Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 205

Chapter 205
Not long after I began my martial arts training, I once posed a question to Grandfather Mandok Shingun.
「“Grandfather, why do those who practice martial arts so seldom wear armor or carry shields?
Wouldn’t the hidden weapons of our Tang Clan be rather ineffective against an armored foe?”
“Hmm… As you did not come from a martial background, that is a fair point to raise. Shall I explain it to you today? The reason martial artists steer clear of armor and shields…”」
As Grandfather Mandok Shingun explained, those who walk the martial path have one fundamental reason for avoiding such protection.
Qi (Energy).
A martial artist who has reached even the level of One Cycle can channel Qi into their weapon, enabling them to slice through steel or project sword energy a few times.
Upon achieving the Peak Stage, they can wield such energy at will.
This renders armor and shields largely unnecessary.
Common materials, including steel, offer little resistance against a blade empowered by sword energy.
A warrior’s Qi can also be shaped by their techniques into the form of axes, spears, or even fists, making their offensive capabilities immensely adaptable.
Consequently, martial artists do not fixate on armor or shields, nor are they intimidated by them.
They hold the belief that progressing their cultivation will nullify any such defenses.
Even the Tang Clan, experts in hidden weapons, can imbue their projectiles with Qi, granting them the force to punch straight through armor.
Furthermore, masters of external martial arts can sheath their skin in Qi, making their bodies tougher than any forged armor.
Thus, in their world, armor and shields are of minimal worth.
There is, however, one set of armor reputed to completely resist every one of the Tang Clan’s Qi-infused weapons—
It is known as the Living Armor.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion.
Its petrified shell is said to be as dense as stone tempered for ten thousand cycles, which is the origin of its name.
According to Hwayang, this beast possesses an absolute defense against any attack fueled by Qi.
I cannot verify this myself, but that was the intelligence Hwayang provided.
It was documented within the (Former) Secret Compendium of Venomous Beasts.
The shells of Cho and Bini, covered in fur, are resilient enough to stop most cuts and wounds, yet a blade can still bite into them.
Naturally, doing so would require tremendous effort, even with Qi.
But the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion?
It is said to be entirely impenetrable to Qi-based assaults.
It also produces a unique toxin known as Petrifying Poison, which transmutes whatever it touches into solid stone.
“A Venom Dragon with absolute defense… and a lethal poison? How intriguing.”
And, unsurprisingly, it is counted among the Ten Venom Dragons.
“…As I mentioned, the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion is famed for being utterly unaffected by sword energy or techniques that use Qi.”
“Incredible!”
“It is. But where on earth did you discover it? The Ten Venom Dragons are not creatures one stumbles upon… Each time you depart, you somehow return with one.”
“Ah… Well, I merely shut my eyes for a breath, and when I opened them, it was simply there.”
“What sort of foolishness is that?”
I wasn’t lying—it was the honest truth.
Though, judging by the look on Hwayang’s face, he found it completely unbelievable.
As I listened to Hwayang’s description and gazed at the scorpion, Sister Seol fixed me with a sharp look.
“You believe this is a moment for celebration? You look utterly delighted! There is a hole in your side large enough for Hyang to climb into!
What? Do you intend to carry her around inside you from now on?”
“…”
I promptly closed my mouth and looked away.
After Hwayang found us, we had reached the edge where the desert meets the barren lands.
I was getting urgent care within the shelter of a cliff-walled valley.
And for a very good reason—
I was in a dreadful state.
“Keep still.”
“Agh!”
“You must bear it. This needs to be bound tightly.”
“I can’t breathe!”
“So-ryong, you have to endure this. The bleeding will start again if you don’t.”
“S-Sister Seol, perhaps I could see to So-ryong’s injuries? I have previous experience in the Military Medicine Hall.”
“…Oh?”
Seol started at Taehwa’s offer but then gave a quick, relieved nod.
She had taken charge because I was hurt, but in truth, her skill in healing was lacking.
From my past life experience with animals, I could tell—her methods were somewhat crude.
All she and Hwayang had managed was to smear Golden Wound Balm over the stone shard in my side and haphazardly wind a bandage around it.
‘A reminder: Never allow Seol or Hwayang to perform first aid again.’
“Please, go ahead. Thank you.”
“It is my duty.”
Taehwa gently took over from Seol and inspected my wounds.
He cleaned the area, applied a new layer of Golden Wound Balm, and dressed the injury with a fresh, neat bandage.
When he finished, his expression was concerned.
“It is fortunate your organs were not punctured, but the damage is serious.
We can provide only basic care here—you must reach the Military Medicine Hall without delay.
You have internal injuries, and your system is in profound shock.
Your meridians also require stabilization.”
“Really… There’s no rest for me.”
His assessment was that my side was gouged open, my internal organs had shifted slightly, and several vital meridian points were injured.
That was not all.
I had sustained internal damage from being hauled and crushed against the earth, and my Qi pathways were severely strained from driving my energy to its absolute limit.
The major meridian points had started to heal thanks to my bond with Cheongwol, but without Cheongwol’s Petrifying Poison staunching the blood flow, I would have already perished.
Even so, my condition was grave.
By Taehwa’s estimate, a full recovery would take months.
As he elaborated, I saw the eyes of Sister Seol and Hwayang grow wider and wider.
Noticing their alarm, Taehwa swiftly offered reassurance.
“But please, do not be overly anxious. If you truly are the one who captured the Wind Tunnel nurtured by the Five Venoms Sect, then our Military Hall is deeply in your debt.
To honor that debt, I will personally appeal to the elders of the Military Medicine Hall to perform the Inner Martial Healing Technique.
As a senior disciple here, I cannot overlook this obligation.”
“Truly?”
“Yes, Elder Seol.”
“Then we must leave! Immediately!”
I had no option but to go to the Military Hall.
Undergoing the Inner Martial Healing Technique was essential—failure to do so risked permanent damage.
And even if the Military Hall wasn’t renowned for it, I had to proceed.
Sister Seol’s glare was terrifying.
After the incident with Hwayang, I had given my word to avoid further reckless engagements.
But first, I went searching for Hongdan, and now this?
It was no wonder she was furious.
Hwayang, for his part, appeared to have resigned himself to scolding me.
“We are profoundly grateful for this kindness, Taehwa.”
“Thank you.”
Taehwa waved away our thanks from Hwayang and me.
“Gratitude is unnecessary. With the man-eating Venom Dragon eliminated, we are the ones who owe a great debt.”
With that, we mounted Cheongwol once more and started for the Military Hall.
Seol and Hwayang, riding alongside me, soon turned to me with expectant faces.
“Now that you are stabilized, tell us everything properly. Before, we were too preoccupied with your wounds to listen fully.”
“Indeed, So-ryong. I did not hear the entire story earlier. What precisely occurred?”
It seemed that in their rush to treat me, they hadn’t fully absorbed my initial account.
I had been brief at the time.
Lying back on Cheongwol’s slowly moving body and re-adjusting the slackened bandages, I began to narrate the events in full.
“Very well. First, after the Wind Tunnel dragged me away, I found myself deep in the desert. Almost immediately, it and I were locked in combat.
Both Hyang and I were bitten during the struggle, and then… that woman showed up. But—”
When I reached the part concerning the hidden secret of the Five Venoms Rogue Sect, Seol and Hwayang inhaled sharply in unison.
“She was in the human realm?!”
“She was transforming people into elixirs?!”
Even the members of Five Dragon Peaks and Taehwa, who were listening nearby, swiveled to look at me, their eyes wide.
It was a shocking revelation.
“So-ryong, can this be true?”
“So-ryong, are you sure of this?”
“Yes. I attempted to persuade her to flee, but an assassin from the Five Venoms Sect emerged and stabbed me in the side.
At that very moment, Cheongwol appeared and rescued both me and Hyang.
I believe she even let her Petrifying Poison fall on my wound to halt the bleeding… and it seems that act caused the Beast Heart Art to connect us.
It must have triggered on its own.”
— Grrrr.
At the sound of Beast Heart Art, Cheongwol released a low, discontented rumble.
I gave her head an apologetic pat.
“M-My apologies…”
She was still displeased about being bound by the Beast Heart Art after trying to aid me.
But what choice did I have?
She belonged to me now.
***
— Whistle!
During our journey to the Military Hall, Taehwa walked into the grasslands and issued a long, piercing whistle.
An answering whistle returned from the skies.
— Whistle!
Soon, a hawk descended swiftly toward our position.
— Flap! Flap!
“Ah! It’s Eung!”
Seol’s mood instantly lifted at the sight of the bird.
The moment Taehwa lifted his arm for it to land, Seol leaped down from Cheongwol’s back for a better view.
“You employ hawks here as well? The northern varieties are smaller. Why use a hawk?”
“I must send word that a wounded individual is approaching, and we cannot simply ignore the Five Venoms Sect and Blood Cult.
I will be dispatching messages to the elders remaining in Gonghwa and to our main hall.”
At Taehwa’s words, Seol’s face grew somber for a moment, and she nodded.
“…Yes. We withdrew because of So-ryong’s injuries, but we cannot let them be.
They are the reason my little brother was harmed.”
Even though my condition forced a retreat, she could not pardon them.
Reflecting on it, we had uncovered their horrific experiments and a far greater secret.
However, because the Wind Tunnel was already destined to arrive, we hadn’t fully thwarted their scheme.
It was a mission of reconnaissance, not a direct attack, which left a sense of incompletion.
Taehwa, observing her expression, offered a confident smile.
“Set your mind at ease. Eradicating them is the duty of our Military Hall.
Now that they have ventured into Cheongwol, they are on our land.
They have been a plague upon us for months—their suffering is at hand.”
“…That is precisely what I needed to hear.”
With that, Taehwa fastened the prepared message to the hawk and set it free.
As we pressed on toward Military Mountain, we began to pass disciples of the Military Hall and nomadic warriors heading the opposite way.
Squads of men radiating a palpable intent to kill streamed past, mobilizing for war.
For days, we journeyed by countless such groups until we finally reached the base of Military Mountain, the gateway to the Military Hall.
The moment I climbed down from Cheongwol’s back, something unforeseen occurred—
Cheongwol immediately turned about and began to depart.
She had no sooner let me dismount than she started back the way we had come.
It was as if she planned to abandon me here and return alone.
“Cheongwol, where are you going?”
Hearing my voice, she glanced back slightly.
— Grrr.
She was returning home.
I was stunned and quickly called after her.
“Home? You will not stay with me?”
— Grrr.
That was her reply.
I had taken it for granted that registering her with Beast Heart Art would make her wholly mine, yet this…
This was unprecedented.
As I considered what was happening, only one explanation seemed plausible.
‘Could it be… her natural environment?’
Observing her enormous form, adapted for the desert, it made perfect sense.
She is a scorpion, after all.
Perhaps the heat of the desert calls to her because it is her native home.
It was then that Seol approached and offered a suggestion.
“So-ryong, try directing the energy of your Beast Heart Art into Cheongwol.”
“You mean transferring my Qi to her?”
“Yes.”
Acting on her advice, I concentrated the energy of my Beast Heart Art and extended my hand toward Cheongwol.
But the instant my fingers made contact—
They were pushed back, as if rebounding from a taut spring.
— Grrr?
Both Cheongwol and I stared at one another, surprised.
Witnessing this, Seol released a soft sigh and shook her head.
“Hmm… I understand now.”
“…What is it? Seol, what’s the matter?”
Seol was typically so buoyant that her serious demeanor now made me apprehensive.
I grew tense as she nodded and explained.
“Well… It is not necessarily a bad thing, but this occurs on occasion.
To put it simply, her strength exceeds your own capacity to command.”
“…What?”
“In Beast Martial Arts, we see this sometimes with creatures such as tigers or elephants.
If the beast possesses greater power than its master, it may resist the bond, even if registered through Beast Heart Art.”
“…So what can I do?”
“You must grow stronger.”
I had just acquired a colossal, armored scorpion, and now I was on the verge of losing her?