Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 416

Chapter 416
—Shia. 『So-ryong, have you returned? Will you recount the day’s events to me?』
Just as I concluded my discussion with the village chief and reached once more for my curry, a voice echoed clearly.

It was Cheong-yu Sojeo speaking.
‘Is a quiet meal too much to ask for…?’
What fresh torment was this—to be interrupted while enjoying one of my most beloved dishes?
Nevertheless, it was Cheong-yu Sojeo making the request, so I decided I would answer her between mouthfuls.
I had already relayed the events at the temple to everyone the instant we returned, but Cheong-yu Sojeo must not have heard, as she had been replaced by the Golden Crown Snake King incarnation of Cheong-yu at the time.
She had been unconscious, after all.
“Ah, that’s right. I should brief you on today’s reconnaissance. To start—we located the Five Venoms Clan.”
—Shiaa. 『What a relief! You discovered them far sooner than I had anticipated!』
Cheong-yu Sojeo sounded sincerely pleased, her voice lifting noticeably at the mention of the Five Venoms.
Her inquiries came swiftly after.
—Siiiit. 『What was their attire? Knowing what the Five Venoms wear can reveal their unit affiliation and the martial arts they probably employ.』
I had assumed their clothing was merely a display of vanity, but it seems it actually denoted their specific branch.
I began describing the elements I had observed.
It appears a significant amount of information can be deduced from garments alone.
“They had on black robes bearing the Five Venoms emblem on the back.”
—Siii. 『Wearing those openly? How unusual. Those are typically reserved for internal alchemists and poison artisans. Ah… could they be connected to the locust production? Did you notice anything further?』
She sounded somewhat disappointed. Evidently, the robes alone were insufficient.
As I sifted through the day’s memories for more details, a specific moment surfaced—the exchange between the warriors as they aided their injured fellow.
While carrying the man who had something in his eye, I overheard them say:
“H-hold on! We should go by the pond first and let the commander of the Black Snake Unit see the injury. He is an expert in snake venoms—he’ll fix it right up.”
That mention of the Black Snake Unit’s commander now seemed particularly significant.
“I ended up quite close to some Five Venoms fighters today. My initial intention was to pass them by, but they were brazenly conducting suspicious activities in the open… I simply couldn’t overlook it.”
—Siiit? 『What do you mean you couldn’t overlook it? What action did you take? What if they had fled? What if you raised their level of alert?』
“Ah, it’s fine. I concealed myself within a sphere created from Sister Jeokwol’s powder and used the Spectacled Viper’s venom to poison one of them.”
—Siiiii… 『I see… that is a relief. You gave me a fright, So-ryong.』
Cheong-yu Sojeo’s tension visibly eased, her forked tongue slipping out for a moment before vanishing again. It was unexpectedly endearing, and I smiled slightly before continuing.
“Heh. You think I’d be that reckless? In any case, the ones pulling back said they were taking their wounded man to the Black Snake Commander.”
—Shiaa? 『The Black Snake Commander?』
Cheong-yu Sojeo’s expression tightened at the name, and she added with clear apprehension:
—Siiit. 『Hmm. We will have to be especially careful from now on.』
“Why? Is he that formidable?”
I asked, curious if he was more powerful than I had estimated. Cheong-yu Sojeo shook her head as she responded.
—Siiit. 『He is strong, yes. However, the greater concern is that he likely is not alone. You must presume there are at least two other significant combatants with him.』
I nodded. That tracked—every unit commander from the Five Venoms Clan I’d encountered so far had been a serious adversary. If more like them were present, extreme caution was necessary.
Her voice went on:
—Shiaa. 『And they pose a specific threat to me, Yeondu, and Orange.』
“To all three of you?”
I cocked my head in confusion, and she gave a solemn nod.
It seemed strange. Cheong-yu Sojeo, Yeondu, and Orange were all spirit beasts. Typically, type advantages only come into play between entities of a similar class. When a power disparity is vast, elemental weaknesses become irrelevant.
It’s akin to fantasy games—fire may be weak to water, certainly. But if a light shower falls on a river of molten lava, does the lava even care?
That is the nature of such affinities—they only matter when power levels are comparable.
Even if this commander was skilled, Cheong-yu Sojeo and the others operated on a completely different tier.
So why the worry?
Seeing my perplexed look, Cheong-yu Sojeo explained further.
—Siiiii. 『The Five Venoms maintain numerous elite units, but their most potent forces are five special divisions, each named for one of the clan’s symbolic poisonous creatures. The Scorpion Unit, the Toad Unit, the Black Snake Unit, the Centipede Unit, and the Gecko Unit.』
I didn’t recognize the names Mukheoldae or Byeokhodae, but the others were familiar.
Seomseodae—those enormous toad-like creatures—had endured being soaked in Cho’s poison during my escape from the Five Venoms headquarters.
And Ogongdae—that powerhouse I clashed with during the bedbug incident.
I hadn’t engaged the toads directly, so my assessment was imprecise, but the commander of that centipede unit? He was undoubtedly strong.
—Shia. 『They are all practitioners of the Five Venom Techniques, but their primary objective is not mere battle.』
“They have another purpose?”
—Sii. 『Indeed. Their true function is to hunt the Five Spirit Beasts.』
‘So that explains their proficiency against venomous beings…’
It was no longer a mystery why the Seomseodae members were unaffected by Cho’s poison.
And it clarified why Cheong-yu Sojeo said they were a poor match-up.
“Wait, does that imply…?”
—Shiai. 『Yes. That Black Snake Commander is reputed to be the most skilled snake hunter in the entire Central Plains. He was part of the team dispatched to pursue the Golden Crown Snake King manifestation of myself. That is the reason I said we are at a disadvantage.』
So, in essence, he was formerly the premier snake catcher of the Central Plains.
The notion irritated me.
‘Tsk… poor Cheong-yu Sojeo.’
Why? Because if he held that title back then, well…
‘That was before I arrived on the scene.’
After all, now that I have opened the Serpent Gate, I’m not merely the best in the Central Plains—I am the world’s foremost serpent handler.
I will have to relieve him of that “best in the Central Plains” designation.
‘The audacity.’

After three days of scouting, we had gained a solid understanding of the temple’s layout, the environs, and the enemy’s patterns. Consequently, we resolved to launch the assault without delay.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, we advanced into the woodland bordering the temple.
I surveyed the gathered team and posed the question,
“Everyone is clear on their tasks, correct?”
“Yes, So-ryong.”
“Naturally. Amitabha.”
“I remember, Little Hero So.”
—Tsrurur. 『Me too! Daddy!』
—Shia. 『Yes, So-ryong.』
“Once more—let’s briefly review the assignments…”
Everyone affirmed with resolute conviction. Following a final run-through, we proceeded toward the temple.
“We move out now. From this point, communicate only through silent signals and mental speech.”
As we crept nearer to the temple in stealth, a voice abruptly sounded in my mind.
[So-ryong, you are here.]
It was my elder brother—he had remained behind on watch duty.
I swept my gaze around and observed him and my sister-in-law step out from the undergrowth. Sister Jeokwol descended gracefully, alighting softly on my shoulder.
[Your efforts are appreciated. Any alterations in the enemy’s disposition?]
Despite their illicit activities, their security was unexpectedly slack, perhaps because we were far from the Central Plains.
Two sentries posted by the stone wall. Another two near the entryway connecting the temple to the wall. That was the full extent of it.
I inquired regardless, wanting confirmation that the situation was unchanged from the previous day.
[It remains the same as yesterday.]
No new factors had emerged. We would execute the plan as devised.
[All teams, assume your positions.]
[Understood.]
[Affirmative.]
—Tssrrt!
—Kssit.
My brother, the rest of the group, and the children all dispersed toward their respective destinations.
Concentrating my Mysterious Dark Eye Art, the first figures I discerned were Moji and Soji, hovering noiselessly overhead, maintaining surveillance.
I had not yet engaged the infrared sight.
The pair were still in the process of shifting their bodies to black, merging with the darkness of the night sky.
They were steadily transitioning from white to black.
It seemed they could alternate between silver and black. Given they radiate both pure and demonic energy, I surmised this metamorphosis was a result of their dual nature.
In any case, with those two providing aerial coverage, there was no risk of enemies slipping away.
I swiftly rejoined Cheong-yu Sojeo and Orange by the pond.
‘Cheong-yu Sojeo, commence the deployment.’
—Shia. 『Understood.』
“Sssss…”
Cheong-yu Sojeo issued a soft, low hiss, a quiet command.
In answer, the snakes we had discreetly assembled over the preceding days—concealed within the temple’s fissures—began to glide out and assume their posts.
King Cobra, Spitting Cobra, the black-and-yellow Banded Krait, and the crimson Zayu Pit Viper.
The King Cobra, potent enough to bring down an elephant; the Spitting Cobra, which aims for the eyes; the neurotoxin-wielding Krait, inducing paralysis and suffocation; and the hemotoxic Zayu Pit Viper.
An assembly of Eastern India’s most lethal serpents, now rising with menacing hisses—poised to attack before settling into a state of watchful readiness.
—Shia. 『The preparations are complete.』
‘Acknowledged.’
Our backup measures were in place. It was time to scale the three-story statue.
From that vantage point, I could discern our team members advancing furtively toward the stone wall in the distance.
Then—almost instantly—they disappeared from sight.
I activated the infrared vision.
The group bound for the stone wall reappeared in my view: Cho, Sister Jeokwol, Hwa-eun, Hyang, Sister Seol, Yo-hwa, my brother, and sister-in-law.
They formed the team responsible for blocking the tunnel entrance within the stone wall.
While Cho and Sister Jeokwol were part of it, making the group seem small, I had previously dispatched centipedes inside to explore and verify the tunnels were interconnected.
The instant the operation commenced, Yo-hwa was to seal the entrance with her threads. That particular assembly of individuals and spirit beasts was more than adequate for the task.
Once Yo-hwa secured it, our only job was to neutralize any enemies attempting to break out.
I soon spotted them nearing the guards, their approach shielded by Sister Jeokwol’s concealing powder.
Yo-hwa hung inverted from the stone wall directly above the sentries, a sharp grin on her face.
Then, Bini’s voice resonated in my thoughts.
—Tssrut. Daddy, we have also reached our position.
I shifted my focus toward a dilapidated temple structure.
The infrared sight unveiled more of our allies positioned covertly around it.
That team was tasked with securing the pathway linking the temple to the stone wall—Bini, Ranghyang, Ji-ryong, Eunbong, Geolhwang, Monk Jaheo, Seol, Bing, and Dong.
The enemy resided in the cavities of the stone wall but seldom used those entrances actively—they merely guarded them.
Their actual access route was a tunnel originating from the crumbling temple.
This explained why, during our initial reconnaissance, they had materialized so abruptly around a corner.
By sealing both the tunnel and the secondary path, we were effectively corralling them with no escape.
There were no hidden exits, and even if any existed, Moji and Soji would intercept them from the air.
I issued the command to start.
『Begin! Hwa-eun. Bini, commence the operation!』
—Tssrrrt! (Understood, Daddy!)
“Yes, So-ryong!”
Even without communication devices, coordinating via mental dialogue made the operation flow perfectly.
At my signal, I watched Yo-hwa ensnare the two guards at the stone wall with silk threads, hauling them upwards.
They writhed for a brief moment before falling still.
Yo-hwa started sealing the wall’s apertures with her thread, while Sister Jeokwol released a cloud of butterfly dust to obscure Yo-hwa’s activities.
That sector was secured without a hitch.
Swiveling back to the ruined temple’s entrance, I noticed Hu-gae springing from the shadows toward a guard.
But two frigid streaks of light reached the target first.
—Crack.
—Thud.
In the silence of the night, the only sounds were the chilling reports of forming ice.
We had pre-charged the attacks earlier, so one guard was immediately encased in ice—a frozen statue—courtesy of Seol’s technique. The other dropped, a formidable spike of ice embedded in his skull.
The entrance was now secured.
Back at the stone wall, Yo-hwa had successfully sealed the majority of the lower tunnel openings. Only a few near the top remained partially open.
I contacted Bini mentally:
『Bini, are you inside the structure?』
—Tssrut! (Yes, Daddy. I entered through a fissure, just as you instructed. There is a sizable cavern within. The others are already engaged in combat.)
‘Provide assistance if the situation becomes perilous. But exercise extreme caution.’
—Tssrrr (I will! But the fighting is practically finished. However, a number of the adversaries managed to retreat.)
I had already verified the existence of the large internal chamber using my centipedes, but they lack the intellect for accurate headcounts or detailed mapping.
It appeared the enemy force was larger than projected, and a few had successfully withdrawn.
But I felt no anxiety.
The stone wall was completely sealed—they had nowhere left to run.
I promptly issued the subsequent order.
『Bini, initiate the next stage!』
—Tssrrt! (Roger, Daddy!)
She responded with cheerful enthusiasm.
Moments later, a commotion erupted from within the stone wall.
From the higher openings Yo-hwa had left unsealed, a dark haze began to emanate.
The enemies had been using torches, lanterns, or fires inside the cavern. So, what occurs when the air in a sealed space grows warm?
Hot air ascends—exiting through the upper vents.
This means the cavern draws in fresh air to compensate.
But if the primary lower entrances are blocked?
Then the air must be pulled in through their emergency exit—the lengthy passage they utilize.
Now, envision Bini releasing a gaseous agent, similar to tear gas, into that very corridor.
The toxin would be drawn directly into their chambers as if by a vacuum.
‘This is pest—no, creature management at its finest. Those too slow will receive a generous serving of Ranghyang’s cyanide-infused venom!’
The subterranean team’s mission was straightforward: apprehend a few who tried to flee and ensure the rest ingested a fatal quantity of Ranghyang’s poison.