Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

When the girl regained consciousness, Cheolsan immediately checked her condition and asked the village chief to gather the sick villagers again.

“The medicine seems effective, given how minor these creatures are. Would you mind bringing the patients here once more?”

“Yes, of course!”

The chief was about to rush outside to fulfill the request when I stopped him with a shout.

“Wait!”

Chagas disease has a latent period, and even when symptoms appear, only 20–30% of those infected develop severe conditions.

This meant that everyone in the village needed to take the medicine, regardless of whether they were showing symptoms.

There were likely far more carriers than patients.

“What is it, Young Hero?” Cheolsan asked.

“Elder, if you can give the medicine to everyone in the village, it should be administered to everyone. The disease doesn’t manifest immediately after a bite, so we can’t tell who might fall ill or when.”

After rechecking the girl’s condition, Cheolsan nodded thoughtfully.

“Hmm… In that case, we’ll dilute the medicine in water and distribute it. It seems the dose given to the girl was a bit excessive, after all.”

From his observations, it appeared that less potent doses were sufficient for dissolving parasites compared to handling gu.

Soon, under the chief’s orders, the villagers gathered in front of his house late at night.

Cheolsan, the Tang Clan’s head, diluted his Mugoyonghwadan into water and distributed one spoonful to each villager, aiming to treat both the patients and carriers.

“Oh! They’re regaining consciousness!”
“The fever is subsiding, and their minds are clearing!”
“They’re alive! Truly, you are our village’s savior!”
“Waaahhh…”

Even though the medicine was diluted, as Cheolsan predicted, it still worked remarkably well. Many people regained clarity and recovered their energy.

For once, Cheolsan’s overwhelming pride in the Tang Clan didn’t feel unwarranted. This time, it was well-deserved.

As the villagers showered him with praise, Cheolsan shook his head humbly.

“All I did was provide the medicine. It’s thanks to this Young Hero who identified the cause. Without him, we wouldn’t have even known where to start. Your true savior is not I, but him.”

“Thank you, Young Hero!”
“Young Hero, we are in your debt!”
“Our village’s benefactor!”

In many organizations, credit for an underling’s success is often stolen by their superior. But here, Cheolsan willingly handed the credit to me, despite using his medicine to treat the villagers.

My opinion of the Tang Clan improved significantly.

A superior who acknowledges the contributions of their subordinates? That’s a sign of commendable character.

‘+100 points. Cheolsan might actually be a good person. Even if he did slap me awake…’

The village, once on the brink of collapse, began to recover its vitality.

Of course, not everyone was completely healed.

While the medicine had killed the parasites causing Chagas disease, it couldn’t reverse the damage already done to the patients’ hearts and organs.

In my past life, conditions like an enlarged heart required a transplant. But in this era, such procedures were out of the question. Most of the afflicted villagers would have to live with their disabilities.

The chief’s granddaughter, Meijin, was lucky.

Her collapse was due to her weakened constitution rather than severe cardiac damage. Once she took the medicine, her irregular heartbeat disappeared. After a few checks, Cheolsan confirmed her heart was unharmed.

After administering the medicine to the entire village, Cheolsan spoke to the chief with a sympathetic expression.

“Those with advanced heart conditions will be difficult to save. When I return to Sichuan, I will inform the great healers Euisun (醫仙) and Yakseon (藥仙). If the disease stems from parasites, their curiosity might bring them here.”

According to Cheolsan, there were two legendary physicians in the martial world: Euisun and Yakseon, known as the “Immortal of Medicine” and the “Immortal of Remedies.”

The chief, overwhelmed with gratitude, bowed deeply.

“No, no, Elder. What you’ve already done is more than enough. We feared we would all die… To simply survive is a blessing.”

The atmosphere grew warm and heartfelt.

The voices of recovered villagers filled the night with joy, but I reminded them that our work was not yet finished.

“There’s no time to celebrate just yet. We’re not done.”

“What do you mean, Young Hero?”

“Ah, of course. We still have unfinished business.”

The chief looked puzzled, but Cheolsan seemed to understand immediately.

“Elder, how long does the effect of Mugoyonghwadan last?”

“The pill typically prevents parasites for about three months. However, since it was diluted in water, it might only last for fifteen days.”

Fifteen days was enough for now, but I turned to the chief with another question.

“This disease is transmitted through insect bites. What happens if someone is bitten again in fifteen days?”

“Ah, right! We need to eliminate the bugs!”

Exactly.

Kissing bugs are sneaky pests, hiding in roofs or wall crevices during the day and emerging at night to feed.

The Yuezu’s palm-leaf roofs were likely infested with them.

These bugs, resembling stink bugs, are actually part of the bedbug family, preferring to live near humans.

I asked Cheolsan, the self-proclaimed expert on toxins, for help.

“Elder, do you have anything that can kill these bugs?”

Since he boasted about the Tang Clan’s knowledge of poisons, I hoped they’d have a solution.

To my relief, Cheolsan smiled.

“Of course. Back home, we use pyrethrum from the Western Regions. But here, cinnamon bark and Sichuan pepper should suffice. Boil them in water and spray it around. Bugs can’t stand the smell and die upon contact. That should do the trick.”

‘Right, I remember now. In the past, cinnamon and Sichuan pepper were used as natural insecticides.’

Recalling my studies on venomous creatures, I remembered reading about the insect-repelling properties of eugenol (from cinnamon) and sanshool (from Sichuan pepper).

“That’s perfect. Chief, could you gather some cinnamon bark and Sichuan pepper? We’ll boil them and spray the mixture throughout the village—on the roofs, walls, and crevices. We’ll also hang some near the beds to keep the bugs away while people sleep.”

“Understood, Young Hero. I’ll send everyone to gather them right away!”

The chief’s shout echoed through the village, signaling the start of a large-scale pest control operation.

“Gather cinnamon and Sichuan pepper! Tonight, we rid ourselves of these vile insects!”

The villagers, energized by their recent recovery, eagerly set to work. Soon, the soothing aroma of cinnamon and pepper filled the air, as the village united to drive out the wretched kissing bugs for good.

***

The morning after the bustling bug eradication operation, the village should have been exhausted—but instead, it was alive with the energy of a festival.

No, it wasn’t just lively—it was a full-on celebration.

Gone was any trace of the cold reception we received upon our arrival; the villagers had arranged a grand festival in our honor.

Despite being tired from the previous night’s work, we were invited to what looked like the village hall first thing in the morning.

Inside, a long table was laid out, topped with bamboo trays filled with an array of dishes: meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables. It was a feast fit for heroes.

“This is the Yuezu’s traditional welcoming feast, the Jangtak Banquet (長卓宴). Please, our saviors, eat to your hearts’ content. And once again, we deeply apologize for yesterday!”

“““We’re truly sorry!”””

The Jangtak Banquet was said to be a tradition steeped in the Yuezu’s history. As the name suggests, it involved sitting at a long table and sharing food.

For someone like me, who had been surviving on lizard meat, snake meat, a little rice, and some radishes grown behind my abandoned temple, this was a heavenly spread.

I hadn’t even considered spending money on meat—selling snake skins to buy rice was all I allowed myself.

This was the first proper home-cooked meal I’d had since being reincarnated.

‘Who knew a home-cooked meal could make me this happy?’

I ate with abandon, savoring every bite of venison, while the village women, charmed by my enthusiasm, doted on me with wide smiles.

“Young Hero, would you like some more meat?”

“Uh, yes, please! Thank you!”

“Try this fish, too. Isn’t he adorable?”

“Oh, fish as well! Thank you so much!”

With the Yuezu women singing traditional songs and pouring drinks for Cheolsan and the Tang Clan warriors, the atmosphere grew ever more cheerful.

It was during this joyful scene that the village chief, who was sitting with us, spoke hesitantly, his expression tinged with guilt.

“Elder, about what you mentioned at the village entrance yesterday…”

“What did I mention at the village entrance?”

“You spoke of searching for villages where people had gone missing.”

“Ah, yes, that’s true. But why do you ask?”

While curing the Yuezu’s illness had temporarily taken precedence, our original goal was to locate the lair of Tak Wonyang, the Blood-Handed Rakshasa (血手羅刹).

To master his infamous martial art, the Bloodwater Poison Claw (血水毒爪), he required human blood and marrow. We were searching for a village that had experienced large-scale disappearances.

When Cheolsan nodded in acknowledgment, the chief’s face brightened.

“I couldn’t let your kindness go unrepaid, so I made some inquiries. I heard a strange story that might be of use.”

“A strange story?”

“Yes. Among the women who recovered last night was one who married into our village from another. She mentioned that her home village suffered a peculiar tragedy several years ago—people began disappearing, one by one.”

We all exchanged glances, the same thought running through our minds.

‘That’s it!’

“And where is this village?” Cheolsan asked urgently.

“Well, it’s… over that way…”

The chief raised his hand, pointing west.

***

The village chief's directions led us to a ghost village nestled deep within the southwestern mountains of Hainan.@@novelbin@@

The place was devoid of life—there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

“There’s not a single person here.”

“It seems like they fled in a hurry. The belongings inside the homes are still untouched, though it’s been a long time.”

“If people started disappearing due to some calamity, wouldn’t they have fled to a nearby village to report it? Strange…”

From the size of the village, it seemed that at least a hundred or two hundred people had lived here.

The absence of every single one of them felt eerie.

As we continued our search up the mountain near the village, we were suddenly hit by a foul stench.

The smell was so overpowering that Cheolsan muttered grimly.

“Corpse stench (屍臭)…”

He immediately unleashed his qigong and dashed towards the source of the smell.

Corpse stench meant only one thing: decaying bodies.

The rest of us, following behind the Tang Clan warriors, made our way through the thickets toward where Cheolsan had gone.

What we found was a horrifying sight.

A massive cave entrance, blocked by bamboo bars, lay ahead.

Near it, on an open clearing, was a horrific pile of remains.

From bleached bones to freshly rotting corpses, the scene was a nightmarish display of death.

Worms and maggots wriggled over the bodies, drawing swarms of insects and venomous creatures. Snakes slithered to feast on the insects, only to die themselves, their bodies becoming breeding grounds for more pests.

Life and death intertwined in a grotesque cycle.

“This is… a pit of poison.”

“It’s ghastly. Young Hero, don’t look!”

‘If they were going to shield me, they should’ve done it earlier…’

The Tang Clan warriors tried to block my view, but it was too late—I had already seen everything.

It felt surreal, as though I was watching a live broadcast of some horrific massacre from a documentary.

When we finally entered the cave, breaking the bamboo bars, we found no survivors.

The cave was stained with filth and decay, a place where no living person could have survived.

According to Cheolsan, the presence of fresh bodies suggested that the last survivor had likely been alive until recently—perhaps killed after the perpetrator achieved their goal.

“Judging by the state of things, that bastard probably completed his martial arts technique and slaughtered them all,” Cheolsan explained grimly.

He speculated that Tak Wonyang, the Blood-Handed Rakshasa, had targeted him because Cheolsan’s father—the Heavenly Poison Deity—was renowned and feared even among the martial arts world.

‘Good riddance to that bastard.’

While the gruesome scene weighed on us, our attention soon shifted to a small shack near the cave, likely used by the perpetrator.

The Tang Clan warriors, led by Cheolsan, began searching the shack for any valuable martial arts manuals or clues.

Meanwhile, I crouched near the cave entrance, idly watching the venomous creatures and snakes that wriggled toward the pile of corpses.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of wings flapping.

Flap. Flap.

I turned to see a large bird landing atop the corpse mound.

“What’s that bird?”

It wasn’t any bird I had seen before.

It was the size of a large eagle, with long legs and feathers that shimmered with a purplish sheen, reflecting an iridescent green under the light. A striking golden crest adorned its head, resembling a king’s crown.

What caught my attention even more was its behavior.

I thought it had come to scavenge the corpses, but instead, it walked among the bodies, beheading snakes with precise pecks and swallowing their heads.

While I watched in fascination, one of the Tang warriors approached me, noticing the bird.

“Young Hero, what are you doing? Huh? What kind of bird is that?”

The warrior assumed the bird was desecrating the corpses and, with a disapproving click of his tongue, picked up a rock and threw it at the bird.

Thud.

Caw!

Instead of flying away, the bird let out a loud cry and glared at the warrior with blood-red eyes, its gaze almost menacing.

Unfazed, the warrior picked up another stone and threw it.

“Damn bird, how dare you!”

Flap!

The bird finally took flight, but as it did, something strange began to happen.

The air around it darkened as if a shadow had fallen over the land.

With each beat of its wings, an ominous black mist spread out, causing every snake and venomous insect in the vicinity to writhe in agony.

The creatures flipped onto their backs and began to melt, their bodies oozing like overheated butter.

Hissss.

Even the warrior who had thrown the rocks was affected. White smoke began rising from his chest, as if he had dry ice hidden in his clothes.

“It’s the realgar! (雄黃)”

The warrior hastily pulled out a pouch of realgar from his clothes, but the substance began to evaporate at an alarming rate.

Realgar was supposed to be a potent antidote for poisons, capable of neutralizing venomous creatures. For it to react this violently could only mean that the mist emanating from the bird was an incredibly powerful toxin.

At that moment, I felt a hand grab the back of my collar.

“Urk!”

Before I could react, I was yanked backward into the cave by Cheolsan.

“Everyone, retreat into the cave! That’s no ordinary bird—it’s a Zhenbird! (鴆鳥)”

‘A Zhenbird?’