Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 171: Division (1)

The moment Yo-hwa’s voice rang out, I flinched in shock and instinctively hid both hands behind my back.

But she wasn’t having any of it.

She darted forward and yanked my hands out into the open, holding them up in front of her—right between her own eyes and Hwa-eun’s.

- Kissit!

With my ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) glowing emerald nails now clearly exposed, Yo-hwa fixed me with an intense gaze, as if she had just caught her cheating boyfriend in the act.

‘Damn it. Of all people, why did it have to be Yo-hwa?!’

An unsettling feeling crept over me under her piercing stare.

Was this what it felt like to get caught cheating?

I shut my eyes tightly, my face grim.

The last person—or rather, the last venomous creature—I wanted to catch me like this was Yo-hwa.

If Bini or Hyang had noticed, they might have thrown a fit, but I could have begged and sweet-talked my way out of it.

But Yo-hwa was different.

She was obsessed with me—so much so that she had bound two red threads to my wrist.

She clearly saw me as something more than just her caretaker.

And to make things worse, she had taken on Hwa-eun’s appearance, making this entire situation ten times more difficult.

At this point, her shrill, demanding cry made it clear she wanted an explanation.

“...Huh? What? What are you talking about, Yo-hwa? Maybe you saw wrong?”

Her expression immediately twisted in disbelief, and she let out a sharp, accusing shriek.

Kishishi!? Kishi!?Even though we hadn’t linked through Beast Heart Resonance, I could understand her completely just from her body language.

Her expression and actions were eerily familiar.

They perfectly matched a phrase I had heard countless times in my past life.

『Do you take me for an idiot?!』

The exact words and expressions that actresses used in dramas when catching their boyfriends cheating.

‘Why... why do these things stay the same across different worlds?!’

Hwa-eun and Grandfather Mandok Shingun tried to step in.

“Yo-hwa, calm down. This isn’t what you think—”

“Our little Yo-hwa is upset, huh? Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that—”

But before they could finish, Yo-hwa whipped her head toward them and let out a fierce shriek.

Kissit! Kishishishit!『This is between me and him! Stay out of it!』

A bizarre phenomenon occurred.

Even though Beast Heart Resonance wasn’t active, I understood her perfectly.

‘Shit... what do I do?’

This was turning into a full-blown scandal.

If this were a live broadcast, how would I get out of it?

Wait. A broadcast...

An idea struck me like lightning.

In my past life, my strongest asset as a content creator was quick thinking.

There had been countless instances where I had to handle unexpected situations—whether it was a guest swearing on air or someone freaking out over a snake or a bug.

And I had always managed to smooth things over with quick improvisation.

Time to put that skill to use.

‘Cho, listen. I’ll calm Yo-hwa down, so just act like you don’t know anything. Got it?’

Tsrrut!With a deep breath, I schooled my face into a neutral expression and met Yo-hwa’s gaze.

Time to put on a show.

“...Sigh. I was planning to surprise Yo-hwa, but I guess I got caught.”

Kissit?Her shriek was filled with suspicion.

I ignored it and calmly channeled the power of Centipede Poison Fang Claw, letting my nails glow bright emerald once more.

“Well, I have no choice now. I’ll just have to explain. But Yo-hwa, I want you to know—I really wanted this to be a secret. Even if you get mad at me later, there’s nothing I can do. You misunderstood, after all.”

Ki, Kishi...?My confident tone made her hesitate.

But the moment my nails gleamed brightly again, her eyes widened in renewed fury.

Kissit!She must have thought I was trying to make excuses despite the evidence right in front of her.

I had to keep pushing forward.

“I really wanted to surprise you. And now, you’re mad... sigh. But listen, Yo-hwa, this is all for you.”

...?For the first time, doubt flickered in her eyes.

Now was my chance.

With a gentle smile, I continued.

“You might not know this, but the techniques I’m learning—Centipede Poison Fang Claw, Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand, Scorpion Tail Swift Kick, Lizard Gecko Movement, and Explosive Toad Palm—all represent different venomous creatures.”

Ki, Kissit?Yo-hwa tilted her head.

I nodded solemnly.

“But think about it, Yo-hwa. Out of all these techniques, there’s nothing that represents you.”

“...”

“Centipede. Snake. Scorpion. Lizard. Toad. They’re all here... except for you.”

Kishishit!The moment she realized it, Yo-hwa flared up in outrage.

I nodded as if I completely understood her frustration.

“Right?! It’s so unfair! How could there be a technique for everyone else but not for my beloved Yo-hwa?”

Her anger burned even brighter, and I quickly followed up.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“So I decided to do something about it.”

Kissit?“That’s right. I planned to create a technique in your honor. I was going to surprise you by developing a martial art that represents you. Grandfather and I were working on it together.”

At the mention of Grandfather, I subtly glanced toward him and Hwa-eun.

They immediately caught on.

Hwa-eun was the first to speak up.

“Y-yeah! That’s right, Yo-hwa. Your brother wanted to surprise you, so I was helping him too. But... well, I guess the secret’s out.”

Grandfather followed suit.

“Indeed. We even came up with a name—Spider Fang Piercing Claw. What do you think, Yo-hwa? A technique that mimics the deadly bite of a spider...”

Spider Fang Piercing Claw—now that was a solid name.

As expected of Grandfather, all I did was drop a hint, and he instantly came up with a martial art name that fit the situation perfectly.

Coincidentally, among the five techniques I had learned, all of them focused on claw-based attacks, but none involved pinpointing acupoints with finger techniques. That had always felt like a slight gap in my arsenal.

This was the perfect alibi.

A technique that paralyzed an opponent by targeting their acupoints with two curved fingers, symbolizing the fangs of a spider? It sounded completely legitimate.

And Yo-hwa’s venom wasn’t just any ordinary poison—it was a neurotoxin that caused paralysis.

A martial art that combined acupoint strikes and paralytic poison?

It was too perfect to be a coincidence.

‘Damn... the stars are aligning. The heavens are on my side!’

I had felt like the universe was unfairly screwing me over recently, but maybe that was just preparation for this divine assist.

Unlike before, when I had no idea how to react, now everything was falling into place.

Everything I had improvised—from the situation to the name to the martial art itself—all lined up as if it had been planned from the very start.

Kissit?Yo-hwa gave me a suspicious look, silently asking if this was really true.

All of us nodded rapidly.

“Y-yeah, of course.”

“That’s right, Yo-hwa.”

“It’s all true.”

But Yo-hwa wasn’t satisfied with just our word.

She turned to Cho—the one being she knew wouldn’t lie.

Kissit?

Tsrr!

Ki, Kissit...

Even Cho, fully committed to the act, gave a firm nod.

At last, Yo-hwa’s suspicions began to waver.

Her expression shifted into one of embarrassment.

She looked at me with an apologetic face, clearly feeling guilty for getting angry without knowing the full story.

Finally, she released my hands.

Seeing her looking so ashamed, I patted her shoulder with a gentle smile.

I was, after all, the kind of big brother who forgave easily.

“It was a situation anyone could misunderstand, so you don’t have to apologize.”

Moved by my kindness, Yo-hwa rubbed her face against my hand, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

I chuckled and ruffled her hair.

“The technique is still in its early stages, so I can’t show it to you yet. But I promise I’ll complete Spider Fang Piercing Claw with Grandfather and let you see it. Okay, Yo-hwa?”

Kissit...She shyly nodded.

‘Damn, that was some next-level quick thinking.’

With that, Yo-hwa’s misunderstanding was resolved.

I could finally breathe again.

Now, she wouldn’t bring this up again.

And even if she did, I could just say that martial arts take a long time to develop.

Hwa-eun even praised me via sound transmission.

[“You handled that perfectly, So-ryong. Just have Grandfather and me make a demonstration later, and we’re in the clear.”]

Crisis averted.

With the matter settled and the other creatures about to wake up, I figured it was time to wrap things up and leave.

But just as I was about to make my exit...

A soft, embarrassed voice reached my ears.

Tsrut. Tsrrut?The three of us turned back to look at Yo-hwa.

She was showing me silk threads being drawn from her spinnerets, her face bright with excitement.

Hwa-eun and Grandfather looked at me, utterly baffled.

They clearly didn’t understand what she was trying to say.

Unfortunately, I did.

And I really, really wished I didn’t.

With a stiff expression, I asked hesitantly:

“...Wait. You want me to add silk weaving to the technique?”

Kissit!Yo-hwa nodded enthusiastically.

She wanted me to incorporate web-spinning into the martial art.

‘Yo-hwa... humans don’t produce white liquid from their butts...’

Spiders secreted silk in liquid form before it solidified.

If I were to replicate that... I’d have to, what?

Drip white fluid from my...?!

NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.

But if I outright refused, it might cause another misunderstanding.

Her sparkling eyes were filled with hope.

Damn it.

With a forced smile, I reluctantly nodded.

“...I’ll, uh... see what I can do.”

I had barely managed to smooth things over, but somehow... I had a feeling this problem had just gotten bigger.

***

After training, I returned to my quarters.

The others were still asleep, completely exhausted.

But one was awake—

From the ceiling, Yeondu slithered down from a pillar.

Shaaah.I hadn’t noticed him earlier when checking on the others, so he must have been sleeping up there.

“Oh, Yeondu. Did you sleep well?”

I placed him on my shoulder and then gently picked up Hyang, who was still half-asleep, and settled him on my other shoulder.

That was when I felt a strange emptiness.

‘...What is this?’

Something was missing.

I couldn’t pinpoint it at first, but the feeling of absence made me suspicious.

I scanned the room, wondering if someone had wandered off in the middle of the night.

Then, I spotted it—

An empty space in the corner.

It took me only a second to realize—

Hwayang was gone.

“...Hwayang isn’t here? Did anyone see him?”

The others, now waking up, groggily turned toward Hwayang’s usual spot.

Kwookku!

Tsrrr.

They all shook their heads.

“...Where did that little guy go?”

Hwayang’s legs were short.

Where could he have waddled off to?

I was still searching when—

A servant girl rushed into the room, looking frantic.

“So-ryong-nim! You have to come to the kitchen right now! If this goes on, everyone will miss breakfast!”

“...What?”

The Tang Clan wasn’t exactly poor—there was no way we had run out of rice.

Then why was breakfast at risk?

Puzzled, I followed her to the kitchen.

When we arrived—

I was met with a ridiculous sight.

Hwayang was sitting in the fireplace, sucking up all the flames.

“Of course you’d be here, sniffing out food like a damn hound. Get out of there, you little glutton.”

I dragged him out of the fire and plopped him onto my head.

As I was leaving the kitchen—

I spotted Golden-Furred Bee King’s house in the distance.

It was unusually noisy.

Buuung.

Buuuuung.

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“...What’s going on over there?”

Something was definitely up.

Maybe it was time for a visit.