Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The day after we secured the Chinese hamsters, Grandfather remained occupied with receiving guests and deliberating on how to oppose the Blood Cult. Their audacious appearance and direct assault on the Tang Clan indicated they were prepared to re-emerge across the Central Plains. After three decades of silence following their defeat, they had evidently rebuilt their power and felt confident enough to act again.

The consensus was that their objective was the Blood-Water Venom Claw. The conversations focused on its protection and the possibility of using it to draw the cultists into an ambush.

“Should we transfer custody of the Blood-Water Venom Claw to the Martial Alliance?”
“There’s no proof their headquarters would be more secure than our own. Their traffic is too high.”
“A valid point. For the moment, we should await the arrival of the Martial Alliance’s envoy. He is from the Zhuge Family, so a sound strategy is assured. He is a Zhuge, after all.”

The authentic manual for the Blood-Water Venom Claw technique was kept under lock and key within the secret vault of the Mandok Pavilion, while Grandfather kept the copy on his person. Despite this, the Tang Clan maintained a state of high vigilance, anxious about a follow-up strike.

Word of the assault on the Tang Clan had sent shockwaves through the Sichuan martial arts community.
“I believed they were the most fearsome assassination clan in the Central Plains. But to be deceived, robbed, and assaulted? Perhaps the Tang Clan’s reputation is not so impeccable.”

Grandfather was also deeply engaged in preparing for the incoming allied forces.
With no local inns or other lodging available, the Tang Clan was responsible for housing and feeding all their visitors. Getting a moment of Grandfather’s time, even once per day, had become difficult.

“I hope Grandfather is managing…”
I trusted in his experience as a former leader, but he was, nevertheless, an elderly man.
An incident of this magnitude seemed to require Father-in-law’s prompt return. The clan had already sent their swiftest messengers to retrieve him; he was expected back shortly.

I was preoccupied with these thoughts in the Venomous Creatures’ Garden when a warrior addressed me.
“Sir So-ryong, we have the bark from the dried oak trees and the sawdust from the carpenters. The cart is also loaded with shavings. Where shall we put everything?”
“Ah, ensure it’s completely dry, then store it all in sacks.”
“Yes, Sir So-ryong.”
“Also, the planed shavings need to be ready today. We’ll use them for the mice’s bedding.”
“Understood, Sir!”

Like Grandfather, my Venom Squad and I were consumed with preparing the Venomous Creatures’ Garden.
We needed to finish quickly to accommodate the tiger-striped pit vipers.
We also required venom samples for the Martial Alliance’s representative, making a reliable system for breeding pinkies absolutely necessary.

“Sir So-ryong, the sand has been cleaned and heated. Where should we put it?”
“Hmm, leave it over there.”

That day, I split the Venom Squad: one group continued constructing the facilities, and the other was tasked with catching more Chinese hamsters.
In retrospect, I had been so eager to catch the rodents that I’d neglected a vital step—preparing their living spaces first.

For raising Chinese hamsters, suitable bedding and individual containers were paramount.
I used the gathered sawdust and wood shavings for bedding. For enclosures, I chose large clay jars, similar to those I’d used in Hainan.
Aquariums or plastic containers weren’t available here, and while wooden crates were easy to construct, they could be chewed through. Clay jars were the most secure option.

“Once we’ve dewormed the hamsters caught yesterday, prepare their jars with wood shavings and house them alone,” I directed.
“Yes, Sir So-ryong.”

Chinese hamsters are notoriously ill-tempered and must be isolated. If housed together, the females are likely to assault and kill the males.
After stressing this point, I went to the quarantine area holding the previous day’s catch.

Quarantine involved inspecting for parasites such as mites, fleas, or bedbugs and applying insecticide to remove them. Wild rodents often carry sickness or parasites that can trigger die-offs in a breeding operation or, worse, infect the reptiles that consume them.

While I lacked modern disinfectants or antiparasitic drugs, the Tang Clan cultivated pyrethrum flowers, which possess natural insecticidal qualities. I used these to treat the external parasites.

When I reached the holding area, Gu Pae welcomed me with a beaming smile.
“Sir So-ryong, we captured around thirty today. A few appear to be pregnant as well.”
“Oh, excellent! Keep the pregnant ones segregated from the rest. Remember to treat them with the pyrethrum.”
“Understood, Sir So-ryong.”

The development of the Venomous Creatures’ Garden and the production of pinkies were moving along reliably. Everything was finally falling into place.

***

I had gained a new level of appreciation for the warriors of the Tang Clan—and for martial artists in general.
They had finished preparing the Venomous Creatures’ Garden in a mere three days.
In my previous life, I’d heard that setting up a proper facility could take almost a month, yet they accomplished it in record time.

It occurred to me that martial artists were ideally suited for manual tasks. Their boundless stamina and extraordinary strength made them virtuosos of physical labor.
Had they been in the military in my past life, they would have been a quartermaster’s dream—capable of digging, hauling, and moving immense weights without protest. They were masters of “bear work,” moving impossibly heavy objects effortlessly.

Surveying the completed Venomous Creatures’ Garden, I nodded with satisfaction.
“You’ve all done very well.”
“It was our responsibility, Sir.”
“From now on, provide these mice with clean food and refresh their bedding as soon as it becomes soiled.”
“Understood, Sir. Incidentally, a few of the mice have already given birth.”
“Is that so? Take care not to disturb them too frequently. Stressed mothers may consume their young.”
“Yes, Sir. We will be cautious.”

Now that everything was prepared, we would go to the Snake Pit tomorrow to retrieve the tiger-striped pit vipers.
We couldn’t feed them the newborn mice yet, as we needed to grow the hamster population, but I would find an alternative food source for the snakes in the meantime.

“Excellent work, everyone. Tomorrow, we go to the Snake Pit for the vipers. Oh, I’ve already spoken with my mother-in-law, so you may all have some drinks tonight.”
“Dr-drinks, Sir!?”

Captain Gu Pae’s eyes went wide at the mention of alcohol.
I asked cautiously, “Do you not drink?”
“No, Sir! I enjoy it! Thank you, Sir!”
“Thank you, Sir!”
“Good. I’ve made arrangements for you to collect the drinks from the kitchen near the reception hall. You’ve all labored tirelessly.”

In my past life, I would have joined them for a drink to show solidarity. But now, as a fifteen-year-old, I was underage. I left them to their celebration and went to find my sister.

I sought her out to check on Cho, Hyang, and Bini. Since my collapse, my sister had been looking after them for me.
She informed me they had attached themselves to her and were reluctant to leave her side.

“Lady Hwa-eun, are you there?”
This was my first time visiting her personal quarters.
From inside the dimly lit room, my sister’s voice answered.
“Enter, So-ryong.”

As I stepped in, I saw black curtains hanging all around.
The curtains were necessary because of Cho, Hyang, and Bini.
Since my collapse, they had clung to my sister, refusing to let go. The new issue was their tendency to burrow into her garments instead of just clinging to the outside.

To prevent them from crawling inside, my sister kept the room dark, understanding that centipedes seek out dark, enclosed spaces.
I didn’t mind them on my skin, but my sister was less comfortable with it.

“How are they today?” I asked, moving further inside.
By the light of a small lantern, I saw my sister seated at a table, with Cho, Hyang, and Bini clinging to her shoulders and back.
“They seem to do little but sleep,” she replied.
“They must be exhausted.”
“I didn’t know venomous creatures could tire themselves out from using their venom.”

The reason Cho, Hyang, and Bini were sticking to my sister wasn’t that they had a new master—it was about sustenance.
Most assume venom is just saliva or a natural fluid, but that’s only partly accurate. Venom is a complex blend of enzymes and proteins, and producing it demands a tremendous amount of energy.

When venomous creatures expend their entire supply, it can take weeks to regenerate. For snakes, it may take a month. Scorpions, if stressed while nurturing their young, might even eat their offspring to reclaim the energy required for venom production.

I had observed that Cho, Hyang, and Bini’s venom had grown significantly more potent after the clash with the Blood Cult, to the point of dissolving their prey entirely. It seemed they had expended every bit of venom they could muster in that fight.
Now, they were clinging to my sister, absorbing the aura of their mother, the Blue-Spotted Centipede Queen, to recuperate.

“So, this is your room,” I remarked, glancing around.
“Yes, it’s your first time here, isn’t it? Customarily, the quarters of unmarried women in the inner courtyard are forbidden to men,” she said, her voice trailing off as she seemed to grasp the implication.
It was a lady’s chamber—quiet, fragrant, and softly lit.
“Ah-hem…”

Standing there alone with my sister in her private space, I could see her growing flustered.
“Well, you see… So-ryong, you’re, um… I’m…”

Just as she was struggling for words, a voice called from outside.
“Lady Hwa-eun, Captain Gu Pae is here to see Sir So-ryong.”
“Captain Gu Pae?”

My sister let out a sigh, covered Cho, Hyang, and Bini with a black cloth, and said, “Let’s go, So-ryong.”
“Of course.”

At the entrance to the inner courtyard, Captain Gu Pae was waiting with four other Venom Squad members. They all looked unusually solemn, their heads bowed in apparent shame.
“Gu Pae?”

Hearing my voice, Captain Gu Pae looked up, his face etched with remorse.
“My apologies, Sir So-ryong. The warriors have committed a serious error…”
“An error?”

I tilted my head, puzzled. Gu Pae shot a fierce look at one of the warriors behind him. The man flinched; his mouth was smeared with a red substance that looked unmistakably like sauce.
“What is this about?” I asked.

Gu Pae drew a deep breath and finally confessed.
“I am sorry, Sir So-ryong. Half of the baby mice born yesterday… are missing.”
“Missing? What happened to them?”

Gu Pae hesitated, avoiding my eyes. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said something unbelievable.
“Well… some of the warriors—the ones from Guangzhou—began feeling nostalgic for home. While I was briefly away, they… um… attempted to make *san zi er* with the baby mice. It’s a local specialty, and they claimed they got carried away…”
“*San zi er*?”

Bewildered, I looked to my sister, who explained with a look of dismay.
“It’s a dish where you dip live baby mice in soy sauce and eat them. They’re called *san zi er* because they squeak three times—when you grab them with chopsticks, when you dip them, and when you bite down.”
“Wait, are you telling me they ate the baby mice?”
“Yes. Alive.”

My initial reaction wasn’t anger, but pure, unadulterated astonishment.
“Does the Tang Clan not feed its warriors enough? What kind of madman eats live baby mice dipped in soy sauce?”

It seemed adapting to life in the Tang Clan—or perhaps to the Central Plains as a whole—was going to be a longer process than I had anticipated.