Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 285

Chapter 285
Upon completing the tasks at the granary and making it back to the inn, it was still well before the midday meal—our haste had been worthwhile.

“These are the items you requested.”

A servant immediately presented us with a basket as we stepped inside. Uncovering it revealed stacks of freshly steamed dumplings and three flasks of water.

A packed meal.
One might question the need for such a thing, but we had arranged it because even the moments taken to eat felt like an extravagance.

“Ah, thank you. This looks very good.”

I promptly shoved one of the appetizing dumplings into my mouth and set off directly for the docks. I was accompanied by Sister Seol, Hwa-eun, and Hyang, who was concealed within her armor disguise. The gleaming crimson armor attracted some stares, but we increased our pace, acting as though it were entirely ordinary.

“So-ryong, wouldn’t it be better to do this after nightfall?”
“That’s a fair point, but… *cough*, *cough*.”
“So-ryong, are you alright?”
“Ryong, have some water.”

I had begun to choke while speaking with my mouth full, but after swallowing the water Sister Seol passed to me, I managed to recover my breath and respond.

“Whew… that was a near thing. I want to get this done immediately. It seems stable for the moment, but its state could take a sudden turn for the worse.”
“Yes. Spiritual beasts often decline without warning.”

During our walk to the docks, Hwa-eun had proposed simply waiting until dusk to treat the young one then, but I could not agree. We had already wasted a full day, and that alone filled me with unease. Based on Geumdo Elder’s present state, a sudden collapse seemed improbable, yet such things had a way of happening. Moreover, for people like us—even if we were raising a thousand—if a single one falls ill, we find ourselves unable to eat, sleep, or think of anything else. The worry is consuming. Especially when that one is larger than all the rest put together; it guarantees a state of relentless anxiety until the healing is complete.

‘It truly feels like a heavy rock is sitting in the pit of my stomach.’

And so, we proceeded quickly to the docks with Hwa-eun and Sister Seol. Much like on our first day, the scene was one of bedlam. The river was thick with boats, the dock swarming with people—a veritable ocean of humanity. However, the moment we arrived with the representative from the Geumjeok Merchant Guild, the masses seemed to cleave apart without a word.

This man, Geum Gi-ryung, had undoubtedly made arrangements. It truly showed how vital connections could be. And that was not all. Even amidst the chaos, Geum Gi-ryung had the presence of mind to secure a section of the dock exclusively for our use. Aside from the modest ferry we were to board, that entire section was devoid of other vessels.

‘Geum Gi-ryung is certainly a man who knows how to arrange matters.’

“This is your vessel. Please embark here. You are to attend to them with the highest level of service, is that clear?”

Admiring his thoroughness, we stepped onto the small ferry he had ready.

“Absolutely, sir. I am the boatman, Mak-sam. I have already stowed the requested materials aboard.”
“I am So-ryong. I place myself in your hands today. Now, let’s have a look.”

Once on the boat, following the boatman’s words, I inspected the supplies we had asked for. The medical instruments. There were picks, chisels, spades, stakes, brushes, potent liquor, cloth, sticks, paper, adhesive, and ropes. Accompanying these were pots containing the boiled extracts of dandelion and fish mint that Hwa-eun had recommended.

Picks, spades, chisels, and stakes. Not the usual assortment for a medical procedure. But given Geumdo Elder’s immense size, a task that would have required only a small blade in my previous life now demanded tools one would find on a construction site or in a stone quarry.

“We shall depart now.”
“Very well.”

*Creak. Creak.*

As the boatman rowed us toward the island, a large structure of bamboo came into view—a hut, or perhaps a storage shed? Its roof was a thatching of straw secured over a frame of bamboo poles, and its four walls were also fashioned from bamboo. It reminded me of an aircraft hangar from my former life. It enveloped nearly half of Geumdo Elder’s shell. Even Cheongwol could have fit inside with space to spare—it appeared to be constructed precisely for working within, just as I had specified.

‘Operating from the interior should be feasible.’

I would need a closer inspection, but the initial impression was superb. After a brief period, the boat nudged against the side of Geumdo Elder.

*Thud.*

‘What was that—!?’

“P-please exercise greater caution when bringing the boat alongside next time. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes. My most sincere apologies.”

Startled by the impact against Geumdo Elder’s side, I issued a firm warning to the boatman. We then unloaded our equipment and approached the structure.

“This should be the entrance.”

One section of the wall was designed to swing outward. Upon opening it, the empty space within was disclosed. We secured the door firmly behind us and positioned ourselves not far from the injury Hwa-eun had discovered the previous day.

“Shall we have our meal before we begin?”
“Yes, Ryong. You will require your energy.”
“Alright, So-ryong.”

While Sister Seol and Hwa-eun spread a bamboo mat on the sand and began arranging the food, I removed Hyang’s armored disguise and asked a favor of her.

“Hyang-ah, would you please go to Geumdo Elder’s head and inform him that we are commencing his treatment? Simply say you are there representing your sister. That should suffice.”

*Tsrrr.*

With a determined sound, Hyang vanished through a gap beneath the bamboo shelter. I reasoned that if she kept herself low to the ground like that, she would escape notice. Just as I took a dumpling from the mat and put it in my mouth, a gurgling noise sounded from afar.

*Bubblrblrblr.*

And then, Hyang’s voice sounded in my mind.
—*Tsrrr*, (He said it is acceptable, Father.)

‘Good, well done, my dear. Return promptly.’
*Tsrrt!* (Yes!)

The notification of the procedure had been delivered. Lying at an angle on the mat, I consumed roughly three dumplings, then pushed up my sleeves.

“Right then, let’s begin.”

First, I took up a spade to remove the sand covering the wounded area. We could not risk any sand contaminating the site during the operation.

*Thunk. Thunk.*

Using the wooden spade, I meticulously scraped away the sand accumulated on the shell. Beads of perspiration began to form on my brow.

*Shhkk. Shhkk.*
“Ptooey, what in the world.”

A sudden shower of sand struck my face. I turned to see Hyang beside me, digging enthusiastically like a young pup attempting to assist. When our gazes met, she announced cheerfully in her bright tone:

*Tsrrr!* 『Father, I am helping!』
“Hyang-ah, it’s quite alright. Perhaps you could rest for a while?”

I valued the sentiment, but in truth, she was being a hindrance. Furthermore, it appeared she would need a thorough cleaning later. After entrusting Hyang to Hwa-eun, her antennae sagged. She seemed somewhat dejected, but it could not be helped.

Returning to my diligent digging, it wasn’t long before the wound became visible. A blackened pattern, faded as if bleached, emerged from within the golden shell. Just as before, illuminated by the light coming through the makeshift window, a reasonably sizable lesion could be seen.

“The injury does not appear especially large.”
“It is not the size, but the depth that must be the issue.”

Sister Seol, observing the wound for the first time, thought it seemed insignificant relative to the creature’s vast body, but given its immobility, the damage had to be profound. I resolved to excavate more of the surrounding earth.

*Thunk. Thunk.*

For what felt like half a *shichen*, bent over and unable to stand straight, I worked the soil around the wound into a circular clearing, finally removing enough to meet my satisfaction. I even employed the brush to meticulously eliminate every last grain of sand.

“So-ryong, you should pause for a rest before continuing.”
“Whew. Perhaps I should.”

The sand was now entirely cleared away. Once sterilized, I could begin working on the wound itself. I accepted the water flask Hwa-eun offered me and drank deeply.

“Kuaa, that is refreshing.”

After sitting for a short time to let my sweat cool, I promptly initiated the sterilization process. While turtles may lack alcohol dehydrogenase, since this involved only the shell, the initial cleansing would be with liquor. I saturated a cloth with the strong alcohol and scoured the exposed wound and the area around it. After a brief interval, the alcohol dissipated, leaving behind only its sharp scent. Next, I rinsed the surface with the decoctions of dandelion and fish mint.

“Ah, the area you cleaned shines brilliantly now, So-ryong.”

Once purified, everything except the wound itself gleamed with a golden radiance. Geumdo Elder’s carapace was indeed a magnificent, luminous gold.

“It is truly stunning.”

While Sister Seol and Hwa-eun expressed their admiration for the splendid shell, I used the strong liquor to sterilize the chisel, wedge, and mallet, then positioned myself next to the wound. I also wiped my hands and arms with the alcohol, and once my alcohol-drenched hands were dry, I took up the chisel and mallet and struck the shell.

*Clack!*

The crisp sound of the mallet meeting the chisel echoed, and with it returned the foul odor that had disappeared during the cleaning.

“Ugh, that stench.”

But could I halt now? Starting from the center, I began chipping away the outer layer.

*Clack. Clack.*

Much like with the turtles I had treated in my past life, the decayed, brittle shell came away more readily than anticipated. As I persisted in flaking off fragments of the carapace, a yellowish substance came into view. When I reached out to touch it, the texture was akin to soft clay. Sister Seol tilted her head inquisitively and asked,

“So-ryong, what is that?”

She seemed puzzled, curious about its nature—but this was the turtle’s accumulation of inflammation. When a turtle’s shell becomes infected and rots, allowing bacteria to invade deeply, this severe form of shell decay occurs. The interior of the shell putrefies and transforms into this yellowish pus. However, unlike in humans, it is not fluid. As it develops concurrently with the decaying shell, it possesses a somewhat solid consistency, similar to sebum. This is why, among enthusiasts like myself, shell rot is occasionally referred to in jest as “turtle acne.” Because on the plastron (underside), one can often express it like a plug of sebum, and extracting it leaves behind a clean cavity, much like a popped pimple.

“This is pus.”
“Truly? Is pus not typically more liquid?”
“In humans, yes—but the matter on a turtle’s shell is firm like this.”

*Tap tap tap. Tap tap.*

I chiseled a bit more around the edges and finished fully exposing the wound. Now it was time for extraction. When I pressed my hand into the pus, it sank inward. Seizing it firmly and pulling, the hardened, sebum-like pus began to separate from one edge.

“Ughhh. This sensation is rather strange.”
“So-ryong, is there any way I can assist?”

While Sister Seol voiced her discomfort, Hwa-eun surprisingly offered her aid in a composed manner.

“Could you ready the Night Pearl we received from Guildmaster Geum?”
“Certainly.”

As I needed to inspect the interior of the wound, I asked her to prepare the Night Pearl and continued extracting the inflamed material.

*Pop.*

A short time later—with a gratifying pop, the final portion of pus came loose. Observing the now-cleared wound provided an immense feeling of relief. Perhaps this was the reason videos of pimple-popping were so popular in my previous life. The cavity remaining after the pus removal was so spacious that it looked as if two people of my stature could lie down within it.

“Whoa, that is profoundly large.”

Sister Seol was astonished by the volume of pus I had extracted. It was no surprise—beside me, the removed inflammatory mass was easily twice my size. Given the turtle’s colossal scale, the quantity of pus from the shell rot was certainly no trivial matter.

“Now I must examine the interior. Hwa-eun, could you bring the light of the Night Pearl here?”
“Understood.”

I wiped my pus-smeared hand with a cloth and disinfected it once more with the strong liquor. Then, guided by the glow of the Night Pearl that Hwa-eun held aloft, I inserted my head into the turtle’s shell. The light of the pearl followed my head down. Its gentle radiance started to illuminate the inside of the shell.

“Let me see.”

The first thing I saw was smooth, dark-red flesh. When I reached out to touch it, the contacted area contracted slightly, and from the direction of the head, I heard a gurgling sound.

*Bubblrblrblr.*
—*Tsrrr.* (Father, he feels the urge to cough.)

Hyang had followed me into the shell and relayed that Geumdo Elder felt a cough coming on. I had pondered if a spirit beast might be anatomically different, but it seemed its internal structure was analogous to that of a common turtle. This dark-red flesh was most likely the lungs. In a standard turtle, the top part of the carapace contains a massive lung. Turtles regulate their buoyancy via their lungs and cloaca, which is why they possess such expansive lungs—situated directly beneath the upper shell.

‘So the anatomy is not so different from a regular turtle after all…’

Now that I had verified its physical structure was not unusual, the infected organ had to be the lungs. I had been uncertain which organ was affected, but judging by the wound’s proximity, the lungs were the most probable site. I scrutinized the area further to pinpoint the infected tissue. Soon, I discerned light pink flesh a little further in. A distinct boundary line existed where the light pink met the dark red. Surveying the entire region, I understood that the dark-red area I had first seen was the infection. It seemed Geumdo Elder’s lungs were naturally a light pink hue.

‘Wait, this is more extensive than I anticipated.’

As I withdrew slightly to grasp the full scope, I saw that the area directly beneath the opening had turned a dark red across a vast expanse. The hole above was large enough for two people to lie in, but the infected zone appeared ample enough for five of me. The shell rot had decomposed the carapace and permitted bacteria to infiltrate deeply—likely propagating widely across the surface of the lung that was in contact with the shell. That was undoubtedly why he was struggling with buoyancy control and could neither depart nor remain in place.

‘Will this be alright?’

The infected area was more sizable than I had expected, and I could not suppress my concern—but I resolved to proceed with the treatment. I had confidently pledged to relocate him within fifteen days, but now a sliver of doubt began to creep in. However one assessed it, the condition appeared decidedly grave.