Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 47

Chapter 47

“What?! You’re asking me to undress my daughter!?” roared the Peng Patriarch, his grip tightening on my collar.
“Cough! Cough! Hold on, please—” I tapped frantically at his wrist, struggling for air.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
His hold was like iron, cutting off my breath.
Misinterpreting my taps, he only squeezed harder. Thankfully, my father-in-law and Hwa-eun intervened urgently.
My father-in-law seized the Peng Patriarch’s arm, forcing it down. “Patriarch Peng! Control yourself. My son-in-law must have a reason for saying such a thing. It isn’t what it sounds like. Isn’t that right, son-in-law?”
“Patriarch, please, let him explain himself fully,” Hwa-eun pleaded.
The Peng Patriarch wiped the blood trickling from his nose, his face a storm of fury and disbelief. “Fine! Let’s hear it! He tells me to remove the clothes of my daughter, a child not yet ten, and he says it with those… those shameful eyes! What possible reason could justify that!”
His entire body shook with rage, fists clenched. I couldn’t help but think, ‘Shameful eyes!?’
Even while being strangled and on the verge of losing consciousness, I felt profoundly wronged. What kind of degenerate would look at a little girl that way?
I preferred women like Hwa-eun—mature, capable, and strong-minded—not… whatever he was accusing me of.
“Ah… cough… thank you…” Finally freed by the combined efforts of my father-in-law and Hwa-eun, I gulped down air, my voice hoarse as I hurried to explain.
“Cough! Patriarch Peng, please, hear me out. When I said to take off the young miss’s clothes, I didn’t mean it in the way you think. I meant, ‘Let’s remove her current garments and change her into new ones.’”
The Peng Patriarch’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What?”
“Let me explain. I suspect something on her clothes, or something from the Peng Clan itself, may be the cause of her collapse. We need to remove everything she brought with her to eliminate any environmental factors,” I continued, striving to keep my tone even.
The Peng Patriarch fell silent, his eyes narrowing in thought. He looked down at his own clenched fists, swallowed hard, and then squeezed his eyes shut as he shouted.
“I, Peng Mu-hwan, actually doubted my own kin for a moment…”
“Stop!” I cut in, seeing he was about to strike himself again.
It was like a strange impulse of his. I caught his hand to prevent it.
“Please, Patriarch. Your distress over your daughter is understandable, but that’s precisely why we must be meticulous. Let’s just pause here,” I said, attempting to soothe him.
Peng Mu-hwan finally smiled, a relieved chuckle escaping his lips, revealing a missing tooth. “Haha, you are a forgiving man. I’ve never met anyone so patient with my errors. You are truly magnanimous! Thank you, haha.”
It seemed my preventing his self-punishment had greatly eased his mind.
But I wasn’t finished.
I added quickly, “Furthermore, from this point forward, we will assume care of Miss Yeong-yeong. Since her condition remains a mystery, we must temporarily suspend all contact with the rest of the Peng Clan.”
Earlier, the Patriarch had explained that his daughter would collapse but recover after a few days. Isolating her would help determine if the cause was external.
“Once she is in new clothes and separated from all Peng Clan items, if she collapses again, we will know the cause isn’t from your home. This will also help clear any suspicions within your clan,” I elaborated.
The Peng Patriarch tilted his head, considering. “Hmm? So if we remove everything and the symptoms return, it proves the problem wasn’t from us?”
“Exactly. It will exonerate your clan and remove all doubt.”
I knew this method was common with animals; you remove variables to identify the source of an illness. The same principle applied here, though it required careful handling.
“Ah, I understand. This way, we can at least rule out poison. You’re right; it will provide clarity,” my father-in-law said, nodding in comprehension.
The Peng Patriarch gave a grim nod, his expression resolute. “I see. I leave it to you. Thank you, Tang Clan leader.”
***
“Wait, So-ryong. Stay with the child for a moment. I’m going to the Medicine Hall to fetch a different scent,” Hwa-eun instructed as she prepared to leave.
She was going to retrieve another fragrance now that I had identified the first one.
“Yes, Hwa-eun. Understood,” I replied as she exited, leaving me alone with the unconscious girl.
I let out a deep sigh, looking down at her pale face.
My sigh wasn’t just for the situation, but also because my insistence on separating her from her clan had placed a burden on others.
Because of my decision, Hwa-eun and my mother-in-law were now bearing the extra work.
The child had been moved to a guest room within the Tang Clan quarters. My cautious father-in-law had agreed with my suggestion to keep her away from the Peng Clan servants, who had little to do with her care anyway.
Thus, Hwa-eun and my mother-in-law took on the nursing duties, while I was relegated to minor tasks.
Three days had already passed.
“She should be waking up soon, shouldn’t she?” I murmured. According to the Peng Patriarch, she typically revived after three days.
As I watched, her eyelids fluttered. Moments later, they opened, and she blinked up at me.
“Oh, Miss Yeong-yeong, you’re awake! Do you know who I am?” I asked gently.
Instead of answering, the little girl bolted upright and began patting down her clothes. She seemed awkward in the oversized new garments.
She stared at me with wide eyes, then her mouth began to work, as if trying to form words.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, a loud wail erupted from her.
“Whaaaa! It’s gone!”
The room echoed with her cries. Startled, I moved to comfort her, assuming she was scared and disoriented from waking up in a strange place.
“Miss Yeong-yeong, it’s alright. Your father, the Peng Patriarch, has stepped out to get medicine. He will return soon,” I said soothingly.
But the child shook her head vehemently.
“Candy!”
‘Ah, of course…’
She wasn’t crying for her father; she was crying for candy.
It seemed she was so accustomed to having sweets on her that even in her confusion, she craved them immediately.
When Hwa-eun had changed her clothes, she discovered hidden compartments sewn into the garments, all stuffed with candy, explaining the endless supply.
“Whaaaa! My candy!” she wailed again.
Hwa-eun had mentioned the Peng Clan was renowned for their martial prowess, but this little one seemed to have a different talent: her cries were a piercing, sonic attack.
‘At this rate, my eardrums will burst!’ I thought, wincing at the noise.
I knelt beside her and spoke firmly, “Miss Yeong-yeong, calm down. You just woke up, so you can’t have candy right now. How about some porridge first? Then I’ll make you some candy, okay?”
“Sniff… you’ll make it?” she asked, her crying halting abruptly.
I nodded quickly. “Yes, I will. How about some watermelon candy?”
“Watermelon!?” she exclaimed, her eyes growing wide.
I smiled, knowing her weakness for fruit. “Yes, watermelon candy. But first, you must eat your porridge, be good, and promise not to cry until your father returns.”
At the word ‘promise,’ the little girl puffed out her cheeks and nodded with fierce determination.
“The Peng family always keeps promises! If I break it, I’ll punch myself in the face!” she declared, striking a pose as if to hit her own cheek.
I stared, taken aback. “I beg your pardon?”
It appeared the Peng Clan’s young lady had inherited the family’s peculiar self-punishing habit. I quickly grabbed her and began explaining why hitting oneself was absolutely forbidden.
‘What in the world are they teaching her in that clan!?’
The entire situation was absurd, yet I felt a mix of amusement and concern as I tried to correct the child’s behavior.
***
“Brother So-ryong! Show me the big punishment again today!” Yeong-yeong cried, clinging to my leg and pulling me toward the training ground.
Ten days had passed since Yeong-yeong began her stay in the Tang Clan’s guest quarters. The guests from Hubei, including the Amifa and Qingcheng Sect, had mostly departed, leaving only a few martial artists sent by the Martial Alliance.
Officially, they left having failed to capture the Blood Sect remnants, but the truth was they had already apprehended a key infiltrator from the sect within the Alliance and were now en route to raid its main headquarters.
In these ten days, Yeong-yeong and I had grown close, thanks largely to the candy she adored.
When I had sent word of her condition to the Peng Patriarch days earlier, he was astonished to hear she was well.
“Is Yeong-yeong truly alright?” the Peng Patriarch had asked.
“Yes, she’s awake and recovering. She’s eating well and behaving,” I had replied.
“Eating?!” he had exclaimed, disbelief clear in his voice.
“Yes, she ate a considerable amount of fried pork yesterday,” I had added.
“How… how did she eat it?” the Peng Patriarch asked, still in shock.
“She ate it without any issue,” I had answered.
At that, the Peng Patriarch had burst into hearty laughter, his disbelief turning to relieved amusement.
“Ha, so my little Yeong-yeong is eating now, is she? I never thought it possible. Well done!” he had said, laughing.
I smiled at the memory as Yeong-yeong, bright and energetic, dragged me toward the training ground.
“Show me the big punishment!” she insisted, her eyes sparkling.
“Alright, alright,” I agreed with a grin, knowing exactly what she meant. She had become quite fond of watching the Golden Wasp Kings, who had taken a peculiar liking to her.
It wasn’t a typical fondness; the wasps were attracted to the candy she constantly spilled on herself, which they enjoyed licking off. She visited them daily, and her candy obsession had only grown.
As we neared the training ground entrance, she suddenly broke away and ran toward a pile of rocks by the path, kneeling down and announcing, “Brother, there are bees here!”
“Bees?” I asked, confused by her sudden detour.
After befriending the Golden Wasp Kings, she seemed to think all bees were her friends.
“Yeong-yeong, be careful. Other bees might sting you,” I warned.
Before I could react, she yelped, “Ouch!”
“Are you okay?” I rushed to her side.
She pulled back her left arm, revealing red welts where a bee had stung her. I swiftly swatted the aggressive insect to the ground.
“A ground bee! They’re territorial,” I muttered. Yeong-yeong must have gotten too close.
“We need to get to the Medicine Hall immediately,” I said urgently, scooping her up.
“It doesn’t hurt that much,” she mumbled, still rubbing her arm.
“We must apply medicine regardless,” I insisted, carrying her toward the hall.
As I hurried, I felt her begin to squirm uncomfortably, her breathing becoming labored.
“Yeong-yeong!?” I called out, alarmed.
She was showing clear signs of a severe reaction—anaphylaxis.
I recognized the symptoms immediately. This was serious, and I needed to act fast.