Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 151

Chapter 151
My father-in-law swiftly applied pressure to several of my acupoints to inhibit the poison’s progression before commencing the detoxification process.
While being poisoned was far from ideal, the one consolation was having a premier master of the Tang Clan at my side.
‘That’s a comfort.’
The fact that the foremost poison expert in the entire Central Plains was attending to me personally was immensely reassuring.
“Try not to be overly concerned. I will first attempt to prepare an antidote.”
His composed and assured demeanor helped to steady my anxious nerves.
Nearby, Hwa-eun and Seol, who had been observing Huali’s tank, turned to my father-in-law with a question.
“Father, we both made contact with Huali as well. Why is So-ryong the only one poisoned? It doesn’t make sense. If all three of us touched it, shouldn’t we all be affected?”
“Elder, she’s right. Hwa-eun and I both handled the creature, yet only So-ryong fell ill… Could this toxin be specific to men?”
In these circumstances, the most likely culprit was undoubtedly Huali—the most recent arrival on our vessel.
None of us had voiced it aloud, but it was evident the same suspicion was on everyone’s mind.
After all, no such incident had ever occurred before Huali came aboard.
And considering I had just exhaled blue flames, mimicking Huali’s habit of consuming fire, it was perfectly natural to be wary.
Yet, as Seol had noted, both she and Hwa-eun had also handled Huali and remained perfectly healthy.
Was it a poison that solely targeted men?
The idea gave me pause.
But then it struck me—although we had all touched Huali, we hadn’t all done so recently.
I was the only one who had handled it of late.
Hwa-eun and Seol had only touched Huali on two occasions: first when we discovered it at Moonlit Spring, and again when we transferred it onto the ship.
After that, neither had any further contact with it.
Because amphibians possess delicate skin, I had advised them to minimize their handling.
I, on the other hand, had touched Huali numerous times since.
I had even inspected the development of its hind legs only a short time ago.
That was the key. That was the reason.
‘Damn it. I committed such a basic error… Was I too overeager about handling an amphibian?’
The moment I understood the cause, my initial reaction was intense self-recrimination.
I should have exercised far greater caution.
Certain poisonous frogs and toads do not generate their own toxins.
Instead, they accumulate venoms from the insects they consume, like spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and ants.
In essence, these animals repurpose their prey’s venom for their own use.
This is why, when raised in captivity and provided a non-toxic diet, these frogs and toads gradually lose their poisonous qualities.
However, if they begin consuming wild-caught prey again, they swiftly regain their toxicity.
And now, Huali had consumed fire—and by some means, had transmuted that fire into poison.
‘But who in the world could anticipate a creature eating fire and producing poison?!’
It hadn’t eaten live prey; it had ingested flames.
I had been so captivated by its bizarre fire-eating behavior that I never stopped to think about the potential for a secondary byproduct—a deadly poison.
Despite all my accumulated knowledge about venomous beings in this world, I had still become complacent.
‘The way of Spicy Fabre, the Poison Expert of the Martial World, is indeed a harsh one.’
At the very least, I was the only one who had been poisoned.
Now that I had stopped coughing up flames, I addressed Hwa-eun and Seol, explaining my deduction.
Since my father-in-law was wholly concentrated on my treatment, he couldn’t answer their queries.
“Cough… Cough… Understand this. Venomous frogs and toads don’t create their own poison. They gather it from their diet and retain it within their bodies.”
“So you believe Huali gathers poison… from the fire it eats?”
“Correct. That would clarify why I am the only one suffering its effects.”
“But… why is it happening now?”
“Because it likely contained no poison before. It only began generating toxins after consuming fire for the first time. And by the time it took effect… its hind legs had begun to develop.”
If Huali had never eaten fire prior to this, then it possessed no venom before coming onto our ship.
That would explain why no one was poisoned earlier.
But now, the initial flames I offered it had activated its poison production, and the consequences were just manifesting.
The eyes of both Hwa-eun and Seol widened in astonishment.
A venomous being that eats fire and transforms it into poison—it was something completely unheard of to either of them.
“So-ryong, are you alright? But… a creature that manufactures poison from fire?”
“It generates venom by ingesting flames?”
Before I could answer, my father-in-law released a frustrated sigh.
“Tsk. Why is this not having any effect…?”
The worry in his voice was palpable, and a knot of apprehension tightened in my chest.
‘Wait… this isn’t right.’
A feeling of impending doom washed over me.
And then—I felt a warm, wet sensation tracing a path down my nose.
— Drip… Drip…
I lifted a hand and dabbed at it.
A nosebleed.
My first assumption was that it was simply due to my body overheating or a minor injury from the earlier episode of breathing fire.
But then—
The instant my blood made contact with the wooden deck…
— Whoosh!
Fire burst forth from the exact spot where the blood had landed.
“What in the—?!”
My father-in-law’s sleeve swept out in a swift motion, smothering the flames.
Yet the blackened scorch marks staining the floor remained.
And more shocking than the damage to the ship’s new deck was the terrifying reality—
My blood had caught fire.
“What manner of poison transforms a man’s blood into something like lamp oil?!”
My eyes opened wide in sheer horror.
This was no ordinary poison.
This was something utterly aberrant.
Hwa-eun’s voice shook as she pressed my father-in-law urgently.
“Father! What of the antidote?! Can you counteract the poison?!”
She was visibly distraught after seeing my blood ignite.
After a prolonged silence, my father-in-law finally gave a grim shake of his head.
“Perhaps your grandfather could… but I cannot neutralize it.”
“What?!”
“I have never seen a poison of this nature. I attempted to isolate it from his system, but it is… unfeasible.”
He let out a sharp breath, his expression severe.
“Initially, I believed it to be a variant of Flame Blood Poison, but this is fundamentally different.”
The Flame Blood Poison was an infamous toxin developed by the Tang Clan.
It inflicted agonizing burning sensations throughout the victim’s body, creating the feeling that their very blood was aflame.
But what afflicted me… was much more severe.
Because my blood was genuinely erupting into flames.
A master of poisons had just declared my condition beyond his ability to treat.
Hearing this, the color drained from Hwa-eun and Seol’s faces.
“Th-This cannot be…”
“It cannot be cured?!”
I understood that purging poison with internal energy was an exceedingly intricate procedure. Having studied poison arts myself, I knew precisely what my father-in-law meant.
To eliminate a toxin, one must direct their inner force, separate the poison, channel it to a single location, and then expel it either through an open wound or with counteracting agents.
But since this was a completely unknown poison, he couldn’t even properly identify it—rendering extraction impossible.
“T-Then, what is to be done?”
“D-Does this mean So-ryong will die?!”
Upon hearing this, tears began to well in Seol’s eyes.
Thankfully, however, my father-in-law shook his head.
‘Oh… at least it isn’t fatal.’
“Fortunately, this toxin will not halt your breathing or coagulate your blood. You will not perish…”
At least it wasn’t a neurotoxin or a hemotoxin—the two most lethal classifications of poison.
But just as I began to feel a wave of relief, his voice faded away with a foreboding hesitation.
‘Why in heaven’s name are you pausing like that?!’
My relief was short-lived, instantly replaced by a surge of aggravation—
And at that precise instant…
— Drip.
— Whoosh!
Another drop of blood fell from my nose onto the floor, and fire erupted once more.
— Fwooooosh!
My father-in-law immediately quenched the flames, speaking to me in a calming tone.
“Compose yourself, So-ryong. My analysis of this poison indicates that while it is not lethal, it possesses… a highly unstable character. If you employ internal energy, make sudden movements, or undergo powerful emotions… it will ignite.”
“Ignite?”
“Or… something more severe.”
He repeated the words “or worse” several times, his face growing darker.
As we all watched him, awaiting an explanation, he swallowed hard and finally uttered a single, devastating word.
“Explosion.”
“Explosion?”
“Explosion?!”
Both Seol and Hwa-eun looked at him, bewildered.
The statement was so absurd it seemed unreal.
But as his meaning sank in, a horrifying realization dawned on me.
‘Wait… It can’t be… He isn’t saying… that if I become too emotional or exert too much internal energy… I might… explode?!’
I looked at my father-in-law apprehensively, desperately hoping I had misheard.
But meeting my desperate gaze, he could only shut his eyes tightly in confirmation.
‘Damn it!’
***
Within the gently swaying wooden cabin, I lay perfectly immobilized in a hammock, skillfully secured by Yo-hwa’s ropes.
Because the poison from Huali demanded total stillness, I was forced to remain inert, shunning any abrupt motion or strong feeling.
We were presently sailing upriver, having already passed Akyang, the place of my meeting with the princess.
Once we arrived in Sichuan, I could consult my grandfather and receive his treatment.
If my condition deteriorated before then, I had one final option.
The Five Venoms Divine Art (O-dok Shin-gong).
“So-ryong, you must simply accept it. I’ve told you, it is of no consequence now.”
“Indeed, So-ryong. You should listen to Hwa-eun.”
Both Hwa-eun and Seol had been persistently badgering me.
The simplest remedy was to just assimilate Huali’s poison into my Five Venoms Divine Art, adding it to my repertoire of mastered toxins.
If Huali proved to be a common toad, I would be relegated to a feeble existence.
If it was a mere frog, I would become an average one.
But absorbing it would immediately resolve my poisoned state.
The Five Venoms Divine Art bestowed complete immunity to any poison integrated into its framework.
However… my pride as Spicy Fabre would not allow it.
To me, the Ten Great Venomous Beasts and the Ten Great Poisons were the very foundation of my identity in this world.
Abandoning the pursuit of the Five Venoms and Ten Poisons? That was unthinkable.
Does a true man waste time choosing between mediocrity and infirmity, or does he aim for the pinnacle?
Therefore, despite their constant urging, I merely offered a smile and replied,
“A man defines his aspirations. How could I retreat in the face of minor peril?”
“Once we are in Sichuan, my grandfather will treat me. So, please, do not fret. Nothing of significance will transpire before then.”
With our voyage nearly concluded, I was certain no major calamity would befall us.
Hearing this, both of them looked completely exasperated.
“So-ryong, if you err and get yourself killed, I vow I will never let you rest!”
“Yes, and you will have to answer to me as well!”
Their concern was plain to see, but I just gave a wry smile from my suspended bed.
And then—
— Creak.
The ship gave a sudden, violent jolt.
“What was that—?!”
Seol marched angrily toward the door, livid.
“I explicitly instructed them to navigate with care! What are they doing?!”
She threw the cabin door open just as one of the crewmen sprinted up, his tone frantic.
“Everyone, secure yourselves! Torrential rains struck the upper reaches! A flash flood is upon us!”
“What?! A flash flood?!”
“What are you saying?!”
The Yangtze River was enormous, and the Central Plains were sprawling.
For this reason, it was hardly unusual for intense rains far upstream to cause flooding downstream, even if our immediate area was dry.
But why did it have to happen now?!
My mind railed in exasperation.
‘Stop toying with me, heavens! This is too much!’
It felt as though destiny itself was envious of my Five Venoms and Ten Poisons.