Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Chapter 219: Cheongwol (1)

Although the order was a little different, after finishing my al and washing up, I quickly headed to the training ground that Kunlun had provided.

Tsrurrr!

Tsrut!

Of course, I wasn’t going alone.

Following behind were Cho, Bini, and Hyang coiled around my body. Alongside them were the three O-gong sisters and Moji and Soji perched on my shoulders.

Hongdan and Yeondu were riding on top of Cho’s head, while Seol, Bing, and Dong were neatly perched atop Bini’s head.

The only one absent was Hwayang, who had remained at the residence, claiming to be ditating.

But apart from that, nearly everyone had co along.

Tsrut?

Just as we were rounding the corner of a pavilion on our way to Cheongwol, Hyang wrapped around , asked.

He was confirming if we were really heading to Cheongwol.

“Yes, that’s right. We’re going to see Cheongwol.”

Tsrut!

Upon hearing my answer, Hyang, thrilled, urged to hurry along.

Hyang had always liked Cheongwol. His head even stretched forward, poking out in front of in excitent.

The reason I was bringing everyone along today was to familiarize Cheongwol with them.

Normally, I would take one or two of them with during training so that Cheongwol could get used to them gradually.

But since today was a rest day, I had brought everyone.

When we arrived at the training ground, which was located at the outermost area of Kunlun, the first thing that caught my eye was a white cloth.

Underneath it lay a massive boulder.

The white cloth was draped overhead, partially blocking the sunlight and shielding the area from the wind.

It was Yo-hwa’s handiwork.

And just as I was about to approach, Yo-hwa, the owner of this work, leapt down from sowhere and landed beside .

Chiiik.

“Yo-hwa, have you been keeping an eye on Cheongwol?”

Kishii!

At my request, Yo-hwa had been watching over Cheongwol.

Of course, Cheongwol didn’t really need protection, but I couldn’t just leave him alone at night when I had promised to stay with him.

Besides, Kunlun’s residences had narrow entrances, making it impossible for Yo-hwa to co inside.

Since Yo-hwa loved the outdoors anyway, he was the perfect companion for Cheongwol.

There was also another reason I had arranged for them to be together.

Although scorpions and spiders seed like completely different creatures, they were actually very close relatives, which ant they might be able to communicate well.

Scorpions belonged to the class Arachnida, just like spiders.

From a taxonomic perspective, they were practically cousins.

As a token of appreciation, I thoroughly stroked Yo-hwa’s head before moving closer to Cheongwol.

Standing before the spot where his face was likely buried, I called out to him.

“Did you sleep well?”

Kududuk.

The sound that followed wasn’t that of a creature moving but rather the grinding of stone.

A massive claw slowly lowered, revealing what appeared to be a piece of rock shifting.

And then, from within that stony surface, a pair of smooth, gem-like eyes erged and locked onto .

Krurr.

The thought that reached was: “You’re here?”

A short, curt greeting—typical of Cheongwol.

He never showed any wariness toward , but his communication was always brief.

The Cheongwol I had seen within my heart had reflected his personality and temperant perfectly.

I responded just as briefly.

“Yeah.”

Keeping my smile intact, I answered, and Cheongwol’s gaze shifted toward the creatures behind .

Then, his massive rocky body shifted slightly, as if he were sighing.

Another thought ca through.

Krur.

"It’s going to be noisier than yesterday."

“...Ahaha... I-Is that so?”

I laughed awkwardly at his blunt remark.

And right on cue, Hyang, who had been wrapped around my body, uncoiled and scurried toward Cheongwol.

Tsrurrr! “Big sister, have you been well?”

Hyang imdiately began chattering away, bombarding Cheongwol with words.

She went on and on about how Moji and Soji had grown, how they had started emitting light, and all sorts of other things.

Hongdan, who had run over beside her, eagerly chid in.

Tsrurrr! Tsrurrr!

Kiii!

Cheongwol’s large body shifted again, as if sighing once more.

But he didn’t seem too bothered—he even responded to Hyang and Hongdan’s ramblings with short replies.

Tsrurrr. “...So then, Hwayang did that...”

Krur. “Is that so?”

Tsrut! “I was so upset because of it!”

Khot. “I... see.”

As the conversation continued, Cho, Bini, and the rest began gathering around to listen, forming a small audience.

‘Hyang really is sociable, huh?’

Aside from her excessive attachnt to , she was actually quite a charming daughter.

As I stood there, awkwardly watching the lively conversation, Yo-hwa quietly approached and nudged onto his back.

Kishi.

“You want to sit? Thanks. Like this?”

I sat down in a proper princess riding position, my legs tucked together.

Now seated on Yo-hwa’s soft back, I watched as the chatter between Hyang and Hongdan continued.

After that, I observed as they slid down Cheongwol’s body like a playground slide, and so even clung to Cho and took to the air.

By the ti I was done watching all their antics, I felt completely drained.

Watching over children really wasn’t easy.

Just watching them run around had sapped my energy.

Eventually, as Cheongwol had predicted, after making all that noise, the little ones tired themselves out and fell asleep atop his body.

At last, the training ground had quieted down.

Now that the commotion had settled, I decided it was ti to test my training progress.

‘I hope I get it right this ti...’

Sliding down from Yo-hwa’s back, I slowly crept toward Cheongwol.

A slight tension crept into .

It was only natural to be nervous—after all, ntal combat wasn’t sothing visible.

There was no clear way to confirm whether my training had been successful or not.

I didn’t know how much longer I had to keep training, and to make matters worse, Cheongwol had been giving occasional glances as if wondering when I was going to leave.

His body had already fully healed.

There was still so leeway since we’d be leaving together when the ti ca, but I couldn’t tell when Cheongwol might suddenly ask when I planned to go.

As I slowly ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) approached him and reached out to place my hand on his claw—

A sudden wave of thought washed over .

Krur... “Hmm...”

I flinched and hesitated, but then another thought followed.

It seed that since the little ones were asleep, he was speaking to through our mind link.

And what he said was enough to make freeze.

It was the question I had been dreading the most.

Krurrrr... “Has your body fully healed?”

“...Oh? Oh... uhh, yeah, I suppose it has...”

Since I couldn’t lie, I simply nodded and answered through my thoughts.

Cheongwol turned his gaze toward the distant desert.

And then, the next question ca.

Krut. “I see. So, when are you leaving?”

Of course, now that I had answered that my body was fully recovered, the follow-up question was obvious.

I could only respond with an awkward expression.

“Ah... I guess I’ll have to leave soon...”

Krumm. “I see... Hm?”

Just then, Hyang, who had been sleeping atop Cheongwol’s head, slipped off.

I quickly rushed forward and scooped her up, placing her back onto Cheongwol’s body.

‘I’ve got her.’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Cheongwol had flinched at the sensation, tilting his body slightly as if to catch Hyang.

But when he saw that I had picked her up, I felt a sense of relief emanate from him.

After that, however, there was a long silence.

It left an awkward air between us.

‘What’s with this atmosphere...’

I broke the silence, directing my words toward Cheongwol.

Now that I had admitted I was leaving soon, he could start asking about it every day.

I figured it would be better to just be honest and buy myself a little more ti.

“Cheongwol, the thing is... I want to continue training for a bit. So what I wanted to say is...”

Krur. “I know.”

“...You know?”

Krurrr. “You’ve been doing it right in front of every day. It would be strange if I didn’t notice.”

“Oh, right, that makes sense.”

Since I had been training right in front of him every day, it would indeed be odd if he hadn’t figured it out.

Just as I was about to continue explaining, I heard sothing unexpected—

A low chuckle from Cheongwol.

Krurrr. “Training to take ? You must have been scared.”

I hadn’t even ntioned my goal yet, but Cheongwol already knew my purpose for training.

For a creature that disliked long conversations, this was the most he had ever spoken to .

I widened my eyes in surprise.

“How... how did you know?”

He let out an amused snort.

Krur. “Your woman said so. That you’ve been training hard to obtain .”

‘My woman’—he was referring to Seol.

Rather than bothering to argue that she wasn’t my woman, I hurriedly tried to explain myself.

“No, no, that’s not what I ant...”

If he thought I was training just to capture him, that wouldn’t exactly sound good.

But before I could clarify, his next question left completely stumped.

Krurut. “So... are you saying you don’t want ?”

“Wha—no! Of course, I want you!”

I absolutely, completely, definitely wanted him!

Khot. “Heh.”

Hearing my hurried response, he chuckled.

Well, since it had co to this, I had to push my plan forward.

It didn’t seem like Cheongwol was particularly against the idea, so I might as well ask for more ti.

And if I was lucky, I could even succeed today in one go.

They say that if you’re perceptive, you can even get extra at at a banquet—

And judging from Cheongwol’s mood today, he didn’t seem particularly displeased.

“So... about that. Can I try it again today? The technique where I transfer my energy to you—like last ti.”

But before I could finish, Cheongwol’s response cut off.

Krur. “Don’t.”

His tone was firm.

I was completely caught off guard.

What, did he eat a rock of stubbornness today or sothing?

He sounded ridiculously resolute.

‘Damn... Did I ss this up?’

If he had figured out that I was training to take him, he might feel like his will was being forcibly influenced.

Naturally, that would make him uncomfortable.

It would be no different from brainwashing.

Of course, he would reject it.

But then, he said sothing I hadn’t expected.

Krut. “No need to be disappointed. Living sowhere else doesn’t sound so bad. But... your quiet days are over.”

I processed his words—

And when their aning fully sank in, my eyes widened.

I stared at him in disbelief, and for the first ti, he seed slightly embarrassed.

“...Huh!?”

Krurrr. “After seeing how hard you worked for so many days, fine. I’ll allow it.”

“You—really!?”

But instead of answering, he simply closed his eyes.

For so long, I had wondered when I would reach a level where I could finally take Cheongwol with .

But it seed that my effort and persistence had impressed him.

And now, he had chosen to co with on his own.

The anxiety that had been gnawing at —the fear that I might fail—completely disappeared.

A powerful thrill coursed through my entire body.

Now, I had one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts under my command.

A Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion, a creature capable of withstanding even the qi attacks of martial artists, with a unique Petrifying Poison.

It was officially mine.

“YEEEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Krur?! “W-what was that?!”

My sudden scream made Cheongwol flinch in shock.

The noise also startled all the other creatures awake, and they quickly perked up, staring at in confusion.

My little ones seed utterly bewildered—Dad had just suddenly lost his mind and scread like a lunatic.

Tsrurrrr?

Kishat?

Kyak kyak?

But I couldn’t stop myself.

I sprinted forward, flung myself at Cheongwol’s claw, and hugged it tightly.

“Thank you, Cheongwol! I’ll treat you like royalty for the rest of my life!”

I swore to myself—

I would polish his shell every day until it glead, build him the best ho, prepare the best als—

Everything he could ever need, I would provide.