors, and those successors will pass it to theirs. If that chain breaks… we just start again.

While modern medicine still couldn’t explain this world’s acupressure and acupuncture methods, conversely, modern surgical techniques were far more advanced.

It was simply a matter of filling in what was lacking.

In Jin Cheonhee’s view, he couldn’t afford to tire.

Until everything was complete, he couldn’t allow himself to give up or grow weary.

For surgeons of equal skill, three main factors determined the success rate of finger reattachment:

Time since amputation, condition of the severed surface, and location of severance.

A severed finger could last 6-8 hours at room temperature.

If it arrived after 8 hours, the success rate dropped dramatically to less than half.

Location was also important, with success rates varying by anatomical position and blood vessel distribution.

Regarding damage level, crushing injuries had the lowest recovery probability, while cleanly sliced fingers like this were best for reconstruction.

In my past life, motorcycle accidents were most common from experience. Then work-related accidents.

Motorcycle cases were especially difficult to treat because severed fingers were often lost, or even if found, had been stripped or crushed beyond repair.

Moreover, such injuries often came with multiple organ damage requiring treatment beyond just the fingers.

Fortunately, being the martial world, such problems didn’t exist.

Most wounds were clean cuts from sword energy.

For such reattachment surgery, the first step was normally getting the patient into operable condition.

Then remove necrotic tissue from the amputation site, expose blood vessels and nerves through incision, and suture.

The suturing process required extreme delicacy – often compared to sewing together two strands of hair – which Jin Cheonhee agreed with.

Normally we’d take a break and do a second surgery, like with the His Higheness’s surgery.

Fortunately, the wound was clean and they arrived immediately, so there was no tissue damage.

At Jin Cheonhee’s current level, he felt he could complete it in one session without needing a second.

Hehe, have I become quite the skilled physician?

Though lacking modern technology, you make do with what you have.

As he learned new divine techniques, increased his internal energy, and gained enlightenment, things previously impossible became possible.

Still, can’t let my guard down.

He’d matched the speed.

Next was accuracy.

The problem was that impaired finger function greatly reduced quality of life.

In this damned martial world, if a swordsman couldn’t use their sword after discharge, they often ended up dead within a month from some grudge.

If they held a protected position in a family or sect, they could live quietly washing their face with gold powder, but for small sects or lone warriors, natural death was unlikely.

That’s why I must preserve not just the blood vessels to save the finger, but also maintain full functionality.

This was truly difficult.

Fortunately I’ve learned several divine techniques, otherwise…

Jin Cheonhee picked up the Feather Needle^[1] he received from Tang Ah.

He had one from Bloodborne Elder Eccentric too, but more was better.

Tang Ah had donated all of hers to Jin Cheonhee, saying she’d passed the stage of relying on such things.

She was a good child.

Thump-

At that moment, the mysteries of the Taiji Wisdom Sword circulated once through Jin Cheonhee’s hand.

The microsurgery will finish faster and more precisely than with Yeo Ha-ryoon.

Jin Cheonhee had grown stronger on Mount Wudang.

When he fought Jeong Gwang to the death. Jin Cheonhee definitely gained enlightenment.

In that hazy boundary between life and death, the Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique devoured and digested all visible information.

Sealing his screaming heart.

Fighting with his constantly creaking body.

What did the physician see at that end?

Instead of converting that enlightenment into higher martial arts, he converted it into higher medical arts.

Without a moment’s hesitation – truly deserving to be called monstrous.

Even the byproducts gained from medical arts advanced his martial arts further.

The hands that glimpsed fragments of the Taiji Wisdom Sword now specialized more in saving lives than taking them.

The microsurgery continued using Feather Needles and Spiritual Thread.

Using the Five Elements True Qi to maximize his eye power, his fingertip sensitivity became incredibly acute.

This was supported by three cycles worth of internal energy.

Thanks to recklessly consuming spiritual medicines, his tireless hands continued the surgery.

How impossible. Can bone-setting (surgery) be done that quickly?

I heard that even if you reattach severed fingers, usually seven to nine out of ten rot and need to be cut off again, and even if they attach, it’s impossible to return to how they were before, yet he’s doing it.

Did he just adapt the Golden Thread Technique^[2]…?

What madness was this?

This is certain. The Little White Dragon is reattaching hands in ways we cannot fathom.

This world had surgery too.

The Records of the Grand Historian’s Biography of Bian Que and Cang Gong mentioned surgery involving cutting open the abdomen, and the Bloodborne Elder Eccentric herself specialized in surgery.

While the physicians here didn’t practice surgery, they knew of its power.

However, that was merely the most basic of basics.

There was an implicit resistance to the concept of cutting open the abdomen.

It wasn’t yet systematized and diversified like modern Earth’s medicine.

Has the knowledge gap with the White Dragon Medical Pavilion grown that wide…

Not the White Dragon Medical Pavilion. This is the Little White Dragon’s work. Rumors say he was the one who first transmitted surgical techniques.

Do we have any White Dragon Medical Pavilion physicians among us?

Their physicians are all being retrained in the Acupuncture and Chiropractic Halls.

Wait, is there no one who can explain how the Little White Dragon is reattaching this?

Thus the Martial Righteous Alliance physicians could do nothing but observe.

One of them had subtly tried to ask the Little White Dragon for an explanation, but.

“The patient’s treatment is urgent, so I will arrange a time after it’s finished.”

…He dismissed it with those words.

And to questions about whether the surgery would succeed.

“We do what humans can do. We’ll monitor the progress after the patient wakes.”

…He only gave such ambiguous answers.

He wouldn’t even say empty words like it would definitely succeed and the patient would live as before.

When they tried to ask more, he openly refused to answer.

They couldn’t raise their voices during this critical surgery, and didn’t dare interfere for fear of earning the patient’s resentment for allowing them to observe.

He answers kindly, but if you ask whether they’re good answers…

The Martial Righteous Alliance physicians finally realized.

The Little White Dragon was definitely the Divine Doctor White Dragon’s primary disciple.

Though heading in completely opposite directions, he too was a man of singular character.

And while his skills differed in direction from the Divine Doctor White Dragon, they deserved the title of “divine physician.”

Hehehe, at this point we can only hope the Little White Dragon will spare us some time.

What could they do in this situation where they couldn’t understand what they were observing, despite coming to learn something?

***

“Patient, are you conscious? Ah, you’re already awake. First we’ll move you to the ward prepared by the Martial Righteous Alliance. Rest there and I’ll come see you again. Understood?”

“…Yes.”

“I’ll explain more later, but the surgery itself was successful. The severed area was clean. There weren’t any major issues during reattachment. But this is just the beginning. You want to use your sword just like before, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then there will be many things you must follow from now on. Understood? Nothing is more important to a martial artist than their fingers.”

Why is life so easily broken?

And how much more must we endure and bear to reattach what’s broken?

Here too, Jin Cheonhee carried out human work.

The time a martial artist took to cut off another’s fingers was less than a second.

Yet reattaching them required countless experts and hours, and countless patience for recovery.

Still, we’ve crossed the biggest wave.

Our lives break easily, and returning is difficult.

Perhaps that’s why we struggle so desperately to live.

The patient spoke:

“Thank you. Thank you. Great Master… truly thank you.”

“We have far to go. Save your thanks until you’re fully healed.”

“When they were cut off, I thought I had to give up life as a swordsman, but how can I ever repay this kindness…”

At those words, Jin Cheonhee briefly anguished.

Living as a swordsman meant endless fighting.

Meaning someday either he or someone he fought would become a patient.

Jin Cheonhee understood his master’s heart demons.

In the midst of this forest of mountain swords.

Before the Dragon Phoenix Gathering even began.

Jin Cheonhee answered thus:

“The road ahead will be long. Truly vast.”

Those words were meant for both the patient and himself.

***

“Whew… is that all finished now.”

Jin Cheonhee switched shifts with the other senior physicians.

The Dragon Phoenix Gathering hadn’t even started, but patients were already arriving.

Where people gather, grudges gather too.

They had to keep treating the endless stream of patients without losing focus.

The good news was that conflicts had significantly decreased as the official opening of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering approached.

This was natural as people needed to regulate their body and mind before the major martial arts competition.

Another blessing was having senior physicians trained by Jin Cheonhee.

The senior physicians who had completed both theoretical and practical training became reliable comrades.

While he would rush to patients only he could treat, until then he could entrust others to his fellow physicians – incomparable to fighting alone.

“Brother, are you done~?”

“Hyeon-ah.”

Sama Hyeon had been waiting at the entrance for his brother to finish.

It must have been quite boring, yet he managed to wait patiently.

“This is the second time. Waiting for brother at the entrance.”

“That time was before we parted.”

“Yeah. Before I joined the Hao Sect.”