Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 318

Chapter 318
The defensive arrangement was a bit over the top—no, it was completely over the top.
The children had established a perimeter so tight that not a single insect could hope to penetrate it.
But that was merely the beginning. As if that were just a prelude, the environment around us started to shift—gradually yet unmistakably.
The house and its surroundings were being reshaped by Jeokwol-noona’s butterfly dust into a dense, sprawling forest.
In an instant, the world beyond the door had been replaced by thick woodland.
Ground, air, concealment, and even an illusion barrier.
It seemed so thoroughly secure that it felt like overkill.
I offered the kids a gentle smile and suggested they might consider scaling it back just a bit.
Purely as a precaution, of course.
“Hey, don’t you think this is a little excessive? Maybe just keep watch on the immediate vicinity?”
My main concern was the possibility that the Blood Cult might send someone to look into the disappearance of one of their scout teams—or that a few stragglers might still be in the area.
However, based on our current information, the local Blood Cult presence had already been neutralized.
Last time, that woman Nan-hwa claimed that only her unit was active in this territory.
Assuming she was being truthful.
And while I truly valued their fierce desire to keep me safe, seeing it all assembled like this, I had to side with Sister Seol—it was genuinely a bit much.
Cho and Yeondu circled above like a pair of fighter jets, with the stealthy Jeokwol-noona concealed between them.
On the ground, Cheongyu’s serpent infantry had the entire area surrounded, every unit hidden and blended into the environment—no one would suspect the place was guarded.
If an intruder did get through, they would first face the tank-like Orange at the front; if they passed her, Bini would become my shield while Hyang protected the rear.
And up on the ceiling? The assassin-class Yo-hwa was lying in wait.
No matter which Blood Cult member decided to appear, this was sheer overkill.
Yet all the children instantly refused in unison.
–Tssrrr!
–Pii!
–Kssht!
Their cries all but shouted, *What are you talking about? No way!*
I glanced at Sister Seol with my hands raised in a silent gesture of surrender, as if to say, *See? I’m outvoted here.*
“If I remove even one of them, they’ll absolutely pout…”
Judging by their expressions, the kids were buzzing with excitement—to them, this whole operation probably felt like play.
They were delighted to be working together on something like this.
So if I left any one of them out now, they would hold a grudge forever.
“Sigh… I suppose it has to be this way? I mean, you can never be too safe, right?”
True. When it comes to security, more is always better.
I nodded and turned my attention to Seol, Bing, and Dong-i, who were waiting close by—just then, Hwa-eun’s voice called out.
“What in the world happened here? The whole area became a forest, and I got lost on my way back. This is Jeokwol’s doing, isn’t it?”
She must have just finished in the kitchen and was astonished by the transformed scenery on her return.
When Hwa-eun entered the room and saw the complete defensive setup, her expression was one of pure astonishment.
“They’re all standing guard for me while I cultivate.”
The children flinched at Hwa-eun’s arrival.
They likely expected to be reprimanded.
After all, in this household, Hwa-eun was the ultimate authority figure they feared most.
But against all expectations, Hwa-eun didn’t scold them—instead, she gave them praise.
“Oh my, how wonderful. Yes, you must protect your daddy. Everyone, you’re doing a fantastic job!”
–Tssrrt!
–Pii!
She seemed so moved to see them all guarding together.
Cho, Hyang, and Bini had all been so very small once, and now they were big enough to protect their father—it filled her with pride as well.
If I found it heartwarming, I could only imagine how endearing they looked to Hwa-eun, who constantly spoiled them.
With their mother’s full endorsement secured, the children erupted into triumphant cries that filled the room.
–Tssrrr!
–Tssst!
“Well then, I suppose it’s time we began.”
Since the formation was staying, there was no reason to delay any longer.
It was time to attempt the Five-Poison Realm.
I looked over at Seol, Bing, and Dong-i and called them over.
“Come here.”
–Kyuit!
–Ggukkuuu.
–Kuuu.
They had been grooming each other and now hurried over to me.
I paused to consider which one to register first, then lifted Dong-i into my arms.
I still didn’t know if Dong-i was a grandson or a granddaughter.
But I assumed that once I entered the spiritual landscape, I would discover the truth.
Sister Seol and Hwa-eun seemed to believe Dong-i was male, but the little one was still too young for anyone to be certain.
“Alright, Dong-i. Let’s have a look and see who you really are, shall we?”
As I cradled Dong-i, they licked the corner of my mouth.
I closed my eyes calmly and activated the Beast Heart Technique.
As my awareness began to fade, I felt myself slowly sinking into my spiritual realm.
Let’s go, Five-Poison Realm!
***
A sensation of weight pressed down.
On my head, to be precise.
‘Why does my head feel so heavy?’
This was a new experience.
As I started to regain consciousness, the first thing I felt was the immense pressure on my skull.
When I managed to open my eyes, I found myself in a narrow cavern.
This was a spiritual realm utterly unlike any I had seen before.
My previous ones had been vast and open—but this place was confined, lengthy, and dim.
Luminous stones embedded in the ceiling provided a faint glow, preventing total darkness, but the details of the surroundings were barely perceptible.
I cradled my throbbing head and waited until, gradually, the pressure subsided.
Once the heaviness lifted, I started to make my way through the cave.
“I’ve never encountered anything like this.”
The odd thing was, Dong-i had been born in our home and had never laid eyes on a cave such as this.
Yet their spiritual landscape took this form.
I reasoned it must be because they were a genuine spiritual beast.
As I proceeded along the cave, a light became visible in the distance.
“I should hurry. They might be scared and crying…”
If Dong-i had been drawn into this realm and was frightened, I needed to get to them quickly.
When I finally stepped out of the cave, I was met by a sight I recognized.
An unusual space enclosed by steep cliff faces.
It was the very place where I had first encountered Seol and Bing.
“Huh? This is…”
Up ahead, I spotted a familiar large rock.
The one that had served as a home for Seol and Bing before.
Feeling a wave of nostalgia, I ran toward it.
And there, I found three figures.
“Three of them!?”
A woman with silver hair, a man with silver hair—
And a silver-haired girl who appeared to be about six years old, gazing directly at me.
“Are you… Seol, Bing, and Dong-i?”
Strangely, even though I had only used Dong-i’s saliva for the registration, all three of them had manifested within my spiritual realm.
***
As So-ryong slipped into a meditative state, both Hwa-eun and Seol were taken aback by what happened next.
So-ryong had been holding a jar, which he placed on Hwayang’s head, meaning to set it down safely—but at that exact moment, Seol and Bing also fell unconscious.
Their heads slumped forward into a bowing position, and upon inspection, it was clear they had both lost consciousness as well.
“Unni, Seol and Bing have collapsed too.”
“What? All three at the same time?”
The way they dropped like the jar made Hwa-eun and Seol exchange looks of wide-eyed surprise.
“It can’t be, did all three of them—?”
“It seems that way, doesn’t it?”
Ordinarily, the process of registering a beast using Mind-Link Martial Arts was performed individually.
They had never witnessed three links occurring simultaneously and were visibly alarmed. Then Seol suddenly exclaimed, her face lighting up with understanding.
“Ah! Weren’t they all licking each other just a little while ago?”
The technique is formally called a “mind link,” but what So-ryong called registration—connecting with a beast via Mind-Link Martial Arts—requires ingesting blood or saliva to form the bond.
This meant that prior to the link, blood or saliva must be consumed. And now that she thought about it, Seol, Bing, and Dong had been grooming one another moments before.
It appeared their saliva had mingled in the process.
“Wait, so—?”
“Their saliva must have gotten mixed together.”
“Will they be alright?”
Hwa-eun asked, her worry plain to see.
“The Beast Palace archives actually contain records of individuals linking with multiple animals at once. Some of our predecessors attempted to connect with entire wolf packs or colonies of rats in a single session.”
It wasn’t as if multi-beast linking had never been attempted in Beast Palace history.
There had been efforts to register packs of wolves simultaneously, and even an elder who tried to bond with a swarm of rats.
When she said this, Hwa-eun wrung her hands anxiously and asked again.
“Did they succeed?”
“Well, you see…”
Seol hesitated, and Hwa-eun covered her mouth, her eyes widening.
She clearly anticipated that the news was not good.
So Seol swiftly added an explanation, not wanting to cause Hwa-eun undue distress.
“Ah, no—what I mean is, they did manage to establish the link. But afterwards, they began to behave like the animals—like wolves or rats. However, they did eventually return to their senses.”
Although the word “eventually” was carrying a significant burden in that sentence.
The one who linked with the wolves took three months to recover.
The one with the rats? Three years.
But Seol chose to keep those specifics to herself.
They might be fine, and there was no reason to make Hwa-eun anxious over possibilities.
“That’s… a relief.”
“Y-yes. I’m sure it will be draining for them, but didn’t you mention they all met in the mind realm not long ago? Let’s just hope for a positive outcome.”
Seol looked at the unconscious So-ryong and the three linked beasts with their eyes closed, thinking to herself.
At least these were spiritual beasts capable of human-like thought. Even if their minds became intertwined, it likely wouldn’t be too severe.
Probably.
***
“‘He isn’t with the Peng Clan?’
‘Correct. The Peng Clan is currently celebrating the engagement of their young lord to a daughter of the Ak Clan, and it appears Wei Su Long is not in attendance.’
‘Then where is that wretched bastard?’
‘When the young lord returned to the Peng Clan, we obtained information from the coachman who drove the carriage for the Dragon Fangs. He overheard a conversation mentioning that someone was waiting at the Yellow River.’
‘That bastard Wei Su Long owned a boat, did he not?’
‘Yes, Lord.’
‘Then that vessel is undoubtedly waiting on the Yellow River. Send people to search along the tributaries and toward the Peng Clan—he might still be in that area.’
‘Understood!’”
Binghyeol Nanhwa, commander of the Bloodshade Unit, sat in deep contemplation, recalling the orders issued several days prior.
She had just finished composing and dispatching a letter to the Five Venoms Sect when the brothel’s madam hurried in, looking urgent.
Her expression was bright—she had evidently located Wei Su Long.
“Commander! We’ve found him!”
Just as she had hoped. Nanhwa’s face brightened as she replied.
“Excellent. Where is he?”
“He’s anchored beneath a willow tree near Bojeong. There is a boat and a bamboo raft stationed there!”
“You located the boat. Did you sight him?”
“Only boatmen were on the vessel, and they were cautious—we couldn’t obtain any details about their destination. However, after making inquiries nearby, we verified that the boat’s owner recently rented a house in the village.”
“Rented a house?”
At these words, Nanhwa tapped the table with her fingernail.
Renting a house in a village introduced numerous variables to consider.
She would need to track the patterns of local traffic, the movements of any patrol guards, and investigate each one to plan an assassination. The crucial question was—could she complete the preparations and eliminate Wei Su Long before the Dragon Fangs returned?
There was a shortage of skilled operatives available at the moment. If the Dragon Fangs returned too quickly, they might not even get an opportunity to strike.
“Damn… a village means far too many factors to manage. This is becoming troublesome.”
Just as she muttered this with a tinge of regret, the madam smiled and offered more information.
“Oh, there’s no need for concern. The house he rented is isolated, situated behind the village on a quiet mountain trail—it’s very rare for anyone to pass by there.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, Commander.”
A secluded house on a lonely mountainside behind the village…
Nanhwa thought to herself.
It seems this is where that bastard Wei Su Long meets his end.
With no witnesses around, it was an ideal situation for them.
Nanhwa allowed a grin to curl her lips as she issued the command.
“So Wei Su Long’s time has run out. Mobilize everyone. We are formulating a plan to eliminate him.”
“Yes, Commander!”
One hour later, luxurious carriages departed Beijing, racing down the government road in the direction of Bojeong.
They were filled with operatives of the Blood Cult.