Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 155: Fabre in the Four Heavenly Houses

“Huff! Huff!”

Following Lee Tae, the leader of the Water Bandits, we head toward the base located in the watery depths to repair our ship.

While observing the direction of our vessel from the bow, my older sister Seol, who came rushing out of the cabin, asked,

“Long, but now that the back legs have appeared, can’t you tell if it’s a frog or a toad?”

It seemed like Seol and Hua Eun had been watching Hwa-yang’s newly sprouted hind legs and anticipated that now they could identify what it was.

But such expectations were a bit premature.

I shook my head and replied,

“It’s still too early to tell.”

“Why?! You mean you can’t confirm if it’s a frog or a toad even with the back legs out?!”

‘Why?! Oh, wait.’

Seol’s question took me aback.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the “Why?” had been passed on from Chao.

But then I remembered that Seol had already passed that age.

Regaining my composure, I explained,

“Yes, only when the front legs come out and the tail gets shorter will we know how the skin feels. Just because it’s a toad doesn’t mean its skin has to be bumpy, so we should keep raising it for now.”

“I’m dying to know…”

Seol’s face fell with disappointment as I dashed her hopes of identifying the creature based solely on Hwa-yang’s adorable hind legs.

Then from behind, Tao Master’s voice reached us.

“Lord So-ryong, judging by the reeds, our ship can no longer advance. The water seems quite shallow.”

“Should we have the Water Bandits find another route?”

I looked beyond the bulwark at the display ahead— a sea of reeds towering as high as a person.

There was a sprawling field of reeds stretching out towards the horizon in front of the small boats guiding us.

I quickly called out to Lee Tae, who was maneuvering a small boat ahead of us,

“Lee Tae, our ship is too big to go this way!”

“Not to worry, just hold on a moment! Lord So-ryong!”

As I shouted down towards Lee Tae’s ship, he urged us to wait a moment.

Digging into his pocket, Lee Tae produced a short bamboo flute and blew into it, sending a signal to someone else.

-peeep!

It sounded like the quack of a duck, rippling through the reeds.

As the sound echoed far away, something extraordinary began to unfold.

The center of the reed patch parted, revealing a deep waterway.

“Is that the reeds?!”

“Huh? The reeds are moving!”

Both the Tao Master and my sister Seol, who had been gazing at the reed forest beside me, were equally astonished.

As I focused more intently on the reeds to figure out what sort of wonder was happening, I noticed the reeds bobbing up and down rhythmically with the waves generated by our boat.

Reeds typically grow firmly rooted in muddy soil or along shorelines.

‘Ah… They must have planted the reeds on floating aquatic plants like in Myanmar’s Inle Lake.’

In that moment, I understood what kind of trick the Water Bandits were employing.

It resembled the water snake tours I had taken in Myanmar’s Inle Lake, where the plant matter was woven together and floated on the water, with reeds planted on top to disguise the shallow water below, only parting the way when a boat passed by.

“They must have intertwined the aquatic plants and planted the reeds on top?”

“Y-Yes, as expected of you, my Lord!”

Flushed with pride from the surprised tones of the Tao Master and Seol, I noticed Lee Tae flinch at my question.

“So this is how they evaded the patrols?”

“Hehe, yes, something like that.”

Continuing along the exposed waterway for a while, we soon discovered a small dock nestled among the reeds, revealing a quaint village beyond it.

Smoke billowed from chimneys here and there.

With evening approaching, it felt like a typical countryside town with smoke rising from cooking fires.

I had expected the Water Bandits’ lair to be a den of thieves, but contrary to my thoughts, it felt more like a quaint coastal village.

There were fishing nets scattered about.

Seol seemed to share my surprise, her voice filled with disbelief.

“I thought it would be a lair of vicious bandits, but it’s just a village!”

“Right?”

Just then, Lee Tae’s voice came from below.

“This is our Water Castle.”

“Castle? It feels more like a village!”

“Well, it’s become a village because all sorts of wronged folks from across the land gather here.”

Even though Lee Tae claimed that the Water Bandits were all wronged individuals, I found it hard to trust such words, given that criminals say the same.

Among the past-life YouTubers, there were even shows run by ex-convicts who insisted that everyone in prison claimed they were wronged.

When a vicious criminal ended up in the same prison, they’d still curse them as bad guys.

Yet as we drew closer to the dock, the faces of the people began to shift my perspective on Lee Tae’s words.

There were quite a few people at the castle, surprisingly, and most of them, with fearful expressions, were women and children looking at our ship.

“Long, didn’t they clearly say they were Water Bandits?”

“Certainly they did.”

Seol’s face mirrored surprise at the masked truths beneath her face.

Had the previous scouts already shared tales, as the townsfolk were greeting us with tense expressions?

It seemed likely that their men had been hunted down and captured, causing their fear.

As our ship docked, a sturdy man who had been standing before the crowd rushed aboard as soon as the plank was laid down.

“The Zhang River’s Jin Ke Ship… It’s been quite a while. I am So-sam-rang, the shipper from Bozhou. You said there’s a leak on the ship?”

The man, likely in his forties, had muscular arms indicative of a martial artist and a bushy beard that added to his authoritative presence.

When he rubbed the ship’s surface, it certainly exuded a sense of trustworthiness.

His hands were rough and calloused — the mark of someone who had worked hard.

“I am So-ryong, son-in-law of the Tang Clan and a member of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace. It’s a pleasure. Tao Master, please show him where the leak is.”

After exchanging pleasantries, I quickly connected the Tao Master with him.

It seemed more fitting for them to discuss the state of the ship.

“Yes, Lord So-ryong. Understood. Yes, it happened after hitting a large tree that was washed downstream. The leak is near the bow, would you care to take a look?”

“Let’s do that.”

The pair went down towards the forward cabin, returning shortly after beginning to discuss repairs.

“To stop the leak, we’ll need Choma grass, lime, and Tung oil. Choma can be extracted by the Water Bandits here, but we don’t have lime or Tung oil. Do you happen to have some?”

“Of course, I do. Will that be sufficient?”

“Yes, that will be enough.”

“How long do you think it will take?”

“Well… we should pull the ship out and let it dry as soon as morning breaks. Ah, one moment. Lee Tae! Tell the Water Bandits to collect some Choma grass!”

“I understand!”

Shouting to Lee Tae to have the grass gathered for repairs, I continued conversing with the shipper.

“Where was I? Ah right, I said we should pull the ship out to dry. Once the ship dries….”

According to the shipper, repairing the vessel would take about ten days.

It would need to be pulled out and dried, the Tung oil reapplied, and the gaps sealed with a mixture of the plant fibers and lime before drying again— a process that takes quite some time.

Once the shipper finished the discussion, the Tao Master turned to me and asked,

“Then, shall we proceed according to the shipper’s plan?”

“Understood. I will entrust the repairs to the shipper. And may I have a moment to speak with the shipper?”

“Are you asking me to speak with you?”

As he said this, he cocked his head as if trying to comprehend my meaning.

When I explained my situation, he responded with utter disbelief.

“Lee Tae, it appears he’s trying to sell me out to save his own skin. The Tang Clan… Well, I’ve honored all obligations to him… but are you sure about this? This man killed someone, you know?”

“He killed someone?”

If I hadn’t seen the townspeople, those claims of having killed someone might have forced me to leave after just fixing the ship. But this was the scenario that echoed Lee Tae’s earlier words about “people wronged from all corners of the world.”

I asked him straight up,

“Can I hear the story in detail?”

He nodded and, with a sigh, plopped down onto the deck.

“Well, it’s a bit difficult to explain without a drink. Can we have a drink?”

His request for a drink suggested that it was something unspeakable while sober.

As I silently stared at him, Seol directed a crewman to fetch some alcohol.

After gulping down a generous swig, the man began to share the tale of his misfortunes.

“Well, you see… ”

*

-Thunk.

Suddenly, a startled yelp from Bin Ah as she was about to step onto the deck interrupted the moment.

Outside the cabin, the dense morning fog made it impossible to see even a foot ahead in the Water Bandits’ domain.

“The fog is thick! Bin Ah, shall we wait until it clears a little before heading out?”

-Thunk!

Not liking the humid conditions, Bin Ah turned away quickly. I also preferred not to have my clothes feel damp in the thick fog, so I returned inside the cabin, where I found the shipper and Lee Tae sprawled on the floor.

I covered the duo, who had apparently dozed off after an unexpectedly lengthy drinking session with the shipper.

It seemed only natural that Lee Tae, who had been busy all day, had fallen asleep too.

Setting the oil lamp near them, I heard the splashing sound coming from the cabin corner.

-Splash, splash.

With Hwa-yang calling for rice, I placed the lamp near her.

Then I gazed at the slumbering shipper, remembering the tale he’d recounted during our drinking session.

‘He certainly seemed like a wronged man…’

Once we began to chat the other night, it was undeniable that he appeared unjustly accused.

He had been following in his family’s footsteps, serving as a shipper in Bozhou when he killed a man attempting to assault his beautiful sister-in-law, only to be framed as an innocent murderer because the man was the son of a powerful official.

Thus, he had fled and had been wandering the Central Plains, eventually finding refuge here.

That was already ten years ago.

Considering everything he said, he seemed like a good character; however, the problem was that his bounty was still active.

After all, the montage depicted people’s appearances would change over such a decade, meaning no one could recognize him.

I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask the Artisan for his advice.

‘I think I should return to the Tang Clan and consult the Artisan about this.’

As I pondered over the slumbering shipper, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.

“Leader! Leader!”

“Leader! Where are you? Wake up!”

The voices of other Water Bandits searching for Lee Tae echoed through our ship.

“What’s going on? Lee Tae. Lee Tae.”

“Hey, don’t poke me, you guys. Ughh…”

-Thock!

“Yikes!”

Apparently, not wanting to see Lee Tae’s face, Bin Ah yelled close to his ear, causing him to bolt upright despite the late hour.

Startled, I waved him towards the deck.

“The subordinates are looking for you, Lee Tae. Go out!”

“Subordinates, you say?”

Rubbing his eyes, Lee Tae stepped out onto the deck, only to return moments later with a shocked look.

“So-So-ryong! You meant to keep your promise, right?”

“Promise?”

“You promised not to feed us to the Spirit Venomous Creatures!”

The sudden inquiry from Lee Tae made me nod.

That was already settled.

“Of course! Why do you ask?”

“Well, one of your Spirit Venomous Creatures seems to have been hungry last night…”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

As Lee Tae led me onto the deck, the dense fog was starting to lift, and it looked like Hua Eun was already there, examining something laid out on the deck before us.

As she lifted a cover and gasped,

“This is?! A mummy?!”

Wondering what a mummy was, my curiosity got the better of me, and I pulled aside the cover. There lay a desiccated corpse.

‘A mummy?!’

The scent of coriander brushed my nose as the fluttering covering revealed its secret.

I finally grasped the meaning behind Lee Tae’s earlier words.

It appeared our kids assumed this was the kind of meal they were desiring.

‘No way, those little rascals wouldn’t eat such junk food!’

There was no way those little ones would ever want to munch on something like this!