Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

---

Chapter 3: Meeting the Martial Forest Leader

It took two days to load supplies onto the Zhuge Clan’s ship.

They also mentioned that someone would accompany us to deliver a letter to the Nangong Clan, the leaders of the Seven Great Houses.

So, we decided to wait for two days and then take the Zhuge Clan’s ship to the Nangong Clan.

Even though the Nangong Clan was in disarray due to a major incident, we couldn’t halt our journey.

The soldiers didn’t know the details, but our Green Lizards’ food was only available there.

“Alright, this way.”

“Yes, military officer.”

Thus, after a nice two-day rest on land, I thought we would set off, but right after finishing breakfast the next morning, the military officer came looking for me.

Following him, we headed to the highest separate chamber of the Martial Forest Alliance, the Heavenly Martial Pavilion.

Apparently, the highest individual wanted to meet me!

It was the Martial Forest Leader, Kwonhwang Zhu Zhongxue, who had a meeting scheduled with me.

He’d even sent a personal letter saying he wished to see me since I had come.

The top of the eight-story pavilion with no elevators was where we were headed.

By the time my calves were screaming in protest, we arrived, and a servant girl was waiting at the luxurious door to announce our presence.

“M-Master, the military officer and the Junior Hero from the Tang Clan have arrived!”

“Ah, let them in.”

A benevolent old man’s voice resonated from inside.

The stuttering servant girl fumbled, blushing as she stepped aside, uncertain which door to open.

Then I heard the military officer’s inner voice.

[Thanks to you, we’ve brought in an inexperienced servant girl instead of the previous one we captured.]

As we entered through the door opened by the novice servant girl, an elderly man resembling the Mandok God awaited us, his most striking feature being his white hair and eyebrows.

He looked weary, as if he had endured all the world’s tempests—it was quite the first impression.

Once inside, I bowed politely and lowered my head.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Martial Forest Leader Kwonhwang Zhu Zhongxue.”

“Oh, yes! Come in!”

The leader rushed over, grabbing my hand with a beaming smile.

With my hand in his, he grinned and asked, “So, those creatures aren’t just biting your arms and waist, are they?”

My elder sister said this man was a top-notch expert in the Martial World, ranking among the three Emperors, and indeed, he was formidable.

Until now, no one had noticed that the Ogongs were latched onto my body, yet the leader had.

“Of course not, Master.”

As I rolled up my sleeve to show him an Ogong, he inspected it with a sense of wonder.

“This is a cub of the Blue-Spotted Centipede. I’ve seen a lot in the Martial World, but this is a first for me. Now, let’s sit down; I must treat you to some tea.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

After sitting with the military officer, I accepted the tea he poured, and the questions began.

Just as expected of an elder at the age of the Mandok God, he started with an inquiry about my background.

“So, you’ve become the son-in-law of the Four Heavenly Houses, huh?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Then, what about your parents?”

“I am alone, without family to rely on.”

I used a fancy expression I’d always wanted to say, and the leader looked at the military officer instead of me.

The military officer gazed at me with a pitiful expression as he answered.

“I was informed that he lost all his memories. He lived alone on Hainan Island, catching snakes to survive until he was found by the head of the Tang Clan.”

“Oh dear. Is that so? The Junior Hero must have lived a lonely and difficult life.”

“Not really. I had friends like these, so I wasn’t too lonely or troubled.”

“…”

I smiled, saying I wasn’t lonely with friends like the Ogongs, but the leader looked at me with even more pity.

‘Wait a second.’

When I thought about why he was making that expression, it dawned on me that to an ordinary person, the story of raising insects as friends could sound really sad.

It was like saying someone had to name a volleyball and treat it as a friend because they struggled to make human connections.

“Oh dear, our Lizard is cute. Isn’t it good to be with your brother?”

Wasn’t that somewhat akin to a situation where a man was stranded on a deserted island naming a volleyball?

“Ah, that’s not it…”

“No, it’s alright. If one is lonely, that can happen…”

“No…”

I tried to explain that it wasn’t like that, but the leader awkwardly smiled.

Attempting to lighten the mood, he skipped over my story and explained why he called me in.

“My reason for summoning you is that you’ve done something significant, and I wish to reward you.”

The mention of a reward lifted my spirits immediately.

After all, it’s commonly known that grievances can be settled with gifts.

However, I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“You mentioned a reward, but I’ve already conveyed my needs to the military officer.”

I had already told the military officer what I needed.

“I heard about that. But that’s just a matter of merely sending relevant information that the Martial Forest Alliance has accumulated. Do you understand how significant your contribution is? You made a groundbreaking discovery about those disgusting leeches of the Blood Cult, ensuring they cannot set foot in the Central Plains again; a mere reward for that isn’t enough.”

He said my contribution wasn’t trivial, offering me an additional reward.

Hearing him say he would give more than what I had already received made me decide to show our virtue of modesty.

While getting something extra was nice, it wasn’t our style to just take it without question.

Didn’t our ancestors say it was polite to decline at least three times?

“I simply stumbled upon this while trying to save my family from those who invaded our clan, so the fact that I saved them and the gift I already received is enough for me.”

Just as I finished speaking, the atmosphere turned icy.

“…”

He paused for a moment, then remarked to himself with a hardened expression.

“Getting this out of pure chance while saving your family, you say…”

‘What? Did I say something wrong?’

Noticing the cold atmosphere, I turned to the military officer, who looked at me with surprise.

The leader’s next words echoed in my ears.

“Ah, that explains it. I realized why I feel such a kinship with you; it’s because we’re alike…”

“Pardon?”

Suddenly, he said we were alike.

I blinked in confusion since I couldn’t see any resemblance whatsoever, and he pulled something out from his robes and tossed it toward me.

-Thud.

“You seem to misunderstand what I mean by ‘alike’—it’s not about our appearances.”

“Oh, haha…”

Embarrassed to have my thoughts exposed, I awkwardly laughed as he continued with a somber voice.

“I lost my clan and loved ones to those Blood Cult scoundrels. In the end, I struggled to save even the last family member and achieved martial success through that experience.

I dove straight into the Blood Cult’s Elder to save the remaining members of my clan, despite being poisoned…”

“Y-yes? Yes, I…”

“Yes, it was about thirty years ago, quite similar to your situation. Helpless yet pouring everything into that earnest determination. You must have leaped without reservation…”

Listening to his story, I began to understand why he felt we were similar.

Both of us risked our lives to protect our families, and both of us were left without any support.

A sense of camaraderie among men, perhaps?

As I was starting to relate to his feelings, he continued.

“That martial art was developed into my unique martial art, the Iron Cabinet Skill. I have no disciples and my clan has already perished; thus, when I die, this skill will vanish.

I’ll bestow it as a reward to you. Teaching it to your descendants is permitted. I have no intentions of being a master, so don’t worry about that.”

“Master! Your martial art!?”

I was about to ask if I could get something like an Ice Orb, but the master was offering his own martial art.

Seeing the military officer gaping at us in disbelief, it was undoubtedly a significant gift.

Considering he was one of the strongest individuals in the Martial World, his martial art must be exceptional.

“Thank you, Master. I won’t embarrass your esteemed name.”

At my response, a warm smile returned to his weary old face.

*

“Can you believe the master has allowed you to inherit his martial art? It’s unbelievable! But we must keep it secret from everyone except the clan elders for the time being.”

“Why is that?”

On my way out, after receiving the book containing the master’s martial art, I questioned the military officer about his warning.

He explained in a whisper, “The one the Blood Cult wants to kill the most is the master, so how do you think they’ll see you, the one inheriting his martial art? Moreover, you are the one who discovered the Military-based Dispersing Power Poison, right? There’s nothing good that could come from it getting out.”

‘Is it really that serious?’

Listening to the military officer’s explanation, I felt like I was continuously crossing bridges into the world of the Blood Cult.

Honestly, I was a bit scared, but what could I do?

I was determined to learn diligently, and I vowed to retaliate with the Dispersing Power Poison in a sneaky and underhanded way.

“Understood, Military Officer.”

“Well then, I have to go discuss more with the master, so this is where I part ways with you. Can you find your own lodgings?”

“Yes, Military Officer, don’t worry about me.”

“Well then, you mentioned leaving early tomorrow morning, so today will be our last day together. Be careful on your way back.”

“Then, take care.”

After exchanging polite farewells with the military officer, I made my way out of the Heavenly Martial Pavilion toward my lodgings.

It was lunchtime, so I thought I would grab a simple meal with my elder sister and check if my gift had been well-received.

And I also needed to confirm the reason for the no-return policy that I didn’t get to ask about yesterday.

“Um, Junior Hero Wei?”

Just as I exited the separate chamber and headed toward the reception hall, I heard someone calling out to me.

Looking around, I turned my head to find a man walking out from the shadows of the wall carrying a spear.

‘Isn’t that the Spear Dragon, Yang Seong-hu?’

He seemed to have been waiting for me to walk out from the wall.

The Spear Dragon approached me and bowed.

“Junior Hero Wei, it’s good to see you again.”

“Oh, yes. Good to see you again.”

An awkward greeting passed between us.

“Are you just passing by? Or are you looking for me?”

Curious about his intentions, I asked, and he bowed again politely, saying,

“Yes, I heard Junior Hero Wei visited the Heavenly Martial Pavilion, so I came to see you. I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

We weren’t that close, having just met yesterday, so it seemed strange to ask for a favor.

‘Is he asking for a favor after meeting for the first time?’

Surprised, I blinked, and he bowed once more, saying,

“Excuse me, but may I challenge you to a duel?”

“A duel?”

“Yes, Junior Hero.”

A duel was about testing martial skills against one another, like sparring in Taekwondo, and I had heard that it usually involved real weapons, which could injure someone if they weren’t friends or in an official tournament.

So I responded with my own bow.

“No, that’s not possible.”

I understood why he was so insistent, but honestly, I wasn’t trained enough in martial arts, and the biggest problem was that the Ogongs wouldn’t discern if it was a duel or a real fight; if he emitted even a slight aura, they’d bite him to death.

He reacted, his face in disbelief.

“What? If you’re a man, then show me how compatible you are with that girl!”

‘What’s this idiot saying? A college student dueling a middle schooler…’

From what my sister said, we had hardly talked, so it seemed excessive for him to be acting like this.

As I shook my head to express my refusal, he cried out in panic.

“Please, I won’t use the spear, and I’ll take enough precautions that we won’t harm each other… Please show me your worthiness!”

He seemed to think I was afraid, so I explained.

“No, it’s not that. It’s that the Lizard might die, and it’s dangerous!”

At that moment, his eyes glazed over.

‘Is this guy really going mad over a middle schooler?’

I quickly unleashed my lightness skill, leaping backward as I heard a sound.

-Whirr.

-Whirr!

-Thud! Thud! Thud.

As I jumped back, the Ogongs burst out into the air between us, attacking him.

“What, what is this!?”

His expression of shock mirrored my own tangled thoughts as I sighed at him.

“I saved you once.”