Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Having only started my training in the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art (O-dok-gwi-won-gong) the day before, I assumed I would continue with that practice for a while. However, Grandfather Mandok Shingun had different plans. He told me to study the internal energy method independently whenever possible, and announced that today we would formally start learning the martial arts of the Tang Clan.

“Starting today, you will train in the martial arts of the Tang Clan.”

Since physical conditioning is the basis of all movement, I prepared myself for exhausting drills, like running countless laps around the training grounds. But my expectation was incorrect.

“Shall we start with physical conditioning?” I asked.

“The body adapts through the practice of martial techniques themselves. The Tang Clan prioritizes utility above all else. You will learn skills you can use in real combat immediately.”

Then, Grandfather led me to the training field. What I found there was a collection of concealed weapons.

Living up to their fame as the foremost assassination clan in the Central Plains, the Tang Clan began martial instruction with hidden weapons—specifically, those designed to be thrown.

Assassination, after all, is often a single strike from a distance—an unspoken rule that holds true everywhere.

“There are five primary categories of thrown hidden weapons,” Grandfather stated.

“Needles (Chim, 針), coins (Jeon, 錢), darts (Pyo, 鏢), powder (Sa, 沙), and handheld bladed weapons such as short swords (Danggeom, 短劍), flying swords (Bigyeom, 飛劍), and throwing knives (Bido, 飛刀). While other unusual types exist, they generally fall into these five groups.”

“Needles, coins, darts, powder, and bladed weapons,” I repeated.

“Correct. Now, which would you assume is the simplest to use?”

I thought for a moment before answering, “Perhaps short swords or throwing knives?”

“Right. And which is the hardest?”

“I suppose… powder? Controlling how it spreads must be difficult.”

I believed bladed weapons were the easiest and powder (Sa)—the act of scattering fine grains—would be the most challenging. Grandfather, however, shook his head.

“No. The most difficult is the needle (Chim).”

“The needle? Is it because it’s small and thin, making it hard to aim properly?”

That seemed logical. Throwing something as fine as a needle would certainly be tough. Yet again, Grandfather shook his head.

“No, that is not why. The true challenge is being forced to memorize the precise positions of every needle you have thrown.”

“Memorize their positions? You mean confirming if they struck the target?”

His answer confused me completely.

“Not merely confirming a hit. You must recall exactly where every needle landed—those that missed, those knocked aside by an opponent’s weapon, those stuck in a tree. Every single one.”

“Even the ones that were deflected and fell to the ground?” I asked, astonished.

“It is simpler to demonstrate,” Grandfather said.

He produced a new brush from his sleeve, broke it in half, and pulled out the bristles. Then, with a swift motion of his hand, he scattered the bristles across the training field.

—Shhhk!

The bristles spread out and embedded themselves uniformly into the ground, each one standing upright as if deliberately planted.

“What is this…?”

I was amazed. They weren’t randomly tossed; they were spaced at even intervals, standing straight as if they had grown from the earth.

Grandfather then chose a weapon from the assortment before us and handed it to me.

“Look closely. This is the Flying Needle (Bi-chim, 飛針) employed by the Tang Clan.”

The item he gave me was a needle about the size of a toothpick. It was extremely thin and honed to a point at both ends.

“This is a Tang Clan Flying Needle…” I murmured.

“Yes. It is a weapon every Tang Clan martial artist must learn. Now consider this: the Tang Clan possesses a secret technique named Falling Petals in a Radiant Storm (Mancheonhwa Woo, 滿天花雨). It is a hidden weapon method that showers the area with thousands—no, tens of thousands—of needles. Imagine if the bristles I just scattered were Flying Needles. What do you believe would happen?”

‘Tens of thousands of needles covering the ground like this?’ The image made me shiver.

“If the whole area were covered in Flying Needles, there would be no safe place to step! Anyone who fell would be pierced instantly,” I said.

“Precisely. That is why you must remember the location of every needle. You could maneuver your opponent into the needle-strewn zone or avoid your own trap. Even if you are immune to the poison or possess an antidote, fighting while being pierced by needles is nearly unthinkable.”

‘The Tang Clan truly has a unique way of thinking…’

I was deeply impressed by their inventive perspective. Turning scattered needles into a lethal battlefield—it was a perfect example of the Tang Clan’s cunning.

But one question still bothered me.

“How can anyone possibly track the locations of thousands of needles during a fight? It sounds impossible to me.”

Grandfather nodded, as if my doubt was understandable. “When your sister Hwa-eun reached the Ten-Poison Boundary (Sip-dok Ji-che), she could accurately monitor around a thousand needles. In time, you will be capable of at least that much.”

‘She could do that?!’

“And at the Five-Poison Boundary (O-dok), how many needles should one manage?”

“The more, the better. But you must be able to track no fewer than a hundred,” he answered.

A hundred needles. Remembering each one’s exact location mid-battle, amidst clashing steel and flying projectiles? It felt like a hopeless task.

I let out a deep sigh, feeling I had undertaken something far beyond my abilities.

‘This really is… an “amgi-style” education,’ I thought. Mastery of hidden weapons was proving to be much more demanding than I had ever imagined.

***

The morning session concluded with throwing knife practice, and we paused for lunch. Not long after, my sister arrived, marking the start of our eagerly awaited hornet hunt. Afternoon training was called off for this special trip to gather venom—a hands-on lesson in the Tang Clan’s methods.

“Soryong, let’s go,” she called.

“Huh? What’s all that?” I asked, looking at the gear she was carrying.

“Just precautions. Will these be useful?”

Although the Tang Clan’s facilities for venomous creatures were basic, my sister had brought a full set of tools: heavy gloves, a bamboo hat with a netted veil, glass jars, tongs, and even a capturing net. Clearly, collecting venom was a regular duty here, and they had ample experience harvesting from insects like hornets. Otherwise, why would such specific equipment be available?

“Absolutely! With all this, I might not need to wait—I could catch them on my own,” I replied.

“Wait? What do you mean by that?” she asked, her head tilting in curiosity.

“You’ll understand when we arrive. Speaking of which, do you know where we might find hornet nests (Woongbong)?”

“I’ve seen one close by. It’s over there.”

She guided me to a spot near a stone wall. There, hornets flew busily in and out of a hole in the earth, their movements quick and determined. From the level of activity, it was clearly a sizable nest.

But after watching for a short while, I turned and shook my head.

“This isn’t the right one.”

“It’s not? I thought we came to capture them here.”

“We do need a hornet nest, but we aren’t here for these hornets. Do you know of a flower field a little farther away?”

“Not these? Hmm… For a farther field, there’s one past that ridge.”

Following her directions, we made our way to the distant flower field. To find the ideal hornet nest, the best approach is to trail a hornet gathering nectar—it will eventually lead back to its hive.

“This is the place,” she announced upon our arrival.

“Wow. It’s beautiful,” I said, admiring the bright pink and white flowers blooming on trees taller than a person.

My admiration was cut short as my sister raised a warning finger.

“Don’t be deceived by their appearance. Never pick these flowers or chew on the branches—they are oleander (협죽도). swallowing even a small amount can be deadly.”

“Oleander?!”

“Yes, these are cultivated by our family.”

No wonder they were planted in neat, orderly rows—another example of the Tang Clan’s unusual ways. Even their flower fields were far from ordinary. I didn’t know much about oleander, but I did know it was used in poisons and could stop a heart. That alone was enough to make me nervous.

‘A flower that can kill you… Definitely the Tang Clan.’

Composing myself, I walked around the field with my sister, searching for hornets. After finding a few, we followed their flight paths to locate two hornet nests and carefully watched the entrances where the insects hurried in and out.

But still, neither nest was what I needed.

After the third unsuccessful attempt, my sister finally grew impatient.

“Can you please explain what we’re searching for? This is taking too much time. Should we call the clan’s warriors to help?”

She had a point—more people would make the search faster. I had hoped to keep this a casual trip, a kind of “hornet-hunting date,” but I decided to keep that idea to myself.

“Alright, let’s ask for help.”

—Piiiik!

The moment I agreed, my sister drew a small throwing knife and hurled it down the mountainside. The blade emitted a sharp whistle that echoed through the valley. Soon after, clouds of dust appeared as Tang Clan warriors, the pima leaf clear on their uniforms, sprinted toward us from all directions.

“Did you summon us, Young Mistress?”

Shortly, the warriors arrived and bowed deeply before my sister.

‘What in the world…?’

“Yes, I require your aid in a family affair. Follow Soryong’s directions and locate what he needs,” she ordered.

“By your command, Young Mistress!”

‘Wow… This is incredible.’

The warriors instantly spread out, ready for my instructions. Seeing their immediate obedience and loyalty, I felt a rush of pride.

“Find hornets that are collecting nectar from these trees and follow them to their nests. When you find a nest, observe it for one da-gyeong and count how many hornets go in and out. Then return and report to me.”

“Understood, Master Soryong!”

The warriors scattered, and within a single si-jin, they began returning with their findings.

“Sir! I am Wi-poong, Five-Poison Warrior of the Tang Clan. At the site I watched, twenty hornets entered the nest in one da-gyeong.”

“I am Gwon Ho-chung, Ten-Poison Warrior of the Tang Clan. At my post, thirty-two hornets entered the nest.”

The reports continued until finally…

“One hornet, sir.”

‘That’s the one!’

“Take me there,” I directed.

Led by the warrior, we came to a rocky crevice beside a stream. We dug carefully into the soil and uncovered the nest. It looked like a mass of rounded beads, though much of it was destroyed. The few hornets that remained flew at us furiously but were quickly dispatched by the warriors.

One accurate throw later, a hornet was perfectly immobilized, pinned as if for display.

As I examined the damaged nest, I used tongs to pull out a black insect hiding within.

“Got you, you little fiends!” I exclaimed.