Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 215

Chapter 215
‘Is this the sensation of being struck by a powerful electric shock?’

My eyes opened to the sight of the familiar ceiling of my assigned residence within the Kunlun Sect.
Piecing together my memories, the last thing I recalled was holding Cho close.
I must have blacked out from the leftover electrical energy still coursing through Cho’s body.
‘Sister Seol and Hwa-eun must have carried me back here.’

Drip. Drip.
Sssss…

The room was already filled with light, and the persistent sound of rain outside confirmed it was morning.
Turning my head, the first thing I saw were Cho’s luminous, moon-like eyes, shimmering with worry.
Cho, who had been nervously quivering his antennae beside me, immediately stiffened them like an alarmed squirrel the instant our gazes connected.

Choruru! 『Father!』

Cho’s voice resonated directly in my mind.
The sound of him calling me ‘Father’ echoed within my head.
As if to alert the others that I was awake, Cho emitted another cheerful chirp.
Immediately, I heard voices far more familiar to me than the Kunlun ceiling.

Sister Seol and Hwa-eun.

“Tong-ah! Are you alright? Do you remember what occurred?! You fainted!”
“The power of the lightning surge traveled through you. Are you well, Soheum?”

A faint numbness lingered in my body, but as I clenched my fingers into a fist, my sensations gradually started to return.
I shut my eyes for a brief moment and then reopened them to answer their questions.
“I believe I’m okay.”

The two of them released a heavy, relieved sigh.
They must have been terribly concerned, fearing I had been severely hurt.

“Is everything feeling normal?”
“Yes, I’m still a bit lightheaded, but it’s passing.”
“The elder from Kunlun mentioned your injuries weren’t critical, but lightning is unpredictable, so you must remain cautious.”

It appeared an elder from the Kunlun Sect’s medical hall had examined me while I was unconscious.
I couldn’t help but wonder what they had thought upon seeing me collapse yet again.
‘They likely cursed me under their breath.’

As that thought crossed my mind, their anxious inquiries continued.
“That’s correct, Soheum. You must inform us immediately if you feel even a little unwell.”
“Is there anything out of the ordinary at all?”

They both seemed exceedingly worried, but in truth, I understood the nature of electricity better than the Kunlun elder, so there was no cause for alarm.
An electric shock can disrupt heart rhythms or damage nerves, but the jolt I received wasn’t severe enough to cause lasting harm.
No remnants of the lightning’s power remained in my system, and as we spoke, my awareness continued to steadily clear.

“I truly feel fine, so please don’t worry.”

Choruru… 『Father, I am sorry…』

At that moment—
Cho suddenly pressed his face into my chest, apologizing.
He must have been blaming himself for not heeding me and landing sooner.
But my condition wasn’t his fault.
It was merely an accident.

“It’s alright, Cho. This wasn’t your doing. It was simply an unforeseen event.”
I softly patted his head as I continued.
“More importantly, are you injured anywhere?”
Cho! 『No!』

I needed to be certain Cho hadn’t been harmed by the lightning.
But his reply was assured—he was perfectly unhurt.
Even to my eyes, there wasn’t a single mark on him.
His glossy carapace shone as brilliantly as ever, a radiant emerald green identical to yesterday.
‘Well, reality doesn’t always adhere to the rules of games or comics. Water does conduct electricity, after all.’

Truthfully, when Cho was hit by the lightning bolt, I had feared the worst.
Because the water element is traditionally most vulnerable to lightning.
Naturally, this isn’t an absolute law, but in fantasy worlds, games, and comics, that’s typically how the elements interact.
Fire is weak against water.
Water is weak against lightning.

However, Cho’s awakening of the water attribute had unmistakably also granted him a resistance to lightning.
Ordinarily, water-aligned beings are susceptible to lightning under extreme circumstances, yet despite a direct strike, Cho emerged without a scratch.
‘Hold on… is it possible? A dual attribute?!’

Studying Cho intently, a sudden idea hit me.
Could it be?
If he was completely unaffected, then perhaps—
Perhaps he had awakened not only the water attribute, but the lightning attribute as well.

“Cho, do you feel anything different? Perhaps a tingling in your antennae, or a sense of electrical energy within you?”
Chorurung?
“Cho can unleash lightning?!”
“That would be incredible! Cho, try it!”

Hwa-eun and Sister Seol’s eyes widened with excitement as they looked at Cho.
Enthused by the idea, Cho crouched down, gathering his energy just as he had previously.
Chorurururung! Chorur!
He drew a deep breath, his small body tensing with effort—
But even with his antennae stretched to their limit, nothing occurred.

Chorurung? 『It will not come out?』
Cho tilted his head at me, bewildered.
His tiny expression was utterly endearing.

“Hmm. So that’s a no?”
“Ah, what a pity.”

I had hoped for a dual attribute of water and lightning, but it seemed that was not to be.
He could not generate or command electricity.
Nevertheless, gaining a resistance to lightning alongside his water affinity was already a significant boon.
With that resistance, he could fly without fear even in stormy conditions, exactly as he had the previous night.
That alone was more than sufficient.

Content with that, I released my greed and asked Cho,
“So, Cho, did you enjoy flying in the rainy night sky?”

Forget attributes and affinities.
As long as Cho’s first flight in the rain was a happy memory, that was all I needed.
Cho answered my question with a joyful surge of emotion, transmitting a wave of warmth straight to my heart.
Cho! Chorurung! 『Yes! It was tremendous fun!』
“Then, that is everything that matters.”

***

As I stroked Bini’s head, sharing in the happiness he radiated from his delightful experience soaring through the rainy night, a sudden crimson glow emerged beside me.
A signal of warning.
Hyang’s red head, overflowing with fiery indignation, rose up next to it.

Choruru! Chorurururu! 『Father, is there not something you need to discuss with me?』
“…Huh?!”

I had been overjoyed about Cho’s water attribute awakening, but now, with a clearer head, I was faced with Hyang’s wrath.
She had discovered that I had awakened Cho and Bini’s abilities first, leaving her behind.
She must have overheard Hwa-eun and Sister Seol explaining the reason for my collapse to the Kunlun elder.

Chorurururu!
Hyang reprimanded me, accusing me of breaking my promise almost immediately after making it. To make it worse, I had even enhanced the other two’s abilities before hers.
She was still young, having only evolved recently, and we had agreed to wait a while longer to observe any potential effects before awakening her powers together.
But I had proceeded without her.

In the end, I found myself once again deep in debt as a granter of wishes.
Hyang added another hundred wishes to my account.
‘…She wouldn’t possibly charge me interest on this, would she?’

***

Starting the next day, I was plunged into rigorous mental training.
Thanks to Cho awakening a passive skill, our training efficiency increased dramatically.
Cho himself didn’t show any visible changes, but he managed to channel a surge of energy into the sky on one occasion.
I had assumed that since he’d already awakened a passive ability, it wouldn’t be possible again, but apparently, infusing him with energy made him feel more potent.

After another draining day of mental exercises, I had just lain down, hoping to rest, when a voice came from outside.
“So-Sohyeop, it is I, Taeheo.”
Taeheo’s voice called from beyond the door.
‘Ah… there goes my peaceful rest.’

Why, of all days, did I have so many visitors today?
Earlier, Lord Gyu-seong’s youth association had already dropped by, and now this?
Sitting up with a slight grimace, I saw Hwa-eun, looking worried, call out toward the entrance.
“Taeheo Daehyeop, So-ryong is not feeling his best at the moment. Is the matter urgent?”

After a short pause, a slightly hesitant voice replied.
“…Well, I have brought the Grandmaster with me. Is So-Sohyeop truly indisposed?”
“…What?!”

The Grandmaster of Kunlun was here to see me?
Other than our first formal greeting when I arrived, I had never personally met the Grandmaster of Kunlun.
At Taeheo’s words, Hwa-eun, appearing even more flustered than Taeheo, turned to me and urgently gestured for me to rise. Then, she swiftly addressed the door.
“Please, do enter. He is well enough to converse.”

Since the Master of Kunlun himself had come, we could not very well turn him away.
Following Hwa-eun’s prompting, I hurriedly got up and prepared to greet our visitor.
The door opened, and Taeheo entered, accompanied by a middle-aged man.
Though he seemed to be in his late forties or fifties, his white hair stood in stark contrast to his black beard, creating a distinctly striking impression.
This was Ji Hyeon, the Twin Swords of Kunlun, and the Grandmaster of the Kunlun Sect.
“It has been some time, So-Sohyeop.”

He was famous for mastering Kunlun’s secret technique, the Yang Sword Art, with dual blades—an achievement very few could accomplish alone.
‘Twin swords, huh? That is profoundly impressive.’
“It has been a while, Grandmaster. To what do I owe the honor of your visit to this modest dwelling? No, wait—I did not mean to imply Kunlun is modest, I merely—”

Blast it.
This wasn’t my house, and I’d just referred to it as “modest.”
As I stumbled, trying to correct myself, Ji Hyeon smiled and spoke.
“Haha, I grasped your meaning. It is quite alright.”

Then, his expression grew more solemn as he inquired,
“I heard you had recovered, yet you still appear unwell. Are you alright?”
“Ah, I merely pushed myself too hard during training…”
“You must take care. You have only just recuperated.”
“My apologies. The Kunlun elders provided excellent care…”

I genuinely felt remorseful.
They had healed me once, only for me to return injured again.
It was the height of being a troublesome guest.
As I bowed my head in apology, Ji Hyeon merely smiled.
“There is no need for that. The young rarely stay still for long. Haha.”

The last time we met, I had been too anxious, but now I saw he wasn’t as severe as I’d thought.
However, as I offered an awkward smile, Ji Hyeon’s face turned serious once more.
“I came today to offer my apologies. As the Master of Kunlun, I bear responsibility for the incident that took place under our protection.”

Kunlun had been grappling with this problem for months, and I had resolved it for them.
Yet, in doing so, I had been injured due to affairs related to the Tang Clan.
He was apologizing for failing to prevent such an event from befalling a guest in his care.
Then, he bowed his head toward me in a formal martial salute.
The unexpected apology left me completely taken aback.

“Oh, well… that is…”
To be honest, this was not Kunlun’s fault.
It wasn’t their grievance; it was a matter for the Tang Clan, and I had simply been caught in it.
Seeing my discomfited reaction, Hwa-eun quickly sent a telepathic message.
[Ensuring a guest’s safety is an unspoken law of Murim, So-ryong.]
‘Oh… I see.’

I supposed it was akin to having a guest in your home—if they were injured while under your roof, it would be a profound embarrassment and failure.
Too weary to debate the point, I decided to simply accept his apology.
“There is no need to apologize. My injuries were not serious, and thanks to the disciples of Kunlun, I was aided in time.”

Naturally, it was Hyang who had truly resolved the situation, but well… sometimes diplomacy was preferable.
Ji Hyeon nodded with a gentle smile, seemingly put at ease by my response.
Then, he reached into his robe and withdrew something, offering it to me.
“I appreciate your understanding. But I also came in person for this.”

What he handed me was a box made of dark wood.
Inspecting it, I was certain I had never seen this specific box before.
‘An apology gift?’
Tilting my head curiously, I hesitated before asking,
“What is this?”
“Open it and see. We provided the box, but the contents… I believe it is an object you already recognize.”
“?”

Something I already knew?
With a perplexed expression, I undid the latch on the wooden box and raised the lid—
And the instant I saw what lay inside, my eyes widened.
It was exactly as Ji Hyeon had stated.
An item I knew very well.
Even before I could speak, Hyang emitted a sharp, warning cry.
Chorurururur! 『Malevolent energy!』

Of course.
Because inside the box…
Was an artificial Neidan from the Five Venoms Sect—the very one we had removed from Pung-hyeol.
‘Wait… why is this here?!’