Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

In my past life, after being put under general anesthesia for an appendectomy, I had a thought when I woke up.

Did the surgery actually happen?

What if they’re scamming me and never operated at all?

“Nurse, is your name ○○?”

I clearly remembered the nurse calling my name, and then—nothing. When I woke up, my appendix was gone.

I had no memory of it, and yet the painful appendix was just... gone.

It was hard to believe.

At least until the pain hit me like a truck the moment the anesthesia wore off.

Why bring this up now?

Because everyone else looked like they were feeling the exact same thing I did back then.

People on deck, including Do Sagong, were staring around in confusion, asking:

“Wait... this is the Lancang River?”

“Yes, Do Sagong.”

“We really crossed into the Lancang?”

“Yes, brother.”

“You’re telling me Geumdo crawled all the way to the Lancang River?”

“Yes, sister.”

There was a reason they were so confused.

Everyone on the ship—people and venomous creatures alike—had been knocked out for hours by Geumdo’s mist, like full-body anesthesia.

The only ones who hadn’t fallen asleep were me, Cho, and Heukjeom, who was inside Geumdo’s mouth.

Apparently, Geumdo’s mist had become vastly more powerful after recovering from his shell injury.

What we thought was just enough to shield his body turned out to be capable of covering one to two kilometers around him.

Looking back, when I had previously passed out from Geumdo’s venom, he must’ve been too weak to use his full power.

This time, not only did everyone on the ship fall asleep, but even the surrounding area was covered—and by the time they woke up, the whole situation had changed.

Before they passed out, we were on that other river. But when they came to, we were on a different one.

“So the moon’s over there, and the North Star is... it’s hard to tell since the sun’s rising... Ah! That’s it.”

Do Sagong, trying to confirm it, began calculating our position based on the stars and moon.

That’s when the Venom Extermination Squad commander and members came rushing out of the cabins in a panic.

“So-ryong! What’s going on!?”

The Venom Extermination Squad had been assigned to me by my father-in-law to locate the counterfeit medicine operation that had sprung up in Yunnan. Judging by the commotion, they must’ve thought we were under attack.

All ten members, including the commander, were fully armed.

There was even a faint bloodlust in their clear eyes.

Just then, Hwa-eun stepped out of the cabin and explained:

“It’s nothing serious. Geumdo just crawled out of the water and moved the ship. Put away your weapons and stand down.”

“G-Geumdo did that?”

“Yes.”

She had been asleep on deck with me, so she had a rough idea of what happened. After explaining the situation to the squad commander, she turned to me with a smile.

“So-ryong. I mean—Dragon Commander.”

“Yes, Silver Wolf. Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes... I feel strangely refreshed, like I had a deep, peaceful nap. You moved me, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Earlier, I had carried her to her room after she fell asleep on deck—and now she was thanking me for it.

Though I must admit, while she was asleep, she looked so cute that I might’ve... gently poked her cheeks here and there. That’s a secret.

It was necessary contact for transport. Besides, she was soft and warm... just saying.

As I recalled the pleasant sensation and smiled to myself, people began coming out of the cabins one by one and asking what had happened.

At least those who had been on deck could piece things together. The ones inside just knew the ship shook violently, and then they blacked out.

“What exactly happened? The ship started rocking, and I was holding onto the furniture... then I must’ve passed out.”

“Same here.”

“Me too.”

“Geumdo crawled out of the water and carried the ship across to the Lancang River. That’s what caused the disturbance.”

“We crossed into the Lancang River? So we’re really on it now?”

“Yes.”

As people listened to my explanation and rushed to the railing to examine our surroundings, Do Sagong came over and asked:

“So-ryong, this really is the Lancang. But... do you have any idea how far downstream we’ve gone since crossing over?”

“The sun’s rising, but I don’t think we’ve been moving long. Maybe half an hour at most?”

Geumdo took about a sikjeong to cover twenty-five li—roughly ten kilometers. We waited for everyone to wake up before heading downstream, and that had only been an hour or so.

Even though six or seven hours had passed in total, the actual distance covered wasn’t that much.

Hearing this, Do Sagong asked me to have Geumdo stop.

“So-ryong, would you mind having Geumdo stop for a moment? I think it’d be best to confirm our exact location. Don’t we also need to stop by Dali?”

“Ah, you’re right. Got it. Geumdo, hold up for a bit!”

Dali was the largest city in Yunnan.

It was where the counterfeit medicine had first been reported, so this was my first official duty as the son-in-law of the Sichuan Tang Clan—to gather intel and find the manufacturing site. I had to go there, no matter what.

—Bubrrr.

At my shout, Geumdo—who had been drifting downstream—turned and parked himself near the riverbank.

Soon after, a few crew members went ashore and spread out. By the time we were eating breakfast, they’d brought back some local information.

“There’s a lake nearby called Tianchi.”

One of the sailors reported while we were eating.

I was about to ask Sister Seol where that might be, but surprisingly, it was Geombong who spoke up first.

“Tianchi? It’s right around here?”

“Yes, miss.”

She sounded genuinely delighted.

Come to think of it... Geombong and Chang-ryong haven’t joined us for a meal in a while.

She and Chang-ryong had been so wrapped up in their romance that we rarely even saw them.

A few nights ago, the two of them had been caught kissing in a secluded corner of the Tang Clan’s rear garden by the martial guards. That was how her ”activities” were discovered.

They usually ate together in private too, but maybe because everyone had fallen asleep due to Geumdo’s mist, they were joining us for breakfast now.

I asked if she knew the place.

“You’ve heard of it?”

She nodded vigorously.

“Of course. If it’s Tianchi Lake, then this is within our territory. Go about twenty li east and you’ll reach Mount Dianchang. And beneath that is Dali.”

In other words, this area belonged to the Dianchang Sect.

Geombong was wearing a face full of national pride, but let’s be real—it’s the Dianchang Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, sure, but still a fringe sect on the outskirts of Yunnan.

Still, it seemed like a good call to stop here.

We needed to investigate in Dali and capture the people manufacturing the fake medicine. Given our route, this was the most efficient course.

“Then stopping here was the right decision. Unmirang, let the commander of the Venom Extermination Squad know I’d like to see him after breakfast.”

“Yes, So-ryong.”

Right after I had Unmirang pass on the message, Geombong asked a question—apparently curious.

“But young warrior, why is the Venom Extermination Squad accompanying you? Even if we’re near the Five Venoms Sect’s territory, isn’t that a bit much just to escort gifts?”

At that, all three members of the Dragon Fangs nodded.

They hadn’t said anything before, but it was clear they had all been wondering the same thing.

It wasn’t exactly a secret, so I explained what my father-in-law had told me.

“Oh, it’s nothing complicated. Apparently, in the Tang Clan, when a son-in-law is accepted into the family, he has to lead the Venom Extermination Squad for a few years and handle clan affairs.”

“Ah, yes. That’s a well-known Tang Clan tradition.”

“Right. So now that the wedding is done, I’ve started fulfilling that duty. And since this issue in Dali came up, I brought them along.”

“Something in Dali? Could you tell me more about it? You’ll have to inform our Dianchang Sect anyway if you’re planning to take action there.”

I’d heard that martial sects in the # Nоvеlight # martial world were divided like gang territories, and if you were going to do anything violent inside one, you had to get permission first.

I was planning to mention it anyway, but I wasn’t sure if this counted as one of those cases. I glanced at Hwa-eun, and she subtly nodded.

“This is the sort of thing the Venom Extermination commander would handle, but Geombong’s right.”

So I went ahead and explained the details.

“Well, the truth is, I developed a medicine. But I’ve heard that a fake version of it is being secretly sold in the alleys of the market.”

“So now I’m trying to track down the people who made it. Since it was first found in Dali, that’s where we’re headed.”

—Clatter.

I said it casually, but the atmosphere around the breakfast table suddenly went cold.

One of the brothers dropped his spoon.

“What did you say?”

“Come again!?”

“Is that true!?”

“Who the hell...?”

Everyone—my brother-in-law, his wife, Geombong, Chang-ryong, Eunbong, and Ji-ryong—shouted in outrage.

“There are bastards out there selling a fake version of the medicine you created!?”

“Who dares smear my martial brother’s name like that!?”

“This cannot be tolerated.”

Seriously? They’re this upset about it?

Even my father-in-law hadn’t made a big deal of it. I didn’t think much of it, but these four were seething.

Noticing my confusion, Kwon Ryong and Geom Ryong spoke up, almost like explaining something to a slow student.

“This right here shows how new he still is to the martial world.”

“Yeah, really.”

“How did you even rise to the Flower Realm, anyway?”

Sure, I kind of breezed my way up the ranks by bonding with venomous and spiritual creatures. I scratched my head, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Hehe...”

Then came the concerned explanation.

“So-ryong, one of the most important things in the martial world is your name—and your title. Your name gains weight through your deeds, and that weight eventually becomes a title. For a martial artist, the name is the title, and the title is the name.”

“And your title is... World’s Greatest Beastmaster Daddy, right?”

“Beast-Papa of Venomous Creatures.”

Hey! Why can’t you remember it right!?

I felt a little hurt that they couldn’t remember my noble title. Brother Geom Ryong noticed and apologized with a guilty look.

“Ah, right. Beast-Papa of Venomous Creatures. M-my bad. Anyway, that title builds its reputation off your name, So-ryong. And if people start thinking those counterfeit pills are actually yours, they’ll think you make weak, worthless junk. That’ll ruin the credibility of both your name and your title.”

“So those of us who’ve received your help—Do-ryong, Geombong, Chang-ryong, Ji-ryong, and Eunbong—we’re all furious. Because it tarnishes your name.”

So it wasn’t just some minor counterfeit issue.

Apparently, if I didn’t act, my beautiful, grand title Beast-Papa of Venomous Creatures could end up meaning “some quack who makes junk pills.”

That thought filled me with righteous fury.

“What!? So that’s what this means!?”

I mean, Beast-Papa of Venomous Creatures is a precious title.

It holds all the memories and love I’ve shared with my children.

It represents me as the Martial World’s version of a spicy Fabre, and now it might become a nickname for a second-rate fraud!?

Why didn’t my father-in-law mention this in detail? Now I felt a bit betrayed.

You really should’ve told me this part, Father-in-law!

Just then, Brother Gyu-seong asked,

“So what did your father-in-law say to do about it?”

In that moment, I remembered exactly what he’d said:

“Take a look at this. You won’t be able to let this slide either.”

“Find the bastards who made those counterfeit pills and sold them under the Tang name. Deal with them according to Tang Clan law and secure their formula.”

...Wait a second?

Now that I thought about it, it’s not that he didn’t tell me—he just said it in that usual smooth way of his.

“Hah. Someone’s out there selling fake pills under our son-in-law’s name? I bet you want to kill them too, right?”

“As for Tang law? Well, you know—make it hurt. Use all kinds of poisons to make them die as slowly and painfully as possible. Handle it while you’re heading to the main family for the wedding. You’re our son-in-law now—you’ll do great.”

I slowly turned to Hwa-eun and asked,

“Hey... Hwa-eun, when he said to ‘handle it according to Tang Clan law’... what exactly does that mean?”

And the atmosphere got even colder.

Though I asked Hwa-eun, everyone answered in unison.

“Sever the breath.”

Cut off their energy.

Stop their breathing.

That’s what it meant in Central Plains dialect.