Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 113

Chapter 113
A sweet fragrance hung heavily in the air, mingling with the scent of desiccated wood. The hum of countless wings filled the space, the sound of golden hornets laboring without rest to heat their hive.
Sunlight fell upon the parched tree, spreading its warmth as the hornets rhythmically beat their wings to collect the heat. Much like bees, these creatures falter in the cold, only taking flight when warmth abounds. Their wings quivered in the dawn’s light, distributing the gathered heat throughout the nest.
These golden hornets appeared to blend features of both hornets and bees, though their routines leaned more toward those of bees, since common hornets might hunt for honey beneath a full moon. The golden hornets, by contrast, commenced their labors only in the early morning.

“Has the queen risen?” I inquired, gazing up between the hexagonal combs. The whirring wings halted briefly before resuming, and then the queen herself descended, hovering upside-down at my eye level.

*Buzz!*

She vibrated her wings, as if to say she had been awake. A quiet fell within the hollow tree, and I hurried to explain my visit.
“The reason I’ve come… I have a companion named Bini, and there is another who matches this scent—O-Gong. Do you know of him? He has disappeared. Could you instruct your workers to tell me if they spot him during their honey gathering?”
I held out the scent bottle tied to my wrist. The queen stilled, appearing briefly startled, then dipped her head in understanding.

*Buzz!*

“Thank you. My apologies for disturbing you at this hour. I’ll take my leave now.”
The queen flicked her wings once more, accepting my thanks. As I turned to go, I felt a light touch on my shoulder.

*Tap, tap.*

I looked back to find the queen tapping my forehead with her antennae.

*Tap-tap.*

Then she brought her mouth closer to my face.
‘Not this again! This is too far…’
My muscles went rigid. This gesture signified a nutrient exchange, a common ritual among social insects like bees and ants. For some inexplicable reason, the queen desired to perform this act with me again.
‘Will I actually starve because of this?’
I recognized the honor implied but recoiled at the demand. One experience had been overwhelming; a second might undo me completely.
‘What should I do?’
For a heartbeat, I wavered, torn. It was a profound gesture, the ultimate sign of trust within an insect colony. To refuse might damage my standing with her and, consequently, the entire golden hornet swarm.
Knowing I couldn’t simply decline, I swiftly raised a hand.
“I… I’m quite full at the moment. I had honey just yesterday. Humans can’t overindulge all at once, you understand.”

*Buzz? Wing, wing!*
The queen’s wings buzzed with what seemed like irritation at my rejection.

‘Is she angry?’
Just then, a worker hornet flew in carrying a round object the size of a watermelon and deposited it into my arms.

*Buzz.*

The weight was substantial, and I knew it was packed with honey.
“Am I to take this?” I asked.

*Buzz. Buzz.*
Her wingbeats seemed to instruct me to take it and consume it. Perhaps she was worried for my health, or perhaps she was embracing me as part of her colony. Either way, I nodded, grateful for the gift and relieved the tense moment had passed.
“Thank you, truly.”
On my way out, I pondered how little I truly grasped the queen’s actions. I started considering the idea of registering the golden hornets within the Beastheart Compendium to gain better insight and prevent such awkward situations in the future.
I felt no urgency to register them immediately. My mentor and adoptive father had warned that bonding with a social creature often leads to multiple registrations. Therefore, caution was essential.
‘Best not to hurry. There are benefits, but it’s not without complications.’
While annoyed by the queen’s sudden request, I also saw that Bini’ disappearance was a reminder that not everything would be simple. An emotional bond doesn’t always guarantee a smooth path.

I exited the training ground holding the honey, thankful to have sidestepped the queen’s more intimate offer. Outside, however, the atmosphere was growing increasingly chaotic.

“Over here!”
“The Venom Blood Squad will divide into five units to sweep the mountain!”
Martial artists from the clan were forming pairs and moving toward the summit of Dangga Mountain.
“What’s happening?” I asked, attempting to stop a warrior for an explanation.
A cough cut me off.

*Clear throat!*

I turned to see Mandok Shingun approaching with a stern expression, Hwa-eun trailing behind him with a tense face.
Trouble was clearly afoot, but I offered my respects all the same.
“Good morning, Grandfather.”
Mandok Shingun brushed aside my greeting, his agitation plain.
“Why was I not informed of something this serious occurring overnight? What is the meaning of this commotion?!”
“Ah? Well… that is…”
It appeared Hwa-eun had told him about Bini’s disappearance. The uproar was likely because Mandok Shingun had ordered the clan’s warriors to search for the creature.
I never anticipated my venomous companion would cause such an uproar. I had evidently grown more attached to the little thing than I’d realized.
“How could you mistreat the little one so that it fled? A child who has never ventured outside—where could it possibly be hiding?”
Mandok Shingun scolded me as if Bini were his own grandchild. His demeanor revealed how deeply fond of it he had become.
‘Seems he’s grown very attached.’
His reprimand stirred my guilt, though I couldn’t deny my own role in the affair.
‘Bini, you are in so much trouble. Please come back!’
On the path to promoting venomous companion culture, it was a confusing mix of aggravation and a sense of unfairness.

***

The search stretched over three days, yet Bini was still missing.
Where in the world had Bini hidden itself? Not a single clue had been found.
I had cast my thoughts out toward him repeatedly, seeking any flicker of response, but felt nothing.
The Tang Clan warriors had scoured every inch of Dangga Mountain, checking under rocks and even inside owls’ nests, but found no trace.
“Ugh…”
Grandfather was visibly displeased again today.
I was sending out another fruitless thought when Seol spoke to me. “Still nothing?”
“No, Seol-nuna.”
“That is unusual.”
“Why?”
“Animals, even mythical breeds, cannot conceal their emotions like people can. A Beastheart connection only goes silent if the creature is in a deep slumber. That is typically the case.”
“Sleep?”
“Yes, a profound sleep. They become unreachable like that only when they are deeply asleep.”
‘Could Bini truly be hidden away somewhere, sleeping soundly through all this chaos!?’
The idea that Bini might be slumbering through the entire ordeal made my head spin.
For three days, Mandok Shingun had scolded me incessantly, and even the usually composed Hwa-eun had been moved to tears.
Meanwhile, Mandok Shingun’s concerned voice came from behind me.
“The mountain is full of predators… Could it have encountered some danger?”
“Indeed, Elder. If it were dead, the one bonded through Beastheart would know instantly. They would suffer a mental shock.”
“Well, that is some comfort, but… ugh!”
Mandok Shingun’s tone still overflowed with discontent.
Feeling anxious, I sent a thought to Cho, hoping his aerial view might have spotted Bini.
[Cho, do you see Bini?]
But as anticipated, he hadn’t found any sign either.
Just then, Mandok Shingun addressed me.
“So-ryong, we have not found Bini, but you understand we cannot delay here indefinitely, correct?”
“Yes, Grandfather. Of course.”
“The warriors will continue the search, but you must prepare for the journey to the Martial Alliance. We must move with speed.”
“I understand.”
I needed to verify the Blood Cult’s location and report their alliance with the O-dok Clan and their acquisition of the antidote. Most crucially, I needed to devise a new poison for the Martial Alliance.
Our original purpose in coming to Dangga was to secure a sample of hemorrhagic poison for them.
“Have you any ideas?” Grandfather asked. “We know the Yellow Hornet’s venom is as potent as Ho-ban Yusa’s, but the issue is the difficulty in collecting it in large amounts.”
The hornet venom was effective for hemorrhagic poison, but its scarcity made mass production unfeasible. We had dispatched warriors to collect samples, but milking the hornets continuously was a significant challenge.
I nodded, acknowledging the problem.
“Yes, I have already prepared an alternative in the Poison Vault.”
“Already?” Grandfather asked, surprised.
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Good. Let us go then. It would have been ideal to have resolved this before Bini vanished.”
“Ugh…”
When we arrived at the Poison Vault, warriors were clustered around a jar, peering in nervously.
I had asked them to prepare it, but they seemed unable to secure the creature within.

*Hiss! Hiss!*

“Why is this serpent so fierce?”
“Exercise caution! So-ryong-sama said never to handle it bare-handed like other snakes.”
I called out to the warriors distracted by the jar.
“Have you finished?”
“Hah! So-ryong-sama! We greet the great head of the family!”
“Greetings, Great Head of the Family!”
The warriors were flustered by our arrival. Grandfather stepped straight to the jar, looked inside, and spoke.
“This is the one?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“This is the Mountain Viper we captured in Yunnan.”
The serpent within was somewhat short and thick, with a unique pattern of ovals along its body.
In a flash, Grandfather reached into the jar and seized the snake by its neck.
In my previous life, no expert, however skilled, would have dared handle such a snake bare-handed.
‘As expected from the Tang Clan leader.’
This viper was notoriously aggressive, and anyone attempting to grab it would be bitten. It was a Russell’s Viper, infamous for its venom.
“Bring the chicken blood.”
At my request, Tang Clan warriors promptly captured a chicken and presented its blood in a bowl.
I asked Grandfather to milk a drop of the snake’s venom into the bowl.
“Just one drop into the blood.”

*Plop.*

The venom fell into the bowl. After a moment, I stirred the blood with chopsticks; it had congealed into a jelly-like substance.
“What is this?” Grandfather asked, astonished.
The Russell’s Viper’s venom was a powerful coagulant.
I explained to him.
“Poisons that alter the blood’s thickness are called Blood Poisons. Where Ho-ban Yusa’s poison thins the blood—a hemorrhagic poison—this one thickens it, causing coagulation.”
“Their martial arts are blood-based. If struck by a hemorrhagic poison, it is akin to being poisoned by the Mountain Viper. If this poison strikes them, it will obstruct their meridians, preventing the use of internal energy and nullifying their techniques.”
‘I’d better prepare that antidote swiftly. I will repay the Blood Cult in full measure, with both sweet and bitter toxins.’
Much like the frustration Bini caused me, this poison would block internal energy flow as stubbornly as a rooted yam, making energy usage impossible.
As I got ready for the next trial, I contemplated my “gift” for the Blood Cult: a cycle of hemorrhagic and coagulating poisons.