Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

---

Chapter 175: The Guests Arrive

“Whoosh… Vroom!”

The buzzing sound of Golden Hair Bees flitting overhead continued non-stop.

Those little guys had been cooped up in their hive yesterday, busy making wax for their rooms, but it seemed they were finally ready to fill it with honey starting today.

Some were heading towards Tang Clan Mountain, while others were flitting around the large lotus blooming in the pond.

“Whir… Swir…”

“Oh, hey there, good work!”

Spotting me as they flew by, a few of them swooped down to greet me from their perch at the pond pavilion.

Waving back at them, they flapped their wings joyfully and headed off towards Tang Clan Mountain.

Well, the sound of their buzzing wings was pretty standard, but for some reason, today it felt particularly lively—probably because they were thoroughly enjoying their new home.

I had peeked in yesterday to check on the renovation progress, and they had gotten so excited to see me that they all came rushing over.

It was a bit challenging turning down their offers for a ‘nutritional exchange.’

With the Separate Chamber at the fifth level being spacious and impressive, they seemed eager to express their gratitude.

“Phew… dozens of wiggly tongues were really tiring.”

Honestly, the place was incomparable to their old hive.

No matter how grand a centuries-old tree may be, it couldn’t compete with a man-made building in terms of interior space. Besides, a decaying old tree certainly attracted all sorts of bugs.

Furthermore, a log cabin wasn’t the best for ventilation, and it might leak when it rains, right?

But the fifth-level separate chamber I prepared for them was a state-of-the-art building, evidently to their liking.

With a roof to block direct sunlight and windows for ventilation if it got too hot, it suited their needs perfectly.

Once they figured out how to use the windows, the clever Golden Hair Bees utilized it exceptionally well.

“It seems they really like their new home. The buzzing of their wings sounds so cheerful…”

“Of course. It’s an ‘fifth-level’ separate chamber, so it’s only natural they’d love it…”

As I expressed my thoughts while watching the bees fly away, Hua Eun’s sharp voice chimed in beside me.

In fact, my decision to allocate the fifth-level separate chamber as the new home for the Golden Hair Bees hadn’t warranted a notable reaction from Mandok God, my grandfather.

All he left me with was a slightly astonished expression.

“Ahem… Well, family matters are for the Clan Head to decide…”

However, Hua Eun’s slight irritation stemmed from the fact that this was a place she liked.

Though it was mostly empty as it was seldom used throughout the year, she sometimes came here to heal whenever she felt a bit overwhelmed.

Feeling apologetic, I had introduced Hua Eun to Langhu to ensure she could have access to the separate chamber anytime, but she definitely had a bit of jealousy left.

Smiling softly, I held Hua Eun’s hand and said, “Are you still feeling a little hurt, Hua Eun?”

“N-No, not at all. Well, I guess I am a little sad. As So-ryong mentioned, I’ll have plenty of ‘friends’ to meet in the separate chamber now.”

The truth was, she actually had no friends, so I had created one for her, and that could be troublesome.

But I was a broad-minded man.

I tightened my grip on Hua Eun’s slightly annoyed hand and said in a gentle voice, “But this place really is wonderful.”

“Yes, the view of the pond from the fifth-level separate chamber was truly beautiful…”

“No, that’s not what I meant. There are flowers (화), and bees (봉), so if we had just a butterfly (접), it would be like a paradise (무릉도원) here.”

“Huh?”

Seeing her flushed face, unable to hide her embarrassment at my comment that there were flowers (화) and bees (봉), and if a butterfly (접) joined them, it felt like paradise, was amusing.

It seemed I had unintentionally pricked Hua Eun’s pride by claiming her beloved fifth-level separate chamber for the Golden Hair Bees, but that didn’t matter now.

Just then, as I was enjoying some leisurely time with Hua Eun by the pond pavilion…

“Beeeeeep. Beeeeeep. Beeeeeep.”

Signals from the Nine Entrance Gate reached us.

Three signal beeps calling for the direct line.

Hua Eun and I exchanged glances and swiftly engaged our Lightness Skills toward the Nine Entrance Gate.

It seemed like guests were arriving.

“It seems like guests are on their way.”

“Let’s go.”

As Hua Eun and I dashed outside the pavilion, we ran along the path towards the Nine Entrance Gate.

On the road, rushing down the mountainside, we soon spotted the Nine Entrance Gate framed against a backdrop of a gently flowing river.

When we reached the first entrance after passing through the nine, there stood my father-in-law.

I thought a guest had arrived, but it seemed it was my father-in-law, the master of the Tang Clan, returning.

“Welcome back, Father-in-law!”

I rushed over excitedly to greet my father-in-law who I hadn’t seen in a while, and he smiled back.

“Oh, son-in-law! You’ve been here all along.”

“Father!”

“How is Hua Eun? Did she return safely?”

Across the Central Plains, an ongoing operation to root out the Blood Cult had been initiated under the orders of the Emperor, involving Imperial soldiers and martial artists.

As those trained in the Blood Cult move with a rapid blood flow, capturing them was quite probable through random blood pressure controls initiated in the streets.

For that reason, the Tang Clan had participated in these actions, and my father-in-law had led the warriors towards the capital. It seemed he was returning after completing that mission.

‘But wait, won’t they just nab even high blood pressure patients?’

I had my reservations about the control process, yet the history I learned taught me it wasn’t odd for such things to happen in the Central Plains.

‘Well, maybe my father-in-law handled it well given the circumstances,’ I thought as I decided to escort him inside.

“Well then, please come in. I am curious about what happened. Oh, and Hua Yang now…”

Just then, as I was trying to usher him inside, my father-in-law stepped aside slightly and spoke.

“Just a moment, son-in-law. I’ve brought a guest, so you two should greet them.”

“A guest?”

“A guest, you say?”

As the warriors stepped aside, three individuals emerged from behind him.

A stout man clad in official robes, an elderly man in armor, and a familiar martial artist were all smiling.

One was the Chief of the Qingcheng Sect, who had previously come to aid the Tang Clan.

The other two appeared to be high-ranking officials, so I immediately greeted them.

“Pleased to meet you! I am Wei So-ryong of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, son-in-law of the Tang Clan.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hua Eun from the Tang Clan.”

“This is Lord Hoguanyou, the Sichuan Province Lord. And over here is General Maeng Gyuseong of the Iron Castle, dispatched from the Imperial court. You all know the Chief of the Qingcheng Sect, Baek Heoja, don’t you?”

My father-in-law introduced the eminent guests to us, as I anticipated; they were all high-ranking officials.

“Oh, so these two are the daughter and son-in-law of the Clan Head? It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m grateful to meet my benefactor like this!”

“Oh wow, is this your son-in-law?”

“Have you been well? We met last time, didn’t we? How have you been, Junior Hero? It’s been a while.”

My father-in-law had brought the Lord of Sichuan and General Maeng Gyuseong from the Imperial Iron Castle as guests.

Seeing Hua Eun and me in astonishment, my father-in-law smiled and said, “We captured five of the Blood Cult guys hiding in Sichuan and completely eradicated their recruitment spots. I figured it would be nice to unwind over a drink.”

“After all, home is better than out there,” he added, causing a slight stir in the atmosphere.

I couldn’t help but wonder if bringing guests home without a word would land him in trouble with my mother-in-law, but my father-in-law chuckled heartily and asked Hua Eun, “Hahaha, Hua Eun, could you quickly run to your mother and ask her to prepare the drinks at the Poison Flower Tower? With all the lotus blooming beautifully now, it would be a perfect time to host guests!”

Upon hearing that, Hua Eun glanced at me with a face that said, ‘What on earth should I do now?’

‘Did I see this coming? Timing…’

They say life is about timing, and it truly felt like my life was art in so many ways.

*

“Vroom… Whoosh…”

As I passed by, the Golden Hair Bees occasionally buzzed by, watching the drinking party with curious expressions.

This made the guests jump slightly and feel uneasy.

“U-uh, this kind of drinking party is a first for me.”

“Y-yeah, right?”

“Even though I saw it last time, it’s really something.”

While my father-in-law’s request for a drink party at the Poison Flower Tower had taken everyone by surprise, we had to set up as close to the area as possible.

For that reason, the drink party was arranged at the pavilion next to the pond.

Though the Golden Hair Bees were sensitive to vibrations, this space was across the pond from the separate chamber, and by placing it on the top floor of the timber building, they weren’t overly disturbed by the sound of human footsteps, which allowed us to prepare.

As a few inquisitive Golden Hair Bees buzzed overhead, some guests tensed up, not even able to take the wine glasses that had been served.

“My kids won’t sting people arbitrarily, so you don’t need to worry.”

As I explained with a smile that they shouldn’t be too anxious, the three guests awkwardly chuckled.

“Haha, is that so?”

“Is that right?”

“Haha…”

Just then, I could hear my father-in-law’s concerned voice.

[Oh dear, my good man. You should have told me if something like this was going on. What am I supposed to do about setting up a drinking party here?

Our Tang Clan has operations going on, so I wanted to establish connections with the Sichuan Province Lord and the Iron Castle’s guests…]

So that was why my father-in-law had brought in such high-ranking individuals.

The Tang Clan has various businesses in Sichuan, including medicine that gets sold elsewhere, and it seemed he aimed to entertain them to explore new sales routes.

‘So that’s the reason.’

If that were the case, as the son-in-law, I couldn’t just stand by.

I crept closer and whispered in my father-in-law’s ear.

[Then please leave it to me.]

[Huh? You?]

Seeing me nod, my father-in-law blinked in surprise.

Holding the bottle of wine, I addressed the guests, “May I offer you a drink?”

They looked at each other and slowly nodded.

“Y-yeah, feel free to do so.”

“Sure, even though it’s a bit surprising since I’m experiencing this for the first time. But I’ve stood in the frontlines, so I suppose I can handle this. Pour a drink for me.”

With the guests’ permission, I lifted the wine bottle and stood.

But instead of pouring it, I shouted across the pond.

“Langhu!”

As I yelled, the sound echoed across.

Soon, the buzzing sound from the fifth-level separate chamber quieted, and the slender Langhu peeked out of the window.

“Just a moment!”

Generally, the queen bee hardly stepped outside, but I figured, as we had just moved in, she’d come over if I asked.

And sure enough, she zoomed toward me.

Arriving at my side, she tilted her head, as if asking why I called.

“Buzzz?”

I cautiously whispered to her, requesting, [Could you drop just a little bit of what you gave me last time? I won’t be consuming it, so just a weaker dose, please.]

Though I wondered if she would agree, having become friendlier with her lately and even having given her a name, I was hopeful.

And just like that!

As I held out the wine bottle, Langhu, who had tilted her head, flew up over it and dropped a drop of the golden liquid from her mouth.

I was prepared to substitute honey if needed, but this was excellent!

Plop. Drip!

With that soft sound, the golden liquid fell into the wine, releasing a sweet and tangy scent.

“Thanks! I’m sorry for pulling you away. You can go back and rest now. You must be busy preparing to lay eggs soon.”

After gently stroking her head and sending her back, I swirled the wine bottle like a bartender and said, “What I just dropped into this wine is a treasure with the essence of the mid-tier spirit medicine that only the Golden Hair Bee Queen produces once every ten years. I’ll be treating you esteemed guests to it.”

Honestly, I made that up about the ten years just in case they’d come asking for more later, but with the essence of spirit medicine added to the wine, it was the best hospitality I could offer, excluding the Sichuan Province Lord.

True to my words, before I could finish speaking, the two esteemed guests immediately held out their hands with wine glasses, practically racing towards me.

The sight of them competing to receive the drinks was amusing.

“Th-thank you.”

“The Tang Clan really knows how to treat their guests.”

“With hospitality like this, how could we refuse? Isn’t that right?”

A drinking party concocted from the royal queen bee’s royal jelly for precious guests.

It was just the first offering.