Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 192

Chapter 192
As the beast ensnared in Yo-hwa’s web thrashed wildly, its high-pitched scream cut through the night.
Two sets of crimson eyes gleamed in the fog, shifting toward one another.
—Chit!?
—Chii!
It sounded like they were communicating.
Then, without warning, they shot out from the mist and shadows, charging straight at me.
It seemed Yo-hwa had judged them too clever to engage directly, as the sly things focused only on assaulting me.
They moved with startling speed, and the darkness and haze made them almost impossible to track. Their forms blurred, and before I knew it, they were right in front of me.
I tried to back away instinctively, but—
—Thunk.
‘Curses! I’m cornered! How can they move so quickly?’
I’d avoided the first strike thanks to Yo-hwa’s warning and the second with a desperate roll, but now, after pausing for just an instant, evading again felt hopeless.
Something behind me blocked my retreat, leaving me exposed.
There was no space to dodge, and they were faster than I’d imagined. I was sure to be bitten.
—Kishi!
—Chaaak!
Just as Yo-hwa cried out sharply, I was jerked upward.
—”Guhk!”
My midsection seized as I was hauled rapidly into the branches.
Leaves and twigs slapped my face again and again as I was pulled through the canopy.
By the time I’d been struck what felt like twenty times, the two red-eyed pursuers crossed paths exactly where I had stood.
—Shhhk.
It was that close.
From the tug at my waist, I realized Yo-hwa had once again tied her silk around me without my noticing.
It clearly took effort, but her quick thinking saved me.
As the creatures raced through the empty space, Yo-hwa released a wrathful hiss.
—Kishiiiiiiii!
That furious sound, slicing through the fog and blackness, made my spine tingle.
I’d never heard Yo-hwa so enraged; even Hyang and Hongdan, who were holding onto me, shuddered at the noise.
—Tssrr…
—Kii…
Much like how a predator’s roar can immobilize prey with subsonic terror, Yo-hwa’s shriek held that same paralyzing force.
Then, noise erupted from the camp.
“What was that?!”
“Something’s wrong near So-ryong! So-ryong!”
“That was Yo-hwa’s cry! So-ryong!”
The gleam of fire shone in the distance.
Ji-ryong had likely snatched up a night pearl or a flaming branch, and now a party was hurrying our way.
I’d thought there was only one of these things, but there were three.
Still, with help coming, the creatures would have to run or be caught.
“Yo-hwa, hold on until they arrive!”
I cautioned, concerned she might be injured before backup came.
She responded with a noise that seemed to tell me not to fret.
—Kishi!
While keeping one leg anchored to her web, Yo-hwa beckoned casually with her fingers toward the red-eyed beings in the dark.
‘Is she provoking them? Saying, ‘Just try it’?’
Her stance and look were eerily reminiscent of Hwa-eun.
The red eyes wavered nervously, shifting as though sensing their disadvantage.
One wrong step, and they’d be caught between Yo-hwa and the arriving fighters.
—Chiii!
And then—
The web abruptly went slack.
The creature had been fighting against it moments before, but now—
—Kishi?
Even Yo-hwa, so attuned to vibrations in her silk, appeared taken aback.
Then the earth swelled upward.
A patch of ground bulged and then ruptured, and one of the red-eyed beasts burst out from below.
It had dug its way to freedom.
—Chiiii!
With a shrill call, all three sets of eyes fled, melting into the shadows.
‘Running away?’
Yo-hwa began to give chase, but their speed was surprisingly fierce.
By the time the camp group reached us, they were long gone.
We hadn’t managed to catch them.
***
The moment the three creatures vanished, everyone rushed to the tree.
Seol and Hwa-eun gasped when they saw me still hanging from a branch.
“So-ryong! Are you hurt?!”
“So-ryong, are you all right?!”
“So-hyeop, what happened?!”
“Something showed up, but they got away. Yo-hwa, can you bring me down?”
—Kishi!
I needed to settle everyone, so with Yo-hwa’s aid, I climbed down, feeling a slight twinge in my back.
Seeing me massage my waist, Hwa-eun and Seol both looked worried.
“Did you injure your back, So-ryong?”
“Are you okay, So-ryong?”
“I’m fine. Yo-hwa pulled me up into the tree so fast my back’s just a little sore, that’s all.”
Hwa-eun and Seol nodded, seeming reassured.
Seol placed her hands on my waist, checking for damage, before gazing up at me.
“So-ryong, does it hurt here? And what were those things? Did you get a good look?”
I knew what she meant.
But it was a night without a moon, and river mist had clouded everything.
They were also incredibly quick.
My martial art improved night vision by gathering available light, but on a moonless night shrouded in thick fog, it was almost ineffective.
“No, I couldn’t make them out. Too dark and foggy. All I saw were their glowing red eyes.”
“Ah…”
Seol sighed, disheartened.
I was just as annoyed. ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source)
I desperately wanted to know what they were, but it seemed that was that.
They’d battled wolves the day before, but after facing Yo-hwa, they probably wouldn’t return.
Even animals that didn’t fear wolves would hesitate before one of the Ten Great Venoms.
The fact that they’d deliberately evaded Yo-hwa and gone for me showed they were afraid of her.
Seol tilted her head.
“What do you think they were?”
“Not sure. But since they’ve seen Yo-hwa, they likely won’t be back.”
“Right, if they were scared of Yo-hwa, that makes sense.”
“Exactly.”
Seol and Hwa-eun both nodded.
Still, my curiosity lingered.
Had they left any clues behind?
Hoping for a trace—fur, a feather, anything—I knelt to inspect Yo-hwa’s discarded web.
As I reached to touch it—
A faint quiver traveled through the silk.
Yo-hwa’s web was shivering slightly.
Yo-hwa’s legs were no longer connected to it.
I called out to her right away, urging her to examine the web.
“Yo-hwa! Here! The web is vibrating!”
—Kishi!
Hearing me, Yo-hwa looked at the web in astonishment and set her front legs upon it.
As she delicately manipulated a section, we saw a single strand stretching down into a hole in the earth.
I quickly took Ji-ryong’s night pearl and lit up the thread.
The silken string quivered faintly, leading into the escape tunnel.
We’d added sticky orbs to the web to improve its hold, and one must have adhered to the fleeing creature.
Now, the strand was being gradually tugged away.
I’d thought the hunt was over since they were so afraid of Yo-hwa, but apparently not.
I grinned and turned to Seol.
“Hmm. Seems the chase isn’t finished yet.”
We assembled a tracking party without delay.
Leaving behind Hyang and Hongdan, who’d stealthily followed me earlier, I summoned Cho, Seol, and Bingi.
“Cho! Seol, Bingi! Let’s move! Yo-hwa!”
—Chorut?
—Gukgu?
—Kishi!
With Yo-hwa at the front, we pursued the silk thread.
‘Just wait—I’ll find you and learn exactly what you are.’
***
The night pearl’s light shimmered on the silk, which was unspooling disturbingly fast.
Noticing the strain on the thread, Yo-hwa cleanly cut it and reconnected it to her spinnerets.
This allowed her to produce more silk as we went, ensuring we wouldn’t lose the trail.
“Well done, Yo-hwa!”
—Kishi!
Even without instructions, Yo-hwa was driven to find them.
She was still seething over the earlier attack on me.
As we hurried through the darkness, I heard Seol and Hwa-eun calling from behind.
“So-ryong, wait for us!”
“I’m coming too, So-ryong! I can’t stay behind worrying!”
“Seol? Hwa-eun, too?”
They’d caught up without my realizing.
Their expressions showed they’d run after us out of concern.
Since they’d come this far, I couldn’t turn them back. I agreed.
“Alright.”
With them added, we continued the pursuit—me, Seol, Hwa-eun, Cho, and Yo-hwa.
The creatures had doubled back along the river, retracing the path we’d taken.
But we hadn’t been chasing long when noise erupted ahead.
—Kyahhng!
A piercing sound, part shriek and part animal cry.
The tall grass along the riverbank shook violently.
“Wait, they were so frightened of Yo-hwa, but they’re already hunting again?”
It seemed Seol had been correct—they truly were hunters.
But it didn’t add up.
It had been less than an hour since we began following them, and they were already targeting another victim.
Were they fearless, or did they have the memory of a goldfish?
Sensing something strange, I decided to encircle them first.
“Let’s surround them from the riverbank.”
“Understood!”
—Kishi!
—Chorur!
Dawn was approaching, providing enough light to see.
We were nearly finished with the encirclement when something emerged from the grass.
A creature we’d never encountered.
Green fur.
Red eyes.
It was around thirty centimeters long.
And it had a ridiculously endearing face, staring right at us.
“Huh, what is that?”
“Eh?”
The moment we saw them clearly, Seol and I exchanged a glance.
We both knew immediately.
Seol’s voice was full of disbelief.
“Wait… they’re shrews?!”
‘So, here in the central plains they’re called gujeong?’
These troublesome creatures had a particular name.
They were among the rare mammals that carried venom.
Their teeth held a paralyzing toxin, and they could release a foul smell to ward off enemies.
‘Why didn’t it occur to me earlier?’
The name “gujeong” wasn’t standard for shrews, but…
Their front teeth weren’t rodent-like.
Their snouts were sharp, their ears tiny.
And the odor—
That pungent, musky scent mixed with their venom was a clear giveaway.
They were venomous shrews.
Oddly, these were green.
Understanding what they were, I let out a disappointed sigh.
I turned to Seol.
“Seol, do you want one if we catch it?”
“What?! Seriously?! That thing looks like a magical beast! Are you sure?!”
Seol, who’d been tightening the circle, halted in astonishment.
Until now, I’d always kept the creatures we captured.
So her surprise was warranted—I was offering her one without even testing its venom first.
“Really? You’re certain?”
She kept questioning, but I truly intended to give her one if we succeeded.
It wasn’t for any special reason.
It’s just…
“Of course.”
“Then why give it to me?”
“…I’m not fond of fur.”
Furry mammals weren’t to my taste.