Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

---

Chapter 150: Fabre in Sichuan’s Four Heavenly Houses

“That’s even more outrageous than I imagined.”

I had thought that the harsh way I intended to cut ties would leave the Sword Master speechless, but surprisingly, all his discontent faded away.

Men and boys are strictly prohibited from entering or staying in Botam unless there’s a special reason, and the laws forbidding access to Spirit Peak are absolute.

Thus, even the young nuns saw off Wol-yeong with resignation on their faces, and we successfully left Botam with Wol-yeong in tow.

“Take care. Wol-yeong, you must stay healthy.”

“Please, do well.”

The wistful expressions of the parting nuns.

However, instead of missing them, Wol-yeong seemed rather satisfied and relieved.

And that was surely because when he was being moved to the boat, he spat water at the nuns.

“I guess Wol-yeong is feeling a bit sad too. Instead of tears, he’s throwing water.”

“Wol-yeong will miss you.”

The nuns, seeing this, assumed Wol-yeong was sad, but Chao tilted her head, confused.

– Tsurut?

I wondered why, and it seemed my hunch was correct.

The water he spat wasn’t out of sadness, but sheer anger.

Chao had a sense that Wol-yeong was indeed very pissed off.

‘He’s angry?’

– Tsurut!

Perhaps he was annoyed after not being fed properly for ten years, and seeing that, I decided to make it up to Wol-yeong by feeding him as soon as the boat set off.

Tadpoles, being amphibian fry, have a huge appetite and can eat until their stomachs burst, so going ten years without food would definitely tick him off.

“Well then, let’s keep our promise and feed him, shall we?”

Entering the cabin after giving the Sword Master a final salute.

As I decided to feed him, I looked at the tall water container where Wol-yeong was kept, only to find people hanging onto it by now.

From the artisan to Hua Eun and Older Sister Seol.

They were watching the little creature swim around playfully in the container.

There’s something charming about the way a tadpole swims, making it irresistibly appealing, especially since a new candidate for a venomous creature had arrived. It seemed everyone wanted to confirm its appearance more closely.

“Hee hee…”

“It makes me feel relaxed and drowsy just watching it.”

“By the way, son-in-law, is that thing a Toad or a Frog?”

As I approached with a lantern and oil bottle, I replied.

“Well, during tadpole stage, I can’t really say for sure.”

Even though I held the title of Spicy Fabre, I couldn’t distinguish whether they were frogs or toads simply because the distinction is quite blurred.

In my previous life, frogs and toads were hardly considered different at all.

The class Amphibia, specifically Anura, is a term that broadly encompasses frogs, and if you add the family Bufonidae at the end, it refers specifically to toads.

To distinguish between them technically, only one species of Asian toad is truly called a toad, but it’s mostly pointless to differentiate.

The criteria for separating frogs and toads were based on whether their skin is bumpy or how well they can survive on land rather than any genealogical differences.

This also varies among certain species, rendering the distinction not entirely accurate.

So, when it came to a tadpole having almost identical appearances like these, it becomes even more challenging to differentiate.

“Seems you have your share of challenges too?”

“Yes, in this phase, they all look quite similar, making it hard to tell apart.”

“And they say this guy eats fire? Let’s take a look.”

When I approached with the lantern and oil bottle, the artisan stepped aside, clearly eager to see it eat fire.

I filled the lamp with oil and quickly lit it using the Fire-Kindling Technique.

As I brought the lantern over the rim of the water container, the little guy quickly swam closer.

When he extended his mouth towards the lantern, flames naturally started to flow towards him.

“Oh, he really eats fire!”

The artisan exclaimed in admiration.

As he was marveling at Wol-yeong’s mealtime, I couldn’t help but ask if he had any insight into what type of venom this creature might possess.

The artisan might have some knowledge, after all.

“Do you have any guesses about the venom, Artisan?”

He took a moment to consider, then replied, but with uncertainty.

“Well, if it’s a Toad or a Frog, there are a couple of them mentioned in the Twenty-Four Venoms and maybe in the Ten Great Venoms too, but I can’t say for certain. Those in there are all adult toads or frogs, you see.

Moreover, what they consume is not documented, and some parts are too old and damaged for me to know accurately.”

As the artisan mentioned, the records in the Tang Clan’s Secret Record of Venomous Creatures are based on adults.

There is zero information about the young versions of these venomous creatures, so as he said, certainty was difficult to come by.

‘It seems even the artisan doesn’t know this time. Ah well.’

I couldn’t determine its identity right away, but I would eventually find out as I raised it.

Feeling slightly disheartened, I decided to score some points while at it.

“Now that you mention it, I realize my mission is quite important.”

“Mission? What mission are you talking about?”

The artisan looked confused at my sudden mention of a mission.

With a determined expression, I responded.

“The Wei So-ryong’s Venomous Creature Journal. I must definitely record everything regarding that little guy so future generations can reference it in times like this.”

The artisan nodded in satisfaction.

“Indeed, our son-in-law. Even in such times, you worry for the descendants of our clan.”

Seeing the artisan pleased, it dawned on me that despite having been a venom enthusiast in my past life, I wouldn’t have done too shabbily in social life either.

*

What could be more frustrating than finding a new species without any reference books?

In my previous life, the books and the internet were well-developed, and a simple search could tell me everything about any creature’s habits or ecology.

But the only reference I had now was the Tang Clan’s Secret Record of Venomous Creatures.

Without being able to convey my frustrations to future generations, I fed Wol-yeong generously, and while I was at it, decided to write the first page of the record.

I hadn’t even written a single line since receiving the book last time.

‘Now, let me see, I’ll start with an introduction…’

I wrote the introduction about how incredible and beautiful poisonous creatures are while also considering future generations not to feel the same frustrations I did.

“The purpose of this Wei So-ryong’s Venomous Creature Journal is to convey the wonder and beauty of venomous creatures to future generations, and at the same time, to prevent them from feeling the same frustration I’ve felt.”

‘Wow… this is epic.’

And then the first page.

There was no need to ponder what to write for the first page.

It was obvious what it should be.

‘Of course, the first page is about my daughters!’

I had to write about my first spirit venomous creatures, my three lovely daughters, after all.

Therefore, the very first thing I wrote was, predictably, about the Blue-Spotted Centipede.

「Chapter One: Blue-Spotted Centipede.」

Just as I started writing the title and the first line, a sudden thought crossed my mind.

‘If I make it too scholarly, it might end up being boring, and future students might not read it!’

Fearing it might resemble an encyclopedia or a research paper, which would lead to future scholars finding it dull, I decided to write it in a slightly more narrative style, infusing excitement and amusement into my experiences instead.

With interspersed information here and there.

Suddenly, a vivid memory flickered back to when I had published educational comics back in my heyday.

“It was a drizzly evening. The visitors to the vent were clad in garments marked with the character ‘Tang,’ among them, one man asked me…”

Just then, amidst my frenzied writing, a voice called out.

“Long?”

Snapped back to reality, I turned my head to see Hua Eun had quietly approached and was peeking over my shoulder to see what I had written.

I must have been so absorbed in writing the Venomous Creature Journal that I didn’t notice her coming.

Setting down my brush, I answered her question.

“Oh, Hua Eun, what is it?”

“It’s already dinner time, you know.”

“Already?!”

I had distinctly set out for lunch, so how was it already nearing dinner?

At her words, I glanced out the cabin’s window, and there, the sun was beginning to set on the horizon.

“Oh, so it has gotten this late?”

“Yes. By the way, I see you are writing the Venomous Creature Journal?”

“Yes, Hua Eun.”

Nodding my head, Hua Eun, with a curious tone, asked.

“Could I take a quick look? I’m really curious about the book you are writing.”

“You want to see it?”

“Yes.”

Feeling a bit shy, I still figured I’d have to show it to her anyway once it was done.

And if I had possibly made any errors in my Chinese characters, it would be nice to have her help with corrections, so I nodded.

“Alright, here you go.”

As I slid aside to show her the Venomous Creature Journal, I noticed her sparkling eyes scanning through the content.

While Hua Eun read through the earlier portions, she was amazed, praising me.

“It reads more like a narrative, doesn’t it? It feels incredible, almost as if I am experiencing it myself.”

“Um, I don’t think it’s quite like that.”

“No, definitely, Long. You have a knack for writing! This kind of engaging narrative is refreshing!”

Narrative must refer to a story format, and she probably meant the content was very captivating.

I felt a surge of pride swelling up in my shoulders.

‘Maybe I discovered unexpected talent after all?’

Then Hua Eun continued her compliments.

“The parts describing the kids are delightful too. Chao always acts like the big sister, comforting her younger siblings. But technically, they’re all sisters. It’s cute how she sometimes mimics an adult.”

“Bin loves daddy more than anyone else yet pretends not to.”

“Hyang seems a bit lazy and could sleep through anything. Just like a bear, haha…”

It was right then.

Suddenly, the sharp cries of three children pierced the air.

– Tsurut!?

– Tsururu!?

– Tsut!?

Turning to the entrance, I saw the three kids staring at us.

What they conveyed was, ‘What was that we just heard?’

Even though I had written it in story format, the academic content was presented so objectively, it must have made them feel uncomfortable.

The trio scurried over to me, with Chao and Bin letting out whining sounds towards Hua Eun.

– Tsurut!

– Tsururu!

Perhaps they wanted me to read it again.

Seeing their insistence, Hua Eun stammered, “You… you want me to read it again?”

– Tsurut!

– Tsurururut!

As Hua Eun glanced at me, hesitant, the children’s fierce stare compelled her to stutteringly begin reading the content again.

“Chao, Chao always acts like the big sister, comforting her younger siblings. But technically, they are all sisters. I sometimes find it cute when she acts like an adult…”

Just as Hua Eun finished, the three girls crowded me closely.

Hyang climbed onto me, scrambling up to the desk and dropped a brush in my hand, letting out a determined whine.

– Tsurut!

I guessed it meant they were asking for edits.

“Hey, girls, you see, that academic writing has to be objective. A scholar’s honor and integrity are at stake…”

But would they understand my explanations about academic honor?

Ultimately, under the kids’ relentless insistence, I reluctantly filled the narrative with poetic embellishment, beautifying their representations.

‘To think I’d find myself polishing my writing…’

Having gone through this in the Central Plains, I suddenly found it easy to empathize with the scholars who suffered from book burning incidents.

For scholars, being compelled to embellish their work or facing destruction is a tragic fate.

*

After the embellishing incident, life on the boat sailed smoothly toward Sichuan without any further issues.

Even though Wol-yeong had consumed more than I anticipated, forcing us to dock twice to refill.

Just before we arrived in Sichuan, a peculiar sensation arose after dinner.

“Does anyone feel hot? I think it’s a bit warm.”

“Warm? Here feels much cooler than Botam!”

As Older Sister Seol pointed out, Botam is further south than Sichuan.

But despite that, I felt unusually warm when suddenly, a surge of blue flames erupted from my breath.

– Fwoosh!

“Cough…”

“L-Long!”

“Deepl!”

Something felt off, for sure.

The artisan rushed over to check on me and, with a shocked expression, declared.

“You’re poisoned!”

At his words, we turned our gazes to Wol-yeong, swimming in the water container.

If I was poisoned, it could only be because of that little creature!