Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 394

Chapter 394
After inspecting the liquid that had dripped onto the iron rod, just as Hwa-eun had described, I felt certain—this was sulfuric acid.
A transparent, scentless liquid that eats away at metal.
My expression brightening, I inquired about one more thing.
There was just one last component I required.
“So then… is there any way I could acquire some saltpeter?”
The moment I said it, both Hwa-eun and her grandfather turned to look at one another with completely stunned faces.
As though I had uttered something utterly ridiculous.
Seeing their reaction, a sudden suspicion arose in me that this might be difficult to find.
What in the— Is it considered a controlled substance or something? I was under the impression that gunpowder for fireworks was produced and traded freely throughout the Central Plains. I slipped through that absurd gap in the counterfeit coin scheme without a hitch, but now I’m running into a barrier here?
I had moved past the counterfeiting operation so effortlessly, and now—ironically—I was being tripped up by saltpeter, of all things, which I assumed would be straightforward.
Saltpeter. Potassium nitrate.
Maybe it’s monitored by the authorities because it’s used to produce gunpowder.
I had a fuzzy recollection from history lessons about China blocking saltpeter exports to keep Joseon’s military from growing stronger.
It was then that Grandfather, wearing a serious expression, turned to Hwa-eun and stated,
“Exactly as you mentioned a few days back, it might be best for So-ryong to remain at home for some time. Ahem.”
“What? Confined to the house?”
“Indeed. He shouldn’t venture outside for a while.”
Wait, seriously? I ask one innocent question and suddenly I’m grounded?
Did they instantly decide I’m some kind of threat attempting to manufacture explosives?
While I was still trying to process this, Hwa-eun was nodding along with her grandfather’s suggestion.
“So-ryong absolutely must not leave the premises for now.”
“Quite right. I never imagined I would witness a member of the Sacheon Tang Clan inquiring if we possessed saltpeter.”
“What does that mean?”
Everyone was behaving as though my confinement was the most logical course of action.
As I stood there in a daze, Mandok Shingun—Grandfather—shot me an exasperated glance and demanded,
“You foolish boy, do you have any idea where the largest deposits of saltpeter in the entire Central Plains are located?”
“Not a clue.”
I mean, if I knew that, would I be here asking you for it?
My quick retort earned me a rebuke.
“That’s not something to admit so casually! The greatest abundance of saltpeter is found in northern Mianyang, in Sichuan Province!”
“Northern Mianyang, Sichuan…?”
Hold on. Isn’t that precisely where we are?
If it’s the northern area of Mianyang in Sichuan, then that’s practically next to Tangga Mountain.
Which fits, considering the river that runs by Tangga Mountain goes directly through Mianyang.
That’s also why we traveled through Mianyang on our way back via Geumdo.
As this dawned on me, Hwa-eun grinned and elaborated further.
“So-ryong. The Sacheon Tang Clan isn’t only involved with poisons and medicines. We also derive income from the saltpeter mines. What Grandfather is implying is that you are so uninformed about the family’s affairs that you ought to remain here and educate yourself.”
“Oh… I understand.”
So that’s the reason for the house arrest. I essentially strolled into a restaurant known for its noodles and asked if they served dumplings.
Although, now that I think about it, most noodle places also offer dumplings. I just didn’t bother to check and asked without looking.
As the son-in-law of the clan, I was completely unaware of the family’s business operations. No wonder they were so astonished.
Rubbing the back of my head under Grandfather’s watchful eyes, I offered a sheepish grin.
When unsure, just smile.
“Ahaha…”
“Absurd child… Very well, is there anything else you require?”
Even after I had just displayed my complete lack of knowledge about the clan, he didn’t appear particularly upset.
When he asked if I needed anything more, I decided to voice the list forming in my mind.
“A couple of blacksmiths, some poison crafters, saltpeter, and—what was the name again, Hwa-eun? The stone’s gall secretion?”
“Seokdamjeong.”
“Right, that’s it. Seokdamjeong.”
“A few blacksmiths, some poison artisans, saltpeter, Seokdamjeong, and a few Majeun silver bars should suffice. Oh, and I’ll require Ranghyang as well. Also, the Hoye youngsters.”
—Kyuki?
Hearing that I needed not only Ranghyang but also the Hoye salamanders, Hwa-eun’s eyes widened in surprise.
“The Hoye as well? Whatever you’re planning, it isn’t dangerous, is it? Those little ones still appear quite wild.”
She seemed concerned—and rightly so, given that one of them had almost killed her once.
But they had since warmed up to me.
I tried to look reassuring.
“They’ve already accepted me, so you don’t need to be overly worried. When I returned last time, one of them actually approached me and gave me a hug.”
“They hugged you?”
The angelic Hwa-eun who had just been gazing at me with adoration was gone. Her eyebrows were now arched sharply into a V.
Hwa-eun’s face transformed from heavenly to fearsome in a flash.
They say a woman becomes formidable when she becomes a mother. Our Hwa-eun already had several “children,” so perhaps that explained her intensity.
Just meeting her eyes was enough to make me sweat.
Her expression said everything: After everything that happened before, you allowed one of them to hug you and didn’t even mention it to me?
“Um—well, I didn’t initiate the hug, I mean—they were the ones who hugged me first…”
As I fumbled for words, Hwa-eun turned to Grandfather and declared,
“Grandfather, forget the house. So-ryong needs to be secured in a storage room.”
To which Grandfather laughed loudly and responded,
“Hahaha! In that case, let’s confine him to his quarters immediately. Bind him firmly to the bed, and you lie beside him to keep a close watch.”
“Oh! That could work— Wait, what?”
Hold on, that sounds more like a privilege than a penalty.
I thought I was about to be disciplined, but instead I received… that?
Hwa-eun’s face turned a deep red, her previous anger momentarily forgotten.
***
“They’re truly calm now, Hwa-eun. And for this job, we won’t even have to make physical contact with them.”
“That lie—you’re being truthful this time, correct?”
“Absolutely!”
“Which means it is a lie.”
“No, it’s not!”
The Sacheon Tang Clan was renowned for its masters of poison, but I hadn’t anticipated they would also be experts in setting verbal traps.
True to her lineage, Hwa-eun was equally skilled at weaving these conversational pitfalls.
After a considerable effort to evade Hwa-eun’s linguistic ambushes, I finally earned my release—but only after vowing repeatedly to exercise extreme caution with the Hoyes.
“You must be very careful.”
“I will, I will.”
“You sound somewhat insincere.”
“Don’t be silly, I’m not.”
With that, I was free to go and was promptly taken by Mandok Shingun—Grandfather—to one of the Tang Clan’s poison workshops, where the clan’s skilled poison artisans were assembled.
Unlike the inner chamber of Mandokjeon, where I had previously crafted the antidote Ji-damhwan, this was an outer workshop I was visiting for the first time.
It was stocked with a variety of delicate ceramic instruments.
“All of you are to adhere strictly to So-ryong’s directions. Do not deviate in the slightest.”
“Yes, Supreme Patriarch.”
“We await your command, Lord So-ryong.”
After Grandfather issued his strict orders and departed, I moved to speak to the assembled poison-makers and started by inquiring if they had the necessary equipment.
“First, I will need to capture vapor and turn it into liquid drops.”
I was talking about a distillation setup. One of the artisans responded immediately.
“Ah, you mean a process similar to when we distill liquor and capture the vapor. Correct?”
“Yes, precisely.”
“That is a common technique for concentrating toxins, so we naturally have it. What is its intended purpose?”
The initial phase in creating the counterfeit silver involved producing sulfuric acid.
And once the sulfuric acid was prepared, the subsequent step was to create nitric acid.
I shared what I knew.
Since we had saltpeter, producing nitric acid would be fairly straightforward.
“First, we need to strengthen the Seokdamjeong by leaving it in the sun, then mix it into the saltpeter. You have to add the Seokdamjeong gradually to the saltpeter container. Never reverse the order.
The container holding the saltpeter is placed first, and then you slowly incorporate the Seokdamjeong.
Ensure the space has good airflow. And exercise extreme caution.”
“No need for concern, Lord So-ryong. We are fully aware of the hazards associated with Seokdamjeong.”
The preparation of nitric acid would begin by combining sulfuric acid with saltpeter to form a mixture.
Once the saltpeter is dissolved, the next step is to distill the nitric acid.
“Next, we will warm the mixture and capture the vapor that is released. But avoid boiling it aggressively—only apply gentle heat.”
The optimal temperature for distilling nitric acid is approximately 70–80°C.
After I outlined the safety measures, the lead artisan nodded and inquired,
“Understood, Lord So-ryong. So, we simply need to gather the liquid that results?”
“No. Once that liquid is prepared, we will introduce silver to it. The silver will dissolve, and the solution containing the silver is what I require.”
“If that’s the case, we will commence at once.”
With that, the poison artisans bowed and began their work.
They masked their faces with protective cloths, opened every window in the structure, ignited the furnace, and started setting up the distillation equipment.
“For your safety, please wait outside.”
“Certainly.”
As I exited, I was met by the voices of my intrigued relatives.
“Heh, heh. Very systematic. I’m interested to see how this becomes silver.”
“I’m also curious, So-ryong.”
“I feel the same, son-in-law.”
Word that I was creating something had clearly spread through the entire family—even ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) my father-in-law had arrived, his eyes gleaming with interest.
But I couldn’t provide an explanation at that moment.
“That would spoil the surprise. Return when it’s finished and see for yourselves.”
“Don’t be that way, son-in-law. Just a small clue.”
“Please, So-ryong. Give us a little preview.”
“I can’t do that.”
At my steadfast refusal, both my father-in-law and Grandfather Mandok Shingun appeared let down. But Hwa-eun, obviously believing she was an exception, gave a sweet smile and asked,
“I’m not included in that, right? So-ryong, you’ll share it with me, won’t you?”
She wore that self-assured smile that presumed I would yield—for her sake.
I smiled back and replied.
“No. Not even you, Hwa-eun.”
“Wait—what? So-ryong? Not even me?”
“If I explain it now, it won’t be as entertaining. Plus, this is something that’s better demonstrated than described.”
It wasn’t because I was still holding a grudge from before, definitely not.
Well… perhaps a small part of it was.
Truthfully, I didn’t even recall the exact chemical formulas—trying to explain this clearly would be a disaster.
That’s why I refused. Even so, Hwa-eun seemed genuinely taken aback that she was also left out.
She looked somewhat hurt.
Sensing the impending trouble, I decided I needed to leave—quickly.
Fleeing the gathering tempest, I made my way directly to the smithy.
On one flank of Tangga Mountain, smoke was rising continuously into the air.
Upon arrival, I notified a nearby laborer of my presence, and the head smith hurried out to welcome me.
“Greetings, Lord So-ryong. I am Kwon Gyu-sam, in charge of the forge. The Patriarch has informed me. What would you like us to craft for you?”
He was a middle-aged man with hair starting to gray and impressively powerful arms. I passed him a prepared Majeun ingot and said,
“I want you to make an exact copy of this. But since it’s meant to be Dragon Silver, the exterior must be marked with those specific characters.”
“So you want a standard replica of Dragon Silver?”
“No. It should be crafted from iron, hollow on the inside, and stuffed with another material. The interior mustn’t produce any sound when moved, and the overall weight should be identical to genuine silver.”
Initially, Kwon Gyu-sam had thought I desired a simple replica, but my actual need was for a counterfeit ingot made of iron—matching the weight and solid in appearance.
He nodded in comprehension.
“I understand what you need. How many should we make?”
“Let’s begin modestly. Ten pieces.”
“Understood. I’ll start on it immediately. We’ll craft the outer layer from copper and pack the interior with clay.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
With those two aspects now underway, it was time for the last preparation.
I thought it would be good to give Ranghyang a bath in purified water.
I needed to draw out the cyanide from his system, after all.
Once everything was ready, the procedure was straightforward: blend the cyanide obtained from Ranghyang into the nitric acid produced by the poison experts, then immerse the counterfeit silver ingots made by the smiths.
After that, pass an electrical current through it utilizing the Hoyes.
That’s the entire process—electroplating with cyanide and silver nitrate.
Poison, when applied correctly, is extremely versatile.
In my previous life, I had been so intrigued by whether the cyanide from a millipede like Ranghyang could be used for silver plating that I visited a university chemistry lab to experiment.
That was one of my content initiatives—Silver Plating with Poison.
Now, in this new life, I was applying that knowledge to create a special offering for the Five Venoms Sect.
This one’s just for you all—an exclusive poison-themed special.
I genuinely looked forward to witnessing their reactions when they discovered the silver was fake.