Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 1: The Unexpected Encounter

The reason why my little sister and I wore slightly perplexed expressions.

According to the words of Zhuge Hu, a military officer from the Martial Forest Alliance, the inside of the cave was supposed to be illuminated from above, filled with strange foliage.

He described it as a world apart—an incredibly mystical and bizarre place, but the cave we entered felt quite different.

‘Something feels off.’

It was true that light beamed down from above.

The rays streamed in from a high opening, illuminating the interior like a spotlight.

It looked strange, just as the military officer had said.

However, the claim about an abundance of peculiar plants didn’t quite match up.

The round light shining down from the hole illuminated the center of the cave, but the area outside was mostly withered and dead plants.

Moreover, the few plants that survived in the center appeared rather lifeless.

“There are inconsistencies with what the military officer said, but let’s check it out anyway.”

“Yes, Wei So-ryong.

However, I’m not here just to examine the environment; I only need to locate the blue lizard.”

Carefully, I proceeded toward the center of the cave where the lizard was reported to have been seen, leading the way with the Peng Clan Head in front.

According to the military officer, the lizard had charged at him before.

Though the military officer appeared to be positioned in administrative work, he claimed to have similar skills to an artisan, so I needed to be particularly cautious.

Even he had been taken aback.

“Isn’t that rock over there shaped like a human character?”

“Yes, Peng Clan Head.”

The human-shaped rock was pointed out by the Peng Clan Head.

Just as we started to move slowly in that direction,

—Kyaaaah!

The threatening sound of a lizard echoed off the ceiling like a megaphone.

Upon hearing this, the Peng Clan Head drew his great sword and took a stance.

—Swoosh.

However, on my request, he kept the blade pointed forward to avoid injuring the lizard.

“Just as you said, there is indeed something there. The military officer warned us to be cautious, as he had to step back.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I understand. You stay close behind me. And everyone, be careful.”

“Understood, Clan Head.”

“Understood, Peng Clan Head.”

We steadied our formation once more, advancing snake-like toward the rock.

—Kyaaa!

—Kya!

The continued threatening sounds made us aware of yet another unknown presence.

Its appearance still hidden, it made sounds fiercer than I expected.

‘It sure is lively.’

Yet, the more ferocious it sounded, the more excited I became.

My heart began to race.

There are two types of lizard temperament.

Some are timid and will avoid other creatures at all costs, while others, if disturbed, will issue warnings before charging forth aggressively.

Of course, the timid ones are easier to raise as pets.

They are easier to manage and control.

But as someone who raises them, the feisty ones are often preferred.

A creature that shows indifference while making threatening sounds, just trying to act tough, holds a certain charm, doesn’t it?

Isn’t that why cats that just eat and lounge around are adored?

It’s all because of their aloof yet captivating nature.

While eagerly anticipating how magnificently it would appear, we reached the spot where the rock shaped like a roof came into view, revealing two glimmering eyes beneath the shadow of its base.

—Kyaaa!

Finally, what appeared before us was a creature about three feet long, perched on a stone that was gleaming in the dim light.

It measured roughly the length of a hand, with bright yellow eyes, a clear blue body like the sky, and a white stripe running from its head to tail—its plump tail waving languidly above its head.

‘What the heck! It’s a fat-tailed gecko!’

Though larger than usual, it was a classic example of a fat-tailed gecko.

The term gecko refers to lizards from the family characterized by their ability to climb walls.

At first glance, one might mistake it for being another type of lizard, but it was undeniably a lizard.

The English name “gecko” derives from the way their call resembles the sound “gecko.”

As I marveled at its perfect form, I heard my sister’s voice full of admiration.

“That’s quite a beautifully made blue wall tiger, isn’t it?”

‘Wall tiger? So they call geckos “wall tigers” around here?”

That name surprisingly suited it well, and I nodded in agreement before responding.

“Yes, it resembles a fat-tailed gecko and is indeed quite pretty.”

“Fat-tailed gecko? Oh, so it means its tail is plump?”

“Yes, Little One.”

Since she was already raising some centipedes, it seemed our interests had aligned as she showed curiosity about the lizard.

—Kyaaa!

—Kya!

The little creature displayed its teeth, threatening us without restraint.

Its chubby tail twisted above its head like a viper poised to strike.

While keeping a safe distance to observe it, I noticed the Peng Clan Head in front of us revealed a significant detail.

“Huh? There’s another one inside!”

“Another one!?”

One plus one.

The two of them could potentially be a pair.

Feeling startled, I instantly summoned the Eye Technique I learned before our journey.

‘Send my energy through my eyes…’

As I concentrated my internal energy toward my eyes, my vision sharpened.

I began to see a faint object moving quickly behind the one in front, which kept threatening us.

And its form gradually came into focus.

“Huh? What’s that?”

It was in that moment I heard my sister’s voice, who had spotted it sooner than I.

“Wei So-ryong, the one behind is just lying still.”

Although I wasn’t well-versed in the Eye Technique yet, I managed to confirm that one was motionless with its eyes closed, as my sister had said.

Inside the cave was too shaded for me to see clearly, but it appeared duller compared to the lively one in front and was lying still.

I lightly tapped the shoulder of the Peng Clan Head, saying, “Peng Clan Head, let’s take a step back for now.”

“Step back? Isn’t it time to catch it?”

“Not yet; we shouldn’t catch it now.”

“Why not?”

The Peng Clan Head made a puzzled expression at my insistence not to capture it immediately.

However, I knew that catching it just after discovering it was unwise.

I didn’t need a specimen; I wanted to raise it, so catching it now would be troublesome.

I had no idea what it ate or what its basic habits were.

If I took it like this, I would have no clue what to feed it or what kind of environment it liked, significantly increasing the risk of failure in raising it.

If I had prior information about raising it, it might have been a different story, but when there’s absolutely no background knowledge, the basics call for some understanding of its ecology before collecting it.

“I aim to catch these lizards to raise them, but if we capture them now, we’ll have no idea what they eat or the conditions they prefer.”

“Can’t we just try feeding a bit of this and that?”

“Yes, if they eat the wrong food, they can die immediately.”

“What a hassle. I get it. Let’s step back for now.”

As we slowly withdrew, the creature also began to sense something amiss, lowering its body and starting to lick the one behind it.

*

—Tap. Tap.

The delightful aroma of dried meat grilling from the campfire below began to tickle my nose.

And I heard my sister’s voice call out to me.

“Wei So-ryong, come down for dinner.”

“Yes, Little One.”

I had been observing the two lizards I named Bin and Seol-i, perched on a slightly protruding rock on the cave wall when I jumped down quickly.

In the meantime, Gu Pae was climbing up the sloping wall in my place.

As I brushed past him, I asked him to keep an eye out.

“Gu Pae, please take care of things while I’m gone. If anything happens, let me know immediately.”

“Of course! Just trust me!”

The swap between Gu Pae and me was because it was my meal time while I was observing the habits of the two lizards, which I had nicknamed Bin and Seol-i.

Sliding down the inclined wall, my sister offered me grilled meat and boiled dried rice cake.

“Here you go, Wei So-ryong.”

On my sister’s shoulder, three centipedes waved their antennae cheerfully at me.

‘Is this what it’s like to be welcomed home by your wife and three daughters after work?’

Thinking about the centipedes I saw in my dreams, I momentarily paused at the image of my sister, who was passing me the food, believing it might resemble a scene of a mother and daughters greeting their dad.

“Haha, thank you very much, Little One.”

This was our dinner.

Although I didn’t know much about martial arts, I had once heard that martial artists consume a type of food called mountain-gathering pills during their travels.

But, he told me that those were only for the masters during their training.

Usually, they would pack things like dried rice cakes and dried meat.

Dried meat is eaten grilled, while dried rice cakes are cooked in a ceramic pot with water.

One might eat them plainly or toss them all in together for boiling.

“So, did you make some progress today?”

As I took a seat next to the Peng Clan Head, who was already tearing into his dried meat, his voice inquired about our current situation.

“It hasn’t moved at all.”

“When I stayed up for two nights confirming it for you, they didn’t budge an inch either.”

“What could the live ones possibly be eating? It’s strange.”

“Indeed.”

During the night, the Peng Clan Head maximized his Eye Technique to observe the lizards, while I did so during the day.

Yet it was already the third day, and they had not moved from the shadow of the rock at all.

We had no idea what they were eating.

Typically, fat-tailed geckos or lizards can go several days without food.

Moreover, fat-tailed geckos are lizards that store energy in their plump tails.

Thus, it’s not uncommon for them to go without food for weeks or even a month. It became ambiguous as to how much longer we would have to wait.

Normally, when they’re healthy, they eat something daily, so one would usually feed them at least once every two days.

Furthermore, I was increasingly concerned about the one that hadn’t moved at the back.

If it was unwell and not eating, it likely relied solely on the energy stored in its tail to survive, raising my worries.

‘But if it’s sick, that’s not good…’

“Wei So-ryong, what are you thinking about?”

Just as I was pondering the state of the last one I’d seen, my sister’s voice asked.

While tearing into the dried meat, I replied, “I’m worried about the one that hasn’t moved.”

“Ah…”

After answering my sister’s question, I fell into contemplation for a moment.

Should we wait longer or should we do something?

But no matter how I thought about it, it seemed like we could not afford to wait indefinitely.

After considering it thoughtfully, I realized why the lively one was only threatening us but not charging in.

It became suddenly clear to me that it might be doing that to protect the one lying behind it, who seemed to be ill.

The military officer mentioned that they had charged at him the moment he approached the rock, yet one simply issued threats at the entrance of the cave while the other lay motionless.

If one of them was sick, that behavior made sense.

I felt we would have to check on the one that had not moved.

“I think I need to check on the one that hasn’t moved.”

“Check on it? You mean catch it?”

“I’m not talking about catching it straight away. It’ll become on guard, but I just want to see if it’s hurt. Besides, it might get hungry and eat something due to us. Can you help me, Peng Clan Head? I think it would be good for you to lure one away for a moment?”

Hearing my words, the Peng Clan Head cracked his joints and replied, “Ah, then, I’ve been itching to stay still; I’ll see how formidable this spirit creature really is. Hehehe.”