Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

“Hah… hah…”

From behind me, I could hear Yeong-yeong’s strained, ragged breaths.
She was still clinging to consciousness, so I called out to her urgently, “Yeong-yeong, stay calm. Breathe deeply and slowly.”
Her symptoms pointed unmistakably to anaphylaxis.
Anaphylactic shock is a extreme allergic overreaction by the body’s defenses. It strikes almost instantly after contact with a particular trigger. Time was critical—without intervention, it could result in plummeting blood pressure, closed airways, and death.

I changed direction immediately, making straight for the patriarch’s hall rather than the medical wing.
The only people who could save a child who couldn’t breathe were the clan head, my father-in-law, or Grandfather Mandok Shingun. The patriarch’s hall was the nearest option.

“Hah… brother… hah…”
“Just hold on, Yeong-yeong. We’re almost there!”
Her weak voice reached me from over my shoulder, and I pushed my body further, channeling my light-foot technique to sprint toward the patriarch’s hall.
The instant it was within sight, I yelled at the top of my lungs, “Father-in-law! Lady Peng has fainted!”

*Slam!*

At my shout, the doors to the patriarch’s hall flew open and my father-in-law and the clan head himself rushed out, their faces etched with alarm.
“What!? Again?”
“What occurred, So-ryong?”
“Yeong-yeong!”
It appeared the clan head had been in the hall by chance. A fortunate turn.
I slid to a halt, gently laying Yeong-yeong on the stone pavement to assess her state.
Her face was drained of color, her lips were bluish, and a strained, whistling noise came from her throat—a sure sign her airway was constricting.
Swiftly, I removed my outer robe, rolled it, and placed it under her neck to help keep her airway clear. Then I shouted to the clan head, “She can’t breathe properly, Clan Head!”
“Understood. Pass her to me—I will transfer energy.”
“Yes, sir!”
The clan head, who had evidently handled this before, moved with practiced speed and assurance. He started channeling his internal energy into Yeong-yeong.
Her pallid skin was covered in raised, red hives, and she was slick with a cold sweat. It was a severe crisis, but as the clan head continued, I watched the faint hue of life gradually return to her cheeks.
‘The power of energy healing is truly astonishing,’ I observed, deeply impressed.
What the clan head was executing was a form of energy treatment. In my former life, such a concept was the domain of frauds, but here, it was a genuine and powerful form of medicine.
For anaphylaxis, urgent care involves stabilizing blood pressure and securing the airway. Normally, one would use epinephrine, steroids, or antihistamines, then provide oxygen or intubate.
But here, internal energy resolved it all. They could clear airways and stimulate the heart using nothing but martial skill.

A short while later, as the clan head continued his energy transfer, my father-in-law felt Yeong-yeong’s pulse and looked at me.
“Her condition matches the previous episodes. So-ryong, you were with her when she fell—did you observe the trigger?”
“Yes, did you discover the cause on this occasion?”
Both men fixed their attention on me, and I gave a firm nod.
“Yes, I saw the entire thing.”
I had observed the cause of Yeong-yeong’s anaphylaxis directly.
“What was it?” the clan head pressed urgently.
I lifted Yeong-yeong’s swollen left wrist for them to see and answered, “A bee stung her.”
“A bee?”
“A bee!?”
Both men blinked in surprise at my reply.
My father-in-law, who had been anticipating something else, looked faintly disappointed. “I see… stung by a bee. It’s unusual, but I suppose a reaction like this is possible. However, I doubt this explains her previous collapses.”
If a bee sting was the culprit, surely the Peng Clan or others would have identified it during the earlier incidents. A child being stung by a bee would not go unnoticed.
“So, you believe the cause was never found—and this time it’s merely bee venom?”
“That seems to be the case. Certain individuals possess a heightened sensitivity to bee venom, and Lady Peng appears to be one of them.”
The clan head and my father-in-law shared a worried look as they considered this.
But I cut in with a slight smile, “No, Father-in-law. Because of this bee sting, I believe we can now determine the cause of her previous collapses.”
“Oh? You think you can?”
“Yes, are you claiming to have solved it? Why has Yeong-yeong been collapsing all this time!?”
Both men stared at me, utterly astonished.
I took a careful step back, wary of another incident of having my collar grabbed, and replied cautiously, “Before that, we must conduct a thorough examination of Lady Peng’s body. Would that be acceptable?”
The clan head’s expression tightened momentarily, but he then sighed and said, “Hah… and what is the reason this time? Kindly explain your purpose clearly before making such requests. Every time my daughter falls ill, you insist on disrobing her—it is becoming trying to listen to, even if I trust your motives…”
“Ah… I-I was rushed…”
He was correct. I had an unfortunate tendency to state the action before the reason, a habit likely carried over from my previous life as a YouTuber. Back then, I would hook an audience with claims like, “Tomorrow, I will capture Korea’s most venomous snake!” before giving the details.
Scratching my head awkwardly, I attempted to explain.
“Well… you see, I’ve heard Yeong-yeong views you as an older brother, is that right?”
“She does.”
“Then why must she be undressed on this occasion? It is growing increasingly difficult to dismiss the possibility of an alternative motive…”
“No, it’s nothing like that!”
I waved my hands emphatically and clarified, “We need to inspect her body carefully to locate something.”
The clan head balled his fists, his voice cold. “I instructed you to explain first…”
Sensing the threat of violence, I hurriedly exclaimed, “It’s because I need to find evidence!”
“Evidence of what?”
The clan head blinked, his interest clearly piqued.

***

*Click.*
The chamber door opened, and my sister stepped out cautiously.
As usual, her face was a placid, unreadable mask.
Unable to glean anything from her expression, my father-in-law and the Peng Clan head hurried to her, firing off questions.
“Well? Did you examine Lady Tang? Was it there? Truly?”
“Hwa-eun, did you see it? Was So-ryong correct?”
My sister turned her eyes toward me, offered a faint smile, and nodded.
“Yes. Just as So-ryong predicted, it was most certainly there.”
“Oh! Is that true!?”
“It was really there!?”
“Yes. Although it was challenging to see clearly due to the many welts covering her skin, I identified two old marks and one very fresh one on her back.”
Hearing this confirmation, the two elders’ faces brightened with exhilaration.
But their animated exchange was cut short by a voice from within the room.
“The child is still unconscious. Please, lower your voices,” came my mother-in-law’s stern, level tone.
“Ah, of course, Madam Tang.”
“Understood, Ma’am.”
Their excitement stemmed from my sister having found the proof I had asked her to search for on Yeong-yeong’s body.
Though my suspicions were strong, we required tangible evidence to be sure.
“You mentioned marks. Then stop hesitating and tell me—why has my daughter been collapsing all these years? You promised an explanation once we confirmed the marks,” the Peng Clan head demanded, his expression indicating his patience had expired.
I glanced toward Yeong-yeong’s room and replied, “Yes, it is now almost certain that Yeong-yeong has been suffering from bee venom poisoning.”
“Bee venom?”
“Bee venom, you say?”
All three of them frowned in bewilderment.
“But… earlier, Clan Head Tang said it wasn’t bee venom. And if it were bee stings, we would have known. Our courtyard has no flowers, and the ground is laid with stone—there is no attraction for bees here,” the Peng Clan head argued, his tone doubtful.
It was a reasonable point. If Yeong-yeong had been stung by a bee, her parents—who adored her beyond measure—would undoubtedly have seen it happen.
“Yes, that is correct. However, while it is bee venom, it was not delivered by a bee sting, which is why it remained hidden,” I explained.
“What? Bee venom, but not from a bee?”
“Bee venom… with no bee?”
The three of them gazed at me, completely perplexed.
I nodded with a slight smile. “Yes. As those of the Tang Clan understand, poisons do not impact every person equally.
For some, a mere drop on a needle’s point is lethal, while others can withstand ten times that amount without effect.”
My father-in-law nodded in agreement. “So-ryong speaks the truth, Peng Clan Head.”
“Yes, yes, I grasp that. But enough with the cryptic talk—explain it plainly. You have a particular talent for trying my forbearance,” the Peng Clan head complained.
Yielding to his impatience, I continued, “Yeong-yeong was born with a constitution that is acutely sensitive to bee venom. You witnessed it for yourself earlier, did you not?”
“We did.”
“Precisely. Other substances may not trouble her, but she is unquestionably vulnerable to bee venom. Therefore, the cause of her collapses has always been bee venom. But if she wasn’t stung by a bee…”
I paused, allowing a moment of silence in the room before concluding, “It is because she was stung by a distant relative of bees—a cousin, of sorts.”
“A cousin of bees? A distant relative?”
“Such a thing exists?”
Their faces were a blend of confusion and incredulity.
I pointed in the direction of the mountain where the Peng family resided and announced, “Then, shall we go and apprehend the culprit that has nearly killed Yeong-yeong? This so-called cousin of the bee.”
After all, is it not my specialty to hunt down and silence dangerous culprits? Be it a distant branch of the Tang family or a distant relative of a bee, they all fall quiet when Spicy Fabre is on the trail.