Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

“Yes, Father,” came my sister’s clear, jewel-like voice from within the room, a sound so pure it seemed to resonate through the walls of Gajujeon.

In my past life, people often described beautiful voices as being like jade beads, but I’d never truly understood the comparison until now. Hearing her voice, I finally grasped why such a description was used—it was genuinely melodious and flawless.

Truly clear and beautiful…

The doors to Gajujeon creaked open, and my sister stepped out. Upon seeing me standing nearby, her eyes widened in surprise.
“S-Soryong! You’re here?”
“Yes, milady. I was taking a stroll with Cho, Hyang, and Bin after they fully recovered.”
“They’re fully recovered? Let me see!”

I rolled up my sleeves, revealing the two centipedes coiled around my arms. My sister, who had grown noticeably more comfortable around them, reached out to gently stroke one, her face lighting up with delight.

She had been tense around the O-gong initially, keeping them at arm’s length while meditating or practicing her breathing techniques in the pavilion. But after seeing them through their molting process and worrying over them like a concerned parent, it seemed she had grown much closer to them.

“It’s true—they’ve become sturdier. And a bit rougher to the touch, too,” she remarked.
“They’ve also grown considerably larger, though they’ve flattened out a bit. That’s why they now wrap around my arms so well,” I explained.
“They’re still adorable, though. Oh, by the way, Grandfather asked the blacksmiths to craft gauntlets from their shed shells. Would you like to go check on the progress with me?”

We were happily discussing the O-gong, which had essentially become our shared responsibility, when a voice boomed from inside the hall.
“Who’s out there?”

“It’s me, Father. Hwa-eun,” my sister answered.
“I asked you to fetch Soryong. Why are you still out there? Is something wrong?”

It seemed my sister had just remembered why she had come outside in the first place. Covering her mouth in embarrassment, she spoke hurriedly.
“Oh! Father asked to see you, Soryong. He has something to discuss.”
“Yes, I heard him earlier. Shall we go in together?”

Having overheard the summons myself, I followed her into Gajujeon. My future father-in-law looked up in mild surprise as I entered.
“How did you get here so quickly?”
“I happened to be nearby,” I replied.
“Good timing, then. Take a seat. Hwa-eun, could you prepare some tea?”
“Of course, Father,” she said, hurrying off.

As much as I longed for a glass of cold water, the Tang Clan seemed to insist on serving hot tea every single time. Suppressing my irritation, I waited patiently to hear what he had to say.

Smiling, he began, “The reason I called you here is that, although not all the clan members have returned yet, word of your contributions has already spread. Everyone in the Tang Clan knows by now that you are one of us.”

“Yes, Father-in-law. I’m aware.”

“‘Father-in-law,’” he repeated, chuckling. “I never tire of hearing that. Anyway, I wanted to tell you personally that the medicine you created for the Lord of Sichuan was exceptionally effective. The Lord was so pleased that he sent a generous reward along with his thanks.”

So that was why he called me. The erectile dysfunction remedy had worked wonders, and he wanted to commend me for it.

“I’m glad to hear it worked well. You did warn him not to take too much at once, right?”
“Of course. I instructed him to refrain from taking another dose until the effects had fully subsided,” he assured me with a slight cough. “Now, about your reward. Is there anything you’d like?”

As he mentioned a reward, I waved my hands in polite refusal.
“There’s no need for that. I’ve already been granted the poison creature facility in Mandokjeon. If you could simply expedite the modifications I requested, that would be more than enough.”

The facility was already promised to me, but it still required some renovations to meet my needs. Rather than receiving additional rewards, I wanted those upgrades completed as quickly as possible.

“Haha! Of course, I’ve already asked them to prioritize it,” he said with a hearty laugh.
“Thank you, Father-in-law. That’s all I need.”

“Nonsense. That’s separate. I anticipated you’d say something like that, so I prepared a gift on my own. What do you think about this?”
“A gift?”

“Yes, I’m considering giving you an elixir (yeongyak). How does that sound?”

“Elixir?”

I had heard about such items from Mandok Shingun. They were said to enhance one’s internal energy, a key factor in becoming a martial arts master. While it sounded beneficial, accepting it outright felt a bit uneasy. I glanced at my sister for her reaction, worried she might see it as cheating. After all, I had promised to help her fill her Ten Poisons physique with the poisons of the Ten Great Toxins.

To my relief, she simply nodded approvingly, her expression suggesting she saw no issue with a little support.

“What kind of elixir?” I asked.

“There are many types, but this one is the honey of the Golden-Haired Bee King (Geummo Bongwang),” he said with a hint of embarrassment.
“Golden-Haired Bee King’s honey?”

I wasn’t entirely sure what that was, but “bee” and “honey” sounded straightforward enough. Before I could thank him, my sister spoke up.
“Father, why are you giving him the honey of the Golden-Haired Bee King? What Soryong has done is no small feat. While the Golden-Haired Bee King is a mid-grade poison creature, its honey is among the lowest-tier elixirs. Shouldn’t you reward him with something more appropriate? A year’s worth of internal energy, at least—not two months’ worth.”

Her voice dripped with disappointment, as though she couldn’t believe her father would offer such a meager reward.

While I had worried about seeming like I was using a cheat, my sister was more upset that the reward wasn’t grand enough.

My future father-in-law looked at her, his expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief.

[So this is what it’s like to have a daughter…]

The future father-in-law grumbled something under his breath before raising a hand to signal my sister to calm down. In a slightly hurt tone, he explained,
“No, no, it’s not that I’m being stingy. There’s a reason for it…”

“What kind of reason could there possibly be to justify such a… such a low-grade…” My sister hesitated before correcting herself, “…no, the lowest-grade elixir?”

“Just listen for a moment, would you?”

The conversation was quickly becoming a debate, as if the two were on the verge of an argument over the honey of the Golden-Haired Bee King. Curious, I interjected,
“What exactly is this honey from the Golden-Haired Bee King that’s causing such a fuss?”

“Well, you see…” My father-in-law seemed hesitant, but my sister stepped in with a huff, ready to explain.
“I’ll tell you, Soryong.”

With an expression that clearly reflected her disdain, she began,
“The Golden-Haired Bee King is a mid-grade poisonous creature, a large bee occasionally found in the jungle. It’s about the size of a small dog. Consuming its honey is said to grant two months’ worth of internal energy, equivalent to prolonged meditation.”

“Two months?”

“Whoa, that’s incredible!” I thought. If it could save me two months of grueling meditation, it was practically a godsend. Considering I already had to force myself to sit cross-legged and cultivate my internal energy during downtime, this sounded like a perfect shortcut.

However, judging by my sister’s reaction, it seemed that while the honey was indeed effective, it was far from impressive by her standards. To avoid escalating the argument further, I quickly expressed my gratitude.

“Thank you, Father-in-law. I’m truly grateful.”

But before I could properly bow, my sister raised a hand to stop me, casting a disapproving look at her father.
“No, Soryong, wait. Honey from the Golden-Haired Bee King? This is unacceptable. I’m offended on your behalf!”

Her words struck a chord with him, and he protested, visibly more flustered than before.
“That’s not it! Do you think I’d skimp on something like this? I had my reasons… I thought Soryong might want to see a mid-grade poisonous creature up close!”

A mid-grade poisonous creature?

The moment he mentioned seeing the Golden-Haired Bee King in person, I forgot all about whether the honey was of high or low value. My interest shifted entirely to the creature itself.

“Wait… Are you saying I’ll get to see the Golden-Haired Bee King?”

“Yes, precisely. I recently purchased information from some visitors who claimed to have found its hive nearby. I planned to invite you along to collect the honey together. You see, Hwa-eun—”

As my father-in-law elaborated, I began to understand his perspective. After my sister had fallen into Qi Deviation, the Tang Clan had announced their intention to purchase information on poisonous creatures from all over the world.

This information spread across various factions—be it the Beggars’ Union, Hao Gate, or even the black market. Due to the era’s slow communication and transportation, some of this information arrived late. Moreover, since they couldn’t exactly broadcast that Hwa-eun had recovered, opportunists like those two shady men I’d seen earlier had shown up to sell their outdated intel.

Originally, my father-in-law had no intention of buying such information, as the Golden-Haired Bee King was a mid-grade creature with no Neidan and its honey was considered the lowest-grade elixir. However, he explained, he had decided to buy it thinking I might appreciate the opportunity to see the creature firsthand.

“Wait… You’re saying we’re going to collect the honey ourselves?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“What? We’re going on a mokcheong hunt?!”

The term mokcheong referred to wild honey harvested from hives built inside tree trunks. Honey from rock hives was called seokcheong, and both types had long been regarded as medicinal treasures.

Wild honey collected from trees or rocks was known to grow more potent with age, increasing in sweetness and vitamin concentration over time. Because the bees in such hives often collected nectar from medicinal plants, the resulting honey was highly valued as a natural remedy.

“This is incredible—a mokcheong tour!”

I’d been on a mokcheong trip once in my previous life for the sake of content. While it had been exhausting, I vividly remembered the satisfaction of tasting the freshly harvested honey.

And now, I was being offered the chance to see a bee the size of a small dog? How could I possibly refuse?

“Let’s go, Father-in-law! Bees are my specialty,” I said, barely containing my excitement.

“I knew you’d be thrilled!” he replied, clearly pleased with my enthusiasm.@@novelbin@@

My sister glanced between the two of us, sighed deeply, and muttered under her breath as if resigning herself to the madness.

***

Sichuan Province was characterized by plains in the east and mountain ranges in the west. The Tang Clan’s stronghold, Tanggasan, was nestled in a basin within the western mountainous region of Sichuan. To gather the honey, we headed southwest, passing through Chengdu and journeying toward Muli (木里), a region bordering Yunnan.

This tropical forest was where the Golden-Haired Bee King was reportedly found.

“But what if we can’t find it easily? Or worse, what if the information is false?” I asked, a touch of skepticism creeping into my voice.

“Don’t worry, milady,” said one of the Venom Blood Squad (독혈대) commanders reassuringly. “The information came from the Red Blood Faction after its disbandment. While black-market types can’t always be trusted, the Red Blood Faction made its name selling reliable intel throughout Sichuan.

“And besides, who in their right mind would dare sell false information to the Tang Clan? With Soryong here, we’ll find it in no time.”

Father-in-law had originally wanted to join us, but his plans were thwarted. Between his responsibilities to the clan and Grandfather Mandok Shingun’s insistence—backed by the branch elders—that he couldn’t afford another extended absence, he reluctantly stayed behind.

Thus, the task fell to our smaller party: myself, my sister, and the Venom Blood Squad. Even though the Golden-Haired Bee King was classified as a mid-grade poisonous creature, it wasn’t particularly powerful when encountered individually. Its strength lay in numbers, but with our group’s expertise, it was deemed a manageable mission—especially since we were within the Tang Clan’s territory in Sichuan.

We arrived at a forest near a cliff close to Muli, and to our surprise, we found the Golden-Haired Bee King’s hive more quickly than expected. However, waiting for us there wasn’t just the honey but also an entirely different headache.

“We got here first, so the honey of the Golden-Haired Bee King belongs to us!”

“What nonsense! We purchased the information fair and square, so it’s ours!”

“Purchased it? We also bought the information!”

The argument spiraled further when one of the rival group pointed to the informant.
“Wait, was it a scruffy guy with a huge mole on the left side of his face?”

“Yes, that’s the one!”

It turned out that while the information about the Golden-Haired Bee King was genuine, the scoundrel who sold it had double-dealt, selling it to multiple parties.

“Those damned fools dare to insult the Tang Clan like this!” snarled the commander of the Venom Blood Squad, his anger palpable.

The other group of treasure seekers, realizing who they were dealing with, paled visibly as they exclaimed in shock,
“S-Sichuan Tang Clan!”

It seemed like no matter where you went, there were always troublemakers ready to stir the pot.