Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

“The moon is unusually brilliant this evening.”
“Isn’t it? I haven’t seen it glow this intensely in ages. There’s a definite chill in the air, though. Once our watch is over, I plan to get a bowl of hot soup from the kitchens.”
“Excellent thought. Let’s have some huangjiu with it. I’ve been saving a bottle. What do you say?”
“I knew I could count on you! That sounds ideal. Haha.”

The two sentries made casual conversation as they strolled near the perimeter wall, their forms sometimes vanishing into the shadows of the pavilion. Namgung Seol, observing from her concealed position, noted their movements with a sharp gaze.

After carefully timing their patrol pattern, she drew an acorn from her pocket and launched it toward a distant section of the wall.

*Thwack!*

The small nut struck the stone and clattered to the ground.

The noise of the acorn skittering across the stone pierced the silent night, its faint echo carrying across the grounds of the Namgung family estate.

*Tap, tap, tap…*

“What was that?”
“Sounded like it came from over there!”
“Let’s go see!”

Though not a loud sound, it was more than enough to capture the attention of the nearby guards. Just as she had planned, the two men hurried toward the source of the noise and eventually spotted the acorn Namgung Seol had thrown.

“An acorn? Must have been a squirrel.”
“Ah, a false alarm. I suppose it’s the season for them to be gathering nuts.”
“Nuisance of a creature. Don’t they ever sleep? Giving us a scare for nothing.”

As the guards grumbled about squirrels, Namgung Seol used the distraction to scale the wall, moving with the very agility they had just cursed. Without her younger brother’s assistance this time, she was left to navigate the Namgung estate’s defenses alone.

Pushing off from the pavilion wall, she executed the Golden Carp Leaping Through Waves technique, twisting her body in mid-air like a loosed arrow, and landed on the other side as nimbly as the squirrel they’d imagined.

Having successfully bypassed the guards, Namgung Seol hurried to the hill where she often practiced martial arts with her brother. At the base of the hill, she selected a sturdy branch from the ground.

Her sword remained confiscated by her father, and borrowing her brother’s was no longer an option, so a branch would have to suffice. Hadn’t the legendary masters once trained with simple wooden sticks? Though she was no legendary master, her resolve to practice was unwavering.

Under the extraordinary moonlight, on a hill covered with petals from blossoms that had bloomed and faded, Namgung Seol began her training, her passion shining as fiercely as the night.

Before commencing her sword forms, she first summoned the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art within her. As the energy circulated, a prickling sensation spread from her core to her fingers and toes, flooding her with vigor. She felt the potent power flowing through her, but her expression soured.

The Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art was immensely powerful, heavily favoring yang energy over yin. Raising her energy to this level consumed the scant yin essence her body still possessed, a direct consequence of her condition.

Shaking off the sadness, she gripped the branch and began the first move of the Emperor’s Sword Forms: The Emperor’s Sovereign Reign. This initial technique built weight with each motion, generating an overwhelming pressure when fully unleashed.

*Whoosh! Shing!*

As Namgung Seol swung the branch, the air around her rippled with sword pressure, causing the nearby flowers to bend their heads as if in homage to a ruler. Just as the blossoms seemed ready to snap under the strain, she transitioned into the second form—her usual point of failure.

Unlike the direct slashes of the first form, the second required her to condense all that accumulated pressure into a single, precise point.

*Pit! Pit!*

The branch, now used for a thrust instead of a swing, focused the gathered energy toward a single spot.

*Crack!*

But before she could complete the move, the branch shattered loudly, dispersing the energy and sending a whirl of petals into the air.

Another failure. Just one of countless attempts.

“Wait!”

This time, however, something was different. Even in failure, Namgung Seol stared at her hand in stunned realization, the splintered remains of the branch still in her grip. Practicing with a sword had never revealed the flaw, but the fragile branch had exposed the truth: the problem wasn’t her weapon, but her own poor control of energy.

The discovery sent a thrill through her. She dashed back down the hill to find another branch. She had sworn to master the Emperor’s Sword Forms before her life was extinguished, and tonight, she felt she had finally grasped a thread of understanding.

With renewed resolve, she resumed her practice, chasing that fleeting insight.

How long had she been swinging the branch?

*Rustle!*

The moon, once directly overhead, had now slipped behind the peak of Huangshan, leaving the area much darker. Namgung Seol froze mid-swing at the sound of movement in the brush where the hill met the forest.

Startled, she turned toward the noise and called out cautiously.

“Is that you, Eun?!”

She wondered if her younger brother, Namgung Eun, with his mischievous nature, had woken and come to find her. But no reply came from the brush.

“Who’s there? It’s impolite to spy on someone’s training.”

Thinking it might be a lost herbalist or a hunter, she approached the source of the sound, but found no one. Was it just a squirrel, after all? With a sigh, Namgung Seol dismissed the thought and tightened her grip on the branch. She had no time to waste on squirrels. Every second was precious.

***

Following her initial breakthrough that first night, Namgung Seol’s days settled into a delicate balance. By daylight, she passed most of her time quietly embroidering with her younger brother Eun, playing the part of a docile and obedient lady. By night, she secretly trained with her sword under the cover of darkness.

She maintained this daytime facade to protect her nighttime pursuits. Furthermore, the pretense of focusing on her needlework provided the perfect cover to mentally review the insights gained during her training.

As her fingers swiftly worked white thread into the image of a peony—a flower emblematic of her title, “The Flower King Peony”—on black fabric, her mind was occupied with the lingering questions from the night before.

‘Why did it suddenly feel like I was wearing clothes that didn’t fit?’

She had come so close to succeeding with the technique. Yet, at the crucial moment, her foremost thought was of how awkward and ill-suited it all felt.

Lost in these thoughts, she had just finished her second peony when a commotion outside broke her concentration. It was her brother, Eun, who reacted first.

“Why is it so noisy outside? Gae-ah, go and see what’s happening.”
“Yes, Young Master.”

The servant Gae-ah, who attended to both Namgung Seol and her brother, obediently went to investigate. Shortly after, a senior servant from the head household rushed in to deliver a message.

“Young Lady, the master has summoned you to the main hall at once.”
“Father is calling for me?”
“Yes, Young Lady.”

A flicker of hope rose in Namgung Seol. Perhaps her father had noted her recent good behavior and was finally returning her confiscated sword. With that optimistic thought, she made her way to the main hall. The noise from earlier seemed to be coming from the training yard she passed, but she thought little of it and entered the hall.

“Father, did you call for me?”
“Ah, yes, Seol. Please, sit down.”

At her father’s instruction, she sat and waited as he spoke in a cautious tone.
“Did you hear what all that noise was about outside?”
“The training yard, you mean? No, I haven’t heard anything.”

Her father nodded at her response, then asked hesitantly, “I have something to ask you. Understand that I’m not accusing you, but I need you to answer truthfully. There are villagers involved, so I must be certain before acting.”

Namgung Seol blinked in confusion but answered earnestly.
“Of course, Father. I would never lie to you.”

Her father nodded again, his expression both embarrassed and apologetic.
“Well… you see… how to put this… Ah! The villagers claim they’ve seen you in the Huangshan area these past few days. Is that true?”
“What!?”

Namgung Seol’s mind flew immediately to the faint presences she had sensed during her nighttime training. It seemed the villagers had discovered her secret and reported it to her father. A wave of guilt washed over her as she shut her eyes tightly and confessed.
“I… I’m sorry, Father.”

Her admission was met with an explosive reaction.
“What!? So it’s true!?”

Her father’s thunderous voice shook the main hall. His unleashed energy filled the room, rumbling like a coming storm.

*Boom!*

In the past, when caught training in secret, her father had simply reprimanded her and taken her sword, cautioning her against impatience. This reaction was entirely different, far more intense.

Startled by his fury, Namgung Seol trembled as she watched his enraged face.
“You… how could you! What were you—ack!”

Clutching his neck as if in pain, her father staggered backward. Alarmed, Namgung Seol rushed to support him, but he pushed her away with a hoarse shout.
“Father! Are you—”
“Step back! Is there no one outside!?”
“Yes, Master!”
“Take Namgung Seol to the Isolation Room! Confine her there. She is to have no food or drink, save for water and medicinal pills. No one is to have contact with her!”
“Father!”

Despite her protests, Namgung Seol was immediately taken to the secluded Isolation Room, a place reserved for the Namgung family’s direct descendants.

Several days passed. Her younger brother Eun managed to bribe the guards and visited her with news so absurd that Namgung Seol could scarcely believe it.
“Sister, it’s not true, is it? They’re saying… they’re saying you seduced herbalists and hunters in Huangshan to steal their yang energy!”
“What!?”

Namgung Seol was utterly stunned. Her father had clearly misunderstood and believed she had committed some indiscretion. But how could that be? She had never even held a man’s hand, let alone done anything so scandalous!
“This is ridiculous!”
“Hic! I-I’m just repeating what I heard!”

Eun flinched as his sister’s face flushed with indignation and she raised her voice again.
“This is absolutely ridiculous!”

She declared it twice. Eun, who had been trying to comfort her, shrank back at her rare outburst. Namgung Seol was typically calm and composed, never one to shout or lose her temper.
“Eun, it’s not true. I swear it’s not true. Come with me—I’ll explain everything.”

Gripping his hand in her frustration, Namgung Seol pulled her brother to her room and sat him down on her bed to clarify.
“Namgung Seol cannot be near men.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”

Eun stared at her, confused. Namgung Seol pointed at his chest and explained in a quiet, somber tone.
“The condition I have… It makes yang energy poisonous to me. My body deteriorates without yin energy. Contact with yang energy shortens my lifespan. That’s why I have always kept my distance from men.”

Tears welled up in Namgung Seol’s eyes as she continued, her voice trembling.
“I would never do such a thing. This accusation… it’s so unfair.”

Eun listened intently, his expression turning serious.

‘A heroine with a fantastical condition, like from a storybook… but she’s being accused of being a succubus? How absurd.’

While Eun found the situation somewhat surreal, he also began to worry. If this misunderstanding persisted, would the Namgung family turn their anger on him as her companion? Would they forbid him from even approaching the estate? After all, when children misbehave, parents often blame their friends first. And in this case, he was her closest ally.