Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Using the hint given to me by Grandfather Mandok Shingun, I had a sudden realization—could it be that the Heavenly Silkworm evolves into a Silver Silkworm by devouring the Queen of the Flame Veil?

While I was reeling from this revelation, my expression must have betrayed my thoughts. Grandfather Mandok Shingun tilted his head and asked,

”What’s the matter, So-ryong? You look as if you’ve just seen a ghost.”

”That’s... I just had a sudden thought...”

”A sudden thought? About what?”

”For now, let’s head to the Lord’s Hall. I’d like to discuss this in the presence of my father-in-law. No, actually, in the presence of all the direct lineage members of the clan.”

”Everyone? Is it really that important?”

When I requested for the entire direct lineage to be gathered, Grandfather Mandok Shingun looked at me with curiosity, questioning whether it was truly necessary.

”Of course. This is a matter of great importance.”

”O-oh?”

My solemn tone made Grandfather Mandok Shingun flinch slightly.

However, he soon laughed, brushing it off as another one of my eccentricities.

”You always have something strange brewing in that head of yours, don’t you? Fine, let’s go.”

Following my request, Grandfather ordered the nearby warriors on duty to summon Hwa-eun and my mother-in-law to the Lord’s Hall.

”You two, inform Hwa-eun and her mother to come to the Lord’s Hall at once.”

”Yes, Grand Elder!”

”There, that should do it.”

”Yes!”

Judging by the lingering smile on his face, he seemed to think I was making a fuss over nothing. But this was an extraordinary discovery—something that couldn’t be discussed just anywhere.

The key people needed to be present.

After all, this was an academic breakthrough unique to Spicy Fabre.

”This is insane. After reincarnating into a world where combat techniques are the mainstream physics, I ended up making a groundbreaking contribution to one of the most obscure fields—venom arts. And within that, an even rarer subfield: the study of venomous creatures!”

The reason I was so worked up was because I had just uncovered the mechanism behind the evolution of venomous creatures.

The secret mechanism by which venomous creatures—and even spiritual beings—transcended their inherent limits and evolved into something greater.

While identifying their diets and abilities was already valuable research, uncovering the evolutionary process itself was a far more significant scientific discovery.

Of course, at this point, it was just a hypothesis.

But that made it all the more valuable.

A hypothesis had been formulated, which meant I had the opportunity to present it in front of distinguished figures who shared my knowledge in venom arts.

”That’s why I asked for all the direct lineage members to be gathered.”

Who else but Spicy Fabre would make a groundbreaking discovery while indulging in a personal hobby and then immediately proceed to present it as a formal hypothesis?

Suppressing my excitement, I followed Grandfather while mentally organizing how I would explain everything to the family.

”The Heavenly Silkworm devoured the Queen of the Flame Veil and evolved into a Silver Silkworm.”

It was a hypothesis, and hypotheses were bound to attract a flood of questions. I needed to prepare for that.

”The evolution part has solid supporting evidence, but they’re definitely going to ask about this. Was this how my professors felt when presenting their research back in my past life?”

With my heart pounding, I arrived at the Lord’s Hall.

Upon entering, my father-in-law looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

”You’re back already?”

”Yes, it wasn’t that far, so I returned quickly.”

It seemed odd to him that I had returned so soon after claiming I was searching for Bini’s hiding spot.

But at my response, he simply nodded, not making much of it.

”It’s good that it was nearby. And I see my father-in-law is with you as well?”

”Yes, I ran into So-ryong on my way here because of these mushrooms.”

”I see. So-ryong, tell me about your findings.”

My father-in-law, still unaware of what I had to say, asked me to report my findings.

However, Grandfather Mandok Shingun spoke up first.

”Wait a moment. So-ryong said he has something to discuss in front of all the direct lineage members. That’s why I summoned Hwa-eun and the clan’s matriarch.”

”Hwa-eun and my wife as well?”

My father-in-law blinked in surprise upon hearing that I had called the entire family together.

But after a moment, he seemed to sense something and nodded.

”Did you find what you were looking for?”

”Yes, Father-in-law.”

”Then, let’s wait for them.”

Not long after, Hwa-eun and my mother-in-law arrived.

”Grandfather, I heard you called for me.”

”Father-in-law, why was I summoned as well?”

Both of them seemed puzzled as they entered and asked about the reason for their summoning.

Grandfather Mandok Shingun and my father-in-law simply smiled and looked at me.

”It wasn’t me, it was So-ryong who called for you.”

”If your husband # Nоvеlight # called for you, then take a seat first.”

At their words, both of them tilted their heads in confusion but eventually took their seats.

Once I confirmed that everyone was seated, I took a deep breath, calming my excited heart, and stood up with the most serious expression I could muster.

After all, I was about to present a hypothesis.

”The reason I gathered the four of you, the direct lineage members of the family, is because I’ve uncovered something of great importance.”

”Something important?”

Hwa-eun asked a question before I had even started my explanation.

Since the timing was bad, I awkwardly smiled and replied,

”Questions can come later.”

”...?”

Hwa-eun blinked, looking both puzzled and slightly offended.

I did feel a little guilty, but this wasn’t the time for interruptions.

”First, let me explain why I went to investigate Bini’s hiding place today. My objective was to determine how Bini ended up becoming a Mukhyeon Phantom Centipede.”

”If I could understand the reason behind Bini’s transformation, I could compare it with how Cho became a Bi-cheon Shin-sa. That way, I might be able to deduce the process by which a Heavenly Silkworm evolves into a Silver Silkworm.”

”Hoo...”

”Oh...”

My logical explanation made the family members nod in thought.

With a faint smile, I continued,

”So, I took Bini and retraced the path to its hiding spot. It turns out that Bini had hidden inside the cave where I threw myself when the Blood Cultists appeared. The same cave swarming with Ho-ban Yusa warriors.”

”It was that close?”

”That child was right under our noses? No wonder we couldn’t find it—we were searching far and wide while it was right beneath our feet... We made the warriors go through unnecessary trouble.”

”Bini... Ah...”

Realizing how close Bini had been, both my father-in-law and mother-in-law were visibly stunned.

Meanwhile, Hwa-eun, who had previously been reprimanded, tried to say something but ended up covering her mouth.

Even though their surprise briefly interrupted my presentation, it wasn’t exactly a question, so I pressed on.

”Yes. According to Bini, it absorbed the yin energy that had accumulated in that cave, which is why it became a Mukhyeon Phantom Centipede.”

”Cho consumed Bi-cheon Shin-sa’s Neidan, while Bini absorbed the yin energy from the cave.”

”That’s fascinating. To think that even the stagnant energy of bloodshed could be absorbed.”

”Indeed. This is truly an astonishing discovery.”

Once again, my explanation was interrupted because of the two of them. But at this point, I decided to just push forward.

Thinking about it, this was probably the first time they had ever attended a discussion like this.

I did feel a bit bad for singling out Hwa-eun earlier, though.

”I kind of feel bad now.”

Suppressing my guilt, I proceeded to explain the core of my hypothesis to the family.

Based on the evidence I had gathered, I laid out my conclusions in a logically sound manner.

“So here’s what I think. Cho consumed the Neidan of the Bi-cheon Shin-sa and became a Bi-cheon Wugong. Bini absorbed the yin energy left in the blood-soaked cavern and transformed into a Mukhyeon Phantom Centipede.

So while I can’t say this applies to all venomous creatures, I believe that when spirit-type venomous creatures absorb a large amount of energy, they undergo an evolutionary transformation.”

As I finished summarizing my core hypothesis, my father-in-law and Grandfather Mandok Shingun both nodded in understanding.

”Ohh, I see. Since they are spiritual creatures, it makes sense that absorbing a great deal of energy would cause them to transform, much like a rebirth.”

”Indeed. When a body is filled with immense energy, it undergoes transformation. If this applies to spirit creatures as well, then your theory holds merit.”

Hearing two esteemed martial masters support my idea from a martial arts perspective gave me a boost of confidence, and I stated my conclusion with conviction.

“Yes. Based on this, my conclusion is that the Heavenly Silkworm must have consumed something to become a Silver Silkworm. And when Grandfather Mandok Shingun showed me that mushroom, a thought struck me.

That mushroom might be useless to humans, but what if the Queen of the Flame Veil, a creature that has lived for over fifty years, ate it every day?

And then, what if the Heavenly Silkworm devoured that Queen?

Wouldn’t that be enough for it to transform into a Silver Silkworm?”

“Eating that mushroom every day for fifty years... And then the Queen of the Flame Veil, having consumed it for fifty years, was devoured by the Heavenly Silkworm?”

”An intriguing theory. If true, then the clan will have yet another one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures.”

The elders nodded in admiration at my hypothesis.

And then—

Hwa-eun hesitantly raised her hand and asked,

”C-Can I ask questions now?”

Just as I was feeling guilty, I quickly nodded.

”Of course.”

She seemed deep in thought for a moment before asking the very question I had anticipated.

”But wait, didn’t you explain before that in colonies of Ma-ui (ant-like creatures), there is only one queen? If the Queen of the Flame Veil had been devoured, then when we opened the nest, shouldn’t there have been no queen left at all?”

”Oh, that’s true. You did say that before when dealing with the Army Ants.”

Unexpected questions can sometimes throw you off, but when you’ve already predicted the question, a smile naturally forms.

I smiled at Hwa-eun.

Many people assume that an ant colony has only one queen, but that’s actually not always the case.

Some ant species have multiple queens.

And termites, which are actually closer to cockroaches than ants, have an even more unique trait.

Termite colonies contain secondary reproductive castes—princesses who function as backup queens.

Even though they are called princesses, they still lay eggs. There are even male termites that serve to regulate these princesses, functioning like consorts.

What’s even more fascinating is that some of these princesses are genetic clones of the queen herself.

And there’s a reason for this.

Unlike ants, termites can’t store sperm from a single mating for their entire lives. They need to mate frequently. That’s why termites uniquely have kings alongside their queens.

But if the queen dies, the princesses must step up.

If a princess mates with the king, it leads to inbreeding.

To avoid genetic degradation, the queen prepares her own clones as successors.

So even if one queen dies, another identical one is ready to take her place.

”...So naturally, another Queen of the Flame Veil would have taken its place.”

”What a peculiar species.”

”Indeed, the Flame Veil creatures are quite unique...”

”Oh, that makes sense.”

After explaining these facts, my family nodded in understanding.

Then my father-in-law, wearing an amused smile, asked,

”But that’s still just your hypothesis. Naturally, you’ll need to verify it, won’t you?”

”Heh, as expected of my father-in-law.”

With his extensive medical knowledge, he immediately saw the next step.

Of course, if a hypothesis is formulated, the next step is experimentation.

And what better way to verify a hypothesis than through direct testing?

Fortunately, proving my theory was simple.

All we had to do was feed a Queen of the Flame Veil to a Heavenly Silkworm.

”Of course.”

The next day, Xintu, who had been staying with the clan in pursuit of the Heavenly Silkworm, grumbled as he followed us.

***

For the experiment, we captured one of the already-hatched Heavenly Silkworms from an abandoned colony and placed it in a different nest with a queen.

We specifically chose a nest where the previous queen and king had died, ensuring that another queen was in the process of taking over.

We dug into that colony, extracted the new queen, and placed it in front of the Heavenly Silkworm.

Chomp.The moment it recognized the queen’s plump, baguette-like body, the Heavenly Silkworm wasted no time sinking its mandibles in. The queen thrashed in surprise, but as soon as the Heavenly Silkworm’s golden antennae released their distinctive sweet scent...

Miraculously, the queen stopped struggling.

It remained completely still until all of its bodily fluids were drained.

And when only its shriveled husk remained—

The Heavenly Silkworm began to molt, revealing a shimmering silver form beneath.

A third-instar larva.

”It... It really worked!”

”This... This is the Silver Silkworm!”

Everyone in the group was awestruck.

As we returned to the Tang Clan after completing our research, I glanced down at my shoulder.

Two newly hatched Silver Silkworms, having feasted on their first meal of a queen, gleamed as they clung to me.

”Hah, now... what should I name these little guys?”

If I raised them all the way to adulthood, I’d officially have one of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures of the Central Plains—the Silver Silkworm Moth.