Crown Prince Sells Medicine

“Can you get me some needles? Any size will do, just as many as possible,” Raciel requested.

Gardin appeared startled and confused by the request, causing Raciel to suppress a bitter smile. He didn’t feel the need to explain himself further as he would reveal the purpose soon enough.

“Is a request not sufficient? Do you require me to phrase it as an order?”

Gardin’s reaction was instant as Raciel poked him slightly, prompting him to run out at lightning speed.

Raciel took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. 

‘First, I need to diagnose what’s wrong with this body,’ he thought, knowing that understanding the problem was crucial before starting any treatment.

As he slowly took his pulse, he unconsciously exclaimed, “Tsk,” due to the confusion that suddenly surged through him.

‘What kind of pulse is this?’

He experienced a sense of disorientation, feeling as though he had lost his sense of reasoning. He had never encountered such a pulse before, and the more he examined it, the more confused he became.

The pulse was far from normal; it was terrible.

He imagined all the possible negative scenarios, starting with its uneven rhythm. 

The pulse would suddenly stop while beating smoothly, and at times, it would not fill up ten breaths before stopping again. 

These were typical symptoms of daimai (代脈), a serious condition. However, the problem was that it was not the end of it.

‘Even among the symptoms of daimai, there is also an irregular pulse mixed in. It suddenly gets faster and stops, which is the symptom of chokmai (促脈).’

This indicated a fever in the organs, and in addition, he could feel peculiar pulses that were lined up in his hand like Vienna sausages.

‘From bubimai (釜沸脈), eosangmai (魚翔脈), tansaekmai (彈石脈), haesaekmai (解索脈), okrumai (屋漏脈), hayumai (鰕遊脈), jaktakmai (雀啄脈), eondomai (偃刀脈), jeondumai (轉豆脈), to machokmai (麻促脈)… Wow. Is this really the level of difficulty in treating this?’

A deep sigh escaped him as he realized that the situation was far worse than he had anticipated. All the unique pulse symptoms, known as “sipgwemai” (十怪脈), were present. Any one of these symptoms alone was an indication that the patient’s life was in danger, but he could feel all of them intensely and completely, leaving no room for exception.

‘This is not just an early death package.’

As a practitioner of traditional Korean medicine, he had felt numerous pulses before. Nevertheless, this was the first instance he had encountered a case like this.

‘How is this possible?’

He couldn’t fathom how such chaotic pulses could exist in one body. Was it even possible? Logically speaking, it was impossible. However, the problem was that it was a true story. 

Raciel gazed at the mirror placed beside the bed and saw a frail-looking face staring back at him.

‘Tsk tsk. No wonder you couldn’t even live for a year.’

The early development of the novel “Devil Sword Emperor” flashed into his mind. The book depicted the story of Prince Raciel Adria Magentano, whose illness was never revealed. Several doctors tried to diagnose his condition, but their efforts were in vain. 

Eventually, they all gave up, unable to uncover the root of the disease. Some even speculated that it was a curse brought about by magic.

‘But I really don’t know about this one either.’

If there was at least one area that was definitely problematic, he could focus on tracking and treating the disease related to that area.

But now?

‘Everything is just not good. There is no place which works normally.’

With the current situation, it was beyond ridiculous. Raciel couldn’t help but laugh involuntarily. In retrospect, life in Korea hadn’t been easy either.

‘That damn loan. I thought I could pay it off easily.’

Recalling the last few months he spent in Korea, Raciel trembled involuntarily. 

Initially, everything had seemed perfect after he opened an oriental clinic in his late thirties, despite taking out a substantial loan. 

He believed he could pay it back quickly and was confident that he could do it in no time. It felt like he had everything in the world.

‘It was a good location.’

Located in a prime commercial area at the heart of a new city in the metropolitan area, his clinic occupied the second floor of a decent building. 

Despite the high rent, he thought it was still manageable. Surrounded by apartment complexes and with enough foot traffic passing by, he didn’t worry too much initially. 

However, his confidence and belief were shattered in an instant.

‘…If it weren’t for Corona.’

A global pandemic struck, causing a significant decrease in the number of people seeking treatment at his traditional Korean medicine clinic. 

However, that wasn’t the only problem. Two patients who visited the clinic were diagnosed with COVID-19, and the news quickly spread through social media. 

It was the final blow, and no patients came to the clinic anymore. 

The income was almost nonexistent, making it challenging to pay the loan interest and building rent. 

The once-advantageous location became a fatal blow due to the high rent during the pandemic situation. 

Eventually, the traditional Korean medicine clinic went bankrupt, leaving Raciel with only a massive loan debt of 7 billion won sounds in 7 octaves.

‘I barely managed to get out of that situation.’

It appeared that the situation had become even more chaotic than before, causing Raciel to let out a deep sigh and snap out of his reverie. 

While he had faced financial distress in Korea, he was now confronted with a crisis of survival.

‘If I continue like this, I’ll end up having a meeting with the Grim reaper at lightning speed.’

If he continued down this path, he was certain that he would not survive. Raciel knew he had to take action and find a way to cure himself. Otherwise, he would end up in a critical state of illness that he had never experienced before in this unfamiliar world where he had no connections.

‘I hate that. I want to live. I will survive and grumble every day.’

Regardless, Raciel had no regrets about leaving Korea behind. 

He had lost both of his parents during his teenage years and had no siblings or relatives to rely on. He didn’t even have a girlfriend, leaving him with nothing but a mountain of debt.

‘But still… Wonho, Eunsu, I’ll live well here, you jerks.’

Raciel bid farewell to his only friends in Korea and reaffirmed his determination to survive. Just then, Gardin returned with more positive results than expected.

“Hoo, hoo-uk! Your Excellency? As instructed, I brought all the needles….”

THUD!

As he dropped a bundle, Gardin exclaimed with excitement. 

Inside the package were hundreds of needles, far more than Raciel had initially imagined.

“… … .”

“Your Highness?”

“Hmm?”

“I have brought the needles as ordered…”

“Uh-huh.”

“I ran around as much as I could to bring as many as possible…”

“I see… You did well.”

“Thank you!”

“Could you open the bag for me? I would like to choose some needles.”

“I will do so with respect.”

Shhh…

Gardin flipped the bag open, revealing a collection of needles of varying sizes. They occupied the table, sparkling and shimmering in the light. Raciel carefully selected the thinnest and smallest needles from the bunch.

‘I guess these will do…’

As he selected the needles, Raciel’s breathing became labored. He couldn’t help but worry.

‘I never thought I would have to use such big needles for self-acupuncture, really.’

The needles used for acupuncture in a Korean traditional medicine clinic are not the same as regular needles. They are much thinner and have a slightly rounded tip to minimize pain. In contrast, the needles Raciel chose now were much thicker, almost resembling clubs in comparison.

Despite this, he was confident that they would still be suitable for administering acupuncture.

With careful precision, Raciel picked out the needles and sterilized their tips with a candle flame.

Was this behavior unusual in this world?

“Excuse me, Your Highness?”

“Yes?”

“I know this may be rude, but… what are you planning to do with those needles?” asked Gardin, looking a little hesitant.

Raciel smiled as if it was nothing to worry about.

“It’s simple. I’m going to prick myself a little with these needles.”

In the novel, Raciel received numerous treatments but ultimately succumbed to his illness. The medicine and blessings of the priests proved to be ineffective. As a result, something else must be done to avoid the same fate.

Thankfully, Korean traditional medicine may hold the key to his survival. It is a medical practice that is not commonly found in this world. This gave Raciel a ray of hope to cling to.

‘Let’s start with acupuncture for now. It takes time and preparation to get the herbs. So, this is probably the best I can do right now.’

When Raciel made up his mind, Gardin was taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Excuse me, your Highness?”

“What’s so surprising? I said I’m going to prick myself. Just a little.”

“…”

“It’s okay. I won’t die.”

“…Your Highness!”

With a look of despair etched onto his handsome face, Gardin quickly dropped to his knees and began pleading.

“Please, Your Highness! You cannot harm yourself in such a way! You are the one who will continue the royal line. You may be physically and mentally exhausted from your illness, but this kind of self-harm is not the answer. Your Highness! Please, calm down and…”

“I think you should calm down instead.”

“Buuuttt Your…?!”

“Shooshh! Don’t be so surprised. I’m not self-harming,”

“But, Your Highness?”

“Tsk, enough already. That’s the end of it.”

Despite Gardin’s pleading, Raciel cut him off. However, Gardin didn’t back down easily. In fact, his expression as he looked up at Raciel was almost fierce. 

Sensing the need to clear up any misunderstandings, Raciel erased his smile and said, “If I don’t do this, I will die.”

“Um…what?”

“That’s why I’m doing it.”

“What…does that mean?”

“I appreciate your concern as my doctor, Gardin. But just this once, can you trust me and watch over me?”

“Your Highness…”

“If there’s a problem, I won’t do it again. Instead-“

He spoke firmly, his words piercing through like a wedge.

“If everything goes well, can you keep trusting me from now on?”

“…”

Gardin was almost convinced by Raciel’s words. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something about Raciel had changed since he had woken up earlier. 

His way of speaking, his actions, expressions, and gaze were all subtly different. 

Gardin wasn’t sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, but he sensed that Raciel was more determined and resolute than before.

‘At least he doesn’t have that hazy look in his eyes anymore, like before.’

Raciel was looking directly at Gardin with a clear and resolute gaze, something that Gardin had never seen before from the weak and powerless Crown Prince. 

It was perhaps because of this newfound determination that Gardin ultimately accepted Raciel’s words.

“Since you put it that way, I will follow your orders, Your Highness.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

With a sense of satisfaction, Raciel smiled, feeling as if he had climbed a small mountain. However, he knew that this was just the beginning. 

He carefully took the first needle in his hand, knowing full well that his whole body was a mess. Despite this, he had already decided on where to place the needle.

‘Of course, the first point to start with would be the Lung Meridian.’

Raciel recalled the location of the vein he had examined earlier, even though his entire body was in a state of disarray. 

Out of all the issues plaguing him, the most pressing concern was undoubtedly his respiratory system.

‘First of all, I need to make sure my breathing is comfortable.’

Raciel recognized that breathing was the most fundamental bodily function, and without proper airflow, the body couldn’t gain the necessary strength to combat any illness. Therefore, he believed it was best to begin with the Lung Meridian, which is the starting point of the Twelve Regular Meridians and is most closely related to the lungs.

“Whew…”

Raciel lay down and took a deep breath to steady himself. With the needle in hand, he carefully positioned it at the top of his left clavicle where it connects to the shoulder.

He then moved the needle below the supraclavicular fossa, six cun away from the midline, to the outermost part of the anterior midline. This was where the lung meridian met the pericardium meridian, and the most crucial point for treating respiratory and bronchial issues, as well as chest pain.

Taking a deep breath, he inserted the needle into the Zhong Fu point (CV1), the central point of the chest.

TUT

Raciel carefully inserted the needle into the Zhong Fu point at a depth of 5 pu (3.96 millimeters or 0.156 inches), feeling a sharp pain from the thicker needle.

‘Oof.’

Ding-dong!

Suddenly, a clear and unexpected sound rang out, like the ringing of a bell, piercing through his eardrums. Simultaneously, an unexpected message appeared in front of his eyes.

[Your body has received a pleasant stimulation due to your accurate acupuncture.]

[Your internal organs have begun to function a little better due to your accurate acupuncture.]

[Your lungs have awakened.]

[Your lungs send you a thumbs up.]

[Your lungs have donated 100 HP to you.]