Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 2: Coagulation Poison

Using the venom of the Russell’s Viper offers a ton of advantages.

First off, this stuff is super lethal!

The LD50 (the dose required to kill half the test subjects) for intravenous injection is only 0.16 milligrams.

That’s the amount that can take out half of the lab rats, which means for humans, a lethal dose is somewhere around 40 to 70 milligrams.

It’s known that an adult Russell’s Viper carries about 250 milligrams of venom by dry weight, which means when it’s liquid, that amount balloons to around 2,500 milligrams since snake venom is about 90% water.

So, if we take the average lethal dose of 55 milligrams, the venom from just one Russell’s Viper could potentially eliminate about 45 people!

That’s why in my previous life, I called the four notorious snakes of India—the Indian Cobra, the Saw-scaled Viper, the Russell’s Viper, and the Umbrella Snake—the “Four Great Venomous Snakes of India.”

The Russell’s Viper alone accounts for 40% of the venomous snake fatalities in Southeast Asia.

And let’s just say, it can chill the Blood Cult members to their core with just a tiny amount.

When smeared with Flying Needle art, it not only enhances one’s internal energy but may even grant a narrow escape from death!

“I guess I need to capture some more from Yunnan.”

My grandfather, who had completely forgotten about how he caught me like a rat for a few days, smiled widely.

Because this poison is just superb!

A single hit could give our side a soda-like refreshment while delivering a sweet potato-level pain to the enemy—truly an excellent toxin.

“Yes, we should send some warriors to catch more. These guys prefer open fields and residential areas over forests, so we should look around there.”

“Oh, vast lawns near residences? Got it.”

“And we don’t need to catch them in massive numbers; they breed quickly.”

“Really?”

And what’s even better?

These creatures don’t dwell in forests and prefer wide-open grasslands, making them easy to catch.

Their diet consists of mice and lizards, so they’ve made their homes near human settlements where those critters thrive.

So yes, they pose a significant danger to people, but it also makes it easier to gather them!

And that’s not all.

One of their traits is that they give live birth.

Unlike other egg-laying snakes, the Russell’s Viper directly births its young, which is a major advantage.

They can give birth to 20 to 40 little ones in a single batch! In this era, where breeding isn’t easy without incubators or thermometers, they hatch on their own, making it pretty convenient.

Since they come out freshly hatched from their mother’s body.

Once they’re born, it’s like swimming with ease!

After the babies are born, we can easily raise them using the pinkies coming out of our infinite supply factory.

So, it could be said they are one of the most useful venomous insects for our Tang Clan?

However, since their aggression is so high, one must be extremely cautious when raising them.

“Yes, they give birth instead of laying eggs, so increasing their numbers is easy.”

“Oh! Really? They give birth? Fantastic! Then, we must send the warriors and Venomous Insect Deputy Commander who went to Yunnan back there to capture as many as possible!”

“Definitely.”

After several days plagued by Bin’s disappearance, my grandfather’s mood finally lightened up.

*

After getting scolded by Grandpa for a few days, Hua Eun, while So-ryong had gone to chat with him at the Venomous Insect Garden, summoned all the kids to the pavilion.

Because today, it seemed necessary to talk with the kids about something.

It might turn out to be nagging, but after seeing Bin’s situation, I became convinced that just showering them with love wasn’t the best approach.

After days of contemplation, I wondered if maybe if I had been a bit firmer with Bin when he threw a tantrum, could I have prevented him from running away?

If I had scolded him when he was sulking and told him, “Don’t act like that toward Dad,” maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

Thus, I opened the communication room to call Yo-hwa, and as So-ryong had become more tired after transforming into Flying Heavenly Centipede, I woke Chao, taking her along outside.

Of course, I also brought along Yeon-du, who had been resting next to Chao.

She rarely moved except when eating Huari’s young once every two or three days, so she mostly stayed coiled up in So-ryong’s place.

Before So-ryong departed for the Venomous Insect Garden, I had already gathered Hyang, Seol, and Bin, so soon, all the venomous insects clustered in the pavilion, except for the runaway Bin.

“Everyone’s here.”

Hua Eun looked at each of the gathered children.

The stunning large blue centipede that is now Chao and the marvelous Yeon-du who had recently joined our family.

Along with adorable Seol and Bin, and the little Hyang still covered in yellow and blue spots.

Also, there was Yo-hwa, who resembled Hua Eun.

As she shifted her gaze towards each child gathered beneath the pavilion, they looked up at her, tilting their heads in curiosity.

Especially Seol and Bin, who blinked and tilted their heads, made Hua Eun almost rush over to cuddle them.

They were so cute that I almost forgot I had to nag them.

Like clear liquor contained in a glass, their sparkling eyes were filled with curiosity, making it impossible for her not to pet them.

‘Ugh… Must… resist…’

But she barely managed to rein in her emotions, taking a deep breath.

Then, she recalled a moment that firmly resolved her.

Hua Eun had deeply reflected on her grandfather’s scolding during her last talk.

“Why are parents so carefree about everything?”

That single remark from Grandpa.

It struck her as she realized that while she called herself “Mom,” she might have been thinking “They’re not really my kids” in the back of her mind.

Although her mother and father loved her tremendously, they certainly scolded her at times.

Pampering them endlessly would make her a failure as a mother.

It seemed that this all began as playful antics with So-ryong.

Originally, this had started to show So-ryong that she had embraced him wholeheartedly, but somewhere along the line, it turned into fun, making her feel as if she was the true wife of So-ryong.

But treating these adorable kids as a joke could no longer be permitted.

How anxious had she been after Bin vanished?

Taking a deep breath, Hua Eun gazed at the six children and said.

“The reason I gathered you all here is to give you some guidance. You…”

– Bloop?

– Tsururut?

– Kishi?

She momentarily paused due to the children’s adorable head-tilting that clutched at her heart.

But Hua Eun quickly bit her lower lip and continued.

“… You must absolutely not run away from home like Bin did, okay?”

– Koo-kku!

– Tsururu!

– Kisit!

– Shyaaa!

“Did you see Mom and Dad getting scolded by Grandpa? Especially Dad, he was in big trouble. If you’re upset, you should talk to Mom or Dad, not just run away…”

Having never scolded the kids before, she started speaking as thoughts came to her head.

– Koo!

Suddenly, Seol’s shout echoed.

When she turned to look at Seol, she noticed Bin gently nudging her cheek, trying to sniff her cheek playfully.

“Focus, please!”

It clearly might be a struggle to maintain focus among the kids.

Feeling the need to call them out once again, she tightened her warning and continued.

– Koo-kku!

Seol shouted again.

The annoying noise drew the attention of the other venomous insects toward Seol.

And then, Bin was seen playfully biting one side of Seol’s neck, while Hua Eun attempted to pry them apart, but all of a sudden, their playful antics escalated into a brawl.

“Bin, let go! Why are you hurting your friend…?”

– Kuuuu!

– Kook! Kook! Kook! Kook!

What began as a simple game turned into what appeared to be seen as painful, as Bin vigorously dug into Seol’s neck.

Taken by surprise, Seol started scrambling to escape the pavilion.

“Seol! You can’t do that! Mom is trying to guide you, and here you are bothering a friend and causing a ruckus! Bin!”

But despite Hua Eun’s shouts and nagging, Bin didn’t stop his antics.

Chasing after Seol, they sped up toward the pavilion before dodging around to the garden with rocks and trees.

The two lizards were racing around the garden, not stopping their chase.

– Pitter-patter.

– Kuuuuaaa!

– Kook! Kook! Kook!

With Seol’s screams and Bin’s determined sounds following closely behind.

“Someone, please stop them!”

Hua Eun sought assistance from the other kids, but they were just blinking in confusion.

She felt that she needed to call for So-ryong quickly.

If things continued as they were, it could end up being a severe injury for Seol.

“Um, I’ll go get Dad. So, everyone just wait here!”

After giving her instruction to the children, Hua Eun quickly dashed toward the Venomous Insect Garden.

Feeling helpless that she couldn’t even stop the kids from fighting.

*

As I extracted the venom from all the Russell’s Vipers we caught, I suddenly heard.

“So-ryong! This is bad!”

Hua Eun’s voice was dripping with urgency, filled with déjà vu.

Once again, she burst in, panicking like something terrible had happened.

“What’s happened now?”

A concerned blink escaped me as she grasped my hand tightly.

“It’s a big deal! Seol and Bin are fighting! Seol is screaming while running away, and Bin won’t stop chasing after her! If this keeps up, Seol is going to get hurt badly!”

“Fighting!?”

The thought of sweet, innocent Seol and Bin going at it was alarming.

There shouldn’t be any reason for these two to fight, especially since Bin had always been tender with Seol.

Thus when I heard that they were fighting, I was jolted and followed Hua Eun urgently back to the pavilion.

The sample creation was complete, and my chats with Grandpa finished, so I really didn’t have a reason to hang around anymore.

“Yes, I had gathered the kids in the pavilion to talk about… well, when suddenly…”

“How did they start fighting?!”

“I’m not sure! They were just playing in the pavilion, and then it escalated when Bin bit Seol’s neck…”

“Bit her neck?!”

Lizards can engage in fights for various reasons, so I dashed alongside Hua Eun, questioning her about the cause and nature of the fight.

While she explained, I contemplated the reasons behind their scuffle.

Considering Seol and Bin’s tendencies towards lizard-like behavior, the cause might manage social hierarchy.

They were on good terms, but since Seol had been injured and lost her tail, she might have appeared weaker, prompting a need for establishing dominance.

Though not particularly important for humans, who’s the leader is a critical concern for animals.

“Yes, while biting her neck, they were making strange sounds. Like ‘Kook! Kook! Kook!’”

Hua Eun cutely mimicked Bin’s noises.

Trying to suppress a laugh, I asked her.

“Kook! Kook! Kook, huh?”

“Yes! They just kept making that sound and chasing after Seol while biting her neck!”

“Chasing Seol while biting her neck.”

Leopard geckos and Crested gecko kids often bite each other’s necks or cheeks during play, so it looked like their scuffle was something ordinary.

However, as we rushed into the garden following Hua Eun, a thought struck me suddenly.

When I checked Seol and Bin’s genitalia, they looked so similar that I couldn’t tell them apart.

Though usually, there’s a notable difference in appearance, these two looked almost identical.

Yet, they seemed to form a pair.

‘If Seol’s a female and Bin’s a male, then what’s actually going on…?’

Coming to a halt in front of the pavilion, Hua Eun urgently asked the kids.

“Where are Seol and Bin?”

Yo-hwa pointed over to the nearby bushes.

– Kishi!

With her gesture, Hua Eun dashed toward the bushes, but I caught her wrist and said.

“Hua Eun, I don’t think that what they’re doing is a battle…”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“No, I mean, how should I explain this…?”

While I pondered how to articulate it, Hua Eun brushed off my hand and made her way toward the bushes.

“I have to check on Seol. Bin, why are you being such a rascal with her…?”

Ignoring my attempts to stop her, Hua Eun entered the bushes, and soon I heard her voice sounding both alarmed and scolding.

“Bin, why are you biting Seol? And why are you now on top of her… Hic…”

Seemingly surprised, her hiccup echoed through the air.

Then, stepping back from the bushes, her face turned bright red like she’d just been poisoned as she stared blankly at me.

“U- um… It seems we’re going to be grandparents soon.”