Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

My father-in-law, who had been checking my pulse in the Clan Leader’s Hall, slowly nodded at me.

That was because my month-long treatment had finally come to an end.

He told me the irregularities in my pulse caused by the electrocution and the fractured ribs had all healed.

My father-in-law gave me the final diagnosis: fully recovered.

”Your pulse is stable, and with this, you can resume training starting tomorrow.”

My pulse had stabilized thanks to acupuncture, moxibustion, and a Qi treatment similar to the internal techniques I received in Gonryun. As for the ribs, they healed faster than expected because of Bone-Fusing Ointment, a medicine known for its effect on mending bones.

The smell was so bad the kids hated it, but still.

I bowed my head in gratitude to my father-in-law, who had worked hard throughout the month.

”Thank you for all your efforts this past month, Father-in-law.”

”Efforts? Nonsense. Now go get some rest today and make sure you’re in the training hall by dawn tomorrow.”

”Sorry, what?”

For a moment, I wondered if I’d heard wrong.

But my father-in-law repeated himself with a smile.

”Why the surprise? I’m talking about training. Training. Your father said he’ll be waiting at the training grounds at dawn tomorrow.”

Seriously, this man... How can someone be so merciless and rigid?

Even if my body’s fully healed, shouldn’t there be at least three days of buffer time?

It’s not like I spent the past month on vacation. I was in recovery, and now you want me to start training again tomorrow?

”Ah, right. Training. Understood, Father-in-law. I’ll see you later then.”

”Yes, see you later.”

I bowed and left the Clan Leader’s Hall, sighing internally at the fact that training would start again tomorrow.

”Ah... so it’s really starting tomorrow.”

I had promised Hwa-eun I’d resume training, so it’s not like I could avoid it, but honestly... I kind of just wanted to play with the kids.

I trudged toward the giant gate in front of the pond.

In the past month, the gate leading to the pond had been renovated into a massive entrance big enough for Cheongwol to pass through.

As I stepped inside, I spotted sister Seol, Hwa-eun, and the other kids sitting in the gazebo.

Yeondu was sprawled out in the sunlight, while Bini was asleep with her head resting on Hwa-eun’s thigh.

Cho was lying with his head on sister Seol’s lap.

“Ryong!”

Probably startled by the sound of the gate opening, sister Seol noticed me right away and waved.

Hearing her call, the kids who seemed to be napping lifted their heads and turned toward me.

With everyone’s eyes on me, I reached the gazebo, and Seol spoke first.

“What did your father-in-law say?”

“Oh, he said I’ve made a full recovery.”

“Really? That’s great!”

Her face lit up with joy at the news.

Looking at her smiling face, I couldn’t help but think:

‘She really is my sister, isn’t she?’

To be so happy that her younger brother is better—it really made me think I was lucky to have her. Just as I thought that, sister Seol smiled and said,

“Perfect. Let’s get started right away!”

“Sorry—get started on what?”

I tilted my head in confusion at her response, which sounded like she had been waiting for this.

With a bright smile, she answered,

“What do you mean ‘on what’? Training, obviously. You couldn’t train at all because of your irregular pulse, remember? From what Father-in-law and Grandpa said, you’ve finally reached the early stages and barely managed to unlock one syllable from the Mantra of Fire Harmonization. Let’s test it out!”

“What?!”

I had just thought I was lucky to have such a sister, and now... I instantly regretted it.

Turns out, sister Seol was even worse than my father-in-law.

Training the very moment I’m told I’m healed?

‘No, no, this isn’t right. Sister Seol is warm, kind, and understanding! She’s not cold and rigid like this, right?!’

While I was internally screaming, sister Seol tilted her head and asked,

“What’s with that face? Don’t tell me... you don’t want to train?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to...”

That heavy, unspoken question—how could I possibly hate training?

I wanted to say that I’d literally just been cleared and maybe tomorrow would be better, but then sister Seol turned to Hwa-eun and said,

“Hwa-eun, I think So-ryong doesn’t want to train. Didn’t he make a promise to you?”

“Promise?”

“Yeah. He said he wanted to become someone worthy of you—someone who had also entered the Three Poison Realm. That he fell for you because of it.”

“Ah, right. I did say that.”

“So he should be working hard, but it looks like he’s really not in the mood for it?”

When he had to obtain venomous creatures, he didn’t let a little pain stop him.

This time, though, he clearly panicked because you came on too strong. And I heard you even gave him a kiss recently. Maybe now he’s just done trying?”

What the hell kind of interpretation is that?

Flustered, Hwa-eun spoke first.

“S-Sister! What are you even saying?!”

“Unnie! W-We didn’t kiss or anything! It was... it was resuscitation! That’s all it was, right, So-ryong?”

It was medical.

Yeah. I don’t know what sister Seol thought happened, but it was definitely a medical procedure.

She brought me back from cardiac arrest with her technique—that’s all.

I nodded furiously beside Hwa-eun to support her.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“And besides, So-ryong would never do something like that! R-Right, So-ryong? No matter how much he loves venomous creatures, he wouldn’t love them more than me!”

I was so caught off guard by that sudden confession that I missed my chance to respond.

Hwa-eun’s eyes grew a little wider.

Then, in a voice as soft as a feather, she asked,

“S-So... that’s not true...?”

With her gaze and that trembling voice... I had no choice but to nod.

“I mean, I can’t exactly say no here.”

“What are you even saying?! Of course! Of course I’ll work hard, Hwa-eun!”

Finally, she looked relieved.

Then sister Seol grinned like a mischievous kid and said,

“Good! Then let’s start right now, So-ryong. Sit on the edge of the leather mat and try circulating your Beast Heart Technique. It’s all for Hwa-eun’s sake.”

And just like that, my warm, kind, beloved sister Seol stabbed me in the chest with betrayal.

In the end, I sat cross-legged on the mat, closed my eyes, and began drawing up the energy of the Beast Heart Technique just as she instructed.

I started to push aside all unnecessary thoughts, one by one.

The Beast Heart Technique is a martial art of the heart.

Above all else, it’s crucial to clear your mind.

But as I tried to do that, I heard the embarrassed, childish voices whispering in my head.

—「Choruruu? Do you really love Mom more than us?」

—「Chorurut! 『You love Mom more』」

—「Chorurut? 『Aren’t we your favorites?』」

Cho, Bini, and Hyang’s voices echoed in my mind, and I wanted a lightning bolt to strike something nearby just to break this cursed atmosphere.

Even if this whole training session got canceled—what would it matter?

“Sigh. Can’t something huge happen, like, right now...?”

***

It was a strange night—one where the moon loomed large and red.

At Inhui, a border town between Guizhou and Sichuan,

Inside the headquarters of Tiger Fist Gate, a minor sect that held sway over more than two hundred disciples, the Gate Master of the sect—Jang Hu-seong, also known as the Great Tiger of Inhui—stood before the window of the main hall, gazing at the crimson moon.

”A red moon... How ominous.”

He felt a chill from the blood-colored moon for only a moment. Just as he was about to turn back to the book he had been reading, a faint sound pierced through the stillness of the night and reached his ears.

Thump—crunch.

Something collapsing in the distance. A sound that had no business echoing in the late hours.

Jang Hu-seong rose from his seat and moved straight to the window, a frown forming on his face.

What was that just now?

The moment he reached the window, a scream erupted from the direction of the Tiger Fist Gate’s entrance, splitting the night sky open.

“Aaaaghhh!”

Jang Hu-seong bolted out of the hall. Around the main building, disciples who had been standing guard were already looking around, startled and confused.

He immediately shouted to one of the enforcers.

”Go! Find out what happened!”

”Yes, Gate Master!”

He sent two of the disciples on night duty toward the source of the scream—but the disturbance only grew louder.

As lights began to flicker on throughout the Tiger Fist Gate and more disciples gathered in front of the main hall, the ones who had been sent ahead began shouting back:

“W-We’re under attack!”

“Gahk—!”

“Enemies! Everyone, follow me!”

“Yes, Gate Master!”

With the gathered disciples in tow, Jang Hu-seong launched himself toward the entrance of the gate.

But before they could even get past the main hall, they were met by a wave of warriors in crimson martial robes surging in through the gate—right where the earlier screams had come from.

“Who the hell are you?!”

His eyes locked onto one of his disciples, now held up by a man in red. The young man was limp, drained of color, crumpling like a puppet with its strings cut.

***

Grandfather looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

”I was worried you might’ve forgotten after not training for so long, but it seems that’s not the case, is it? Your techniques have gotten sharper. Have you been practicing separately?”

I’m surprised myself, Grandfather.

And for good reason—despite not practicing, I hadn’t forgotten a single form from Centipede Poison Fang Claw or Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand, both of which he had taught me.

I assumed I would’ve forgotten them since I hadn’t used martial arts in a while, and I hadn’t specifically practiced the forms either. But, surprisingly, I remembered everything perfectly, as if I had some innate talent for it.

He even asked if I’d been secretly honing my skills.

”I didn’t train separately or anything, but I guess I tried really hard to go over it all in my head so I wouldn’t forget?”

I couldn’t lie, so I answered with a sheepish smile. Grandfather chuckled.

”Haha. I see. Then, now that your internal energy has stabilized, you should be ready to begin learning Toad Explosive Palm.”

”Oh, it’s Toad Explosive Palm this ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) time?”

”That’s right.”

”Haha! Let’s do it right away!”

I was so excited because Toad Explosive Palm only consisted of three forms, and they were all variations of a single technique: emitting energy through the hands like a toad spitting fire. It wasn’t complex at all.

Back when I first heard the concept from the Seonnyeo tribe, it was described as a martial art in which energy gathered at the dantian is blasted outward from the hands—like a toad spitting flames. The only variation lay in how it was projected: one hand, two hands, or both hands joined together.

”Yes, we need to get you through Toad Explosive Palm quickly, so you can start on Groundowner’s Dog Fang.”

”Wait, wh-what? That’s already finished?”

I flinched at the mention of Groundowner’s Dog Fang and instinctively glanced around.

Just hearing that name made me wary—like something terrifying might jump out at any second.

Groundowner’s Dog Fang was a martial technique created as a response to a special request listed in the appendix of the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Manual. It called for techniques that embodied the essence of Toad Explosive Palm, such as Parasite Pain Poison Hand, Swallowtail Swift Retreat, and Stone Wall Cicada Step. Grandfather had promised to create a demonstration version for me, and I guess he’d finished it.

”It’s not just a rough imitation. It’s a complete martial art now. You’ll be impressed.”

”I mean, I don’t think it needed to be that serious...”

But Grandfather’s expression turned solemn.

”Hmph. This is a martial art created in the name of the Ten Thousand Poison Divine Cult. How could I not take it seriously? In accordance with the legacy of past cult leaders, I’ve made it capable of executing two hundred and twenty-eight variations!”

”Haa... I thought you were a sane man, Grandfather... Two hundred and twenty-eight?”

The heat in his eyes as he explained the technique—it was in that moment I realized: I had my venomous creatures, and Grandfather had his martial arts. Our passions may differ, but we were the same breed.

That was not the gaze of a sane person. It was the gaze of someone who had found their true path and thrown themselves into it, never to return.

Also—seriously, did he have to make it that complicated? Two hundred and twenty-eight variations? Just thinking about learning it made my head hurt.

BEEP! BEEEEEP!

Even though the sun hadn’t risen yet, a sharp whistle echoed in the air. Both Grandfather and I turned our eyes toward the Nine-Tiered Gates.

”Something’s going on.”

”Looks like we’ll have to check it out ourselves.”

”Nice.”

As the sound continued, a Tang Clan messenger using lightness techniques arrived at the gates and stood firmly before Grandfather.

He bowed deeply.

”This one is Gu Sa Gu Baektong, agent of the Sichuan Branch of the Martial Alliance. I greet the elder of the Ten Thousand Poison Divine Cult!”

”Yes, what is it?”

With hands behind his back and a calm nod, Grandfather asked.

The man wasted no time.

”A minor sect called Tiger Fist Gate, located in Inhui at the border of Guizhou and Sichuan, has been completely annihilated!”

”What? Wiped out?”

Grandfather’s eyes widened, as did those of the guards stationed at the Nine-Tiered Gates.

The agent continued.

”The exact identity of the culprit is unknown, but the discovered corpses were said to be completely drained—without even a single drop of blood left!”

”Blood extraction...?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Everyone’s gaze turned to me in wordless agreement.