Doctor Goes Back to Joseon

Chapter 71: Cosmetic Surgery [2]

The house that the governor let Ganghyuk use was a large one compared to the houses in the neighborhood…not as big as Syeongyong’s house though.

“Although this is a big house, it is crowded with people now.” Yeoju murmured while sitting down in the hall. Nevertheless, a sense of satisfaction was heard from her voice as she ate the blowfish.

“Yes, it is. We have a lot of new people.” Ganghyuk looked sleepy sitting beside her. The amount of blowfish was a lot. Although they gave one to the bandits, it was still a lot for them.

“It is rough training them to become a member of this house.”

“They will obey the instructions well with such a training.”

The Peyonsu was taken by Hangbok, but the others were all here, Some of them tried to protest, only to be beaten by Yeoni and Makbong.

Some of them shouted out loud. “We are not simple gangsters. We have a sponsor.”

At the moment, Dolseok came to the front. “Yes, I heard. You don’t know who we are, do you?”

“Eum…”

“The nobleman sitting there is Sir Baik Ganghyuk. The other nobleman with us was Yejojwarang Lee Hangbok. The servant who is waiting for the medicine is from the Minister of Courtesy.”

As he had a good memory, he explained things one by one.

“Thus, if we beat you, just take it without complaining. You are the ones who made this fuss.”

“But…”

“If you keep quiet, we will treat your wounds.”

“You beat us severely, and you will treat our injury? Is that a treatment tool?”

The man pointed at the materials that Ganghyuk had taken out.

Saline, syringe, and poison… Even a single item out of them would look strange, and here they were all together. They looked quite strange indeed. Moreover, the man who took them out while humming did not look like an ordinary man either.

“Shut up!” He was dressed as a nobleman, but his language was rough and vulgar. “Tell them to come here.” He waved his hands.

They knew the story of a bandit in Yangju pretending to be a nobleman. They wondered if Ganghyuk was the bandit from Yangju.

“Yes, sir.”

With the command of Ganghyuk, Makbong and Dolseok took the man to Ganghyuk. When he saw the nobleman from the distance, he could make sure that Ganghyuk was not an ordinary man.

He was too big.

‘What kind of feet does he have?’

The man felt that Ganghyuk’s feet were so big that a person could probably ride on his leather shoes.

“Hey!” A voice arose from up there. When he saw upward, he saw Ganghyuk staring at him. ‘He is playing with men’s life and death.’ He misunderstood Ganghyuk and withdrew his body. As a matter of fact, his impression was not really wrong.

In fact, Ganghyuk saved patients who were almost dead.

But, the man misunderstood Ganghyuk in the opposite direction. Thus, he was caught by fear.

“You did not answer me.” Ganghyuk tapped his shoulders with his hands, making the man sense a heavy weight.

“Euk…Yes, sir.” He used polite language unknowingly.

“You have pain in legs.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I will treat you. But before the treatment, I will have an experiment.”

“What?”

“I want to do an experiment on you.”

The man did not know what it would be. But if he said no, he thought that he might be killed. “Eo…Okay, sir!”

“Ok, you have agreed, right?”

“Yes…”

Ganghyuk removed his hands from the man and called Dolseok and the bandit chief.

“Take him to the room. Makbong and Yeoni, watch the rest of them.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dolseok moved the man to the room with the bandit chief. The latter was very strong, and could move heavy things quite easily. It was no wonder he was the chief of the group.

“Brother, is it good to leave him like this?”

“No. Do not leave him near the door. Lead him to the opposite side.”

“Okay, I see.”

The man was a year younger than Dolseok. He looked to be over thirty years old, but actually was a very young man, under twenty in age.

“Ok, leave him there.”

“Yes, bro.”

The two of them left the injured man on the futon, who moaned consequently. Maybe they hurt his injured leg during the transportation.

“Eok!”

“Don’t cry before you are really hurt. You beat me a lot. You attacked me as if you could kill me in the marketplace.” Dolseok touched his bruise on the back, feeling the pain and becoming angry accordingly. “Ao, I want to kill you now.”

“But, your master told me that he would treat me. Do not hit me anymore.”

“Don’t complain! Shut up your mouth!”

“Auch.”

Dolseok had good knowledge in anatomy by then. He knew how he could beat him without making him injured while giving him pain; for example, by hitting him at the uvula, inside of the elbow, and so on.

“Eu…”

While the man was moaning out of pain, Ganghyuk entered the room.

“Flail…” Ganghyuk called the bandit chief Flail as he held a flail when the bandits had attacked Ganghyuk.

“Yes, sir?”

“You go there and help Makbong.”

“Okay, sir.”

“Dolseok, let’s take a look at the leg of this guy.”

“Yes.”

Dolseok cut the pants of the man using scissors. They were covered with blood, and were already very old. So, the man did not say anything about that.

His legs had major wounds, as he was thrown to the ground with serious force.

“How is it?”

“Eum…” Dolseok did not answer right away. Instead, he examined his wound carefully. Although the man had bled a lot, he did not have cuts. On comparing both legs, the wounded one was not swollen much. He did not have any restrictions in movement either.

“He has some scratches, and they are deep.”

“How about fracture?”

“His ankle seems to have a sprain, but it does not seem to be broken.”

“Heum…”

Ganghyuk became a doctor in the world where X-ray could be used at any time. Therefore, he did not know how to make a physical examination to check cracks or fractures by hand.

In his world, X-ray pictures could show every fracture in a minute. He read about palpation from the books only.

‘Heum, his shin looks good. Ankle might be broken.’ It was a joint where many small bones are gathered, so there was a possibility that the diagnosis was not precise.

‘It is ok. He is not a great man, any way.’

Fractures could be treated if he fixed the part with bandages and told him not to move. Anyway, based on observation with naked eyes, the man did not seem to have fractures.

“Ok then…We start to cure the wounds on the leg.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s sterile it first. Get boiled water and make the disinfectant.”

“Here you go.” Dolseok brought boiled water that he had already prepared, steam rising from it.

“Ok. If it is too hot, the patient would have pain.” Ganghyuk took a gauze and cleansed his leg, resulting in a huge cry because of pain.

“Eeee…Hot!”

“It might be painful. There is a lot of sand there.”

Dolseok thought of the anesthetic that Ganghyuk had developed. “Sir, maybe we can give the medicine to make him sleep. Do you want me to get it?”

“No. It is bothersome to catch toads.”

“Ah, but it seems he has too much pain.”

“He must bear it. People can bear this level of pain.”

Ganghyuk remembered when he was an intern; he had removed asphalt with gauze. It was simple sand here.

He rubbed hard, which made the old lesion bleed.

“Eu…”

“Now, it is clean. We have to apply antiseptic.”

Water and then betadine…It would give him even more pain. As expected, the man kept groaning even after Ganghyuk finished dressing.

Ganghyuk tapped his shoulders and said. “You cry too much. You are not heavily wounded.”

“I am not a crybaby. It is painful!”

“Ok…Anyway, I have finished the treatment. Now, I will perform an experiment.”

“Right now?”

“We have no reason to postpone it.”

He was a fellow who beat Dolseok, so Ganghyuk had no intention to show him mercy.

“Dolseok? Where is the liver of the blowfish?”

“Here it is.”

The man’s face became pale when he heard the word blowfish liver. Although he was in the low class, he had been frequently called by noblemen. So, he had experience in eating blowfish.

He heard that the poison of the blowfish could kill humans. He forgot which part had the poison, but he could suddenly remember what it was.

“Do you want me to eat it?”

“No, you will not eat it.”

“Then, why?”

“You talk too much. Dolseok…”

“Yes, sir.”

Dolseok stood up while rolling up his sleeves. He held something in his hand, which was the metal flail.

Bung!

He swayed it and hit the man with it.

“Eok!”

The man was hit on the shoulder and fell as a result. In the meantime, Ganghyuk diluted the poison from blowfish liver with saline. The translucent yellow liquid was mixed with the transparent saline.

‘It is a strong poison!’

He knew that it was stronger than Botox. The problem was that he did not know how stronger it was compared to Botox.

If he gave him too much, he could die.

‘It is not Suwon…’

He could not kill a man in Hanyang.

“Eum.”

“Sir, why are you hesitating?”

“Tie him and follow me. I will go to the marketplace.”

“Market?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, sir.”

Dolseok tied the man and went out from the room, following Ganghyuk. Makbong, Yeoni and Flail were busy tying the new people. Ganghyuk passed them and said, “I will go buy something. Wait here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dolseok quickly followed Ganghyuk as he asked, “Where are you going?”

“I don’t want to kill someone.”

“Kill? You mean it can kill a person?”

“Yes.”

“Heo…”

Dolseok’s nature had not changed even though he learned martial art and medicine. He was nagging right now with a frightened face. “Then, we need to let them free.”

“No, no. It will be alright if I find the way not to kill them.”

“Ah, you have an antidote?”

He thought Ganghyuk would know how to remove the poison from the body. At least Dolseok believed in that. However, Ganghyuk shook his head with a stern face.

“No, never.”

Not only in Joseon, but they did not have an antidote for blowfish poison even in the modern times. It was a really strong and dangerous poison, far stronger than potassium cyanide.

“Then…?”

“There are some other methods.”

Although there was no antidote, the patient could be saved if he came to the hospital early enough and could breathe properly. If he could wait till his liver detoxicated the poison fully while breathing with the help of modern equipment, he could be saved.

But here, Ganghyuk did not have such support.

“Other methods?”

“Yes, I need to get some meat.”

“Meat? Why?”

“You talk too much, Dolseok.”

“Sorry, sir.”

In Suwon, it might be difficult to find beef in the marketplace, but Hanyang was different. There were various products from various places in the market.

“Here it is.” Ganghyuk found a butcher shop without difficulty. When he came in, the owner greeted him with gladness. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“Em…”

“Are you looking for something?”

“Yes, I would like to buy the testicles of a bull.”

“Pardon?”