Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 4: How to Establish a Clan

The insect I had pinched with my tongs resembled an ant in the head but was a plump, pitch-black creature, making my older sister tilt her head in confusion.

Soon, a bright orange liquid oozed from the body of the black bug and dripped onto the floor.

The reason I had gone out of my way to find a bumblebee hive, and particularly one with fewer bumblebees entering and exiting, was entirely to capture this insect.

These little guys were notorious bumblebee house terrorists.

‘Why on earth are they tormenting those cute little things…?’

“What’s this?”

“I came to catch this.”

“Is this Earth Gall?”

‘Ah, so this is what they call it here, huh?’

“But is Earth Gall found in bumblebee homes? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

The bug I grabbed inside the bumblebee nest was referred to as Earth Gall in the Central Plains.

In Korea, it’s known as ‘Garae.’

What I captured was specifically the ‘Namgarai,’ and there’s a reason these little rascals are found in bumblebee nests.

The reproductive method of Garae is quite peculiar; unlike other insects that lay and protect their eggs or create a safe environment for them to hatch, Garae parents lay their eggs haphazardly anywhere.

In grass, on tree bark, you name it!

At least a modicum of care would be to lay them all in one spot.

As time passes, the tiny Garae larvae that hatched crawl to the highest point of where they were born, and here, the larvae put on a peculiar show.

Gathering at the ends of grass or tree branches, the yellow Garae larvae form a perfect circle and start mimicking flowers by stretching their bodies out.

Each little Garae becomes a petal, and these petals combine to form a big flower shape.

It’s like a tiny yellow flower with dozens of little petals.

Then, thinking this flower created by the Garae larvae is a real flower, bumblebees swoop down.

What happens when a bumblebee lands on this flower made of Garae larvae?

All the tiny larvae leap onto the bumblebee at once.

They cling onto the bumblebee to sneak into its home.

‘Well, that bumblebee hive is done for.’

Once the bumblebee, laden with Garae larvae, gets home, it shakes them off, and the Garae larvae that have now completely infiltrated the bumblebee nest start devouring honey, pollen, and eventually the bumblebee’s own larvae to grow into adults.

Of course, if they latch onto other bees or butterflies, they all perish.

The survival rate of the little Garae is known to be about 2%, making it notoriously low.

“Among the various types of Earth Gall, it’s these little ones that sneak into bumblebee nests and thrive on the honey, pollen, and larvae.”

“So they really are the bad guys? I feel a bit sorry for the bumblebees.”

My older sister frowned at my explanation.

She looked again at the critter in my hand and asked, “But isn’t this the one that causes skin burns? I heard you can die if you eat too much?”

As expected from someone well-versed in poisons, she knew precisely about this insect’s venom.

I nodded at her query.

“Correct. It can indeed cause burns.”

The orange liquid dripping from the Garae contains cantharidin, a toxic substance that causes blisters and swelling on contact with skin.

If it touches human skin, the healing process takes a long time, and scarring can occur, so it must be handled with care.

“But can that… um… have such an effect?”

My sister asked if this poison could restore the pride of the bowing Sichuan Province Lord, as I had said.

I nodded in response.

“Yes, it can, to help the men regain their pride…”

Cantharidin is a toxic substance, a rather powerful one, hence it creates blisters on the skin.

However, cantharidin has another hidden effect: once it enters the body, it’s expelled through the kidneys as urine, during which it stimulates the urethra and causes swelling in the genital area, showcasing its hidden effects.

It ends up boasting of its greatness until all cantharidin leaves the body.

This effect is remarkably similar to an aphrodisiac; records show it has been used as such since the days of Ancient Greece.

From records of Emperor Caesar’s wife Livia using it to encourage lewd behaviors among royal family members and banquet guests, to it being a staple at raucous parties among the French nobility in the 1600s.

“Please, no more. That’s enough!”

Startled by my explanation, my sister waved her hands in fluster.

It seemed she felt no resistance to the 18+ topics, so I decided to zip my mouth as she wished.

While I chuckled inwardly about having found her weak spot.

I then searched through the bumblebee nest, collecting a few unhatched pupae and several that had already hatched.

Since there were already some that had hatched, the others were fairly likely to do so too, so the pupae were plenty.

Then I returned to Mandok Hall, aiming to start making the potion.

I needed to borrow the facilities and people from the Tang Clan.

‘Of course, I won’t be making it myself; I’ll have an expert do it. Medicine belongs to a pharmacist, poisons belong to a viper, no, to the Four Heavenly Houses.’

“This way. If you explain to the warriors in charge of poison manufacturing in the Tang Clan, they’ll make it as instructed.”

Inside the poison manufacturing facility at Mandok Hall.

The space was filled with various earthenware vessels, not glass, and my sister guided me around.

There were also various small furnaces, and even fascinating devices that resembled extraction machines I’d never seen before.

At my sister’s gesture, warriors with masks covering their mouths hurried over to us, and I explained the information I had.

When humans ingest cantharidin, the median lethal dose is about 0.5 milligrams per kilogram, and even 10 milligrams could be fatal, that’s what I knew.

Additionally, the amount of cantharidin in Namgarai is estimated to be about 10%, so we need to base the potion on this.

If there’s a mistake, the Sichuan Province Lord might end up dead instead.

I thought it was no big deal, but learning that he’s the highest-ranking person in Sichuan makes it a serious matter if he just dies out of the blue.

Even though cantharidin has historically been used as an aphrodisiac, it has also been the cause of many fatalities, so it’s essential to be extremely cautious.

“Do you happen to know the Sichuan Province Lord’s weight?”

“Ah, I have that noted down from when I prepared the last potion, so I’ll go fetch it.”

When my sister brought over the paper, it indicated that the weight of the Sichuan Province Lord was about 35 guan (貫).

Since 1 guan is 3.75 kilograms, that’s about 131 kilograms.

‘What the… This is insane. Will it even take effect…?’

I slightly wondered if this weight would matter, and I began to understand why he was bowing his head, but for now, I explained to my sister and the internal warriors.

Regardless of the reason, they mentioned they’d show me the potion, so I had to present results.

“Firstly, if we dry the Earth Gall and turn it into powder, we can consider that 10% is poison.

To put it plainly, consuming 3.5 milligrams of this poison is bound to endanger one’s life, and depending on one’s weight, if they consume about 1.25 milligrams per 3.75 kilograms, there’s a 50% chance of death.

So, could you make the potion at about 0.375 milligrams?

That would be about 0.351 milliliters.”

‘Hah, I thought my head was going to explode.’

Using Central Plains measurement methods, I calculated the production methods in detail.

Since I couldn’t use previous life measurements and there were no measuring containers, I explained the entire procedure based on my circumstances and the measurement techniques.

Once my explanation concluded, the warrior in charge of manufacturing poison looked wide-eyed.

Then he stared at me with an expression of deep admiration.

“W-wonderfully detailed explanations. I never expected your skills in calculation to be so splendid. I assure you the results will undoubtedly succeed.”

“Uh, um, thank you for your assistance.”

With that, I entrusted the task to be carried out and as I left Mandok Hall, I felt my sister’s glance on me, scrutinizing me closely.

It seemed like my brain had appeared a bit more attractive to her.

Honestly, anyone who has trained hard in martial arts probably has wiry brains like muscles; where would a guy like me even fit in?

Truly, my sister was a fortunate one.

*

Late at night, inside Mandok God’s quarters.

Inside were Tang Hua Eun and Mandok God, deep in conversation.

“So, you’re saying a medicine will be made from Earth Gall?”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

The topic of conversation revolved around the medicine Wei So-ryong was making.

Curious about what he was concocting, Mandok God had asked Hua Eun to elaborate on the events of the day.

“I had no idea it would cause swelling on the skin and be lethal if consumed. I should have investigated such effects. It seems we need to explore the various poisons held by the Tang Clan as well.”

“Yes, I thought the same.”

The Tang Clan had previously examined the poison from Earth Gall as well.

However, since they only confirmed the fatal dosage, they hadn’t looked into what happens to the body with lesser doses.

But now, with creating medicine out of such Earth Gall, it intrigued her, and she wondered if other poisons might have similar effects.

“And you say he’s also quite good with calculations?”

“Yes, he mentioned dividing the amounts by weight, saying it correlates to drops of liquid.”

“Really? He’s a remarkably talented one. I merely thought he had knowledge pertaining to poisons, but he’s beyond that. The more I learn, the more precious he seems.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“So, do you like him more than before?”

At that question, Tang Hua Eun blushed slightly and nodded.

“Yes, Grandfather. I feel sorry for being too rash at first.”

“Well, what’s important is moving forward. By the way, when the medicine is complete, how will you verify its effectiveness?”

Hua Eun hesitated before answering Mandok God’s question.

In a voice as tiny as a mosquito, she replied, “The branch family elders say they’re too unruly and will confirm the family laws by… ‘setting’ them straight…”

“What?”

After hearing more details, Mandok God’s laughter echoed late into the night.

“Bwahaha! This truly is a most entertaining bunch!”

*

Mandok God’s passion for drilling everyone with training left no room for breaks.

However, an infinite rigorous training schedule with no days off was definitely not something one could endure with the mindset of a modern person.

Thus, after ten grueling days, we barely snagged a day off!

After breakfast, having no plans, I was practicing my internal energy circulation when—

“Wei So-ryong, we received word the medicine is complete from Hyeonmu Hall.”

My servant girl, Dong-i, informed me that I had been summoned from the Clan Head Hall.

“Understood.”

I halted my practice and dashed straight to the Clan Head Hall.

I was just as eager to learn how the medicine turned out.

“Soo-ryong, over here!”

Upon entering Mandok Hall and greeting the clan elders, the warriors, with their heads bowed, acknowledged me.

The warrior tasked with poison manufacturing presented me with a small medicine box filled with tiny pills resembling traditional herbal medicine.

“To make it easier to take, I’ve mixed in a sweetening agent of licorice powder and honey.”

The warrior reported, unnecessarily adding a bit of flavor.

I nodded accordingly.

“Great work. You’ve clearly made it as I instructed?”

“Of course, Wei So-ryong. I adhered to the quantities you mentioned meticulously.”

As I accepted the medicine box, the voice of Mandok God asked a question.

“Alright, the medicine is made, but how will you demonstrate its efficacy?”

It was clear that testing the medicine’s effectiveness was essential now that it was prepared.

With a smile, I replied, “I intend to allow those who doubt the medicine to test it directly.”

“Right. We don’t doubt your medicine; let the doubters confirm it.”

Upon my response, Mandok God summoned the branch family elders with a smile.

And shortly thereafter—

“Clan Head, the elders of the branch family have arrived.”

Reported one of the warriors on duty.

The news came that the branch family elders had approached.

“Let them in.”

“Yes, Clan Head.”

The door opened, and the branch family elders entered.

Upon greeting Mandok God and the artisan, they swiftly inquired as to why they were summoned.

“Why have you called all of us?”

Thud.

The medicine box was placed on the table.

Pushing the box into the center of the table, I answered on behalf of Mandok God.

“We have gathered you because the medicine is complete.”

“Huh? Not the elder but you? And are you referring to the medicine meant for the Sichuan Province Lord?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“You guys were the ones questioning this boy’s abilities, were you not? Hence, we called you to confirm.”

With my response and Mandok God’s support, the branch family elders nodded in acknowledgment.

“So you mean verification?”

“Correct! Just as the Great Clan Head says, confirmation is a must!”

“It’s true. Who would dare send poison to the Sichuan Province Lord without verifying its effectiveness?”

“Indeed. This could lead to grave consequences, yes! So please, show us quickly.”

As the elders urged me to demonstrate the efficacy, I placed two pills in front of each of them.

Once the pills lay before them, their eyes widened.

“What’s this?”

“I’ve prepared these so you can test them personally.”

‘If you’re going to confirm, do it yourselves.’

But naturally, they questioned why they should confirm their own safety.

“Are you asking us to confirm this?”

“Heh, how could we trust what’s inside?”

From what Hua Eun had told me, these people could withstand poisons far exceeding the Hundred Poisons.

Normally, they wouldn’t fall for such provocations, so I glanced at Mandok God with a look of surprise.

“Didn’t you tell me that those who have mastered the Tang Clan’s martial arts wouldn’t fear poison? But this looks awfully like you seem scared… Surely, that can’t be the case. You are the esteemed ‘great’ elders of the clan, after all.”

One of the most disliked words for a man.

Children or adults would all hate that one phrase.

‘Scared?’

Even more so towards members of the infamous assassination household in the Central Plains?

As expected, my words elicited widened eyes from the elders.

“What!? Scared!?”

“Hehe, perhaps since we’ve been members for barely a while, the clan’s laws…”

“Did you think you could humiliate us just because we opposed you at first? You misjudged terribly. What do you think we are?”

“Made with Earth Gall, I heard it in the Mandok Hall.”

“Earth Gall? Ha, dare we fear such low-grade bug poison?”

“Did you think that we would be scared of it or something? If this proves ineffective, you’ll be the one fearing punishment. Today, we shall set the laws of our clan straight!”

The flustered branch family elders guffawed and swallowed the two pills each.

After a moment, just as they claimed, the laws of the Sichuan Tang Clan’s branch elders were thereby firmly ‘set’ straight.

In glorious fashion.