Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 66

Chapter 66

“The Inmyeon Spider! So you went out to gather food for the stone centipedes, and you returned with an Inmyeon Spider? And this supposedly fearsome beast is so tame?”

“Son-in-law, where on earth did you come across an Inmyeon Spider? And more importantly, why is it copying Hwa-eun’s appearance? What is the meaning of this?”

“Good heavens, it truly is the Inmyeon Spider! It is the very image of Hwa-eun!”

The stunned voices of Mandok Shingun, my father-in-law, and mother-in-law rang out as they admired Yo-hwa. The other members of the Tang Clan standing behind them nodded rapidly in agreement, their eyes round with amazement.

It was no wonder they were so shocked—every time their son-in-law came home, the family’s collection of venomous beings seemed to grow.

Already feeling the pride swelling within me, I answered with a blend of conceit and false humility, keeping my face carefully neutral.

“It simply ended up that way.”

What I really wished to say was, “I just found it along the path,” or, “This is merely a testament to my skill.”

Perhaps because seizing one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts entitled me to a little vanity, the elders smiled with approval and nodded.

“Indeed, capturing an Inmyeon Spider grants you every right to stand tall. Hahaha!”

“You have done well, So-ryong. You have endured much.”

As we proceeded toward the private pavilion reserved for the Tang Clan’s direct descendants, the mood stayed light and joyful.

Walking next to me, my sister-in-law cautiously asked the elders, “Father, I had believed the Inmyeon Spider could only mimic a human face. Why does this one possess an entire human form? I was initially reluctant to even identify it as an Inmyeon Spider.”

The name “Inmyeon Spider” translates directly to “Human-Faced Spider,” so her confusion was understandable. By that reasoning, it should have been named a “Human-Bodied Spider” or something similar.

I was curious about this myself. Even though I knew I had captured one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts, her question made me eager for my father-in-law’s answer.

He smiled and replied, “You must not have studied the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures thoroughly, focusing too much on your martial texts instead. This one is female. What you know describes the male Inmyeon Spider. The females are far rarer than the males, which is why the species is named after its most commonly observed form. Both are Inmyeon Spiders, but you have managed to bring home the more exceptional one.”

“I understand. So Yo-hwa is not merely imitating a woman—it actually is female?”

Although my sister-in-law sounded as if she had just realized this, I was already aware of Yo-hwa’s gender.

I had verified it by examining its pedipalps.

I had two reasons for checking Yo-hwa’s pedipalps. First, I was interested in the limits of its mimicry, and second, I wanted to determine its sex.

It made sense that Yo-hwa could transform into my sister-in-law’s shape after consuming my yang energy. However, its ability to replicate intimate details—like the mole on Namgung Seol’s chest, which no one else should have seen—demanded an explanation.

If the transformation relied solely on my memory, it should not have been able to copy such precise, private features.

Upon inspection, I saw that Yo-hwa could not perfectly mimic the parts I was unfamiliar with. When I asked Yo-hwa about it, instead of answering, it secretly consumed a strand of my sister-in-law’s hair that had fallen to the ground.

After that, its transformation became flawless.

It turned out Yo-hwa could achieve a perfect imitation only by consuming someone’s hair. Without it, the mimicry remained incomplete.

While confirming this, I also settled the matter of Yo-hwa’s gender.

In spiders, males have specialized reproductive organs in their pedipalps. If these organs are absent, the spider is female. Yo-hwa’s pedipalps, though shaped like human limbs, lacked any such structures, confirming it was female.

Furthermore, in nature, female spiders are typically much larger than males. If Yo-hwa were male, a female of its kind would be impossibly huge, defying all logic.

My sister-in-law now looked as if all her doubts had been resolved. My father-in-law, having finished his explanation, clapped me on the shoulder and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! So it is official now—you are truly our son-in-law, are you not?”

“Oh my, now that you mention it, their agreement has been fulfilled, has it not?”

“Wh-what? How did you know about that?!”

Their words and expressions made it clear they were aware of the arrangement between my sister-in-law and me. Startled, I opened my eyes wide, and my father-in-law chuckled and said, “What does it matter? The important thing is that you are truly one of us now.”

When I turned to look at my sister-in-law, she avoided my gaze, her face flushed as she stared awkwardly up at the moon.

I had agonized over this for so long, but it seemed she had already informed the family of our agreement.

Then Mandok Shingun’s voice boomed out.

“Now then, So-ryong, starting tomorrow, you are to go to the river and catch a live goose.”

“A… a live goose?”

Bewildered, I blinked at him, trying to make sense of this sudden demand. He laughed and explained in a jovial tone.

“You fool! A live goose is needed for the engagement ceremony. You may still be too young for the wedding, but we can hold the engagement ceremony now.”

My mother-in-law added her own explanation.

“An engagement ceremony is a formal event where you publicly vow to marry in the future. As for the goose, it symbolizes loyalty. Geese mate for life, so they represent a promise of everlasting faithfulness. That is why it is an essential gift for the bride during the ceremony.”

Hearing this, everything finally fell into place.

Then my father-in-law added with a mischievous grin, “Once the engagement ceremony is over, Hwa-eun will not be able to change her mind, no matter what. You will be bound to us forever!”

It was clear now: my engagement ceremony was about to take place. There was no escaping it—I was now indisputably the Tang Clan’s son-in-law.

***

Yo-hwa seemed to have developed a fondness for the large tree planted beside the well at the heart of Tangjia Mountain, deep within the Tang Clan’s grounds.

I had been considering where to arrange a dwelling for Yo-hwa, but the moment I told her that this mountain was to be her home, she scurried off toward the distant well. There, she scrambled up and down the massive tree several times before finally choosing a spot high among its branches.

Despite her large size and generally stationary nature, I had assumed she would live on the ground like most burrowing spiders. Apparently, the reason she had not climbed before was simply that she had not found a tree to her liking.

She immediately started spinning her web, but instead of a typical flat spiderweb, she formed a cocoon-like structure—a proper home.

“Do you like this place?” I asked.

*Kish!*

Yo-hwa nodded in reply.

“I will show you where I sleep. Come with me for now,” I said, motioning for her to follow.

I led her to my quarters, pointed out the location, and instructed her to come find me there if she was ever hungry. In response, Yo-hwa tied a nearly invisible strand of her silk to my window frame.

“What is this for, Yo-hwa?” I asked, puzzled.

*Kishit!*

When I questioned the purpose of the thread, she plucked it with her foot as if providing a demonstration.

“You will come when I pull it?” I asked, confirming my guess.

Yo-hwa nodded again. She was impressively intelligent in so many ways.

With Yo-hwa’s lodging settled, I turned my attention to the stone lizards. Since they could not be housed in the Venomous Creatures Pavilion or the Venomous Beasts Hall, I decided to keep them in my room for the time being. They were too much like puppies to leave elsewhere.

Now that all my new companions had been provided for, I was finally able to wash up and get some rest.

***

The engagement ceremony itself was not especially elaborate.

The only notable incident was when Yo-hwa, under cover of darkness, secretly captured the goose I had failed to catch alive after two full days of effort.

The ceremony was a simple affair where I presented a gift to my sister-in-law in the presence of the family elders, vowing to marry her. However, there was a slight complication regarding the preparation of the gifts.

Three gifts were required for the engagement ceremony: a live goose, a handwritten letter, and a gift of my choice. While the goose and the letter were straightforward, the third gift posed a problem.

I planned to use a *norigae* (a traditional ornament) crafted from the knot given to me by Namgung Seol as the third gift. However, my sister-in-law unexpectedly proposed the stone lizards instead.

“So-ryong, what if you offered the stone lizards as the gift?” she asked.

I had suspected for a while that she had her eye on them, but I had not expected her to be so direct. I felt as if I had been ambushed.

I struggled to formulate a response, knowing that an outright refusal could plague me for years to come.

“Hwa-eun, the engagement gifts are meant to symbolize permanence. The goose represents unchanging loyalty, and the handwritten letter is a pledge of endless commitment. Naturally, the third gift should also be something enduring, like the jade crystal. Besides, once we are formally engaged, everything I own will become yours anyway…”

Her cheeks flushed a deep red at my words, and she turned her head away, speaking in a faint, trembling voice.

“I-is that so? Then I shall defer to your judgment, So-ryong.”

“Excellent! Well handled!”

Having successfully persuaded her against taking the stone lizards, I saw the engagement ceremony through to a smooth conclusion.

After the ceremony, my father-in-law and Mandok Shingun summoned us to the Patriarch’s Hall. It seemed they had something to tell us, likely words of counsel or congratulations.

Once we were inside the hall, my father-in-law and Mandok Shingun began to speak.

“The reason we have called you both here is because of the Great Venomous Art, So-ryong,” said Mandok Shingun.

“The Great Venomous Art?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion. I wondered if it was some form of official registration, similar to a marriage certificate.

My sister-in-law provided an explanation.

“The Great Venomous Art refers to mastering the Tang Clan’s internal energy cultivation method and integrating venom into it.”

“Ah, you mean the process of absorbing the venom from the Ten Great Venomous Beasts?”

“Precisely, So-ryong,” she confirmed.

Since I had captured one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts, it was time to begin integrating its venom into my cultivation. I nodded in understanding, and Mandok Shingun continued.

“Capturing the Inmyeon Spider was an excellent decision, So-ryong. Of all the Ten Great Venomous Beasts, the Inmyeon Spider’s venom is the mildest, making it perfect for the initial stages of the Great Venomous Art. Had you captured a creature with more potent venom, we would have needed to dilute it and repeat the process multiple times.”

The fact that Yo-hwa’s venom was so suitable for this process felt like a tremendous stroke of luck.

“It seems everything has turned out perfectly. Shall we begin the process immediately?” I asked, noting the Tang Clan’s usual preference for swift action.

Both men shook their heads.

Mandok Shingun spoke again. “Listen carefully, So-ryong. If you had not brought back the Inmyeon Spider, the Patriarch and I were prepared to make you a different proposal.”

“A different proposal?”

“Yes. As we observed the venomous creatures you have gathered and intend to bring back, it reminded us of something long forgotten within our clan.”

Curious, I glanced at my sister-in-law for clarification, but she appeared just as bewildered as I was.

Mandok Shingun opened a book and asked, “Do you know the true meaning of the Five Venoms, So-ryong?”

I knew the Five Venoms referred to the creatures used in the Five Venoms Returning to the Origin Art, but I was not entirely certain of their exact significance.

My sister-in-law stepped in to explain.

“So-ryong, the Five Venoms are the centipede, snake, scorpion, lizard, and toad.”

Her explanation clarified that the Five Venoms were these five specific venomous creatures. Knowing that two of them were already among my companions made me even more curious about this alternate proposal.