Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 365

Chapter 365
–KANG!
A sharp crack, like a bat hitting a fastball, reverberated over the deck. Everyone stood motionless, their eyes wide with shock.
It felt as though the entire world had paused.
–Thump.
Immediately after, Allok, who had been sent flying, slid from the flat of Brother’s sword and landed heavily on the wooden planks.
Brother let out a sharp inhale, his hand flying to his mouth, while a panicked cry erupted from me.
“Whoa! Allok, are you alright!?”
Allok was one of the silver ring snakes I had brought back from Yizhou.
I dashed over to check on him, but the little serpent was lolling his tongue out, only semi-conscious.
Dallok was close by, watching with a concerned stare.
–Ssssss…
Allok weakly projected a thought that he was okay, but the clear agony contorting his features suggested a serious injury.
And just as I dreaded…
After insisting he was fine, Allok’s tongue went slack and he fell completely unconscious.
“Allok! Allok!”
Trickles of blood seeped from his nostrils and mouth.
I called his name desperately, but he didn’t stir.
Brother, the one responsible, looked utterly bewildered and asked in a disbelieving whisper,
“H-He isn’t… dead, is he?”
I whipped around to face him, my voice sharp with anger.
“You promised not to block! You used the flat of your blade to parry!”
“I-I apologize. I saw the snake coming at me and it was a reflex… Is he truly dead?”
“He’s not dead. It seems he was knocked out by the impact… wait—! His tooth!”
Just as I declared he had only fainted, I noticed it—his mouth was slightly agape, a front tooth and a molar shattered and dangling.
Brother’s face lost all color.
“I’m so sorry, So-ryong.”
I released a heavy sigh and said,
“Sigh… It’s alright. Snake teeth regenerate. I’m more concerned he might have hit his head…”
Truthfully, I was shocked, but the broken teeth were inconsequential.
Snakes continuously grow new teeth their entire lives.
They shed and replace them repeatedly until they die, so a lost tooth is a minor issue.
My real worry was his head.
Even a tiny fracture there would be grave.
I felt his head and detected no obvious damage… but an internal crack would be a severe injury.
I decided to ask about any symptoms when he woke and lifted him to carry inside.
He needed to rest on something soft, like straw.
“I’ll take him inside to recover.”
‘He will be okay, won’t he? Dallok dodged in time; if only Allok had just turned his head…’
This entire incident occurred because Brother expressed a desire to experience one of my techniques firsthand.
We had just reached Lake Poyang, and I was impatient to begin exploring Mount Lu immediately. However, since I couldn’t fly the kids there in daylight, we were forced to wait for nightfall.
Killing time and feeling restless, I recalled the Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand technique.
The instant I opened the Snake Gate, the snakes could speak to me.
Similar to the centipedes, if I concentrated my will, they could grasp my intentions, which finally allowed me to practice the long-anticipated final three forms of the Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand—Venom Fang, Flying Serpent, and Twin Fangs.
These were not mere projectile moves but techniques employing live snakes, crafted especially for me by Cheongyu Sojeo.
As I was drilling these three techniques using two silver ring snakes from Yizhou, Brother walked by and asked to observe. Then, almost inevitably, he wanted to be on the receiving end… leading directly to this situation.
「“So-ryong, would you allow me to try and receive that technique?”
“You, Brother?”
“Indeed. Close comrades often test each other’s techniques in friendly exchanges. I have never faced a snake-based technique before. Would it not be more beneficial for your training to target a person rather than the empty air? Martial arts are meant for real confrontation. Practicing on a living target is always superior.”
“That’s accurate… but Brother, the kids could get injured, so you must only evade, understood? Even if it connects, the snakes won’t bite, so you needn’t fear that.”
“May I not block it?”
“If it strikes your blade, they could be hurt.”
“Understood.”」
I was beginning to deeply regret granting that permission.
Then, I heard Hwa-eun’s voice from behind me.
“So-ryong, is he alright?”
“He lost consciousness, so I’m taking him inside to lie down.”
I went into the cabin with Hwa-eun and carefully set Allok down next to the other silver ring snakes resting in a box.
The Gold-Crowned Sand King, who had been sleeping, opened her eyes and looked at me, blinking.
–Ssshaa. 『What is the matter, So-ryong?』
Glancing out the window, I saw the sun had set, and the voice I heard—it belonged to Cheongyu Sojeo.
Perfect timing.
I turned to her with a grave expression.
“It’s regarding the final three forms of the Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand you created for me, the ones that use real snakes.”
–Ssshaa. 『Yes. Is the practice not proceeding correctly?』
“No, the practice is fine, but there is a critical flaw.”
–Ssshaa!? 『A flaw? Is the qi circulation misaligned? That did not occur for me!』
She asked again, clearly startled that I had found an issue with the martial art.
Maintaining my serious demeanor, I identified the core problem.
“No. I am concerned for the snakes’ safety. I do not believe this can be used in actual combat.”
“…”
I can perceive the snakes’ expressions now.
And after witnessing Allok strike Brother’s blade earlier, the idea of using this in a real fight is unthinkable.
Just picture throwing a snake only for some opponent to slash it apart with his weapon.
The snake would perish, and I would undoubtedly slaughter the man in return.
Allowing a snake to be carved to pieces?
Absolutely not.
***
Allok regained consciousness because of Cheongyu Sojeo.
Cheongyu Sojeo was, after all, the Gold-Crowned Sand King, the sovereign of snakes.
Just as she had aided the growth of Yeondu and Orange, she could transfer energy to snakes—and once she did, Allok woke up.
–Ssshaaah.
Holding him, she breathed gently onto Allok, and a current of dark energy streamed from Cheongyu Sojeo’s mouth.
As it flowed into Allok, his awareness returned, and his broken tooth miraculously began to regrow before our eyes.
–Sss…
“Thank the heavens, Allok.”
Allok sent a thought assuring me he was now fine and healthy, that I shouldn’t worry.
I was filled with admiration and praised Cheongyu Sojeo.
『“Wow. You can perform healing like this?”』
–Ssshaa. (If it is a snake spirit beast, I can assist its growth. Provided it is not deceased, I can typically restore it.)
She nodded as she replied, but I couldn’t contain my astonishment.
She stated she could help snake spirit beasts grow.
Which implied… there were additional snake spirit beasts.
Now that I considered it, even among the Twenty-Four Venoms, there were certainly more snake spirits.
“You mean you can aid the growth of snake spirit beasts?”
–Ssshia. (Yes. The title ‘Twin Emperors of Heaven and Earth’ is merely something people invented. Within the memories of the Gold-Crowned Sand King Cheongyu, there remain several snakes that serve as my guardians.)
“H-How many are there?”
It was unbelievable.
I thought the Twin Emperors were the entirety of it—but there were more?
My eyes eager, I pressed for details.
『“H-How many?”』
At my question, Cheongyu Sojeo adopted a thoughtful expression and began counting on her fingers.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
With each finger she folded, my smile broadened, until by the fifth, I was beaming from ear to ear.
『–Ssshaa. (Including Yeondu and Orange, the total is five. Ah, five…)』
“Five!”
Good grief, Hwa-eun’s ancestors, someone needs to conduct a thorough investigation into this.
The attendants of the Gold-Crowned Sand King were not a duo—they were more akin to the Five Tiger Generals.
This meant three more snake spirit beasts, on par with Bi-cheon Shin-sa and Ji-yeong Snake, were still out there.
As I trembled with excitement from this revelation, Cheongyu Sojeo continued.
『–Ssshaa. (And among them, two are lengthy, though approximately the size of ordinary snakes—and they appear capable of enveloping their bodies in Qi Force. Ah! Should we locate them, I believe they could be immensely useful to you in battle. What is your opinion?)』
“Qi Force!”
Snakes that can sheathe themselves in Qi Force!?
That would make them invulnerable to ordinary blades—and potentially resistant to other Qi-empowered weapons.
‘If I intend to use these martial arts for real, I must find those two.’
Just as I made that resolution, I heard the door open behind me—followed by the voices of Cho and Yeondu.
–Sssrrr. 『Father, the sun has set!』
–Shaaah. 『So-ryong-nim, night has fallen.』
They had been waiting outside, exactly as planned—to commence our search mission under cover of darkness.
–Ssshaa. 『Where are you departing to?』
Seeing Yeondu and Cho, Cheongyu Sojeo tilted her head and inquired.
This time, Yeondu answered in my stead.
–Shaa. 『Ah, Cheongyu-nim. We are embarking on a search.』
–Ssshaaah? 『A search?』
–Shaaah. 『Yes. A peak has become frozen, and we suspect a spirit beast may be the cause.』
–Ssshaa. 『Ah…』
As Yeondu explained, Cheongyu Sojeo nodded in comprehension, and I quickly apologized.
Her information was vital, certainly, but the search was time-sensitive.
We could discuss it further later—for now, the mission took priority.
“Cheongyu Sojeo, my apologies. I will listen to the remainder after we return from the search.”
–Ssshaa. 『Very well, So-ryong.』
As I said this and moved out onto the deck, I saw it wasn’t only Cho and Yeondu awaiting me.
Hwa-eun and Sister Seol were there as well.
“You two are coming along?”
“Naturally. Every time you venture out to find spirit beasts, you manage to stir up some calamity.”
“She speaks the truth.”
“I-I do that?”
“You do.”
“She said you do.”
In the end, Hwa-eun and I ascended into the sky with Yeondu coiled around us, while Sister Seol took flight enveloped by Cho.
To be honest, they weren’t incorrect—I invariably ended up precipitating chaos.
Typically on a grand scale.
“Let’s go!”
With that shout, we launched into the air.
High above, I spoke softly to Yeondu.
“Yeondu.”
–Shaa? 『Yes?』
Her voice was so delicate and feminine.
It was difficult to reconcile with the fact I had threatened her when we first met.
‘Humanity owes you an apology.’
Feeling a pang of guilt, I asked,
“Did Orange confess and formally ask to become your pair?”
Normally, it would have been Cho, Hwa-eun, and I together—but we selected Yeondu over Cho this time for a specific reason.
Hwa-eun was my watchdog, as usual.
And I wished to question Yeondu directly about whether Orange had proposed.
A few days prior, Orange had pleaded with me to discover the reason.
Why hadn’t Yeondu accepted him?
Her answer had been straightforward: because Orange had never asked.
I had relayed that to him—and assumed he must have asked by now. But since they weren’t sleeping coiled together, evidently things had not gone smoothly.
That conversation I had with Orange likely did not have the desired effect.
「–Skrr? 『What? Because I never actually said the words?』
“She said you never requested to be a pair—that’s the reason.”
–Skrrrk!? 『J-Just that!? But isn’t it customary for the male to simply coil his body around the female’s, and then the female thinks, ‘Ah… I belong to this male now’?
And then after that… you understand… like… ahem… Brother, you are aware of what I mean, correct? At night… that… ahem?』」
‘That hopeless Orange… acting all confident. What in the world did he say?’
While I wore a concerned expression, I heard Yeondu’s reply.
–Shaa. 『He merely summons me out at night and mutters incoherently. “Yeondu… I… well, you know… the moon is rather bright this evening. No, that is not it. Let us be a pa… pa…” That is the extent of it. This has continued for three nights now.』
So much for his macho act.
He was simply a bumbling, inexperienced male.
‘Ah, for pity’s sake. What a pathetic fellow.’
Just as I sighed over Orange’s feeble attempts, I heard Hwa-eun speak beside me.
“So-ryong, I believe I see the peak ahead…”
I followed her pointing finger—and finally saw the full expanse of Mount Lu.
Beyond our previous vantage point, countless peaks came into view.
“Which one is it?”
Mount Lu was a vast range of rugged mountains, its peaks thrusting upward like spears.
Locating the correct one would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack.