Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 459

Chapter 459

***

The abrupt violence brought Baek Heo-ja’s mind to a complete and utter standstill.
It had occurred on a day that had, until that moment, been entirely commonplace.
They were merely traveling to the Tang Clan for a wedding celebration—so how had his precious disciple been reduced to this state? He could not comprehend it.
What finally shattered Baek Heo-ja’s frozen stupor was the sound of coughing and a weak voice close to his ear.
*Cough.*
“Ma… Master…”
“Seoryeon!”
Snapping back to awareness, Baek Heo-ja’s gaze fell upon the horrific sight once more—Seoryeon, with dark, tainted blood pouring from her lips, and a blackened arm thrust completely through her torso.
The man responsible was emanating a dense, murky aura of demonic energy.
He was unmistakably a demonized martial artist—a ma-in—a horror seldom encountered since the Demonic Cult’s downfall half a century prior.
Furthermore, the man’s eyes burned with a crimson light, all traces of his former humanity erased. He had probably been devoured by the very dark arts he had sought to command.
Before his transformation into a ma-in, he must have been a master of the highest caliber.
Now, he was little more than a beast, motivated solely by carnage, his consciousness utterly submerged by the demonic force.
While it was common knowledge that even supreme masters struggled against a ma-in, all such logical thought was instantly incinerated in Baek Heo-ja’s mind, which was now a blinding white furnace of rage.
“You monster! How dare you—!”
Gwak Seoryeon, whom he had raised as his own daughter from the age of five.
Confronted with the image of his beloved child so savagely wounded, any consideration of whether he could overcome the foe was meaningless.
He would strike. And strike again.
That single thought consumed him.
From Baek Heo-ja’s feet, the swiftest technique of Cheongseong—the Flying Current Step—erupted. Fueled by pure wrath, he hurled himself toward the assailant.
The distance between them vanished in an instant.
*Shhhllng.*
His sword was already in his hand, its blue qi slicing through the air like sharpened threads. The ultimate technique of the Clear Wind Sword Art exploded from Baek Heo-ja’s blade.
“Die!”
Before the momentarily stunned man could react—
Baek Heo-ja roared and brought his sword down.
The blade sheared cleanly through the wrist of the arm that was impaled in his disciple’s abdomen and jutting from her back.
*Slice. Whirl!*
He aimed a follow-up strike at the neck, but the ma-in contorted its head in a horrifyingly unnatural way, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow.
*Thud!*
Baek Heo-ja drove his foot into the ma-in’s chest, kicking it backward, and retreated swiftly, clutching his disciple to his chest.
He instantly sealed her pressure points and assessed her injuries.
The situation was dire.
Her spine seemed unharmed, but two ribs were shattered, and her internal organs were clearly devastated.
Through the ghastly wound in her stomach—where the ma-in’s arm had been—he could see the torn shreds of her intestines.
Her life was hanging by the thinnest of threads.
Making everything worse, the severed hand of the ma-in still lodged within her was leaking corrosive demonic energy.
He needed to extract it, but pulling it out would cause her organs and blood to spill forth, killing her instantly.
His beloved disciple gripped Baek Heo-ja’s collar, her voice frail and shaking.
“Ma… Master… I-I’m so sorry…”
Meanwhile, two elders and a group of disciples surged toward the ma-in.
“You fiend! How dare you harm our Seoryeon?!”
“Your head is forfeit today!”
“Graaaaghhh!”
“Damn it! Be on guard! His internal energy is overwhelming! Assume the Seven-Star Formation!”
The disciples of Cheongseong met the roaring ma-in in a violent clash.
Baek Heo-ja was forced to choose.
Though the elders and disciples were holding the enemy at bay, without his help, further casualties—likely fatalities—were certain.
But what of Seoryeon?
Should he abandon her to save the rest?
As this internal war raged, Baeko-ja reached his conclusion.
“Forgive me, Seoryeon.”
Cheongseong was too distant, and her wounds were too severe. Even if they made it back, her survival was unlikely. He had resolved to sacrifice her and aid his sect.
“If I had known this would happen, I never would have brought you to the Tang Clan… Wait! The Tang Clan! Of course!”
The realization struck him like lightning.
“Yes! We are headed to the Tang Clan!”
The leader of the Tang Clan was renowned for his medicinal expertise.
If anyone possessed a chance to save her—it was him.
Gathering his righteous qi, Baek Heo-ja contained the demonic energy seeping from the ma-in’s severed limb and yelled to the quicker of the two elders:
“Elder Lee! Elder Sam and I will finish this creature. You must take the child to the Tang Clan at once, and do not remove the hand! The Tang Clan leader is Sichuan’s finest doctor—he might have a solution!”
“Understood, Sect Leader!”
Elder Lee broke away instantly, gathering Gwak Seoryeon into his arms and immediately launching into lightness arts, speeding toward the Tang Clan.
Baek Heo-ja turned his attention back to the ma-in and propelled himself forward again.
*Rumble…*
“You abomination… Your life ends here!”
On the serene forest trail that wound from Sichuan’s provincial capital toward the Tang Clan—
The trees of the peaceful woods, which had held onto their last leaves throughout the winter, finally began to release them,
Carried away on a raging blue storm of Cheongseong’s fury.

***
Initially, invitations were meant to be dispatched to every major sect in the Central Plains.
That is simply the level of prestige our Tang Clan holds.
However, due to the recent troubles with the Five Venoms Sect and the Blood Cult—combined with the wedding’s somewhat rushed timing—Father-in-law opted to send notices only to associates within Sichuan and neighboring martial sects.
Therefore, only roughly a tenth of the initially planned attendees would be coming, but despite that, Tang Clan fighters could be seen dashing out every day in every direction across Sichuan to deliver the letters.
“Since when is an assassin clan from the Central Plains so incredibly sociable?”
Judging purely by the sheer number of invitations being sent, it felt like we were about to be inundated with visitors.
And true to form, a mere few days before the ceremony, the influx of guests commenced.
“Congratulations, Clan Lord Tang.”
“To have Master Jahee of the Emei Sect grace us with her presence!”
“Naturally, when young Sir So is marrying the Tang Clan’s daughter, I had to see it for myself.”
“Thank you, Master Jahee.”
From the leader of the Emei Sect to the Governor of Sichuan, distinguished visitors arrived in a steady stream each day.
“Clan Lord Tang! I am here!”
“Welcome, Governor of Sichuan. We are honored by your presence.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it, ahem. Tell me, might I have the pleasure of tasting that renowned Braised Phoenix King again at this wedding feast?”
“I will have my son-in-law make some especially for you.”
“Ahem. I shall hold you to that.”
Consequently, Father-in-law was endlessly occupied with receiving the new arrivals. I bided my time until after the evening meal, when he at last had a spare moment, and approached him discreetly.
“Clan Lord, Young Master So-ryong is here to speak with you.”
“Oh, very well. Send him in.”
I had thought he would be relaxing in his study, but instead I discovered him buried under a small mountain of paperwork.
“Father-in-law, are you busy?”
“No, it’s nothing major. Simply going over the final list of items we need to acquire for your wedding. What is it, son-in-law?”
I felt a twinge of guilt seeing him so burdened, but my errand was pressing, so I scratched my head and came right out with it.
“My apologies, but I need to ask for something immediately…”
“What could you possibly require? You know I will provide it.”
He seemed genuinely curious that I had personally come to make a request—it was something I almost never did.
With an awkward smile, I told him.
“A table…”
“A table?”
“Yes…”
“What’s so complicated about that? I’ll instruct the chief steward to have one brought to your room right away—”
He was perfectly willing to oblige.
But I quickly raised a hand, wearing an embarrassed look, and gestured toward something else.
The table I needed was not a common one.
“No, not just any table. That one…”
“Eh? T-that one!?”
His eyes followed where I was pointing and went wide with astonishment.
And for good reason—I was indicating the large round table situated in the middle of the main audience hall.
An immense round table crafted from Azure Steel Stone.
“The… the Azure Steel Stone round table?”
“Yes. It’s for the Azure Steel Immortal Ants I brought with me. They sustain themselves by drawing energy from Azure Steel Stone. I had some with me, but now that they’ve begun laying eggs, they’ve communicated that they require a much larger source.
So… I was hoping I could take that table.
Once we excavate the tomb of Senior Hwamu-jin that Hwa-eun told us about, we will be able to acquire more Azure Steel Stone. So if you could please…”
I hadn’t anticipated they would reproduce, least of all in winter.
But the Azure Steel Immortal Ants had burrowed under my rooms and started producing eggs almost immediately.
Sichuan was milder than I’d expected, and below ground was warmer still. That was likely why the amount I’d brought from the tomb was insufficient for incubating the eggs.
And just a short while ago, the queen ant had come to me directly to plead for assistance—which is why I had rushed here.
Father-in-law winced at my explanation, then answered haltingly.
“W-well, of course you may have it. The Azure Steel Stone table… i-it’s fine. Is there anything else?”
His reluctance was plain, but he was compelling himself to agree.
For the moment, I chose to ignore it.
“Ah, also… Hwanji and Hwana need a proper home. They’ve been residing under a shelter fashioned from Yo-hwa’s threads, but I believe they require a real structure.
It isn’t snowing or bitterly cold, but the winter wind still blows, and they need a barrier against it.”
“Very well. I will have a storage building emptied, and we will erect a larger one close to where you and Hwa-eun will reside. Spirit beasts are certainly a costly pursuit. Ahem.”
He was subtly suggesting my interests were a drain on the clan’s finances.
But with the wedding so imminent, I had no plans to curtail them. So I smoothly changed the subject.
“Speaking of which, Father-in-law… about the residence for Hwa-eun and me?”
He had brought it up casually during our conversation, so I inquired, and he detailed his arrangements.
“I am having one of the courtyard houses completely refurbished so you, Hwa-eun, and your spirit beasts can all live there in comfort.”
“Ooh!”
I couldn’t suppress a grin at the thought of us having a tidy, expansive courtyard all to ourselves—and for the kids, too.
It would still be inside the Tang Clan compound, but it would be our own private space.
“Might I take a look at it now?”
“Hm. Shall we go, then? I intended to show you after the renovations were complete, but there is no harm in a preliminary visit with just the two of us.”
When I asked, too impatient to wait, Father-in-law stood up immediately.
We walked outside together—
And right at that moment, we detected commotion at the entrance to Tang Mountain.
High above, the clan’s Sound Dagger Signal began to shriek.
*Peeeeeeep. Peeeeeeep. Peeeeeeep.*
Three piercing whistles—a summons for the Tang Clan’s direct lineage members.
“I will go and see.”
Since it was night, I thought it best not to disturb others and volunteered to go by myself—but Father-in-law declined.
“No, I will accompany you.”
“Then let’s go.”
Just as we prepared to descend the mountain path—
We observed lanterns approaching from the main gate of Tang Mountain.
The guards were not waiting for us—they were hurriedly escorting someone upward.
I paused and pointed.
“Father-in-law, they are heading this way.”
“Indeed they are, son-in-law. It appears they have someone with them.”
When I activated my Myoaam Night Eyes, my vision clarified—the Tang warriors were employing lightness arts to assist someone up the slope, and when the party finally reached us—
Both Father-in-law and I were struck speechless.
A middle-aged man was cradling a young woman in his arms.
The woman’s white robes were drenched in blood.
Her face was deathly pale.
“Is that not Elder Im Wongwang of the Flying Current Sect? What has occurred!?”
“Huff… Clan Lord Tang! Please, you must save our Seoryeon! On our journey here, we were set upon by a ma-in…”
“A ma-in!?”
I had heard the tales.
Martial artists who cultivated perverse inner arts and demonic techniques—shunned as heretics by the orthodox community.
And now, one had appeared.
“To the Medical Hall! And where is your sect leader?”
Father-in-law urgently guided the man toward the Tang Clan’s Medical Hall.
“The Sect Leader remained with the other disciples to combat the ma-in.”
Hearing this, Father-in-law took the young woman and shouted:
“Damn it! Relieve this man and lead the Grand Elder of your sect here at once!”
“Y-yes!”
“Mobilize the Venom Blood Squad and the Eradication Unit immediately! Request assistance from the Emei Sect’s master as well! I will tend to this young lady!”
“Yes, Clan Lord!”
The moment the people scattered at top speed—
The formerly peaceful Tang Clan, which minutes before had felt like a tranquil village settling in for the night, was instantly converted into a fortress ready for war.
Armed warriors emerged from the mountainside like a tidal wave.