Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

Having just begun practicing the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art (O-dok-gwi-won-gong) yesterday, I thought the training would continue in that vein for some time.@@novelbin@@

But Grandfather Mandok Shingun declared otherwise, instructing me to practice the internal energy cultivation method on my own whenever I had time. Today, he announced that we would officially begin training in the martial arts of the Tang Clan.

“From today onward, you will begin learning the martial arts of the Tang Clan.”

Given that physical strength is the foundation of all movement, I braced myself for grueling exercises like running a hundred laps around the training field. But my assumption was mistaken.

“Will we begin with physical training, then?” I asked hopefully.

“The body naturally adapts to martial arts as you practice them. The Tang Clan values practicality above all else. You will learn techniques that are immediately applicable in battle.”

With that, Grandfather summoned me to the training field. What awaited me there was an array of hidden weapons.

True to their reputation as the top assassination clan in the Central Plains, the Tang Clan’s martial arts training began with the use of concealed weapons. Specifically, throwable hidden weapons.

After all, assassination is a one-shot deal from long range—an unspoken universal rule here as well.

“There are five main types of throwable hidden weapons,” Grandfather explained.
“Needles (Chim, 針), coins (Jeon, 錢), darts (Pyo, 鏢), powder (Sa, 沙), and bladed weapons that can be thrown by hand, such as short swords (Danggeom, 短劍), flying swords (Bigyeom, 飛劍), and throwing knives (Bido, 飛刀). While there are other exotic hidden weapons, they can generally be classified into these five categories.”

“Needles, coins, darts, powder, and bladed weapons,” I repeated.

“That’s correct. Now, which of these do you think is the easiest to handle?”

After a moment’s thought, I answered, “Hmm… I’d say short swords or throwing knives?”

“Correct. And which is the most difficult?”

“Hmm… I’d say powder? Sprinkling it effectively must be tricky.”

I assumed bladed weapons were the easiest to handle and powder (Sa)—essentially sprinkling fine particles—would be the most challenging. But Grandfather shook his head.

“No. The most difficult is the needle (Chim).”

“The needle? Oh, is it because it’s small and thin, making it hard to throw accurately?”

That made sense. Throwing something as slender as a needle would be no easy feat. However, Grandfather shook his head again.

“No, that’s not the reason. The difficulty lies in having to remember the exact locations of the needles you’ve thrown.”

“Remember their locations? Do you mean checking if they hit their target?”

Grandfather’s response left me baffled.

“No, not simply checking if they hit their target. You must recall exactly where each needle landed, whether it missed, was deflected by the opponent’s weapon, or embedded itself in a tree. Every detail.”

“Even where deflected needles end up? Including the ones that fall to the ground?” I asked incredulously.

“It’s easier to show than explain,” Grandfather replied.

With that, he pulled out a new brush from his sleeve, snapped it in half, and plucked the bristles. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he scattered the bristles across the training field.

—Shhhk!

The bristles spread out and embedded themselves evenly across the ground, standing upright as if planted there.

“What is this…?”

I couldn’t help but marvel. The bristles weren’t just scattered randomly—they were positioned at regular intervals, upright as if they had grown from the ground.

Grandfather then selected a hidden weapon from the assortment laid out before us and handed it to me.

“Take a look. This is the Flying Needle (Bi-chim, 飛針) used by the Tang Clan.”

The object Grandfather handed me was a needle about the length of a toothpick. It was exceptionally thin and sharpened at both ends.

“This is a Tang Clan Flying Needle…” I murmured.

“Yes, it is a weapon every Tang Clan martial artist must master. Now think carefully. The Tang Clan has a secret technique called Falling Petals in a Radiant Storm (Mancheonhwa Woo, 滿天花雨). It’s a hidden weapon technique that envelops the surrounding area in thousands—no, tens of thousands—of needles. Imagine the needles I scattered earlier were replaced with Flying Needles. What do you think would happen?”

‘Tens of thousands of needles covering the area like this?’ I imagined the scene and shuddered.

“If the entire area were covered with Flying Needles, there wouldn’t even be room to step! Anyone who fell would be immediately impaled,” I said.

“Exactly. That is why you must remember the locations of every needle. You could guide your opponent into the needle-covered area or avoid stepping into your own trap. Even if you’re immune to the poison or have an antidote, fighting while being pricked by needles would be nearly impossible.”

‘The Tang Clan really thinks differently…’

I couldn’t help but marvel at their unique perspective. Using the scattered needles as a battleground for life-or-death combat—truly a testament to the Tang Clan’s ingenuity.

But a question lingered in my mind.

“How can anyone possibly remember the locations of thousands of needles while fighting? It seems impossible to me.”

Grandfather nodded as if my skepticism was reasonable. “When your sister Hwa-eun reached the Ten-Poison Boundary (Sip-dok Ji-che), she could accurately keep track of about a thousand needles. You’ll be able to manage at least that much in time.”

‘She could do that?!’

“And at the Five-Poison Boundary (O-dok), how many needles should one be able to manage?”

“The more, the better. But you must be able to track at least a hundred,” he replied.

A hundred needles. Remembering their exact locations while in the heat of battle, surrounded by clashing swords and flying hidden weapons? It felt like an impossible feat.

I sighed deeply, wondering if I had bitten off more than I could chew.

‘This really is… an “amgi-style” education,’ I thought. Hidden weapon mastery was shaping up to be far more grueling than I had anticipated.

***

After completing the morning session on throwing knives, we broke for lunch. Soon after, my sister arrived, signaling the beginning of our much-anticipated hornet expedition. The afternoon training was canceled for this special outing to collect venom—a practical application of the Tang Clan’s craft.

“Soryong, let’s go,” she called.

“Huh? What’s that?” I asked, noticing the equipment she carried.

“Just in case. Will these help?”

Despite the Tang Clan’s venomous creature facilities being rudimentary, my sister had come prepared with an array of tools: thick gloves, a bamboo hat with a mesh veil, collection jars, tongs, and even a collection net. Clearly, even in the Tang Clan, gathering venom was routine, and they had plenty of experience harvesting venom from insects like hornets. Otherwise, why would such specialized equipment exist?

“Of course! With all this, I might not even have to wait—I could catch them myself,” I replied.

“Wait? What do you mean by that?” she asked, tilting her head quizzically.

“You’ll see when we get there. By the way, do you know where any hornet nests (Woongbong) might be?”

“I’ve spotted one nearby. It’s over that way.”

She led me to a spot not far from a stone wall. There, hornets busily buzzed in and out of a hole in the ground, their movements swift and purposeful. Judging by the activity, it was a large colony.

But after observing for a moment, I turned and shook my head.

“This isn’t the place.”

“It’s not? Weren’t we supposed to catch them here?”

“We do need a hornet nest, but we’re not here to catch these hornets. Do you know of a flower field a bit further away?”

“Not catching these? Hmm… If it’s further away, there’s a field past that ridge.”

Following her guidance, we headed toward the distant flower field. To find the perfect hornet nest, the best method is to follow a hornet foraging for nectar—eventually, it will lead us back to its home.

“This is the place,” she said as we arrived.

“Wow. It’s beautiful,” I remarked, marveling at the vibrant pink and white flowers blooming among trees taller than a person.

My awe was short-lived as my sister raised a cautionary finger.

“Don’t let the beauty fool you. Never pluck these flowers or bite into the branches—they’re oleander (협죽도). Ingesting even a tiny amount could be fatal.”

“Oleander?!”

“Yes, these flowers are cultivated by our family.”

No wonder they were neatly arranged in orderly rows—it was yet another product of the Tang Clan’s peculiar ways. Even their flower fields were far from normal. While I didn’t know much about oleander, I did know it was used in poison-making and could stop a heart. That alone was enough to make me shudder.

‘A flower that can kill you… Tang Clan through and through.’

Regaining composure, I circled the field with my sister, searching for hornets. After spotting a few, we tracked their movements to locate two hornet nests and carefully observed the entrances where the insects darted in and out.

But still, none of the nests were quite what I was looking for.

By the third failed attempt, my sister finally lost patience.

“Can you tell me exactly what we’re looking for? This is taking too long. Shouldn’t we summon the clan’s warriors for assistance?”

She wasn’t wrong—having more people would speed things up. I had wanted to keep this a casual outing, a sort of “hornet-hunting date,” but I decided to keep that thought to myself.

“Alright, let’s call for help.”

—Piiiik!

The moment I agreed, my sister pulled out a small throwing knife and flung it down the mountain. The blade’s high-pitched whistle echoed across the valley. Moments later, plumes of dust rose as Tang Clan warriors, their pima leaves emblazoned on their uniforms, dashed toward us from every direction.

“Did you call for us, Young Mistress?”

Not long after, the warriors arrived and prostrated themselves before my sister.

‘What the…?’

“Yes, I need your assistance in a family matter. Follow Soryong’s instructions and find what he’s looking for,” she commanded.

“As you wish, Young Mistress!”

‘Wow… This is impressive.’

The warriors instantly dispersed, awaiting my orders. Seeing their dedication and loyalty, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.

“Find hornets collecting nectar from these trees and follow them to their nests. Once you locate a nest, wait for about one da-gyeong and count how many hornets enter and exit. Then report back to me.”

“Understood, Master Soryong!”

The warriors scattered, and within a single si-jin, they began returning with reports of the nests they’d found.

“Sir! I am Wi-poong, Five-Poison Warrior of the Tang Clan. At the site I observed, twenty hornets entered the nest over one da-gyeong.”

“I am Gwon Ho-chung, Ten-Poison Warrior of the Tang Clan. At my location, thirty-two hornets were observed entering the nest.”

The reports continued until finally…

“One hornet, sir.”

‘That’s the one!’

“Take me there,” I instructed.

Guided by the warrior, we arrived at a rocky crevice by a stream. Digging carefully into the ground, we unearthed the nest. It resembled a cluster of rounded beads, though much of it was damaged. The few remaining hornets charged at us in a frenzy but were swiftly subdued by the warriors.

One precise throw later, a hornet became the perfect specimen, pinned as though on display.

As I inspected the ruined nest, I used tongs to extract a black insect hiding inside.

“Gotcha, you little devils!” I exclaimed.