Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 190

Chapter 190
For journeys spanning great distances, aside from horses and carts, those who practice martial arts commonly employ three primary kinds of carrying gear.
As they have little need to stockpile vast quantities of provisions and can move more swiftly and endure longer than any beast or wagon, martial artists depend chiefly on the strength of their own legs.
This reliance leads them to favor three distinct methods for transporting their goods.
The first is the *geup*, a backpack fashioned from bamboo.
It is a rectangular crate constructed of bamboo, packed with necessities, and carried upon the back like a rucksack.
It even features shoulder straps, so, apart from its material, it operates identically to a modern backpack.
The character *geup* (笈) traditionally denotes a book box, frequently utilized by scholars to transport texts.
Yet, martial artists more often fill it with garments and foodstuffs.
If you have ever watched a Chinese film where scholars wander with a square bamboo container on their backs—that is a *geup*.
A second approach involves a sizable basket woven from reeds or bamboo, fitted with shoulder straps, acting as a replacement for a pack.
This style is commonly seen with market vendors hauling produce or merchandise, but it is also widely adopted by martial artists.
It is simple to construct and can accommodate a considerable volume of supplies.
Finally, there is the most basic technique—cutting a pole of bamboo and affixing baskets to each end, or simply bundling supplies directly onto it.
This was an sight I frequently encountered in Southeast Asian markets during my previous life.
It called to mind the manner people carried water yokes or how soldiers of antiquity would sling their kits vertically across their shoulders.
At present, we were utilizing bamboo baskets brought from Yunnan as provisional packs.
When I investigated the source of the warriors’ disturbance, I observed that, yet again, holes had been chewed through the corner of one basket.
The warriors from the Beast Palace were capable of mending the baskets, so that was not the true concern.
The actual issue was that this had occurred for three consecutive days.
I concluded it was time to seek advice from a specialist in these matters.
When confronted with a dilemma, the optimal course was to enlist an expert, was it not?
“Seol!”
Indeed—Seol was the person to ask.
If my expertise lay with insects, reptiles, amphibians, and specifically, poisonous beings, then Seol was the undisputed master of furry mammals.
Even though we were no longer in Yunnan, she might still discern the perpetrator from the clues it left behind.
The knowledge of the Beast Palace was not confined to the creatures of Yunnan alone—Seol was educated in all types of animals.
Since this was unmistakably the deed of a wild creature, identifying it would allow us to scare it off or block its return.
That was my reason for calling her over.
“Hm? What is it, So-ryong?”
Her eyes still heavy with sleep, Seol tilted her head before scampering to my side when I waved her over.
Leaning against me in her drowsy state, I indicated the damaged basket.
“Can you figure out what animal did this?”
“This one?”
“Yes. I didn’t bring it up earlier, but our food has been pilfered for the last three days.
It’s not a massive quantity, but the baskets are being ruined in the process.
I feel certain it’s an animal, but that’s not my area of knowledge.”
“I see. Let me check… Hmm?”
As I had kept this to myself until now, this was Seol’s first hearing of it.
At my urging, she started her inspection of the compromised basket.
She began by meticulously studying the frayed edges.
Then, she shifted her attention to the grass surrounding where the basket had rested.
She sniffed the air, scrutinizing the nearby trees and the soil with thorough care.
After some time, she appeared to reach a verdict, but her expression was one of confusion rather than certainty.
“Hmm… This is odd.”
“What is?”
“Well, there are no tracks to be found, and the marks on the basket are unusual.
My initial thought was a rodent, since it bit through the weave, but see here—
The edges weren’t shredded by sharp front teeth.
It looks more like something clamped down with its back teeth and ripped it open.”
I looked more closely, following her guidance.
She was correct; the difference was noticeable.
I had carelessly assumed rats were responsible, but as Seol noted, there was no evidence of gnawing.
The bamboo hadn’t been patiently chewed but rather severed cleanly or torn apart by force.
“You’re right. So it wasn’t a rodent?”
True to form, Seol was sharp.
As I nodded, she elaborated further.
“Right. A rat would have nibbled away with its incisors, bit by bit.
But this was torn, not gnawed.
That’s what makes it so peculiar.”
“?”
“Bite patterns like this usually come from a meat-eating animal.
But the impression seems too small for a typical predator…
Furthermore, carnivores don’t usually bother with human possessions.
Not unless they are desperate from hunger or something is very wrong.”
She had a valid point.
Most predatory animals would rather hunt live prey than consume items reeking of people.
They are also inherently wary beings.
Therefore, as Seol indicated, the situation was strange.
“On top of that, the Beast Palace warriors have their wolves with them.
They should have sensed if something came near.
But they didn’t make a sound at all last night—that’s also very strange.”
The notion that something could infiltrate our camp despite the watchful wolves was perplexing.
Even more baffling was the wolves’ complete silence throughout the night.
“Hmm… yeah.”
Seol tilted her head, lost in contemplation.
Then, abruptly, she glanced up at me and gave a playful smirk, seemingly entertained by my grave demeanor.
She must have found my serious focus amusing.
“So-ryong, stop fretting.
I’ll manage it from here.
Tonight, I’ll have the perimeter marked with wolf scent and station a few wolves by the food stores.”
“Really? That would be a great help.”
“Naturally! You ought to have told me earlier!”
Though a minor nuisance, having a professional like Seol take charge put my mind at ease.
As always, she proved dependable.
With the matter settled, we turned to cleaning up.
I promptly issued commands to the warriors.
“Fix the baskets. Dispose of any spoiled food as we did previously.”
“Yes, So-ryong!”
“Be quick! We must depart shortly!”
“Understood!”
The warriors set to work immediately, and the area was organized in moments.
Thus, our group continued its trek toward Qinghai.
***

The campfire popped and hissed as dusk deepened.
After the evening meal, Seol assembled the Beast Palace warriors and instructed them.
“I understand an animal has been raiding our supplies for three nights running?
This evening, position the wolves to guard the remaining food.
Ensure they have an unobstructed line of sight.”
“Yes, young mistress!”
She was evidently making good on her pledge from earlier.
Soon, the leftover provisions were consolidated, and once the space was prepared, the warriors hung the remaining meat on bamboo frames to dry.
They arranged it so the smoke from the fire would impart a preserving scent—while not a common practice for martial artists, it remained a useful technique.
Once the jerky was prepared, the warriors brought the wolves and positioned them around the meat.
Observing the dogs and wolves take their places, I collapsed onto a bed of soft, dry grass under a tree.
“Damn, all this endless walking is more taxing than I anticipated.”
—Rustle.
—Rustle.
The moment I lay down, the others joined me.
Bini and Cho curled up on my flanks, while Hwayang settled near my head.
Seol, Bini, and Dong found perches on top of me, and Moji and Soji squirmed within a basket that Hyung had once been given for carrying the little ones.
High in the branches, Yo-hwa wove a silken shield above us before resting her eyes.
It seemed each had staked out an assigned spot on my person.
It was somewhat cramped, but at least we were all arranged for the night.
“Alright then, everyone—sleep well!”
I offered a goodnight, and they replied with their various calls.
—Coo!
—Kishaa!
—Shaya!
Their chorus was my bedtime song, a suitable serenade for someone like Spicy Fabre.
As my awareness began to dim into sleep, I fleetingly thought about erecting a protective shield around us.
But then I reconsidered; was it truly necessary to employ a divine beast’s power for a mere food-thieving animal?
The wolves would surely suffice.
Content with that, I let myself slide into slumber.
Sometime during the night, I was jarred awake by a sudden uproar.
—Grrrr…
—Yelp! Yelp!
“What’s happening… Ugh?”
“…A report—”
“No, deal with it… We can discuss it at dawn…”
Although the noise woke me briefly, the clamor soon died down.
Since no one arrived urgently to deliver news, it presumably wasn’t a critical event.
And so, I closed my eyes and fell back asleep.
The next morning, however, the atmosphere was… wrong.
‘Hold on… Isn’t this more serious than yesterday?’
A wolf was lying motionless, paralyzed from a bite.
The leftover jerky and dried meat had been fouled with a sickening odor, rendering them unfit to eat.
“It appears something assaulted the food stores last night and clashed with the wolves.”
“…Something fought the wolves?”
“Yes. It moved so rapidly that even the warriors employing their movement arts couldn’t get a clear view.”
I went straight over to examine the paralyzed wolf.
Its eyes were slightly rolled back, its body stiff.
It was evident—it had been injected with some type of paralyzing venom.
“What in the world…? Something attacked a wolf?
And added to that… paralysis?
This injury—it’s clearly from an animal’s bite…”
Seol studied the wounded wolf with a baffled look, unable to decipher the scene.
“Hwa-eun, could you examine this one?”
“On it, So-ryong.”
As Hwa-eun attended to the wolf, I pondered the evidence.
‘Do skunks exist in the Central Plains?
No… Then what was the source of the paralysis toxin?’
While I struggled to reconcile the bizarre series of events, I mentally sifted through any known animals that matched this behavior.
Then, a tentative voice broke into my thoughts.
“Um… So, So-hyeop.”
I turned to see Ji-ryong at my side.
“Yes, Ji-ryong. Did you want to say something?”
I wondered if he, having monitored the situation from the start, possessed some crucial insight.
But rather than providing analysis, Ji-ryong suddenly bowed his head and offered an apology.
“There is actually something I must apologize for.”
“Apologize?”
His unexpected statement made me cock my head in bewilderment.
Noting my confusion, Ji-ryong nodded with a remorseful expression.
“Yes. In my role as the group’s strategist, I should have planned for this, but I neglected to do so.”
“You did?”
At my behest, Ji-ryong was currently serving as strategist.
In my former life, a strategist’s duty was solely to concoct military schemes,
but in this world, a strategist functioned more as a quartermaster—a caretaker for the entire force.
They were responsible not only for strategy but also for personnel, supplies, and troop morale.
Given his multitude of duties, it seemed an oversight had occurred.
I tilted my head, curious about what he had missed.
“What is it?”
Ji-ryong was an astute man—so much so that it had earned him his nickname.
During the giant bedbug incident, he had instantly proposed setting the mountain ablaze to resolve it.
For someone of his quick intellect to err was difficult to imagine.
I waited for his explanation.
“I failed to account for our food situation once we reach the desert.”
“The desert?”
I gave him a questioning look, urging him to continue.
“When journeying with martial artists, hunting usually provides enough, so I believed extra supplies weren’t needed.
But upon reflection, the desert will have scant large game.”
“…Ah.”
His words struck me like a physical jolt.
I hadn’t considered that either.
Like Ji-ryong, I had simply presumed we would hunt as we traveled.
But he was correct—the circumstances would shift upon entering the desert.
However, it was not yet a crisis.
We had not reached Qinghai, meaning we still had time before encountering the desert.
If we commenced hunting now and preserved the meat as jerky during our travel, we would be prepared.
“We still have some way to go before the desert, so we can hunt extensively beforehand and prepare jerky as we move.”
“I had the same thought.”
Ji-ryong nodded in agreement.
I smiled at him, offering reassurance.
“Well, in that case, there’s no need for an apology.”
With that matter resolved, Ji-ryong gestured toward something else.
“But before we can concentrate on stockpiling food, we need to address that first.”
I tracked his gaze.
It fell upon the paralyzed wolf.
He was right—unless we confronted whatever was assaulting our supplies,
we would continue to lose provisions regardless of how much we accumulated.
I looked at my companions and spoke in a low, icy tone.
“Kids, we have a task for tonight.”
Whatever—or whoever—this entity was, its time would end tonight.