Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Grandfather Mandok Shingun and Gu Pae, leader of the Venom Blood Squad, were in agreement—something significant was happening here.
Even as someone utterly obsessed with poisonous beings, I hadn’t lost my grip on reality.
So, while inwardly ecstatic, I made sure my expression remained stern.
“This is… a grave situation indeed.”
‘To keep their secret life hidden, an enthusiast must blend in. But curses, I can’t keep this smile off my face.’
As I fought to control my exhilaration, Grandfather Mandok Shingun declared he would personally reconnoiter ahead before we ventured further into Ainei Mountain.
For the safety of the group, he insisted on verifying what lay ahead on his own.
He was, without question, the most powerful among us.
“I will survey the path myself. Everyone else, pull back to the confluence of the Yun and Amok Rivers. It appears avian life remains active there.”
“To the opposite bank?”
“Correct, to the far side.”
I looked where he indicated.
Further down, where the two rivers joined, the water ran more violently, but the land on the other side teemed with birds.
Observing more carefully, I saw something peculiar—on our side of the river, not a single living thing stirred. Yet across the water, birds and insects carried on undisturbed.
It was as if the river marked a strict boundary between two different worlds.
I nodded without hesitation and guided our party toward the safer ground on the distant shore.
If Grandfather believed the danger was real, that was enough for me.
“Understood, Grandfather. Everyone, we’re crossing to the other side.”
“Yes, So-ryong!”
“Why is everyone still standing around? Move out!” Gu Pae yelled.
“““Yes, Commander!”””
As we retreated across the river, I pondered what manner of beast might be awaiting us.
‘Something has made Ainei Mountain its domain… but what sort of creature could achieve this?’
The more I considered it, the more perplexing it became.
Ainei Mountain wasn’t an isolated hill; it was part of an extensive mountain range, situated near the end of a vast highland.
And before the mountain sprawled an enormous field.
I hadn’t met every poisonous being in this land, but in my experience, most were advanced forms of ordinary animals.
The Blue-Spotted Centipede was a mutated version of a common centipede.
The Seok-cheok were evolved lizards.
Even Yo-hwa was an enhanced spider.
Following that logic, I should have been able to deduce what base organism this thing had come from.
Yet I could think of nothing that would claim a territory of such immense scale.
Nothing in my studies matched this kind of ecological behavior.
“This is far too extensive.”
As I muttered in confusion, my elder sister tilted her head and inquired,
“What is?”
“Well… Grandfather suspects a giant venomous creature is behind this, but something doesn’t feel right to me.”
“What seems wrong?”
“Consider the Blue-Spotted Centipedes. They don’t consume physical nourishment—they absorb energy from nature. When we discovered them underground, the only reason they had displaced other life was because the mother was brooding.
But here… there is nothing—not even a trace of life on the approaches to Ainei Mountain.
For a predator to dominate an area this vast, it would require a constant source of food.
Unless, like O-Gong or the Seok-cheok, it consumes qi instead of physical prey.”
— Tssrrt?
— Gukku?
“…I wasn’t talking about you two.”
Hearing my voice, my companions poked their heads from my robes, thinking I addressed them.
To avoid any rivalry, I quickly gave them each a scratch behind the head and gently urged them back inside.
— Tap tap.
Then, I felt a light tapping on my shoulder.
I turned to see Yo-hwa leaning her head toward me.
“Of course. I could never neglect my dear Yo-hwa.”
After giving her a few affectionate strokes, I heard my elder sister and Gu Pae discussing my idea.
“If So-ryong is right, then a predator that feeds on other creatures wouldn’t have eliminated everything in the region.”
“After hearing So-ryong’s reasoning, I must concur.”
“Exactly. The way living beings interact is called an ecosystem. An ecosystem is built from interlinked food chains.
In any normal ecosystem, insects are food for small animals, which then draw larger hunters.
Here, we find nothing—which suggests the predator is depriving itself of sustenance. That is what makes this so peculiar.”
“…Ecosystem?”
“So-ryong, you speak with the wisdom of a Daoist sage.”
As we continued our discussion, Grandfather finally came back.
Employing his Qinggong, he vaulted over the river, his expression severe.
“I scouted all the way to the mouth of Ainei Mountain. There was nothing—and I fear Venomous Creatures Valley is barren as well.
This… is a problem.”
‘Ah, damn.’
The truth finally hit me.
Some unknown hunter had completely cleansed Ainei Mountain—including Venomous Creatures Valley.
The fabled poisonous beings that were supposed to dwell there?
Vanished.
Either consumed or forced to flee.
That meant none of the other rare specimens I had hoped to collect were left.
Which left me with only one option: to hunt down the thing responsible.
Sure, I had gathered a few creatures on the journey—but that was far from sufficient.
‘Well then… it seems I have no choice but to catch this thing.’
“Whatever it is, we cannot go back with nothing. We must capture it.”
Grandfather nodded in assent.
“Agreed. First, we should establish a base here and begin the hunt.
As our authority on venomous creatures, do you have any insights, So-ryong?”
“…An authority, am I.”
I offered a strained smile, remembering our last encounter with a legendary poisonous being—when the Golden Wasp Kings nearly made a meal of me.
But before we could start looking for the culprit, there was a necessary first step.
We needed to define the size and shape of this barren territory.
If we could map its edges, we might predict where the predator was hiding.
“First, we must measure the extent of this dead zone and chart it, Grandfather.”
“You believe the beast’s lair will be at its heart?”
“Yes. Regardless of the territory’s size, most predators place their den at the core of their range.”
‘Unless the land dictates otherwise, the beast should be right in the center.’
With that plan set, we dispatched our warriors to perform a survey.
By nightfall, the scattered teams had returned, and we marked the boundaries of the desolate area on our map.
That’s when we saw something unusual.
“…This is peculiar.”
“…Truly peculiar.”
Both Grandfather and my elder sister murmured their unease.
I nodded as I studied the chart.
Because, honestly, this was deeply strange.
“The lifeless zone begins at Ainei Mountain, with the northern side bounded by the mountains and the western side bordered by the river. Over there, we see normal animal movement. But to the southeast… the barren land stretches on without end.”
The area devoid of life, when mapped, extended infinitely toward the southeast from Ainei Mountain.
The warriors had reported seeing wildlife beyond the western river, but to the east and south, there was no clear border. The land just continued, empty of all creatures.
This was not the typical territory of a natural predator.
“At first light, we must follow the river and see how far this goes. As long as we do not cross the water, we should remain safe.”
“That appears to be our best option,” Grandfather agreed.
All night, I wrestled with the reason for this phenomenon, but no matter how I reasoned, it defied explanation.
By dawn, I had scarcely slept. At first light, we departed.
Grandfather periodically crossed the river to scout as we traveled.
***
Two Days Later
Two full days passed.
And still—there was no end in sight.
“We’ve spent two days tracing the river to confirm the borders… but this is absurd,” I muttered.
“Indeed, So-ryong. This territory is excessively large,” Grandfather concurred.
We all stared at the unnerving, silent grasslands ahead.
As we paused to eat, the warriors prepared food, and my elder sister started handing it out.
“So-ryong, here, take this. And you little ones, come to Mom and let Dad have a rest.”
“Thank you, Hwa-eun.”
She was becoming far too accustomed to this “Mom and Dad” routine.
As I chewed on the dried meat she gave me and lay back in the grass, I noticed something.
Dragonflies.
A great number of them.
‘There are so many dragonflies here. Perhaps because we’re close to the river? Wait a moment…’
A thought ignited in my mind, and I sat bolt upright.
I turned to Grandfather.
“Grandfather! Could you retrace our path and check the riverbanks? See if dragonflies are flying there as well.”
“Dragonflies?”
He raised an eyebrow, but he did not question me.
“Hmm… You must have your reasons. Very well.”
Munching on some dried rice cakes, he rose and sped away.
An hour later, he returned with his findings.
“For about half a day’s journey back, dragonflies were flying freely—on both sides of the river.”
His voice faded at the end, understanding dawning on him.
I nodded.
And in that instant, Grandfather shifted into command.
“Divide into two groups! The strongest warriors with the fastest Qinggong, step forward!”
“Yes, Grand Elder!”
At his order, the warriors quickly separated into two units.
My elder sister rushed to my side, her face full of questions.
“What’s going on, So-ryong?”
She must have found it odd that we abruptly abandoned our meal to prepare to move.
“Land-based creatures may remain within their territory, but flying insects like dragonflies roam without such limits.”
“Yes?”
“If a powerful predator were present, the dragonflies would not return so quickly after it had passed. Even if they sensed something wrong, once the threat was gone, they’d come right back.”
“So… you mean…?”
“This means we were mistaken about this being a creature’s territory.
Something is moving ahead of us—continually migrating south.”
The Chase Begins
Grandfather, Gu Pae, several elite warriors, and I prepared for a high-speed pursuit.
To travel light, we carried only the absolute essentials.
The mysterious entity was still moving south—we needed to accelerate.
“I leave the others in your hands,” I told my elder sister.
“I will guard them. Go on ahead.”
— Gukku!
— Tssrrt!
— Ksss!
“Easy now. I’m not going by myself. Just stay with Mom and follow behind, alright?”
“Let’s move, So-ryong!”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
Crossing the river, we launched into our pursuit.
Since using Qinggong numbed our awareness of our surroundings, we advanced in a coordinated pattern, watching each other’s blind spots.
As we ran, the landscape streaked past.
Only the sound of the river’s soft flow stayed with us.
“Huff… huff…”
“Are you growing tired already?” Grandfather asked.
“No, I can continue.”
Normally, I’d be whining incessantly.
But there was something waiting for me ahead.
No chance I was slowing down now.
After what felt like an eternity, the surface of the river turned blood-red in the light of the setting sun.
And ahead—
A jungle.
Towering trees, thick undergrowth, and banana-like plants, reminiscent of what my elder sister and I had encountered previously.
“The landscape is shifting. Stay alert! Venomous creatures do not move like humans—they ambush from concealment!” Grandfather warned.
“Yes, Grand Elder!”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
So this was the notorious Yunnan jungle.
Grandfather immediately signaled for us to reduce our speed.
We proceeded with caution, but the dense vegetation inevitably forced us to slow down.
Eventually, Grandfather came to a halt.
“I was going to propose we stop for the night and continue at dawn, but… hmm?”
— Sssshhhhhhh…
A peculiar rustling noise.
— Sssshhhhhhh…
— Ssshhh…
The sound of something immense shifting.
Like a vast bamboo grove swaying in a gale.
And it was coming from ahead of us.
Pushing through the thick foliage, we finally saw—
A crimson basin, soaked in shades of blood.
— Ssshhh…
“…Is that… Ma Yi…!?”
Directly before us—
An ocean of blood-red ants, each one the size of two human fists put together.