Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 349

Chapter 349
At my signal, Bini cocked her head and inquired,
-Tsrrut? 『Father, you wish to excavate this spot?』
“Correct. I suspect a passage may lie beneath. Would you investigate for me?”
-Tsrrr. 『Understood, Father.』
“Proceed with caution; the area is quite warm, alright?”
-Tsrrut! 『Yes!』
After I outlined the reason for digging, Bini answered with enthusiasm.
The moment she finished and prepared to break ground, Orange darted in front of her, cutting her off.
-Ska!
-Tsrrut?
His expression seemed to ask why Bini should do it when he was present and ready.
His gaze clearly stated, “Allow me.”
He thumped his chest with his tail while stealing a glance at Yeondu, clearly aiming to appear impressive in her eyes. I gave a nod of agreement.
Naturally, one man should assist another.
Upon reflection, Bini excelled in rocky landscapes, but for this type of loose earth, Orange was the more suitable choice.
Orange was, after all, a Ji-yeong Snake, capable of moving through the earth as if swimming.
For searching in this soft soil, Orange was undoubtedly superior to Bini.
“You’re intervening so Bini avoids getting muddy?”
-Skat!
“Orange, that’s very considerate and impressive of you.”
-S, Skat.
Choosing my words carefully to avoid offending Bini, I praised him just loudly enough for Yeondu to hear. Orange, appearing flustered, wriggled awkwardly and bumped me with his tail.
Embarrassed, he suddenly sprang forward and began to dig near the smoldering, crimson remnants of the fire.
-Kwadeuduk.
As he burrowed, the earth around him undulated like liquid, swallowing his entire form without a trace.
I was still gazing at the spot where Orange had vanished when a voice questioned me,
“Is there something below the ground?”
“Something is down there?”
I realized I hadn’t provided a proper explanation yet, so I smiled and answered,
“Yes. I believe a truly exceptional beauty resides down there, one capable of captivating every male millipede.”
“A beauty?”
“A beauty?”
“A beauty? There?”
The word “beauty” caused everyone’s eyes to widen in surprise.
Responding to the curious queries from Hwa-eun, Sister Seol, and Ji-ryong, I nodded and went on,
“Indeed. Recall what I said about mature female millipedes emitting a scent to attract males?”
“That’s correct.”
“Yes, you mentioned that, So-ryong.”
“The village chief stated that everything here had turned black and died, correct? That implies millipedes were present. The area blackened because the millipedes consumed the decaying plant matter. If that’s true, it means females were luring males to this location. However, ordinary females wouldn’t possess the power to summon males from such a great distance. While the scent can travel far, its potency is typically insufficient to mobilize all the males simultaneously. This indicates… a unique individual must exist, one powerful enough to attract males even from afar. Therefore, the deduction is—a phenomenal beauty, able to enchant every male, must be here.”
“Ahh…”
“Explained that way, it sounds quite logical.”
Precisely.
If this place had blackened, millipedes must have been here.
It could have been several females releasing pheromones, but the stronger possibility felt like a single, remarkable specimen.
Perhaps akin to the Hwa-eun of the millipede realm, one of the Three Blossoms of Murim?
‘This is thrilling. It must be a spiritual beast, surely?’
The mere thought made my pulse quicken with anticipation.
I was incredibly eager to witness what sort of beauty it would be.
The feeling was similar to the excitement before a first meeting with a potential partner.
It was like messaging someone after an introduction and eagerly imagining the person you are about to meet.
‘What will her appearance be? What will her size be?’
At that moment.
Everyone was observing the quivering ground with bated breath when abruptly a section of soil swelled upward and Orange erupted from it.
-S, Skat!
“Oh! Did you locate it!?”
He must have discovered something to emerge so violently.
Thrilled, I hurried toward Orange, but after only a few paces, I sensed something was amiss.
Orange immediately began thrashing on the ground the instant he emerged.
-Skaaa!
It sounded like a cry of agony.
Something was clearly wrong.
I dashed over to examine him but halted before getting too close.
A foul odor radiated from him—a horrific, overpowering stench emanating from the hole he had exited.
‘Damn it! Naturally, a millipede’s tunnel would reek!’
It struck me that millipede burrows could have an awful smell.
I instantly yelled to the others.
“Did anyone notice a stream or similar water source near here on our way in!?”
I urgently asked if they had spotted any water along the route.
Then Cho, hovering above my head, gestured toward a direction.
-Tsrrrut! 『Father, that way!』
I shouted urgently to Orange, who was convulsing on the ground.
“Orange! Endure it and move this way! Everyone else! Keep watch near the hole—something might emerge! The rest of you, stay vigilant as well! Cho, lead the way!”
-Tsrrr!
Something might crawl out, though it seemed unlikely since the millipedes appeared to be gone. Still, caution was wise.
Attending to the injured Orange was the priority.
Following Cho’s directions, I swiftly gathered up Orange and sprinted toward the water.
Fortunately, a stream was nearby.
The instant he saw it, Orange plunged into the water frantically.
-Splash.
Flailing in the current, Orange struggled wildly.
I leaped in after him and hastily used my sleeve to clean his eyes and snout.
“Orange, are you alright? Check your eyes—are they injured?”
-Ska.
The millipede’s stench was notorious for clinging tenaciously to skin, and initially, it resisted washing away. But perhaps due to Orange’s sleek serpent scales, when I ripped up some grass and scrubbed him, the odor diminished quicker than anticipated.
Soon after, the smell had vanished entirely, and Orange settled down.
However, he looked completely spent, as though the entire episode had sapped all his energy.
Seeing his listless demeanor, I asked with concern,
“Are you injured anywhere?”
Millipedes could also be venomous—if something below had poisoned him, it could be grave.
I inquired if anything else pained him, but Orange merely hung his head in dejection.
-S, Ska…
His body shook as if he were on the verge of tears.
Witnessing this, I understood immediately.
He had sustained an injury—a blow to his masculine pride.
‘So that’s it. His pride was wounded…’
He had aimed to appear impressive before Yeondu, only to end up humiliated instead.
The shame must have been profound.
I wordlessly gave his back a gentle pat.
It was then I detected a soft noise close by.
-Shaa?
Turning my head with Orange, we saw Yeondu observing us from the bank above.
-Ska!?
Orange was alarmed at the sight.
Even if I was sometimes oblivious to certain things, I was an expert at detecting romantic undercurrents.
I quickly clambered up the bank, moved past Yeondu, and whispered,
[Yeondu, Orange is very fond of you and wanted to make a good impression. He’s completely disheartened because he feels he humiliated himself. Could you offer him some encouragement?]
-Sha, Shaa?
Yeondu appeared startled by my words, but as I walked a short distance ahead, she slid down the bank.
I quietly crept back and peered from behind the bank.
Yeondu approached Orange and started gently licking his eyes with her tongue.
-Shaya.
Orange flushed deeply.
-S, Skaa…
Their tails drifted on the water’s surface, shyly touching each other, then gradually intertwined.
It wasn’t complete mating yet, but a connection had certainly been forged.
‘An unforeseen benefit, is it?’
It seemed I might be seeing young snakes before long.
***
Leaving the two to their moment, I went back to the clearing. The vile odor rising from the hole had lessened somewhat, and the group, along with the venomous creatures, were taking turns inspecting the opening.
“So-ryong, you’re drenched. Is Orange alright?”
As I approached, Hwa-eun’s concerned voice reached me as she came closer to look me over.
“Yes, I believe it’s merely the smell that transferred to me.”
“What a relief. You gave me quite a scare.”
“I ought to have been more cautious. That error was mine.”
“There’s no noise from within, and nothing has emerged. Bini attempted to enter, but she said the odor made it impossible. What is our next step?”
“Once Orange returns, we can inquire about the hole’s dimensions. That will provide a hint about the creature residing there.”
Tracking through the hole would have been ideal, but the potent smell rendered the other creatures unable to follow the trail.
Thus, pursuit became an exceedingly difficult prospect.
As I dried my clothing, Ji-ryong rekindled the fire. While the flames grew and I draped my outer garments on a branch, Yeondu and Orange returned.
“Orange, are you well?”
“Orange, are you okay?”
-Ska! Skaat!
He had resembled a toy with exhausted batteries, but now he was vibrant with energy, seemingly fully restored. I wondered if I had been like that when Hwa-eun and I became a pair. I addressed Orange,
“So, Orange, what is the size of the tunnel inside?”
-Skaat. Ska.
-Syaa. 『He reports it is as wide as his own body.』
From Cho’s interpretation, the tunnel’s occupant seemed to be approximately the size of Orange, the Ji-yeong Snake.
It certainly felt like a spiritual beast.
I had never encountered a millipede of such magnitude.
But the smell complicated the pursuit. This meant waiting for the creature to emerge voluntarily.
As I considered this, Ji-ryong spoke.
“So-ryong, it appears we’ve learned all we can here. Perhaps we should turn to Do-ryong. I instructed Gye-seong to follow the Taoist. Maybe he will encounter a millipede.”
It was entirely possible to meet someone dispatched here while we were pulling back.
I hurried to get the others onto the boat before sunset, but the news awaiting us on board was disappointing.
My elder brother and his wife had returned by boat and informed me the Taoist had secluded himself in a brothel once more.
He was utterly captivated by the courtesans.
“He went directly to the brothel late at night. He didn’t venture anywhere else. For now, Geom-ryong and Kwon-ryong are surveilling the brothel from a nearby inn.”
“It seems he spends his money at the brothel, and once it’s depleted, he moves on. We will likely have to wait a while.”
As Ji-ryong noted, the Taoist wouldn’t budge until his funds were exhausted. So it appeared we were in for a wait.
Just then, I heard a sound beside me.
-Ska.
Orange had procured a flower from somewhere and was presenting it to Yeondu.
‘He’s certainly committed. Orange, you are quite the character.’
The timing felt right.
A plan swiftly formed in my mind.
If he only moved when his money was gone, then why not expedite that process?
When a man is infatuated with a woman, like Orange, he would gladly surrender everything, even his most vital organs, so I resolved to leverage that.
I smiled at the group and declared,
“If he only moves once his money is spent, then let us accelerate that.”
“His money?”
“His funds?”
“How, So-ryong?”
“I believe I can request assistance from a friend I recently acquired.”
“Ah!”
“Ah, I understand!”
A few days prior, I had befriended a kindred spirit, Eunbi, the head of the Hao-mun Yeong-cheon branch. She also managed the brothel labor union.
If anyone could aid us, it was her.
What if we dispatched a courtesan who could make the Taoist utterly smitten, and then relieve him of his money?
Before sunrise, I took a boat to Yeong-cheon and went straight to the brothel.
Given that the establishment operated through the night.
“So-ryong, what brings you here at this hour?”
Naturally, I could meet Eunbi, but arriving before dawn, she regarded me with a puzzled look.
“I’ve come to ask a favor.”
“A favor?”
“Actually, I’ve encountered some trouble regarding the Shaolin…”
I detailed the situation, and she smiled.
“Shall I have them prompt a departure by tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?”
-Snap.
With a snap of her fingers, the door opened, and a courtesan entered the chamber.
My view was obstructed by Hwa-eun and Sister Seol, but the courtesan appeared confident and assertive.
Eunbi instructed her,
“Proceed to the brothel in Goechon and empty the Taoist’s purse.”
“Understood, Eunbi.”
I dispatched the courtesan to Goechon’s brothel, and true to plan, that very night, the Taoist began to move beyond the brothel’s walls.
“The brothel truly is a perilous place.”
“Indeed, you can say that again.”
Kwon-ryong and Geom-ryong shook their heads, watching the Taoist depart the village.