Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The old man said his goodbyes to Yo-hwa, officially placing the spider into my custody. With unsteady hands, he softly patted its head and spoke.

“Yo-hwa, you must go with this young master now. Your father is too old and weak to look after you any longer. Do you understand me? Cough! Cough! If you cannot control your hunger and begin to drain the yang energy of strangers, you will be in great danger. Please, accompany him and live out your days in safety and peace.”

Tears gathered in the corners of the old man’s eyes, and, to my astonishment, moisture also began to seep from the spider’s pedipalps, which still held the form of Namgung Seol’s face. It was incredible to witness not just the physical mimicry of tears, but the clear expression of genuine sorrow.

This poignant moment revealed the depth of devotion the old man had invested in raising Yo-hwa. For a creature to mirror human emotion so profoundly meant a powerful connection had been built over many years. The intelligence and emotional capacity of a being like Yo-hwa is a direct reflection of the time and care given by its keeper.

‘He must have raised it as if it were his own child.’

Seeing this stirred a sense of avarice in me. A creature so unique and so well-trained was a treasure beyond measure. I ventured a cautious question.

“Elder, have you considered traveling with us to Sichuan? Instead of parting here, you could come along and continue to tend to Yo-hwa yourself.”

Despite his advanced age, anyone who had nurtured Yo-hwa for two decades possessed a wealth of wisdom I was eager to learn. But the old man offered a tearful smile and declined.

“Young master, your kindness is appreciated, but I am far too old and frail for such a long voyage. My family’s ancestral graves are also here. How could I ever leave them? Cough!”

He spoke truthfully; he appeared ill and fragile, and a lengthy boat journey would surely be too arduous. His desire to remain near his family’s resting place was also perfectly understandable.

Though disappointed, I accepted his decision and chose to ask him something else. “In that case, could you impart some of your knowledge on raising Yo-hwa? I have never encountered a being like this before.”

The old man dried his tears and nodded with enthusiasm. “Ask me anything. I will tell you all that I know.”

Gaining wisdom from someone of his experience was like being granted a sacred manual. I began with the question that troubled me the most.

“Ahem. What I most need to know is… how does one provide yang energy, exactly?”

Sustenance was, naturally, the most vital concern, and my anxiety over how to feed Yo-hwa had been growing. His answer, however, left me speechless.

“You just let it suck on you.”

“S-suck on me!?”

The bluntness of his reply took me aback, and I recoiled instinctively. The old man raised a finger to explain.

“Yes, let it suck on your finger. Or, it can lick your palm. Any point of skin contact will suffice. It also seems to gather energy simply by sharing a bed.” He tilted his head, studying me. “Why are you so surprised? Are you not prepared to make contact yet?”

‘Oh… He means a finger or a hand.’ Flustered by my own assumption, I quickly regained my composure. “No, I can do it.”

I knelt beside the cage and carefully reached out to stroke Yo-hwa’s true head. The old man watched me with a pleased expression.

“I knew it. You have a natural feel for this,” he said with approval.

“Which mouth does it use? Is it the real one?” I asked, pointing toward the spider’s actual head.

The old man shook his head, then demonstrated by inserting his finger into the mouth-like opening on the pedipalps—the part that was mimicking Namgung Seol’s face.

“No, not the real one. That mouth is for paralyzing prey. It draws yang energy through this one.”

It was logical. Pedipalps serve many purposes, from hunting to mating, so using them to absorb energy was not unreasonable.

“Watch closely,” the old man instructed. “When you put your finger here, it will quickly change into the visage of the person the donor finds most beautiful.”

As he spoke, the pedipalps began to glimmer, and the mimicry shifted, the transformation rippling down from the top of Yo-hwa’s head.

-Srrrkk.

The new form was that of a middle-aged woman with a plain, rustic appeal—not conventionally beautiful. Judging by the old man’s tender, tearful gaze, I assumed this was the face of someone he had loved deeply.

“Yes,” the old man whispered, his eyes wet. “It is my late wife. I wished to see her face one last time before I died, and Yo-hwa has given me that gift. Cough! Cough!”

I understood then that the old man had been spending his own life force, the last of his vitality, to provide Yo-hwa with yang energy. His coughing grew more violent, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Are you all right?” I asked, concerned.

He gave me a frail, reassuring smile. “Do not worry about me. I am fine. It was only a small amount. Why don’t you try it for yourself? Cough!”

Taking his suggestion, I tentatively inserted my finger into the pedipalps. A faint draining sensation, like the fatigue after a hard run, spread through me. Then, Yo-hwa’s form began to change once more.

-Srrrkk.

But this time, no human face appeared. Instead, Yo-hwa assumed the shape of a red, featureless mannequin.

“What is this?” the old man gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Even Yo-hwa’s real eyes seemed to reflect our stunned expressions as we stared at this bizarre outcome.

“How can this be? It is supposed to mimic the most beautiful person you can envision!” the old man muttered, utterly bewildered.

I was equally confused. It felt less like a transformation and more like a failure of the mimicry itself. The old man confirmed this was a form it had displayed only once before.

Behind me, I could feel the intense, judgmental stares of the Venom Blood Squad warriors. To them, Namgung Seol’s beauty was unparalleled in this land, and they undoubtedly expected her to be my choice. That Yo-hwa had not become her would be seen as a grave insult in their eyes.

‘It must be because I haven’t had a direct, personal experience of my sister’s presence,’ I reasoned, trying to explain the anomaly. But if my sister were to learn of this…

In a desperate attempt to save face, I quickly offered an excuse. “It must still be paralyzed and unable to transform correctly!”

“Ah, that could be the reason,” the old man agreed, coughing weakly.

After asking a few more questions and arranging for Gu Pae to see the old man home, I rushed straight to find my sister.

There was only one remedy: I needed to sear her image into my mind so completely that there could be no mistake. Whether through closeness or direct interaction, I had to make her the undeniable ideal of beauty in my thoughts. It was the only way to guarantee Yo-hwa’s transformation would work next time.

I found her in the Namgung Clan’s pavilion, speaking with Namgung Seol. I grabbed her wrist and said, “Sister, I need to speak with you. It is urgent.”

“So-So-ryong, wh-what is happening?”
“Oh my!”

Both women flushed at my sudden, frantic behavior. My sister looked startled but did not resist as I led her by the wrist to a secluded grassy area within the Namgung estate.

Once I was sure we were alone, my sister, her expression tense, asked nervously, “So-ryong, w-what is this about?”

I lowered my voice, choosing my words with care. “I hope you will not misinterpret my intentions. Though, perhaps a misunderstanding would not be so terrible now.”

“What?” she asked, clearly confused.

Well, since matters had progressed this far, perhaps a misunderstanding was necessary. “Lady Namgung, this will sound sudden, but… would you permit me to hold you for a moment?”

“W-what?” My sister was visibly shocked, her face turning a deep crimson.

But this was a crisis. For both our sakes, Yo-hwa needed to transform into her likeness. Staring at her intently, I saw her fingers twitch nervously before she replied in a voice barely louder than an ant’s whisper, “Ah, so you’ve discovered it…”

Her words were nonsensical. As I blinked in puzzlement, she began to explain hurriedly, “I did not say anything because I was not certain! I only read about it in texts, so I did not know if it was true. I intended to confirm it with my grandfather or father once we returned to the clan…”

‘What is she talking about?’

Her cryptic response only deepened my confusion. But before I could question her, she shut her eyes tightly and gave a resolute nod, as if steeling herself.

“Yes, that is correct. The spider is called an Inmyeon Spider, one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts.”

‘What?! I adopted one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts?!’

I had known the spider was special, but I never imagined it was one of those legendary creatures. My sister, unusually flustered, scuffed the ground with the tip of her shoe as she continued.

“I did not mean to deceive you, truly! I just did not know its abilities included full-body mimicry. I wanted to verify everything first, so…”

As I listened, I realized why she was so embarrassed. Our agreement had been explicit: if I captured one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts, she would become “mine.” The sudden fulfillment of our contract’s condition must have felt overwhelming to her.

Still, a deal was a deal.

I said nothing, simply looking at her. She closed her eyes tightly once more and spread her arms as if making an offering. Was this meant to be my reward?

After a moment, I firmly imprinted her image onto my memory, repeating to myself a million times that she was the most beautiful person I knew. Then, I returned to the training grounds where Yo-hwa, now slightly recovered, was waiting.

With the warmth of my sister’s wrist still on my hand, I gently inserted my finger into Yo-hwa’s mouth. Slowly, the spider began to change, shifting until it perfectly mirrored my sister’s likeness.

‘Finally!’

Seeing this, the warriors of the Tang Clan’s Venom Blood Squad looked upon me with newfound awe and respect.

‘Nothing in life is ever easy, is it?’

***
Yo-hwa made a full recovery within two days.

“I will release you tomorrow, so remain calm for one more day,” I told it.

Ksshh!

I had since learned that Yo-hwa was remarkably tame. Without yang energy, it grew irritable and hungry, but when properly fed, it was exceedingly obedient. Spiders are not naturally active creatures, and Yo-hwa spent most of its time resting quietly.

When the time came to depart the Namgung Clan and free Yo-hwa from its cage, it shattered the wooden bars on its own, demonstrating it was neither weak nor timid.

However, on the day of our departure, sorrowful news awaited Yo-hwa.

When we went to say our final goodbye to the old man, we found him lying peacefully—he had passed away in the embrace of his family.

Kssshii…

Yo-hwa clung to the old man’s lifeless body, weeping for a long time. For his burial, we forewent a traditional shroud and instead wrapped him in silk spun by Yo-hwa. Following the spider’s quiet guidance, we laid him to rest beside the graves of his family.

“May you find peace in the afterlife, Elder. I swear to care for Yo-hwa for the rest of my days. Yo-hwa, will you come with me, as your father wished?”

Ksshht!

After a simple funeral for the old man, we hurried our journey to the nearest port, Ankyung. Persuading the ship’s captain to allow Yo-hwa on board was difficult, but a substantial bribe secured our passage.

As soon as we were aboard, the ship began its journey upriver, carrying us toward Sichuan, where the Tang Clan and its venom masters awaited.