Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

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Chapter 2: The Elixir of Spirit

“Yes, Father.”

My older sister’s response, like a jade bead, echoed from inside the room.

The clear and lovely sound resonated deep within the Clan Head Hall.

In my past life, I had only heard about jade beads, but hearing that beautiful voice likened to jade here made me understand why people compared pretty voices to the sound of jade beads.

‘Truly clear and lovely.’

– Creak.

Just then, the door of Clan Head Hall swung open.

As my sister stepped out and saw me standing nearby, her eyes widened in surprise.

“W-Wei So-ryong!? You were here!”

“Yes, Little One. I was just keeping an eye on Chao, Hyang, and Bin while they’re coming to their senses.”

“They’re awake!? Let me see!”

As she rolled up her sleeves, the two critters wrapped around her arms came into view.

My sister seemed to have lost most of her initial reluctance, gently petting one of them with delight.

Previously, even when they were clinging to her, she spent her time meditating in a lotus position, but it seemed she had finally opened her heart to the Ogongs after this molting.

Did she pretty much feel worried they were going to die and ended up bonding with them more?

“They’ve definitely gotten sturdier. They also feel a bit rougher.”

“And they’ve grown a lot! But they’ve flattened a bit too, making it easier for them to wrap around your arms.”

“They’re still adorable, though. Oh! Grandfather asked the artisans about the armored gauntlets. Let’s go check together…”

Amid our light-hearted chat about the Ogongs, akin to co-parenting, the gathering began to bloom.

“Who’s outside?”

The voice of my future father-in-law echoed from inside.

“Ah! Yes, it’s Hua Eun.”

“I told you to call Wei So-ryong. Why is he still there? Hua Eun, is something going on?”

As my future father-in-law’s inquiry registered, my sister covered her mouth and finally remembered to call for me.

She looked as though she had just recalled something.

“Ah! Father asked for Wei So-ryong. He says he wants to talk.”

“Yes, I overheard from outside. Then let’s go in together.”

Though I had heard the calling for me outside just earlier, I had gotten lost in conversation with my sister and thus delayed.

When we opened the door and walked inside, my future father-in-law looked surprised, as if he had just seen me.

“How did you get here so quickly?”

“Oh, I was passing nearby.”

“Is that so? Then it’s fortunate. Have a seat. Hua Eun, could you prepare some tea?”

“Got it, Father.”

I preferred some refreshing ice water, but every day it was hot tea.

At this point, I was getting irritated whenever tea was served, but I placed the cup before myself and awaited what was to come.

With a smile, my future father-in-law began the conversation.

“I called you here because not everyone in the clan has returned yet, and I couldn’t formally announce it, but I believe you know that no one in the clan is unaware that you have joined our family now?”

“Of course, Father-in-law.”

“Father-in-law. That’s music to my ears. Anyway, now that you’ve become part of our family, and the elixir you prepared recently was well-received by the Sichuan Province Lord, he sent a generous thank-you gift.”

So that’s why I was summoned; it seemed the elixir I had created had shown promising results, earning me praise.

“Ah, I’m glad to hear that. You told him to never take too much, right?”

“Ah, that? Ahem. I advised him to never take it again until he has completely recovered. Thus, I wish to reward you. Is there anything you need?”

Ah, here it comes, the mention of a reward.

I waved both hands in refusal.

“A reward? But I already received a reward from Mandok Hall’s Venomous Insects. If you could just expedite the couple of requests I made, that would be sufficient.”

The reward from the Venomous Insects had already been settled for me.

However, a few tasks were still in progress, so I asked them to hurry those up instead of focusing on a personal reward.

It felt a bit strange to receive rewards within the family.

Lately, I had been feeling dizzy since I couldn’t raise any other kids besides the Ogongs.

While I was managing withdrawals from the Ogongs, I knew I needed more children.

“Haha, that is what I had naturally asked them to expedite.”

“Thank you, Father-in-law. That will be satisfactory.”

“No, no. That’s a different matter. Knowing you’d say that, I prepared a gift, if you’d like?”

“A gift?”

“Yes, I’m considering giving you an elixir. How does that sound?”

“An elixir?”

I had heard that an elixir was something that enhances one’s internal energy, according to grandfather.

Since one of the conditions to become a master was a certain level of internal energy, accepting it wouldn’t be bad.

But it’s not something I could just take without consideration.

I glanced at my sister to gauge her reaction.

I was worried she might think I was cheating just because I promised to strive and fill her with the Ten Great Venoms.

Noticing my sister’s expression, she merely nodded politely, seeming to agree.

‘So this kind of support isn’t a problem. Thank goodness.’

“What kind of elixir?”

Seeing there are various types, I asked about its specifics, and my future father-in-law looked a bit apologetic.

“Well, it’s not a great elixir or anything; it’s likely the honey from the Golden Hair Bee King. The reason I chose it is…”

“The honey from the Golden Hair Bee King?”

I wasn’t exactly sure what this Golden Hair Bee King was, but if it’s a bee and honey, then—

‘Bee honey?’

Anyway, since it was an elixir, I was about to thank him, but my sister interrupted first.

“Thank you…”

“But, Father. You mentioned a reward; why the honey from the Golden Hair Bee King? What Wei So-ryong did this time isn’t a small thing, is it? Even if it’s a mid-grade toxin, isn’t the honey from the Golden Hair Bee King considered low-grade among elixirs?”

“We shouldn’t skimp on rewards for Wei So-ryong, especially if it should be worth a year’s internal energy, not just two months…”

Her voice dripped with disappointment.

I was worried my sister might think of me as using cheats when she received such help, but instead, she was disappointed asking why a low-grade item was being gifted for a significant achievement.

My future father-in-law, looking baffled at her reaction, mumbled something quietly to himself.

[This is why daughters…]

He gestured for my sister to calm down with a hand and replied in a hurt tone.

“No, it’s not that. Do you think I would hold back on something like that? There’s still a reason…”

“And what reason justifies such a low-grade… no, the lowest grade…?”

“Just listen for a moment…”

Now it felt like a debate was heating up.

I began to wonder why the two of them were quarreling over the honey from the Golden Hair Bee King.

“What on earth is the deal with the honey from the Golden Hair Bee King?”

“That is….”

“I’ll explain, Wei So-ryong.”

My sister, not letting my future father-in-law answer, took on the task herself, her expression a mix of dissatisfaction.

“It’s one of the mid-grade toxins, the Golden Hair Bee King. These large bees can occasionally be found in the jungle, and when you consume their honey, it’s said to grant two months’ worth of wall-gazing internal energy training.”

“Two months?”

‘Oh, if this honey genuinely boosts my internal energy equivalent to two months of focused meditation, that’s awesome!’

I had heard that you needed to circulate your internal energy even while resting to grow stronger quickly, and having to sit cross-legged during breaks was tiresome. Cutting that time by two months would be brilliant.

But since my father-in-law had just mentioned it’s not remarkable, based on my sister’s reaction, it seemed that this elixir might not be particularly impressive at all.

To avoid the two of them arguing further, I quickly expressed my gratitude.

Whether it was one month or two months, anything was better than nothing.

“Thank you, Father-in-law.”

However, my sister raised one hand to stop me, looking at my future father-in-law with a displeased expression.

“No. Wei So-ryong, wait. Honey from the Golden Hair Bee King? This is unacceptable! I’m feeling quite offended here.”

In turn, my future father-in-law shot her a displeased look.

“No, it’s not that. I’m also looking into acquiring better elixirs myself. It’s just I thought Wei So-ryong would be interested in seeing a mid-grade toxin…”

‘Hmm? Interested in seeing a mid-grade toxin?’

Mention of a mid-grade toxin piqued my interest, monitoring whether the honey’s effects stretched to two or three months was beside the point—my focus had already settled on the “Golden Hair Bee King” and what it represented.

From what I gathered, it seemed that not only was I being given the honey, but I might also get to see this Golden Hair Bee King in person.

The Ogongs were cute, but they were only low-tier.

If I could get the shot to see a mid-grade toxin once, it would be fantastic.

I quickly asked my father-in-law once more.

“Are you saying we might go see the mid-grade toxin, the Golden Hair Bee King in person!?”

“Yes, I just received information from some guests earlier that a nest of the Golden Hair Bee King had been discovered not far from here. I was thinking we could go and gather some. But here’s the situation: Hua Eun…”

Having caught the gist of the explanation, it seemed my father-in-law wasn’t entirely to blame here.

Hua Eun had fallen unconscious due to being enthralled by the fire, and the Tang Clan had publicly declared they would buy information about the toxins scattered across the world.

I didn’t know where, but they announced a desire to purchase information across branches including Gapple and Haomoon, and even Heukdo.

However, since transportation and communication were rather primitive, the delivery of information often lagged, and my sister couldn’t convey that Hua Eun had awakened, so those wanting to peddle information popped up late, akin to those two hapless figures who looked like dorks.

Originally, information about the Golden Hair Bee King was mid-tier, yet because of the absence of internal energy, and regarded as low-grade as an elixir, thus they were reluctant to sell such information.

I inferred the money spent acquiring the information was substantial given my father-in-law’s perspective.

“So you mean we’re going to gather honey from the Golden Hair Bee King in person?”

“Yes.”

‘Oh my! So we’re actually going to gather honey!?’

Now my father-in-law was talking about gathering honey.

Bees that build nests in trees and store their honey are recognized as medicinal—if a bee stores honey in a rock, it is referred to as “Rock Honey.” Traditionally, it has been seen as a remedy throughout history.

Bees go from flower to flower to gather nectar, and it’s known that the longer the honey is saved, the higher its sweetness and vitamin content becomes.

So, wild bees’ honey, being more aged, is acknowledged for its medicinal properties.

‘This is insane. A honey gathering expedition!’

Even in my previous life, I had undertaken honey gathering for a show, and frankly, although it was laborious, the memory of the sweetness of the honey at the end made it worthwhile.

And the mention of bees the size of small dogs—it was something every Spicy Fabre had to witness.

“Let’s go, Father-in-law! When it comes to bees, I’ve got this covered!”

“Just as I thought! You’d love it!”

My sister gave my father-in-law and me a back-and-forth glance before sighing deeply.

*

Sichuan Province is formed of plains to the east and mountain ranges to the west, and since the Tang Clan operates from the mountainous region on the western side, we headed southwest through Chengdu to gather honey.

We reached the vicinity around the Mokli area bordering Yunnan, where it was rumored that the Golden Hair Bee King had been discovered in its tropical forest.

“But what if we can’t find it easily? What if the information is wrong?”

“Don’t worry, young lady. They said it was the Blood Poison Team who provided that piece of info. Even if those Heukdo types aren’t trustworthy, rumors from the Blood Poison Team can be counted on. They’ve spent a long time peddling information in Sichuan.

And how dare any madman sell false information to us from the Tang Clan? Plus, with Wei So-ryong around, we’ll find it in no time.”

My eager father-in-law hadn’t been able to attend this outing due to his earlier commitments to the clan.

With various pending matters and the demands for his time from the Mandok God and branch families, he had no choice but to decline.

As such, the honey gathering venture consisted of the Poison Blood Team from the Tang Clan and my sister and me.

Even if it was mid-tier, since they usually moved in groups, their individual strengths weren’t that great. We figured a team of this size could handle just fine, especially since this was our territory in Sichuan.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at a forest near a cliff in Mokli.

Contrary to my initial doubts about whether we could find it, we quickly discovered the location of the Golden Hair Bee King.

However, what awaited us upon arrival wasn’t the Golden Hair Bee King but a situation that made both my sister and the Blood Poison Deputy Commander furious.

“We got here first, so we have the right to the honey from the Golden Hair Bee King.”

“What are you saying! We purchased that information legitimately!”

“Bought it? We bought information too!”

“Was the informant a big, hairy guy with a spot on his face?”

“We got information from that guy too!”

Turns out, the information was accurate, but those guys had sold the same info to multiple parties.

“Those damn fools dare to disrespect our Tang Clan!”

The fury of the Blood Poison Deputy Commander erupted, as the haulers stared at us in astonishment.

“T-Tang Clan!”

It seems that there will always be a few crazies no matter where you go.