Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 108

Chapter 108
At my declaration, Tang Hwa-eun’s eyes sparkled with delight. She was clearly overjoyed to see me holding my ground in such a perilous and absurd scenario, with this dangerous stranger boldly asserting her claim over me. This was the true appeal of being a younger man. Most of the time, I played the part of someone needing protection—tugging at her nurturing instincts. But in a moment like this, I had to stand tall and announce, “Noona, I’m your man.”

‘I might not be an expert in romance, but I know how to create a moment.’ Years of streaming had taught me exactly how to hold an audience’s focus. And from the depth of her gaze, my one-woman audience had just pressed the like button in her heart.

As I soaked in the warmth of Tang Hwa-eun’s silent praise, the woman in black stood stunned, repeating what I’d said. “The adopted son of the Beast Palace… and the son-in-law of the Tang Clan…?” Her face clouded over, her eyes flushing crimson. Abruptly, she spun toward Tang Hwa-eun and shrieked— “The Tang Clan and the Beast Palace! What could you possibly be thinking!? Are you trying to relive the history of a century ago!? You wretched filth!”

She was obviously talking about the past of the Five Venom Clan. The Five Venom Clan had been established by a son of the Tang Clan and a daughter of the Beast Palace, only to be wiped out by both powers. The public excuse had been charges of beast cruelty and leaking poison arts to outsiders… but the reality was undoubtedly far more complicated.

Yet, in spite of her fury, the woman’s expression softened when her eyes fell on me. She suddenly let out a sigh, as if feeling sorry for me. “Oh… so you’re a victim as well.” A strange light glinted in her eyes. “This gives me even more reason to make you mine. I will rescue you from the dirty grasp of the Tang Clan and the Beast Palace.”

“What kind of ridiculous—”

“It’s alright. You’re brainwashed at the moment. That’s why you can’t see it.”

I had thought that revealing who I was would make her want to kill me immediately. But no—this woman was utterly deranged. She truly believed I was doomed to the same fate as the founders of the Five Venom Clan. I had no idea how to argue with her. ‘Yeah. She’s insane.’

Just as a cold dread ran down my spine, she shook off the ice still clinging to her arms and lunged straight for me. “Come with me!” ‘Wait, I thought she was hurt!?’ I was sure Seol and Bini’s ice attack had caused serious internal damage. But she was charging at me with full, frantic speed. My words had only made her more aggressive. As much as I enjoyed looking impressive, this was very bad. If I was captured, everything would crumble. The others might abandon the fight to save me, and we would lose our only opportunity to get away. I couldn’t allow that.

I instantly jumped back, sending a mental order to Hyang and Bini. ‘Hyang! Bini! Get ready!’ The instant she grabbed me, they would strike. But before she could reach me, Tang Hwa-eun leaped in front of me. She called out to the two small shapes perched on her shoulders— “Seol! Bini!” —Kkuku! —Kkuu! Seol and Bini shot forward like missiles, launched with such power that the recoil sent Tang Hwa-eun flying backward—right into my embrace. “Ugh…!”

A moment later, the woman crashed head-on with Seol and Bini. Or so I believed. —Sssrrrkk… Her figure became a blur, and the two creatures passed directly through her. ‘Lizard-Wall Phantom Step!?’ It was a technique from the Five Venom Clan, one my grandfather had shown me years ago. He had only performed it slowly, but she had just executed it at full velocity. It made sense. She was a survivor of the Five Venom Clan, after all. —BAM! Seol and Bini smashed into the ground, their attack completely evaded.

Tang Hwa-eun reacted without delay, thrusting both palms toward the oncoming woman. “Tch! Black Dragon Palm!” The woman nimbly dodged, then swung her arm, sending Tang Hwa-eun hurling to the right. “You’re a nuisance. Move aside!” —THWACK! “Argh…!” “Hwa-eun!” Then, she seized my wrist. Her eyes blazed with fixation. “Come with me!” In that instant— I executed Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand—Poison Fang Coil. My fingers twisted around her arm, immediately flowing into Venomous Snake’s Greedy Strike, driving straight for her chest. She had just used Lizard-Wall Phantom Step. That reminded me of something crucial— I had also learned the martial arts of the Five Venom Clan. If she could use them, so could I. By aiming for her chest, I ensured Hyang and Bini could bite as near to her heart as possible. If she had an antidote, it wouldn’t act fast enough to save her. Her eyes widened in astonishment. “You… know Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand!?”

At the same time, I finally shouted a command I hadn’t used in a long time. “Hyang! Bini! Bite!” —TSSSrrr! Hyang sprang from my wrist, shooting straight for her chest. For a second, everything seemed to be going according to plan. But then— I realized something was off. Only Hyang had attacked. ‘Wait… where is Bini!?’ I quickly looked down. Bini hadn’t lunged. Instead, he had climbed onto my shoulder and was waving his antennae desperately. —Tsssssrrr! ‘No, Bini! Not killing intent!’ I had ordered him to bite, but instead, he was releasing a lethal aura. Normally, I would have found it endearing. But right now—this was a catastrophe. The woman still had one free hand. Because of Bini’s hesitation, she managed to block Hyang’s attack, causing Hyang to sink her fangs into her hand instead of her chest. —CRUNCH! She gritted her teeth, but blood oozed from her hand. Her face contorted in recognition. “You… this is… Azure-striped Centipede Venom!?”

Hyang drove her fangs into the woman’s hand, injecting as much venom as she could. But the woman, a master of venom, immediately shook her hand, flinging Hyang away. Her hand started to swell quickly, but that was all. She barely reacted to the poison. It was just as I’d feared. To her, even the Azure-striped Centipede’s venom was little different from a normal centipede’s bite. She flexed her fingers, smirking. “To think you were hiding an Azure-striped Centipede as well… How many more surprises do you have for me?” Her crazed eyes scanned me from head to toe again. It was as if she had found the perfect candidate for the Five Venom Clan. Just as I was valuable to the Tang Clan and the Beast Palace, I was probably the ideal prodigy for the Five Venom Clan as well. All I’d ever wanted was to feature venomous creatures on my channel, yet somehow, in this world, my value was soaring.

“Oh, and don’t worry,” she added. “It’s painful, but a juvenile Azure-striped Centipede’s venom won’t be enough to kill me. Fufu.” She calmly pressed several acupuncture points on her shoulder, slowing the venom’s progression. Then, she took out a small cylindrical device with a needle and injected it into her hand. The swelling reduced instantly. ‘Damn it. Anyone else would have melted from two bites, but not her. Of course. The damn Five Venom Clan…’ Tang Hwa-eun was still down, fighting to get up. Was I really about to be taken like this?

But just as I began to despair, a powerful roar thundered across the plains. —KRRROOOAAAAR! The woman’s eyes shot open in alarm. “Th-this is… the Beast Palace’s Lion’s Roar!?” I turned toward the grasslands of Namna Mountain. Charging toward us on all fours was my adoptive father. And beside him, soaring through the air, was Mandok Shingun (Tang Mu-seong). “Who dares oppress my son!?” “Who dares oppress the Tang Clan’s son-in-law!?” Their powerful voices echoed as one. —GRIT. The woman clenched her jaw, her whole body quivering with frustration. “Damn it! Of all people, it had to be the Beast Lord and that old monster! Gweong! Get over here!” The buzzing sound I had nearly forgotten suddenly returned as the hornet sped toward her. —BZZZZZT! It was wrapped in webbing, its body scratched and battered, but still flying. The woman jumped onto its back, her voice still full of regret. “I can’t take you today because of these interruptions. I’ve also used up my internal energy to purge the Azure-striped Centipede’s venom… And Gweong can only carry one person.” Her eyes glowed as she looked at me. “But don’t be too disheartened. I will return for you.” “Gweong! Let’s go! We can’t be captured here!” —BZZZZZT. The hornet’s wings roared, and she ascended into the sky. At that moment, I spotted something glinting on the hornet’s head. ‘Wait… Golden Stingers!?’ Just like army ants, Golden Stingers were embedded into her and the hornet’s heads. Before I could process it, her voice rang in my ears— [Remember my name. Oh Cheong-yu.]

Thus ended my first meeting with the Five Venom Clan.

***

Thanks to my adoptive father and Tang Mu-seong’s timely arrival, we were saved and taken to the Beast Palace. Everyone except me was hospitalized. Paeng Gyu-seong (Paeng Clan Blade Dragon): Severe stab wound to his side. Geom-bong: Nearly died, but pulled through miraculously. His internal injuries would require months of recovery. Yang Seong-hu (Azure Dragon): Fractured vertebrae from a strike to the neck. Seon-hwa (Sword Master): Internal injuries from the Beast Roar Hornet’s soundwave. Tang Hwa-eun: Bruises and internal injuries from the confrontation.

But the thing that angered me the most— was that Cho had lost two legs. That wretched hornet had torn him apart during the fight. I stared at Cho’s injured body, speaking softly. “That cursed Beast Roar Hornet… Cho, does it hurt terribly?” —Tsssrrr… Cho communicated that he was fine, but I knew he was lying to comfort me. I gritted my teeth. Sure, he was a centipede, and he would regrow his legs after molting, but I couldn’t bear to wait that long. I needed a way to hasten the process. At that moment, I glanced at the spider silk cocoon where a certain someone was hiding. And I spoke loudly enough for him to hear. “…What should I do? Cho is hurt, but to molt, he needs highly nutritious food… But where can I find something that nourishing? His legs must be in so much pain… At times like this, family ought to help one another…” I watched as the creature inside the cocoon wavered, shifting uneasily. Then, after a long pause, it suddenly began to gag. —KEK! KEK-KKEEKK! A tiny inner core tumbled out. ‘Ha. I knew it. This guy had been stashing cores.’ Just as I suspected, he hadn’t coughed up everything last time. His body didn’t shrivel up now, meaning he hadn’t given me all of it before. I quickly fed the core to Cho, making sure no one else saw. Cho’s recovery was the most important thing. Besides, Hyang and Bini were with Tang Mu-seong anyway. They were still angry at me and Tang Hwa-eun for deceiving them. Apparently, after returning to the Beast Palace, Bini had tested his killing aura on various animals… only to get no reaction. That’s when he realized he’d been tricked. This morning, I had woken up to find both Hyang and Bini staring down at me. Tang Hwa-eun and I had slept together, yet they chose to confront me instead of her. The moment I sensed their emotions, I understood—they were thoroughly sulking. And then, they had marched off to Tang Mu-seong, refusing to come near me. ‘I barely managed to appease them last time by giving them a core… but what am I supposed to do now?’ I sighed. If the internet existed, I’d be searching for how to apologize to sulking daughters right now.