Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 127

Chapter 127
—Kish! Kishishi!
I wasn’t accustomed to being scolded by Hwa-eun, yet the instant I returned, another relentless lecture commenced.
As anticipated, Yo-hwa was the cause.
The second I passed through the Nine-Tiered Gates, Yo-hwa, sensing my arrival somehow, flew over from the Tang Clan’s mountain.
Just like before, she had copied Hwa-eun’s appearance, arms crossed and lips pouted as she berated me.
She gestured first to the red thread fastened around her ankle, then pointed accusingly toward the inner quarters, demanding an explanation for my broken promise.
That red thread was the symbol of our agreement—or more accurately, a chain.
“Yo-hwa, come on. I asked Grandpa Xintu to tell you I’d be delayed. You can let this one go, can’t you? A man has duties to attend to out in the world, these situations occur.”
…Wait. Hearing myself say it out loud sounded strange.
Why was I justifying myself to her?
—Kissit!
But Yo-hwa’s response was frosty.
My initial thought was that she was angry because I’d only sent a message instead of telling her myself.
Then I noticed something was off.
Xintu, standing next to me, was gazing into the distance, deliberately avoiding my eyes.
‘Hold on… could it be…?’
His ashamed expression made it obvious he had never delivered my message.
When I turned back to Yo-hwa and asked if she’d heard anything at all, Xintu winced.
“You… you really didn’t get the message?”
“…Ahem.”
I shot Xintu a look that demanded the truth, but he stubbornly refused to meet my gaze.
He must have been so preoccupied arguing with Grandfather Mandok Shingun about carrying me that he’d forgotten to tell Yo-hwa entirely.
I sighed.
No wonder she was so furious.
From her point of view, I had vanished without a word, breaking my promise.
In situations like this, a swift and sincere apology is the only way forward.
“I was dealing with an urgent matter. This is entirely my fault.”
—Kissit! Kishishishi!
I glared at Xintu before apologizing to Yo-hwa again, but she remained unmoved.
Normally, this would have sufficed.
Why was she so unusually angry?
I only understood when Gu Pae came to greet us.
“So-ryong!”
“Ah, Gu Pae. It’s good to see you.”
“Quickly! You must feed Yo-hwa! She hasn’t consumed a single bit of Yang energy this entire time!”
“…What!?”
I had noticed that Yo-hwa was still maintaining Hwa-eun’s form.
The Tang Clan warriors were likely too intimidated to approach her forcefully because she looked identical to the most beautiful woman in the martial world to them.
But not everyone shares the same preferences.
Even appearing as Hwa-eun, some warriors would have their own lovers or different tastes.
Consequently, Yo-hwa hadn’t been able to feed on any Yang energy.
Fifteen days had passed since we left and returned, and she still hadn’t changed back to her original form.
If Gu Pae was correct, she hadn’t eaten anything at all.
Alarmed, I took hold of Yo-hwa.
“Yo-hwa! You need to eat! Why haven’t you eaten!?”
—Kishishi!
Normally, she couldn’t last more than two or three days without feeding before her hunger drove her to hypnotize people.
But she had endured for fifteen whole days.
Stunned, I offered her my finger, guiding it toward the pedipalps of her mouth.
But Yo-hwa sharply turned her head away.
It was clear she had made a decision: if she couldn’t have my Yang energy, she would simply wait.
She was starving, irritated, and felt abandoned, but her stubborn pride prevented her from admitting her hunger was the main issue.
Her primary fury was directed at me for taking so long to come back.
“Please, Yo-hwa, we can discuss this after you eat. You’ll make yourself ill if you continue like this.”
—Kish!
‘Ugh… As if the rivalry between Cho, Hyang, and Bini wasn’t trouble enough, now Yo-hwa is refusing to eat?!’
No matter how much I begged, Yo-hwa would not relent.
Then, Hwa-eun intervened.
“Yo-hwa, So-ryong is being truthful. He was aiding someone who was gravely ill, which is why he was delayed. I witnessed it myself, so please don’t be angry. I believe Elder Xintu simply… forgot to inform you.”
—Kissit?
“Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. So-ryong isn’t lying.”
Only after Hwa-eun spoke on my behalf did Yo-hwa reluctantly accept my finger into her mouth.
—Kishi…
‘Finally… it’s over.’
With Yo-hwa’s immediate crisis averted, it was time to address the next troublesome child.
As Yo-hwa drank the Yang energy, I turned my thoughts to Bini, who had run away.
Had he come back while we were away? Had there been any sign of him?
“What about Bini? Has he returned?”
“No, So-ryong. We’ve combed every part of Tang Mountain, but…”
Gu Pae explained that he and his warriors had searched everywhere, even peering into crevices between rocks.
But they had found no trace of him.
This meant Seol’s theory was likely correct.
According to her, Bini had dug himself into a secluded spot for a long period of hibernation.
Running away from home just to take a nap?
Did he have no concern for how worried his parents would be?!
I was absolutely going to smack him when he got back.
Just as I was simmering with frustration, Gu Pae’s eyes went wide.
“S-So-ryong! Your… your nose!”
“My nose?”
I instinctively touched my upper lip.
A warm, thick fluid was dripping down.
Drip.
A nosebleed.
Then, a powerful wave of weariness washed over me.
It seemed Yo-hwa’s extreme hunger had caused her to draw a tremendous amount.
‘Wait… I’m just standing here, but I feel completely emptied…’
Then, my legs buckled beneath me.
***
After feeding Yo-hwa until she was satisfied, I was utterly depleted and required a full day of rest.
Two things became abundantly clear after pushing my Yang energy to its limit. First, it drains all my physical stamina. Second, it brings on a state of post-clarity.
I hadn’t performed any strenuous activity, yet I felt as if I’d entered a bizarre condition of mental sharpness and profound emptiness. It was a peculiar sensation—like consuming ten cups of coffee in one go.
And so, I had no option but to spend the entire day recovering.
The next morning began with a commotion.
“Alright, you’ve had a full day of rest. That should be sufficient, correct?”
Xintu showed up at dawn, pressing me to hurry up and hatch the Heavenly Silkworms. He had met all my conditions, so now it was my turn to honor our agreement.
Naturally, I intended to do it, but after Yo-hwa’s overindulgence, I felt a need for some petty payback.
I collapsed back onto my bedding, pretending to be frail.
“Agh… I expended too much energy yesterday. I might need another day to recuperate… Elder, I want to help, but my body is just too weakened…”
“What!? Why is your constitution so weak? What sort of training do they practice at the Tang Clan? Something like that ought to be recovered from in a single night! Bah! This is the result of depending on poison arts instead of genuine martial discipline…”
Xintu muttered, disparaging the Tang Clan’s training techniques.
But before I could answer, a thunderous voice echoed from within.
“What did you just say, you old relic!? Are you disrespecting the Sichuan Tang Clan!?”
Grandfather Mandok Shingun charged in, enraged.
He must have overheard Xintu criticizing the Tang Clan.
“N-no, that isn’t what I intended—”
“Don’t bother denying it! I heard you perfectly!”
An unwritten law of the martial world is that no matter how friendly you are, you never insult another sect’s martial arts or traditions.
At first, I expected Xintu to apologize.
But I had overlooked something: these two were arch-rivals.
Instead of yielding, Xintu launched a counterattack.
“Heh! Listening in like a sneak, are you?”
“What!? A sneak?! If anyone here is a sneak, it’s you!”
“Oh really? Well, you’re nothing but a venomous old scoundrel!”
This was escalating dangerously—they looked ready to come to blows.
I hurriedly interjected.
“Please, both of you, settle down. You are esteemed elders of the martial world. What would others think if they saw you brawling like this?”
“Bah!”
“Hmph!”
They both reluctantly stood down, but I knew if they remained in the same place, the arguing would resume.
So, I decided to take Xintu with me to examine the hatching site he had established on the outskirts of Sichuan.
“Let’s set this matter aside. Elder Xintu, since I’m feeling somewhat better, why don’t we go inspect the facility you prepared for the Heavenly Silkworms?”
“Hmph… Very well.”
Of course, before departing, I made certain to reassure Yo-hwa.
“Yo-hwa, I’m just going out for a short while with Grandpa Xintu. I’ll be back today, okay?”
—Kishi.
She gave a nod, but to ensure I wouldn’t forget, she fastened another red thread around my ankle.
Xintu brought me to a decrepit, old martial arts hall on the outskirts of Sichuan.
It reminded me of the run-down Daoist temple I had first awakened in after my reincarnation.
The structures were partially ruined, and wild weeds had overgrown everything.
However, further inside, there was one building that was relatively whole, where a group of individuals had assembled.
As we entered, several men—who had been relaxing—snapped to attention.
“Elder Xintu, welcome!”
“Have you all been keeping well?”
“Yes, Elder! Is this the young master you spoke of?”
“Correct. So-ryong, introduce yourself.”
It was clear Xintu had already told them about me.
A group of men came forward, examining me carefully.
Among them, the eldest man stepped up and offered a slight bow.
“We heard you are a young master of the Sichuan Tang Clan. It is an honor. My name is Baekga.”
“Ah, Elder Baekga, I am So-ryong. A pleasure to meet you.”
I could see Baekga was their leader.
He guided us inside and started his explanation.
“Shall we recount our previous attempts? It may give you a better understanding of the circumstances.”
“I would be grateful for that.”
Xintu had already shared some information, but hearing directly from those who had tried the hatching process would be more valuable.
Besides, I was interested to learn how much this era understood about moths and silkworms.
Baekga indicated some desiccated plants inside the facility.
“Initially, we presumed they were silkworms, so we attempted to feed them mulberry leaves.”
“But they showed no interest.
“Next, we tried mulberry stems, roots, and even the entire tree, but again—nothing.”
That was logical.
Ordinary silkworms eat mulberry leaves, so their first impulse was to try that.
They had assumed the Heavenly Silkworms would be similar.
“When that failed, we considered other varieties of moth larvae.
“So we collected leaves from every type of tree that was in season when Elder Xintu’s ancestor first acquired the eggs and tried offering those.
“But once more—nothing.”
They had understood that not all moths consume mulberry leaves, so they broadened their strategy.
Not a bad approach.
“For a time, we were stumped.
“Then, after Elder Xintu departed, we had another insight—not all moths eat foliage.
“There are moths that consume grain, like grain moths.
“And some moths that eat cloth, like clothes moths.”
I nodded.
It appeared they had contemplated many possibilities, even mentioning grain moths and clothes moths.
But it was too late—by that time, they had already failed.
Even so, this depth of knowledge was admirable for this period.
They had accurately recognized different moth types, which was a move in the right direction.
But there was a fundamental error in their reasoning.
Even after understanding their mistakes, they still would have failed.
Why?
Because they were only thinking about moths they were already familiar with.
“You would never have succeeded with that mindset,” I stated.
Both Baekga and Xintu looked astonished.
“You… you discovered something?”
“When?”
Xintu’s eyes opened wide in surprise.
Did he truly believe I hadn’t been pondering this the entire time?
Even while he was carrying me to Wuchang, my mind had been constantly working.
“I considered it on the way to Wuchang,” I answered.
“…Very well, then let’s hear it,” Xintu said, folding his arms.
Everyone crowded around, eager for my response.
I looked at them and inquired,
“Do you know why mature larvae produce silk?”
“To construct a cocoon, obviously,” someone answered.
“True. But that’s only part of the reason.”
I smiled.
“I’m not asking what they create. I’m asking why they create it.”
“…Why?”
“The answer is straightforward.
“They spin silk to shield themselves while they metamorphose into adults.
“And Heavenly Silkworm silk is tougher than steel, correct?”
“Yes,” Xintu nodded. “Infused with sufficient internal energy, it can sever limbs.”
“Precisely.
“Now consider this—what manner of predator would necessitate that degree of protection?”
The understanding dawned on them.
Especially Xintu, whose eyes widened in revelation.