Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 70

Chapter 70

As the great ceremony came to an end, my thoughts finally returned to the duties I had overlooked. I needed to inspect the habitat of the Golden Wasp Kings, which I had entrusted to the Venom Squad, and also see to the well-being of the Chinese hamsters kept in the Venom Yard. Between coming back to the clan, making arrangements for the engagement, hunting geese, and devoting all my attention to the ritual, these tasks had completely slipped my mind.

Although the Golden Wasp Kings are largely self-sufficient and only require a brief assessment, the Venom Yard demanded more focused care.

‘I’ve been inattentive since there weren’t many creatures left to look after.’

With that in mind, I resolved to go to the Venom Yard early, right after eating breakfast.

“So-ryong!”

I turned at the sound of my name and saw Gu Pae, the leader of the Venom Squad, approaching with a large sack slung over his shoulder. He dropped it to the ground and rushed over.

“Ah, Commander Gu.”

“So-ryong, did everything go well with the ritual? I heard there was some trouble and was concerned for you!”

His expression was full of genuine worry—Commander Gu has always been dependable and thoughtful.

I felt thankful for his care and smiled to put him at ease. “I appreciate your concern. There was a small problem, but thanks to Grandfather and Father-in-law, it was resolved without issue.”

“What a relief! So the ritual was a success? Congratulations, So-ryong!”

After we exchanged pleasantries, my attention drifted to the sack he had discarded. I felt compelled to ask about it.

“What’s in that bag? Is it safe to just leave it there?”

“Ah, that?” he answered. “It’s feed for the seo (Chinese hamsters).”

Realizing we were headed the same way, I proposed, “It looks like you’re going to the Venom Yard. I was just on my way there myself. Should we walk together?”

“Are you certain? Shouldn’t you rest for a few more days? It’s customary to take time to recover after finishing a ritual. Don’t trouble yourself with the Venom Yard—I’ve been managing everything as you directed.”

Commander Gu’s words were comforting and showed his trustworthiness. Still, I couldn’t dismiss my duties simply because I had assigned them to someone else.

“It’s no trouble. I’ll only stay for a short while—just a quick visit,” I said casually.

“Well, if you insist…”

As we walked together toward the Venom Yard, I asked for a report. Although I would see everything myself soon, hearing an update was still useful.

“How are the short-tailed hamsters faring?”

Short-tailed hamsters was another name for the Chinese hamsters in the yard. Gu Pae immediately provided a thorough account.

“Around forty have had litters, and it appears the first generation of offspring are already expecting.”

Chinese hamsters are famous for their fast reproduction—they become capable of breeding in just 7 to 14 weeks and give birth after only two or three weeks. It seemed the first generation was already continuing the cycle.

“It looks like after another cycle or two, we’ll have more than enough,” I remarked with satisfaction.

With forty hamsters each bearing around six young, that would be 240 new hamsters. Within two months, those would also reproduce, quickly pushing the number past a thousand. Unless we dramatically increased our population of venomous creatures, we were headed toward a stable supply of pinkies.

As I nodded in agreement, Gu Pae asked eagerly, “So, are we going to begin collecting venomous creatures now?”

His excited expression showed how much he looked forward to stocking the Venom Yard with new specimens.

“Well…”

Just as I started to respond, I noticed something. Near the wall at the edge of the training grounds, a small figure was crouched down.

‘What’s this? Who is that?’

While the Tang Clan has children, this area is normally restricted to direct descendants, so it was unusual to see a child here. I moved closer and called out, “Who’s there?”

At the sound of my voice, the figure jumped up and ran straight toward me, clinging to my leg.

“So-ryong! Big Brother!”

“Young-yeong!?” I exclaimed.

The child hiding by the wall was Yeong-yeong, the daughter of the Peng Clan’s patriarch. I looked questioningly at Gu Pae, and he quickly explained.

“She’s here with the Tang Clan for medical treatment. Since we’re the only ones skilled enough with poisons, Patriarch Peng left her in our care.”

“And Patriarch Peng?” I asked.

“He returned to manage his clan. He left a few guards with her but has gone back.”

“So Yeong-yeong is here alone?” I asked, understanding the situation better.

Gu Pae nodded. “Yes. Extracting hornet venom and administering it in precise, injected doses is something only the Tang Clan can do. Even if others understand the theory, only we have the practical skill.”

I sighed. I had assumed she would have returned home by now, but it appeared her stay would be longer.

“I missed you, Big Brother! They told me you returned days ago, but you never came to visit! So today I decided to wait for you here!” Yeong-yeong said, pouting. Her missing front teeth made her words come out with a slight lisp.

I glanced again at Gu Pae, silently asking for more details. He explained that since her stay was extended, she had remained mostly in the courtyard assigned to her, trying not to be a burden to the Tang Clan. That was why I hadn’t seen her, even during my engagement ceremony.

Hearing that she had been keeping to herself, accompanied only by her guards, I felt a twinge of guilt. I hugged her tightly and said, “I’m sorry, Yeong-yeong. I thought you had already gone home. But what were you doing crouched by the wall?”

She looked up at me cheerfully, her lisped voice bright as she answered, “I was catching ddadakki!”

“Ddadakki?” I repeated, not recognizing the word.

Yeong-yeong reached into the silk pouch tied at her waist, gently took something out, and placed it on my palm.

-Crack!

A sharp snapping sound followed as something leaped off my hand.

“Oh! This is—!?”

What Yeong-yeong had put on my palm was a click beetle.

When turned onto its back, it made a distinct clicking noise and jumped into the air—an insect known in the West as a “click beetle.” Although they are agricultural pests, famous for boring into potatoes and sweet potatoes and damaging root crops, children often find them delightful and entertaining.

Looking at the beetle, I thought that Yeong-yeong might be following a path similar to my own. In the spring, these beetles become active, and in my previous life, they were the very first insects I ever caught.

I remembered how they would sometimes fly into my house at night, and I would catch them and keep them in matchboxes. When I was bored, I would take them out just to watch them click and jump. In a way, these little beetles were my “gateway insects,” the ones that started me on the path to becoming Spicy Fabre.

“They’re gae-du-chung (head-knocking insects), right?”

It seemed that was what they were called here.

“You were catching these?”

“Yes! Ddadakki!” Yeong-yeong nodded vigorously, her face beaming.

Her name for the beetle, ddadakki, was charming. When I was her age in my past life, I called them “click-click bugs.” It seemed we had similar tastes at this stage of life.

Thinking about our similarities, my mind turned to the Peng Clan. They are famous for their tremendous strength, gained through training to wield enormous blades. Their rigorous physical and muscle-building routines inevitably result in powerful, bulky builds.

But I wondered, how could anyone live a life of constant training without any leisure? Everyone needs some relaxation and hobbies.

Then an idea came to me: I could quietly introduce Yeong-yeong to entomology and the care of venomous creatures as a pastime. Who knows? She might even turn out to be a natural.

‘Yeong-yeong, I’ll welcome you into our insect and venomous creature club!’

It wasn’t martial arts training, just teaching her something interesting and enjoyable. Surely, there was no harm in that.

Smiling, I asked her, “Yeong-yeong, do you like insects?”

“Yes! I love them! I like the Wasp Kings and the Ddadakki too!”

“In that case, would you like to learn more about insects with me? They’re very special and a lot of fun.”

“Yes!” she cried, hugging me excitedly.

Seeing her enthusiasm, I decided to use the beetles she had caught as the focus of her first lesson. But as I got closer, I detected a faint, unpleasant odor. It seemed Yeong-yeong had unknowingly repeated a error I made at her age.

‘Poor thing. She’s in for a difficult night.’

Pointing to the silk pouch at her waist, I asked, “Yeong-yeong, can you show me your pouch?”

“Yes, Brother! Look how many Ddadakki I caught!”

She handed me her silk pouch, and I led her to the Venom Yard. Although the area wasn’t strictly forbidden—it only housed a few creatures—it was the best place to explain her mistake discreetly. After all, she wasn’t a corporate spy or anything of the sort.

Inside the Venom Yard, I spread a large sheet of white paper on a wooden tray and poured out her captured insects.

Rustle.

Dozens of click beetles tumbled out, their bodies flipping and springing into the air.

Click! Clack!

I sorted through them, moving the click beetles that Yeong-yeong called Ddadakki to one side. Then, I shifted about a third of the pile to another area.

I separated them because, although they looked very much alike, the two groups were completely different insects.

“Yeong-yeong, look closely. These are the gae-du-chung you’ve been calling Ddadakki. But these over here are something else entirely.”

“They’re different?”

She looked puzzled and adorable as she watched me carefully gather the stray beetles back onto the tray.

Smiling to myself, I said, “Yeong-yeong, try smelling your hands.”

“My hands?”

She lifted her hands to her nose, sniffed, and immediately jerked back in dismay.

“Eugh! That smell!”

Her reaction was understandable. Her hands carried a strong, pungent odor that would be difficult to wash off, even with scrubbing. It was a common experience for insect enthusiasts, and tonight would certainly be challenging for her. She would probably need a long bath, with the servants helping her scrub thoroughly.

Commander Gu picked up one of the beetles from the pile, examined it, and chuckled. “This one’s a hwang-bun-chung (yellow powder beetle), isn’t it? They look so similar that Miss Peng must have caught them together. Haha.”

‘A bun-chung? What an unfortunate name.’

Here, they called the mealworm beetle hwang-bun-chung. In my past life, internet trolls were often called “dung beetles” because they “spew garbage.” The similarity of the name to bun-chung was both amusing and a little unjust.

Mealworm beetles give off a faint smell as adults, but in their larval or pupal stages, they are highly nutritious and commonly used as food for reptiles and other insects.

After comforting the upset Yeong-yeong, I placed the two beetle groups side by side and began my explanation.

“The gae-du-chung has a hard, clicking mechanism on its underside, while the hwang-bun-chung does not. Make sure you don’t confuse them next time. They may look alike, but they are different.”

“I understand, Brother,” she replied, pouting as she stared at her smelly hands.

Still, she wasn’t willing to give up her click beetles, carefully picking them out and returning them to her silk pouch. The remaining insects were mealworm beetles.

I turned to Commander Gu, who was smiling as he observed us.

“Well, the next creature we’ll raise in the Venom Yard is this: the hwang-bun-chung.”

Mealworms would become the second essential feeder for our growing collection.

With pinkies and mealworms now part of our supplies, I was making significant progress in building a reliable food chain for the insects, venomous creatures, and reptiles we intended to raise. After all, pinkies, mealworms, and crickets are the three essential feeder staples in the world of exotic pets.