Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Beneath the main building of Blood Market Tower, towering at the center of White Night City.

This place had originally been where guests arriving by transportation arts were received, but a few days ago, it had become the resting place for So-ryong’s spirit-creatures.

The flow of energy running through the ground is different in every piece of land.

Transportation arts were arts that moved by imprinting the flow of the energy running through that ground into a talisman.

But this place had been moved upward from the Nine Heavens after entering So-ryong’s Dokmul-hyang, so now there was no one left who would move to this place.

So even though it was spacious, this place had simply been left abandoned as an empty area, but for the sake of the bigger children whose bodies could not enter the Blood Market Tower halls, Chief Steward Mong-a had made a separate entrance for them.

Children with large bodies like Hwanji and Hwana still had not mastered transformation, so they could not go up into Blood Market Tower and had ended up sleeping rough outside, and that was something So-ryong’s wives simply could not stand by and watch.

For that reason, this place had ordinarily become the place where the children slept, rested, or gathered energy.

It was a good place to absorb the earth energy flowing underground.

At noon, when everyone was asleep, Cheongwol’s voice was heard from one corner.

-Krrrng. ”Yo-hwa, what is it?”

From the corner, Cheongwol was looking at Yo-hwa and asking.

Just what was wrong with her.

The reason Cheongwol had spoken to Yo-hwa, who had settled in the corner, was nothing else.

Ever since Yo-hwa had come back from going far away with So-ryong, she had kept strangely watching everyone’s reactions.

Since this place had originally been made after Yo-hwa left, at first it seemed maybe the place was just unfamiliar to her.

Or maybe it was uncomfortable for Yo-hwa.

Back in the lower world, Yo-hwa had lived up in trees, so wouldn’t underground be a little uncomfortable for her?

But for that to be all it was, it still felt rather strange.

Yo-hwa had taken a place in the corner, and whenever their eyes met, she was too busy avoiding them.

At first Cheongwol had not thought much of it, but a vaguely unpleasant feeling had started to creep in.

At Cheongwol’s question, Yo-hwa answered while stammering.

-Ki, kisit. ”Wh-what do you mean?”

-Krrng. ”Haven’t you been watching everyone’s reactions since yesterday? Like a spirit-creature that did something wrong.”

-Kishisit! ”H-how did you know!?”

It had just been something said without much meaning because Yo-hwa seemed like she was hiding something, but at Cheongwol’s words, Yo-hwa jumped in shock.

Cheongwol let out a snort and said,

-Krrk. ”I don’t know what you did wrong, but it’s definitely nothing seri—”

Cheongwol had thought it was surely nothing serious, whatever it was, but before the sentence could even finish—

Yo-hwa apologized, and the rest of the words never reached Cheongwol’s ears.

-Kishishi. ”I’m sorry. Unni, I-I ended up mating with So-ryong Oppa first.”

-Krrng. ”What?”

-Kisit. ”M-mating.”

-...

-Plink. Plink.

All of a sudden, silence followed, and the only sound that could be heard softly from somewhere in a corner was the dripping of falling water.

Unable to bear that silence, Yo-hwa apologized again.

-Kishishishi. ”I-it couldn’t be helped because of the medicine. And I wanted to tell you...”

Honestly, Yo-hwa had had no intention of hiding it from her older sisters, younger sisters, and friends.

But Oppa had told her to stay quiet because he would tell them himself later, so she had merely kept her mouth shut.

-Krrng. ”Explain it in detail.”

This was not something that could just be passed over.

Cheongwol quickly transformed into a human body with transformation arts and moved right up close to Yo-hwa.

-Kisit. ”At first, with Oppa, I used my mouth...”

-Krrrung. ”Who asked how you mated? I asked how it came to that.”

-Kishishi. ”Ah, I see. S-so...”

Right as Yo-hwa was about to start explaining at Cheongwol’s question—

Sliiide.

Jeokwol appeared from the nearby wall.

Apparently she had been hiding nearby.

-Chii. ”This isn’t something that can be passed over lightly.”

Starting with that, So-ryong’s spirit-creatures, who had been lying here and there, woke up and approached the corner.

Though they had had their eyes closed, it seemed none of them had been in a deep sleep, so they had heard the whole conversation.

-Sia. ”What happened?”

-Ppiii. ”Fooood. No, this isn’t the time for food. Hurry up and tell us.”

Starting with Jeokwol, then Cheong-yu and Hwayang.

And finally even Hongbi came over.

-Kkwaaak. ”You mated with So-ryong? How exactly?”

Crowded into the corner, tense, Yo-hwa began to explain.

She was breaking her promise with Oppa, but wasn’t this a situation where it couldn’t be helped?

Everyone was asking like this, so she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

-Kisit. ”So... we arrived at Oppa’s and Chilhyang’s dwelling, and then... I-I’m sorry. I went first...”

A long while later, after hearing all of Yo-hwa’s explanation, So-ryong’s spirit-creatures all became bright-faced.

-Siaaa. ”Congratulations, Yo-hwa.”

-Chiiii. ”Well, if it’s Yo-hwa, then I can accept it. So don’t feel sorry.”

-Krrng. ”Yes, if it’s you, Yo-hwa, and not some other spirit-creature.”

-Ppii. ”Yeah, well. What does it matter who becomes the food first? Food is food anyway.”

-Kkwaaak. ”What exactly does that mean, Unni?”

-Ppiiiiii. ”It means food, obviously.”

Everyone sincerely congratulated her, because even though Yo-hwa had been the first to mate, it seemed things were moving the way Zihwa had said.

That thing she had said—that the first one was difficult, but the second would be easy, and the third even easier.

There had been Zihwa, and now even Yo-hwa made two.

So expectation had surged up that the third would be even easier.

-Chii. ”So now it’s two?”

At Jeokwol’s question full of expectation, Cheong-yu shook her head and answered.

Not two, but three.

-Sia. ”No. It’s three.”

Everyone tilted their heads.

After all, there had clearly been Zihwa, and now Yo-hwa too, which made two.

But after hearing Cheong-yu’s answer, three was definitely right.

-Krrng. ”Three? How is it three?”

-Siaaa. ”Because Hwa-eun became a mantis too.”

-Krrng. ”Ohhh.”

Right, Hwa-eun too had now become a mantis spirit-creature.

Then that meant So-ryong had already mated three times with things that were no longer human, including Hwa-eun.

So if he had mated with a bird, a spider, and a mantis, then wouldn’t scorpions, frogs, toads, and butterflies be fine too?

The spirit-creatures looked at one another, then quickly sat down and started absorbing energy.

-Krrrung. ”I need to hurry and raise my realm.”

-Ppii! ”I need to hurry and eat food.”

-Chii. ”Yes, everyone, hurry and raise your realms.”

Yo-hwa was fine because she had a human body, but the other children needed human bodies too.

Wouldn’t they have to mate in their true forms to have offspring?

Transformation was absolutely necessary.

***

I asked Yo-hwa to keep it secret for the time being that we had mated—no, dual cultivated.

Maybe someday {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} we’d get caught anyway, but I still wanted to delay that happening as much as possible.

But since Yo-hwa was innocent, I had thought she might get found out quickly. Fortunately, even when I said I was going to Ink Shadow Altar again, the children didn’t say they wanted to follow me.

If they’d found out, they definitely would have said they wanted to follow me too, like Yo-hwa had. But maybe this really was a blessed spot, because everyone was completely absorbed in raising their realms, and not one of them said they wanted to follow me.

-Chii. ”Go and come back, So-ryong. We should stay here and raise our realms.”

-Ppiii. ”Fooood!”

-Sia. ”Have a safe trip, So-ryong.”

Everyone had settled into places underground and was wholly absorbed in drawing in the energy of the earth veins and heaven veins.

Yo-hwa too had taken a place in the corner and was sitting with her eyes closed, absorbing energy.

I quietly asked Yo-hwa,

”Yo-hwa, don’t you want to come with me?”

Hwa-eun and my other wives had said that since her wedding night had happened suddenly because of the medicine, I should take her along and look after her a little.

A first night stays with you for life, and if it had happened like that, they said I needed to do it properly again.

What was more, my relationship with Yo-hwa had to be kept secret from the others for the time being, so wouldn’t it be just right to carry out dual cultivation with Yo-hwa in secret, away from the other children’s eyes?

So I intended to bring her along on the trip and this time leisurely raise her realm a bit through a dual cultivation art, and Yo-hwa came running out, delighted.

-Kisit. ”Really?”

”O-of course. You have to eat yang energy too.”

-Kishishi. ”I-I see.”

Thinking about eating a lot of yang energy by a different method than before, Yo-hwa’s face flushed red.

I brought Yo-hwa out and stood in front of Blood Market Tower.

”So-ryong, are you taking Yo-hwa with you?”

”Yes.”

”All right. Travel carefully. Yo-hwa, you be careful too.”

A voice came from upstairs, so when I looked up, Hwa-eun was waving her hand.

We had already said goodbye a little earlier, so I waved back and took out a talisman.

It was a transportation talisman I had obtained on the last visit. The moment I put Yo-hwa into Dokmul-hyang and immediately poured energy into it, my body felt like it was stretching long, and the entrance to Ink Shadow Altar came into view.

”Ah, h-hello.”

The gatekeeper, who already knew my face, snapped into a quick greeting, so I told him I wanted to meet Maecho-ryeong.

”I’d like to see Maecho-ryeong.”

”P-please wait just a moment!”

One of the two gatekeepers ran inside, and the one who appeared a little later was Ink Shadow Ghost Galma.

He bowed respectfully and said,

”We meet again. I heard you wished to see Lady Maecho-ryeong?”

”That’s right. I have another favor to ask.”

”This way.”

I entered the same pavilion as before, following him.

The grass field came into view again.

When I crossed that grass and reached the pond, sure enough, Maecho-ryeong was again pouring tea in the pavilion at the center of the pond.

Apparently she served tea every time a guest came.

”Welcome. I hear you have another favor to ask?”

”That’s right.”

At my answer, Maecho-ryeong hesitated, then replied.

”So-ryong, we are a place that buys and sells information, so we can’t just do it for free every time.”

Apparently she thought I had come again to ask for something free.

I could have thrown my weight around by invoking Nine Heavens Hyeonnyeo, but that didn’t suit my temperament.

Even when my channel had passed a million subscribers, I had never gone around eating free meals somewhere or demanding excessive sponsorships.

So I answered with a faint smile.

”Well, isn’t that only natural? I can accept goodwill once, but twice makes me a thief. I’ll pay the fee, so don’t worry.”

Only then did Maecho-ryeong seem somewhat relieved.

With a reassured expression, she asked again,

”That’s a relief. Then what favor is it this time?”

”If there are any sects or societies in this Lower Heaven that serve Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, and Immortal Haichan, could you tell me?”

”You mean sects or societies that revere Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, and Immortal Haichan?”

”Yes, exactly.”

”Those are the three you’re asking about, correct?”

”Ah. Yes.”

When I nodded at her words, Maecho-ryeong said carefully,

”Elder, but the thing is...”

”If it’s about the fee, I told you not to worry. Even if it costs a lot of spirit stones, I can pay.”

Even after I had said I understood, if she was still hesitating like this, maybe this was high-grade information and would cost a lot of money?

My junior sister did not have many spirit stones because she was guarding White Night City, but when we came up here, we had sold off things like rights and ended up with quite a lot of spirit stones.

So buying information wasn’t much of a problem.

My junior sister had said I could use those spirit stones however I pleased.

At my words, Maecho-ryeong shook her head.

”No. We don’t trade in spirit stones.”

”Then?”

”We exchange the talents we possess.”

”Talents?”

”We exchange the talents So-ryong possesses for information.”

”So you’re saying I exchange information for a chance to use one of the talents I possess?”

”Yes. However, martial strength is valued low, while special talents are valued highly.”

A peculiar set of trade conditions.

It seemed to be a method where they put you in debt and then had you repay it with the talents you possessed.

The reason martial strength had low value was probably because this was mostly a world of cultivators who were all capable in one way or another.

So it seemed to hold little value.

As for what value I had to sell, there were two things.

One, while I wasn’t a doctor, thanks to many years of husbandry know-how, I had the talent to identify and treat the illnesses of spirit-creatures—or more precisely, venomous creatures.

I had even learned medicine from Grandpa Uiseon and Grandpa Yakseon, so my treatment ability had become even better.

I could also use Moji and Soji’s abilities.

But this was the cultivation world.

It seemed like a world where disease was rare, so it didn’t feel like it would hold much value.

The other was poison arts.

Knowledge about poison.

Though I wasn’t as good as Hwa-eun, of course.

I was wondering which of the two would have higher value when Maecho-ryeong asked in a careful voice,

”Elder, but didn’t you say last time that you intended to treat your elder sister’s illness with poison?”

”Ah, that’s right.”

”Is there some capable person? It doesn’t have to be you personally—even the talents of those accompanying you would be fine.”

”No, it’s not someone else treating her. I’m the one treating her...”

”You have the talent to treat illnesses!?”

At my saying I had the talent to treat illness, Maecho-ryeong was startled.

I spoke as though it were nothing much.

”Yes, well, only spirit-creatures—and specifically only snakes, insects, geckos, spiders, or venomous creatures.”

At my words, Maecho-ryeong asked with an expression that said this was excellent news.

”Could you perhaps treat a poisonous crab too?”

”A poisonous crab?”

A poisonous crab meant a crab that carried venom.

Inside, I was thinking, What kind of gift from heaven is this? but I put on a very serious expression and began speaking.

”Hmm, I’d have to see it, but it wouldn’t be impossible to treat. But the fee would be much more expensive than the information...”

Because among venomous creatures, another unbelievably adorable and cute one was precisely a venomous flower crab.

That was definitely going into my collection.