Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

The problem was that I was too soft-hearted.

Due to the centipede’s nature of avoiding water, I thought that by simply entering the water, I could remove the creatures from my body. And when I actually submerged, I saw them retreating upwards towards my head, just as I expected.

So now, all I had to do was dive slightly, let the creatures rise to the surface, and collect them into a jar.

I thought I could breathe a sigh of relief, but as my head slowly submerged, I heard the creatures crying out pitifully from above me.

• Tsurru.

• Tsur.

• Tsurururu.

‘Oppa, what are you doing? Why are you doing this to us? Oppa! Please! We hate water!’

Of course, I didn’t actually understand the centipedes’ sounds.

It was just how I felt they sounded in that moment.

So, what could I do?

‘Well, they’ll probably fall off soon enough. Should I leave them be for a few days?’

The thought of leaving them for a few days slowly took root in my mind as I listened to the sorrowful sounds of the centipedes.

It seemed right to leave them, given that they had lost their mother.

Centipedes typically detach from their mother after molting twice, and that time wasn’t long. Plus, they seemed to consider me their mother, and since they weren’t venomous yet, they weren’t dangerous.

It might be a bit uncomfortable, but walking around with large centipedes wrapped around my body could be a dream for anyone who loves venomous creatures.

Insects, arachnids, and reptiles don’t recognize their owners and aren’t the type of animals you can truly bond with as pets. This distance makes it hard to form a connection.

However, if I was carrying them on me like this, it was almost like forming a bond with a pet.

“Alright, I’ll leave you all for a bit. But remember, don’t bite me or hurt me, okay?”

• Tsurru!

• Tsur!

The creatures responded with their sounds as I spoke, and after my bath, I hurried towards the air ducts.

Just as I crossed the threshold into the air ducts, I saw a middle-aged man sitting on the stone steps of the front hall.

He looked like the head of a household—something like a “Tang family” leader—and greeted me with a familiar, welcoming smile.

“Ah!? Elder?”

“Oh! Little hero!”

His face lit up with recognition, and it seemed like he wanted to thank me for helping him hunt down a mother centipede.

He had promised me a reward for helping find the centipede, after all.

‘They seem well off... Maybe they’ll give me some money? Should I ask for a few deer to be caught? It’d be nice to have some jerky... I’m in my growing phase, after all.’

As the bright-faced man approached, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. A gust of wind shot toward him, and before I knew it, he was sent flying back, crashing into the stone step and spitting out blood.

• Kwak!

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

“Elder! Cough!”

I was about to rush over to help, but a hand grabbed me by the back of the neck, lifting me into the air. My feet began to dangle in the air, and a voice rang out from an elder.

“I heard that some of Tang’s people entered Hainan. But when I came to see, I found Tang Mu-seong’s son here, alone and injured.

I’ve never forgotten your faces over the past ten years—yours and your father’s. Today, I will send your head as a gift to Tang Mu-seong! Hahaha!”

I didn’t fully understand the details, but it seemed like the elder had a grudge against the head of the Tang family.

Considering his nickname, “Heavenly Poison Deity,” they seemed to be involved with some kind of organization, probably one with a dangerous reputation.

It seemed like these people had a lot to do with blades, axes, and the like.

‘Why is this happening to me? They should handle their own issues.’

The middle-aged man, now covered in blood, asked the elder who had a death grip on me.

“Cough! Senior, who are you, to be tormenting this young hero?”

“Hahaha! You don’t recognize me from my face and my red authority? I am the one who has become like this due to Tang Mu-seong—the Blood-Handed Rakshasa, Tak Wonyang!”

With that maniacal laughter and the deep hatred in his voice, it seemed like things were about to go south.

The elder clearly had a massive grudge, and things were getting dangerous.

Yet, the Tang family’s head, with a grim tone, tried to reason with the elder.

“That little hero isn’t even a martial artist and has nothing to do with us! Will you let him go? If you do, I’ll gladly offer my neck as tribute.”

It seemed like he was trying to avoid involving civilians in their feud, trying to resolve things between their families.

I nodded inwardly, thinking that the grudge between them should be resolved by their own people.

But the old man, nicknamed Blood-Handed Rakshasa, scoffed at him.

“If someone even brushes against my family’s garments, I’ll slaughter them! In the Buddhist teachings, it’s said that when clothes brush, it means three thousand lifetimes of karma! Hahaha!”

“Ahhh! Please... save me…”

Then, the old man twisted my body to face him and slowly squeezed his grip around my neck.

The strength of his hold was immense.

Then, suddenly, I felt a strange sensation, a cold shiver running through my body.

• Tsurruru!

• Kwadduk!

The centipedes that had been hiding in my clothes suddenly sprang to life, hissing fiercely. They burst from my sleeves and neck, and bit into the elder’s hand that was strangling me.

“Cough!”

The elder’s eyes widened in disbelief, and the shock in his gaze filled my vision.@@novelbin@@

Slowly, the strength in his hand began to wane.

I quickly broke free from his grip, and as I looked at his face, I saw him suddenly collapse to the ground, his body turning a deep black.

• Thud.

‘Wait a minute! These aren’t venomous at this age, are they?!’

I stared at my pet that had just killed a person in utter shock.

I turned slowly and asked the middle-aged man.

“Uh... this person... is he bad? I think he’s dead…”

I was sure he was a bad person, but seeing a human die for the first time left me bewildered.

Except for when it happened to me, of course.

But despite the situation, the middle-aged man actually seemed pleased.

He was smiling even after someone had just died.

‘Is he a psychopath?’

***

The fact that the centipedes had venom, and that it was strong enough to kill a person, sent a chill down my spine. But I quickly calmed myself and rushed to help.

One was already dead, and if I didn’t hurry, another might die as well.

The middle-aged man had vomited a huge amount of blood, and I could tell that if I didn’t act quickly, things could get much worse.

Of course, I couldn’t help him directly.

I was worried the centipedes might attack him again.

So, I guided him into the inner part of the hall where I usually stay.

It was the only place that had a bed and was still in decent shape, the building farthest from the air ducts. It was the best place to lie him down.

Although the door had been slightly damaged when he crashed into the stone step and debris flew, the inside was still intact.

"Please, lie down here."

"Clough, thank you, young hero."

"By the way, the village is far, and we can’t call a physician, but if you tell me where your companions are, I can go and get them. No, I can’t leave you like this..."

I was pacing back and forth, unsure of what to do, when the man, with a calm smile, said:

"I’m fine, so don’t worry. A few days of rest, and I’ll be good as new."

A person who vomits blood likely has internal injuries—probably something like a burst intestine or a stomach ulcer—and the man was saying a few days of rest would fix it.

As someone who wasn’t a physician, it was odd hearing him talk so casually about his condition.

I looked at him seriously and replied:

"Don’t say that. You’ve lost so much blood. You’re in critical condition right now!"

But the man just smiled and responded nonchalantly:

"I’m a martial artist, so I’m fine."

"A martial artist?"

"Yes, a martial artist."

That phrase made me recall his earlier comment when he’d said he wasn’t a martial artist and that I should let him go.

Thinking back on it, it reminded me of the martial arts films from my past life.

‘No way...’

I asked again, my expression unsure:

"Wait... when you say martial artist, do you mean the kind who can fly and shoot energy blasts and all that?"

"Not everyone, but yes, you could say that."

As I thought about it, I realized that when the middle-aged man had flown backward earlier, it was probably because of some sort of energy blast.

‘No way! This is why the giant centipedes are here!’

I was starting to understand why this place felt so strange.

It seemed like I had fallen into a different world, not the past.

Just as I was shaking with the realization of being in such a bizarre world, the man, looking grateful, said:

"Thanks to you, young hero, I’ve saved my life. I’m truly grateful. Let me formally introduce myself. I am Tang Cheolsan, head of the Tang family in Sichuan."

"Ah, I’m Wei Su Long."

Although I didn’t have a real name in this world, recalling the famous martial artist from my past life, I quickly came up with this name.

When I introduced myself as Wei Su Long, the man nodded.

"A little dragon. Good name."

"Thank you, Elder. By the way, since you’re in such a condition, should I go to the village and bring others from your family? What about that old man?"

We had exchanged pleasantries, and I was now thinking about getting someone else from the Tang family to help. However, the man shook his head.

"No need for that. My father and the other warriors have already left for Sichuan. The warriors still in the village will be here in a couple of days."

"Oh, then what should I do? Do you need water? No, I can’t give you water since you’ve vomited blood... Soup? I can’t give you soup either..."

I was at a loss for what to do and wore a distressed expression, but the man smiled and asked:

"I’ll be fine with a few days of rest, so don’t worry. If I need food, I’ll let you know then."

"Understood, Elder. Um... then, would you like me to dampen a cloth with water to wipe your face?"

"No, there’s something I’ve been curious about. Would it be alright if I ask you a few questions?"

"Wouldn’t it be better for you to rest?"

"This much is fine."

The man insisted, so I stopped my action of getting a wet cloth and sat back down next to him.

Then, as if he had been waiting to ask, he began firing off questions.

"That venomous creature wrapped around you—are they centipedes? Where did you find them, and how did you train them? Also, I saw many venomous creatures inside your room while waiting for you—do you raise all of them?"

"Well... "

I decided to answer his questions seriously.

The centipedes were the offspring of the Blue-Spotted Centipedes that the man’s people had taken, and the other venomous creatures inside were ones I had raised.

"Ah! You hatched them from eggs!?"

"Well, they were close to hatching..."

"Can you tell when that will happen?"

"Uh, sort of."

"Impressive!"

The man praised my breeding skills, and since I hadn’t had anyone to brag to, I felt pleased and decided to show off a bit.

"Wait a moment, Elder."

I quickly grabbed one of my prized creations, a Bawangling Cave Gecko, and presented it.

Normally, Bawangling Cave Geckos have yellow stripes on their bodies and white stripes on their tails, but this one only had two colors—yellow for its body and white for its tail.

It was the pinnacle of my breeding, and in my past life, it would have been worth a fortune.

"Ahem. You can breed them like this too."

I casually showed it to the middle-aged man, but he blinked, clearly not understanding its value. So, I decided to explain further by showing him another one.

‘Guess I’ll have to spoon-feed him this.’

"Well... this is a common lizard species. Among these, I selected the larger ones with yellow stripes on the body and white stripes on the tail. I paired them a few times to breed a creature with just two colors."

"You... bred them by color!?"

Finally, the man was shocked by my accomplishment. He hurriedly asked:

"So, wait—can you choose the more venomous ones and breed them to create even stronger venomous creatures?"

In theory, that could be possible, but there was no way to measure the venom’s strength, so it wasn’t feasible.

I shook my head and replied:

"If I knew which ones had stronger venom, it’d be possible. But it’s hard to tell..."

"Really!? Is that possible!?"

"Ahh! That startled me!"

Just as I was shocked by the loud exclamation from the man, he grabbed my hand with intense eyes and said:

"You... you must join our family!"

"Excuse me!?"

It seemed like he wanted me to become a member of his family, like a subordinate or someone to raise.

Flying through the air and shooting energy blasts seemed tempting, but considering the kind of "martial artist" he was, it felt dangerous.

The crazy people who came after me earlier made it seem like a bad idea, so I hesitated. But then the man began listing off benefits.

"First, if you join our family, I’ll teach you all of our martial arts. You’ll have access to elixirs, rare herbs, and whatever poison you need.

With your abilities, you could even catch or raise the Ten Deadliest Venoms of the Central Plains, you know?

Also, I’m not bragging, but my daughter is one of the Three Flowers of the Central Plains..."

"Wait, hold on!"

I interrupted him quickly, as I couldn’t believe what he was saying.

"What did you just say!?"

"Huh? Oh, I see you’re still young, but you’re a man, right? Yes, my daughter is one of the Three Flowers of the Central Plains..."

He kept pushing this nonsense about his daughter, and I wasn’t interested, so I shook my head and asked again.

"No, not about that. Before that..."

"Hmm? Martial arts?"

"No, the part after that."

"Elixirs and rare herbs?"

"Not that either..."

"The Ten Deadliest Venoms of the Central Plains?"

The mention of the Ten Deadliest Venoms of the Central Plains struck a chord with me. I had died while searching for the deadliest snakes in my past life, so this term really hit me hard.

I grabbed the head of the Tang family and asked:

"Are these also as impressive as the Blue-Spotted Centipedes?"

The head of the Tang family smiled widely and answered:

"Of course! The Blue-Spotted Centipedes are actually a lesser venom compared to the Ten Deadliest Venoms of the Central Plains. From scorpions as big as houses to gold-colored frogs... Whatever you imagine, they’re even more dangerous than that."

Hearing about the Ten Deadliest Venoms of the Central Plains made me think that joining his family might actually be worth it.

‘Should I give it a shot?’

Isn’t the idea of hunting the deadliest poisons every man’s dream?

Or maybe it’s just mine?