Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 210

Chapter 210
My eyes opened to a bizarre landscape dominated by immense red hexagonal pillars stretching toward the sky.

The ground was just as densely packed with the same kind of stones, painting the entire world a deep crimson. The vibrant blue of the sky above provided a stark, jarring contrast to the strange scenery below.

“What in the world is going on now?”

My last clear memory was of heading out with Cho to verify the Beast Heart Art ability my sister had confirmed. Then, my awareness had simply faded, and I woke up inside this peculiar vision.

Disoriented but driven, I grabbed onto the nearest pillar, studying it intently from every angle. I had to know if these red structures were what I believed them to be. Identifying them was the key to understanding how I ended up here.

I already had a strong hunch, but something felt unusual about them. As I held onto the pillar and looked it over, I began to recognize its distinct features. A sharp, hexagonal crystalline form that tapered to a point. Its interior seemed to hold something within, which matched my recollection perfectly.

Fire Crystal.

There was no doubt about it; this was definitely Fire Crystal.

‘I knew it. This is Hyang!’

Of all the creatures in my care that had either evolved or matured—Seol, Bini’s children Dong, Moji, and Soji, along with the shrunken Yeondu—only one fit.

Dong was still a long way from adulthood and possessed a completely opposite elemental nature. Moji and Soji were only just getting their names and needed to reach the Tri-Horn stage first. Yeondu wouldn’t have any reaction to this at all. Furthermore, none of those four were registered within the Beast Heart Art, so they couldn’t be involved.

That left just one possibility: Hyang.

Hyang was the only one who reacted to Fire Crystal and was registered in the Beast Heart Art. It was certain that she had evolved.

While I was thrilled for Hyang, the circumstances felt deeply odd. This entire situation was perplexing.

‘Wait, why so suddenly? Hyang was completely against getting bigger! No matter how much I encouraged her, she never responded!’

This was the same Hyang who had stubbornly refused to even go near Fire Crystal. And now, an evolution out of nowhere? It was baffling.

Hyang had always been the one who clung to me, swearing she wanted to stay with me forever. So what could have caused such a sudden change?

‘It can’t be…’

As I thought about it more, a jarring idea hit me—

Could Hyang have found a mate?

Was my little girl all grown up now?

That most likely meant she had fallen in love. A memory from my past life surfaced—my uncle having to send my cousin away to be married. She had always vowed to stay with her father forever, but the instant she met a suitable man, she was begging to be married, sobbing and pleading. He had been completely devastated.

‘Well, I never fully bought that story back then, but still, this is too sudden!’

I had thought my uncle was being overly dramatic. Now, finding myself in a similar position, I finally understood how he felt.

‘Just who dares to try and take my second daughter!? I’ll examine every single antenna and tail on that centipede!’

Wait.

Hyang was still too young for that!

‘No… it’s impossible… it can’t be… that bastard…!’

My burst of rage cooled as quickly as it had come. Thinking it over, this probably wasn’t about a male.

‘No, no. Animals aren’t like humans; they aren’t interested in mates that aren’t mature, right? And the timing….’

The timing was far too convenient. It was almost as if this had happened specifically to prevent me from testing Cho’s ability…

‘…’

It felt like a hammer had slammed into my head.

‘Was I found out?’

‘No… did I actually get caught?’

Hyang must have seen Cho and me leaving together, looking so close, and evolved out of pure, spiteful jealousy. It was the exact sort of irrational thought a father would have.

Otherwise, this abrupt evolution was too strange to make sense of. And when your gut tells you something is wrong, it’s usually right to listen.

At that moment, a memory of a red jungle flashed in my mind, overlapping with the scarlet crystals surrounding me.

‘This is terrible!’

I had promised Hyang I would help her grow stronger, but all my recent efforts had been focused on making her sister even more powerful. She must have been so hurt when she realized that.

I recalled the time I got caught in the middle of the fight over Bi-cheon Shinsa’s inner core. Cho, Hyang, and Bini had all battled for it, and I was the one who ended up taking the blame. The memory made me shiver.

How much emotional distress had she been in back then? And now, history was repeating itself. The thought made my body tremble. A father’s worst nightmare is his daughters being upset with him.

‘I tried so hard to be careful!’

And then—

*Rumble.*

An enormous hexagonal pillar erupted from the ground right in front of me. Watching that giant red column surge upwards, I understood immediately.

Ah!

This was a manifestation of Hyang’s tremendous anger!

The hexagonal pillar was truly massive.

*Gulp.*

***

I had to find a way out of this mental space. Even while standing before this overwhelming display of fury, I forced myself to move forward.

‘What on earth am I supposed to say…?’

Was this what a cow felt like being led to the slaughter? Every step felt like a monumental effort.

When I finally reached the base of the gigantic pillar—

I had initially thought it was one single, massive column. But on closer inspection, it wasn’t one pillar at all, but a dense forest of thin, elongated crystal structures all fused together. At its very center was a hollow space.

‘It looks like I have to go inside…’

I didn’t want to, but I made myself move forward. As I approached what seemed to be an entrance into the crystal formation, I could see countless other pillars crowding the interior.

I placed my hand on one of the crystalline surfaces, and its shimmering facade flickered, revealing the faint silhouette of a person. As the image slowly came into focus, I realized that every single pillar around me was reflecting the form of a woman with stunningly vibrant red hair.

Her image was reflected on every crystal—side profile, from the back, facing forward—scattered in every possible direction. It was as if the hexagonal faces of the crystal pillars were naturally mirroring her, but…

Her posture, with both hands planted firmly on her hips, screamed one thing: ‘I am furious.’

“H-Hyang…?”

The moment I spoke her name, all the reflections moved in perfect unison across the pillar surfaces. Then, she appeared directly before me.

Hands on her hips, her lips pushed out in a pronounced pout. Her large, round eyes made her look adorable, but the sheer intensity of her sulking mood sent a cold wave down my spine.

If I showed weakness now, things would only get worse. I had to act immediately.

I quickly composed myself and launched into a full-blown, desperate barrage of compliments.

“W-wow! M-my daughter! You look incredible! No, really, how can you be this gorgeous?! That red hair, oh my goodness—”

I moved closer, circling her like an overexcited puppy, heaping on endless praise.

“C-Cho and Bini are beautiful too, of course, but let’s be honest, Hyang is in a league of her own, right?”

Yes, this was the Blank Check Unlimited Strategy. An emergency measure of issuing infinite blank checks to defuse the sudden Hyang Crisis.

Sure, that debt would come due all at once later, but for now, I just had to make it through this moment.

“S-so cute! Absolutely adorable, completely precious.”

Just as I was frantically piling on more compliments, trying desperately to keep the crisis contained, I noticed something strange.

Hyang glanced down at her feet. And there—her foot was tapping lightly on the ground.

When I looked back up, she had her arms crossed, staring down at me with an icy, unimpressed expression.

This… this was very bad. This was the equivalent of a luxury department store refusing my credit card in the middle of a frantic shopping spree.

Oh no. The So-ryong Bankruptcy Crisis.

I was out of options. Since it had come to this, I had to declare financial insolvency.

I desperately clung to Hyang’s leg and began to wail.

“Hyang! Daddy was wrong! Please, forgive me!”

My only hope was to plead for mercy from the financial authorities.

***

At the base of Mount Kunlun, just before the path began its climb toward the peak, an assassin from the Five Venoms Sect hid unseen within the thick undergrowth, silently watching those who passed by.

The moment he identified his target, he made his move.

A somewhat small figure, moving with a lightness not typical of a Murim martial artist. His purpose here was clear—the young son-in-law of the Tang Clan, So-ryong, had come into his view.

How long had he been waiting here?

‘So, he truly did survive…’

Back in the desert, a massive Bloodscale had appeared without warning, obliterating half of the forces under Oh Cheong-yu’s command. Confronted with such overwhelming power, Um Yeong-ju had no option but to command a retreat.

They had already verified the catastrophe in Windblood, and with the emergence of such a colossal spirit beast, the only sensible course was to report back and concentrate on repairing the damage to Oh Cheong-yu’s Venomous Burst Palm Technique.

But before they had even managed to cross halfway out of Qinghai, the pursuit began. Disciples of the Kunlun Sect and local nomads had doggedly hunted the members of the Five Venoms Sect.

After numerous clashes in the barren lands, by the time they reached the edge of the plains, they had lost another third of their remaining force.

They barely managed to evade their pursuers and captured a lone nomad—only to hear something unbelievable. This whole chase had been triggered by information leaked by the Tang Clan’s young son-in-law, which meant he was still alive.

A gigantic, boulder-like Bloodscale had appeared, but the wind had failed to cut his thread of life—he had somehow survived.

That brat had been a thorn in their side multiple times already. Now, with the amount of intelligence he possessed on the Five Venoms Sect, allowing him to live would only guarantee future calamity.

Um Yeong-ju had given his orders and set off alone for the foothills of Mount Kunlun. His mission: eliminate the Tang Clan’s son-in-law.

Losing three-tenths of the Centipede Squad and nearly witnessing the complete collapse of Oh Cheong-yu’s swordplay—if that brat was still alive, it was his duty to tidy up the mess.

“Centipede Squad Leader, take the young mistress and return to the Five Venoms Sect. Report the intelligence on the spirit beast to the sect leader. I will deal with this one personally.”

“Will you be alright on your own?”

“The Kunlun Sect has already stretched their forces thin chasing us. Even if they haven’t, I will seize my opportunity once he leaves Kunlun’s immediate protection.”

“…Understood, Um Yeong-ju.”

Believing his companions had safely escaped Qinghai, Um Yeong-ju suppressed his killing intent and lay in wait. That foolish brat was walking right into his ambush.

A little more patience, and the moment would arrive.

“So, we’re all alone now. Just the two of us, far away from home.”

-*Chorut!*

“If we go any farther, it’ll be difficult to get back later…”

-*Chorurut!*

“Alright, alright, I understand. I did make a promise, after all. A hundred favors for Hyang…”

The moment Um Yeong-ju heard the sound of a Green Jewel Centipede, a twisted smile spread across his lips. It seemed only one of those creatures was with him. Just like before, it would be unable to protect its master.

‘Today, you die.’

A little more waiting.

And then—finally, the Tang Clan’s young son-in-law passed directly in front of him. His clothes were a bit loose, probably due to Kunlun’s influence, but it was irrelevant.

Concealing his bloodlust, Um Yeong-ju emerged from the bushes, channeling his internal energy into his palm. Last time, things hadn’t gone according to plan. But this time, he would punch straight through the brat’s heart.

As a lethal aura concentrated at his fingertips, Um Yeong-ju stealthily closed the gap. Then, without a second thought—

He drove his hand toward the brat’s back.

“Die!”

-*Crack!*

He had been certain his hand would sink in up to the wrist. But instead—

Agony erupted through his fingers.

‘W-what is this!?’

Sensing that something was horribly wrong, Um Yeong-ju threw himself backward and looked at his hand. His fingers were bent at grotesque angles, as if they had smashed into something unbelievably solid.

Even as he tried to retreat, his body barely moved away from the brat. His ankle was snared by something.

And in that instant, the brat finally turned around. His eyes went wide with shock.

“You… YOU!?”

“D-die!?”

Panic seized Um Yeong-ju. It was clear now—the brat had anticipated this attack. In desperation, he lashed out with his palm technique—but before his strike could even connect with the brat’s body—

Something shot out from the brat’s wrist. It wrapped around Um Yeong-ju’s throat before his own attack could find its mark.

-*Crack!*

The speed was unbelievable.

And then—

A furious shriek.

-*Chorurut!*

A searing light erupted from his Seventh Orifice, staining his vision red. In the final moments before the flames consumed him entirely—

Um Yeong-ju saw a massive, gleaming red centipede coiled protectively around the brat’s body.