Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 138

Chapter 138
When I revealed the two freshly evolved Silver Silkworms, which had metamorphosed within the dwelling of the Queen of the Flame Veil, the members of my family were mesmerized by their luminous beauty.

“Ohh, are these the Silver Silkworms?”
“It’s as if they’ve been coated in silver dust, isn’t it?”
“They look almost like crystalline gems.”

Their observations were astute. I had pictured the Silver Silkworms to look more like burnished aluminum or some type of metal, but the reality was that their bodies glistened as though strewn with minuscule silver sparkles. The manner in which they caught the light gave them a jewel-like appearance.

Naturally, despite seeming to be covered in glitter, they were still larvae and weren’t actually shedding any powder. This was simply the nature of their bodies.

To be more accurate, their forms were somewhat translucent, creating the illusion they were filled with the same type of shiny, gelatinous slime children find amusing. As their internal fluids shifted, light bent through them, producing that shimmering result. They even gave off a soft, inherent glow.

I was clueless as to how this was achievable, but Xintu explained that the gleaming substance inside the Silver Silkworms was actually a type of energy. Given that the Silver Silkworms had consumed the Queen of the Flame Veil, a creature overflowing with natural energy, it was logical they would also be saturated with it.

However, Xintu noted something strange. Instead of holding just natural energy blended with contaminants, the Silver Silkworms possessed two separate, highly potent energies—one purely refined and the other densely stagnant.

My initial thought was that he was being redundant. If refined energy and stagnant energy were combined, wouldn’t that simply constitute natural energy? After hearing his clarification, I understood they weren’t blended like a liquid, but were rather arranged like two distinct types of sand grains layered together.

This meant the brilliant, white refined energy and the shadowy, obscure stagnant energy were interlaced, resulting in the Silver Silkworms’ brilliant silver coloration.

“According to Xintu, the refined and stagnant energies are interlocked like particles of sand, which creates their appearance,” I told the elders, who stared back in astonishment.

“That… defies all reason…”
“Could we inspect them more closely?”

I agreed to their request. The Silver Silkworms were extremely gentle, after all.
“Of course, Father-in-law.”

It was a foundational principle of the martial world that no living creature could harbor two opposing energies at once. This was especially true if one was stagnant energy. As my father-in-law and Grandfather Mandok Shingun felt the silkworms’ backs, their incredulity only deepened.

Like energies merge, whereas opposing energies drive each other apart. If two energies were akin, they would combine into an impure state. If they were opposites, they would reject each other with such force it could destroy one’s danjeon—a basic tenet every martial artist knows.

For the Heavenly Silkworm to maintain both energies without them splitting into separate parts was a phenomenal irregularity.

“This… this is genuine!”
“Xintu was correct? What an incredible occurrence…”
“Hah! This explains its status as one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures. It contradicts the very principles of martial arts!”

As Grandfather Mandok Shingun stated, if it obeyed common sense, it wouldn’t be ranked among the Ten Great Venomous Creatures. It was a being that broke all conventions.

Yo-hwa could assume human form and even act like one.
Cho, a centipede, possessed the ability to fly.
Therefore, it was only fitting that the Heavenly Silkworm, another of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures, would possess its own unique marvel—even in its larval stage.

As I nodded in agreement, Grandfather Mandok Shingun inquired,
“But what took so long? Even with Xintu by your side, I grew concerned over your extended absence.”

His worry was justified. The initial plan was simple: journey to the nesting grounds of the Queen of the Flame Veil, confirm if a Heavenly Silkworm could evolve by consuming a queen, and then return. It was a direct task that should have lasted mere days. I too expected a quick return.

Yet, it ultimately required over two weeks. The reason was I needed to hatch and nurture new specimens to witness their evolution into Silver Silkworms. The first Heavenly Silkworm we tested ate a queen and changed in a single day, but the newly hatched ones needed five full days to entirely absorb the queen’s energy. Other various factors also contributed to the delay.

“So they attached themselves to the Queen of the Flame Veil’s body for five days, absorbing its energy?”
“Correct. The first one we hatched finished in a day, but the newer ones required five days for the same process.”
“But you were initially reluctant to hatch them due to their diet. What is your plan for their sustenance? The mushrooms will be cultivated soon, but what of the Flame Veil queens? Do you intend to make repeated journeys?”

Grandfather Mandok Shingun was right. I had avoided hatching them because of their specific feeding requirements. However, I proceeded for the sake of further study.

Once an idea is confirmed through testing, it stops being a hypothesis and becomes established theory. But that doesn’t mean the investigation is complete. Absolutely not. To properly cement a theory, additional research must be done to reinforce it.

This is why I remained after the first successful transformation, to observe the new specimens. I needed to comprehend their behavior and ecology to raise them correctly. It was then I found something astounding.

Once a Heavenly Silkworm evolved into a Silver Silkworm, it ceased to eat termites or mushrooms. Like other Ten Great Venomous Creatures—such as Cho or Yo-hwa—Silver Silkworms subsisted solely on natural energy and pure yang energy. This was likely why they showed no interest in termites or mushrooms post-evolution. Even after three days of watching, they declined to eat, which led me to speed up their hatching.

“Silver Silkworms stop eating mushrooms or the Queen of the Flame Veil after they evolve.”
“Oh-hoh. So that’s why you chose to hatch them despite the dietary worries.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”

But there was more. As a man from modern times, I understood how to use time effectively. While the Heavenly Silkworms took five days to absorb energy and evolve, I used the opportunity to perform a detailed study of their biology. In doing so, I learned several things.

First, artificially hatching them by channeling internal energy into them was not the correct method. It was a type of forced incubation. We discovered numerous eggshell fragments inside the termite nest we had previously missed, and after consulting with Xintu, Hwa-eun, and Sister Seol, we determined that in the wild, the eggs probably absorb energy released by the mushrooms over a long duration before hatching naturally.

Then, I uncovered something truly irritating. If the food problem was resolved, I should have been able to retrieve the first Silver Silkworm we hatched. But I could not. Because it had turned highly aggressive.

Certainly, it was still only a larva, so its aggression wasn’t a threat, but I had believed the scent from its horns was merely a nice aroma. It turned out it also emitted a toxic energy—similar to a swallowtail caterpillar. It constantly released dense stagnant energy, making retrieval impractical.

According to Xintu, silkworms incubated with internal energy usually form a connection with the person who hatches them. But since this one had been abandoned in the wild for so long, it had basically returned to a wild state. Fortunately, the ones I had personally incubated and raised from the beginning stayed tame.

“…And that sums up everything I learned.”

After I concluded relaying my findings, both Grandfather Mandok Shingun and my father-in-law gazed at me with pleased smiles. The two were quiet for a beat before Grandfather addressed my father-in-law.

“Patriarch, give it to him.”
“Yes, Father.”
“…?”

At Grandfather’s instruction, my father-in-law went to a bookshelf in the Lord’s Hall and took out a finely crafted book. He smoothly slid it across to me.
“What is this?”

The book was covered in red silk, roughly the same dimensions as the Records of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures I had seen previously. A catalog, maybe? My eyes gleamed with interest as I looked at the book and asked.
“May I see it?”
“It is for you to look over. See if it meets your approval,” my father-in-law answered, motioning to the book.

It seemed like a reward—bestowed in acknowledgment of my work on the Silver Silkworm. Eagerly, I reached forward and opened it.
*Flip.*

Yet, when I turned to the first page, I found… nothing. No title. Now that I considered it, the cover had been titleless as well. Puzzled, I turned several more pages, but each was equally blank.
“What… What is this?”

Why was I being given a blank book? Bewildered, I looked up at my still-smiling father-in-law.
“What was your opinion of the Records of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures I let you see previously?” he questioned.
“Well? It was a valuable book, undoubtedly. But… it was rather aged,” I responded truthfully.

The book had been helpful, but it was so deteriorated it seemed to need rebinding. Many of the drawings and words had faded or vanished completely.

At my answer, my father-in-law nodded and turned to Hwa-eun.
“Hwa-eun, would you prepare some ink?”
“Yes, Father.”

As she ground the inkstone, the only noise in the Lord’s Hall was the steady rhythm of her hands. Grandfather Mandok Shingun, my mother-in-law, and my father-in-law all sat quietly, observing her work with serene smiles.
*Swish, swish.*

The entire procedure had a ceremonial feel.
“Wait… Is this…?”

A red book.
Ink preparation.
A sudden, alarming idea shot through my mind.
“It can’t be… Is this a marriage contract?!”

After all, red was a propitious color representing weddings in the Central Plains. They had consistently stated I couldn’t marry formally until I was an adult, but perhaps they wanted to officialize our union in writing due to my accomplishments? I was uncertain about the arrangements for the first night, but…
“D-Does this mean I must begin calling Hwa-eun my wife from tomorrow?!”

My heart raced at the notion. And so, with my nerves pulled tight, I waited. Finally, Hwa-eun’s voice cut through the quiet.
“It is ready, Father.”

The ink was prepared. Now all that remained was for Grandfather Mandok Shingun to offer a blessing, then for my father-in-law to inscribe some manner of marriage proclamation. Then Hwa-eun and I would sign it, correct?

That was my assumption—until my father-in-law passed me a brush and stated,
“So-ryong, my father and I deliberated at length, and we reached a conclusion. Your understanding and insight exceed even our clan’s Records of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures. What would you think of composing your own book? Something to bequeath to future generations?”
“…Huh!?”

Not a marriage contract.
A writing endeavor.
A personal record of venomous creatures.
It wasn’t for public distribution, of course—it would be kept in the Tang Clan’s archives. But after looking at Hwa-eun and then back at the empty book, I understood… This proposition was, in certain ways, superior to a marriage contract.

“Wait, could this actually be a more favorable outcome?”

They were inviting me to create my own encyclopedia—containing all I knew and all I would learn in the future. The Records of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures had let me down. It had functioned more as a directory, citing names without offering much detailed information. I had desired something more profound, more knowledge-rich.

And now, I was being offered the opportunity to write that book myself.
“Father-in-law… You are a frighteningly perceptive man. You understand me too well.”

Not only had he provided me with a daughter ideally matched to my preferences, but now he had given me precisely the sort of undertaking I couldn’t decline. Still stunned, I asked again, for confirmation.
“Are you certain?”
“Without a doubt. But only if you are agreeable,” my father-in-law said.

Hesitation was unnecessary.
“I—I wish to do it!”

My eager reply made the elders nod approvingly.
“Then, begin by inscribing your name on the last page. If you have a title conceived, you may write it now, though that is a matter deserving considerable thought.”

He was proposing I title it when I felt prepared. But did I require time to decide? Of course not. I already had the ideal name in mind.
“No, I have a title already,” I declared firmly.
“As I anticipated. Hwa-eun, give him the brush.”

Following my father-in-law’s direction, Hwa-eun dipped the brush in ink and passed it to me. And with it, I meticulously wrote the title upon the red silk cover. One careful stroke at a time. With all the respect it warranted.

《So-ryong’s Venomous Creature Chronicles》

After all, when people hear the name “Fabre,” they think of *The Life of Insects*.