Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 1: The Unexpected Discoveries

“Is, is there truly… something in here?”

Shin Tu asked, his hand caressing the red mound.

I nodded in response to his question.

“Yes, it is said that our esteemed predecessors found both the eggs and the cocoons here.”

“Is that so?”

“I believe that when the previous Shin Tu’s home was destroyed for some reason, they must have stumbled upon the heavenly silkworm cocoons and eggs that flowed out from within.”

Considering someone completely clueless about insects like the past Shin Tu, the probabilities of finding both eggs and cocoons together in one spot seems purely coincidental.

Cocoons are likely situated deep within a white ant mound.

Eggs generally rest outside the home, close to the entrance of the mound.

So, contemplating possible scenarios leads to just one conclusion.

Perhaps due to some reasons, a portion of the ant mound collapsed and the cocoon poured out, while adult heavenly silkworms deposited eggs near the cut edge of the fallen mound.

In a past life, a twin-tailed butterfly laid eggs at the entrance of a Matsumura ant mound, thus such a twist of fate must be leveraged to meet both conditions.

Afterward, it was likely that the previous Shin Tu fortuitously discovered it.

Shin Tu nodded as he listened to my explanation, seeming convinced.

“Ahem… Indeed.”

Just then, a frantic shout from Hyang caught my attention.

– Tsuru! Tsurut!

He was definitely perched on my shoulder, but upon turning, I found Hyang screaming at the entrance of the ant mound.

The little guy was rolling around, trying to swat his head with his foot.

“Hyang, what’s wrong? Are you hurt!?”

I had warned him about the dangers, but it seemed he had already crawled down and confronted the ants again.

There was a strong possibility that he’d get a good whack for disobeying Dad again, but I hurried over to check on him first.

I was worried he might have been bitten badly by a soldier ant.

“What is it? Where did you get bitten? Hold still a moment, Hyang.”

“Did Hyang get bitten? Wei So-ryong?”

I tried to calm him with a worried voice, but he was acting like he was in excruciating pain.

– Tsurut. Tsurut…

However, when I soothed Hyang and checked him thoroughly, I didn’t see any specific wounds.

“There’s no injury anywhere?”

– Churu. Churu…

“Are you sure you are hurt?”

Despite no visible injuries, Hyang kept whining.

Perhaps I had overlooked something, so I examined him again, and finally noticed that his antennae had a weird shape to them.

Fortunately, they weren’t chopped off or bent, but they looked strangely stuck together.

It was his antennae that caused him to be named Hyang, as it always moved non-stop, seemingly sniffing the air.

For some reason, they were sticking together.

“What’s wrong with your antennae, Hyang? Is this sore?”

– Tsurut.

After calming Hyang again, I touched his antennae to find a sticky liquid on it.

“Ah, so he got hit with sticky liquid?”

It seemed he had provoked a white ant and ended up getting hit with some sticky goo.

Some soldier ants of the white ant species project a sticky liquid or burst their bodies to spray a gooey substance during battles.

Worker ants use it to mix mud to build nests, but it appeared that Hyang had unnecessarily provoked a white ant, resulting in his antennae getting stuck.

When I used my sleeve to wipe off the gooey substance from his antennae, his whining finally subsided.

“Hyang, remember Dad told you not to do that? It’s dangerous, so now you ought to listen to Dad, alright?”

– Tsurut…

Upon hearing my strict voice, Hyang’s antennae drooped like a depressed puppy’s.

I felt a bit heartbroken seeing him so downcast, but it was crucial not to hurt himself, so I had to be strict. Shin Tu shook his head disapprovingly.

“That little guy really is a handful. But how do we sell this?”

Once the commotion caused by Hyang calmed down, Shin Tu started contemplating how to sell the ant mound.

Adding to their concern were Hua Eun and Older Sister Seol.

“But Long, can we sell this? It seems we need to call in stonemasons to break it.”

“That’s right, Wei So-ryong. I have no idea how the white ants made this, but it’s as solid as a rock; can we even sell it?”

Indeed, as Older Sister Seol and Hua Eun said, that part raised some worries.

In my past life, I had heard that the homes built by mound-building white ants were notorious for being quite sturdy, and these ones were likely a dozen or more times bigger.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to consider them as low-grade or even rank-and-file spirit creatures, meaning their nests would thus be all the more robust.

The sticky liquid from the creatures I touched earlier was definitely not ordinary, and if they used it to build their homes, its strength would likely be substantial.

If Shin Tu and the others mistook it entirely for rock, it wouldn’t be surprising if it were even harder than concrete.

But Shin Tu belonged to the martial artists among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

I had heard that they possessed formidable martial arts prowess.

Moreover, Shin Tu was quite sturdy, akin to a thief.

I thought about whether he could simply smash the tower with martial techniques or wind techniques while looking at him expectantly.

“We’re likely seeking the center of this pillar. It should be a little below ground level. The inside will be softer, so if we can break the outer part first, then accessing the inner portion will be easier. Can’t we do it with martial techniques?”

“There’s no issue there. Then, shall I exert myself for a bit?”

“Oh, as expected!”

“I get to see the Elder’s martial technique for the first time!”

“A chance to witness Sir Shin Tu’s martial prowess?”

As I asked, Shin Tu rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.

Though I felt a bit anxious hearing that Yeongryeon, his disciple, was seeing martial arts for the first time, Shin Tu remained unperturbed, accumulating his energy before the colossal red ant tower.

– Paruru.

As he mobilized his vast energy, the hem of Shin Tu’s garment began fluttering.

In an instant, his hand shot towards the pillar at a speed so fast it was nearly invisible.

– Tang!

A sound of impact echoed.

It was lighter than I expected, but still, it was Shin Tu’s renowned martial strike.

With beads of sweat on my palms, I awaited the tower’s collapse, but not even a crack appeared on the red pillar.

Initially, I thought the outer part remained intact, but the insides were on the brink of decay.

Thus, I waited in anticipation for the next scene, but even as time passed, the ant mound didn’t stir an inch.

“What the…?”

Bewildered, I, alongside Hua Eun and Older Sister Seol, stared at Shin Tu who cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Um, I excel in lightness arts, secret techniques, and blood analysis… martial skills, not so much… Ahem! It’s rather sturdy.”

“What was all the show for then?”

Shin Tu truly was a bewildering old man.

*

“Well, we’ve found it, so I’ll figure out a way—either by seeking help from someone skilled in martial arts or, as you suggested earlier, we could fetch several stonemasons.”

Hua Eun, Older Sister Seol, and even Shin Tu’s disciple.

After taking turns tapping on the hard white ant mound with martial techniques, it didn’t budge at all.

We reluctantly concluded we would have to find a different approach to open it.

The walls were too solid, so another method was needed.

As Older Sister Seol mentioned, we could either bring multiple stonemasons or seek aid from a skilled master of martial arts.

I thought of bringing along the Tang Clan’s warriors, but given the Odukmun and Blood Cult, that seemed difficult, and so Shin Tu would need to find a solution.

“Understood. Then once you’re ready, we shall meet here again.”

“Yes, but it seems we’ll be camping out here tonight.”

At Shin Tu’s remark, I glanced towards the ridge of the valley, and the sun had already begun to set.

The sun hanging over the ridge was casting a red glow.

“That seems to be the case.”

“I hope they won’t attack at night or anything.”

That question stemmed from worry about whether the white ants might launch an assault at night, but I found no need for concern.

White ants typically do not stray far from their nests.

And if they did come out, they would likely appear towards the valley end.

Since they forage for wood or grass, this area was likely formed due to them pulling nearby vegetation, so they wouldn’t venture to this barren side.

“Yes, there’s no need to worry. White ants never leave their homes unless absolutely necessary. If they did, it would be towards the ridge.”

“Alright, then I shall go hunting. I’ll try to catch a wild boar or something.”

Nodding at my explanation, Shin Tu planned on hunting a wild boar.

I tilted my head and asked, “Is there really a need to hunt since there’s so much food here? If you just pick up some branches from above…”

“Huh? Food? Where are you getting at? Is there still food left from the Tang Clan’s delivery?”

With a smile at Shin Tu’s question, I answered.

“There’s white ant—very delicious.”

“What!? Are you saying you want to eat white ants?”

“How can you eat those!?”

Shin Tu and his disciple Yeongryeon were shocked, but Hua Eun and Older Sister Seol, who’ve already tasted the yellow powder bug, didn’t seem fazed.

“Looks like that’s edible too, huh?”

“Well, in Yun-nan, they eat bamboo worms, field crickets, and cicadas.”

“I wonder if they taste good?”

They even looked somewhat excited about it.

“I haven’t tasted it myself, but I really want to try it at least once.”

To be honest, I wanted to try the queen ant, which was said to be the tastiest, but right now, we were unable to sell the mound.

In Uganda, they catch and fry, stir-fry, or grill white ants.

I thought it might be a good opportunity to level up my Spicy Fabre experience.

*

Though they wore reluctant expressions, Shin Tu and his disciple Yeongryeon returned with some branches.

Meanwhile, Hyang, along with Chao and Yo-hwa, caught the white ants.

It seemed Hyang and Yo-hwa weren’t in much danger due to their size. They would simply poke the white ants with their front legs, skewering them one by one and making ant skewers.

Of course, they didn’t catch any soldier ants even if they weren’t in danger.

Their exoskeletons were developed enough to be quite hard, making them less suitable for meals.

– Sizzle sizzle.

We roasted the captured white ants skewered on sticks over glowing charcoal.

As the juices dripped from the roasting white ants and fell into the campfire, a savory aroma wafted up.

“That smells delicious.”

“Indeed, it does.”

As we grilled the white ants on skewers, their legs and antennae charred, they transformed into something resembling a giant meat skewer, and it smelled utterly divine.

“Elder, please have some.”

I handed the first perfectly roasted skewer to Shin Tu, who flinched.

He flashed a somewhat awkward smile and said, “N-no need! You go first. You’ve worked the hardest.”

“Can’t we do this the proper way? There’s rules in the Martial Forest, you know?”

“Oh dear, it’s… it’s okay.”

I held the skewer out once more, but Shin Tu waved his hands defensively.

Realizing I had to set an example, I decided to take a bite of the tantalizing barbecue.

“Alright then, I’ll enjoy this.”

– Crunch.

As I took a bite out of the skewered white ant, a rush of savory juices filled my mouth.

They were indeed delicious, as the rumors had claimed.

Finishing off the skewered white ant, I smiled at everyone and said, “This is really tasty. Everyone should hurry and eat…”

And at that moment, I suddenly felt my head spinning, as the startled voices of Hua Eun and Older Sister Seol echoed in my ears.

“Yo-Wei So-ryong… Wei So-ryong…”

“Long!? Stay with us…”

‘Poison… I certainly checked for toxins earlier; what could be happening?’

I had checked for poison before catching and grilling them, so this felt bizarre.

Moreover, there was a sensation that felt oddly familiar, as if I had experienced it once before.

With my consciousness fading away, everything around me turned pitch black.