Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 3: The Unruly Duo

“Chao, is this something you might eat?”

I asked the drowsy Chao, sprawled on the grass after shedding her skin. I received no answer—just a vibe that meant, “I’m not interested.”

It’s common for centipedes to munch on their old shells post-molt, consuming the calcium, proteins, chitin, and minerals contained within to help form their new exoskeleton.

But perhaps Chao, having recently gobbled up some Inner Dan, didn’t feel the need to eat her shell.

Having consumed the nutrient-rich Inner Dan, she probably felt satisfied without needing the old exoskeleton.

Initially, I meant to slice off a few legs, thinking it’d be a neat snack, but since she wasn’t in the mood, Chao decided to fan out her discarded shell.

As I unfolded the accordion-like shell, a magnificent six-meter-long exoskeleton was revealed.

Glinting in the sunlight, it had a beautiful blue hue, appearing shiny and almost translucent.

Honestly, it looked like something I could fashion into pants, but there was just one little issue glaring at me.

“Wow… That’s impressive. But really, this is such a glaring flaw.”

As I spread Chao’s shell wide open, I couldn’t help but notice the spots where two legs had fallen off, sticking out like sore thumbs.

Those gaps made it seem like a gap-toothed grin, giving my aesthetic senses a little discomfort.

“Just wait until I get my hands on that wasp! That insane woman will get her due next time we meet. But… I’d kind of like to keep the wasp, too… No, wait a minute.”

At first, I was just annoyed that that wasp hurt Chao, but as I fumed, memories of Ocheonyu fleeing from the Five Poisons Sect danced in my mind.

The flash of gold needles atop Ocheonyu and Geomyeongho’s heads crossed my thoughts.

“Could it be that Ocheonyu and Geomyeongho are actually brainwashed?”

Ocheonyu acted as if I was under some brainwashing too, but it dawned on me that they were likely the ones really being manipulated.

The Beast Palace’s Beastly Explosive Submersion Method was said to unleash hidden potential, but reflecting on the Army Ants, it felt like there was something more going on at the Five Poisons Sect.

“I can’t shake the feeling that brainwashing is a high probability.”

By the end of my thoughts, I concluded that those two were definitely brainwashed, and that meant the Spicy Fabre needed to save them.

Ocheonyu from the Five Poisons Sect was effectively allied with the Blood Cult, putting her on par with them.

If they were brainwashed, they should still face consequences for their crimes.

I imagined bringing Ocheonyu to the Martial Forest Alliance later, while my thoughts on rescuing the pitiful Geomyeongho, who was apparently being worked to the bone by the Five Poisons Sect, swelled.

“People who do wrong should be punished, but what crime do venoms commit? I absolutely must rescue Geomyeongho!”

Organizing my thoughts, I pulled out my dagger, aiming for the joints of her legs.

-Kak!

The blade couldn’t even pierce the shell.

Thinking back, even when she was a Blue-Spotted Centipede, her shell resisted the blade—now that she’s transformed into a Flying Heavenly Centipede, it must have become even tougher.

I wondered if Yo-hwa, being a fellow Ten Great Venom, might have better luck cutting it and asked her.

“Hey, Yo-hwa, do you know how to cut this?”

-Kishi?

However, Yo-hwa, despite her efforts, couldn’t manage to slice through the shell.

It struck me that spiders couldn’t chew, given their fangs are more of fangs and not true teeth, leaving them with nothing to chew with.

To cut something, you need both upper and lower teeth to meet and gnash, but apart from their large fangs, they had no teeth whatsoever.

Thus, typical spiders sink their fangs into their prey to inject venom and paralyze it, then either regurgitate digestive juices or physically dissolve the prey to feast.

“How on earth do you cut this?”

Yo-hwa was out of luck, and while I knew using sword energy might work, Sword Phoenix was still laid up in pain.

After thinking it through, I tried inserting the dagger inside the shell to stab at the joint section.

-Tidik.

The shell split open like a ripe watermelon being sliced.

Moments later, one of the legs fell away with a thud.

“Oh! So the inside isn’t as tough as the outside?”

The outside was rigid, but the interior felt much softer.

I quickly repeated the process a few times, severing several legs from Chao’s shell.

Holding a handful of Chao’s legs now, my spirits lifted.

‘Is this what it feels like to bring home chicken for Dad on his way back from work?’

Gripping Chao’s legs tightly, I imagined the excitement of a father coming home with a treat for his kids, then I rushed to Yo-hwa.

“Yo-hwa, watch over Chao for me. I’ll go fetch the others.”

-Kishi!

As I left her temporarily in the care of the attentively disguised PediPAL, I tickled Yo-hwa’s chin until she flashed a happy smile, then set off to find Grandfather.

Arriving at my grandfather’s place, the uproar reached my ears.

-Zrrr…

-Tsrr…

-Clang!

“Why can’t you kids stay still for once? If you keep this up, I’ll hand you over to So-ryong!”

From within, the ruckus of the little ones combined with Mandok God’s slightly exasperated voice broke through.

‘Looks like he’s having a tough time.’

-Hisss!

-Ztrt!

Hearing Mandok God’s tone made it clear he was having quite a challenge keeping the kids from running wild.

Hua Eun had also struggled a lot with them, but it seemed that today, the victims were Mandok God.

“Did these little monsters come to see me this morning? Is it because I’ve grown fond of them? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of them,” he had said confidently earlier this day, but it was evident he had grown weary by now.

It is said that grandparents might welcome their grandchildren with open arms, but soon after, they become eager to see them go. It looked like that mood was hitting Mandok God.

“Ahem. Grandfather, it’s So-ryong.”

“Huh? So-ryong? Kids, Daddy’s here!”

As I announced my presence, the most cheerful voice I’d heard from Mandok God since arriving filled the air.

Opening the door revealed sheer chaos.

What on earth had these little ones been up to? There was a shattered inkstone and torn pieces of paper scattered about.

Petals lay strewn across the floor as if a dog suffering from separation anxiety had wreaked havoc in the room.

“What in the world?”

“Ah, you’re here! So-ryong. Oh dear… Please just take them already. My energy is getting sapped, and I’m fully drained!”

Mandok God was known as an influential figure within the Martial Forest, so I never imagined seeing him ghosted out in just half a day by the antics of these kids.

The Ogongs seem to be the beagle-type of venomous creatures.

Though I looked around for the little ones, they were nowhere to be found.

It seemed the moment they heard my voice, they squeaked away to hide, but as I searched, Grandfather discreetly pointed behind his back with his thumb.

“?”

I turned my gaze to where he was indicating and noticed small antennae peeking shyly over his shoulders.

Upon closer inspection, those were the antennae of Hua Eun and Bin Ah, likely having scrambled to hide behind Grandfather the moment I entered.

‘Looks like they’re still pouting.’

I fought back laughter, teasing them, “What a dilemma! I promised to bring back something like Inner Dan, but where have these little rascals disappeared to?”

-Ztrut!?

Suddenly, a startled squeak from the Ogongs behind Grandfather interrupted me, followed promptly by Hua Eun diving into my arms.

She leaped through the air, landing snugly against me, then stared curiously at the legs I held.

It seems she bounced over thinking it was what I promised, only to be met by something entirely different.

Scratching her head affectionately, I responded, “Though it may look like this, it’s still pretty similar to Inner Dan! Why don’t you give it a taste?”

-Ztrut?

Initially puzzled, she cautiously brought the pieces of shell to her mouth.

-Crunch. Crunch.

Moments later, the sounds of munching echoed as if she found it quite tasty, and before long, the shell vanished eagerly into her mouth.

Then came the noise following from behind Grandfather’s shoulder.

-Zrrr… Ztrt!

Bin Ah peeked over, glaring at Hua Eun as if scolding her for rushing at me first.

It seemed Bin Ah was feeling put out that Hua Eun had ventured over alone. While Hua Eun flitted her gaze toward Bin Ah, she quickly turned back and dove into the shell pieces again.

-Crunch. Crunch.

Bin Ah, apparently feeling neglected, seemed to express that if she wasn’t welcomed here, she might as well hog all the snacks for herself.

Given that Bin Ah was always one to play the victim, I couldn’t help but warmly ask her.

“Bin Ah, are you not coming, too?”

-Ztrut!

She promptly whirled away.

Unlike Hua Eun, her pouting mood appeared more pronounced.

I gentle reached out my hand toward Grandfather’s shoulder.

“Dad and Mom didn’t mean to upset you. We were just worried you might be disappointed. Come on, let’s share this treat.”

Though she was clearly still miffed, Bin Ah reluctantly inched her way toward me, soon shoving past Hua Eun to commence a two-member shell feast.

-Zrrr…

-Ztrut!

To my surprise, their appetites exceeded what I had anticipated.

Apart from the two pieces I held, Hua Eun and Bin Ah happily devoured everything I had in hand.

As they crowded around licking my face joyously, I felt happy.

-Ztrut.

-Zstrrrr.

It now seemed their moods had lightened up.

I slid the final two pieces of shell toward their eager mouths.

“Here, this is the last one.”

-Ztrut…

-Zstrrr…

After consuming a concerning amount, the resigned yet plaintive sound of their dissatisfaction at hearing “last” rang in my ears.

Worried I might have overindulged them, I noted they didn’t appear bloated, suggesting that the nature of spirit creatures’ exoskeletons differed, making them less filling than Inner Dan.

“How about we get some more?”

Seeing they seemed eager, I inquired.

-Ztrut!?

-Zstrut!?

Their excited chirps appeared to question if I had more, and I nodded, replying, “There’s more over there; how about we go fetch it together?”

-Ztrut!

-Zstrut!

With an urgent eagerness to retrieve more, I felt a wave of relief wash over our bond as I quickly moved to my next destination.

The cold war had ended, and with plenty of shells still remaining, I mused that perhaps it wouldn’t be long until these little ones experienced their own molt, quickening my steps with glee.

-Crunch.

With the pleasant crunch of shells being devoured from my shoulder and directing them toward the stack, I noted, “Look over there, quite a bounty, right? Daddy will slice them up shortly!”

-Thud.

Just then, a piece of Chao’s shell tumbled off my shoulder.

Turning to my right, I discovered Bin Ah frozen, staring at the fallen piece.

“Did you drop it? Whoops, I almost let it get dirty.”

Nonchalantly, I picked it up to clean and hand it back, but suddenly, Bin Ah started to quiver visibly.

“Bin Ah?”

Not sure what was going on, I heard a furious outburst.

-Zrrr!

Bin Ah hopped off my shoulder and began bouncing about in frustration.

How could this happen? How could someone treat the shells this way? What a whirlwind of emotions erupted, leaving me clueless about what had caused her tirade.

Meanwhile, Hua Eun eagerly munched away at Chao’s shed exoskeleton.

“Why? Bin Ah? What’s your issue?”

As I stood perplexed by her outburst, a voice suddenly called out.

“So-ryong, Junior Hero.”

I turned and saw Sword Phoenix, supported by Spear Dragon, approaching.

“Oh, Sword Phoenix! Is it okay for you to be up and moving around?”

Given her injuries, I was surprised to see her moving around, and she looked slightly embarrassed as she lowered her head.

“I came to express my gratitude. Uh, for, um, helping this fool open her eyes…”

“Oh…”

She seemed a bit shy about thanking me for aiding in their romance.

“It’s just confirming one’s feelings. I hope it leads to a wonderful connection for both of you.”

-Zrrr! Zrrr!

As I casually replied, Bin Ah jumped in front of us, interjecting in annoyance.

With her bouncing about, Sword Phoenix seemed puzzled.

“What’s up with that child? She looks upset.”

“Honestly, I have no clue. I’m a bit in the dark about the situation; I think it’s related to… well…”

I briefly explained to Sword Phoenix my thoughts on why Bin Ah seemed irked, hoping she might provide some insight.

Then came the unexpected resonating voice from her.

[So, so Junior Hero, you’ve stepped in it now.]

“?”

I blinked, baffled by her sudden accusation, and the explanation quickly followed.

[You’ve practically given her an exoskeleton from her sister! How could she not be upset? It’s like receiving hand-me-down clothes, right? I remember feeling furious after wearing my older sister’s clothes before going into the arena… I just wanted a new outfit!]

‘Oh no!’

Thinking back on what Sword Phoenix said, I realized Chao’s shell was in essence a secondhand outfit.

Bin Ah, with her usual tsundere personality, has the penchant for cleanliness.

She assumed what I brought was a new outfit only to find out it was actually her sister’s discarded clothes, causing her anger.

Hua Eun, having a more tolerant personality, took it all in stride.

‘Raising daughters is no easy feat!’

Unexpectedly, nurturing three daughters turned out to be more complex than I thought, and just as I considered this, excitement filled the air as Hua Eun began her own molting process after snacking on her share of the shell, which only served to escalate Bin Ah’s exasperation.

-Zrrr!