Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 437

Chapter 437
Of course. Here is the paraphrased chapter:

Is a life of intelligence necessarily an easier one?
Not always.
One might assume that anticipating every eventuality would simplify existence, yet it is often those with simpler minds—like Gungbong—who carry the lightest loads.
They do not dwell excessively on matters. They take pleasure in minor delights, swiftly move past misfortunes, and accept people’s words at face value. Consequently, their interactions with others are often effortless, occasionally to a surprising degree.
Even the members of the Dragon Fangs considered Gungbong somewhat troublesome, though their feelings were never hostile—that was evident.
I only truly understood this after Soto came to inhabit Gungbong’s body.
Having spent almost every waking moment with him, I discovered that providing food, shelter, and entertainment upon request made caring for him remarkably similar to raising my own kids.
It was comparable to looking after an additional domestic animal.
On the other hand, it is the intelligent who truly endure hardship in this wearisome world.
They ponder profoundly and scrutinize all things, which results in greater anxiety. They examine the most trivial matters from innumerable perspectives, find it difficult to choose, and become emotionally fatigued from attempting to account for every minute detail and the feelings of those nearby.
At times, they fall into cycles of perpetual rumination, assigning significance to events that possess none.
This is precisely why all the counsel Ji-ryong offered me ultimately seemed futile.
He was a victim of his own intellect. His relentless analysis had produced assumptions completely detached from the truth.
He was certain that Podarlap Palace would subject me to a trial—yet nothing of the sort had occurred.
They had not even once broached the subject of authenticating my status as the reincarnated Heavenly Master.
‘So, indeed, excessive cleverness has its drawbacks. That whole “confirmation” theory? Ji-ryong was certainly overzealous.’
Reflecting on it, Gungbong’s lack of intelligence isn’t inherently negative. While he may exasperate others, his personal contentment with life appears considerably greater.

I hurried toward the desiccated tree from which two fruits dangled, and cried out with exhilaration,
“This is the one, isn’t it!?”
“Yes, Heavenly Master,” Dorje answered.
I moved past him and drew near to the tree.
The area, reminiscent of a courtyard, was enclosed by a short fence. Though covered by a roof, light poured in through open windows on every side, providing excellent visibility.
As Dorje had described, the tree was lean and barren, its branches naked and covered in a strange, blotchy surface I did not recognize. The fruits were suspended from a higher limb.
Rising onto my toes for a better view, I heard Dorje speak once more.
“You had something you wished to discuss?”
He appeared to be asking about my reason for summoning him.
I grinned and responded,
“I was going to request permission to visit this tree.”
“I understand. My intention was to bring you here once you had recovered completely—but it seems your curiosity could not wait.”
“Yes! I couldn’t wait at all!”
Eager? I had been burning with impatience.
Dorje had virtually rescued my spirit.
He gave a kind smile and said,
“You are permitted to step inside the fence and inspect it more closely.”
“Truly? Is that allowed?”
“Certainly.”
The fencing had given me pause, as it recalled Korea’s sacred Injeong Pine, but I now gratefully stepped over it.
The tree reached approximately 3.5 meters—about double a man’s height. The fruits hung roughly three meters from the ground.
As I positioned myself under the tree and gazed upward, Dorje’s voice reached me again.
“You are welcome to climb it if you wish.”
“But I might damage a branch…”
“It is of no concern. Please, proceed.”
“Gyaah! Thank you!”
Dorje was truly a good man. I promptly started to climb by seizing a substantial limb.
‘Why is the surface of this tree so slick…?’
As I ascended, I registered the odd feeling under my palms—an exceptionally smooth texture.
I had initially mistaken the mottled design for bark, but the tree possessed no bark whatsoever. It had the feel of burnished wood, stripped entirely bare.
Had the bark sloughed off when it perished?
It was akin to scaling a waxed pole—tricky to get a firm hold.
Nevertheless, I managed to reach the fruit.
Taking hold of the last branch, I pulled myself up and brought the two fruits into clear sight.
Each was approximately the size of two clenched fists. They hung together, sheathed in a lackluster gray skin.
‘Tch. It doesn’t appear to be a specimen of the Blossoming Tree Fruit, does it?’
I felt a twinge of disappointment.
It did not resemble the Fruit of the Blossoming Tree.
The Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures lacks a definitive account of it.
Hwa-eun’s ancestor could only view it from afar due to its potent toxicity. The text contains just a rough drawing and a caution: Beware—emits extreme poison.
According to that tradition, the fruit should be a rich, dark blackish-red.
But this one was gray. That seemed to eliminate the possibility.
Dorje had stated the tree was alive, merely dormant—and even dormant, it should keep its inherent hue.
‘Wait—Hwanji and Hwana also turned gray and stone-like during dormancy, didn’t they?’
It was premature to abandon hope.
I studied the fruit more intently.
The most notable aspect was its point of origin.
‘That’s odd… how it’s connected.’
Typically, fruit develops from the end of a branch where a flower has bloomed and been fertilized.
But this one had emerged directly from the branch itself.
It called to mind jabuticaba—a fruit I’d encountered while hunting snakes in Brazil. Jabuticaba produces dark, grape-like fruit directly from its trunk.
This specimen shared that peculiar trait—fused to the branch instead of hanging from a slender stalk.
I couldn’t discern the original bark’s appearance, as the tree seemed denuded—but if the bark had been this same gray color, the similarity would be striking.
‘Can I… open this?’
It felt necessary. I glanced downward.
Dorje had quietly approached and was now observing me from below.
Our eyes meeting, I was suddenly conscious of my audacity.
This tree… it was clearly regarded as a holy relic.
Would it be madness to seek permission to cut it?
This was Tibetan Buddhism. Would they not think me insane?
But I *am* insane.
A fanatic concerning venomous creatures.
‘Time to behave a little erratically. I need to know.’
I scratched my head and adopted my most amiable expression as I inquired,
“Erm, would you object if I tried to cut into this? It seems like a significant tree, so… haha… probably not?”
However, Dorje merely gave an unperturbed nod.
“Naturally. The Dalai Lama has stated you may have it, provided you can restore it to life through whatever method you choose.”
“WHAAAT!? Seriously!?”
In truth, even if this proved to be the Fruit of the Blossoming Tree, I had anticipated a conflict over possession.
It was, ultimately, a treasure of Podarlap Palace.
Even successful revival might have led them to assert their claim.
But he had just said I could take it!?
Overjoyed, I drew my dagger from my robes.
I aimed my strike at the juncture where the fruit met the tree, intending to sever the fruit cleanly.
If a living thing was inside, wonderful. If not—it was merely an inert mass.
—CLANG!
“Ugh!”
The shock traveled up my arm as if I’d hit metal.
‘What in the—!?’
I flexed my stinging hand and stared down, astonished—to find Dorje smiling.
He grinned and stated,
“It is remarkably solid, is it not? The fruit and the tree both have the quality of iron.”
“Is that so?”
I lifted my dagger and attempted to stab the area just above where the fruit was connected.
—CLANG!
Another metallic chime.
“What is this tree made of…?”
The blade left no mark whatsoever.
But I, So-ryong, am not a man who surrenders easily.
If one attempt fails—
Then try again, and again, and again.
—CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
As I hammered away at the connection point, at last—after numerous blows—a minuscule fragment sheared away.
And in that instant, my eyes widened.
The fragment had come from the fruit, and revealed beneath it was a glint of deep, reddish-black.
Tiny though it was, the color was unmistakably blackish-red.
Provided it wasn’t just blood from my hand, that is.
‘This… this has to be—!’
It was the identifying characteristic of one of the Twenty-Four Venoms—the Fruit of the Blossoming Tree.
“Gyaaaah!”
I cried out before I could stop myself.
Dorje, alarmed, shouted.
“What is the matter!?”
“I-it’s nothing!”
I dismissed his concern and fixed my attention on the chipped area.
Definitely blackish-red.
Immediately, I reached out to Hwa-eun with my thoughts, bursting with exhilaration.
『Hwa-eun! Hwa-eun!』
“Yes, So-ryong. What is it?”
She answered with a trace of anxiety at my agitated call.
But when I revealed my discovery, her mood lifted at once.
『Dorje showed me the dead fruit—and I believe it is the Fruit of the Blossoming Tree from the Twenty-Four Venoms!』
“Truly!?”
『Yes! The fruit is like an iron growth attached to the tree. I managed to break a piece off with my dagger—and the inside is blackish-red!』
“Blackish-red! That makes it far more likely to be authentic!”
『Exactly, Hwa-eun!』
Yet as we finished, her tone adopted a note of slight apprehension.
『That is wonderful… but will it not be difficult to acquire it from Podarlap Palace?』
『No, Dorje said—on the Dalai Lama’s orders—that I can have it if I manage to revive it by any method. Isn’t that fantastic?』
“…What?”
She seemed puzzled by this, and I didn’t grasp why—until she posed her next question.
『So-ryong, does that not qualify as the confirmation process Ji-ryong spoke of? That the test… is reviving the fruit using your power?』
“…Huh.”
A possibility I had not entertained in the slightest.