Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Sword Mistress looked utterly dumbfounded at my rather drastic method of detachment. However, any complaints or protests vanished entirely.

The monastic rules of Bota Monastery were absolute—no men and no male creatures were allowed to enter or remain within its premises, let alone ascend Yongbong Peak.

With no room for argument, the young nuns resigned themselves to saying their farewells to Huali, allowing us to leave the monastery peacefully with our new companion.

”Take care, Huali. Stay healthy.”

”Please be well.”

Their faces showed deep regret, but strangely enough, Huali didn’t seem sad at all. If anything, the creature exuded a sense of relief and satisfaction rather than sorrow.

And I had a pretty good idea why.

Just as Huali was being moved onto the ship, it turned toward the nuns and spat water at them.

”Huali must be sad too. It’s probably shedding water instead of tears.”

”I’ll miss you, Huali.”

The nuns interpreted the act as ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) a farewell gesture, but beside me, Cho tilted its head in confusion.

— Tsrrt?

As expected, my hunch was correct.

Huali wasn’t expressing sadness—it was furious.

Cho relayed the creature’s emotions to me through our connection.

”It’s angry?”

— Tsrrt!

It seemed that Huali was resentful over having been neglected for ten years without proper food.

That made sense. Amphibian tadpoles usually have an insatiable appetite, consuming as much as they can before metamorphosis. But Huali had been starving for a decade.

So, in an attempt to mend our relationship, I decided to fulfill my promise and feed it the moment we set sail.

”Alright, let’s give it some food as promised.”

After offering a final bow to Sword Mistress, I stepped into the cabin, ready to feed Huali.

But before I could even prepare anything, I noticed a crowd already gathered around Huali’s container.

Everyone—from my father-in-law to Hwa-eun and Seol—was hanging over the large water tank, mesmerized.

Huali swam around lazily, its movements oddly hypnotic, almost soothing.

”Heeey...”

”Watching it makes me feel so relaxed and sleepy...”

”By the way, son-in-law, do you think it’s a toad or a frog?”

Holding a lantern and a bottle of oil, I approached the container and responded.

”Hard to say. I can’t be sure while it’s still a tadpole.”

Even with my title as Spicy Fabre, I couldn’t immediately determine whether Huali would grow into a toad (蟾蜍) or a frog (蛙).

The distinction was not as clear-cut as many people assumed.

Even in my past life, when taxonomy had been highly advanced, there wasn’t a strict separation between frogs and toads.

Both belonged to the order Anura, with toads merely classified under the Bufonidae family.

The only functional distinction was that toads had rough, bumpy skin and were better adapted to land, whereas frogs had smoother skin and were more aquatic.

But these traits weren’t universal—some frogs had warty skin, and some toads were semi-aquatic.

So identifying a tadpole’s future form was nearly impossible.

”You mean even you can’t figure it out?”

”Yes. At this stage, they all look the same.”

”But it eats fire, right? Let’s see that.”

My father-in-law stepped aside, eager to witness Huali’s strange eating habits.

I refilled the lantern with oil, lit the wick, and held it over the edge of the container.

Immediately, Huali swam toward it, its mouth opening wide.

As soon as it got close, the flames stretched toward its mouth like a thin, winding stream, drawn in as if being sucked through a straw.

”Oh! It really eats fire!”

My father-in-law was astonished.

As he marveled at the sight, I decided to ask him something important.

”Do you have any idea what kind of venomous creature this might be?”

He furrowed his brow in deep thought, then eventually shook his head with an uncertain expression.

”If it’s a toad or a frog, there are a few listed in the Twenty-Four Deadly Beasts or the Top Ten Venomous Creatures, but I can’t say for sure. Those records only describe them as adults.”

Moreover, those records did not specify what these creatures ate, nor did they contain detailed descriptions of their juvenile forms.

”So even my father-in-law doesn’t know... Well, that’s that.”

There was no way to immediately determine Huali’s true identity.

But raising it for a while would eventually provide an answer.

While it was slightly disappointing, I decided to seize the opportunity to score some points.

”That only makes my mission even more important.”

”Mission? What mission?”

My father-in-law raised an eyebrow, wondering what I meant.

I straightened my posture and declared resolutely,

”The So-ryong Venomous Beast Records. I must ensure that creatures like this are properly documented so that future generations of our clan can reference them.”

At that, my father-in-law’s face lit up with pride.

”That’s my son-in-law! Even at a time like this, you’re thinking about preserving knowledge for the family!”

Seeing his satisfied expression, I realized that while I may have been a venomous creature geek in my past life, I was also pretty decent at navigating social situations in this one.

***

There is nothing more frustrating than discovering a new species but having no reference materials to consult.

In my past life, books and the internet were so advanced that, with just a few searches, I could instantly learn about a creature’s habits and ecology.

But here? The only reference I had was the Compendium of the World’s Venomous Creatures.

I couldn’t let future generations suffer the same frustration I was experiencing now.

So, after feeding Huali to its heart’s content, I decided to begin writing the very first chapter of my own compendium.

Back when I had received the blank book, I had only written the title—nothing else.

‘Alright, let’s start with the introduction...’

I began by explaining why venomous creatures were important, and I included a message for future scholars, urging them not to feel as lost as I did.

”The purpose of this So-ryong Venomous Beast Records is to convey to future generations just how extraordinary and beautiful venomous creatures are, and at the same time, to prevent others from experiencing the same frustration I have felt.”

‘Damn... That’s profound.’

As for the first chapter, I didn’t even have to think about it.

The subject was obvious.

‘Of course, it has to be my daughters.’

The first divine and venomous creatures I had encountered—my three O-gong sisters.

So naturally, the first chapter I wrote was about Cheon Pan O-gong.

”Chapter One: Cheon Pan O-gong (青斑蜈蚣).”

But just as I was about to start the first sentence, I hesitated.

‘Wouldn’t it be boring if it’s written too much like an academic paper?’

If I made it too dry and textbook-like, future generations might lose interest and not bother reading it.

So instead of merely listing facts, I decided to write it in a more engaging, narrative style—exciting and dramatic, like a novel.

That way, I could deliver information while keeping it entertaining.

I remembered how, back in my previous life, I had once contributed to educational comics when I was at the peak of my career.

”It was a rainy evening when a group of men in robes, embroidered with the character ‘Tang,’ came knocking at the abandoned martial hall. One of them stepped forward and asked me...”

I had completely immersed myself in writing, scribbling away at full speed—until someone called out to me.

”So-ryong?”

I snapped out of my trance and turned around.

Standing behind me, looking over my shoulder, was Hwa-eun, who had apparently been reading along.

I had been so engrossed in writing that I hadn’t noticed her approaching.

Setting my brush down, I greeted her.

”Oh, Hwa-eun, what is it?”

”It’s already dinnertime.”

”Already?”

Hadn’t I only just started writing at lunchtime?

Glancing out the cabin window, I saw that the sun was already setting over the distant horizon.

”Wow... It’s already this late?”

”Yeah. By the way, you were writing the So-ryong Venomous Beast Records, weren’t you?”

”Yeah.”

I nodded, and she tilted her head curiously.

”Can I take a look? I’m really curious about the book you’re writing.”

”You want to read it?”

”Yes.”

I felt a bit shy about showing her my draft.

But ultimately, I would need someone to proofread it anyway.

I might have made mistakes in my Classical Chinese, so having Hwa-eun correct them wouldn’t be a bad idea.

So, I nodded and moved aside, allowing her to read.

Her eyes sparkled as she eagerly scanned the pages.

After a moment, she smiled in admiration.

”This is written like a novel, isn’t it? It’s amazing. It really feels like I’m experiencing everything myself!”

”Th-That’s an exaggeration...”

”No, really! So-ryong, you have so many talents! This is the first time I’ve seen such an engaging record about venomous creatures!”

It seemed that by writing in a compelling style, I had accidentally discovered a hidden talent.

‘Wait... am I actually good at this?’

Hwa-eun then continued reading aloud.

”The way you describe your daughters is also so entertaining. Cho acts like the eldest sister, always taking care of her younger siblings—but in reality, she’s only pretending to be mature. It’s really cute to see her try to imitate adults.

Bin acts like she doesn’t care, but she actually loves her father the most and hides her emotions.

Hyang is so laid-back that she could sleep through someone carrying her away, like a big, lazy bear. Ahaha...!”

And then—

A sharp cry pierced the air.

— Tsrrt!?

— Tsrurrr!?

— Tst!?

Turning my head, I saw the three of them standing in the cabin doorway, staring at us.

And the emotion radiating from them was unmistakable—

”What... did we just hear?”

I had written objectively, maintaining an academic perspective, but apparently, the contents had offended my daughters.

The three of them rushed toward me, then turned to Hwa-eun, crying out in protest.

— Tsrrt!

— Tsrurrr!

Apparently, they wanted her to read it again.

Hwa-eun nervously glanced at me, then, unable to withstand their pressure, she hesitantly began reading once more.

”Uh... Cho... always acts like the eldest... taking care of her younger siblings... but, uh... actually, she’s just... pretending...?”

”Bin... um... loves her father the most, but... she... acts like she doesn’t?”

”Hyang... is so relaxed that... she could be carried away in her sleep like... a bear...?”

As soon as she finished reading, the three pressed themselves against my side.

Then, Hyang climbed up my body, sat on the desk, grabbed my brush in her mouth, and shoved it into my hand.

— Tsrrt!

It was a clear demand.

They wanted me to rewrite it.

”L-Look, kids... In academia, it’s important to write objectively... A scholar’s honor and integrity must be—”

But they didn’t care.

In the end, under their relentless pressure, I was forced to rewrite their descriptions with over-the-top, glorified embellishments.

‘Damn... I’ve been forced to whitewash my own work.’

To think that, in this lifetime, I would experience ”forced embellishment” firsthand.

For the first time, I felt a deep empathy for the scholars of history who had been subjected to book burnings and political censorship.

***

After the Great Whitewashing Incident, our journey continued smoothly toward Sichuan.

The only interruption was that Huali ate so much that we had to dock twice to buy more oil for its meals.

Then, just before reaching Sichuan—

I felt it.

A small bump had formed between Huali’s head and tail.

When I examined it closely, I realized...

”It’s finally growing hind legs.”

”Really?!”

”I can’t wait to see what it turns into!”

The presence of developing limbs confirmed that Huali was finally beginning its metamorphosis.

I had worried that being a tadpole for ten years might have permanently stunted its growth, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

But that night—

Something strange happened.

After dinner, I started feeling hot.

”It’s getting warm... Do you guys feel it too?”

”Warm? Here? But Sichuan is much cooler than Bota Monastery.”

Just as I thought something felt off, a blue flame suddenly erupted from my mouth.

— Fwoooosh!

”Ugh...!”

”So-ryong!”

”So-ryong, are you okay?!”

Something was definitely wrong.

My father-in-law rushed over, checked my condition, and then his expression darkened.

”You’ve been poisoned.”

At his words, all of our gazes immediately turned toward Huali, swimming innocently in its water tank.

If I had been poisoned...

It had to be because of that thing.