Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 268

Chapter 268
Of course. Here is the paraphrased chapter, adhering to all the specified requirements.

People are often taken aback when they learn how snakes live their lives.
There’s a simple explanation for this—snakes are asleep for the greater part of the day.
In fact, it would be more accurate to state that they spend the majority of their existence sleeping.
A typical snake will rest for approximately sixteen hours daily, and certain species can even sleep for more than twenty-two.
This isn’t the full story; in winter, they may hibernate for as long as eight months, and during the hottest summer months, they go into a state of estivation.
They truly do pass the overwhelming bulk of their time in slumber.
This behavior stems from their nature as ectothermic creatures.
Warm-blooded animals, such as mammals and birds, generate internal energy to regulate their body heat, but snakes do not.
A snake operates best at an environmental temperature near 25°C, and any significant deviation from this can strain their system—hence their propensity to sleep.
Although Cheongyu possesses the torso of a human, she remains the serpent queen.
Therefore, it is only natural that Cheongyu favors shadowy places and spends much of her time asleep.
This stands in stark contrast to Yeondu, who scarcely sleeps.
Ever since encountering Cheongyu, Yeondu’s need for rest has nearly vanished.
Catching an hour or two of sleep every few days is all the reprieve Yeondu requires.
It had reached a point that was beginning to cause me some anxiety.
All living things require sleep to survive.
Perhaps Yeondu’s lack of need was because she had absorbed energy from Cheongyu, or due to her new status as Cheongyu’s Twin of Heaven and Earth—whatever the cause, it appeared to be the reason.
I dispatched the other snakes to search the area and made my way onto the boat to retrieve the still-sleeping Cheongyu.
We had located the Ji-yeong Snake, and the next step was to assist Cheongyu in reaching her full, mature form.
I thought about waiting for her to wake naturally, but how could anyone be expected to show patience at a time like this?
I called for Yeondu right away and tasked her with looking after Orange.
It was time for him to receive a small part of his reward.
A proper initiation.
“Yeondu, this individual here is going to be living with us from now on. His name is Orange. Would you introduce him to everyone else and to the people here?”
—Shaaa?
“Yes. I’d like you to handle it.”
‘Me?’
Her expression seemed to ask, so I gave a nod, and Yeondu turned to face Cho.
This was likely because Cho was the highest-ranking serpent present, the veteran of the group.
I smiled and explained,
“Well, he is a snake, after all. He’ll probably find it easier to connect with him than with the others, don’t you think?”
I valued the respectful way Cho was treating Orange, but honestly, I was very eager to see the newborn snake.
There’s something incredibly endearing about a baby snake.
After giving Yeondu my reason, I turned and winked at Orange.
I wasn’t sure he would understand—but the fellow wagged his tail like a puppy and gently licked my brille with his tongue.
Snakes lack eyelids.
They are incapable of closing their eyes.
However, they have a transparent scale, known as a brille, which acts as a protective lens for their eyes.
It functions somewhat like a pair of safety goggles.
So when a snake licks it—while it could be to remove dust or provide protection—the enthusiastic tail wagging made it seem unmistakably like a wink in return.
A clever snake is far preferable to a dull one.
I grinned and gave him a light tap on the shoulder.
“Okay, let Yeondu introduce you around, and go meet some people. I’m going to bring someone I believe you need to meet.”
—Shia!
He replied with excitement, though his gaze was already fixed intently on Yeondu.
In his mind, he was already following her.
“Alright, I’m going to the boat for a moment.”
While Yeondu moved forward gracefully to guide Orange away, I left them and stepped aboard the vessel.
The first one I noticed was Cheongwol.
Since Moji and Soji were in the process of cocooning, she had not budged from her spot on the mattress, holding her position like a steadfast rock.
They had mentioned it was acceptable to move them once the cocooning was finished, but she had clearly decided it was too much effort.
I walked over to Cheongwol and rested a hand on her.
Even if she was lazy, we had a new member to welcome—she should at least come and greet him.
“Cheongwol, a new friend has arrived. Would you like to come see?”
Like a great stone, her eyelid slowly lifted as she looked my way.
—Grrt? “A new friend?”
“Yes. He’s a snake, just like you and Yeondu, but he’s a different color. I thought you might want to come say hello.”
—Grrr. “Very well. I suppose I should take a look.”
She had pretended it was too much trouble, but the arrival of a new companion had piqued her interest.
Cheongwol raised her massive body for the first time in a long while.
She then moved slowly towards the bow, shifting her weight to haul herself up onto the dock.
Her tail remained securely wrapped around the boat.
Having expended considerable energy to get onto the dock, she had to carefully adjust her posture to settle back to how she was.
She might appear coarse within the dreamscape, but this was a deliberate act of consideration for the people and other creatures on the vessel.
After using her own considerable weight to gently stabilize the boat, Cheongwol headed inland past the dock.
—Grrrrr. “It’s this way, correct?”
Once I saw her off, I proceeded into the cabin.
Technically, it was my cabin—the biggest room, which was originally a cargo hold but had been renovated.
Cheongyu typically chose to sleep inside this very cabin.
—Creak. Creak.
The ship’s floorboards creaked underfoot as I cautiously opened the door.
Inside, blackout cloth hung like a curtain, keeping the cabin shrouded in gloom.
Light streamed in through the open doorway, gradually revealing the interior.
In one corner of the ceiling, Moji and Soji had completed their transformation into fully formed cocoons, which gleamed with a soft light.
On my bed, Cheongyu was coiled into a tight circle, her tail wrapped around herself.
Off to one side, Hwayang was curled up and embracing Hua, while Seol, Bing, and Doong were all nestled together in a deep sleep.
The boat had tilted from Cheongwol’s movement, but they hadn’t even stirred—sleeping peacefully like little angels.
I approached the bed and set my hand on Cheongyu’s head; she was lying as if she had fallen asleep on her side.
Her body twitched at the touch.
In the darkness, Cheongyu slowly lifted her head, her human-like face still blurred with sleep as she looked at me.
“Cheongyu, we found the Ji-yeong Snake. Let’s go.”
—Shia?
“We found the one who will help you become an adult.”
I said we had found the Ji-yeong Snake, but since that is the creature’s title and not a personal name, Cheongyu likely had a different concept of what the Heavenly Twin represented.
When I told her we needed to go outside, she leaned into me.
—Shia-ya.
Was she indicating that she was too sleepy to go out and wanted me to carry her?
That was out of the question—Cheongyu was much heavier than she appeared.
So instead, I took her hand and gently encouraged her to come with me.
“There’s a large new snake friend here. You really must come see him. Come on, let’s go.”
—Shiai.
Finally, Cheongyu rubbed her sleepy eyes and followed me.
As we walked out onto the deck from the corridor, the bright sunlight made us both blink.
I glanced to the side and saw Cheongyu shielding her eyes with her hand.
—Shia.
Earlier, when Cheongwol lowered the boat, our snake badge had come loose.
I jumped down first, reattached the snake badge, and made sure Cheongyu could disembark safely.
Then, just as I was about to knock on the door of the structure the pirates had built, I heard laughter from within.
“Hehe. Other mystical creatures are difficult to touch unless you use the hand social technique, but this one is so amiable, isn’t he?”
“Amiable might not be the right word… perhaps courteous is better?”
“Have a snake’s scales always been this cool to the touch?”
It turned out Orange was far more sociable than I had anticipated—he was the center of attention, basking in everyone’s affection.
—Ska. Ska-ya.
“He is truly magnificent.”
“That rich, red color is so striking.”
The men certainly liked him, but those with a particular fondness for crimson, obsidian-red, and royal red were utterly captivated.
In the Central Plains, red is seen as a fortunate and beautiful color, so his scales, shining like a rare gem, must have been a dazzling sight for them.
‘He’s certainly enjoying all the attention.’
Unlike the other creatures, who didn’t explicitly reject people but seldom let anyone but me touch them, Orange appeared perfectly comfortable with everyone’s hands.
This alone won him significant favor.
Some members of the Crimson Trio, whose lifelong dream had been to be the first to pet Cho or Bini, looked as if all their wishes were being fulfilled by stroking Orange now.
Then, the divinely descended creature turned his gaze in our direction.
He suddenly dropped into a deep bow.
_S-Ska…
—Shia.
An expression of awe settled on Cheongyu’s features, and she spoke in a hushed tone.
Immediately, Orange moved through the crowd and went straight to her.
Just as he had with Yeondu, he approached Cheongyu and lowered his head in a bow.
Whether it was pure instinct or a knowledge etched into the very core of his soul, it was evident that the Ji-yeong Snake—Orange—was recognizing something profound within Cheongyu.
—Shia-ya…
Cheongyu then reached out and laid her hand upon Orange’s head.
Abruptly, a white, mist-like cloud—unmu—began to stream from her mouth.
It was identical to the ethereal vapor that had appeared when she first met Yeondu; it spilled forth, flowing over Orange and slowly coalescing.
Gradually, the mist started to be drawn into Orange’s nostrils.
The instant the last of the mist vanished,
Orange’s horns suddenly flared with light.
His orange-colored horns erupted into a radiant glow, and then his eyes also began to shine with a brilliant light.
I had assumed Cheongyu would mature immediately upon finding the Ji-yeong Snake—but it seemed Orange, the Ji-yeong Snake himself, had to undergo his transformation first.
—Skaya!
Orange released a powerful cry, lifting his head toward the heavens.
The light from his horns shot upwards like twin beacons, painting the evening sky with dazzling color.
‘Ooooh!’
It was a moment of pure divinity.
This was evolution—true evolution—worthy of a spiritual beast.
It felt like witnessing the very dawn of creation.
His body didn’t appear to grow substantially larger, but I found myself intensely curious about what internal changes were taking place.
As I studied him, a sudden transformation began at his head.
—Bbududeudeuk.
A peculiar sound, similar to something cracking, accompanied his horns as they pulsed and began to sprout.
Like bamboo shoots rising swiftly after a rain—they extended in sharp, pointed spurts.
Yeondu had simply reached maturity, but perhaps because Orange was male, his horns were developing with immense power.
What should they be called?
Indeed—much like the horns of a springbok, an African gazelle, they grew long and sharp, stretching towards the sky.
‘Gyaaaah! This is unbelievable!’
Glowing brilliantly as they lengthened, his orange horns were a breathtaking sight—
I was completely mesmerized.
This had to be the ultimate form of the Ji-yeong Snake.
“His horns are growing!”
“They aren’t like a deer’s antlers, are they?”
“Astounding… truly astounding.”
I wasn’t the only one who was spellbound.
Exclamations of wonder came from everyone witnessing this miraculous event.
It was, without a doubt, an astonishing spectacle—watching horns erupt from a snake’s head in brilliant bursts of light.
After a time, the radiant glow from the horns started to dim, and the dazed look in Orange’s eyes faded, replaced by a sharp, vivid gleam of awareness.
—Ska?
As if waking up fully, he lifted his tail to feel the top of his own head.
And then, I heard Yeondu’s voice from one side.
—Sha, Shaya?
I turned to look—
unlike her usual calm and neutral demeanor, her face now clearly displayed a strong emotion.
‘Ah! Now I understand!’
That expression made everything clear.
In the natural world, a male’s horns are a symbol of vitality and pride, used to attract a mate.
Yeondu had flushed at the sight of those impressive horns.
I’d had a fleeting worry—what if they weren’t compatible, what if the connection wasn’t there?
But it appeared my concern was unnecessary.
And then—
Yeondu slid forward, gently rubbing against Orange’s newly grown horns.
As the three of them—the Golden Crown Bodhisattva, the Bi-cheon Shin-sa, and the Ji-yeong Snake—finally came together in one place,
Cheongyu’s golden horn flashed, and her scales began to turn translucent.
It was unmistakably the sign of her final molt—the beginning of her last stage of growth.