Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 213

Chapter 213
I was utterly drained mentally, yet this was how true training was meant to feel.
Everything I had done up to this point had been far too gentle.
No, it didn’t even deserve to be called training.
The attempts to unsettle me with insults and curses were so feeble they bored me, and the meditation sessions…
To be honest, I’d even napped during meditation.
‘It’s not that I wasn’t trying—I’m just at that age where closing my eyes makes you sleepy… It’s a natural part of growing up, isn’t it?’
But this deep mental fatigue—this was the real thing.
As Sister Seol had said, training is about surpassing your limits, and today I was determined to push past mine.
Not only did I get to examine Cho’s special ability, but it was also an opportunity to work toward Cheongwol.
— Tssrrt.
But when I called, Cho didn’t immediately leave Bini’s side to come to me.
Normally, she would hurry over without a second thought, so this was unusual. I gestured for her again.
“Cho?”
— Tssrrrrr.
She looked at me for a long moment before conveying a worried message. “Dad, you said you were tired. Are you really alright…?”
“Kuhuk—!”
Her words struck me right in the heart, completely catching me off guard.
It felt like I’d been delivered to the Empty Death Horse for three hundred executions—my dear Cho was putting my well-being above everything else.
‘Gyaaaaah!’
So this was the genuine love of a firstborn daughter for her father?
It was a whole different league of compassion and consideration compared to a second or third child.
My Cho possessed the generous heart of an older sister figure.
First, she had allowed Bini to go ahead of her. And now, despite surely being eager to discover her own special ability, she was holding back out of concern for me.
Wasn’t this the mark of a truly well-raised eldest daughter?
‘My devoted daughter Cho—every one of her qualities is fully recognized.’
Battling a surge of emotion, I went over to Cho, who was still near Bini, and gently petted her head.
‘Even if my mind shatters and I’m reduced to nothing today, I will see Cho’s special ability revealed!’
“It’s alright. Don’t be worried, come here, Cho. I took a short rest, so I’m recovered now.”
— Tssrrt… “Are you sure…?”
I reassured her once more that I was fine after resting, then led her over to Sister Seol and got ready to circulate my Beast Heart Art.
“Okay, let’s begin. Sister Seol—”
“Understood. I need to observe this carefully as well.”
If this were about internal energy, I would have put my hand on her back or chest.
But since it involved mental strength, Sister Seol rested her hand on top of Cho’s head.
“Begin.”
At her signal, I placed my hand on Cho’s head and started channeling energy into her.
Unlike Bini, who had shown a little resistance at first, Cho accepted the energy as easily as a star pupil accepting an exam.
If the energy of Beast Heart Art felt like the freshness of green, then Cho’s energy was a profound, sky-blue.
There seemed to be a connection between them.
As the energies merged within her, Cho’s aura shifted from fresh to something clear and revitalizing.
‘Ah, this sensation… is it like soda?’
It had that tingling, cool effervescence of a fizzy drink.
But no matter how invigorating it felt, my mental strength was being rapidly consumed.
Compared to Bini, Cho drew in my energy even more voraciously, pulling the mental force of the Beast Heart Art directly into her body.
Sister Seol watched with widening eyes, clearly astonished.
“Wow, this is unbelievable. It’s drawing in a tremendous amount of energy, isn’t it?”
Sweat streamed down my forehead.
Dark memories I had buried away surged up, rattling my entire consciousness.
The process with Bini had taken around fifteen minutes. But because Cho was in her adolescent stage, it was taking longer.
After about twenty minutes had passed, I finally managed to withdraw my hand.
“Kkuhooooooh…!”
I fell onto my back, panting heavily.
The mental exhaustion was unlike anything I had ever felt.
It seemed as if the whole world was against me, making everything appear warped and unjust.
Waves of despair and frustration washed over me.
‘Sniff… I’m good for nothing—wait, no. But is it really my fault…?’
Just as I was sinking into self-pity, I heard Cho’s voice.
— Tssrrrrr.
Lying on my back with my fractured mentality, I turned to see Cho curled up and shaking slightly.
Then, suddenly—
A glint of light shimmered across her shell.
“What… What was that?!”
I was too drained to respond properly, but Sister Seol’s voice was brimming with excitement.
We both watched Cho, full of expectation.
She coiled up again, trembled slightly… and then…
She tilted her head at me, looking puzzled.
— Tssrrt?
We waited.
And kept waiting.
But nothing more occurred.
Then, Sister Seol released a sigh of profound disappointment.
“What? That’s all?”
I was equally astonished.
My mentality had been utterly spent, and this was the only result?
Ah… suddenly, everything felt meaningless.
I had endured so much, yet there was no apparent change.
It truly felt like the universe was conspiring against me.
“Ah, I despise it all…”
***
“Cho, do you feel any different? If you notice anything new, let your auntie know.”
— Tssrrt?
Ignoring my broken state, Sister Seol began questioning Cho.
Given the vast amount of mental strength I had expended, there should have been some change, but there was absolutely nothing.
“Do you feel stronger?”
— Tssrr.
“Any quicker? Can you smell more? Hear better?”
— Tssrrrrr. “No…”
“Really? You don’t feel anything at all?”
— Tssrrrr!
Even though Sister Seol couldn’t precisely understand Cho’s words, her dedication to animals meant she could interpret them almost by instinct.
To an observer, it would look like they were having a real conversation.
An animal whisperer? It certainly appeared that way.
“This is odd. Did we not use enough energy? You don’t feel tired at all?”
— Tssrrr.
Cho’s response was unambiguous—no unusual feelings, no strange sensations, nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever.
She didn’t even feel fatigued like the others had.
Finally, after a long moment of shared confusion, both Sister Seol and Cho slowly turned to look at me.
Sister Seol came over and took my arm, helping me up.
“There’s no possibility of continuing today. We’ll attempt it again tomorrow,” Sister Seol stated. “You expended too much energy after infusing Bini. That might be why it didn’t work as planned. Something about this doesn’t feel right.”
“…Again?”
“We had an agreement to train, correct?”
“Oh… right.”
I was so mentally exhausted I felt near death, and the idea of repeating this made me want to groan. But upon reflection, I did recall agreeing to the training.
‘Did I boast too confidently without understanding how much it would drain me…?’
— Tssrrrr. “Dad, are you okay?”
The thought of doing it all over again made my vision dim, but Cho came closer and gently nuzzled my face with concern.
At the same time, Sister Seol’s tone was both teasing and resolute.
“…So naturally, we’re doing it again tomorrow, yes?”
“…Yes.”
How could I refuse when Cho kept asking if I was alright?
In the end, I accepted the most grueling test of endurance—one that would stretch past dawn. Sister Seol promised to examine everything again tomorrow.
By that time, Hyang would be sound asleep, and Cho would be watching over Bini until she awoke.
And if Bini remained asleep for an extended period, we would have to stay the night there, making it an ideal meeting place.
“Then, we’ll meet here again at dawn, while Hyang is still sleeping.”
“Understood. Come on, I’ll escort you back to the outpost.”
“Alright. Cho, watch over Bini until she wakes up. If she isn’t awake by dawn, I’ll come retrieve you both.”
— Tssrrt.
And so, the day concluded with no tangible outcome.
As I made my way back to the outpost, I could only cling to the hope that sleep would restore my mental state.
When I arrived, Huaon stared at me in alarm.
“Sister Seol, what’s wrong with So-ryong?”
— Tssrrr!?
She looked concerned, suspecting I was ill.
Sister Seol, without skipping a beat, softly patted Huaon’s back and comforted her.
“Ah, it’s nothing serious. I’ll provide a full explanation when we’re back at the outpost later. There’s no need for concern.”
Aware that Hyang would cause trouble if she found out, Sister Seol adeptly provided a cover story.
‘Well done, Sister Seol.’
I gave her a silent thumbs-up and promptly collapsed onto my bed.
The mental fatigue was so overpowering I felt I might lose consciousness at any moment.
“But still, So-ryong looks truly unwell…” Huaon muttered.
“I told you he’s fine. I simply gave him some training. Training.”
“Really? So-ryong, are you okay?”
Even as I lay in bed, Huaon continued to fret over me.
Exhausted, I gave her one final reassurance before finally giving in to sleep.
“I… just need to rest for a while…”
“…So-ryong? So-ryong?”
“…He must have been extremely tired. He’s already asleep…”
The voices of Huaon and Sister Seol were the last things I heard before I plunged into total darkness.
***
I awoke feeling rigid and slow, the moist air filling my nostrils.
It wasn’t typically hot here, so why did my neck feel damp?
‘What’s happening? Am I sweating?’
The air wasn’t especially warm, yet a clinging humidity enveloped me.
As I struggled to sit up, I noticed several sets of luminous eyes glowing in the dark.
‘What in the—?!’
Startled, I recognized them as belonging to Yoha, observing me from the shadows, and Hyang, who was sprawled over me, fast asleep.
Since these creatures lacked eyelids, they always slept with their eyes open, which could be quite unsettling at times.
I sat up on the bed and grabbed the pitcher from the table, drinking directly from it.
— Gulp, gulp, gulp.
The quiet, dark room echoed with the sound of me swallowing water.
Feeling a bit refreshed, I looked toward the window to determine why it was so warm.
It was closed.
Since Qinghai nights often grew cold, Sister Seol or Huaon must have shut it before retiring.
‘I should open it a bit.’
Most of my children were cold-blooded, meaning they became lethargic in cooler conditions.
I just needed to allow some cool air inside.
As I unlatched the window and pushed it open, total darkness met my gaze.
Thick clouds blanketed the sky, completely obscuring the moon.
Even with the window open, the air that entered wasn’t cool—it was just as humid and sticky as the air inside.
Turning to the other window, I saw it was already open.
‘Oh, that one was open the whole time?’
Just as I dismissed it as mere humidity, a burst of light flickered in the far-off sky.
A few seconds later, a low rumble of thunder followed.
— Rumble.
The classic order—lightning first, then thunder.
Though it was distant, the sky vibrated with a faint, lingering reverberation.
‘Is it going to rain?’
Distant lightning and thunder often heralded approaching rain.
As I looked outside, confirming my suspicion, I soon heard the soft sound of raindrops starting to fall.
— Plip, plop, patter, patter.
And with it, the clean aroma of rain on dry earth filled the air.
The scent of wet soil and the dust kicked up by the raindrops awakened my senses.
Heavy rain was uncommon in Qinghai, so I found it intriguing.
Then, abruptly, I remembered—Cho and Bini were still outside.
‘That’s right—Cho, Bini!’
Millipedes required moisture to live, but they were also extremely vulnerable to water.
They were under a large tree, so they should be protected, but if the rain grew too heavy, it could become an issue.
Without a second thought, I sprinted out of the room.
I had no idea how heavy the rain would get, but if they became soaked, it could be perilous.
For millipedes, if their breathing apparatuses became too wet, they would struggle to take in oxygen.
— Patter, patter, pour.
I raced through the darkness, moving past the training field and avoiding the patrolling guards.
The rainfall grew heavier, soaking me gradually.
By the time I reached the large zelkova tree where Bini was sleeping, my clothes were entirely drenched.
Bini was still there, coiled up serenely.
But Cho… was nowhere in sight.
— Rumble.
As I searched the area desperately, a lightning flash illuminated the sky.
And in that brief instant—
I saw her.
In the midst of the pouring rain, her scales shimmering under the lightning’s glare—
Cho was soaring through the air.
“Holy—!?”
Her body moved with the fluid grace of a fish, gliding effortlessly through the sky.