Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 302

Chapter 302
Taking a moment to steady my nerves, I instructed Yang Seong-hu to attend to the two elders.
[Yang Seong-hu, please see to the elders. I will check on the children.]
[Understood, Sir So.]

As Yang Seong-hu moved to rouse the two grandfathers, I turned my focus immediately to the children.
My heart was pounding from the recent events.
‘Please… let them be alright when they wake.’

My intense worry stemmed from my doubt that this was the Soul-Stealing Technique.
If not that, then what could it be?
Some manner of drug or a poison.
My certainty that it wasn’t the Soul-Stealing Technique came from the knowledge that this method is said to paralyze the body by meeting the target’s gaze, pulling their consciousness into a fabricated realm where their soul is then captured.
Much like the myth of being turned to stone by looking at Medusa, the Soul-Stealing Technique requires direct visual contact to function.
Before our arrival, perhaps out of concern for my safety or a desire to make me her partner in this, Hwa-eun had explained a little about it. She described it as a hybrid skill merging illusion magic with martial arts, one that absolutely depends on a direct look.
「“The Soul-Stealing Technique only works through the eyes, so if you confront a Blood Cult master, you must avoid their gaze. So-ryong.”
“I understand, Hwa-eun.”
“I mean their eyes—not mine.”
“Ah, right? I didn’t even notice…”」
However, Hyang and Hongdan, along with Seol, Bing, and Dong, had either been pretending to be pieces of armor or were concealed within my body since we entered the village, so there was no possibility they had made eye contact with anyone.
They never had a chance for such an encounter.
Well, perhaps Hyang or Hongdan might have briefly looked at someone, but how would anyone know they were thinking beings to target them with the Soul-Stealing Technique?
Especially while they were masquerading as armor.
Furthermore, that woman—the Blood Cult spy—had been utterly frightened by the children’s psychic strength, making it highly unlikely she would have risked using the Soul-Stealing Technique on them.
Then I recalled that even the village dog I had seen was fast asleep, which confirmed it—this simply could not be the Soul-Stealing Technique.
Who would expend their spiritual energy using such a powerful technique on a common dog?
This line of reasoning led me to decide it must have been a drug or a poison.
To cause all of us to lose consciousness or fall into a profound slumber, it had to be one of those two.
Something like a toxic vapor that impacts humans, insects, and reptiles equally.
That was the source of my urgency.
Because if it truly was a drug or poison, the sleep-inducing mechanism might work differently on the kids than on humans.
Even if it were a drug or poison, since I awoke, the two elders would likely wake up without much trouble as well.
We are all mammals and vertebrates, after all.
The effects of the substance would probably be similar for all of us.
At the very least, the sleep symptoms would be.
But the children are reptiles or arthropods.
It might not affect them at all, but if they were already showing sleep symptoms, and their bodies couldn’t process the substance, it could be extremely dangerous.
Even something as simple as an onion, harmless to humans, can cause deadly anemia in dogs.
Humans and arthropods, reptiles—we have entirely different systems for processing toxins. As their father, I couldn’t stop myself from panicking.
There are countless insecticides designed specifically to exploit those very metabolic differences.
[Hyang, Hongdan, Seol, Bing, Dong?]

I gently lifted Hyang’s head and gave it a soft shake, but she was sleeping so soundly that a trickle of saliva escaped her mouth.
It dripped onto Hongdan’s forehead, yet neither of them moved.
It didn’t appear to be lethally toxic, at least, but I couldn’t bring myself to relax completely.
They seemed to be in an even deeper sleep than I had been.
What if they didn’t wake up?
‘No—stop looking so adorable and wake up now!’

I was sick with worry, and yet their peaceful expressions made them seem like they were just being charming.
Hyang’s limp and relaxed sleeping posture was overwhelmingly cute.
Even as I shook her, I nearly gave in to the impulse to kiss her forehead.
[Hyang, wake up! Your father is worried about you!]

Catching myself, I gathered Hyang, Hongdan, Seol, Bing, and Dong into my arms and shook them together.
My heart was hammering, but I didn’t have enough hands.
Despite my continued shaking, not one of them showed the slightest movement.
Finally, I gave up on whispering and spoke up.
“Hyang, Hongdan? You little troublemakers, wake up!”

Just then, I heard the elders starting to stir on the other side of the room.
“Are you both awake, Grandpas?”
“Nggh…”
“This is a disagreeable way to wake… How did you get inside? What exactly occurred?”

It was indeed an unpleasant way to awaken, as they said. But the two elders had come around faster than I did.
“I waited until morning for your signal, but when it didn’t come, I entered the village discreetly.”
“Good heavens… Did we succumb to the Soul-Stealing Technique without even realizing it? How is that possible!?”
“At least nothing more severe took place.”

They massaged their temples and shook their heads.
The two of them appeared to believe we had been victims of the Soul-Stealing Technique, but I promptly shared my theory with them, all while continuing my efforts to wake the children.
“Grandpas, I don’t believe it is the Soul-Stealing Technique.”
“You don’t?”
“No. The Soul-Stealing Technique paralyzes the body through eye contact and draws the target’s mind into a spiritual plane to imprison their soul. But my children didn’t see anyone after we arrived in the village, and they still fell asleep.
It is unmistakably a drug or a poison.”

Hearing this, Elder Herbalist rose unsteadily to his feet and moved to the door.
He leaned against the doorframe and glanced outside, then questioned Yang Seong-hu,
“Was there any danger out there? Any indication we are being watched?”
“None, sir. The village was completely silent, as if everyone was in a deep slumber. We may have been detected, but there was no sign of activity. I sensed no surveillance either.”
“If they intended to act, they would have done so during the night.”
“That seems likely…”
“The villagers should be stirring soon.”

If they had poisoned us and planned to move against us, they would have done it by now, as the elder stated.
Elder Herbalist immediately requested that Elder Physician protect him.
“Senior Brother, I need you to guard me. If it is a drug or poison, I should be capable of identifying it. You go and investigate outside.”
“Very well. I understand.”
“Understood, sir.”

Elder Herbalist seemed resolved to determine the nature of the poison.
I had heard his internal energy was specially attuned to recognizing and neutralizing drugs and poisons.
「“My senior brother and I possess different types of internal energy. I have mastered what is called the Divine Pharmacist Art, and he is practiced in the Moxibustion and Acupuncture Art.
Mine is for creating medicines and discerning the nature of herbs, while his is more suited for applying acupuncture and moxibustion treatments.”」

Yes, if this was indeed caused by a drug or poison, Elder Herbalist would surely recognize it.
Our Tang Clan might be poison experts, but Grandpa’s knowledge of pharmacology is also highly formidable.
Elder Herbalist shut his eyes and started to channel his internal energy.
And right at that moment, Hyang’s antenna, which had been sagging and wet with drool, gave a slight twitch.
“Hyang!?”

Chik. Chik.
Then came the sound of her delicate little coughs.
Much like a person waking up and splashing water on their face, her antenna moved on its own toward her mouth.
For the children, their morning ritual begins with cleaning their antennae—and she was doing it without thinking, immediately upon waking.
If she were human, she would be commended for waking up and brushing her teeth right away.
In the mental world, she might be a young lady already, but in the physical realm, she was still only around a year old.
Chup chup.
She started nibbling on her antenna from its base.
Watching her behavior, I finally began to feel some relief.
Cleaning their antennae is an indicator of a centipede’s good health.
‘My daughter is so fastidious, even now.’
“Hyang, are you awake?”

At my soft question, her other antenna lifted, then drooped to the side again.
Then a small voice sounded:
Chit? 『Daddy?』
She was fully conscious at last.
Immediately after, Hongdan, Seol, Bing, and Dong also began to move.
Kiiiii.
Gukguuu.
Kkyuit.
Thank goodness.
I still didn’t know what kind of drug or poison it was, but it didn’t seem to be causing any critical damage.
‘Thank goodness.’

When I gently patted the children’s heads, they held onto me or scrambled onto my body.
Then, roughly fifteen minutes later.
Elder Herbalist’s eyes snapped open wide, and he gave a nod.
“There is definitely something inside us. When did it get into our bodies…?”
“There is something?”
“Yes. Senior Brother. I cannot identify it, but we have been poisoned.”
“What in the—when did this happen… Hoo…”

The two elders, renowned as the finest physicians in the Central Plains.
And me, So-ryong of the Tang Clan—in name, anyway.
For all of us to be poisoned without a single one noticing—it was astounding.
Naturally, the two elders wore looks of sheer incredulity as they let out sighs.
A moment later, Elder Physician asked Elder Herbalist,
“Well? Have you determined what variety of poison it is?”

He was inquiring about its properties. In reply, Elder Herbalist shook his head grimly.
“I do not know. I have never come across this poison before.”
“You don’t know?”
“No.”

We were all poisoned, and yet we didn’t even know what the poison was.
In fact, beyond it making people sleep until noon, we knew nothing whatsoever.
After thinking for a moment, Elder Herbalist motioned to Yang Seong-hu.
“Come over here.”
“Me, sir?”
“Yes.”

Elder Herbalist quickly felt Yang Seong-hu’s pulse. Then, with a look of some relief, he said,
“Luckily, you have not been poisoned. The sun is nearly at its highest point. You should leave quickly. If you remain, you could be discovered by the villagers or poisoned yourself.”
“Understood, Elder. Is there anything else you require me to do?”
“Nothing for the time being. Ah—inform the commanding officer that absolutely no one is to enter this village.”
“Yes, Elder.”

Yang Seong-hu bowed swiftly and vanished down the path leading out of the village.
Once he was gone, Elder Herbalist opened his bag and began testing small samples of various medicinal herbs while circulating his internal energy.
“What is Elder Herbalist doing now?”
“He is using the Divine Pharmacist Art to determine which herbs interact with the poison in his system. The poison does not appear to be doing more than inducing sleep, but if the poisoning continues, who can predict what /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ might occur? He is attempting to find an antidote swiftly.”

In other words, he was using his own body for experimentation.
Elder Herbalist’s martial art was fundamentally similar to the poison arts.
***

The remainder of the day unfolded much like the previous one.
Elder Herbalist secluded himself in the room, stating he was developing a method to counteract the poison, while Elder Physician remained outside and examined the villagers with greater care.
He was attempting to see if any further symptoms manifested in those who had been poisoned for a longer duration.
Meanwhile, I discreetly looked for any hints of a spy among those near Elder Physician.
But I detected nothing suspicious from anyone.
No one seemed to be taking any action.
“It appears this treatment will require some time. My junior brother needs to find the correct remedy—it is an ailment we have never encountered before.”
“As long as there is no pain other than the sleep, there is no hurry. Please take all the time you need, Elders.”
“Yes, truly. We are more than grateful simply that you are treating us.”

When we mentioned the treatment might take a while, the villagers assured us not to be concerned.
By evening, after we had eaten dinner, Elder Herbalist suddenly called for me.
“So-ryong, come inside for a moment.”

When I entered the room, he gave me a jet-black pill.
“What is this?”
“It is a blend of components I found today that demonstrate some effect against this poison. You may experience some detoxification.”
“Why are you giving it to me?”

I thought he should take it himself, but Elder Herbalist gazed out the window and said,
“Even if I took it, it would not prevent me from falling asleep tonight. My internal energy technique is oriented toward creating medicine and extracting its potency. Without a finalized formula, I cannot anticipate much benefit.
But you—you have trained in the poison arts. Take this and use your poison arts to resist for as long as you can.
If the sleep overcomes us again tonight, someone must remain alert. And that someone cannot be us.”

The children would all be asleep as well, so if anything occurred, I would be the only one available to manage it.
The idea of being completely alone for the first time made me somewhat anxious, but I nodded.
“Understood, Grandpa.”

And so, night arrived.
I swallowed the pill Elder Herbalist had given me.
A terrifying bitterness flooded my mouth.
This single pill felt potent enough to ward off sleep—but how long had I been meditating with my eyes closed?
Suddenly, a powerful wave of drowsiness crashed over me like a tidal wave.
From the sensation, I could tell—this was no ordinary tiredness.
Even as I frantically recited mantras and circulated my energy, I felt my awareness fading…
It was then that a voice stirred in my mind.
『“So-ryong, you said you were going somewhere dangerous, so I promised I wouldn’t speak first. But why haven’t you said a single word all day? I was going to sleep but thought I should check on you.”』
‘GYAAAH!’

Now I remembered—Hwa-eun had made me promise to check in with her regularly out of worry, and I had forgotten entirely. The instant I remembered, my drowsiness disappeared as if it had been erased.
***

After pleading for Hwa-eun’s forgiveness, even the last traces of sleepiness vanished completely.
『‘I am so sorry.’
‘I understand. If something important happened, it can’t be helped. But you are alright, aren’t you? You mentioned poison…’
‘Yes, there don’t seem to be any serious consequences beyond the sleepiness, so please don’t worry.’
‘Well, you have trained in poison arts, so that is at least some comfort…’』

I thought she would be angry hearing I was poisoned, but surprisingly, Hwa-eun was quite composed.
Apparently, since my body had assimilated the venoms of four spirit-level poisonous beings, I was already somewhere between the Hundred-Poison and Thousand-Poison Realm.
Then, softly, in the group chat, Cheong-yu Sojeo’s voice joined in.
– Sia. (Ahem, is everyone finished talking? This is Cheong-yu. There is something I must say.)
‘Ah, Cheong-yu Sojeo.’
‘Ah, today is the full moon, isn’t it?’

As Cheong-yu Sojeo appeared in the group chat, I suddenly recalled—it was the night of the full moon.
She had likely just switched places with King Lockjaw, and interrupting our conversation, she spoke urgently.
– Siaaa! (That is not important right now. Sir So, whatever is in that village is not some minor Blood Cult operative!)
‘Not the Blood Cult?’
‘You mean it’s not the Blood Cult?’
– Siii. (Yes, Sir So. You recently captured the vice-captain of the Blood Yin Unit, correct?)
‘That’s right?’
– Siaa, sii. (When I was still with the Five Venoms Sect, I studied the Blood Cult intently in order to take control of them. I know that group well. The vice-captain of the Blood Yin Unit never operates beyond their borders. They remain inside Blood Cult territory.)
‘Then… what is it?’

Out of all of us, Cheong-yu Sojeo possessed the most knowledge about the Blood Cult. If she said it, it had to be true. She urged me further.
– Siaaaa! (So-ryong, are you awake right now? Then look outside! Under the full moon!)

I opened my eyes and moistened a finger to make a small hole in the paper window.
I felt reluctant to go outside for some reason, but what I saw through that tiny hole left me stunned.
Every lantern hanging between the houses had transformed into a red lantern, and the rooftops and courtyards were dyed a deep red—as if blood had been poured over everything.
‘W-what is this!?’

As I gasped inwardly, Cheong-yu Sojeo’s voice echoed in the group chat.
– Siaaa. (When crimson flowers bloom under the full moon, enticing people into dreams and deceptions, the ancients named it this: Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly.)

Under the moonlight, a crimson form spread its vast wings and floated through the air.
From above, a red powder drifted down like snow.