Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 236

Chapter 236
Mae So-yeong, leader of the Blood Flame Unit, guided her forces along secluded mountain trails under the veil of darkness. Seven days of relentless travel brought them at last to the northern reaches of Sichuan.
Concealed by night, they took up a hidden position near Guando, not far from the Tang Clan’s stronghold on Tangga Mountain.
This area lay deep within the Central Plains, where vigilance was more relaxed. To remain undetected, they sustained themselves on raw meat from their hunts, pressing onward without pause through both day and night.
“We will hold our position here! The map of the Tang Clan’s territory we secured in exchange for the Blood-Water Venom Claw has proven its worth.”
“Understood, Commander!”
Though the Tang Clan maintained a formidable guard around Tangga Mountain, their watch did not reach beyond the river, making the area around Guando an ideal place to conceal themselves.

For two days, they remained in hiding, observing the comings and goings.
All Mae So-yeong witnessed were servants, handmaidens, and what appeared to be common guards transporting provisions and goods—no one of any consequence.
Not a single high-ranking individual showed themselves.
However, on the afternoon of the third day, just as the sun began to dip and she had dispatched a few soldiers to forage for their meal—
A mounted party emerged from the Tang residence.
Among them were a middle-aged man, a youth robed in white, and several attendants and maids, all setting off in the direction of Chengdu.
Mae So-yeong’s gaze sharpened. These were clearly figures of importance.
“What are your orders, Commander?” her second-in-command inquired, watching the group depart.
Mae So-yeong shook her head without a moment’s doubt.
She could sense the immense martial pressure emanating from the middle-aged man—he was not an opponent to be engaged recklessly.
“He is most likely the Tang Clan’s patriarch. The energy surrounding him is formidable. We will not intercept.”
“By your command!”
It was a tantalizing prospect, but this was no ordinary sect leader—this was the master of the Tang Clan.
Even a full assault by their two hundred Blood Flame warriors would make capturing him difficult, and if he retaliated with poison, the cost would be too great.
While purging the toxin from their ranks was critical, preserving their fighting strength was equally vital—they needed every able body to liberate their Blood Cult comrades enslaved by the Five Venoms Clan.
Sacrificing too many in an attempt to seize the Tang patriarch would be a futile and self-defeating effort.
So, with a tinge of reluctance, Mae So-yeong allowed the party to continue on to Chengdu.
Yet, on the very next evening, as she and her unit were consuming raw venison in the brush, the distinct rhythm of hoofbeats reached them from a distance.
Clack. Clack.
“Someone approaches!”
Wiping the blood from her mouth, Mae So-yeong withdrew to her observation point. Her unit followed suit.
Soon, a solitary horse and rider became visible in the distance.
When she focused, she identified the rider—it was the same boy in red who had ridden next to the Tang patriarch mere days before.
Now, he was returning alone.
If he had been riding beside the patriarch, he was undoubtedly a direct heir or a person of similar status.
And he was merely a boy—an easy target for capture.
This was an opportunity that would not come again.
A fierce light ignited in Mae So-yeong’s eyes as she sent a mental command to her waiting soldiers.
[Prepare to move! We take him alive! Do not injure him!]
[Yes, Commander!]
The boy’s crimson robes stood out like a beacon in her sight.
It seemed the heavens had not yet abandoned the Blood Cult.
Seize this boy, and the Tang Clan’s Parasite-Dissolving Pellet would be within Mae So-yeong’s grasp.

***
In my previous life, my entire experience with horses came from television, and my only time in a saddle was a brief tourist ride on a Jeju Island pony.
So, handling a full-sized warhorse in this life was an undertaking I approached with serious caution.
The animals were enormous.
Initially, I was frozen with fear, certain I would fall—but after training in internal energy, lightness techniques, and body movement, my confidence grew.
Now, it was simply enjoyable.
Clack. Clack.
The beat of the hooves reverberated down the Guando path.
The setting sun draped the mountain peaks in shades of gold and orange, setting the road ablaze with color.
A cool wind rushed against my face and streamed through my hair.
Chirrk.
Perched on my head, Hyang leaned into the gust like an excited puppy sticking its head out of a car window.
Her antennae fluttered in the wind like ribbons.
“Are you enjoying this, Hyang?”
I grinned down at her, and she answered with a cheerful chirp.
Chirrk!
As we galloped on, the river that loops around Tangga Mountain gradually came into view ahead.
Then, rounding a curve in the path, the mountain itself emerged into sight.
Haze drifted from its summits, giving it an ethereal, otherworldly appearance, like a paradise.
Lights twinkled across its face, making it resemble a gigantic Christmas tree.
Gazing up at Tangga Mountain, my thoughts turned to Hwa-eun.
Lately, we’d been together so constantly it sometimes felt smothering… and yet, after just one day apart, I was already missing her.
I smiled wryly at my own helplessness.

Then I thought about the kids.
I seldom called for them when “returning from work,” but perhaps this time I could request a small welcoming committee.
It seemed like a good time to summon them.
Just as I began forming the message in my mind—
*Kids, I’m nearly back. Who wants to come greet me outside Tangga Mountain? The first one here gets—*
The horse let out a shrill cry and suddenly pitched forward.
I felt my balance break as I started to fall—
Chirrk!
Hyang immediately coiled around me, softening the impact.
At the same instant, I channeled my inner energy, twisting my body and launching myself sideways.
Thud! Clatter! Crash!
The horse crashed to the ground, skidding violently.
I tumbled, rolled, and came to a jarring stop.
As I lifted my head, shapes materialized from every direction.
Within moments, I was encircled by dozens of figures.
A woman’s voice, cold and commanding, cut through the air:
“Judging by the quality of your robes, you must be a direct descendant of the Tang Clan—or someone of comparable importance. Take him!”
Damn it—Yo-hwa hadn’t been exaggerating when she said these clothes would make me stand out…
Surrounded and ambushed.
I screamed inwardly:
*Kids! I need help!*
Whether it was Cho, or Bini, or anybody else—
I needed them here. Immediately.

***
After So-ryong left for Chengdu, a persistent anxiety settled in Hwa-eun’s heart.
Had he spoken effectively before those esteemed martial leaders in Sichuan?
Was he eating well?
Was he remembering to change into the appropriate clothes?
Her mind was preoccupied with these worries.
And, naturally… she missed him.
After the recent scare—when So-ryong had almost died dealing with Hoye—and after fully realizing the depth of her love for him, the feeling of longing had only intensified.
Even when they were together, she missed him. When they were apart, her heart felt sore.
Hwa-eun had never imagined she could care for someone this profoundly.
“Hwa-eun? Hwa-eun?”
She blinked, pulled from her thoughts by the voice, and turned to look.
It was Sister Seol, watching her with an expression that blended sympathy and mild annoyance.
And rightly so. This wasn’t the first time Hwa-eun had drifted off during their conversation in the pavilion.
“Yes, sister…”
“What’s the matter with you? You were thinking about So-ryong again, weren’t you? This is beginning to resemble a genuine condition.”
She hadn’t intended to, but it kept happening, filling her with both shame and a sense of foolishness.
“Well, I… was just… thinking about how he might be faring in Chengdu…”
“Ugh, even our brilliant, enigmatic Hwa-eun has been conquered. With Tong away, everyone has become so mellow. It’s a serious problem—a truly serious problem.”
Hearing Sister Seol’s words, Hwa-eun’s gaze swept around the pavilion.
She was correct. It wasn’t only her.
Though she hadn’t complained or demanded to accompany him this time, it was obvious that So-ryong’s absence was affecting everyone.
Even the venom beasts were different.
Cho and Bini were asleep, coiled on the pavilion roof—they hadn’t moved a muscle since So-ryong’s departure.
Seol, Seol, Tong, and even Hyang and Dong were all uncharacteristically silent and listless.
They were usually so boisterous and unruly.
Even Yo-hwa, who had paid a rare visit to the pavilion, seemed gloomy and dispirited.
Clearly, she too was feeling So-ryong’s absence.
As Hwa-eun observed everyone, a realization struck her:
They were all sharing the same dazed, dejected mood…
But she was their mom.
And if the mom lingered in this state, the children would only become more melancholy.
So, she lightly slapped her own cheeks and rose, deciding it was time to engage the kids and dispel this heaviness.
But at that precise moment—
Grrrr!?
Chirrk!
Chirrrrk!
Piiiii!
Cheongwol, Cho, Bini, and Hwayang all abruptly sprang upright, their attention fixed on the slopes below Tangga Mountain.
Cheongwol, who had been motionless as a boulder, now heaved herself up, her legs and midsection rising and quivering.
Her enormous form blocked the light, casting a shadow over Hwa-eun’s face.
“What is it? What’s wrong, everyone?”
“What? Why are they behaving like this?”
The creatures all seemed alarmed—agitated, as if they had perceived something.
As Hwa-eun and Seol-hwa looked on in bewilderment, Cheongwol thrust one massive claw toward the downhill path…
And in a blur of motion, Cho exploded into action like a bolt from a crossbow.
Grrrr!
Chirrk!
Cho propelled herself down the mountainside like a living projectile.
Yo-hwa, right behind her, released a stream of silk and launched into the air.
Heeheehee!
“Hey! Where are you going!?”
“What has come over them!?”
Hwa-eun and Sister Seol shouted in alarm as Cho and Yo-hwa vanished swiftly from sight.
They had scarcely registered this when Cheongwol—who had never once left this garden—suddenly swung a colossal claw and struck the nearby five-story pavilion.
BOOM!
The pillars shuddered, and the entire building rocked.
“Cheongwol! You mustn’t—!”
Hwa-eun desperately clung to Cheongwol, but the impact had already been made.
From within the five-story tower, a horde of Golden-Furred Wasp Kings poured forth, their buzzing frenzied.
WREEEEEEEEE!
Instantly, the air grew thick and dark.
A sweet fragrance, reminiscent of honey and banana blossoms, saturated the area—
the very scent So-ryong had told them signaled the wasps were preparing to attack.
Through the swirling mass of wasps, Nanghu flew directly up to Cheongwol, vibrating her antennae in rage.
It appeared the two were on the verge of a major confrontation.
“Everyone, stop! What is happening!?”
Grrrr!
Buzz-buzz!?
Grrrrrk!
So-ryong had previously explained that Cheongwol and the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings had a contentious relationship.
Now, Hwa-eun feared an open battle was imminent.
But then Cheongwol growled something in her deep, rough tongue and pointed once more down the mountain.
Nanghu’s wings vibrated, visibly shocked.
And then—
A deep, resonant drone, unlike anything they had ever heard, emanated from Nanghu’s wings.
BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The powerful vibration seemed to shake the very foundations of Tangga Mountain.
As Nanghu ascended, ominous clouds began to gather above the Tang Clan’s domain.
From the training grounds and the five-story pavilion, hundreds of Golden-Furred Wasp Kings ascended into the sky,
blotting out the sun like a locust swarm.
Mimicking Cho and Yo-hwa, they began streaming down the mountainside en masse.
Bwooooom.
Bwoo—woo—wooooom.
A black torrent of wasps advanced.
Hwa-eun and Sister Seol could only stare upward, stunned by the horrifying spectacle.
And then—
CRASHHHH!
Cheongwol’s claws seized large rocks and smashed through the garden’s rear wall, driving straight for the mountain’s entrance.
On her broad back were Bini, Hwayang, Yeondu, Hongdan, Seol, Bing, and Dong.
“Wait—stop! What is happening!?”
“What’s going on!? Look at this chaos!”
The frantic cries of Hwa-eun and Sister Seol reverberated across Tangga Mountain as the creatures charged forth,
and the alarmed warriors of the Tang Clan rushed after them in a panic.
It was evident that with So-ryong absent, the venom beasts had begun a rampant frenzy.