Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 518

Chapter 518
“You’re actually going to insert that needle into your own arm?”
“Yes. If there is even the smallest chance that this could endanger Hoja’s life, we cannot be careless.”
“That’s ridiculous…”
When I announced I would test the needle on myself, Gun Hye-rin stared at me in utter disbelief.
She turned toward Hwa-eun and raised her voice.
“Hwa-eun, do something. There are vital meridians and arteries in the arm—why would you deliberately injure a healthy body?”
But Hwa-eun just looked at me, let out a soft sigh, and replied in a measured tone.
“Gun Hye-rin, you haven’t known So-ryong for long, so you likely aren’t aware yet… but trying to dissuade him is pointless. The expression in his eyes right now tells you everything. No matter what anyone says, he will go through with it.”
“What?! What does that mean?”
“When it involves poisonous creatures or spiritual beasts, he doesn’t hesitate to risk his own well-being. You should probably just accept it and concentrate on how to help with the procedure—or offer a blessing. It’s only a needle. To be honest, compared to some of the things So-ryong has done in the past, this is minor. It’s almost endearing.”
Gun Hye-rin appeared shocked, then questioned her further.
“So this is… typical behavior for the master?”
“What exactly do you mean by ‘typical’?”
“Well… is he excessively fixated on spiritual and venomous creatures? Actually, it’s more than ‘excessive’… people say the Heavenly Demon Cult is full of power-crazed fanatics. He gives off a similar energy when it comes to these matters…”
‘Hey, I’m not that extreme, am I?’
That seemed like an exaggeration.
I thought it was too harsh, but then Hwa-eun released a long breath and nodded in confirmation.
“Haa… yes.”
‘You’re actually agreeing with that?’
I wanted to argue, truly, but I understood it wouldn’t lead anywhere positive—so I stayed quiet. I’ve gotten better at understanding situations, after all.
Gun Hye-rin murmured in defeat.
“It feels like I’ve sworn my allegiance to a madman…”
“You’re going to endure a great deal from now on as well, Hye-rin.”
“Sigh…”
A sigh not caused by tiredness, but one that spread anyway.
Right then, as both Gun Hye-rin and Hwa-eun sighed in unison, Sister Seol—who had been listening—spoke up to Hwa-eun.
“Even so, Hwa-eun, our So-ryong isn’t only like this with venomous beasts or spiritual creatures, correct? He acts this way about anything he truly values.”
As I anticipated, Sister Seol came to my defense. Family loyalty really does mean something.
But when I listened more carefully… it didn’t sound completely complimentary. It almost suggested that I just get fixated on everything.
‘Sister Seol… are you actually calling me a fanatic?’
Perhaps I was the only one who interpreted it that way.
Then again, Hwa-eun was nodding along as well.
“Well, that’s accurate.”
“What does that mean?” Gun Hye-rin inquired.
“So-ryong is the type of person who will risk everything for those he holds dear.
When I and the members of the Tang family were threatened by a Blood Cult elder, So-ryong let the guard dogs sink their teeth into him, then rushed in covered in blood and on the verge of death to save every one of us.”
‘Well… it’s true, I did that.’
But recounting all that to Gun Hye-rin? It’s just awkward.
I shot Hwa-eun an embarrassed glance, but she returned it with a gaze full of affection.
‘Tonight?’
‘Okay.’
After that silent exchange, I finally had Cheong-yu Sojeo insert the needle into my arm.
Since they had given up on stopping me anyway.
Certainly, I would have received more praise if I hadn’t done it, but we could not gamble with Hoja’s life. Caution was our priority.
And the instant the needle penetrated my arm—
“Gaaaahh!”
Agony erupted immediately.
Startled, Cheong-yu Sojeo stammered with worry.
—Sh-Shia. 『A-Are you alright, So-ryong? I advised against this…』
Clenching my teeth, I answered while biting my lip.
“I-I’m okay. Ngh… Just imagining how much suffering Hoja has gone through… curse those Five Venoms! Those inhuman monsters!”
I claimed to be fine, but truthfully… a few tears escaped.
Merely inserting the needle was excruciating.
The thing was absurdly lengthy.
And when Gun Hye-rin started transferring qi into it, I began perspiring heavily.
However, after completing the entire experiment, the result was that it was fairly safe.
The pain was only during insertion. Once the qi was flowing or the needle was taken out, there was no discomfort whatsoever.
Even when the tissue separated during the qi infusion, there was no feeling—meaning we could envelop it in a more powerful qi layer without any problem.
“It appears reasonably safe. I believe we can move forward.”
“Really? Since So-ryong tested it personally, it should be acceptable. Cheong-yu Sojeo can guide, and Lady Gun can perform the removal.”
“Oh! Excellent. You’re the best, Sister Seol!”
“Understood.”
—Shiaa. 『We’ll proceed that way. Lady Gun is the most skilled among us in qi manipulation, after all.』
So Gun Hye-rin came forward to help with the operation, and everyone except Sister Seol shifted their discussion to the group message room to commence.
『—Shiia. (We will begin with Greedy Wolf at the base and proceed clockwise.)
“Understood.”』
“Begin as soon as Moji and Soji start emitting healing energy. Moji, Soji, lend your strength to this unni.”
—Myu-myu.
—Myuu.
The moment I instructed them to start, the chamber grew brighter.
Lady Gun moved her fingers, positioning them above the first gold needle implanted at the base of Hoja’s head.
『“I will start transferring qi now.”』
As soon as she spoke, energy streamed from her fingertips into the needle, and it gradually began to lift.
She wasn’t pulling it out physically. She was extracting it using internal energy.
An explanation came right after.
『“I am removing it through qi absorption.”』
The lengthy needle, approximately a hand’s length, slowly emerged from the head.
Then, the tiny opening that remained was sealed by Moji and Soji’s restorative aura, with tissue mending and even the outer shell renewing flawlessly.
Observing this, I realized: we could repair Geumdo’s shell using this method too.
We had only applied a temporary solution previously—but this would fix it completely.
‘Wow, I really am something.’
To think we possessed this capability and weren’t utilizing it properly. I felt foolish.
Just then, Hoja’s antenna trembled faintly.
No unusual response. We could continue.
“Let’s proceed to the next one.”
『—Shiaa. (Yes, So-ryong. Following Lady Gun, the next is Giant Gate. Move clockwise from the one just extracted.)』
“Understood.”
Following Cheong-yu Sojeo’s directions, the needles were taken out in sequence: Giant Gate, Stored Fortune, Literary Song, Chaste Integrity, and lastly, the most crucial—Literary Song.
With the longest gold needle now out of Hoja’s head and the small puncture entirely healed by Moji and Soji’s power, the reversal of the Five Venoms Brain Piercing Technique was finished.
“Phew. It’s over.”
It must have required deep concentration—Gun Hye-rin wiped her forehead, clearly exhausted from the procedure’s demands.
“You did well, Gun Hye-rin.”
“No thanks are necessary.”
After expressing my gratitude, I immediately focused on Hoja.
I needed to verify that the treatment was successful and observe her reaction.
Extremely gently, of course.
She had suffered greatly during her long captivity at human hands, and that kind of deep pain requires delicate treatment.
Animals hurt by humans often become deeply suspicious afterwards.
So initially, I decided to let the other children be the first to approach her.
—Creak.
“Come in, kids. Our new older sister Hoja has been healed.”
—Tsrurrr. 『Really?』
—Krrrng. 『A new friend.』
—Skah. 『Hyungnim, won’t you give her a new name? “Hoja” sounds kind of… strange.』
I opened the doors completely and called the children into the room.
They all hurried in, full of excitement.
“Yohwa, let’s first remove the thread wrapped around her head. She’s probably confused, so give her a little time. We’ll start by releasing her head.”
—Kisit. 『Alright, big brother.』
I asked Yohwa to handle it, and she approached, using her toes to cut the thread.
—Snip.
With that, the threads securing Hoja’s head and eyes came loose, uncovering her face and mouth.
Most striking was her formidable jaw—as if it could cut through anything before her.
She possessed two compound eyes for seeing objects.
And between them, three simple eyes.
Smiling at her, I started introducing the children.
“Hello, I’m So-ryong. This is my family. That’s Cho, our oldest, hovering up there. The red one is our second, Hyang. The black one is Bini.
On Bini’s head are Seol, Bing, and Dong…”
I was halfway through the introductions when Cho’s voice called out.
—Tsrurrr. 『Dad…』
“Yes, my dear?”
I turned to respond to her, but unlike the happy atmosphere from moments before, all the children looked motionless.
Puzzled, I blinked and noticed Cho directing her antenna toward Hoja.
—Tsrut. 『That unni… something isn’t right…』
“Something isn’t right? Cho, it’s not kind to say that about someone you’ve just met! Haha, what’s happening with our polite Cho today?”
Flustered by her comment, I turned back to look at Hoja—
And my heart sank.
Her eyes had turned empty.
The wasp’s compound eyes, which should have been bright and alert, had lost all their shine and showed no reflection.
“What!? What’s happening!?”
Alarmed, I first checked her abdomen.
With insects, you can often tell if they’re alive or dead—or in distress—by whether their abdomen is moving rhythmically or not.
Her abdomen was moving steadily. She was breathing.
So she wasn’t deceased.
Next, I lightly touched her antenna. It quivered slightly in reply.
She was responding to external touch. But her gaze was blank.
Could she be blind?
I quickly scanned the area and asked Hwa-eun to throw me a crumpled piece of paper.
“Hwa-eun, could you crumple that paper over there and toss it to me?”
“This one?”
“Yes.”
Hwa-eun crumpled the paper and tossed it gently toward me.
Catching it with one hand, I turned to observe Hoja’s eyes—
There. A brief glimmer returned to her eyes, a reflection showed—then disappeared.
Wasp eyes are excellent at tracking movement.
They’re particularly responsive to fast-moving items.
Since she reacted to motion, it probably wasn’t blindness.
Then why… what was happening with Hoja?
And then, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° an idea struck me.
‘Wait… could this be PTSD?’
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
A psychological condition that arises after experiencing life-threatening or extremely stressful events.
After enduring twenty years with needles in her head, forced to commit terrible acts against her will… it would have been more surprising if she didn’t have PTSD.
‘Those Five Venoms fiends…!’
To have finally saved her, only to find her in this condition—
I was enraged.
***
The Five Venoms had been utterly defeated, and wedding preparations were progressing rapidly… yet I felt a weight on my heart.
Because it was now obvious: Hoja had sunk into a state of PTSD.
“See? The weather is beautiful today as well.”
We had brought Hoja onto the ship, and she was receiving the best care from me and the children.
But she still showed no response to any external stimuli.
Even when we cleaned her body or wings, her stare remained vacant.
Hoping that different stimuli might help rouse her, I asked the children for help and brought her out to the sunny deck.
Just then, Sister Seol came dashing over.
“So-ryong! We have visitors!”
“Visitors?”
“It’s the Medicine Immortal and the Herb Immortal. The Murim Alliance invited them to examine the poisons those Five Venoms used.”
“Really!?”
The timing was ideal.
I was at a loss for what else to do—but these two might know how to treat PTSD.
They were the most famous physicians in the central plains.
I hurried to the front of the estate and just managed to catch the two elders as they were finishing their greetings.
“Medicine Immortal! Herb Immortal!”
“Oh, So-ryong!”
“So-ryong, long time no see!”
They welcomed me warmly.
I didn’t delay.
“I’m sorry I can’t talk longer, but this is critical. Do you know of any way to treat someone whose mind has been broken by severe trauma?”
“There is someone like that here?”
“We can’t promise anything—but it’s not out of the question.”
“Please, would you examine someone for me?”
“If you’re asking, So-ryong, we certainly will.”
“Of course. Even though the Murim Alliance brought us here, your appeal takes precedence.”
I pleaded with them sincerely, and they consented without any hesitation.
“This way, please!”
As I guided them to the ship, the Herb Immortal murmured.
“Strange… there’s something about this that feels recognizable.”
It appeared his intuition was keener than the Medicine Immortal’s.