Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 4: The Mysterious Disappearance

“Ugh, what’s going on?”

“Calm down, Bin Ah. Are you angry because of that strange uncle? Come now, take a deep breath… If the uncle dies, daddy will be in big trouble. Bin Ah!”

Just as I was about to grab Bin Ah, who was filled with determination to take a bite out of the target, I caught her in the act of diving headfirst towards the floor.

“What on earth is happening here…?”

A cold voice fluttered into my ear.

I turned to see the origin of that chilling tone—my older sister, who was glaring at Chang-ryong with an intensity I had never witnessed before.

‘She’s definitely pissed.’

Words echoed in my mind one by one.

I had thought I didn’t have a particular ideal type in my past life, but seeing my sister now, it was clear.

What I liked was a cold-hearted city girl, without a doubt.

With her intelligent face and frosty expression, she looked down at Chang-ryong with contempt that screamed, “you’re trash.”

This was the ultimate form of disdain.

While I was trying to carefully store my sister’s new look in my brain, she extended her arm towards the trembling Ogong creatures who were still freaking out.

It felt like the kids were genuinely putting food in their mouths.

But even after passing to my sister, the Ogong still shook their antennae angrily while casting glances at Chang-ryong.

My sister pet the children’s antennae and asked, “So-ryong, what on earth is happening? Why are the Ogong in such a frenzy? And what about that Chang-ryong?”

Faced with my sister’s questions, I found myself in a dilemma.

For a split second, I pondered two options.

One was to cling to my sister with a pitiful expression and say, “Sister, that guy suddenly showed up and threatened me to a duel, even though I’m young and don’t know martial arts well. When I said no, he shot deadly auras at me… sob…” and invoke her protective instincts while dragging Chang-ryong down with me.

Then she might comfort me, maybe even hug me.

Or, I could opt for the pity-party route, which was riskier given the words I recalled my sister saying yesterday.

I remembered she mentioned that Chang-ryong belonged to the Shinchangyang family from the Four Heavenly Houses, and every three years, descendants of the Seven Great Clans gathered for an event called the Seven Household Connection, a bit like a rich kid reunion from my past life.

‘Since we’re supposed to see each other every three years, there’s no need to become enemies. After all, normally it’s the victor who should show grace in these situations.’

I imagined how disappointed she would be if I had already picked names for our future children with a guy who was supposed to show up before me.

My sister gazed coldly at Chang-ryong, who was frozen in panic.

I tugged at her sleeve and said, “Little one, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I got lost on my way out of the Heavenly Martial Pavilion, and just when I was in trouble, Chang-ryong showed up to guide me.”

“Guide you? But why is Ogong stirred up then?” My sister’s brow furrowed in doubt.

With a smile directed at her, I answered, “Ah, as we chatted along the way, we discovered we get along better than expected. I expressed my gratitude, and as a joke, he said I should shoot some deadly auras at him, which seems to have startled him.”

Only then did my sister nod slowly.

With a tone devoid of emotions, she addressed Chang-ryong as if she were aware that the greatest harm often comes from indifference.

“Thank you for guiding So-ryong. From now on, I will accompany her. So, that’s enough.”

Turning sharply from Chang-ryong, she suggested we head for lunch together.

“So-ryong, let’s go have lunch and tell me about your meeting with the Lord. I’m curious about what you discussed.”

“Shall we? I was just thinking about some warm dumplings.”

Just like that, as I briefly nodded at Chang-ryong, I realized I couldn’t just leave without a word.

“Wait a moment, Little One.”

“What is it?”

“I have something to discuss with the men for a bit…”

I moved towards the still-dazed Chang-ryong, beckoning him closer.

This guy was taller than me.

Clueless, he leaned down toward me.

I whispered quietly in his ear.

[I just saved you twice.]

His head bobbed up and down quickly.

*

At the inn near the guest house, I told my sister about receiving the Iron Cabinet Skill from the Lord while we munched on dumplings, and her eyes widened in shock.

After looking around, she moved closer to me, and seemingly still not at ease, she whispered nervously.

[You received the secret teachings of the Fist Emperor’s Unique Martial Arts, Iron Cabinet Skill!?]

From her reaction, I could tell she was genuinely impressed, so I leaned in and whispered in her ear.

[Yeah, we said we’re quite alike… Is that a good thing?]

[Of course! They say the training process is painful, but once mastered, the Iron Cabinet Skill can defend against blades, even against powerful energy. I’ve heard it’s comparable to the revered Golden Body technique from the Shaolin Temple…!]

After listening to my sister’s explanation, it seemed the Iron Cabinet Skill was an external martial art focused on strengthening the muscles and bones, making them as tough as steel.

If mastered, it was said that even blades could be rendered harmless. What a fantastic martial art!

‘So this means I’ll become a bulletproof boy?’

Something reminded me of martial arts from my past life.

Hearing my sister’s further explanation, it seemed the Blood Cult typically attacked people with small weapons to draw blood. The Lord must have been a very troublesome adversary to them back in the day.

Since they couldn’t wound him, it would’ve been a ridiculous matchup; he’d stun them while they couldn’t even suck blood to recover.

[Additionally, it’s an external skill, so there shouldn’t be any issues with you practicing it. The reason most can’t master multiple martial arts is that their teachings clash, but external skills aren’t heavily influenced like that. It’s a martial art that even those with less talent, like you, can achieve mastery through hard work.]

All in all, one could say it was decidedly beneficial for me.

I couldn’t let the Lord’s kindness go to waste when I heard my sister’s jubilant voice.

She sounded a bit uplifted.

[And I can help you train! I heard that the Fist Emperor whips himself every morning, but I can take that on for you!]

[Whip!?]

[Yes, So-ryong, whipping to toughen the skin!]

Wait, are you saying my sister wants to whip me?

This sounds like it’ll hurt, and to be honest, I was a bit scared, but I thought from an experiential perspective, it might not be a bad idea.

After all, in my previous life, my parents often said that experiences are beneficial.

‘It feels like a purely academic pursuit, right?’

*

The next day, Chang-ryong came looking for us at dawn, accompanied by Sword Phoenix.

I had expected him to apologize during our dinner with Knife Dragon, but he only stayed quiet, suddenly showing up at dawn instead.

He claimed he wanted to send us off, but to avoid my sister’s gaze, he sent me a private message through Sword Phoenix.

[Junior Hero, thank you.]

Caught off guard by his unexpected gratitude, I turned only to notice he seemed friendly with Sword Phoenix, who was quietly slapping the back of Chang-ryong’s head while sending me a look of appreciation.

[I heard about the fool’s antics. Thank you for being so magnanimous, Junior Hero.]

Apparently, after unrolling his dark history to that girl, he was dragged around all night and was now trying to apologize.

Sure enough, Chang-ryong’s next message came through.

[My apologies, Junior Hero. I genuinely appreciated what you did yesterday. After talking with Sword Phoenix at night, I realized how foolish I had been. I could comprehend your generosity more thoroughly after witnessing it firsthand. I apologize once again.]

‘Seems like he’s had a wake-up call. I’ll keep an eye on you from now on, brother.’

I gave a slight nod to Chang-ryong and Sword Phoenix as we boarded the Zhuge Clan’s boat.

After ten days of travel starting from Infinity, we arrived at Anqing, took a small ferry, and reached a place called Seokdae, finally boarding an official vessel.

And then, after another journey on the official vessel, we arrived at our destination, Huangshan.

The view was breathtaking, almost like the pictures seen in scenic photo collections of China, where trees grew sparsely among the peaks, all beautifully dyed by the evening glow.

Gu Pae pointed towards a distant peak and said, “Since it’s getting late, let’s stay the night at an inn in the village at the foot of the mountain. The journey to the Nangong Clan will take half a day.”

Huangshan was a lot larger than I expected, and the Nangong Clan was situated on one of its many peaks.

Internally mulling over why anyone would build a house atop such a high mountain, I entered the only ramshackle inn in the village below.

“Owner, please give us four rooms?”

“Ah, welcome! Four rooms, you say… That would be the rooms for the little one and the scholar, plus two for the remaining warriors. Palang! Palang!”

Upon hearing Gu Pae’s request for four rooms, the innkeeper called for someone.

Soon, a small, pudgy person with a nose and a thumb-sized bump came bouncing down from upstairs.

“Yes, sir! Cough.”

“Please have these two guests in the best rooms and guide the other warriors to share two rooms.”

“Understood, sir! Cough. Follow me.”

As I ascended to the second floor with the chunky little guide, feeling suffocated by his sniffling sounds, the guide rubbed his hands together and asked, “Cough! How will the guests be having dinner?”

“What’s your specialty here?”

“Our owner’s specialty is dumplings made with deer meat, and the broth made from deer bones and stir-fried mountain herbs is the pride of our inn. Of course, the homemade Huangju is also quite delicious, flavored with herbs gathered from Huangshan.”

“And if you’re at Huangshan, you must try the Huangshan Stewed Pigeon! It’s made by simmering pigeon with herbs from Huangshan and is simply the best.”

Deer meat… so someone must be hunting. Hearing this, Gu Pae ordered a few dishes.

As the ordering wrapped up and we prepared to turn to our respective rooms, the little guide had a realization and turned to us, looking a bit hesitant.

“Oh, by the way, how many days will you be staying, and what about breakfast tomorrow?”

“We’ll be climbing Huangshan at dawn. Please prepare breakfast early. We’ll only be staying the night.”

When Gu Pae answered nonchalantly, the guide’s expression shifted in shock.

“Wha—are you really climbing Huangshan!?”

Our reactions mirrored the guide’s astonishment, as my older sister, Gu Pae, and even the warrior from the Zhuge Clan who had accompanied us for the letter all tilted their heads in confusion.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Y-you’re not heading to the Nangong Clan, are you!?”

“That’s the plan; what’s the matter? Is there something wrong at the Nangong Clan?”

Though I had heard rumors that something was amiss with the Nangong Clan, Gu Pae feigned ignorance and inquired further, which only prompted the guide to glance around, appearing quite troubled.

He looked like he wanted to say something but wasn’t able to.

Then Gu Pae pulled out three coins from his pocket and handed them to the guide.

Clink, clink, clink.

“Actually, about two months ago, there have been reports of people disappearing while climbing Huangshan.”

As expected of him, the pudgy little guide quickly opened his mouth for a small price.

After taking the coins, he gathered us and spoke in a hushed voice.

“Are there tigers lurking around?”

“No, sir. They went missing initially, but they were found again.”

“Then what’s the big deal?”

With a look of disbelief on his face, Gu Pae seemed unimpressed regarding the earlier missing persons.

However, the guide waved his hands, trying to calm him down before continuing.

“Cough! No, please listen! The missing people were all those who climbed Huangshan either to gather wood or herbs, and they suddenly vanished only to turn up days later in bushes or caves, or they made their way down with blank expressions after several days.”

“That’s strange, but what does this have to do with the Nangong Clan?”

Upon hearing Gu Pae’s question, the guide again looked around, hesitating to explain.

“It just happens that the people who were found or came back of their own accord started acting strangely. When they came to their senses, they kept repeating words like ‘fairy’ for a day or two.”

“A fairy?”

“Yeah, although they returned to their senses in a day or two, later on, those people claimed that they had spent a night with a beautiful fairy like the little one. Something like that…”

‘Is this guy a YouTuber from my past life?’

“So, what does that have to do with the Nangong Clan?”

Gu Pae seemed to share my thoughts as he frowned at the guide.

The guide nodded, finally gaining the courage to continue.

“Yes, anyway, how can we leave such people who seem to have lost their minds unattended?

So, those who returned were sent to the local physician, but they all mentioned they had lost an excessive amount of Yang Energy….”

“Yang Energy?”

‘Yang Energy? If it’s Yang Energy… then it’s definitely connected.’

“Correct. Cough.”

“But don’t be shocked. One of those who returned to their senses claimed that the person they spent the night with was a lady from the Nangong Clan… But here in the Huangshan foothills, everyone survives because of the Nangong Clan’s blessing, so who dares to say something like that?”

Of course, they would drag him to the Nangong Clan and demand justice when they captured whoever made such claims. So the Nangong Clan had no choice but to investigate the matter, gathering those who were knocked out in the mountains for confirmation, and they all claimed they had spent the night with a lady from the Nangong Clan.

“What!? Are you saying a lady from the Nangong Clan has been wandering the mountains stealing men’s Yang Energy?”

“Exactly! As a result, the lady from the Nangong Clan has been confined to her house, and the men who were captured have yet to return.”

The notion that someone from a high-ranking family engaged in one-night stands!

The thought crossed my mind, unsure of whether I would even get a chance to meet her after being caught by my father.

I had a feeling my back and calves wouldn’t survive the inquiry.