Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 270

Chapter 270
Of course. Here is the paraphrased chapter, adhering to all your specified requirements.

The realization that it was a controlling venom meant she was a natural sovereign.
From her very beginning, Cheongyu had been meant to dominate.
“INCREDIBLE! Cheongyu, you are absolutely incredible!”
I shouted in a burst of wild excitement and drew Cheongyu into a tight embrace.
A venom that commanded those it bit—what could be more fitting for a Serpent King?
It was the absolute perfect ability for a monarch among snakes.
To dominate not merely people, but any creature she chose to bite—I had never witnessed or even heard of such a power.
She was the genuine sovereign of all serpents, her venom imposing her will upon its victims. A shiver ran down my entire spine.
Good grief, what kind of venom is this? It’s no wonder she is known as the Queen of Serpents among the Ten Great Venomous Beasts…
Holding her close, her skin felt sleek and cool against mine.
That chill was appropriate for a being born to rule.
Even if, in truth, she was incredibly sweet and endearing.
—Sia, shia.
“Ah, my Cheongyu. You wonderful, precious creature…”
I was nuzzling her cheek in my exhilaration when a voice as cool as Cheongyu’s scales cut through my joy.
‘So-ryong…?’
I started and turned to look.
Hwa-eun stood there with her arms folded, her eyes fixed on me.
In the past, I might have dismissed it without a second thought.
But by now, I understood Hwa-eun fairly well.
There was a definite, sharp edge to her gaze that made me hesitate.
Wait… is she actually upset? Surely not…
Her expression, combined with my overly affectionate display—
Together, it likely created a bad impression.
A flash of jealousy? Or perhaps suspicion?
Maybe not suspicion exactly, but Cheongyu’s human-like torso meant that even though Hwa-eun knew she was a snake, the sight must have been unsettling.
Hwa-eun, really… what is going through your mind right now?
Did she genuinely believe I would follow in the footsteps of one of her ancestors and… with Cheongyu??
Come on, Hwa-eun. That’s absurd…
I mean, sure, I prefer mammals. Their fur. Their warmth.
But Hwa-eun was the only one I felt that way about.
Her concern was unfounded, yet in a sense, it was also somewhat touching. It showed she cared.
So I offered a gentle smile and tried to reassure her.
“I just got carried away because her venom is so astounding, that’s the only reason. But she is still a snake, so you really don’t need to worry, okay? I mean, honestly, you can’t possibly think I would…”
Seriously, even with a human-like upper body, she was still a spiritual beast—a serpent.
There was no chance I’d… right?
The answer Hwa-eun gave me was utterly staggering.
‘That’s precisely why I’m more concerned! If she didn’t have a human shape, I wouldn’t be worried in the slightest!’
“…What? What is that supposed to mean…?”
I looked from Cheongyu back to Hwa-eun, my face the picture of confusion.
Just then, Seol’s voice abruptly chimed in from behind me.
‘What’s with you, hogging the glory? Hey! Who was it that figured it out? When you have news to celebrate, share it with everyone, will you?!’
Spinning around, I saw the rest of our group still hadn’t grasped the true nature of Cheongyu’s venom.
They were gazing at the pirate—who had stood up and then sat back down—with bewildered looks, questioning his sanity.
“Wait, has he… lost his mind?”
“He isn’t dissolving, so did the venom just turn him into a simpleton?”
“W-Wow. So it makes people into fools?”
“Huh… perhaps it’s for creating servants?”
“What?!”
They assumed Cheongyu had merely shattered the man’s intellect and that he was moving reflexively.
Time to clear up that misconception.
I grinned and faced Cheongyu.
It was time to demonstrate her real capability.
“Alright, let’s amaze them all. Cheongyu.”
“Cheongyu, command him to lie down. You can do that, can’t you?”
—Sia. Shiiiiia.
At my request, Cheongyu responded with a soft hiss.
As if it were the most ordinary thing, she gave a slight nod and relayed a silent, snakelike order to the pirate.
Instantly, the bewildered man dropped to lie flat on the ground.
“Now, tell him to roll.”
—Siai. Shiiiiia.
The instant the command was issued, the pirate began to roll across the ground, over and over.
That had to clarify things.
Sure enough, astonished exclamations began to ripple through the crowd.
“W-What? Hold on, does this mean… she can manipulate poisoned individuals like puppets?”
“Tongya, is this for real?!”
“This venom… isn’t it extraordinarily dangerous?”
“It’s actually horrifying.”
Their reactions were a mixture of awe and dread.
Of course they were afraid—this was not a poison that killed. It stole one’s autonomy.
That was far more frightening.
Death was straightforward. But having your free will stripped away? Becoming a living puppet? That terrified people on a deeper level.
Their faces showed it—they were beginning to fear they might be the next ones bitten.
But what they failed to see…
If the dangerous element is on your side?
Nothing is more secure.
Another nation’s nuclear missile is a threat.
Your own nuclear missile? That is defense.
“The most hazardous ally is also the most dependable. And since Cheongyu is fighting for us—what could make us safer?”
I encouraged them to see it from a new angle.
One by one, they began to nod in agreement.
“That’s a fair point. With So-ryong here to manage her, it’s not as if she’ll bite indiscriminately.”
“Right, with you present, we likely have nothing to fear.”
Absolutely not.
Normally I wouldn’t voice something so arrogant, but…
My creatures? They don’t bite without cause.
They truly don’t.
Anyway, now that Cheongyu had reached maturity…
It was time to formally register her.
Only then would she be officially mine—
Completely and unquestionably part of our team.
Let’s go, Fourth Poison Level!
***
“Are you going to be okay, So-ryong?”
In the dim light of early dawn, Hwa-eun looked at me with concern.
She was worried because I had declared my intention to register Cheongyu immediately.
She asked if it might be wiser to return to the Tang Clan to do it, especially with Grandfather absent.
But I did not want to delay for a single moment.
This was the Fourth Poison Level. I was on the verge of registering the fourth of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts.
How could I be expected to wait?
Besides, the journey back to the Tang Clan would be lengthy.
We had only finished our task here quickly because I had managed to find Jiyeopshinsa’s Orange far sooner than anticipated.
But we still had to stop by the Ak Clan in Shandong to help Gyu-seong hyung resolve a past grievance.
Traveling there, and then back to the Tang Clan? That would consume weeks.
There was no way I was waiting two entire months.
Hyung had also suggested a visit to the Peng Clan since we were in the vicinity.
Two months might not even be sufficient.
And it wasn’t as if I ever “prepared” before entering a spirit beast’s mental realm.
Not a single time.
I was always pulled in unexpectedly—or I simply plunged in without hesitation.
Real men like Spicy Fabre live by the code: “No plan is the plan.”
That is simply how it works.
“Nothing has gone wrong before, correct? Cho, Bini, Hwayang, Cheongwol—each one was fine.”
“But still… Grandfather isn’t here now…”
“We have Seol nuna and you, Hwa-eun, so I believe there is nothing to fear.”
“Yes, Hwa-eun. I’m here. You’re here. And it has all proceeded without issue so far, hasn’t it?”
Seol nuna supported me, and Hwa-eun finally relented.
“…Alright, So-ryong. But please be cautious.”
“Hmm?”
Even as she agreed, her final words were strange.
“I’m not sure. I just have this peculiar feeling.”
“A peculiar feeling?”
“I can’t quite describe it. It’s just… a weight in my head.”
“Perhaps you’re simply overthinking it?”
“No, that’s not it. My heart feels unsettled.”
“It’s going to be fine. Nothing will happen. There is nothing to fear.”
I held her hand, looked into her eyes, and reassured her before sitting on the bed in Seol nuna’s room.
Cheongyu had been observing the river from the window, and I called her over.
“Come here, Cheongyu.”
—Sia~.
“I’m just going to collect a small amount of venom, alright?”
—Sia~.
As she approached, I held a tiny ceramic vial to her fang and applied gentle pressure.
—tok tok
A soft sound, and two golden droplets of venom fell into the vial—clear and glistening.
Liquid gold, drawn from the tip of the very horns that radiated a golden light.
Now all I had to do was drink this, lie down, activate the Beast Heart Technique, and enter her mental realm.
I was about to raise the vial to my lips when Hwa-eun suddenly reached out to stop me.
“W-Wait. So-ryong, you won’t end up like that pirate… will you?”
“Huh? The pirate? Ah…”
She was still anxious—what if I became a puppet like the pirate Cheongyu had bitten?
But Hwa-eun was born into the Tang Clan.
She knew better than anyone that snake venom is not toxic when swallowed.
Composed of proteins and enzymes, it is only dangerous when injected into the bloodstream.
If ingested, the stomach simply breaks it down like any other substance.
She undoubtedly knew this. She was just worried nonetheless.
She had consented to let me proceed, but clearly, her mind was not at ease.
I smiled and replied softly.
“You know it’s harmless, don’t you, Hwa-eun?”
“Y-Yes, I know… but even so…”
Her apprehension had not faded; it had simply shifted to a new fear.
“Just one moment. Seol nuna, give us a second.”
“Hm? Oh, alright.”
With little other choice, I led Hwa-eun outside and conducted a brief session of CPR training to settle her nerves.
Nothing calms the heart quite like some fundamental medical reassurance.
When we returned, I sat back down on the bed.
“Cheongyu, come here.”
—Sia.
Cheongyu had gone back to the window to watch the river, but now she slid to my side.
I took the vial, put it to my lips, and lay back on the bed.
I tapped the bottom of the vial—
tok tok
—And one droplet landed under my tongue.
A slight metallic taste spread across my tongue.
That was all.
I had accepted the venom.
Now it was time to summon the power of the Beast Heart Technique.
As I did, my sight was engulfed by a golden light.
My consciousness rushed forward into the brilliance.
“So-ryong… please, please be careful.”
Even after all my reassurance, Hwa-eun’s worried voice echoed in my heart as I faded into the mental world.
***
It felt as though I were sinking slowly into deep water.
When I opened my eyes, I was enveloped in dampness.
The rich aroma of grass and trees immediately filled my senses.
A dense jungle.
More than that—it had the feeling of a lush, subtropical rainforest.
This was where I had awakened.
This was most certainly the mental realm of the Golden-Crowned Serpent King.
It was my first time here, yet it felt oddly familiar due to my previous experiences.
I needed to find my objective.
Leaping up to the highest tree nearby, I surveyed the distance—
And noticed a glimmering golden rock far away.
“That has to be it.”
A landmark in this mental world—without a doubt, that golden stone was my destination.
I jumped down, intent on heading straight there—
But before I could take more than a few steps, I heard the noise.
—Shhhk. Shhhk. Shhhhhk.
I turned toward the sound.
Snakes.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds of them, covered the jungle floor.
Pit vipers, pythons, constrictors, water snakes, boomslangs, Russell’s vipers, silver-ringed kraits, white serpents—even desert and tropical snakes that should never coexist in one location.
And yes… even a Black Mamba.
One that I had slain in my previous life.
These snakes had no reason to be together.
It seemed as if every serpent on Earth had been assembled in one spot.
And the moment I recognized them, a single thought struck me:
“What in the world? Is this… heaven?”
Their scales shimmered like leaves sprinkled with water and polished stones.
They had grown to their ultimate size—magnificent and flawless.
This was not merely a dream.
This had to be paradise.
“Whoa… That’s a Mugukryeong. Look at the size of that creature—wait, concentrate. I need to reach the rock.”
I shook myself from my stupor, but a fresh concern emerged.
“If one of them bites me in here… will I die?”
I truly had no desire to discover the answer.
So how was I supposed to get past them?
That’s when I heard the sound.
—SIAAA!
Cheongyu’s enormous hiss resonated through the jungle like a royal decree.
And all the snakes withdrew.
They lowered their heads, clearing a path for me.
“She must have sensed my location.”
Perfect.
I moved swiftly, heading straight for the golden rock where Cheongyu was waiting.
This time, everything was proceeding without a hitch.
At the foot of the golden rock—
There were two Cheongyus.
One was the human-formed Cheongyu I recognized.
The other… was the Golden-Crowned Serpent King in her true, immense form.
“It’s been a while, So-ryong.”
—Sia~.
Now that I considered it…
The soul that had been trapped behind the Serpent King’s barrier—
It had always been here, waiting.