Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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How to Establish a Clan: Part 1

“I’ve explained various poisons, do you have any questions?”

“Hm. So you generally don’t use deadly poisons, right? I thought you used that golden poison since you showed it to me.”

“Haha, that’s for certain death or someone you have to kill. Do you think I’d normally use such a vile thing?”

“That’s true. Understood. For now, I don’t really have any questions.”

There were certain standards when it came to the poisons of the Tang Clan.

The most potent poison that can be used against other martial artists affiliated with the White Dao is the paralysis poison.

However, if a member of the Tang Clan gets injured, the level of poison permissible for use increases. If one of the Tang Clan warriors dies, then a deadly poison can be used against up to a hundred people.

One severe punishment for a hundred warnings, or maybe a hundred punishments for a hundred warnings?

If one severe punishment warns a hundred, the Tang Clan issues harsh penalties to a hundred to give the survivors a stern warning.

Such merciless standards.

‘This family is troublesome in many ways…’

As I pondered this briefly, a question came to me.

“Um… If you have no questions, how about I ask you something? Since you said you understand poisons well.”

“Yes? Yes, of course.”

‘Is the next lesson about poisons? Well, I’m confident in this.’

“In the Tang Clan, poisons aren’t utilized much, so do you know why poisons aren’t used as a mainstream practice here?”

The education in the Tang Clan involved martial arts training in the morning and theoretical studies about martial arts and poisons in the afternoon.

Hence, in the morning I began learning the Five Poisons Return to Origin Skill, which allows one to harness the essence of five poisons, and the afternoon was dedicated to theoretical education.

However, during the theoretical education, grandfather, who was teaching about the Tang Clan’s venomous arts, asked why the mainstream poisons didn’t include venomous insects or substances.

‘Seems like I have a rough idea, but I need to consider how an assassination clan would think about this before answering?’

Venomous creatures like snakes and insects are collectively referred to as venomous substances.

While I might know about their characteristics, answering as if I’m just reading from a textbook wouldn’t be the right approach.

Isn’t it said that humans are creatures of adaptation?

If I’m caught trying to escape here, it’ll lead to a grim fate, so I decided to make efforts to adapt to this Sichuan Tang Clan.

My older sister is quite beautiful…

Plus, I had foolishly gone and declared my interest…

In my previous life, I wanted numerous venomous insects and snakes, but now, my older sister has taken the top spot on my wishlist.

‘I am an assassin. I am an assassin who uses poisons. I am a psychopath.’

I began placing a self-hypnosis on myself that felt like I was losing my mind.

The reason I was doing this was that I needed to consider how the assassination clan in this martial world would interpret the characteristics of different poisons.

After all, when in my past life I had the knowledge of poisons, I shared how to survive encounters with snake bites or venomous insects.

Now, I had to go about it in reverse.

For instance, if someone gave me an apple, it wasn’t about knowing its variety or its flavor or when it could be harvested. It’s about what dishes could be made with this apple.

I needed to answer about its applications.

Like apple pie, apple jam, and apple tart.

Of course, mentioning apple pie, apple jam, and apple tart as means of poisoning would fit here as well.

Thus, I was frowning while placing myself into a state of self-hypnosis.

I thought if I could think like these people, I would be able to provide the right answers.

After a while, when I thought enough self-hypnosis had been put in place, I cautiously replied.

“Um… There are various reasons, but isn’t it because they’re difficult to use?”

“Difficult? Can you elaborate?”

The Mandok God, my grandfather, revealed his curiosity in my words.

I detailed out what I was thinking.

“For instance, if we take snake venom for example… The methods of using it remain limited whether it’s in powder form or as a drug.”

Snake venom is known to be one of the most complex natural toxins.

It consists of more than a hundred proteins and enzymes, non-enzymatic polypeptide toxins, nucleic acids, amines, free amino acids, and various compounds.

Moreover, it’s quite stable and doesn’t spoil easily.

There are even studies indicating that snake venom kept at room temperature in Australia for 80 years still maintained its toxicity after all that time.

However, snake venom has a significant drawback; since it’s a substance designed to be injected into the skin via fangs, it doesn’t express toxicity unless it’s directly administered beneath the dermis.

‘In my past life, this was considered a disadvantage, but…’

In my past life, that was an advantage, but I found myself speaking to the leader of the assassination clan.

A man called the Mandok God, who is reputed for handling ten thousand poisons.

Thus, I framed this as a disadvantage.

“So to poison someone, you must apply it to a knife or a needle and then stab the person with it.”

It used to be a common practice to slash a wound inflicted by a snake and suck the venom out, which was all possible due to this characteristic of snake venom.

Given that proteins constitute its main components, it’s generally true that ingesting it won’t lead to poisoning.

It would be absurd to say someone died after drinking from a cup containing snake venom.

If there aren’t any cuts in the mouth or esophagus, one cannot die from it.

Most cases of poisoning from sucking out snake venom usually involve pre-existing wounds in the mouth.

“Oh! Also, if you apply it to a weapon like a knife or needle, the amount of venom used would be small, making it hard to kill someone. Snake venom doesn’t dry easily, so it’s difficult to store the knife or needle as well.”

In my previous life, I had used unique terms to describe the standard measure of acute toxicity, which is the median lethal dose, referred to as LD 50.

This means the amount that kills half of the subjects.

It represents the lethal dose for half of the experiment animals like rats or rabbits.

It’s expressed based on the toxin’s amount per kilogram of body weight; obviously, if the venom is applied to a knife rather than bitten, the amount would be lesser. It’s also not that easy to dry snake venom in its natural state.

Thus, there would be issues even in storing a venom-coated knife.

Upon explaining all that I had thought, the Mandok God nodded with a smile.

“Ah, I see. You’re indeed knowledgeable about poisons. As expected, you know that snake venom must absolutely be injected into an opponent’s body to be effective. That’s why it’s not very widely used.”

– gulp.

‘So, I was right.’

While being praised didn’t feel great, it did make sense why, given that it’s implied I might be seen as a talented recruit for the psychopath assassination clan.

Having talent in methods of killing or mass slaughter—does that really count as talent?

Thus, I couldn’t help but force an awkward smile, only for the Mandok God to tilt his head curiously as my lips twitched.

“Why does your face look that way even after being complimented?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Hahaha. I feel good about receiving praise, but how could a man easily show it?”

“You can feel pleased in front of me.”

“Understood, Grandfather.”

I could only laugh awkwardly at my very troublesome situation.

However, my predicament was only mine alone.

Pleased with my answer, the questions continued.

“Then how about the venom from a venomous spider?”

The term ‘venomous spider’ refers to spiders with harmful venom.

After grandfather’s question, I again wrapped myself in self-hypnosis and answered.

“The venom of a spider is usually mild, and since they aren’t large, it requires considerable effort to gather enough for use.”

While we know that spider venom can be dangerous, the truth is, there aren’t that many spiders that pose a serious life threat.

It’s not due to their venom being weak, but more because their small size means they can’t deliver enough venom to humans at once.

Moreover, considering this is a different world, it’s likely that alternative venomous species exist here, but it’s generally true that highly potent spiders are found in regions like South America or Australia.

Thus, considering those factors, when I replied, again, the Mandok God nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, that answer is correct. It can cause suffering, but using it to kill a person is difficult. Additionally, if one wishes to capture someone, paralysis poison would suffice; using spider venom might lead to screams from pain, which would be problematic.”

It was during these theoretical discussions that I heard my older sister’s voice from outside.

“Grandfather, you need to step out for a moment.”

Upon hearing my older sister’s voice, I felt the self-hypnosis I’d been employing paid off.

“Look at this lad, brightening up at Hua Eun’s arrival.”

“Ahem…”

Wondering if that was written all over my face, I quickly approached the door and opened it.

There she stood, in a fresh, rosy outfit, my sister.

As they say, she’s like a rose, and indeed, she was still much like one.

Though we had breakfast together, and I would see her during lunch and dinner at the Four Harmonies Courtyard, it never failed to captivate me, her beauty remained endlessly enchanting.

‘In my past life, I was told that good looks are merely a fleeting moment, and unless one is married to feast on them, just settle for whatever. But my sister’s face seems like it could fill my stomach by just looking at it…’

She hesitated briefly at my gaze, then greeted me.

“Have you come, Little One?”

“Uh, yeah. Have you been well, So-ryong?”

“Yes, Little One.”

Grandfather, who was watching our exchange with a smile, stepped forward as soon as our greeting seemed to conclude, asking my sister.

“So, Hua Eun, why have you come?”

“It seems Father is in a bit of trouble; I think we should head to the Xuanwu Hall for a moment, Grandfather.”

“To the Xuanwu Hall?”

Xuanwu Hall is the place where the Clan Head’s office is, where the Clan Head handles his duties—this had already been explained to me.

As grandfather nodded, I noticed my sister’s face darken a bit.

“The clan elders…”

‘The clan elders? Surely, those clan elders…?’

Judging by my sister’s expression and tone, it seemed those individuals who had troubled her a few days ago had come to visit.

And it appeared my assumptions were correct as grandfather frowned and reiterated his question.

“Why are those guys causing trouble again?”

“Well… there are two matters; one is that the medicine sent to the Sichuan Province Lord didn’t work well, and the Lord sent a letter filled with complaints…”

She trailed off, glancing at me.

When our gazes met, she continued, “The other is related to Mandok Hall.”

“Mandok Hall? Why would it be?”

Hearing Mandok Hall made me feel uneasy.

I sensed something troubling in my sister’s eyes—it felt like I could be involved somehow.

“When it was suggested that Little One be entrusted with the substances of Mandok Hall, the elders objected.”

‘Wait, are these people trying to make an enemy out of me!?’

While I thought I’d be burdened by ample support to indulge in my hobbies, the branch family members dare questioning it.

I couldn’t just sit back and allow that to happen.

When there was already a significant benefactor supporting me, how dare they attempt to interfere with my interests!?

A favorable support had already been solidified, yet they had the gall to challenge it!

“Let’s go! Little One!”

“Uh?”

I rushed outside, and my sister looked astonished, but the Mandok God followed me.

We made our way to the Clan Head’s office, the Xuanwu Hall.

Once we reached the entrance, chaos awaited inside.

“Hey! How can the Clan Head make such a crucial decision alone?”

“That’s right! How can you handle this without consulting us!”

“Indeed! You’re bringing in an orphan to corrupt our precious Hua Eun’s match!”

– Bang!

“An orphan, you say! No foundation, you say! Are you insulting my son-in-law!”

“No, Clan Head, to say it’s an insult is indeed accurate!”

Inside, loud bickering ensued, and I even heard discussions about myself.

Grandfather, unable to restrain himself, flung the door to the Xuanwu Hall open and shouted, “I ordained it! Is that so unpleasant!?”

“Elder, you’ve come?”

The arrival of grandfather caused everyone gathered around the Clan Head’s desk to scatter.

With my sister, I stepped into the room and stood behind the Clan Head.

Then the murmurs began to follow.

While they didn’t shout like before, there were discontented tones.

“There’s no way to handle matters this way, Elder. Mandok Hall is one of the Clan’s most important places. The substances are also clan treasures; how can you hand them over to an outsider without even a marriage ceremony?”

“That’s right. Elder, we can’t allow someone whom we cannot simply enter Mandok Hall to be involved, especially since they haven’t demonstrated any capabilities that can persuade the clan members?”

In the end, it seemed they aimed to criticize me, making it hard for the Clan Head and my sister.

In my previous life, I had dealt with numerous uninvited guests giving their opinions every time during ancestral rights as the eldest son in a great clan. Seeing this situation brought a surge of anger.

‘Especially since I’m not one to seek attention, but with my hobbies on the line, I can’t just stand by!’

Thus, stepping out from behind the Clan Head, I spoke with conviction.

“I apologize for interrupting your discussion, but it seems this incident arose due to my lack of capabilities, so wouldn’t it be appropriate for me to demonstrate my worth to satisfy the clan elders?”

At that, everyone turned their attention to me.

[What are you planning, So-ryong?]

My sister’s startled thoughts flew at me, but I simply smiled and picked up a sheet of paper from the Clan Head’s desk.

“If I deal with this situation, can you promise to trust my abilities?”

“Wait, So-ryong, are you serious?”

The Clan Head gazed at me in surprise, his expression bewildered.

Judging by the letter, it likely pertained to the correspondence sent to the Sichuan Province Lord.