Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 438

Chapter 438
“Wait… bringing this fruit back to life is part of the confirmation?”
Hwa-eun’s sudden realization sent my thoughts into disarray.
If her words were true, then the instant I restored that thing to life, I would be formally recognized as the Heavenly Master.
I still couldn’t identify the fruit with absolute certainty, but it exhibited every sign of being the Fruit of the Blossoming Tree, one of the Twenty-Four Venoms.
And if that were the case, I needed to obtain it.
Among the Blossoming Tree Venoms—Flower, Tree, Grass, and Fruit—I had already acquired:
Flower: The Twin Orchid Mantis, Sandan.
Tree: The Blackwood Yellow Inchworm King, Changcheon.
Grass: The Blood-Eyed Green-Haired Mole Grass, which I had given to my sister.
That left only the Fruit.
Securing this one would mean the Blossoming Tree Venoms set was finally whole.
Regarding the full Twenty-Four Venoms, I had only finished the Heaven-Earth-Black-Yellow quartet.
That consisted of:
Bi-cheon Shin-sa (Yeondu)
Ji-yeong Snake (Orange)
Mukhyeon Ghost Lord (Bini)
Millennium Golden Turtle (Geumdo)
These four completed that first group.
But the other sets—Cloud-Rain-Snow-Hail, Gold-Silver-Water-Fire, and Red-Blue-White-Black—remained unfinished.
Some were just one piece short. Others, I had barely made a start on.
Now, I had an opportunity to finish an entire set—the Blossoming Tree Venoms.
Any collector understands the frantic excitement that comes with securing the final item of a collection.
Even without the complete Twenty-Four Venoms, finishing this group would mean I had completed the second of the six venom quartets.
So honestly… I was nearly going out of my mind.
For me, there was only one path: revive it, claim it—and finish the set.
But doing that would also mean accepting the role of Heavenly Master, and that was where my mind began to fracture.
“Damn it.”
I made an effort to steady myself and requested that Hwa-eun consult Ji-ryong.
Hwa-eun was clever, certainly—but Ji-ryong was sharper. Perhaps he would offer a different perspective.
I was almost convinced they were correct… but I needed a fragment of doubt to cling to.
『“Hwa-eun, could you—please ask Ji-ryong? I don’t truly question your judgment, but just to be sure… it might be good to get his opinion.”』
“Understood. He is right here with me, actually.”
A short silence followed—then the response came.
『“Ji-ryong says he is almost certain as well.”』
“…I see.”
A sigh.
There went that hope.
I glanced downward. Dorje looked back at me with a beaming smile.
And for a second… that smile appeared to be a lifeline.
No, hold on—maybe they are mistaken?
Even intelligent people like Hwa-eun and Ji-ryong can be incorrect. They might be overanalyzing—seeing intention where none exists, as clever minds often do.
Yes. I needed to hear it directly from the origin.
Who?
Dorje, obviously.
I put on a strained smile and inquired with feigned nonchalance,
“Ah, Dorje?”
His smile became even warmer.
“Yes, Heavenly Master?”
“…I was just thinking… If I manage to revive this thing, would that, um… count as some kind of trial to demonstrate I’m the Heavenly Master? Heh.”
Dorje appeared truly shocked and waved his hands in a panic.
“W-what!? Absolutely not!”
YES! I knew it!
I almost cheered on the spot—certain that Hwa-eun and Ji-ryong had finally been too clever for their own good.
But then Dorje continued his explanation.
“We—how could we ever presume to test the Heavenly Master? That would be a profound transgression!”
Sure, sure. Naturally. How could they possibly… wait… just a moment.
Something was wrong.
His words no longer sounded reassuring. They sounded more like a confirmation—as if I were already the confirmed Heavenly Master.
As I gaped at him in astonishment, he added,
“However… there is an old saying handed down by the elders. When he comes, the dormant fruit will stir and greet him…”
Wait, isn’t that essentially a test dressed up in prettier language!?
He claimed they wouldn’t test me—then outlined a test.
The second I heard that final part, my mind went completely blank.
“Heh… heh… so that fruit is definitely going to wake up, isn’t it? Heh heh…”
I’m finished.

***

I descended from the tree and resolved it was time to demand clearer answers from Dorje.
He was obviously being untruthful about this not being a test, yet they continued to address me as the Heavenly Master—it was all utterly confusing.
If they genuinely thought I was the Heavenly Master, why administer a test?
And if they were testing me, why deny it?
They were attempting to straddle both possibilities.
“Dorje, forgive me, but I truly don’t understand. You address me as the Heavenly Master without hesitation—yet you’re also behaving as if this entire situation is an examination? These two ideas conflict.”
“A-an examination? Certainly not!”
He persisted with the same denial.
So I decided to try a bluff.
“Well… perhaps I should return to Sichuan. I’m not entirely comfortable with this. It’s beginning to seem like you aren’t being entirely straightforward with me…”
In reality, if this was the Fruit of the Blossoming Tree, there was no possibility I would depart without it.
But the bluff was effective.
Dorje looked utterly appalled and seized my arm.
“R-return!? N-no, please! I will explain anything you wish to know!”
Now he was finally prepared to speak openly.
He guided me to a nearby stone bench. Once we were seated, he mopped the sweat from his brow and asked anxiously,
“W-what is it you wish to understand?”
“Simply this. You have been calling me the Heavenly Master with utter conviction—yet all of this feels like a test. So which one is it?”
Wiping his forehead once more, Dorje at last began to speak in a reverent, measured tone.
“Ah, yes… I understand. There is a reason for this, Heavenly Master.
‘Tolku’ refers to a reincarnated master. And in our faith, to doubt or test a Tolku is a serious sin.
Therefore, here at Podarlap Palace, if an individual is considered a potential Tolku, we treat them as such—until it is conclusively demonstrated that they are not.
We adhere to this rule even for ordinary Tolkus. So how could we possibly subject someone believed to be the Heavenly Master to a test?”
“Ah… So you call me Heavenly Master not because you are certain, but because doubting me before confirmation is a sin. And so until I am proven not to be him, I am treated as though I am?”
“Precisely!”
…Alright, that was logical.
He was a high-ranking religious official. Of course they could not risk disrespecting someone who might be divine.
Blind faith is rather common in religion, after all.
Doubt is a sin—faith is a virtue.
Still, it also clarified one thing perfectly.
If I revived that fruit… I would no longer be a *potential* Heavenly Master.
I would be confirmed. Without any doubt.
And so I asked once more…
“So, if I am successful in reviving that fruit, I will truly become the Heavenly Master?”
“W-what!? A test? No, no—it is not a test… Perhaps better described as a procedure that offers the devout followers a feeling of assurance, one might say.”
“…Isn’t that just a more elegant manner of stating that it is a test?”
“N-not at all!”
I released a lengthy sigh and asked the more pressing question.
“Haah… Very well. Then—must I revive it right away?”
“No, not at all! Take all the time you require!”
“In that case, I believe I will retire for today.”
“Of course!”
I departed from the tree and Dorje, heading back to the residence. Given that reviving the fruit seemed certain to confirm my status as the Heavenly Master, I needed to have a proper discussion—with Hwa-eun, Ji-ryong, and the rest.
As I moved along the corridor and reached the residence—
Just before I entered, Dorje called out from behind me.
“I will ensure the tree chamber is accessible to you at any time. You are welcome to return whenever you like.”
“Understood.”
—Creeeak
“It seems So-ryong is truly…”
“I believe so as well.”
I overheard the voices the moment I opened the door and entered the common sitting area outside everyone’s rooms.
Everyone inside turned to look at me as I came in.
“So-ryong!”
“Ah, Young Master So! You’ve returned.”
It appeared they had all been discussing me just before my arrival.
Seol noona hurried over as if she had been anticipating me, pulled me to a chair, and sat me down.
“So-ryong, tell us what occurred at the tree. What was said? Was there anything more?”
Evidently, they were all eager to hear the rest of what I had earlier related to Hwa-eun. And since I required their counsel on how to manage this predicament anyway, I relayed every detail of my interaction with Dorje.
As I described what I observed and what he told me, their faces slowly shifted.
It seemed everyone had picked up on the contradictory conduct—treating me as the Heavenly Master while simultaneously putting me through what was unmistakably a test.
“Alright. That clarifies things.”
“Yes, it all makes sense now.”
“So we’re trapped, then? Unable to advance or retreat.”
Everyone looked solemn… except for Gungbong, who had apparently bonded with Seol noona and was now muttering something to her with a chuckle.
“Hehe.”
We all turned at the unexpected laughter, and Seol noona—who was also giggling—was promptly reprimanded.
“I am trying to be serious. Why are you two laughing?”
Gungbong responded with a silly smile:
“Noona said it would be amusing if Young Master So had to shave his head.”
She must have heard my remark the other day about whether becoming the Heavenly Master would require me to be a monk.
From next to me, Hwa-eun suddenly exclaimed,
“Unnie!”
Her voice cut through the room like a crack of thunder, and after shooting a sharp look at Seol noona, she turned to me and stated firmly,
“So-ryong, let’s simply leave. Abandon the Fruit. We do not need to acquire it.”
She meant, just let go of completing the Blossoming Tree Venoms set.
But… retreating when a target is directly before me?
That is not a concept I recognize.
“Hwa-eun, collectors like us do not have that luxury.”
Seol noona sighed with understanding and nodded, comprehending at once. But Hwa-eun attempted another tactic.
“T-then what if we gather all the others first and return for this one later? It isn’t as if it will disappear.”
It was a sensible point.
That fruit had been suspended there for centuries—it wasn’t going anywhere.
But when it’s right before your eyes… it preys on your thoughts.
That is the way it is for people like us. When a collectible is in sight, you seize it.
Just as I was wrestling with this, Ji-ryong smiled and said,
“So So-hyeop, why not simply become the Heavenly Master now?”
“Ji-ryong! What are you suggesting?!”
Hwa-eun snapped again, but Ji-ryong lifted a placating hand and went on.
“You appear concerned that you will be unable to marry him if he does. But you need not worry, Dok-hwa.”
“You mean… I needn’t?”
Hwa-eun tilted her head, curious.
“Yes. Remember, even the original Heavenly Master had three wives. So even if So So-hyeop becomes the Heavenly Master, you would still be able to marry him.”
“Exactly,” added Monk Jaheo, who had been listening quietly. “It is told that the Buddha himself had three wives before he reached enlightenment.”
That finally appeared to put Hwa-eun at ease, and she offered a reassured smile.
“Oh… well, that is… good, then.”
So in other words—if marriage remained possible, she was indifferent to my becoming the Heavenly Master.
That was somewhat touching, in its way. That she would love me no matter what I became.
But I was the one wrestling with the notion of becoming the Heavenly Master.
Ji-ryong spoke once more,
“And So So-hyeop—should you indeed become the Heavenly Master, you actually need not be overly concerned. Do you recall what Dorje said once?”
“What was that?”
“When we were determining whether to come here, Dorje told you: ‘From the fragments I have heard, it seems you have already been reborn and are devoting your energy to aiding others. How could we dare obstruct such a path or make demands of you?’
Therefore, even if they confirm you as the Heavenly Master, provided you state you are occupied with a crucial mission, I suspect Podarlap Palace will not request anything from you.
After all, if testing a Heavenly Master is a sin, then interfering with his duty must be as well.”
That… actually sounded reasonable.
If suspicion was a sin, then what objection could they raise if I declared I was already on a sacred mission?
“Then… should I simply proceed and become the Heavenly Master?”
If accepting the title did not disrupt my work—and enabled me to obtain the Fruit of the Blossoming Tree—perhaps it was not so terrible?
I did not care greatly for the title itself.
What I did care about were the potential benefits.
Like how Gungbong came running when I acquired Soto—perhaps reviving this fruit would draw another rare being.
It felt comparable.
And so, I thought:
Perhaps beginning tomorrow… I should concentrate solely on reviving the fruit.
What is the worst that could happen?