Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Grandfather Mandok Shingun and I were leaving my quarters, heading toward the famed Palace of a Thousand Poisons.

To go anywhere from the residence, we had to pass through the rear garden, and as we did, I spotted three familiar figures sitting in a pavilion, chatting casually.

It was none other than the head of the clan’s family—my father-in-law, mother-in-law, and noona.

“Did you understand everything Father taught you on your first day?”

My father-in-law, smiling warmly, asked about the day’s lessons.

Since it had mostly been an orientation, I answered politely.

“Yes, Fath… I mean, Father-in-law.”

The moment I said this, all three of them stood up, smiling at me.

“Well then, let’s all go together.”

“To the Palace of a Thousand Poisons?”

“Yes. Since it’s your first visit as a member of the Tang Clan, we’ve all been waiting. Entering the Palace for the first time is a momentous occasion, and it’s tradition for the whole family to be present.”

I hadn’t known this, but it seemed entering the Palace of a Thousand Poisons for the first time carried significant meaning.

Grandfather took the lead, followed by my father-in-law and mother-in-law, with noona and me quietly trailing behind.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but glance at noona’s profile.

‘She really is beautiful.’

There’s a saying that true beauty lies in a person’s profile, and it seemed to hold true here. Her elegant side profile made me sigh in admiration.

I must have been staring too long because a hearty laugh came from ahead.

“Hahaha! My dear boy, if you keep staring like that, my daughter’s face might wear out. She’s your person now—you’ll have plenty of time to look at her. You’ll trip over your own feet if you keep this up!”

“Seems like our new son-in-law has fallen head over heels for Hwa-eun already. Well, they are young, after all—it’s no surprise they’re getting along so quickly.”

“Why are you teasing the children like that, Clan Leader? You’ll embarrass them.”

Father-in-law’s teasing left me flustered. How had he even noticed me staring at noona? It felt like he had eyes in the back of his head.

Blushing furiously, I apologized, “I-I’m sorry, Father-in-law.”

Noona, her cheeks now tinged pink, quietly muttered, “Please keep your eyes forward.”

“Yes, I understand.”

With a burning face, I followed them as we reached a place behind the Tang Clan’s main residence.

It was a mountainside, surrounded by numerous courtyards and pavilions.

In the heart of this sprawling estate was a large cave entrance, its imposing steel door blocking the way.

A guard stationed at the entrance saluted as we approached.

“You’ve arrived, Clan Leader.”

“Yes. I’ve brought my son-in-law to see the Palace of a Thousand Poisons. Open the gate.”

“Understood, Clan Leader. Open the gate!”

“Yes, sir!”

With a thunderous response, about ten warriors rushed toward the massive door and latched onto it.

As they pulled with all their might, the steel gate began to groan and creak, slowly swinging open.

-Kuuugugung…

The door was at least a foot thick, a testament to the incredible security of the Tang Clan.

‘Impressive. I didn’t expect their security to be this thorough.’

Awestruck by the sheer scale of the gate, I followed the warriors as they led us inside.

“Please, go ahead, Elder Mandok Shingun.”

“Very well.”

Grandfather entered first, and I followed, stepping into the cool, damp air of the cave.

-Tok, tok, tok.

The sound of our footsteps echoed as we walked on smooth, polished stone flooring. The cave grew darker and colder as we went deeper, until finally, we emerged into a massive hollow chamber.

The room was filled with shelves, jars, and sealed porcelain containers. The faint smell of herbal medicine hung in the air, mixing with an unmistakable hint of something poisonous.

“This is the Hall of a Thousand Poisons within the Palace of a Thousand Poisons. It’s where we store all our completed poisons. Be careful not to touch anything recklessly.”

“I understand. So, this is the Hall of a Thousand Poisons.”

“Yes. Over there, you’ll find paralytic poisons, sleeping poisons, and many others. Some are in liquid form, others in powder or pill form. Each has been meticulously categorized.”

Although it wasn’t literally a thousand poisons, the shelves seemed to contain thousands of varieties. The scale of the collection was astonishing.

As I marveled at the sheer size of the hall, I felt the weight of several stares. Turning, I realized all the elders were watching me.

‘What’s this about?’

Their eyes were fixed on me, their expressions expectant. Feeling self-conscious, I checked myself and glanced behind me, wondering if there was something else they were looking at.

Then my father-in-law spoke.

“Is there nothing you’re curious about?”

“Curious? Well… I…”

I didn’t know enough to ask intelligent questions, so I awkwardly fumbled for an answer. The elders’ faces fell in disappointment.

Sensing I had made some kind of blunder, I stood frozen in place.

Then, noona’s voice whispered softly in my ear.

[Ask them what the strongest poison here is.]

Taking her advice, I quickly tried to save face, pretending to have suddenly thought of something.@@novelbin@@

“Oh! I do have one question.”

“Of course! What is it?”

Their tone brightened immediately, as if they had expected this all along.

I glanced at noona and, following her instruction, asked, “What is the strongest poison in this hall?”

The elders exchanged glances and nodded, their expressions now full of satisfaction.

“Ah, as expected of someone destined to be part of the Tang Clan!”

“Indeed, indeed. A direct descendant of the Tang Clan would naturally want to know about the strongest poison. Absolutely.”

“We’ve chosen our son-in-law well.”

‘Wait… that’s what they were expecting?’

Apparently, it was an unspoken test. In a place like this, not asking about the strongest poison was practically a sin.

“Well then, let me show you the strongest poison we possess…”

Father-in-law approached one of the shelves, ready to explain something, but he stopped mid-step, turning to noona with a mischievous smile.

“Hwa-eun, why don’t you explain this part instead?”

“Me?”

“Yes, I think So-ryong would prefer hearing it from you. Hahaha.”

What a cunning man. If I could, I’d give him a playful pinch for that remark.

Blushing slightly, noona nodded shyly. “Alright, Father.”

She walked toward the shelf, gracefully picking up a thin rod. She tapped one of the jars gently and began her explanation.

-Ting!

“Now, I’ll explain the most powerful poisons of the Tang Clan. Pay close attention, as this is very important.”

How could I possibly forget anything noona said? My head nodded on its own as she continued.

“The jar I’m tapping now contains Scattering Qi Poison (San Gong Du, 散功毒). Inhaling even a small amount will immediately render you unable to use your internal energy, so you must be cautious.”

I’d heard that martial artists needed internal energy to perform their feats, like leaping through the air. It was a resource accumulated through meditation and breathing techniques.

This poison, then, was like cutting off their fuel source entirely—a terrifying thought.

I nodded again, asking, “So, this is the strongest poison?”

But noona shook her head and moved on, tapping the next jars in turn.

-Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting!

“This is Intestinal Dissolving Poison (Dan Chang Du, 斷腸毒), which causes your intestines to melt away, leading to an agonizing death. Next, Soul Extinguishing Poison (Myeol Hon Du, 滅魂毒), which inflicts such unbearable pain that your very soul seems to leave your body. Then we have Seven-Step Soul Severing Poison (Chil Bo Dan Hon Du, 七步斷魂毒), which kills within seven steps of exposure. Lastly, Blood Incineration Poison (Hwa Hyeol Du, 化血毒), which makes the victim feel as though their blood is on fire.”

Despite her horrifying descriptions, noona added, “However, none of these are the strongest poison.”

“Not even these terrifying poisons?” I asked, stunned by her calm demeanor as she described such lethal substances.

Smiling warmly, she reached into another jar and pulled something out. Walking over to me, she placed it gently in my hand.

Her touch was soft and elegant—especially so today. Looking down, I saw what appeared to be a seed or perhaps a small bean.

“This,” she said, “is the fruit of the Castor Plant (Pi Ma Ja, 萆麻子), a plant symbolic of our Tang Clan. Excluding the Ten Great Poisons, this is the strongest poison currently known to exist. Doesn’t it look like a harmless bean?”

I stared at the seed in my hand, struck by how much it resembled a tiger bean from my previous life. Its appearance was almost inviting, as if begging to be eaten.

But when she mentioned the name “Castor,” a chill ran down my spine.

‘No way! These people are insane! I thought the leaf embroidered on their clothing was a maple leaf, but it’s actually a castor leaf?’

I had misunderstood the Tang Clan’s emblem entirely. From the first time I saw noona and every member of the family, I had assumed the design on their chest was decorative. Now I realized it represented the source of one of the deadliest poisons known to man.

The seed in my hand contained ricin, a toxin so potent that it ranked third among the deadliest substances in the world. Only botulinum toxin and tetanus toxin, both microbial in origin, were more lethal.

As a former venomous creature YouTuber, I knew enough about poisons to understand the implications. Ricin, extracted from the castor bean, was tens of thousands of times more toxic than cyanide and 150 times deadlier than VX nerve gas.

I remembered my old broadcasts, where viewers often asked, “How can something used in castor oil be so deadly?”

The answer was simple: castor oil itself was safe, but the ricin inside the bean was a concentrated, unrelenting killer.

Noona’s calm explanation continued.

“Even a small amount of ricin can kill a person with certainty, leaving almost no trace behind. This is why those who bear a grudge against our Tang Clan inevitably experience the wrath of this poison. It’s known as the Golden Poison (Geum Du, 金毒), and using it to eliminate someone is called Golden Execution (Geum Sal, 金殺).”

‘G-golden execution…’

Her words resonated with a chilling weight, while her radiant smile contrasted starkly with the deadliness of her explanation.

“This poison aligns perfectly with our clan’s philosophy of creating poisons that are colorless, odorless, tasteless, and formless. Subtle but absolute. For this reason, the castor bean is considered the most precious poison in existence.”

Her explanation concluded, and the elders, looking deeply satisfied, spoke to me.

“So-ryong, did you hear that? Engrave the essence of our Tang Clan deeply into your bones. You’re one of us now.”

“Of course, that’s how it should be.”

“Look how well he fits in.”

The juxtaposition of noona’s angelic demeanor, her deadly explanation, and the elders’ proud smiles felt more dangerous than any poison in the room.

I couldn’t help but think, ‘Damn it. If I try to back out of this marriage, I’ll end up a victim of this Golden Execution. Can I really survive as a son-in-law in this family?’

Swallowing hard, I inwardly cursed my impulsiveness and failure to properly assess the situation before getting involved with such a perilous clan.

The saying about roses having thorns? Forget thorns—this family was an entire minefield.

-Gulp.