Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 6: A Delicious Death

“Am I going to die deliciously?”

“Deliciously kill?”

My casual remark about killing deliciously left both my older sister and Geolhwang in a state of confusion.

How many could possibly understand the concept of killing someone in such a delightful manner?

Though everyone looked perplexed, I knew for sure that using mealworms, I wouldn’t need to lace his food with poison—eliminating the target could be done very safely.

If mealworms were added to everyone’s food at the gambling den on the day he showed up, he would be the only one to die while everyone else would be just fine.

It was the perfect way to eliminate him without suspicion.

‘So delicious that he ends up eating it and just… dying.’

The reason I was so confident I could kill him with unexpected mealworms.

If he had a body that reacted adversely to crabs or shrimp, it meant he had a shellfish allergy, and the root of shellfish allergies lies in tropomyosin, a protein found in muscle fibers.

Tropomyosin is found in most animals, including crabs, shrimp, spiders, mollusks, and even insects, but invertebrate tropomyosin can induce allergic reactions, while vertebrate tropomyosin does not.

So, consuming crabs and shrimp leads to allergic symptoms.

The same could be said for allergies caused by dust mites, as they’re triggered by the tropomyosin contained within them.

Thus, the same tropomyosin is abundantly present in mealworms, and if he were to eat them, it would surely trigger the anaphylactic shock that almost caused Young Young’s demise.

In fact, when compared to the same amount consumed, mealworms contain much more tropomyosin than shellfish.

“Let’s start with the Yellow Powder Bugs. Gu Pae, please.”

I grinned inwardly and quickly asked Gu Pae for his assistance.

Things seemed like they were going well, and a smile naturally crept onto my face.

“Ah, understood. So-ryong.”

With that, Gu Pae left the Tang Clan to fetch the Yellow Powder Bugs. Even though I told him we would talk once he returned with them, questions from my sister and Geolhwang echoed.

“So, So-ryong, since you mentioned bringing the Yellow Powder Bugs, you plan to use them to kill someone?”

“What are Yellow Powder Bugs? I’m dying to know. They don’t sound like venomous insects.”

The destined target was separate, yet both seemed piqued with curiosity, their expressions holding hints of incomprehension.

However, I couldn’t give a perfect explanation without tasting them first, so I asked them to wait a moment.

How could I discuss the deliciousness of Yellow Powder Bugs without having tasted them?

“The explanation can only be made properly once the Yellow Powder Bugs arrive, so can you wait a moment? Hua Eun, please bear with me for a bit longer.”

“Cough. Alright, I understand.”

“Sure, So-ryong.”

And so the awkward atmosphere continued over tea.

It wasn’t long before Gu Pae rushed back into the guest hall, holding a wriggling pouch full of mealworms.

“So-ryong, I brought what you ordered, but…”

Gu Pae arrived with a pouch filled with the mealworms he had been breeding.

The pouch moved due to the wriggling mealworms inside.

“Let’s see, they’ve grown quite plump.”

Peering into the pouch revealed some delightfully chubby mealworms.

While I could eat them just as they were, I asked my sister how to prepare them.

“Where’s the kitchen?”

“The kitchen? Over there…”

Following my sister with a reluctant expression, I quickly boiled half of the mealworms Gu Pae had brought, then took them out and sautéed them in a Chinese pan.

The most representative method of consuming insects is through drying.

The basic method of insect consumption involves steaming, boiling, and then drying them in hot air or sunlight.

After a while, the mealworms looked shiny and delicious, and I brought the finished dried mealworms back to the guest hall to offer them to those who had been curious.

“Here, these are Yellow Powder Bugs. Everyone, do try some.”

“Wha- eat this?”

“Are you serious about eating this?”

“Is this really what you meant?”

While my sister, being a woman, may hesitate, I gestured Gu Pae, who was fussing over it, to take a huge bite as a representative.

Of course, it was my turn to demonstrate.

I popped a nicely sautéed mealworm into my mouth.

What followed was a delightful crunch.

-Crunch.

“It’s incredibly delicious, isn’t it? Ah, so tasty!”

The flavor of mealworms is reminiscent of peanuts and beans when consumed raw, but after being dried, they take on an even tastier shrimp-flavored snack-like quality.

Thus, the name I gave them in my previous life in Korea was “Delicious Bugs.”

Gu Pae, with an expression showing reluctance at my insistence, cautiously put one in his mouth, his eyes widening before quickly grabbing another.

“What in the world? Why is this so tasty? I mean, it’s really savory!”

Following suit, Geolhwang, my sister, and even Na-ok, the other lady, all tasted the sautéed mealworms and wore slightly astonished expressions.

“I-It’s really savory and delicious?”

“No, how can a bug be this tasty?”

“This is incredible!”

People grabbed large handfuls and continuously popped mealworms into their mouths.

I asked them, “So, how is it? Isn’t it super savory?”

Everyone nodded in unison.

“Yeah, it is pretty tasty, but is it really laced with poison?”

“So-ryong, it is indeed delicious but…”

“Yes, So-ryong. Quite savory!”

Having shown them the flavor, it was now time to provide an explanation.

I looked around and spoke.

“Since Geolhwang is here, let me explain in detail. There are things that for some people are harmless, but for others, serve as poison.”

“Is it similar to people like Young Young who are sensitive to bee venom?”

“Exactly. Hua Eun, as Geolhwang explained, he mentioned that when the target eats crabs and shrimp, he has a reaction.”

“Right. My kids must have definitely figured it out.”

“Yes, that’s saying the crabs and shrimp are poisonous to him. Thus, I prepared these Yellow Powder Bugs. These Yellow Powder Bugs have no effect on ordinary people, but they contain something that would be poisonous to him.”

As I explained in a way that fit the understanding of these people from this age, they all nodded along.

“The Yellow Powder Bugs too?”

“They look entirely different from crabs and shrimp, how interesting.”

“So you mean the crabs and shrimp would be poisonous to him, while eating this bug would have the same effect?”

“Yes, that’s correct, Elder.”

Everyone seemed fascinated by my explanation, but then Geolhwang raised a mealworm, asking, “But how do you plan to give this to him? It looks much more off-putting than crabs or shrimp.”

Indeed, as he mentioned, mealworms were a lot harder to approach than crabs and shrimp, making it difficult in their current state.

After asking for a mortar from the pharmacy, I pulverized the mealworms and showed Geolhwang again.

“There’s no need to feed them whole. If you grind them up and mix them into other foods, that’ll just make the dish even tastier. The more he eats, the more certain it is that he’ll die, so just add a generous amount.”

“Oh! Grind them up? That would indeed work.”

Since the amount that triggers allergic reactions varies from person to person, our goal was to ensure he consumed a hefty quantity.

Thus, when I explained that we’d just need to mix the powdered mealworms into the dish he eats…

Just then, my sister spoke up, her voice filled with excitement.

“Oh! I have a great idea, So-ryong!”

I turned to her at the mention of a good idea, and she shouted outside.

“Is anyone out there?!”

A servant girl responded promptly.

“Yes, young lady, I’m waiting outside.”

“Oh, perfect! Go get me some rice cakes, both with and without powdered sesame.”

“Rice cakes?”

At her unexpected request for rolling rice cakes, I tilted my head, causing Na-ok to explain, “They are party food made from glutinous rice with red bean filling.”

“Oh, is that so?”

‘Is it something like a rice cake?’

Sure enough, a little later, the servant girl brought in two types of rice cakes, filled with red beans.

One was coated in yellow powdered sesame, while the other was just plain.

Once it arrived, my sister rolled the unsweetened rice cake in the powdered mealworms and said, “Rolling the rice cake in powdered sesame is akin to the dust a donkey makes when it rolls around in the dirt. It’s something no one hates, and it’s simple and filling, making it great for places like gambling dens.

Sometimes they coat them in syrup and then roll them in sesame, so mixing the powdered mealworm with sesame wouldn’t be so suspicious, would it?”

“Oh…”

I was considering sprinkling them over soup or some other dish when I discovered such a great idea.

This was truly a dish for assassination.

Rice cakes soaked in ample mealworm powder.

Plus, with syrup to make it sticky?

As the rice cake goes down the esophagus, it will stick to the insides, and this could lead to quite the situation with his airway.

One cause of death during anaphylactic shock is choking due to airway obstruction.

With love-filled eyes, I looked at my sister and thought, ‘Is this what they mean by harmony between husband and wife?’

Just then, Geolhwang’s voice chimed in, sounding amused.

“A martial artist’s last meal is rice cakes rolled in bug powder? A perfect death for a lowlife! Dying while rolling around in dust, isn’t that just fitting?

Hehehe. I’m glad I decided to come and watch this.”

Thinking back, this place was known for despising the act of falling to the ground.

According to my sister, if someone falls during a fight and survives, it’s seen as a disgrace, so if a martial artist’s cause of death ended up being from eating rice cakes, it would certainly be a dishonorable matter.

‘Hey, did you hear how the third of Taihua Gate died?’

‘Didn’t hear about it.’

‘He died suddenly from eating rice cakes.’

‘A martial artist dying from rice cakes? Pfft!’

I could already foresee such rumors circulating.

Then, when the dish was finalized, Na-ok, who had been relatively quiet until now, spoke up.

“I know how to make rice cakes! Let me make them!”

She wanted to take revenge with her own hands.

Since the plan had all been laid out, she wanted to be the one to prepare the vengeful dish, prompting a nod of agreement from everyone in the guest hall.

“Then, let the revenge be done by your own hand.”

“That’s the way to go.”

“Thank you so much!”

And thus, the detailed plan began to take shape.

“Let’s request the gambling den owner to let us have a woman work in the kitchen for a day, on the condition that we take her with us. Half-dazed, we can claim that if we have her work there for a day, she’ll follow us, sound good?”

“Oh, that would work.”

“And just in case, we will gamble at the gambling den that day as well. Then if he collapses…”

“Hehe. Just hearing it makes me feel thrilled! Ah, it’s a shame I can’t enter the gambling den anymore!”

What a plan that guarantees his unavoidable death.

*

When Jin Dae-seung, the third son of Taihua Gate, arrived at the top floor of the gambling den, he was met with unexpected company.

“Hua Eun, Little One?”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m Jin Dae-seung of Taihua Gate.”

“Oh, you’re the Dae-heung of Taihua Gate?”

There sat a boy who looked out of place in the gambling den alongside Tang Hua-eun, also at the gambling table where Jin Dae-seung often played dice.

I had heard a rumor about being there a few days ago, but I didn’t expect to see them today.

“Ah! I got it!”

“Oh my, So-ryong, you’re amazing!”

“Haha, really?”

Sitting beside the young boy, Tang Hua-eun was flirting, one of the three beauty icons of the Martial World.

When I asked the guard who the boy was, he quietly whispered.

[Isn’t that the betrothed of Poison Flower?]

[Betrothed? That scrawny brat?]

[Yes, Young Master.]

To think a delicate beauty like Tang Hua-eun would be with such a flimsy child sent Jin Dae-seung into a fit of rage.

He had never even had a beauty like that in his arms before.

And he knew he probably never would.

The closest he could get to a beautiful woman was a girl from Song Village years ago.

But after that day when his older brother discovered her blood-stained clothes, he was forbidden from leaving the house alone, and his only opportunity to meet women was here at the gambling den, where none could compare.

“Damn it.”

He regretted missing out on his sister, who had gained quite the reputation for being more beautiful than his younger sister, and took his seat.

However, with his arm propped on the table, his gaze fixated on Tang Hua-eun sitting beside him, the gambling was going poorly.

His focus shifted from gambling to the lovely sight beside him, so how could it go well?

Thus, for about an hour, Jin Dae-seung ended up losing continuously.

He lost about half of the money he had brought and thought it was time to regain focus.

At that moment, he heard voices from nearby.

“Why is it so savory today?”

“This rice cake is incredibly delicious.”

“It’s tastier than what they sell down at the market!”

Next to the gambling table where they were playing, people were happily munching on food and enjoying their meal.

“Is it really that good?”

“Yes, Young Master, you should try some! It’s strangely savory and delicious.”

Feeling a little hungry and not one to despise food, he took a rice cake from the plate offered by the guard and took a huge bite.

The rich savory flavor flooded his mouth.

Just as they said, the rice cake was exceptionally good, and enamored by the chewy, delightful taste, Jin Dae-seung quickly chewed and swallowed it before taking a second bite.

“Urk… Urk. Cough. Cough.”

A foreign sensation lodged in his throat.

He started coughing uncontrollably.

Suddenly, his limbs felt weak and breathing became heavy.

This felt alarmingly similar to a time he had unintentionally consumed something bad as a child.

“Heh… s-save me.”

“Y-Young Master! Young Master!”

As he crumpled to the floor, the guards rushed to him, and as he struggled to catch his breath, they attempted to channel their strength into Jin Dae-seung.

But then a woman’s voice floated through.

“What happened?”

“The Young Master has collapsed!”

“Oh dear, let me help as a member of the Tang Clan.”

And then in his hazy vision, Tang Hua-eun’s and the boy’s silhouettes appeared before him.

Members of the Tang Clan are supposed to be skilled in medicine.

Tang Hua-eun placed her hand on Jin Dae-seung’s chest.

And then the words came.

“I’ll channel my strength to help you breathe.”

“Yes, th-thank you!”

The guards expressed their gratitude while waiting for his breathing to ease, yet no energy flowed in.

Instead, a chilling whisper entered Jin Dae-seung’s ear.

[Did you think you could survive? You’re destined to roll in the dirt after eating that rice cake today.]

Caught off guard, Jin Dae-seung’s eyes widened, but the last words he heard echoed in his mind.

[Song Village]

“Urrrgh!”

He wasn’t clear on what had happened, but felt as if the weight of his transgressions bore down on him.

The thought that his life was being targeted by the Tang Clan filled him with despair, and with all his strength, Jin Dae-seung flailed his limbs.

He wanted to convey this truth to the nearby guards somehow.

However, the voice of the scrawny boy broke through his ears.

“If this patient struggles, I won’t be able to channel my energy, so everyone, hold him down!”

In the end, the final hand he reached out for was bound by that boy’s words, and moments later, Jin Dae-seung’s vision faded into complete darkness.

The flavor of something delicious lingering in his mouth became his final memory.