Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 517

Chapter 517
“Let’s move!”
—Tssrr. 『Alright, Father.』
—Chiii.
Cho, Yeondu, and Jeokwol noona were waiting outside. We hurried through the palace’s darkening courtyards as evening fell.
I hadn’t managed to eat dinner, but there was no opportunity for that now.
Honestly, I didn’t feel hungry. The general from the Imperial Iron Cavalry had already consumed too much of our time; we couldn’t spare another moment.
‘That general stole enough of my attention. Hold on just a bit longer—this So-ryong will free you from that mental control immediately.’
Back at my residence, Cheong-yu Sojeo was working with Sister Seol, Hwa-eun, and Gun Hye-rin, getting everything ready to undo the Five Venoms’ brain-poison needle technique.
I’d left them to prepare while I went after those Five Venoms scoundrels.
『Hwa-eun, how are things progressing?』
It wasn’t a long way back, but my patience had worn thin, so I sent her a message in the group chat.
I’d been maintaining a composed front with immense self-control until now.
Truthfully, if my adoptive father hadn’t been part of the chasing group, I wouldn’t have joined them at all—I would have begun the treatment right away.
『Ah, So-ryong. Is your situation resolved? We gathered all the items Cheong-yu Sojeo requested. She mentioned it would take approximately an hour, and we are nearly done.』
“Excellent! Just as I hoped! I’m coming now.”
『What occurred with the general? I heard he was enraged.』
『Ah, Father-in-law managed it skillfully. It concluded without further issue.』
Hwa-eun’s news that the preparations were finished made my heart lighter, and I dashed into the residence using my light-foot technique.
Just outside the door, the little ones were anxiously waiting for me.
—Tssrr. 『Father!』
—Gyuu! 『Grandpaa!』
—Krrrng. 『You’ve returned. You are unharmed?』
—Bii. 『Sooo…ryooong. Fooood.』
They appeared concerned, so it seemed Hwa-eun hadn’t shared any updates with them while making the antidote.
Amid the group of creatures rushing to greet me, I noticed something unusual in Hwayang’s tone and glanced his way.
—Biiiii… 『Fooood…』
He was gazing blankly into the distance, murmuring “food.”
I decided it was a trick of the ear and smiled warmly at them all.
“You were all anxious for me, weren’t you? I’m perfectly fine, so could you give me some room? A sick spirit beast is inside and needs my help—let’s attend to him first, and then we can catch up. Is that agreeable?”
I gently patted each of their heads and was turning to go inside—
When Yeoncheon sunbae’s voice reached me from her spot on Cheongwol’s shell.
『Benefactor, what was the outcome with that wretch?』
“He ultimately escaped.”
She was likely inquiring about the Five Venoms Lord, whom she had personally impaled. I replied with a tinge of disappointment, and Yeoncheon offered reassurance.
『He fled, did he? Have no fear. Regardless of his training in venomous arts, he will not recover readily. My poison is potent by itself, but the stinger that pierced him will keep harming him from within as it breaks down.』
“Is that so? When I retrieved it from the tree earlier, it appeared quite sturdy.”
『That is because it only begins to dissolve after absorbing blood—whether from human or beast.』
“I see. So that’s how it works.”
I had only seen the Crimson Poison Harpoon Snail’s stinger stuck in wood or stone, never in living tissue, so this capability was new to me.
But as Yeoncheon described it, fragments of the stinger would continue to inflict damage long after the initial strike.
‘Excellent.’
Normally, a snail’s radula—the part that delivers venom—is minuscule and made of chitin. It can snap off under skin, but that is not a common occurrence.
They aren’t naturally designed to attack humans—so a deep penetration into flesh is rare.
But Yeoncheon’s stinger evidently possessed an enhanced version of this trait.
‘Her primary foe must have been humanity.’
That idea sprang from something I’d once read—a study on spitting cobras deliberately aiming for the eyes of primates.
It suggested that venomous creatures develop their offensive and defensive traits with specific intent, and you can infer their natural predators from those adaptations.
Seen that way, the stinger’s reaction to blood indicates that Yeoncheon evolved specifically to combat mammals—most likely humans.
If her enemies were insects or other animals, it would have responded to hemolymph or different bodily fluids instead.
“Then it seems we can breathe a little easier. Even if he lives, he won’t be recovering fully for quite some time.”
I had initially suspected the Five Venoms Lord might survive, but would certainly be impaired.
Now, after Yeoncheon’s clarification, the likelihood of him dying seemed greater.
And if pieces remain, it could result in a lasting disability.
『Precisely. So set your mind at ease, Benefactor.』
“Then I shall rest easier tonight. I will speak with you again shortly.”
As I concluded my exchange with Yeoncheon and moved to open the door—
Creak.
The door swung inward.
There stood Hwa-eun, Sister Seol, Cheong-yu Sojeo, and Yo-hwa, all watching for my arrival.
“You’ve arrived. Please enter.”
—Shia. 『Welcome, So-ryong.』
“So-ryong, you’re back,”
—Kssit. 『Brother.』
And just behind them, I saw it—
A dark form pinned firmly to the floor.
Most of the room had been cleared. Hoja was fastened to the ground, reminiscent of Gulliver restrained by the Lilliputians.
Countless threads secured him at every joint.
“Eh… why is Hoja fixed to the floor like this?”
The plan was to fasten him to a large wooden panel. I asked how he had ended up on the stone flooring.
Sister Seol wiped her brow with her arm, looking thoroughly worn out.
“It was a complete struggle. We attempted to fix him to the wooden board, but he shattered it completely. If Yo-hwa hadn’t intervened with her paralyzing silk, he would have broken free.”
“Is that what happened?”
Hoja was a spirit beast modeled after a wasp—and a martial world wasp at that.
His physical strength was so immense that he literally splintered the wooden board we intended to use.
“Indeed. So we fixed him directly to the stone floor.”
“Well done. And Cheong-yu Sojeo’s work?”
—Shiaa. 『I was concerned about infection, so I made a medicinal compress. I also disinfected the area around the stinger thoroughly. Now, the only step left is extraction.』
‘Good. So everything is ready, and we just need to remove it. It’s like sitting down to a fully prepared meal.’
Her phrasing, “just need to pull it out,” brought another thought to mind—
This felt like the instant before the main action begins.
You know… that particular activity between a married couple.
I’m no authority, but even for them, there are numerous preliminary steps. Caressing, kissing, soft words—it can be draining at times.
Some days, you wish to bypass all that and proceed directly to the enjoyable part.
And now she indicated that all the preparation was complete—only the pleasure remained.
With a contented smile, I walked over to Hoja and rested my hand on his head.
“You must be frightened and disoriented. But be calm. I will restore your mind very soon.
Cheong-yu Sojeo—let us commence.”
—Shia. 『As you wish, So-ryong.』
At my word to start, Cheong-yu Sojeo laid her hand on Hoja’s head.
Seven needles were set in a hexagonal formation—six placed around the perimeter and one at the center.
Cheong-yu Sojeo touched the bottommost needle and started to explain.
—Shiaa shii. 『The Five Venoms Brain-Poison Acupuncture Method uses seven needles. Beginning from the bottom, the order is: Greedy Wolf, then moving clockwise—Giant Gate, Prosperity Keeper, Literary Curve, Integrity, Martial Tune, and in the center, Breaking Army. All seven must be extracted in that sequence.
So-ryong, please commit the order to memory.』
“Understood, Cheong-yu Sojeo.”
As she took hold of the first needle between her thumb and middle finger, clearly ready to withdraw it, she paused and tilted her head in confusion.
—Shia. 『Hm?』
Sensing her hesitation, I asked with worry, “Is something the matter?”
—Shiii. 『It seems fixed in place. As if it is embedded very deeply.』
“Stuck?”
“What’s wrong, So-ryong? It won’t budge?”
“Yes, Hwa-eun.”
It won’t come out?
After a moment’s thought, I asked, “How long has this one been under the control of the Five Venoms?”
—Shiia. 『I cannot say for certain. But he was already with them when I was captured. So… a minimum of twenty years, most likely.』
“Did you ever witness the Five Venoms apply the Brain-Poison Acupuncture Method on him?”
—Shia. 『No. I only learned of it after my death. My own resistance was strong, so they had to renew the technique every few months. But to my knowledge, they never repeated it on him.』
Her response made everything clear. My expression turned grim.
“This is troublesome…”
—Shia. 『Do you understand why, So-ryong?』
“Yes. I believe… it has become fused.”
—Shia? 『Fused?』
Cheong-yu Sojeo looked bewildered.
But it was logical. In humans, animals, or insects—when a foreign object remains inside the body for an extended period, the surrounding tissue responds.
A needle is unmistakably a foreign object. Over time, the body may form fibrous tissue around it, causing it to become entrenched and extremely difficult to remove.
I knew this from my past life as an enthusiast of venomous creatures—Spicy Fabre, recall?
Occasionally, we would discover injured wild venomous animals and conduct emergency rescues under “Spicy Fabre 119.” We once saved a large boa constrictor with a nail driven through it—undeniably a human act.
We brought it to a veterinary clinic, and the veterinarian stated:
“Removing this will be difficult. It has been there a long time.”
“It can’t be extracted?”
“No. Foreign objects like this, when left in place for prolonged periods, trigger inflammatory or fibrotic responses. The body builds tissue around them. It can become so entrenched that removal would damage the surrounding area.”
I shared this information with Cheong-yu Sojeo.
“If an object is embedded long enough—in a person, animal, or insect—the flesh begins to grow around it. It becomes permanently fixed. That is likely why it won’t come out.”
—Shiia. Shii. 『Then what can we do? It is in the head—we cannot use force. The needle could be contacting the brain.』
Cheong-yu Sojeo looked on edge as she stared at the needle’s base.
Just then, Gun Hye-rin spoke.
“So it is stuck?”
“Yes, Lady Gun. You heard the explanation, correct?”
“Naturally. Then… what about this approach?”
“You have a technique?”
Intrigued, I turned to her. She selected an item from the tools laid out—a needle resembling those in Hoja’s head—and stated:
“Try it this way.”
As she held it up, it gave off a soft glow.
I could sense it even without effort—this needle was radiating a faint energy.
She had channeled internal qi into the needle.
“You mean to infuse it with qi?”
“Yes. If you carefully sheath it like so, only the needle will become free. It will not harm the tissue.”
“I… have some reservations…”
The idea of applying qi to a needle in someone’s skull made me uneasy.
If anything went wrong and it caused damage, the results could be permanent.
The brain is too delicate for experimentation.
However, Hwa-eun—who had been listening quietly—suggested a superior plan.
“So-ryong, perhaps we can have Moji and Soji provide healing while we extract it?”
Her idea was to utilize Moji and Soji’s restorative abilities on the body during the careful removal of the needle.
Any potential injury would be instantly healed.
“Ohhh! That’s inspired!”
It was a truly clever solution.
We needed to withdraw the needles to undo the Five Venoms’ mental manipulation, and this would allow us to do it without risk.
“We should conduct a trial first, to be safe.”
“A trial?”
“I will insert this needle into my own arm and attempt the qi infusion to check for any pain.”
Regardless of the idea’s merit, this Fabre wasn’t about to authorize it without verification.
If serving as the test subject was necessary to ensure its safety, I was prepared to do so.
Naturally.