Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 102

Chapter 102
The primary concealed fortress of the Blood Cult within the central plains was located within the jungles of Funing, Yunnan, a fact extracted from the testimonies of apprehended cultists from Wuhan.
Its position was strategically vital, with Guangxi to the east and Guizhou and Sichuan accessible to the north.
Recognizing this, Zhu Jung-hak, the head of the Martial Alliance, moved with decisive speed.
The prisoners had confessed that, aside from a minor outpost surveilling the Martial Alliance in Wuhan, the Blood Cult’s reach had not yet extended far. This presented a critical window to attack.
Any delay risked the cult’s influence exploding uncontrollably across Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Guangxi.
The Blood Cult’s martial arts offered practitioners a path to swift, formidable power through the consumption or absorption of blood.
This proved an intensely alluring prospect for corrupt nobles and disreputable martial artists.
Three decades prior, during the Blood Cult Rebellion, the cult had swelled its numbers instantly by recruiting such villains.
Consequently, Zhu Jung-hak rapidly gathered an expeditionary force and advanced on Funing.
Thus, a remote village of over a thousand Zhuang people, nestled deep in the Yunnan jungle, found itself besieged by martial artists.
*Fwoosh.*
Fire consumed the Zhuang village as the martial artists encircled it. Zhu Jung-hak’s face contorted with rage as he bellowed.
“Those fiends have masked themselves as Zhuang people! They are a plague upon the central plains—show no mercy!”
The justification for assaulting a village of the Zhuang, a minority people of Yunnan, was the cultists’ cunning disguise.
Their homes, their attire—everything was a perfect facade of an ordinary Zhuang settlement.
“Yes, Alliance Leader! Charge! Not a single one of these Blood Cult devils shall survive!”
“““Understood!”””
At Zhu Jung-hak’s furious order, the encirclement closed.
The vanguard was the Azure Dragon Squad, answering directly to the Alliance Leader.
Behind them, disciples from numerous sects followed in an unending wave.
“Waaaaah! Wipe them out! Leave none breathing!”
“Eradicate the Blood Cult!”
“It’s the Martial Alliance! We’ve been discovered—khuek!”
“H-how did they find us?! Guuhh…”
Inside the blazing village, a vicious struggle erupted between the Blood Cultists and the orthodox martial artists.
Yet the conflict was brief.
Thanks to a specialized scattering poison particularly potent against the Blood Cult, the engagement swiftly became a lopsided slaughter.
“M-my internal energy is gone!”
“Curse these orthodox dogs! Their weapons are poisoned—take care!”
Struck by the tainted weapons, the Cultists fell like common folk, their martial arts useless.
“Alliance Leader!”
Zhu Jung-hak snapped the neck of a Blood Cult elder before the dying embers.
As he wiped blood from his brow, the captain of the Azure Dragon Squad knelt before him on one knee.
The fighting appeared concluded.
“Is the area secure?”
Zhu Jung-hak expected a casualty report.
But the captain’s urgent tone suggested otherwise.
“We have captured or slain roughly half—five hundred total. But the other half… they have disappeared completely!”
Scouts had reported over a thousand Blood Cultists residing in the village.
Now, only five hundred bodies had been accounted for.
The village had been entirely surrounded by martial artists and alliance warriors.
Escape should have been impossible.
It was inexplicable.
“What?! Find them! They cannot have simply vanished! We must not allow them to flee!”
“Yes, Alliance Leader!”
Immediately, alliance warriors and sect disciples began scouring every corner of the battlefield.
An hour later, it was discovered.
A narrow tunnel, concealed within a dried-up well at the village’s heart.
“A tunnel? Dispatch the tracking team! Select those skilled in close-quarters combat and with superior vision!”
“Understood!”
Pursuers were sent in.
Yet within the cramped, maze-like passages, the conflict became a gruesome slaughter.
For three days, a brutal massacre unfolded in the pitch-black underground complex.
And at its conclusion—
The pursuers finally reached the exit.
What awaited them was not Blood Cultists.
It was the border guards of the Great Yue Kingdom.
The tunnel led directly beyond the border.
*Sizzle.*
The rabbit’s belly was slit open, its entrails removed. Its skin was peeled back and laid upon a heated stone, producing a mouthwatering sound.
Yang Seong-hu (Azure Dragon) inhaled the scent of the cooking meat, a satisfied smile gracing his features.
“Hmph. Not bad.”
Ordinarily, catching six rabbits demanded significant effort.
But today, they had located a nearby burrow and taken six with ease.
This meant three for tonight and two saved for breakfast.
A respectable bounty.
But his contentment was short-lived.
“Rabbit again? I swear, I’m going to start smelling like one.”
Do-ryong Paeng Gyu-seong had just returned from foraging for edible plants outside.
The moment he saw the roasting rabbits, his face soured with disgust.
“You should be thankful we have anything to eat! Honestly, what were you two thinking when you volunteered for this assignment?!”
Yang Seong-hu’s pent-up irritation finally erupted.
It wasn’t just Do-ryong—he shot a sharp glance at Sword Master Seon-hwa, who was entering behind him.
Seon-hwa frowned.
“Why include me? I said nothing.”
Yang Seong-hu’s frustration had been mounting for days.
Do-ryong and Seon-hwa had volunteered to pursue the escaped Blood Cultists across the border—
Yet the pair were utterly incompetent in survival scenarios.
They couldn’t hunt.
They couldn’t cook.
They couldn’t even light a fire.
Basic tracking skills were foreign to them.
Back in the central plains, as wandering martial artists, this went unnoticed.
But out here?
It was a disaster.
Coming from a family with many military officers, Yang Seong-hu had been trained in wilderness survival.
But these two?
They were hopelessly pampered.
Do-ryong’s Paeng clan was a renowned martial family, but they focused solely on combat.
Seon-hwa was from the Zhencheng Sect, located in the Yunnan jungles.
Yang Seong-hu had assumed that implied jungle expertise.
It did not.
“Tch. I should just be quiet and eat…”
Shaking his head, Yang Seong-hu turned the roasting rabbits over.
*Sizzle.*
He had attempted to instruct them days prior.
Their response?
“A swordsman need only master his blade. Who has time for other pursuits?”
“Precisely! A saber man simply needs to swing his saber well!”
That was when he surrendered.
As he tended to the rabbits, he sighed and asked Seon-hwa:
“Anyhow, any word from the other teams? We ought to check the rendezvous point soon.”
Twelve teams had crossed into Great Yue.
Fifteen days had already passed.
It was time to report.
“You’re correct. We should proceed tomorrow.”
Do-ryong and Seon-hwa both nodded in agreement.
“Alright. We’ll eat well tonight and check in tomorrow.”
“Agreed.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Just as they concluded their brief meeting and were attending to the meal, a clear voice suddenly rang out from an unseen location.
“Pardon the interruption!”
—Shiiiing.
“W-Who is there?!”
Startled by the sudden voice, Azure Dragon Yang Seong-hu jumped to his feet. He snatched the spear leaning against the cave wall and scanned their surroundings.
The moment he identified the sound originating from above, his eyes snapped toward the ceiling.
Something large was descending slowly from the cave ceiling…
Something enormous…
“O-Ohgong?!”
Astride a gigantic centipede—of a size he had never witnessed—a familiar warrior was gracefully making his descent.
“T-That warrior?!”
“Impossible, what is he doing here?!”
Both Sword Master Seon-hwa and Blade Dragon Do-ryong, just as shocked as Yang Seong-hu, cried out in astonishment at the warrior descending like a celestial being.
Meanwhile, the man riding the massive blue centipede smiled and spoke.
“Yang Seong-hu, I’ve saved your life on two occasions, yet you still haven’t shaken that habit of brandishing your spear at the slightest sound.”
Hearing this, Dok-hwa, seated behind the warrior, widened her eyes and looked toward Yang Seong-hu.
Realizing his action, Yang Seong-hu promptly hid the spear behind his back.
He had vowed to release his grudges, but that didn’t mean he wished to be viewed unfavorably.
***
[You know these people?]
[Yes, Sister. I do, however…]
[Are those scoundrels the hidden agents of the Five Venoms Sect within the martial world?!]
Finding them gathered outside the Five Venoms Sect’s underground passage, Seol naturally suspected they might be remnants concealed among the orthodox sects.
However, these men were from the righteous path.
Not merely members, but some of the most prominent young masters of their generation.
There was no possibility they were connected to the Five Venoms Sect, so I shook my head in response to Seol.
It was far more likely a simple coincidence had brought them here.
[No, Hwa-eun is acquainted with them.]
[They are not my friends, So-ryong.]
The instant I finished speaking, Hwa-eun immediately disavowed any relationship with them.
Lately, she had begun speaking more, likely from spending time with me and Seol raising our pets, but her fundamental nature remained unchanged.
Had Yang Seong-hu heard her, he would have been crushed.
Smiling, I turned to Seol and Hwa-eun.
[Sister, given their presence, this area seems secure. Let’s descend and acquire that roasted meat you desired.]
[You intend to request food?]
[Indeed, I saved Yang Seong-hu’s life twice. He won’t dare refuse.]
[You saved him?]
[It’s merely a matter between men.]
As Hwa-eun and Seol reacted with surprise, I called down to the men below.
“Pardon the interruption!”
—Shiiiing.
“W-Who is there?!”
While Yang Seong-hu shouted and both Sword Master Seon-hwa and Blade Dragon Do-ryong recoiled in shock, I descended from the ceiling astride Cho.
“Yang Seong-hu, I’ve saved your life on two occasions, yet you still haven’t shaken that habit of brandishing your spear at the slightest sound.”
Immediately, Yang Seong-hu flinched and hastily concealed the spear behind his back.
All eyes turned toward him.
***
“But wait, So-ryong. Ah, now that you’ve joined the Beast Palace, should we address you as Young Lord So?”
“So-ryong is fine.”
“Very well, So-ryong. But what was that about saving Yang Seong-hu’s life twice?”
After we introduced Cho and Yo-hwa and exchanged explanations for our respective presences, we finally settled around the fire.
As we were given portions of roasted rabbit, Sword Master Seon-hwa inquired curiously about my earlier remark concerning Yang Seong-hu.
Smiling, I glanced at Yang Seong-hu.
“It’s just a matter between men. Isn’t that so, Yang Seong-hu?”
“R-Right! Precisely, So-ryong!”
Yang Seong-hu, his face paling, nodded vigorously.
I suspected I could leverage this for some time.
Taking a bite of the rabbit’s hind leg, I was taken aback by its flavor.
‘Why is this so delicious? Yang Seong-hu cooked this? How is his cooking this good?’
It seemed food truly tastes best when taken just before others eat it.
As I finished the leg and tossed the bones into the fire, Do-ryong spoke up beside me.
“You certainly have an appetite. Here, take this as well.”
“No, Brother Gyu-seong, you should eat too.”
Do-ryong, seated next to me, tore another rabbit apart and offered it to me.
I waved my hands in refusal, but he simply grinned and pushed it into my grasp.
“Hah! Watching you eat is satisfaction enough. Take it, no arguments.”
This was only our second meeting. The first time, we had barely exchanged greetings. Yet, he was treating me with immense kindness.
And I knew the reason perfectly well.
‘So he is Yeong-yeong’s older brother.’
When I first met him at the Martial Alliance through Hwa-eun’s introduction, I had presumed a shared surname was coincidental. But he was indeed Yeong-yeong’s eldest brother.
Earlier, the moment he saw me, he had greeted me with great warmth, behaving as if we were old friends.
“So it’s you! So-ryong, correct?! My father told me everything. Thank you for saving my sister! I never imagined meeting my benefactor in a place like this!”
“Huh?”
“I speak of Yeong-yeong! My younger sister!”
“Oh! Yeong-yeong! Then you are… the heir of the Paeng family?”
“Correct! I am the first son of the So Family.”
Apparently, after delivering Yeong-yeong to the Beast Palace, the Paeng Family Head had visited the Martial Alliance and mentioned I had saved her and even sworn brotherhood with her.
Having sworn siblinghood with Yeong-yeong, Do-ryong essentially regarded me as his younger brother.
“My sister said you treated her as true family and became her sworn sibling. That makes you my little brother now!”
“Huh?”
I was uncertain how to feel about abruptly gaining an older brother, but upon reflection, it seemed advantageous.
The Paeng family was renowned for one trait—producing natural tanks.
During the fight with the Venomous Gentleman, I had understood: to defeat more poisonous beasts, I required a roster of durable allies.
Thus, I politely accepted the rabbit leg from him and spoke.
“Thank you, Brother. Also, Grandfather Myriad Venoms Divine Lord will be arriving soon. Since we are also following the trail of the Five Venoms Sect, we should join forces.”
“Oh, right! If we follow the Five Venoms Sect’s path, we may even uncover signs of the Blood Cult! A sound strategy.”
Teaming up promised benefits for both parties.
However, after two additional days, neither my adoptive father nor Grandfather Myriad Venoms Divine Lord had appeared.