Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Spirit Medicine 4

“Is there really no other way? Wei So-ryong? Surely there must be!”

“Is there no other way, Junior Hero Wei So-ryong?”

With no solution in sight, all eyes turned to me.

My older sister and the Deputy Commander Gu Pae looked at me with hopeful expressions.

Since I was the one in charge and I had been here several times, it seemed they expected me to solve this.

It was a bug problem, and I had been yammering about being a ‘professional’ this whole time.

“By the way, are we going to be okay on our own?”

“Don’t worry, Young Lady. There is Wei So-ryong, right? I, Gu Pae, trust Junior Hero Wei So-ryong. You should’ve seen how I trembled when I was on Hainan Island.”

“Uh, I must admit, it’s a bit embarrassing for a warrior like me. And Hua Eun, please try not to worry too much. I’m here, after all. I am the expert.”

“Damn it. I never expected this kind of trouble…”

But even I, the bug expert, found myself at a loss in this situation.

I was going to get some smoke, but my initial plan relied on using smoke as well.

The best way to harvest honey is to use a method like the Tang Clan’s, lighting mugwort to calm the bees.

While one might think the thick smoke simply calms the bees, it’s actually a pretty scientific method.

Biologists explain that bees living in trees or rocks cannot help but be susceptible to wildfires, and through experiencing these wildfires, they evolve one particular behavior.

As it turns out, when they smell smoke, they immediately stick to their homes and start to suck up honey.

The first thing a bee does when it smells smoke is to eat honey, and that’s exactly to prepare for a move.

They evolved to store as much honey as possible to escape from fire.

So, when smoke is present, they drop everything and cling to their hives, which is why I had also thought about using smoke.

“I suppose I need to think this through a bit.”

But right now, something unexpected had occurred.

Finally, I awkwardly smiled and said I had to think of a method, and the others nodded in understanding.

“Well, I suppose I need to gather some information to come up with a method.”

“Ah, we might have rushed into this. Surely Junior Hero Wei So-ryong will come up with a solution.”

“I didn’t get to see what you mentioned about the miraculous method on Hainan, but can I witness it this time?”

But I still felt a pressing need to come up with a method.

I felt like I was being pushed into a super stressful situation.

‘Why the hell did they have to show up!’

*

Using the excuse of needing to think of a method, I began observing the Golden Hair Bee King the next day.

I needed to know more about the Golden Hair Bee King to think of another way, but my selfish desire was to collect a few dead Golden Hair Bee Kings as well.

The life expectancy of honey bees is about five to seven days.

Most of them die outside their hives, but those that die inside get carried out by other bees.

So I thought if I waited, I could snag a dead one for a specimen.

I didn’t know how long the Golden Hair Bee King lived, but if I waited, I should be able to find at least one or two dead bees.

Since it was a new species and said to have a potent venom, I had to make sure I got at least one.

‘I’m not doing this just for me; it’s for the clan too, okay? Imagine displaying a specimen in Mandok Hall. How impressive would that be? Just think about it! Guests would be totally wowed.’

On the big rock.

Covered by the leaves of a large tropical plant, I was watching them fly around.

-Thunk.

I heard something land on the rock, accompanied by a whispering voice.

[Wei So-ryong, the children seem to have finished eating. They were wandering around, so I brought them back.]

Rising between the tropical plant leaves, I saw my older sister lying flat next to me, looking at me.

The Ogongs were crawling over from my sister’s body to mine.

Evidently, after I asked my sister to feed them, they finished their meal and had been wandering around to come to me.

The Ogongs slipped into my sleeves and coiled around my arms and waist.

Once they settled in, I heard my sister’s voice.

[Have you made any progress?]

As soon as the Ogongs moved over, my sister asked if I had come up with any good ideas.

[Um, I think I need to organize my thoughts a little more.]

[Really? I feel like I’m pushing you too much. Wei So-ryong, don’t feel pressured, take your time.]

[Of course. What pressure? Hua Eun.]

Even as she told me not to feel burdened in this ridiculously heavy situation, I had to think about how to interpret her words.

[Oh! Look over there!]

Suddenly, my sister pointed towards the cliff where the Golden Hair Bee King’s nest was located.

Following the direction of her finger, I noticed several creatures crawling down the cliff.

[It’s monkeys.]

‘Monkeys?’

My martial arts skills weren’t good enough yet to clearly see like my sister, but I could make out some shapes climbing down the cliff.

They probably looked like a family of monkeys, and their cries echoed off the cliff.

-Hee-hee-hee!

As the monkeys began to descend, several loose rocks fell from the cliff.

-Thunk. Thunk!

It felt like loose stones rolled down as they passed by.

One bigger rock crashed into an old stump.

-Boom!

Immediately, sweet fragrance began to waft from the old stump next to us.

[Huh? What is that lovely smell…?]

[Ah, this fragrance? Where is it coming from…?]

Ignoring the sounds coming from the sweet scent drifting in from somewhere, I shouted to my sister, as red warning lights lit up in my head.

“Hua Eun, we need to avoid this! The bees will come swarming in soon!”

“W-What!? We need to get away!? Got it!”

At my warning, my sister sprang into action like a hero, taking me under her arm and starting to use Lightness Skill.

Just then, we heard the furious sound of buzzing propeller blades from the hollow in the old stump behind us.

-Whoosh!

-Buzz! Buzz!

As we hid beyond the clearing with the old stump into the grassy brush, the sky quickly began to darken.

The monkey family froze like mice in front of a cat while the sky filled with the Black Hair Bees.

The bees dove right into the monkeys.

[Oh my!]

Moments later, the monkey family let out horrified screams as they were stung, swelling up and dying, tossed aside like a ball.

It was a horrific scene left behind by the fury of the bees.

In the grass, I sighed in relief as I checked on my sister.

I was worried about whether she was okay and if she was too scared.

Of course, I was probably more shocked than she was.

“That was close! Are you alright?”

My sister, frightened by the crazed venom, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and took a deep breath.

“Phew… I guess I got angry because of the monkeys. But how could I have known they’d attack so viciously?”

“Y-Yeah, right.”

“But how did you know in advance? You told me to dodge before even hearing a sound! I didn’t feel anything with my senses at all!”

My sister asked how I could have known such a terrifying bee attack was about to occur.

I pointed at my nose with my hand and answered.

“It was because of the fragrance.”

“The fragrance?”

“Yeah, so…”

Just as I was about to explain about the fragrance, my sister tilted her head in confusion.

“Oh, you mean the scent of Han So Hwa? I thought it was blooming nearby, but it wasn’t?”

“Han So Hwa?”

“Ah, not Han So Hwa but Banana Plant? I must have confused the two because their scents are similar.”

My sister’s claim that she had actually smelled the fragrance meant she had experience with it.

I grabbed both her arms and asked, as I felt like this could be a clue to unraveling this tangled situation.

“Hua Eun, where did you smell the fragrance from?!”

“W-Wait a minute. Junior Hero. Just hold on a second. Calm down. I’ll tell you. Ugh… still. I am older than you…”

‘Huh? What does that mean…? Ack!’

I snapped back to reality from her words.

I swiftly released her arms and apologized.

“S-Sorry. I got a bit too excited all of a sudden.”

“You got excited!?”

“N-No, not that kind of excitement…”

After a moment, we managed to calm ourselves.

My sister rubbed her still-red cheeks with her hand and said,

“There’s a flower called Han So Hwa that has a similar fragrance. I know it well because I have a friend who adores it. And the Banana Plant’s fruit gives off the same aroma.”

The fact that she had encountered both flowers was exciting.

I quickly asked again.

“Banana Plant and Han So Hwa? Is it possible to find those around here?”

“Yeah? Of course, the Banana Plant can be easily found in the jungles of Yunnan, so you should be able to find that easily… Han So Hwa might also be out there if you look.”

Suddenly, my sister asked why I wanted to find those flowers.

I smiled and replied.

“If we find those, I think I could do something special for you, Hua Eun.”

“Something special for me?”

My sister tilted her head curiously at the thought that I might be able to do something for her.

“Yeah, little one.”

“What could that be?”

“Cleaning!”

“Cleaning?”

‘Hah, right. Sister is the human cleaning service.’

If I could find the plants my sister mentioned, it seemed likely that this human cleaning job could indeed happen.

*

It had been five days since we arrived in the jungle near Mokri to collect honey from the Golden Hair Bees.

The leaders of the Fengyuan Clan, Yuanhou Clan, Pailong Pavilion, and Baiyu Gui Sha Sect were feasting that evening on a deer caught by their subordinates, washing it down with liquor.

Since the Tang Clan hadn’t moved for several days, they had brought liquor from nearby Mokri.

“Ahh… This is good. By the way, when do you think the Tang Clan will try something?”

“Who knows? They were roaming around three days ago, and now they’re quiet. But I reckon they’ll try something soon.”

“Is it true that the hive is worth a fortune?”

“Hey, come on. Have I been living in the dark? The beeswax from the Golden Hair Bee King is a rare item reserved for the imperial family! So we can all share it amongst ourselves, you know? The Tang Clan will probably just leave with the honey without a proper fight. And if they fail and everyone dies… Heh…”

At the last words of the Baiyu Gui Sha Sect leader, the other three leaders exchanged glances.

At the end of their mutual gazes, the four broke into laughter.

If the Tang Clan wiped out, even just cleaning up the bodies would make a lot of money.

“Haha!”

“Haha!”

“Hohoho!”

“If that happens, great! But we have Poison Flower as well. We need to keep an eye on that; who knows, one of us might even end up being the Tang Clan’s son-in-law? Hehe.”

“That’s not a bad idea. Her looks are… Ugh.”

Imagining the beautiful form of the Poison Flower instead of tasty dishes, the four leaders lifted their cups.

As they cut the deer meat on the fire, taking a big bite, they suddenly heard a strange sound.

“Sniff, sniff. Where’s that pleasant fragrance coming from?”

“Right? A good scent is wafting in on the breeze. It must be the fragrance of the Poison Flower, huh? Hehe.”

As the sweet flower scent spread, the four leaders raised their cups again, feeling their dreams were blessed.

And just as they finished nearly devouring the deer they had first started tearing into…

-Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

The sky, which had darkened without anyone realizing it.

And the sound of bizarre buzzing.

As the four leaders stared blankly at the sky, the swarm of Golden Hair Bees filled their vision.

-Clatter. Clatter!

The leaders of the four clans dropped their bowls to the ground in shock.

“What! W-What’s happening!”

-Whooooosh!

Suddenly, as if that shock was a signal, the dark cloud of bees descended upon the ground.

A hail of bees raining down from the sky.

The followers began to scatter in all directions, seeking a way to survive.

“““Kyaah!”””