Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 220

Chapter 220Clop. Clop.
Our party moved in a single column across a boundless expanse of grassland covered in tender shoots.
There were no markers, no paths—only the direction provided by the nomads guiding us.
Our reason for traversing this great plain on horseback was straightforward: we were, at last, returning home.
My injuries had mended completely, and I had accomplished my initial aim: to secure Cheongwol, the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion.
There was no purpose left for me to stay in Kunlun.
Thus, several days prior, we had said our goodbyes and commenced our trek.
“I will be departing now, Sect Leader.”
“I understand. Taeha has already informed me. Your health is fully restored?”
“It is, owing to your generosity. I feel no ill effects.”
“I am glad to hear it. Journey well. Ah, before you leave, accept these three letters and this modest package of medicinal herbs. They are intended as gifts for the Tang Clan and the Beast Palace.”
The notion of a gift was clear, but I was puzzled by the unexpected presentation of letters.
“What are these letters for?”
“You mentioned you are operating under the Martial Alliance’s directive, correct? One letter is for the Martial Alliance. The other two are for the Tang Clan and the Beast Palace.”
“For the Tang Clan and the Beast Palace, they are letters expressing gratitude. For the Martial Alliance, it is a notice that, due to your actions, the crisis in Qinghai has been resolved. We can now dispatch more of our disciples to aid the Martial Alliance.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Kunlun had been constrained in Qinghai because of the Wind Tunnels, but with that problem settled, they could spare more disciples to reinforce the Martial Alliance.
This was most welcome news.
Beyond the gifts from the sect leader, there was an additional offering I received.
“Furthermore, for your departure from Qinghai, you may use the horses of the nomads. Some wished to express their debt to you and were adamant about providing an escort.”
“Oh, that is most convenient.”
This was the very reason the rest of our group was currently on horseback.
I reminisced about our departure day as I lay stretched out on Cheongwol’s back, my head pillowed on Hwa-eun’s lap, savoring the tranquil beauty of the plains.
Whoooosh.
The wind swept across the sea of grass, causing the fields to ripple like waves on an ocean.
Ah, this is pleasant.
Just as I was sinking into the calmness, a woman’s discontented voice shattered my peace.
“Ugh, my rear is sore…”
Women of the Central Plains were exceedingly reserved about naming certain parts of the body.
Given this was an ancient time, it was to be expected, yet the scope of what they deemed inappropriate was remarkably broad.
They shied away from mentioning feet, calves, thighs, necks, ears, and most certainly, the chest.
In truth, it was wisest to avoid referencing any part of a woman’s anatomy.
There were scarcely any areas they felt comfortable discussing.
For instance, if a woman were wounded in battle and her chest was injured—
One could not simply inquire, “Did you injure your chest?”
Instead, you were expected to glance discreetly and say, “Ahem… is that particular area quite alright?”
Personally, I found such indirectness to be even more suggestive and awkward, but those were the customs here.
And yet, here was someone openly lamenting that her rear hurt.
Hwa-eun and I instantly swapped a glance.
Then, we both looked toward the origin of the voice.
And there she was—Gungbong, sulking with discomfort astride a horse that had only a thick cloth for a saddle.
Hwa-eun’s brow furrowed slightly, and she inclined her head to whisper to me.
[So-tong, this is a little uncomfortable. Perhaps I should have ridden a horse like the others…]
I gave a soft laugh in response.
[It cannot be helped. Cheongwol would not permit anyone except for you and Seol to ride upon him.]
For a martial artist like Gungbong to bemoan her aching backside—
Certainly, it might genuinely pain her, but her tone was plainly meant to be humorous.
After all, while I, Hwa-eun, Seol, and even Bini were lounging at ease on Cheongwol’s broad back, she was relegated to a saddle-less horse.
It was only natural she would feel some jealousy.
Cheongwol’s gait was so fluid it could not be compared to the jarring motion of a horse.
She had been desperately eager to ride him, but Cheongwol had flatly refused.
When we were preparing to leave, I had even ventured to ask if he could carry a few more.
“Cheongwol, is there room for a few more?”
Krurrr. “I am no common pack animal that carries all and sundry!”
His refusal was so vehement it took me aback.
“…M-my apologies. I suppose it is decided. Cheongwol is quite adamant.”
“Huh!? But why?”
“He said… he is not some ordinary creature that carries just anyone.”
“…Just anyone?”
It appeared spirit beasts possessed their own pride, and Cheongwol found the idea utterly repellent.
Gungbong’s complaints caused the others—particularly Gyu-seong and the rest of the Five Dragons—to gaze fixedly into the distance, feigning deafness.
Witnessing this, Eunbong intervened to chastise Gungbong.
“Gungbong, a lady ought not to—”
“But what is improper about saying my rear hurts when it truly does!?”
This caused Eunbong’s face to flush a deep crimson.
“…Why does she behave as if saying ‘rear’ is so disgraceful?”
Gungbong was certainly a bit rough around the edges, but even so—this was rather much.
Truly, was ‘rear’ considered a shameful word?
If we were discussing rears, should the subject not be the soft, yielding rear of Hwayang beside me?
I glanced over and gave Hwayang’s gelatinous hindquarters a playful tap.
Tap. Tap.
The startled creature awoke and blinked at me in bewilderment.
Biiie?
“Oh, it is nothing. You are simply endearing.”
Biiie?
Hearing this, Hwayang wriggled his rear and presented it to me as if to say, *Please, continue patting!*
“You see? This is the correct disposition.”
Content with Hwayang’s response, I continued to pat him until he was thoroughly satisfied.
But regardless of my actions, Gungbong’s lamentations about her sore backside persisted—
All throughout our journey until we finally departed Qinghai.
“My rear aches, I tell you!!!”
***

Dozens of warriors knelt upon the training ground, where five venomous creatures were carved into the stone floor.
From their ranks, the leader of the Galhyeon Unit came forward and delivered his report.
“Galhyeon Unit Leader, Wi Cheong, reporting his return!”
Wi Cheong’s voice was strong, but the scene behind him was anything but victorious.
The warriors were in a pitiable condition—many lay bleeding and immobile, while those still standing bore obvious wounds. Blood and dirt stained their battered forms.
The Master of the Five Venoms Sect took in the sight and gestured with his chin toward Oh Cheong-yu, lying senseless on the ground.
“I do not see the item you were sent to acquire… and why is Cheong-yu in such a state?”
Oh Cheong-yu’s face was pallid, her body rigid as if ice-cold, her lips parched and split, clear indicators of extreme depletion.
“A-Ah… The young lady was nearing her breakthrough, but Shadow Master sealed her pressure points. Concerning the item we were to retrieve… due to complications, Shadow Master dealt with it—”
The Master of the Five Venoms Sect scowled, deep creases forming on his brow at the news of her interrupted advancement.
His expression contorted as he spoke.
“Not long ago, Shadow Master’s Yin-Yang Twin Gu perished.”
Wi Cheong’s eyes shot wide open in astonishment.
“Sh-Shadow Master’s Yin-Yang Twin Gu? That… that cannot be!”
The high-ranking warriors of the Five Venoms Sect all hosted a Gu within them—not for base uses like controlling captured martial artists, but for a far more specialized purpose.
The Gu they received granted them a rapid augmentation of their internal energy, a rare honor signifying their full induction into the Five Venoms Sect.
These Gu always existed in pairs, termed Yin-Yang Twin Gu by the sect, and were managed with utmost vigilance.
The benefit of this unique Gu was the accelerated cultivation of internal energy, but it carried a severe flaw—regardless of the distance between them, if one Gu died, its twin would also die. If one suffered, its counterpart would endure identical agony, often propelling its host into madness.
Consequently, one of the pair always resided within the host, while the other was kept under the sect leader’s direct control.
For Shadow Master’s Yin-Yang Twin Gu to have died signified that Shadow Master himself was dead.
He had journeyed to Kunlun to eliminate the Tang Clan’s son-in-law, yet it was now clear the mission had been a failure.
Though it was difficult to accept, Wi Cheong, still stunned by the news, muttered in disbelief.
“Shadow Master… the situation did not unfold as planned. He went to Kunlun to kill the Tang Clan’s son-in-law, but… then that implies… the Kunlun scoundrels—”
The Master of the Five Venoms Sect, his temper darkening, interrupted sharply.
“Report everything in detail. From your arrival in Qinghai to this moment.”
“Y-Yes, my lord!”
Sensing the sect leader’s ire, Wi Cheong immediately pressed his forehead to the floor and began his account.
“After reaching Qinghai, we met with the warriors of the Five Venoms Sect who were breeding the Venom Blood Hounds. As we waited, news spread swiftly, and the Tang Clan’s son-in-law soon appeared.
He was captured while hunting. He was ensnared by the Silk Thread of the Human-Faced Spider and was being pulled along in its trail.”
“Hoo… He was bound by the silk and still kept pace behind?”
“Yes, my lord. And with a single maneuver, he overpowered the Venom Blood Hound and removed its Neidan.”
“A single maneuver?”
“Yes! He slid beneath its belly and vanquished it with one blow.”
“We have always regarded the Venom Blood Hound as a monstrous foe, yet he felled it in one strike?”
The sect leader’s displeasure shifted to curiosity.
It was notable enough that he could match the Venom Blood Hound’s speed with his movement skill, but to overpower it so easily?
As the sect leader considered this, Wi Cheong proceeded.
“Yes, my lord. The Tang Clan’s son-in-law subdued the Venom Blood Hound and extracted its Neidan in a flash. That was when we encircled him.
When we tried to apprehend him, he seemed somewhat wounded from pursuing the hound. But the instant he mounted Young Lady Cheong-yu’s back, he touched the Mouth Gu and knew at once that she was being cultivated as a Grand Venom Master—”
“He discerned it?”
“Yes!”
The Master of the Five Venoms Sect shut his eyes, deep in contemplation.
After a moment, he gave a slow nod to himself and murmured.
“So, he has intellect to match his strength? No wonder the breakthrough was nearly successful.”
“Yes, my lord. At that moment, Shadow Master moved to capture him, sealing the young lady’s pressure points to halt the breakthrough, but then… abruptly, an enormous venomous creature materialized from nowhere—”
“An enormous one?”
“Yes! It resembled a giant scorpion, but its whole body seemed fashioned from stone—”
The sect leader’s eyes flickered wide for an instant before his face became a mask of indifference.
Then, in a voice of chilling calm, he muttered,
“So… the Tang Clan has acquired the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion.”
“Th-That…?”
“Yes. If it was a giant scorpion of stone, it could only be the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion. They have secured that as well?”
“What occurred next…”
As Wi Cheong carried on with his report, the Master of the Five Venoms Sect listened without a word.
The instant the account finished, he snapped his fingers.
*Snap!*
At this signal, four figures clad in black robes flew into the hall and knelt before him.
In a dispassionate tone, he commanded,
“Take Cheong-yu and supervise her breakthrough.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The four warriors lifted Oh Cheong-yu and made to depart.
Just as they turned, the sect leader spoke again.
“You are now the leader of the Blood Shadow Serpents.”
“Y-Yes, my lord!”
As the black-robed warriors exited, the sect leader brought his hands together and tallied on his fingers.
“The Five Sky Venoms, the Cold Ice Parasite, the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion, the Azure Rock Venomous Gu… That constitutes four of the Five Venoms already assembled.”
The Tang Clan’s son-in-law had already obtained four of the legendary venoms required to complete the Five Venoms Returning to the Origin Divine Art.
Lost in thought, the sect leader pushed up his left sleeve, revealing a bracelet from which two crimson bells hung.
A malicious smile touched his lips as he shook the bells.
*Jingle.*
From the depths of the Sect Leader’s Hall, something shuddered violently.
*Rumble!*
The tremor was so powerful the entire hall quaked.
Wi Cheong went ashen and prostrated himself before the sect leader, joined by the three deputy leaders, their faces equally pale.
“Y-Yes, my lord!?”
As they quaked upon the ground, more warriors flooded onto the training ground, their complexions devoid of color.
“My lord, you called for us!?”
“We await your orders!”
The Master of the Five Venoms Sect coldly appraised the assembled warriors before him.
“The Tang Clan has already gathered four of the Five Venoms. We must not allow them to discover the ultimate secret of the Five Venoms Art.
We will employ the recently subjugated Blood Cult to plunge the Central Plains into chaos.
And while the world is in disarray… we will locate the one we have long sought.”
Everyone waited in breathless silence.
Then, the sect leader uttered the name.
“The Serpent King.”
“Yes, my lord!!”
At his words, the warriors dispersed in every direction.