The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

“What is this?” Kim Jinsang asked, squinting at the syringe containing a small amount of liquid.

The three students also crowded around, curiosity piqued.

“It’s bee venom pharmacopuncture. It’s a purified and diluted form of bee venom that’s incredibly helpful for pain control and immune system activation. As you know, your current pain is caused by the shingles virus invading your nerves. This treatment not only alleviates pain but also has antiviral effects, making it the most suitable therapy.”

“And the test?”

“Since it’s originally a venom, some people can have severe allergic reactions. Effects can range from mild itching to dangerous side effects like anaphylaxis. Though the latter is rare, it can be life-threatening, so we always need to test with a small amount first.”

“Ah… I see. Venom or whatever, please just do it. I feel like I want to tear my arm off.”

I injected 0.1cc of the solution into Kim Jinsang’s arm.

While it’s highly effective, I don’t often use bee venom pharmacopuncture unless absolutely necessary, like in Kim Jinsang’s case.

…In contrast, my master would bring out bee venom for anyone from the Tang Family, regardless of the severity of their condition. At first, I was terrified, seeing him inject unrefined bee venom in a world without epinephrine to raise blood pressure in case of anaphylaxis.

– There’s no child in our family who can’t control this little venom.

He truly was the ancestor of poison control.

“I think I’m fine. It doesn’t feel particularly itchy.”

“Sometimes reactions appear a bit later, so let’s wait about 10 minutes. You can lie down on the bed if you’d like.”

“Ah, then may I get some physical therapy for my back? After driving for so long, everywhere is…”

“Of course.”

Kim Jinsang bowed once more before standing up.

He also gave an awkward nod to the three students lined up by the door.

“Goodbye~ Oh, see you in a bit?”

“Sure.”

After he left, the three remained.

Having caused an unintended commotion, they clasped their hands politely and looked to me nervously.

“Hehe…”

Oh, for heaven’s sake! They’re not third-graders but high school seniors! In the other world, they’d be old enough to have two children by now!

Well, that’s for ordinary people. In the murim world, even those nearing forty are still treated like children of the latter-day disciples.

“Were you very worried?”

“We’re sorry. We heard that man had caused a disturbance before, so we were concerned…”

“What were you planning to do? With the competition so close, it would be a disaster if something happened.”

“Still, it’s better than you getting hurt, Doctor!”

I truly appreciated their sentiment.

Even though the chances of Kim Jinsang fighting me and even grazing my hair were less than 0.1%.

“Just in case, every time that patient comes from now on…”

“Now, now, the doctor is stronger than she looks, okay? Don’t worry about such things. Let’s go get your treatments! We need to finish quickly so Yijin can go train, and In-sung and Ju-yeon can study!”

“Ugh.”

“Okay~”

“…”

Kim Yijin still looked quite concerned but kept quiet at the mention of training. With the sports festival so close, she should hurry off to practice, shouldn’t she?

After sending them to the treatment room, I quickly administered acupuncture to each of them.

Kim Yijin had her usual set of points, and fortunately, In-sung didn’t have any new acne to extract today.

As I took Min Ju-yeon’s pulse and inserted a few needles, the 10 minutes I had mentioned to Kim Jinsang had passed.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

“Okay.”

Kim Jinsang was slightly taken aback by my solemn tone.

“This will hurt a bit.”

“Pardon?”

I injected 0.1cc into the outer side of his upper arm where he had complained of the most pain.

“Ah…”

Up to that point, he had only let out a small groan from the slight pain of the procedure, but…

“Ugh!”

“Ouch!”

“Aaargh!”

As I injected 0.1cc of bee venom into every spot where blisters had appeared – the front and back of his shoulder, chest, back, inner upper arm, and forearm – screams erupted.

“Aaaargh!”

Kim Jinsang finally let out a scream.

“The doctor really seems strong, doesn’t she? That man would probably drop dead if she stabbed him with a poison needle.”

“Right~ Yijin, you don’t need to worry. The one holding the needle is the doctor!”

I heard In-sung and Min Ju-yeon whispering softly.

“…I guess so.”

That’s right, that’s right. Kim Yijin, please focus on your training without worrying!

After writhing in pain and screaming, Kim Jinsang marveled at how much better his arm felt when the treatment was over.

He even said that since he could only make it just before closing without taking time off work, he’d like to skip other treatments and just get bee venom pharmacopuncture from now on.

“Alright. I can see you briefly after the staff leaves, just make sure to come before I lock up.”

If you ask nicely like this instead of causing a scene like on the first day, I’ll accommodate you!

Kim Jinsang left the clinic, repeatedly expressing his gratitude, followed by the three students departing for their respective schools and homes.

Having the kids buzzing around was fun, but it was certainly a hectic time.

◆◇◆◇◆

The National Sports Festival, or Jeonkuk Chejeon for short, first holds regional preliminaries in each metropolitan city and province, with one team from each region advancing to represent them.

In Busan’s case, with only a handful of schools having women’s basketball teams, Jungun High School, long known for its women’s basketball program, became Busan’s representative without any surprises.

On the day of the game.

The entire Jungun High School basketball team boarded a chartered bus early in the morning, heading to the stadium together.

The event is held in different cities across the country each year, and fortunately, this year it was taking place in their home ground of Busan.

“Captain~ How’s your condition today?”

Chae Ri-ra, the second-year vice-captain who had taken care of the team while Kim Yijin was resting from injury, asked.

“Absolutely top-notch.”

“Hehe, me too. Don’t you think the goddess of victory is smiling upon us this time?”

She was injecting positive energy into each team member, as usual.

While Kim Yijin, the power forward (PF), led the scoring with her outstanding physical condition, exceptional jumping ability, and shooting accuracy, Chae Ri-ra was the point guard (PG) who acted as the team’s field general, passing the ball to Kim Yijin.

“I guess so.”

“We’ll definitely win! Fighting!”

Chae Ri-ra’s role in unifying the team was outstanding even off the court, which is why she was unanimously chosen as vice-captain by everyone from the coach and trainer to all the students from first to third year.

“Ugh, but of all teams, we’re facing Hwayoung High in the first game.”

However, there’s always someone who throws a wrench in the works.

“You know our captain’s been on fire lately! Someone like Myung Seon-ju is no match!”

“…That’s true.”

“Yijin subae! Let’s crush Hwayoung High this time for sure.”

Hwayoung High School from Ulsan.

They were Jungun High’s so-called rivals, consistently representing Ulsan in national competitions and clashing with Jungun throughout Kim Yijin’s high school years.

In fact, when Kim Yijin was a first-year, the term “rival” hardly applied. While Hwayoung High was a long-standing powerhouse, Jungun High was eliminated in the preliminaries one out of every three times.

But last year.

With Chae Ri-ra securing a starting position by maximizing Kim Yijin’s abilities, and the newly appointed Coach Kang Cheolkyu leading high-intensity training sessions, Jungun High suddenly emerged as a championship contender.

“Whether we meet them in the preliminaries or the finals, it doesn’t matter. We always give our best.”

Ulsan’s Hwayoung High was the team that prevented their championship in last year’s finals.

Jungun High had been grinding their teeth, preparing for revenge, but in the summer championships, they suffered a crushing defeat due to Kim Yijin’s injury.

This National Sports Festival was Kim Yijin’s last chance to defeat Hwayoung High as part of the Jungun High basketball team.

“Yijin, Ri-ra. Hello?”

Sure enough.

As soon as they got off the bus, Myung Seon-ju, Hwayoung High’s captain, approached them, twirling her hair as if she had been waiting.

“Hello.”

“It’s been a while!”

Kim Yijin calmly returned the greeting, while Chae Ri-ra folded her arms primly.

Though she didn’t show her dislike as openly as Chae Ri-ra, Kim Yijin had always found Myung Seon-ju annoying.

First of all, isn’t she bothersome? Playing the center (C) position with a height similar to Kim Yijin’s, she had consistently marked Kim Yijin in every game.

Including practice games, they had played against Hwayoung High quite often since their first year, and whenever she met Kim Yijin, she would block the front court and be difficult to handle.

“Starting with such a strong team in the first game, what are you going to do? You might not even get a medal this time.”

“…We’ll see who has the worse luck.”

Myung Seon-ju immediately started picking a fight, but Kim Yijin remained unfazed.

Honestly, she didn’t feel like losing at all.

“Is your knee all better? I want to face you properly this time, without any excuses~”

Since recovering from that injury, her condition had been through the roof lately.

The coach said she could play in the pro league’s first team right now, and she felt it herself. In practice games, it felt like the opponents were moving in slow motion, and even watching videos of herself from just a few months ago seemed strange.

“We’ll certainly live up to your expectations.”

Chae Ri-ra responded, her competitive spirit burning.

Sparks flew between the two, but Kim Yijin brushed off their fighting spirit and went her own way.

In the players’ waiting room.

The moment she changed into her uniform, her phone vibrated.

[I’ve arrived at the cheering section! Not sure if you’ll check your phone. Just do what you always do, and you’ll do great. Fighting!]

It was a message from Dr. Han Yeowon, who had willingly given her personal number upon a nervous request.

‘I’ll do well.’

Since she came all the way to cheer, I should show her an impressive performance.

The fire in her blood, which had calmed at the sight of Myung Seon-ju’s face, started to rise again.

Winning was a given.

It felt like she could play a really exciting game.

◆◇◆◇◆

I closed the clinic a bit early on Friday and attended the National Sports Festival opening ceremony with Seo In-ae.

Seo In-ae was thrilled to come along, excited about some famous singer performing, but she didn’t want to skip her Saturday part-time job to come to the game.

“Just go by yourself!”

The games were open for entry without tickets, so I wondered if there might be fewer people than expected.

I was a bit worried about sitting awkwardly alone, not knowing much about basketball and not knowing anyone there, but the cheering section was more packed than I had anticipated.

Since the game was held in Busan, first and second-year students had been mobilized as cheerleaders.

“I guess there aren’t many third-years since the college entrance exam is only a month away.”

Among the few Jungun High third-years present, I knew two of them.

They gladly chose to separate from their other classmates to cheer with me.

“That’s right. Anyway, it’s good we got seats with a good view.”

The words “Aren’t you two studying for the college entrance exam?” almost slipped out, but that would sound too much like a nagging adult. Better keep quiet.

“Wooooah!”

The players from both sides entered.

I hadn’t noticed when she came to the clinic as a patient, but looking down from the spectator seats, Kim Yijin looked incredibly cool. There was a sharp charisma about her, different from when she entered during yesterday’s opening ceremony.

“Woohoo~!”

I cheered along with the students, shouting encouragement.

Kim Yijin looked around for a moment, then found me and smiled brightly.

Oh my, why am I feeling like this? My heart’s fluttering.

Soon, it was time.

With the referee’s whistle, the game began.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Whoosh!

Right from the start, Kim Yijin bypassed all the opposing team’s players and scored a goal.

It was an unstoppable force, like the Jewanggeom-hyeong of the Namgung Family.

“Kyaaah! Go, go! Kim Yijin~!”

Next to me, Min Ju-yeon excitedly shouted at the top of her lungs, and Jungun High’s momentum soared.

Though I don’t know much about basketball, I could tell it was impressive.

Despite being a sport about putting a ball through a hoop, the intensity was no less than the bloody Latter-Day Disciples Martial Arts Tournament.

“Isn’t Yijin doing so well? Wow, really. Our ace is the best! She’s my best friend~!”

Min Ju-yeon waved her panel back and forth, cheering countless times.

As she said, Kim Yijin’s combat power was absolute here. The tall player wearing number 5 on the opposing team stuck close to Kim Yijin to guard her, but she was no match one-on-one and needed several teammates to help.

“Yijin is doing great, but who’s that number 1? She’s completely dominating the court.”

“Number 1? Ah~ Right. That’s Chae Ri-ra, a second-year! Yijin praised the vice-captain a lot.”

When the opposing team ganged up like that, Kim Yijin’s path would inevitably be blocked.

But our number 1 would pass the ball as if she and Kim Yijin were communicating telepathically, then pass it back to Kim Yijin after she broke free from the defense.

Tweeet~

The whistle blew.

It had barely been a few minutes, but the score was already 8-0.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a timeout. The coach can stop the flow like this and take a brief strategy time. I think it’s 2 times in the first half and 3 times in the second half? Both sides can use them.”

“Ah~”

I nodded at In-sung’s explanation. So there’s something like that?

Each team huddled and whispered something, then the game quickly resumed.

They must have changed tactics, as the opposing number 5 who had been sticking to Kim Yijin now tried to mark our number 1 closely.

This led to a few of Kim Yijin’s passes to number 1 being intercepted, resulting in points for the other team.

Another timeout for our team.

Two of the three players other than Kim Yijin and number 1 were substituted, and Kim Yijin passed the ball to them instead of number 1.

The game continued with tactics changing like this.

“Go, go! Jungun! Go, go! Kim Yijin~!”

This is fun, isn’t it?

As the heat of the game and the cheering intensified, Kim Yijin flew around, shooting. It was exciting to watch as the score kept climbing by 2 points at a time.

This time, our number 1, who was alone away from the hoop, received the ball and…!

“Go, go! Chae Ri-ra~!”

I thought she would pass to Kim Yijin again.

But she dribbled straight in, charging towards the goal.

“Huh, what?”

But the movement of the opposing number 5 seemed a bit strange.

“Why… Woah!”

Crash!

The opposing number 5, who had lunged forward expecting a pass as usual, collided violently with our number 1.

Perhaps due to the significant difference in build, or because the damage to the one who initiated the charge was less than the one receiving it.

While the opposing number 5 stood dazed, our team’s number 1 was thrown back and fell.