Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 237

Chapter 237
At the command of the woman who seemed to be in charge, over ten assailants rushed at me from every direction.
I noticed something odd right away—they were all women.
That alone put me on guard, but then I saw the weapons in their hands: long, razor-sharp claws or daggers gripped tightly in each fist.
‘Hold on… this is…’
A recollection surfaced—a lesson from my grandfather. Their movements felt hauntingly familiar.
“With the Blood Cult becoming active again—and clearly pursuing a goal—you must know how to handle them.”
“I understand, Grandfather.”
“They predominantly employ claw techniques and short daggers. Do you know the reason?”
“Ah! To spill blood, correct? From the last attack, I recall they continue their assault while consuming their victims’ blood.”
Considering the group that invaded to reclaim the Blood-Water Venom Claw, their preference for claws and daggers became clear.
They close the distance, create wounds, and then either drink the blood or ensure it continues to flow. Combat and feeding simultaneously allows them constant regeneration, while their opponents steadily weaken.
“Correct. The crucial strategy is to avoid injury. If they draw blood, they will drain you until you collapse—or worse. They also absorb blood to heal their own wounds.”
Yes… it was undeniable now.
“You’re from the Blood Cult, aren’t you!?”

My challenge was met with a scornful laugh.
“My, what an assertive young master. Hoho… then enlighten us, young lord—which branch of the Tang Clan do you hail from?”
Before I could answer, one of them sprang forward.
“If you come quietly, we won’t need to cause you excessive pain!”
CRACK!
She was swift, driving a claw straight for my stomach, an obvious attempt to incapacitate. I didn’t evade; I moved into her attack.
A low, crushing sound emanated from within my robes.
KRUNCH.
“Kyaaagh!”
The woman screamed. She snatched her hand back, her slender fingers now bent into unnatural, horrible angles.
The fading light, my red clothing, and Hyang’s own reddish tint likely concealed the fact that I was armored. Or perhaps she presumed, as most martial artists would, that I wore no protection.
“He’s armored! Be wary!”
The woman leaped backward, shouting the warning.
The others halted their advance and started to circle me, their movements becoming cautious and measured.
Then, an attacker shot in from my blind spot.
Chirrk!
Approaching from the side, I was a moment too late. Her hand made contact with the back of my neck—
But Hyang, coiled around my arm, shot out and sank into her forearm.
CRUNCH.
“Gah!”
She was probably targeting a vein, but Hyang—with reflexes surpassing any human’s—was faster.
The woman reeled back… then suddenly stiffened and fell face-first.
“Ugh… KYAAAAAH!”
FWOOSH!
Fire erupted from her mouth.
Then her eyes, nose, and ears burst into flames.
The sudden blaze cut through the darkening path, and a wave of pure dread swept through the other women.
They faltered, their eyes wide with horror.
They had witnessed one of their own fall, combusting from the inside out.
“Th-that’s—?!”
“It’s an O-gong! He has an O-gong on him!”
“An O-gong!?”
Finally, they saw Hyang—and immediately retreated.
I checked on her urgently.
‘Hyang, are you alright!?’
Even though she could deflect martial force and had previously withstood an assassin’s blow, if my daughter intercepted an attack meant for me, it would deeply trouble me.
Her reply was instantaneous.
Chirrk! 『I’m fine, Daddy!』
At that very moment, the distressed calls of the others flooded my consciousness.
『Daddy! What’s wrong!?』
『Daddy!?』
『What is happening!?』
『Baaaah!?』
『Blood Cult maniacs—no, enemies—are ambushing me at the foot of Tangga Mountain! Bring Mom and the others!』
After sending the mental summons, I focused on Hyang again.
‘Hyang, coil around my head now—but leave my eyes uncovered.’
Chirrk!
My armor, woven from Yo-hwa’s silk, could likely resist ordinary blades and claws, even without qi reinforcement. That’s why I needed Hyang to serve as a helmet—to safeguard my head as I fought.
I couldn’t allow myself to be captured before help came.
Chirrrrrk!
Hyang issued a threatening sound as she slowly wound around my head, deterring the cultists.
My vision darkened a little, her cries resonating from above me.
Chirrk!
Now my legs, body, neck, and head were completely shielded.
I made a dash toward the cultist closest to the river.
“You wanted to know who I am!? I am So-ryong! Son of the Beast Palace and son-in-law of the Tang Clan! That is my name! Anyone who blocks my path will burn as they did! Now move!”
With the river behind me, I would have one secure flank. Escape would be more feasible from there.
‘Hyang, strike anyone who comes near!’
Chirrk!
As I bolted for the river, cultists rushed to intercept—but two more were turned into human torches, shrieking as fire consumed them.
No one dared approach now.
A bite from Hyang meant immediate immolation.
“Even the cub of a tiger is still a tiger, it seems?”
“What are you idiots doing!?”
I heard the enraged yells of their leader and another woman from behind—but I had already shattered their circle and gotten to the river’s edge.
Or… nearly so.
“Ugh!”
CRACK! Ssssshhhhh.
Agony lanced up my leg as I tripped, skidding right to the water’s brink.
I raised my head—water glistened just before my eyes.
『Daddy!』
Hyang’s alarmed cry sounded as I looked down at my foot.
A dagger was embedded deep in my sole.
Behind me, a long crimson smear showed where I had fallen.
I hadn’t reinforced my shoes with Yo-hwa’s silk. That woman—she must have realized and hurled the blade as I fled.
“Now! Seize him!”
At her command, the Blood Cult warriors surged toward me.
“Tch…”
I pulled the dagger out, struggling to stand—but blood gushed from my foot, hot and rapid.
I could feel my strength ebbing with it.
‘Damn it!’
At this rate, I would be captured or lose consciousness before the children arrived.
Just then—like injured prey, I lay by the water, watching the cultists descend.
Something fell from the heavens with a shriek—
CRACK!
Chirrk!
“KYAAAAAAAGH!”
“AAAUUGHH!”
The air around me shimmered a vivid blue.
And directly before me—a dozen cultists began to dissolve.
Their skin sloughed off like jelly, faces collapsing as their eyes, mouths, and noses liquefied.
Their tormented screams overpowered the river’s noise.
“Cho!”
I recognized that sound. I looked up—
Cho had landed with explosive force, encircling me defensively, radiating rage.
Chirrk! 『Who hurt our daddy!?』
Again, Cho’s venom sprayed out in a broad fan. The toxic mist painted a large area of the riverbank in a ghostly, luminous blue.
The Blood Cult fighters shrank back in terror—but those soaked by Cho’s initial blast, plus five or six more caught in the second wave, melted on the spot.
Their bodies dissolved into nothingness.
The horrifying spectacle left the remainder paralyzed with fear.
From behind, the voice that had earlier demanded my capture now spoke to the apparent leader, frantic.
“Ma’am! That creature—some sort of spirit beast?! We must withdraw! We—we can’t capture him under these conditions!”
“Curse it! What kind of disaster is this?!”
But their nightmare was only just beginning.
Buuuuung. Buuuuung. Bubuuuuung…
Initially masked by the river, a deep, droning hum of wings grew steadily louder, coming from the direction of Tangga Mountain.
I knew it at once.
Lifting my eyes, I saw them—silhouetted against the setting sun, the golden wings of the Wasp Queens, Nanghu and Ranghu, shone as they took up positions on either side of me.
“You’re here as well!”
Buuuuung. Buuuung.
The powerful vibration of their wings rattled my chest.
And then—like a dark tide—a multitude of Golden-Furred Wasp Kings swept in, enveloping both me and the Blood Cult forces.
“W-we’re trapped! That way—retreat!”
The cultists panicked, scrambling toward the one apparent opening.
But before they could break free, a blood-red form plummeted from the sky.
CRUNCH!
“J-ji-ju!”
Two of them were instantly crushed and punctured by Yo-hwa, who landed with her leg speared straight through their skulls.
The Blood Cult warriors froze at the sight of the giant spider.
And in their moment of hesitation, the wasp swarm completed the encirclement.
The fuzzy, golden hair on their round, quivering abdomens gleamed. In a unified motion, they lifted their long stingers.
Each and every one was aimed at the cultists.
The air grew heavy with a sweet, banana-like aroma—a sign the swarm had entered a feverish state of hostility.
On a single order from Nanghu or Ranghu, not a single cultist would survive.
‘Now this… this is proper reinforcement.’
The situation had reversed entirely.
With Cho, Yo-hwa, and the wasp army here, the question was no longer my capture, but their survival.
‘A well-trained insect is as good as ten sons!’
The way the children raced to their father’s side the instant he was threatened… my heart swelled with pride.
But just as I began to feel relieved, a section of the swarm unexpectedly parted.
“Th-that opening! Go!”
A few cultists saw the gap and bolted for it.
But then—
CRASH!
Enormous rocks plummeted from above, crushing them instantly.
This was no error in the formation—Cheongwol had joined the battle.
Crreeeehhh!
On Cheongwol’s back were Bini, Yeondu, Hongdan, Hwayang, Seol, Bing, Dong, and even Sister Seol and Hwa-eun.
“So-ryong!”
“So-ryong!”
The moment they saw me on the ground, both Hwa-eun and Sister Seol jumped down and ran to me.
When Hwa-eun saw my wound, the color drained from her face.
With a shaky breath and ice-cold fury in her eyes, she turned to the children and issued a grim order.
“Mom has a request… it’s harsh, but you must obey. Spare those two—those two over there—but eliminate all the others. Not one is to escape alive.”
Amid the turmoil, she singled out the two women who had been shouting commands. Clenching her sleeves, she added:
Snap!
“They are the ones who injured your father.”
Chirrk.
Kishiiiii.
Crreeegh.
With a collective snarl, the children advanced. The Blood Cult’s screams were torn apart, their cries lost in the river’s roar.
***
Sichuan Martial Alliance – Chengdu Branch
A warrior of the Tang Clan stormed into the central hall during a meeting.
BANG!
“Clan Lord!?”
Every gaze snapped to the man, soaked in sweat and shaking.
Tang Cheolsan frowned and rose, identifying the uniform.
“What is the reason for this interruption?”
The man bowed deeply, struggling for air.
“I—I am Jo Cheon, an outer hall warrior of the Tang Clan in Chengdu! A message has just arrived—you must return to the clan at once! Lord So-ryong has been ambushed just outside Tangga Mountain—by more than two hundred Blood Cult warriors!”
“What!?”
CRASH!
Tang Cheolsan jumped up so violently that his chair overturned.
Everyone else in the hall rose as one.
“Is this confirmed? Two hundred!?”
“Yes! A messenger bird just reached the Tang residence here in Chengdu!”
“What of Ryong!? Is he alive!?”
“The message only spoke of the ambush…”
“We depart—immediately!”
Tang Cheolsan turned, his face a mask of fury. The other martial leaders followed without hesitation.
“Lord Tang! We will accompany you!”
“Amitabha… to think they would dare attack the Tang Clan’s son-in-law in Sichuan! Even the Buddha would aid in cleansing this transgression.”
“Thank you, everyone—let’s go!”
They shot into the sky using lightfoot techniques, arriving at the outskirts of the Tang estate within an hour.
And there, expecting to find the signs of a brutal ambush—they instead came upon a scene of utter decimation.
“This… what is this?!”
“They said it was an ambush…”
All that was left on the riverbank were contorted corpses and liquefied remains.
And beyond that—two shattered, nearly insane Blood Cultists, kneeling in abject terror before So-ryong’s venomous beasts.
“P-please… we beg for mercy!”
“Please, great spirit beasts… spare ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) us!”
So-ryong was seated on the ground, held in his wife’s embrace, his foot bandaged—while his “children” menaced the surviving foes, poised to strike each time he so much as flinched in pain.