Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 1: The Unexpected Reunion

“Did you come back? Stop making a fuss; the kids are safe, so let’s head to the Clan Head Hall. I’ve got some stories to share.”

“Yes, I’m back. Understood. The Extinction Poison Squad can take a break now!”

“““Yes! Clan Head!”””

As the Deputy Commander strode toward the Clan Head Hall, he turned back and called out.

“You all come too.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Yes, Father.”

With that, we entered the Clan Head Hall and began discussing the events that had transpired.

“So, you induced the poison to infect him and directed him to suck blood?”

“Yes, and you won’t believe what he said, ‘I am your nemesis!'”

“Hahaha! That’s bold! Quite bold indeed!”

‘Ha, I need to be careful next time. This is surprisingly embarrassing.’

In the midst of playful banter or flattering remarks, a voice echoed from outside.

“Clan Head, an officer is here to see you.”

“An officer? Ah, Zhuge Hu must have arrived?”

“Indeed, I sent a message to the Martial Forest Alliance, and the head sent him.”

“Let him in.”

“Understood, Clan Head.”

Moments later, Zhuge Hu, a military officer from the Martial Forest Alliance, entered.

He and the Deputy Commander were friends, greeting each other with a hearty embrace.

“Whoa, it’s been a while, Cheolsan!”

“How have you been? I thought you’d reached such heights that we wouldn’t cross paths anymore!”

“Ah, my apologies for that.”

Once they finished exchanging pleasantries, the conversation swiftly shifted to something more serious.

“By the way, did you capture the spy?”

“Oh, of course. I’ve informed the head, so they should be apprehending him right about now.”

“The spy?”

I was puzzled, recognizing that ‘spy’ referred to an infiltrator or informant.

Seeing my confusion, the Elder smiled and explained,

“Didn’t the Blood Cult aim for the secret techniques of Blood Water Poison Claw?”

“Yes, it seems they considered it very important.”

“Okay, but how did they know that the Blood Water Poison Claw was here, in our Four Heavenly Houses?”

Thinking deeply, it dawned on me that we had brought the secret techniques from Hainan Island to the Four Heavenly Houses.

Thus, until we arrived at the Four Heavenly Houses, only the Elder, the Gu Pae Deputy Commander, and a few warriors knew about it, and once here, only Grandfather, Mother-in-law, sister, and a few elder members of the clan were privy to this secret.

“Wait! So, it must have been one of the warriors or an elder from the clan!?”

While I was unsure about the warriors, my first impression of the elders wasn’t great because of my sister, but seeing their actions against the Blood Cult made me reconsider them.

My shocked expression made the officer burst into laughter.

“Haha! Looks like your training as a son-in-law needs to improve. For a newcomer, you’re quite amusing.”

Dumbfounded by this speech, I scanned the room when my sister chimed in with a smile.

“Sou-ryong, there can’t possibly be a spy among us.”

“No way?”

I thought, who would be born a spy from the get-go?

Mistakes happen, and they aren’t recruited just like that; I found it hard to take their assurance seriously.

Then came a surprising revelation from Grandfather.

“Sou-ryong, every warrior in the clan, even the slightest servant, is part of the family. No one in our clan would betray us. Our confidence in this matter comes from…”

Listening to Grandfather’s explanation, I realized that the clan treated poisons and their techniques with the utmost secrecy.

So, bringing in even a single servant wasn’t just a casual affair.

If we were to choose a servant, we’d thoroughly vet countless family members to ensure integrity before selection.

Once someone was chosen, not only would this servant be accepted, but their entire immediate family would also join our clan.

This alone was shocking; it didn’t end there.

The selected servant and their family would be prohibited from leaving for ten years, only attending significant family affairs accompanied by our warriors.

“They swear not to leave unless they’re dead!”

‘Whoa!’

I was startled not just by the servant selection process, but the warrior selection was even more rigorous.

They acquire talented children from impoverished families, practically buying them, raising them as warriors.

In a world where starvation was common, families often sold their children just to survive.

For someone to adopt those children as warriors and later pair them with family members meant that ties of blood ran strong throughout the clan.

The loyalty demonstrated through warrior training was proof of their integrity, worthiness, and connection to our Four Heavenly Houses.

As I began to grasp this shocking reality, my sister’s voice pulled me back.

“Sou-ryong, did you perhaps spill any information to the Blood Cult?”

“N-No! How could I?”

“Well, there won’t be a spy in our clan. It’s been nearly ten years since we brought anyone new.”

“But people can make mistakes, can’t they?”

Even though every individual is capable of errors, those who knew of this had already been some sort of truth serum to prove their innocence.

How astonishing! The world of poisons truly was another realm.

Our very own Four Heavenly Houses held tightly these secrets.

This absolutely vindicated their reputation as the greatest assassination clan in the Central Plains.

I was enveloped in a shiver.

“Well then, the spy…?”

“Certainly amidst the Martial Forest Alliance.”

“Right, it must be within the Martial Forest Alliance then.”

I expected it would take eons to catch the spy, but now the Four Heavenly Houses were essentially off the list, leaving only the Martial Forest Alliance.

I had thought it would be a struggle due to their numbers, but as it turned out, there was a reason for their quick capture.

Typically, when a letter arrives, the recipient must categorize the information at hand, dividing it across departments, or report up the chain of command.

However, since the Elder had kept it under wraps, he had sent one of the branch clan elders to inform the officer directly.

Thus, at that time, only three individuals from the Martial Forest Alliance were aware of the situation.

“Who is the spy exactly?”

“A servant.”

“A servant?”

*

Realizing the sensitivity of the topic concerning the lizard, I refrained from commenting.

Given our clan suffered losses, and words of spies and the Blood Cult floated about, I couldn’t abruptly suggest, ‘I’ll just head out to catch that lizard.’

They say that if someone is perceptive, they can snag a meat dish even at a monastery, thus I needed to pick my moment wisely.

‘Gotta keep my wits sharp. Can’t act simply without thinking…’

After we wrapped up the discussions with the elders, I found a spot at the pavilion alongside my sister.

I wanted to reassess Bin’s condition, which we had momentarily halted earlier due to the Deputy Commander.

“Chao, Hyang, Bin, come here.”

As I extended my arm to call the Ogong, the critters scurried toward my sister with their little movements.

Seeing their behavior, my sister asked, worry easing on her face.

“This means they aren’t seriously ill, right?”

“Probably not.”

The relief on my sister’s face came from my previous reassurances.

The biggest sign of discomfort for creatures like insects and lizards—especially those that don’t bond with their owners—is fasting.

When they’re hungry, they swiftly go to my sister, but otherwise, they hesitate to approach.

I wasn’t sure if they viewed me as their mother and my sister as a caretaker, or simply preferred my presence—flies to honey sort of deal.

Thus, if Bin were unwell, he wouldn’t approach my sister for energy, and instead, if he were feeling well, he’d rush over.

Since Bin quickly crawled towards my sister, it proved he wasn’t suffering from an illness that’d impede eating.

Even after inspecting his antennae, it didn’t resemble anything like mold disease.

The black coating wasn’t worsening with time, nor was there any unhealthy change in his skin or overall appearance.

That suggested the simplest conclusion: his color changing was premature.

Just like how in life, some kids grow faster than others—for instance, stumbling upon your first crush in elementary school, something like that.

Nodding, I replied, “For now, it seems like the color change has happened a bit ahead of schedule.”

My sister’s joyous expression brightened.

“Thank goodness! They’re destined to become the three guardian dragons of our clan; they need to be healthy! Oh! By the way, Bin might be turning into a black dragon!”

“A black dragon?”

“A black dragon! It means he turns fully black! Then maybe Chao can be a white dragon, and Hyang can be a red dragon!”

I awkwardly chuckled and chimed along.

“Y-Yeah, wouldn’t that be great…?”

Previously, when my sister mentioned that the Ogong would transform into dragons, I had casually asked the Gu Pae Deputy Commander and the warriors from the Venomous Insect Team.

I was curious whether my sister and Grandfather were mistaken, or if it was a widely accepted belief among the others too.

“Of course! Everyone knows that if the Ogong lives for a thousand years, they turn into dragons!”

“Yes, I heard that Ogong would ascend with a pearl made from Inner Dan!”

“That’s right! That’s why Grandfather and Grandmother told us to release the centipedes that came into the house rather than kill them.”

If everyone but me believed that, what could I possibly do about it?

In a world where it’s true that ‘everyone but me believes something,’ their belief suddenly takes on a life of its own.

Yet, they mentioned that fostering them leads to transformation, which was a good thing, not a bad one.

‘Well, dragons are definitely cooler than centipedes.’

So, while my sister was waiting to feed the Ogong and watching the far-off sunset, the sounds of a high-pitched whistle echoed from below the mountains.

Realizing it was the call of a flying dagger beckoning, my sister and I exchanged glances and promptly darted outside.

The adults were still conversing; we felt our presence was required.

Upon reaching the entrance of the Nine Entrance Gate, a group of ten individuals donned in attire emblazoned with the character for ‘Peng’ stood waiting for us.

These were no ordinary folks—they looked like thieves or bandits!

As we confirmed this, my sister’s urgent voice pierced the air.

“Elder of the Hebei Peng Clan! When you speak with him, make sure not to fuss too much about etiquette or protocols. Understood?”

‘What in the world…?’

Her insistence against following conventions confused me greatly.