Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Wheeeeng!

”Hold still. You’ve been chased by people and had your honey stolen, haven’t you? I’m not bringing you here to bother anyone. I’m taking you to a place where you can raise your children peacefully.”

Thanks to the scent of mugwort, the queen bee had been calm during the night, but as soon as the day broke, she started struggling.

Her strength was no joke, so I had no choice but to tie her up like a caterpillar with a rope, careful not to injure her wings.

”Do you think she understands?”

My sister, who had stepped back a couple of paces, asked. Even though the O-Gongs had adapted, it seemed that the bees were still a bit too much for her.

The queen bee kept flicking its long tongue, and the sight of it was both creepy and strange.

This would have been cute in a different situation.

”The O-Gongs, being lower-tiered, can understand, so the Golden-Fur Bee King, being an intermediate-tier venomous creature, should definitely understand. Bees are social creatures, after all. They should be able to comprehend better.”

I answered confidently, but in reality, centipedes and bees don’t respond to human speech, as they don’t have vocal cords. They rely on vibrations and, in the case of bees, use their body hair to sense sounds.

However, despite their lower-tier status, the O-Gongs could understand human speech, and surely a high-level creature like the Golden-Fur Bee King would also understand.

In my past life, bees, despite their simple nature, could remember patterns and scents and even recognize human faces, which made them quite intelligent creatures. Bees are known for their sharp sense of smell and their ability to detect things like cancers, drugs, and even bombs.

”So, bees understand pheromones, and it’s those pheromones that make them react aggressively,” I explained.

“Pheromones?”

“Yes, pheromones are chemicals that animals use to communicate. The bees use them to signal emotions like love, anger, or calm. They communicate this way very effectively.”

“I see... so, it’s not just the flowers, but the pheromones that do it?”

”Exactly,” I confirmed. ”The scent from the Hamsuhwa and Bacha fruit contains the pheromone isoamyl acetate, which is the chemical responsible for making bees attack aggressively.”

My sister, still amazed, began to understand.

”How interesting,” she said, before turning to the O-Gongs. ”Okay, you take care of them while I look after the rest.”

”Alright. Go to your mother, little ones,” I said to the O-Gongs, handing them over to my sister.

Despite being tied up, the queen bee stopped struggling when she noticed the O-Gongs. It was as if she had become motionless, like a toy with no battery.

”She’s suddenly calm,” the Deputy Commander, Gu Pae, remarked, noticing the queen bee’s unusual behavior.

Though I initially wondered if the queen bee might have been hungry, I saw that she had already consumed a lot of honey before deciding to migrate. She was full.

”Perhaps she’s just tired,” I muttered as I looked closely at her.

Through her compound eyes, I could see the O-Gongs crawling from my sister to her, their antennas meeting.

Tzzr...

Wheeeeng!

The two venomous creatures interacted for a moment, exchanging some strange sounds. Once the communication seemed to end, the O-Gong turned toward my sister, its antennae brushing against her forehead.

I decided to let my sister handle the O-Gongs while I took a rest, feeling the effects of our midnight run to escape the Golden-Fur Bees.

Though I hadn’t actually run myself—since I couldn’t perform light-body techniques—I had been carried by the Deputy Commander and the others.

I resolved that once we returned, I would ask the Deputy Commander to teach me light-body techniques. Throwing daggers was hardly useful in this situation.

”We should rest for now,” I suggested.

”Understood, So-ryong,” the Deputy Commander replied.

”We should have the warriors keep watch in case any threats approach from the direction we came.”

”Good idea,” I agreed.

After making sure the queen bee had water, I lay down to rest, but as I began to doze off, I heard the Deputy Commander’s urgent voice.

”So-ryong! Wake up!”

He lifted me up quickly, and I could tell that I hadn’t been asleep long, as the exhaustion hadn’t fully worn off.

”What’s going on?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

”Look at the sky!”

Rubbing my eyes, I followed the Deputy Commander’s pointing finger toward the sky. Through the haze, I saw a yellow swarm getting closer.

”Already!?”

My mind snapped into focus as the realization hit me.

It was still only a little past noon, but the Golden-Fur Bees had already caught up with us.

We had no choice but to quickly gather our things and start running again.

The one thing that helped was that the bees weren’t as fast as they seemed. Though honeybees are fast in short bursts, they only travel at about 20 kilometers per hour over long distances. Since they were full of honey, they would be even slower.

”Everyone, use light-body techniques to run!”

”Let’s keep running until we shake them off! The Tang Clan warriors better not lag behind!”

”Yes, Deputy Commander!”

The warriors responded with determination, and we quickly took off in the direction of Tang Clan Mountain.

”Is the Deputy Commander planning to shake them off?” I wondered as I glanced back at the approaching swarm of bees.

From the Deputy Commander’s back, I whispered quietly to the queen bee, pressing her antennae to my forehead.

[It’s fine. I’ll take care of them, and we’ll lose them.]

The Deputy Commander thought I was trying to shake off the bees by just taking the queen bee with me, but the truth was, I never planned on escaping from them.

The pheromones emitted by the queen bee would last for about a day, and no matter how far we ran, the bees would follow us.

Even if they were kilometers away, bees could still smell the pheromones and would continue to follow us.

When bees swarm, the worker bees always follow the queen, no matter how far she flies.

”Can we escape?” the Deputy Commander asked, looking back at me with concern.

”Probably?”

As I answered, I felt the Deputy Commander’s back start to sweat, his shirt soaking from the tension.

***

”If you go straight ahead, you’ll reach Amipa Mountain, and if you take the left path, you’ll find the Guandao leading to Yunnan. This is the crossroads,” said Yeonsu, the senior disciple of Amipa, as she stopped briefly at the intersection between Amipa Mountain and the road leading to Yunnan. She had been walking since Zagon, and the younger disciples had been complaining about their weakness, especially the ones with less skill in martial arts.

”Ha... We’re almost at Amipa Mountain. It’s been hard enough already, and now we’re supposed to climb to the Golden Peak? I can’t even imagine it,” one of the younger disciples muttered.

”I told you all to focus on your light-body techniques,” Yeonsu replied, trying to be patient.

”But, Master, we’ve been running errands for the other disciples. We haven’t had enough time to train,” another disciple protested.

”Yes, the laundry, the tea errands... When are we supposed to focus on martial arts?” one of the younger disciples added, still unsatisfied.

Yeonsu smiled softly, thinking to herself that she had been just like them not too long ago, and calmly gave advice.

”Other sects and families work just as hard as we do, but they still manage to focus on martial arts. If we, the followers of the Great Compassionate Buddha, are to follow that path, shouldn’t we work even harder?”

Despite her wisdom, the disciples’ complaints continued.

”But those other sects and families have servants to do the work for them! And how much effort can we really put in? They’re all noble ladies and gentlemen, after all...” one of the younger disciples quipped.

Just then, dust began to rise in the distance from the direction of Yunnan. Soon, figures appeared at the Yunnan crossroads—five or six figures running toward them at a furious pace.

”Who are these people, running like mad?” Yeonsu wondered aloud.

”Are they being chased by something?” another disciple asked, confused.

As Yeonsu’s eyes followed the figures, she suddenly recognized a familiar face and gasped.

”Is that... Hwa-eun?” she exclaimed.

”Hwa-eun? As in Tang Hwa-eun?” one of the disciples asked.

The woman running toward them was disheveled, with her hair loose, shoulders covered in dust, clothes stained, and hair hanging from her mouth. She looked like someone who had been running away from a disaster.

Yeonsu quickly ran forward to block her path. ”Hwa-eun!”

”Hwa-eun? Master?” Tang Hwa-eun responded, her eyes filled with confusion.

”What’s going on!? Why do you look like you’re being chased? Is something wrong?”

In a panic, Yeonsu demanded answers.

”Water... I need water,” Hwa-eun gasped.

”Water?” Yeonsu asked, taking out her water flask and handing it to her.

Hwa-eun drank deeply, gulping down the water as if her life depended on it.

Soon, the rest of the disciples handed over their water bottles, and Hwa-eun drank them all. Afterward, a man, whom Yeonsu recognized as a deputy leader of the Tang Clan’s Venom Blood Squad, spoke up.

”Thank you, Master. There’s nothing wrong... we were just practicing light-body techniques.”

”Light-body techniques?” Yeonsu asked, puzzled.

”Yes, we’ve been training very hard, so... we look a little silly now, don’t we?” the man said with a mischievous smile.

”What’s that in your hand?” Yeonsu asked, noticing the strange creature wrapped in rope with only its head sticking out.

The man laughed and quickly hid the creature behind him, still grinning like a playful child.

”It’s nothing, Master. Thank you for the water. We should be going now. Let’s hurry, Hwa-eun. If we run a little more, we’ll be able to rest once the sun sets,” he said, urging everyone to leave quickly.

The group, now refreshed, quickly disappeared into the distance, their light-body techniques carrying them swiftly away.

Yeonsu and her disciples stood in stunned silence as they processed the sight they had just witnessed. The Tang Clan disciples had been practicing their light-body techniques so rigorously that they were covered in dust and exhaustion.

”I thought the rumors about Tang Hwa-eun were exaggerated,” one disciple admitted, ”but to see her like this... I had no idea it was this intense.”

”I thought Master Yeonsu was exaggerating too, but now I see... I’m sorry, Master,” another disciple apologized.

Yeonsu smiled softly, feeling a sense of compassion for her younger disciples. As they reflected on the sight of the highly regarded Tang Hwa-eun in such a worn-out state, she took it as a lesson.

Seeing Tang Hwa-eun, who was once hailed as one of the Three Wonders of the Martial World, in such a state was a reminder of the Buddha’s teachings—the need for relentless effort and discipline. Yeonsu silently clasped her hands together as she bowed toward the direction the Tang Clan had gone.

”Amitabha.”

As Yeonsu and her disciples gathered their thoughts, the golden clouds approaching from the Yunnan direction began to spread, and the Tang Clan’s warriors continued their pursuit.

***

“I-I’m sorry, So-ryong… I think this is it for me… Kuaah… Kuaah…”

The Deputy Commander collapsed into the bushes, his body giving way as exhaustion finally took over him.

And not long after, the Deputy Commander was lost to unconsciousness, sprawled out on the ground.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the back of the trail, the Deputy had already collapsed. The thrilling chase between the Golden-Fur Bee King and us was nearing its end, with only a short distance left until we reached Tang Clan Mountain.

“I should just keep running...”

“I-I can do it!”

I said this while ready to run on my own, but my sister, her eyes glazed with exhaustion, shook her head weakly. She had been hanging on by a thread for the past two days, her mind almost slipping away, and my words didn’t seem to reach her.

Despite this, she managed to gather what little energy remained, clinging to my waist as we pushed on.

But by the time we crossed the river and arrived at the Gujin Gate, my sister collapsed just like the other warriors from the Tang Clan.

Thud.”Miss!”

Squeal! Squeal! Squeal!The guards at the Gujin Gate, startled by the sight of my sister, signaled to one another, and soon, the master and the legendary Tang Mu-seong, the Heavenly Poison Deity, appeared at the gate, looking alarmed.

The three calls were a signal from the Tang Clan’s direct line.

”Hwa-eun! What happened!?”

”Hwa-eun! So-ryong, what’s going on here?”

Both the master, holding my sister in his arms, and my grandfather, shaking me with concern, questioned me.

I quickly explained, trying to ease their worry.

”She’s been pushing herself, running for days with barely any rest, training her light-body techniques. She’s just exhausted. But we don’t have time! We need to head to the training grounds immediately!”

”The training grounds? Why there?”

”Why the training grounds?”

Instead of answering, I pulled out the bound queen bee and handed it to them.

”This is the Golden-Fur Bee Queen. The rest of the bees will be arriving soon, so we need to go to the training grounds!”

”What!?”

”You told me to gather honey, and I brought back the Golden-Fur Bee Queen!?”

”Ha ha! So-ryong, you’re truly going to be a great one!”

Though the master’s face showed surprise, my grandfather was grinning widely, clearly pleased with the unexpected turn of events.

Without wasting time, they pulled me along toward the training grounds, where I had earlier practiced with my throwing knives.

My destination was the ancient tree, which had been dead for centuries, though it hadn’t completely decomposed.

Arriving at the hole of the ancient tree, I released the queen bee and spoke to her.

”This is your new home.”

The queen bee, having been restrained for so long, seemed uncomfortable at first. After several quick movements, she looked around, inspecting the inside and outside of the ancient tree. Apparently satisfied, she tapped my head with her antennae.

The queen bee then promptly flew into the hollow of the ancient tree, settling in.

At the same time, I heard the distinctive sound of wings flapping above us.

We quickly moved aside as a swarm of bees, trailing from Yunnan’s border, rushed into the tree’s hole in a golden storm.

Whoooom. Whoooom.

Swoooosh!

The Golden-Fur Bee Queen had been successfully captured.

‘Sweet victory.’