Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 297

Chapter 297
Consciousness returned to me, yet my limbs remained unresponsive. As I shifted my gaze to survey my surroundings, an otherworldly scene materialized before my eyes.

‘Wh-what in the world is this?!’

It was a tropical jungle of a kind I had never witnessed, a landscape that existed only in my most vivid imaginings. The sky stretched vast and clear above, while immense trees threw long, deep shadows, their canopies pierced by shafts of light that fell like dramatic spotlights. Lush tropical ferns grew alongside subtropical trees in perfect harmony, and a cool, clear stream traced a path along one edge. The humidity hung in the air at an ideal level—a pristine habitat for reptiles, insects, and all manner of poisonous life.

‘Have I reached paradise?’

I was just pondering whether I had actually arrived in the afterlife when a sudden, furious shout broke the silence.

—Grrr! Why isn’t So-ryong waking up!?
“I-I really don’t know!”
—Grrt!? If you don’t know, then who would!?
“He should have regained consciousness the moment I entered, but…”

One of the voices was unmistakably Cheongwol’s.
The other, pleading voice, however, was one I did not recognize.
Cheongwol was enraged—yet, strangely, her furious tone was interwoven with what sounded like sobs.

‘Is this… a mental realm?’

The dreamlike setting, combined with the sound of Cheongwol’s voice mingling with tears, pointed strongly to this being a landscape of the mind.
An intrusion into my consciousness like this was utterly unexpected.
I hadn’t formed a contract with any new spirit beast, after all.
And aside from bonding with venomous creatures, I had never before ventured into someone else’s mental space.

While I was still trying to make sense of the situation, I heard the voices of Bini and Hwa-eun.

—Tsst! He’s acting clueless. But Hyang-i said she witnessed you using the Soul-Snaring Technique, didn’t she!? And, Mom, what is the Soul-Snaring Technique?
“It’s Soul-Snaring, not Soul-Snatching. A despicable martial art that either robs a person of their free will or deceives them into believing you are someone else.”
—Tsst? Pretending to be another person?
“For instance, disguising oneself to resemble Cho or Bini. It manipulates people—like your father—into feeling familiarity and trust toward the imposter.”
—Ttch!? What!?
—Tsstssst!? She was planning to pretend to be us!?

The shocked exclamations from Hyang and Bini reverberated through the space.
Recalling our earlier interaction, I remembered blacking out after the village chief’s daughter-in-law called out to me while I was on my way to collect herbs.

‘So I fell victim to the Soul-Snaring Technique?’

Grandfather Tang Mu-seong had once instructed me that the Soul-Snaring technique was among the many treacherous skills to be wary of in the martial world.
Just as Hwa-eun described, it was a method of mental manipulation that could either erase one’s will or make an adversary appear as a friend.
The fact that she knew this technique proved that woman masquerading as the village chief’s daughter-in-law was no ordinary civilian. Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the air.

“KYAAAAAH!”

The very leaves of the jungle seemed to shudder from the force of the woman’s terrified shriek.
A desperate, pleading voice followed immediately after.

“Aaaagh! I-I’ll do whatever you ask! Please, have mercy! A severe injury sustained within a mental realm can shred one’s consciousness! The result could be permanent psychological scars in the real world—or even… a vegetative state!”

—Tssrrr! You dared to imitate us?! How disgusting! What were you planning to do to Daddy!?
—Tssrrrtt! You invaded a space that belongs solely to Daddy and us! That’s an even greater offense!

I finally managed to move my head.
Turning it, the sight that greeted me was… somewhat comical, in truth.
The children had all taken their forms within the mental realm—appearing as charming little girls and youthful women. Hwayang, in the shape of a young woman, had her teeth sunk into the ear of the imposter. Hyang was chewing on her forearm, and Bini was clamped onto her thigh.
Because this was a mental projection, their bodies were human-like, but their fundamental natures were unmistakably present. They were biting down with relentless concentration and force.
Their small jaws worked vigorously at the woman’s soft flesh.
As it was a mental construct, there was no blood—but for an uninvited intruder who had breached this private sanctuary without permission, she was now receiving a thorough and defensive retaliation from its legitimate occupants.

‘Hold on… why does Hwayang seem to be savoring the flavor?’

I needed to intervene and get the woman’s identity from her.
She was undoubtedly the source of all the strange events occurring in the village.
I didn’t wish for the children to develop prejudices against spirit beasts, so exposing the true culprit was vital. However, if her claims were accurate, and she suffered irreparable mental damage here, it would create a significant problem.

“Hwa… Hwa-eun…”

The moment I softly uttered Hwa-eun’s name, complete silence descended.
Every face turned to look at me in unison.

“So-ryong! You’re awake?!”
—Tssrr! Daddy!
—Shiaa! So-ryong!

Everyone immediately left the woman and hurried over to me. Cheongwol brought up the rear, hauling the woman along by her ankle as if she were a bag of grain.

—Grrr… So-ryong, are you alright?
I gave a slow nod, and Hwa-eun released a heavy sigh of profound relief.
She assisted me into a sitting position and gently stroked my cheek, her expression filled with overwhelming thankfulness.

“I’m so relieved, So-ryong. I was terribly afraid you wouldn’t come back to us.”
I felt that familiar pang of guilt for causing Hwa-eun worry… though this time, it genuinely wasn’t my doing.

‘Thank heavens. For once, I’m completely blameless in this.’

As her anxiety eased, I began to feel energy returning to my body.
“How much time has gone by since I was drawn into this mental realm?”
“Barely any time at all.”
Hwa-eun assured me that only a very short period had elapsed.

“I must have been trapped by the Soul-Snaring Technique. I was following that woman outside the village to gather herbs.”
“Yes. Hyang confirmed that was the case.”
I turned my head and saw the woman still shaking violently, her ankle held fast in Cheongwol’s firm grip.
I needed to discover who she was.

“Will you tell me your identity, and explain what your purpose was in the village?”
“I… I, well…”
—Grrrr! Speak! Immediately!
“EEP!”
—THWACK!

With a sharp whistling sound, Cheongwol swung her in a wide arc and smashed her forcefully into the ground.
The woman had stalled for time, so Cheongwol acted, whipping her through the air and slamming her down flat.

“Guh…!”

A blow like that would drive the air from most anyone’s lungs.
All that could be heard now was her harsh, ragged breathing as she lay crushed against the earth.

“Hff… hff…”
“Cheongwol, she won’t survive if you continue like this. Give her a moment.”
I feared she would not endure much more of this treatment, so I restrained Cheongwol.
Then Cheongwol spoke, sounding genuinely perplexed.

—Grrng. Why is her body so feeble? So-ryong was much more durable.
She likely said this because she had observed me training in the Iron Fortress Body Technique.
Naturally, I was durable—I had practiced a specialized external art, the Iron Fortress Body Technique, a hidden method of the Martial Alliance Lord. This woman had clearly undergone no such training, making her inherently fragile.

“I practice a unique martial art that strengthens the body.”
—Grrt? I-I understand. But… would it be problematic if this woman perished here?
“I believe she will survive this level of punishment.”

Cheongwol appeared concerned that she might have overdone it, but after some time, the woman collected herself and started to divulge her secrets.

“I… I am Na-Nan-hwa, the vice-captain of the Blood Shade Division, part of the Blood Cult…”
“The Blood Cult?”
“The Blood Cult?”
Hwa-eun and I exclaimed in unison.
We had believed the Blood Cult was already absorbed by the Five Venoms Sect, so its sudden reemergence was a shock.

‘Ugh, the Blood Cult again? They truly are unending.’

Merely hearing the name brought back the incessant irritation of my connections to them.
Truthfully, my entire reason for leaving Hainan Island and journeying to the Central Plains was due to the Blood Cult. Our conflict had been perpetual since then.
I almost lost my life on the island to that individual who mastered the Blood-Water Venom Claw. Then I was forced to combat those who infiltrated the Tang Clan to reclaim it.
And that was not the end of it.
Just a short while ago, I had to defeat those who attempted to steal the Parasite-Dissolving Pellet to eliminate the Gu parasite.
As I fixed the woman with a look that conveyed my utter exhaustion with her organization, she continued her explanation anxiously.

“Yes, I’m… I am an intelligence operative working within the Central Plains, sending information back to the Blood Cult. My area of operation was around Hebei and Shandong, collecting secrets from factions like the Taesan Sect, the Hwangbo Clan, the Shandong Ak Clan, the Jinju Eon Clan, and the Peng Clan…”

In essence, she was a deeply embedded spy for the Blood Cult.
The more she revealed, the more apparent it became how deeply entangled I was in this web.
She stated that after discovering the Blood Cult had been consumed by the Five Venoms Sect, she vowed retaliation. However, upon hearing that their forces were annihilated attempting to steal the Parasite-Dissolving Pellet, she began extracting greater quantities of blood to increase her power—which ultimately led her here.

So it was entirely my responsibility.
I was the one who eliminated that squad of Blood Cult members.
Well—to be precise, my children were the ones who eliminated them.
Nevertheless, if I hadn’t defeated them, this woman wouldn’t have excessively used her blood ritual, wouldn’t have attracted official scrutiny, and we wouldn’t be confronting each other now.

‘Wait… is this that butterfly phenomenon from Brazil? Where the flapping of a wing leads to a tornado in Texas?’
The more I considered it, the more it resembled a classic example of the butterfly effect.
An American meteorologist once proposed that minor initial disturbances could lead to enormous outcomes—like a butterfly’s wings causing a tornado.
By that measure, this entire circumstance certainly fit.
After all, the reason this woman was in this situation… was essentially me.
Even the Blood Cult’s absorption by the Five Venoms Sect could be linked back to the dissemination of knowledge concerning my blood-based poison technique.
So, from the Blood Cult’s viewpoint, this wasn’t a butterfly effect—it was a So-ryong effect.

‘Frankly, I almost feel pity for them. I mean, my only desire was to quietly pursue my interest. Why provoke the eccentric? Leave him be, and he’ll continue amusing himself with his insects undisturbed.’

I was beginning to feel an odd sense of victory, as if I personified the consequences of interfering with someone fixated on a single passion. But then Hwa-eun posed another question.

“You weren’t working by yourself, were you? Where are the other members of your unit?”
“…”
The woman’s eyes darted around nervously before she fell silent.
Finally, she spoke, her voice quivering.

“I-I am alone.”
Neither Hwa-eun nor I believed that for an instant.
Intelligence operations are almost never conducted solo.
She professed to be the vice-captain of the Blood Shade Division. It was inconceivable that her entire unit wasn’t operating alongside her.

“Hwayang?”
At Hwa-eun’s quiet summons, Hwayang, in her human form, tilted her head.
—Piii? Food?
Then, wearing a gentle and calm expression, Hwa-eun pointed at the woman.
“Eat.”
—Pii!
“Kyaaaaaagh!”

The instant Hwa-eun gave the command, Hwayang leaped forward and bit into the woman’s ear once more, eliciting a blood-curdling scream.
Amid the woman’s cries, Hwa-eun’s voice came through, cold and menacing.

“I neglected to introduce myself. I am Tang Hwa-eun of the Sichuan Tang Clan. You should respond promptly. If you cooperate now, it is possible some of your comrades might live.”
“Some of the Blood Cult scum who assaulted our clan are still alive, their fates depending on the gravity of their offenses. So if you wish to avoid dying like a stray dog, you will talk.”

This approach proved effective.
The woman yelled out in desperation.

“I-I’ll talk! They’re dispersed throughout the neighboring villages!”
“Hwayang, stop.”
It appeared there was a significant number of Blood Cult agents stationed in the vicinity.
Once Hwayang withdrew, Hwa-eun began demanding their specific locations.

“Now, identify each village they are in, and the roles they are pretending to fill.”
“Hrk… Well, one is acting as the village chief’s son in the upper village…”
There were seven agents in total.
After Hwa-eun had successfully obtained all their positions, she asked, her tone now satisfied:

“Good. Now, explain how to execute the Soul-Snaring Technique.”
“The Soul-Snaring Technique?”
The woman blinked in surprise, thrown off balance by the query.
I was equally startled—what reason could Hwa-eun have for wanting to learn a technique of mental coercion?
She had no need to study something so nefarious.
Then Hwa-eun turned to me, a brilliant smile on her face.

“Now that we understand the Soul-Snaring Technique allows entry into So-ryong’s mental realm, if Sister Seol and I learn a bit about it… wouldn’t we be able to visit your face directly whenever we wish?”
‘Gyaaaaah!!’

Hwa-eun was attempting to pioneer mental-realm video calls!
Complete with immersive 4D effects