Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 162

Chapter 162
There was simply no chance that man was the true leader of the Five Poison Centipede Squad.
At least, that was the desperate hope I clung to.
Yet ill omens have a way of always proving true, and once more, my deepest dread was confirmed.
The voices of the two warriors who entered the cavern behind him removed all doubt.
“Captain! The vice captain has been deceased for twenty or thirty days! The dried, crimson-stained flesh at her throat suggests she ended her own life with Fire Annihilation Poison…”
It was undeniable. They were speaking of the one who wrote the journal.
Another warrior, who had been inspecting the area, suddenly shouted in alarm.
“The breeding facility—! What? Intruders!?”
“Who goes there!?”
Their attention snapped from the gaping breeding pits to us, their eyes instantly becoming razor-sharp and threatening.
Hwa-eun and I were cornered, like creatures trapped in a toxic vessel.
Three of them were present now, but it was obvious the ones stationed outside would be returning shortly—at least three additional fighters.
[So-ryong, what is the plan?]
Hwa-eun’s anxious voice slipped into my ear via a silent transmission.
She had asked me what to do, but I dared not answer.
My gaze was fixed on the man who seemed to command the Five Poison Centipede Squad.
Even the slightest whisper back to Hwa-eun could provoke them.
Our only option was to delay.
If Cho arrived back with Lady Seol soon, we might reverse our fortunes.
The journey from the breeding pit to this cave had taken half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Calculating the return trip, Cho should be here in roughly the time it takes one incense stick to burn through.
If we were seized before then, the situation would deteriorate completely.
Even if Cho eliminated the enemy upon his return, it would be meaningless if Hwa-eun and I were already severely wounded or dead.
This leader… his strength is at least equal to a Blood Cult elder, isn’t it?
His calm composure and the powerful aura he radiated felt identical to the Blood Cult elders we had faced previously.
Neither Hwa-eun nor I were a match for him in a direct confrontation.
However, nothing in battle is ever certain.
Hwa-eun had Seol, Bing, and Dong concealed beneath her skirts, and I carried Hyang and Yeondu with me.
If we strategized carefully, we might manage to endure.
Just as I was calculating the odds, the man motioned with his chin toward his subordinates.
“These trespassers do not appear willing to talk. Seize them.”
“At once, Captain!”
On his order, the two warriors burst into motion, charging at us like a gale.
“Be on guard!”
The sound of their rushing feet reverberated off the cave walls.
Hwa-eun called out a quick warning to me before propelling herself forward to intercept them.
The dancing light from our torches threw shifting, clashing shadows on the stone as Hwa-eun and the warriors narrowed the gap between them.
A direct clash seemed unavoidable.
But at the final instant—
Just before they met in close-quarters combat—
A volley of silver needles erupted from Hwa-eun’s sleeve.
—Shrrrk!
“Poison needles!”
The sudden attack took the two men by surprise.
Their faces contorted in shock, but they responded with agility, pushing off the ground to leap onto the opposing walls of the cave.
—Thud.
Holding fast to the stone, they just evaded the hail of needles.
Yet in that fleeting moment, something else occurred.
The commotion disturbed the things hiding in the dark.
—Chitter, chitter.
The parasites surged toward them.
The warriors contorted their bodies, flipping through the air to land back on the cave floor.
They had narrowly avoided the ambush.
They were quick.
Hwa-eun made a sound of irritation.
“Tch…”
Then, the leader of the Five Poison Centipede Squad spoke again.
“Poison needles? Girl, what is your link to the Tang Clan?”
There were very few martial arts schools that focused on poison needles.
Merely employing them was sufficient to reveal her origins.
Choosing not to answer, Hwa-eun pressed her lips together tightly and silently prepared more needles between her fingers.
The man released a dry, humorless laugh.
“Hah…”
His chuckle held a disturbing quality.
And then, abruptly—
An immense killing intent flooded the cavern.
Its sheer force crashed down on us like a tidal wave.
So that’s his game. He views us as insignificant.
As the oppressive bloodlust weighed on us, I instinctively gathered my energy to defend.
But before I could act, something shot out from within my clothing.
—Ssssrrrk! “Who dares to threaten him!?”
It was Hyang.
Enraged, her eyes blazing, she glared at the man with pure venom.
Hyang, you fool… I was keeping you as my hidden ace!
She had revealed herself too early, reacting on impulse to the lethal intent directed at me.
I quickly reached out, pushing her head down to prevent her from raging further.
But then, to my astonishment, the man said my name.
“A Blue-Spotted Centipede? It cannot be… So-ryong?”
What in the world? Why is he behaving as if we are acquainted?
Since when have these Five Poison Clan lowlifes become so cordial?
But for now, I needed to play for time.
So I steadied myself and answered courteously.
“You know who I am?”
The man nodded and brought his hands together in a formal martial salute, as if addressing a superior.
“I am Kwon Sam, leader of the Five Poison Centipede Squad.
Regarding your question—naturally, I know you.
You are the master of the Blue-Spotted Centipede, the esteemed So-ryong, and the beloved of Lady Cheongyu.”
Him knowing about my centipede was not a shock.
But that final part—
“Beloved”?
What in heaven’s name was he saying?
This could mean only one thing.
That gothic madwoman, Oh Cheongyu, had graduated from “disturbing individual” to an outright stalker.
“What? Whose ‘beloved’ did you say?”
I asked, my voice full of disbelief. Beside me, Hwa-eun’s expression turned to ice.
She had every right to be furious.
She is my rightful fiancée, and here was some deranged stranger making wild assertions.
This was plainly a delusion on their part.
The Centipede Squad leader continued, nodding as if it were common knowledge.
“Lady Cheongyu, of course.
She herself informed us of your true name. You couldn’t have possibly forgotten?
No… Surely not. Have you?”
“Oh, you mean… Cheongyu. That Oh Cheongyu…”
I replied, my tone awkward.
Hwa-eun’s eyes widened as she stared at me.
Her look all but shouted, “Why do you recall her name?!”
Because she is insane. That’s why.
How could I possibly forget?
I was already struggling to devise an explanation for Hwa-eun later when Kwon Sam went on.
“So you remember? That is a relief. Lady Cheongyu would have been devastated otherwise.
Ah, and if you are present, then this woman must be from the Tang Clan.
What excellent fortune.
Lady Cheongyu had a specific request concerning her, which I can now carry out far ahead of schedule.”
“A… request?”
A cold dread settled in my stomach.
Nothing wholesome ever came from a request made by that lunatic.

And just as expected, Kwon Sam’s face grew cold as he smirked.
“So-ryong is to be captured—no, escorted—back to us without a scratch.
As for the Tang Clan woman…
She is to be thoroughly disgraced before being returned to the Tang Clan.”
“Disgraced?!”
“There is no cause for young Master So-ryong to trouble himself with the particulars. Heh… heh heh. I returned to discover my subordinates had committed a serious error, but ultimately, matters have concluded rather favorably.
Dishonoring the Tang Clan girl and bringing Master So-ryong back—compared to the resources we invested in cultivating these parasites, that is a trivial cost…”
The scoundrel wet his lips, his eyes roaming over Hwa-eun’s form. His two underlings beside him chuckled lewdly.
Hwa-eun, subjected to their vile stares, shook with fury and shame.
“You disgusting wretches! Perish now!”
Blinded by anger, she lifted her hand and unleashed another cloud of poison needles, saturating the cave like a metallic downpour under the torchlight.
However, the squad captain just laughed dismissively, throwing his torch down and stepping forward. With a negligent swipe of his hand, he batted the needles aside, where they stuck into the cave walls.
His victorious voice boomed through the space.
“Did you genuinely believe simple poison needles would be adequate to handle me, Kwon Sam, leader of the Five Poison Centipede Squad? Hah! Continue, struggle a bit more—it is always more entertaining when they resist.”
Hwa-eun shook with wrath, her fury uncontrollable.
I called to her.
“Hwa-eun, come to me.”
But she paid no attention, her hands going to the poison vials at her belt.
She planned to use every ounce of her toxins to slaughter them.
I deepened my voice and called her name again.
“Hwa. Eun.”
This time, she started and looked my way.
She must have detected the change in my atmosphere.
Because now, I was enraged.
So furious that my mind grew icy rather than hot.
There is a saying that real anger renders a man quiet—it was accurate.
My wife was beautiful, and these pests—no, calling them pests insults actual insects—these foul degenerates were ogling her.
First Lee Tae, and now this garbage. It appeared every vile piece of filth that saw Hwa-eun felt compelled to leer.
Obviously, they required instruction. A lesson so harsh it would be permanently etched into their memory.
The instant Hwa-eun retreated a step toward me, I retrieved a pair of gloves made from venom-saturated silk—a present from Lady Yo-hwa for managing poisonous beings.
I put them on and stared directly at Kwon Sam.
“So, if I understand correctly… You expressed a desire to defile Hwa-eun? That was the essence of it, yes?”
Kwon Sam’s confidence flickered for a heartbeat before he grinned.
“Hah! And I believed you were too immature to grasp such matters. But I see you are indeed a man.
Good, that simplifies things.
Relinquish her and accompany us. Lady Cheongyu awaits you.
Without a doubt, she is vastly superior to this girl.”
His conceited grin broadened as he added:
“And you are likely relying on that Blue-Spotted Centipede of yours, but we are the Five Poison Centipede Squad.
Did you truly assume we would lack prepared countermeasures?”
I gave a thin smile.
“Very well.”
Kwon Sam looked startled.
Even Hwa-eun whirled to gape at me in shock.
And in that moment—
—CRACK!
With a sharp kick, I broke open the crate holding the final female parasites.
The flat, disc-like insects scrambled out, five landing directly in my gloved palm.
Before anyone could respond, I hurled them at the three warriors like throwing stars.
Reacting on instinct, they slapped the parasites away with their hands.
—SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The crushed insects burst into a powdery cloud.
Kwon Sam scowled.
“What is the meaning of this, Master So-ryong?”
He was clueless.
But insects converse through pheromones.
Bedbugs were no different.
They used three main pheromones: for alarm, for assembly, and for mating.
And female bedbugs released a scent identical to the males’—except its purpose was completely opposite.
Male bedbugs found it utterly compelling.
I tucked the two remaining females into my gloves, crushed them, and threw their remnants to the side.
Then, smiling, I faced Kwon Sam.
“Have fun.”
With that, I let my torch fall to the ground and extinguished it under my foot.
Absolute darkness consumed the cave.
And then—
A noise like a torrential downpour.
—Thud. Thud. Thud.
Succeeded by the ear-splitting shrieks of the three warriors.
“ARGHHH!”
“AAAAAGH!”
“NOOOO!”
Hwa-eun gripped me in fright.
“So-So-ryong! What is going on!?”
I held her close and whispered into her ear:
“Those who insult and desire my woman deserve a fitting punishment… And what punishment is more fitting than giving them precisely what they craved?”
Hwa-eun blinked, uncomprehending.
Because bedbugs are bizarre beings.
Particularly in their mating habits.
Female bedbugs possess no reproductive openings.
And male bedbugs?
They are not concerned with gender.
Or species.
If they detect the mating pheromone, they will drive their barbed, hook-like genitalia into anything nearby—and deposit their seed inside.
Anything.
Male, female, bug, human—it makes no difference.
They will bore into the nearest available target.
And now, in this cavern, thousands of them had been summoned toward Kwon Sam and his men.
Their screams continued to reverberate, a symphony of unending torment.
I smiled.
“Rest in pieces.”