Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 189

Chapter 189
Our intended path led straight from Yunnan to Qinghai through Xizang, but that way was impassable.

North of the Tengchong Volcano, where we had just been, immense mountain ranges and high plateaus stretched into the distance. Some peaks retained their snow even in summer. That mountain, known as Yulong Snow Mountain in my previous life—sometimes called the ‘Alps of the East’—was also situated somewhere in this vast region.

Although my children were truly extraordinary beings, they would probably find such bitter cold difficult to withstand, forcing us to change our plans. Even the reinforcements from the Beast Palace had dismissed this route. The mountains were simply too perilous to cross.

For this reason, we boarded our ship again and began sailing up the Yangtze River, eventually veering onto one of its tributaries, the Yalong River. As the Yalong River has its source in Qinghai, following it upstream would ultimately lead us to our goal.

Ten days went by as we journeyed along the Yangtze and its major tributary, the Yalong River. While moving upriver, nearing the border of Qinghai and Sichuan, something happened.

—Rumble.

Water from the upper reaches, heavy with silt and churning foam, slammed against the hull, the flow growing more and more turbulent. Yet, by some miracle, our vessel pressed on, even if only inch by inch.

Not long after, however, our slow but persistent advance stopped completely.

The force of the water coming downstream was too powerful. Despite all efforts, the boat could not be urged any farther forward.

The boatman, who had been watching the upper reaches from the deck, called out suddenly.

“So-ryong! Could you see to the tow crew?”

“Understood!”

The “tow crew” were those responsible for hauling boats against the Yangtze’s strong currents. Normally, locals living by the river did this work, using smaller boats to lead the way and pull, or dragging the main vessel from the banks with ropes.

But in our case, the tow crew was quite unique—because it wasn’t people doing the pulling, but Cho, Bini, and Yo-hwa.

‘Are they alright? Why did they ever insist on doing this?’

I never planned for them to take on this role. My precious children—hauling a real boat, not some plaything? The thought of them getting injured or worn out was unacceptable.

I had flatly refused at first.

Yet, after the human tow workers were overcome by exhaustion, the youngsters volunteered to try.

And to my astonishment, they outperformed dozens of people put together.

So, for several days now, they had been pulling our boat.

But the river’s flow here was evidently too strong—they had reached their limit.

I looked toward where Cho, Bini, and Yo-hwa were straining.

Cho hovered in the air, while Bini and Yo-hwa clung to the cliff faces, exerting all their strength.

Bound together by Yo-hwa’s silk threads, the three struggled desperately to drag the boat forward. But despite their immense effort, the ship stood still against the raging current.

Even with their aid, we could proceed no further.

I turned and shouted to the boatman.

“It seems we can’t advance any farther?”

“Correct! From this point, you must go on by land! You can tell the tow crew to cease now!”

“Understood! Prepare to make landfall!”

Since the riverbank here was sheer rock, we couldn’t dock immediately. We had to drift slightly downstream to locate a suitable spot.

I swiftly sent a mental command to my children.

‘Cho, Bini, shift downstream a bit and find a place to dock. Inform Yo-hwa as well.’

As I requested, the three of them gradually moved downstream, seeking a proper landing site.

After a short time, they discovered a small stretch of bank where the boat could finally be secured.

—Splash!

A plume of water erupted at the stern as the anchor plunged down.

The moment the boat halted, the three of them sprang through the air, landing nimbly on the shore.

—Rustle!
—Rustle, rustle…
—Kishaaa!

The instant their feet touched land, they gestured urgently for us to come across.

Seeing them still full of vigor, I waved from the deck and called to them.

“Alright! Well done, everyone! Wait there a moment, we’re coming over!”

It felt like only yesterday that Yo-hwa was a small hatchling, scarcely able to move. Now she had grown strong enough to pull a boat. The sight stirred my emotions.

I waited as the gangplank was lowered.

“Prepare to disembark!”

“Yes, sir!”

The warriors hurriedly arranged the planks for our departure onto the bank.

The moment I stepped onto firm ground, I gave my hard-working children an affectionate pat.

“You all did wonderfully. Was it very difficult? No one is hurt, I hope? I was concerned for you.”

—Rustle.
—Rustle…
—Kishaa.

Cho, Bini, and Yo-hwa conveyed feelings of reassurance, as if to say, ‘It was nothing.’

Soon, the others began to disembark one after another.

Hwa-eun was the first to step ashore after me.

“So-ryong, children, you all worked so hard. Was it taxing?”

At her words of concern, Cho and Bini wiggled their antennae spiritedly, as if saying, “Not at all!”

Right behind her was Seol, who had been seasick for the entire voyage. She left the boat with a profoundly relieved expression.

“Ugh! Solid ground at last!”

She had suffered from nausea the whole time. Clearly, she still hadn’t gotten her sea legs.

As the rest of the group came down, Ji-ryong approached and started to explain our location.

“This should be near the area of Seokjin.”

Despite his youth, Ji-ryong was the one briefing me on our position.

The reason was straightforward: I was leading this operation.

Originally, the deputy lord of the Beast Palace held this responsibility. But with Seol and me present, he had been sidelined.

Naturally, I assumed Seol would assume command.

However, she insisted that I needed more leadership experience and handed the duty to me, leaving no alternative.

Consequently, though I am an adopted son of the Beast Palace, I became the leader.

Having never led an expedition before, I enlisted Ji-ryong as my aide.

Thus, it fell to him to deliver reports to me now.

‘Having a member of the Zhuge family as my strategist… I feel like Liu Bei from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.’

“So we’re near the Qinghai border now?”

“Yes.”

If this was Seokjin, then it was the place the governor of Sichuan suspected was the alternate transformation site for the Black-Marked Dragon Tortoise.

Had we not found Hongdan, we might have stopped here.

But since we already recovered Hongdan, there was no longer any cause to visit Seokjin.

Judging by the nature of these creatures, they would have dispersed after their transformation was complete.

Before laying eggs, the Black-Marked Dragon Tortoise consumes enormous quantities of live prey. If the village was in an uproar a few years back, it likely meant the transformation had concluded and the offspring were taken away.

With that in mind, I made my decision.

“We’ll camp here tonight and then make directly for Qinghai.”

“Yes. As planned, we will secure the boat here.”

“Good.”

As I finished speaking, Ji-ryong began directing people to prepare a meal.

A large fire was built near the riverbank, and everyone started to gather around it.

***

The greatest advantage of traveling with martial artists was the minimal need to carry provisions.

Of course, those who have mastered martial arts can subsist on very little, but that wasn’t the main point.

It was more that their reflexes were far beyond those of ordinary people.

Even if we just collected a handful of mussels from the shore, we could still easily hunt rabbits darting through the rocks, or geese, ducks, and pheasants spotted nearby, turning them into a meal.

Even the fish in the water stood no chance of escaping the grasp of martial artists.

Someone like Hwa-eun, armed with nothing but a hastily fashioned wooden spear, could catch fish with ease.

Using throwing weapons, they could even bring down birds in flight.

That was why, once again, the day’s hunt was soon sizzling over the fire.

—Sizzle.

The meat of the argali that Geum-cheong had hunted was crackling over the campfire, glistening with dripping fat.

In the Central Plains, this creature is known as a liu-niu.

Geum-cheong had gone hunting and returned after two days with not one, but two of them.

The martial artists, who had been scattered about gathering rabbits, pheasants, and fish, knew the moment they saw the two massive carcasses that our food concerns were over.

No—more than just “solved,” the trip had turned into a banquet.

With nearly a hundred people in our party, a single argali would have been more than sufficient.

From the heart and liver to the intestines—every part was used.

As one would expect from the people of the Central Plains, who pride themselves on eating every part of an animal except the table it sits on.

Once the meat was thoroughly cooked, gleaming with rich, golden fat, the meal commenced.

—Crunch.

The argali meat didn’t taste much different from beef.

In my past life, I’d heard that some packaged galbitang meals made in China used argali meat instead of beef.

As I chewed, appreciating the familiar flavor, I overheard disappointed murmurs from the warriors nearby.

“Ah, if only we had some wine…”

“Hey! Do you think this is a holiday?”

“I know, I know… but the thought just occurred to me.”

It seemed that no matter where you are, where there is meat, people yearn for alcohol.

Apparently, this is a universal constant, be it in Korea or the Central Plains.

The boatmen, overhearing the warriors’ complaints, exchanged looks before one of them spoke up, cracking his knuckles.

“Boatmaster, I believe there are a few barrels of wine stored on the ship. Shall we bring a couple? The warriors seem to be craving a drink.”

“Understood, So-ryong.”

At that moment, the leader of the Beast Palace’s response team looked at me in surprise.

“So-ryong, are you certain about this?”

Seeing his worried expression, I nodded.

“We haven’t even entered Qinghai yet. We’re still in Sichuan, so let’s allow this one last indulgence. Once we cross into Qinghai, there will be no more chances to drink.”

Had we already been in Qinghai, it would have been different.

But we were still in Sichuan.

If they wanted a drink, now was the time.

Before the Beast Palace leader could raise another objection, the warriors broke into cheers.

“Thank you, So-ryong!”

“Haha! We are grateful!”

“It feels like an age since my last drink—thank you!”

Soon, the boatmen carried over barrels of wine.

The night passed with the warriors enjoying roasted argali and celebratory drinks, the atmosphere filled with laughter.

***

“This is troublesome…”

“How should we report this?”

The next morning, I was woken by a stir outside.

We had meant to leave early, yet for some reason, the camp was unusually active.

Rubbing my eyes, I went out and followed the noise to the riverbank.

There, I found a group of warriors standing in a circle, looking perturbed as they examined something in their midst.

‘That spot…’

“What’s happening?”

“Ah! S-So-ryong!”

“So-ryong, you’re awake!”

As I approached and asked, the warriors quickly moved aside.

At the center of their attention were, predictably, the remains of the argali we had consumed the night before.

One had been entirely eaten, while the second had been roasted and saved for later.

But during the night, some kind of wild creature had apparently gotten to it, tearing into the leftover meat.

Scraps were strewn about, with obvious signs of gnawing.

One of the warriors, scratching his head in embarrassment, stepped forward to report.

“It seems a wild animal came through last night and took some of our food… Our apologies.”

If lack of food were a problem, we would have identified who was on watch and issued a reprimand.

But martial artists rarely fret about shortages of food.

So, I responded offhandedly.

“Whatever ate this could carry sickness. Discard any tainted portions and let’s be on our way.”

“Yes, So-ryong.”

After giving the order, I washed up by the river, ate some of the remaining meat, and then we continued our journey toward Qinghai.

Yet, the very next morning, we faced the identical situation.

“S-So-ryong! Our apologies!”

Once again, some of our provisions had been taken or spoiled.

“An animal did this again?”

“It appears so.”

It was peculiar.

Warriors had been standing guard through the night.

Nonetheless, our food had been pilfered.

Inspecting the area, I found that, just like before, the woven bamboo container holding the food had been ripped open, with distinct bite marks left behind.

The way the food was eaten, the method of its taking—it all felt hauntingly similar.

Even though we had covered a significant distance since the previous day, it seemed the same creature had struck again.

‘What is going on? Could there really be that many scavengers in this area?’

I searched the vicinity for more clues, but found nothing definitive.

After a moment’s consideration, I addressed the warriors.

“As before, throw out anything that’s been spoiled. I don’t know what kind of creature is responsible, but we needn’t trouble ourselves over it. We’ll be putting great distance between us and this place soon enough.”

“Yes, So-ryong!”

As we traveled on, the growing distance should naturally separate us from the culprit.

That’s what I believed—until the next morning, when we awoke to find the same problem had occurred yet again.

‘This can’t be. What in the world is this?’

We had been using light footwork techniques to move swiftly.

There was no possible way the same animal could be keeping pace with us.

And yet, something was still stealing our food.