Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter: A Shocking Encounter

“The fellow suddenly dropped dead, and I wondered if Taihua Gate might suspect anything, but the situation was wrapped up surprisingly quickly.”

Without even the slightest investigation, Taihua Gate took away the corpse.

They didn’t even bother to send someone to examine the situation or interview witnesses—the bare minimum of surface-level inquiry was completely omitted.

In this Martial World where grudges could easily arise, it was standard practice to at least conduct poison investigations when someone died; but they skipped that entirely, even with the third son of the Clan Head meeting his grim fate.

Later on, the sign that leaked from Taihua Gate was simply ‘sudden death.’

According to the old man, Geolhwang, the family’s sub-head covered up the incident swiftly.

Although it wasn’t public knowledge, there was a rumor that the deceased was a frequent visitor to the gambling halls.

Or perhaps they were somewhat aware of the fellow’s antics internally.

So, instead of doubting us, Taihua Gate sent gifts and expressed their gratitude toward us.

They even mentioned they were trying to save their child.

“Isn’t it a bit awkward to receive gifts after killing someone?”

A few days after that blissful act of revenge, I set out from the Four Heavenly Houses in Chengdu with a woman named Na-ok, heading towards Song Village.

Given the nature of the Tang Clan, once you entered, you’d be cut off from the outside world for a while—this was to visit my younger sister’s grave.

My older sister mentioned she could send someone to tend the grave or even relocate it, but that was up to Na-ok.

As we rode into Song Village, a small rural area at the outskirts of Chengdu, people gathered around us.

At the front was a man who seemed to be the village chief, asking about our purpose.

“What brings you from the Four Heavenly Houses to our Song Village? Huh? Na-ok!?”

The chief’s eyes widened in surprise as he saw the woman stepping down from the carriage.

“It’s been a while. Good to see you, elder.”

“How is it that you’re with the Tang Clan members?”

“I’ll be depending on the Tang Clan from now on, elder.”

“You’re joining the Tang Clan!? What a grand occasion!”

“The Na-ok from the Four Heavenly Houses!?”

Everyone cheered even though normally a common person entering the Tang Clan would receive a lowly position like that of a servant.

After a brief exchange of greetings, we followed Na-ok’s distant relatives up a small hill behind Song Village.

In a corner of what looked like a communal graveyard filled with numerous tombstones stood a shabby wooden grave marker.

Song Na-eun’s Grave.

The faded wooden marker revealed that the grave belonged to Na-ok’s younger sister.

“Na-eun…”

The woman gently caressed the grave overgrown with sparse grass, while her distant uncle looked on with a sorrowful face.

“Na-ok, I don’t know how you ended up in the Tang Clan, but please, forget about revenge and try to be happy there. Your sister would want that too, wouldn’t she?”

Since I decided to keep the fact that I had taken revenge a secret, it seemed like they believed she had given up on revenge.

Following this, more requests came.

“Miss, I know I’m being presumptuous, but please take care of our Na-ok. She lost her parents at a young age and raised only her sister, only for her to meet such a tragic end…”

I heard he was like a father figure to Na-ok, and his words spoke of his deep concern for her.

“Yes, now that we’re family in the Tang Clan, you need not worry.”

Just as our conversation wrapped up, the woman took out what appeared to be a tattered incense pouch from her bosom and hung it on the grave.

As the pouch swayed in the breeze that blew from somewhere, Na-ok couldn’t help but burst into tears.

“Ugh… Ugh… My sister should have come sooner that day…”

It seemed she hadn’t managed to shake off her feelings of regret.

Then, as if to answer her, the painful cries of a cricket began to emerge from the thicket around the grave.

-Chirp chirp.

I had heard before that the sound of the cricket resembled a younger sibling’s voice; I wondered what kind of message her sister might be conveying now.

Just as her distant uncle said, I hoped she would be told to forget everything and find happiness.

*

Even during the day, the back alleys of Chengdu were dark beneath the large trees and neighboring walls.

Under that gloomy tree, a scruffy-looking old beggar rummaged through the pouch tied to his waist.

He pulled out a shriveled bug.

The old man scrutinized the bug with an expression of disbelief before quickly popping it into his mouth.

And he wore a thoroughly satisfied grin.

“Though it looks like this, it’s surprisingly tasty!”

What he had pulled from his pouch was a rare delicacy—worm larvae from the Yellow Powder Bug gifted to him by the Tang Clan kids.

He was told if it fell, he could come back for another, but he felt uneasy about appearing too greedy in front of Geolhwang, so he vowed to savor it slowly while carefully placing the larvae in his mouth.

-Crunch.

As he chewed the larvae, a wave of deliciousness spread through his mouth.

A smile crept onto Geolhwang’s face.

“A delightful revenge…”

While he savored the deliciousness and reminisced about the young one who gifted him those larvae, he noticed a presence above.

Geolhwang looked up to the tree and asked, “Who’s lurking around like a thief? What’s going on here?”

Then a furious shout echoed from above.

With that shout, two figures fell from the tree and landed in front of Geolhwang.

“Brother! What do you mean I’m a thief!?”

The figures that appeared were none other than Shin Tu, known as the Thieving Emperor, one of the Five Emperors of the Central Plains Martial Arts World, and his sworn brother, Gal Ji-hung.

“Hey! Then what do you call it if not theft?”

“Well, I have my lovely title of ‘Shin Tu’ too…”

“Don’t give me that nonsense. If a thief is called Shin Tu for being good at thieving, then I should be called Shin Geol for being good at begging! I better go to the Martial Forest Alliance and request a name change!”

“Ah, we just reunited after such a long time and you’re back at it again!”

Gal Ji-hung scratched his head at the same argument that always sprang up whenever they met.

While taking another larvae from the Yellow Powder Bug and asking about his situation, Gal Ji-hung pressed on, “So, what brings you to Sichuan? Oh, did I ask you something unnecessary? Are you here for another heist?”

“No, big brother! I even brought a disciple along! Please let me save face!”

Gal Ji-hung, who had been grumbling, now began to beg.

Looking over at Shin Tu, a delicately beautiful girl lowered her head to greet Geolhwang.

“Greetings, I am Yeongryeon, the disciple of Shin Tu.”

It seemed that unbeknownst to him, Gal Ji-hung had taken in a disciple.

Geolhwang grimaced, “Just having that brat is already a headache, and now you bring a disciple? The future of the Martial World looks bleak.”

“Big brother!”

“Fine, fine! I’m glad to see you! And stop standing around; sit down, both of you, my neck’s getting stiff just looking up.”

As he offered them a spot to sit on the piled straw, they lazily slumped down.

Despite scolding them, Geolhwang couldn’t help but smile internally, as there were no complaints about the dirtiness of the ground since he cherished his disciple.

“So, how did you find out I was here?” he asked.

Normally, one would need information for a heist, but it had been a while since they had last met, so he was curious.

Shin Tu replied with a grin, “Like you know everything while squatting around in these alleys, I have a talent for locating you, regardless of where you hide.”

While Shin Tu boasted, Geolhwang wondered if the last time they met he had applied a tracking scent or something.

“Hah, did you secretly apply a scent like the ‘All-Seeing Incense’? Just spill the beans about why you came here!”

“You’re really something! We haven’t seen each other in ages, and you already want to get to the point, huh? Let’s eat first. Let’s head to a nice restaurant…”

As Shin Tu suggested going to a good restaurant, he glanced Gal Ji-hung over from head to toe.

“Naw, never mind! You can’t walk into a restaurant, can you?”

“Yeongryeon, go get us some food. A roast duck, skewers, and some drinks too!”

“Yes, Master!”

As the conversation drifted off, it was clear Shin Tu had something he wanted as he ordered his favorite roast duck and drinks.

Now lying back on the straw, Geolhwang stuck another bug larvae in his mouth and asked, “What kind of theft are you planning that you are taking your time here?”

Shin Tu waved his hands dismissively but spoke seriously.

“Oh, no! I wouldn’t dream of bothering you like that! I truly came here for another matter.”

“For another matter?”

It wasn’t often Shin Tu sought him for anything other than gaining information for a theft, so he raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I came to ask for the most knowledgeable person about silkworms in the Central Plains,” he replied.

“Silkworms?”

If he was asking about silkworms, then they should be talking to silk makers or those who supply silks to the imperial court.

Surprised that it was not about stealing but rather needed for his disciple, Geolhwang nodded.

“If it’s such a matter, I’ll gladly help.”

“Thank you, big brother!”

“I’ll ask the kids from the Four Heavenly Houses to look into it, so wait here in Sichuan. And don’t go causing a ruckus around Sichuan again, alright? Understand?”

Geolhwang glared at him to reinforce his point, and just then, Yeongryeon returned with a spread of delicious dishes, ready to start a humble feast between a thief and a beggar.

*

The day after bringing Na-ok into the family, she became a member of our Venomous Insect Team.

Since she’d need to enter the Venomous Insect Garden, I couldn’t keep her as a servant or a maid. Thus, she was destined to be one of the Venomous Insect Team members.

Although she was quite old to learn martial arts, she became part of the Venomous Insect Team, and Gu Pae, our Deputy Commander, would personally teach her.

Perhaps because he felt some kinship, he took good care of her after bringing her from the Four Heavenly Houses.

So I brought her to the Venomous Insect Garden to introduce her to her work.

“This is the Venomous Insect Garden.”

“Oh, so this is where I’ll be working?”

“Yes, would you like to take a look around? This is where we raise Crickets. And over there is where we nurture Silky Moths. And those over there are where we raise Yellow Powder Bugs.”

“So, I’ll be caring for Crickets, Yellow Powder Bugs, and Silky Moths?”

“Um, that’s correct, but are you alright with that?”

I wondered if she was concerned about the noise Crickets might make, but she smiled back, and her previously gloomy face seemed brighter.

“Yes, I’m fine with it. It seems I no longer hear my sister’s voice. Perhaps it means I should repay the Master’s grace for my whole life.”

While her words were kind, I figured she probably hadn’t entirely healed. I decided to keep close tabs on her and nodded.

“Understood.”

It seemed like working with others and staying busy would be better than staying alone.

As we wrapped up the tour and headed outside, Na-ok’s voice caught my attention.

“But what kind of venomous insects do we raise?”

She appeared curious about what she would be raising, likely not recalling that I had pulled out the children when she was in a daze.

Quickly, I took out the Cricket I had kept hidden in my arms.

-Swirl.

“This, precisely.”

“Ogong!?”

Na-ok blinked in shock at the large Cricket.

I gestured for her to look at the Cricket. “Hello, Ogong, let’s greet her!”

The Cricket bowed its head as if in greeting.

“Oh, how polite our Ogong is.”

As I kissed the Cricket on its forehead, I introduced Na-ok and the Crickets to one another when I heard a cautious voice from Na-ok.

“Um, Wei So-ryong, do you… perhaps have someone you wish to take revenge on?”

“?”

‘What in the world is this about?’

Stumped by her odd question, I pondered over it. It appeared I seemed like someone still teetering on the edge of vengeance in her eyes.