Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 505

Chapter 505
When I was a child…
There was a wide stream near my grandmother’s home in the rural countryside. By the large tree near that stream, I would often see the village elders fishing in a peculiar way.
A man with a square container strapped to his back would lower two bamboo poles into the water—and almost instantly, fish would turn belly-up, pale and lifeless, rising to the surface. To my young eyes, it seemed like pure magic.
Merely placing sticks into the water and watching the fish float up—it felt like witnessing a spell.
As I grew older, I came to understand this was known as “battery fishing,” an illegal practice.
They referred to it as batteri fishing, borrowing from the Japanese pronunciation of “battery” (batteli), because they made use of ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) car batteries to do it.
They would place a car battery inside that square box on their back, connect wires to each terminal, and attach those wires to lengthy bamboo rods fitted with large nails at the ends. Then they’d sink the rods into the water—typically near rocks where fish tended to gather—and flip the switch.
What followed? The fish were electrocuted and rose to the surface.
That, in essence, is battery fishing.
Even during the 1950s, a time when few considered the environment, this technique was prohibited. It destroyed not only adult fish but also their eggs and young, decimating entire populations.
Now, I considered replicating this method—but employing Ho-ye (Tiger Lightning) in place of a battery.
It would allow us to eradicate the mature stickyworms, their offspring, and any remaining eggs all at once.
I laid out my idea to Hwa-eun and Gun Hye-rin.
“I plan to use Ho-ye, which carries the power of lightning.”
“Ho-ye?”
“Yes. Lightning energy naturally flows through metal and disperses effectively in water. With Ho-ye, we should be able to wipe out everything within the cave.”
Gun Hye-rin gave a solemn nod.
“Using lightning energy… That is a clever approach. Lightning travels exceptionally well through water—and it is intensely destructive. It can eliminate living creatures in an instant.”
From her tone, it was evident Gun Hye-rin understood a great deal about thunder qi.
But just as I anticipated, it was Hwa-eun who voiced the crucial misgiving.
“Earlier, you seemed uncertain… Is the issue the time required to return to the Tang Clan and obtain Ho-ye? I imagine you have a way to transport it, but you’re concerned the stickyworms might start to scatter while you’re away?”
True to form, she grasped my thoughts without needing them spelled out.
Yes.
That was precisely what gave me pause.
If I flew at full speed with the children, I could likely reach the Tang Clan within three or four days.
Ho-ye is an amphibian—similar to a salamander—meaning it needs water to live. Its skin can be badly harmed if it dries out. So I would have to carry it back inside a pouch designed to hold water.
Fortunately, that wasn’t a major obstacle—I intended to request Yohwa to create a custom pouch for that very purpose before departing.
Considering travel both ways, I predicted it would take no more than ten days to fetch Ho-ye and come back.
But the true problem was…
Would the stickyworms stay in the cave for that long?
Based on their size, they were already quite developed. It wouldn’t be surprising if they started to leave at any time.
I nodded and responded:
“Yes. I still think it’s our strongest option… but I fear they might achieve independence and disperse while I’m gone.”
“Disperse?” Gun Hye-rin tilted her head slightly.
“Yes, Lady Gun. As I mentioned, these beings—called four-insects—typically do not rear their young. The mother lays her eggs and departs. The newborns drift in the water and mature alone. That is their usual way.
However, in situations where the mother does raise her offspring, there eventually comes a time when she releases them to fend for themselves. We call that ‘independence.’”
“Ah… so once the mother decides they can survive on their own, she sets them free?”
“Exactly.”
“Hmm. Now I understand. Normally they wouldn’t be nurtured at all, but since the mother is caring for them this time, you believe independence could happen anytime?”
“Yes, Lady Gun.”
The specifics varied somewhat, but the central worry was the same: the stickyworms might soon exit the cave voluntarily.
Just as I finished speaking and started pondering what to do next, Hwa-eun and Gun Hye-rin exchanged a look—a silent conversation passing between them.
Then they spoke—simultaneously.
“Then stop worrying and go with your plan.”
“Then stop worrying and go with that plan.”
“If anything occurs while you’re away, we’ll maintain control here until you come back.”
“If anything occurs while you’re away, we’ll keep things secure until you return.”
They were urging me to set aside my doubts and proceed.
They would protect the area in my absence.
It was a comforting response—yet it gave me pause.
“Both of you… intend to hold this position?”
A martial artist at the Huagyeong level is nearly invincible.
Had this been any other place, I would have agreed without a second thought.
But this was not just “any other place.” We were deep inside the borders of the Daewol Nation—the core territory of the Five Venoms.
And the conflict would take place underwater.
Even for expert martial artists, combat beneath the water greatly reduces one’s abilities.
I recognized that both women were highly skilled—but there were too many variables. Too many weaknesses.
We couldn’t rely on additional support, either. The Murim Alliance dared not send forces into enemy lands without risking open war. Even if the Five Venoms had pulled back for now, if we caused a disturbance battling the stickyworms, they might seize the chance to attack.
That was assuming they weren’t already planning to eliminate us along with the creatures.
On top of that, fighting underwater would prevent even Huagyeong-level experts from performing at their peak. No one operates at full capacity when submerged.
Even if they remained powerful, it was only natural for me to feel concerned.
“Don’t worry, So-ryong. We have the children with us as well.”
“That’s correct. The children are here too.”
They tried to reassure me—but even with the children, I couldn’t feel entirely comfortable.
They were strong, certainly.
But the Five Venoms are specialists in toxins and dangerous creatures.
Not even Gun Hye-rin, Hwa-eun, or the children were completely safe in this situation.
We couldn’t simply throw everyone we cared about directly into the enemy’s stronghold.
“I hear what you’re both saying… but allow me to consider it further.”
I needed to deliberate carefully.
Ho-ye truly was the most effective solution…
But if it meant overloading Hwa-eun and endangering the children, I couldn’t make that choice recklessly.
***
-Click.
A dark night after the sun had set.
Small stones tumbled down from the roof of the cave entrance.
-Plop!
When they struck the water’s surface, a loud splash rippled outward.
Rings spread across the calm water—and in that moment, the liquid seemed to shudder as if stirred from below.
It was a minor sound, but enough to rouse every creature in the silent cave.
The mother stickyworm shifted and promptly began patrolling the cave, scanning the area.
A dark shadow glided just under the surface, sweeping along and examining every part. Once her inspection was done and she found nothing wrong, the mother stickyworm went back to her original spot.
Then, right above where the pebble had landed, the cave’s ceiling glimmered faintly—and several spiders emerged from it.
They were sizable—each as large as a man’s clenched fist.
There were four of them, and they spread out to various points, taking up positions at each corner of the ceiling, gazing downward with fixed concentration.
Soon after, the cave settled back into perfect quiet.
Then, Jeok-wol, who had released the pebble earlier, soundlessly ascended and flew back in the direction she had come from.
Hanging from her feet was a tiny blue lizard—Dong-i.
***
『-Kkyuuk. Grandpa, everything went well over here.』
Dong-i’s voice resonated inside my mind.
At the same moment, Yohwa, who had been seated with her eyes shut, opened them with a bright gleam and gave a slight nod.
The surveillance spiders had been placed successfully.
『-Kkishi. It’s functioning, Oppa. I can see inside the cave. It’s definitely them.』
“Thank you, Yohwa.”
『-Kkishi-shi. No need to fret, Oppa. I’ll continue to keep an eye on them.』
In the end, I reached a decision before a full day had even gone by.
We were running out of time.
We couldn’t afford to delay when these creatures might start to disperse at any moment.
Instead of agonizing indefinitely, I concluded it was wiser to take action.
But rather than recklessly positioning Hwa-eun or the children inside Five Venoms territory or pushing them into combat, I arranged a different approach.
I refused to place the whole weight of the risk on our group.
So I developed a strategy involving several layers—to make sure we could observe, manage, and if needed, restrain the stickyworms with as much safety as possible.
The initial phase of that plan: surveillance.
Yohwa had a special gift—she could see through the eyes of spiders she had evolved.
So I had her evolve several spiders and position them on the ceiling of the cave where the stickyworm eggs were—effectively turning them into monitoring devices.
This way, we wouldn’t have to step into Five Venoms territory or enter the cave at all. We could still observe the stickyworm larvae from a safe distance.
Furthermore, we planned to use Yohwa’s silk to seal off two or three downstream routes in the water.
Not within Five Venoms land, of course.
Initially, we considered blocking the cave itself—but that would have been too bold. There was no reason to take unnecessary risks.
As long as we blocked the paths that led downstream—toward the Lancang River—we could keep the infestation from spreading.
Even if a few larvae escaped the cave, Ho-ye could later sweep through both the upper and lower sections of the stream and eliminate them.
Admittedly, it might kill all the fish in the smaller rivers, but that was a far better outcome than allowing the human population along the Mekong River to suffer.
This insight came to us thanks to Ji-ryong.
“Young Lord So, we don’t actually have to confront them over there, do we?”
“What would you propose instead?”
“We simply need to halt them here. Since this is upstream, they can only get out through this single location, correct?”
“Oh!”
Because the creatures were confined to the cave, my thinking had become limited. But when he said that, I recognized he was completely right.
We only needed to stop them before they reached the Lancang River.
Here, we could receive support from the Murim Alliance and the Beast Palace. That made containing the threat much safer and more practical.
“Well then… everything is set. It’s time to go.”
『-Kkishishishi. Take care on your journey, Oppa.』
“Thank you. You do the same, Yohwa.”
With all arrangements made, it was time to leave.
“Hwa-eun, I’m going now.”
“Travel safely, So-ryong. I will protect this place, so don’t be anxious.”
“Right. I’ll come back as fast as possible.”
Accompanying me were Cho and Yeondu.
I hoisted the special water pouch—designed by Yohwa to transport Ho-ye—over my shoulder, then launched into the sky toward Sacheon.
To obtain the ultimate tool for forbidden fishing—
The means to carry out an unprecedented act of electro-fishing.