Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 179: The Red Conundrum

-Swoosh!

A red something zipped into Hua-yang’s mouth in an instant, making a squelching noise.

The stone that the little rascal had been nibbling on had disappeared without a trace.

“My stone! My marker!”

“Hua-yang, you little rascal! Spit it out! Quick! Spit it out!”

I lunged forward, attempting to pry open Hua-yang’s mouth, but the little troublemaker just gurgled and swallowed the stone instead.

“Hua-yang! Can’t you spit it out!? Hurry!”

-Gulp.

A crisp sound echoed through the room as something slid down her throat.

Despite Hua-eun’s nagging and my efforts to pry her mouth open, Hua-yang merrily gurgled and gulped down the stone.

“Oh no… My marker… The stone Yang-rang gifted me…”

Sword Phoenix wore a blank expression, staring at the lost promise gift.

It was quite significant, given it was a symbol of their bond, but now Hua-yang had just swallowed it whole.

However, there was no need to panic.

Whatever that stone was, I was sure Hua-yang couldn’t digest it, so she would eventually spit it out.

Even if she swallowed it, creatures like frogs and toads can upchuck their stomach contents, after all.

They lack teeth and have developed a mechanism to regurgitate things they shouldn’t have eaten, like venomous insects.

This was known as washing the stomach in amphibians, so if we waited a bit, she’d definitely spit it back out.

“Don’t worry. Sword Phoenix. I don’t know why she did that, but I assure you, she’ll regurgitate it soon. She can’t digest stones, after all.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. Just wait, and she’ll spit it out. She knows it’s not her food.”

As I uttered those words, everyone fixated on Hua-yang, anxiety evident in the air.

Suddenly, Hua-yang’s body started to heave.

In a manner reminiscent of a cat coughing up a furball, Hua-yang’s body quaked before she finally hurled her stomach contents.

You could hear something hit the floor.

-Thud. Clatter.

“It came out!”

“It’s out!”

“…Huh?”

“…Yup?”

As expected, the promised stone rolled out, but the moment we laid eyes on it, bewilderment filled the room.

The stone Hua-yang had swallowed was a bright red, yet what rolled out, drenched in saliva, was a completely transparent stone.

“T-This is…”

“Uh…”

“M-My stone…”

My and Sword Phoenix’s dismayed voices echoed through the room.

“It must be the saliva causing it. I-I’ll wipe it down.”

I quickly wiped away the drool, but the once red stone now appeared as a small hexagonal clear stone.

I wanted to believe it was just the saliva, but it had undeniably lost its color.

No amount of wiping would help.

“I-I’m sorry, Sword Phoenix.”

“I’m sorry too, Seon-hwa.”

The kid really caused a big mess, what could I say?

Parents naturally had to apologize.

Especially since it was no ordinary object but a promise gift, it deeply saddened Sword Phoenix and me.

It had been such a vivid red resembling blood at first glance, now transformed into something resembling crystal.

Sword Phoenix picked up the stone, its now crystal form bringing her close to tears.

“Yang-rang’s marker… My marker… It was red like the color of my lips, and Yang-rang told me we should remain as unchanging as the stone’s color…”

Just like that faded stone, Sword Phoenix’s lips had also lost their vibrant hue.

Receiving a meaningful gift, only to have its color fade away…

Sword Phoenix looked lost, and Hua-eun and I felt nothing but guilt at the sight.

‘That little rascal Hua-yang!’

I knew there would be occasions when I’d have to apologize for raising kids, but I never expected the first apology would be over Hua-yang’s mess.

Then, a voice broke the tension, the voice of Spear Dragon who had silently observed the chaos.

“Seon-hwa, the stone is merely a gift. My feelings for you remain unchanged, so please don’t attach too much significance to the stone.”

“Yah, Yang-rang…”

‘Oh, the cheesiness!’

Spear Dragon was simple yet straightforward, but did someone slather butter on him or what?

Did he just dip himself in cheese fondue?

Or perhaps he guzzled down dripping pork belly grease?

Or was he just the sweet prince of the Central Plains?

They say love turns you into a poet, but that’s a bit much…

As the rest of us shuddered at his cheesy remarks, he continued.

“And our Junior Hero here has awakened me to the connection between us, so please don’t be too harsh on him.

I’ll prepare you a much finer gift. Ahem…”

“Ah, I understand, Yang-rang.”

After finishing his words and exchanging fiery gazes, they began to cling to each other all over again, prompting scornful expressions from the onlookers.

“How troublesome…”

“What a bother.”

Zhi Long’s encounter was already pretty scandalous, but this was just blatant public displays of affection.

Despite the scorching glances from all sides, Sword Phoenix burrowed into Spear Dragon’s embrace, staring at him with dreamy eyes.

After their satisfying hug concluded, Hua-eun and I exchanged glances, once more apologizing.

“I’m sorry, Spear Dragon. Sword Phoenix.”

“I’m sorry. To both of you.”

Even though we apologized again, it seemed that after Spear Dragon’s words, Sword Phoenix felt a little better as she shook her head.

“Like Yang-rang said, the stone is nothing significant, so please don’t dwell on it too much. Both of you.”

“Thank you, Sword Phoenix, Spear Dragon.”

“Thank you. Both of you.”

“My gratitude is due to my Junior Hero for bridging this gap between us, so this is just barely scratching the surface.”

Spear Dragon was surprisingly loyal, and whether it was thanks to him or not, Sword Phoenix, who had guided us through the jungle to the borders, had grown a bit simpler, but it was a blessing for us in many ways.

As we wrapped up our thanks, suddenly, both Hua-eun and I found ourselves staring in unison at a certain little someone.

Now that the apologies were done, it was time to scold the little rascal who started it all.

“Hua-yang?”

“Hua-yang?”

We thought she wouldn’t notice us calling out to her while she was preoccupied, but both Hua-eun and I were keeping keen tabs on the little troublemaker.

As if sneakily trying to crawl away to her home, the chubby potato halted at our calls.

-pee… pee?

Unable to turn her head, the round body slowly turned towards us.

Yet, just as Hua-yang was about to fully turn, both our hands snagged one of her front paws.

And with our grips on her front paws, we dragged her toward my quarters.

“Let’s have a chat, Hua-yang.”

“Hua-yang, we need to talk.”

“Seol-nui, I’ll leave the guest to you. I just need to take Hua-yang for a moment, then I’ll return.”

“Got it. Don’t worry about this place.”

Hua-yang, caught by both of us, looked flustered and tossed between our concerned gazes.

*

“Alright, eat up.”

-peep.

No need for me to carry it on to the second round.

Hua-eun’s scolding alone had already sent Hua-yang’s mental state spiraling.

When I brought the lamp to feed her dinner, Hua-yang pretended not to notice her beloved food.

“It’s alright, you know?”

Despite my constant urging, she seemed utterly disinterested in the rice.

Hua-eun nodded her head with a cold look at her.

“I’m just relieved to see Hua-yang reflecting on her actions. In that case, let’s skip dinner for today.”

Just as I expected, Hua-eun was terrifying when she was angry.

She simply swept the food away when Hua-yang hesitated.

I didn’t know if she was pouting or genuinely reflecting, but after rejecting the food, Hua-eun swiftly took away the lamp.

She was clearly trying to correct her behavior with this opportunity, but I still felt concerned.

Seeing as I had glimpsed another side of these kids, I couldn’t be as firm as Hua-eun.

Thus, I felt a slight worry about her fasting even during dinner.

In my past life, if I heard my sister was going hungry, everyone would be ordering chicken immediately.

‘Will she be okay?’

While I had some concerns, I also secretly hoped her sneaky habits would change over time, and as night fell, the next morning arrived.

Bright and early, Sword Phoenix visited us with a cheerful voice.

“Hua-eun, look at this! It seems it was just momentarily faded. I’m sorry for being overly sensitive yesterday.”

For some unknown reason, the red stone held by Sword Phoenix had returned to its vivid red color.

It was lucky, to say the least, that it had been restored.

“That’s a relief. Seon-hwa.”

“Indeed, it’s fortunate. Sword Phoenix.”

As we celebrated the return of the stone’s color, a thought suddenly entered my mind.

‘But why on earth did Hua-yang swallow that stone?’

She only eats fire, so there wouldn’t be any reason for her to swallow a stone.

In all the chaos of scolding and apologizing, I hadn’t thought about it earlier, yet it struck me as odd.

Just then, a recollection of something Sword Phoenix had mentioned in passing flooded back.

“I stopped by a hot spring near the Tengchong volcano, and Yang-rang gifted me this after discovering it…”

That red stone was something Sword Phoenix truly cherished, and the fact it was found near a volcano suddenly clicked for me.

‘Could it be that…?’

The notion lingered in my mind as I pondered why she had suddenly developed a craving for something she typically wouldn’t eat.

Fire, in its natural state, only forms during wildfires, induced by lightning strikes or trees colliding in strong winds.

Initially, I thought she might be lying low until natural fire emerged, but could there be a naturally occurring wildfire after several decades?

If it was indeed that Hua-yang resided in a region with lava and fed on similar things, her actions began to make sense.

The reason the color of the stone changed too…

‘Could it be a counter to the Ice Orbs the others consume, like Seol, Bin, and Dong-i?’

If that were the case, then the fading color from yesterday would also be understandable.

The Ice Orbs consumed by Seol, Bin, and Dong-i draw in the surrounding chill and fully absorb the cold Yin Energy.

If this stone held the opposite properties, such as pulling in the warm Yang Energy, then the fact it had regained its color in just one day could be explained.

“Sword Phoenix, I’m really sorry, but could I borrow that stone for a moment? Something seems awry, and I’d like to confirm it.”

“This? To confirm?”

“Yes, I just want to check it for a sec.”

“Alright.”

Thanks to Spear Dragon’s earlier words, Sword Phoenix readily agreed to lend it to me.

I quickly dashed toward Grandfather’s quarters.

“Grandfather! Grandfather!”

“What is it, So-ryong?”

Barging into the room, my grandfather, who had been reading at his desk, tilted his head in curiosity.

I pulled out the stone I borrowed from Sword Phoenix and began explaining yesterday’s incident.

The red stone found near the volcano, which Hua-yang had swallowed, and it had regained its color after a day.

“Found near the volcano, you say?”

Grandfather pondered, reaching for one of the many books on the shelf, flipping through, and eventually pointing at a particular page.

“I believe this one is relevant.”

“Oh!?”

The book Grandfather pointed to contained a clear, vivid line.

Hwa-jeong (Fire Crystal).

“‘Crystal’ refers to a gem, so it’s indeed a fire gem.”

Considering its hexagonal shape, it matched perfectly.

“Hwa-jeong, a crystal filled with Yang Energy…”

With my grandfather’s words, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Then, was Hua-yang not reflecting, but rather refusing food after overeating?’

Now that made perfect sense.

I understood why Hua-yang would behave the way she did when Hua-eun said she looked remorseful.

Hua-eun would certainly be flabbergasted if she ever found out, so I decided to keep it a secret and figured I should look for more of these stones.

I suspected that if I asked Sword Phoenix or Spear Dragon, they might willingly hand one over, but I couldn’t just take their markers away.

It seemed I would need something larger this time around.