Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

As I mulled over how to appease Hyang and Bini, I decided to wait until Cho finished molting.

For arthropods like centipedes and spiders, molting is their most vulnerable moment. They must be watched over carefully.

Their new exoskeleton is soft and pliable until body fluids fill it and it hardens. If they get crushed, bent, or suffer any impact in that state, they’ll remain deformed until their next molt.

If they’re lucky, they might recover in the next molt. But more often than not, such deformities lead to complications, making future molts even riskier.

A deformed limb or section that fails to shed properly increases the likelihood of a ”molting failure.”

An arthropod’s body is like a metal can—if it gets dented, the contents inside struggle to move freely.

If it can’t completely shed its old exoskeleton, the accumulated layers can slow fluid circulation, leading to decay. It could end up like Seol, who nearly died from molting failure.

And the bigger they get, the higher the chance of failure.

—Shrrk.

Two of Cho’s legs had fallen off, which worried me slightly. But he managed to completely emerge from his old shell.

His legs, once transparent in the shed skin, had regenerated fully.

He also seemed noticeably larger.

His body pulsed with each breath, rising and falling like a chest swelling with a heartbeat.

When I gently touched him, he didn’t feel like a typical centipede with a hard, flexible shell. Instead, he was incredibly soft and damp.

All that was left was for his body to dry and harden.

Since I would need to step away for a while, I decided to leave Yohwa in charge of keeping an eye on him.

For a normal, mature centipede, the drying process takes about a day. But since Cho was a spiritual creature, it might take longer. I planned to prepare to stay the night here.

As I watched Cho lying in the grass, slowly drying himself, I turned to Yohwa and asked,

”Yohwa, I’ll be stepping away for a bit to get some things ready for the night. Can you keep an eye on Cho?”

—Kishish!

With that, I made my way to the quarters where Seol and Hwa-eun were staying.

I planned to inform them I’d be spending the night here, as well as check in on them.

At the same time, I’d also update them on Hyang and Bini’s whereabouts.

This morning, someone had come asking if they were with me since they’d suddenly vanished after spending the night in my room.

If possible, I wanted to ask for advice on how to cheer them up.

After all, who understands a woman’s heart better than another woman?

‘I swear, I can figure out most things, but I have no idea how to soothe a sulking heart.’

”Seol, Hwa-eun, I’m coming in.”

When I announced myself at Seol’s quarters, a cheerful voice responded.

”Mm, come in, Ryong.”

”Come in, So-ryong.”

When I stepped inside, I found Seol and Hwa-eun sitting at a table, dressed comfortably, sipping tea.

I’d expected them to be bedridden for a few more days, but they didn’t seem to be in such bad shape.

—Kkuukku!

—Kuu!

As I approached the table, Seol and Bini, who had been nestled against Bing-ok, leapt into my arms.

”Oh, you little rascals. Have you been behaving? You didn’t bother your mom while she was resting, did you?”

—Kuu-kuuu!

They wagged their plump tails like excited puppies.

Seol’s tail had only regrown to about half of its original length, but I was sure it was just a matter of time before it was fully restored.

As I scratched under their chins, I turned my attention back to Seol and Hwa-eun.

”Are you both alright? Should you really be up and about already?”

”Well, it’s just internal injuries. My ears are still ringing a bit, but I’m fine.”

”I’m alright, too. My wounds weren’t too severe—just some heavy bruising.”

They didn’t seem to be struggling with day-to-day activities.

Relieved, I took a seat and informed Hwa-eun that Cho had recovered.

She had been worried about him, so she’d be happy to hear the news.

”I just finished helping Cho regenerate his lost legs.”

”You... regenerated them?”

”Yes. It seems Bi-cheon Shin-sa left behind some of the centipede’s Neidan. I used it to trigger a molt. Centipedes regrow their limbs when they shed.”

”That’s a relief. I was so heartbroken when I saw he’d lost his legs... Honestly, my own injuries didn’t even hurt as much as that. I think this must be what a mother feels when her child comes home wounded.”

Hwa-eun let out a deep breath, briefly rejoicing in the news before steeling herself with a newfound resolve.

”I need to become stronger as a mother. If I can’t protect my children, then I’ve failed in my role.”

She clenched her fists with determination.

”F-failed might be a bit extreme...”

”No. A mother has to be strong!”

‘Uh... is she taking this roleplay a little too seriously?’

I was a little concerned that she was becoming too immersed in this whole ”mom and dad” act.

But what she said next made me think that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.

”You should get stronger too, Xianggong. After all, you’re the father. Next time, we’ll protect them together.”

‘Wait... this isn’t so bad?’

She was so deep in the role that she called me Xianggong—a term combining ”husband” and a respectful honorific.

Basically, ”Dear Husband.”

For the first time, I heard someone call me Dear Husband.

My brain short-circuited for a moment.

It must be something imprinted in human genetics—when a beautiful woman calls you ”Dear,” your body just reacts instinctively.

Even though we weren’t actually married, my mouth moved on its own.

”Understood, m-my dear.”

Seol, who had been watching from the side, looked utterly dumbfounded.

”Hah?”

***

After seeing Seol’s bewildered reaction, Hwa-eun finally realized what she had just said.

Her face turned beet red.

Even now, she still hadn’t fully recovered from the embarrassment as she asked about Hyang and Bini.

This morning, someone had come asking if they were with me since they had suddenly disappeared.

”So, what about Hyang and Bini, So-ryong? Since you didn’t bring them with you, does that mean you couldn’t find them?”

”I did. They’re with Grandfather.”

”Grandfather? Hyang and Bini are?”

She blinked in surprise.

I scratched the back of my head and sighed.

”Yeah, I think they’re upset with us. They must have figured out that our talk about killing intent was a lie.”

”Wh-what!?”

Hwa-eun’s eyes widened in shock.

It was like watching a mother react when her kids found out Santa wasn’t real.

”Yeah... last night, they wandered around and tested their killing intent on the palace beasts. Since nothing happened, they realized we had lied.”

”T-that’s bad. They must be heartbroken.”

Seeing both Hwa-eun and Seol look so concerned, I asked,

”Do you have any ideas on how to cheer them up? Last time, I promised to get them a Neidan, and that barely worked. This time, I have no idea what to do.”

”Hmm...”

Hwa-eun frowned, resting her chin on her hand.

”Won’t they just get over it on their own?” Seol suggested.

”And if they don’t?”

”Come on, do you really think they’ll stay mad forever? They’re just upset for now.”

”You think so?”

”Yeah.”

Still, as their ”parents,” I couldn’t just sit and do nothing.

”What about you, Seol? How do you usually get over it when you’re upset? Or rather, how did your father cheer you up?”

”Me? Uh... well, it’s different for me. I mean, they’re centipedes, and I just... felt better after eating some good meat.”

”Meat, huh...?”

Just then, a servant’s voice called from outside.

”My lady, you have a visitor.”

”A visitor?”

Seol tilted her head in confusion.

She hadn’t expected anyone since she was still recovering.

Then, an unexpected name was announced.

”Yang Seong-hu is here.”

”Yang Seong-hu?”

Seol and Hwa-eun exchanged glances before Seol furrowed her brows slightly and spoke.

”It’s improper for a man to visit a lady’s quarters uninvited. That should be common sense.”

She wasn’t particularly close with Yang Seong-hu, and allowing him into her quarters would be a breach of decorum.

Besides, Seon-hwa had risked her life to save him. If he was here because he still harbored feelings for Seol, then it was right for her to refuse him.

‘Wait, is this blockhead still not getting it?’

It seemed like he had come despite his injuries to check on her, but if he was still oblivious to Seon-hwa’s feelings, that would be truly frustrating.

Just as I was thinking that, Yang Seong-hu’s voice rang out from outside.

”So-So-ryong! Please help me! I heard you were here!”

Both Hwa-eun and Seol turned their gazes toward me.

His plea for help came out of nowhere, and I blinked in confusion.

His voice sounded incredibly urgent.

It seemed like I had no choice but to go out and see what was going on.

When I opened the door, I found Yang Seong-hu standing there, his face deathly pale.

As soon as he saw me, he grabbed onto my pant leg and pleaded desperately.

”So-ryong! Please help me!”

His neck had a fracture, so Yohwa had wrapped it in spider silk to keep it stable. That made his posture stiff and awkward as he clung to my leg.

”Calm down, Yang Seong-hu. I can’t help if I don’t even know what’s wrong.”

I needed to hear the reason before I could do anything.

But when I asked, he looked at me with an expression of disbelief and stammered,

”S-Seon-hwa! Seon-hwa—!”

”Is Seon-hwa in critical condition!?”

I had heard that her injuries were severe, even affecting her internal organs.

If she was in critical condition, I needed to get Grandfather Mandok Shingun and the Beast Palace’s physicians involved immediately.

As I was about to suggest this, Yang Seong-hu shouted something completely unexpected.

”Seon-hwa said she likes me!”

”...?”

”S-She said she likes me, and I-I don’t know what to do! You may be young, but y-you have experience! Please help me, So-ryong!”

I had assumed Seon-hwa was on the brink of death, but this was just some ridiculous love consultation?

I had to press my thigh down to stop myself from instinctively delivering a soccer kick to his ribs.

‘What am I even supposed to do with this guy?’

As I was wondering how to deal with him, the door behind me suddenly burst open.

Seol stepped out, looking extremely entertained.

”You came to the right place. Of course we’ll help.”

”W-wait, I was asking So-So-ryong—”

Before he could protest, she grabbed him and dragged him inside.

It seemed she couldn’t resist poking her nose into someone else’s love life.

***

”So, let me get this straight,” Yang Seong-hu began, his face still somewhat dazed. ”When I heard Seon-hwa had woken up, I went to check on her condition. While I was there, I couldn’t help but ask why she had taken that spear for me.”

That seemed like a reasonable thing to ask.

”But then, Seon-hwa sighed and looked at me like I was the dumbest person alive.”

I had expected a romantic story, but right from the start, this felt like swallowing a bowl of mashed sweet potatoes—dry, heavy, and suffocating.

Suppressing my frustration, I asked,

”And what did she say?”

”She sighed and then asked me a question instead.”

”Why do you think I did it, Yang Seong-hu?”

”As a friend? Or as a comrade who shared a secret mission?”

—Thwack!

”Ow! What was that for!?”

Yang Seong-hu had answered honestly, but Seon-hwa had responded by throwing a wooden pillow at his head.

As he clutched his forehead and protested, she muttered with embarrassment,

”Idiot! It’s obvious, isn’t it!? I couldn’t just watch someone I like die!”

”You... like me? You mean... you, Seon-hwa, like me?”

He had stared at her in absolute shock, completely failing to process the situation.

Her face turned red with anger, and she shouted,

”Get out! You idiot! I should’ve just let you die!”

”And then she kicked you out?”

”Y-yes...”

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Hwa-eun and Seol sat there, arms crossed, both glaring at him with open disappointment.

”That’s so pathetic,” Hwa-eun muttered. ”How is he so different from our So-ryong? If that had been a dagger instead of a wooden pillow, he wouldn’t be here right now.”

”Yeah,” Seol added. ”It should’ve been poisoned, too.”

Seeing Yang Seong-hu visibly shrink at their words, I decided to step in before he got completely crushed.

I also wanted to add a few insults of my own, but I held back.

”Alright, you two, let’s not tear him apart just yet. So, Yang Seong-hu, what exactly do you need help with? You’ve already received a confession. I don’t see what else I can do for you.”

He hesitated, rubbing the back of his head.

”This is the first time a woman has confessed to me, so... I-I don’t know what to do! Please, help me, So-ryong!”

So he had no idea how to respond to her feelings.

I sighed and asked the most fundamental question.

”Do you even like Seon-hwa?”

He froze, clearly caught off guard. After a long pause, he shook his head.

”I... I don’t know.”

He was still flustered by the sudden confession and hadn’t figured out his own feelings.

I pulled him up by the arm.

”Alright. Then let’s figure that out first.”

”H-huh? Figure out what?”

I led him to where Yohwa was watching over Cho as he dried.

Turning to Yohwa, I made a request.

”Yohwa, I know you won’t like this, but could you take a bit of his Yang energy and show us who he finds the most beautiful?”

—Kisshh!? Kishishishi!

Yohwa clearly hated the idea, but after some coaxing, she reluctantly approached Yang Seong-hu and nipped his hand.

As she absorbed a bit of his energy, her form began to shift.

Her appearance, which had mirrored Hwa-eun moments ago, slowly changed... into Seon-hwa.

A love-at-first-sight type, huh? It seemed that one confession was all it took to shake his perception of beauty.

”This... this is...”

Yang Seong-hu looked completely shaken.

I crossed my arms and explained,

”Yohwa can transform into whoever the person she drains Yang energy from finds most beautiful. Since she took some of your energy and turned into Seon-hwa, it means you already see her as the most beautiful woman.”

”S-so that means... I... I like Seon-hwa?”

I slapped him on the back.

—Smack!

”Alright, you got your answer. Now, as a man, you should go and respond to her confession properly.”

He took a deep breath, then nodded resolutely.

”Right. I will.”

As he turned toward Seon-hwa’s quarters, I called after him.

”I’ve saved you three times now.”

He paused, then turned and bowed his head in gratitude before hurrying away.

‘Now that that’s dealt with...’

As I watched Yang Seong-hu disappear into the distance, I finally remembered something I had been too distracted to think about.

Hyang and Bini.

I had completely forgotten about them during all this nonsense.

”I should go check on Grandfather and see how they’re doing.”

Just then, my foot hit something.

I looked down and saw Cho’s shed exoskeleton lying at my feet.

And with it, Seol’s words echoed in my mind.

”I always felt better after eating good meat.”

Cho was a legendary centipede. His molted shell undoubtedly still carried his essence.

Could this be the key to solving Hyang and Bini’s mood?

‘This... just might work.’