Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

---

Chapter 2: The Arrival of Trouble

Many beautiful lakes, including Dongho, sparkled under the evening glow, while far away, the Zhang River wound its way around Wuhan.

At the highest separate chamber in Wuhan.

From the most elevated and beautiful chamber, known as the Heavenly Martial Pavilion by the White Dao Martial Alliance, Martial Forest Leader Kwonhwang Zhu Zhongxue gazed over the flowing Zhang River as the sun set.

Zhu Zhongxue, hailing from a small martial house in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, had honed his skills, rising to the rank of one of the Three Sovereigns of the Martial Forest, despite not being from a prestigious lineage.

Now in his sixtieth year, he reflected on the waves of the river flowing silently.

‘Just as the back waves of the Zhang River push away the front, it’s time for me to step down from my position as leader.’

Though he wasn’t from the famed Twelve Clans, he had honed his exceptional martial skills, earning his position as leader fifteen years ago following the upheaval caused by the Blood Cult thirty years prior when the Central Plains martial artists were in peril.

Now, it was indeed time for him to retire.

As Zhu Zhongxue continued to gaze at the flowing river, contemplating his departure, a voice broke through his reverie.

“Leader, I have brought tea.”

The voice of a servant girl reached Zhu Zhongxue, who turned to see her at the entrance.

“Come in,” he said.

The young girl who entered was in her early twenties.

She had recently become a servant girl in this chamber, taking over duties from the previous one who had left to care for her ailing parents.

-Click clack.

“I have prepared West Mountain White Dew.”

“West Mountain White Dew?”

At the mention of the tea, Zhu Zhongxue’s eyebrows perked up.

His reaction was sincere because West Mountain White Dew was a famous tea produced in Xishan, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province—his homeland.

A place that, although now in decline, still stirred fond memories in him.

He recalled how he used to enjoy that tea in his youth, but not wanting to seem too picky, he usually drank ordinary herbs like Mengding tea or Fangshan dew while at the pavilion, so hearing about West Mountain White Dew struck a nostalgic chord.

As he held the teacup gifted to him, memories of his youthful days blossomed like the fragrant aroma of the tea.

Almost as if she could read his mind, the servant girl approached with the tea.

Zhu Zhongxue gazed at her face.

Thick eyebrows and elegant eyes.

A beauty mark by her lips.

He hadn’t thought about it before, but now, with the scent of the tea invoking the past, he realized her face reminded him of someone from long ago.

‘Now that I think about it, she really resembles someone…’

The woman that came to his mind was none other than his late wife, who had perished during the Blood Cult incident thirty years ago.

Her last words to him—to not seek revenge but to focus on their clan—echoed in his memory.

-Thump.

Recognition hit him like a tidal wave, as if his heart, which had stopped for fifteen years, began to beat again.

But being a seasoned martial artist, he quickly calmed his mind.

‘It must be my age playing tricks on me…’

Just as he brushed aside the unwelcome thoughts and prepared to taste the West Mountain White Dew, a voice interrupted from outside.

“Leader, it’s military officer Zhuge Hu.”

Surprised by the unexpected visitor, Zhu Zhongxue looked towards the window.

The sun was indeed setting, and it was unusual for anyone to come at this hour.

As he peered outside, he saw the sun lowering almost entirely.

“Is there an emergency to visit at such a late hour? Come in,” he ordered.

Zhuge Hu hurriedly entered, bowing slightly as he reported.

“I apologize for disturbing your rest, Leader. It seems we received urgent news from the Four Heavenly Houses that I thought best to relay immediately.”

“If you have come here in haste, it must be significant. Speak.”

Zhu Zhongxue smiled, knowing there must be a solid reason for the urgency.

Zhuge Hu bowed once more, looking apologetic, and placed a letter on Zhu Zhongxue’s table.

And then he delivered shocking news.

“Apparently, the Four Heavenly Houses have recovered the Blood Hand Demon Tak Woon-yang’s severed body and the secret manual of the Blood Water Poison Claw.”

“Blood Water Poison Claw!?”

-Crash!

-Tumble…

As soon as Zhu Zhongxue heard the term Blood Water Poison Claw, the teacup in his hand shattered, splattering tea across the table.

The Blood Water Poison Claw belonged to the Blood Cult, responsible for numerous deaths among the White Dao martial artists thirty years ago. Hearing this distressing news caused Zhu Zhongxue to lose his composure.

“Where!? Where did they recover it?”

Since the Blood Water Poison Claw had claimed his wife’s life, he was unable to control his emotions.

Thirty years ago, when the martial artists burned down the Blood Cult’s hideout, it had already been abandoned, and how they had found it now was beyond him. Tak Woon-yang had briefly caused chaos with the Blood Water Poison Claw twenty years ago, but the severed body and manual had never been retrieved.

“After he was struck by Mandok God’s blow and fell off the cliff, he flowed into Hainan Island and had hidden there,” Zhuge Hu explained.

“Hainan Island!?”

“Yes, I heard detailed accounts from the messenger from the Four Heavenly Houses, and there’s much to learn. It appears there are quite interesting tales about a young junior hero and unique venomous insect incidents.”

“A young junior hero and unique venomous insect?”

Zhu Zhongxue became engrossed as Zhuge Hu continued to share his report.

The news of recovering the Blood Water Poison Claw and tales of a junior hero vanquishing Tak Woon-yang seemed far more riveting than his own adventures thirty years ago.

*

“It seems we have much to discuss. You may take your leave now.”

“Yes, Leader.”

The servant girl exited the office, smiling.

The space beneath the Heavenly Martial Pavilion was her dwelling.

It was already late, and aside from the guards on duty, very few people were around, but as she passed a couple of guards who had been flirting with her, her demeanor changed entirely from when she was in the Leader’s office.

Gone was the smile from her face, replaced instead by a chilly expression.

As her smile faded, her cold look seemed frightening under the moonlight streaming through the open window.

Gazing out, she murmured softly.

“Blood Water Poison Claw… Certainly a sign of the Cult’s involvement…”

With a frosty expression, she muttered incomprehensible words and took out a piece of paper, beginning to write without ink or brush.

-Swish swish.

With each stroke of her bloodied fingertip under the moonlight, crimson lines were drawn.

Anyone who witnessed her actions would be shocked.

For she was drawing with her own blood.

Having hastily written a few brief words in blood, she took an owl tied to the window and fastened the letter to its leg.

-Flap flap.

Moments later, the owl fluttered away into the darkness of Wuhan’s night sky.

*

It had been five days since Grandfather left to save the Sichuan Province Lord.

“Here, release more energy toward your feet…”

In the darkness of the new moon night, awash with gloomy clouds, I practiced my lightness skill by lighting a lantern in the training ground.

I thought it might be simple since my father-in-law, Mandok God, my Grandfather, and my older sister, along with the warriors, seemed to do it effortlessly. But in reality, it was anything but easy.

If I used too much internal power to execute my lightness skill, I would gain speed, but it would not last long. Use too little, and I’d maintain it longer, but my speed would drastically drop.

Thus, I needed to manage my energy carefully.

Chasing down the enemy with a burst of speed was one thing—but running out of internal power mid-chase was an invitation to disaster.

Furthermore, timing and rhythm were incredibly vital.

With ample internal power, I might not worry, but in lightness skill, efficiency and tempo were critical.

As I pushed off the ground, I had to channel my energy precisely, almost like a rhythm game—if I failed to time it right, I’d stumble and fall.

Miss the beat, and I’d trip and fall flat on my face.

I would describe it reminiscent of my past life’s rhythm games.

Having played rhythm games in the arcade a few times back then, I had an easier time grasping the concept now.

‘By the way, what kind of person could run for days without missing a single beat?’

With this realization, I began to admire my older sister even more.

Running like a marathon for several consecutive days without a good sleep meant she had hit perfect scores on every rhythm game track, after all.

Just as I was running around the training ground under the cool night air, I heard a voice from the direction of the entrance.

“So-ryong?”

“Hua Eun So-jo!? Uh, uh…”

I failed to maintain my rhythm due to the surprise and missed the impact moment completely.

Instead of pushing ahead, my body flung into the air and crashed downwards.

-Thud.

“Ouch…”

My whole body resonated against the hard stone floor.

My internal power served to cushion my body, so I wouldn’t suffer serious injuries, but it still felt like a heavy impact.

As I curled up on the ground, I could hear my older sister’s worried voice.

“So-ryong, are you alright?”

Raising my head at her voice, I noticed her silhouette, peering down at me with concern in her expression, despite the darkness.

“Yes, I’m fine… ouch, that hurts.”

I quickly got up and brushed myself off, giving her a reassuring nod, to which she inquired what I was doing out so late.

“What are you doing at the training ground in the dead of night?”

“Oh, I was just trying to practice my lightness skill… I felt like something was off during the day.”

She responded with wide eyes, a surprised expression.

“It’s quite late for practicing… trying to keep your promises, huh?”

“Yes, well…”

“…”

An awkward silence ensued, both of us unsure of what to say. Soon, my sister quickly asked about my lightness skill practice.

“Uh, so what part do you find difficult?”

‘Nice quick thinking.’

I praised her sharp mind and promptly replied.

“Oh, it’s tough to synchronize my internal power with my footsteps. Just a single mistake makes my feet trip up…”

“Oh, So-ryong is trying to maintain the same spacing with every step?”

“Aren’t you supposed to do that?”

Given that I was running, I thought maintaining a consistent impact was essential, but she shook her head.

“You’ll undoubtedly mess up if you do that. I usually think of a song to get me through. Depending on the moment, I’d take larger or smaller steps, right?”

‘Oh! That sounds right. I get it now; I should react to the rhythm rather than force the rhythm onto my steps!’

With her encouragement, a realization dawned on me.

So, I decided to try executing my lightness skill according to a rhythm I recalled.

-Pat. Tap. Pat. Tap tap.

“Is this it?”

As I circled the training ground and returned to my sister, she nodded with approval.

“Yes, you’re quick to understand, So-ryong! But…”

I noticed despite my execution being flawless, she seemed hesitant, leaving her sentence trailing off.

I tilted my head, and she seemed puzzled by something.

“What is it?”

“Um, I was just curious what song you were thinking of… It felt a bit, uh… too frivolous?”

That comment implied my lightness skill might seem frivolous.

I guessed that perhaps it was because I based it on upbeat club dance music.

‘Her sense of rhythm is spot on! She’s like a ghost!’

Just then, considering switching to a more classical tune, I heard the flapping of wings from somewhere nearby in the training ground.

The sounds were from the Golden Hair Bee Kings nesting there.

It was unusual since it was the middle of the night.

“Caw!”

Suddenly, a scream pierced the cold night air, followed by alarms and warrior calls echoing about an intruder.

-Beeep! Beep!

“Intruder! Intruder! There’s an intruder approaching the training ground!”

My sister and I exchanged glances before we dashed toward the training ground, executing our lightness skills without delay.

It seemed there were thieves about!

‘If we catch them, it won’t end well for them!’