Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 123: Poisoning (5)

The judgment for the two lovers who had committed what could only be called excessive intimacy resulting in harm was a forced marriage.

“I’ll have to speak to my elder brother... It seems we’ll need to hurry the wedding. If we’re not careful, the firstborn might arrive before the ceremony...”

“N-no! We haven’t done anything besides... k-kissing!”

“...Huh?”

“I-I mean... that’s not... I mean... Huwaaah!”

Eunbong’s wailing voice rang out, almost as if she had infused it with inner energy, echoing with sorrow.

She cried out in grief, protesting the injustice of the situation, but in this era, even just kissing—what Hwa-eun called something only married couples do—was more than enough justification.

Since the two were already engaged, this conclusion might have actually worked out in their favor.

And so, Ji-ryong’s poisoning case was officially closed as the mistake of two reckless young lovers.

However, the aftermath affected not just them, but also me, Hwa-eun, and our children.

What I mean is—

Hwa-eun and I, having only a limited mastery of poison arts, had managed to identify the poison but were incapable of extracting it from the body.

To treat Ji-ryong, we needed someone on the level of the Tang Clan’s head or Mandok Shingun himself.

Which meant that Shin-tu had to return to the Tang Clan to bring one of them back.

When nerve-related symptoms arise, it’s best to treat them as soon as possible.

If left untreated, frequent convulsions and other neurological issues can lead to permanent damage.

The nervous system is extremely delicate—once excessively stimulated over a prolonged period, it can deteriorate rapidly.

When I explained this to Zhuge Hu, he immediately made his decision.

And of course, the fastest person for the job was Shin-tu, the human bullet taxi of the martial world.

Because of this, our journey was delayed for several days.

“...You want me to carry that old man Mandok Shingun back here?”

“Please, Shin-tu. While we don’t believe Ji-ryong’s condition will worsen further, we should treat him quickly.”

“Why don’t you just send a fast messenger to bring the old man instead?”

“We need someone as fast as you.”

“...I refuse. Of all people, why him? I feel like I get poisoned just by standing near him...”

At first, Shin-tu flat-out refused.

He and Mandok Shingun seemed to have some kind of rivalry.

But when the leader of the martial alliance personally intervened, Shin-tu had no choice but to shut up and get moving.

“Shin-tu, I must ask this of you. With the Blood Cult stirring, we cannot afford distractions. The military strategist cannot afford to be preoccupied with personal matters.”

“...Fine, fine. If you say so, Commander...”

For someone with a background in less-than-legal activities, Shin-tu certainly couldn’t argue with the head of a martial alliance.

“Sir, please make sure to inform the children that our journey will be delayed a few days.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

Even if Mandok Shingun had no desire to come, he couldn’t exactly refuse when he received a personal letter from the alliance leader.

So, in the end, he hurried over.

And, in just two days—faster than our initial trip—Mandok Shingun arrived at the martial alliance’s gates, looking thoroughly displeased.

Then, he began treating Ji-ryong.

And, as a bonus, Eunbong as well.

“I’ve drawn out as much of the poison as possible, but this will take long-term treatment.

The poisoning has been ongoing for too long. Too much of it has been absorbed into his body, making it impossible to purge in one go.

While he’ll be able to move around normally, he’ll need to visit our main house for further treatment.

For the time being, his eyesight may twitch, his speech might slur, and his limbs may spasm or feel weak. Though So-ryong’s quick thinking prevented worse damage, full recovery will take a long time.”

“Thank you, Mandok Shingun.”

“And you—come here.

You’ve been consuming the same thing as Ji-ryong. Just because you aren’t showing symptoms yet doesn’t mean you won’t.

You’re probably just as poisoned.”

That evening, after Mandok Shingun completed the long treatment, Hwa-eun and I visited the guest quarters where Ji-ryong was staying.

A courtesy visit, of course.

After all, Ji-ryong was a member of one of the Seven Great Clans.

Upon arriving at the guest quarters, we were greeted by laughter from inside.

“Hah! Your new title should be Gecko, not Ji-ryong!”

“Pfft—yeah! Gecko! Hahahaha!”

Inside, I recognized the voices of Ji-ryong, Eunbong, and his friends—Geom-ryong, Kwon-ryong, and Gungbong.

“Ji-ryong! Say something!”

“Ack—stop it, guys! I’m seriously injured here!”

“Come on, enough already! You’re making Eunbong uncomfortable. Though... why is she embarrassed?”

‘Gecko...? Wait a minute, isn’t that what they call lizards?’

From the teasing tone of their voices, they were clearly poking fun at him.

Curious, I knocked on the door.

“I’m coming in. This is So-ryong from the Tang Clan.”

“Oh! So-ryong! Please, come in!”

Ji-ryong’s tone instantly brightened.

Upon entering, I saw the remaining members of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes sitting around.

Eunbong, meanwhile, had gone completely red.

“We heard that treatment was completed, so we wanted to check on you.”

“Oh, I should have visited you myself, but given my condition...

Eunbong told me what happened.

I ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) owe you a great debt, So-ryong.”

When we first met, he had seemed irritable and stiff.

But now that the mercury poisoning was being treated, his expression and voice had softened significantly.

“No need to thank me. Mandok Shingun did the actual healing—I just helped figure things out.”

But Ji-ryong shook his head.

“No, I must thank you.

You didn’t just save me—you saved Eunbong as well.”

Even as he spoke, his left hand trembled, and his lips twitched occasionally from the lingering effects of the poison.

Yet, despite that, he still forced his hands into a respectful fist-and-palm salute toward me.

After exchanging pleasantries, Eunbong poured tea for us.

It was then that my curiosity got the better of me.

“By the way... I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I heard someone call you Gecko earlier.

What’s that about?”

PFFFT!

Both Geom-ryong and Kwon-ryong, who had been drinking tea, spat it out.

Poor Gungbong, who had been sitting between them, took a direct hit.

“...Eh?”

Gungbong blinked blankly.

Even as he wiped his face, the others struggled to hold in their laughter.

“Pffft...!”

“M-my apologies, Gungbong. Pfft...”

Hwa-eun and I exchanged confused glances.

Ji-ryong, scratching his head awkwardly, sighed.

“...Well, since you asked, I suppose I have to explain.”

“Ji-ryong, no!”

“I mean, he did save my life, Eunbong...”

“...Huwaaah...”

Eunbong looked like she wanted to sink into the floor.

Ji-ryong cleared his throat and continued.

“You see... zhusha isn’t something humans are meant to consume, right?”

“...That’s right.”

“The only creatures that do eat zhusha are... well, geckos.”

“Geckos?”

I frowned.

Why the hell would a lizard eat zhusha?

Hwa-eun suddenly whispered.

“Oh... You mean the geckos raised to make Shougongsha?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“...Ah.”

Now I understood.

This was just like what I’d heard in the Namgung Clan.

The same absurd belief that had led to the practice of force-feeding zhusha to lizards and grinding them into powder to test a woman’s virginity.

“But what does that have to do with you?”

Ji-ryong averted his gaze, avoiding Eunbong’s furious glare.

“...Well, I consumed zhusha for the sake of preserving Eunbong’s honor.

So, they said that I was just like those lizards...”

“...Pfft.”

I tried to hold back my laughter.

These guys... they were hilarious.

***

"Hahaha! Really? You and Do-ryong are sworn brothers? Then just call me 'big brother' as well!"

"If you're Do-ryong’s younger brother, then you’re our younger brother too."

"Hey, why are you guys claiming my benefactor as your little brother?"

"That way, we can be your big brothers too. Since So-ryong saved your life, shouldn’t you naturally consider him your older brother instead?"

"What!?"

"Uwahahaha!"

Geom-ryong was the senior disciple of the Zhongnan Sect, real name Mu-jin. Kwon-ryong was the eldest son of the Hwangbo Family, named Hwangbo Yeong.

They were people with bold, outgoing personalities.

It seemed they were natural socializers, as after just exchanging a few words, I quickly became comfortable with them.

What was supposed to be just a brief greeting turned into a long conversation that stretched into the night.

"But... is it a rule that if someone saves your life, you have to call them 'big brother'?"

"...Huh?"

Gungbong tilted his head in confusion. He had a bit of an airheaded innocence about him. He was a disciple of the mysterious Myohwa Palace.

[Ah, don't mind Gungbong. He's always like that.]

[Gungbong has a kind of pure charm.]

The Martial Alliance didn’t officially sell alcohol inside its grounds, but somehow, they had gotten their hands on some.

Apparently, a night like this had to include drinks.

"You should have a drink too, younger brother!"

"I'm still underage..."

"I started drinking when I was twelve, so it's fine."

And since alcohol was being served, they insisted that music should follow.

Despite having teased Eunbong earlier, they now begged her to play a song.

"Eunbong, you should play your flute for our benefactor!"

"That's right! Not because of the alcohol—play it for So-ryong!"

"Haa..."

Though she didn’t seem particularly eager, I was genuinely curious, as I had never seen sound-based martial arts in action before.

"If it's not too much trouble, could I have the honor of witnessing it? I’ve never seen sound-based techniques before."

"If it’s for you, So-ryong..."

Eunbong pulled a jade flute from her sleeve.

I had wondered what jeokja referred to—it turned out to be a type of Chinese flute.

A sorrowful yet beautiful melody filled the room, leaving me in awe.

Then, she demonstrated her true skill.

Seemingly annoyed at Geom-ryong and Kwon-ryong, she played a hypnotic tune that lulled them into drowsiness.

Just as their heads started nodding forward, a sharp, piercing sound rang through the air, jolting them awake.

'Wait... what was that?'

Startled by the abrupt sound, I turned to Eunbong, who was watching me with curiosity.

"How did you find the music of our Moonshadow Palace?"

"It was amazing. I’m truly impressed."

Hwa-eun nodded in agreement.

Seeing our admiration, Eunbong smiled in satisfaction.

She then reached into her sleeve and retrieved an ornate lacquered box—but upon seeing what she had taken out, her expression immediately turned awkward.

She had grabbed the container with the danji inside.

Clearly, she was embarrassed that she had instinctively reached for it after everything that had happened because of it.

"Ah... It’s a habit. Even though Tianlang bought it for me, I should just throw it away."

"I’ll get you one made from safflower next time."

"But that doesn't feel as nice on my lips..."

Hearing their conversation, I sensed there was a deeper story behind it.

When I asked them about it, I finally understood why Eunbong was so fixated on applying something to her lips.

Since she specialized in sound techniques, her flute was essentially her weapon.

But constantly playing it for martial training caused her lips to crack frequently.

Moonshadow Palace was a martial sect, so they didn’t care much about such things.

At most, they would apply oil to soothe the lips.

However, Ji-ryong had felt bad seeing her lips chapped and had bought her the danji, which is how their romantic relationship began.

Their frequent kisses were, in a way, their way of ensuring her lips stayed moisturized—a form of treatment.

"So that’s the story?"

"...Yes, well..."

Eunbong blushed after explaining the situation.

For a brief moment, an awkward silence hung in the air.

To change the mood, I decided to ask about something that had been on my mind since she finished playing.

"Eunbong, I was wondering about something while listening to your performance. If it's not too much trouble, could I ask for your advice?"

"Advice?"

She tilted her head but smiled and nodded.

"Of course. You saved both me and Tianlang, so I’ll help however I can."

"Earlier, at the end of your performance, you played a note that made a sharp, ringing sound. I heard something similar recently.

The moment I heard it, my internal energy was thrown into disarray, and I couldn’t focus.

Is there a way to block something like that?"

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"You’ve encountered sound-based techniques before?"

The sound Eunbong had played at the end of her performance reminded me of the ear-piercing noise made by Guimyeonghuzi's wingbeats—the noise that completely disrupted a person's concentration.

If Eunbong was a master of sound-based techniques, she might know how to counter it.

"It’s a secret, but since none of you are the type to go around spreading information...

It happened in Yunnan..."

Even though it was classified information, this was something I would eventually have to deal with.

And with the Five Venoms Sect allying with the Blood Cult, it wasn’t impossible that Guimyeonghuzi would appear in the Central Plains.

So I explained the situation in detail.

"...That’s how it happened."

"Oh, so that’s why you didn’t tell us the details of the incident with Jianfeng and Peng-hyung earlier?"

"Yes, Hwangbo-hyung."

"And Jianfeng—he’s alright?"

"Yes. He and the others are receiving treatment at Beast Palace, so there's no need to worry."

"That’s a relief."

After my explanation, the conversation briefly shifted to concern about Peng-hyung and the others.

Once the mood settled, Eunbong reached for the sake that had been served alongside the tea and filled a cup halfway.

Then, she had Geom-ryong tap the side of the cup with a chopstick.

Ting. Ting.

"Sound travels in waves, much like ripples on the surface of water when a stone is dropped in.

If you can find the opposite frequency and make them collide—"

She paused, then played a note on her flute.

At the same time, Geom-ryong struck the cup again.

Both sounds canceled each other out, leaving only silence.

'Ah! It’s like noise canceling!'

I had assumed she was just obsessed with kissing, but it turned out she was more of a debuffer than I expected.

And, even better—she was the perfect counter to Guimyeonghuzi!

I decided to make a deal with her.

"Eunbong, if I ever need to deal with Guimyeonghuzi, could I count on you to accompany me and block its sound?"

"Of course. If it’s for the good of the martial world, I should help. But... what do you mean by 'something we need'?"

She tilted her head, clearly curious about what I was offering.

What else could it be?

A completely non-toxic, moisturizing lip product.

One that would let her and Ji-ryong kiss as much as they wanted—without any consequences.

'Go ahead. Kiss to your heart’s content. No need to hold back anymore.'