Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Blue-Spotted Centipede 2

“What!? Really?”

“Do you think you know where it is?”

The two men questioned with shocked voices and disbelieving expressions.

If this were my past life, they would never dare to ask me such questions or wear such expressions. I really did lose my reputation as the mighty Spicy Fabre.

I mean, I had been known as a walking encyclopedia of snakes, venomous insects, and poisons.

“Sigh, this wasn’t the case in my past life… But come to think of it, it’s not that my reputation is dead; it’s that I’m really dead… Damn…”

It’s not that my reputation is dead; it’s that I’m in a state of actual death.

Pulling myself from this grim reality, I answered the two men.

“Yes, I… I should know where a big centipede might be.”

“Uh, where do you think it could be!?”

“Right, where is it!?”

The men seemed impatient, wanting me to hurry up and tell them where that thing was, but I decided to ask them where they had searched first.

I was curious if they had checked the places I was guessing.

There are various species of centipedes, and each has slightly different habits and preferred environments.

“Could you tell me where and when you searched?”

At my question, they exchanged looks, and an old man nodded.

The old man explained the areas they had searched over the past few days.

“We searched the north and east from here. Mainly during the day. In the north, we mostly checked by the riverside…”

If they were searching north of the area, that would be riverside; if east, then the jungle.

I could understand why they had been wandering about for days.

A gigantic centipede would never enjoy such places.

Moreover, during the day, spotting a centipede wouldn’t be easy at all.

“Then, it’s no surprise you didn’t find it.”

“What? No surprise? Is there a reason for that?”

I could give dozens of reasons, but I decided to keep it simple.

Because this isn’t the time for expert explanations.

“Yes, while it seems that centipedes are often found in dark and damp places, like grass or densely vegetated areas, not all centipedes prefer such habitats.”

Centipedes are quite unique creatures.

They belong to the class of arthropods called Chilopoda.

As cold-blooded animals, centipedes have peculiar territorial behaviors and require hiding spots.

Another interesting fact is that most insects have smooth bodies with waterproof coatings that allow them to naturally shed water droplets when it rains or water drips on them.

But centipedes have weak waterproof coatings and possess breathing holes on their surfaces, so they dislike very wet environments.

They require high humidity but hate being in overly wet conditions.

On the other hand, perhaps due to their many legs, they cannot survive long without water.

Thus, they are less likely to settle in jungles where they cannot hide their large bodies or by riversides.

“Don’t centipedes prefer places like rotten wood gaps?”

The old man’s voice came as if he found it hard to grasp.

He seemed to have a rough idea about centipedes, but I decided to explain why they couldn’t be found in such places.

“Some smaller centipedes can be found in those areas, but you specifically mentioned large centipedes, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Centipedes do prefer damp places, but too much moisture is not good for them. Moreover, they like hiding, and if they are large, fallen trees in jungles or small rocks by rivers are unsuitable for them due to the lack of hiding spots.”

It’s easy to think that since centipedes are commonly found on damp soil, they must love wet environments, but that’s only true when the external environment is well-ventilated.

In fact, if centipedes are kept in overly humid conditions, they can become infected with fungi and die.

“Then, where do you think they would be!? If you find the Blue-Spotted Centipede from your information, I’ll reward you greatly!”

The people seemed to think my explanation was reasonable and looked hopeful.

I pointed west with my finger and replied.

“You should check the western rocky mountain.”

Centipedes generally like to rest under warm rocks during the day and come out to move at night.

*

The red sunset was burning away, and the clan head of the Four Heavenly Houses, Dang Cheolsan, was burning as well.

The sun was setting once again.

“Clan Head, do you think what the young junior hero said might be wrong?”

The wary question from the deputy commander of the Poison Blood Team made Dang Cheolsan glance over at him.

It had been twenty days since they entered Hainan.

Four days since they left the dimmed passage.

Dang Cheolsan had almost no rest since stepping out of the waning passage, searching with the warriors of the Four Heavenly Houses during the day on the rocky mountains and along the river every evening.

Everyone had pinned their last hope on what the young junior hero shared.

“If it’s a large centipede, it definitely needs a lot of water, so at night, check between the rocky mountain and the riverside, and during the day, you should check under the bigger rocks on the rocky mountain.

Centipedes warm their bodies under the sun-heated rocks during the day and move around at night.”

‘Could what the young junior hero said be wrong?’

The warriors, lined up behind the deputy commander, wore exhausted expressions.

Drenched in sweat and dirt, they sent pleading looks for rest.

They must have been extremely tired and worn out, yet they hadn’t uttered a single complaint.

Probably because they understood each other’s feelings.

Deciding to give his clan’s warriors a break, Dang Cheolsan allowed them rest.

They needed to eat dinner, and it seemed impossible for the clan warriors to continue the search today.

“Let’s call it a day. We’ve got to eat dinner too. I’ll send a signal to Father.”

“Understood, Clan Head.”

– Beep!

Soon, following his orders, signals were sent up, and the warriors began to lay their exhausted bodies on the mountain.

“Oh goodness. I feel like dying.”

“Finally, we can rest. I hope what the young junior hero said is right, but why can’t we see that centipede?”

“Exactly, he seemed pretty clever, that young junior hero.”

The reason Dang Cheolsan led the clan’s warrior group, the Poison Blood Team, along with his father, Mandok God, Dang Museong, all the way to this far Hainan, was all because of his precious daughter.

His daughter, Hua Eun, who was praised as one of the most talented individuals in the history of the Tang Clan.

At the age of eighteen, she fell into a state of enthrallment by fire while being greedy for poisonous power.

Given the nature of poisonous power, enthrallment by fire is akin to mental demonic influence, which leads to toxicity.

Even Mandok God, renowned for his title, could not detoxify his daughter’s affliction that came from the enthrallment by fire, and because of that, his daughter was gradually dying in Sichuan.

Elders and ladies of the clan were doing their best to block the flow of poison using their internal energy and to delay the progression of the poison, but it was merely delaying her inevitable death.

Slowly and steadily, the toxins were seeping into her bone marrow, and she was dying little by little.

Thus, the last method they found to save her was to procure the internal essence of poison to forcibly elevate her martial arts level.

They needed the internal essence of poison that could boost her level and neutralize all the toxic elements in her body.

For that reason, the Four Heavenly Houses had requested information on poisons from the Open and Hao Houses, reaching out across the Central Plains.

Warriors were dispatched urgently, searching thoroughly everywhere that might hold potential.

They scoured the jungles of Yunnan, where there were reports of double-headed snakes, or the forests of Guangxi, where a human-faced spider was spotted.

But it all ended in vain.

Ultimately, the last location they found that seemed to hold the greatest promise was this Hainan Island, where a few years back, a herbalist reported seeing a large centipede with blue spots in the jungles.

Even though that large centipede might not be one of the Ten Great Venoms of the Central Plains, the Blue-Spotted Centipede, which forms the internal essence of poisons, was definitely noted and described in the Tang Clan’s Secret Record of Venomous Creatures.

Having arrived on Hainan Island and secured testimonies from herbalists, they finally began searching the vicinity around the collapsed passage.

Yet, hearing the advice from that strange boy, they had been searching the mountains during the day and the riverside at dusk for three days now, but they hadn’t found a trace, and their hearts were burning with concern.

‘Is heaven abandoning Hua Eun, who is being praised as the most exceptional talent in the history of the Tang Clan?’

A little later, the remaining half of the warriors, along with his father, Mandok God, gathered where Dang Cheolsan was, with anxious expressions.

“Have you found anything today as well?”

“Yes, Father… Did you not find anything either?”

“…”

They already knew from each other’s expressions that today had brought no accomplishments, but meaningless questions stemmed from their anxious hearts.

Given the intoxication symptoms from his daughter, who could hardly last another three months at best, such questions were inevitable.

Considering the days left until their return, they had to find something in at least ten days, and both Dang Cheolsan and Mandok God were feeling the pressure as the days dwindled.

“Father, how about we search the south tomorrow? Since we haven’t found anything, maybe we should change the areas we are scouting…”

Dang Cheolsan decided to set aside expectations based on the young junior hero’s words, asking carefully.

They meant to cover as many grounds as possible during the remaining days.

At this point, finding something in the western rocky mountain seemed nearly impossible, so it was time to check the unsearched south.

“We found nothing… Certainly, up to now, there’s nothing… Huh!? Nothing!?”

As he shook his head in response, Mandok God suddenly realized something, his tone excited.

“Yes! That’s it! How did I not notice that! Yes! This is it!”

They had not found any traces of the Blue-Spotted Centipede, yet it was clear to the old man’s shout that something led him to that conclusion.

Feeling that he might have sensed something unknown, Dang Cheolsan quickly asked.

“Ho, have you discovered or sensed something?”

“No, as you said, I found no traces nor did I feel anything.”

But the strange answer that followed left them puzzled.

He hadn’t felt or discovered anything.

“Then why?”

“Because I feel that there’s definitely something here.”

“Yes?”

At the incomprehensible response, Dang Cheolsan tilted his head in confusion while Mandok God questioned him back.

“What traces did you find on this rocky mountain over the past three days?”

“None. Not a single trace. Not even signs of animal droppings or traces of any kind… W-Wait a second!?”

As they conversed, a sudden thought popped into his mind.

“Right. Does it make sense that in this vast rocky mountain, there are no droppings from mice or feathers from birds? It just occurred to me!”

Upon Mandok God’s words, it became clear that there were indeed no traces of any animals in that rocky mountain.

Not a single sign of deer, roe, wild boar, or any beast was to be seen.

Even the common rat had never shown itself.

And then, in that moment.

Just as the warriors were about to light a fire and prepare their meal, the flat rock where they were lighting the fire shook suddenly and flew off into the distance.

– Crash! Boom!

From the gaping hole that appeared after the rock vanished, strange sounds began to emerge, sending a chill down people’s spines.

– Jittering…

Under the completely set sun.

A hole barely wide enough for a person to crawl into echoed with uncanny sounds.

Then, in the dark depths of the hole, something began to emerge slowly under the moonlight that broke through the darkness.

A gigantic body with countless legs.

The blue spots glimmering on its back under the moonlight.

“That’s it!”

That must be the Blue-Spotted Centipede recorded in the Tang Clan’s Secret Record of Venomous Creatures.

– Tap tap.

– Szzzz…

As toxic droplets dripped from the Blue-Spotted Centipede’s venomous claws, the surrounding blue grass began to wilt black, and Dang Cheolsan immediately shouted to his clan’s warriors.

“Everyone be careful! It’s the Blue-Spotted Centipede!”

Just as the young junior hero had said, the Blue-Spotted Centipede was indeed hiding beneath the rocks.

「”Really in that rocky mountain?”

“I specialize in this area. I’m certain.”

“Specialist?”」

The nonsensical words spoken by that young junior hero flashed through my mind for some reason.