Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

When Hyang claimed that she had her father all to herself, Cho and Bini’s antennae twitched in surprise for a brief moment. However, they quickly tried to dismiss her words as insignificant.

After all, I had once said that bigger was better, and besides, Hyang couldn’t even fly to carry me like they could.

Bini seemed to misunderstand, thinking that I considered size the only factor in beauty, while Cho was trying to emphasize her ability to fly.

They were both running their own happy little mental circuits. But they weren’t entirely wrong.

It was true that being bigger had its advantages, and flight was definitely a valuable ability.

Yet, while they were rubbing their faces against my cheek playfully, Hyang suddenly darted between the folds of my collar, making Cho and Bini huff in frustration.

I had thought of my little Hyang as nothing more than a mischievous and sleepy daughter, but no troublemaker in history could match her antics.

— Tssssrrrr!

— Tsssrrr!

And just like that, the second child of the house shut the door mid-fight and ran away.

『Come out! Get out here!』

『Just step out for a second!』

Ignoring the calls of her older and younger siblings, she let out the triumphant cry of a victor from within the safety of my embrace.

— Chrrr!

Hearing that, Cho and Bini grew even more furious.

As their father, I couldn’t allow a full-blown beastly war within my home, so I quickly calmed them down.

“Daddy loves all three of you equally. So, let’s not fight, okay? If you fight... wouldn’t O-gong hate that?”

With great effort, I managed to soothe them by reaffirming my equal love for all three.

However, that night, we all naturally came to understand why Hyang had been so smug.

No matter how much parents try to treat their children equally, it’s inevitable that certain differences in treatment will arise.

There’s a saying: No finger is spared pain when bitten, but everyone still has one that hurts more than the rest.

That’s called favoritism.

Of course, I wasn’t saying that I had such tendencies.

I planned to divide my time and attention perfectly equally among the three.

But favoritism can happen even when neither parent nor child intends it.

When I was young, my father would leave early in the morning for work and return home late at night.

The only time we really saw him was on his rare days off, and even then, he would scold us strictly.

Because we hardly saw him and only experienced his strictness when we did, we found it difficult to get close to him.

Naturally, my sibling and I ended up being closer to our mother, and the biggest fight between us every evening was over who would get to sleep next to her in our tiny room.

One side was reserved for our father whenever he came home, which meant there was only one spot next to our mother.

That one space became the ultimate prize in our sibling rivalry.

After several fights, my mother, wise as Solomon, solved the issue by enforcing a rotation system.

Yet, despite all that, I never imagined I would face the same kind of nighttime competition here.

— Tsssrrr!

— Tsssrrr!

Cho and Bini growled in frustration.

This time, the battleground was my own sleeping quarters.

Just as my sibling and I had fought over our mother’s side, these two were now clashing over who would get to sleep beside me.

Even though Hwa-eun was technically their mother, they had been with me from the moment they were born, so they were naturally more attached to me.

Under normal circumstances, they would always sleep beside me.

And now, the same battle I once had with my sibling was playing out between Cho and Bini.

“H-Hey! Calm down, guys!”

In the Central Plains, unlike the West, people generally kept their shoes on indoors.

As a result, their sleeping arrangements were also different—beds, or chim-sangs, were the norm.

Rather than spreading blankets on the floor, people usually slept on raised wooden platforms.

The chim-sang I had used back on Hainan Island had been nothing more than a simple wooden slab, but here in the Tang Clan’s estate? It was downright luxurious.

It had intricately carved wooden panels enclosing three sides, with fine fabric draped around it for added elegance.

The only open side was the entrance.

The problem? The bed was only about two meters long.

And with two creatures measuring six to seven meters in length, they simply didn’t fit.

That meant the big ones had to leave their heads inside while the rest of their bodies remained outside.

Back when Bini was still small, Cho would lie on the floor and slip her head through the entrance, curling the rest of her body around me as she slept.

But now that Bini had grown, the spot near the entrance had become a point of contention between them.

『I’m sleeping next to Dad!』

『You already had plenty of turns when I wasn’t here!』

『I was busy looking for you, so I didn’t get to sleep properly either!』

The two of them were shoving their heads toward the entrance, trying to claim the spot.

At least they still had enough sense to avoid breaking the bed.

But then, from the safety of my embrace, Hyang poked her head out and uttered a single remark toward her older siblings.

— Tch!

A scoffing sound. A quiet ”Hah!”

It was clear mockery.

After all, Hyang could just coil around my body and sleep without any trouble.

Because of their massive sizes, the unwanted favoritism had naturally occurred.

As Hyang had said earlier, the battle for their father’s affection had already been decided.

Hyang was the undisputed victor.

She had been removed from the competition altogether.

Whether we were walking or sleeping, she could just cling to me by herself.

— Tssssrrrr!

— Tssssrrt!

Realizing this, Cho and Bini’s remaining shreds of rationality snapped.

‘To hell with logic! I’m sleeping next to Dad!’

That must have been what they were thinking.

And the moment they lost control... my bed was destroyed.

With two six-to-seven-meter-long creatures engaging in a full-blown wrestling match, the wooden chim-sang didn’t stand a chance.

— CRACK!

— THUD!

The bed collapsed.

At the same time, my table and chairs were obliterated.

The entire room’s furnishings were utterly demolished.

“What’s going on!?”

“Ryong? What happened!?”

“What in the world is this, So-ryong?”

Hwa-eun, Seol, and several elders rushed in, startled by the commotion.

And there I was, buried in the wreckage of my bed, while Cho and Bini were still in the process of demolishing what remained.

In the end, I had to ask the guards to clear out the ruined furniture and replace it with a thick layer of dry grass in one corner of the room.

There was no point in scolding them—it would just happen again every night.

So I decided it was better to just lay out some straw and sleep on the floor with all three of them.

After all, in my past life, I had slept on the ground plenty of times.

For the sake of peace, there was no other choice.

The dry grass I had prepared for my pet hamsters was now spread where my bed used to be, making a soft enough nest.

After laying down a blanket on top, I lay down—only for my two oversized children to immediately claim their spots on either side of me.

Finally, peace was restored.

I closed my eyes, ready to sleep, but then cautiously asked the two of them:

“Hey... could you ease up on the arm pillows? I think my arms will go numb by morning.”

— Tssrr!

— Tch!

Judging by their responses, they were telling me to just endure it for the night.

***

The next morning, after all the commotion had settled, Xintu must have heard that I was awake, as he came to visit me with his disciple, Yeong-ryeon.

“You’re finally awake? I was terribly worried, thinking something serious had happened.”

“Are you all right, So-hyeop?”

“I apologize for worrying both of you.”

Xintu glanced around my room and blinked in astonishment.

“But... why does this place look like a barn? There’s not a single chair.”

“P-Please, have a seat on the floor. It’s because of the children...”

“The son-in-law of the prestigious Sacheon Tang Clan, and his room has nothing but straw on the floor?”

Xintu was bewildered by the state of my room.

After seating them on the floor, I asked what had happened while I was unconscious.

I had already heard a rough summary from Hwa-eun and Seol the night before, but I needed to know about the matters Xintu had taken upon himself—particularly regarding the stonemasons.

“How are the preparations for retrieving the celestial silkworms coming along?”

At my question, Xintu shook his head.

“I had planned to ask my brother Geolhwang to find some stonemasons, but after thinking it through, I realized that wasn’t the best course of action.”

“What? Why not?”

He had told me to trust him, but now he was saying something different.

I was about to ask what changed when Hwa-eun, who had been listening quietly, nodded in understanding.

“Ah, it’s because ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) you don’t want too many people to find out?”

“Exactly. Since this is about acquiring my divine relic, the fewer who know about it, the better.”

“Ah...”

He had initially planned to find skilled martial artists or stonemasons to break through the termite mound, but there was no need to let too many people in on the secret.

Lowering his voice, Xintu continued, “Since you’re the one who will be raising the celestial silkworms, I thought it would be best to seek help from the Tang Clan instead. I don’t know if that old poison fanatic will lend us any men, though.”

It made sense. Since we would be managing the silkworms, it was logical to use our own people.

It was a good idea, but there was one problem.

Retrieving the celestial silkworms required warriors using chisels and hammers, but our family couldn’t afford to send many men right now due to the ongoing conflicts with the Five Venoms Clan and the Blood Cult.

Just as I was about to explain that to him—

“Hey, put that down! You’ll get in trouble!”

I heard Seol’s flustered voice coming from outside.

I immediately sprang to my feet and turned to Xintu.

“I’m sorry, but I think I need to step out for a moment.”

I had asked Seol to watch the kids while I was entertaining guests, to prevent them from fighting until a proper hierarchy was established.

But judging by the tone of her voice, something had gone wrong.

After quickly excusing myself, I rushed outside.

At first, I thought they might have started fighting again, but what I saw in the courtyard left me speechless.

My daughters were playing... jacks.

But with massive boulders.

Cho and Bini were each lifting stones larger than a human torso, competing to see who was stronger.

“What... are you doing?”

At the sound of my voice, Cho and Bini flinched.

— THUD!

The stone Cho had been holding dropped to the ground.

— CRACK!

The boulder in Bini’s mouth shattered completely.

I had heard that the Black Phantom Centipede could crush rocks, but seeing it in person was another matter.

“I-Is this...?!”

Beside me, Xintu gasped in shock.

Watching Bini’s monstrous strength, a thought crossed my mind.

I knew exactly who in the Tang Clan could help Xintu.

Someone who wasn’t human—meaning one fewer person to keep a secret.

***

Three days later, we returned to the massive white termite mound we had named Bultap Baekui.

Standing before the tallest mound in the valley, Xintu wore a tense expression.

“This thing... Can that creature really break it?”

He was skeptical about whether Bini could destroy the mound.

“You saw it yourself, Elder. She crushed an even harder rock.”

“Well... yes, but...”

He still seemed worried about making the trip for nothing.

But I had tested Bini several times in his absence, so I had no doubts.

She had lost her venomous fangs after the Blue-Spotted Centipede incident, but in return, she had developed sharper teeth, monstrous strength, and the ability to burrow through solid ground.

She had likely remained at the Twenty-Four Venoms Earth for the same reason as Yeondu, the Heavenly Sage—because she lacked a potent venom.

“Bini, right there. Dig a large hole for us.”

— Tssr!

I pointed toward where I estimated the termite queen’s chamber would be.

Without hesitation, Bini rushed forward and sank her fangs into the mound.

Despite its rock-hard, concrete-like structure, the outer shell crumbled like styrofoam under her bite.

— Crunch. Crack.

As Bini continued to dig, light began to seep into the interior of the mound.

Suddenly, we felt vibrations coming from within.

— Rrrrrr...

A deep rumbling noise echoed from inside the termite nest.

“What is that?!”

“What’s happening, So-ryong?!”

Termites communicate through vibrations.

A sound this loud could only mean one thing—the soldier termites were being summoned.

“They’re calling in the troops. Bini, prepare your venom!”

— Tssr!

At my command, Bini took a deep breath, her body swelling like an inflated sausage.

Though she had lost her venomous fangs, she could still expel poison through her breathing pores, just like Cho’s mist poison.

Rather than causing fatal poisoning, Bini’s venom acted like tear gas—it burned the eyes, made breathing difficult, and, being denser than air, spread low to the ground.

— Fwooosh!

Just as thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of soldier termites emerged from the breach, Bini released a thick cloud of black gas from her sides.

The swarm, which had been charging toward us, immediately recoiled in shock and scattered in all directions.

Termites are not aggressive fighters—they prefer to barricade themselves in when faced with an overwhelming threat.

With the soldier termites retreating, I turned to Bini and instructed her to dig carefully for the queen’s chamber.

“Bini, if you hit something harder than the rest, let me know.”

— Tssr!

The termite queen’s chamber would be oval-shaped and incredibly sturdy.

If we could locate it and seal its entrance, we could capture the queen, king, nurse termites, and their eggs all at once.

— Crack!

At my request, Bini burrowed deeper.

Then, after a short while—

— Tssr! Tssrrt!

“You found it?”

Hearing Bini’s cry, I hurried inside.

The glowing Night Pearl Xintu had lent me turned out to be unnecessary.

The inside of the termite mound was already illuminated.

The walls were covered in luminescent mushrooms.

‘Ah, so these termites farm fungus for food?’

Most people assume that all termites survive by eating wood.

But some species cultivate fungi on decomposed plant matter, which they then consume.

Seeing this, I made a mental note to collect some of the mushrooms before we left.

As I continued forward, something caught my eye.

Silken cocoons, clustered together.

Just as I had suspected—not many, but around thirty of them, resting in a pile near the fungi chamber.

“I found them!”

Though my primary target was the termite queen’s chamber, these cocoons were an excellent secondary prize.

I quickly approached and examined the peanut-shaped silken pods.

— Rustle.

At that moment, the pile shifted.

And from within, a single cocoon stood out—radiant silver, gleaming in the dim light.

“Huh?! W-What is this?!”

I hadn’t expected this.

A completely unexpected windfall.