Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 356

Chapter 356
It seemed the monk known as Jaheo was genuinely exceptional.
Big Brother spoke highly of him without pause for the entire journey back to the vessel.
And Big Brother was not one to offer praise lightly.
“Welcome. With you aiding us, it is as though we have gained a legion of warriors.”
“You flatter me too much.”
As Jaheo made a face that suggested the compliment was excessive, Big Brother, noticing my curiosity, went on to explain.
“This Jaheo has already attained a place among the Eighteen Arhats of Shaolin, despite his youth, So-ryong.”
“The Eighteen Arhats?”
“At Shaolin, many come seeking martial instruction. For this reason, Shaolin maintains a group known as the Arhat Hall. Jaheo is a member of that very hall.”
“Seeking instruction… you mean, like me, people come to inquire about Buddhist teachings?”
“No, it pertains to direct martial competition. Through sparring matches, they allow you to experience Shaolin’s martial arts firsthand.”
“I see.”
From this explanation, it appeared those who sought teachings at Shaolin were more akin to dojo challengers than pious monks.
This meant the Arhat Hall functioned as Shaolin’s protective detail against such visitors—a demonstration of its external martial prowess.
And if one belonged to such a display unit, losing was simply not an option.
A single defeat would bring shame.
Therefore, it stood to reason that the Arhat Hall assembled the very strongest within Shaolin.
‘I see. So he is part of Shaolin’s premier external force?’
I nodded, thinking his skills must be considerable, but the explanation continued.
“The Arhat Hall consists of one hundred and eight members, each among the finest martial artists of Shaolin. The formation they execute, the Hundred and Eight Arhat Array, is so famous that no master of martial arts can break through it.
And among them, the eighteen most powerful are designated the Eighteen Arhats of Shaolin. Jaheo is counted among these eighteen, despite his young age. And not merely as a member—he is the foremost of them. The First Arhat. That is Jaheo.”
In essence, while other venerable monks existed, Jaheo was the top-ranked external martial expert within Shaolin.
With a reputation of that caliber, he was certainly worthy of respect.
He was acknowledged as the best combatant in Shaolin.
‘So, he is Shaolin’s ace?’
“That is truly impressive.”
“I am humbled. It is not so great a matter.”
As I expressed my admiration, he scratched his head in a modest, almost shy manner.
Immediately, the Five Dragon Three Phoenixes crowded around him like bees to honey.
“If that isn’t impressive, then what does that make us?”
“We must be the Five Earth Dragons and Three Sparrows, then. I am the Sword Earth Dragon, and you are the Sword Fist Earth Dragon.”
“Does that make me the Sword Sparrow?”
With this, they jested that if Jaheo was being humble, then they must be mere worms and sparrows, which clearly flustered Jaheo.
“Ah, no, no. All of you… Amitabha.”
While it was evident Jaheo would be a tremendous asset in assaulting the Five Venoms Clan, his embarrassed humility under their teasing prompted me to quietly shift closer to Sister Seol.
But that was a separate matter.
What truly mattered now were our children.
New guests were a common occurrence—we had hosted many before—but the immediate priority was discovering methods to foster the children’s growth, both internal and external.
I could have waited to ask until we were aboard the ship, but my impatience got the better of me.
“Sister Seol, does the Beast Palace possess methods to strengthen the beasts?”
Sister Seol, who was conversing with Hwa-eun, turned at my question.
She smiled and replied,
“Naturally. Hwa-eun and I were just discussing that very topic.”
“Oh, truly?”
It appeared Hwa-eun had already posed the question to Sister Seol before I could.
A truly supportive partner.
Pleased, I inquired further, and Sister Seol, as if she had been anticipating it, began her explanation.
“Indeed, much like martial artists, beasts can undergo training. However, as they are animals, we must consider their nature carefully.”
“Consider their nature?”
“Correct. Training beasts is about emphasizing their innate strengths. For instance, an elephant possesses great strength, so you train it for bearing heavy loads. A wolf, conversely, has exceptional stamina for long-distance running, so you cultivate that.
Thus, So-ryong’s children should also be trained in accordance with their inherent qualities.”
“That makes perfect sense.”
The Beast Palace’s training methods were remarkably systematic.
Sister Seol’s words were undoubtedly correct.
Since we were instructing the children, it was not merely ‘training’—it was ‘education.’
The word ‘education’ typically means teaching, but its origin, the Latin ‘educere,’ signifies ‘to draw out.’
Drawing forth a child’s potential and enabling them to become a contributing member of society—that is the essence of education.
Cultivating their innate talents and specialties is the core of nurturing a child.
If a child shows aptitude for art, you send them to an art academy; if they have a gift for music, you send them to a music academy to let that talent flourish.
That is true talent education!
A decidedly Western approach.
Though in my previous life, the opposite was true.
I lived in Korea—the undisputed champion of cramming education.
Parents invariably sought to remedy their children’s shortcomings.
If a child struggled with math, they were sent to math tutoring; if they couldn’t draw, they were enrolled in art classes.
‘I attended countless math academies, yet I still ended up a math dropout.’
Even from my personal experience, nurturing talent was clearly the superior path.
“I must return quickly.”
I needed the children to grow swiftly so I could witness their magnificent forms and progress to the next stage.
My thoughts were wholly occupied with plans for the children’s education.
***
The return to the ship took an entire day.
We could have arrived sooner, but despite our haste, we reached the mountain’s base at dawn and were forced to conceal ourselves in the forest until nightfall.
We could not travel openly on the main road with all the children.
Ultimately, we waited until sunset, returned to the ship, and promptly began our discussion with Sister Seol.
The moon shone brilliantly outside the window.
“First, we must identify the children’s individual characteristics, correct?”
“Precisely.”
“Let us begin with Cho.”
We commenced outlining the children’s educational process.
For matters like this, we always started with Cho.
She was the eldest, and since Hyang was indolent and Bini was difficult to persuade, beginning with Cho was logical.
She was the most cooperative and the best listener.
A true first-born daughter.
“Cho, come here.”
-Tsrr 『Yes, Daddy?』
She had been allowing Mirang to wipe her down, clearing away the dust from the excursion, but at my call, she approached and laid her chin upon my knee.
As I stroked her head, I felt the sleek, glossy texture of her fur.
Mirang had polished her so thoroughly that her head emitted a soft squeak under my touch.
Looking down at Cho, Sister Seol asked,
“What would you say is Cho’s defining characteristic?”
“Her adorableness?”
“Be serious.”
‘But it is true.’
I scratched my head under Sister Seol’s stern look.
Her cuteness was indeed her most prominent trait, but I had been facetious, so the reprimand was fair.
I resolved to answer properly and consider the matter earnestly.
“Of course, Sister Seol.”
-Tsrr?
“No, it is not that you aren’t cute, Cho. Daddy was merely joking with Auntie.”
Cho was a spiritual being based on a centipede.
A carnivore by nature.
Primarily active at night to avoid direct sunlight.
Her form was flattened, permitting her to slide into tight spaces with ease, and her sharp mandibles secreted a paralytic venom.
However, because Cho was a spiritual creature, she instead produced a spray-type venom that dissolved.
The antennae of centipedes are distinct from other arthropods—they typically point backward, but swivel forward when sensing something.
Furthermore, centipedes possess the Tömösváry organ situated at the base of their antennae.
This structure, made up of sensitive cells, detects vibrations and sounds.
Thus, one could say a centipede’s “ears” are attached to its antennae.
Also, a centipede’s legs tend to lengthen toward the rear to avoid obstructing the front legs, and the same was true for the children.
Unlike Ranghyang, who had recently joined the family, Cho’s front legs were short, while her rear legs were long.
The final pair of legs could easily be mistaken for a tail, but they are indeed legs.
They are hook-shaped and used for gripping surfaces—a practical set of limbs.
If one had to describe centipedes with a single word, it would be this:
“Hmm. O-gong could be considered a type of assassin…”
An assassin.
A noiseless assassin of the darkness, one might say?
Even small centipedes exhibit this, but one of the largest, the Gigantea, dwells in caves and is renowned for consuming birds, spiders, rats, lizards, snakes, and even bats.
It is even said they can pluck flying bats from the air—could there be a more ideal assassin?
“Then, should we focus training on agility and stealth?”
As Sister Seol said this, a training method came to mind, and I proposed we attempt it immediately.
“I have a few concepts. Shall we test them?”
“Certainly. Then let us proceed to the deck.”
“Cho, let us go out to the deck for a moment.”
-Tsrrr.
Taking Cho with me, I stepped onto the deck, where the full moon glowed overhead.
Beneath the moonlight, I demonstrated first.
“Watch, Cho. You simply need to follow Daddy, alright?”
-Tsrrt!
The finest exercise for agility is undoubtedly shuttle runs.
I sprinted from one end of the railing to the other, then pivoted and ran back.
“Cho, you run like this. When you turn at the far end, your legs endure a significant force. Repeating this builds power and allows for rapid, explosive movement.”
-Tsrrr!
At my demonstration, Cho scampered to the opposite end of the railing and turned back.
Her legs moved in a swift, orderly procession, and she whirled around at the end before darting back to me.
“Cho, are you tired?”
-Tsrr.
Cho shook her head in response to my question.
We repeated this several times, yet Cho indicated she felt no fatigue.
“This is only effective if she actually becomes weary, however…”
“Perhaps you did not have her do enough?”
I began to wonder if I needed to have her run for hours on end.
‘Hours of running?’
But forcing Cho to exhaustion for my own objectives felt wrong.
If I drove my beloved children too hard merely for results, I would be failing as a guardian of spirit beasts.
‘Really. They are my daughters, not instruments of death.’
In the end, I discarded the notion of physical conditioning and moved on to stealth training, though it somehow took an odd turn.
“One, two, three… Alright, Daddy is coming to find you.”
-Tsrrr.
It devolved into a game of hide-and-seek.
Cho would conceal her presence and tuck herself away, and I would seek her out—it was scarcely different from an ordinary game.
And once the other children grew curious and emerged, they joined in as well.
Before long, we were engaged in a full-scale game of hide-and-seek under the moonlit sky.
“Found you, Cho.”
-Tsrrr. 『Caught.』
“Hyang, you are in the water barrel.”
-Tsrr! 『What! How did you find me so quickly!』
“Bini is behind the door!”
-Tsrrtsrrt… 『Oh no…』
‘Who knew trying to open this door would be so difficult!’
It turned out the challenge was not just physical—there was a psychological element too.
I resolved to abandon “training” entirely after this realization.
After locating Cho up the mast, Hyang in the water barrel, and Bini behind the door, we all collapsed onto the deck.
Then I heard Cheongyu’s call.
-Siaa.
Gazing upward, I saw the full moon illuminating the sky and Cheongyu’s face appeared soft and expressive—not the stern visage of the Golden-Crowned Death Queen Cheongyu, but that of Cheongyu Sojeo.
It struck me then—I usually kept track of the days Cheongyu Sojeo would appear, but the visit to Shaolin had made me forget entirely.
“Ah, Cheongyu Sojeo.”
-Sia. 『What are you doing, So-ryong?』
“Ah, some training. Actually, I discovered a clue for unlocking the next gate at Shaolin. Essentially…”
I started to explain to Cheongyu Sojeo the hints I had gathered at Shaolin.
But before I could finish, the children leaped upon me.
-Tsrrt. 『Daddy, again!』
-Tsrrt. 『Daddy, let’s play again!』
-Tsst! 『Quickly!』
“Just for a short while, alright?”
-Siaa. 『Very well.』
After hearing my account, Cheongyu Sojeo seemed deep in thought, while I was obliged to play with the children.
And now, I understood why adults always claimed that playing with children was draining.
I had not realized it before, as I had not played with them extensively, but their energy was boundless.
What I assumed would be a brief session of hide-and-seek continued until nearly dawn.
“Aigoo. I am spent.”
-Sia. 『Are you well, So-ryong?』
Lying supine on the deck, I looked up to see Cheongyu Sojeo watching me with a concerned expression.
First, I offered an apology.
She only manifested once every fortnight, and now she would have to return without having engaged in anything meaningful.
“I am sorry… Because of the children… You only just appeared after two weeks…”
-Siii. 『It is fine. Such things occur. Because of it, I had time to ponder something you mentioned earlier.』
“Something I mentioned?”
-Siaa. 『Yes. Regarding internal and external growth.』
“Ah, that.”
-Sia. 『So, I conceived of something we might attempt.』
Hearing this instantly lifted my spirits.
If it was an idea from Cheongyu Sojeo, who offered the finest counsel concerning the children and me, it was sure to be valuable.
I quickly asked.
“Oh! What is it?”
-Siii. 『Drawing in the energy of the Beast Heart Technique. That is also a form of growth, is it not?』
“Ah!”
Now that she mentioned it, when we channeled the energy of the Beast Heart Technique into the children connected through it, they occasionally awakened special abilities or powers.
I had forgotten, partly because Hyang had made a commotion about it, but it was undoubtedly a type of development.
Cheongyu Sojeo extended her hand.
-Sia. 『Begin with me first.』
It seemed Cheongyu Sojeo was just as eager as I was to discover what ability she might awaken.