He then cut the side of the calf with a scalpel. As expected, red blood flowed with the cut.

“Does it hurt?”

If the patient had felt pain with the skin cut, Kanghyok would have found it hard to do the surgery. Fortunately, it seemed that he did not feel hurt that much.

“Nope.”

“If it hurts a lot, just let me know,” said Kanghyok.

It was one of the usual comments that doctors used to tell patients.

“Please tell me if you feel any pain during the surgery.”

“Sure, will do.”

Even if he said it did hurt, Kanghyon had nothing to offer for comfort except for asking him to endure it anyway.

Of course, that man was not aware of that.

As if he was influenced by the narcotic a.n.a.lgesic, he looked sleepy. In no time, he fell asleep lightly with a relaxed look.

Dolsok's expression turned for the worse, though.

For it was the first time he would a.s.sist Kanghyok with a major surgery like this, though he did help the master with =lots of surgeries before.

“Ouch!”

“Just shut your mouth and wipe off the blood with gauze.”

“Yes, master.” With a sullen face, Dolsok wiped off the blood.

“Can you clean it faster?”

“Yeah, yeah!”

As the patient had some infection in the wounds of his swollen leg, a little bit of blood was constantly coming out. Even from the yellow fatty tissue, out came blood.

Dolsok was sweating while helping his master out.

“Hey, why are you cleaning it with the gauze stained with blood?”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Don't use the gauze too much as I don't have any more in stock.”

“Really? Yes, sir.”

Fortunately, the surgery did go well.

The wounds on his leg was cut open, with its red muscle inside visibly seen.

‘Ah, that blood sucks.'

In a modern surgery room, Kanghyok could have easily cauterized it with an electronic device. But here, in old Korea, he had no other choice but to press on the wounds with gauze helplessly, or inject a vasopressor agent.

However, even that was not enough.

‘I've used one third of the gauze in stock, and I don't have much vasopressor agent left.'

Kanghyok could not stop, though.

When he cut the wounds on the s.h.i.+n open, its condition looked serious.

‘His thick musculature is a problem.'

As Dolsok pulled the broken bone too strongly a little while ago, it caused more injury.

“Let me wipe off blood first. Dols0ok, open this wide.”

“Open it wide?” Dolsok asked, shuddering with shock. Even the opened area in the wounds was disgusting.

“Just open it wide now. Do you see anything there?”

“You mean the cut leg?”

“d.a.m.n it, don't say that. He's going to hear it.”

“Don't worry. He's deep in sleep now—he's even snoring.”

Like he said, that man was asleep.

‘I guess he was influenced by the narcotic a.n.a.lgesic, but it's not strong enough to make him fall asleep like that…'

That man's endurance was unbelievably strong.

‘Good for him anyway.'

Looking at that patient, Kanghyok now blamed Dolsok.

“Even that patient looks calm, dude. Why are you so scared?”

“How can I stay calm? You were literally cutting his leg…”

“Stop that nonsense! Just open it wider.”

“Yes, sir.”

With a frown, Dolsok opened the wounds on his leg.

As they created some s.p.a.ce, the blood pooled inside gushed out.

“Oh my G.o.d…” Dolsok turned his head, showing a disgusted look.

Kanghyok now began to dig inside it as he saw fresh red blood among the old blood inside. Obviously, he had some blood vessels there damaged. If those were left untreated, he might die because of excessive bleeding.

‘Let me take care of it as soon as possible.'

It would be more difficult later if he could not block it now.

‘Where is it? Where?”

Considering the direction of bone breakage and where the fractures happened, there were not many blood vessels that might have bleeding.

‘I guess it's a vein right behind the s.h.i.+nbone.'

If it was an artery, he would not have survived until now.

Arteries were usually very firm, so it was highly likely it went astray when it was. .h.i.t by a sharp object. But, veins were soft, and easily torn. That's the case now.

Kanghyok found the exact tattered blood vessel with its side already gone. At that moment, the red blood stopped gus.h.i.+ng out.

“Dolsok, give me some thread and needle. You can pull it with just one hand.”

“Yes, master.”

Dolsok was already accustomed to pools of blood, so he seemed much more relaxed than before.

Kanghyok also felt good because he located the damaged blood vessel instantly.

“Great, Dolsok. Good job!”

“Thanks, master.”

“Good. Keep pulling it like that.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

While Dolsok was pulling the wound with one hand, Kanghyok was st.i.tching up the blood vessel. As the blood vessel was not thin, it was not difficult for him to sew it up.

‘Done! It stopped bleeding. Now, it's time to put the dislocated bone back to its original position.”

“Do you think this is possible?” In Dolsok's eyes, that patient's bone was dislocated too much.

“You have to use your strength from now on.”

“Me?”

“You're stronger than I am, right?”

“Oh, I see…” Dolsok looked his master up and down subconsciously.

As Kanghyok took off his clothes for the surgery, his muscles were seen more clearly than before.

The part of Dolsok's build that was superior to his was his pot belly.

Pointing at his build and his own alternatively, Dolsok said, “Looks like this is not fair.”

“Actually, I've made this build through fitness training, so I can't use my muscles unless I'm in the right environment.”

“What did you say?”

“In other words, my muscles are flabby while yours are muscular.”

Though Dolsok complained, he corrected his posture to help Kanghyok. Some time ago he helped Kanghyok fix the broken arm of a servant. So, he had a hazy recollection of how to help his master. Of course, the wounds of the servant were not that severe, and his build was not that big.

“Fortunately, the painkiller was pretty much effective on this patient. If he feels pain, his muscles are supposed to strain.”

“I see. Let's do it quickly before he senses pain, sir.”

“Sure. Let me hold him here, so you can stretch his leg.”

“Yes, sir.” Dolsok began to stretch his wounded leg.

That guy made a frown at this sudden pain.

“Uhm…” He even groaned a bit this time.

As Dolsok himself was struggling, he couldn't stretch the leg easily no matter how hard he tried. It might be impossible to get the misaligned bone back into position.

‘I wish I had Makbong stay here.'

Kanghyok urgently told the patient, “You have to put up with it even if you feel extreme pain. Just relax your body.”

“Got it.” That guy closed his eyes and then began to recite something.

Hearing it closely, Kanghyok realized he was reciting some phrases from military strategy books.

“Oh, it's working now. Please keep enduring the pain. Dolsok, just stretch his leg now!”

“Yes, master!”

Kanghyok and Dolsok stretched his leg with all their might, and he put up with the pain all the way.

“Now, slightly stretch it to the right! Okay, that's good.”

“No, d.a.m.n it. Left, not right!”

“Right! Don't you know left from right?”

Kanghyok kept teasing Dolsok while he was at it even when he was certain that he was doing the job right.

“Very good! Done. All we have to do is just fix it tight.”

Kanghyok held the plate he had taken out from the medical box a while ago. Then, he suddenly started feeling some doubt.

‘Why is this inside that box anyway?'