Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Our group continued forward along the river, alternating between light footwork and rest, despite the commotion from last night.

Following this river and taking the main road eastward would eventually lead to the largest salt lake in the central plains, Qinghai Lake. From there, continuing northwest on the main road would bring us to the Kunlun Mountains, where Kunlun Mountain itself was located.

Our first destination was Kunlun Mountain.

And the reason we were heading there—

It was to find the Kunlun Sect, one of the Nine Great Martial Sects.

It was certain that both the Five Venoms Sect and the Blood Sect were up to something in Qinghai, but their exact location remained unclear.

The Blood Sect member we captured at the Beast Palace was merely a low-ranking lackey, unable to provide precise information.

Thus, we intended to gather information from the Kunlun Sect, which, like us, belonged to the righteous path.

No matter how we looked at it, the Kunlun Sect’s concerns and the Blood Sect’s movements didn’t seem like separate incidents.

Since they were investigating the disappearance of merchants and camels, it was highly likely that their findings would overlap with the information we sought.

’Still, what kind of sect is located in such a remote area?’

Most of the Nine Great Martial Sects had secured prime locations in the central plains, yet the Kunlun Sect stood alone in the middle of the desert.

Even the Songshan Sect, which was also in a remote area, had at least settled in a strategic position in the southern regions. This made the Kunlun Sect seem even more unusual.

We had yet to even enter Qinghai when a vast grassland, though not a full desert, began to unfold to the east.

A sprawling expanse of greenery.

As I lay on my back atop the sword, gliding forward, my gaze dropped to the open plains below.

For a brief moment, I wondered if I should inform Ji-ryong that we had entered a grassland.

It wasn’t a desert yet, but the terrain had changed. Should I mention it or not?

’Since it’s not Qinghai yet, I don’t have to tell him, right? No, I should probably just mention it.’

We hadn’t rested for long, but I had just decided to inform Ji-ryong about the change in scenery when—

—Kishi!

A sudden noise from the side made me turn my head.

Looking toward the sound, I saw Yo-hwa, hanging from a silk thread, pulling herself up close to us with fluid movements.

Her elongated silk thread swayed in the wind, causing the strands of Hwa-eun’s pedipalp hair to ripple elegantly.

She seemed to want to say something, but since she hadn’t yet registered in the Beast Spirit Technique, I couldn’t read her thoughts clearly.

I simply relied on intuition to respond.

”Yeah, Yo-hwa, it feels great, doesn’t it? Flying together like this is always fun, right?”

Not knowing exactly what she was trying to say, I casually answered, and her pedipalps curled into an alluring smile.

—Kishishi!

Maybe it was because she had absorbed my yang energy for so long, or perhaps there was another reason, but it felt like Yo-hwa’s emotions had grown more expressive.

I was about to shift my focus back to Ji-ryong when his voice rang out before I could even call him.

“We’ll take a short break! Ji-ryong, would you please come down?!”

’Already?’

It hadn’t been long since our last rest, so stopping now seemed premature.

Even so, I descended to Ji-ryong’s side.

He approached me and gestured toward the east.

“Ji-ryong, have you seen this? A vast grassland has already appeared.”

”Ah, yes, I saw it.”

I followed his gaze and saw the same endless plains I had noticed earlier from above.

Since this region was mostly flatland, with only sparse trees scattered across it, Ji-ryong must have seen the plains stretch out more clearly.

He nodded at my response and proposed an idea.

“Yes, it’s still a bit early, but we should rest here for the night.”

“Already?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Judging by the time, it was only between 3 and 5 in the afternoon.

It was still quite early, so I tilted my head in slight confusion, prompting Ji-ryong to elaborate while looking toward the plains.

“Before we enter the desert, we need to secure food supplies. The grasslands, much like the desert, aren’t ideal for hunting. Since the forest here hasn’t fully ended yet, today and tomorrow will be our best chances to gather food.”

Looking at the riverbanks, the trees did seem to be thinning out.

It was likely that the forest would soon give way entirely.

After that, we’d only have open grasslands left.

Sure, the desert would be a challenge, but finding animals in these plains wouldn’t be any easier.

Even if there were creatures, they would likely notice our approach long before we got close, making hunting difficult.

That meant Ji-ryong was right—securing supplies within the next two days was a wise choice.

It was obvious that there would be more animals in the remaining forest than in the plains.

”Ah, that makes sense... But just in case, let’s ask someone who knows this region well.”

“Understood.”

”Does anyone here have experience in Qinghai?”

I called out, hoping to find someone familiar with the area.

It was unlikely that there were many animals in the plains, but it didn’t hurt to ask.

After a moment of hesitation, a martial artist from the Martial Alliance stepped forward.

“I’ve traveled here a few times as part of my duties. I’m somewhat familiar with this region. May I ask why you’re inquiring?”

”Perfect. Are there any animals in those plains? We’re trying to secure food.”

“Ah, animals... Well—”

According to the martial artist who had traveled here before, the plains were home mainly to wolves.

Occasionally, wild donkeys or horses could be spotted, but they were quite rare.

Wolves, on the other hand, meant wolf meat.

People in the central plains were known to enjoy dog meat, but wolf meat was said to be less palatable.

Still, there were apparently many people who raised wolves around here.

”Then, let’s follow Ji-ryong’s plan and spend the next two days gathering food. Let’s set up camp by the river and get started.”

”Understood, Ji-ryong.”

With my agreement, Ji-ryong turned to the group and shouted toward the plains.

“We will rest early today to prepare food supplies! Dok-hyeol, Ryu, and Geom-ryong, please go hunting! The rest of you, catch fish and gather anything useful from the river!”

”Understood.”

”Got it, Ji-ryong.”

”Understood!”

The warriors of the Beast Palace and the Martial Alliance split into groups, some setting up camp while others went hunting for fish and birds.

As Gyu-seong and the remaining warriors left for the hunt, I stayed behind at the campsite, contemplating how to deal with tonight’s battle.

After all, we had bandits to deal with.

Though we had moved quite a distance from our previous resting spot, based on past incidents, it was highly likely that they would appear again tonight.

I had already made up my mind to capture them—but I wasn’t planning to kill them immediately.

I intended to capture them alive, ensuring that they were properly subdued, and then decide what to do based on what we ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) learned.

If they turned out to be venom users, they might even suit my tastes.

Just as I was deep in thought—

“A giant salted fish!”

“That’s enormous!”

“It’s over two feet long!”

Our group was still contemplating the best way to protect our food supplies when voices of the warriors suddenly interrupted.

Turning my head, I saw a large catfish already skewered on someone’s spear.

‘Ah, of course!’

At that moment, an excellent idea struck me.

What if we stored the remaining food inside a pouch woven from Yo-hwa’s silk and then suspended it in the middle of the river?

A pouch made from Yo-hwa’s silk was strong enough to never be torn apart, so I could tie both ends of a long silk thread to the riverbanks and let the food hang in the center.

The river itself would act as a first barrier against intruders, and the enchanted durability of Yo-hwa’s silk would ensure complete security.

‘Alright, we’ll hide the real food in the river, and as for the leftover bones and scraps... I’ll gather them in one spot to lure them in.’

With the real supplies safely suspended over the water, the remains of fish guts and bones would serve as bait, drawing out our thieves.

They were fast, so I had to keep that in mind while setting the trap.

‘At their speed, Cho or Bini won’t be able to catch them.’

Cho and Bini weren’t built for speed, meaning they wouldn’t be effective against such quick targets.

I could try herding the intruders, but countering their speed directly wouldn’t be possible.

Hyang was even slower, and Hongdan was small-bodied; if the intruders were mammals, Hongdan’s venom might be too potent to capture them properly.

Hongdan was still too young, and Moji and Soji were obviously out of the question.

Among my companions, the ones best suited for capturing prey were Yeondu and Yo-hwa.

Their venom was paralytic, and both had natural instincts for hunting.

However, Yeondu was still small, making Yo-hwa the best choice for this mission.

”Yo-hwa, can you handle this? What I mean is...”

—Kishi!

Of course, I wouldn’t just throw her into it blindly.

I explained the details of my plan, making sure Yo-hwa understood the special technique we would need to use.

She listened carefully, then after a moment, her pedipalps curled into a slightly worried smile.

—Kishishi!

***

Night fell after dinner.

Since we had decided to stay here until tomorrow to gather food, I planned to stay up all night.

I had nothing important to do during the day anyway, so I could afford to focus entirely on catching them tonight.

As planned, the food supplies were already hanging in the middle of the river.

Meanwhile, all the leftover bones and fish guts were piled beneath a large tree to act as bait.

”So-ryong, are you sure this will be alright?”

Standing within sight, Hwa-eun looked up at me with concern.

”Yes, I’ll be up in the tree with Yo-hwa. The plan is solid, and we’ve practiced it enough.”

”But still...”

Hwa-eun frowned, clearly still uneasy.

At that moment, Seol casually waved her hand from the side.

”Come on, Hwa-eun, who’s going to mess with So-ryong when he has the Ten Great Venoms with him? Besides, if you’re so worried, just sleep nearby and be ready to jump in if something happens.”

”So-ryong, good luck. We’ll be nearby, so don’t worry. If anything goes wrong, we’ll be there right away.”

”Alright, Seol.”

With that, Seol dragged the reluctant Hwa-eun away, leaving me to my task.

I settled onto a thick tree branch, hanging upside down with only my head peeking out from a cocoon Yo-hwa had spun for me.

Time passed in silence.

—Chirrr, chirrr.

The sounds of insects filled the air, making me drowsy.

Then—

—Rustle.

The faint noise from below jolted me awake.

‘They’re here?’

Glancing sideways, I saw Yo-hwa getting into position, just as we had practiced.

Tensing, I lifted my body slightly, peering down at the base of the tree.

The mist rolling in from the river made it impossible to see clearly.

At that moment, a small, familiar sound came from my shoulder.

—Tsswit?

—Kii!

Startled, I turned my head to find Hyang and Hongdan clinging to my shoulder.

‘Wait, when did you two get here?’

Those little troublemakers must have snuck away from Hwa-eun and followed me.

I’d have to scold them later for wandering around at night.

Just as I was about to reprimand them—

—Rustle.

Another sound from below.

Had something followed Hyang and Hongdan here?

Then, within the darkness and thick fog, two glowing embers appeared.

Red eyes.

Slowly creeping toward us.

‘They’re here!’

The mist from the river obscured their full form, but I was sure it was the same creature that had been stealing our food.

Yo-hwa erased her presence, climbing carefully down the tree.

Tense, I prepared to unleash our special technique as the figure beneath the tree reached the pile of fish scraps.

The moment it leaned down toward the bait—

—Snap!

Before it could even take a bite, a net woven from Yo-hwa’s silk dropped from above, stretching wide over its head.

Though difficult to see in the dark, the web mimicked the trapping method of net-casting spiders.

—Chiii!

A piercing shriek rang out.

”Did we get it?!”

Feeling certain of our success, I tore free from my cocoon and leaped down to check our catch.

Just as I approached the struggling figure ensnared in Yo-hwa’s web—

—Kishi!

A sharp warning cry from Yo-hwa.

A bad feeling surged through me.

I instinctively jumped back—just as a blur of red eyes streaked past where I had been standing.

”Another one?!”

Had I reacted even a moment later, it would have gotten me.

I had thought there was only one, but it looked like these creatures hunted in pairs.

One was already caught in Yo-hwa’s silk, while the other now faced off against me.

Just as I turned to tell Yo-hwa to catch the second one—

—Whoosh!

Sensing another movement from the side, I rolled to avoid it.

Another pair of red eyes shot toward me, shredding my sleeve as it passed.

As I scrambled to my feet, yet another figure entered the scene.

Another one?!

”Three of them?!”

What I thought was a lone thief...

Turned out to be a pack of raiders.