Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 499

Chapter 499
Gun Hye-rin stared, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“You’re telling me it splits into two?”
“Exactly. When you cut it with a blade, it divides into two separate beings, each growing from the severed section.”
“How is that possible? You sliced it through the middle—how could—”
“The half with the head continues living as it was. The other half regenerates a new head.”
“What in the world… Such a monstrous creature… What is it called?”

Gun Hye-rin seemed unable to accept that such a poisonous being could exist, though in reality, it wasn’t particularly uncommon. Most people simply never look closely enough.
You can find these organisms in ocean mud, tidal flats, beneath rocks, and even in freshwater or brackish environments.

“I don’t believe it has an official name in the Central Plains. But if we were to name it, something like *sachung*—thread-worm—might be fitting.”
“Sachung?”

The creature that had shot its proboscis at Hwa-eun, incapacitating her in an instant before engaging Gun Hye-rin, was known as *Lineus alborostratus*.
Often called a ribbon worm or nemertean.
It’s an invertebrate from the phylum Nemertea, typically dwelling in marine settings, though some varieties inhabit freshwater. It once gained notoriety online because of videos showing it ejecting its proboscis—a strange, whip-like organ riddled with moving vessels.

These worms possess an organ known as the proboscis, stored coiled in a sac called the rhynchocoel, situated above the gut. It can be launched outward swiftly when necessary—almost like a venomous dart.
When deployed, it unfurls like something from a nightmare, spreading like a living parasite, branching like veins. That visual is what made it so widely shared.
Even detached from the body, the proboscis continues to twitch as if alive.

‘An ordinary person would certainly find it startling. And repulsive.’

They use this mechanism both for hunting and self-defense. Certain species have a barbed tip loaded with venom; others do not—these are categorized as armed and unarmed types.
The armed variety stabs the prey and injects toxin, while the unarmed kind ensnares the target with the proboscis, immobilizing it with potent digestive juices and poison.
The toxin they typically employ is tetrodotoxin—the same found in pufferfish.
Or so the reports say.

‘Damn. It actually used saxitoxin.’
That oversight was why I hadn’t recognized the creature earlier.
A few outdated papers suggested some species used saxitoxin, but the data was unreliable.
Because those documents were old, some had confused tetrodotoxin with saxitoxin, and since their validity was never confirmed, I assumed all ribbon worms used tetrodotoxin.
I prefer to rely on scientifically validated studies.
But it appeared the paper mentioning saxitoxin wasn’t entirely incorrect.
If it wasn’t mistaken, then either this local variant naturally produced saxitoxin, or the Five Venoms Sect had modified it in some way.

“Yes, since it resembles a thread, that name seems appropriate.”
“I see. But it’s nothing to worry about, right? Even if there are two now, I can handle them easily.”

Though I hadn’t voiced any criticism, Gun Hye-rin seemed regretful for having caused it to multiply and assured me she could manage both.
I agreed.
Even enhanced into a spirit creature, a ribbon worm isn’t inherently powerful.
I’d only warned against creating two because they could become a nuisance with their ambush tactics.
So I nodded.

“Normally, they live in coastal mud, sand, or under stones, hunting by surprise. So they’re more irritating than threatening.”
“R-Right. Next time, I’ll deal with it properly myself.”

Gun Hye-rin appeared somewhat reassured.
Still seeming uncomfortable, she averted her eyes and glanced around. Noticing Hwa-eun, she asked with concern,
“Is Hwa-eun going to be alright?”

Hwa-eun had used her Sammae True Flame to burn away the proboscis stuck to her and was now meditating, circulating her qi.
I nodded as I responded.
Had Gun Hye-rin been struck, either Hwa-eun or I would have needed to assist in detoxification, but Hwa-eun was perfectly fine.
Naturally. She’s from the Tang Clan—what more needs to be said?
She has cultivated her poison arts to the Flower Realm.

“If you had been hit, Gun Hye-rin, it might have been serious, but Hwa-eun is trained in poison arts. Lower-grade toxins, even potent ones, pose little danger to her. I’ve heard that once a Tang Clan expert reaches the Flower Realm, they become nearly immune to poison.”
“That’s good to hear.”

Just then—
Cho fluttered over, out of breath, and asked the same thing Gun Hye-rin had.
—Chrr! 『The bad thing! It burrowed into the ground and escaped! Dad, is Mom alright?』
“She’s fine, Cho. What about you? Are you hurt?”
—Ch. 『I’m okay, but Mom…』

It seemed the creature had fled underground, and Cho had pursued it on Gun Hye-rin’s behalf before returning. I smiled and patted its head, where antennae branched to either side.
Cho looked toward Hwa-eun, its expression drooping with guilt.
—Chrrr… 『Sorry, Dad. It’s my fault Mom…』

Did it believe Hwa-eun was badly injured because her clothes were scorched by the Sammae True Flame?
In truth, Hwa-eun had allowed the ambush to happen. Since the ribbon worm’s attack lacked the murderous intent a human would emit, she likely couldn’t sense it in time.
Unlike spirit beasts, which radiate clear bloodlust, wild animals attack without that conscious intent, making it harder for martial artists to detect.
Animals hunt to survive, not out of malice.
That’s why martial artists are taught to “conceal killing intent like a wild animal”—essentially, to strike as naturally as breathing.

Still, something was unusual.
Even without clear intent, Hwa-eun should have detected its movement.
For a Flower Realm expert like her to fail to evade—there’s a term for that.
Carelessness.
Now that I reconsider, it occurred while Gun Hye-rin and I were arguing. If Hwa-eun was distracted by that, she might have missed the signs of the ambush.
So it wasn’t Cho’s fault. I patted its head again and said,
“This wasn’t your doing, Cho. Don’t blame yourself.”

But then it spoke again, hesitantly.
—Chrr… No, I was following the owl…』
“Owl?”
—Chrrrrr. 『What happened was…』

At Cho’s words, I remembered the owl that had been calling loudly earlier.
As Cho explained further, it became clear why Hwa-eun had been vulnerable.
It was misfortune—Cho had momentarily left its position, and at that exact moment, the creature had taken its place.
But that wasn’t Cho’s failure.
It was simply Hwa-eun’s ill luck.
Who could have predicted the thing would appear precisely then and there?

“From what you’ve said, it doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong. But if you find yourself in a risky situation like that again, always check with Mom before acting.”
—Chrrrt. 『Okay, Dad.』

Rather than simply absolving it, I offered a little direction to ease its mind. Cho nodded earnestly, vowing to remember in the future.
Such an endearing little being.

Just as I gave its head another pat—
Hwa-eun’s voice reached us. She seemed to have fully expelled the venom and recovered her awareness.
“So-ryong.”
“Ah! Hwa-eun, are you okay?”
“Yes, but… it was truly vile.”

Recalling the sensation of the proboscis coiling around her, Hwa-eun shuddered from head to toe.
A faint rustling sound reached my ears. Puzzled, I looked down—and saw Tang Hwa-eun’s garments beginning to disintegrate.
“Ah!”

As Hwa-eun started in surprise, her clothing fragmented even more.
Though she had activated her Sammae True Flame, the outer form of her robes had remained intact, so I assumed they were undamaged—but in reality, the fabric had been scorched into brittle charcoal.
It was now apparent: her clothes had been completely carbonized.

“Hold on, Hwa-eun. I’ll fetch you something to wear—”
“J-Just a moment!”

As Hwa-eun’s attire crumbled away, I hurriedly began removing my outer robe to cover her—but Gun Hye-rin was quicker.
Gun Hye-rin spread her arms wide, stepping between Hwa-eun and me.
“So-ryong, turn around! No—shut your eyes!”

It was Hwa-eun who was exposed, yet Gun Hye-rin’s face was flushed deep red.
She was the one feeling embarrassed.
At her words, Hwa-eun spoke with an apologetic look.
“Hye-rin, rather than making So-ryong look away, wouldn’t it be better if you moved aside briefly…? I need to receive his robe…”
“What!? You want me to move, not him!?”

Gun Hye-rin seemed stunned to be the one asked to step aside, but Hwa-eun nodded and replied,
“So-ryong and I are married.”

Since we were husband and wife, she meant there was no particular shame in being seen by me—we’ve already shared every intimacy, so it’s less awkward than being viewed by an outsider like Gun Hye-rin. But then came a bewildering response.
“S-So what if you’re married!? We’re both women! Why him and not me!?”

Did she not grasp the situation?
Hwa-eun answered with a faint, uneasy smile, attempting to clarify.
“Married couples share a bed without clothing. It’s perfectly normal. But even among women, being seen undressed can feel more exposing.”
“What!?”

Gun Hye-rin’s face filled with astonishment—perhaps because she felt Hwa-eun didn’t regard her as close?
Staring blankly, Gun Hye-rin then asked again, her expression still stunned.
“The two of you… sleep without any clothes!?”
‘What… What kind of response is that?’
But her surprise was misplaced.
It’s hardly shocking for a married couple to sleep unclothed.

Hwa-eun and I exchanged confused looks before she tentatively asked Gun Hye-rin,
“Well, to conceive a child, a couple must copulate, yes? And that requires being undressed.”
“Copulate?”
“You do know what that means, don’t you? When a husband and wife remove their clothes and…”
“I—I know! O-Obviously I know!”
‘Sure she does. She clearly has no idea.’

Her reaction made it plain she didn’t understand what copulation entailed.
Gun Hye-rin seemed like the sort of woman mythical unicorns would adore.
Totally uninformed about matters of intimacy.
Lately, I’d been thinking our spirit beasts needed some education in this area, and here was another who did as well.
At least they are beasts.
This one is human, which made it far more concerning.
What exactly had those Heavenly Demon Cultists been teaching their grown women, if not the fundamentals?

As Hwa-eun softly started to explain the details—something along the lines of, “If you truly know, then you understand that Daeryong must enter a woman’s body…”—
Gun Hye-rin’s eyes widened, and she stared down at my trousers.
Then, very slowly, she began to retreat from me.

Only then could I finally pass my outer robe to Hwa-eun.
“Yeondu, please bring Hwa-eun fresh clothing. I’ll inform Cheong-yu Sojeo.”
—Shaaa. 『As you wish, So-ryong-nim.』

Yeondu, who had been stationed at the Beast Palace, returned with garments for Hwa-eun. Even after we arrived back at the Beast Palace, Gun Hye-rin’s conduct remained altered.
The Gun Hye-rin who had been yelling at me the night before was gone.
Now, she appeared almost afraid of me.

***

We reached the Beast Palace near daybreak and went straight to my foster father.
Then we relayed the events of the previous night.
We had finally determined the true nature of the malicious beast.
“It was indeed a venomous creature, Father.”
“A venomous creature, you say?”
“Yes, Father. I was mistaken. I apologize.”

It was somewhat humiliating, given how confidently I had insisted it couldn’t possibly be venomous.
I’d argued vehemently that it was impossible, and yet it turned out to be exactly that.
“It’s alright. What’s important is that you’ve identified it. So—do you know how to capture it?”

Fortunately, my foster father didn’t dwell on the point.
Grateful, I answered his question.
“Certainly.”

Though Hwa-eun had been attacked, now that we knew the creature’s identity—even if it had divided in two—predicting its whereabouts wouldn’t be difficult. Catching it should be manageable.
Despite moving on land, it remained an aquatic being.
It would have to stay near water, so estimating its territory and path of movement would be straightforward.
And if it attempted to travel underground, we had Orange the Ji-yeong Snake, which detects vibrations in the earth, and Ranghyang, the millipede spirit beast.
With those two, no matter how stealthily it moved, we would inevitably track it down.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes. I’ll ensure it’s captured, so please don’t concern yourself. First, I’ll advise the guards to avoid the waterfront…”

I replied with assurance and promptly started formulating a strategy to apprehend the creatures.
‘This time, there must be no errors.’
Even so, I pondered deeply, determined not to repeat my mistake—but no further oversights came to mind.