Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Chapter 14

The centipedes were undoubtedly intelligent—almost unnervingly so.

No, they seed to understand human speech.

Before a wooden tub prepared by the maids, steam gently rising from the water sprinkled with flower petals, I looked at the centipedes crawling up my arm.

“Guys, I think I need a bath. This hot water probably isn’t good for you. Could you wait over there for a bit? I’ll be done soon.”

As I gestured to a smaller wooden tub the maids had provided, the centipedes scurried down my arm, one after another. They climbed into the little tub, their movents deliberate, almost as if they were inspecting their surroundings. Then, as I subrged myself in the bath, they tilted their tiny heads, watching with what felt like curiosity—reminiscent of mongooses or erkats standing upright to observe their environnt.

‘Fascinating.’

Most centipedes lack functional eyes; even species with what appear to be eyes typically don’t have the genes necessary to perceive light. Modern research suggests they use their antennae to sense heat, functioning sowhat like rudintary vision. But that doesn’t an they can "see" in the way we do—at best, they can detect light and shadow.

Moreover, these centipedes hadn’t even molted yet, aning their translucent yellow bodies and undeveloped eyes shouldn’t allow them to observe anything clearly.

Yet here they were, staring at as if they could see perfectly.

“Hey, don’t stare at like that while I’m undressed. It’s embarrassing.”

As if they understood, the centipedes turned to look at one another and then cautiously curled up inside their tub, hiding themselves from view.

‘They really understand .’

Convinced of their unusual nature, I decided I’d need to investigate further and figure out exactly what kind of creatures they were. For now, I sank deeper into the warm water, letting it soothe my travel-weary body.

‘I should ask Deputy Gu Pae about what “spiritual beasts” really are. He kept calling them that, after all.’

After a long soak, I felt much better. Later, I sat in the pavilion located in the back garden of the eastern quarters, enjoying the cool breeze while letting my damp hair dry.

That’s when I heard footsteps.

Tap, tap, tap.

Soone was rushing sowhere with purpose.

Soon, a familiar figure crossed my line of sight: the Tang clan leader’s daughter.

Clad in fine robes, her face slightly flushed from the exertion, she was heading toward my quarters. But as her gaze landed on , sitting idly in the pavilion, she froze, her expression one of surprise.

Then, as if making a sudden decision, she changed direction and walked straight toward .

‘Huh?’

She stopped in front of , her cheeks a soft shade of pink, and spoke in a hurried tone.

“Excuse , young warrior. I have an urgent request. Could you… give your hand for a mont?”

‘What?’

Her sudden demand caught completely off guard. Was this so bold, assertive noblewoman?

She didn’t waste ti with pleasantries—she went straight to asking for my hand.

But this was a traditional society, much like an ancient drama. Touching a woman’s hand would be considered an intimate act. Even though I didn’t mind, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. After all, her father—the clan leader—was nearby.

Even in a situation as urgent as this, weren’t there proper stages to becoming closer to soone?

‘I an, I’d prefer my first experience with sothing like this to be romantic, even if it’s just holding hands. I’m a romantic, after all.’

Clearing my throat, I tried to respond calmly.

“Ahem… I’m not sure why this is so urgent, but shouldn’t we get to know each other a little better before doing sothing so… intimate? I an, I wouldn’t mind, but—”

Her expression froze, and her cheeks turned crimson before she snapped back in a sharp voice.

“Wh-what?! That’s not what I ant!”

“Whoa! I-I’m sorry!”

Her shout startled , and I quickly raised my hands in apology.

With her face flushed red and her voice slightly trembling, she explained, “I didn’t an it that way. I just wanted to check your pulse.”

“Oh… Oh! I-I see! I’m so sorry! I misunderstood!”

‘Pulse? Did she study dicine? Is she planning to prescribe so tonic after all the traveling?’

I felt a wave of embarrassnt wash over . I’d let my imagination run wild, and now I’d completely botched my first impression—again.

But to my surprise, she apologized too, her tone sowhat twisted with guilt.

“I suppose it was my fault for asking so abruptly. I can see how you might have misunderstood… though I’m not entirely sure what you were thinking.”

Her gaze, sharp and unimpressed, seed to pierce right through .

‘She must think I’m so presumptuous brat.’

“W-well, it wasn’t anything strange, I promise!”

As I stumbled over my words, she sighed, her tone softening.

“My father told earlier. You’re aware of his intentions, right?”

“Intentions? Do you an about…?”

“That he wants to take you as my husband.”

“Oh, yes… I did hear sothing about that…”

It seed the reason she had co to see was to address her father’s sudden decision. Understandably, she was upset. After all, who wouldn’t be?

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not very happy about this arrangent. Yes, you saved both my father and , and I will repay that debt. But being treated like so kind of gift to be handed over? That doesn’t sit well with .”

Her anger was palpable, and I couldn’t bla her.

To lighten the mood, I tried to joke.

“Oh, I completely understand. If my father suddenly picked up a skinny orphan and told to marry them, I’d probably think he’d lost his mind too.”

Her eyes widened, and she stamred, “N-no, that’s not what I ant! It has nothing to do with your appearance or your circumstances. It’s just that this is an internal Tang Clan matter…”

Realizing she thought I might have taken offense, I quickly reassured her.

“No, no, I get it. I know you didn’t an it that way.”

“…? How can you be so sure? We’ve only known each other for a few hours.”

I smiled, shrugging lightly.

“Call it intuition. Besides, soone who didn’t care wouldn’t apologize.”

She blinked, seemingly taken aback, before a small smile graced her lips.

Her expression softened, and she carefully sat down beside .

“Let apologize again. I barged in and acted rudely, and I should have been more considerate. But I’d like to be honest with you about why I ca here.”

“Honest? About what?”

She began explaining her family situation—the distinction between the direct and branch families of the Tang Clan, her unique position as the only direct descendant of her generation, and the pressure her father faced to take a concubine to ensure the family line.

“But your father didn’t, because you were enough?”

“Yes. The Tang Clan has a tradition of taking a son-in-law instead. It’s a way for daughters to carry on the family na.”

“Oh, I see… a son-in-law…”

The task of continuing the family line has now fallen upon my older sister.

The Sacheon Tang Clan, known for its expertise in poisons, has a long-standing tradition of bringing in son-in-laws to maintain its secrets. Since the clan head refused to take a second wife, the responsibility to continue the lineage shifted to my sister.

If my sister marries and has a child, that child will inherit the leadership of the Sacheon Tang Clan.

However, my sister, having endured the tornt and ddling of collateral family mbers, wanted sothing that would put them in their place—be it martial arts or marriage.

With martial arts, I could help. The remaining task was finding her a husband.

My sister insisted that her partner must at least possess exceptional martial talent.

"Talent, huh? You an sothing akin to natural ability?"

My sister’s desire for a partner with strong martial potential wasn’t just for her benefit but also for their own sake.

Martial potential dictates one’s limits—what heights they can reach. Martial arts hold imnse value in the martial world, and thus, potential is highly regarded.

As the standing in the clan depends on one’s martial arts achievents, even as a son-in-law, they would need outstanding potential to hold their head high within the clan.

The constant oppression from the collateral families had been relentless.

"…So I must apologize in advance, but I’d like to test your potential. Of course, even if your potential doesn’t match my hopes, I won’t drive you away. You’re my benefactor, after all. You’re already a guest of the clan—or perhaps, we could beco sworn siblings? I’ll ask Father to ensure our clan supports you for life. So…”

In short, my sister was pragmatic. Even if the candidate wasn’t already accomplished, she wanted soone with the potential to master the most valuable aspect of the martial world: martial arts.

"Hmm… My sister is more realistic than I thought."

For soone born into a great clan, it wasn’t surprising. After all, marriages in such families were often more about business than romance.

"I understand what you an. Very well, go ahead and check."

Nodding at her explanation, I extended my arm.

My sister hesitated, blinking in confusion at my outstretched wrist.

"Are you sure? Is this really okay?"

"Of course. If you’d like to check, please feel free."

"What if I lie and say your potential is poor because I don’t like you?"

"You wouldn’t do that, would you?"

My sister stared at , then cautiously reached out and grabbed my wrist.

The mont her hand touched my wrist, I felt a flash of light before my eyes and an odd sensation, as if sothing briefly left and returned to my mind. It was a strange, unexplainable feeling—like sothing small had slipped deep into my body.

"What’s wrong?"

"Ah, nothing. It hasn’t started yet, right?"

"Not yet."

"Then please proceed."

Although the sensation was odd, I collected myself as my sister closed her eyes and focused intently.

A faint tingling followed, and I could feel sothing flowing into through her grip.

"This is… quite the peculiar sensation."

After what felt like the ti it takes to drink a cup of tea, my sister opened her eyes, her first words surprisingly hopeful.

"The martial arts of the Tang Clan aren’t for just anyone. While so can’t learn poison arts at all, fortunately, you have the capability to learn them."

"Oh! That’s promising!"

But just as I felt a glimr of hope, her following words crushed my spirit.

"However, it seems your limit is the Ten-Poison Realm (십독지경). Within the Tang Clan, we categorize bodies that can handle poison, and yours appears to fall under the Ten-Poison Body (십독지체)."

"What?! Ten-Poison Realm? Ten-Poison Body? I did spend my previous life dabbling with poisonous creatures like centipedes and snakes, but can they actually detect sothing like that?"

Her words shocked , but I quickly realized it wasn’t ten virtues (십덕) but ten poisons (십독).

In other words, my body could manage ten types of poison.

**"The levels are Five-Poison (오독), Ten-Poison (십독), Hundred-Poison (백독), Thousand-Poison (천독), and Ten-Thousand-Poison (만독). As one’s internal energy deepens, the body must adapt to accommodate more poisons to reach the highest levels. Your body, however, can only handle ten.

While being a Ten-Poison Body is exceptional for soone outside the Tang Clan, in the grand sche of the martial world, it’s rely the limit for a first-rate martial artist—a ceiling for ordinary individuals without innate talent."**

The words hit hard.

It felt like being told outright that I lacked talent.

Whether it was "ten virtues" or "ten poisons," it was clear—I wasn’t the right match for my sister.

To make matters worse, the clan head had ntioned that capturing the Zimjo bird required achieving the Ten-Thousand-Poison Realm (만독지경). With Ten-Poison, I was two whole stages away, a gap that felt like a thousandfold difference.

My dreams shattered instantly.

My sister, noticing my expression, quietly withdrew.

It seed she realized I needed ti to process everything.

As she left, I noticed the sunset painting the sky red. Normally quiet, the O-Gong centipedes peeked out from my sleeves.

"Chrrr…"

Their soft sounds seed almost sympathetic.

I muttered quietly to myself.

"Guys… So I’m just a Ten-Poison… No, that’s fine. But really… Was I just rejected without even confessing?"

Looking back, this marked my first rejection since reincarnation: zero confessions, one rejection.

Unfairly so, it felt.

***

At dinner, no one said a word about it.

I thought my sister might have ntioned sothing privately to the elders, but it seed they were completely unaware of what had transpired.

The al was cheerful and harmonious, with my sister showing no signs of concern.

And then, that night.

I distinctly rember falling asleep in the accommodations the Tang Clan had prepared for . Yet, when I woke up, I found myself in a forest.

To my shock, my sister appeared before , bowing deeply and weeping.

"Hic… Hic… Thank you for your boundless kindness and grace."

In my arms, three young girls, their fingers in their mouths, clung to my clothes. They looked up at my sister with fear in their wide eyes.

"What kind of trickery is this?"