Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 139: Fabre at the Four Heavenly Houses

“Love! 1”

As I wrote down the name ‘So-ryong’s Venomous Insect Manual’ in front of my father-in-law and family, compliments began to pour in.

“So-ryong’s Venomous Insect Manual, huh? A book about venomous insects written by So-ryong. I see what it means. It may seem ordinary at first glance, but for a man to put his name on it means he’s serious about it. That’s good. Very good.”

“Hmm… You’re putting your name on this, huh? How bold. My son-in-law. Truly, my son-in-law!”

It’s clear that men resonate with each other’s feelings.

Putting my name in the book was, of course, inspired by the likes of Fabre’s Entomology, but it also represented confidence. Donning my name on the book implies a heartfelt commitment to the writing process, doesn’t it?

If the book turns out poor, the author could face shame for generations. So, putting your name on something is no small matter.

Consequently, I smiled in response to the two elders’ praise, and they returned the smile.

“Yes, I will do my best under my name.”

Once the ceremony for naming ‘So-ryong’s Venomous Insect Manual’ was concluded, a refreshing break of fifteen days was granted.

“Well then, since you’ve braved the dew for fifteen nights, go back and rest well, my son-in-law. Let’s meet again at dinner.”

“Understood, Father-in-law.”

“My son-in-law, I will have the servant girls prepare warm water, so go and wash up first.”

“Yes, understood. Then I shall take my leave.”

After bidding farewell at the Clan Head Hall, I quickly took my steps away.

However, I was not heading to the bathing pavilion as my mother-in-law instructed—I was headed somewhere else.

Although I had agreed with my mother-in-law, I was making a visit to the Venomous Insect Garden instead.

Before returning to the Clan Head Hall, I had made a special request to Gu Pae, the Deputy Commander, when we met at the Nine Entrance Gate.

Having been homeless for fifteen days, I craved warm bathwater and a soft bed more than ever, but there was an urgent matter that couldn’t wait.

“Is what I requested prepared?”

Dashing into the Venomous Insect Garden, I hurriedly asked Gu Pae about the progress, and he stepped aside, responding.

“Yes, So-ryong, will this suffice?”

It seemed he had prepared what I asked for in the box behind him, so I checked it right away.

“The holes are all adequately drilled. And the cloth?”

“Yes, just as you instructed, I’ve prepared a black cloth. And after grinding the soil finely, it created dust, just like you said to compress the white soil into clumps, which then hardened in no time.”

What Gu Pae had prepared was a large box full of holes in the lid.

Inside the box, familiar red soil was thickly smeared on the sides and walls.

This red soil was taken from the lair of the Buddhist Stupa Termite, brought by Bin and then crushed into red sand, mixed with the ant’s bodily fluids in the white ant method to harden it.

Thump thump.

The sound I heard when I tapped the soil was like something you’d expect from a solid rock.

“I believe this should be sufficient.”

“So, this will become the Silver Silkworm’s chamber then?”

“Yes.”

The reason I had Gu Pae prepare this was entirely for the silkworms’ benefit.

I wanted to recreate an environment similar to the Buddhist Stupa Termite colony, which was their previous habitat.

Unlike animals, which make their discomfort known when their habitat or conditions aren’t suitable, insects and larvae can be slow to react with their behavior when something is off, so it’s essential to tend to their environment with care.

Insects can have stunted growth or fail to reach their maximum size if the temperature is too low, and that was simply unacceptable.

‘I cannot give up on reaching maximum size. No way.’

The larger the insect, the more they are valued among enthusiasts. Back in my past life, one could easily find giant stag beetles for a mere twenty thousand won, but those exceeding nine centimeters have records of trading for ten million won.

Though I had brought the two silkworms on my shoulder during travel, I had been attentive enough to let them stay warm in the pouch of the gentle Yo-hwa. With my clan back, I intended to match the environment as closely as possible.

If I’m raising them, bigger is better and since there were only two, failure was not an option.

“Okay, shall we set them down then?”

I placed the two little ones on my open palm.

Immediately, I felt their soft texture.

With my hand descending toward the bottom of the box, I was going to take it back to my room for ongoing care, but I also had to test if they liked this environment since I needed a bath anyway.

Just when I set the two of them down on the ground.

The two little ones slowly lifted their heads and eagerly clung to my departing fingers.

They had remained overly docile without making any substantial reaction, but as soon as I placed them on the soil floor, they latched onto my fingers with their short legs.

“Whoa?!”

One latched onto my thumb, the other onto my little finger.

Yet, considering they were insects, it felt more like a mild reaction than something truly substantial.

“Alright, let go of my hand, little guys. You both stay here at home.”

Just casually trying to pry their short legs off, that’s when it happened.

“Eh? So-ryong, their horns?!”

Gu Pae’s words made me check on the ones in my hand, and their antenna-like horns were turning black from the roots.

“Whoooa!”

What I was witnessing was the transformation into a dark state.

The same form displayed when the first one I hatched exhaled dark energy.

No matter how I looked at it, it clearly conveyed a sense of discomfort.

I urgently called out to them.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay! I’m not leaving you behind!”

And fearing that they might darken like that first one, I quickly retracted my hand, but they scrambled rapidly back to my thumb and little finger, racing up to my palm again.

As they did, the black color slowly disappeared from their horns.

‘Phew… That was a close one.’

Relieved, I wiped the sweat from my forehead when suddenly, a faint light began to emerge from my palm.

“Wh-What is this?!”

I looked down in surprise at the light emanating from the bases of their yellow antennae.

It was like the small flame of a birthday cake candle, but strangely, simultaneously, my palm began to feel cool.

Seeing this, Gu Pae’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is th-that pure energy?!”

When these little ones feel discomfort, they emit dark energy, and when they’re happy, they exude pure energy.

“Quick, call the Mandok God Grandfather and my Father-in-law!”

“Y-Yes, got it!”

It was a significant discovery that these little ones could emit pure energy.

Startled, I urged Gu Pae to fetch both elders, staring in awe at the two little ones.

Their leaf-like horns moving pleasantly and languorously.

Feeling the cool sensation at my fingertips, I inadvertently cradled them in my hand, and my internal energy began to visibly recover from my fingertips.

The energy I had expended with my lightness skill while returning to the Tang Clan started to fill up like I had plugged in a gas pump.

The revelation sent a shiver down my spine.

‘These little guys, they’re healers!’

Unbeknownst to me, they were healers.

When they exude bright energy, they act as priests, and when emitting dark energy, they resemble dark priests. It felt like that.

Yeah, looking back, I was a fool.

If the first one could only exhale dark energy, then naturally, the other should also be able to exhale pure energy by choosing to do so, so I should’ve considered that—but I never did.

The silver silkworms might be considered the same species as the Buddhist Stupa Termites, but they’re undoubtedly different creatures.

The sweet scent or nectar they exuded to attract ants or devour the queen ant had likely evolved into a capability to emit both types of energy.

Filled with admiration for uncovering their new ecological facts, when I opened my eyes again, I found two startled elders staring back at me.

The Mandok God Grandfather and my father-in-law were wide-eyed in shock.

“W-What is this?!”

“So-ryong, what on earth is happening?!”

As the two elders pressed for answers, I seriously pondered how I should respond.

‘Should I just tell them we’ve got a healer now?’

*

“Did everyone sleep well?”

– Zuzuzuzu.

– Zututu.

– Cuckoo!

Rubbing my eyes awake in the straw heap, I checked on the little ones, spotting the two in the corner wall as well.

“Mo-ji, So-ji, did you both sleep well?”

As I asked, I watched the shift of their horn’s light flicker briefly.

Confirming that those two could recover my energy and exude the pure energy that would aid in the meditative exercises, I quickly named the two wyrms.

The urging from the elders to name these precious little creatures had a heavy influence too.

Thus, the two silkworms hastily got their names.

Their names were Mo-ji (拇指) and So-ji (小指).

In the Central Plains dialect, they meant ‘Thumb’ and ‘Little Finger.’

Since they always climbed onto my hand, I figured those names suited them perfectly.

‘Good naming sense, right?’

Putting aside the name issue, these critters truly had remarkable abilities, but the elders found their practicality somewhat ambiguous after hearing my tales.

Their energy was precisely limited to one person.

A single-target healing ability.

Also, the communication wasn’t exactly clear yet, so I couldn’t command them to use their skills on cue. Ethically speaking, I couldn’t just make them feel bad on purpose and then let them loose.

While I could do that with the Five Poisons Sect, I couldn’t inflict emotional abuse on the little ones I was raising.

If they were any other pet, I might scratch their head or chin, but Mo-ji and So-ji were larvae.

Nowhere to scratch them, and I couldn’t guarantee they’d emit significant light that way.

So, I resolved to observe them a bit longer until they matured.

“Alright, shall we wash up and go have breakfast?”

With So-ji and Mo-ji perched on my shoulder, I wrapped Hyang around mine.

Then I made my way outside, leaving behind Bin, who had evolved and was now far too sleepy, along with Chao, who had outgrown his traveling capacity.

By now, the servant girls should have prepared the washing water and be waiting.

– Squeak.

As I opened the door, an unexpected person awaited me.

Hua Eun.

“Hua Eun?”

Usually, it’s the servant girls attending to me, yet Hua Eun stood there holding a towel.

Seeing my puzzled expression, she awkwardly replied.

“The servant girls were too scared to come because… there are just too many big venomous creatures around now.”

Oh my, what nonsense they’re spouting! There’s no better bunch than my sweet little ones!

Clearly, I’ll need to advise that the next time they select servant girls, they should accommodate for those who can handle them!

Just as I finished washing, a warrior from the Clan Head Hall dashed in with urgent news.

“So-ryong, before breakfast, the Clan Head has summoned you.”

It seemed they were calling for me, bright and early.

My thoughts drifted to Mo-ji and So-ji, now that I had discovered their special abilities.

I nodded attentively.

“Understood.”

After finishing my wash, I arrived at the Clan Head Hall.

To my surprise, an unexpected visitor awaited.

‘What the heck, is the Beggar Emperor here at such an early hour?!’

Grandfather Geolhwang was waiting.

“Good to see you again, Grandfather Geolhwang.”

“Indeed, how have you been?”

“Yes, but may I ask why you’re here so early? So, you sought me out, Grandfather Geolhwang?”

It seemed Grandfather Geolhwang had been the one looking for me, not my father-in-law.

Curious as to why he called for me, I raised an eyebrow, prompting him to nod and reply.

“I urgently needed to talk to you about the Martial Forest Alliance.”

“The Martial Forest Alliance matter?”

As he explained, I learned he was here because of a matter related to the Martial Forest Alliance.

Recently, they had investigated some intel I shared about the Great Yue Kingdom.

The Martial Forest Alliance had determined two possible bases for the Blood Cult from the information we provided them.

One location was indeed on the other side of the Great Yue Kingdom, while the other was near the border of Guangxi Province, deep within the Central Plains.

Or rather, it was in a place whose ownership was ambiguous.

It seemed borders weren’t clearly defined in this era. Thus, they planned to secretly move troops and ambush the location.

A quick strike and retreat was the plan.

However, the issue arose when the authorities put a stop to it.

Under the edict of non-interference, the government and the Martial Forest Alliance had to remain separate, but with a private military group continually moving personnel, they issued a warning.

Hence, the Martial Forest Alliance had been left restless until the recent event of ‘mysterious deaths’ in Aiyang provided an opportunity.

“They said if we can uncover or resolve the cause behind these mysterious deaths in Aiyang, they’d overlook moving troops.”

“Mysterious deaths? But why would they seek me?”

Asking why they would turn to me, I noted a smirk on Grandfather Geolhwang’s face.

He had swiped my quip without even asking!

“Because that’s your specialty!”