Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

---

Stolen Goods (贓物) 2

In the outskirts of Chengdu, Sichuan, an ancient tunnel long abandoned has become the rumored haunt of spirits.

The tunnel, once forgotten by all, was now bustling with people amidst a rich fragrance of herbs.

Those present were masters and artisans of the Silkworm Affair scattered throughout the Central Plains.

Within the tunnel, a peculiar tension filled the air among the esteemed artisans and masters of the Silkworm Affair.

“This time, we must succeed. There are only a few eggs left.”

The artisans, kidnapped from all corners of the Central Plains, lowered their heads apologetically at the words of Shin Tu Gal Ji Hong.

This was a moment that simply couldn’t fail.

“We’re sorry, Elder.”

“My apologies.”

Among them, the oldest man bowed his head and spoke, “Is there a possibility? Elder Shin Tu, I have gathered nearly all the herbs and leaves by this time, so it’ll surely work this time. I, Baek, have prepared with utmost care.”

“Moreover, I have all kinds of tender, tough, and even varying stems ready, so this time, we will succeed for sure.”

As the head artisan Baek said, a giant bamboo sieve was filled with numerous types of leaves and grasses.

“Yes, we want to succeed and go home too.”

“This time, it shall be ensured.”

Having been abruptly captured and forced into work, everyone knew the rewards from assisting Shin Tu were more than any labor.

After spending decades devoted to the Silkworm Affair, the artisans clenched their fists, determined to succeed this time.

For them, this job was a challenge in itself.

At first, the artisans had been somewhat flustered.

Elder Shin Tu had suddenly summoned them to raise a type of silkworm they had never seen before.

However, after several failures, the fiery spirit of challenge that had been lost in their youth ignited again, and they united with the resolve to nurture this unfamiliar silkworm and extract its silk.

It certainly wasn’t because of the pile of gold that Elder Shin Tu had thrown into a corner of the worn-down tunnel.

They were artisans, not those who were swayed by gold and riches.

Though the gold shimmered beautifully.

“Well then, let us begin.”

“Yes, Elder.”

With a resolute determination, the men who had their sights set on the golden light in the corner, Elder Shin Tu Gal Ji Hong took out a small vial from within his robe.

-Click.

Inside the opened vial were four large white pearls.

The vial was mostly empty from the many prior failures, but Shin Tu picked one pearl and placed it in his palm, breathing in his internal energy.

As he infused it with his energy and waited briefly, the pearl slowly began to change to a blue hue.

As the energy consumed the pearl, it began to bulge on the surface.

-Zzziiip.

After a moment, the surface let out a tearing sound, and two sharp teeth shot out.

The shell of the pearl broke, revealing a sizable caterpillar the thickness of a thumb crawling out.

“It has awakened.”

The caterpillar was a pure white and had two yellow horns sprouting from its head, giving it a peculiar appearance.

Upon emerging from its shell, the first thing the caterpillar did was lick its body, covered in fluids.

Once it finished licking and drying itself off, Shin Tu quickly placed it on the sieve.

Then, as before, the caterpillar lifted its head and began looking around.

Almost as if it were searching for something.

-Swallow.

A tense atmosphere settled.

The only sound echoing through the tunnel was the nervous gulp from the artisans watching this scene.

At that moment, the caterpillar suddenly began to crawl to one side.

It crawled across the sieve and soon attached itself to a specific leaf.

“Oh! Is this, success!?”

“Shh, quiet!”

Though the artisans erupted in cheers at the unexpected reaction, they quickly quieted under Baek’s stern warning.

They had never witnessed such a behavior before, but the creature still hadn’t consumed anything yet.

No matter how it moved, if it didn’t eat something, it would perish like the other ones that had hatched before.

“But what kind of leaf is that?”

“It’s white. That’s Silver Vine (銀藤).”

The artisans clasped their hands in anticipation watching the caterpillar stick to the white Silver Vine leaf.

‘Eat it! Please eat it!’

But anticipation was short-lived.

The caterpillar seemed to sniff the leaf, but as before, it buried its head into it.

At that sight, Baek quickly shouted, “Elder, to another sieve!”

Telling them to move it to the leaves on another sieve prepared.

Only those who had infused it with internal energy could handle it, so they had to rely on Shin Tu.

Unfortunately, it seemed the first sieve’s leaves had failed.

“Got it.”

As Shin Tu complied with Baek’s words and moved it to the next sieve, the creature raised its head, looking around only to bury its head into the new leaf again.

“Darn it! To the next sieve!”

“Next!”

“This is the last one…”

After passing through all the prepared sieves, the creature had not touched any leaf.

The same reaction persisted.

Shin Tu Gal Ji Hong spoke with a serious expression.

“Another failure… Only three eggs left; this is a big problem…”

The artisans, filled with anxiousness, hastily gathered flower petals and other materials to offer to the creature, but it didn’t budge and soon shriveled up and died like the others after two days.

Yet another failure.

*

Geolhwang rummaged through a large bag strapped to his waist and popped a Yellow Powder Bug larva into his mouth.

-Crunch.

The rich flavor of the Yellow Powder Bug filled his mouth.

Indeed, the taste of the Yellow Powder Bug was quite unique.

It had an essence reminiscent of dried shrimp, and after eating, it left a distinctive, rich, savory oily flavor that lingered, evoking the memory of the Yellow Powder Bug taste.

Thus, it was simply irresistible.

Initially, he had only planned to eat what had been offered.

As the Beggar Emperor, he felt it somewhat disgraceful to rummage around the Tang Clan’s pharmacy for more.

Even for the so-called emperor of beggars, it felt beneath him to be begging from prestigious clans like the Guidaomun or the Seven Great Houses.

However, perhaps he was destined to seek it again, or he just happened to wander nearby when the Tang Clan’s warriors appeared in haste.

“Honored Beggar Emperor Geolhwang!”

“W-wait, quiet down. What is it?”

As the warrior’s thunderous voice rang out, Geolhwang calmed him down, worrying about whether others would overhear.

An enormous bag was passed to him.

“Please convey this when Brother So-ryong and Miss Hua Eun return…”

“Hmm? What’s this?”

“Dried Yellow Powder Bugs. Whenever you need them, just let us know, and we’ll bring them.”

“Hmm… Young children certainly understand how to respect the prominent figures of the Martial Forest.”

Recalling the thought of when he received the dried Worms, he reached back into the bag, feeling the remaining Yellow Powder Bugs deep within.

He would soon need to drop by the Tang Clan pharmacy again.

Just then, he sensed an irritating aura approaching.

“Hey, big bro… heh heh…”

“Oh, that brat is back again.”

Once more, Gal Ji Hong, who was seemingly unperturbed, was back to visit Geolhwang.

Having asked him to find skilled artisans for the Silkworm Affair, he had already handed over lists of those from various places in the Central Plains multiple times.

Gal Ji Hong, with the Yellow Powder Bug in hand, asked with annoyance, knowing he was now aware of his actions of kidnapping others and placing them in the abandoned tunnel to work on cultivating Heavenly Silkworms.

“What now! Is it still insufficient even after abducting and stuffing them into your tunnel?”

Then, Gal Ji Hong waved his hands, a serious expression spread across his face.

“Hey! Abducting? Who do you think I am, big bro! People might mistake me for a human trafficker!”

“Are you kidding me? What you’re doing is no different from human trafficking!”

“Come on, big bro! You know my situation. Due to regulations, I pay everyone handsomely to send them off.”

“Unbelievable… you’re truly something else.”

“Ehe… you keep saying that. Let’s drink some, shall we?”

Gal Ji Hong cheerfully squeezed into the seat while pulling out a wine bottle.

Seeing this, Geolhwang stood up reluctantly.

It seems he had come to ask for something again, but having enjoyed the rich flavor of the Yellow Powder Bug, he started craving a refreshing drink.

Because surprisingly, the rich oiliness of the Yellow Powder Bug paired delightfully with a nice drink.

-Glug glug.

As he savored the aroma of the fragrant brew poured into the bamboo cup, Geolhwang noticed the liquor Gal Ji Hong had brought was bamboo-leaf wine.

Savoring the scent of his favorite bamboo-leaf wine, Geolhwang asked, “So, what’s the matter? Things not going well?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Gal Ji Hong replied, “I think I misunderstood something.”

“Misunderstood?”

“Yes, big bro. I gathered the artisans of the Silkworm Affair to hatch the Heavenly Silkworms and extract silk, but they’re not the same silkworms at all; it seems I had the wrong idea from the start.

I should have looked for someone who understands insects rather than needing experts on silkworms.”

-Swallow.

“Interesting…”

As Gal Ji Hong swallowed the smooth drink, the luxuriousness melted away in his mouth.

Geolhwang grabbed a handful of Yellow Powder Bugs and began popping a few in his mouth.

-Crunch.

“So you’re asking me to find someone who knows about bugs?”

“Heh heh… pretty much! Though, just like last time, if you don’t have any ducks to offer, it might be a problem—”

He was still rambling about needing someone who knew bugs when he thought about how a bottle of bamboo-leaf wine probably wouldn’t suffice.

“What? These? They’re bugs, right? Big bro, is your begging not going well lately? What sort of bugs are you eating?”

Gal Ji Hong, holding a Yellow Powder Bug in his hand, opened his eyes wide.

Geolhwang smiled at the clueless yet pitiful look in his eyes.

“Ha, you should give it a try. It’s one of the best flavors in the world!”

“Seriously?”

Gal Ji Hong’s face showed disbelief as he stared at the Yellow Powder Bug for quite a while.

Finally, he squeezed his eyes shut and popped the bug into his mouth.

-Crunch.

With a grimace, he moved his mouth around and soon, his expression transformed into delight, eyes widening in shock.

“What? Why is this so tasty?”

He began voraciously eating the Yellow Powder Bugs from Geolhwang’s hand.

Geolhwang, grasping onto the remaining bugs in his hand, shouted.

He had said to come anytime, but if this continued, it would become noticeable. Gal Ji Hong was downing the bugs way too quickly.

“Hey, slow down! You need to savor them…”

“Come on, big bro, who saves bugs?”

“Hey, do you realize how difficult this is to get?”

“By the way, where did you get these? Tell me how to steal some! These are incredibly delicious.”

“Hey! You brat!”

When Gal Ji Hong asked where to find more to steal, Geolhwang snapped.

Suddenly, the face of the kid who introduced him to this flavor flashed through his mind. Thinking it over, he realized the boy was the one who carried around the massive Spirit— the Blue-Spotted Centipede.

Moreover, while these Yellow Powder Bugs were utterly delicious, they also had the potential to be lethal.

On top of that, the rumors among the martial artists who had recently stayed with the Tang Clan stated that a Golden Phoenix was seen flying around there.

Not to mention, there were reports of the Nangong Clan capturing a Human-faced Spider in Huangshan, leading to a sense that this boy surely possessed deep knowledge regarding these creatures and the bugs.

Geolhwang pondered that he might just find the person best versed in insects.

“Hmmm…”

As he looked at Gal Ji Hong while contemplating how to acquire a rich feast today, he noticed him reaching into the familiar bag.

“Hey! You!”

Before he could snatch the hand that had plunged deep into his bag, Geolhwang yelled.

“Are you going to steal from your sworn brother’s bag!?”

“No, let’s share a bit.”

“Ha… how could I even think of coming up with the expertise on insects for this brat…”

“Oh!? There is someone? Someone who knows a lot about bugs?”

While answering his frantic inquiries, Geolhwang firmly pressed his foot down on the squirming hand.

He nodded thoughtfully, “Perhaps there is no one else in the Central Plains who knows insects as well as this individual. Besides, your Heavenly Silkworms are also spirits, right?”

Since he already possessed several spirits, it would be a perfect match for Gal Ji Hong.

“Oh! Who’s that!?”

Gal Ji Hong’s question elicited a smile from Geolhwang.

“First, let’s start with two roasted ducks.”

The deal between the beggar and the thief was beginning.