Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 137: Fabre in the Four Heavenly Houses

“Could it be that Heavenly Silkworm devoured the Queen of the Buddhist Stupa Termite and evolved into Silver Silkworm?” A thought suddenly popped into my mind as I was lost in my own world, stunned by that realization.

Seeing my expression, Mandok God tilted his head and asked, “What’s the matter, Wei So-ryong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Um… something just clicked in my head…”

“Clicked? What is it?”

“Let’s head to the Clan Head Hall first. I’ll explain it all there, where my father-in-law is present. No, where all the direct descendants of the clan are gathered will be best.”

“All of them? Is this matter that important?”

When I asked him to gather all the direct descendants, Mandok God seemed surprised. “Is it really that significant?”

“Absolutely. It’s extremely important.”

“R-Really?”

Mandok God blinked, taken aback by my serious tone. But soon, he laughed and wrote it off as just my eccentricity.

“You know, sometimes I wonder what you’re thinking? All right, then let’s go.”

Following my request, he ordered the nearby warriors to summon Hua Eun and my mother-in-law to the Clan Head Hall.

“Tell them to come to the Clan Head Hall with Hua Eun and her mother.”

“Yes, Elder Clan Head!”

“There, that should fix things?”

“Yes!”

He still bore a smile, thinking I was just giddy with excitement. But I knew this was a remarkable discovery that couldn’t be discussed just anywhere.

It had to be a gathering with all the important people.

After all, this was a scholarly achievement uniquely belonging to Spicy Fabre.

“Unbelievable. After being reborn, to make a mark in the non-mainstream field of poisons in the Central Plains—known for its traditional martial arts—is astounding!”

The reason I was in such a tizzy was that I had just uncovered the evolutionary mechanism of venomous creatures.

The previously hidden evolution of venomous and spirit creatures was significant, and understanding their food sources and abilities was a fine academic achievement. But the mechanism that allows them to break free from their inherent limitations and evolve into something entirely different surpassed it by far.

It was still just a hypothesis for now.

But that made it even more valuable.

Since I had formulated a hypothesis, I had the opportunity to present it to distinguished individuals who shared our poisonous arts.

“That’s why I asked to gather all the direct elders.”

Who else could make such an important discovery during a casual hobby?

Only someone like Spicy Fabre could!

I tried to hide the excitement on my face as I followed my grandfather, organizing in my mind everything I needed to explain to the clan.

The idea that “Heavenly Silkworm consumed the Queen of the Buddhist Stupa Termite and evolved into Silver Silkworm” was a hypothesis; I needed to prepare for all the questions that could arise during the presentation.

“The evolutionary aspect is clear, so that’s fine, but this question will definitely come up: Wasn’t it said once that there can only be one queen among the ants? If so, if she was eaten, wouldn’t there be no queen left when we opened the nursery?”

My heart raced as we arrived at the Clan Head Hall.

Upon entering, my father-in-law looked surprised. “You’re back already?”

“Yes, it wasn’t far, so I returned quickly.”

He must have found it odd that I had gone looking for Bin straight away yet returned so soon.

But after hearing my reply, my father-in-law nodded nonchalantly.

“Good to hear it was nearby. By the way, my father is here as well?”

“Yes, on his way because of the mushrooms he was gathering, he happened to run into Wei So-ryong.”

“Right, Wei So-ryong, share your findings.”

With my father-in-law wanting to hear about my day, Mandok God stepped in to respond.

“Wait a moment. I was told to gather everyone from the Tang Clan’s direct lineage, including Hua Eun and the clan matriarch, her mother.”

“Excuse me? Even Hua Eun and the wife?”

My father-in-law blinked, surprised that the entire family had been called together.

But soon, sensing something, he nodded and asked, “Have you obtained what you desired?”

“Yes, Father-in-law.”

“Then please, wait a moment.”

After that brief wait, Hua Eun and my mother-in-law arrived.

“Grandfather, we heard you called for us.”

“Father, why did you call for me as well?”

Upon entering, both women asked why they had been summoned, and my father-in-law and Mandok God smiled as they looked at me.

“It wasn’t me; it was Wei So-ryong who called.”

“Since your son-in-law called, please take a seat.”

As they tilted their heads, wondering what this was all about, they took their seats.

With their seating in place, I steadied my racing heart and stood up with a serious expression.

This was the moment to present my hypothesis.

“The reason I have gathered our four direct clan members here today is that I have discovered something very important.”

“Important, you say?”

Hua Eun, who hadn’t even let me start presenting yet, chimed in with a question.

Bad timing had me responding with an awkward smile. “Questions until later.”

“Huh?”

Hua Eun blinked, looking confused.

I felt a bit bad, but this was an important gathering.

“First, let me explain that I have found the place where Bin was hiding. The reason I looked for it was to figure out why Bin became a blind insect.”

“If I could determine the reason Bin turned into a blind insect, I thought it might help me understand how Heavenly Silkworm evolved into Silver Silkworm by drawing parallels.”

“Hoh…”

“Ah…”

My logical explanation had the family members nodding.

With a smile on my face, I continued.

“So, I took Bin with me to find where Bin had been hiding. It turns out that place was the Rat Cave where I had thrown myself when the Blood Cult appeared. That was where the Hoban Yusa was overflowing.”

“Nearby, you say? And that close?”

“That child was hiding so close? Under the same roof, but I was searching far and wide! How foolish it was to exhaust those warriors.”

“Bin… Ah…”

Startled by how close Bin actually was, the two were taken aback. Hua Eun, already scolded, clamped her mouth shut, trying to say something.

Even though their startled reactions interrupted my presentation, this wasn’t exactly a questioning moment.

Observing awkwardly, I decided not to reiterate how the warriors’ struggles felt heavy on my conscience.

“Yes, according to Bin, he turned into a blind insect after consuming Yin Energy, which was heavily contaminated with energy.”

“Fascinating! To think one could absorb Yin Energy through decay!”

“Indeed, what an astonishing occurrence!”

With the two interrupting me once more, I gathered my thoughts and proceeded.

After all, it was likely their first time in such a gathering.

I apologized inwardly to Hua Eun but pressed on with the explanation of my core hypothesis based on the already existing data.

“So, my conclusion is this: Heavenly Silkworm became the Flying Heavenly Centipede after consuming the Flying Heavenly Snake’s Inner Dan, and Bin became the blind insect after ingesting energy from the stagnant Yin Energy.

I don’t know if all venomous creatures behave this way, but absorbing a large amount of energy might lead many spirit venomous creatures to evolve. I can’t help but think this.”

As I concluded the explanation of my core hypothesis, my father-in-law and Mandok God nodded in agreement.

“Oh, I see! If they’re spirit creatures, then subtracting vast amounts of energy result in a transformation; that makes sense!”

“Certainly! When one’s body becomes filled with energy, transformation happens. If spirit creatures behave similarly, your theory holds weight.”

With both distinguished individuals backing my thoughts from a martial arts perspective, I confidently boldly stated my conclusions.

“Yes, the conclusion I’ve drawn is that Heavenly Silkworm must have eaten something to become Silver Silkworm! The moment I saw the mushroom that Mandok God showed me, this thought struck me:

What if the Queen of Buddhist Stupa Termite, who has consumed natural energy for over fifty years, was devoured by the Heavenly Silkworm? Isn’t it possible for the Heavenly Silkworm to evolve into Silver Silkworm?”

“Devoured that mushroom every day for fifty years? And then that Queen of the Buddhist Stupa Termite was eaten by Heavenly Silkworm?”

“What an intriguing tale! If that’s true, our clan will gain another Ten Great Venoms!”

The elders nodded, clearly impressed by my hypothesis.

Then, Hua Eun’s cautious voice broke in.

“Um, could I ask a question now?”

Feeling a bit guilty, I eagerly nodded. “Of course.”

Hua Eun paused for a moment, her expression deep in thought before she eventually asked.

It was a question I had anticipated all along.

“Last time, didn’t Wei So-ryong mention that among the ants, there was only one queen? If that’s the case, if she was eaten, shouldn’t there be no queens left when we opened the nursery?”

“Oh, right! Wei So-ryong did say so during the last talk about the army ants.”

Though a surprise question could throw me off balance, I couldn’t help but smile when I had anticipated this one.

I responded with a grin.

Many people think there is only one queen in an ant colony, but that’s not entirely accurate!

Depending on the species, there can be multiple queens.

Of course, the white ant, more closely related to cockroaches, has its own unique characteristics.

In fact, within a colony of white ants, alongside the queen, princesses, and male partners exist as well—it’s quite a fascinating arrangement, you see!

Even though they’re called princesses, they lay eggs too, and there’s also a male partner controlling them, so maybe they are sort of like potential brides.

Interestingly, some of them are genetically identical clones to the queen.

The reason behind this is special.

White ants cannot store sperm for a lifetime after a single mating, requiring frequent copulation. Consequently, the odd phenomenon of male partners occurring among ants exists.

But if the queen were to die for some reason, the princess ants would need a male partner to mate with, resulting in inbreeding.

That could lead to genetic issues.

This is why the queen ant prepares clones of herself as a countermeasure against potential genetic risks.

Therefore, it’s quite plausible that if the queen ant disappeared, another clone queen would swiftly take her place.

“So, it’s likely that another Qin Hua has indeed replaced the vanished one!”

“Ah, so the Queen is indeed a unique creature!”

“Indeed! The abilities of the Queen are fascinating…”

“Ah, I see now.”

As I explained, the family members nodded their heads.

Once my explanation concluded, my father-in-law smiled and asked, “But that’s just your opinion. Naturally, a direct verification process is needed, right?”

“Ah, of course, Father-in-law!”

Being knowledgeable as a sage at home, my father-in-law knew well how to touch upon important matters.

True to his words, if a hypothesis is formulated, an experiment needs to test its validity.

Nothing works as wonderfully as an experiment to prove the truth of a hypothesis.

The experiment I devised to validate my hypothesis was incredibly straightforward.

Let Heavenly Silkworm consume the Queen of the Buddhist Stupa Termite and see how things pan out!

“Absolutely.”

The next day, the Shin Tu who was lodging with our clan set off with us, wearing a grumpy face.

*

The research for hypothesis validation involved catching the Heavenly Silkworm that had already emerged in the ant mound and feeding it the queen ant from another mound.

Digging a new hole where the queen had vanished to seek out the Heavenly Silkworm, I presented the captured queen in front of it.

– Crunch.

As soon as the Heavenly Silkworm recognized the queen ant that resembled a baguette, it sank its teeth right in.

Even though the queen ant struggled in surprise, the sweet aroma wafting from the yellow antennae of the Heavenly Silkworm calmed her down.

Until her body’s fluid ran dry, the queen became placid.

And that plump body shrank until it was just a shell, as our Heavenly Silkworm molted, revealing a dazzling silver form.

It was a Stage 3 larva.

“I can’t believe it!”

“Is this… Silver Silkworm?”

The sight left everyone astonished, and as we completed our research, we returned to the Tang Clan Hall.

Two freshly hatched Silver Silkworms clung to my shoulders, glistening after I had fed them queen ants.

“Hmm, what should I name these little guys?”

Soon, I would cultivate them to maturity, gaining the legendary Silver Silkworm under the Ten Great Venoms of the Central Plains!