Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 160

Chapter 160
In most amphibians, the rear legs are the first to develop, with the forelegs following afterward. The hind limbs start as tiny buds near where the tail meets the body, gradually elongating and taking form. The forelegs, meanwhile, form internally behind the gill area and only push through the body wall to emerge once they are fully developed.

Right after this emergence, however, the forelegs are still small and largely useless for propulsion in the water.
They tend to hang limply, swaying as the creature swims.
But the forelegs that had grown on Hyang were already fully operational.
I watched Hyang clutch the rim of the water barrel with clear purpose.
‘Incredible!’
I was aware that Hyang developed by consuming fire, but I hadn’t anticipated such a rapid and significant change after a large feeding.
Witnessing Hyang use its new limbs to grip the barrel, I instinctively moved my hand closer for a better inspection.
There was so much information to be gleaned from the amphibian’s forelegs alone.
For example, the presence of suction pads would indicate a climbing adaptation; webbing would suggest a swimming lifestyle; and hooked claws would point to a digging behavior.
I still couldn’t tell if Hyang was a frog or a toad, but I could discern whether it was a land-adapted amphibian with claws, like a tree frog, or a more aquatic type.
My analysis was cut short by the alarmed voices of Hwa-eun and Seol.
“So-ryong! The venom!”
“Ah, right! The poison!”
I had been so captivated by Hyang’s transformation that I’d momentarily overlooked the danger. I yanked my hand back.
The memory of my recent poisoning was still fresh.
“So-ryong, have you already forgotten what happened not long ago?”
“That’s right. So-ryong, you must be more careful. How could you forget?”
“W-Well, it’s not like I have the memory of a fish or something…”
I tried to deflect with a weak joke about not being a forgetful fish, but in truth, the sight of those new legs had made everything else vanish from my mind.
‘How could anyone keep their wits about them seeing that?’
If a term like “metamorphosis” was used for Hwa-eun, I could probably remain composed, but if any of the little ones were molting or changing, I would likely lose all sense of reason.
Hwa-eun and Seol exchanged a look that showed they found my excuse entirely unconvincing.
“I… It was an accident…”
I offered them an apologetic glance before turning my attention back to Hyang.
I felt a pang of regret for not having fed it more sooner.
‘I should have given it as much as it wanted. Why did I hold back?’
Knowing some amphibians have voracious appetites, I had worried about overfeeding and had been carefully rationing its meals. It appeared my caution was misplaced.
Hyang’s growth was directly proportional to its consumption.
I had assumed that like any creature, excess food would be stored and could cause it to burst. But with Hyang, I realized the fire it consumed was a form of Yang energy.
Would a creature ever burst from absorbing too much pure energy?
Cho, Bini, and Hyang all consume natural energy, while Bingi, Seol, and Dong feed on the cold energy from the Bingyok.
Yo-hwa sustains herself on my own Yang energy.
Of course, there are exceptions like the Golden Wasp King, which consumes honey, but most spiritual beasts absorb energy directly. It seemed there was no risk in them consuming large quantities.
Perhaps a massive intake of energy was the very catalyst for metamorphosis or evolution?
This theory fit, as most of the venomous creatures I’ve raised have shown similar growth patterns.
‘If that’s true, then I need to feed it much more to help it reach its adult form.’
Now that I understood the principle, the path forward was obvious.
I needed to provide Hyang with as much nourishment as possible to spur its complete development.
Kneeling to be at eye level with Hyang, I asked,
“Would you like some more food, Hyang?”
In response, Hyang blew a series of happy bubbles in the water.
Bubble bubble.
It seemed Hyang was now capable of breathing with its lungs, and not just its gills.
***
I directed the workers to gather more reeds and built a large bonfire in the center of the village.
Now that Hyang had its forelegs, I held onto hope that we might witness the culmination of its transformation today.
With the forelegs present, I reasoned that the only step left was for the tail to recede, making full maturity seem within reach.
‘Let’s see Hyang complete its change.’
I felt a slight guilt for using the workers on what felt like a personal project, but if Hyang ate more and produced more venom, it would benefit both the village’s defenses and the bedbug eradication. Therefore, it wasn’t solely for my own purposes.
So, I had the workers bring logs and dry timber to feed the flames for Hyang. While we collected plenty of poison, Hyang’s tail, unfortunately, did not shorten right away.
It felt like a process of incremental growth, as if it needed to reach a specific threshold of energy before the next change could occur.
If time had allowed, I would have continued feeding it through the night, but I was interrupted.
The bedbugs were arriving.
As dusk faded into deep night, the bedbugs began to appear from all directions.
The ones that had infiltrated the village had been handled earlier thanks to Hwa-eun’s tracking, so only a few appeared inside. But on the far side of the water barrier, they were gathering in force again.
People often say cockroaches breed relentlessly, but in truth, they are no match for bedbugs.
A single bedbug can produce up to 500 eggs in its lifetime, and because they conceal themselves in household crevices, their numbers explode exponentially.
“So-ryong, it’s exactly as you said—they’re swarming!”
“So-ryong, is everything going to be alright?”
“They likely can’t cross the water.”
The villagers watched the waterway with nervous faces, and sure enough, as the bedbugs reached its edge, they stopped, unable to go further.
Their fear of water stems from their incredibly light bodies, which are easily trapped by the water’s surface tension. Upon contact, they become stuck.
“They’ve stopped! They’ve stopped!”
“The pests can’t advance!”
“We’re safe!”
Seeing the bedbugs halted at the water’s edge, the people let out sighs of relief and began to celebrate.
I tossed a rock at the bedbugs from our side, mocking them.
“Want a bite? Come and get it, you pests!”
This stalemate persisted into the early morning hours.
As I dozed beside the campfire, Lee Tae and a few other workers on watch came to deliver a report.
“So-ryong, just as you foresaw, the bedbugs are becoming much more active now!”
Slurp. “In that case, prepare the water.”
“Understood!”
Wiping drool from my mouth and rubbing my eyes, I felt Yo-hwa approach and gently lift me onto her back.
It seemed she wanted me to rest longer and was encouraging me to stay asleep.
Her soft fur made my eyelids grow heavy again, but I forced myself to alertness and said,
“Yo-hwa, no, I have work to do.”
Kiss.
It felt like I was still growing, but my responsibilities remained.
If I missed this window, I would have to wait another full day, so I shook off my drowsiness, rubbed my eyes, and stood up.
Many believe bedbugs bite only at night, but their peak activity is actually at dawn.
Therefore, the time for us to act is in the predawn hours, right before sunrise.
After changing the water in Hyang’s tank and carefully scraping the sides for venom, I brought it near the water barrier and began to spray the insecticide.
“Lord So-ryong, everything is prepared. Should we start?”
“Ah, is the bamboo shooter ready?”
“It’s right here.”
I pulled on gloves crafted from Yo-hwa’s thread, then drew the venom-infused water into the bamboo tube.
I took aim at the bedbugs massed on the opposite bank and sprayed them with the toxic water.
Ssss.
The jet of water shot from the bamboo nozzle, dousing the bedbugs.
I meticulously sprayed the insecticide along the length of the water barrier, and soon, as the sun began to rise, the bedbugs scattered in every direction, just as they had the day before.
“They’re pulling back!”
“They’re retreating!”
After they had dispersed, a few hours later, as we were all gathered in the village clearing eating breakfast in the early mist, something drew my notice.
“Ryong, look over there!”
Seol suddenly stood up, her meal forgotten, and pointed toward the mountain.
I followed her gaze and saw what looked like blue flames flickering on and off on the snow-capped peaks, resembling tiny blue lights on a distant tree.
It was clear that Hyang’s poison was effective.
The blue flames also became visible in the nearby forest, and Seol and Hyang both gazed at the eerie glow in wonder.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It truly is.”
It was a strangely lavish and beautiful death, far too grand for mere bedbugs.
***
After repeating this process for two more days, the number of bedbugs had noticeably dwindled.
Only a handful of stragglers were now finding their way to the village.
As I inspected the new arrivals and the dead ones, I discovered something peculiar.
“Something is definitely off here.”
“What is it now?”
Seol asked with a frown, likely expecting more bad news.
I smiled at her and replied.
“It’s about the bedbugs. The ones that came to the village… there isn’t a single female among them.”
“Not one?”
“Not a single one.”
Bedbugs are notoriously difficult to sex.
The reason is that males and females look almost exactly alike, making them hard to tell apart.
They are similar in size, with no obvious distinguishing features.
The only slight difference is that males are often a bit more slender, while females tend to be rounder.
But unless you compare them directly, the difference is nearly impossible to see.
“That is strange.”
“Well, if someone is controlling them, that would explain it. If they were breeding naturally, their numbers would be unimaginable.”
It appeared that someone had deliberately removed all the females to control the population and make them easier to manage.
I looked toward the larger mountain beyond the village and said, “I think we need to go over there and investigate.”
The village was almost completely restored, and repairs were nearly finished, so I decided it was time to visit the bandits’ mountain hideout.
***
For the journey to the bandits’ hideout, since we didn’t know how many bedbugs might remain in the forest, Hyang and I opted for a cautious approach, traveling by broom.
“Be careful, Ryong.”
“I will, Seol.”
After Seol’s repeated cautions, I took off on the broom, rising until Seol was just a speck on the ground below.
“Fly toward that mountain, Cho.”
Zzzrrrrt!
Once we gained sufficient altitude, I instructed Cho to head for the mountain where the hideout was located, and slowly, Cho began moving in that direction.
After days of brilliant blue displays, the mountain was now deathly quiet.
The dense tree cover obscured the view, but after some maneuvering, I spotted a clearing below that matched the hideout’s description.
The hideout was well camouflaged by trees and foliage, but from the air, its layout was clear.
I had Cho hold position nearby as I circled, examining the area, but the hideout was utterly silent.
“Is it safe to land?”
“Yes, there’s no sign of movement.”
We landed boldly in the center of the deserted compound, but no bandits challenged us. We checked a few wooden huts and found only decomposing corpses with bones showing.
Inside the largest log cabin, herbs and medicinal pills were scattered everywhere.
A decomposed body lay on the floor.
“This appears to be the leader’s quarters.”
“Is this him?”
“I’ll examine these medicines first.”
“Understood. I’ll search for anything else of interest.”
Zzzrrt!
While Hyang looked over the pills, Cho and I began investigating the rest of the cabin.
As Cho was sniffing around, he suddenly crawled out from under a table near a collapsed corpse, a book held in his mouth.
Zzzrrt!
“Good boy, Cho.”
Knowing Cho couldn’t read, I didn’t expect it to be crucial, but when I patted his head and took the book, I recognized something.
On its cover were illustrations of the five poisonous creatures I had once seen in the underground chambers of the O-dok Clan.