Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 134

Chapter 134
When Hyang declared that she had exclusive claim to her father, Cho and Bini’s antennae flickered briefly in astonishment. They attempted to brush off her remark as unimportant soon after.

After all, I had mentioned before that larger size was preferable, and on top of that, Hyang lacked the ability to carry me through the air as they could.

Bini appeared to misinterpret this, believing I valued size above all else, while Cho was focused on highlighting her own flying skills.

Each was happily lost in their own thoughts. They weren’t completely mistaken, however.
There were clear benefits to being bigger, and the power of flight was undoubtedly useful.

But just as they were nuzzling my cheek in a playful manner, Hyang suddenly shot into the shelter of my collar, causing Cho and Bini to puff with irritation.

I had always considered my little Hyang to be just a playful, drowsy daughter, but her capacity for mischief was unmatched by any legendary troublemaker.

— Tssssrrrr!
— Tsssrrr!

And so, the family’s second child effectively ended the argument by retreating and closing the door.

『Come out! Show yourself!』
『Just come out for a moment!』

She paid no attention to the shouts of her older and younger sister, letting out a proud, victorious chirp from the security of my arms.

— Chrrr!

Hearing this only made Cho and Bini angrier.

As their father, I couldn’t permit an all-out animalistic brawl in my home, so I hurried to settle them down.

“Your daddy loves all three of you the same. So, let’s not argue, alright? If you fight… wouldn’t that displease O-gong?”

I managed, with some difficulty, to pacify them by repeating my love for each of them equally.

Yet, that very night, the reason for Hyang’s earlier smugness became clear to everyone.

No matter how hard parents strive for fairness, some differences in treatment are unavoidable.

There’s a proverb: all fingers hurt when bitten, yet one always hurts the most.

That is what you call favoritism.

Naturally, I am not suggesting that I possess such a bias.

My intention was to distribute my time and focus with perfect equality among the three.

But favoritism can occur without any intention from either the parent or the children.

In my youth, my father departed for work at dawn and returned late each night.

We only truly saw him on his infrequent days off, and even then, his manner was stern and scolding.

Because we saw him so seldom and knew only his strictness, becoming close to him was difficult.

My sibling and I inevitably grew closer to our mother, and our biggest nightly dispute was over who would get to sleep beside her in our small room.

One side of the bed was always left open for our father’s occasional return, meaning only one spot next to our mother was available.

That single space became the ultimate trophy in our sibling rivalry.

After numerous squabbles, my mother, with Solomon-like wisdom, resolved the problem by instituting a strict rotation schedule.

Still, with all that past experience, I never expected to encounter the same type of nocturnal rivalry here.

— Tsssrrr!
— Tsssrrr!

Cho and Bini rumbled with annoyance.

This time, the conflict was over my own sleeping area.

Just as I had once competed with my sibling for a place beside our mother, these two were now struggling over who would sleep next to me.

Although Hwa-eun is their mother in name, they have been with me since birth, so their attachment to me is natural.

Normally, they both sleep beside me.

Now, the identical struggle from my childhood was unfolding between Cho and Bini.

“H-Hey! Settle down, both of you!”

In the Central Plains, unlike the West, it is customary to keep shoes on inside.

Consequently, sleeping customs are also different—raised beds, or chim-sangs, are standard.

Instead of placing bedding on the floor, people typically sleep on elevated wooden platforms.

The chim-sang I used on Hainan Island was a plain wooden board, but here at the Tang Clan’s estate? It was sheer luxury.

It featured ornate wooden carvings on three sides, adorned with elegant draped fabrics for refinement.

The only side left open was the entrance.

The issue? The bed is only about two meters long.

And with two creatures each six to seven meters long, they simply cannot fit.

This meant the larger ones could only fit their heads inside while the rest of their bodies stayed outside.

When Bini was still small, Cho would lie on the floor and push her head through the opening, winding the remainder of her body around me as she slept.

But now that Bini has grown, the space by the entrance has become a source of conflict between them.

『I’m sleeping next to Dad!』
『You had lots of turns when I was gone!』
『I was busy searching for you, so I missed out on proper sleep too!』

They shoved their heads toward the opening, each trying to seize the spot.

At the very least, they retained enough awareness not to damage the bed.

But then, from the safety of my embrace, Hyang peeked out and delivered a single comment to her older sisters.

— Tch!

A derisive sound. A soft “Hah!”

It was unmistakable mockery.

After all, Hyang could simply wrap herself around my body and sleep without any difficulty.

Due to their enormous sizes, an unintended favoritism had emerged.

As Hyang had stated earlier, the contest for their father’s attention was already over.

Hyang was the unquestionable winner.

She was entirely above the competition.

Whether walking or sleeping, she could remain attached to me on her own.

— Tssssrrrr!
— Tssssrrt!

Understanding this, the last fragments of Cho and Bini’s reason vanished.

‘Forget logic! I’m sleeping next to Dad!’

That must have been their thought.

And the instant they lost all restraint… my bed was finished.

With two six-to-seven-meter-long creatures locked in a full-scale wrestling match, the wooden chim-sang didn’t have a prayer.

— CRACK!
— THUD!

The bed gave way.

Simultaneously, my table and chairs were smashed to pieces.

The room’s entire contents were completely ruined.

“What’s going on!?”
“Ryong? What happened!?”
“What in the world is this, So-ryong?”

Alarmed by the noise, Hwa-eun, Seol, and several elders hurried into the room.

There I was, half-buried in the debris of my bed, while Cho and Bini continued to destroy what was left.

Ultimately, I had to request that the guards remove the broken furniture and put down a deep layer of dry grass in one corner of the room.

Scolding them was pointless—it would just repeat every night.

So I concluded it was wiser to simply spread out straw and sleep on the floor with all three.

I’d slept on the ground many times in my previous life, after all.

For the sake of harmony, there was no alternative.

The dry grass I had ready for my pet hamsters was now laid where my bed once stood, forming a sufficiently soft nest.

After placing a blanket on top, I lay down—and my two oversized children instantly took their positions on either side of me.

At last, calm was achieved.

I shut my eyes, prepared to sleep, but then ventured to ask them:

“Hey… could you lighten up on the arm pillows? I fear my arms will be numb by sunrise.”

— Tssrr!
— Tch!

From their replies, they were instructing me to simply bear it for the night.

***

The next morning, after everything had calmed down, Xintu evidently heard I was awake, for he visited me with his disciple, Yeong-ryeon.

“You’re finally awake? I was deeply concerned, fearing something grave had occurred.”
“Are you all right, So-hyeop?”
“My apologies for causing you both worry.”

Xintu looked around my room and blinked in surprise.

“But… why does this place resemble a stable? There isn’t a single chair to be seen.”
“P-Please, sit on the floor. It’s on account of the children…”
“The son-in-law of the esteemed Sacheon Tang Clan, and his room contains nothing but straw on the ground?”

Xintu was completely perplexed by the condition of my room.

After getting them seated on the floor, I inquired about events during my unconsciousness.

I had received a basic account from Hwa-eun and Seol the previous night, but I needed details on the affairs Xintu had handled—specifically concerning the stonemasons.

“How are the arrangements for recovering the celestial silkworms proceeding?”

At my question, Xintu shook his head.

“I intended to request my brother Geolhwang to locate stonemasons, but upon reflection, I decided that wasn’t the optimal path.”
“What? Why not?”

He had told me to trust him, yet now he was saying otherwise.

I was on the verge of asking what altered his plan when Hwa-eun, who had been listening silently, nodded in comprehension.

“Ah, is it because you wish to limit the number of people who know?”
“Precisely. Since this involves obtaining my divine relic, the fewer aware of it, the better.”
“Ah…”

His initial plan was to find expert martial artists or stonemasons to break into the termite mound, but there was no advantage in spreading the secret.

Lowering his voice, Xintu went on, “Since you will be the one raising the celestial silkworms, I concluded it would be wiser to seek assistance from the Tang Clan. I simply don’t know if that old poison enthusiast will provide us with any men.”

It was logical. As we would be caring for the silkworms, using our own people made sense.

It was a sound plan, but one issue remained.

Retrieving the celestial silkworms required fighters adept with chisels and hammers, but our clan could not spare many men currently due to the ongoing clashes with the Five Venoms Clan and the Blood Cult.

Just as I prepared to explain this to him—

“Hey, drop that! You’ll be in trouble!”

I heard Seol’s anxious voice from outside.

I instantly rose and addressed Xintu.

“I apologize, but I believe I must go out for a moment.”

I had enlisted Seol to supervise the children during my meeting with guests, to prevent fighting until a clear pecking order was established.

But from her tone, something was amiss.

After offering a quick apology, I hurried out.

At first, I assumed they had begun fighting again, but the scene in the courtyard left me stunned.

My daughters were playing a game… similar to jacks.

But using enormous boulders.

Cho and Bini were each hoisting stones bigger than a human torso, vying to prove who was stronger.

“What… is going on here?”

Hearing my voice, Cho and Bini started.

— THUD!

The rock Cho was holding fell to the ground.

— CRACK!

The boulder in Bini’s jaws fractured into pieces.

I had heard that the Black Phantom Centipede could pulverize stone, but witnessing it firsthand was something else.

“I-Is this…?!”

Next to me, Xintu exhaled in shock.

Observing Bini’s fearsome strength, an idea came to me.

I knew precisely which member of the Tang Clan could assist Xintu.

Someone not human—meaning one less person to entrust with the secret.

***

Three days later, we stood once more before the enormous white termite mound we called Bultap Baekui.

Facing the valley’s tallest mound, Xintu looked apprehensive.

“This structure… Can that creature truly break through it?”

He was doubtful about Bini’s ability to demolish the mound.

“You witnessed it yourself, Elder. She shattered a harder stone.”
“Well… yes, that’s true, but…”

He still seemed anxious about the trip being wasted.

But I had tested Bini multiple times in his absence, so I was confident.

She had lost her venomous fangs after the incident with the Blue-Spotted Centipede, but in exchange, she gained sharper teeth, tremendous strength, and the skill to tunnel through earth.

She had probably stayed at the Twenty-Four Venoms Earth for the same reason as Yeondu, the Heavenly Sage—due to her lack of powerful venom.

“Bini, right there. Excavate a sizable hole for us.”

— Tssr!

I indicated where I believed the termite queen’s chamber was located.

Without delay, Bini charged forward and clamped her jaws onto the mound.

Despite its concrete-like, rock-solid exterior, the outer layer broke apart like foam under her bite.

— Crunch. Crack.

As Bini dug onward, light started to filter into the mound’s interior.

Abruptly, we sensed vibrations emanating from within.

— Rrrrrr…

A low, resonant sound murmured from inside the termite nest.

“What is that?!”
“What’s occurring, So-ryong?!”

Termites use vibrations to communicate.

A noise that intense could mean only one thing—the soldier termites were being rallied.

“They’re mobilizing the army. Bini, get your venom ready!”

— Tssr!

At my order, Bini inhaled deeply, her body expanding like a bloated sausage.

Although she lost her venomous fangs, she could still emit poison through her breathing pores, similar to Cho’s mist poison.

Instead of causing lethal poisoning, Bini’s venom worked like tear gas—it irritated the eyes, hindered breathing, and, being heavier than air, drifted low across the ground.

— Fwooosh!

Just as thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of soldier termites poured from the opening, Bini expelled a dense cloud of black gas from her sides.

The swarm, which had been advancing toward us, instantly flinched back in alarm and dispersed in every direction.

Termites are not bold combatants—they choose to fortify their defenses when confronting a superior foe.

With the soldier termites in retreat, I turned to Bini and told her to dig cautiously for the queen’s chamber.

“Bini, if you encounter something tougher than the rest, alert me.”

— Tssr!

The termite queen’s chamber would be oval and extremely durable.

If we could find it and close its entrance, we could capture the queen, king, nurse termites, and all their eggs simultaneously.

— Crack!

Following my instruction, Bini dug deeper.

Then, after a short time—

— Tssr! Tssrrt!

“You located it?”

Hearing Bini’s cry, I rushed inside.

The luminous Night Pearl Xintu had provided me proved unnecessary.

The interior of the termite mound was already alight.

The walls were blanketed with glowing mushrooms.

‘Ah, so these termites cultivate fungus for sustenance?’

Most people believe all termites eat wood.

But certain species grow fungi on decomposed plant material, which they then eat.

Noting this, I reminded myself to gather some mushrooms before departing.

As I pressed on, something caught my attention.

A cluster of silken cocoons.

Just as I had guessed—not a large number, but roughly thirty of them, lying in a heap near the fungus chamber.

“I found them!”

Although the termite queen’s chamber was the main goal, these cocoons were a superb secondary discovery.

I moved closer quickly and inspected the peanut-shaped silk pods.

— Rustle.

At that moment, the pile stirred.

And from within, one particular cocoon distinguished itself—gleaming a brilliant silver in the low light.

“Huh?! W-What is this?!”

This was unforeseen.
A totally unanticipated bonus.