Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

The Blood-Eyed Green Furgrass Bamboo Rat.

Just like its name, it had green fur that grew as finely as grass, giving it a unique appearance.

Each of them was about thirty centimeters in size, which suggested they were still young. It seemed like the three of them had recently left their mother’s nest together. Rather than a pair, they felt more like siblings born from the same litter.

The way they looked after each other reminded me of Cho, Hyang, and Bini. However, unlike my three, who were all female, this group consisted of two males and one female.

The two larger males seemed to be taking care of the smaller one. Judging by their behavior, the tiny one, who had collapsed from hunger earlier, was likely their youngest sister.

”Zii!”

”Zit!”

“How adorable. My babies.”

Turning my head toward the familiar voice, I saw Sister Seol carrying one of the creatures in her arms while the other two perched on her shoulders. She was walking with an absolutely delighted expression.

Registering these spiritual beasts under Beast-Heart Technique had significantly increased her stat points, and at the same time, they had practically become her pets. Of course, it was natural for her to find them cute.

After all, this was her first spiritual beast.

Becoming a parent was always a touching moment, wasn’t it?

Well... even if the subject in question happened to be a furry mammal.

“Do you like them that much, Sister?”

“Of course! I always wanted to have a spiritual beast, and now my wish has come true. Besides, aren’t these little ones just too cute?”

I couldn’t quite understand what was so cute about furry mammals, but I shook my head and stepped aside. Meanwhile, I began organizing my thoughts about their habits.

Since I planned to add them to my Small Venomous Beasts Manual later, I needed to carefully store the details in my mind.

They were venomous creatures classified under the Grass-Type of the 234 Venomous Species category, and I had observed their behavior while traveling along the route from Qinghai to Gonryu Pass.

They needed to be fed four times a day, about once every six hours, with meat. However, the peculiar thing was that their eyes weren’t red under normal circumstances—only when they began feeling hungry.

The hungrier they got, the redder their eyes became.

It was as if their vision flipped when starvation set in.

For us, hunger was a mild inconvenience. But for them, it was a matter of life and death.

It made sense that their eyes would change in response to their survival instincts.

They also became extremely aggressive during this state, so it was crucial to feed them on time.

However, they weren’t particularly gluttonous. It wasn’t necessary to overfeed them, and at night, they were smart enough to eat from stored food whenever needed.

Of course, if they had the chance, they would also hunt on their own.

”Still... fur, huh...?”

As I mentally sorted the information for my Small Venomous Beasts Manual, I found myself briefly contemplating furry mammals.

Then, I heard a chirping sound.

Looking down, I found one of them perched on my shoulder, gazing up at me.

”Chorit?”

Hyang, looking at me as if asking, “Dad, what are you thinking about?”

That adorable and tiny expression made me scold myself for my moment of distraction.

”I did consider taking a slight interest in furry mammals because of their venomous classification... but no, it’s not for me. After all, I already have these beautiful, furless friends.”

I scratched under Hyang’s chin and said,

“It’s nothing. Just some useless thoughts, that’s all.”

”Churut?”

Hyang seemed curious about what I was thinking, but there was no way I could admit that I had momentarily strayed in my preferences.

Fortunately, I knew the perfect way to change the topic.

“By the way, Hyang, are you really never going to evolve?”

”Cho! Chuchu?!”

The moment I mentioned evolution, Hyang flinched and immediately scurried inside my clothes.

Whenever the subject of evolution came up, she would react like this—hiding herself away.

She had once declared she would stay by my side forever, but it truly seemed like she had no intention of evolving.

I was happy that she liked me so much, but...

It was still a bit {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} disappointing.

Thinking about Cho and Bini’s evolutions, it was only natural to feel curious about Hyang’s potential.

Cho had eaten the Neidan of the Mystic Heavenly Hermit and turned into the Celestial Venom Spirit.

Bini had absorbed Umki and transformed into Black Abyss Phantom.

If Hyang were to evolve, perhaps she’d become something like Blazing Ember Spirit, absorbing the energy of the Fire Crystal.

But forcing an evolution on a beloved daughter wasn’t right.

I gazed up at the sky with a wistful expression and muttered to myself,

“Hyang, Daddy thinks you’re adorable as you are now, but... I also look forward to seeing you grow beautifully, just like Cho and Bini. Red Hyang...”

Cho had a pale green shade, so I called her Cyan Jade Cho.

Bini was black, so I named her Ebony Bini.

If Hyang turned red, would Crimson Blossom Hyang be a fitting name?

It sounded pretty. Crimson Blossom Hyang...

Like a red flower, delicate and beautiful.

As I spoke in a lingering tone, I suddenly felt a reaction from my chest.

”Chu? Chuchu?”

Poking her head out from my clothes, Hyang looked up at the sky where Cho was flying and then at Bini, slithering beside me.

She then turned her gaze toward Brother Paeng Gyu-seong.

”Churuk... Chururut.”

More precisely, she was looking at the basket slung over Brother Paeng Gyu-seong’s back.

She was focused on the Fire Crystal inside.

Since it was too heavy, Brother Paeng Gyu-seong had been helping Yoonbal carry it.

From inside the basket, I could hear faint licking sounds.

”Churuk. Chururururuk.”

It was Hwayang, constantly licking the Fire Crystal whenever she got the chance.

I had been trying to persuade Hyang for a while now, but today...

Today, she was even looking at the Fire Crystal.

She seemed deep in thought.

”Will today be the day?”

Just as I was starting to get my hopes up, a sharp glare suddenly hit my eyes.

It was sunlight reflecting off something ahead.

I raised my hand to shield my vision and looked in the direction of the glinting light.

A vast lake stretched out before us.

That had to be Qinghai Lake—the largest saltwater lake in Zhongyuan.

“This is Qinghai Lake, sir.”

“That’s Qinghai Lake?”

I turned to see Ji-ryong approaching. He confirmed my thoughts as he, too, gazed at the lake.

At the same time, a small village came into view.

Ji-ryong pulled out a map from his chest pocket, examined it briefly, then pointed toward the village.

“It seems to be a place called Gonghua. If we travel west along the lake from there, we’ll reach Gun’gwan Mountain, while heading right will take us to Xining.”

Gonghua didn’t feel like a typical Zhongyuan settlement.

Rather, it had a distinctly Arabian ambiance.

The walls and houses were all made of red clay, and around the outskirts, countless sheep grazed on the grass.

We had passed some herds on the way here, but this village had far more sheep gathered near it.

“Sir, should we stay in the village for the night before heading west?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Alright, everyone, we’ll be staying in the village tonight.”

Upon hearing that, the group let out cheers of excitement.

“Ohhh! Finally, a village!”

“We can finally rest at an inn. I need a proper bath.”

“Yes, Sister.”

The suggestion to stay in the village for a night and then head west brightened everyone’s faces.

Even for martial artists, prolonged travel without proper rest was exhausting. I was feeling the fatigue myself.

Just as we were relieved to see the village ahead—

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sudden ringing of a bell echoed from the village, followed by a commotion as people rushed toward the entrance.

It was a chaotic scene, as if something serious had happened.

“What’s going on?”

“Is something happening in the village?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

While we were still trying to make sense of the situation, Ji-ryong suddenly shouted in urgency.

“Sir! I think it’s because of us!”

“Huh?! Us?”

I turned to Ji-ryong, confused by his claim, and saw him pointing at the sky and then at my side.

Only then did I realize what he meant.

We hadn’t stopped by any inns or villages during this journey, but we had been traveling with the kids.

For the villagers, seeing such creatures for the first time must have been shocking.

I was so used to them that I didn’t think much of it. But in the end, their base form was still centipedes.

A massive centipede was more than enough to strike terror into people’s hearts.

That’s why, whenever we needed to enter a village, I used Command to hide them.

Even when we had to stay at an inn, we chose accommodations on the outskirts and booked separate quarters.

But here in Qinghai, there were no forests—just vast plains and rocky terrain stretching endlessly.

The locals, who lived in such open landscapes, naturally had sharp eyesight.

It was no surprise that they had spotted Cho in the sky.

Cho, come down!

I quickly called for Cho to descend and then discreetly positioned her behind our group while slowly advancing toward the village.

We had to avoid provoking the villagers and clear up any misunderstandings.

However, before we could reach them, a group of people surged forward using Lightness Skill.

More than a dozen individuals, all clad in identical Daoist robes, rushed toward us, swords drawn.

Ji-ryong stepped forward, speaking hastily.

“It seems to be because of us. I’ll step in to clear up the misunderstanding. Judging by their attire, they might be from Kunlun Sect.”

“Understood.”

Ji-ryong explained that our pursuers were likely from Kunlun Sect, the very place we were headed.

As I nodded, Ji-ryong took a few steps ahead and called out to the advancing warriors.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding! Can you put away your weapons? We are from the Martial Alliance!”

The charging men hesitated, exchanging glances before coming to a halt.

Although they didn’t sheathe their swords, they lowered them slightly and cautiously approached.

Finally, one of them stepped forward and cupped his fist in greeting.

“I am Ji-ryong, an outer elder of Kunlun Sect. May I ask who you are, brothers?”

As expected, they were indeed from Kunlun Sect.

Ji-ryong reciprocated the greeting and introduced himself.

“Ah, Elder Ji-ryong of Kunlun Sect? I am ashamed to say I share the same name. I am Zhuge Cheon from the Zhuge family.”

Upon hearing Zhuge Cheon’s name, the Kunlun disciples relaxed a little and stepped closer.

Among them, one recognized Ji-ryong.

“Ji-ryong! It’s been a long time.”

“Ah, Taeheo, it has been a while. The last time we met was at the Martial Arts Tournament.”

“Indeed. Elder, he is Ji-ryong.”

At this confirmation, Elder Ji-ryong, who seemed to be their leader, finally dropped his suspicion and greeted us properly.

“So you truly came from the Martial Alliance? We had given up hope, thinking the Alliance was too preoccupied with the Blood Cult to send help. But have you really come to aid us?”

It seemed they had sought assistance from the Martial Alliance regarding the disappearances in the desert, but had received no response.

“We didn’t come specifically to help...”

At Ji-ryong’s words, their expressions darkened—

But his next statement brightened them once more.

“However, we might be of assistance. We received intelligence that the Blood Cult and the Five Venoms Clan are up to something in Qinghai. It appears to be related to Kunlun Sect’s predicament as well.”

Their initial disappointment turned to realization.

As soon as Ji-ryong finished, Elder Ji-ryong’s face twisted in anger.

“So this could be the work of the Blood Cult?”

“Yes, most likely.”

“Damn those Blood Cult scum! No wonder things have been so strange!”

After venting his rage, Elder Ji-ryong suddenly seemed to remember something and gestured toward the village.

“Ah, this isn’t the place to talk. We shouldn’t keep our guests standing outside. Let’s continue this discussion over tea in the village.”

As he turned to lead us inside, Ji-ryong and the Daoist named Taeheo hesitated.

“Understood. But before that...”

“Elder, I believe you’ve forgotten something...”

Ji-ryong appeared to be preparing to explain about Cho and Bini, and Taeheo also pointed at them.

“Ah, right... Elder Ji-ryong, what exactly are those strange creatures?”

Finally noticing them, Elder Ji-ryong’s face twisted in shock as he pointed at Cho and Bini, his voice laced with apprehension.

I was about to step forward and explain, but before I could—

”Chorit!” 『Dad, you liar!』

Hyang suddenly shouted in outrage and burrowed deep into my clothes.

I had thought we were just about to win them over, but the moment they called Cho and Bini ”strange creatures,” she felt betrayed.

I could practically hear her accusing me of lying.

‘Kunlun... Should I just let my daughters devour all their camels and leave?’

Of all times, they just had to say this now.

And on a first meeting, no less.

Kunlun Sect’s first impression? Negative one million points.