Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 254

Chapter 254
The two pirate vessels we were chasing initially started to gain distance.
This was expected, as their oar-driven design made them quicker than our wind-reliant ships and the government’s warships.
However, the bow of the trailing pirate ship gradually began to lift… while its stern settled lower into the water.
Soon, the front of the ship was raised high enough to be seen from a distance, and the vessel drifted to a stop.
Undoubtedly, Cho, who had gone ahead, had breached the hull—flooding it and starting its descent.
Chaos broke out on the deck as pirates poured up from below, all scrambling toward the rising bow.

“After pursuing them for months without catching a single ship, and now… just like this?!”
“One vessel has been stopped!”
“The one in front is turning around!”
The princess and the nuns from Botanam were overjoyed.
As someone had shouted, the lead ship had indeed swung around—likely attempting to aid its doomed companion.
But at that very moment, Yeondu shot down from the heavens like a projectile.
Moving with the fluid grace of a serpent gliding over earth, Yeondu descended from the sky—a living, breathing missile.
No, this was the Yeondu-winder.
A massive snake, six meters long, crashed down directly onto the deck of the turning ship.
–KRA-KOOOM!
Even from far off, the explosive impact was unmistakable.
The pirate ship’s bow and stern shot upward, forming a deep, grotesque “V.”
“Waaah!”
“Whoaah!”
“Incredible!”
Every onlooker exhaled in stunned admiration.
Pirates on the deck were sent flying in all directions like kernels bursting from a hot pan.
The princess gaped at me, her astonishment so complete her jaw seemed to dangle.
Seeing her expression, I couldn’t resist a smug shrug.
‘Heh… Well, it was nothing special, really.’
One ship had been taken out by an underwater strike, the other obliterated by an aerial assault.
As the V-shaped wreck began to sink and debris bobbed to the surface, I saw Cho and Yeondu circling in the air.
Then Cho’s voice rang delicately in my mind.
‘Chorut! 「Father, what are your next orders?」’
Cho was requesting further instructions—
Even in the open ocean where it seemed safe, I believed in taking no chances.
‘Keep a close watch. Ensure no one escapes.’
–Chorut! 「Understood!」
I then gave an order to Do Sagong.
“Maximum speed!”
“Aye, Sir So-ryong! Hoist every sail!”
“Yes, Do Sagong!”
–FLAP.
At Do Sagong’s command, the crew worked the sails, which snapped taut as the wind filled them.
Our ship cut swiftly through the waves, arriving where Cho and Yeondu hovered.
Debris littered the water all around.
Amid the shattered wood, pirates flailed desperately, clutching broken beams.
“Hiiiek!”
“M-mercy, we beg you!”
Each time Cho or Yeondu swooped near, the pirates dove beneath the waves in fear, only to resurface again.
They may have been trained in martial arts, but whether they possessed light footwork, powerful internal energy, or bodies hard as iron—in the water, they were all identical.
Just drenched, panicked vermin.
I pointed toward the struggling pirates and announced,
“Yo-hwa, pull them in. One at a time.”
–Kiiit!
On my command, Yo-hwa climbed onto the forward rail, settled firmly on the prow, and took aim.
–THWIP!
Her silk thread shot out, striking a pirate on the head, and she hauled him in like a caught fish.
Dragged by his hair, the pirate howled.
“Gyaaah! M-my hair! My hair?!”
The princess was quick to remind him that his hair should be the least of his concerns.
“You believe this is the moment to fret over your hair?! Vermin like you deserve execution on the spot!”
Soon, every pirate had been pulled aboard.
The arriving warships drew alongside, and the prisoners were transferred one by one—to be interrogated by the military.
They would be pressed for information on their hideout, other pirate bands, and any collaborators.
“You wretched filth! Move! Do you have any concept of the suffering you’ve caused?!
You will face public quartering within the walls of Hangzhou!”
The sentence was—being torn apart by having each limb tied to a separate animal.
“Eeeek! P-please, have pity!”
“Pity? After you murdered innocents, violated women, and plundered their homes?”
–THWACK!
A pirate who pleaded for mercy was instantly kicked to the deck.
The commander, who had been containing his fury until now, proceeded to kick the man repeatedly as if he were a ball.
The other pirates fell silent—
Better to not die with a shattered face as well.

As the prisoners were being transferred, one man caught the eye of Ji-ryong, who was perched on the railing.
Noticing a man with a broken shackle on his leg, Ji-ryong suddenly rose and called out,
“H-hold on! Sir, might I examine this one?”
“What is it?”
Ji-ryong, who had spotted the pirate just as he was about to be moved to the warship, addressed the commander before turning to the princess.
“Your Highness, may I verify this man’s identity immediately?”
“Him? You recognize him?”
“Ah, one moment. Do-ryong, come here.”
Before answering, Ji-ryong summoned his older brother, who had been watching over the prisoners.
“Hmm? What is it?”
Then Ji-ryong answered the princess.
“His looks have altered somewhat, but I am certain. He is the Strangling Lust Demon—Jin-gyu. His face is etched in my memory.”
“Strangling Lust Demon Jin-gyu? Wait, the monster who raped and murdered a young woman from the Shandong Ak Clan years ago?”
“You know of him as well, Princess? Yes, it is him without a doubt!”
Clearly, this individual was infamous.
A tense silence fell at the mention of his name.
“Strangling Lust Demon Jin-gyu?!”
“Truly, the Strangling Lust Demon?”
“You are certain it’s him?”
Even the older brother, who had been calmly approaching, stopped dead at the name.
The conversation between the princess and Ji-ryong attracted a crowd—The Five Dragons, Twin Phoenixes, and even Sister Seol converged on the man called Jin-gyu.
“I-it’s a error! I am not that man at all!”
Under the collective intensity of their stares, the man attempted to proclaim his innocence.
But then a hand lashed out.
Gyu-seong bro—who had never before worn such a fearsome expression—seized the man’s shirt and tore it open.
–SHRRRIP.
Revealing the crow tattoo on his shoulder.
The elder pointed a trembling finger at the mark.
“You thought I would forget the crow tattoo on your shoulder? Do you know the depth of grief my dear friend Sosso endured after her cousin’s death? I will drag you personally to the Akga Clan!”
Typically composed, Elder Gyuseong was now boiling with fury.
I whispered to Ji-ryong.
[What’s the story? Does this involve Elder?]
[Ah, there is a woman named Yak Sosso, a daughter of the Akga Clan in northeastern Shandong. She and Do-ryong were close since childhood. Their families in Hebei and Shandong visited often.]
‘Oh! A childhood friend, is it?’
Elder always seemed detached from matters of women, unlike Chang-ryong and Geom-pung or Ji-ryong and Eun-bong… but now it connected.
A childhood friend meant she was a potential heroine, right?
Our astute elder. It seemed his heart was already claimed.
As I pondered this, Ji-ryong added,
[Some years ago, her cousin died, and after that, she and Do-ryong grew distant.]
But the reasoning felt incomplete.
Why would they drift apart over a cousin’s death?
So I pressed for the cause.
[Why would a cousin’s death create distance between them?]
[Ah, the cousin had secretly reached out for help before she died. It seems she was journeying to meet someone for aid when she was killed… For the full tale, you would need to hear it from Sosso herself…]
Even from that incomplete account, I could piece together the likely tragedy.
I whispered back to Ji-ryong,
[Wait. So Elder had feelings for this Sosso, but she stepped aside for her cousin, correct? And then the cousin died because of that… so now Sosso is consumed by guilt and pushing Elder away.]
Ji-ryong’s eyes widened at my deduction, and after a stunned pause, he murmured,
[Astounding… you understood all that from so little… You are truly remarkable, Sir.]
‘Hah. The classic childhood friend trope strikes again.’
Ji-ryong was impressed by my perception, but in truth, this was standard narrative fare.
Just as we finished, the princess’s voice reached us.
“If that is the situation, then by all means, take him. Proceed.”
As if finalizing a trade, the princess relinquished the man called Jin-gyu to the elder.
“My thanks, Your Highness.”
The instant Elder gave a rough tug on Yo-hwa’s silk thread binding the man, a thought occurred to me.
That wretch was a threat. He couldn’t remain on the ship without precautions.
‘Keeping someone like him aboard, surrounded by women, is unthinkable.’
“Elder, you intend to bring that man onto our ship?”
“I do.”
“But he is dangerous…”
At my concern, Elder shook the thread and responded,
“Bound by Yo-hwa’s silk, what is there to fear?”
True, it was not easily broken, but still—nothing is ever completely secure.
“We cannot be overly cautious.”
“Hmm… He is not without strength. We will cripple his dantian, then.”
The moment he said it, Jin-gyu’s eyes flickered with dread.
I looked at Elder and smiled.
“Elder, that is not the part of him that poses the danger.”
“What do you mean…”
As Elder’s gaze followed mine, a grim smile of understanding spread across his face.
He then clenched his fist and stated,
“Ah, correct. That is not the dangerous part, is it?”
He then hauled the man toward the ship’s stern and implemented the necessary safety measures.
“Gyaaah?!”
The man screamed. And in that moment, I resolved that at the journey’s end, we would absolutely visit the Akga Clan in Shandong.
Because the look in Elder’s eyes just then…
It wasn’t merely rage—it was the look of a man poised to lay his heart bare.
And if there was one thing this Fabre excelled at, it was playing Cupid.
‘I understand, Elder. You can count on me.’

***
The operation to clear the pirates proceeded with remarkable efficiency.
Every ship we came across was ultimately shaped into either an A or a V.
Those attacked from below by Cho curved into an S-shape, while those hit from above by Yeondu were bent into a V.
Jealous of the initial acclaim Yeondu received for her dramatic entrances, Cho began to rival her, resulting in ever more spectacular displays of destruction with each engagement.
Afterward, all that remained was to collect the surviving pirates.
Any who attempted to flee were hunted down and neutralized by Yeondu and Cho.
If they tried to escape with hostages, Cho would immobilize their vessel from below.
However hard they rowed, a ship that couldn’t move was stranded in the vast ocean.
Some put up resistance, using hostages or their martial skills, but it was all for naught.
“They’re fighting back!”
“Shall we board and engage?”
“Should we use our light footwork to jump across?”
–CRACK!
As we discussed our approach, Cheongwol lowered her tail between our ship and theirs.
She had been listening and acted on her own initiative.
With her massive tail acting as a brace, the two ships were locked together.
“This is…”
“A bridge!”
It was already impressive how she managed her weight and balance aboard a ship, but this?
Cheongwol’s instinct for combat was nearly that of a seasoned veteran.
“Charge! Take them down in one go!”
Following the princess’s lead, we leaped across and subdued them.
After several more encounters of this nature, the pirate numbers dwindled significantly.
By the tenth day, they had nearly disappeared.
Only a single ship appeared, and I started to suspect the mission might drag on longer than anticipated—
That was when Ji-ryong made a suggestion.
“So-hyeon, next time we spot multiple ships, we should deliberately allow one to escape.”
“Let one get away?”
“Yes. We will reveal only Cho or Yeondu, not yourself.”
“Just one of them?”
“Yes. Our current method has limitations.”
“To lure them all to a single location?”
“To capture them all in one decisive move.”
Until now, our strategy had been one of targeted strikes:
Cho or Yeondu would scout the sea, locate pirate ships, destroy them, and then guide us to the debris.
But Ji-ryong proposed an alternative:
Allow one ship to escape and carry tales of the monster devastating their fleet.
Thereby baiting them into assembling in one place.
The next day, while scouting with Cho and Yeondu, we found three pirate vessels.
We permitted one to flee, exactly as Ji-ryong advised—
And shortly after, events took a fascinating turn.
“Ji-ryong’s scheme was masterful!”
“Is he a descendant of Zhuge Liang?”
Even the princess looked admiring.
Just as he predicted, the pirates began to congregate in one place near Iju.
“They will likely scatter into the mountains if we assault directly, but if we destroy their ships, their operations will be crippled for a time. This is ideal.”
The princess appeared content with merely neutralizing their fleet.
But I had no plans to settle for a partial victory.
I smiled.
“Could you land us on a secluded beach under cover of night? We intend to capture every last one.”
My plan was to utilize Cheongwol as a siege engine, employ Yo-hwa for asymmetric tactics, and deploy Cheongyu’s snakes across the mountainous terrain.