Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

The sudden death of the man made me wonder if the Taehwa Sect would suspect anything, but surprisingly, the matter was quickly swept under the rug.

The Taehwa Sect hadn’t even conducted the minimal investigation, instead quickly removing his body without any further inquiry.

They didn’t even send someone to look into the situation, much less investigate witnesses or make any surface-level effort to figure things out.

Considering the martial world’s complexities, it’s common to conduct poison-related investigations when someone dies unexpectedly, but even with the death of the third son of a family head, such an inquiry was skipped.

Later, a cause of death was leaked from the Taehwa Sect—it was just sudden death.

According to Elder Geolhwang, the family head had been quick to cover up the incident.

Though it wasn’t made public, Geolhwang speculated that the man, who frequented the gambling den every few days, might have been a family member sent out to cover up the matter.

Alternatively, perhaps someone within the sect already knew about the man’s strange behavior.

Instead of suspecting us, the Taehwa Sect actually sent gifts to thank us, saying they heard we had tried to save their child.

“Killing someone and receiving gifts is a bit awkward, don’t you think?”

A few days after this satisfying revenge, I rode with Na-ok, a woman from the village of Songga, toward Songga Village.

Since the village was isolated, it would be hard to contact anyone once we arrived, so the plan was to visit my younger sibling’s grave.

My older sister had offered to send someone to maintain the grave, or even move it if necessary, but that was a decision for Na-ok to make.

As we arrived at Songga Village, a small farming town on the outskirts of Seongdo, people started to gather around.

At the front, the village chief, who seemed to be an elderly man, asked us the reason for our visit.

“How did you end up in our Songga Village, from the Sicheondang family? Huh? Na-ok!?”

The village chief looked surprised when he saw the woman disembark from the carriage.

“It’s been a while, Elder.”

“Why are you with the Sicheondang people?”

“I’ve decided to place my future with the Sicheondang family, Elder.”

“With the Sicheondang!? Such an event is rare!”

“Na-ok is with the Sicheondang!?”

Since the Sicheondang family was respected, people from outside the family would typically be given servant roles, but they congratulated Na-ok nonetheless.

After the short greetings, Na-ok followed her uncle and aunt to a small hill behind the village, where several graves were scattered about.

In a corner of the graveyard stood a humble wooden grave marker.

It was inscribed with Song Na-eun’s Tomb, indicating that Na-ok’s younger sibling was the owner of the grave.

“Na-eun…”

The woman gently brushed aside the sparse grass growing around the grave, her face filled with sorrow.

Her uncle spoke with a concerned expression behind her.

“Na-ok, I don’t know how you ended up with the Sicheondang, but forget about vengeance now. You should focus on finding happiness with the Sicheondang. Surely your younger sibling would want that too.”

The fact that Na-ok had abandoned her desire for vengeance seemed to be the assumption made by her uncle.

He then made a request.

“Miss, I know I’m speaking out of turn, but please take good care of Na-ok. She lost her parents when she was young and raised her sibling alone. After all the tragic events, she...”

It seemed her uncle viewed Na-ok like a daughter.

“Don’t worry, she’s now part of the Sicheondang family,” I reassured him.

As our conversation wrapped up, Na-ok took a faded incense pouch from her robe and hung it on the grave.

When the incense pouch swayed with the wind, Na-ok couldn’t hold back her tears.

“Sobs... If only I had come sooner that day...”

It seemed she still hadn’t gotten over the regret.

As if responding to her words, the sound of a mournful cricket chirping could be heard from the overgrown grass near the grave.

Chirrup chirrup.It was said that the sound of the cricket reminded Na-ok of her younger sibling’s voice. I wondered what words her sibling would be speaking now.

Like her uncle said, I hoped her younger sibling would tell her to forget about vengeance and find happiness.

***

Late Afternoon, Seongdo’s Back Alley

In the dimly lit back alley of Seongdo, beneath the large trees and surrounding fences, an old beggar in shabby clothes pulled something out of a pouch at his waist.

What he pulled out was a shriveled, dried-up insect.

The old man examined the insect with disbelief before quickly popping it into his mouth.

Then, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

“Looks awful, but this is really quite savory.”

The insect was the larva of a Huangfen Insect, a gift from the children of the Sicheondang family.

While he could have asked for more, out of respect for Geolhwang, he had decided to savor the gift and eat it sparingly.

Crunch.The rich savory taste filled his mouth as he chewed the larva.

A smile appeared on Geolhwang’s face.

“Savory revenge…”

As he relished the taste and thought of the child who had given him the Huangfen larva, he noticed a presence from the tree above.

Looking up at the tree, Geolhwang asked, “Who’s hiding up there, spying like a thief? What’s going on here?”

From above, an angry voice shouted.

With an angry cry, two figures fell from the tree and appeared before Geolhwang.

“Hey, Brother, calling me a thief again! You never change!”

The person who appeared was a member of the Three Emperors and Five Rulers of the Central Plains Martial World, specifically the Five Rulers—Shintu, the Thief Emperor.

It was his sworn brother, Shintu Galjiheung.

“You! If you’re a thief, then call me one too. What else can I say?”

“But I have the noble title of Shintu…”

“Enough of that Shintu nonsense. Just because a thief does a good job, does that make them a Shintu? Should I go to the Martial Alliance and change my title to Shigeul for being good at begging?”

“Ha, really, after all this time, you still haven’t changed.”

Galjiheung scratched his head, then popped another Huangfen larva into his mouth.

“So, what brings you to Seongdo? Oh, wait, silly question. Are you here to steal again?”

“No, Brother, I even brought a disciple with me. Please spare me the trouble this time.”

Galjiheung, now sounding more earnest, begged his brother.

When Geolhwang glanced at Shintu, a well-dressed young girl bowed her head and introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you, Geolhwang sir. I am Shintu’s disciple, Cho Yeongryeon.”

It seemed Shintu had taken on a disciple without even realizing it.

Geolhwang sighed in frustration.

“Galji, you’re already troublesome enough. Now you’ve got a disciple too. The future of the martial world is looking bleak.”

“Brother!”

”Alright, I got it, you rascal! Anyway, it’s good to see you. And don’t stand there like that—sit down, my neck’s sore.”

As I suggested they sit on the pile of straw, the two of them awkwardly took their seats.

Despite the scolding, Geolhwang had a soft spot for his disciple, and like a good disciple, they didn’t complain about the dirtiness of the floor. I smiled inwardly as I asked, ”So, how did you find me here?”

Normally, one would need some information to steal something, but since it had been a while, I was curious to know why they had come.

Shintu replied with a grin, ”Just like how you always seem to know the rumors of the world, I have the ability to track you down no matter where you hide.”

He was boasting, but I couldn’t help but think that he had secretly applied some Manli Chasing Fragrance on himself when we last met. I raised an eyebrow and replied, ”Ha, I bet you secretly applied that Manli Chasing Fragrance again, didn’t you? Enough with the nonsense. What brings you here?”

Shintu, still grinning, changed the topic. ”Brother, after such a long time, let’s talk about that later. Let’s go grab a meal first. How about a good restaurant?”

Although Shintu suggested going to a nice restaurant, he looked me up and down before scratching his head and adding, ”No, wait, you can’t go to a restaurant, can you?”

With that, he turned to Yeongryeon and instructed, ”Yeongryeon, go get some food. Get some roasted duck, some skewers, and some wine too.”

”Yes, Master,” Yeongryeon replied.

By changing the subject and asking for the food he liked, it seemed clear that Shintu had something he needed to ask.

As I lay back on the straw, chewing on another Huangfen larva, I asked, ”What are you stalling for this time? What are you trying to steal?”

Shintu waved his hands in a defensive gesture and said seriously, ”Oh, brother, did you really think I would only come here to steal again? This time, I’ve come for something else.”

”Something else?”

He wasn’t the type to come looking for information unless it involved some sort of heist, so I was skeptical. Shintu responded with a serious tone, ”Yes, I came to ask if you know the best person in the Central Plains who understands Zhan Chong (silkworms).”

”Silkworms?” I furrowed my brow, curious about why a thief like Shintu would need to know about silkworms.

Shintu raised his arm to show me the silk wrapped around it and said, ”This Tianchan Silk I have here... You know about it, right?”

”Yes, Tianchan Silk—I know it,” I replied.

Tianchan Silk was a symbol of Shintu, a rare silk thinner than a spider’s thread but incredibly strong. It could be used to cut through limbs or necks if used sharply.

Shintu continued, ”I thought this silk would last forever, but it seems even this has a lifespan. It broke just recently.”

”Broke?” I blinked in disbelief. Tianchan Silk couldn’t even be cut with a sword, and hearing that it had broken made my eyes widen.

For Shintu, who made a living with this silk, it was like losing his most important tool. This was no small matter.

”Yes, I think it’s reached the end of its life,” Shintu said.

”Hah. Tianchan Silk has a lifespan, huh?”

”Yes, you might not know this, but our tradition in the Thief Emperor’s line is that when a disciple completes their training, the previous Shintu passes on their Tianchan Silk to the next. But, of course, it’s not the same as before, so I came to find someone who knows about silkworms.”

”Silkworms...” I thought about it. The people who knew a lot about silkworms were likely silk makers or those who supplied silk to the royal court.

It seemed like for once, Shintu wasn’t here for a heist but had come looking for information to help his disciple. I nodded.

”If that’s the case, then I’ll help you.”

”Thank you, brother!” Shintu said, grinning widely.

”I’ll ask my people in Seongdo to look into it. In the meantime, you stay here and don’t cause any more noise with your thieving antics, alright?” I gave him a stern look as I warned him not to make a mess in Seongdo again.

By then, Yeongryeon had returned, carrying a variety of delicious dishes, and before long, a modest feast began between the thief and the beggar in the alley.

***

The Next Day

After bringing Na-ok into the family, the next day, she officially joined our Venom Blood Squad.

Since she would need access to the Venom Blood Yard, we couldn’t just treat her like a servant. This meant she had no choice but to join the squad.

Although she was too old to start learning martial arts, she became a member of the squad, and the squad leader, Gu Pae, took responsibility for teaching her the basics.

Gu Pae, feeling a sense of camaraderie, had taken care of her after bringing her to the Sicheondang, and now it was time to show her around the Venom Blood Yard.

”This is the Venom Blood Yard,” I said, leading her inside.

”Oh, this is where I’ll be working?” she asked.

”Yes, would you like to take a look around first? Over there is where we raise Silsol, and over there we raise Danmi insects. We use them to feed the venomous creatures.”

”So, I’ll be raising Silsol, Huangfen Larvas, and Danmi insects?” she asked.

”Well, yes, but... are you sure you’re okay with that?” I asked, wondering if she was okay with the sounds of Silsol.

Na-ok smiled, her expression lighter than it had been before.

”Yes, it’s fine now. I don’t hear my younger sibling’s voice anymore. I guess this is my way of repaying the kindness of the Master for the rest of my life.”

Her words were kind, but I knew she hadn’t fully healed from her past, so I nodded, deciding to make sure Gu Pae took good care of her.

”I understand.”

While I showed her around the facility, I noticed her curiosity about what kind of venomous creatures she would be raising.

She seemed curious about what she would be working with, so I quickly pulled out a Cho I had been hiding in my arm.

Creeeak.”This is the kind of venomous creature we work with,” I said, showing her the Cho.

”O-Gong!?” she exclaimed, blinking in surprise at the sight of the large insect.

I spoke to the Cho, who seemed to nod as though it was greeting her.

”Ah, our Cho is quite polite, isn’t it?”

As we were about to head outside, I heard Na-ok’s cautious voice behind me.

”Um, So-ryong... do you... perhaps have anyone you wish to take revenge on?”

”Huh?”

I stopped, surprised by her strange question. It seemed that in her eyes, I might look like someone consumed by revenge, just like herself.