Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

’Huh. Did Yubing get nothing but the sweet stuff sucked out?’

No wonder Bulsiho felt foxlike somehow.

No, was foxlike even the right word for her?

Either way, it looked like Yubing had gotten nothing but the sweet stuff drained out and then been kicked aside.

And that made sense. When I first met Yubing, Yubing had been a Primordial Infant Stage cultivator.

That had not changed even when I removed the Sacculina parasite.

Since the parasite had been sucking away vitality and energy, I had thought Yubing’s realm might drop once I removed it.

But right now, Yubing’s realm had fallen to around the Golden Core Stage.

It was obvious something had sucked away Yubing’s energy and then cast Yubing out.

The realm had dropped by a whole stage, when it had not even fallen after I removed the parasite.

People say “just one stage” like it is simple, but between those stages lie enormous effort, energy, and cultivation, so unless someone had been drained, there was no way a realm could suddenly plummet that much.

When I looked at the arms, the pretty claws were gone, replaced by human arms.

Most of the spirit-creature cultivators in the Ten-Thousand Demon Forest were female, so the ones with lower realms learned Transformation Arts and maintained human form.

So that appearance was not a true transformed body. It was almost certainly Transformation Arts.

I walked over, patted Yubing on the shoulder, and said, “No, she clearly seemed to dote on you like crazy, and you are telling me all of that was a lie? How could she suck out your energy like she was draining sweetness and then throw you away? I did not take Bulsiho for that kind of person...”

I was about to curse Bulsiho out once and tell Yubing there would be no getting thrown out from here.

That was what I had intended to say as I accepted Yubing in.

Yubing was currently neither female nor male, so Yubing could not reproduce, but that was not the end of it.

This was the cultivation world.

There were ways to turn Yubing into a complete female too.

And after that, if I matched Yubing up with a suitable partner, I could obtain a genuine spirit-creature companion, so there was no reason not to take Yubing in.

At my words, Yubing burst into tears and said, “N-no. It was not Lady Siho who cast me out. Sob...”

“No?”

The master of the Ten-Thousand Demon Forest was Bulsiho.

But Bulsiho had not cast Yubing out, and yet Yubing had been thrown out?

I could not make sense of it.

If this place were some democratic system, or a society like in my life before the last one where law and morality had to be observed, then even if Bulsiho did not want to cast Yubing out, there was still a chance Yubing could be expelled.

If the members of the Ten-Thousand Demon Forest made an issue of it, saying this was an assembly where only women could join, and a male like Yubing had no qualifications to belong there, then even if Bulsiho hated the idea, she would have had to drive Yubing out.

No matter if she was the head of the assembly. Otherwise she would get impeached.

If laws and rules had been established, then even Bulsiho would have had to follow them.

But this was not that kind of society.

This was a social structure where power decided everything.

If a cultivator with a high realm established the law, the weak bastards had no choice but to obey.

No power, yet still wagging your tongue?

That was no different from saying you wanted to be turned into a spirit pill.

And that was not the only strange thing.

Bulsiho had tried to accept me into the Ten-Thousand Demon Forest.

Seeing that, it did not seem like being male was such a huge problem.

I truly could not understand it, so I tilted my head and asked, “Then why?”

“Huaaah...”

At my question, maybe the thought of being cast out came back to mind, because Yubing broke into crying again.

Yubing sniffled, then seemed dizzy and leaned heavily against my shoulder right then.

“So-ryong, there is a guest—”

“Master, they said a guest has come, so perhaps some tea—”

“Oh my, s-sorry, Elder.”

Ji-ryeon and Gun Hye-rin appeared in the reception hall, then froze on the spot when they saw Yubing breaking into tears while leaning on my shoulder.

Yubing too was startled by the sight of the two of them and looked completely at a loss.

But my wives only stiffened for a moment, then came over and asked with calm expressions, “What is going on, So-ryong?”

“Master, what happened?”

Honestly, I was a little surprised by their reaction.

A woman was leaning on her husband’s shoulder and crying, yet there was not a trace of suspicion in them.

Had our trust grown that deep?

Thinking that, I said inwardly,

『“Thank you. Both of you.”

“For what, So-ryong?”

“For what, Master?”』

“It is because you trust me. In a situation like this, most people would misunderstand, wouldn’t they?”

At that, Gun Hye-rin and Ji-ryeon snorted out a laugh.

『“I was wondering what you were going to say. Well, of course. You are not interested in human women, So-ryong.”

“That is right. Master, with a human woman? Unless she had a tail...”』

’Ah, so that was it?’

I had thought maybe it could be something like that, but for it to really be true.

A little dumbfounded, I ended up saying something to my wives that I should not have.

『“This one is a spirit-creature too...”』

Then their expressions froze in shock, and disappointed voices followed.

『“So-ryong, I am not being jealous, but we agreed that if you were going to take in a new wife, you would tell us beforehand. The other spirit-creature girls are waiting too...”

“That is right, Master.”』

A completely different reaction, and a scene that felt weirdly familiar.

With a sigh, I brought my hand in front of the waistband of my pants and made a banana-like shape as I explained.

That was because I had already told my wives about the poor spirit-creature whose pepper had fallen off.

『“No, that is not it. I told you before. That, uh... the spirit-creature companion who became a woman after losing it. This one is that friend.”

“Oh my. That poor child?”

“Huh. So this child was the one who suffered that terrible thing.”』

My wives’ eyes changed into openly pitying ones.

And that made sense. From their point of view, how pitiful must it be for a parasite to attack and make someone’s pepper disappear?

The eyes of married women had turned into something like, ’Without ever even getting to use something that good.’

Acting as though I were introducing the flustered Yubing to my wives, I said, “Wives, I told you, did I not? That there was someone like a younger sibling I met on this trip. This is that friend. Yubing.”

“Oh my, of course we know. We know. You are very welcome here. Think of me as an older sister.”

“Yes, welcome.”

Then my wives hid their pitying expressions and welcomed Yubing, and I decided to sit Yubing down first and hear the whole story.

“For now, sit down and tell us. What on earth happened?”

“Yes, tell us. What in the world happened?”

“Yes, tell us. What happened.”

As my wives patted Yubing beside me, comforting and coaxing, Yubing, who had been sobbing for quite a while, wiped away the tears.

It looked like Yubing was pulling those emotions back under control.

A little later, once calm again, Yubing started explaining.

“I understand, Elder. And you two as well. The truth is, the Ten-Thousand Demon Forest serves Lady Hang-a.”

“Hang-a?”

I had asked why Yubing had been thrown out, but Yubing suddenly started by explaining whom the Ten-Thousand Demon Forest served.

It sounded like some high immortal, and since I had no idea who it was, I had just started tilting my head when Ji-ryeon’s expression twisted sharply.

“No, that evil immortal...”

“An evil immortal?”

Among immortals, there are evil immortals and heavenly immortals.

They are the terms used to divide good immortals from wicked immortals, and apparently this immortal called Hang-a felt like the latter.

Ji-ryeon nodded and explained, “Hang-a is the female immortal of the moon. She is also called Chang-e, and in Daoism she is also called the Lunar Stellar Lord, the Sacred Empress of the Moon Palace’s Yellow Blossom and Pure Radiance, Primordial Lady of Lunar Essence, and the Moon Palace’s Lunar Sovereign, Bright King of Filial Piety.”

“Why are the names so damn long?”

I clicked my tongue at the insanely long titles, then tilted my head slightly.

Ji-ryeon had clearly called her an evil immortal, but if Daoists elevated her enough to call her the Lunar Stellar Lord, that would mean she was not an evil immortal at all.

“And if Daoists revere her as the Lunar Stellar Lord, then that means she is not an evil immortal, does it not?”

At my words, Ji-ryeon said with a firm expression, “No. She is definitely an evil immortal. The three Masters said so.”

“You mean the Nine Heavens Hyeonnyeo?”

“Yes.”

If the Nine Heavens Hyeonnyeo had said she was an evil immortal, then there had to be some reason for it, and Gun Hye-rin nodded like she understood something.

“Ah...”

“What is it, Gun Hye-rin?”

“Master, how should I explain the three ladies, Sonyeo, Hyeonnyeo, and Chaenyeo? Ah, right! Are they not the Emperor’s teachers, and figures like the founders of the wise mother and good wife ideal?”

Yes, that was right.

Ji-ryeon had taught it to me again too, but Sonyeo, Hyeonnyeo, and Chaenyeo were women like the very model of wise mothers and good wives.

Beings who had taught and supported emperors.

They were like representatives of the wise mother and good wife ideal, the kind who would even take care of their husband’s body through bedchamber arts so he could prosper.

Perfect support from inside and outside, you could say.

As I nodded, the explanation continued.

“But Hang-a stands at the exact opposite end from them. And for good reason. Hang-a is originally known as the wife of the ancient divine archer Ye.

But Ye shot down nine of the ten suns in the sky and, as punishment for that sin, fell to earth and became human.

If he had been left alone, the human world would have perished, so it was unavoidable, but he had still destroyed nine gods, and so he was punished.

However, the Queen Mother of the West pitied that and gave Ye an elixir of immortality.

If they split it in half and drank it, they would enjoy eternal youth and long life, but if one person drank it all alone, that person could become an immortal again and ascend to heaven. Hang-a stole it and drank it all by herself, then became an immortal again.

So Hang-a is the very symbol of a wicked wife. That is why she stands at the opposite pole.”

“No, what kind of rotten bit—”

I almost swore in front of my wives.

So this immortal called Hang-a was basically the same as a husband winning the lottery and then the wife taking all the prize money and running off with it, was she not?

From the perspective of the three ladies Sonyeo, Hyeonnyeo, and Chaenyeo, she absolutely counted as an evil immortal.

Nodding, I asked, “All right, anyway, now I get that part. Then was that person the one who drove you out?”

“Yes, Elder. Our Ten-Thousand Demon Forest serves that Lady Hang-a, and we are only allowed to accept women. If we accept a man, he must absolutely be someone’s husband, and after three years he must be driven out. Of course, during that time we take the man’s energy through dual cultivation.”

“How vicious.”

“As expected, she really is an evil immortal. To make the cultivators who serve her do something that miserable.”

My wives were furious.

At Yubing’s words, everything finally made sense.

Bulsiho had probably tried to bring me into the Ten-Thousand Demon Forest to make me her husband.

So she could take my realm like that.

’No wonder it felt strange when she suddenly said she would let me dual cultivate with her.’

Thinking I should avoid getting entangled with the Ten-Thousand Demon Forest as much as possible, I said, “Then since you were not a woman, it seems she took back the power she had granted you.”

“Yes, Elder. It is not Lady Hang-a herself who gives those orders directly. One of the other high immortals serving her ordered that I be cast out at once. Lady Hang-a decreed that only women must be accepted, but I had been male. Sob...”

Apparently, just like Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, and Immortal Haichan, over there too it seemed to be lower immortals under Hang-a who managed the lower heavens, and one of them had issued the order to cast Yubing out.

“Lady Siho said to give you, um, this...”

What Yubing held out was a letter.

When I read it, the tear-stained letter said that, because the circumstances were unavoidable, Bulsiho was sending Yubing away and asking me to take good care of Yubing.

Since I understood Yubing’s body well, apparently I was the first person who came to mind.

“Elder, I am sorry to trouble you with a request like this when it has not even been that long since we met.

You are the only one I could think of.

Yubing has probably already explained the rough circumstances.

I cannot refuse this order.

That is the kind of contract it is.

So please, I beg you, take care of Yubing.

If one day I become a high immortal and free myself from this contract, then I will come for Yubing again.

So until then, please take care of Yubing for me.”

That thing Yubing had said about only being able to think of me was probably Bulsiho’s own wording.

Reading the letter, it seemed her feelings toward Yubing had been sincere.

She even said she would come back for Yubing later, once she became a high immortal.

’Is this foster care?’

I nodded.

If it had been outright abandonment, that would be one thing, but since she was asking for temporary care because of unavoidable circumstances, this was different.

Did that kind of thing not happen all the time with beginners raising creatures?

In situations like this, it was only right for a senior to take over.

With the condition that if the original owner failed to keep the promise, then the foster keeper would get to keep the creature.

I gave a crooked grin, and Yubing held something else out to me.

“And this too.”

“What is this?”

“It is a magic treasure. Cultivators who use monstrous physical strength often end up in trouble because they are not skilled with Dao Techniques or Law Arts, but this can block Dao Techniques or Law Arts three times a day.”

“Oh ho, really?”

Yubing bowed and handed me a bracelet from inside the robe.

The energy I felt from it was unmistakably that of a magic treasure.

Apparently it was a magic treasure sent over as payment for the foster care.

I had intended to take Yubing in even without something like this, but if it was being offered, there was no reason to refuse.

And the function sounded useful too.

With a look telling Yubing not to worry, I said, “All right, I understand the circumstances now. From here on, White Night City is your home, so do not worry.”

When I said that with a smile, Yubing dropped flat and bowed.

“Thank you, Elder. As you said, I will serve you as an oppa.”

It felt like Yubing should have called me hyung, but either way, it was a jackpot spirit-creature companion.