Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

---

Mandok Hall (万毒殿) 1

“Did you not have any flings while sharing beds with quite a few older sisters in your past life?”

I’ve even had a little fling with a pretty famous actress once!

She was three years older than me and would occasionally contact me after shows. We even had dinner together a couple of times.

At first, I thought that was just her natural character.

But after our second dinner, in a cozy wine bar, the tipsy sister suddenly asked,

“Brea, do you want to date? I kind of like you, you know?”

“Y-yes!?”

Talk about a direct hit! No, more like a nuclear strike!

Back then, I was just a lowly YouTuber scraping by with a mere hundred thousand subscribers.

Flustered, I asked for a few days to think it over, and the conclusion I reached was a polite refusal.

“I’m sorry, sister. I’m just a small-time YouTuber, and you’re an actress. It feels a bit rude for someone like me to date you.”

The sister, who had been looking at me with a blank expression, sighed in disappointment.

“Well, this is a bit disappointing…”

“I-I’m sorry for such an answer…”

“No, it’s not the rejection that’s disappointing. It’s disappointing that someone I like has so little confidence.”

I thought she was upset about my refusal, but it was actually her disappointment in me.

It felt like I’d been hit with a hammer to the head.

“Anyone, even a nobody, can be great if they have their own dreams and work towards them. If I seemed sorry now, I’d rather aim to be the world’s best poison YouTuber. I wouldn’t want you to regret your choice. If I could say something as grand as that back then, it would’ve been cool…”

Recalling the past, I stood in front of the pavilion where the sister used to sit and asked her.

She probably wanted me to present some vision.

“I thought about it a lot yesterday. Since I have the Ten Poisons Body, meaning I can only handle ten types of poisons? Wasn’t it said that’s the highest level someone with no talent can achieve?”

“Uh, well…”

“So, I thought: if I can handle only ten poisons, what if I filled those ten with the Central Plains’ Ten Great Venoms?”

“T-the Ten Great Venoms!?”

“Yes, if I filled my ten with the Ten Great Venoms, would that give you enough certainty to believe in Hua Eun’s little one?”

“What if I promised to fill my ten with the poisons of the Central Plains’ Ten Great Venoms, like you advised?”

Taking a chance like this… there was no way I could just let it slide without embarrassing myself.

At my question, I saw the sister’s ears slowly turn red.

She turned her head to the side and asked, a bit flustered,

“D-do you know what you’re saying right now?”

“I don’t!”

I answered honestly.

How would I know? I’m just saying I’d fill my ten with the Ten Great Venoms!

She explained next.

“That path will be extremely hard and difficult. It’s not something accomplished in just a year or two. This could take ten, twenty, thirty years, or maybe a lifetime of challenges.”

‘W-wait, it takes that long? But what happened to just diving in and making a big splash? Sister!’

Just when I thought I had failed due to the different tastes between my past and present sisters, she slowly nodded and replied,

“Alright. Wei So-ryong. I hear you’re fifteen. In three years, when you come of age and can marry, if you succeed with even one of the Ten Great Venoms within those three years, that would be enough for me to be sure.”

‘Is this really happening?’

An “ok” from my sister!

As I expressed my gratitude for her sage advice from my past life, I noticed her getting up quickly, moving away from me.

I might be pumped, but I couldn’t just let her leave like this.

There were still things to take care of.

I called her back and stopped her.

“Little One!”

She froze, turning her gaze away from me.

“Oh, do you still have something to say?”

She seemed a bit shy, but I couldn’t let her leave without addressing this.

The Ogong must be hungry, and I also needed to reverse the curse under the pretense of treating her.

“Yes, we should proceed with that treatment, right? How about staying for just one more moment?”

“…”

Unable to either come or go, she slowly approached and sat down beside me, still looking elsewhere.

Now it was time to start the treatment.

As a pet owner, I knew I shouldn’t say certain things to reassure her, but it was all I had.

“Don’t worry; my kids won’t bite. Now, come here, my darlings, go to Mommy instead of Daddy!”

Yesterday, during my dream visit, I had memories of the Ogong snuggling up to the face of their mother in my dreams.

The Ogong climbed up onto her without resistance.

And I could feel their breathing deeper than usual.

Then, her surprised voice reached my ears.

“A-Daddy? Oh, Mom!?”

The moment she heard “Daddy, Mom,” she jolted in surprise.

Now her ears, cheeks, and neck were all blushing a bright crimson as she looked at me wide-eyed.

“No, that doesn’t mean anything else… They’re just my kids…”

I genuinely didn’t mean anything more.

*

After three hundred years of living and forming my Inner Dan, becoming a spirit creature, the Blue-Spotted Centipede watched over what was happening within the woman.

So, when I again visited her in the middle of the night, I was overjoyed.

“You’re amazing, Eun-gong!”

She had told me to leave it to her, and she handled it in the most righteous way.

I recalled how her heart raced like mad when she spoke.

It meant she was completely captivated by me.

So, all I could do was bow deeply and express my gratitude.

Now the children would be able to absorb the energy flowing from the Inner Dan that melted within the woman anytime.

The Blue-Spotted Centipede believed that while there were many greedy people, not many walked the righteous path. It felt genuinely fortunate for me.

“Haha, because men thrive on guts and perseverance…”

As she chuckled, I expressed my gratitude repeatedly, offering to help in any way she needed before moving on.

Having unburdened myself, I felt healthy again, but stuck within the woman’s body, I couldn’t hold onto my soul anymore.

If I held a grudge, I might have clung onto her body, but now that my grudge faded, I could slowly feel myself drifting from the woman.

Today might indeed be the last.

“Is there anything I can do for you? Today is my final day. Even in this state, if there’s anything I can do, I will before leaving.”

Then she stared at me with a blank expression.

In her eyes, I sensed a deep desire, causing me to shiver.

And then came her apologetic voice.

“Um… there is one thing…”

Just one thing? I felt puzzled as she looked over at herself.

This strong desire felt more screenable on this woman’s surface.

Was she one of those who were weak towards lust?

While I thought she was righteous, something about her felt off.

Just then, as I contemplated whether she might like to share a moment of carnal delight with me, she spoke.

“Um, if you could take that off, just once…”

I really shouldn’t, but for the daughters, I couldn’t resist.

As I pondered unraveling the knots in her clothes…

“Do I have to take it off?”

“C-Can’t we leave it on? But how can I…?”

“Can’t you just return to the Blue-Spotted Centipede form?”

“Yes?”

What on earth was she saying?

Then with a fervent gaze, she explained.

“Actually, I’ve never seen the huge Blue-Spotted Centipede. If I want to see it, the kids must grow up first. But before they grow, I want to see it at least once in my dreams.”

The thought of a gigantic centipede was hard to resist.

The kids have quite a while to grow, and when they’re fully grown, seeing them would help with raising them. Is that too much to ask?”

Caught off guard by her sudden wish to see me in my true form, I blankly nodded my head and, borrowing the woman’s body, prepared to depart.

And when I did, I heard a gasp.

“Wow! It’s real! Can it resist water? Um, when walking, will the front legs step where the others did? Can I touch it? How strong is the venom? Can it… see? Are the eyes correct? What about the antennae?”

“Uh? Yes… um? The legs… I haven’t thought of that…”

As she patted my true form with uncontained excitement, she expressed her gratitude.

I faded away, leaving behind a lingering sense of unease about my daughters.

“Are they really gonna be alright?” That worry danced in my mind.

Her glimmering eyes and firm touches felt unusual.

It felt as if she preferred my centipede form more than the beautiful woman’s shell.

*

The next day, I wasn’t sure what the sister had said, but the elders of the Tang Clan were overjoyed.

They had been all smiles during the meals, but suddenly during tea time, they recognized me as a son-in-law.

“So, junior, no, Wei So-ryong! I heard from Hua Eun. You’re officially our son-in-law now.”

“W-what? But the three years?”

“Well, marriages can only happen when one reaches adulthood, so that’s normal.”

“No, that’s not what I mean…”

“Oh, my son-in-law! Wei So-ryong, welcome once again! I’m your mother-in-law!”

“Hahaha! Now that we’ve set Hua Eun’s match, only good things will come to the Tang Clan.”

Although the sister said I had to succeed with at least one in three years, it sounded like the elders were acting as if I was already married.

I looked at my sister, silently pleading for an explanation, but she simply sipped her tea, cheeks flushed.

‘What is happening? Am I expected to follow their lead right now?

Oh! What if they added conditions, and I threw a fit? Are they trying to imply I simply accept this for now?”

In this time, my father, the Clan Head, was pushing forward, and if my sister said no or mentioned conditions, that would be a problem for me.

After all, until I turned eighteen, the legal marrying age, there wouldn’t be a marriage ceremony. If I succeeded in that time frame, it would naturally negate any conditions, so perhaps they planned it this way?

Furthermore, my sister would be observing my efforts to reach a conclusion, so I needed to respond quickly.

“Yes, I look forward to your guidance, sirs!”

With that, this sudden and perplexing situation came to a close, and being the eager type, the clan immediately introduced me to the Tang Clan’s martial arts training later that very afternoon.

Now that I was family, it seemed they felt the need to educate me right away?

The clan head, Mandok God, sat down with brushes, ink, and numerous tomes as he began to write on the paper.

“The most important things in our clan boil down to three: Poison Manipulation, Venomous Power, and Poison Manufacturing. Remember them well.”

“Poison Manipulation, Venomous Power, Poison Manufacturing.”

“Yes, Poison Manipulation teaches you about the types of poisons and how to utilize them. This includes antidote techniques. So don’t slack off, since ignorance can lead to your own harm.”

“I understand, grandfather.”

“Next is Venomous Power, which I’ll introduce you to starting tomorrow… and Poison Manufacturing, as you know, is the art of making poisons. It involves collecting toxins from toxic plants or mushrooms, venomous insects, or snakes and crafting new poisons or making them easier to use.”

I had long been waiting for this explanation, so I lent my ear closely.

Though I had no clue about Poison Manipulation or Venomous Power, hearing about how poisons could be made from venomous insects or snakes was the topic I had anticipated the most.

To manufacture poisons from these creatures, a breeding facility was essential, and I was curious how such a facility operated in this era.

While traveling here, my master seemed most interested in my breeding techniques, and had suggested enhancing the breeding facilities of the Tang Clan, making me eager to see how they’d look.

“Phew, look at that gleam in your eyes. Do you want to see it for yourself?”

“Yes, grandfather!”

Upon realizing I might have heard about the breeding facilities, I quickly replied to the Grandfather Mandok God.

With a smile, he said, “Alright then, let’s go! I’ll show you Mandok Hall (万毒殿); follow me closely.”

“Understood, grandfather!”

Mandok Hall—it sounded thrilling!

It seemed to be the place where endless venomous creatures were gathered.

I couldn’t contain my excitement over what kinds of poisonous creatures might await me there!