Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 203

Chapter 203
Um Yeong-ju, the Shadow Spider who commanded the Five Venoms Sect’s assassins, had been observing Oh Cheong-yu as instructed by the sect leader.
He pulled his crimson-stained hand from the reckless young man’s torso—the one who had nearly shattered the delicate fabrication of the Five Venoms Explosive Submersion Technique.
Drip, drip.
Beneath the moon, his hand was coated in blood.
A few droplets fell, darkening the sand below, and the impudent youth fell forward onto the ground.
Acting quickly, Um Yeong-ju targeted Oh Cheong-yu’s pressure points, knocking her out before she could completely escape the technique’s influence.
“That was too close… Any further, and the entire scheme would have collapsed.”
If the army centipede and Fenghyeol were tests to see if a beast could develop a Neidan by devouring humans,
Then Oh Cheong-yu represented the opposite inquiry—could a human cultivate a Neidan by ingesting the remains of spirit beasts?
Had the mental technique been fully broken, they would have been forced to extract her Neidan before it reached maturity.
They had been diligently strengthening the false memories fabricated by the Five Venoms Explosive Submersion Technique.
Because the power to implant memories was flawed, its success relied completely on how consistently those near her affirmed the lies.
The more individuals accepted the deception as truth, the more real it became.
This was the reason she had been gradually manipulated into accepting the Five Venoms Sect leader as her father.
To cement her part even further, a stronger bond was necessary—one of a child to a parent, or a wife to a spouse.
This was the purpose behind arranging her marriage to a son-in-law from the Tang Clan.
They had anticipated that So-ryong would yield and be absorbed into their sect.
However…
That youngster had turned out to be excessively perceptive.
With only a few unguarded comments from Oh Cheong-yu and a sight of the silver needles,
He had unraveled everything.
His icy stare rested on So-ryong’s motionless form.
Just as he moved to reinforce the technique by touching Oh Cheong-yu’s head,
Rumble…
A powerful vibration trembled through the earth.
Startled, Um Yeong-ju seized Oh Cheong-yu and jumped back.
What appeared before him—
Was an enormous rock, emerging from the sands under the moonlight.
Sand streamed from its surface, and a dense haze of dust clouded the air.
“What in the world is that?!”
The head of the Blade Blood Squad yelled as he moved back.
“Shadow Spider! This… this has to be that zone Fenghyeol always avoided!”
Hearing this, Um Yeong-ju remembered.
There was one spot in the desert Fenghyeol would never approach.
A perfectly circular marking on their maps.
Even after multiple probes by the Five Venoms Sect,
The reason remained a mystery.
Um Yeong-ju and the Five Venoms Sect fighters paused, allowing the dust to clear.
When it finally settled—
They observed an odd rock structure, roughly two arm-lengths tall.
This was no typical desert stone,
For instead of a worn, wind-sculpted form,
It consisted of flawlessly hexagonal columns, bunched together like a natural stronghold.
“Is that the cause…?”
“Most likely.”
Tsrrrrrr!
A mournful shriek pierced the air.
The cry of a young Qinghua Centipede.
Squinting, Um Yeong-ju issued a command.
“That formation might be an access point. Send the warriors to inspect it. And seize the Qinghua Centipede hatchling—it will help calm the young mistress.”
By its look,
It could indeed be a route leading below the surface.
While he considered the last recorded hermit of the Qinghai martial world,
The Blade Blood Squad leader barked orders.
“Understood! All of you—search for a way in! And apprehend the Qinghua Centipede hatchling!”
“…Sir?”
Following his directive, some warriors moved toward the rocks, while others pursued the hatchling across the dunes.
“You check this side, we’ll take the other.”
“Understood.”
A few fighters started inspecting the stone, as another team attempted to catch the Qinghua Centipede hatchling.
Tsrrrr!
“Watch out—it’s hostile!”
“It’s too ferocious!
We require a tool to subdue it.”
Then, one warrior spotted something unusual—
A somewhat odd stone at the structure’s foundation.
As his fingers grazed its surface—
The rock moved.
Accompanied by a low grating sound,
A dark stone contraption appeared from inside.
It resembled a segment of a bigger apparatus, shifting as if alive.
“Sir! There’s something here—!”
The warrior turned eagerly to announce his find.
But then—
The moonlight was blotted out, as if obscured by something.
“…What?”
And then—
An immense stone block plummeted from above.
Crunch.
The warrior was immediately obliterated.
Nothing remained of his body—only a spray of gore upon the sand.
Rumble…
Under the moon,
The stone structure ascended.
“What is that thing?!”
“Everyone—withdraw!”
The earth gave way, consuming those who tried to escape.
The massive structure stirred to life,
Destroying every warrior it reached.
And their cries—
Were lost to the desert’s roaring winds.
***
Despite the late hour,
The light was overwhelming.
I could barely see a thing.
But as my vision cleared,
The initial sight that met me—
Was Dad.
His form—curled around me—
Soaked in red.
Then—
I saw the source of the red.
The very hand that had pushed me aside—
Was plunged deep into Dad’s flank.
Tsrrr! Tsrrr! 『Dad! Dad!』
I sensed his life force diminishing.
The red was carrying it away.
I held onto him, frantically trying to stem the flow.
But it was futile.
It simply continued—
Without end.
If this persisted—
Dad’s energy would vanish entirely.
I didn’t comprehend what that entailed,
But I knew it was terrible.
For even sensing his fading energy filled me with terror.
I needed to rouse him.
I needed to halt this.
But I didn’t know the method.
Then—
Abruptly,
The humans surrounding us began to advance.
They were approaching me.
But I still had to aid Dad.
Tsrrrr! 『Leave us alone! I said, go away!』
“Exercise caution, it’s dangerous!”
“Grabbing it bare-handed is impossible. We require implements like pincers….”
Tsrrrr! 『Mom! Sister Cho! Bini!』
As the humans advanced, trapping her, Hyang retreated beneath Dad’s still body, her energy diminishing.
And in that instant—
Crunch.
The radiant entity that had been lighting the area shifted.
Then—
One of the human energies vanished.
Rumble…
The glowing form rose, and the menacing auras of those who had assaulted Dad and Hyang started to fade.
Crunch! Thump!
“AAAAH! G-GET BACK!”
“WITHDRAW!”
With every impact of the huge luminous creature against the ground, more energies disappeared.
Soon, the surrounding life forces had gone completely, and the survivors had retreated to a single area.
As the desert dust settled, a voice became audible.
No—
It was less a voice and more a sensation Hyang perceived—
Similar to her communication with Dad.
Grumble… 『Hearing the morning lark sing, I intended to bathe at dawn with my partner in the Spirit Water… But what is this? This being is called a father?』
Alarmed by the puzzled voice, Hyang turned toward the light and called out.
Tsrrrr! 『Dad is hurt! Red water is escaping! You must assist him!』
Grumble… 『You claim a human is your father? Are you certain? This seems irregular. You are an O-gong, yet your father is human? Could you be mistaken?』
Tsrrrr! 『He is my dad! Moonlight!』
…What? 『M-Moonlight?』
The glowing entity paused, bewildered by Hyang’s term “Moonlight.”
But Hyang urgently shared her story of Dad—
Everything, from her awakening to his constant protection.
Tsrrr. Tsrrrr.
As she finished, the bright mass oscillated as if in thought,
Then, a more intense light enveloped Dad’s form.
It was so brilliant that Hyang’s antennae ached.
Then, the voice spoke once more.
Grumble… 『Your dad is losing blood. If humans lose too much, they perish. I am unsure if this will work. But… it is my only option.』
Drip.
A tiny object fell from the tip of the glowing mass, landing on Dad’s injury.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
And then—
An odd noise resonated.
Crackle… snap…
The instant the droplet contacted Dad’s wound,
The red water ceased flowing.
Then—
His pliant skin—
Solidified, sealing the injury.
Like Hyang’s own body when she reinforced it.
It appeared almost stony,
And Dad’s waning energy at last steadied.
Hyang experienced a moment of relief—
But it was brief.
Because—
An unforeseen event occurred.
The energy seeping from Dad’s form began streaming toward the luminous being.
Then—
A shocked exclamation.
Grumble!? 『What is happening?!』
***
When I woke up,
I was lying prone on a scarlet desert.
A boundless stretch of red sand.
Above, the blazing sun dominated the sky.
I urgently felt for my side.
But—
There was no injury.
A realization struck me.
“It can’t be…”
Did Hyang evolve because I was near death?
My final recollection was being pierced by those Five Venoms scum and bleeding profusely—
Yet now, I was alone in this desert, unharmed, with my clothing undamaged.
And the sun was shining intensely.
This implied—
This was likely a Mindscape.
Given my history, the probability was almost certain.
And since Hyang was the sole poison beast with me,
She alone could have pulled me into her Mindscape.
“Hyang evolved! Okay, then… what has she become?”
A wave of anticipation washed over me—
But was quickly followed by a new worry.
If Hwa-jeong was linked to Hwayang, what did that mean for Hyang?
What form had her evolution taken?
“Did she dig into the sand and draw energy from it? Ah… but she should have evolved somewhere secure… Was she able to conceal herself adequately? I was bleeding when I lost consciousness, so—”
Wait.
Why was I concerned about Hyang?
I should be concerned for myself.
Because I had been attacked by the Five Venoms scum and severely injured.
“I’m… alive.
But something is clearly wrong.”
Since this was a Mindscape, I knew I wasn’t deceased.
But what if I awaken to find myself their prisoner?
Dwelling on it was pointless.
First, I needed to locate Hyang.
Fretting about the external world was unproductive.
I required concentration.
If I composed my mind,
My situation would become clear upon waking.
“Hyang! Hyang! Dad is here!”
I shouted, surveying my surroundings.
Then—
Across the far sands—
I spotted a rock mountain.
It wavered like a heat haze,
But in Mindscapes, distinctive features usually held significance.
So I proceeded toward it.
After what seemed an age of walking,
Thoroughly roasted under the sun—
I finally arrived at the stony landscape.
Entering the shelter of the cliffs,
I continued to call.
“Hyang! Hyang!”
And then—
A figure charged at me like a wild animal.
Thud!
I was knocked down.
Crunch.
“Ugh!”
I exhaled sharply from the impact,
And the person now on top of me—
Had steel-gray hair pulled back severely.
Clothing the color of sun-bleached sand.
Eyes bearing the keen look of a veteran fighter.
Her body was a map of scars—
Proof of innumerable conflicts.
A formidable aura emanated from her.
But the most striking feature—
Was the pronounced scar running through one of her eyes.
Who was this?
I spoke in astonishment.
“Wh-Who are you?”