Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 170: Centipede Venom Fang Claw (3)

Tsrut?

『Dad, did you call me?』

I had only just called for Cho, and already, the door to the clan leader’s hall cracked open slightly. A pair of gleaming antennae peeked in first, followed by a small head slipping inside.

I must have called him with urgency in my heart because Cho had clearly dropped everything and rushed over immediately.

Well, not that he had much to do in the Tang Clan besides sleeping and playing around with the others.

As I followed Cho’s antennae down to his face, my eyes were instantly drawn to the way his venomous fangs glistened under the light.

My heart pounded in my chest.

And for good reason—how could I not be excited when I was about to show off our matching claws?

“Cho, wait for me outside for just a moment, okay? I need to finish talking to Grandpa first.”

- Tst.

After asking Cho to wait, I turned back to wrap up my conversation with Grandfather Mandok Shingun.

As much as I wanted to brag about my matching claws to Cho, I couldn’t just leave an elder hanging in the middle of a conversation.

Tomorrow morning, we were planning to test the power of Centipede Poison Fang Claw together.

“So, we’ll check it at dawn tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, I’ll have my warriors prepare everything. Let’s see its power for ourselves in the morning.”

“Understood. Then, Grandpa, may I take my leave?”

“Oh, y-yes....”

“I’ll see you in the morning!”

With a bright and enthusiastic reply, I turned and left. Grandfather Mandok Shingun watched me go with a bewildered expression.

As soon as I stepped outside, Cho, who had been waiting at the entrance, perked up and greeted me.

Tsrut!

“Oh, yeah, Cho!”

I approached him cheerfully, patting his head. Then, my expression shifted as I subtly glanced around.

“You came alone, right?”

I couldn’t quite remember what exactly I had said to Cho in my excitement earlier, but I definitely remembered one thing I had emphasized: he had to come alone.

Having matching claws with Cho was great and all, but if the others found out, I had no idea how I would survive their harassment.

If Bini or Hyang threw a tantrum demanding claws that matched their body colors, I’d be in serious trouble.

I might have to give myself jaundice for Hyang’s sake or smash my nails with a rock to create bruises for Bini.

That was entirely possible. My daughters were the embodiment of jealousy, after all.

So, I had to be sure.

Thankfully, Cho confirmed that he had come alone.

Tsrut.

Still, I could sense his confusion about why I had been so adamant that he come alone.

Glancing around once more, I pointed toward the sky.

“Cho, let’s head up for a bit. I want to talk to you privately.”

Tsrurur.

I could have found a place to hide and talk, but nothing was safer than the sky.

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The moment I finished speaking, Cho—still full of curiosity—coiled around me and began to lift us both into the air.

As we slowly floated higher, he tilted his head and asked again.

Tsrut?

It was either a question about how much higher we needed to go or where exactly we were headed.

I gazed at the horizon, where the sun was slowly setting beyond the mountains.

Ah... the atmosphere is perfect.

Instead of answering, I raised one hand between us and began channeling my energy through the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Divine Art, guiding it to my fingertips according to the formula of Centipede Poison Fang Claw.

Immediately, a tingling sensation spread through my fingers.

Then, my nails extended, glowing in a brilliant emerald hue.

The exact same color as Cho’s body.

“Fufu. How’s this, Cho? Now Dad looks just like you.”

Tsrut?

At first, he didn’t seem to understand.

But the moment he noticed the radiant, jewel-like color shimmering between us, his antennae froze in place.

Then, as if struck by lightning, they shot up like exclamation marks.

His astonishment burst forth.

Tsrururur!?

“Haha, I just wanted to match with my daughter, so I put in a little effort. Hahaha.”

Tsrut tsrut!

A tidal wave of overwhelming joy flooded from Cho’s heart, crashing into me like a tsunami.

He tightened his coils around me, looping his body twice more.

As if to say, I will never let go of Dad ever again!

This is what pure love between a father and daughter looks like!

“You really love it that much?”

Tsrut!

“Well, if Cho’s happy, then this Dad is happy too. But remember, this has to stay a secret from your siblings, okay?”

Tsrururut!

...It was bound to get exposed eventually, but that was a problem for future me.

For now, I decided to fully enjoy this touching moment with Cho.

Chururup... Chururup...

“Haha, hey now, at this rate, you’re gonna wear my face down.”

Unable to contain his excitement, Cho squeezed me tightly, nearly crushing my ribs, while licking my face non-stop.

Just as I was soaking in the father-daughter bonding moment—

Tak tak! Tak tak tak!

Something tiny patted my head.

Startled, I looked up to find Hyang tapping me insistently with his front paws.

Oh, crap.

I had gotten so used to his soft, cushiony weight on my head that I completely forgot he was there.

I tensed up in panic.

Was Hyang... jealous?

But before I could say anything, Hyang stomped my head again and, for the first time ever, spoke up about something other than food.

Bip bip!

Enough. Get down. It’s time to eat.

...Turns out, Hyang was a little more on the cool and aloof side than I thought.

***

—Cock-a-doodle-doo.

A distant rooster’s crow echoed through the quiet morning.

The moment the first rays of dawn touched the sky, I rose from my bed and checked on my venomous creatures.

All around my room, they lay sprawled in deep slumber.

Bini and Cho were sprawled out on a pile of straw, completely relaxed.

Hyang had been sleeping attached to my body, but when I carefully pried him off and placed him onto my bedding, he burrowed into the warmth, seemingly content.

I gently stroked the stiff forms of Moji and Soji resting on my desk before turning to Dong, who had been curled up between Seol and Bing. Noticing my movement, he stirred slightly but soon drifted back to sleep.

Lastly, I checked where Hyang was sleeping. He was curled up on a massive pile of straw in the corner of the room.

The reason they were all so deeply asleep despite it being morning?

Most of my venomous creatures were originally nocturnal.

Centipedes, lizards, and toads—most of them were naturally active at night.

However, creatures raised in captivity often adjust their activity cycle to match their owner’s. Because of that, my kids had gradually become more diurnal over time.

Still, since they were naturally inclined to sleep at dawn, this was their most vulnerable time.

“How are they all so cute even when they’re asleep?”

I took a moment to admire their peaceful expressions. I wanted to let them sleep longer, but I had to wake Cho up.

I crouched beside him, gently tickling his chin while speaking into his mind.

‘Cho, wake up. We need to see Grandpa.’

The reason for waking him up?

Today was the day Grandfather Mandok Shingun and I would be testing Centipede Poison Fang Claw.

Since it involved Cho’s venom, it was only natural for him to observe.

Tsu... Tsut?Cho groggily let out a small sound as he woke up, immediately scanning his surroundings.

He was making sure no one else had woken up.

Fortunately, the others remained in deep slumber.

Feeling Cho’s relieved thoughts, I took one last look at the sleeping creatures before silently making my way out with him.

—Creak.

We carefully shut the door behind us.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Just as we stepped outside, I sensed a presence approaching.

A faint silhouette in the distance.

Judging by the figure’s outline, it was undoubtedly Hwa-eun.

If there was a young woman inside the Tang Clan’s inner quarters at this hour, it was either a servant or Hwa-eun. And there was no way I wouldn’t recognize Hwa-eun.

I quickly moved toward her, and as soon as she saw me, she rushed forward, beaming as she grabbed my sleeve.

Ever since I had declared her my woman inside the cave, our relationship had subtly shifted.

Physical contact wasn’t exactly common in this era, so holding onto my sleeve was practically the equivalent of intertwining fingers.

As I gazed at her fondly, she smiled back and spoke.

“So-ryong, let’s go together.”

“If you’re tired, you can rest a little longer, Hwa-eun.”

“No. I’m too curious. After seeing that yesterday, how could I possibly hold back?”

Before going to bed last night, I had secretly shown Hwa-eun my Centipede Poison Fang Claw.

Since she was truly devoted to poison techniques, it must have left her too eager to sleep.

“In that case, let’s go.”

With that, Hwa-eun, Cho, and I headed to the training grounds, where Grandfather Mandok Shingun was already waiting.

“Did you rest well through the night?”

“Did you rest well, Grandfather?”

Tsrrr Tsr!Even Cho politely echoed our greetings, earning a nod of approval from Grandfather.

“Yes, did you all sleep well?”

“Yes.”

“Then, shall we begin?”

Grandfather was clearly just as eager to see the results.

He stepped aside, revealing a wooden training dummy.

At first glance, it looked like a standard wooden post used for martial arts training. However, something was different about it.

Something had been tied to the wooden frame.

‘...What is that?’

Stepping closer, I saw what was strapped to it—a pig.

A pig that had been skinned and gutted, its flesh stretched tightly over the wooden frame like a second skin.

“What is this?”

“In the Tang Clan, we test poison techniques this way.”

Hwa-eun’s response made sense.

Cho’s venom wouldn’t affect wood, so they had to use pig flesh instead.

Nodding in understanding, I took my position in front of the dummy.

“Then, I’ll begin.”

“Go ahead.”

Taking a deep breath, I activated the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Divine Art, channeling my energy through my body.

As expected, the moment I guided the energy through the formula of Centipede Poison Fang Claw, my nails extended and turned a brilliant emerald hue.

Without hesitation, I executed the first technique.

“Poison Fang Marks the Rock!”

The move mimicked the way a centipede’s venomous fangs leave a mark on stone.

My thumb, index, and middle fingers pressed together, stabbing into the pig flesh like two sharp fangs.

Since Centipede Poison Fang Claw was designed to replicate a centipede’s bite, it didn’t have three talons but instead mimicked a pair of fangs.

Crunch!

As my fingers sank into the flesh, a faint, searing sound followed.

Sizzle!

When I pulled my hand away, two small, walnut-sized holes were left in the pig’s flesh.

Grandfather Mandok Shingun immediately stepped forward, prodding the wound with a silver needle as he assessed the damage.

“Hm... The power is weaker than I expected. It seems that, unlike an actual centipede’s jaws, your nails can’t inject a large amount [N O V E L I G H T] of venom at once. That’s likely because your body doesn’t hold much of Cho’s venom.”

It was true.

I had only absorbed a drop of Cho’s venom, allowing it to fuse with my internal energy. Naturally, the effect wouldn’t be as potent.

I felt a bit disappointed.

But Grandfather continued.

“Still, while it may not be lethal, it could certainly inflict serious wounds. And don’t be too discouraged. I believe I can enhance it with a technique I’m currently developing.”

“You can enhance it?”

I tilted my head in curiosity, and Grandfather leaned in slightly, speaking in a hushed voice.

“I’m talking about Blood-Water Venom Claw. If we apply the principles of soaking a weapon in brain fluid and blood to amplify its toxicity, we might be able to use the same logic to draw out more of Cho’s venom.”

“Ooooh!”

The Blood-Water Venom Claw!

And to think that the very technique I had recovered could be used in this way.

‘Damn, this buildup is insane.’

As I marveled at the idea, Grandfather continued to examine my hand.

“Try channeling your energy again.”

He murmured to himself as he scrutinized my transformed nails.

“Hmm... It’s remarkable how your claws can effectively release venom now. I suspect the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Divine Art has reached the Second Venom Stage, allowing you to imbue the Centipede Poison Fang Claw with venom. If you reach the Third Venom Stage, you may even be able to infuse Explosive Toad Palm with Hyang’s venom.”

“Really, Grandfather?”

“Yes. That would be a terrifying technique.”

Infusing Explosive Toad Palm with Hyang’s venom?

That would directly drain a martial artist’s internal energy.

Wouldn’t that be like Mana Burn from fantasy games?

Just as I was shivering with excitement—

Kisss!?

A sharp, startled hiss made everyone turn.

Yo-hwa was staring at my glowing, emerald nails with an expression of utter disbelief.

...Shit.

Looks like my claws had just been exposed.