Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

‘So it wasn’t that all spells were completely nullified at once···!’

Feeling that overwhelming brute strength being transmitted through Mong-a’s grip as Mong-a clamped down on the nape of the neck, Hwangwoo suddenly realized something.

This place was White-Night Castle.

A legendary dharma treasure left behind by a high-ranking cultivator, said to be driven deep into the very center of the castle.

That dharma treasure completely seals all spell arts, and it is widely known throughout the Nine Heavens that even carelessly touching it can result in instant death.

However, it seemed that tradition was subtly out of alignment with the truth.

Contrary to the rumor that all spell arts are rendered powerless, it seemed brute-force-type cultivators could still display their strength.

And that made sense, because even the most lowly Qi Condensation beginner inevitably learns protective spell arts.

Blocking a fatal attack right before death even just once, or moving the owner to a safe place if they lose consciousness—there are truly many kinds of protective spell arts.

What saved a body that nearly would have been shattered to pieces by Lord So-ryong’s attack was none other than a protective spell art that had been placed in advance, and yet in White-Night Castle, even those spell arts that usually activate without issue even inside barriers do not react.

That was why protective spell arts had been placed again.

Hwangwoo’s protective spell art that returns the user to their own castle in times of danger was completely shut down, yet Mong-a was freely pouring out overwhelming physical strength.

Why had this truth not been known to the world until now?

It was because cultivators who ascended from the Central Plains Martial World did not casually pass their secret spell arts on to others.

They are said to be extremely picky about selecting disciples, and it is even said that most of them pursue the Dao alone without taking even a single disciple for their entire lives.

When Hwangwoo lowered the gaze, Hwangwoo’s toes were barely hovering, almost touching the floor, flailing pitifully.

Mong-a’s dangerous gaze burning straight ahead.

Hwangwoo’s mind was warning of danger.

That if things went wrong, death would come right here.

The gaze was not normal.

‘Why is it like this today, one thing after another···.’

Hwangwoo had thought today he was lucky.

But it seemed not.

At first, when the spirit beast was lost, Hwangwoo had thought it was bad luck.

Because a spirit beast filled with precious water energy had run away.

It was the same even the moment a powerful cultivator was encountered.

As the saying goes that misfortune does not come alone, bad luck kept continuing.

At the fact that such an incredible cultivator had been offended, Hwangwoo had thought becoming an elixir right then and there was inevitable.

But the moment it was learned that the powerful cultivator was from the Central Plains Martial World, and the moment a connection was formed, it became clear that everything that happened before had been a kind of exorcising of misfortune in order for great fortune to arrive.

To meet a cultivator from the Central Plains Martial World faster than anyone else and be able to form a connection—what enormous luck was that?

Hwangwoo had been happy, thinking it might finally be possible to escape these sickening Nine Heavens, but it seemed Hwangwoo’s bad things were not over yet.

The voice came again.

“Can’t you speak already!?”

“···.”

“Hmph. You mean to keep your mouth shut? Fine. Then let’s see how long you keep your mouth shut.”

When Mong-a touched a few places on Hwangwoo’s body, the body stiffened.

It was definitely a method similar to Lord So-ryong’s spell arts, and once the body stiffened, Mong-a dragged Hwangwoo down underground.

As Hwangwoo was dragged down underground, Hwangwoo felt like going insane.

Just a moment ago, Hwangwoo wanted to speak quickly, but the throat had been clamped down on, so speaking was impossible, and now, it was because speaking had become impossible.

***

“Insane.”

That was my impression after watching—no, after fully obtaining—the dual cultivation technique.

And it made sense, because the seniors who created this technique were truly insane—no, they were clearly great Daoists worthy of being called geniuses.

They were beings who sublimated love not as simple lust, but into an artistic realm where heaven and earth harmonize.

The fundamental mechanism of the dual cultivation technique was yin-yang union.

In the secular world, it’s used as a vulgar expression pointing to secret acts between a man and a woman, but in the cultivation world, it holds a completely different, deeper meaning.

A training method that follows the fundamental principle of the universe, where yin and yang energies come into harmony—that was the dual cultivation technique.

No matter how much a man learns martial arts or divine methods overflowing with yin energy, the innate yang energy possessed from birth can never disappear.

The same for a woman.

No matter how much she refines a technique that contains fierce, hard yang energy, the innate yin energy that came down from the womb can never vanish.

There was a reason for that: men are beings of yang, women are beings of yin.

There are vessels that, even when emptied, automatically become filled with yin and yang energy.

For men and women, there are separate places where yang energy is filled and where yin energy is filled.

For men and women, the places where yin and yang energy are filled are the womb and the testicles.

To connect those, the important parts along that extension become involved, so you overlap them and cultivate.

Through union.

In this way, men and women are each born with vessels to contain yin and yang energies, and the dual cultivation technique guides this imbalanced and unused energy into taiji.

Because when yin and yang are in perfect harmony, that is taiji.

Yin and yang, the fundamental principle of the universe, oppose each other while also complementing each other. When yin reaches its extreme, yang sprouts, and when yang reaches its extreme, yin is born—within that endless cycle, the moment the boundary between the two disappears and they become completely one is taiji.

Taiji, like that symbol where black and white fish bite each other’s tails and form a circle, refers to a state where yin and yang are no longer separated, but seep into each other and fuse. This realm is not a simple balance, but the source of all things.

In other words, it is the moment the gate of creation opens, advancing from wuji to the state of having polarity.

So when it reaches this stage, energy surges up from the formed taiji like a big bang and raises the realms of both the man and the woman.

I was in the middle of savoring the profundity of the dual cultivation technique.

“Insane? What do you mean, Master?”

When I looked to the side at the voice, Gun Hye-rin was tilting the head while holding Jayo, who was in the form of a chick.

“Oh, Jayo.”

“Jayo said Jayo missed Dad, so I brought Jayo out. It’s my day to be with Master today, so I came out while I was at it.”

It seemed tonight was Gun Hye-rin’s turn, and while I was completely absorbed in the dual cultivation technique, some time seemed to have passed.

From the feel of it, it seemed like the sun had set.

Someone had covered the entrance Yohwa had concealed with webbing with thick leather, and inside, red lanterns were burning.

“Our Jayo missed Dad that much, huh?”

-Peep.

When Jayo went into Poison Fragrance earlier, Jayo had fallen asleep, so I only looked at Jayo’s face and came back out.

But to say Jayo missed me, I was moved, and when I went over and rubbed Jayo against my cheek, I could feel Jayo’s warm body heat.

While rubbing cheeks with Jayo, I checked how much Jayo had grown, and though I hadn’t realized when Jayo was in human form, Jayo had grown a lot.

“Our Jayo got so big, huh?”

-Peep-peep.

I put Jayo on top of my head and asked Gun Hye-rin.

“Nothing happened inside?”

“Well, they said the Spirit Stones are being made well. They said we just need to check whether they’re extracting and whether it’s being made again.”

“And?”

“There’s nothing else. Ah, I decided to teach Mirang martial arts.”

“Right, if the energy is abundant like here, you can learn even after you get older.”

The reason people normally don’t teach martial arts when someone is older is because efficiency is low.

When you get older, the turbid energy piled up in the meridians hinders the efficiency of martial arts training.

But in a place like this, where the density of energy is high, that problem didn’t exist.

If there is a lot of turbid energy, the efficiency of accumulating inner power is low and improvement of internal energy is slow, but in a place like this, where the density of energy is high, that gets offset.

If we were going to live here, Mirang would have to learn at least martial arts.

Nodding, I asked.

“By the way, whose martial arts are you going to teach?”

But if Gun Hye-rin was going to teach martial arts, the question remained of whose martial arts would be taught.

Because it was necessary to teach martial arts that suited Mirang.

“Ah, I decided I’ll teach. It’s hard for the others to teach, after all.”

Neither Princess Ji-ryeon nor Hwa-eun, who were from the white-path martial world, would teach Mirang their own martial arts.

Because they wouldn’t break the rules that say they don’t teach unless the person is from the sect, a family member, or the direct line of the family.

But Gun Hye-rin was free in that regard.

Because Gun Hye-rin was the sect leader, so if Gun Hye-rin made the decision, that was that.

“But Gun Hye-rin’s martial arts, that, uh···. You said you’d grow horns or a tail. Is Mirang okay with that?”

“Ah···.”

It seemed Gun Hye-rin had forgotten too, but like I said, Gun Hye-rin’s martial arts were martial arts made of demonic energy.

According to Zihwa’s story, if you learn demonic arts, you can grow a tail or horns.

So I was asking whether that was okay for Mirang, but Gun Hye-rin seemed to have forgotten for a moment too.

Hye-rin flustered.

After thinking for a moment, Gun Hye-rin said.

“It would be good to ask Hwangwoo to get some spell arts. Among us, Zihwa is the only one who knows spell arts, so I think we need someone who can respond to spell arts.”

“That’s not a bad idea either.”

While talking about this and that with Gun Hye-rin, I felt something tickling from above my head.

Jayo on my head was nodding off.

Since birds in their young stage only repeat eating and sleeping, it seemed sleep was coming again.

“Jayo, should I take you to Mom?”

-Peep-peep!

“Wouldn’t it be better to go? Rather than doing that on top of Dad’s head, sleep comfortably on Mom’s bed.”

-Peep. Peep.

When I asked whether I should take Jayo to Mom, Jayo fiercely shook the head.

Jayo hugged my skull.

Gun Hye-rin made an awkward expression at that sight.

Gun Hye-rin must have been anticipating a lot, so it was awkward.

And after watching the dual cultivation technique, I was in a situation where I was anticipating it too.

I told Gun Hye-rin to watch and learn the dual cultivation technique for now.

“Hye-rin, did you learn the dual cultivation technique?”

“I haven’t watched it yet.”

“Then learn it. I’ll take Jayo to Jayo’s mom and come back.”

“Understood.”

-Peep! Peep-peep!

Jayo was stomping my head with the feet, saying no, so I gently soothed Jayo.

“No, it’s dangerous outside. Instead, Dad will stay next to Jayo until Jayo falls asleep.”

-Peep.

But Jayo resisted stubbornly.

However, the resistance didn’t last long.

Because while Gun Hye-rin was holding the Spirit Stone and watching the dual cultivation technique, Jayo fell asleep.

Jayo, who had been dozing, ended up falling completely asleep.

I quickly pushed Jayo into Poison Fragrance and called Zihwa.

『“Zihwa, Jayo fell asleep. Come to the entrance of Poison Fragrance.”

“Understood, my dear.”』

When I went into Poison Fragrance too, I could see Jayo sleeping on the grass at the entrance.

Jayo changed from a chick form into a child.

The sleeping face, breathing softly, looked exactly like an angel.

“Whose daughter is this, she’s so pretty.”

I wanted to reach Nascent Soul quickly and also pet Jayo in human form, but then Zihwa flew in quickly from far away.

-Flap.

Zihwa, landing quietly, quickly pulled Jayo into the arms.

Even then, Jayo couldn’t wake up.

It seemed Jayo had fallen completely into dreamland.

When Jayo was settled and held to the chest, Jayo burrowed into Mom’s arms.

As I smiled softly at that sight, Zihwa stroked Jayo’s head and said,

“Tell Hye-rin I’m sorry. It seems the child got in the way.”

“No. Then I’ll see you later.”

“Understood. Then have a good night.”

Now that I’d sent Jayo back too.

The moment I went right back out of Poison Fragrance, I heard breathing.

“Haa. Haa.”

It even felt like a sweet scent was flowing in through my nose.

When I looked to the side, in the red lantern light, Gun Hye-rin was breathing hotly, carried away.

Seeing the face somewhat flushed, it seemed the dual cultivation educational audiovisual materials were quite stimulating for Gun Hye-rin.

For me, I’d seen a lot in my previous life—no, anyway, I was used to it, but in this era, it would be the first time for Gun Hye-rin.

“Hye-rin?”

“M-Master.”

When I called the name, Gun Hye-rin flinched.

Smiling, I asked,

“Sex—no, should we do dual cultivation?”

Gun Hye-rin’s head nodded quickly.