Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 355

Chapter 355
“It appears your father has entered a profound state of realization. You must not jostle him or attempt to rouse him. Do you understand? To do so could cause him serious injury.”
The voice of the Abbot, Master Hyewon, whispered close to my ear.
He was instructing the children not to interrupt me, believing I was immersed in a moment of enlightenment.
But he was mistaken.
What was the mistake, you might ask?
I was not experiencing enlightenment at all.
That was precisely why I could still hear every word he was saying.
If I were truly submerged in a deep state of enlightenment, would I be able to overhear conversations like that?
I had merely shut my eyes for a moment while lost in my own thoughts, and the Abbot had misinterpreted my actions.
I considered opening my eyes to correct him, but the idea was too awkward, so I resolved to continue the pretense of being enlightened for the time being.
The children had already snapped into a state of high alert around me—it would be utterly mortifying to call them back and say, “Hey kids, your father isn’t actually enlightened.”
Not to mention, the Abbot would also be deeply embarrassed.
The head monk of Shaolin had just announced to everyone, “That young hero appears to have fallen into enlightenment,” and for me to suddenly jump up and say, “No, I’m not,” would be profoundly humiliating for him.
‘I’ll just keep up the act for now. Since my eyes are already closed, I might as well concentrate on my thoughts.’
And so, to preserve both my dignity and the Abbot’s, I kept my eyes shut and began to mentally review each of my children, one after another.
Cho, the spirit creature rooted in the Heavenly Flying Centipede.
Hyang, the Little Bloodflower Venomous Centipede.
Bini, the Silent Black Ghost Centipede.
Seol, Bing, and Dong—the lizards, known as Snow-Ice Stone Lizards.
Yoha, the Human-Faced Spider.
Hwayang, the Azure Fire Magma Toad.
Hongdan, the Black-Clawed Red Earwig.
Moji and Soji, the Silver Cocoon Moths.
Yeondu, the Heavenly Spirit Snake.
Juhwang, the Earth Swimming Divine Snake.
Cheongyu, a descendant of Nuwa, the Golden-Crowned Death King.
Cheongwol, the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion.
Jeokwol, the Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly.
Geumdo, the Millennium Golden Turtle.
Sandan, the Twin Blossom Orchid Mantis.
Ranghyang, the Scarlet-Black Earth Millipede.
And that little mischief-maker, Yeolbi, the Hot-Fart Beetle.
As the faces of the children passed through my mind one by one, I hadn’t anticipated anything, but then the words of Cheongyu Sojeo suddenly resurfaced.
『It was foretold that if your bond with the venomous creatures grows stronger, the gate will open.』
‘Your bond with the venomous creatures will grow stronger.’
But as I turned Cheongyu Sojeo’s words over in my mind, a question arose.
‘Do people usually say a bond grows “stronger”?’
Normally, you would say a bond grows deeper, not stronger.
Phrases like ‘a deep bond’ or ‘the bond deepens’—that is the common way to express it.
Yet here, the word used was stronger.
『It was foretold that if your bond with the venomous creatures grows stronger, the gate will open.』
Shouldn’t it have been:
『It was foretold that if your bond with the venomous creatures deepens, the gate will open.』
instead?
A bond growing stronger?
The wording made me pause.
‘Something doesn’t feel right about this.’
Why would it be “stronger”?
I struggled with this for some time but could not reach any further conclusion.
So I chose to set that particular question aside for the moment and focus on what I had just been taught.
Bond with venomous creatures.
As Master Hyewon had explained, all things in the universe operate on the principle of cause and condition: “cause” being the internal reason for an outcome, and “condition” being the external factor.
Applying that to the phrase…
Bond with venomous creatures.
This would mean that if the internal and external causes related to the venomous creatures become stronger, the gate will open.
To simplify it further, it is like cultivating a tree: you provide water and fertilizer, and when it grows robust, it flowers.
If you consider the venomous creatures as that tree, then when they are well-nurtured, the gate will open.
‘Wait a minute…? Something feels incorrect here.’
Sensing I had made a misstep somewhere, I backtracked to:
“If the internal and external causes connected to the venomous creatures grow stronger, the gate will open.”
That still seemed reasonable.
Just then, a voice echoed in my mind—it was Hwa-eun.
『So-ryong, how is everything progressing?』
Normally, her voice might have startled me, but in this moment, it felt like a deliverance.
Truthfully, I was feeling quite bored and desperately needed someone to talk this through with.
The timing was perfect—I decided to discuss it with Hwa-eun.
『I met with Master Hyewon and received his instruction. I’m reflecting on it now, but… it remains quite challenging.』
『Ah, so you met him and received the teaching?』
『Yes, but even after hearing it, I’m still uncertain. Hwa-eun, could you assist me in working through it?』
『Of course! I would be delighted to! What did he tell you?』
Hwa-eun sounded unusually pleased by my request for help.
I summarized the essence of what I had learned.
『He explained that karma and fate are the principles governing all movement in the world—divided into cause and condition. Cause is the internal reason for a result, and condition is the external one. He gave the example of growing a tree: the seed is the cause, while the water and soil are the conditions.』
『Hmm… internal and external causes… the seed, the water, the fertilizer.』
『Right, so I attempted to apply it: if the internal and external causes pertaining to the venomous creatures grow stronger, the gate will open.』
『Ah, so you reworded it based on his explanation? That is a very distinctive approach.』
Hwa-eun’s tone held a note of partial admiration.
Naturally.
That is the nature of mathematical thinking.
Although, to be honest, this kind of structured reasoning came to me much later in life—no wonder it felt somewhat advanced.
Still, I was growing anxious.
In my previous life, I had been dreadful at mathematics.
‘Please tell me I didn’t get this wrong… Oh, wait, I forgot to mention something.’
As I fretted slightly, I remembered.
That part about “grows stronger.”
『Oh, and Hwa-eun, do you recall what Cheongyu Sojeo said? That if the bond with the venomous creatures grows stronger, the gate will open. I’ve been thinking about it, and… isn’t that a little strange? Typically, after the word “bond,” you would expect “deepens,” not “grows stronger.”』
『Ah, you are right! Why would it be “grows stronger”? Cheongyu Sojeo would not have misspoken, however. Hmm…』
『Hmm…』
Hwa-eun agreed with me and then fell quiet, pondering.
‘Maybe I should open my eyes now? My legs are beginning to go numb.’
I had been kneeling properly before Master Hyewon earlier, but now, after sitting for so long, my legs had lost all feeling.
If I tried to stand and wobbled, it would completely ruin my “enlightenment” performance.
Should I pretend the enlightenment concluded naturally?
Or discreetly dab some saliva under my nose?
I was wavering when Hwa-eun’s voice returned.
『Ah! So-ryong. Perhaps it is not “the bond with the venomous creatures grows stronger,” but rather “the venomous creatures’ karma and fate grow stronger”?』
『The venomous creatures’ karma and fate?』
『Yes! If it refers to the venomous creatures’ own causes and conditions growing stronger, it makes far more sense.』
『The venomous creatures’ karma and fate…』
Her words were enigmatic at first, but then Hwa-eun swiftly clarified.
『You said earlier that cause and condition are internal and external causes, correct? So if the internal and external causes of the venomous creatures themselves grow stronger, then the gate would open.』
Precisely.
Interpreting it as “the venomous creatures’ karma and fate” growing stronger, rather than “the bond with the venomous creatures,” made much more sense.
In that way, it naturally transformed into:
“If the venomous creatures’ internal and external causes grow strong, the next gate will open.”
Hwa-eun was considerably smarter than I was.
‘Yes, what was I thinking with my mathematical reasoning… I suppose I truly am hopeless at math after all.’
Feeling abashed for having boasted earlier about “solving it mathematically,” I posed another question to Hwa-eun.
It was a good interpretation, but a lingering doubt remained.
『”Ah, I understand! But… haven’t the children who have already reached maturity become stronger?”』
I grasped what Hwa-eun meant.
If you interpreted it as “the venomous creatures grow stronger internally and externally,” it became very straightforward.
But there was that persistent doubt—if they were fully grown, weren’t they already powerful?
However, after listening to Hwa-eun’s explanation, I recognized that this was not entirely accurate.
『”Yes, So-ryong. Some of the children have reached adulthood, but that only signifies their physical maturation. It does not automatically mean they grew stronger, correct? Among humans, there are adults as well—some weak, some strong.”』
Indeed, taking the matured spirit creatures as examples, it felt awkward to claim they had become stronger.
Their inherent strength came from their species’ natural attributes, not from each one having individually grown more powerful.
Take Cheongyu, for instance—upon reaching adulthood, she gained the innate strength of a matured Golden-Crowned Death King, but in terms of her personal development, she remained tender-hearted and charmingly youthful.
It was the same for the others.
Especially when factoring in both internal and external elements, the children were unquestionably still deficient.
『”It seems I need to help the children become stronger…”』
Meaning I now had to train them.
It appeared I would have to start drafting a training program.
Many believe insects are powerful simply due to their exoskeletons, but that is a misunderstanding.
Beneath the exoskeleton, insects also possess muscles, and like human muscles, these can be strengthened through exercise.
I recalled reading a study where scientists discovered that exercising a fly’s flight muscles caused them to develop much more rapidly.
This inspired me to immediately begin sketching out a training regimen.
『”The Beast Palace must have methods for strengthening beasts.”』
『”That is likely true. In that case, it would be best to consult Sister Seol.”』
As Hwa-eun suggested, Sister Seol might possess effective techniques.
With most of my questions resolved, I was prepared to conclude this “enlightenment” charade and stretch my legs—only to realize I could no longer feel them.
‘Ugh.’
Emergency!
In the midst of our discussion, I quietly reached out to Bing.
‘Bing, quietly climb onto your father’s body and lick my nose without anyone noticing.’
‘-Kkuu? Huh?’
Bing, being a lizard with a broad tongue and ample saliva, was the ideal candidate for a discreet nose lick, but I could feel waves of bewilderment emanating from her.
Meanwhile, waves of numbness were sweeping through my legs.
***
『”Children, cover for me for a moment!”
-Chrr? (Huh?)
-Kkugu? (What?)』
As I abruptly ended my feigned enlightenment, my legs were so numb I could not move them.
After instructing the children to form a shield around me, I massaged my legs from behind their cover and just barely managed to regain sensation.
“Ooh! It looks like he is about to emerge from his enlightenment!”
“The spirit creatures must have sensed it and formed a protective circle!”
While the children whirled around me, the onlookers erupted in excitement.
Meanwhile, I was hunched over within their ring, frantically rubbing my legs.
After finally recovering from the numbness, we found ourselves at the Shaolin gate.
Just as they had welcomed us at the entrance upon our arrival, Master Hyewon now personally came to see us off at the gates.
“Congratulations on attaining enlightenment.”
“Thank you. It is entirely due to the grace you have shown me here at Shaolin.”
“Haha, such modesty.”
“Ah, we have already reached the gate. Then, we shall take our leave now.”
“Thank you very much.”
Upon reaching the gate, I promptly cupped my fists in a bow.
I was just about to finish bidding farewell to Hyungnim and head towards Hwa-eun, who was waiting in the distance, when—
“Ah, young hero. Please wait a moment.”
Just as I turned my head, I heard Master Hyewon’s voice.
Turning back, I saw Master Hyewon speaking with a grave expression.
“I have heard through our Beggars’ Union that you are currently engaged in a struggle against the wicked organization known as the Five Venoms Sect.”
“Ah, yes.”
As I nodded at the mention of the Five Venoms Sect, Master Hyewon subtly raised one hand.
At his signal, a relatively young monk who had followed us to the gate stepped out from behind the others.
Solid muscles.
A resolute face.
Not an enormous frame, but his body appeared densely packed with muscle.
As he approached, he bowed to me with a respectful clasp of his fists.
“Nice to meet you. I am Jaheo.”
“Ah, yes. I’m So-ryong.”
He looked to be about Hyungnim’s age.
Taken aback by the sudden introduction, I returned the greeting, and Master Hyewon, still serious, continued speaking.
“Our duty at Shaolin is to impart the great compassion of Buddha upon the evildoers of the Central Plains.
Since you are undertaking such a vital mission, how could we not offer our assistance?
Take him with you. He will provide significant help.”
“Eh?”
It felt like they had taken a counterfeit Taoist and transformed him into a genuine monk.
When I glanced at Hyungnim, he spoke in an encouraging tone.
[Jaheo is an old friend of mine. He is Shaolin’s greatest prodigy and far superior to me in martial arts.]
Meaning, he was an exceptional individual.
Well, more combat strength was always beneficial, and if Hyungnim endorsed him so strongly, it seemed a good idea to bring him along.
“Hmm… It is a bit surprising, but thank you, Master.”
I agreed, and Jaheo offered me a warm smile.
“Young hero, you are embarked on a great mission. From this moment forward, I shall accompany you as your personal guard, no matter where you go.”
It sounded as though he intended to follow me everywhere—even to my bedchamber or the privy.