Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 227: Qiong Lake (7)

A place where they don’t have to be hunted, or chased from their homes, or live in fear.

A place where venomous creatures can live in peace and happiness.”

“Ohhh... I see!”

‘Ah... so I really did sell her on something...’

Thinking back, I had said that—probably just to build trust.

But to someone like the shaman grandmother, that probably hit like a divine revelation.

And the timing couldn’t have been better.

With Ho-ye now at risk of being captured and killed, suddenly the “savior of all venomous spirit beasts” appeared—me.

The son of the former head of the Beast Palace’s venom-lovers guild.

The son-in-law of the prestigious Tang Clan.

A man in possession of more venomous creatures than anyone around.

Even a regular person might think it was fate.

But a religious person?

Yeah. This was absolutely that.

‘To anyone else, I probably look like the Messiah right now.’

It was half a joke in my mind, but the grandmother’s next words left no doubt—

She really did think I was the one to deliver the persecuted Ho-ye to paradise.

“It must be divine will that So-ryong appeared before us in this very moment! I beg you, please!”

At that point, how could I not play the Messiah?

In my past life, they used to say dogs viewed their masters as gods.

So maybe these creatures saw me the same way.

And more importantly...

I was about to get a free Electro Giant Salamander.

In that case, messiah or not—of course I was going for it.

‘Alright, screw it. I’ll be the damn Messiah.

Oh ye persecuted spirit beasts and venomous creatures of all lands—come to me!

I, the Spicy Fabre So-ryong, shall lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey!

A place called... the Poison Garden!’

I took a deep breath and tucked the words into my chest.

Then, clenching my fist and locking eyes with the grandmother, I spoke with a firm, resolute voice.

“That being the case—

As the son of the Beast Palace, son-in-law of the Tang Clan, and master of the Poison Garden—

Of course I’ll help you!”

“Ohhh! Truly, this must be the will of the Spirit!”

The grandmother looked overwhelmed with emotion.

The Black-Clad men who had come with her bowed their heads with equally grateful expressions.

“...Thank you! The Black-Clad Tribe will never forget this kindness!”

With a suitably heroic expression, I turned to the helmsman and gave my command.

“Helmsman, turn the ship. We’ll be staying a few more days.”

“Yes, So-ryong! Raise the anchor! Raise the anchor stone!”

The anchor was lifted, and the boat turned, heading back toward Seochang.

Back for Ho-ye. No—back to rescue Ho-ye.

Sure, the longer I delayed returning to the Tang Clan, the more trouble I’d be in.

But if I could save Ho-ye, it was definitely worth a scolding.

‘Let’s goooo! What, they’re not gonna kill the son-in-law, right?’

***

The moment we docked at the port, the first thing I did was look for someone:

Officer Ye Masahun, the deputy commander stationed here in Seochang’s government office.

If anyone knew how the hunt for Ho-ye was progressing, it would be him.

Judging by the number of soldiers aboard the ships earlier, the operation must have been in motion already. I needed to know how much time we had left.

“I’ll go to the office and speak with Officer Ye Masahun. I’ll find out how things are going.”

“Alright, So-ryong.”

At the entrance of the government office, which I’d visited once before, I approached a guard I didn’t recognize.

“Would it be possible to speak with Officer Ye Masahun?”

“Who are you to ask for him?”

“If you tell him that So-ryong of the Sichuan Tang Clan is here, he’ll understand.”

“T-The Sichuan Tang Clan!? Y-Yes, understood, young master.”

The soldier had greeted me rudely at first, not expecting much from a kid. But the moment I revealed my identity, he bolted inside with wide eyes and a stunned expression.

Moments later, Ye Masahun himself came hurrying out, breathing heavily.

“Young master, what brings you back here?”

“Oh, I was planning to leave tomorrow or the day after, so I thought I’d stop by and say goodbye.”

“To someone like me... you're here to say goodbye?”

The idea that I’d come all this way just to personally thank him seemed to leave the man speechless.

His eyes welled up with emotion—so I figured, might as well add a little more seasoning.

“No need to humble yourself so much. The commander of Seochang is hardly a small figure. I get the feeling I’ll be visiting Seochang more often from now on, so I wanted to properly greet you.”

“You... you would show me such consideration...? But, if you’ll be coming more often, may I ask why?”

“Ah, the Tang Clan is thinking about opening an apothecary here.”

As I said this, I smiled and quietly slipped a small pouch into his hand.

His eyes widened as he looked at it and blurted out,

“Oho! A Tang Clan apothecary! I’ll make sure no unnecessary troubles arise, you have my word!”

Perfect. Bribe accepted, influence in place—time to ask what I’d been holding back.

“Thank you, Officer Ye. By the way... I noticed three military ships at the dock. They passed right beside us this morning. Is something going on?”

Feigning surprise, I asked casually. And right away, he gave up the full story.

“Ah, nothing too serious. You recall how the Tang Clan’s young lady assisted with the autopsy of those bodies found recently?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, she concluded that they hadn’t been poisoned, but had likely drowned—probably due to paralysis. Since it wasn’t some deadly poison but a paralyzing effect, the magistrate believed the soldiers could handle it if they worked together. So he requested backup from the military garrison at Yaksan.”

‘Wait... that’s what happened?’

So everything had unfolded just because Hwawon pointed out it wasn’t a deadly toxin?

Amazing how things could spiral.

I pressed on. “Then... when does the operation begin?”

“Ah, the soldiers are currently resting from their journey. The extermination begins three days from now.”

‘Three days. Got it.’

I’d learned everything I needed. After exchanging a few more polite words with Ye Masahun, I returned to the boat.

Inside the cabin, Hwawon, Sister Seol, the shaman grandmother, and several members of the Black-Clad Tribe were waiting.

“Ryong, what did he say?”

“So-ryong, what’s going on?”

I got straight to the point, since they were clearly anxious.

“They’re planning to begin the hunt three days from now.”

Upon hearing this, Hwawon and Sister Seol visibly relaxed.

They had assumed we’d have at least two days to catch Ho-ye—and two days was more than enough.

Honestly, even a single day would do.

“That’s a relief. We’ve got two full days, then.”

“Exactly. Two days is plenty, So-ryong.”

But the others didn’t seem quite as reassured.

“Only two days... that’s a bit tight, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. The Spirit of the Lake rarely shows itself. Can we really guide it out in just two days...?”

I turned to the shaman grandmother and the Black-Clad people and asked with a smile,

“How were you planning to catch the Spirit of the Lake?”

Everyone turned to the grandmother. She hesitated before responding.

“Well... as long as we’re careful about the lightning... we were going to set nets in the places where the Spirit appears most often.

We thought we’d try catching it with those.

You said it would be safe to touch it with a stick, after all.”

“Ah, I see.”

With that kind of plan, it made sense they were feeling rushed.

I glanced toward Cho, sitting quietly in the corner of the cabin.

“Cho, looks like you’ll need to go for a swim tonight.”

—Zzzzzrrrp!

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

These creatures were smart enough not to get caught in simple nets.

But if Cho stirred things up a little?

Well... this might just turn out to be very fun.

***

That night, I assembled an elite team and headed out to capture Ho-ye.

The deployment: me, Cho, and Yohwa.

When it came to capturing, there were no better partners than these two.

Our destination was the base of the cliff by the lake—

the very spot where we’d gotten the closest look at Ho-ye before.

Cho, you ready?

—Zzzrrrp!

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When I asked Cho in my mind if he was ready, he sent back a calm wave of reassurance—don’t worry.

Looking up at the sky, I realized it had been about two weeks since we’d first seen Ho-ye.

Back then, the moon had been full—

Now it had waned into a new moon, leaving the night quite dark.

Yohwa and I waited together, pressed close to the cliff, scanning the water’s surface below.

Cho was clinging to the cliff near the water, waiting for my signal.

Our plan was simple:

As soon as Ho-ye appeared, Cho would strike from the surface and grab one.

Once Cho coiled tightly around something, nothing could escape.

There was no need to worry about whether Ho-ye might move faster underwater.

I’d already confirmed it—Cho was even faster underwater than in the air.

Cho's flight relied on spiritual energy to hover and move—using a technique called riding the energy currents.

But in water, he didn’t need that energy to float. He was far quicker submerged.

And I wasn’t worried about one Ho-ye escaping while the other got caught, either.

A pair like that—so close and attached—would never leave the other behind.

So, how would we catch the second one?

“What... are you saying you’re going to threaten it?”

“Not threaten—more like... persuade.”

I have your other half. Cooperate, and nothing bad will happen. Operation: Moral Blackmail.

Hey, it was for their own good.

—Hoo-hoo.

I heard the cry of an owl somewhere above the cliff as I looked back down at the lake.

Let’s hope we catch them tonight.

We still had one more day, but nothing beats a clean first try.

If we failed tonight, Ho-ye might grow cautious.

I was riding on Yohwa’s back, since we were in a stealth stance—

her body was in her Myoikdang form, designed for mobility and support.

Peering past her shoulder, I kept watch on the surface where we’d last seen them.

The owl’s cry faded away, and the moon disappeared behind a cloud.

Then, faintly—just barely audible—

—Plop.

Something poked its head up from the water and vanished just as quickly.

It’s here!?

Could’ve been a fish. I raised my senses and used Yangmanyangong to inspect below—

and then heard more splashes.

—Plop. Plop.

Two splashes.

Then, from beneath the water, two Ho-ye leapt up and began swimming and playing at the surface.

—Wae-waaee. Wae-waaee.

They were based on giant salamanders, so even their cries had that drawn-out, wailing tone.

They occasionally raised their heads toward the moonlight, gliding along the water like a pair of river otters.

So different from Cho’s slow, creeping movements—

These two were full of energy and life.

They swam together for a long while, then suddenly dove beneath the surface and disappeared.

Just then, a message came from Cho, sharp and urgent in my mind.

『Zzzrrp!? ⟨Dad, now!?⟩』

Following Cho’s signal, I looked down—

There they were.

The two Ho-ye had emerged near the cliff’s shadow, right where Cho was hidden.

They poked their heads out, unaware of the danger.

Cho, the apex predator of the arthropod world, had instinctively «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» sensed the perfect moment to strike.

This was it.

Now!

I shouted the command silently in my heart—

And Cho lunged.

The Ho-ye screamed and flailed in shock.

—Waeaaee! Waeaaee!

Startled, they split apart.

As planned, Cho gave chase to one of them.

Sparks flickered around it—it was panicking, discharging electricity.

One of them was flailing at the surface, and just as the grandmother had said, within a radius of about thirty meters, fish started floating to the surface all around.

Insane.

Meanwhile, the one being chased by Cho couldn’t get away, and the other couldn’t bear to flee alone.

It followed behind, hovering close to the water as Cho closed in.

Back and forth—above the water, under again—it was a full-on chase.

But in the end, the winner was Cho.

An arthropod like Cho didn’t tire the way an amphibian like Ho-ye would.

Eventually, Cho latched onto one and brought it up, screaming.

—Waeaaee!

With one caught, all that was left was to "persuade" the other.

But just as Cho began surfacing with the captured one—

Something I hadn’t expected happened.

—WaeaaaEEE!

The other Ho-ye, the one that had always seemed so timid, suddenly shrieked and launched itself at Cho.

It slapped and rubbed its body against Cho, sparking with electricity.

—Zzzrrrp?

Cho blinked, momentarily stunned—then wrapped itself around the second one, too.

The creature had literally offered itself up.

—Zzzrrrp?

Cho let out a confused chirp, like “Wait, is this really how it’s supposed to go?”

But I knew exactly what was happening.

Electric eels, when attacking larger animals, would press up close and rub their bodies to maximize the shock.

This one had seen its mate screaming and instinctively closed in, trying to help or comfort it.

Whatever the motive—

We had both.

Nice. A perfect 1+1 special.