Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 2: Five Poisons Awaken

“Now that the proposal came up and we’re talking about the five kinds of venom, my top suspicion lands on the Five Poisons Return to Origin Skill I learned.”

As I asked if it was connected, Mandok God nodded knowingly.

“So my Five Poisons Return to Origin Skill is related to the Five Poisons?”

“Just as I expected from you, So-ryong. Yes, that’s right. The Five Poisons Return to Origin fundamentally lies within the Five Poisons: Ogong, Sa, Heol, Seokcheok, and Seomseo. These five venomous insects form the foundation of the Five Poisons Return to Origin.”

Grandpa’s confirmation sent a thrill of anticipation through me. Notably, two of the five basic poisons mentioned—those I had been nurturing—were in my care!

One was a low-level Tali, and the other an unnamed Tali, but still, they were my dear little ones.

Honestly, the title of the Ten Great Venoms was impressive, but how could they possibly compare to the kiddos I was raising?

It was like choosing between an idol and a girlfriend, right?

Clearly, a girlfriend is far more precious than some untouchable idol.

However, considering that venomous lizards are rare in Asia, I found it puzzling that our Seolbing Seokcheok lacked venom. I hesitated to ask about it, but Grandpa continued explaining.

“In the Tang Clan, we classify toxins into two major types: ordinary common creatures and spirit creatures.”

“Common creatures refer to the likes of snakes, centipedes, and lizards, while spirit creatures are those that possess extraordinary intelligence or inner dan. They can further be divided into superior, middle, and lower level.”

I pondered the description of spirit creatures. It seems my captured friends fell into that category, so I quickly followed up with a question.

“Then, does that mean the Golden Hair Bee King, Ice Lizard, Blue-Spotted Centipede, and Human-faced Spider I caught all belong to the spirit creatures?”

Seol and Bing hadn’t been documented in the Clan records, so I had named my new species—the Ice Lizard.

As naming a new species is a tradition conferred upon the discoverer, I claimed the honor.

Grandpa nodded thoughtfully as he replied, “Yes, you are correct. The poisonous creatures you’ve captured are indeed of the spirit variety. That’s why we intended to make another proposal.”

He explained that while the original Five Poisons Return to Origin required the acceptance of the five basic poisons, ordinary poisons were ineffective for achieving great mastery. Therefore, the current version had been refined to accept other toxins, like poisonous herbs or mushrooms, or even manufactured poisons.

“So, what now?”

“They call the original form of the Five Poisons Return to Origin—Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill.”

With the addition of “divine,” the skill suddenly felt so much more significant!

Grandpa’s words only reinforced that impression.

“Since we have the venom ready from Ogong and Seokcheok, all that’s left is to acquire the poisons from the spirit-level snake, toad, or scorpion, then we could fully actualize the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill. So, I wanted to ask if you would consider training in that skill.”

Listening to him, it seemed we weren’t just improvising for our warriors but could actually learn the original divine form of the Five Poisons Return to Origin!

But the question remained: what about Seokcheok?

After all, our Seol and Bing lacked toxins.

“But Grandpa, Seolbing Seokcheok has no venom, does it?”

Mandok God shook his head.

“I’ve seen for myself, and while the Seokcheoks you brought lack fangs, they contain toxins that induce hypothermia.”

“Is that so!?”

“Yes, the cold they emit is indeed a toxin.”

I was utterly oblivious! Grandpa had even examined them closely.

His smile showed he was pleased with my reaction.

“Thus, you now have two paths ahead of you. One involves cultivating the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill by merging the toxins from the Blue-Spotted Centipede and Seolbing Seokcheok. The other path is to accept the poison from one of the Ten Great Venoms, the Human-faced Spider, and aim to gather the poisons for the Ten Poisons Dual Origin Skill.”

Upon hearing the explanation, it was clear I had a choice: ride the Five Poisons Tech or take the gradual route with the Ten Poisons Tech.

“Yes! The tech tree decision finally has to come into play! But oh man, can I really forgo one option?”

In my past life, RPG games emphasized how critical the skill tree selection could be—how it could lead you from being a useless character to a god-like powerhouse.

This felt just as serious.

Choosing to be betrothed to my sister was a monumental life choice, much like determining my path in this martial world.

It felt like a difficult question—should I choose between Ogong’s charm or my sister’s affection?

Seeing my troubled expression, Grandpa added more context.

“We initially intended to encourage you toward the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill since we knew you possessed a Blue-Spotted Centipede and Seokcheok. It’s an incredible skill, and the Ten Great Venoms are difficult to encounter without extraordinary fortune.”

Of course, if I picked the Five Poisons, that wouldn’t limit me to just those five; the potential to fill all ten existed. So, there was nothing to worry about there—except…

As I listened intently, Grandpa explained that if I chose to pursue the Ogong and Seokcheok poisons, I would be limited to filling the snake, toad, and scorpion classes first, and only afterward could I diversify.

Yet, choosing the Five Poisons meant I had to abandon two poisons from the Ten Great Venoms.

The snake, toad, and scorpion were all part of those Ten Great Venoms, so there wasn’t an issue picking them.

However, selecting the low-level poisons like the Blue-Spotted Centipede and Seolbing would require me to forfeit two from the list of Ten Great Venoms.

My talents were limited to below ten, meaning once I maxed out at ten, I could learn nothing more.

“Is it impossible to fill the Five Poisons entirely with only the Ten Great Venoms?”

Surely Grandpa had his reasons for telling me that, but I asked anyway, holding onto my last glimmer of hope.

He shook his head again.

“There’s nothing else, but the Ten Great Venoms lack a Seokcheok.”

In short, even while aiming to fill the Five Poisons with the Ten Great Venoms, I would always be short one.

I seriously contemplated Grandpa’s words about choosing between these two paths.

“It’s either the Five Poisons or the Ten Poisons, that is the question!”

*

As I walked out, conversing with the two elders, I started moving toward the Four Harmonies Courtyard when my sister’s voice resonated.

“So-ryong, you don’t have to feel tied down to the Ten Poisons because of our promise. From what I’ve gathered, although precise records are lacking, the documentation suggests that the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill is indeed an extraordinary craft.”

She continued, reassuring me that even if the Ten Great Venoms’ poisons fell short, it was fine; what mattered was me making the decision I wanted.

Her generous response seemed a reflection of how she had sealed her own affection for me.

“So-ryong, you’ve been doing great so far, and the road of the Ten Poisons can be very arduous…”

The perk of being engaged was that I could call her by name instead of “little one.”

Gazing into her eyes, I said, “Hua Eun, thank you for your consideration.”

“Oh, it’s not a big deal…”

She might have been concerned, but this weighed heavily on me.

Choosing the Five Poisons ultimately meant I’d be missing out on part of the formidable Ten Great Venoms, but opting for the Ten Venoms felt unwarranted towards my dear Ogong and Seolbing.

Though the Ten Poisons seemed appealing, giving up on them conjured images of unsubscribed notifications instead of valuing my connection to the Five Poisons.

But the Five Poisons had that engaging aura surrounding them; the indecision was haunting me.

“This is a tough choice. Sigh…”

Grandpa mentioned that regardless of the path I chose, the preparation for the Great Method was uniform. Ultimately, the only difference lay in the type of poison I selected. This meant my preparation for the Great Method was already underway.

As I continued pondering, two days slipped by.

“So-ryong, it seems like Ogong is about to shed its skin again!”

While I was lost in thought in my room, my sister’s voice burst in, bringing excitement.

Following her, I found Ogong on the terrace, preparing for its second shedding.

From the second shedding onward, they would start to take on their mother’s colors.

Just like the first shedding, the heads of the Ogong were beginning to emerge from their former skins.

“Finally, this time they will be taking on the appearance of the Blue-Spotted Centipede, right? So-ryong?”

“Exactly! They will soon have blue spots across their bodies.”

The Ogong looked like dalmatian critters with a black base and blue specks.

I couldn’t help but wonder how cute they would become, just like the mother I had seen in my dreams. Almost giddy with curiosity, I suddenly realized this wasn’t just a matter of celebration.

“Wait a second. This isn’t just a time for jubilance, is it?”

I sensed that the Ogong wouldn’t dry out thoroughly until the day the Great Method was executed.

Typical centipedes take a solid day to dry, and considering the last shedding, I reckoned Ogong would take even longer.

What was pressing was that the Great Method preparations were set to conclude in just a day or two.

Since the Seokcheok poison was specialized, extracting it would need preparation time. I had been contemplating whether I should start with Ogong or Yo-hwa’s poison, but if Ogong couldn’t finish drying out, I wouldn’t be able to use their poison.

If I touched them or interacted with them during their vulnerable state post-shedding, there was a real chance they’d harden improperly, leading to complications.

But after the Great Method was ready, I would have to discard all the preparations.

Therefore, I couldn’t afford to simply wait for Ogong to dry out.

Ultimately, two days later, at the hall of Mandok, I could no longer wait for Ogong and commenced the Great Method.

Once I relayed the situation of the Ogong to my Grandpa and Father-in-law, the preparations took on a new urgency and finally reached completion.

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

The preparation phase for the Great Method began within Mandok’s herb preparation area.

Hundreds of potion pots lined up, filled with various medicinal herbs, were boiled to extract essence. Next, this cooled essence was gathered into a gigantic jar placed precisely at the center of the Great Method arena.

Then came the second step: pouring a few specific toxins and even the essence of the poisonous creatures into that large jar.

After letting that mixture stabilize for a day, my Father-in-law and Grandpa called me to the Clan Head Hall.

“So-ryong, all preparations are complete, let’s go.”

“Yes, Father-in-law.”

By the time Ogong began to morph, my mind had been made up.

It could be extremely painful, but luckily, the toxin from Yo-hwa was a paralyzing one, so it likely wouldn’t hurt too much—that thought calmed my nerves a little.

And so, I followed the two to the Great Method arena.

In the room sat a huge jar set upon flat stones, aromatically exuding the scent of traditional herbal medicine.

As we arrived, my father and grandpa began speaking.

“We are now commencing the Great Method, So-ryong. Please remove your clothes and sit in the jar.”

“Understood, Grandpa.”

The Great Method involved me sitting in that prepared medicine while allowing a drop of the spirit toxin to react, leading to the addition of the medicinal concoctions so that I could absorb the poison into my body—this was the essence of the process.

After running the procedure through my mind once, I stepped back to the undressing space, shedding my garments.

Then, dashing to the jar, I dipped my toes, quickly submerging my body.

The sensation felt akin to stepping into a medicinal sauna.

Nothing too special—but just then, my sister entered the Great Method room, leading Yo-hwa along with her.

They had decided to bring Yo-hwa for the required poison.

“So-ryong, the kids have woken up!”

“Oh really?”

Trailing behind my sister were Yo-hwa and the little Seol and Bing happily perched on her shoulders.

And at my sister’s feet, three critters crawled swiftly in my direction.

Having transformed completely into centipedes, they were starting to resemble their mother, yet strangely, they retained their bright yellow base with prominent blue spots.

Maybe they still needed time to dry completely, but just as I pondered this, the little ones noticed me and dashed toward me in excitement.

Now, they were so large that when I hugged one, I felt as though I’d wrapped my entire arm around its bulk.

And now that they didn’t need to siphon energy from my sister anymore, they scampered about with vigor.

“Chao, Hyang, Bin! You’ve all become so beautiful!”

Deciding to address my curiosity about their colors later, I admired them while gazing down.

Just then, they climbed up atop the jar, curiously resting against the rim, intrigued by my appearance.

“That’s dangerous! Go back to your mother!”

Concerned they might tumble into the jar, I urged them to retreat.

But then, I noticed Chao’s antennae dip slightly onto the surface of the concoction.

Before I could react, Chao gasped, frantically wriggling her antennae, unsure of what to do.

-Tsuruuru! Tsuruuru!

“Hua Eun! Chao has dipped her antennae in the concoction! We need to wash it off immediately!”

“Chao!? Chao, come here!”

Just as my sister lunged to grab Chao, we heard a soft plop.

A single drop of toxin fell from Chao’s mouth and into the bubbling brew of the jar.

-Bubbly Bloop!

‘Why did I spend days worrying?’

It seemed our little girl was wanting her father to learn the Five Poisons after all.