Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

The warriors had assembled at the Nine-Tiered Gate under my father-in-law’s orders.

These weren’t the usual warriors I had seen in the Tang Clan.

They were gathered because the Beggar Sect—essentially a union of beggars spread across the martial arts world—had provided information on the whereabouts of the traitors who sold us out.

Their location? Yeongcheonbu, the capital of this country.

It seemed they had fled to the most crowded place possible.

Even in my previous life, a crowded metropolis like Seoul was the best place to hide. These bastards had apparently used their heads.

But what good was that?

They had messed with the wrong people—the ultimate psychos of the martial world, the Tang Clan.

Their deaths were practically set in stone, a fate they could never escape.

This was obvious from the way the Tang warriors’ eyes gleamed with a terrifying intensity upon hearing the traitors’ location.

The atmosphere in the Tang Clan’s estate, right up until their departure, was that of predators readying for the hunt. And today was the day of the send-off ceremony.

“I’ll be off now. Take care of yourself while I’m away, son-in-law,” my father-in-law said.

“Yes, Father-in-law. Please be careful out there.”

“Careful? What’s there to be careful about? It’s those bastards who should be worried. Ha! Don’t fret.”

“Well, yes… ha ha… ha…”

It was a truth we all knew too well.

As I laughed awkwardly, my father-in-law turned and shouted to the gathered warriors, his voice booming.

“To those who dared tarnish the honor of the Tang Clan, we will deliver the ultimate punishment. Let’s go!”

“Yes, Clan Head!”

At his command, the warriors charged out of the Nine-Tiered Gate.

The massive white castor bean leaf symbol on their backs caught my eye as they disappeared.

The Tang Clan had two distinct groups of warriors. The ones I usually saw wore green uniforms with a small castor bean leaf emblem on their chests, symbolizing poison.

But these warriors were different.

They donned black robes with enormous white castor bean leaf designs covering their backs, creating a striking image.

What stood out the most, however, were their eyes—clear and piercing, almost unnervingly so.

They had the kind of eyes my elders in my past life had warned me about: the type that seemed to shoot lasers.

As I watched them vanish into the distance, I turned to my sister, curious about who these people were.

“Hwa-eun, who are they? I’ve never seen them before since arriving here.”

“Oh, they’re the ones who handle the tougher tasks,” she replied casually.

“Tougher tasks?”

“Yes, mostly… erasing people. We call them the Extermination Squad.”

‘That’s not just a tough task…’

It turned out that the warriors accompanying my father-in-law belonged to the Extermination Squad—a group specializing in the kind of work that made the Tang Clan infamous as assassins.

‘There’s no way that’s just a little tough… And erasing people? That sounds more like erasing love, not lives…’

My sister’s casual phrasing—comparing erasing people to scribbling with a pencil—sent a cold sweat down my back.

Once again, I was reminded of the true nature of the Tang Clan, and my courage shrank to the size of a grain of rice.

It didn’t help that my sister was so breathtakingly beautiful. Every time I looked at her, I couldn’t help but think of naming my third child something like “Tang Buhu”—meaning “The Tang That Will Never Regret.”

But the Tang Clan? I hadn’t fully adjusted to life here.

And my sister’s words? They were as chilling as they were beautiful.

‘Dear family… that kind of talk is a bit too dangerous, don’t you think?’

***

After my father-in-law’s departure, a few days passed, and my period of rest came to an end as training resumed.

The first order of business? Internal energy training.

Today marked the beginning of my initiation into a new internal energy technique, one said to be more efficient.

However, problems arose right from the start.

Learning the detailed terminology and concepts of the dantian—the energy centers in the body—was an incredibly complex task.

The terms themselves were confusing, but when concepts like the Taiji and the Bagua were thrown into the mix, my head spun.

Having no prior knowledge of this field, I couldn’t possibly master these things in a crash course.

Talks of yin-yang combinations and inner observation only added to my confusion.

Though I had been learning bits and pieces from my sister and grandfather, the sudden surge in my internal energy had created unforeseen complications.

Normally, one would slowly accumulate energy through practicing Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art, advancing in theory and practice simultaneously.

Upon mastering it, practitioners would naturally transition to the next level: Ten Poisons Dual Circulation Art.

But in my case, I hadn’t even built up proficiency in the Five Poisons Art before all the energy flooded in at once.

This left me in an awkward position: an abundance of energy without the theoretical foundation to properly handle it.

Having only a rudimentary understanding of the dantian and energy meridians, I couldn’t fully grasp my grandfather’s explanations.

In the end, I had no choice but to rely on a shortcut again.

This shortcut involved my grandfather, the Heavenly Poison Deity, guiding me by channeling his energy into my body, just as he had during my training with the Five Poisons Art.

Grandfather would inject his energy into my system, move it around within me, and I would memorize the flow to replicate it later.

While the ideal way to learn was to master both theory and practice independently, my current situation necessitated immediate action.

I had to switch to a more efficient technique to make the most of my abundant internal energy.

“Pay close attention as I guide you,” my grandfather instructed. “If the Five Poisons Art is about creating a single, large circulation of energy flowing from left to right and back to the dantian, the Ten Poisons Art involves creating two simultaneous circulations.”

“One flows from left to right, and the other from right to left?” I asked.

“Don’t say such reckless things! If energy flows from right to left, it creates a reversal of nature—Yicheon—and leads to disaster!”

“Reversal of nature?”

“It’s something only those in the demonic sects or other wicked practitioners meddle with. Forget about it.”

“Yes, so the two circulations both flow in the same direction—from left to right?”

“Exactly. Both flows move from left to right and return to the dantian, forming a double-core rotation,” he explained.

‘So the Five Poisons Art is like a single-cylinder engine, while the Ten Poisons Art is a dual-cylinder engine?’

With this analogy in mind, I visualized splitting my energy flow into two, rotating them within my body as my grandfather’s guiding energy demonstrated.

Soon, the awkward sensation in my internal energy faded, and the two flows began to fuel each other, forming a smooth rotation.

The sluggish, singular current transformed into two swift, powerful streams, flowing dynamically within me.

My grandfather’s voice carried a note of approval as he observed my progress.

“Well done! You seem to grasp this much faster than the Five Poisons Art.”

It had taken me half a day to understand the Five Poisons Art, but this time, I succeeded after only a few tries.

After completing the major circulation, I expressed my gratitude.

“It’s all thanks to your guidance, Grandfather.”

“Haha, this boy,” he said, smiling warmly.

My sister had always emphasized that etiquette was crucial when learning martial arts—even if it was a lethal art. Remembering her advice, I made sure to express my thanks, which pleased my grandfather.

‘I’m glad I remembered that.’

Once my initiation into the Ten Poisons Art was complete, my grandfather handed me a throwing dagger and said, “Now, try using your internal energy to throw this. It will feel quite different from when you practiced with the Five Poisons Art.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

Taking the dagger, I channeled my internal energy through the Ten Poisons Art.

The overwhelming power surging through me felt like an entirely new engine revving to life. My old, feeble Five Poisons Art was nothing compared to this beastly force.

With my body filled with energy, I hurled the dagger at a straw dummy as I had been taught.

Whoosh!The dagger flew faster than I had ever seen, piercing straight through the dummy and embedding itself in the stone wall behind it.

Clang!The sound of the dagger hitting the wall left me speechless.

“Wow!”

‘This is insane!’

As I stared in awe at my hand, my grandfather chuckled and asked, “How does it feel? That’s the difference between the Five Poisons Art and the Ten Poisons Art. You’ll also be much more resistant to poisons now. To explain further, your body…”

“This is the Ten Poisons Art…” I muttered, marveling at the sheer power.

If I thought it was just twice as strong as the Five Poisons Art, I had been wrong—it felt four times stronger.

As I reveled in my newfound strength, my grandfather continued, “From now on, you’ll start learning advanced techniques such as lightfoot arts, palm techniques, and weapon arts. With the Ten Poisons Art, you’ll be able to infuse your energy into weapons or even project it outward.”

Even with my limited understanding of martial arts, I knew what techniques like Qi Projection and Palm Strikes were—classic moves even the Shaolin monks in my past life had performed in movies.

Just hearing about it made me excited for the next day’s training.

Palm strikes!

What man wouldn’t dream of learning them?

Unable to contain my enthusiasm, I suggested to my grandfather, “Why not start now? They say you should strike while the iron is hot.”

“Haha, you impatient child. If you rush, you’ll end up hurting yourself. Let your body adjust to the new technique first. For now, practice throwing daggers while I catch up on some reading.”

My grandfather pulled a book from his robes—a red volume bound with a yellow string.

As I curiously glanced at it, he quickly straightened and said, “Don’t even think about it. You’re better off not knowing.”

“What is it, Grandfather?”

“It’s a copy of Blood-Water Venom Claw. I’m only examining it to analyze its principles. It’s nothing you should concern yourself with.”

Apparently, it was a copy of a dangerous martial art acquired during the family’s dealings in Hainan. My father-in-law had deemed it something to be studied and discarded.

Just then, my sister burst into the room with an urgent expression.

“Grandfather! You need to go to the main hall immediately!”

“Why? Your mother can handle minor matters in your father’s absence.”

“This isn’t minor,” she said, catching her breath. “The family of the Lord of Sichuan has sent someone here!”

“The Lord of Sichuan?”

“The Lord of Sichuan?!”

The Lord of Sichuan, my VIP customer for the Geodanhwan…

When my sister explained, both my grandfather and I exchanged knowing glances.

With a faint blush, my sister elaborated, “It seems the Lord of Sichuan has taken a new concubine… and he overdosed on the medicine we provided. He’s now on the brink of death…”

“What?!”

‘Oh, for crying out loud…’

Despite our clear instructions on proper dosage, he had caused yet another mess.

Grandfather rushed to the main hall, and it was decided that he would personally head to Sichuan to treat the lord.

If the lord died, there was a chance the blame would fall on us, no matter how illogical it was.

‘I just hope this doesn’t somehow blow back on me…’

Sensing my anxiety, my grandfather patted my shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, So-ryong. You’re part of the Tang Clan. We’ll handle this as a family.”

His words eased my mind somewhat. Once preparations were complete, my grandfather departed through the Nine-Tiered Gate.

“I’ll be back soon. Take care of the family while I’m away,” he said.

“Yes, Father-in-law. Safe travels,” I replied.

“So-ryong, as the only man left in the house, it’s your job to protect the women,” he added, as though heading off to war.

Smiling at his dramatic farewell, I nodded. “Of course. I’ll protect Hwa-eun and Mother-in-law until you return.”

“Good. And Hwa-eun will oversee your training in my absence. She’ll teach you well.”

“Hwa-eun will?”

“Yes.”

As my grandfather disappeared into the distance, I turned to my sister. She smiled mischievously.

“So-ryong, you’ll have to work hard. I won’t go easy on you.”

“Of course, Hwa-eun,” I replied.

“If you do well, I’ll teach you the Tang Clan’s whip techniques alongside your lightfoot arts and palm techniques.”

“Whip techniques?”

“Yes. I’m the best whip user in the Tang Clan.”

At her words, memories from my past life surfaced—memories of forbidden knowledge involving leather, whips, and domineering queens…

‘This… doesn’t sound fun.’

I just hoped my sister’s preferences weren’t too unconventional.