Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Novel - Chapter 90

Chapter 90

The sight of the cobalt-blue serpent moving with a languid grace through the air, its body weaving like a ribbon on the wind, was utterly surreal. It looked less like a creature of the earth and more like a sea snake navigating an ocean of sky. When it banked to the side, the sun caught two brilliant, emerald-green horns upon its head and a shimmering ridge that ran the entire length of its spine.

‘A dorsal fin?’

It did indeed possess a fin-like structure. Though it was difficult to gauge its true scale from this distance, suspended between the valleys, it seemed comparable to the large python I had captured not long ago. Its majestic form and its ability to fly were awe-inspiring. Yet, for all its grandeur, the prospect of capturing a serpent that could soar, glide, and strike from the air was entirely outside my expertise. I was at a complete loss.

As I stood there transfixed, Grandfather’s voice cut through my thoughts, ordering us to pull back.
“We need to retreat. About one hundred paces.”

The creature had emerged, and we had all taken cover. Grandfather now directed us to move roughly three hundred meters away. The group swiftly obeyed. Even after hearing his command, my mind remained fixated on the problem of the flying snake. I kept glancing over my shoulder, unable to let it go.

Seol, noticing my distraction, came over and nudged me.
“Ryu, what’s the matter? Let’s go.”
“Oh, Sister. Right.”

Her prompt snapped me out of my trance, and I turned to follow Grandfather. Staring wouldn’t provide a solution. Seeing something in my expression, Seol smiled and asked,
“You look so different from when you were so excited. What is it? Do you believe you can’t catch it? Or does it seem too difficult?”
“It’s not a lack of confidence, but I have no experience with a flying snake. I simply don’t know how to get it down from the air.”

I still had no plan. With a playful grin, Seol pinched my cheek and gave my face a gentle shake.
“You’ve been catching mystical creatures all this time, so I assumed you would know what to do. It seems you don’t even know the fundamentals? Is it because you’ve only dealt with mystical beings?”
“The fundamentals? What are you talking about?”

I was on the verge of being annoyed by her teasing, but her following explanation made me realize I was overlooking the most basic strategy.
“However it manages it, it can’t fly forever. It will have to land eventually. It’s a living thing, so it must eat and sleep, right? This is how we tame wild beasts at the Beast Palace. No matter how fierce, they always let their guard down to eat or rest. That is the easiest time to capture them. Grandfather made us move back because he intends to observe it for several days. We will learn its habits—when and where it feeds and sleeps.”

‘Oh… why didn’t that occur to me?’
Reflecting on it, Seol’s advice was the essential first step. When I had captured Seol and Bini, hadn’t I spent days observing their diets and habitats? This was simply about patience, waiting for the perfect moment in that process. As Seol said, it was a living creature that required sustenance and rest. Even if it fed on energy like the small centipedes, it would still need to land to sleep. In my past hunts, the target was always most vulnerable when distracted by food.

‘The moment they are consumed by feeding is when they are most exposed.’
Now I understood Grandfather’s calm decision to withdraw instead of pressing the attack.
“That’s it! How could I not think of that!?”
“See? So just trust me. I’ll catch it and put it right on your shoulder, just as I promised.”
Seol’s confident declaration was deeply reassuring.

‘Wait, what were my friends in my past life saying about sisters being a burden?’
Recalling the complaints of friends who had sisters, I concluded their words were utterly unreliable.

***
Just as Seol had foreseen, once we moved back the hundred paces, Grandfather immediately began searching for a new campsite. We had been sleeping under trees, moving as necessary, but now that the snake’s territory was confirmed, we needed a permanent base of operations.

“We will need a place to stay for several days. Is there a cave nearby, or perhaps a large rock formation in the valley that could provide shelter from the rain?”
“We must track the snake to learn its feeding schedule and its sleeping grounds. A spot where we can avoid the night dew would be ideal for a multi-day stay.”

Grandfather asked Seol, who had brought warriors from the Beast Palace, if she knew of such a location. Seol responded with a question of her own.
“Could we set up right here?”
“Here?”
“Yes. We can construct something quickly.”
“This location is suitable, but… you can build it?”

The valley entrance was a good spot, with a fresh stream for water and fish visible in its currents. Grandfather, nodding his approval, gestured to the warriors.
“Prepare it.”
“Yes, Elder!”

Seol was not merely the daughter of the Beast Palace Lord; she also held the rank of Elder. From what I understood, her father was the chief, and she had taken the Elder position to gain experience before eventually succeeding him. At her command, the warriors moved swiftly into the jungle. Their large swords proved exceptionally useful for slicing through thick vines.

They began building a temporary shelter from bamboo, broad palm leaves, and strong vines. Within a few hours, the structure was complete. Their experience living in the jungle had made them experts at this.

‘These guys could get a lot of views if they made a tutorial about this.’

With the shelter built, Grandfather issued orders without delay. He was every bit as serious about capturing the snake as I was, eager to begin immediately.
“Heh, I didn’t expect it to be finished so quickly. Now we can proceed without concern. First, we will move up the valley and observe the creature discreetly. The Beast Palace will take the night watch.”
“Yes, Elder. We will handle the night shift.”
“So, the Tang Clan will observe by day, and the Beast Palace by night. Gu Pae, take two men and follow the snake to locate its position.”
“Yes, Patriarch!”

At Grandfather’s command, Gu Pae and two members of the Venom Blood Squad moved quietly up the valley, heading in the direction the snake had vanished. Shortly after, Seol gave her own orders.
“Warriors of the Beast Palace, rest until nightfall. A few of you, prepare our evening meal.”
“Understood, Elder!”

Half of the warriors disappeared into the bamboo shelter, while the others went out into the valley to hunt. As this was happening, Seol caught my eye and signaled for me to approach.
“Ryu, come here.”
“You called for me?”

Seol, reading my expression, nodded.
“Alright. So-ryong, tonight, while the warriors are tracking the Bicheon Snake, would you like to go see it with me? Let’s take Hwa-eun as well, the three of us.”
“Tonight?”

She was suggesting we go out during the Beast Palace’s surveillance shift. I hesitated for a moment. Seeing my pause, she blinked and asked.
“Don’t want to?”
She asked as if my agreement were a foregone conclusion. I waved my hands and answered quickly.
“Of course not! Why would I refuse? I would never say no to a chance to see the Bicheon Snake.”

Even if I disliked the person asking, I would have agreed to see the creature I’d been waiting for. My hesitation was for another reason entirely.
“I… I have learned to draw energy, but I’m not yet accustomed to doing so in the dark.”

Seol immediately remembered that I had mentioned being new to martial arts.
“Ah, that’s right. You haven’t been a martial artist for long, have you?”
“Yes, Sister.”
“Then, until nightfall, you should practice drawing energy with me.”
“I already know how, Seol.”

I understood the technique, but applying it at night was unfamiliar. Still, I didn’t object to her suggestion of practice. With a teasing smile, Seol flicked her finger and asked,
“Do you know why Grandfather assigned the night watch to the Beast Palace?”
“Hmm? No, I don’t.”

Seol smiled and pointed to her own eyes.
“Watch closely.”

I met her gaze, and slowly, her pupils expanded until her irises were completely engulfed by black, making her eyes seem to go blank.
“What?!”

I thought pupil dilation was an involuntary reaction to light, but Seol was controlling hers consciously. Her wide-open pupils could gather more light, allowing her to see far more clearly by mere moonlight or starlight than a normal person.
“Impressive, isn’t it? This technique was inspired by the owl. It’s called the Myo-a-am-ya-gong.”

‘Such a useful technique?’
The creatures I sought to capture were largely nocturnal—centipedes, scorpions, snakes, toads, and frogs. A skill like this would be invaluable, akin to having night vision.
“You want to learn it, don’t you?”

At Seol’s question, delivered with a bright smile, I nodded eagerly.

***
Chwaaaa!

The dorsal fin on the Bicheon Snake’s back folded as it dove into the moonlit waters of the valley, sending up a spray. A moment later, it burst back into the air, a large carp clutched in its jaws. As the snake began to swallow the flapping fish, Seol and Hwa-eun whispered in awe.

[As expected, it’s a Hwa-ri!]
[It did this three days ago as well. So, it definitely hunts the Hwa-ri in this valley.]
[Why only Hwa-ri? It doesn’t appear to be a special breed or anything.]
[Who knows? Perhaps it finds them particularly tasty?]

The snake had caught a red Hwa-ri carp, an ordinary fish, not a mythical-grade creature. While Seol and Hwa-eun were fascinated by its choice of prey, my first thought was, “That thing must be expensive to feed.”

‘Not just any carp, but a red Hwa-ri…’
I could never have afforded to keep it in my past life, but since the feeding costs weren’t my concern, I pushed the thought aside and focused on the capture.

I quickly summarized our findings.
[So far, we know the Bicheon Snake feeds on Hwa-ri every three days and sleeps on sun-warmed rocks during the day.]
[Its flight time is also limited to about the duration of one meal.]
[Ah, that’s true.]

As Hwa-eun noted, the snake’s ability to fly had a limit—a maximum of thirty minutes of gliding. Its speed wasn’t remarkable, and after each flight, it required an equal amount of time to rest. From observing its hunt, I saw that its venom was not as potent as I had imagined; the Hwa-ri stiffened upon being bitten, indicating a paralytic agent.

We had gathered most of the necessary intelligence. The next day, we would consolidate our knowledge and begin the hunt when it next went for a Hwa-ri. The information was fundamental, but now, seeing the creature in action, I understood why it led the Twenty-Four Poisons.

Shaaah!
Bang!
“Ahhh!”

The snake’s massive body, nearly six meters long, slammed into the rocky ground with a concussive blast of energy. What made it a Top Ten Poison wasn’t its venom, but the devastating physical impact of its body striking the earth. The force sent shards of rock flying like shrapnel, causing injuries.

‘It’s like a missile!’
“Everyone, move back!”

Our first attempt to capture the Bicheon Snake had ended in failure.