Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 295

Chapter 295
“Go and bring a spoon and some water.”
“Right away, Elder!”
While I was still wrestling with the thought of what kind of monster could do such a thing to people, the Immortal of Herbs remained composed and instructed the child’s mother to fetch water and a spoon.

When she came back, he divided the Boheoldan into eight parts, mixed one into the water, and carefully fed it to the child.
Gulp, gulp.
The medicine flowed slowly down the child’s throat.
After four of the pieces were administered, the child’s breathing started to steady. The darkened fingers and toes slowly began to recover their natural tone.
They didn’t fully return to normal, but the severe darkness receded visibly, and the surrounding skin took on a healthier appearance.
This entire change occurred in the brief time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
‘Is this the reason for his title, the Immortal of Herbs?’
The Boheoldan he made was so effective it was nearly as good as a direct blood transfusion.
“Look… their hands are getting their color back!”
I couldn’t hold back my admiration as I saw the child’s condition improving right before my eyes.
The child’s mother, swept up by her feelings, clutched the child and shouted,
“My Chusam!? Chusam, my dear! Can you hear me? Chusam!”
It was as if she believed her child might answer now that there was improvement.
“Stay calm. It is not yet time for them to wake up.”
“So… they aren’t completely healed!?”
“We must observe. The child has suffered from severe blood loss for some time. However, the immediate danger has passed, so compose yourself. A moment later, and it would have been too late.”
“Th-Thank you. Thank you so much, Elder!”
“Steady yourself and take this pill. Then, please bring the other villagers here. We will attend to the most severe cases first.”
“Yes, Elder!”
The Immortal of Medicine gave her a Boheoldan, confirming she was not free from symptoms herself.
After she chewed and swallowed the pill, similar to the child, the dark circles under her eyes lightened and her face gained a healthier glow.
With eyes wide in surprise, the woman said,
“My headache has vanished! The constant noise in my ears has stopped as well!”
So—both the headache and the ringing in her ears were gone.
“It was indeed a severe deficiency of blood. Now go. Bring the villagers.”
“Yes, Elder. I will return quickly!”

Once she had gone, the Immortal of Herbs looked toward me.
“So-ryong, I was not able to complete my thought earlier. Regarding ischemia.”
“Ah, yes. Please go on, Grandpa.”
“Ischemia is what happens when the body is deprived of sufficient blood, causing areas like the fingers and toes to darken. This is why the Boheoldan was able to restore the child’s circulation.”
“So it is a state caused by insufficient blood within the body?”
“It is not precisely an illness. It is more accurately a symptom. It appears in those who have lost significant amounts of blood—from blade injuries, for example.
When the blood flow is too weak to reach the body’s extremities, the fingers and toes begin to turn black.”
‘Ah, so it’s a kind of oxygen starvation in the extremities. That fits. If the blood can’t get there, neither can the oxygen.’
From his description, ischemia appeared to be localized suffocation from blood loss—the blackening of the fingers and toes signaled the tissues were starting to perish from oxygen deprivation.

As I was turning this over in my mind, the Immortal of Herbs spoke up abruptly.
“Yet there is something unusual here, is there not?”
“Unusual? What do you mean?”
We understood the symptoms. We knew the cure. So what was the issue?
“The fact that so many are experiencing ischemia—that is the unusual part. This condition typically only affects those with grave injuries to their veins or who have endured massive trauma…
If there is no other explanation, then So-ryong… you may have been correct.”
“About what?”
“A clever beast.”
“…I see.”
The Immortal of Medicine nodded in agreement.
“I concur. It is impossible for this many people to become blood-deficient simultaneously without a cause. We must examine the others, but neither the child nor the mother exhibits signs of another sickness.
Therefore, something must be consuming their blood.”
It seemed both elders were now in agreement that this was not a sickness or a plague.
No known disease could cause such a widespread lack of blood throughout a community.
I had already begun to suspect it when the Immortal of Herbs produced the Boheoldan… so I simply nodded.
‘I had a feeling it might be a spirit beast…’
“Disciple, did you inspect the body?”
“Yes, Elder Brother. There was no evidence of livor mortis.”
“Livor… what?”
I tilted my head. I was unfamiliar with the term.
The Immortal of Medicine explained,
“Livor mortis is the purple or dark red spotting that emerges after death. People usually assume a corpse becomes entirely pale, correct?”
He had once told me I had an aptitude for healing and proposed to teach me. I informed him my interest lay solely in treating animals and spirit beasts, not people.
The disappointment on both elders’ faces had been clear.
So, they had taken to instructing me in small pieces through casual talk—exactly like this.
I acted as though I didn’t see their intention and replied,
“Yes, isn’t that the common belief? The face becomes pale after death.”
That was the widespread understanding—the heart stops, and the face loses its color.
That is why a pale complexion is often likened to that of a corpse.
“That is only true for the upper body.”
“The upper body?”
“Yes. When a person dies, the blood ceases to flow and drains from the upper body—but where do you suppose that blood goes?”
“Ah…”
Of course. The blood doesn’t vanish just because the heart has stopped.
It stays within the body, and eventually, it settles and thickens, becoming a dark red or purple color.
“The lower sections of the body become marked with a purplish discoloration. That is livor mortis. Most only observe the upper body and presume the entire corpse is pale.
But if someone dies while hanging upside down, their face will become dark red or purple.”
So then I understood what livor mortis was. Which meant—if it was absent…
Then there was no blood left in the body at all.
With no blood, there was nothing to settle and create those distinctive marks.
It meant that something had kept drawing blood even after death.
Until there was nothing remaining.
‘This is… deeply troubling.’
None of the spirit beasts I had ever met were capable of such brutality.
Most spirit beasts are inherently innocent.
Just consider my own companions—they are gentle and affectionate creatures.
Initially, I considered that Lee Tae’s information might have been flawed, but after the incident with Geumdo, I recognized it could be a spirit beast with no other alternatives.
Hearing the villagers were anemic, I thought it might be a situation like Hwayang’s—lost and in dire need, forced to consume human blood to stay alive.
Even when I learned of a death, I considered it might have been a mistake—perhaps it fed too much out of starvation.
But I was mistaken.
This was not desperation. This was deliberate.
The creature knew that draining humans led to death. It probably comprehended death itself. And yet… it continued.
It had knowingly consumed every last drop.
That is not the behavior of a spirit beast.
‘This monster is no different from that bedbug creation of the Five Poisons Sect… Hold on. No… perhaps it isn’t a spirit beast at all?’
Just as I was condemning it as the most vile being…
A thought came to me—it might not be a natural spirit beast.
It could be a manufactured one—like those produced by the Five Poisons Sect.
Judging by the intellect and conduct of the spirit beasts I know, it is impossible for them to be this malicious.
‘My spirit beasts would never commit such an act. If this continues, spirit beasts will earn a terrible reputation. I must solve this.’
My aspiration is for spirit beasts, poisonous creatures, and humans to coexist peacefully.
But due to their appearance, their size, and human bias, my companions are still forced to stay hidden from human sight and only move about at night.
If an incident this severe—where someone has died—is attributed to a spirit beast, then the day when my companions can walk openly in the world will be delayed even further.
‘I must identify what kind of monster this is—begin by searching for evidence.’
So, my first step was to seek out clues to determine the nature of the culprit.
“Grandfathers, I am starting to believe this may not be the work of a spirit beast after all.”
“You think a spirit beast might not be involved? Why is that?”
“Indeed, would such a strange event occur without a spirit beast being responsible?”
Both of them looked puzzled, since I had initially suggested a spirit beast and was now contradicting that.
I explained my reasoning to them.
“Spirit beasts possess high intelligence and avoid harming humans unless forced into it. But draining someone of blood until they perish? That is not logical.”
-Sssrrrt. 『Exactly!』
Even Hyang, who was concealed within armor and listening, appeared to agree.
“I see…”
“Is that so?”
They stroked their chins thoughtfully. Meanwhile, I chose to examine the child to eliminate any confusion.
“Let us first inspect the child’s body. If blood was taken, there should be a mark. Simply by seeing it, I can usually identify what type of poisonous being or spirit beast was involved.”
“Understood.”
“We will help. Determining the source of this ailment is our duty as well.”
“Alright.”

The two elders undressed the child and conducted a thorough examination.
They started at the feet, moved to the legs, the stomach, the arms—reviewing every part in sequence. But when they reached the child’s neck, they noticed something and indicated it.
“So-ryong, look at this.”
The Immortal of Medicine was pointing to a spot just above the child’s collarbone, on the back of the neck.
There was a single, fine cut, approximately one centimeter in length.
It was not straight, but slightly curved.
“We found no other injuries, but this one is here.”
‘I thought so.’
“This does not resemble a wound from a spirit beast or a poisonous creature at all.”
“We can see that much—it appears to have been made by a sharp object.”
“What could have created a wound like this?”
If it were an insect or a venomous being, the wound would be from a bite or a puncture from a stinger.
And when ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) drawing blood, they would need to inject a substance to prevent clotting, which would lead to swelling or some reaction at the site. But no matter how you viewed this—it was an odd injury.
As I studied the thin, sharp-looking cut, a woman’s voice called from outside.
“Elders! I have brought all the villagers!”
It seemed she had returned with everyone from the village, and hearing her, the Immortal of Herbs addressed us.
“Let us first attend to the patients. And we must verify if others have comparable wounds.”
“Yes, understood.”
Certainly, others might be in a critical state like the child—so it was wise to begin with the sick.
It was also essential to check if similar wounds were present on others.
I went outside to assist the two elders with their examinations.
“Alright, please form a line and approach one by one.”
But the more people we checked, the more peculiar the situation became.
The villagers definitely had wounds—but they were only located in two areas: the wrist and the back of the neck.
Moreover, not one villager could recall how they received these wounds.
“What? Have I always had this mark?”
“This is the first time I’ve noticed a wound like this.”
‘This is truly bizarre. Blood-sucking beings that specifically target wrists and necks? That doesn’t make any sense.’
Just as I was thinking this likely wasn’t the doing of an artificial spirit beast either, the Immortal of Medicine called to me.
“So-ryong, I believe we will deplete our medicine. We need to retrieve the medicinal supplies we left with the Dragon Fangs. Can you go and get them?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
We had not come prepared with a large stock of medicine.
That was likely why more ingredients were necessary, and as I prepared to leave, the village chief assigned three people to accompany me.
“Young Master, please take these three with you. You will have heavy items to carry.”
Two men and one woman.
The chief added.
“My daughter-in-law and my two sons.”
Since it wasn’t an actual disease, I could have simply brought the Dragon Fangs, but with their offer of help, I saw no reason to decline.
“Ah, understood.”

As the four of us started down the forest path, my mind kept returning to the wounds.
Their odd shape and location stayed with me.
‘A curved cut, one centimeter long… But if it wasn’t a spirit beast, how did it manage to take blood without being noticed?’
And then—
A voice resonated in my thoughts. Hwa-eun.
She must have been wondering if I had arrived.
『‘So-ryong, have you gotten there?’
‘Ah, yes, Hwa-eun. I am in the village now, looking after the patients. I am just going to get more ingredients for medicine.’
‘It is not a plague, is it?’
‘No, simply a lack of blood.’
‘That is good to hear. Please, do not take any risks.’
‘I won’t.’
As I replied to Hwa-eun’s persistent worries, the voices of the kids, Cheongwol, and Cheongyu joined in as if they had been waiting.
-Sssrt. (Dad, you need to be cautious.)
-Sssrrrt. (Don’t get Mom angry with you. Be careful, Dad.)
-Krrrt. (Hwa-eun is concerned, so please, be very careful.)
-Shiaa. (Yes. Be careful.)
‘Y-yes, I understand. You all talk as though I’m always finding trouble…’』
Just as I was preparing to defend myself under their relentless admonitions, a voice spoke up beside me.
“Young Master?”
When I turned at the sound, the woman walking next to me was gazing at me with a bright smile.
And the instant I saw her face—my thoughts began to cloud.
“Uh…”
The woman’s voice whispered softly in my ear.
“You are now under my Soul-Entrancing Spell. There is no escape for you, fufu.”