Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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< 도마뱀 학대 >

“I am Hua Eun from the Four Heavenly Houses. May I request that you let the Clan Head of the Nangong Clan know of my visit?”

Nangong Clan, perched upon a glorious yet treacherous peak of Huangshan, looked splendid but had its share of curses for those who dared to approach.

As I conveyed our purpose to the guards at the entrance, their bewildered expressions were all too predictable. After all, my older sister had a face that could leave any man flustered.

“D-Do, Poison Flower!? Nice to meet you, Poison Flower. But about the Clan Head?”

“Yes, of course, he must be in the residence, right?”

“Y-Yes, indeed. Please wait a moment. I will let him know inside.”

While I initially intended to inform them that we were here to meet their eldest daughter, Nangong Seol, it soon became clear that her presence was not crucial to our transaction. Since we were here for a valuable item, there was no point in seeking out my sister’s friend who might as well be locked away.

With the current reputation of the house, encountering a cold reception wasn’t something I wanted to face at that moment.

One of the guards hurriedly dashed inside at my sister’s words, and soon a woman appeared behind him.

‘Is that her? Is that the Flower King Peony? But, that’s a bit strange…’

To my surprise, she stepped forward instead of remaining hidden away.

However, the first impression of this beauty, who was supposedly the envy of the Central Plains, left me scratching my head.

She was pretty, yes, but when compared to my sister, she seemed lacking in many ways.

My sister radiated a commanding aura, while this girl exuded none of that.

With such a grand title as the Flower King Peony, I couldn’t help but wonder if her face was more appealing than my sister’s.

Just as I pondered this, the woman approached my sister and greeted her.

“It’s been a while. Hua Eun.”

“Ah, Eun, have you been well? Has it been two years since we last met at the Seven Families Gathering?”

Listening to their exchange made it clear that this wasn’t Nangong Seol but rather Nangong Eun, another daughter of the house.

“Yes, Sister. You came to meet Father? Is there something I can help you with?”

At her words, my sister turned her gaze towards me.

My sister looked back at the woman and replied.

“Actually, we’ve obtained a Spirit Medicine of pure Yang Energy. I’ve heard that your clan has been seeking such a thing for a long time, so I was wondering if you might need it…”

Before my sister could finish her sentence, the woman gasped in shock.

“R-Really!? Is it truly a Spirit Medicine infused with pure Yang Energy!?”

“Yes, indeed….”

The woman rushed forward, grasped my sister’s hand, and spoke with an expression of sheer delight.

“T-Thank you, Sister! Thanks to you, I can finally breathe easy! My uncle had gone all the way to the Northern Sea Ice Palace seeking a Spirit Medicine, but he returned empty-handed, and we’ve been worried sick. What a relief! Our family has been facing troubles lately, so this news… it’s such a joy…”

As expected, my sister’s assertion about the Spirit Medicine being in our possession proved true.

Moreover, the urgency in the woman’s tone suggested the gravity of the matter as she pulled my sister inside.

“Let’s go in, Sister. Father will be thrilled.”

“Eun, wait a moment…”

My sister, notoriously shy concerning physical contact, seemed to recoil slightly at being pulled along.

Amused by the discovery of my sister’s second weakness, I followed them into the heart of the Nangong Clan.

As we entered the Clan Head Hall, a stiff-looking man greeted us warmly.

“Who do we have here? Aren’t you the daughter of the Tang Clan? So, how is the Clan Head doing?”

“We’ve been well. Thank you, Clan Head of Nangong. My father is also doing well, thanks to you.”

“Good to hear… good to hear…”

At my sister’s mention of their well-being, the Clan Head of Nangong’s expression darkened slightly as he mused over the words “well-being.”

However, snapping back to reality under our scrutinizing gaze, he continued speaking.

“Oh, what brings you all the way from Sichuan to Huangshan? You must have come to see me for something important, right? A family matter or some personal affair?”

“Father, we heard that the Four Heavenly Houses possess Spirit Medicine infused with pure Yang Energy.”

“What!? Is that true!?”

Before my sister could respond, Nangong Eun interjected with alarm.

“A Spirit Medicine infused with pure Yang Energy! Is that really the case? Can you tell us what kind it is?”

“We brought it with us. Would you like to take a look?”

“You have brought it!?”

At the Clan Head’s question, my sister glanced my way.

It was time to reveal what we had.

With trembling hands, I pulled a pouch from my robe and opened it, rolling its contents onto the table.

-Clatter.

“Oooh! What is that!?”

“Is that?! T-The Spirit Medicine!?”

What rolled onto the table was a crystalline object exuding a chilling blue hue.

Upon unveiling it from the pouch, its subtle aura of coldness captured the eyes of the Clan Head of Nangong and Nangong Eun.

“May I inspect it more closely?”

“Yes, feel free.”

As I slid the crystal toward the Clan Head, he hurriedly examined it.

After placing his hand on the crystal for a moment, the Clan Head’s expression lit up with joy.

“The purity of Yang Energy is extraordinarily high. With this, you could easily last ten years!”

“Is that so, Father?”

“Indeed. It’s far more refined than the Seol-sam I received from the Zhuge Clan!”

‘It was that impressive?’

The Clan Head of Nangong accepted the Spirit Medicine with a mixture of confusion and excitement.

He handled the crystal as though it were a precious gem, thoroughly inspecting every inch.

Then, noticing something strange in the crystal, he tilted his head and asked.

“However, it looks like there’s something shriveled up inside this blue crystal. What exactly is that?”

He seemed to have noticed something peculiar inside.

In response to the prompting look from my sister, I offered a polite introduction before addressing the Clan Head.

“I am Wei So-ryong, the fiancé of Hua Eun.”

“Oh! I got lost in the discussion of the Spirit Medicine and neglected to ask; you are the fiancé of the Tang Clan’s daughter? What is this strange thing inside?”

To his next question, I replied in a subdued voice.

“I’m afraid I cannot disclose that information.”

“Oh, I see. Then it must be a Spirit Medicine whose origin is a secret. Very well. I won’t press further.”

His expression suggested some understanding, yet my reasons were far less noble.

Truthfully, it was a half-rotted and dried lizard tail!

That was indeed the tail of the lizard that Seol had taken from the pet insects. Irrespective of its current state, it became a Spirit Medicine for those knowledgeable about it.

‘Who would have guessed this would turn into a Spirit Medicine?’

Honestly, the discovery was entirely by chance.

After severing Seol’s tail and planning to keep it alongside the legs of the insect mother as a souvenir, I had placed it inside my robe. Over time, its condition deteriorated, and it seemed to crystallize into this icy formation.

After waking up one night in a chill and checking on it, I confirmed this state, and upon returning home, Grandpa Mandok had assured me that anyone who practiced a martial art requiring cold or Yang Energy would find it to be a Spirit Medicine.

Why a rotting lizard tail would undergo such transformation was baffling, but it made sense in a way.

Our blue lizards, named Pet-Tailed, were an adaptation to their harsh environment, storing nutrients in their plump tails.

This just meant that as they absorbed the Yin Energy from the Seol-sam, it was retained in their tails.

Even in a dilapidated state, it was enough to amaze the Nangong Clan, proving that it was a little gem after all.

“By the way, you mentioned you brought this; it seems you need something in return. What is it that you desire?”

A perceptive man, the Clan Head of Nangong immediately asked about the conditions for our exchange.

At that moment, my sister and I exchanged glances before she cautiously asked.

“I’ve heard that the Nangong Clan possesses Ice Orbs. Can we perhaps trade this for one?”

Upon hearing this, his eyes lit up.

“Absolutely! Is there anyone around? No? Eun, go fetch the Ice Orb from your sister’s chamber!”

“Yes, Father.”

Nangong Eun dashed off at the Clan Head’s command.

After a brief time, she returned with a palm-sized orb that resembled an exquisite billiard ball, with an expression of excitement.

“This is…”

A beautiful, icy blue orb shining like the lizard’s tail crystal.

When Nangong Eun handed it to me with a smile, a chill coursed through my fingertips, reminiscent of when I touched Seol’s tail.

I handed it over to my sister, who checked its quality and nodded in approval.

Since she had once verified the energy of Seol-sam seeds, it was likely that she found the two’s energies comparable.

I quickly bowed my head towards the Clan Head of Nangong.

“Thank you, Clan Head.”

“The gratitude is all ours. Now we must deliberate how to utilize this within the family.”

And just like that, the swift and straightforward trading went down.

In the past life, exchanging used items often involved all manner of villains; this trade seemed so clean that it honestly made me a little wary.

‘It was a mutually satisfying transaction.’

As we wrapped up the trade, the Clan Head’s voice, notably more relaxed than before, rang out.

“Well then, while you’re here, you should rest for a few days. I will host you grandly as my esteemed guests. Oh, and Hua Eun, you were friends with our Seol, correct?”

“Yes, Clan Head.”

“My daughter has recently been through some unfortunate events. Would you be willing to cheer her up by staying with her for a while? It seems too cruel to keep her locked away in the house.”

My sister met my gaze with concerned eyes, as if measuring whether that was agreeable.

Though spending a day or two wouldn’t significantly disrupt our journey—especially since my sister had been worried about that Nangong Seol person since yesterday—I nodded.

With a slightly brightened expression, my sister addressed the Clan Head of Nangong.

“Very well, Clan Head.”

Soon after, we followed Nangong Eun toward the Four Harmonies Courtyard, where, it was said, the little one, Nangong Seol, was confined.

*

On our way to the Four Harmonies Courtyard of the Nangong Clan.

Nangong Eun sighed with relief, her expression visibly lighter.

“I’m glad Father’s mood has brightened thanks to you, Sister. It’s been like walking on thin ice these past few days.”

“I see. Do tell me more about it. What exactly transpired?”

When my sister prompted her to share, Nangong Eun nodded and began to explain.

“I’m not sure how much you know, but strange rumors have been swirling about you, Sister. They say you’ve been wandering Huangshan at night extracting the Yang Energy from men…”

“Yes, I’ve heard that… but that’s just preposterous!”

“Indeed, it is all nonsense. In my past life, chatters like this were commonplace among women, yet upon the mention of Yang Energy, our faces turned beet red.”

As we exchanged words, Nangong Eun continued.

“Yes, Father and the elders believed those rumors at first. However, when the men claiming you drained their Yang Energy knew the secret spots on your body, Father asked you for confirmation… and you, mistaking his concern for scolding for your solitary training session, ended up affirming his worries, landing you in the confinement room for a few days.”

“Oh dear! And then?”

“I snuck in to confirm it was all a misunderstanding, but how could we explain why those men knew about the marks on your body?”

“True, that’s quite the conundrum.”

“This nightmare led you to prove your innocence through the Su-gongsha…”

“Oh my goodness…”

‘Su-gongsha? A peculiar sign marked by a certain harmless ritual, perhaps?’

Upon hearing of the Su-gongsha, I tilted my head, pondering the implications, only for my sister to subtly send me a mental note.

[Su-gongsha is a mark a girl obtains to prove her purity. By raising a lizard in a jar and feeding it the powdered form of Cinnabar, its body turns red, and that powder is then stamped onto a girl’s body.

If a woman is pure, the mark will never wash off even if washed with water.]

‘Wh-What do you mean “powder”?’

Though I was unsure about the specifics of Cinnabar, I was convinced it wasn’t lizard feed. The notion of it turning red suggested it was some kind of dye. Using it to torture a lizard while forcibly stamping it on a girl’s body sounded like a horrid tale.

While it’s a unicorn that determines a maiden’s purity, not a lizard, I was incredulous at the thought of such lizard abuse as my eyes widened in disbelief.

From my position, I noticed a woman rising from a large pavilion in the central courtyard adorned with a vivid peony tattoo blooming from her left hand’s back to her wrist.