Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 174

Chapter 174Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Weeeeeeeng.

As I emerged from the ancient tree with Ranghu, the worker bees of the Golden-Furred Wasp King, which had been stationed both inside and outside the hive, started vibrating their wings like an engine roaring to life.
These were undoubtedly the bees ready to accompany us for the swarm migration.
A colony divides when the reigning queen departs, and by bringing Ranghu out from the old tree, I had effectively initiated the process.

“Roughly half, it seems.”

About half the hive appeared poised to take flight.
The moment I passed the entrance of the training hall, the humming bees surged into the sky all at once.

Weeeeng. Weeeeng.

Bees that had been waiting outside the tree, along with others flooding from the entrance, clouded the air around me, briefly shadowing the space.
Soon, the flying insects gathered overhead, circling around me in a wide, swirling vortex.
The sky churned with their motion, and the resonant drone of their wings saturated my hearing.

Bzzzz. Weeeeng.

“I have to hurry.”

Once I was sure all the follower bees were airborne, I sped toward the training hall’s exit.
Swarm migrations must be swift.
Worker bees carry a reserve of honey from their original nest, but if the search for a new home takes too long, they use up all their stored energy.
Until they locate a new nest, build combs with wax, and collect new nectar, they depend entirely on the honey they brought with them. The sooner they establish a hive, the better.

But before I’d crossed even half the training hall, the bees began landing on me one after another.
The circling mass overhead dove straight down toward my body.

Bzzzz! Bzzz!

“H-Hey, wait—!”

They weren’t attacking, of course.
During swarming, bees gather wherever the queen alights. Since Ranghu was perched on my shoulder, they were all clustering around me.
One by one, they attached themselves until I was completely engulfed in bees.
I could barely twitch a finger through the thick, buzzing layer.

At first, the overwhelming number made me uneasy, but then a funny memory came to mind.
This exact scene…
was something I had always wished to experience in my past life.

“Gyaaaaah! Is this… a bee beard!?”

In that former life, bee beards were a common sight in any viral bee video.
The method was simple: place a queen bee in a tiny cage hung around your neck. The workers, drawn to her, cover your body and form what looks like a living beard.
I’d always wanted to try it just once.
A beard made of bees—a whole swarm clinging to you—what guy wouldn’t want that?

But this…
This wasn’t just a bee beard. This was a bee tomb.
A massive, living tomb of bees.

And yet, despite the pressure, I felt an odd sense of fulfillment.
Not just a bee beard—a whole bee tomb… If I ever had to die, this would be the ideal way to go.

“Today, I mark another dream off the list. I could die content now…”

I would’ve loved to linger in that state, but the collective warmth of the bees was making me sweat, and more importantly, we needed to find a new home.
Once I grew closer to Ranghu and Nanghu, I could always experience the bee tomb again later.
I wasn’t sure how that bonding would go, but for now, securing a nest was the priority.

“Ranghu! Tell them to get off! We need to find a new home first!”

Struggling within the buzzing heap, I shouted in the direction where I thought Ranghu was.
Slowly, the weight on me lightened.
As the bees detached, I regained movement and spotted Ranghu hovering nearby.
She had taken flight to shake off the workers clinging to her. Her large body beat its little wings with a desperate, almost comical effort.

“Alright, that works.”

It must have been difficult for her, but she had slimmed down since the swarm began.

Just past the training hall, I reached the group of warriors waiting outside. They stood motionless, clearly wary of approaching because of the bees.

“S-So-ryong-nim! Are you alright!?”

The one who broke from the crowd was Gu Pae, commander of the Venom Blood Squad.
Since the Golden-Furred Wasp King fell under his unit’s care, he had likely come to check on the disturbance.

“I’m fine. But the bees need a new nest. Is there another hollow tree nearby?”

“Are they leaving their old hive?”

“No, a new queen was born. The colony split in two.”

“Oh! So now we have two colonies of Golden-Furred Wasp Kings?”

“That’s right.”

“Ooooh! Then I will call the clan’s warriors at once to help locate a new hive!”

—Fweeeeeee!

The shrill sound of the Tang Clan’s emergency signal pierced the air, calling for support.
Soon, people began gathering in response.

“What’s going on? Why are the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings behaving this way!?”

Grandfather Mandok Shingun arrived swiftly, his voice thick with worry.
After I explained, his face lit up with excitement.

“Ohhh, the swarm has divided?”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“Then we must find them a new home, without question. Everyone, move with speed!”

“Yes, Supreme Clan Leader!”

With unified shouts, the Tang Clan warriors spread across the mountain, searching for a suitable home for the new colony of Golden-Furred Wasp Kings.

***

Near the old tree, Gu Pae, commander of the Venom Blood Squad, approached and asked,

“What about this place?”

It was a small valley within the Tang Clan’s mountain estate.
Strictly speaking, not only Tang Mountain but the whole surrounding range belonged to the clan. Though somewhat distant from the main buildings, it wasn’t an unfavorable location.

I glanced at Ranghu on my shoulder. She shook her head vigorously.

Bzzzz!

A definite refusal.

“Seems too small. I agree—it’s definitely too cramped.”

The site itself wasn’t poor, but the tree was far smaller than their previous hive.
In such limited space, they wouldn’t be able to grow the colony properly, so Ranghu’s instant rejection made sense.

Noting this, Gu Pae’s tone turned apologetic.

“We’ve run out of old trees… What should we do?”

His concern was understandable.
We had already inspected all three of the large hollow trees on Tang Mountain.
None were suitable for a new hive.
Truthfully, it wasn’t unexpected—finding a centuries-old tree with a natural hollow was rare to begin with.

Bzzz. Bzzzz.

As we talked, another bee landed on me.
Seeing this, I made a swift decision and spoke while moving back toward the clan estate.

“Let’s return. Searching the mountain isn’t working.”

“Understood, So-ryong-nim! Everyone, fall in!”

“Yes, Commander!”

The swarm had occurred without warning, leaving no time to prepare a proper nest.
We had sent warriors to comb every part of Tang Mountain, but no suitable location could be found.

As a weary Ranghu settled back onto me, I flew toward the clan grounds, considering other options.
If no old tree could be found, what about… rock honeycombs?
Wild bees typically build hives in one of two places:
Inside trees (wood honeycombs).
Inside rock crevices (stone honeycombs).
If the Golden-Furred Wasp King shared traits of both honeybees and bumblebees, they should be able to nest in rocky crevices as well.
Since no hollow tree was available, a rock crevice seemed the next best choice.

But… Tang Mountain isn’t rocky.
That was the issue.
Even in rocky terrain, finding a crevice large enough for a full colony would be challenging.
The only remaining option was a cave.
And Tang Mountain had only one cave.
The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Poisons.
The only cave on the mountain spacious enough to comfortably host the swarm.
It was ideal.
But there was one enormous problem—it was strictly forbidden.
If it were my decision, I’d grant permission instantly, but Mandokjeon was one of the Tang Clan’s most vital sites.
I couldn’t possibly ask them to clear it out just for beekeeping.

“If I suggest Mandokjeon, everyone will panic… How did beekeeping work in my past life again?”

Lost in thought, I left the valley and reached a ridge offering a clear view of the surroundings.
The Golden-Furred Wasp Kings buzzed noisily above, still seeking a nest.
I surveyed the landscape, searching for a place that could serve as their home.

“It needs to be high, large, and wooden…”

Then, all at once, my eyes found the perfect spot.
“Tall, wooden, and spacious…”
It matched every requirement I had in mind.

“Found it!”

The warriors behind me turned in surprise, and Gu Pae stepped forward eagerly.

“So-ryong-nim, you found a place!?”

“Yes. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner—I’ve been a fool.”

“Huh? You mean the perfect spot is nearby?”

“Yes, very close. Let’s go!”

“W-Wait, So-ryong-nim!”

Ignoring Gu Pae’s questions, I dashed toward the Tang Clan estate.
It was better to secure the spot first rather than ask—if I asked, they might say no.
‘If I ask permission and they refuse, it’ll be a catastrophe.’

With Ranghu on my shoulder, I raced along the ridge and soon reached the Tang Clan grounds.
I leaped over the outer wall and landed smoothly inside.
Right then, I encountered Tang Hwa-eun, Seol, and the siblings Gungbong and Eunbong, who were walking nearby.

“Whoa, you startled me.”

“So-ryong.”

The two women quickly recovered and asked where I was headed.

“So-ryong! Did you find a home for the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings?”

“Ryong, where are you going? Oh—you haven’t found a spot yet, have you? The queen is still on your shoulder.”

“Actually, I found one. I was just about to move them in.”

“Huh? You found a place? Where?”

“So-ryong, can we come see?”

Both Hwa-eun and Seol brightened with curiosity.
I paused briefly, then glanced toward my target before answering.

“It’s right over there. Sure, you can come.”

Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

The sound of bees followed closely behind me.
Without waiting for a reply, I propelled myself with qigong movement and sped toward my destination.

“So-ryong, wait for us!”

“Ryong, slow down!”

The voices of Seol-nui and Hwa-eun trailed after me, but I was already weaving between estate buildings, finally stopping before the chosen site.
Right beside the large pond within the Tang Clan’s grounds.

“We’re here.”

Bzzzz.

Ranghu tilted her head, clearly puzzled about where the hive could be.
She seemed to be asking, “Where is the tree?”

I walked calmly to the structure and rapped it with my knuckles.
Knock, knock.

“This place is entirely wood, it’s tall, and it’s huge. Won’t this work?”

Bzzz?

Ranghu lifted her head and stared at the building I’d tapped.
And just then—
Hwa-eun and Seol caught up.
Hwa-eun looked around before her gaze settled on the structure I was touching.
Her face paled.

“S-So-ryong, surely not. It isn’t that, is it?”

She desperately hoped it wasn’t what she suspected.
Unfortunately, it was exactly that.
A five-story wooden pavilion standing tall beside the pond.
Made completely of wood, hollow inside, elevated, and spacious.
Wasn’t it essentially a giant, empty tree ready for use?

“T-That’s the five-story pavilion, Dokhwa-ru, where we receive guests…”

“Oh, really? Ahaha…”

At that very moment—
Bzzzzzz.

Ranghu launched from my shoulder, flew to the pavilion’s roof, and darted through an open window.
Immediately, the whole swarm of Golden-Furred Wasp Kings followed, disappearing inside.
I could feel Hwa-eun’s stunned gaze burning into me.

‘Well… If they need another pavilion, they can always build a new one, right?’
At least I hadn’t used the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Poisons.
And with that, the swarm migration was complete.