Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 2: The Blue-Spotted Centipede

“The declaration of a reward is quite amusing,” the Junior Hero remarked, his earnest demeanor introducing an unexpected twist to the conversation.

“I have something specific I desire…”

“What might that be? An elixir? Money? A weapon? After achieving such a feat, you can surely ask for anything. I’ll do my utmost to procure whatever it is, so don’t hold back!”

Zhuge Hu nodded, eagerly awaiting the request, but the Junior Hero replied bashfully.

“Um, actually, it’s information on venomous insects…?”

“Information on venomous insects?”

“Yes, uh, my hobby—no, my aspiration—is to collect every type of venomous insect scattered across the Central Plains for the development of the Tang Clan, hence I need to know where I can find them.”

“You want to gather venomous insects?”

Zhuge Hu felt peculiar observing the Golden Hair Bee King being treated like a pet, but what the Junior Hero desired was even more bizarre.

At the moment, he rolled up his sleeves to reveal his forearms.

“These are also my pets…”

“Huh?”

At first glance, it appeared a yellow something was coiled around the Junior Hero’s arm, giving the impression of a gauntlet.

Upon closer inspection, however, the writhing thing wrapped around his arm came to light. When he unwrapped it and placed it on the dining table, it squirmed up and began to crawl back onto his arm.

“What is that?!”

It was undoubtedly a living creature. As I inquired, the Junior Hero, with an awkward smile, replied, “It’s a baby Blue-Spotted Centipede, one that I’m raising.”

“The, the baby Blue-Spotted Centipede?!”

Right. Thinking back, I recalled tales from the Tang Clan about how a Junior Hero had defeated Tak Woon-yang with a Blue-Spotted Centipede. It seemed that this little creature was indeed from the same lineage.

“Y-yeah, I heard you defeated Tak Woon-yang with one of those!”

“Yes, these little ones.”

He treated the Golden Hair Bee King like a puppy, cradling the Blue-Spotted Centipedes in both arms—it was an incredible sight to witness.

Though many prodigies have graced the Martial Forest, none could match the peculiarity of this one throughout its long history.

‘How fascinating! How is it that venomous insects are so affectionate towards humans?’

To raise and snuggle venomous insects like that was a feat unimaginable for the average person.

Even if venomous insects were inclined to follow, one wrong move and it could cost a life, yet the audacity of this young Junior Hero was genuinely admirable.

Prompted by the sight, Zhuge Hu suddenly recalled something long forgotten from years ago: the information about venomous insects that the Junior Hero had requested.

Although whether they were indeed venomous remained uncertain.

“Hmm… I think I can provide you with some information you want… Are you interested in lizards? Do they have poison as well?”

“Lizards!? Is that for real?!”

“Yes, is that acceptable?”

“Absolutely, sir! Lizards have toxic glands in their eyes! You see, a lizard is…”

The Junior Hero burst forth with excitement, spouting words that I could hardly comprehend, though it was clear he was overjoyed.

Seeing him like this, Zhuge Hu scratched his head in bewilderment. Various rewards had been presented to the remarkable martial artists of the Martial Forest Alliance—fine swords, beautiful maidens, spirit medicine—yet witnessing such joy at the prospect of knowing where a lizard resides was an entirely new experience.

‘Indeed, what an extraordinary talent!’

*

“Bwaaaahh!”

A tremendous thundering sound emanated as the waterfall surged over the cliff’s edge, all while the voice of my nephew, Zhuge Yong-chun, broke through the noise.

“Uncle, it seems we’ve arrived! As described by the elders, the waterfall and the tortoise-shaped rock have emerged! Oh, and we can even see the summit of Gongga Mountain in the distance!”

To the right, a massive waterfall cascaded, while the left revealed the snow-capped peak of Gongga Mountain far away.

Before us, the tortoise-shaped rock was indeed the site the elders had left behind.

Zhuge Hu nodded in acknowledgment, dipping his hand into the chilly water before pulling it back, surprised at how cold it was.

The melting snow from the summit of Gongga Mountain was indeed icy enough to chill to the bone.

Turning back to the accompanying nephew and warriors, he called out, “Everyone, wait here! Tian, be careful—it’s very cold!”

“Yes, Uncle!”

“Yes, Lord Zhuge!”

And without hesitation, he launched himself into the winding river beneath the waterfall.

He leaped off the tortoise-shaped stone rising in the middle of the stream using the technique called Treading Waves, gliding over to a rocky outcrop on the opposite cliff.

However, it wasn’t the final destination, so he didn’t stop and instead launched himself upward toward the cliff.

After a moment of deftly ascending over the protruding rocks of the cliff, a large moss-covered stone came into his view.

It distinctly resembled a human fist.

It had been out of view behind the mist of the waterfall.

That was his targeted location.

“Yong-chun, it’s over there!”

“Please go ahead! I’ll follow right behind you!”

After checking that his nephew was trailing, Zhuge Hu leaped again.

Upon reaching the fist-shaped rock, he noticed a narrow opening suitable only for a person to crawl through.

“Uncle, it’s just like what the elders said!”

His nephew’s voice arrived as he landed next to him.

Zhuge Hu nodded, retrieving his uniquely devised poison-detection instrument.

He was about to crawl into the opening but worried that some beast might lurk inside.

Though it was a hole in the cliff, the elders had stated there were entrances other than this one.

“I’ll go in first, so follow closely.”

“Understood, Uncle.”

Zhuge Hu focused his energy and bent down to crawl inside.

The moist ground felt slick, and cold droplets dripped from above.

However, it didn’t take long for the cramped tunnel to expand, soon becoming tall enough for them to walk upright.

Eventually, a stream of light began to seep in the distance.

It confirmed the description left by the elder before they departed.

As he proceeded inward with his nephew, a vast cavern revealed itself.

Above them was a height that would easily contain dozens of layers.

Light flowed through the holes in the ceiling, illuminating an incredibly bright space.

“It’s truly a marvel, Uncle!”

The location they arrived at was genuinely incredible.

The cold currents from Gongga Mountain had previously given an eerie feeling, yet this place was as warm as late spring.

Blooming upon the ground were unknown flowers and fruit.

Assuredly, this was a place where Spirit Herbs could thrive, as the elder had claimed.

“Certainly so.”

Nodding at his nephew’s observation, Zhuge Hu edged slowly toward the center of the hall.

What they sought lay precisely there.

Taking a few steps forward, what they spotted ahead washed with the sunlight cascading down from above.

Beneath two boulders leaning together like giants was a shimmering patch of white-leafed plants.

“Th-that’s Seol-sam (雪蔘)!”

His nephew exclaimed in astonishment beside him.

Indeed, what blossomed beneath those boulders was Seol-sam.

A Spirit Herb laden with the essence of extreme yin.

If one were to age for a century, it would be called Baeknyeon Seol-sam (百年雪蔘); a millennium would grant it the title Cheonnyeon Seol-sam (千年雪蔘).

The purpose of Zhuge Hu’s visit was none other than to acquire this very herb.

This Seol-sam was discovered by the elder a hundred years ago, during which its sprouts were too young to harvest, but now, a century later, it had matured enough for collection.

Frankly, their clan had intended not to harvest it until very recently.

Since the longer it aged, the better it became, they had opted to leave it for future generations.

However, with the daughter of the Nangong Clan suffering from a dire condition, they had decided to trade for it to obtain some spirit medicine or herbs imbued with yang energy.

The two-hundred-year-old black heshouwu obtained from the Nangong Clan was perfect spirit medicine for the Zhuge Clan’s martial artist.

There was even a chance that his nephew, Zhuge Yong-chun, might achieve mastery in an advanced technique!

As Zhuge Hu and his nephew approached the stone, they agreed to express their gratitude to the elders by bowing deeply before it.

“Future generations of Zhuge Hu give thanks for the arrangements made by elders.”

With that, they bowed before the century-old Seol-sam and started to carefully remove the surrounding moss.

Then suddenly, a sound echoed from behind the Seol-sam, followed by something shooting out.

Zhuge Hu’s eyes went wide with shock as he quickly stepped back and raised his weapon to defend himself.

-Clang!

While he couldn’t precisely see what had struck, the sound of something colliding with his weapon rang clear.

A heavy impact jolted through his arm.

It was a blow strong enough to have shattered the bones of a lesser being.

“Ugh!” “Uncle! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine! Be careful! It’s coming again!”

As his startled nephew rushed towards him, a blue light shot between them.

-Swooosh!

-Crack!

This time, preparing in advance, Zhuge Hu swung his weapon, and the sensation of cutting through something firm traveled through him.

-Shreeeek!

Something let out a weird cry as it dove into the brush beyond the rock where the Seol-sam had grown.

Trailing behind it were sparkling blue droplets.

Glancing down at the surface of his weapon, he noticed it glimmered with a cold mist.

“What on earth was that?!”

His stunned nephew, holding a pen-like weapon, questioned in astonishment.

Still inexperienced in martial arts, he was unable to ascertain the identity of the creature, but the image of what had just attacked was still vivid in Zhuge Hu’s mind.

“Was that… a lizard?”

“A lizard?! For real?!”

Indeed, it would seem that the creatures that had fired at Zhuge Hu were unmistakably two lizards.

*

The information delivered by Zhuge Hu, the military officer of the Martial Forest Alliance, was as sweet as honey.

A blue lizard!

This referred specifically to a blue variant of the creature.

From what I understood, it thrived on Spirit Herb energy, but frankly, I didn’t care too much about the specifics—lizards were the key factor here.

And did I mention they were BLUE?

The rare natural hue was exceedingly precious, making this blue lizard the ultimate piece of information.

Moreover, lizards were some of the most entertaining creatures to breed.

They were undeniably cute, and handling them was a delight. Even when they got ruffled, revealing their teeth, it just made them all the more adorable!

Plus, it seemed they’d been discovered near Gongga Mountain in Sichuan.

By what I had heard, it wasn’t far from this location.

The cherry on top was that he had promised to inform me whenever venomous insects appeared in the Central Plains.

Among the social elites, someone like him was undoubtedly referred to as a “great hero.”

‘He certainly was quite the open-minded man!’

However, despite receiving such marvelous news, a twinge of regret nagged at me—because of the Blood Cult, leaving the clan would take some time.

Most likely, I’d need to wait until either the Artisan returned or Grandfather regained his freedom.

One of them would have to accompany me on the journey.

Hence, as I sat in the Four Harmonies Courtyard, inspecting Bin’s antennae, I pondered when the Artisan would return.

“Where on earth is So-ryong?!”

A booming voice echoed, shaking the surroundings of the Tang Clan.

Bin, coiled around my hand, flinched and retracted her antennae in surprise.

Moments later, the Artisan, leading the Extinction Poison Squad, bolted into the courtyard, his presence practically charging the air.

‘What impeccable timing!’

It seems the Artisan had returned from leading the squad on their mission!