Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 51

Chapter 51

When the Peng Clan leader was instructed to draw out the lizard, he immediately began rolling up his sleeves, eager to begin.

Knowing his direct and forceful nature, I understood he needed some direction, so I motioned for him to join me by the campfire first.

“We should formulate a proper strategy for this,” I proposed.

“Do we truly need one? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just knock it out with a single blow? Then we could capture both of them at once,” he countered.

This was typical of the Peng Clan’s famed approach: confronting every challenge with overwhelming power. His suggestion to forgo tactics in favor of pure force made me give an awkward laugh. I could already picture the gruesome result of his massive blade meeting the small lizard’s body—a swift and messy end.

‘A truly frightening image.’

“Clan Head, a single strike from you would surely kill a lizard, even one that drove off a Martial Alliance soldier… and in a rather horrific manner.”

The Peng Clan leader roared with laughter, clearly taking it as a compliment.

“Haha! You see things clearly! That soldier was defeated because he’s grown soft from paperwork. You are correct, my strength would be the end of this creature. Ah, the burden of such power!”

“Yes… a true burden,” I muttered, keeping my expression carefully neutral.

As he enthusiastically clapped my back, I wondered what part of this had cheered him up so much. Just then, my sister’s voice reached me through a sound transmission.

[The Peng Clan and the Zhuge Clan have a long-standing rivalry. The Zhuge see the Peng as simple-minded brutes who use force for everything, while the Peng view the Zhuge as overly cerebral scholars who only use their wits.]

‘So that’s how it is. The Zhuge are the intellectuals, and the Peng are the warriors… quite the contrast.’

I hadn’t sensed any tension between the Clan Head and the soldier earlier, probably due to the urgency of Yeong-yeong’s situation, but this new context helped everything make sense.

With the Clan Head now in excellent spirits, I guided him back to the fire and laid out my idea.

“Clan Head, my plan is this: you will lure the lizard away while Lady Hwa-eun and our Poison Creature Unit cut off its escape routes. Meanwhile, I will examine the other one.”

“Are you certain you can manage it? What if it isn’t ill? You admitted your martial arts are not particularly advanced.”

His concern was valid, but before I could answer, my sister spoke up.

“Then I will remain with So-ryong. Clan Head, you can focus on the lure, and our unit will handle the blockade.”

“A much better arrangement. Are there any other precautions?”

“Yes! You must prevent the lizard from scaling the walls. If it gets up there, it could evade the blockade and come straight for me.”

“Understood. I will approach it, draw its attention, and ensure it stays off the walls. Let’s begin!”

We moved without delay. If the second lizard was truly sick, every moment counted.

We approached the dome-shaped rock again and were immediately met with the lizard’s warning shrieks echoing through the cavern.

*Kyaaaa!*

Maintaining a distance of about ten meters, we saw the lizard in front of the rock, its tail raised and swaying defensively. I gave the Peng Clan leader the signal.

“Clan Head, you’re on!”

“Understood! Everyone, move according to the plan!”

The moment he stepped forward, the lizard hissed and took a threatening step toward him, its small body radiating defiance.

“Haha! Show me what you’ve got!”

*Tung!*

He slapped the flat of his blade with his palm, creating a loud noise that further provoked the lizard. As he advanced another step, the lizard launched itself at him like a released spring.

*Thud!*

“Oho! It has some heft! This one’s strength is on par with a first-class Peng Clan warrior! How exhilarating!”

The lizard collided with his blade with a solid impact, but the Clan Head was using more than brute force. He skillfully redirected its charge, switching their positions and blocking its path back to the rock.

Now cornered, the lizard hissed and tried to retreat, but he advanced again, cutting off its escape.

“Now!”

At his command, the Poison Creature Unit moved in, swiftly surrounding the lizard and completely isolating it from the rock.

With the aggressive lizard occupied, it was our turn. I called out to my sister and rushed toward the rock.

“Let’s go, Lady Hwa-eun!”

“Yes, So-ryong!”

*Kyaaaa!*

*Thud!*

The sounds of the struggle—hisses and impacts—echoated behind us.

We finally reached the shaded area under the rock where the second lizard lay completely still. It didn’t stir even as we approached.

“Is it truly unwell?” my sister asked, studying the creature carefully.

I knelt beside it and nodded.

The lizard was suffering from dysecdysis—it was unable to shed its skin. A white film covered its eyes, and the tip of its tail was decaying from the infection.

As we drew near, it seemed to sense us, turning its head slightly in confusion. But with its vision blocked by pus and old skin, it couldn’t see. Its feet and tail were similarly trapped in the unshed layer, and the decay indicated it had been suffering for some time.

“So-ryong, what do we do now?” my sister asked, looking from me to the lizard.

There was only one thing to do.

“We need to treat it right now,” I stated.

“Here? We have no medicines or tools!”

Her worry was understandable, but I offered a reassuring smile.

“It’s alright. We just need to peel it.”

“Peel it? You mean peel the lizard?”

“Completely,” I affirmed, reaching out toward the motionless creature on the ground.

I placed my warm hand on its cool skin, and it flinched slightly, too weak to offer any real resistance.

“If you stay still, I will make you feel better,” I whispered softly. Reptiles often respond to tone, and as if it understood, the lizard grew still.

I gently stroked its head to soothe it, then took hold of the translucent, un-shed skin and began to pull.

The skin stretched taut but refused to tear easily.

“Oh!”

My sister blinked in surprise, her eyes wide. It was likely her first time seeing a lizard shed. Unlike snakes, lizards often consume their shed skin in the wild, so finding it intact is rare.

“They shed their skin, much like snakes do,” I explained.

“Ah! I didn’t know that!”

As I pulled, I quickly identified a problem—the skin was abnormally tough. It should have torn with little effort, but this layer was stubbornly thick.

Shedding is usually a delicate process, but the resilience of this skin made it particularly difficult.

However, who was I but the renowned expert on venomous creatures and reptiles?

I swiftly retrieved a hooked knife from my pack and carefully set its tip against the resistant skin. Applying steady pressure, the blade finally pierced through, and with a gratifying tearing sound, the skin along the lizard’s back peeled away, unveiling the glittering blue scales beneath.

“It looks like a jewel, So-ryong!”

The vibrant blue shimmered like a contained galaxy, just as she described. I continued peeling carefully, pulling the skin down toward its hind legs.

It rolled down like a sock being turned inside out, coiling into a small bundle. The old skin around the claws was troublesome, but a firm tug produced a satisfying pop as it came free, looking like a tiny rubber glove.

“It’s incredible! It really does resemble a glove,” my sister remarked, examining the shed skin.

In my previous life, whenever my pet lizards had shedding troubles, I would assist them. It often became a highlight of my broadcasts, with viewers finding the peeling process and the final result oddly satisfying.

Here, it was no different. My audience of one seemed completely engrossed.

“May I try, So-ryong?”

“Of course. Just hold this part gently and pull slowly. If you pull too hard, you could injure its feet,” I instructed.

While faint sounds of crashing and impact echoed behind us, I couldn’t have been happier. A date that involved peeling a lizard? This was my ideal scenario.

‘A gaming friend once said his dream was to raid dungeons with his girlfriend. Well, this is mine,’ I thought with a grin.

We worked together, starting with the left hind leg, then the right, followed by both front legs, producing four perfect little “gloves.” All that remained were the tail and the head.

“I should handle the head. We must be extremely careful around its eyes to avoid causing blindness,” I explained.

Though she looked slightly disappointed, my sister nodded in agreement.

I gently rubbed the edge of the lizard’s snout, loosening the stubborn skin around its head. The translucent layer began to peel back gradually, revealing the delicate features underneath.

“It looks like it’s wearing a tiny raincoat,” my sister observed with a light laugh as the skin peeled further away.

As I worked, she suddenly asked, “So-ryong, may I care for these lizards? You already have the O-gong centipedes, after all.”

*Crash.*

My ideal date had suddenly veered off course. This was the equivalent of your girlfriend trying out your gaming rig and then asking to keep it.

Smiling awkwardly, I proposed a compromise.

“Why don’t we share them? There are two, so we can each raise one.”

“Share them?” She considered it for a moment before nodding. “Yes, that seems fair. It will be more meaningful that way.”

‘Crisis avoided.’

It felt like I had narrowly escaped having to surrender my main computer by offering a spare laptop instead.

I took a steadying breath and returned to the task of peeling the skin from the lizard’s head. The final challenge was the layer covering its eyes.

This required immense care. Residual skin could lead to severe infection or inflammation.

Cradling the lizard to keep it from moving, I used the very tip of my hooked knife to lift the translucent film from over its eye. Slowly, it came away, revealing a bright yellow eye that blinked and focused directly on us.

“Feeling better?” I asked.

The lizard, as if in answer, licked its now-clear eye with its tongue.

After cleaning the other eye, only the tail was left. But as I turned my attention to it, I stopped.

“So-ryong, what is it?” my sister asked, noticing my hesitation.

The problem was the lizard’s tail. Half of it was necrotic and would have to be removed. While the tail serves as a fat reserve, amputating it could risk starvation, especially since we didn’t yet know its diet.

Before I could decide, a frantic voice called out from behind us.

“So-ryong! Be careful! We lost it!”

I turned to see Gu Pae’s alarmed face. The tall grass rustled violently, and a moment later, the other lizard—the aggressive one—burst into view, breathing heavily.

Its eyes burned with fury as it glared at us and released an enraged hiss.

*Kyaaaa!*

“It’s alright! We were only trying to help!” I said, holding up the lizard in my arms as evidence.

*Kyaaaa!*

The enraged lizard was not convinced. Its reddened eyes fixed on me, and it hissed even louder, clearly misinterpreting the scene.

I looked down at the lizard I was holding and the knife in my hand, and understood how this must appear.

It looked as though I was holding its companion hostage, knife in hand, poised to cause harm.

In a panic, I stretched out my empty hand toward the furious lizard.

“This is a misunderstanding! I can explain! We are helping it, I swear!”