Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 104

Chapter 104
Beneath the thick jungle canopy, our group paused to rest, finding seats on stones blanketed in moss under the shade of an enormous tree.

As Seol looked up through the leaves, she turned to Sword Master and inquired,
“Sword Master Seon-hwa, would you permit me to try some animal calls?”
“…Animal calls?”
Sword Master blinked, perplexed, and the rest of the group turned their attention to Seol, curious about what she meant.
Then Sword Master looked toward me.
Because Yunnan was viewed by the locals not merely as a border region but almost as a foreign land (Saiwai), it seemed he anticipated I could clarify if such a practice was a custom of the Beast Palace.
But I had no explanation to offer.
‘I haven’t been with the Beast Palace for very long myself.’
Seol, smiling, answered the question hanging in the air.
“I wished to see if any creatures from the Beast Palace are in the area. We have animals stationed throughout Yunnan—hawks, owls, monkeys, wolves—that sort.”
“But we aren’t in Yunnan now, are we?” Sword Master noted, questioning whether her efforts would yield any result.
Seol shook her head. “Borders are made by people, not animals. If any of our beasts have crossed into this territory, I want to send word back to the Beast Palace.”
Her logic was sound. Boundaries meant nothing to wildlife.
Hearing her reasoning, Sword Master granted his consent.
Since we were traveling discreetly to evade the Blood Cult, loud noises were a risk, but animal calls would blend into the jungle’s chorus.
“Ah, I understand. That should be fine. We hear animal noises here constantly anyway.”
—Piiiik!
The instant Sword Master agreed, Seol produced a sharp, piercing whistle that cut through the jungle air.
It was a nearly flawless mimicry of a hawk’s cry.
She watched the sky for a time, but eventually shook her head.
“It seems there is no one close by.”
Perhaps we were still too distant from Yunnan.
Seeing the disappointment on Seol’s face, Azure Dragon Yang Seong-hu, who nearly worshipped—or perhaps was falling in love with—her, spoke up with eager enthusiasm.
“Since we are still far from Yunnan, we can attempt again later. Lady Seol, I must say, your ability to call animals is astonishing. Truly worthy of the Beast Palace!”
Seol laughed lightly at his fervor. “We’ll try again later. But I appreciate the praise.”
At her words, Azure Dragon broke into a foolish grin.
It was then that Sword Master, looking thoroughly unimpressed, turned a withering gaze toward Azure Dragon and began to recount one of his more embarrassing past episodes.
“It must be because you wield a spear as thin as a reed. Is your heart equally fragile? Not long ago, weren’t you vowing to fight duels for Dok-hwa’s honor…?”
“Mmph!” Azure Dragon swiftly clamped a hand over Seon-hwa’s mouth, forcing an awkward laugh as he turned to the rest of us.
“Ahaha… T-that was merely… as a comrade, you see…”
Before he could finish his stumbling explanation, Hwa-eun’s icy, toneless voice sliced through the air like a blade.
“You are not friends, Yang Seong-hu.”
“H-huh?”
He stumbled over his words.
He had barely avoided Sword Master’s jab only to be cut down by Hwa-eun’s blunt statement.
Utterly defeated, Azure Dragon fell silent, staring down at the mossy rock he sat on, idly pulling at the greenery.
‘Oh no, he’s about to cry.’
Sensing Azure Dragon’s fragile mental state was nearing a breaking point, I decided to steer the conversation elsewhere and addressed Sword Master.
It was better to move on before Azure Dragon completely fell apart.
“Speaking of which, Sword Master, how much further is it to the rendezvous point?”
Having been glaring at Azure Dragon Yang Seong-hu with pure disdain after his earlier folly, Sword Master immediately softened her expression and answered me with a respectful smile.
“Barring any complications, we should arrive by nightfall, So-ryong.”
“Then we ought to make haste. It will be difficult if we are still traveling after dark.”
“Ah, that is true. Then let us—”
The party began to rise from their resting places, preparing to move toward the rendezvous point.
Everyone except Azure Dragon.
Still sulking, he had missed the cue to move, completely absorbed in shredding the moss in his dejection.
Sword Master did not let it go.
“Are you coming or not?! You are our guide!”
“Huh? Ah! I-I’m coming!”
Startled, Azure Dragon scrambled to his feet and hurried after Sword Master.
And as I observed them, a peculiar thought occurred to me.
‘Wait… could it be that Sword Master actually has feelings for Azure Dragon?’
I was not usually one to notice such things, but there was something odd about their interactions.
As I rubbed my chin, lost in contemplation, Seol came near and whispered softly.
[What are you thinking about, So-ryong?]
[Oh, uh… I was just wondering. Is it possible Sword Master likes Azure Dragon Yang Seong-hu?]
[You only realized that now?]
[…What?]
Seol’s reply was offhand, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.
Before I could process it, Hwa-eun added her voice.
[I have been deliberately keeping my distance from Azure Dragon because Sword Master is fond of him. It has been years, and that fool still has no idea.]
[Right? I have never seen a man so oblivious. Even during meals, Sword Master always gives him the most tender pieces of meat. When we sleep, she covers him with leaves. Yesterday, she ate only half a rabbit and gave the rest to Azure Dragon, claiming she was full.]
‘Friends’ was the last word to describe them.
By this point, it was simply pitiable.
But then again, if someone had been caring for you so devotedly for years, and you remained completely unaware while pursuing another woman, you likely deserved the scorn.
‘So that is why Hwa-eun is so harsh with him… He brought this upon himself.’
Even my sympathy began to curdle into annoyance.
Looking at Sword Master, I sighed and murmured,
[And now he seems to have developed feelings for Seol instead. Poor Seon-hwa.]
So Azure Dragon had finally moved on from Hwa-eun… only to immediately become infatuated with Seol.
Seol, noticing my train of thought, glanced toward Azure Dragon and let out a dismissive sound.
[I cannot stand that type of man.]
I had briefly considered that if she found him agreeable, it might not be a bad match. But given his history and his fickle nature, there was no chance Seol would be interested.
I seized the moment to ask about her preferences.
If someone who met her standards appeared, I could make an introduction.
She was, after all, a formidable and striking beauty.
[Then what sort of man do you prefer, Seol?]
As if she had been waiting for the question, she suddenly linked her arm with mine and answered without a pause.
[Someone like you, So-ryong.]
‘H-Huh?! Seol, you can’t say things like that!’
For a moment, panic seized me. An absurd thought flashed—was she implying something more than familial affection?!
But before I could spiral further, she smirked and looked toward Azure Dragon and Paeng Gyu-seong, who were walking ahead of us.
[Hmm, if I must choose… rather than a rat, I would say a Hwa-ung (Flower Bear). They are rather endearing, don’t you think?]
[Flower Bear?]
[So-ryong, there is a black-and-white bear that looks quite adorable.]
‘A black-and-white bear? A panda?’
She was undoubtedly describing a panda.
Looking at Azure Dragon and Paeng Gyu-seong, I understood her meaning.
The rat was Azure Dragon, while the panda referred to Paeng Gyu-seong.
Given that Paeng Gyu-seong had the build of a bear—whether a trait of the Paeng Clan or unique to him—it followed that Seol’s taste leaned toward someone with a beast-like strength.
‘So she prefers men who are large and powerful… That makes sense.’
For a moment, I felt I had glimpsed the secret of how the seemingly simple-minded Paeng Clan had endured through the generations.
By the time the sky turned gold with the setting sun, Azure Dragon, who was leading at the front, spoke up.
“We are nearly there. The abandoned wolf den below that hill is our rendezvous point.”
Following his pointing finger, I saw a gentle slope nestled against a mountainside. The area was covered with large rocks and grass nearly as tall as a person.
The remaining distance was roughly two or three kilometers.
“Understood. Let us hurry before nightfall.”
“Yes, Lady Seol.”
Seol acknowledged Azure Dragon’s reply, then moved closer to me and whispered in my ear.
[So-ryong, since we are approaching the rendezvous point, instruct Cho to remain in the sky and not descend until I summon her—no matter what occurs.]
Her tone was uncharacteristically stern.
I tilted my head, confused.
[Cho? Why?]
[Simply as a precaution. We are operating on the assumption the rendezvous point is secure, but what if someone was captured and revealed its location to the Blood Cult?]
The moment she said it, my mind jolted into full alertness, as if I’d been struck.
She was right.
If someone had been taken, we would be walking directly into a trap.
[Then wouldn’t it be better for Cho to join us? If something happens, her presence could intimidate any enemies and drive them off.]
Unlike Seol, I thought displaying our strength immediately would be a safer deterrent.
But Seol shook her head.
[There is no need to reveal all our assets at once. If the rendezvous is compromised and we must retreat all the way to Yunnan, we cannot show our full hand now. If they see our complete strength, they will have time to prepare countermeasures.]
[Understood, Seol.]
She had a point.
If a long retreat became necessary, the enemy adapting to our tactics would be disastrous.
In my mind, I reached out to Cho, sending a clear command.

Initially, Cho sent back waves of confusion, but after I repeated my assurances, she reluctantly agreed.
With Cho taken care of, I turned to Yohwa.
[Yohwa, if any danger arises, protect Seol and Hwa-eun first. Do not act unless I give the signal, understood?]
— Hiss?
[I have Cho with me, so I need you to watch over them.]
— Hisss!
Following Seol’s warning, I completed all necessary preparations.
As we advanced toward the rendezvous point, the last sunlight vanished, and darkness settled.
We were about two or three hundred meters from the abandoned wolf den when Azure Dragon suddenly raised a hand, signaling a halt.
He scrutinized the surroundings, searching for something.
A moment later, a man emerged from the tall grass, a judge’s brush held in both hands.
“It has been a while, Azure Dragon. I was surprised to hear you were bringing four additional people.”
“It has been a while, Swift Walker. Naturally, we have had our share of surprises as well.”
The man who appeared had already been informed about us by Azure Dragon. He was the leader of the Martial Alliance’s covert intelligence unit—the vice-lord of Flying Dragon Pavilion, Bang Sun, known as Swift Walker.
His nickname was earned for his exceptional light-footedness.
After giving our group a swift visual assessment, he nodded and spoke.
“To think we would see members of the Beast Palace and the Tang Clan here. Let us exchange formal greetings inside.”
“Yes, sir.”
We followed him toward the entrance of the large burrow known as the abandoned wolf den.
As Swift Walker ducked his head to enter the den, a piercing shriek erupted from the sky above.
— PIIIIIIIIIK!
“Hyo-shi?!”
It was a warning cry.
Eyes wide with shock, Swift Walker’s head snapped upward.
And then—
The surrounding area was suddenly illuminated by the flare of torchlight.
“S-Surprise attack! Gahhhk—!”
A scream of agony ripped through the night as chaos exploded around us.