Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Personality.
Personality describes the distinct psychological makeup of an individual that shapes their particular way of behaving in any given environment. Although typically a term for people, it can also be used for pets, as they demonstrate varied reactions to different situations.
Anyone who has ever kept pets is aware that they can act in completely contrasting ways based on their surroundings.
Thus, when characterizing the personalities of our O-gong sisters, they can be understood as follows:
First, there is Cho.
Her most distinctive physical trait is her long antennae. Regarding her disposition, she possesses a natural leadership quality and a commanding aura.
I refer to Cho as the oldest, even though all the O-gong siblings hatched simultaneously, making it difficult to determine a true birth order. However, judging by her conduct, it is evident that Cho is the eldest.
Tzzruu! Tzzruu!
The alerting cries of O-gong that pull me from a deep slumber, much like a rooster at daybreak.
I didn’t have to look to identify the source of the sound; it was always Cho.
When Cho rouses me, it is her method of instructing me to get up for morning practice, though I often attempt to negotiate for a little more sleep.
“Cho, just five more minutes… I’m still growing…”
I plead that I require more rest to grow taller and more handsome, like “Dad.” If she wants me to look my best, I need my sleep.
Tzzruu!
Then comes Cho’s insistent, urgent sound, as if she is saying, “Get up this instant, or Grandpa and Mom will scold you.”
Confronted with this relentless pestering, I finally surrender and drag myself out of bed, powerless against Cho’s determination.
“Okay, okay, I’m up, Cho. Ah… What kind of martial artist survives on only four hours of sleep… And you, Cho, you’re so unwavering. You never take a day off.”
Because I struggle to wake up early, my sister once joked, “Cho, you should be in charge of waking your dad up.” And so began Cho’s daily duty of rousing me with her strict, punctual alarm.
Eventually, I yield to Cho’s persistence, relight the lantern, and splash my face with the water the servants left out for me.
Only after that do I wake Hyang and Bini, who sleep even more soundly than I do, and Cho climbs onto me along with them.
Watching Cho meticulously look after me and her younger siblings confirms her role as the big sister.
And it continues beyond that.
When we reach the training grounds, where my sister is waiting to collect the three of them, Cho’s eldest-sister mentality shines once more.
In the distance, my sister stands in the faint light, holding a lantern.
Since my sister handles the children’s meals, the kids are devoted to her. The moment they see her, Hyang and Bini try to jump from my shoulders to sprint to her.
Tzzruu!
Cho’s warning cry rings out.
Immediately, the two freeze and look back at Cho.
At first, I was puzzled, but I eventually understood Cho’s reasoning.
Because we were about to meet my sister anyway, the warning wasn’t to stop them from going to her, but to prevent them from crawling through the dirt and getting my sister’s clothes muddy.
O-gong are insect-like, so moving across the ground soils their bodies, and if they then climb onto my sister, they would dirty her clothes. Cho was simply ensuring they didn’t make a mess.
“So-ryong.”
“Hwa-eun, good morning—or should I say, good dawn.”
“Yes, So-ryong. Come here, kids.”
After the others had moved, Cho gave me one last affectionate press against my cheek before crossing over to my sister.
The eldest daughter looks after her father, her younger siblings, and even her mother.
So Cho is the eldest.
“She’s so dependable. A real pillar of the family.”
After the kids and my sister departed, I began my morning training. Working up a sweat, I found myself eagerly anticipating breakfast.
After completing my workout, I arrived at the pavilion where my sister was waiting with the kids.
“So-ryong, you’ve worked hard.”
“Anything out of the ordinary today?”
When my sister spoke, I responded with my own question: Did anything happen today?
I asked because the O-gong had recently been getting into a great deal of mischief.
My sister wordlessly looked down at her skirt, her gaze settling on one of the O-gong.
It was Hyang’s antennae, poking out from beneath the hem of my sister’s skirt.
Clearly, Hyang had been causing problems again.
“Not you again?”
Hyang has a very particular personality.
To summarize Hyang in two words: curious and lazy.
It might seem a contradictory mix, but it is the only way to describe her.
Hyang spends the majority of her time asleep, but when she is awake, she cannot stay still.
It is as if Hyang stores up energy through sleep and expends it all on mischief.
Whenever my sister’s attention lapses, Hyang is discovered high in a tree, chasing butterflies, startling the servants during their meals, or suspended from the ceiling, observing everyone eat.
Although Hyang sleeps deeply, if someone picks her up during a nap, she doesn’t even stir.
For this reason, even though Cho was recently involved in a major incident, Hyang is the real agent of chaos.
“Earlier, while I was conversing with the servants, Hyang nearly crawled into the Golden Wasp King’s nest. I caught her just in time.”
“That would have been a catastrophe!”
“Indeed. The Golden Wasp Kings swarmed out in full alert.”
“Ah, so that was the source of the commotion I heard during training this morning.”
As I gently scratched Hyang’s antennae, my sister let out a sigh, clearly recalling the fright.
Hyang’s antennae went limp as she relaxed under my touch.
She seemed to have dozed off, soothed and content.
My sister shook her head, appearing utterly exasperated.
“I’ve heard that when a newborn arrives, parents must feed and change them every few hours. They say they can’t wait for them to grow up faster.”
But once the child begins to walk, the parents become even more worried.
I believe my sister is experiencing that same sentiment—wishing they would remain as stationary as they were when they were younger.
As the O-gong grow and become more mobile, it seems to be becoming more difficult.
“Haha, seems you’ve had a tougher morning than I have. Let’s go get breakfast.”
“Ah, right. So-ryong, you must be hungry.”
Leaving Bini and the others napping on my sister’s skirt, we started toward the dining hall.
On the way, one of the O-gong swiftly scaled my sister’s body, attempting to secretly cross over to my side while judging the perfect moment.
As they drew nearer, I subtly moved closer to my sister, feigning ignorance.
The youngest, Bini, was trying to covertly transfer over to me, believing she was being sly.
Given her size, true stealth was impossible.
But as we walked, I could feel Bini inching closer, eventually beginning to nudge me with her antennae.
If I pretend not to notice, Bini will emit a soft sound or gently press down on my foot to demand attention.
It’s as if she is saying, “Dad, I’m here. Acknowledge me.”
Tzzruu.
Once more, the playful sound reaches my ears.
If I were to translate what the little imp is saying, it would likely be:
“Father, I am here now. You may pet me. I permit it.”
I smiled to myself and softly patted Bini’s head with my fingers. The mischievous chirping promptly changed to a contented, pleased hum.
Tzzruu.
The responsible firstborn, the lazy troublemaker, and the tsundere third child.
Even though they appear identical, each of my O-gong siblings has a unique character.
I couldn’t help but hope they would grow up to be as magnificent as their mother, the Qingban O-gong.
‘Although it was only a dream, I truly envied the mother’s majestic form.’
Not in any odd manner, but while holding the O-gong siblings feels like cuddling a small dog, being near their mother felt like being embraced by a very large one.
I longed to feel that sensation not just in dreams, but in reality as well.

Three Days Later, Morning
Smack!
“Agh!”
A sharp impact resonated from my back.
Smack!
Another solid thud landed on my thigh.
I clenched my teeth, suppressing a yell as I focused my inner energy.
I was practicing the Iron Cabinet Skill (Cheol Gye Gong), a distinctive martial art of the Venom Blood Squad.
The Iron Cabinet Skill is a deeply frustrating technique.
When struck, a person’s muscles instinctively contract and flinch. This art channels inner energy into those flinching muscles to fortify the body, continuously hardening it.
In simple terms, to advance in this skill, I must endure being beaten like a training post.
Thus, with the assistance of the Venom Blood warriors, I began to receive my share of strikes.
One small consolation was the rapid improvement in my abilities.
I could now, with a focused movement, make my body as rigid as stone.
After breakfast and further training, I was deep in practice when a disturbance arose near the family quarters, adjacent to the training grounds. My father-in-law had arrived.
“Son-in-law!”
“Father-in-law, what brings you here?”
I was taken aback, as I assumed he would be occupied at this hour. My father-in-law smiled, stroking his beard.
“I bring news you have been anticipating.”
“News I’ve been waiting for?”
I tilted my head, confused, as he started to elaborate.
“A letter has arrived from the Martial Alliance. The expedition was a success. The leader of the Martial Alliance assaulted a village near the Great Yue Kingdom’s border and obliterated a Blood Cult base. Half of the Blood Cult members were killed or captured; the remainder fled into the Great Yue Kingdom.”
“What does that imply!?”
“Precisely, son-in-law. It means you are finally free to go out and gather venomous creatures.”
“Oh! Had I known things would advance this quickly, I would have planned a destination. So, where do we go?”
As it dawned on me that events were moving faster than anticipated, I regretted not deciding on a location beforehand. Just then, my father-in-law’s voice reached me.
“Naturally, for the Venom Blood Squad’s first expedition, it must be Yunnan, where poisonous creatures are plentiful.”
“Ah, of course. Yunnan!”
The tropical region of Yunnan.
A place where Golden Wasp Kings patrol the very entrance, and within its depths, who knows what other venomous beings await? The possibilities filled me with excitement.