Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

After Yang Wu led us to a resting place, he wore a very awkward expression.

“Is... is a place like this really all right?”

We were inside a large warehouse filled with straw—a storage space used to collect straw for cushioning the silk boxes during transport.

And truly, there was a mountain of straw piled up.

He felt bad that we would be resting in such a place.

He’d originally cleared out a clean sleeping area used by the guards, but when the only son-in-law of the Sacheon Tang Clan turned that down and chose to spend the night in a warehouse like this, it clearly left him unsettled.

But for me and the kids, this place was wonderfully cozy and comfortable.

Maybe because it was straw used to cushion silk boxes, it had been dried very well, giving off a pleasant scent. There was barely any dust, and it was delightfully soft and fluffy.

I’d slept on so much straw by now that I was halfway to being a straw expert, and as Expert So-ryong could confidently declare: this straw was Grade A.

’You won’t find straw like this just anywhere.’

Because straw is something that grows out in the fields—if you don’t pay careful attention while drying it, mold is inevitable.

That’s because it carries a lot of bacteria and fungi.

I’d heard that when fermenting cheonggukjang or making fermented soybean blocks, they use straw specifically because of those microorganisms. But because it’s so bacteria-rich, if mishandled, it usually ends up reeking of mold.

But this one didn’t.

Since it was stored near silk, it must have been dried properly under sunlight.

—Chrrrrk. 『Kyaahahaha~ Hongdan, try and catch me!』

—Kiiiiii!

It seemed the kids liked it too, as Hongdan and Hyang were giggling and playing hide-and-seek among the straw.

“Hey, don’t go rustling around too much.”

—Chrrrk. 『Okay, Dad.』

—Kii!

I smiled at Yang Wu’s apologetic face and said,

“We just need a place to rest with the kids. This is more than enough.”

It was the same kind of vibe I’d felt back at the Tang Clan too, so it was fine.

Compared to sleeping rough, this was basically a hotel.

And if it ever got uncomfortable, I could just ask Yo-hwa to spin up a hammock, so there was nothing to worry about.

At my response, Yang Wu glanced toward Gun Hye-rin, who had just flopped down into the straw, and asked,

“U-um... what about the others?”

“This place is fine.”

“...It’s fine for me too.”

The princess answered a beat later.

Just in case she needed a room, I asked,

“Princess—no, Lady Yoo, would you prefer to rest in a private room?”

“No, So-ryong. This place is enough for me too.”

Though I told her she could rest in a room, she sat herself politely beside Gun Hye-rin.

If she says she’s fine, then who am I to argue?

I smiled at Yang Wu and said,

“Well then, we’ll be in your care for tonight.”

“Not at all. We’re honored. The guards will bring meals on time. You can use the lavatory over there.”

“Thank you.”

As Yang Wu walked away, he kept glancing back.

He seemed genuinely worried about whether we were comfortable, but as soon as he was out of sight, Gun Hye-rin asked,

“But Master, you said it seemed like the work of a spirit beast—do you have any idea what kind?”

She must’ve been curious after I mentioned it seemed like a spirit beast was involved.

“No, I’m not sure. A few possibilities came to mind, but none of them fit the situation exactly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Well, we’ll probably find out by nightfall, so let’s just rest for now.”

Both the Ten Great Venoms and the Twenty-Four Poison Branch—of those, I already know what animal each remaining spirit beast is based on.

So I decided not to play ‘Detective Spicy Sherlock’ this time.

Because from this point forward, whatever we discover will almost certainly be a new species. Trying to deduce what it is now would just spoil the joy of encountering it later.

’No need to predict the ending, right?’

If there’s a twist, it makes the reveal more moving. If there isn’t, it’s just dull.

I really was dying of curiosity, though.

***

After lunch, as So-ryong dozed off, Gun Hye-rin immediately reported to the group chat.

『“Hwa-eun.”

“Yes, Miss Gun?”

“Master just fell asleep. I asked him if he knew what kind of spirit beast it was, but thankfully he said we’d find out at night anyway and told us to rest.”』

She’d reported it just in case he’d suddenly guessed the spirit beast’s name like before. But Hwa-eun replied lightly.

『“That’s good. Even if he did guess the name, it’s not a big problem, so there’s no need to worry.”』

“Really? Why’s that?”

“Because even if So-ryong guesses its name, he still won’t know what kind of poison it uses.”

Yeah, even if you knew the spirit beast’s name, if you didn’t know what poison it used or how, there was no need to be overly concerned.

Without that knowledge, you wouldn’t know how to guard against it.

Success or failure in this situation would hinge on that point—so long as he didn’t prepare for the poison, it’d be fine.

At that, the princess spoke up with confusion in her voice.

『“But So-ryong’s someone who seems to know everything about venomous creatures in the world, and yet he doesn’t know about the silver-scaled Euneo? That’s surprising.”』

“Ah, like I said last time—it’s because So-ryong was originally just a countryside guy who didn’t even know spirit beasts existed, and he skipped over the Euneo section in the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures.”

“A countryside So-ryong? I can’t imagine that.”

“Right? Crazy, huh.”

Yeah—at first, he was just some country bumpkin my father brought in.

They said he knew a lot about venomous creatures, but he looked skinny from not eating well, and his sun-darkened skin gave him a scrappy, unimpressive appearance.

Back then, I was disappointed by his low potential, but he swore he’d become the Strongest Under Heaven, and even risked his life to protect me and the Tang Clan. That’s when I started falling for him.

Remembering that, Hwa-eun thought back to when she and So-ryong had read the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures together.

「“Wow, this book really does have all kinds of venomous creatures, huh?”

That was when So-ryong had just arrived at the Sacheon Tang Clan and was reading the compendium with Hwa-eun.

“Yes, they’re all the spirit beasts discovered and recorded by Tang Hwaseong himself.”

“Oh, this Crimson Poison Harpoon Snail thing is cool. I wonder what kind of poison it shoots? Ooh, the Azure Steel Immortal Ant. It’s blue. Cute.”

He was flipping through the pages, looking at each venomous creature with childlike joy.

But then, at one particular section, he simply turned the page without reacting.

That was strange for someone who’d been so delighted with every single spirit beast up to that point.

Hwa-eun tilted her head and asked,

“So-ryong, why did you skip that one?”

And So-ryong had replied with a sheepish grin,

“Ah, it’s just... I’m not really into fish like that. I like rays and octopuses, but not these kinds.”

It was true that the thing’s appearance and name could make it seem like a fish.

“Euneo” literally means “silver fish.”

There’s also a kind of bug with a silvery body that, when seen from above, looks like a silver fish swimming underwater—hence the name. So it was easy to mistake it for an aquatic creature.

And So-ryong did grow up on an island.

Plus, those bugs have different names depending on the region, so the confusion made sense.

Just as Hwa-eun had smiled and started to explain what the Euneo really was—

Her grandfather’s voice had interrupted them.

“So-ryong, that’s not a fish, it’s...”

“Hwa-eun, come outside with So-ryong for a moment.”

“Yes, Grandpa!”」

And so she’d never gotten to explain it.

That’s why So-ryong still didn’t know what the silver-scaled Euneo was.

***

After waking up and having dinner, Gun Hye-rin handed me the clothes she’d washed and said,

”The master—earlier, that man said he’d heated some water for a bath. Go wash up.”

”A bath?”

I figured I’d get to do it with warm water once I got to the Sacheon Tang family anyway, so there wasn’t much reason to bother bathing here.

We’d have to lie in ambush tonight to secure the spirit beast, and I’d just get dirty again.

If the creature ran, I might have to chase it down too, so bathing now would be pointless.

“I’m just going to get dirty lying on a rooftop again tonight anyway.”

I was about to say I’d just wash later at the Tang family estate when the princess and Gun Hye-rin gave me stern looks.

”That’s like saying you won’t eat today because you’ll be eating tomorrow.”

”So-ryong, go wash up. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Since the bath at the Imperial Palace?”

”Well, that’s true, but I mean, once we’re done here I can just bathe at the—”

Maybe it was because they were women, but they were oddly sensitive about my hygiene.

There wasn’t even a smell.

The clothes I was wearing were made from silken thread spun by Yohwa, so they were resistant to dirt and didn’t get grimy, and with the Cold-Heat Resistance in effect, I didn’t even sweat, so there wasn’t a chance for any odor.

After I reached the Huajing state, aging slowed, and maybe that was why things like dead skin built up a lot more slowly too.

But when they’re that insistent about it, I didn’t really have a choice.

”Alright. I’ll go wash up. Geez.”

From living with women like Hwa-eun, Gun Hye-rin, and the princess, I’d learned that when they nagged about something like this, it was best to just do it quickly.

They wouldn’t give up just because you dragged your feet.

Unless it was something serious like hunting a spirit beast, they wouldn’t let these little things slide.

As I picked up the clothes Gun Hye-rin had set out and headed toward the quarters where the guards stayed, one of the warriors I ★ ★ passed pointed me toward the bath area.

”Ah, the bath is that way. We’ve prepared it just as that young lady asked.”

Apparently, Gun Hye-rin had requested it herself. Earlier, she made it sound like the warehouse manager, Yang Wu, had done it out of loyalty.

’So she just really wanted me to get cleaned up, huh?’

I was getting the strong impression that she was determined to scrub me down, but hey, women tend to be sensitive about hygiene, so I went ahead and soaked in the hot water for the first time in ages.

”Ahh, that hits the spot.”

I stayed submerged for a good while, then dried off with the cloth they’d set out.

The clothes Gun Hye-rin had prepared weren’t made from Yohwa’s silk, just ordinary cotton training robes.

Normally, I wore Yohwa-silk clothes for both safety and style.

’I’ve got another Yohwa-silk outfit, so why’d she give me this?’

Come to think of it, this would be better for rolling around.

After changing, I returned to the warehouse, and the princess and Gun Hye-rin both smiled.

”Much better.”

”Good job, So-ryong.”

’Why does that feel good even though it’s such a simple compliment?’

Being praised for bathing is usually something that happens to kids, but for some reason, it still put me in a good mood.

After resting a little longer, we prepared to begin the ambush just before sunset.

The ambush team included me, Gun Hye-rin, the princess, Cho, and Lady Jeokwol.

We kept the team small in case the unidentified spirit beast was easily startled. I hid in Lady Jeokwol’s shadow, and just past midnight, I caught sight of something glinting in the darkness.

A spirit beast gleaming silver under starlight and moonlight.

It descended from the mountain side and slipped straight into the hole.

’What the...?’

It sparkled so much in the dark I couldn’t get a clear look, but I stepped out of hiding and waited for it to come out.

I wanted to try talking to it when it did.

[Lady Jeokwol, Cho—wait up on the roof.]

–Tsrut. 『Okay, Daddy.』

–Chiiii.

I waited outside the hole with the friendliest expression I could manage. After about half a keung, the hole on the far side started to glow faintly.

’Oh, it’s coming out.’

I stared wide-eyed, eager to see what it was. The moment I saw its head peek out, I smiled gently to avoid startling it and said,

“Hi there. Let’s talk—”

And that’s when it happened.

–Fwoosh!

The creature’s body flinched—and then a burst of shimmering silver powder exploded from it in every direction.

”Poison!?”

It was almost certainly poison.

”Gun Hye-rin! The princess!”

I shouted for Gun Hye-rin, who was behind me, to get the princess to safety and hurled myself backward.

But Gun Hye-rin’s reaction was too slow—there was a jolt against my back.

“Kyaa!”

“Guh—”

The three of us tumbled down in a heap.

I immediately stopped breathing and shouted in the group chat.

『Princess, Gun Hye-rin—hold your breath!』

I had Poison Qi, so I could withstand some toxins, but they didn’t, so I told them to stop breathing. Still, if it was absorbable through the skin, this could be serious. I quickly circulated my Poison Qi, but didn’t detect any danger.

If it were real poison, I’d have sensed it right away.

It must not have been life-threatening—or maybe it was some rare kind of delayed-effect poison.

“Are you both alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m okay.”

The silver powder settled to the ground—and the spirit beast had vanished.

I helped the princess and Gun Hye-rin to their feet.

“Huh? Your cheeks look a little flushed. Doesn’t seem to be a harmful poison, but let’s move somewhere quieter and check you over just in case.”

I doubted it had any delayed toxicity since there was no reaction from the Poison Qi, but their flushed cheeks made me wary. If the princess was poisoned, it’d be a huge problem, so I turned to relocate—

–Rustle-rustle.

And right then, the clothes Gun Hye-rin, the princess, and I were wearing disintegrated into powder and scattered into the air.

It happened so suddenly that we just froze on the spot.

”Uh...”