Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 190: Fur (3)

For long-distance travel, excluding horses and wagons, martial artists typically use three main types of carrying tools.

Since they don’t need to prepare large amounts of food and are both faster and more durable than horses or wagons, martial artists mainly rely on their own two legs.

Because of this, they generally use three specific carrying methods.

First, there is the geup, a bamboo backpack.

It’s a rectangular box made of bamboo, filled with supplies, and worn like a backpack.

It even has shoulder straps, so aside from being made of bamboo, it functions just like an actual backpack.

The character geup (笈) originally referred to a bookcase, commonly used by scholars to carry books.

However, martial artists often use it to carry clothes and food.

If you’ve ever seen a Chinese film where scholars walk around with a square bamboo bag on their backs—that’s a geup.

Another method is using a large reed or bamboo basket with shoulder straps, serving as a substitute for a backpack.

This method is typically used by market vendors carrying vegetables or goods, but martial artists also adopt it frequently.

It’s easy to make and holds a lot of supplies.

Lastly, there is the simplest method—cutting a length of bamboo and attaching baskets on either end, or tying up supplies directly to it.

This was something I often saw in Southeast Asian markets in my past life.

It resembled the way people carried water yokes or how ancient soldiers slung their belongings vertically over their backs.

Currently, we were using bamboo baskets we had brought from Yunnan as makeshift backpacks.

When I took a closer look at the cause of the warriors’ commotion, I saw that, just like before, holes had been gnawed through the corner of one of the baskets.

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The warriors from the Beast Palace could repair the baskets, so that wasn’t the issue.

The real problem was that this had now happened three days in a row.

At this point, I decided it was best to consult an expert on the matter.

When faced with a problem, the best solution was to call in a specialist, wasn’t it?

“Seol!”

That’s right—Seol was the one to ask.

If I was an expert on insects, reptiles, amphibians, and, more specifically, venomous creatures, then Seol was the authority on furred animals.

Even though we weren’t in Yunnan, she might still be able to identify the culprit based on the traces it had left behind.

The Beast Palace’s knowledge wasn’t limited to just Yunnan’s beasts—Seol was well-versed in all manner of creatures.

Since this clearly seemed to be the work of some wild animal, if we could determine what it was, we could either drive it away or prevent it from approaching again.

That was why I called her over.

“Hm? So-ryong, what is it?”

With slightly drowsy eyes, Seol tilted her head before scurrying over to me when I beckoned.

Still half-asleep, she leaned against me, and I pointed at the damaged basket.

“Can you tell what kind of animal did this?”

“This?”

“Yes. I hadn’t mentioned it before, but for the past three days, our food has been getting stolen.

It’s not a huge amount, but the baskets keep getting damaged too.

I’m pretty sure it’s an animal, but I don’t know much about them.”

“I see. Hold on... Hmm?”

Since I hadn’t told anyone about this before, this was the first time Seol was hearing about it.

At my request, she began examining the damaged basket.

First, she carefully inspected the torn edges.

Then, she moved to the surrounding grass where the basket had been left.

She sniffed around, studying the nearby trees and the ground with meticulous attention.

After a while, she seemed to reach a conclusion, but instead of clarity, she looked puzzled.

“Hmm... Something’s strange.”

“What is?”

“Well, there aren’t any footprints, and the bite marks on the basket look odd.

At first, I thought it might be a rodent since it chewed through the basket, but look here—

The edges weren’t gnawed down with sharp incisors.

It looks more like something bit down with its molars and tore it apart.”

Following her explanation, I took a closer look.

Sure enough, there was a distinct difference.

I had vaguely assumed it was the work of rats, but as Seol pointed out, there were no signs of gnawing.

The bamboo hadn’t been gradually chewed down but rather cut cleanly or forcibly ripped apart.

“You’re right. So it’s not a rat?”

As expected of Seol.

When I nodded, she continued her explanation.

“Yeah. If it were a rat, it would’ve gnawed through with its front teeth, little by little.

But this wasn’t gnawed—it was ripped.

That’s why it’s so strange.”

“?”

“This kind of bite mark usually belongs to a carnivorous animal.

But for a carnivore, the teeth seem too small...

Also, carnivorous animals don’t usually mess with human belongings.

Unless they’re absolutely starving or something unusual is going on.”

She had a point.

Most carnivorous animals preferred to hunt their own prey rather than eat something that smelled of humans.

They also tended to be highly cautious creatures.

So, as Seol pointed out, this was indeed odd.

“Besides, the warriors from the Beast Palace brought along wolves as well.

If something had approached, they would have reacted.

But they were completely silent last night—that’s weird too.”

The fact that something had come so close to our camp despite the presence of trained wolves was baffling.

Even stranger was that the wolves hadn’t made a sound all night.

“Hmm... yeah.”

Seol tilted her head, deep in thought.

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Then, suddenly, she looked up at me and smirked, as if amused by my serious expression.

She must have found my deep concern entertaining.

“So-ryong, don’t worry about it.

I’ll take care of it from now on.

Before bed, I’ll have some wolf urine spread around the area and have a few wolves tied up near the food supplies.”

“Oh, will you? That would help a lot.”

“Of course. You should’ve told me sooner!”

It was a small matter, but if an expert like Seol was handling it, I felt relieved.

As expected, she was always reliable.

With that settled, we moved to clean up the area.

I immediately ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) gave orders to the warriors.

“Repair the baskets. As for any food that’s been contaminated, discard it as before.”

“Yes, So-ryong!”

“Hurry up! We need to depart soon!”

“Yes, understood!”

The warriors quickly got to work, tidying up the area in no time.

And with that, our group resumed its journey toward Qinghai.

***

The campfire crackled as the evening settled in.

After dinner, Seol gathered the warriors from the Beast Palace and addressed them.

“I heard that some animal has been stealing our food for the past three nights?

Tonight, station the wolves around the remaining food supply.

Make sure they have a clear view of the area.”

“Yes, young mistress!”

It seemed she intended to keep her promise from earlier in the day.

Soon, the leftover food was gathered into one spot, and once the area was cleared, the warriors began hanging the remaining meat on bamboo racks to dry.

They arranged it so that the smoke from the campfire would leave a lingering scent—martial artists might not preserve food this way often, but it was still an effective method.

Once the process of making jerky was complete, the warriors brought in the wolves and stationed them around the meat.

Watching as the dogs and wolves settled into position, I threw myself onto a patch of soft, dry grass beneath a tree.

“Damn, this constant walking is more exhausting than I expected.”

—Rustle.

—Rustle.

As soon as I lay down, the others followed suit.

Bini and Cho nestled on either side of me, while Hwayang took up a spot near my head.

Perched atop my body were Seol, Bini, and Dong, along with Moji and Soji, wriggling inside a basket that Hyung had once received to carry the young ones.

Up in the trees, Yo-hwa spun a silk canopy over our heads before closing her eyes.

It felt as though each of them had claimed a designated spot on my body.

It was a bit uncomfortable, but at least we were all settled in for the night.

“Alright, everyone—good night!”

I bid them goodnight, and they responded with their own cries.

—Coo!

—Kishaa!

—Shaya!

Their voices were my lullaby, a fitting melody for someone like Spicy Fabre.

As my consciousness faded into the realm of dreams, I briefly considered placing a protective barrier over the group.

But then again, did we really need a divine beast for something as trivial as catching a scavenging animal?

Surely, the wolves would be enough.

With that thought, I allowed myself to drift into sleep.

At some point in the night, I was abruptly stirred awake by a commotion.

—Grrrr...

—Yelp! Yelp!

“What’s going on... Ugh?”

“...Report—”

“No, handle it... We’ll talk in the morning...”

Though I was momentarily roused by the noise, the disturbance quickly subsided.

Since no one had rushed over to report the situation immediately, it likely wasn’t anything major.

And so, I shut my eyes and returned to sleep.

The next morning, however, something felt... off.

‘Wait a second... Isn’t this worse than yesterday?’

A wolf lay paralyzed from a bite wound.

The remaining jerky and dried meat had been tainted with a nauseating stench, making it inedible.

“It looks like something attacked the food supply last night and fought the wolves.”

“...Something fought the wolves?”

“Yes. It was so fast that even the warriors using their movement techniques couldn’t get a clear look at it.”

I immediately went over to check the wolf that had been paralyzed.

Its eyes were rolling back slightly, its body rigid.

It was clear—it had been poisoned with some sort of paralysis toxin.

“What the hell...? Something attacked a wolf?

And on top of that... paralysis?

This wound—it’s definitely from an animal bite...”

Seol examined the injured wolf with a puzzled expression, unable to make sense of the situation.

“Hwa-eun, can you take a look at this one?”

“Got it, So-ryong.”

As Hwa-eun tended to the wolf, I mulled over the clues.

‘Are there skunks in the Central Plains?

No... But then, where did the paralysis toxin come from?’

As I tried to make sense of the strange combination of events, I racked my brain for any creatures I knew that could fit this pattern.

Then, a hesitant voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Um... So, So-hyeop.”

Turning my head, I saw Ji-ryong standing beside me.

“Yes, Ji-ryong. Is there something you’d like to say?”

I wondered if he had been following this case from the beginning and had something important to add.

But instead of offering insight, Ji-ryong suddenly lowered his head and apologized.

“I actually have something to apologize for.”

“Apologize?”

His unexpected words made me tilt my head in confusion.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Ji-ryong nodded with an apologetic look.

“Yes. As the strategist of our group, I should have accounted for this, but I overlooked something.”

“You did?”

Currently, Ji-ryong was acting as the strategist at my request.

In my past life, a strategist’s role was purely to devise battle plans,

but in this world, a strategist was more like a quartermaster—a mother to the entire army.

Not only did they handle tactics, but they also managed personnel, supplies, and even the morale of the soldiers.

Since he had so many responsibilities, it seemed like something had slipped through the cracks.

I tilted my head, wondering what exactly had gone wrong.

“What is it?”

Ji-ryong was a sharp man—so much so that he had earned his moniker.

Back when we encountered the giant bedbug crisis, he had immediately suggested setting fire to the mountain to deal with it.

For someone as quick-witted as him to make a mistake was hard to believe.

I waited patiently for his explanation.

“I failed to consider our food supply once we enter the desert.”

“The desert?”

I gave him a look, prompting him to elaborate.

“When traveling with martial artists, hunting is usually sufficient, so I didn’t think we needed to bring extra supplies.

But now that I think about it, the desert won’t have many large animals.”

“...Ah.”

His words hit me like a slap to the back of my head.

I hadn’t thought about that either.

Like Ji-ryong, I had just assumed we’d hunt along the way.

But he was right—the situation would change once we reached the desert.

Still, it wasn’t a dire situation yet.

We hadn’t entered Qinghai yet, which meant we still had time before the desert appeared.

If we started hunting now and preserved the meat into jerky, we’d be fine.

“We still have some distance before we reach the desert, so we can hunt plenty beforehand and make jerky while we travel.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Ji-ryong nodded in agreement.

Smiling at him, I reassured him.

“Well, then, there’s nothing to apologize for.”

With that issue resolved, Ji-ryong pointed at something else.

“But before we can focus on gathering food, we need to deal with that first.”

I followed his gaze.

It landed on the paralyzed wolf.

He was right—if we didn’t handle whatever was attacking our supplies,

we’d keep losing food no matter how much we gathered.

I looked at my companions and spoke in a low, chilling voice.

“Kids, we’ve got work to do tonight.”

Whoever—or whatever—this thing was, tonight would be its funeral.