Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Chapter 67

“No… It’s probably just a coincidence. Yeah, just a coincidence.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my pounding heart. As I thought it over, I recalled how pet owners sotis overreact in situations like this—thinking their pets had sohow understood them when it was really just a random response.

It’s a common trap for pet owners: believing their pets are the smartest and most beautiful creatures in the world. The pet might have done sothing completely random, but the owner assigns aning to it, convincing themselves their pet is a genius.

But I’m not like that. I’m objective, rational, and deliberate.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to verify. Maybe it was just a coincidence. I decided to test it again. Closing my eyes, I spoke to O-Gong in my mind.

‘O-Gong, climb onto my head.’

-Chrrr!

Once again, O-Gong chirped in response as if understanding my thoughts. A mont later, I felt him slither up and coil himself neatly on top of my head like a hat.

“What the…”

Without a word spoken aloud, O-Gong had acted on my ntal request.

The certainty in my mind soared past any shadow of doubt. Still, who was I if not Spicy Fabre, the venomous creature YouTuber who raised countless poisonous pets in my past life? A thorough test was a must.

I gently set O-Gong down and asked him aloud, “O-Gong, stay here for a mont. Don’t move. Wait until I call for you, alright? When you hear my voice, co running.”

-Chrrr!

I stepped out of sight, hiding behind the front gate, and tried again, this ti ntally.

‘O-Gong, Dad is hiding behind the gate. Co here.’

A mont later, O-Gong peeked his head around the gate, as if playing peek-a-boo, his antennae twitching as he scurried toward .

My body shivered with excitent.

Once might be coincidence. Twice could be happenstance. But three tis? That’s destiny.

Having confird it three tis now, I no longer needed to doubt.

“Whaaat!? No way! Is O-Gong… a psychic centipede!?”

Switching from calm, analytical mode to full-on ecstatic mode, I couldn’t hold back a shout. Who could? O-Gong and I could communicate telepathically—it felt like nothing short of a miracle.

While I couldn’t hear what O-Gong was thinking, he could clearly understand my thoughts and respond accordingly.

I picked him up, cradling him in my arms. “How did you understand that, O-Gong? How did you know?”

-Chrrr?

Despite having understood perfectly monts ago, O-Gong tilted his head innocently as if he had no idea what I was talking about.

This little guy really knew how to toy with my heart. He was going to break the hearts of every male centipede one day—a master of push-and-pull and a telepathic prodigy, my O-Gong.

“Maybe after shedding twice, he’s awakened so sort of spirit beast ability? Could the others do it too? O-Gong, can your siblings understand like you?”

-Chrr?

Again, he tilted his head, feigning ignorance. I hugged him close and rushed off to find my sister. I needed to test this with the other creatures as well.

I dashed out of the Venom Hall and made my way toward the Tang Clan’s inner courtyard, where the direct descendants resided. Running past the open gate and through the central courtyard, I headed to the backyard, where I found my sister. She was sitting in a pavilion, surrounded by the other venomous creatures, questioning them sternly.

“Where has O-Gong been running off to? Your mother has been so worried! It’s already hard enough trying to keep track of you and the others,” she sighed, her frustration evident.

As I got closer, I overheard her voice. She had apparently been scolding the creatures for wandering off—especially O-Gong, who seed to have sneaked out to find without her noticing.

-Chrrr?

-Coo? Coo?

Her tone and posture, one hand on her hip, clearly conveyed how much trouble these creatures had been causing since their second molt.

And here was O-Gong, having sohow managed to evade everyone, sneaking out to wait for at the Venom Hall’s entrance.

“Hwa-eun!” I called out, running toward her.

At first, she looked worried, but when she saw , her expression softened into a warm smile. Realizing this, she quickly straightened up and regained her composure, standing to greet .

“So-ryong… Are you feeling alright?” she asked gently.

“Yes, perfectly fine. See? I’m good as new. Thank you for worrying,” I replied with a reassuring smile.

“And… O-Gong?”

Her eyes landed on O-Gong, now perched comfortably on my shoulder. She imdiately turned her attention to scolding him.

“O-Gong, didn’t I tell you not to wander off? You’ve been worrying your mother sick! If you’re going sowhere, you need to tell first!”

At her stern voice, O-Gong’s antennae drooped, clearly chastised.

To spare him from further reprimands, I quickly jumped in to share my discovery.

“That’s not the important part right now, Hwa-eun. O-Gong can understand human speech!”

She tilted her head in confusion. “O-Gong has always been good at understanding speech. Why is this surprising?”

‘Ah, she’s right,’ I thought. I’d gotten so excited that I’d forgotten to explain properly.

“No, I an he can understand what I’m thinking. Without saying anything aloud!”

“What?”

“Watch this.”

I placed O-Gong on the pavilion and ntally gave him a command. ‘O-Gong, do a circle and then jump back onto Dad.’

O-Gong chirped, spun in a neat circle, and leapt from my sister’s shoulder onto mine. Her eyes widened in astonishnt.

“Did you… just think that?”

“Yes!” I exclaid, beaming with pride.

“How is that even possible?”

“Isn’t it amazing? It’s incredible, right?” I couldn’t hide my excitent.

“It is!” she agreed, clearly fascinated.

“We should test this with the others too,” I said eagerly.

“The others?”

Upon hearing my idea to check the other creatures, my sister’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. She eagerly agreed and helped line up the three creatures to see if they could respond like O-Gong.

‘Alright, everyone, lift your heads!’

I repeated the experint several tis to confirm, but none of the others showed any reaction. Despite separate tests, they remained unresponsive.

Even my sister, determined to prove she could communicate with them, tried giving commands. To her dismay, not even O-Gong reacted to her. She looked visibly disappointed, muttering about why she couldn’t communicate with them.

Eventually, the two of us sat down in front of the creatures, trying to figure out why only O-Gong could understand . A small brainstorming session ensued.

“Maybe it’s because O-Gong molted twice and moved past the larval stage?” I suggested.

“Then what’s different about O-Gong compared to the others?” she wondered aloud.

“Hmm…”

As we mulled it over, my sister’s eyes suddenly lit up as if she’d made a breakthrough. “Ah! O-Gong does have sothing that sets him apart!”

“What is it?” I asked, leaning closer.

“The ritual!” she exclaid.

“The ritual? Oh, of course! The ritual!” It hit like a ton of bricks.

The connection between O-Gong and had to stem from the grand ritual. After all, I had directly absorbed his venom during the process.

“We need to confirm this with Grandfather imdiately!” I declared.

“I’ll co with you, So-ryong!” she said, jumping to her feet.

The two of us rushed to the Venom Hall, where we found Grandfather just as he was stepping out. Holding up O-Gong, I excitedly shared our discovery.

“This—this is incredible!” Grandfather exclaid, his eyes wide.

“It’s amazing, right? He can understand my thoughts! I think it’s because of the ritual. Is that correct?” I asked.

“Since the other creatures don’t respond the sa way, it seems likely. Grandfather, did you know this was possible?” my sister added.

The news threw the Tang Clan into an uproar, prompting an ergency eting of the direct lineage at the main hall. A few hours later, the heads of the family gathered for a discreet discussion.

“Is it true that the ritual caused this?” I asked, breaking the silence.

Grandfather shook his head. “No.”

“No? But Grandfather, there’s no other explanation for this connection between O-Gong and …” I protested.

My sister chid in, “Exactly! If not for the ritual, what else could explain this?”

Despite her words, Grandfather remained firm. “Many people in the history of the Tang Clan have absorbed the venom of spirit beasts through the ritual. Although it’s not mainstream, there have always been attempts to study this. However, there’s never been a record of anything like this happening.”

“Really?” my sister asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“Yes. Most spirit beasts were killed for their venom and Neidan. Still, there were efforts to raise them, so if a phenonon like this had been discovered, it would’ve been recorded. But I’ve neither seen nor heard of it, which ans it must stem from sothing else.”

“I agree with Father,” said my father-in-law, nodding. “There’s another factor at play.”

I reluctantly admitted that their reasoning made sense. “Then what could the cause be?”

Grandfather’s expression turned serious as he gave his answer. “It must be the Five Poisons Returning Divine Art.”

“That’s right,” my father-in-law added. “The ritual is simply a thod to accept poison. But So-ryong is the only person who has absorbed the venom of a spirit beast while practicing the Five Poisons Returning Divine Art.”

“So, it’s the Divine Art…” I murmured, digesting the information.

My father-in-law continued, “I reviewed records from a hundred years ago. The Five Poisons Returning Divine Art and the Five Poisons Martial Arts sparked significant debate when they were first integrated into the Tang Clan.”

“Integrated? By whom?” my sister asked.

“The Beast Palace of Southern Barbaria,” Grandfather replied.

“Ah, the Beast Palace…” I muttered, rembering the history of the Five Poisons Sect. It was created by rging the Tang Clan’s poison techniques with the Beast Palace’s thods of controlling beasts.

Grandfather elaborated, “You may not know this, but the Beast Palace is renowned for commanding beasts as though they were extensions of their own limbs. It seems their secrets are deeply embedded in the Five Poisons Returning Divine Art.”

“So understanding why this is happening will be… difficult, won’t it?” my sister asked hesitantly.

Grandfather nodded. “Most likely. Their secrets are not sothing they’d share easily. And if they were to learn that their techniques were passed down through the Tang Clan, who knows how they’d react.”

Reflecting on the Beast Palace’s relentless hundred-year pursuit of the Five Poisons Sect, I could understand their point. Their obsession with martial arts was beyond anything I could fathom.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. The idea of forming a telepathic connection with all my creatures—O-Gong, Xiang, Bin, Xue, Bing, and the Golden Wasp Kings—had filled with dreams of creating a venomous creature symphony, like Bren’s town musicians.

Unable to let go of the possibility, I turned to Grandfather and asked, “Isn’t there any way to make it happen? Maybe we could trade or offer money…”

Grandfather smiled wryly and replied, “Perhaps, if you could prevent the Beast Palace from being annihilated.”

I sighed at his sarcastic remark. Grandfather’s humor could be biting.

The disappointnt lingered, but I knew this secret wouldn’t be unraveled easily. For now, I could only cherish my unique bond with O-Gong and dream of what might soday be possible.