Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 4: The Insect Encounter

The Ogong were clearly high in intelligence.

No, it seemed they understood human speech.

In front of the steaming wooden tub, prepared by the servant girls, I spoke, “Hey guys, I think I need to take a bath, but this hot water might not be good for you… Can you wait here for a bit? I’ll be quick!”

Pointing at the wooden tub the maid had given me, the Ogong scurried along my arms.

They clustered together, peering at me with curious eyes as I submerged myself into the water, much like mongooses or meerkats watching something of great interest.

‘This is fascinating.’

Most centipedes hardly have eyes.

Even those with eye-like organs usually lack the genes to detect light.

Recent research suggests they use their antennae to sense heat, almost like vision.

But that doesn’t mean they actually see; it’s more like distinguishing light and dark.

Moreover, our Ogong were still in their transparent, yellow state, having yet to molt.

Even if they were a new species and had eyes, the eyeballs would likely be transparent and wouldn’t be able to reflect images for them to see.

“If you all keep staring at me like that in the nude, it’s quite embarrassing.”

Upon hearing my words, they exchanged glances and cautiously curled up inside the tub.

It was clear they understood me.

With a need for insight into these peculiar creatures, I sank deeper into the hot water, relaxing after a long journey.

As I soaked, I quietly contemplated, ‘I should definitely ask Deputy Commander Gu Pae about what spirit creatures are. He mentioned them a lot.’

While savoring the soothing cool breeze from the pavilion nearby, I was suddenly disturbed by the sound of footsteps approaching hurriedly.

It was the daughter of the Master, no, the Clan Head’s daughter, crossing right in front of me.

She rushed toward my quarters but stopped abruptly, surprised to see me sitting in the pavilion.

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she caught sight of me, and she quickly approached.

‘Huh?’

She halted right in front of me, her face slightly reddened, and asked in a hurried voice, “Excuse me, Junior Hero. I’m a bit pressed for time; can you lend me your hand?”

‘Whoa… Could it be she’s a bold one?’

Out of the blue, she was asking for my hand right after we barely introduced ourselves.

But in the context of ancient society, where I’ve lived before, this was quite a breach of distance—it would be a huge deal!

I wouldn’t mind it, but the Clan Head must be nearby, and that could be troublesome.

After all, she’s his daughter.

No matter how urgent her matter might be.

There’s a step to getting close to someone, after all.

‘If I’m aiming for a love-filled first experience, then it better be special. I’m a romantic, after all.’

“Ahem… I’m not sure why you’re so pressed, but isn’t it better if we get to know each other a bit more first? I mean, I wouldn’t mind it…”

At my response, her expression was blank for a moment before she suddenly shouted angrily.

“W-What did you say! That’s not it!”

“Whoa! Yikes!”

I jumped at her sudden outburst, and she blushed furiously, sporting an annoyed look.

“That’s not it! I just wanted to feel your pulse!”

“Oh, is that so? Hahaha… I didn’t know! I’m so sorry!”

‘Pulse? Has she studied medicine or something? Maybe she wants to brew me some tonic after I’ve suffered on this journey? Goodness, what an awful first impression I just gave.’

Surprisingly, she seemed quite understanding, promptly apologizing for her blunt manner.

After all, she might’ve just had a snack that left her a little tangled up.

“I guess asking for your hand out of the blue could lead to misunderstandings. Not that I fully understand what misunderstandings could arise!”

She looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze, probably thinking I was a little, silly creature who lost his mind.

“W-Well, nothing too strange happened. Of course not.”

I awkwardly diverted, pondering how many kicks I’d have to launch under the blankets that night.

Then she spoke with a bit of reluctance, “I just heard from my father a moment ago, and you know this, right?”

“What did the Clan Head say?”

“He said he thinks of you as my husband.”

“Oh, really? I see… I was kind of starting to guess that when I met him earlier in front of the Four Heavenly Houses.”

Somehow, it seemed the reason she had abruptly come to find me was that the Clan Head considered me her husband candidate.

If her father just suddenly picked up an orphan kid to marry her off, that’d be quite outrageous, right?

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not thrilled about this situation. While you saved both my and my father’s lives, and I will repay that kindness, being treated like a gift for someone is certainly not something anyone appreciates.”

Her anger was palpable.

Attempting to ease her ire, I took a light-hearted approach.

“Well, of course, one could feel that way. If my father suddenly brought home some scrawny orphan and demanded I marry him, I’d be thinking he must’ve lost his mind! Certainly!”

“Wha!?”

That was my solid punchline.

But instead of a laugh, her face turned to one of frantic surprise.

Bowing her head, she apologized profusely.

“A-Apologies! I didn’t mean it that way! It’s not about your looks or lack of kinship… It’s just that this is an internal matter of the Four Heavenly Houses…”

She seemed somewhat concerned that it might sound like she was belittling me.

Indeed, she had a kind heart.

“I understand. You’re not the type of person to think such things.”

“…Huh? How would you know? We only met for a brief moment!”

She blinked surprisedly at my smile.

In response, I smiled back.

“Well, it just seems like it. If you didn’t have a good heart, you wouldn’t be apologizing.”

After all, there’s a saying that pretty people tend to be good-hearted, right?

Given that, she’s closer to Mother Teresa or an angel!

At my words, she stared at me for a moment before carefully sitting beside me.

And with that, she began explaining, slowly, why she had come to apologize.

“Um… First, I owe you an apology. I came here and acted quite rudely. Although you’re still young, you seem to have deep thoughts, so I’ll be honest. I want to explain why I came to you in such a rude way.”

“Uh? Yes? Yes.”

Listening to her explain, it turned out that the Four Heavenly Houses was made up of both direct and branch families.

However, it seemed she was the only direct descendant in this generation.

Thus, there was chatter among the elders about bringing in a second wife to extend the lineage, but the Clan Head had rejected that idea completely, loving his first wife.

Naturally, the presence of a daughter meant there was no need for him to do that.

“Women can’t carry on the family line, right?”

“No, it’s possible with a son-in-law. Our clan has a tradition of taking in sons-in-law.”

“Ah, I see! A son-in-law…”

So, it seemed the task of continuing the family line had now fallen squarely on her shoulders.

The Four Heavenly Houses held a long-standing tradition of integrating sons-in-law since they specialized in poisons, making their history quite secretive. Since the Clan Head rejected a second wife, the duty fell to her.

Once she found a suitable son-in-law and bore children, they would continue the legacy of the Four Heavenly Houses.

However, she didn’t want a spineless partner who could be bullied by the branch families.

While my martial arts are guaranteed, that leaves the issue of a partner.

She wished for someone with at least impressive martial arts skills.

‘Skills, huh? Like, talent?’

There was a reason she sought someone with great martial arts talent.

Not only was it for her ambitions, but also for the sake of her partner.

Martial arts talent directly represented potential limits.

Since martial arts were the most revered in the Martial World, talent was highly valued.

Thus, one’s standing within the clan could shift based on their level of martial arts. Even as a son-in-law, maintaining respect within the clan required exceptional talent, or so she explained.

The pressure from the branch families sounded fierce…

“So, Junior Hero, I’m sorry for bringing this up, but I’d like to evaluate your talent. Of course, if I find your skills aren’t what I hoped for, I won’t chase you away.

You’re my benefactor, and it’s only natural to welcome you as a guest. No, how about we be sworn siblings? I don’t know you well, but you don’t seem like a bad person, and you seem thoughtful enough, so I’d like to ask my father to be responsible for your whole life as my sworn brother. So…”

In other words, she had a practical side, wanting someone with at least the potential for impressive martial arts, even if they hadn’t accomplished much yet.

‘Hmm… She’s surprisingly grounded.’

I thought it made sense coming from the daughter of such a prominent family.

Marriage in such large families is usually a business deal, after all.

“I understand what you mean. Well then, let’s check it out.”

Nodding in acknowledgment at her explanation, I extended my arm.

Once again, she froze up as before, blinking in a daze.

“Um, really? Is that okay?”

“Sure! Since you want to evaluate me, feel free to check as much as you like.”

“And what if I say you have low talent because I don’t like you?”

“You wouldn’t do that, would you?”

As she gazed at me, she cautiously reached out and took my wrist.

The moment her hand made contact, I felt a sudden jolt, as if something bright flashed in front of my eyes, and I briefly lost my senses.

Something strange seemed to enter deep within my body.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing. Is it over?”

“It hasn’t even started yet.”

“Well, let’s do it then.”

Although it felt bizarre, she closed her eyes, focused deeply, and concentrated on something.

Then a tingling sensation began to spread through me as something from the hand gripping my wrist surged into my body.

‘What a curious feeling.’

She checked me thoroughly for what felt like an eternity—a time sufficient to enjoy a cup of tea.

Finally, her first words were surprisingly hopeful.

“The Tang Clan’s martial arts aren’t for just anyone. There are people who can grasp Venomous Power while others absolutely cannot.

Fortunately, Junior Hero, you have the body able to utilize Venomous Power.”

‘Woohoo! That’s wonderfully hopeful!’

However, just as the positive vibe kicked in, the following words made my heart sink.

“However, it seems your level is limited to the Ten Poisons Realm. The Tang Clan categorizes those who can grasp Venomous Power in various ways, and you seem to fit into the Ten Poisons Body category.”

‘What!? T-Ten Poisons Realm? Ten Poisons Body? I did dabble a bit with venomous insects and snakes in my previous life, but can I even notice those details?’

I was startled by her words, but it turned out it wasn’t the “ten virtues” but the “ten poisons.”

So it meant I could only handle up to ten different poisons…

“Five Poisons, Ten Poisons, Hundred Poisons, Thousand Poisons, Ten Thousand Poisons. The Tang Clan’s Venomous Power requires one to embrace increasing quantities of poison as their cultivation deepens in order to achieve mastery. But Junior Hero, it seems your body can only accept ten types of poison.

Given the nature of our clan’s martial arts, one’s level can rise faster and higher by taking in more poison, but you can’t.”

Honestly, that was a bit of a shock.

Hearing that I lacked talent felt like a direct blow.

I’m merely limited to the realm of ten poisons!

Putting aside whether I might not qualify as her partner, it was bewildering to hear.

From what I understood from the Clan Head, I had to achieve the realm of ten thousand poisons to even make a catch, and being confined to ten means I’m two levels below that mark!

Calculating that seemed like I was facing a significant gap of a thousand times.

My hopes had just been snatched away.

Seeing my expression, she quietly lowered her gaze and stepped back.

She must’ve sensed that I needed time to process this.

As she stepped away, the sunset turned the sky a fiery red, and the usually quiet Ogong peeked out from my clothing.

-Scurry…

It sounded as if they were worried for me.

In a soft whisper, I mumbled, “Hey, guys. I just found out I can only handle ten poisons…But seriously, on top of that, I got rejected without even confessing. Is this real life?”

It seemed that since my reincarnation, I had zero confessions but one failed crush so far.

Feeling slightly unfair about it all.

*

Dinner passed without a word as the discussion seemed to have shifted away from me.

I thought she would bring it up to the elders, but they seemed completely oblivious.

The dinner atmosphere was cheerful, and she didn’t seem to show any signs of agitation.

And that night.

I could have sworn I fell asleep in the guest quarters prepared by the clan when suddenly, I was awakened in the forest by Seol, who appeared, bowing deeply, tears streaming down her face.

“Thank you for your deep grace!”

In my arms were three little girls sucking their fingers, clinging tightly to my clothes, gazing at Seol with fearful expressions.

‘What kind of twisted situation is this?’