Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 126: Heavenly Silkworm (2)

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"Well, what I’m saying is that if you need to wrap your body with such a ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) tough thread, it means there’s something out there that must be protected against, something that only such a thread can block. It suggests that there’s something nearby that could put the creature in danger."

"And if we find that dangerous thing, we might also be able to find what it feeds on more easily, right?"

When I finished explaining, the silk craftsmen nodded, their faces indicating they agreed with my reasoning.

"Indeed. If the purpose of the Celestial Silkworm’s thread is to protect its body, then the young master's words seem correct."

"I only thought of it as merely constructing a house, but now it makes sense. The house is meant to protect people from the cold, heat, and beasts, right?"

"Even for insects like these, the idea doesn’t change, does it?"

Although Shintu clearly seemed surprised, it appeared that, due to his profession, he was a particularly cautious type of person.

He wiped the surprise off his face and asked again.

"But can you be so sure with just one piece of information? You haven’t confirmed it yourself, have you?"

‘As expected, his profession makes him especially cautious. If he wasn’t careful, he might be caught in something...’

I too hadn’t arrived at this conclusion based on just one fact, so I nodded in agreement.

I also knew that Fabre was a very cautious person.

Without being cautious, you wouldn’t be able to capture poisonous creatures, after all.

"Of course, I’m not entirely sure based on just one fact. There’s another reason I believe this. You mentioned a disciple named Yeong-ryeon, didn’t you?"

"Ah, yes, Yeong-ryeon. Why do you ask about him?"

"If there are any santcho trees, thorn trees, or wild pear trees nearby, could you ask him to catch a few insects for me? The caterpillar I’m looking for has the color of grass blades."

To explain this, showing them would be best.

When I asked him to send his disciple to fetch the caterpillars, one of the silk craftsmen hesitantly stood up.

"Excuse me... Young Master?"

"Yes?"

"I believe there’s a santcho tree in the back yard..."

It just so happened that there was a santcho tree nearby.

I decided to gather everyone and head to the backyard of the abandoned Daoist temple to check if I could find what I was looking for.

"Let’s all go and take a look. This is important."

As we walked toward the backyard, where the tree was, a neglected tree caught my eye. As we got closer, the refreshing scent of the santcho tree filled the air.

"Let’s see... Where could they be?"

The first place I checked was beneath the tree.

As I looked around the area, I soon noticed small, disc-like objects scattered around the base of one side of the tree.

‘As expected, there they are!’

I had been worried that I might not find them, but thankfully, we were no longer in an era that relied on pesticides, so the traces of the caterpillars were visible.

I quickly moved to check the tender leaves above, and near the chewed-up leaves, a few caterpillars, camouflaged in green, were curled up on the branches.

I even spotted a pupa.

I had a feeling that others would soon turn into pupae as well.

‘Fortunately, the perfect tiger swallowtail caterpillars.’

When these creatures first emerge from their eggs, they have a form similar to bird droppings for protection, but once they mature into tiger swallowtail caterpillars, they become the ones I’m looking for.

Pointing to the plumpest and largest one, I spoke.

"Everyone, look here. Do you see it?"

As I pointed at the caterpillar, the silk craftsmen nodded in acknowledgment.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

It seemed that, being commoners, they had encountered these insects at least once.

"A green caterpillar, right? I’ve seen these on tangerine trees before."

"I’ve also spotted something similar on thorn trees."

"Yes, they’re quite troublesome as they eat the tangerine leaves. The ones from the thorn trees are definitely the same species."

Just as they said, these caterpillars were pests that ate the leaves of tangerine and thorn trees.

But, when they transform into butterflies, they become one of the most beautiful insects.

The caterpillar I was pointing to was known in the Central Plains as Pyojeop (tiger swallowtail), or the tiger swallowtail butterfly in Korea.

"But why did you ask us to look at this one?"

Unable to wait any longer, Shintu asked why I had them come over to see this particular insect.

I smiled and flicked the caterpillar’s body with my finger.

Thwip.

Immediately, the caterpillar jerked its head upward, and a yellow horn suddenly popped out from its head before disappearing.

"Oh! What’s this?"

"Doesn’t it look familiar?"

"Oh, yes! I’ve seen something like this on the Celestial Silkworm’s larvae. This yellow horn, was this the other clue you were thinking of?"

"Yes, here, take a whiff."

At Shintu’s question, I flicked the tiger swallowtail caterpillar again.

It raised its osmeterium—a horn-like organ—from its head, and I rubbed it on my fingertip.

A sticky sensation and a strong smell emanated from my fingertip.

When I held it out, Shintu quickly covered his nose and shouted.

"Ugh! What, what’s that smell?"

The osmeterium, a horn-like organ observed in the larvae of tiger swallowtails and similar species, emits a distinctive scent from the citrus or santcho toxins the caterpillars have consumed.

To humans, it smells like a strong vinegar, similar to tangerine vinegar, but for other insects or creatures like birds, it is a repellent that sends them fleeing.

So, when I saw a horn on a dead Celestial Silkworm’s larva, I suspected that this organ might be for a similar purpose.

Tiger swallowtail caterpillars only develop this organ once they become O-Gong, and the presence of the osmeterium right after birth suggested that dangerous creatures must be nearby.

This was the second reason I believed there was something dangerous around the Celestial Silkworms.

"The larvae of tiger swallowtail emit this foul smell from their horns, which is meant to protect themselves from predators or pests."

"The Celestial Silkworm’s larvae have something similar, not to mention the strong threads, so surely it’s to protect themselves from something, right?"

That’s why I thought this way.

After presenting my two reasons, Shintu finally looked at me with a respectful gaze.

Whether his skepticism had been cured, Shintu now appeared delighted, his face beaming as he shouted.

"In my entire life of handling Celestial Silkworms, I’ve never thought of it that way. You said you had a different perspective, and indeed, So-ryong, you think differently!"

"So, what do you think they feed on?"

However, with my next words, his respectful gaze turned to one of disappointment.

"That...?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... we’ll have to look for it ourselves now."

"......"

I’m not a god, how could I find it all in one go?

***

Shintu's expression turned to one of disappointment, but it was still too early for him to be discouraged.

He didn’t know it yet, but once this spicy Fabre got involved, figuring out what they ate would be easy.

"It’s still too early to be disappointed."

"Who said I was disappointed?"

"I thought you were disappointed... Anyway, I’ll find it soon enough."

"Really!?"

‘He may be small like a thief, but his body is as light as a feather. That’s why his movement is so fast, huh?’

Shintu’s face lit up with hope again at the promise that I would find it soon.

I couldn’t help but feel like I knew the secret of his lightness, so I asked him.

"Do you know where you first found the Celestial Silkworm?"

"The Celestial Silkworm? I don’t know exactly, but I have a rough idea..."

"Yes, the best way to check what it feeds on is to look at the place where it was collected. Let’s go there first."

To be honest, Shintu’s struggle was something he had brought upon himself.

Normally, when collecting insects or animals, if you carefully observe their ecology, you wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble.

When I raised Seol and Bini, what do you think made me travel all the way to the Huangshan where the Namgung clan is located?

It was to check their food source and make sure I had it ready for them, wasn’t it?

So all this trouble started because, in his enthusiasm for the Celestial Silkworm’s abilities, Shintu was only focused on gathering them without properly checking the habitat.

That’s why I suggested that we at least visit the habitat, even if it’s just roughly known, and check it out.

Shintu, however, seemed hesitant and replied with an expression that said he didn’t want to.

"You might not find anything there."

"Not find anything?"

"I even went there once, hoping to find more eggs, but it was just a rocky mountain. Nothing there."

"A rocky mountain?"

"Yes, it’s a place called the Red Rock Mountain, full of red rocks. I searched for a long time, but found nothing."

‘A rocky mountain...’

If what he said was true, that was strange.

I had assumed there would be some kind of predator nearby, but if it was just a barren rocky mountain, it didn’t make sense.

However, since they were regular people, it was possible they missed something special.

From an expert’s perspective, things might look different, so I decided to check some other things.

"Was what you found an adult, or was it an egg?"

First, I had to clarify whether it was an adult or an egg.

"An adult? You mean a fully grown Celestial Silkworm? I didn’t see any, but I did find eggs and the silkworms."

"Eggs and the silkworms together?"

Finding eggs and silkworms together probably meant that he had found the eggs and the cocoons as well.

When I asked for confirmation, Shintu nodded.

"Were the cocoons empty?"

"Yes. The empty cocoon is what I used to make the silkworm thread I’m using now."

From the situation, it seemed like the adult had emerged from the cocoon, mated, and immediately laid eggs there.

This meant that there must be some kind of food source around, which I hadn’t considered yet.

I suggested that we go check it out.

"Let’s still go check it out. From an expert’s perspective, we might see something different."

"Expert’s perspective?"

Shintu didn’t seem to understand what I meant by an expert’s perspective.

I had explained what an expert was last time, but it seemed that he didn’t quite grasp the concept.

"How should I explain this... Ah, I know."

The best way to explain an expert’s perspective was with a simple example.

I pointed to the ornament hanging from my clothes and asked him.

"Do you know how valuable this is?"

The ornament had a piece of ice jade given to me by Namgung Seol.

Shintu glanced at the ornament with the ice jade, seemingly not impressed, and replied casually.

"It’s ice jade. It’s small, but worth at least a thousand silver. But it’s not something a thief like me would steal."

"Really!?"

‘Wait, it’s that expensive!?’

I didn’t think it was that valuable just because Namgung Seol gave it to me, but it turned out to be quite expensive.

I quickly calmed my surprised heart and explained.

"That’s what I mean by an expert’s perspective. Without someone like you, who would immediately recognize this as ice jade? Most would just think it’s some regular jade. And who would quickly realize its value?"

"Ah, I see."

I explained it at the level of a thief, and Shintu seemed to understand, nodding his head.

His face lit up with excitement again as he said,

"Alright, let’s go check it out right now!"

It felt like he was about to drag me along.

I calmed him down and asked,

"By the way, how far is it?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I’m just worried that if it’s too far, you won’t let me go. You see..."

"Ah..."

I pointed to the two threads tied around my ankle, and Shintu nodded.

The bucket that Yo-hwa had tied was nothing to laugh at, and Shintu had seen it before, so he knew.

‘She’s scarier than my wife, I swear.’

***

Fortunately, Shintu said it was only about a day's journey away.

He explained that he had been trying to hatch the Celestial Silkworms here because he had gotten the eggs from the nearby area.

Shintu looked at the silk craftsmen and asked,

"What should the craftsmen do? If they can help, I’ll keep them with us, otherwise, I’ll send them home."

It seemed best to finish the work before heading to Yo-hwa for permission.

There was no use keeping them around; they wouldn’t help me.

"Send them all back. I don’t think I’ll need them."

"Mm. I see. Then, since they’ve worked hard, I’ll share some of the gold we brought and send them back to Yeong-ryeon."

After saying this, Shintu was about to leave when the old man, who had been introduced as the head of the silk craftsmen, approached me and asked,

"Young Master, could I have a look at that for a moment?"

"That?"

I thought maybe he wanted to take a look at the ice jade, but his gaze was fixed on my ankle.

The old man was looking at the thread that Yo-hwa had tied.

Thinking about it, the old man was a silk craftsman.

This meant he had an expert’s perspective on the thread.

‘It would be good if I could show these people my opinion on weaving fabrics with Yo-hwa’s thread...’

I nodded, and the old man quickly knelt down and started inspecting my leg.

"Would it be alright to touch it?"

"Go ahead."

When I gave him permission to touch it, the old man’s eyes widened in shock.

"This... This is!"

The old man called over the other craftsmen, and they rushed to examine the thread with their hands.

"This... What kind of thread is this?!"

"It’s so light and strong, stretching and then shrinking back into place!"

"It’s shinier and more beautiful than silkworm threads!"

"I’ve never seen a thread like this in my life!"

It seemed that Yo-hwa’s thread was incredibly valuable.

Even to me, Yo-hwa’s thread seemed soft, yet strong and incredibly elastic.

‘I wonder if I could make armor for martial artists out of this and sell it?’

The martial world of Zhongyuan, where getting hit by swords is an everyday affair.

If I made and sold this, it would surely fly off the shelves. Just a thought that crossed my mind.

The illustration of Bi-cheon Shin-sa has been updated.

In the latest update and episode 111, you can see the part where Bi-cheon Shin-sa gets the name Smallpox, along with a cute image of Yeon-du.

For those using the series, please delete the downloaded episode and download it again to apply the changes.

(Today is a rest day, but I wanted to show you Yeon-du’s illustration, so I’m uploading this one.)