Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 3: The Aftermath of the Great Method

“Oh, why the Great Method! What the heck is going on here!?”

“Soh-Ryong, what’s the situation!? Why has the Great Method begun!?”

“Grandpa… cough…”

As the pot began bubbling and making noises like it was about to explode, both Grandpa and Father-in-law ran over, their faces full of shock as they prepared other herbs for the Great Method.

Boom!

The potion inside the pot erupted with a harsh, bombastic noise.

Unbearable pain surged through me, rendering me unable to even open my mouth, but thankfully, my older sister quickly conveyed the situation to the two of them.

“Oh, Soh-Gong accidentally dropped a drop of poison! The Great Method seems to have started!”

I remembered hearing that once the Great Method began, one should never move. With my superhuman patience, I was holding on, but I felt like I could burst out of that pot at any moment.

‘T-this is insane pain!?’

No wonder, I felt as if I was plunged into an oil pot.

It felt as if my skin was going to get peeled off, my entire body ablaze with a sizzling sensation.

Yo-hwa’s poison was said to be a paralyzing toxin, so it wouldn’t hurt, but maybe because Soh-Gong’s poison was capable of melting a person, this was no joke.

I couldn’t even blame Chao; after all, she had just dribbled a bit of her saliva, so what could I possibly get mad about?

My jaw trembled.

My fingertips, toes, and even parts of my body felt like they were melting away.

A deep scream erupted from my heart!

‘And we haven’t even completed our first night yet! What the heck, I’m going to melt away! Aaaaaah!’

“What!?”

“What did you say!?”

The shocked voices of the two came in quick succession after hearing my sister’s explanation.

“Soh-Ryong, focus! Pay close attention to what I’m saying. Try to circulate your energy following the formula you learned for the Five Poisons Return to Origin Skill! The Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill isn’t that different from the basic skill. So calm your mind and move your energy slowly. I’ll help with your energy directly at Baihui!”

With Grandpa’s energy pushing into my head, I resurrected memories from the past through the pain and slowly activated the Great Method.

Clenching my teeth, I somehow pushed through.

‘Cough…’

As the energy that started from my dantian moved through my meridians, the pain slightly lessened.

Feeling a flicker of hope that this was my only chance, I clung desperately to the Great Method.

Grrrrr!

The only sound filling my ears was the boiling of the potion.

With each cycle of the Great Method, my path was slightly altered by Mandok God Grandpa, and after about five revolutions, I hit a fixed course.

Only then did the poison that surrounded me feel oddly familiar.

And as if it was being absorbed by my skin, it started to circulate through my body and began to change something in my dantian.

It wasn’t a change of the dantian itself, but if until now the energy in my dantian felt like some sort of pure distilled water, then this sensation felt more like soda.

Yes, something refreshing yet tingling began to be felt in my dantian.

As the energy of the potion and the dantian stabilized, the pain in my body subsided, and my mind returned to some sense of clarity.

The terror of possibly melting away faded as my senses returned.

They say once the Great Method ends, one would be brimming with energy, but I felt completely drained.

‘Crazy, I barely escaped with my life.’

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was my sister, who was right next to me, pacing and nervously.

I noticed her eyes widen in shock as she met my gaze.

Next to her, I spotted Chao, surrounded by other girls—Seol, Bing, Yo-hwa, and Hyang—getting scolded mercilessly by them.

It seemed she was getting a good telling-off for causing a mess.

Other kids surrounded Chao, lecturing her in a dialect only they understood.

Chirp! Chirp!

Grrr! Grrr!

Zzzrrr!

Chao appeared pitifully, her head hung low among them.

Then I heard my sister’s shocked voice as we locked eyes.

“Soh-Ryong, can you hear me? Can you see me? Grandpa said you’re through the hardest part, and once you’re fully conscious, you can talk.”

“Chao, are you alright?”

I asked if she was fine since her feelers had been soaked in the potion, and suddenly time seemed to freeze.

‘What the? Is the Great Method supposed to have this effect?’

I thought my sister had gone completely frozen, but it wasn’t that.

Suddenly, she sighed heavily.

With an expression of disbelief, she responded.

“Yes, I washed her feelers right away. During the scary moment when you could’ve died, you know? Honestly…”

Crossing her arms, my sister gave me a frosty look.

As I processed her response, the first thought in my mind was, ‘This is really bad.’

‘Why do I always instinctively prioritize nurturing my creatures first?’

Now that I was engaged, I really should’ve cared for my sister first. What a massive blunder that was.

So I groaned weakly.

“Cough…”

“Soh-Ryong, what’s wrong!?”

My sister jumped in surprise at my groan.

She quickly replied as if she had just regained her senses.

“Ugh… Hua Eun, I’m so sorry for worrying you. But how is Chao?”

Then, as I asked, my sister’s eyes widened, and she looked at me with pity.

“Ah, it seems you haven’t completely regained your senses yet!? Grandpa! Grandpa! Soh-Ryong opened his eyes, but he still doesn’t seem fully conscious. Please take a look!”

“What!?”

“What’s wrong with his mind!?”

At this point, just because I rolled with the punches, I decided I should be more cautious moving forward.

‘That was quite the quick recovery.’

*

Two whole days passed before the Great Method finally concluded.

All those many potions in the jar had dried up completely.

I asked Grandpa what had happened, and he explained that the reaction with Chao’s poison had allowed me to absorb just a drop of it, causing it all to either evaporate or be absorbed into my body.

As I stepped out of the pot and cleaned myself up, I heard Grandpa’s voice.

“I hastily added extra ingredients when the poison suddenly changed, but at least the Great Method ended well. How are you feeling? Any unusual symptoms?”

“Yes, I don’t seem to have any special issues.”

Considering the initial pain, I should’ve been worried sick, but it seemed I was fine after all.

As I replied that I was okay, Grandpa’s concerned voice came through again.

“When you regained consciousness, Hua Eun mentioned that your memories seemed strange. Is there anything off in your memory? I’m a bit worried there might be residual poison in your mind.”

“I’m fine, Grandpa.”

“Are you really okay? I think it would be best to examine you more closely.”

“I-I’m really okay, Grandpa.”

Having been trying to evade the crisis, it felt like I was setting myself up for trouble.

Just as I was trying to slip away, Grandpa thrust five books into my hands.

Just yesterday, I was on the brink of death, and he doesn’t even let me rest—right away, he gives me books to study.

They must be problems to prepare for the Ten Poisons Realm examination. I frowned as I accepted the books, and Grandpa spoke again.

‘Well, at least he’s giving me the genealogy…’

“Why do you look so glum?”

He knew why I looked like that, and yet that mischievous Grandpa was relentless.

Had I studied well in my past life, I wouldn’t be stuck rearing spirit creatures at home like some reclusive hermit, would I?

“I’m not glum at all! Not even a tiny bit! I’m just really happy that the Great Method ended well. Hahaha!”

As I shook my head, Grandpa began to flip through the books one by one, explaining them.

“Could it be my misunderstanding? Anyway, look here.”

“Yes, Grandpa…”

“Whether you want it or not, you’ve officially entered the realm of the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill, so you need to learn the martial arts that go with it. This is to pass on the techniques of the Five Poisons Divine Skill.”

‘Oh? It wasn’t just an examination? And this is a full set of techniques for the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill?’

Hearing Grandpa say there are set techniques to accompany the Five Poisons Return to Origin, I began to take a keen interest in the books he had presented.

If it was a set, that meant it would be significantly stronger when fully gathered.

That’s how it worked in the games I used to play.

“Here, what I’ve given you are five martial arts.

Centipede Poison Tooth Claw, Viper’s Life-Seeking Hand, Scorpion Tail Quick Leg, Lizard’s Wall-Crawling Step, Toad’s Explosive Palm.

Five different types.

They consist of claw techniques, hand techniques, leg techniques, step techniques, body techniques, and palm techniques.”

I thought these would be filled with poisons and killing techniques, but to my surprise, I liked the names.

These martial arts contained the names of the venomous creatures I liked the most.

‘This is like an exclusive set of martial arts just for spicy Fabre!’

Just hearing their names sent thrills through my veins, and I felt these techniques were meant for me.

Using the centipede’s venom to unleash a person’s nails in claws; employing the viper’s moves with my hands; scorpion tails in kicks; and lizard movements for steps and body techniques, and finally the toad’s palm art!

The connection between the toad and palm art felt a bit off, but I was nonetheless excited.

‘This must be what Grandpa meant by the unity of matter and self!’

Seeing my eyes sparkle with delight, Grandpa smiled.

“You seem to like it.”

“Of course, Grandpa! I’m quite surprised.”

“Surprised? What’s so surprising?”

Grandpa tilted his head, puzzled by my use of the word ‘surprising.’

Grinning, he responded.

“I thought it would naturally be about poisonous abilities or covert techniques, but since they share names with my favorite venomous creatures, I found it fascinating.”

“That is because this was originally not the Tang Clan’s martial arts.”

“Eh?”

Upon hearing that he had passed down martial arts that weren’t from the Tang Clan to a son-in-law, I wondered if he was differentiating me as simply the son-in-law. Then came the explanation.

“Actually, the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill and these Five Poisons Martial Arts are from the now extinct Five Poisons Sect.”

“The Five Poisons Sect?”

“Yes, it was established about 200 years ago by a scion of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and the Tang Clan’s second son.”

Hearing Grandpa’s tale, I learned that the Five Poisons Sect was a clan created by the second son of a famed clan and the daughter of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace who had eloped.

They got married, using the strengths of both their clans’ martial arts to form a unique faction.

They took the advantages of the Tang Clan’s poison techniques and the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace’s beastly techniques, but when they carelessly blended them into a new style, they couldn’t escape the pursuit of both clans. Eventually, they faced extinction over a hundred years ago in the Yunnan rainforest.

‘Another bizarre family in history. What kind of chase lasts a hundred years!?’

It truly sounded like a tragic tale of martial arts Romeo and Juliet.

I gulped as the intense story unfolded.

“So, after the Five Poisons Sect went extinct, both parties agreed to retrieve their original martial arts. That’s when the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill and the Five Poisons Martial Arts came into the picture.”

While the Tang Clan’s insights were interwoven, some of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace’s insights were included too. There was much debate over ownership of these techniques, as they had to accept the poison to continue.

Apparently, the head of the Five Poisons Sect, who couldn’t achieve mastery of the Five Poisons Martial Arts, had stood firm against the combined might of the heads of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and the Tang Clan. That made it a truly remarkable martial art, and given my affection for venomous creatures, it seemed perfect for me, which is why they wanted to recommend it.

While no one in the Tang Clan had successfully acquired spirit venom, I certainly hadn’t given up.

‘Wow… So deep and meaningful?’

I enjoyed the tale of a martial art intertwined with Romeo and Juliet themes, and I loved that it featured the names of all the venomous creatures I adored. I expressed my gratitude to Grandpa.

“Thank you, Grandpa. I will work hard!”

“Sure, sure. Ha ha. You really seem to like it.”

The Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill and the Five Poisons Martial Arts.

I was genuinely thrilled with these martial arts.

*

After finishing my discussion with Grandpa and stepping outside the Great Method Chamber, sunlight welcomed me for the first time in three days.

The Great Method had unfolded, and I had sat in that pot for a solid three days. It felt less like a marinade and more like a life sentence.

When the waves of pain hit, it felt like I’d never see sunlight again, but now that I was outside, it felt so warm.

“Oh, I finally feel like I’m truly alive.”

Stepping out from the Mandok Hall and basking in the sunlight, I felt my tense body start to stretch.

Something was quickly slithering toward me.

As I gazed down, I noticed Chao swiftly crawling toward me.

Was she waiting for me? She’d hurried over from the entrance of the Mandok Hall as soon as she spotted me.

“Chao!”

With a quick motion, I lowered my body to pick her up, and she rubbed her face against my cheek.

Zzzrrr!

“Did you worry? Daddy’s okay, so no need to fret.”

It seemed she had been quite nervous, likely waiting for me at the entrance.

We shared a brief reunion after I scooped her up.

Just like before, she took a position on my arm.

Now, she was longer, wrapping from my wrist to my shoulder. Her second shed must’ve been the cause, as she felt quite prickly.

‘I really wish you’d wrap around my clothes instead. Ouch.’

Just as I thought that, suddenly, Chao seemed to understand and climbed over my clothes back onto my arm.

‘Huh!? What’s this?’

It felt as if something peculiar had formed between Chao and me.