Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 5: The Silk of Farewell

“Please take good care of Yo-hwa for me,” said the old man as he began to bid farewell to Yo-hwa.

With trembling hands, he gently stroked the spider’s head and spoke again.

“Yo-hwa, please follow this young master. I am now too old to care for you any longer. Do you understand? Cough! Cough! If you can’t resist hunger and start sucking the Yang energy of others, people might harm you. So, please go and live long with him.”

Tears fell from the old man’s eyes, and mysteriously, tears dripped from the segmented legs of the Yo-hwa, who resembled Nangong Seol, as she listened.

It was astonishing that real tears flowed from a creature, but it was even more striking that such sorrow could be expressed.

From this, it was clear the old man had raised Yo-hwa with genuine affection.

If an animal understands human speech and emotions and responds to them, it suggests that the bond between the owner and pet was well-formed during the raising process.

The intelligence and emotional responsiveness of a pet typically correlate with the amount of time spent together with its owner.

“I bet she practically lived like a daughter to him.”

The thought ignited a desire within me.

With such a relationship, she seemed to be a rare gem indeed.

Being an experienced caregiver, I cautiously asked the old man, “Sir, would you consider coming with us to Sichuan? Would it not be better to go with us than to simply part ways?”

Though he was elderly, having raised Yo-hwa for twenty years surely meant he had much to teach.

When I asked gently, the old man smiled through his tears and replied, “Young master, I appreciate your kind offer greatly. However, my age is not suitable for enduring such a long journey. Moreover, my family’s graves are here, so how could I leave this place? Cough!”

Indeed, he appeared quite frail; it was only natural he would want to stay by his family’s resting places.

Nodding in understanding, I decided to inquire about something that piqued my interest.

“Then, could you perhaps share the experience you gained while raising Yo-hwa? This is my first time dealing with a spider like her, after all.”

Wiping his tears, the old man nodded appreciatively.

“I will answer any questions you have to the best of my ability.”

Gaining insights from an expert was akin to receiving the ultimate guide.

I knew the first question I wanted to ask.

“Ahem. The most pressing question is, how does one provide Yang energy to her?”

Nothing was more important than food, and naturally, the foremost question revolved around how to feed her!

It was always on my mind how to give her Yang energy, so I promptly posed that query to the old man.

His astonishing answer came in an instant.

“You need to make it red.”

“R-red!?”

His immediate response took me by surprise, and he lifted his finger to demonstrate.

“Yes, like this, just make your finger red. It’s best if you lick your palm or any part of your body. It’s said that even sleeping together will transmit Yang energy.”

“Why are you so surprised? Is touching still beyond your capabilities?”

“Oh, right! Of course, fingers. Why was I so tense?”

I realized I had jumped to conclusions. I assured him, “Ah, no. I can touch it.”

I crouched down next to him and gently petted her true head, causing the old man to wear a pleased expression.

“Indeed. My eyes did not deceive me.”

“Then, what about the mouth? Is it her actual mouth?”

When I asked if I needed to insert my finger into the spider’s real mouth, he demonstrated with his finger into the pedipalps, which resembled Nangong Seol.

“No, her true mouth is occasionally used to paralyze prey, and she consumes Yang energy with these.”

Certainly, the pedipalps were used for hunting and mating—it made sense that they would be involved in absorbing such energies.

“Let me show you. Here, insert your finger into her mouth, and the one who gets drained of Yang energy will look the most beautiful in your eyes.”

Just as the old man said, the pedipalps, previously resembling Nangong Seol, began to shift and transform swiftly from the crown down.

Swish.

The transformation revealed the form of a country woman in her thirties.

She wasn’t exactly beautiful, yet I felt she resembled someone the old man cherished most.

Staring at the old man, I realized he nodded, saying, “Yes, this is my deceased wife. Cough! Cough!”

Looking back, the old man, frail and ill, had transferred Yang energy to Yo-hwa.

He fell into a fit of coughs that sounded dangerously close to his last breath.

“Are you okay!?”

Sweat beaded on his forehead. When I asked, he smiled bittersweetly and nodded.

“Yes, I desperately wanted to see this face before I die. Don’t worry about me. I’ve only given a little. Would you like to try it? Cough!”

Taking him at his word, I inserted my finger into the mouth of the pedipalps now resembling a rural woman, and felt a sudden drain of energy, as if I had just sprinted.

The transformation began from her head down once more.

Swish.

But something strange happened.

Instead of a human appearance, her form shifted to that of a red, faceless mannequin.

The old man’s eyes widened with surprise.

“What is this!?”

Clearly taken aback, he gazed at me with wide eyes that reflected his astonishment.

The actual eyes of the spider mirrored the astonishment of both the old man and me.

“How did this happen?”

The old man’s voice trembled as he spoke, “This is certainly how Yo-hwa appears just before she assumes a human guise.”

Seeing her true form was a delight, yet I felt the intense gaze of the Venomous Insect Team warriors on the back of my neck.

“This is a serious problem.”

The warriors of the Nangong Clan and the townsfolk around Huangshan praised the beauty of Nangong Seol.

It stood to reason that as long as Yo-hwa could maintain Seol’s form, she would be acknowledged as the greatest beauty in the village.

Thus, the warriors of our Tang Clan likely held similar feelings regarding my older sister.

Recalling what Gu Pae, the deputy commander of Hainan Island, had said, it became evident that our warriors must have been singing compliments about my sister’s beauty.

Tang Clan’s pride, the finest beauty in the Central Plains, Hua Eun.

But now, after draining my Yang energy, why hadn’t Yo-hwa transformed into my sister?

This would be akin to treason in their eyes.

When I was drained, Yo-hwa must assume my sister’s appearance. It was a necessity!

What would happen if my sister ever found out about this?

If I asked for a chance and then she didn’t change or ended up in some other form, it would indeed be a serious issue.

“Ah, perhaps her body is paralyzed, preventing her from fully transforming!”

“That could be possible. Cough!”

I covered up the situation for now, probing the old man with a few more questions before asking Gu Pae to escort him home.

I then hurried straight to my sister.

No matter how I thought about it, the lack of transformation into my sister by Yo-hwa seemed rooted in my inability to physically connect with her on a deeper level.

“Could it be that despite my fondness for venom, I loved my sister more? Surely, something else is at play.”

I realized I needed a way to imprint her in my mind better through physical contact.

With that thought, I rushed to the Nangong Clan’s servants to seek out Nangong Seol.

Meeting her at the gazebo where we had once talked, I grabbed my sister’s wrist.

“Little One, I have something urgent to discuss; can I borrow you for a moment?”

“So, Wei So-ryong, what’s this about?”

“Yikes!”

My bold action caused the two women to flush deep red.

Though surprised, my sister didn’t resist as I pulled her deeper into the quiet grove of the Nangong Clan.

Stopping to check our surroundings, my sister posed a nervous question.

“So-ryong, um, why are you acting like this?”

I lowered my voice and spoke earnestly. “I hope you won’t misinterpret my words. Alternatively, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if you did.”

“What do you mean?”

Since this was the case, it might be better to let her misunderstand.

“Little One, it’s sudden, but may I hug you?”

“Wh-what!?”

My sister jumped in shock at the request for a hug.

But this was an emergency.

For both Yow-ha and me, it was essential she transform into my sister.

As I gazed at her, my sister’s face turned crimson; she fidgeted with her fingers.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she asked, “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you…?”

With just one request to hug her, she dared to question whether I had come to some realization.

I blinked in confusion when my sister hastily explained her previous hesitation, “I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure. I’ve only read about this, so I’m not certain. I just thought I should confirm with Grandfather or Father when I returned to the clan…”

“What?”

I had no clue what she was talking about.

Yet, perhaps interpreting my gaze differently, my sister closed her eyes tightly and nodded.

“Yes, yes. The name of the host is Human-faced Spider, also known as the Ten Great Venoms.”

“What!? You mean the one that deals in Ten Great Venoms!?”

I sensed something was amiss. I thought she was simply an uncanny spider, yet the mention of the Ten Great Venoms was significant.

My sister, usually composed, seemed unnerved, scratching the ground with her toes nervously.

“I-I wasn’t trying to deceive you, So-ryong. I-I’ve never heard of a body transformation either. I just thought it would be prudent to confirm…”

As I watched her fret, it became clear our contract stated that if I captured one of the ten great venoms, she would become mine.

This perception of the situation arriving so swiftly certainly left her feeling taken aback.

However, a contract is a contract.

As I stared at her without a word, she finally closed her eyes tightly, extended her arms, and nodded.

Was she offering a reward of sorts?

As that brief moment passed, fixating on the idea of her being the most beautiful in my mind, we reached the training grounds.

With the warmth of her still lingering, I inserted my finger into Yo-hwa’s mouth, which was slowly regaining strength, and immediately sensed the transformation begin.

“It worked!”

At that moment, Tang Clan’s Venomous Insect Team regarded me with expressions filled with renewed respect.

“Life is definitely not easy.”

*

It took about two days for the Human-faced Spider, Yo-hwa, to regain her strength.

“I’ll let you out tomorrow, so just be calm for today.”

Creek!

When she awakened, I discovered an additional intriguing fact: Yo-hwa was an extraordinarily calm spider.

Without Yang energy, she felt the pangs of hunger, but she had been remarkably obedient as long as she had a full belly.

Naturally, being a spider, she wasn’t very active, spending most of her time quietly resting.

On the day we planned to leave the Nangong Clan, a piece of unfortunate news awaited us.

When I visited the old man’s home for one last goodbye, I found him returned to his family.

Creek…

Yo-hwa grasped the deceased old man, weeping for a long while.

Using her silk instead of a shroud, she buried him next to the family grave the old man had shown her.

“May you attain the highest realms of bliss, old man. I promise I will care for Yo-hwa for the rest of my life. Yo-hwa, won’t you come along with me as your father wished?”

Chirp!

After hastily conducting the funeral rites for the old man, we hurried to Anqing, the nearest port to the Nangong Clan.

I offered the hesitant shipmaster a little extra money, and he reluctantly permitted us to board.

As soon as we set foot on the vessel, it began its journey against the current towards Sichuan, where my clan and the Lizard Clan awaited.