Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 519

Chapter 519
“I knew it would be like this!”
That was Grandpa Yakseon’s immediate exclamation upon seeing the patient.
Earlier, he had mentioned that something felt strangely familiar as they walked over—now he cried out as though everything had clicked into place.
While Grandpa Uiseon had remained completely unaware, Grandpa Yakseon’s sharper intuition had picked up on a faint but unusual sensation.
In contrast, Grandpa Uiseon was visibly and utterly astonished.
There on the sun-drenched deck, the lustrous form of Hoja glowed with a captivating radiance.
I had polished his exterior until it shone, and now Grandpa Uiseon was gazing at him as if he were the one in a trance.
We had come here to diagnose a patient who had retreated inward from severe psychological trauma, yet Grandpa Uiseon appeared to be the one who had lost his senses.
‘Hold on, this isn’t how it was supposed to unfold…’
Was the shock too overwhelming for a man of his years?
I felt a pang of guilt for not preparing him in advance, but after a moment, Grandpa Yakseon let out a robust laugh and declared:
“Keh keh. Well, if it’s someone that So-ryong is requesting we see, it was never going to be an ordinary human. I feel like you trick me each and every time.”
“I said I had a feeling, hyung.”
Rubbing the back of my head, I added with an awkward chuckle, “Ahaha… It was a pressing matter…”
“No matter how pressing, you always arrive with something that leaves people speechless, don’t you?”
“Truly. In any case, if he experienced that level of shock, it must be due to…”
“His name is Hoja.”
I was concerned they might be angry that I hadn’t given them warning, but both elders merely nodded as if they had anticipated it and turned their attention to the patient.
“Well, we agreed to examine the patient, so let’s proceed.”
“Indeed, we’ve already treated a turtle (Geumdo), so we certainly won’t retreat from a hornet (Hoja).”
However, the moment they attempted an assessment, both of their faces clouded with bewilderment.
“But hyung, how are we actually supposed to examine this?”
“Right? There are no eyelids to lift and check his eyes. And there’s no pulse to find either…”
They appeared ready to test pupil reactions or feel for a heartbeat, but the patient’s whole body was protected by a rigid carapace.
Conventional methods were useless here—no pulse, no visible pupils.
At least with Geumdo, they could still examine eye reflexes, but Hoja was far less humanoid in comparison.
“And it’s not as if we are familiar with the arrangement of his organs, correct?”
“Well, that is also true…”
Now even the makeup of his internal anatomy was unknown.
It seemed these two experts were also at a loss for a treatment strategy, and I began to feel anxious.
Then Grandpa Uiseon suggested, “Let us begin with a verbal diagnosis.”
“Shall we?”
Of course—these two were physicians to their core.
A verbal diagnosis meant starting with questions and answers to first comprehend the situation.
I was moved that they hadn’t surrendered. Grandpa Uiseon looked to me and inquired:
“Very well, are you aware of how this patient came to be in this state?”
“Yes, Grandpa. He was seized by the Five Venoms Sect, who implanted golden needles into his head to enforce their control technique. For two decades, he acted on their commands. I recently saved him and performed a procedure to extract the needles. He has been like this ever since.”
“Good heavens… A forbidden method to dominate spirit beasts? The Five Venoms Sect is truly wicked.”
“So he endured those golden needles in his skull for twenty years… And you were the one who extracted them?”
“Yes, Grandpa Yakseon.”
“Are you certain his brain wasn’t harmed? We must be cautious. His consciousness may have withdrawn, or it could be the result of a physical injury. Can you describe the removal procedure in full detail?”
“Certainly, sir.”
His words made me fear I might have made an error during the operation, so I meticulously recounted each step.
Even though I believed we had done well, it was always possible we had overlooked something.
Furthermore, these two possessed vastly greater experience in surgical matters. If a mistake had occurred, they would identify it.
“There were seven needles in his head. One central, encircled by six others. They were lodged so profoundly and had been there so long that they refused to move.”
“After mere months, muscle and bone will fuse around any foreign object—twenty years would make extraction virtually unachievable. How did you manage it?”
“I directed internal energy into the needles to create resonance, then employed drawing techniques to gradually pull them free.”
“That is a highly skilled procedure. I had heard Hwa-eun attained the Flower Realm, but her comprehension must be ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) more profound than I realized.”
…It was actually Gun Hye-rin who carried out the treatment. But I could hardly reveal that the heir to the Demonic Cult was responsible.
I simply gave an uneasy nod at their incorrect deduction.
“Yes, well… you could say that.”
“The precision of energy application is what dictates whether the brain is damaged or not…”
“I am confident Hwa-eun performed admirably, hyung.”
“Quite right. Then the procedure itself was probably not the issue—it does appear more likely that his mind has closed itself off.”
Their verdict was not a physical injury, but a psyche that had shut down.
The two of them faced Hoja and fell into deep thought.
“A sealed mind, then… But how do we treat it? Acupuncture is impossible, herbs are useless, moxibustion won’t work…”
“Hyung, what if we attempt to transmit energy…”
“But wouldn’t that require knowing the internal pathways?”
“But I know them!”
“The person conducting the energy must know them. Even if you do, it is no help. And your knowledge is of a common hornet’s body. If there is the slightest divergence, particularly in the cranial region, the danger is immense.”
He was right—my understanding was based on ordinary hornets.
While the internal structure was probably similar, this one contained a Neidan, meaning it couldn’t be identical.
In essence, I would be of little assistance here.
Even with the three of us thinking intensely, no answer presented itself.
Were these two esteemed elders also out of their depth?
Just then, Grandpa Uiseon suddenly slapped his hands together as if struck by inspiration.
“This patient isn’t human, so standard treatments are ineffective… But if we ponder techniques designed for people, we might discover an applicable one…
A spirit beast, one that reasons and communicates like a human… Oh! It must be!”
His voice brightened with sudden understanding.
I asked with keen interest, “Have you thought of something?”
He nodded and questioned in return, “Spirit beasts can think and speak as humans do, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Then that indicates their minds function like those of humans. There exists one method—though not strictly medical—that can reach an individual who has withdrawn into themselves.”
“Oh! What is it?!”
Grandpa Uiseon smiled.
“The Soul-Calling Technique.”
“Soul-Calling Technique?”
“Yes. It is a way to rouse a spirit hiding within itself and guide it back.”
At this, Grandpa Yakseon exclaimed, utterly appalled:
“Hyung! What are you suggesting to the boy?! How can you propose such an unorthodox method to someone from the righteous Murim!?”
“Oh, relax, it wouldn’t be used on a person, only a spirit beast. No one is being harmed.”
“There you go again! So-ryong, pay no attention to that. Your grand-uncle has a past of investigating dubious treatments and being scolded by Master for it. He was constantly reprimanded for deviating from proper conduct!”
“Well, Master is no longer with us…”
“Mind your words!”
I had always perceived Grandpa Uiseon as the more composed one, but it seemed he had a history of unconventional approaches.
I promptly nodded in agreement with Grandpa Yakseon.
“Absolutely. A righteous martial artist must never discard principles and resort to such heretical techniques.”
Grandpa Yakseon smiled warmly at my response.
“Correct, that is the proper attitude. You are truly So-ryong.”
He continued, “Nevertheless, we haven’t solved how to treat this one. But as we will be staying here a day or two, we will continue to ponder it. Let us rest for now.”
“You’ve traveled far. I apologize for being so forward with my request. Please retire to your rooms.”
“We will inform you if we conceive of anything.”
“Yes, Grandpa Yakseon. I will show you to your room.”
“Very well, lead on.”
As I guided them, I reflected to myself—
If the Soul-Calling Technique could serve as a treatment, that would be ideal.
After all, I, Hwa-eun, and even Sister Seol had learned it from that woman of the Blood Cult.
‘It seems treatment must begin.’
However, I had no plan to use the Soul-Calling Technique.
Not due to any “righteous Murim” sentiment.
It was because I possessed something significantly more potent than the Soul-Calling Technique.
What is it, you ask?
The registration ability of the Beast-Heart Mind Art.
After all, that Blood Cult woman had been drawn into my own mental realm when she attempted the Soul-Calling Technique on me.
In comparison, enrolling a spirit beast using the Beast-Heart Mind Art was a vastly more powerful ability.
I would venture directly into his inner world, find Hoja, and restore him through registration.
‘Forgive me, Sister Jeokwol, Moji, and Soji… but this is for a healing purpose. I trust you will understand.’
They had become part of my family first, but preserving a life takes precedence.
With that, I hurried off to find Hwa-eun.
***
“So-ryong, what if it requires too much time? And… you haven’t maintained the Flower Realm for very long.”
“My condition is stable enough, it will be alright. I will endeavor to be swift. My perception of time slows as my martial realm advances—so it likely will not feel very long.”
Hwa-eun had only recently entered the Flower Realm, and with our wedding mere days away, she preferred to wait until afterward. But I could not delay.
So I convinced her and returned to the deck to face Hoja.
The strategy was to enter his inner world, register him, and rouse his awareness.
“I will return shortly. Do not fret, Hwa-eun.”
“Please take care.”
“Naturally.”
After comforting her, I touched a drop of Hoja’s venom to my tongue and initiated the Beast-Heart Mind Art.
My sight flickered.
Everything turned hazy, and then an alien vista materialized.
An enormous stone mountain extended before me, colored the same deep shade as the Grand Canyon. Hornets construct nests in trees—but also within rock fissures. That was likely the foundation for this mental landscape.
“The peak, then?”
The summit of the stony mountain—surely that was where Hoja would be.
I soared upwards using light steps, climbing higher and higher, until I finally arrived at the top.
I scanned the area, searching for him.
At the peak, rough stone slabs were piled haphazardly.
There, atop a sizable rock, reclining and staring at the sky, was Hoja.
He manifested as a woman perhaps in her late thirties or early forties, with long, flowing black hair. Her face was empty, her eyes utterly defeated, as if she had surrendered to the world.
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
I approached carefully and offered a greeting.
His head gradually turned towards me.
Then, wordlessly, he returned his gaze to the sky and spoke.
[Just let me die.]
‘What!?’
I recoiled. No other spirit beast had ever communicated directly within their inner world—save for Hwa-eun.
‘Similar to Yeoncheon and Yeonji, then… must possess telepathic ability.’
It seemed he shared that trait. I replied cautiously.
“I don’t know what you’ve been through, but—”
I intended to say that despite everything, he should choose to live… when abruptly, the sky illuminated.
I looked up—and an image unfolded overhead like a vast screen.
Perhaps he was showing me his past?
I had never witnessed a spirit beast utilize an ability like this, so I was momentarily startled, but I swiftly lay down a small distance away and looked upward.
What materialized was a warm fissure in the stone.
High beyond human reach, inside a wooden hornet’s nest fashioned from chewed pulp, were Hoja’s eggs.
Three eggs.
‘Oh… there were eggs?’
Just as I began envisioning the potential of a hornet battalion, the sky changed again.
The next scene revealed those villains from the Five Venoms Sect.
They had breached Hoja’s territory.
A fight broke out.
And just as I pondered how they could possibly subdue such a powerful being… the truth emerged.
They were completely contemptible.
They had assailed Hoja’s nest—some engaging him, while others stole the eggs and used them as leverage.
He was an intelligent spirit beast… a parent who adored his offspring.
He stood no chance against such a deceitful trap.
Once captured, his destiny descended into misery.
Even while compelled to obey through their control technique, Hoja was forced to witness—powerlessly—as his young perished one after another.
Not from sickness.
Not from accident.
But because they were refined into pills and consumed by the master of the Five Venoms Sect.
Yes.
When the mental domination finally broke, the totality of that sorrow crashed upon him at once, and Hoja’s consciousness retreated inward.
Curse those Five Venoms fiends.
After seeing it all, I could not halt my tears.
“Sob… sob… I am so deeply sorry, for all of humanity…”
I felt disgrace to be human.
And then, echoing something I likely heard in a mournful clip during my previous life, I whispered a recognizable phrase.
At that moment, a voice came from next to me.
[I am aware you have been tending to and polishing my shell these past days. I wished to express gratitude. But now, please… allow me to die. I will expel you from my inner world.]
As the master of this mental domain, he clearly held the authority to force me out.
My environment started to dissolve.
Was this… the end?
Was I expected to permit him to die?
‘No! I refuse!’
I could not allow it.
Not for some lofty, virtuous cause.
But because I—the Spicy Fabre—could never accept a venomous creature perishing in this manner.
In my world, venomous beasts only die after a long, contented existence.
Any other end is unthinkable under the banner of Spicy Fabre.
I leaped to my feet and yelled at Hoja:
“No! I cannot fathom your pain, but I will not permit you to die!”
He looked at me, confused.
[…Why?]
“Because—there is no complex justification! I simply forbid it!”
[…What?]
He blinked, clearly anticipating some sweetened pity or ethical argument. Instead, I offered the only response that held meaning:
“I am the one who adores every venomous being in this world! A poisonous creature in my care only dies after a full and happy life! Therefore, live! No, I will restore you!
Even if you cast me out a hundred times, a thousand—I will come back each time. So live!”
The dissolving world abruptly sharpened back into clarity.
And Hoja’s eyes welled with tears.