Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

If it was the Peach Garden Map, then it was surely a type of the Falling-Into-the-Immortal-Realm Map, or something like it. Zihwa had explained it as a space that could hold living things.

A fantasy-style subspace pouch, except the Peach Garden Map was a step above that.

I remembered hearing that it was larger and better than a subspace pouch—subspace itself.

I felt like I’d be scolded if I went out there, but I couldn’t not confirm why the mind-space had suddenly become like this.

This was the mind-space.

It was inside my mind-space, so I had to check it.

Because whatever happened here was as good as something happening to me.

Act as nonchalant as possible—act surprised.

I climbed down from the tree and, with that kind of vibe, approached where my wives and the children were gathered and said,

“W-what on earth is going on?”

Doing my best to sound calmly astonished.

Then Zihwa, who had swooped down toward me, tried to grab me—only to claw at empty air—and said,

“If you do not know, who would?”

Normally, in the mind-space, we could touch one another.

And what does “touch” mean?

Hwa-eun and I had even tested exactly how far we could go here.

Like those NASA studies on whether normal marital relations were possible in space.

But now our bodies had turned semi-transparent, and it seemed we could not affect one another.

Judging by how she was swiping at empty air when she tried to touch me, she clearly couldn’t touch me.

“No, I don’t know what happened either... Ah!”

Even if it had happened in my mind-space, I was a little flustered.

I had no idea why this space had become like this.

Spaces that hadn’t existed in my mind-space—other spirit beasts’ or my wives’ mind-spaces—had suddenly been added, and then everyone’s forms had abruptly become semi-transparent. How was I supposed to know the reason?

But then I remembered what I’d seen inside the secret cave beneath the temple.

“Do you remember something?”

When I made a face like something had come to mind, Zihwa paused, about to try touching me again, and asked.

Nodding, I said,

“If we go down to the secret cave under the temple, I think we’ll find out what’s going on. A moment ago, the stone tablets in there flashed gold.”

“Stone tablets? They shone? In any case, let us hurry!”

When I started after Zihwa taking the lead, Hwayang came running, tried to throw herself into my arms, and flopped onto the ground.

– Peeeee! 『Baap! Ugh. What is this! Why can’t I touch my food!?』

‘Was she really calling me “food” this whole time when she said “baap baap”?’

“Baap” must be what Hwayang calls the things she likes.

I was flustered, unable to help her up, when my wives drew close and whispered in slightly angry voices.

[ So-ryong, we’ll see you later. ]

[ Master, let’s talk after this is over. ]

[ My lord, so—did you enjoy your little escape? We need to have a talk tonight. ]

I’d acted like nothing had happened, but in reality something had.

So my wives clearly didn’t intend to let it slide.

Their voices said they meant to address it, no matter what.

‘Hoo... damn it. My brief escape ends like this.

If this doesn’t turn out to be something truly big, I won’t let Zihwa get away with it.’

Thinking that, I followed her down underground.

Not that I actually had any method to not let her get away with it, even if it didn’t turn out to be big.

When we entered the stone chamber, the stone tablets were indeed pouring out a golden light.

Since all the registered children had come into the mind-space, every tablet was flashing.

Inside the secret cave, it was nearly dazzlingly golden.

Zihwa, drawn as if bewitched, approached the central tablet, stared at it blankly, and said,

“It truly shines.”

“Didn’t you see it when you went in and came back out earlier?”

“It did not shine like this then.”

“Really?”

Did it only shine when I was present?

As I thought that, Zihwa slowly reached out and began examining the tablets with her hand.

With her hand on a tablet, staring at it as if entranced, she muttered.

After a long while investigating the tablets, she spoke in a voice of amazement.

“This is truly... m-magnificent...”

She was saying it was something great.

“Great?”

“Yes. What do you call that art which connects you and us?”

“Beast-Heart Technique? I heard it’s a type of martial art. A martial art where you register beasts and grow together. A mind art, maybe?”

Assuming she meant the Beast-Heart Technique, I gave the name and a brief explanation, but Zihwa, taking her eyes off the tablets, shook her head.

“No. This is not merely some low-grade martial art learned by common mortals. It is a rather high-order dharma. One that concretizes the Illusory Township (幻想鄕) that exists within a being’s mind-space.”

It was packed with difficult words, and the Princess sidled up and asked softly,

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure either... I’ll ask.”

“Yes, yes.”

Judging by her asking questions, the Princess seemed the least angry among my wives, but I also couldn’t understand what those words meant.

Illusory Township and such—how was I supposed to parse that?

“What do you mean?”

Since it wasn’t some Immortal-Realm story, my wives could follow this much as well, so when I asked her to explain in detail, Zihwa came over, made as if to touch my head, and explained.

“Every living being has, deep within the unconscious, a desired Illusory Township. It is like the place of one’s dreams, which one yearns for.

It contains a very strong longing and does not vanish before the being’s existence is extinguished, and this thing you call the Beast-Heart Technique is an art that concretizes that mind-space and makes it real.

At present, this Peach Garden Map has been formed in your upper dantian and has become a space that truly exists.”

In broad strokes, it sounded like it concretized something like the “hometown of the heart” that every living being has.

And it was in my head.

Startled that this space had formed in my head, I touched my head, and Zihwa continued her explanation.

“Because mortals cannot complete this by gathering inner energy, it connects spirit beasts and, using that power, concretizes the Illusory Township—truly an astounding dharma.”

‘Is this okay for me?’

The notion that such a space existed in my head was a bit alarming, but then I heard Hwa-eun’s question beside me.

“Zihwa, then why have we become these blurry forms and lost the ability to touch one another?”

Zihwa smiled faintly at Hwa-eun’s question and said,

“Because that which existed only as thought (念) within the head has now taken on substance, we who entered here as thought have become indistinct like this.

This art was completed as we all entered.”

“念” means “thought” in the Central Plains tongue.

In other words, what we called the mind-space was originally not complete, but a place that existed only in thought.

So we who entered this mind-space as thought could touch and feel one another.

But now that the art was complete and the mind-space had become substantial, we, who entered only as thought, could no longer affect this world.

Originally, both the world and we ourselves existed only as thought, but the world became real, and we became like ghosts.

“Wait—then can we no longer touch one another?”

“Until now, the incomplete art allowed us to affect one another, but now that it is complete, that seems to have vanished.”

“Then what are we supposed to do? Are we all to use this place in this state from now on?”

Hwa-eun glanced at me as she asked.

She looked a little disappointed.

Apparently the VR experience hadn’t been bad.

At that, Zihwa smiled sweetly and said,

“You—touch this tablet here, give this place a name, then go out and place your hand upon our sleeping bodies and think of putting them into this space.

Then you will be able to place us all within.”

“Ah, got it.”

From the sound of it, I could now put my wives and then all the spirit beasts into this space.

A collection space had been created.

What’s more, this was a space connected to the mind-spaces of the Ten Great Venoms I’d registered.

It was practically a single world.

Because the spaces in each one’s world were all connected.

Hwa-eun’s flower field in her head, the Princess’s seaside, Hwayang’s lava field, even Cheongwol’s desert.

When she said to give it a name first, I hesitated a moment, but there was only one name to give a place like this.

I placed my hand on the central, flashing tablet and named this space.

“Dokmul-hyang (毒物鄕).”

This space was like a hometown for all animals.

Once I named it, the world brimmed with even more life.

Plants everywhere took on vitality, and a wind began to blow.

“Then I’ll be back.”

The moment I thought I would quickly go outside, my vision blurred, and I was able to open my eyes outside the mind-space.

– Jjirrrr. Jjirrrr.

It was a night full of the sounds of insects, and I quickly launched myself toward our quarters.

Because I knew my wives had attempted the mind-space link there.

They would likely be asleep inside our quarters.

– Peep. Peep.

When I arrived in front of the quarters, I heard Jayo’s loud chirping from inside.

When I stepped in, Jayo was yanking on sleeping Zihwa’s feather, trying to wake her.

Beside them, my wives sat cross-legged with their eyes closed.

“Jayo.”

– Peep.

When I called her, Jayo scurried toward me and, at the foot of the bed, stretched her neck as if to ask for a hug.

Flapping her little wings—Daddy, pick me up—something like that.

She must have woken up and gotten scared because everyone was asleep.

I quickly picked her up, formed poison, fed her, and set her on my head.

Then, starting with Zihwa, I placed my hand on each of them in turn and thought:

‘I want to put you into the mind-space.’

As Zihwa had said, Zihwa’s form turned to smoke and was drawn into my nostrils.

“Oooh.”

– Peep-peeeep! Peep!

Being pulled into my nostrils—strange and fascinating at once.

At the same time, Jayo seemed startled, flapped hard again, and cried loudly.

She was pretty shocked when her mother vanished.

“It’s okay. Mom will be right back.”

Next came Hwa-eun, then Gun Hye-rin, then the Princess.

When I went outside, the children were sleeping beyond the door, and I put them all into the mind-space as well.

Even the great-bodied Cheongwol and Sister Jeokwol, and Hwayang with the burning back—each vanished cleanly.

Now even children like Ranghu or Geumdo could be brought along comfortably once I registered them, or so it felt, but first I figured I should go into the mind-space myself and check the situation inside.

“But I need to leave her with someone...”

To do that, I had to leave Jayo with someone.

Thinking it over, I quickly moved to the ship.

Because there were other spirit-beast children waiting there whom I hadn’t registered in the ship.

Normally, that place was the children’s home.

I was going there to leave Jayo with the children for a moment, and with light footwork I quickly reached the ship.

When I entered the cabin, I saw the children talking in the dark.

“Where did everyone suddenly go, anyway?”

“Lady Hwa-eun asked for help, so everyone said they were going over there.”

Strictly speaking, Gungbong was talking to himself.

He was probably taking turns chatting with Soto.

Beside them were Rimrim of the Thunderquake Earth Ant, Ranghyang of the Red Cloud Black Millipede, and the Seven-Colored Sea Wraith, the jellyfish Cheonhae.

Great Crested Newt Bakwon; Golden General Suran; Silver Fish  Euneo.

The three baby Exploding Jade Aquabugs had gathered too, and the Twin-Blossom Orchid Mantis, Sandan.

Blackwood Locust King, Changcheon; the three Blood-Eyed Green Grass Shrews I’d gifted to Sister; and the Crimson Poison Harpoon Snails, Yeoncheon and Yeonji were there as well.

“Oh, Lord So-ryong.”

[ Oh. Benefactor, your wives were looking for you earlier. ]

Soto was the first to recognize me, and then Senior Yeoncheon greeted me as well.

“I met them just a bit ago.”

[ Then that is a relief. What brings you here? ]

“Ah, I need to enter the mind-space, but I want to leave the child here for a bit. My wives are also in the mind-space, so I need someone to look after her.”

[ Oh, Jayo has come? Very well, leave her here and go in. ]

– Peep.

Since the child was born, of course I’d introduced her to everyone in the family; everyone knew Jayo’s face.

But when they saw Jayo, everyone came over, delighted.

“Ah, Jayo! I missed you!”

– Peep-peeeep.

[ Come along. And this time, do not peck Grandfather’s eyeball. ]

– Peep!

Once everyone welcomed her, Jayo climbed down from my head and toddled over to the other spirit beasts as if to greet them.

With the child entrusted—

I sat in a chair, about to enter the mind-space immediately, when it happened.

Perhaps because the ship rocked, a book lying on the desk slid.

Its name was Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures of the World.

I’d borrowed the Secret Compendium from the main house to use for writing So-ryong’s Venomous Creatures Notes, and the moment I touched it, five-colored light burst out of the book.

“W-what is this now?”