Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 317

Chapter 317
– Chirp chirp. Chirp.
Birds sang from the trees lining the mountain trail in a harmonious chorus.
After walking for about fifteen minutes along the path, a small, four-walled courtyard residence came into view midway up the slope.

“This should be a very peaceful and quiet place for your stay. There’s a detached wing as well, so one more person can live here comfortably. And just as you asked, it includes a large storeroom.”
The broker gestured toward the property, which consisted of a main house, a separate annex, and the storage building.
He walked toward the gate as he continued speaking.
“The owner only comes here occasionally during the summer to rest. It’s usually rented to visitors enjoying the Yellow River or those here for their health, so it has been very well maintained.”

True to his word, the property was in excellent condition.
Though it had been unoccupied for some time, the yard was clean and the weeds were neatly trimmed—even deep in the mountains.

“The view is also quite beautiful. From the pavilion, you can even see the young master’s boat.”
“Oh, you’re right! Hwa-eun, look.”
“It truly is a lovely sight.”
Just as he said, when we climbed up to the pavilion at the edge of the yard near the cliff, we could see the boat anchored in the river below and even make out Geumdo clearly.

While Hwa-eun and I were admiring the view, the broker leaned closer to me and whispered.
“It’s a quiet location, far from the village—hardly anyone passes by. It’s perfect for the two of you to spend some quality time together. Who knows, you might leave as three instead of two. Hehe.”
He finished with a sly grin and a wink.

“Three? Ah… ahem…”
In the Central Plains, it was already suspicious enough for an unmarried man and woman to rent a place together for two months.
That was simply the way of this world.
So when we first met, I had introduced us as married—and clearly, he had taken that to heart.
He likely assumed we were a wealthy young couple on a romantic retreat along the Yellow River.
Had he known we were from the Tang Clan in Sichuan, he wouldn’t have behaved this familiarly.
But since I hadn’t disclosed anything—just in case the Blood Cult or the Five Venoms Sect had spies nearby—he was being especially… forward.

His remark left me slightly flustered.
Especially since the emotional warmth from giving her the lily and hearing Hwa-eun’s response hadn’t yet faded.
‘I can barely look her in the eye right now.’

“Ahem… I see.”
But before I could say anything, Hwa-eun spoke up first.
Her cheeks slightly flushed, she asked me,
“So-ryong, w-what do you think?”
“I-I like it. Very much.”
We both sounded awkward. The broker smiled and murmured to himself,
“Ah, how sweet. It’s a wonderful time in life… a wonderful time.”
He seemed to be enjoying the moment more than we were.

Blushing, Hwa-eun rubbed her cheek with the back of her hand, then nodded to the broker.
“We’ll take this one. For two months.”
“An excellent choice, Lady Seol. Let’s prepare the agreement then.”
Smiling, the broker brought out his bundle and began setting out brush and ink.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll fetch some water. You can draw from that well—it’s mountain spring water, very fresh and clean.”

As he went to the well to prepare the ink, Hwa-eun turned to me with a shy smile.
“Once the agreement is finished, you should return to the boat and rest. I’ll bring the others, clean up the house a little, and purchase what we need.”
“Shouldn’t I help?”
“Managing the household is the woman’s responsibility. I’ll be alright.”

The reason we were suddenly seeking a house wasn’t to follow up on the gift of the lily.
‘As much as I might wish otherwise.’
We weren’t in need of a newlywed home.
The real reason was to find a quiet place to stay until my older brother returned—and to break through to the Five-Poison Realm in peace.
Once Seol, Bing, and Dong were registered, I would enter a meditative dream state. That typically lasted around two weeks.
So we required a stable and secluded location, safer than a rocking boat.
Entering a typical trance would have been possible even aboard the boat, but because this was an advancement to the Five-Poison Realm, Hwa-eun had insisted we find a house. The risk of Qi deviation on an unsteady vessel was too high.
That’s why we had come to this small mountain village behind the nearest city—to secure a dwelling for this purpose.

After a short wait, the broker returned with water and ground the ink. Hwa-eun signed the contract under the name “Seol Hwa-eun”—an alias—and so began our quiet life in the four-walled courtyard.

***

That same evening, just after sunset, I made my way to the house with the kids.
Since it was a rental, I couldn’t let them inside for fear they might damage something, which was precisely why we had rented a place with a storeroom.
By the time we arrived, someone had likely already spread soft straw bedding in the storage area for them.

As we walked the forest path, the children were visibly excited.
– Tssrrr.
– Pii!
– Kyoot!
Having been confined for a while, they were absolutely delighted to be out in the open.
Ever since returning from the Ventilation Hall, we had been cooped up in the bamboo house on Geumdo for about a week while searching for a place to live.
We had remained hidden indoors the entire time to avoid being seen.
“Do you like it that much?”
– Shiaa.
– Skaa.
Cheongyu and Orange followed behind, with Yeondu hopping along cheerfully.

Then, suddenly, a light appeared ahead of us.
As it drew nearer, the children scattered in every direction.
We had agreed earlier that if we met anyone on the path, they would hide immediately.
After a brief wait, a lantern arrived—and behind it, a familiar voice called out.
“So-ryong.”
“Ah, Sister Seol?”
I had been concerned it might be someone else, but fortunately, it was her.
“Kids, it’s your aunt. You can come out now.”

At her voice, Yo-hwa lowered herself from a tree on her silk thread, and Jeokwol-noona drifted down silently from the shadows to rest on my shoulder.
Cho, Yeondu, and Cheongwol emerged from the woods, the smaller ones clinging to the larger ones as they appeared.
Sandan wasn’t with us, of course—she was always with Hwa-eun.

“Were you going back to the boat?”
“No, I came to meet all of you.”
“Then let’s walk back together.”
“Alright.”

We started toward the rented house with Sister Seol leading the way, lantern in hand.
Partway there, she glanced back at me and asked,
“So-ryong, how is your mental state?”
She was likely checking on my condition in preparation for the upcoming breakthrough.
“It’s fine now.”
I had been experiencing two types of mental strain.
One came from the group communication opened through the Four-Poison Realm.
The other was the pressure resulting from advancing my Beast Heart Technique.
Initially, the group chat was extremely overwhelming, but by now I had grown accustomed to it—so much so that I could tune it out when focusing on something else.
And the mental pressure from the Beast Heart Technique’s progression had also faded quickly, returning to normal.
So I was now in a condition to attempt the Five-Poison Realm.

“Your internal injuries?”
“I believe they’ve healed.”
The injuries Sister Seol referred to were from when Sandan poisoned me and I had to forcefully reverse my Qi flow to resist.
It hadn’t been serious, and after about three days of rest, I had recovered completely—so that wasn’t a problem either.

Hearing my answer, Sister Seol nodded, then spoke with a resolved expression.
“Good. Then let’s begin tonight.”
“Understood.”
She had been monitoring my physical condition daily anyway, so this was her way of confirming we could proceed.
I too had been looking forward to the Five-Poison Realm for a long time, so I nodded in agreement.

After walking a bit further along the forest path with Sister Seol and the kids, we reached the front of the house.
A pleasant aroma was drifting from inside.
“Mmm. Something smells good.”
At first, I thought she must have bought food and brought it back.
She had mentioned going down to the market in the village at the mountain’s base to get a few things.
But the answer I received was unexpected.
“Hwa-eun has been cooking since early evening.”
“Hwa-eun?”
“Mm-hm.”

Hwa-eun’s cooking.
She had occasionally packed prepared meals during travels, but I had never actually eaten anything she cooked herself.
On the boat, the crew usually handled meals. Outside, we bought food.
When the crew wasn’t around, our “cooking” amounted to little more than grilling pre-prepared meat.
The scent was quite promising, but the fact it was Hwa-eun’s cooking stirred both anticipation and worry.
I wasn’t sure if a young lady from a martial clan would truly know how to cook.
Most women in this era could manage basic housework and cooking, but those from martial clans were often exceptions.
Also, I recalled something a pastor once said when I was a child.
At church, they used to visit homes for blessings, and he mentioned that the hardest visits were always to newlyweds.
The reason, he said, was that as a pastor, he couldn’t lie—yet in those homes, you had to say the food was good.
Now Hwa-eun was somewhat playing the role of a new bride, so the situation felt strangely familiar.
That’s why I felt both nervous and hopeful.
But remembering that childhood memory, I thought—well, I should just say it’s good.
If even a pastor felt compelled to fib, surely I could as well.

My stomach was rumbling, so I naturally began heading toward the kitchen.
But when we arrived, I couldn’t go in immediately—because the kids were bustling about, investigating every corner of the house.
I had to keep an eye on them to ensure they didn’t cause any trouble.
『–Tssrrr. (Big Sis Cho, this must be where we’re staying. Ooh, look at this! There’s a well!)
–Tsst. (Dad said this is a borrowed house, so don’t break anything. Especially you, Bini.)
–Tssr. (Hmph. Got it. But already with the nagging…)』
After exploring a bit, the kids eventually gathered at the storage building.
The storage area prepared for them stood wide open, with a thick layer of soft straw spread across the floor.
–Tsst! (This must be our spot!)
–Pii!? (Haa!?)
They investigated the spacious room and each found a place to settle.
Some rolled in the straw, some simply closed their eyes where they were—they seemed ready to rest.

Seeing they were settled, I turned and headed to the kitchen.
“Hwa-eun?”
Inside, there was no apron—this was the Central Plains, after all—but Hwa-eun had tied her skirt up around her waist and was busy working on something.
Her nose was lightly dusted with white flour.
‘Wow. Adorable.’
My heart fluttered at how endearing she looked.
Hearing me, she turned and smiled.
“Oh, So-ryong. Just a moment, it’s almost ready. You must be hungry, right?”
“Take your time.”
From the smell alone, it was already promising.

After waiting a little and helping her carry the food to the room, I took a bite—and it was genuinely good.
“How is it?”
“It’s delicious. But when did you learn to cook?”
With all her martial arts training, she never had much time for cooking, so I was impressed.
Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she replied,
“After things were settled between us, I started learning gradually from Mother.”
So she had been preparing for marriage after all.
Touched by her consideration, I finished the meal.

After a short rest, I went to the storeroom to ask the kids for a favor in preparation.
『Cheongyu, I probably won’t be able to move for a while due to martial arts training, alright?
Can you summon the nearby snakes to guard us?
Don’t have them attack anyone directly, but if someone approaches the house, just let Hwa-eun know.』
–Shiaa. (Understood.)
–Tsst. (Dad, we’ll help protect it too!)
–Tssrrr! (Yeah, we’ll do our part!)
‘Right. With my girls on guard, I have nothing to worry about.’
I had only asked Cheongyu, but of course, the others insisted on helping as well.

Once I entered the room and sat cross-legged to prepare, Cheongyu—waiting outside—let out a low hiss that resonated through the mountain.
–Shiaaa!
At her call, snakes began to gather.
Pythons and other serpents that had been hiding in the house’s wall cracks or under nearby trees slid out into the courtyard.
–Shiaaa. Shiii.
As the Golden-Crowned Four-Fanged Queen issued orders, the snakes swiftly dispersed to their assigned positions.
Yo-hwa hung from the ceiling in the room where I was, and Cho, Yeondu, and Jeokwol-noona took to the skies.
At the entrance, Orange coiled himself into a protective spiral.
Behind me, Cheongyu stationed herself.
Bini wound herself loosely in a wide circle around me.
Hyang curled up tightly, her body wrapped in a coil.
And Hwayang perched calmly atop my crossed legs.
“Hwayang too?”
–Pii!
Sister Seol came in to check on my preparations and gave me a puzzled look.
“Kids… don’t you think this is a bit excessive?”
Truthfully, it really did seem a little overprotective.