Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 1: The Cave Escape

“Dang Cheolsan and the warriors hurriedly fled into the cave, but not everyone made it out safely.”

The warrior from the Tang Clan who threw a stone at the creature called “Jimjo” was sadly lagging behind.

As he was dragged into the cave by Cheolsan, he blankly watched his once sizable “unghuang” shrink to the size of a crumb, before regaining his wits and hastily following us.

He managed to save his life, but all of his clothes were torn to shreds.

To drive away the invading poison, he would have to struggle for quite some time.

According to Cheolsan, he survived thanks to practicing the Tang Clan’s Venomous Power, and it was a blessing that he even remained alive.

Our unghuang energy that rushed ahead fortuitously helped him survive, too.

But even we, now safely in the cave, could not rest easy.

Despite retreating deep within, the white smoke from unghuang continued to rise ominously from the Tang Clan members’ midst.

It wasn’t billowing out like dry ice tossed into water, but the fact that unghuang was still emitting smoke indicated that it was poisonous.

Once unghuang completely melted away, we would also be at risk of poisoning.

“J-Jimjo!? Clan Head, are you sure it’s Jimjo!?”

The Sub Commander voiced disbelief.

Then Cheolsan recited what sounded like a passage from a book.

“When it spreads its wings, it’s five feet wide. Its beak is sharp and copper-colored, and its body is covered in purple feathers. When enraged, everything around it turns dark and dies, transforming into venom. It wears a golden crown upon its head, exuding the majesty of a king.

This is called Jim (鴆) or Jimjo (鴆鳥).

That’s all I know.”

The description matched perfectly with what I had seen.

I asked Cheolsan with a trembling voice, “C-Could that be the Ten Great Venoms?”

Cheolsan slowly nodded in agreement.

The unbelievable words then spilled from his lips.

“That creature ranks at the top of the Ten Great Venoms and is called the king of all venomous creatures—Jimjo (鴆鳥).”

“The king of the Ten Great Venoms!”

‘This is insane! It’s unbelievable!’

My impression of meeting Jimjo in person was simply a single word.

Unbelievable.

In my previous life, venomous insects and snakes seemed adorable in comparison, but this was truly a walking disaster.

It appeared almost like a biochemical weapon, causing every pore in my body to shrink.

The earlier scene of corpses and venomous snakes dissolving replayed endlessly in my mind.

It was an enormous poison capable of erasing everything like an eraser.

“Jimjo on Hainan Island… It is said to only consume heads of venomous snakes, so it must have been lured here by snakes plagued with deadly poison.”

I snapped back to reality at Cheolsan’s words and asked, “Is it common?”

“Common? If that were the case, everyone in the Central Plains would be dead. It’s rare to even see a Jimjo in a lifetime—I’ve only read about it in books; this is my first encounter. They say they appear once every hundred or two hundred years.”

If such a creature roamed about, people would surely die en masse.

I gazed blankly at the cave entrance and muttered, “But could we possibly catch it…?”

I didn’t really want an answer; it was more of a thought that slipped out.

As the king of the Ten Great Venoms, I wanted to catch it, but it seemed impossible to even get close.

Cheolsan, smiling, asked, “You want to try catching it? Junior Hero?”

Dying at the hands of the Ten Great Vipers made Jimjo a sort of dream and target for me.

In a dazed voice, I answered while staring at the cave entrance. “Yes. But with such poison…”

If I tried to catch it, I’d probably end up melting away.

Then Cheolsan spoke in a slightly mischievous tone.

“You said that before, and you have quite the interest in the Ten Great Venoms. Well, there may be a way.”

I perked up at the mention of a method. “There’s a way!?”

“Of course! Our Tang Clan had a brush with it three hundred years ago.”

Just like that, he stated that there had been an encounter with Jimjo at least once.

Three hundred years was certainly a long time ago, but it nonetheless clicked in my mind; they must have had concrete experiences and records on Jimjo.

“R-Really?”

When I questioned with disbelief, Cheolsan just smiled in response.

Then, looking at the cave entrance, he said as if to himself, “If one masters the Tang Clan’s Venomous Power, they can become immune to all poisons and withstand Jimjo’s poison. Only with the unique martial arts of our Tang Clan can one withstand poison…

But alas…

If one isn’t family, we cannot teach our martial arts… The clan’s rules dictate this… Haha, oh, how unfortunate. I’d love to help you, Junior Hero, but rules are rules…”

If it were possible to block that foul bird’s poison with martial arts, it would certainly be a secret and vision exclusive to family members.

I asked cautiously, “C-If I become family, would I be able to learn?”

I needed to confirm again, thinking blocking such poison must be something monumental that only a select few could learn.

Family is family after all; what if they said they’d teach only to then brush off lesser members?

It was crucial to double-check.

Cheolsan smiled once more at my question.

“If you decide now, I’ll teach you everything without holding back. Of course. And make sure to take care of my gift for you. But the longer you ponder… ”

‘Is he reincarnated like me? What a mobile game push notification-like line he just dropped.’

If Cheolsan were born again in my last life, he would’ve probably become a thriving businessman.

Knowing I was grappling with his suggestion to join the Tang Clan, he threw in a last enticing remark as if it were the final perk.

Just like a mobile game push notification.

A remark I couldn’t refuse.

As if to say, this opportunity would vanish if I didn’t act fast.

‘From what I’ve seen, I doubt Cheolsan would lie about this… Okay, how long am I going to live alone in the woods? My hobbies can wait until later…’

I had been slowly missing human company.

I figured with favorable circumstances, I should seize this opportunity.

Besides, living according to my dreams had always been my way of life.

‘Wait for me, Jimjo.’

I answered Cheolsan with a determined voice during our first meeting.

I wanted to do it with confidence, like a rookie employee greeting for the first time.

“I accept! I choose to become part of the Tang Clan! Thank you for your guidance, Elder. Or should I say, Clan Head!”

“Really!? Hahaha! I understand! Then you are now ‘forever’ part of our family!”

Cheolsan’s joyful laughter filled the cave, but he soon realized we still had to survive our current predicament, leading to his expression dampening once again.

*

It wasn’t until a day later that we could finally emerge from the cave.

The unghuang’s faint smoke had finally ceased.

If it had continued for a few more hours, we’d have run out of unghuang entirely.

“Wh-What’s this?”

“Oh my goodness.”

“The bodies of people…”

What we encountered outside the cave was nothing but a desolate, blackened landscape.

The area where dozens of corpses had lain had transformed into mere black earth.

Not a single blade of grass or insect could be found.

The once dense grass and trees, along with piles of corpses, had disappeared.

All that remained was the black soil and rocks.

It was as if all yesterday’s horrors had vanished like a dream, leaving only this scene before us.

“But is it safe to walk on this soil?”

“I dropped some remaining unghuang as we left, and miraculously, all the poison was gone.”

Despite previous fears of poisoning due to the soil, Cheolsan confirmed that the poison had completely dissipated.

Whether there’s some volatility or not, the poison had indeed vanished.

With safety confirmed, our next duty was to pray for the souls of the victims.

The warriors of the Tang Clan rummaged through the mountain houses to find ancient wine bottles, and we offered a brief prayer for the deceased with that wine.

“May they rest in the Pure Land…”

Once we offered our prayers for the victims, I turned to Cheolsan and asked, “So, are we heading to Sichuan now?”

“I suppose so.”

“First, I must go to the Daoist temple and release all my friends. I can’t bring them to the Tang Clan.”

“Understood. Then proceed to the Daoist temple first. You ought to pack your belongings too.”

“Let’s go.”

“Very well.”

Yesterday, we had secured the secret text of Blood Water Poison Claw, and our clan leader had claimed it for safekeeping.

Though it felt like I was taking a drop item after defeating Tang Woon-yang, since the Tang Clan valued practicality, they took what they could gain for the clan and discarded the rest.

Even the most malevolent martial arts still have things to learn from, right?

In the end, it felt like gathering loot after taking down that bastard, but now we were family, so it would undoubtedly help me somewhat.

As I thought practically, preparing to climb onto Cheolsan’s back to head for the exit, something shiny in the middle of the blackened land captured my eye, so I pointed it out to Cheolsan.

“Look, there’s something over there.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

As we all approached, the shimmering object in the midst of the black soil was a peculiar feather, predominantly purple, that gave off a greenish tint when catching the light.

How could I forget this color?

This was definitely the feather of a Jimjo.

“W-What is this!?”

“It’s a feather from Jimjo!”

I wanted to touch it myself, but fearing it might be poisonous, I couldn’t dare. But Cheolsan pulled it out with gloves from his pocket, holding the feather carefully and said, “I’ll confirm this back at our home and give it to you. Since it seems you crave it so much. Consider it the first gift for becoming part of our family.”

“Th-Thank you, Elder, or should I say Clan Head!”

Alongside the legs of the Blue-Spotted Centipede, this would become my treasure number two.

When I thought about turning it into a charm to wear on my waist, something about Cheolsan’s tone seemed displeased.

“All is well, but I don’t like the way you address me. Hmm, shall we change it after the ceremony?”

‘A Ceremony?’

It seemed there was some sort of induction ceremony to join the family, and I hoped it would be as simple as possible.

*

The entrance of the Tang Clan, once as dreary as a funeral home for the past few months, was finally bustling with life.

The clan head’s only daughter, Tang Hua-eun, was about to be saved after Man-dok God Tan Mu-seong had arrived at the entrance of the Tang Clan seeking medicine.

However, his appearance was definitely not what one would call good.

The weary face of the clan’s highest-ranking warrior.

He had obviously rushed here, utilizing all his skill to suppress his exhaustion.

“E-Elder!”

“H-How is Hua-eun!?”

Man-dok God’s first words were filled with concern for his granddaughter.

Normally, he might not have showed it, but the low-ranking warrior quivered as he asked about the lady.

“S-She’s still alive! Did you… Did you find the medicine?”

As he awaited Tan Mu-seong’s response, the low-ranking warriors glanced eagerly.

With a smile, Tan Mu-seong opened his mouth and delivered the response they were all waiting for.

“I have procured the Inner Dan of the Blue-Spotted Centipede.”

“““Waaaaah!”””

The warriors of the Tang Clan erupted into cheers at Man-dok God’s announcement.

The joyful cries soon echoed deep into the Tang Clan.

And from the depths of the clan, where the clan head’s residence lay, a middle-aged woman dashed out with an anxious expression, rushing with lightness skill.

“What is this commotion!? A-Father!?”

Having shouted at the warriors, she was startled upon seeing Man-dok God.

“Come! My daughter! I have brought back the Inner Dan of the Blue-Spotted Centipede!”

“Y-You succeeded! Sniff!”

Tears of relief streamed down the face of the Tang Clan’s Matriarch, Cold Sorren.

Both rushed directly to the chamber where Hua-eun lay unconscious.

As they entered, what awaited Tan Mu-seong was the sight of his granddaughter, Tang Hua-eun, already mottled blue and green all over.

He observed the elders of the Tang Clan surrounding her, sweat pouring down their faces as they infused their life energy into her, relieved as they spotted Man-dok God.

“Elder!”

“You’ve returned!”

Instead of responding to their greetings, he immediately focused on his granddaughter.

Tang Hua-eun’s condition was clearly far worse than he had anticipated; her breathing was faint, and she was deeply poisoned.

“This could’ve turned out dire. I was right to hurry.”

“Quickly now.”

Tan Mu-seong swiftly produced a satin bag from his robe, retrieving a ball the size of a walnut from within.

He placed it in his motionless granddaughter’s mouth while guiding his own energy within her.

It had been taxing to rush here while maintaining his lightness skill, but he desperately wanted to free her from her pain.

And after a short period—

– Phew…

A relieved sigh escaped his granddaughter’s lips.

Almost immediately, the bluish hue of her skin began to revert back to its original, fair complexion.

It was truly a miraculous recovery brought about by the Inner Dan, which could not have been procured without meeting that mysterious Junior Hero.