Chapter 46: This Time, a Monk [4] As always, Kanghyeok had no idea how things were supposed to work.
At the somewhat blunt question, Yujeong fell silent for a moment.
The one who started talking instead was the Busa.
Looking at him now, it seemed he had been drinking while listening to the sermon.
At least, judging by the faint smell of alcohol.
Don't tell me he went and did something shady at the temple too?
Someone might call that wild speculation, but from Kanghyeok's point of view, it was a perfectly reasonable suspicion.
Given the man's track record, he would not have much cause to feel wronged.
The Busa, who had abruptly become a shameless libertine committing debauchery in a temple, pointed at Kanghyeok.
"Ah, yes. You said you had a fever and could barely eat. This fellow here is truly a great physician."
Judging by how scrupulously he used honorifics even with monks, his Buddhist devotion seemed rather deep.
That meant it went far beyond merely memorizing a few Buddhist scriptures and studying a bit.
If Seungmun or Changgwon had seen him, they might have cut off his sangtu.
And told him to convert to Buddhism while he was at it.
This man really is a complete mess.
A self-proclaimed Confucian scholar and government official, openly rejecting the state law of revering Confucianism and suppressing Buddhism.
He truly was just the sort of acquaintance Kanghyeok would have.
"Is that so?"
The head monk showed interest at once.
Yujeong had already come from far away, and seeing him ill weighed heavily on his mind.
There were monks at the temple who claimed some skill in medicine, and they had also offered Buddhist prayers, but none of it had done much good.
"In Suwon, he is a famous physician. He cured the illness I consulted him about before in no time."
It seemed the Busa had even blabbed to the head monk about his erectile dysfunction.
To discuss problems with his crotch in front of a man who had spent his whole life rejecting women.
He was outrageously tactless.
If he was going to go to a temple, he should have gone to one in Suwon...
No matter how old and renowned Chiljangsa in Anseong might be, Kanghyeok could not imagine why he had come all the way here to talk about something like that.
The head monk seemed to find that part strange as well.
Judging from the way he kept clearing his throat.
"Ahem. I see. It is your good fortune, patron."
"It is all thanks to the head monk and the Buddha."
No one in the room wanted to think about the Busa's crotch problem.
Especially not in connection with the Buddha.
The head monk hurriedly changed the subject.
"Then shall we ask for your help?"
Then he glanced at Yujeong.
Though the head monk was much older, Yujeong's level of enlightenment was far beyond his.
Even to Kanghyeok, Yujeong had the bearing of a great monk.
For one thing, not a single one of his movements was frivolous.
"Since the head monk asks it of me, I have no way to refuse."
When he pressed his palms together and bowed his head, there was something oddly radiant about him.
It might simply have been the light reflecting off his shaven head.
By coincidence, the head monk looked perfectly ordinary in the same light.
Is this what they call a halo?
Sure enough, a man called a great monk really was different.
For one thing, he was not stubborn.
Kanghyeok glanced behind him.
Yeoju had taken out her drawing tools and was sketching the monk's face.
Her skill had improved again, to the point that even the Busa, peeking from the side, let out a sound of admiration.
If Yeoju's father were here, he'd be saying something again.
Something about how his poor eyesight made him foolish, or whatever else.
"Then let me take a look."
"Please, take your time."
"Dolseok, shine the light over here."
"Yes, Young Master."
Dolseok pulled a lamp out of the bundle.
There was a lamp in the room already, but it was extremely dim.
It was not merely that the area beneath the lamp was dark—the whole room was dark.
Most likely they were using cheap oil like castor oil.
Compared to that, the light Dolseok brought out was nearly a revelation.
"Good. Hmm…"
Up close, the condition looked even worse.
No, how did he speak so much in this state?
The area below the left jaw was swollen taut.
Kanghyeok looked at Dolseok, who was quietly holding the light.
Then at the monk, the head monk, and the Busa.
Well... since I'm treating him anyway, I might as well teach while I do it.
It would probably be fine.
The Busa was on his side, and the others were all composed people.
He was not exactly committing sacrilege.
"Dolseok, touch here."
"Uh, yes."
"How does it feel?"
Dolseok did not answer immediately.
Instead, he carefully examined it just as Kanghyeok had taught him.
The texture of the skin, the temperature he felt, the way the color changed when pressed, whether there was pain, and so on.
All of those could become clues for diagnosis.
"It's hot, first of all."
"That's right. And?"
"If I press it even a little, the color turns white, and the monk's expression twists."
"Then what can we suspect?"
"It's inflammation, after all."
Up to this point, even Dolseok could get it exactly right.
It was not for nothing that he had followed Kanghyeok around to death and back.
Now "best disciple" suited him more than "servant."
"How would you treat it?"
"What?"
"I asked how you would do it."
This part was a bit harder.
"Hmm."
Watching Dolseok tilt his head, Kanghyeok suddenly recalled his old days as a professor.
It was a bit embarrassing to say himself, but he had been a fairly popular professor.
Even leaving aside his tall frame and handsome face.
He might have seemed blunt, but when it came to teaching, he had actually been quite kind.
"I think it needs to be cut open."
"Why?"
"Wouldn't it be full of pus?"
"Heh. Something is definitely full in there."
As expected of a surgeon's disciple, his first instinct was to pick up a blade.
"It isn't pus?"
"There's pus too, probably. But that isn't the main thing. Monk, could you open your mouth for me?"
"As you wish."
Yujeong opened his mouth with difficulty.
Normally, three fingers should fit inside, but on the left side, even two was difficult.
And as time passed, that would only worsen.
"Dolseok, get the penlight from the house-call bag."
"Yes. Pen."
The "light" part of the word apparently remained difficult for him.
No matter how many times Kanghyeok told him, he only ever said "pen."
"Monk, now lift your tongue upward... yes. Just like that."
When Yujeong raised his tongue, the difference between the two sides became obvious.
On the right, only the area where the saliva came out protruded slightly, but on the left, the whole area was swollen.
"Just as I thought. Dolseok, give me the gloves."
"I already took them out."
There was no need to tell him the size separately.
Dolseok had already laid out size 7.5 surgical gloves.
"You're getting good now. Monk, this may hurt a little."
Since his mouth was open, Yujeong only nodded.
Kanghyeok inserted his right hand into Yujeong's mouth.
At the sight, the head monk tried to stop him, but the Busa restrained him.
"There must be a reason for it. I'm telling you, he's truly a great physician."
"No, patron. Just because he cured that does not make him a great physician."
That was true enough.
Even drooping manhood could be set right by gisaengs soon enough.
That did not mean anyone called a gisaeng a great physician.
Shaking his head, the Busa said,
"Not long ago, when there was Duchang, I asked you for Buddhist prayers, did I not?"
"You did."
Thanks to the rice the Busa had sent, they had not needed to worry about food for quite some time.
Though in return, they had to offer prayers for several days on end.
"He cured that Duchang too."
"Huh. Duchang?"
The head monk had suffered from Duchang in his childhood.
His whole village had virtually disappeared, which was also why he had entered Buddhism.
Just as now, a poor boy suddenly left an orphan did not have many choices.
And yet this man had cured Duchang.
"Remarkable."
"That's what I'm saying. Just stay quiet and watch."
The Busa's fussing definitely helped.
The tension in Yujeong's face eased as well.
Kanghyeok felt around inside Yujeong's mouth more comfortably now.
More precisely, near the opening of the submandibular gland.
Good. Fortunately, it's near the outside.
Kanghyeok felt the large lump caught against his fingertips from side to side.
It was hard as stone and nearly lodged at the opening.
"Dolseok, you've got gloves on too, right?"
"Yes, Young Master."
"Touch here."
"Uh... yes."
Dolseok touched where Kanghyeok indicated.
Then his eyes widened.
"What is this?"
"Take your hand away first."
"Yes."
The patient ought to hear the findings of the examination too.
Kanghyeok removed his glove for a moment, then straightened himself.
Naturally, everyone in the room focused on him.
"Our bodies have things called salivary glands. As the name suggests, they are the places that produce saliva."
"Oh. So it doesn't just come out from inside the mouth on its own?"
Was this not the Busa who had read a fair number of medical books because of his lower-body problems?
Naturally, he had more interest than the others.
Kanghyeok went along with his response.
"Yes. To be exact, there are glands below the ears, under the tongue, and here beneath the jaw."
Kanghyeok pointed under Yujeong's jaw.
It was so swollen that it looked as though it might burst if poked.
"Then is Monk Yujeong's salivary gland diseased?"
"Yes."
"Huh. And how are you supposed to cure something like that?"
The Busa folded his arms and shook his head.
He had read about saliva somewhere before, but the concept of salivary glands was completely new to him.
If anyone else had said it, he would have thought it a lie.
But the man before him was Kanghyeok.
The man who had saved his life.
"It's not that difficult."
"Oh, is that so? What do you need? Just say the word."
The Busa looked ready to open the granary if necessary.
If possible, he probably would have fetched whatever was asked.
Looking at him, Kanghyeok smiled lightly.
I may ask for a favor later... but not now.
For Monk Yujeong's illness, the house-call bag alone was enough.
"No need. I'll cure it right here."
"Huh."
At those spirited words, the head monk let out a groan.
The Busa looked proud even though he was not the one doing the curing.
"What did I tell you? He really is a great physician."
"Yes. I see that."
It was not a difficult surgery, but that did not mean it could be done with the patient merely sitting cross-legged.
Kanghyeok first laid Yujeong down on the floor.
Then he placed a wooden neckrest behind his back.
That bent Yujeong's head back, leaving his mouth fully exposed from above.
"This may be uncomfortable. Please bear with it a little."
"I understand."
Yujeong obeyed unusually well.
He even wore a strange smile, and there was not the slightest trace of unease.
If anything, it was a smile that made even Kanghyeok feel at ease just by looking at it.
What a strange man.
It was almost as if he already knew what Kanghyeok was about to do.
Still, I should do what I have to do first.
After shaking off the stray thought, Kanghyeok put his gloves back on.
Since the inside of the mouth was dirtier than hands anyway, the gloves did not need to be perfectly clean.
Their main purpose was to protect Kanghyeok's hands.
"All right, Dolseok. Help me now."
"Ah, yes, yes."
"Let's open the mouth a little wider first."
"Yes, Young Master."
By now, Dolseok handled things almost automatically.
There was no need to call out the names of the instruments separately, which made things very convenient.
"Now let's give an anesthetic injection. It'll sting a little."
Kanghyeok simply called the anesthetic injection a needle.
There was no need to use an unfamiliar term and provoke unnecessary caution.
And it made it sound less formidable.
After all, sensation disappeared just from receiving a needle.
Kanghyeok gave the injection and waited a moment.
Then he pinched the injected area with forceps.
"It doesn't hurt, right?"
Yujeong only blinked.
With his mouth held open, he had no other way to express himself.
"All right, then I'm starting. Hand me the scalpel."
"So you are cutting it after all. Here you are, Young Master."
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