Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 512

Chapter 512
We traveled just above the river’s surface, moving against the current.
While I monitored the water below, Cho’s antenna gently touched my face, sparking a moment of worry.
“Actually, Cho, how are you holding up? You haven’t gotten much rest.”
—Tzrrr. 『I’m alright, Dad. That short sleep was sufficient. Cho is very resilient.』
“And Yeondu?”
—Shaaa. 『I am also fine, So-ryong.』
Both Cho and Yeondu had been in flight for more than two days, pausing only for a brief four-hour respite perched on Hwanji and Hwana’s heads.
I was concerned about their state. Similarly, Seomi and Byeogi had been generating electricity without a break.
They had been releasing powerful currents continuously, so I called down to them.
“Hey—you two doing okay down there? Do you need to stop?”
Even as spirit beasts, their method of producing electricity was probably akin to that of electric eels or catfish—relying on sodium-potassium ion exchanges within their bodies.
If that was the case, there had to be a ceiling to their endurance.
Not even electric eels can produce high-voltage shocks indefinitely.
It’s why Amazonian hunters exhaust their charges by prodding them repeatedly with sticks before capturing them safely, correct?
Where there is a limit, fatigue must follow, so I felt compelled to check. However, the moment I spoke, the two raised their heads from the water, shook them, and emitted a gentle call.
—Waeae.
—Waeaeae.
—Tzrrr. 『They say they are fine, Dad. They have been switching off.』
Clever creatures.
The river had grown so narrow that a single one of them could manage it. I had just been considering that they should take turns—and they were already doing so.
As long as the Five Venoms Sect did not appear, all would be well.
‘I hope nothing goes wrong.’
We proceeded upstream, and after a period roughly equal to one da-kyung had elapsed—
Hwa-eun abruptly pointed toward a shadowy section of the cliff face.
“So-ryong, look, a cave.”
Her finger directed our attention to a nearly concealed opening under the darkened rock.
I knew this place.
It was the spawning ground of the mother Stickyworms.
During our previous scout, the interior had been a seething mass of squirming larvae that made our skin crawl.
Because it was the nesting site, I felt we must inspect it once more—there was a chance some remnants remained inside.
“Everyone, over here!”
We drew near and entered the cavern. No larvae were within…
But at the pool’s deepest point, objects the size of a thumbnail’s first segment were strewn across the bottom like tiny stones.
Despite the gloom, they gave off a soft, inherent light.
We had missed them last time due to the thick swarm of larvae, but now I moved closer to examine them.
“What are those?”
“What is that? It’s shining.”
“It’s… rather pretty. Could they be jewels?”
I hadn’t pegged Gun Hye-rin as someone who would be interested in glittering things—given her passion for combat—but she appeared curious.
I instructed Seomi and Byeogi to retrieve a couple.
“Perhaps cave pearls? Can you bring a few up?”
—Waeae. Waeaeae.
“Cave pearls?”
“Yes, they are stones formed in ancient caves… Hold on—ugh!”
My initial assumption was that they were cave pearls—created over millennia by mineral-rich water dripping to form layered spheres, similar to stalactites or stalagmites.
But the instant Seomi delivered one of the smooth spheres into my hand—
A miniature Stickyworm wriggled within its core.
Like an egg from a frog or a salamander.
A cold shiver traveled down my back.
“These are eggs?!”
“Wait… didn’t they already lay a brood recently!?”
At Gun Hye-rin’s exclamation of “eggs,” Hwa-eun’s eyes grew large.
“I mentioned it before, remember? In the worst scenario, the male and female could be combined into one. It seems that is what happened here.”
Certain simpler life forms possess both sexes in a single entity.
The female had deposited eggs not long ago, so she could not have produced another batch so quickly.
Therefore… this new cluster must have come from the severed portion.
It was most probable that the initial group was laid by the tail section—already fully developed and released right after being fertilized.
These fresh eggs were from the head-half, after it had undergone its own change and reached maturity.
“That confirms it. We must eliminate every one.”
“Go ahead, everyone.”
I threw the egg I was holding back into the water.
Abruptly, the glowing eggs on the bottom began to strobe—like lights flickering before they die.
One after another, their light faded and vanished.
As the final egg went dark, absolute blackness filled the cave.
If the luminescence was caused by bioluminescence or light-producing bacteria or viruses, they had most likely all perished.
“The greed of humanity… I apologize to you as well.”
They were our adversaries, but I hardly believe they desired to wreak such devastation.
I put my palms together and offered a silent prayer for them.
‘May you find tranquility in the next life.’
I don’t follow Buddhism, but since people frequently confuse me for the Heavenly Master—perhaps this prayer might help soothe any bitter spirits?
That was my passing thought… when it occurred.
—Vwoooom! Vwoooo!
The distant thrum of beating wings.
“Have Ranghu and the others caught up to us?”
It was a deeply familiar noise.
A sound reminiscent of a bee’s wings. I wondered if, now that the rain had ceased, the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings had arrived to assist us.
But as I turned toward the sound, it intensified—growing more piercing—until it felt like needles in my ears.
“Urgh.”
“My ears?”
It was far sharper than any noise the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings produced.
The moment the pain started, a long-buried memory surfaced.
Hwa-eun and I looked at each other, our eyes wide, and yelled simultaneously over the group channel.
『“T-This sound!? Gun Hye-rin, protect your ears with your inner energy!”』
“Gun Hye-rin! Use your qi to shield your hearing!”
“What!?”
Just as Hwa-eun and I cried out in alarm—
A shimmering black form materialized at the mouth of the cave.
An enormous wasp.
It was Hoja, one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts.
“Hoja!”
Its presence could mean only one thing: the Five Venoms Sect had committed to a full assault.
As the beating of wings subsided, a middle-aged man dismounted from the wasp’s back—someone I did not know.
“Who are you!?”
He was obviously a high-ranking member of the Five Venoms Sect, but without Cheong-yu Sojeo present, we had no way to identify him.
When I shouted my question, he smirked—an oily, self-satisfied expression.
“Is that any way to speak to your father-in-law when his daughter has passed? The bond of a father-in-law is forever, is it not?”
“Father-in-law?”
“Wait… you can’t mean—the Sect Master of the Five Venoms Sect!?”
Hearing this, Hwa-eun’s eyes flashed with recognition.
If he was claiming to be my father-in-law, he was alluding to Cheong-yu Sojeo’s fixation on me during her brainwashed state.
Which meant… Hwa-eun was correct. This man was the Sect Master.
He spread his arms wide in a theatrical gesture of introduction.
“Correct. I am the Master of the Five Venoms Sect. Oh Cheon-ryung!”
Then he grinned at us.
A jackal’s smile.
“My son-in-law has come calling, bringing so many delightful presents for his wife’s family. Shall we commence the hunt?”
“Oh, and spare yourself the struggle. It is pointless. Hoja ranks second only to Zimjo among the Ten Great Venoms.”
A brutal shockwave of sound erupted from Hoja’s wings, thundering toward us.
And beyond the cave entrance, along both sides of the river, warriors of the Five Venoms Sect began to pour out onto the banks.
—Vwooooom. Vwoooom!
***
Hoja’s sonic assault was not like before—perhaps the creature had become more powerful, or maybe the cave’s walls served to concentrate and amplify the waves.
Even with our qi guarding our ears, the vibrations from Hoja’s wings were rattling our entire nervous systems.
Unlike earlier attacks that focused solely on our hearing, this time the waves penetrated deep into our bodies.
Because sound is not merely heard—it is felt as vibration.
Tsrut. 『Ughhh…』
Tsrururur. 『Dad… it hurts…』
I heard the pained cries of Cho and Hyang.
Just as I felt a surge of alarm, the sonic onslaught abruptly lessened—due to Gun Hye-rin’s voice cutting through the group channel.
『“I’ve inverted my energy flow to dampen the sound!”』
Her countermeasure was effective. The force of the shockwaves diminished greatly, and the children ceased their agonized twisting.
Had Gun Hye-rin not acted so swiftly, we might have sustained grave injuries.
『“Thank you!”
“Save your thanks—we need to push out! I will open a way. Stay near me! Hwa-eun, you are taking over the energy barrier!”
“Understood!”』
Even while expressing gratitude, Gun Hye-rin barked orders at Hwa-eun.
Despite Hoja still obstructing the exit and Five Venoms Sect fighters crowding both riverbanks, she intended to force a direct breach.
It seemed pre-arranged—Hwa-eun cupped her hands, and Gun Hye-rin used them as a launch point to propel herself toward Hoja.
The instant Gun Hye-rin shot forward, Oh Cheon-ryung responded with a cunning, wide smile.
His lips formed the words: “A direct challenge? A brave child. I admire that.”
KWA-BANG!
Gun Hye-rin’s attack met Oh Cheon-ryung’s atop Hoja in a tremendous collision.
A powerful detonation shook the cavern.
The wasp’s wings provided a shrill accompaniment as the rock walls quaked. Gun Hye-rin was thrown back toward Hwa-eun, while Oh Cheon-ryung was forced to give a little ground in the air.
His face registered clear astonishment.
I could make out his lips saying: “Huagyeong…?”
He had discerned that Gun Hye-rin had reached the Huagyeong realm and was taken aback.
But the shock was reciprocal.
『“Damn it. I am at the periphery of Huagyeong. Under ideal circumstances, this would be difficult—but with a third of my energy devoted to blocking that sound, breaking through him is impossible.”
“He is at the threshold of Huagyeong?”
“Exactly!”』
Oh Cheon-ryung’s proximity to Huagyeong meant Gun Hye-rin could not defeat him by herself.
『“Then I will assist you!”』
Hwa-eun volunteered to join the fight, but Gun Hye-rin looked toward me and the young ones.
『“And what becomes of So-ryong and the children?”
“…Ah.”』
If Hwa-eun departed, we would be vulnerable to Hoja’s sound waves once more.
Unease was plain on every face—until I noticed Seomi and Byeogi below the water.
Then I recalled: sound waves are drastically weakened in water.
『“Hwa-eun, Gun Hye-rin—listen to me. The sonic waves are almost ineffective underwater. I will escape with Seomi and Byeogi through the river. You two hold him here. We will regroup outside!”』
Sound traveling through air loses most of its force when it hits water—which explained why Seomi and Byeogi were largely unaffected by Hoja’s assault.
『“Understood!”
“We hear you, So-ryong!”
“Hyang, Hongdan—guard your mother! Baekhwa, Heukhwa—remain with Gun Hye-rin!”
Tsrurur. (Yes, Dad!)
Kishaa. (Understood!)
Shakii. (We will, So-ryong-nim!)』
To bolster their combat power, I assigned Hyang and Hongdan to Hwa-eun, and Baekhwa and Heukhwa to Gun Hye-rin.
Then I plunged into the water.
As I submerged, I saw Hwa-eun and Gun Hye-rin surge ahead, enveloped by Cho and Yeondu.
Seomi and Byeogi swam to me with startled expressions.
I signaled—“To the outside.”
They took hold and began swimming swiftly.
The sound was muffled underwater—hardly perceptible.
We coordinated our move—as Gun Hye-rin and Hwa-eun engaged above, we slipped out of the cave.
But on the riverbanks, Five Venoms warriors dressed in leather gear were already jumping into the water, armed with spears and river forks.
‘They likely don’t understand what Seomi and Byeogi are capable of. Or perhaps they assume I cannot harness lightning while with them.’
In that moment—
Seomi gripped my collar and pulled me sharply upward.
CHWAAA—!
We exploded through the water’s surface.
And immediately—every individual in the water, or in contact with it, began to jerk and spasm violently.
‘It actually worked?’
Seomi and Byeogi—exceptional spirit beasts as anticipated—had used the leap to isolate me from the current, then unleashed a massive discharge into the water around us.
The Five Venoms warriors thrashed about in confusion.
Serves them right.
As I felt a moment of triumph, clutching Seomi and preparing to dive back down—
An urgent voice came over the group channel.
『“Hwa-eun, are you hurt!?”
“Nngh…”』
Gun Hye-rin’s concerned cry—Hwa-eun’s pained murmur.
I looked back and saw Hwa-eun, a wound bleeding on her shoulder, being carried in Cho’s grasp toward me.
Gun Hye-rin was covering their retreat, fending off Oh Cheon-ryung.
Tsrurut. (He attacked an opening…)
When Hyang is employed as armor, one leg and one arm stay vulnerable—he must have targeted that weak point during the exchange.
『“Are you okay, Hwa-eun!?”
“It’s nothing serious. Just a scratch. I cannot fight effectively in the air like this…”
“Damn it. If only we could neutralize that cursed wasp…”』
Witnessing Hwa-eun injured, Gun Hye-rin clenched her teeth in fury.
『“If Hoja is taken down, you can manage the situation?”
“Yes! If I can commit my full power, I will crush him with a Heavenly Demon Fist!”』
That sparked a plan in my mind.
Hwa-eun was wounded, and Gun Hye-rin’s strength was divided.
So our foes undoubtedly believed this was their prime opportunity to seize us.
But that reasoning applied to us as well.
We had three combatants at or near the Huagyeong level. If we could silence Hoja, the young ones could handle the common troops—and we would have a genuine chance to eliminate Oh Cheon-ryung.
And if we removed their leader, the rest would likely fall apart.
The Five Venoms Sect was an organization governed absolutely by its master—decapitate the head, and the body will fail.
I smiled and spoke into the group channel:
『“Gun Hye-rin, are you familiar with the tale of the mouse that kills the elephant?”
“What? What does that mean?”
“I am going to demonstrate it for you.”』
They claim Hoja is second only to Jimjo?
It was time to disprove that notion.