Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

The warriors of the Five Venoms Sect were scattered along the sand dunes, surrounding me.

Even with their pants on, their exceptionally developed thighs and lower bodies were visible.

Considering what I knew about the Five Venoms Sect’s techniques, these men were definitely from the Blood-Tailed Swift Kick division, which focused on enhancing speed and leg strength.

There was no other explanation for their physiques.

Hyang and I were already surrounded.

And in the center, standing among them, was Oh Cheong-yu.

She exuded an eerie atmosphere, as if sculpted from the ominous moonlight itself.

With her gothic aura and the glow of the moonlight bathing her, she looked truly unsettling—almost chilling.

”Aha-ha... Look who it is! Oh, it’s been so long, hasn’t it? Miss Cheong-yu. What a coincidence. Running into you here in the middle of the desert... What are the odds?”

I forced an awkward smile, cracking a joke as I greeted her.

Meanwhile, my eyes darted around, quickly scanning the surroundings.

My inner energy was nearly depleted, but I needed to check—was there any escape route?

A cliff? A river? Anything I could use to escape?

But all I saw was a barren desert.

Beneath the moonlight, there were no cliffs, no rivers—just endless sand dunes stretching as far as the eye could see.

’Just sand dunes... I must have been dragged deep into the desert. Even if Hwa-eun comes looking, it’ll take too long... And with them surrounding me, breaking through won’t be easy... Damn, am I screwed?’

As I took in the hopeless surroundings, the reality set in.

I was trapped.

Not only had the camel spider delivered me right into their hands, but I was in the worst possible location to escape.

Oh Cheong-yu’s smile lingered as she spoke again.

”Oh Yeon-un, you rushed here so quickly after receiving my invitation to bring So-ryong to me. As expected of you.”

”An... invitation?”

I blinked in confusion at the mention of an invitation.

She gestured toward the camel spider.

Then, flashing a dangerous smile, she explained what she meant.

”I assumed that if the Beast Palace got word of what was happening, So-ryong would come running. And just as my father said—he was right. You arrived so quickly. We didn’t even have to do anything, and you walked straight into my hands. Fufu... Did you like my invitation that much?”

I finally understood.

The information leaked from the Beast Palace had been intentional.

It was all bait.

A trap specifically to lure me in.

’Wait... So just to capture me, they leaked information about their own secret operation?’

It didn’t make sense.

Why risk exposing themselves just to capture one person?

But then again—considering Oh Cheong-yu’s mindset, this level of insanity wasn’t that surprising.

After all, here I was.

Once again, it seemed like they had completely read me.

A perfectly tailored invitation.

’Damn it. How the hell was I supposed to refuse something like this...’

Forcing another awkward smile, I responded.

”So... this was your invitation, Miss Cheong-yu. Aha-ha... It seems you know far too much about me. How embarrassing...”

”Of course. After all, you’re going to be mine soon. I’ve done my research. Fufu.”

The possessiveness in her voice sent chills down my spine.

I quickly averted my gaze from her hungry stare and looked toward the camel spider.

”But... Your precious invitation seems to be... ruined.”

I gestured toward the dead camel spider, feigning regret.

Oh Cheong-yu just shook her head.

”It’s fine, So-ryong. I was going to slaughter it anyway.”

”Sl-slaughter?!”

I flinched at her words.

Camel spiders weren’t livestock.

Hearing that it was raised just to be butchered caught me off guard.

She pointed to the round object still clutched in my hand.

”I ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) wanted to see how big the Neidan had grown.”

”A... Neidan?”

”Yes. Now that you’re part of the Five Venoms Sect, I suppose there’s no harm in letting you know. Using the Grand Method of the Five Venoms, we’ve been artificially enlarging creatures. One of the special abilities of the Five Venoms Explosive Severing Art—we’re testing whether these beasts can create a Neidan, just like natural spirit creatures do.”

That explained why a Neidan had fallen from the dead camel spider’s mouth.

The Five Venoms Sect had been experimenting with artificial Neidan creation.

No—more than that.

They were creating artificial spirit beasts.

And then, she dropped something even worse.

”As I expected, feeding them humans was the most effective method. It’s much bigger than I anticipated. My father will be pleased. Next time, we should try feeding them martial artists.”

”Y-you’re insane...!”

• Thud.

The Neidan slipped from my hand.

It had absorbed human energy during its creation.

The realization disgusted me so much that I immediately dropped it.

Oh Cheong-yu didn’t even blink.

Instead, she simply gestured toward me.

”Pick up the Neidan. And bring So-ryong along as well.”

”Yes, my lady!”

The warriors flanking her began to approach me.

If they caught me, they’d seal my pressure points and drag me straight to the Five Venoms Sect.

I had to act fast.

”Wait!”

I shouted before they could grab me.

Oh Cheong-yu tilted her head.

”Hm? What is it, So-ryong?”

The way she said my name so casually made my skin crawl.

I lifted Hyang onto my shoulder, making sure she was clearly visible.

Tsrrrt.”This little one is still attached to me. I wouldn’t want your warriors to get hurt. I’ll walk on my own.” Hyang had already used up all her venom.

But they didn’t know that.

Oh Cheong-yu might have resistance to venom, but her warriors didn’t.

By walking willingly, I could at least try to find an opening.

If they sealed my pressure points, I’d be dragged straight to the Five Venoms Sect with no way out.

”Hm... That’s true. You do have that little one.”

Oh Cheong-yu nodded.

Then, she waved her warriors back and started walking toward me.

”Both of you, step back. I’ll bring him myself.”

”N-no, that’s really not nece—”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Before I could finish, she had already reached me.

She linked her arm with mine, smiling.

”Just be careful with your little pet. If I get bitten, it’ll hurt.”

Her inner energy was overwhelming.

A level beyond masters.

Almost like Grandfather Mandok Shingun.

I was trapped.

Trying to figure out how to escape, I quickly spoke.

”Fine... But don’t do anything to Hyang. She’s like my daughter.”

I wanted to make sure she didn’t harm Hyang.

Oh Cheong-yu simply nodded, as if it were obvious.

”Don’t worry, So-ryong. I won’t touch anything that belongs to you. I’ll raise her well...So you can eat her when she’s fully grown.”

”What?!”

Tsrrrt!Hyang flinched, her antennae shooting up. I was just as shocked.

I had clearly introduced her as my daughter—

Yet she thought I wanted to eat her?!

’How the hell did she come to that conclusion?!’

But before I could react—

Oh Cheong-yu’s next words made my head spin even more.

”You said she’s as precious as a daughter. So I’ll make sure she can live inside you forever.

After all, isn’t that what a daughter should do?

A daughter should offer her body for her father’s sake.”

’Wait... Did I hear that right?’

Something about her words felt fundamentally wrong.

Like reality itself had just shifted in a way I couldn’t grasp.

I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to get as far away from here as possible.

And then—

As Oh Cheong-yu linked her arm with mine, guiding me forward, the moonlight caught something shimmering along the boundary of her forehead and hairline.

’That’s—?!’

A silver needle.

The same kind that had been embedded in the Ghost Howling Tiger’s head, the Army Centipede’s head, and the Camel Spider’s head.

Now that I thought about it—

I had seen something similar before when she appeared with the Ghost Howling Tiger.

The realization hit me like a cold wave.

Her words from earlier suddenly clicked together in a horrifying way.

”With the Five Venoms Explosive Severing Art, we’re testing whether these creatures can create a Neidan like spirit beasts.”

”A daughter should offer her body for her father’s sake.”

Oh Cheong-yu had called this the Five Venoms Explosive Severing Art, but she never explained exactly how it worked.

If it was a method to artificially create a Neidan inside living beings...

Then there was a possibility that Oh Cheong-yu herself was being used to cultivate an artificial Neidan.

And considering how warped her words were—

It sounded like she truly believed that it was her duty to offer herself to her father—the Five Venoms Sect’s leader.

She wasn’t just raising spirit beasts for their Neidan.

She might have been raised herself to be fed to him.

’These... these insane Five Venoms bastards... They’re beyond crazy!’

I had thought they were just feeding people to create spirit beasts.

But they were going even further than that.

They were planning something far worse than I had ever imagined.

”Why do you look so pale, So-ryong?”

Oh Cheong-yu smiled sweetly at me.

Until now, I had just thought of her as a deranged psychopath.

But now—

A terrifying thought crossed my mind.

What if she was a victim too?

My heart pounded wildly.

”A-ah, it’s nothing.”

I took a step forward, but my legs staggered from the shock of what I had just realized.

I stumbled.

Oh Cheong-yu immediately caught me, her voice filled with concern.

”Oh? Oh dear... You’re in terrible shape.”

She wasn’t wrong.

My body was a mess.

Dragged behind the camel spider, my chest was torn up, my clothes were shredded, and my skin was covered in scratches from the rough terrain.

Sand was embedded in every crevice of my outfit.

On top of that, I had internal injuries from being slammed into the ground, and I had burned through most of my inner energy using Iron Defense just to survive.

I wasn’t just battered on the outside—my insides were a wreck too.

Oh Cheong-yu let go of my arm and crouched in front of me.

”Get on my back.”

”...What?”

”I said, get on. You’re in no condition to walk.”

”I... But...”

”Because of Qinghua Centipede, I can’t have my warriors carry you. I’ll do it myself.”

As she insisted, I hesitated.

But then—

As I was about to climb onto her back, I caught sight of another silver needle embedded in the crown of her head.

This was it.

A gamble, but one I had to take.

With trembling fingers, I slowly reached toward her head.

And then—

She spoke again.

”So-ryong, when we get to the Five Venoms Sect, you’ll have to eat well. Your body is still too light. But don’t worry—I’ll prepare plenty of food for you... lots and lots of...”

I tightened my grip around her neck—

And seized the silver needle embedded in her head.

Then I shouted.

”Everyone stand back! If anyone moves, I’ll rip this needle out of her head!”

I had to try taking her hostage.

If she really had a Neidan forming inside her, then the Five Venoms Sect’s ultimate goal was probably tied to her.

If I removed the needle, they wouldn’t get what they wanted.

It was my only shot at escaping.

But then—

Oh Cheong-yu chuckled.

”That’s a funny joke. A silver needle? As if something like that would be stuck in my head—”

”It is stuck in your head! Those bastards are cultivating a Neidan inside you! Listen to me—!”

”A Neidan? Inside me? What are you talking abo— H-huh...?”

Her voice froze mid-sentence.

Then—

Her expression contorted into a grimace of pain.

”A... ah... aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAH!”

She suddenly screamed.

The piercing wail ripped through the night sky.

”My lady!”

”My lady!”

The warriors rushed forward in panic.

And then—

A cold, chilling voice whispered into my ear.

”For the sake of my lady’s stability, I planned to turn you into another puppet. But it seems... you’re too clever for that. I suppose...I’ll just have to kill you here.”

Stab!”Khuhh—!” A sharp pain pierced my side.

Tsrrrrrrr!Hyang sprang forward, reacting to the killing intent— But something struck her midair, sending her crashing into the sand.

”H-Hyang...”

Even through the excruciating pain, I managed to reach for her, pulling her into my arms as I fell.

Her cry echoed in my ears.

Tsrrr! 『Dad! Dad!』Her frantic voice filled my mind. And then—

The ground itself began to tremble.

Rumble...The earth shook violently beneath us. And Hyang’s final words rang through my fading consciousness.

Tsrrt... 『So... bright...』My vision blurred. And then—

Everything faded to black.