Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

“A Life-Bound Venomous Creature?”
The atmosphere within the Beast Palace had warmed considerably.
Yet the instant I spoke, it was as if I had cast a rock into a placid lake, sending waves of astonishment throughout the great hall.
The Beast Palace Lord and the elders traded looks of sheer amazement and approval, murmuring amongst themselves with nods of respect.
“A venomous being that remains with you for a lifetime? Even in our Beast Palace, where we hold all creatures dear, no one has ever used the term ‘life-bound’… And for a man from the Central Plains to say this—”
“What an extraordinary perspective. Our disciples should truly take note. Recently, some have begun treating beasts as nothing more than tools, which has been a grave concern. How did someone like him become associated with the Tang Clan…?”
“We hear he is a Tang son-in-law. A true pity—his spirit belongs here with us.”
“They claimed the Black Wolf had been collared by a woman, which I thought was strange, but if the collar signifies a bond between a master and a lifelong companion, does that mean they are masters to each other? Such profound meaning!”
‘No, honored elder, that last part is a misinterpretation.’
A few misconceptions appeared to be circulating, but the final result was positive.
By demonstrating my profound respect for venomous creatures, I had earned the trust of these beast devotees—they now considered me one of their kind.
Reptiles and insects were my expertise, but as they belong to the broader animal kingdom, the connection was natural.
‘Oh? You’re also an enthusiast of venomous creatures, brother? If you appreciate one, you appreciate all. We are of the same mind.’
I could nearly hear their internal welcome.
Perhaps because I had been accepted as a kindred spirit, the palace lord reached a decision more swiftly than I had anticipated.
He seemed to recognize that my counsel—to avoid pointless conflict through a strategic withdrawal—was the most logical path. There was no reason for them to suffer death or injury for no gain.
“If a young hero who calls his creatures life-bound companions speaks, one can fathom the depth of his devotion. And if his advice springs from that devotion, then it is clear he has our best interests at heart. My decision is made.
Did you say the demon beasts would advance at dawn? Even a victory would come at a needless cost.
Buildings can be raised again, but the lives of our people and our beasts are irreplaceable.
Summon every soul in the palace to assemble before the Beast Palace Lord’s Hall! We prepare for evacuation!”
Even the elders who had initially objected now nodded their assent.
The woman who had been the most vehement critic even sent a telepathic message.
[Young hero, I apologize. I failed to recognize your sincerity. I retract my words and ask your forgiveness.]
Her eyes now held a glimmer of respect.
Then came the elders’ booming reply.
“We obey, Palace Lord!”
“By your command, Palace Lord!”
No sooner was the order given than the massive doors of the hall were thrown open. One elder seized the ceremonial ram’s horn from the wall and dashed outside.
A low, powerful note reverberated through the entire Beast Palace.
-Bwooooong—
The entire valley seemed to shudder with the horn’s profound call.
As the sound poured through the gorge, the night appeared to ignite, as though countless torches were lit at once.
Soon, a thick crowd of people and beasts gathered at the hall’s entrance, each carrying a lantern.
Leopards, eagles, owls, bears, wolves, monkeys, boars, deer, and roe deer—an astounding diversity of animals stood alongside the people.
With everyone assembled, the Beast Palace Lord stepped forward, his voice amplified by inner energy to address the multitude.
“All members of the Beast Palace, prepare for evacuation! This is a temporary measure until the demon beasts withdraw. Gather provisions and simple garments and return here within one watch!”
A direct and unambiguous command.
In response, the crowd shouted in unified understanding.
“Understood, Palace Lord!”
Without a moment’s delay, they scattered to make ready for departure.
As preparations commenced, the palace lord turned and reentered the hall.
Immediately, the questions began to fly.
“O-gong, Seokcheok, and Ji-ju—how exactly did you raise these venomous creatures?”
“Insects are not like beasts; they aren’t meant to comprehend human speech. How do yours understand your commands?”
“We attempted to raise Seokcheok here before, but always met with failure. This is truly astounding!”
Their deep investment in animals made their curiosity about these rare creatures entirely expected.
But before I could answer, the palace lord interceded to quell the rising fervor.
“We are pressed for time. Assist with the evacuation first; we will speak with the young hero afterward.”
“Ahem… Understood, Palace Lord.”
“Yes, understood.”
The elders, though visibly reluctant, acquiesced and departed to help with the evacuation.
***
Having warned the Beast Palace of the impending danger, they felt compelled to offer a gift in thanks.
However, given the chaos of the evacuation, they vowed to dispatch an envoy to the Tang Clan at a later time.
“We ought to reward you with a great feast and an even greater treasure, but circumstances force our hand. I will send representatives to the Tang Clan to properly express our gratitude. I deeply regret this.”
“I merely did what was right…”
“Nonsense! Even beasts repay their debts! Would you have us be less than beasts!?”
‘That was merely a courteous refusal, sir.’
“In that case, I gratefully accept your thanks.”
“Now that is the proper way.”
If they wished to give a reward, I was not one to refuse.
Feigning reluctant acceptance, I nodded and made for the valley’s entrance.
It was time for us to slip away quietly.
“We will take our leave now.”
“We will see you to the valley’s entrance.”
Despite being consumed by the evacuation, the Beast Palace Lord and several elders insisted on accompanying us.
As we walked, the woman who had been most hostile earlier kept pace beside me, barraging me with inquiries.
“So this is the Blue-Spotted Centipede?”
“Indeed. As for Seokcheok, it lacks a common name in the Central Plains, so I named it Seolbing Seokcheok for its ability to emit cold air.”
“A creature that exudes cold? That qualifies it as a spirit beast! I envy you. Its name is so similar to mine—I desire one intensely.”
The woman, now entirely friendly, was apparently an elder and the palace lord’s daughter—Snow Leopard.
Her name meant exactly that, though with her tanned skin, Black Panther might have been more fitting.
The reason for her different surname? They didn’t use them here—everyone went by animal epithets.
Truly, these people lived for animals.
But I understood. In my past life, I had given myself the nickname Spicy Fabre.
“And Ji-ju is an Inmyeon Ji-ju. It assumes the form of the person from whom it has absorbed the most yang energy, appearing in the most beautiful form it can perceive.”
“Oh my! Then…? Lady Hwa-eun must be immensely pleased!”
“Well, that is to say…”
My senior sister, Tang Hwa-eun, flushed red under Snow Leopard’s envious gaze.
Her reaction was understandable.
Since Yo-hwa absorbed my yang energy, it fundamentally meant that I subconsciously viewed my senior sister as the most beautiful person in existence.
In other words, every time Yo-hwa drained my energy, it was akin to an indirect confession of my feelings for her.
As we approached the valley’s entrance, ready to part ways, a sudden, deep bellow shattered the night.
-Pwooooh! Pwooooh!
“Young hero—if your creature were to have offspring, might I—wait, is that… an elephant!?”
An elephant?
Was there a king of elephants here as well?
Before I could process this, Snow Leopard sprinted ahead.
But after only a few steps, she froze.
She stood motionless, her eyes locked on the hill ahead in stunned silence.
Moments later, two colossal elephants stepped into view, their heads cresting the ridge.
-Thud. Thud. Thud.
Beneath the moonlight, two gigantic elephants emerged.
The sheer, dominating presence of these kings of the animal world—the God Elephants—was overwhelming.
Yet, something was terribly wrong.
Looking closer, I saw their backs and haunches were completely blanketed in a seething mass of bright red ants.
-Ssssshhhh!
“T-The elephants!”
A swarm of ants had already sunk their pincers into the elephants’ thick hides, clinging to them in a squirming carpet.
More ants surged behind them, a churning tide following their path.
Snow Leopard, who had rushed forward in excitement, recoiled in horror, all her earlier courage gone.
The elephants trumpeted in desperate agony, their cries echoing through the valley as they charged toward us for aid—only to collapse at the very entrance to Beast Valley.
-THUD!
-Pwooooh!
In their final moments, they stretched their trunks toward us, as if begging for salvation.
But it was far too late.
Their enormous bodies were dismantled in real time, flesh stripped from bone in mere seconds.
The godly elephants, monarchs of the animal kingdom, were reduced to mere morsels in an instant.
The members of the Beast Palace stared, their eyes wide with pure disbelief.
“T-The elephants!”
“Wiped out in a heartbeat?!”
“The young hero… he was speaking the truth…”
But there was no time to stand stunned.
“This is no time for shock! We must move! We cannot predict the demon ants’ next move—we must go, now, while we still have a chance—”
The swarm that had pursued the elephants was merely a hunting party. Their numbers were still insufficient to completely block the exit.
Which meant if we hurried, we could still escape before the main force arrived.
But the Beast Palace Lord, his face grim, pointed toward the hill.
“I fear… we are already too late.”
-Sssssshhhh!
I followed his gaze.
Over the crest of the hill, a crimson flood of ants poured down, an uncountable, wriggling mass following the hunting party.
They weren’t just here for the elephants—they were here to consume everything.
***
“This is disastrous…”
“Must we fight now…?”
“But the elephants were defeated so easily…”
Now that the exit was completely sealed, even the elders who had first advocated for battle looked shaken.
Witnessing the strongest in the animal kingdom—the godly elephants—vanish before their eyes had ignited a deep, primal fear.
In the Beast Palace, martial arts were often fused with animal movements and styles.
But now, the very creatures they revered most had been erased in seconds. Their morale had suffered a crushing blow.
Beside me, my senior sister, Tang Hwa-eun, turned to me, her expression severe.
“What should we do, So-ryong? The Venom Blood Squad outside—”
“They know the threat of the demon ants. If they sensed danger, they would have already retreated across the river.”
“They would have, wouldn’t they?”
She was worried about the Venom Blood Squad. But Gu Pae and the others had been positioned near the river for this exact reason. If the situation turned critical, they would have already fled.
The real problem was us.
“How… do we get out of this…?”
As I wracked my brain, a familiar sound reached my ears.
-Ksss!
Yo-hwa’s call.
I turned and saw her scaling the cliff face with effortless grace, looking down at us.
‘Of course! We still have Yo-hwa! There is a way out!’
If she spun a web for us, or even just carried me on her back, I could escape with my senior sister.
Just as relief began to wash over me, I noticed Tang Hwa-eun’s hesitant expression.
‘What is it?’
We had a means of survival, but my senior sister looked more troubled than before.
I followed her gaze to the Beast Palace Lord and the elders, who wore awkward expressions, their eyes avoiding mine.
And then I understood.
This was a profoundly difficult position.
If Yo-hwa carried my senior sister and me to safety, we would be abandoning everyone else.
Even if we tried to help, how many of the Beast Palace’s people, children, and animals could we possibly save before the ants resumed their advance?
Would they ever agree to abandon their animals simply to save themselves?
‘Even if we survived, a choice like that would haunt me for life.’
At the far end of the pass, just beyond where the elephants had been reduced to skeletons, the ants continued their feast.
I stood there, staring at them, desperately sifting through the knowledge from my past life for an answer.
And then—
For a fleeting moment, a cloud passed over the moon, plunging the valley into darkness.
And in that darkness, a fragment of my Fabre Encyclopedia resurfaced in my mind.
‘That’s it! There is a way for everyone to survive!’
Turning toward the first genuine allies I had found in the Central Plains, I spoke.
“Palace Lord.”
He met my gaze and replied with calm acceptance.
“Young hero, do not trouble yourself over us. You have already done more than enough.”
“Yes, young hero. In the animal world, it is the natural order to eat or be eaten. We of the Beast Palace are part of this world—if we cannot prevail, then we will be consumed.”
‘They say those who love animals cannot be bad people…’
I smiled.
“There is a way for all of us to live through this. Would you care to hear it?”
Because if I was correct—
Then I was about to willingly walk through hell to make it happen.