Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 350

Chapter 350
Having earned a considerable sum in Sosang Village, Taiheo lost no time in making his way to the brothel in Goechon. That amount of coin guaranteed him another month of lavish living. In a high-class establishment in Yeongcheonbu, so close by, such a sum wouldn’t cover a single evening, but Goechon was merely a humble fishing village. The brothel here primarily served fishermen, so its rates were modest. Furthermore, the courtesans were generally older or young women who lacked beauty. Consequently, for just five silver taels, one could rent a private room for a full month.

“After being cooped up in that foul-smelling place, I deserve a proper bath tonight at the very least,” he muttered to himself.

Hurrying down the nighttime path, Taiheo reached the riverbank in Goechon. Up ahead, the brightly glowing lanterns of the brothel came into view. Once he arrived at the entrance, he called out loudly into the interior.

“Ahem! I will be taking the private room for another month. Have it prepared for me!”

“Oh my! Master Taoist, you’ve returned! And so early this time!”
“Kyaa, it’s the Taoist!”

When he requested his usual, the best private room, the courtesans cheered and flocked to his side. Taiheo puffed out his chest with pride. It was no surprise—even the courtesans attending other clients left them to come and welcome him. The twisted, displeased expressions on the faces of those abandoned customers were a sight that gave Taiheo immense satisfaction.

And so, with a courtesan on each arm, Taiheo entered the private room, drank copiously, and eventually fell asleep between them.

“Nngh.”

Taiheo woke the next morning with a throbbing head from the previous night’s indulgences, greeted by the soft, fragrant sensation of two bodies pressed against him. He opened his eyes to see the two courtesans still asleep, their robes loosened and falling open.

“Heheh, you little minxes.”

Just as his lustful hand began to stray toward the bosom of one sleeping courtesan, a woman’s voice sounded from outside the room.

“Master Taoist, are you awake?”
“Ah, yes, I’m up.”
“I will bring in your breakfast.”

It appeared breakfast was being delivered. Withdrawing his wandering hand, Taiheo decided to eat first.

-Smack!
“Wake up now.”
“Mmm…”

He lightly slapped the courtesans’ backsides to rouse them, and they slowly began to stir. While having breakfast accompanied by another round of liquor, one of the courtesans giggled and said,

“Try this as well, Master Taoist.”
“Mm, delicious. It tastes even better when you feed me.”
“This too, Master Taoist.”

As the courtesan placed a piece of meat in his mouth, another voice called from beyond the door.

“Master Taoist, may I enter?”

It was Ruju—an older courtesan who seldom made appearances. Her presence usually signified one thing. She had to be here about money. The brothel’s rule was to collect the initial payment in advance. Any extra expenses could be paid later, but the fee for the length of one’s stay had to be paid upfront. Since Taiheo had arrived last night without settling his bill, it was logical for her to come for it now.

“Yes, come in.”

Taiheo answered while taking a duck leg from a courtesan’s hand and stuffing it into his mouth. The door to the private room opened. He expected her to come alone to collect the payment, but instead, Ruju entered accompanied by a young courtesan.

In that moment, Taiheo’s eyes went wide.

A slender waist and pale skin. Delicately upturned eyebrows. And a generously proportioned figure. She was a woman who perfectly exemplified the ideals of a “noble peony” and “snowy skin and floral beauty.” “Noble peony” described a voluptuous and stunning woman, like the flower itself. “Snowy skin and floral beauty” portrayed a woman with skin white as snow and a face lovely as a blossom. She was the embodiment of both. Taiheo had never encountered a courtesan of such beauty in this village.

‘How did a beauty like this wind up in a place like this?’ he wondered inwardly.

As Taiheo privately marveled at her appearance, Ruju bowed politely and introduced the girl.

“Thank you for gracing us with your return, Master Taoist.”
“Yes, what is it? Is this about the payment?”
“Oh no, you have been a regular guest for months now. It is not that. Today, I brought this new girl to greet you. She has only just arrived.”

“Greet me?”

At the mention of a greeting, Taiheo’s face brightened. Here, if you rented the private room, you could request any courtesan you fancied. If this new girl appealed to him, he could certainly call for her to attend him.

“Alright, you, move over. Let her pour my drink,” Taiheo said cheerfully, pushing one of the courtesans aside.

The new girl stepped forward gracefully and filled his cup.
“My name is Gae-ae.”
“Good, very good.”

Extremely pleased, Taiheo reached out—one hand for the cup, the other drifting toward Gae-ae’s narrow waist. Then Ruju spoke in a tone half of laughter.

“Do she please you?”
“Of course! How could she not?”

How could she not? This was a caliber of beauty one expected only in the premier brothels of the capital, like Yeongcheonbu! Naturally, he was delighted. The feel of her slim waist beneath his palm, the gentle fragrance drifting from her skin… He thought he could truly enjoy this coming month.

Then Ruju added,
“But, Master Taoist, as you can see, her beauty is exceptional. We cannot allow just any fisherman to handle someone like her—it would diminish her worth. So if you wish for her to serve you, there is an additional fee.”

“An additional fee? Well, I suppose that’s reasonable…”

Indeed, such beauty could not be treated the same as the others. Taiheo nodded, considering. He had just earned five silver taels, and with what remained from before, he had about ten. How costly could a brothel in a tiny village like this possibly be? Keeping his expression casual, Taiheo asked,

“Alright, how much?”
“Ten silver taels for a month. Payment in advance, of course.”

Five silver taels for the room, and another ten just for her company? Even in this fishing village, that was a significant sum. Still, Taiheo maintained a neutral face.

As he deliberated, Gae-ae, now nestled in his embrace, leaned in closer and whispered softly into his ear.

[Master Taoist, you will purchase my time, won’t you? I have been yearning so deeply to serve you.]

Her voice was soul-melting, her breath warm against his ear. Unable to resist, Taiheo held her tightly and declared,

“Don’t you worry. I just need to fetch some ★𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭★ money, but I will definitely have you serve me.”

Taiheo’s mind was made up. He needed to visit that creature he had hidden away in the mountains. It had been acting disobedient lately, but right now, he was in desperate need of funds.

“Just wait a few days!”

***

The moment the sun dipped below the horizon, the fraudulent Taoist rushed out of the brothel in haste. I promptly roused Geom-ryong and Kwon-ryong, who were still trembling from their fear of the brothel and its courtesans, and we set off in pursuit without delay.

Simultaneously, I sent a message to Hwa-eun through our group chat. It was news that the Taoist was on the move.

“Hwa-eun, the Taoist has left.”
“He is leaving in less than a day?”

Hwa-eun, unable to comprehend why the Taoist would depart so soon, conveyed her disbelief. In my past life, men who were obsessed with women were often called “yeomisae,” and I suspected this one was of that type, so I understood his behavior.

“Yes, it seems the courtesan we provided for him performed her role well.”

This ultimately worked to our advantage. He had always operated on a monthly cycle, so now we did not have to wait. The Taoist was in such a rush that he never once glanced behind him, making him simple to track. He seemed completely unaware that he was being followed.

‘But why is he traveling at night?’

“I understand. Inform me when he enters the forest. I will depart at once with the kids.”
“Understood.”

We moved swiftly through the marketplace, past the village entrance, and onto the forest trail. The Taoist’s hurried pace made it easy for me to keep up and relay information to Hwa-eun.

“Hwa-eun, he is moving north from Goecheon, toward the slopes of Sungsan. I am sending Jeokwol into the sky.”
“Received! I am setting out with the kids now.”

Glancing back at the group, I said,
“Jeokwol, let me know if you spot Cho or Yeondu in the sky.”
Chi!

With a flutter of wings, Jeokwol soared upward to guide Hwa-eun and the others toward our position. I had Hyang, Hongdan, Seol, Bing, and Dong with me, but I required the larger kids for this task. The Taoist seemed to possess a creature the size of a millipede queen, and if it was already trained to obey him, it might even confront us. If the Taoist found himself cornered, he might order the creature to attack. That would mean a battle with a spiritual beast, and subduing one of those is no simple feat. That is why I wanted the bigger kids’ assistance—to contend with a spiritual beast of similar stature.

‘It would be best if there is no fight.’

Naturally, I had brought the kids as a precaution, but I sincerely hoped conflict could be avoided. The younger ones like Cho, Hyang, and Bini could recover from molting injuries, but some of the older kids, like Jeokwol and others, could not heal as readily. If they were injured and permanently lost parts of themselves, it would be a tragedy. I could not bear the thought.

There is a saying from my past life: a parent who lets their child be scarred will regret it for a lifetime. No matter how an injury occurs, a childhood scar can never be erased, and it serves as a constant reminder of the parent’s failure. So, if anything happened to one of the kids, I knew I would feel that anguish for the rest of my life. That is why I hoped a fight would not happen.

“Heading in that direction.”

Geom-ryong’s words pulled me from my thoughts. Looking ahead, I saw the Taoist’s back come into view. He had strayed from the main path and was heading down a trail that led into the mountains, a domain of wild beasts. We quickly followed his tracks, and soon arrived at a graveyard.

“This is a graveyard?”
“Yeah, it feels somewhat eerie.”

In Korea, anyone could raise a rounded burial mound, but here in Zhongyuan, only individuals of high status were permitted such graves. Typically, people were interred directly in the earth, with wooden or stone tablets marking the spots, and here, countless wooden tablets were planted across the broad area. If ordinary people were here, they would likely be frightened, but the Taoist’s footsteps led directly into the graveyard.

Abruptly, Hwa-eun’s voice resonated in my mind.
“So-ryong, Cho has sighted Jeokwol.”

It seemed Hwa-eun had arrived. Looking up, I saw Jeokwol flying high above, with Cho circling around her.
Tsrrr.
Kssst!

Then, I heard the calls of the kids nearby. Cho had attached herself to Hwa-eun, and Yeondu had coiled herself around Seol. Bini and the others were arriving as well.
Pii!
Tsrrut!
[Alright, everyone is here.]

I halted briefly to let the kids gather, then continued the pursuit just as Kwon-ryong, who had been scouting ahead following the Taoist, sprinted back to me through the darkness.
[So-ryong, it is just ahead. He has stopped.]

It appeared the Taoist had come to a halt. Looking where Kwon-ryong indicated, I saw a cluster of burial mounds—the graves of high-status individuals.
[Everyone, remain silent.]

I cautioned everyone as we neared the mounds. Soon, the Taoist’s voice became audible from within the grouping of graves.
“Have you been well?”
Kyu-ki.
“First, eat this. I brought some cabbage.”

Standing amidst the burial mounds, the Taoist looked down at the ground, pulling a bundle from which he offered a few cabbages. It was difficult to see clearly, but it seemed something was consuming them.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound of cabbage being chewed emerged from below.

To see what was happening, I needed to get closer. I slipped silently to the side and scaled one of the mounds, carefully moving upward.
“Come out and eat.”

Just as I positioned myself near the Taoist’s location, something large and dark erupted from the ground in front of him. It was a gigantic millipede, roughly the size of Bini, coiling itself before the Taoist, its body marked with red stripes.

‘Gyaaaah!’

The creature, with its black body and red patterns, was a truly terrifying sight.