Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Grandfather and Sister Seol said they would talk a bit more about my condition, and in the end, I was handed the result—my Five Poisons Appointment had been put on hold—as I walked out of the training grounds.

There was a slight twinge of disappointment at not being able to join the Five Poisons right away, but my head was so full of thoughts about Yeondu’s future husband that I didn’t feel particularly upset.

‘Yeah, it’s not like I ever loved learning martial arts anyway.’

Martial arts weren’t very high on my life priorities, and even though it was pushed back a little, it was all a problem that would be solved once Cheongyu reached full maturity.

Once Cheongyu matured, I’d secure Yeondu’s future husband, and—though it wasn’t guaranteed—I’d likely be able to join the Five Poisons too.

‘Venomous creatures come first, martial arts are more like a side benefit. Kinda like when you’re streaming on YouTube and a sponsor reaches out.’

It wouldn’t be easy to find the Bi-cheon Shin-sa, but since I had two snakes related to him, my chances were higher than sending someone in blind.

Judging from how Yeondu insisted on following me in the rain, it seemed like Nanghu and Ranghu must have some kind of instinct that reacts when the Golden-Crowned Snake King gets close.

The distance between the Tang Clan and the place where Cheongyu had its first molt was twenty li—roughly eight kilometers.

Once we were inside that radius, whether from that side or ours, they’d be able to sense each other.

‘Even just that much is a win.’

I glanced back—there was Cheongyu, slithering along behind me, her body curving into soft S-shapes as she glided forward.

“So elegant. Really elegant.”

I’d been a bit worried that she might lash out or not listen, given her wild nature and animal instincts, but Cheongyu turned out to have a gentler personality than expected.

She slept quietly in the corner of my room at night and never really clashed with the others.

Yeondu had been softly blowing air between her lips, trying to matchmake her with the other venomous creatures, but still.

‘She’s got kind of an easygoing temperament. That’s a relief.’

Keeping multiple venomous creatures together is called cohabitation, and it comes with a lot of difficulties.

They might fight, or even if that’s not the intention, their habits could clash and cause problems for each other.

But this cohabitation felt like a real success.

‘I hope things keep going smoothly like this.’

I was just crossing the shade when—

Suddenly, a waterfall of hair dropped in front of me.

“Wah!”

Startled by the sudden curtain of black covering my eyes, I jumped back—only to see Yo-hwa swinging upside down in front of me, dangling from a spiderweb.

Her hair fluttered like a veil, tickling my face each time she swayed.

I’d been so lost in thought about Yeondu’s future husband that I hadn’t realized I was walking past the big tree next to Yo-hwa’s well—her home. She must have seen me and dropped down to say good morning.

“Hey, Yo-hwa. Did you sleep well?”

–Kissh.

When I greeted her, she didn’t link arms with me like she usually did—just gave a small nod.

Then she climbed down her thread to the ground and glanced sideways at Cheongyu, who was following me.

Then she walked right up to Cheongyu and started saying something.

–Kiiit. Kissh-shi.

–Shyaa?

There hadn’t been much conversation yesterday, since there were a lot of people around during introductions, and afterward, we’d traveled a long distance. Cheongyu had mostly just curled up in a corner and slept.

It looked like the two of them were catching up on the conversation they’d missed.

Then Yo-hwa suddenly glanced my way, lifted one of her legs, and showed it to Cheongyu.

–Kiit.

Tied to her leg was a red thread.

It was the one she and I had tied together—and now she was showing it to Cheongyu.

Cheongyu stared at it wide-eyed, then looked at me.

Then came the gentle nod of her head.

–Shyaa.

At that, Yo-hwa gestured toward Cheongyu with a strangely haughty, elegant air—like she was saying, “Follow me.”

‘Wait... what’s this now?’

–Kissh-shi.

–Shyaa.

Leaving me with some cryptic chuckles, the two of them moved on.

“Huh? Where are you two going?”

‘No way... they’re not asking her to follow on land or something, right?’

It seemed like the two of them were heading off somewhere together. I quietly followed behind, just in case things went south—like the incident with Cheongwol and the Golden-Furred Wasp Queen, Ranghu.

Cheongyu had a mild temperament, but I was a little worried Yo-hwa might get territorial.

Her possessiveness could get a bit... intense, after all.

So I trailed them from a bit of a distance.

They entered the rear garden where the pond was.

Peeking my head over the wall, I watched as the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings buzzed into the air at the sight of Yo-hwa and Cheongyu’s arrival.

–Buzzz. Buzzz.

–Kissh. Kissh.

But then Yo-hwa said something to them, and the buzzing was quickly replaced by the sound of the wasps zipping off into the main hall.

–Buzzz, buuuuzzz.

Ranghu flew out from the side of the hive, circled around Cheongyu, twitched her antennae lightly, and then quietly retreated into the hive.

I didn’t know the details, but it didn’t feel like a hostile situation—unlike last time with Cheongwol.

‘What is this? Are they really just here to say hi?’

Even if they were all spirit beasts, I didn’t think they’d go around handing out rice cakes like a housewarming gift.

But the scenes that followed confirmed my suspicions.

On the path to the pavilion, the two greeted the Ho-ye living in the pond.

And their final stop was none other than Cheongwol—the massive scorpion.

–Kissh-shi.

–Shyaa?

–Krrr. Krrrk.

Yo-hwa spoke to the curled-up Cheongwol, and he slowly stretched out, speaking to Cheongyu in return.

The sight triggered a realization.

I’d been wondering why Yo-hwa was taking Cheongyu around to greet everyone—but now I remembered that Cheongyu hadn’t been introduced to any of the creatures on this side.

‘Ah, that’s right. She never got to meet the ones on this side, huh?’

The friends on this side were either too big or lived in habitats that made it impossible for them to enter the main manor—so they had to be introduced separately.

But because of the long journey and possibly the molting, Cheongyu had fallen asleep early yesterday, and never got to meet any of them.

Seeing the two of them now, it was clear: Yo-hwa was taking Cheongyu around to personally introduce her to the rest of the gang.

‘Yo-hwa, you little... That’s so thoughtful... I feel bad for doubting you. Honestly, who could ask for a better lady of the house—wait, lady of the house?’

But the more I thought about it, the more something felt off.

This wasn’t just thoughtful—it was suspiciously like something out of my past life’s drama series, where the legal wife personally guided the new concubine around the estate.

***

I’ve raised Cho, Hyang, and Bini since they were young, along with Seol and Bini who joined early on, and even Hongdan, whom I got right after she was born. For all of them, Hwa-eun and I naturally became their mom and dad.

They were small when I started raising them, and I’ve always seen them as my own kids.

Cho, Hyang, and Bini have grown huge by now, but I still remember their small, yellow, adorable selves—so that sense of affection remains strong.

Seol and Bini were small, cute lizards, so even calling myself their parent never felt strange.

And Hongdan? Well, no explanation needed there.

But for the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings, the Ho-ye beasts, Yo-hwa, Yeondu, Hwayang, Cheongwol, and Cheongyu, it was different. I accepted them all after they were already mature, and since they were all enormous, I couldn’t exactly act like their dad—so I ended up more of a big brother figure.

Which means... Yeondu’s husband would basically be my brother-in-law.

And so, the research to find a proper brother-in-law began.

It wasn’t just a matter of finding someone to marry her—there were other factors involved.

Flap. Flap.

In Hwa-eun’s room.

I flipped quickly through the pages, trying to find the one that contained the venomous creature I was looking for.

I was checking the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures, trying to gather information on the Jiyeong Snake—a potential husband for Yeondu.

“Jiyeong Snake, huh. Let’s see...”

After the Ten Great Venomous Creatures section and at the start of the Twenty-Three Venomous Branches, I turned to a page that showed a snake that looked similar to Bi-cheon Shin-sa—who resembled Yeondu—and there, a new snake appeared.

The Jiyeong Snake had horns like Yeondu and fin-like protrusions growing from its back.

“Jiyeong Snake.

Its body is blood-red. It rarely attacks first, but when it does, it suddenly bursts out from underground and attacks.

It can swim through earth as if it were water.

Poisoning leads to bleeding from the Guan-yin Meridian and immediate vomiting of blood.”

Apparently, its body was vividly red, like blood.

But, as usual for this compendium, there wasn’t much detail. It only ever gives basic facts.

‘Figures... not much useful information.’

The best I got was that, true to its name, it’s a master of burrowing underground.

I paused and kept the book open to that page. I turned to the section where one of the Tang Clan’s ancestors had written about the Golden-Crowned Snake King.

Flip. Flip.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

After flipping a few pages, I came to the section on the Golden-Crowned Snake King from the Ten Great Venomous Creatures.

There had been nothing on the page before, but now letters shimmered into view. The glowing script was gone, but the golden letters remained.

Grandfather had worried they might vanish, but it seemed only the light had faded. The golden writing remained intact.

‘Let’s see. Anything new...?’

Even without the glow, the content was exactly as it had been yesterday.

I was just starting to wonder where I could find more info on the Jiyeong Snake when—

Creak.

The door opened, and in came Hwa-eun and Sister Seol.

I had said I’d be reading for a while and asked them to bring snacks, so I guess that’s what they were delivering.

“So-ryong, we brought some snacks.”

“So-ryong, eat while you work.”

“Thank you, Hwa-eun.”

“The sunlight’s nice outside—I’ll open the window.”

Hwa-eun set the tea and fruit tray on the table and walked to the window.

When she opened it, bright sunlight poured in.

It streamed from the window and shone across the table, striking the open page of the compendium.

‘Whoa, that’s bright.’

It was almost too blinding. I thought I’d have to shut the window just to keep reading ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the book properly.

The sunlight fell directly on the section with the Golden-Crowned Snake King—and that’s when I noticed something odd.

‘A stain?’

As the light hit the page, it turned semi-transparent, revealing a large blotch beneath.

At first, I thought it was just a normal stain.

Old books are bound to have those.

But something about it felt familiar.

I stared harder at the marked page.

Then Hwa-eun asked,

“So-ryong, what is it? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just... with the sunlight hitting it like this, something about the compendium looks strange.”

“A stain?”

Sister Seol tilted her head, curious, and both she and Hwa-eun looked at where I pointed.

Then Sister Seol suddenly spoke in a surprised tone.

“Huh?”

“What is it, Sister Seol?”

When I asked, she gave me an unexpected answer.

“It’s a map.”

“A map?”

“It’s faint, so I can’t say for sure—but it’s definitely a map.”

She insisted it was a map, but I couldn’t understand how this blob could possibly be one.

She went on.

“It’s not just anywhere. This is a map of Yunnan. How could I not know my own homeland? There’s a similar map at the Beast Palace. I’ve seen it hundreds of times.”

I had no idea how she recognized it as Yunnan, but if Sister Seol said so, then it had to be true.

According to her, the strange blotch wasn’t a stain but an ancient map—Yunnan’s shape emerging from the aging page.

“Looks like an ancestor left it behind. But why would they do it so vaguely?”

Hwa-eun stared at the page, amazed, as if inspecting something sacred.

Then she turned her head to the other page and tilted it curiously.

“If that’s a map, then this side must be one too... but I can’t tell where it’s supposed to be. That side’s definitely Yunnan, but this one? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

As she said that, I glanced at the other page, shimmering in the sunlight.

‘If that’s also a map... then... hmm?’

I started thinking seriously: what if it really was a map?

Suddenly, a location flashed in my memory.

It made sense—it looked very familiar.

“Hwa-eun, I think I know where this is.”

If it truly was a map, I was certain.

Because in all of the Central Plains, there was only one place that looked like that.

Well—technically, it’s not part of the Central Plains in this era.

‘Right, not anymore—not in this time period.’

“Could you prepare a brush and ink for me?”

I asked Hwa-eun for writing tools and drew a map of the Central Plains.

Then, next to it, I added the location from my memory: Seonnam Province.

And then—

Hwa-eun’s eyes widened as she stared at my drawing.

“This is Iju County, isn’t it?”

That’s what they called it in this era—Iju.

But in my past life, we called it something else.

Taiwan.