Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 432

Chapter 432
I channeled additional energy into the Myoa Amya Art I had been preparing.
Immediately, the moonlight sharpened to a dawn-like clarity, revealing the creature’s form in full detail.
A rounded core. Elongated limbs.
The being possessed no head—only a globular body from which eight lengthy legs extended. A strange, otherworldly silhouette.
It resembled an octopus.
Grotesque in shape—yet I recognized its kind well.
The insect it originated from was most likely from the arachnid order Opiliones.
A harvestman.
A harvestman spirit beast!
Often called daddy longlegs, these creatures belong to Opiliones. Their most distinguishing feature is their unusual physical form.
Unlike most insects, which have distinct segments—head, thorax, abdomen—the harvestman’s body is a single fused unit. Hence names like “harvestman” or “pill spider.”
Despite “spider” being in the name, it isn’t a true spider. It shares closer relations with ticks, camel spiders, or scorpions. The exact classification is still academically disputed due to insufficient study, but that is the prevailing view.
Regardless, the creature beneath the tree—a spirit beast modeled on a harvestman—was bounding toward an area littered with boulders.
It propelled itself using only six of its legs, holding the second pair aloft—exhibiting the classic harvestman behavior of using those limbs as sensory antennae.
A perfect example of harvestman locomotion.
Its legs were lengthy—perhaps thirty centimeters—while its body was no larger than a clenched fist.
If it reached those rocks, it would vanish into the gaps between them, making it nearly impossible to find.
“Kids! Let’s get that thing!”
Watching the creature’s swift movement, I yelled for Yeondu, Yo-hwa, and Cho to follow as I launched myself after it.
The rocky patch lay directly in its path. We needed to intercept it before it disappeared within.
– Tsrrr! 『Understood, Father!』
– Kishish!
– Shaaa! 『Yes, So-ryong-nim!』
As the kids and I pursued it, I finally comprehended why we had failed to locate any practitioner all this time.
Ji-ryong had theorized that soul-seizing arts were behind Gungbong’s condition—but it wasn’t a practitioner’s sorcery. It was this being.
So it truly can inhabit a human form and replicate them flawlessly? Astonishing!
My heart raced with excitement.
The Golden-Crowned Queen Cheong-yu could dominate people with venom, true—but that was more akin to mesmerism, reducing a person to a willless puppet.
This entity, however, had assumed total control over Gungbong’s physique.
It had copied his gestures and conduct so convincingly that it deceived even those closest to him.
Admittedly, the fact that its host was Gungbong made it easier… but even so.
The discovery of a new spirit beast species with such a unique power was exhilarating.
I must capture it. No—this one is destined to become part of my cozy family.
Just as I leaped in pursuit, the voices of the astonished group reached me from behind.
“W-What in the world is that?!”
“Hold on… is that what was inside Gungbong?!”
“That’s right—Gungbong! Gungbong!”
They had been stunned by the bizarre being and the understanding that it had emerged from Gungbong.
But they quickly recovered and hurried to Gungbong’s side.
“Gungbong! Are you okay?!”
“Gungbong! Gungbong! Can you hear me? Gungbong!”
“Unnie, I’ll look after him! Please go after So-ryong! He might act impulsively!”
“Alright! I’m on it!”
Then I heard Hwa-eun’s voice—delegating Sister Seol to accompany me.
Since Hwa-eun needed to stay with Gungbong, she was evidently sending Sister Seol as a… supervisor.
She still remembers to assign a babysitter now? Goodness… she will be a formidable wife one day…
Even amid this crisis, Hwa-eun hadn’t overlooked attaching a watchdog to me. I couldn’t help but respect her attention to detail.
Meanwhile, the creature had already arrived at the edge of the rocky zone—and just as I dreaded, it slid beneath a sizable stone.
“No!”
Were we about to lose it?
In this landscape, filled with stones, it would be simple for the creature to seep into the fractures and disappear.
But as I sprinted to where it had vanished and looked under the rock—fortune smiled on us.
It was a cul-de-sac.
A narrow hollow existed under the stacked rocks, but the sides and back were fully enclosed.
Deep within the shadowy recess under the stone—I spotted it.
The creature glanced around anxiously, clearly terrified.
A cornered animal.
It had attempted to lose us by ducking into the rocks, but the first refuge it chose was a sealed fissure.
I could perceive its agitation in its darting eyes.
“Heh… ah, hold on. No, no. Let me try again…”
Smiling in triumph, I was on the verge of addressing it with a measured tone to preserve my dignity, when—
– Psssshhhh!
A noise reminiscent of a soda can opening emanated from under the rock.
A yellowish haze began to seep from the creature’s form, wafting out through the crack in the stone.
Certain harvestman types are known to release unpleasant smells when alarmed—so this one, frightened, had undoubtedly activated its defensive mechanism.
I recoiled, but a faint, foul odor still hit my nostrils.
I yelled swiftly to the kids behind me.
“Ugh—kids! Move back!”
– Tsrrr! 『Yes, Dad!』
– Shiaa! 『We hear you, So-ryong-nim!』
The kids were sufficiently distant to be safe, but the fact I could smell it indicated I had been a tad slow.
“Kids, guard the exit.”
I instructed them to watch the opening while I seated myself on a nearby rock and concentrated on circulating my internal energy.
If the odor was poisonous, I required to purge it from my body.
I guided my energy toward my lungs—but detected no strain or unease.
Evidently, the smell was not toxic.
If it were, I would have begun displaying poisoning signs. But nothing occurred. Even after activating Five Poisons Returning to the Origin, I sensed no venom.
Good. It’s harmless.
Now that I reconsidered, when we initially found Gungbong during the hunt, we had also detected a horrible smell—yet no one fell ill.
That must have been the same odor—released unintentionally when the creature was scared.
Considering how Yeondu had mentioned earlier that Gungbong smelled like Yeolbi, I now understood this offensive scent was probably the same type of chemical release used by some harvestmen when threatened.
Back then, I assumed Yeondu was merely insulting him—but now it was obvious the scent she detected did indeed mimic the odor of Yeolbi’s flatulence.
That was logical, since both Yeolbi’s discharges and this harvestman’s defensive spray are founded on the same compound: quinones.
– Tsrrr! 『It’s trapped!』
As I stabilized the energy I had been circulating, I noticed Cho and Yo-hwa peering into the crevice at the creature, snarling and issuing warnings.
I had told them to keep watch—and they were now menacing the harvestman.
– Tsrrr! 『Don’t move! Don’t even think about it!』
– Kishiii!
“Everyone, don’t intimidate it too much.”
It wasn’t poisonous, but still, we preferred to avoid another wave of that stench. I softly patted Cho’s neck and drew her back.
This being was going to join our family eventually—there was no point in frightening it excessively.
I was on the point of stopping Yo-hwa as well when—
– Psssshhh.
As the stench started to fade, perhaps afraid the others would charge in, the creature pressed itself against the stone wall in fear and began emitting the odor again.
At that moment, Sister Seol reached us and inquired if we had captured it.
“So-ryong, did you get it?”
“Not yet. But we have it confined in a dead end.”
“Then you’ve practically caught it, right?”
“Well, you could look at it that way.”
We hadn’t formally captured it yet, but with it stuck in a sealed fissure, it was as good as mine.
Sister Seol appeared to concur, nodding as she drew nearer.
She looked into the crevice at the frightened creature and asked, astonished,
“What exactly is that thing? It doesn’t have a head?”
It looked so peculiar that I provided her a brief explanation.
“It’s likely a spirit beast based on what’s known as Mangju—‘Blind Spider’ in the Central Plains. But it’s not an actual spider. It’s more related to the scorpion or that camel spider we encountered in Qinghai.”
She hesitated briefly, pondering, then shot me a serious look.
“Is that so? Even so… isn’t it hazardous if it imitated Gungbong? I know you have a fondness for venomous beings, but please don’t keep anything that can hurt people, alright? Do you get me?”
The Beast Palace, much like me, adored creatures—particularly mammals. But they only deemed tame, gentle animals acceptable.
Tigers that prey on humans or wolves that assault livestock were forbidden—even for the Beast Palace.
Therefore, if this harvestman was capable of harming people, it wouldn’t qualify as a pet.
Imitating humans by inhabiting their bodies rendered it exceptionally dangerous.
But if it were truly malevolent, wouldn’t it have injured Gungbong upon leaving his body—or used him as a bargaining chip?
“I don’t believe it’s wicked. It appears more frightened than anything… And if it were malicious, wouldn’t it have harmed Gungbong?”
“Well… I guess that’s a fair point.”
Just as I concluded, Sister Seol glanced toward the crevice—now less pungent—and asked,
“So how do we extract it? Should we light a fire and smoke it out like a rabbit in its hole?”
Her intention was good, but this was no simple animal. This was a spirit beast—one able to comprehend speech.
I led Cho to the entrance and knelt down, speaking softly.
“Can we have a word?”
“…”
“You have nothing to fear. I mean you no harm. Are you able to speak, perhaps?”
“…”
No reply.
So I requested Cho to attempt communication.
Maybe the creature was suspicious of humans, but it might answer another spirit beast.
“Cho, can you try speaking to it?”
– Tsrrr. 『Of course, Dad. Hey! Will you talk to us?』
Yet the harvestman remained silent.
Cho and I looked at each other. Was it possible that… it lacked the ability to speak?
Most of my other spirit beasts, even those not naturally vocal, had evolved resonating chambers to produce sounds.
But if this one didn’t answer, perhaps it completely lacked that capability.
Similar to how Ranghyang is blind, perhaps this one was simply mute.
“If you cannot speak… could you twitch your front legs?”
I gazed into the crevice. A moment elapsed—then the second set of legs, the ones employed as sensors, quivered.
That confirmed it.
It truly cannot speak.
But it seemed to understand language perfectly—so I opted to attempt further communication.
“I assured you—I don’t plan to hurt you. I know you utilized Gungbong’s body, but you didn’t wound him or anything…”
Just as I was starting to speak seriously—
A voice called out from behind me.
“Young Master… w-where is that thing? Hrk… Gungbong… Gungbong…”
I turned and saw Eunbong.
Her lips were bleeding from being bitten, smudging the rouge I had applied earlier. Her face was lined with tears.
In her grasp was her flute—an instrument she seldom brought out.
“What’s the matter, Eunbong? What occurred?”
Sister Seol hurried over, clearly concerned.
Then Elder Brother appeared, cradling Gungbong in his arms like a child. His tone was somber.
“Gungbong isn’t breathing… So-ryong…”
“What!?”
His face was ashen. His body was slack.
Gungbong appeared utterly lifeless in Elder Brother’s hold.
Behind them, Hwa-eun trailed—and offered a slight, grave nod.
He truly had stopped breathing.
I looked back at the crevice.
The harvestman was thrashing its second pair of legs wildly, as if protesting—
That’s not what happened