Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 239

Chapter 239
Before I could process what was happening, a brilliant whiteness consumed my sight. My thoughts emptied completely, and then, gradually, my vision cleared.

I found myself standing in an endless expanse of roses, a crimson sea as deep as blood. It reminded me of the vast plains of Qinghai, an unbroken horizon dominated by lush, blood-red blossoms stretching infinitely in every direction. The potent fragrance of roses was so overwhelming it made my head spin. From the look of things, I had been pulled into Hwa-eun’s mental realm. Only her mind could create something as lavish as this ocean of flowers.

‘Is this really possible with a person?’

I had questioned whether it could even work, and now I was astonished to see it had. Beyond my surprise, I felt a thread of anxiety—what if there were consequences? No one from the Five Venoms Sect had ever attempted the Beast Heart Art on a human.

I needed to locate Hwa-eun. She was likely just as disoriented and searching for me as well. My first task was to find a landmark. In any mental landscape, the most prominent feature usually marks where the owner’s consciousness resides. I scanned the sweeping field of red and green, searching for anything distinctive.

“Where…?”

It was a sprawling plain, nothing but roses in all directions. As I stepped forward and strained to see further, I noticed something rising above the undulating colors.

‘What’s that?’

There, towering over the roses, was a structure of intense red. I sharpened my focus, pushing my vision to its limit—and in the distance, I made out an enormous, unopened rosebud. A colossal bloom that stood far above the rest.

“That has to be it.”

Even from this far away, it appeared massive—just how large was it up close? Eager, I activated my lightfoot technique and sped toward the gigantic flower. But I hadn’t gone far when a sharp pain shot through my ankles. I halted and glanced down; my ankles were snared by cruel thorns digging deeply into my skin.

I inspected the roses around me. Their stems were armed with sharp, aggressive thorns. The plants reached my knees, and beneath their beautiful petals, the thorns jutted out like hidden teeth.

“Incredible… I assumed this was just a pretty meadow, but it’s actually menacing.”

I had believed only places like the lava pond where I met Huayang or the desert where I found Cheongwol were hazardous—but even a rose field could be a lethal trap. It made sense. These thorns weren’t concerned with beauty; they would pierce anyone without hesitation.

There was no way to press on like this. I untied the cloth band from my wrist that I’d forgotten was there and wrapped it firmly around my ankles for protection. With this makeshift armor, I could finally run properly again.

As I advanced, the enormous rose loomed larger and larger in my view. Step by step, I drew closer until I stood right before it, tilting my head back to see it fully. The rose was as tall as a three-story building.

‘What kind of rose grows that large? It must be three stories high at least. Anyway—focus. I have to find Hwa-eun. Hwa-eun! Hwa-eun!’

I circled the giant flower, calling out her name, but she was nowhere to be seen. She should have been close by—but even after searching twenty meters out, there was no trace of her.

“Hwa-eun?”

I called again, but only silence answered. Just as I started to doubt I was in the right spot, a shadow fell over me. I looked up—the giant rosebud was gradually opening, its massive petals peeling back one after another. Layer by layer, they unfolded until the magnificent flower bloomed in full.

Then, I heard the voice I had been longing for.

“So-So-ryong!”

“Hwa-eun?”

I stepped back to get a clearer view—and there she was, sitting delicately on one of the giant petals and gazing down at me.

“Hwa-eun, are you all right?”

“So-So-ryong! I blacked out suddenly and woke up in this strange place—it frightened me!” she exclaimed, her face etched with worry and fear.

“It’s okay. Don’t be afraid. This place… it’s your inner world.”

“My inner world?”

“Well… how should I put this? You said you wished you could hear the children’s voices like I do, right? So I wondered… since the Beast Heart Art connects minds with beasts, maybe it could work on people, too. And then all at once—this occurred…”

As I explained, Hwa-eun’s eyes widened in realization.

“You mean I’m linked to you through the Beast Heart Art?”

I had already described how the art functioned to her—but she shook her head and said, “No… we aren’t fully bonded yet…”

A complete connection required physical contact. We hadn’t achieved that yet.

As I spoke, Hwa-eun looked down at me—and then suddenly cried out, “So-ryong! Catch me!”

“Eh?!”

She intended to jump—from three stories up?! Even for a martial artist, that was—

‘Can I actually catch her?!’ raced through my mind.

But Hwa-eun didn’t wait for a response. She leaped directly from the rose.

‘N-no! At least give me a moment to prepare—!’

As she fell, Hwa-eun was wearing a flowing, sheer crimson silk robe. She looked exactly as she did the first time I saw her—like a celestial being descending from the heavens. Dazzled, I watched her drift toward me as if in a dream. My mind raced through countless strategies to catch her safely.

But Hwa-eun was simply smiling. Her face was radiant, like a rose in full bloom. Instinctively, my arms lifted to catch her—and we both fell into the very heart of the giant rose.

– Thud.

The soft petals engulfed us. The scent of roses wrapped around me so intensely it was almost dizzying. I had been worried about thorns—but oddly, I felt none. Perhaps because of Hwa-eun?

“So-ryong…”

Lying on top of me within the core of the rose, Hwa-eun looked at me with shining, affectionate eyes.

“Thank you…”

Then came her words of gratitude. I blinked, taken aback, and Hwa-eun, still smiling, went on.

“Please grant my wish.”

I thought I had made a mistake—but she was simply thankful. Thankful that she could finally hear the voice of my heart, just as the children could. Her eyes glistened with emotion, on the verge of tears. She seemed genuinely touched.

But I still felt we needed to consult Sister Seol—to confirm it was safe for humans. I offered an apologetic smile and said, “We should check with Sister Seol first to see if this is safe for people. It might be too early to celebrate.”

But Hwa-eun shook her head and responded, “It’s all right. No matter what occurs. What’s important to me is that now… I’ll never be separated from you again. Even if we’re physically apart, our hearts will always be linked, won’t they? That alone is enough for me.”

…Whaaat?!

The moment I heard those words—one thought crystallized: I am in serious trouble.

I recalled thinking last evening, while curled in Hwa-eun’s embrace, that such total physical closeness was something I could get used to. But clearly, it wasn’t just about physical proximity.

It turned out… I had essentially become permanently tethered to her through a kind of spiritual, round-the-clock open-channel soul connection.

“So-ryong, when are you coming back?”
“So-ryong, where are you now?”
“So-ryong, what are you doing?”
“So-ryong, are you asleep?”

Messages from Hwa-eun flooded my mind without pause, consuming my every thought. And internally, I couldn’t suppress the silent scream that burst from the depths of my soul.

“Gaaaaah! I need some privacy too, for heaven’s sake!”

While I was still struggling with the terrifying understanding that I had lost all personal space in life—Hwa-eun, overcome with happiness, pressed her lips to mine.

• Chup.

“I love you, So-ryong.”

The sensation of her soft, moist lips against mine made my vision blur once more—her kiss felt like a permanent seal, a brand of ownership marked upon my mouth like a slave’s crest.

***

“Uuhng…”

“Hwa-eun, are you waking up?”
“Sister Seol…”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Hwa-eun? Are you awake yet? Hwa-eun? She’s still not up, huh?”

My father-in-law was awake. My mother-in-law was there as well. So were Grandfather Tang Mu-seong and Sister Seol. All of them were crowded around us, wearing expressions of deep concern as they looked down at me and Hwa-eun—who were still softly entwined in each other’s arms on the bed.

With our lips… still faintly touching.

WHAT IN THE WORLD?!

I panicked and tried to pull away from Hwa-eun in a rush—but Sister Seol called out urgently, “So-ryong, don’t move! Stay exactly as you are! Just to be safe. Hwa-eun hasn’t completely come to yet.”

It seemed we had been drawn into her mental world in the middle of a kiss. So I had no choice but to hold completely still.

Even so—kissing in front of Grandfather and both of my in-laws? Cold sweat trickled down my spine.

Trying to break the tension, Father-in-law let out an uncomfortable laugh and said, “No need to fret, son-in-law. Remain where you are. A little… ah… lip contact between betrothed couples isn’t anything shocking. That’s not the issue here.”

I shut my eyes tightly and asked the question I dreaded most: “H-how long has it been?”

Normally, it would be ten days or longer, so checking the time had become routine.

“Ten days. Are you feeling well?”
“Yes, I’ve experienced this before. But how is Hwa-eun?”
“She’s coming around slowly. Hwa-eun? Hwa-eun?”
“Uh… Sister…”

As Hwa-eun’s lips moved, mine parted from hers, and she opened her eyes—only to understand the situation we were in. Startled, she jerked away from me.

“S-sorry!”

I wasn’t sure whom she was apologizing to, but she seemed to be saying it to everyone at once. Her face flushed scarlet as she straightened her clothes, and then Sister Seol turned to me.

“What happened, So-ryong? Don’t tell me… you intentionally connected her to the Beast Heart Art? Why would you do that?”

She likely assumed I had lost my senses and deliberately bound Hwa-eun to the technique. I quickly collected myself and relayed the events: we were lying in bed, shared a kiss, and because of something Hwa-eun said, the Beast Heart Art activated spontaneously—forming the connection.

‘Even so… explaining this aloud is incredibly awkward.’

After I finished, Father-in-law inquired, “So… does this mean the art works on humans as well?”
“I… We’ve never tested it. We didn’t know it could. I doubt even the Five Venoms Sect has tried it on people before…”
“Is either of you experiencing any side effects?”

At Grandfather’s question, I closed my eyes and assessed my condition. Everything seemed normal.
“I’m fine.”

But for Hwa-eun, things were slightly different. “There’s… something foreign in my mind. Like thoughts that aren’t my own. Words such as Zhen, Xun, Dui, Gen…”
“Wait—stop! Those are the incantations of the Beast Heart Art!”
“W-what?”

It appeared that, similar to how the technique transferred knowledge from the children to me, the Beast Heart Art had been imprinted upon Hwa-eun as well.

“What should we do…?”

I had originally vowed to be the sole practitioner of the art. Hwa-eun, now aware she had acquired it, looked utterly dismayed.

“Don’t worry. You’re family. I’ll explain everything to Father myself. It wasn’t intentional, after all.”
“S-sorry, Sister Seol…”
“I apologize, too…”

We both offered our apologies. Then Sister Seol turned to me and issued a stern warning: “Do not attempt this with anyone else. Not ever again.”

Yeah… there was no chance I would ever dare to try that. If I even considered doing this with another person, did I think Hwa-eun would allow it? Absolutely not.

I nodded solemnly, vowing it would never happen again. Satisfied, Sister Seol posed one final question.

“But Hwa-eun… how is your heart? The Beast Heart Art typically causes even wild beasts to form a profound bond with the person they’re connected to. How do you feel?”

Hwa-eun answered with a bashful smile. “I… truly, deeply love So-ryong.”

“…Th-then… isn’t this a massive deal?!”

It was like a spontaneous marriage proposal. My palms began to sweat. As I stared at her in alarm, the rest of the family responded casually.

“Naturally. That’s to be expected.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary about that.”
“Thank goodness. Everything else appears fine.”

No, really—how is any of this normal?! I gave them all a stern look.

“This… this is not normal!”

But everyone simply smiled and replied together: “Son-in-law, didn’t you know? Hwa-eun has always been like this.”
“Yes, she just never voiced it until now.”
“She’s always been that way.”

And right at that moment, her voice resonated inside my mind: ‘So-ryong, now we are one forever.’

Even if the entire family acted as though this were commonplace—I knew, beyond any doubt…
This was absolutely not normal.