Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang Chapter 72

At my question, the woman trembled and struggled to speak, her chin and hands shaking as she answered.

"T-Taehwa Mun... Third son, Jin Dae-seung..."

"Third son of Taehwa Mun? I understand now. We’ll catch him imdiately and..."

Having confird the man's identity, I assured the woman that there was no need to worry; we were experts in this sort of thing.

The shocked exclamations ca from both sides.

"Taehwa Mun!?"

"Are you sure it’s the third son of Taehwa Mun!?"

As I looked around at the surprised expressions of Gu-Pae and my sister, I felt the sudden shift in atmosphere.

Sothing was off. The tension was palpable.

As I observed their faces, my sister's voice ca through telepathically.

[They belong to the sa righteous faction. Taehwa Mun is one of the most powerful sects in Sichuan, following the Aemi and Cheongseong sects. There’s an important issue I’ll explain in a bit.]

I had been taught by my sister and Mandok Shingun that the most powerful factions in Sichuan were Aemi, Cheongseong, and our own faction, the Sicheon Tangmun. Below them were the minor factions, and I was supposed to take my ti learning about them. But it seed this man belonged to a faction just beneath the major ones.

The woman, sensing the tension, nervously asked,

"Wh-what’s going on? Is there a problem?"

Gu-Pae, exchanging looks with my sister, quickly stepped forward and reassured her.

"No, it’s just unexpected. We’ve learned the man’s identity, so we’ll track down his movents. You relax now, and take a bath. Change into clean clothes and rest. We’ll take care of everything with the gambling house owner. Eat well and rest—good news will co soon."

After Gu-Pae’s words, the woman bowed her head three tis in gratitude.

Thud, thud, thud!

She bowed so deeply that her forehead bled.

My sister, startled, sent soone from the clan's dical office to treat her wounds.

Once the treatnt was over and the woman left with the officials, Gu-Pae spoke with a sigh.

"Hmm... This seems more complicated than expected."

"Yes, I think we need to inform Grandpa and Father," my sister replied, nodding thoughtfully.

Curious, I asked my sister what the serious problem was and why they seed so concerned.

"Sister, you said there’s an important issue. Is his family an influential one?"

My sister furrowed her brow slightly at my question, but her expression quickly softened. In a calm tone, she explained.

"His family won’t be a problem if what he’s done is true. We can quietly deal with it."

"Then what?"

But her next words weren’t as reassuring.

"However, in the martial world, vows and promises are very important. Especially when soone swears by their martial skills, their family na, or their title, they are bound to uphold that vow."

"Huh. So the martial world is a credit-based society?"

I nodded, surprised that the martial world, which seed so brutal, actually valued credit. My sister continued.

"But our family has a pledge with Taehwa Mun."

"A pledge? With Taehwa Mun?"

"My great-grandfather received a great favor from Taehwa Mun. As a result, our family promised that, should Taehwa Mun ever commit a grave offense, we would forgive them once."

"What!?"

I was shocked, my mind racing with the implications of this promise.

It sounded like a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card in the form of an ancient pact.

"So, Taehwa Mun has an immunity card, essentially?"

This ant the pledge from our family allowed Taehwa Mun to escape consequences once, no matter the cri.

I quickly understood, and as my sister explained the situation, I turned to Gu-Pae to care for the woman and headed straight to the Tang Clan's headquarters.

It seed clear that we needed to discuss this with the family elders. The gravity of the situation couldn’t be ignored, even with the immunity card in place.

Arriving at the Tangmun, I gathered Mandok Shingun, my father-in-law, and mother-in-law, who were preparing to sleep, and explained the events of the day.

"So, this is what happened, and I’m unsure how to proceed, Grandpa."

After my sister finished speaking, Mandok Shingun and my father-in-law erupted in fury.

My mother-in-law, who had a softer heart, was on the verge of tears after hearing the woman’s story.

"Taehwa Mun is a prestigious sect in Sichuan, and its master is a righteous man! How could such a vile creature co from such a noble lineage?"

"Isn’t it horrific?"

"Such a devilish bastard roaming around Sichuan! So this woman is staying at our Tang Clan's quarters in Seongdo?"

"Yes, Father. For now, I've instructed the clan’s physician to treat her."

After the furious outbursts, it beca clear to the elders why we had co in the middle of the night.

They exchanged serious glances and asked,

"You ca to help the woman seek revenge, but because of the pledge made by our ancestors with Taehwa Mun, right?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

The two n exchanged a long look, deep in thought.

Although my grandfather was the head of the family, it was my father-in-law who made the final decisions on family matters.

After a mont’s hesitation, my father-in-law turned to my sister and , his voice solemn.

"The vow of our ancestors is tied to the honor of our Tang Clan. If we make an exception to help this woman, how will others trust us and believe in our promises? No, we cannot help her. The poison of our clan and the blood of our clan must never assist this woman."

"Father! Grandpa! Please, reconsider!"

Could it be that even an unjust law must be obeyed?

As much as I believed in a credit-based society, this sharp decision left stunned.

Of course, it was inevitable that I would ask for reconsideration, but as I did, my sister squeezed my hand and sent a telepathic ssage.

[We’ll agree and leave. It’s been taken care of.]

"?"

"My sister, the Tang Clan’s Huaeun will follow the head’s orders."

My sister bowed respectfully, and with that, she gently pulled out, as I was still reeling from the shock.

She led back to the carriage and spoke as she gently tugged on my arm.

"Let’s go quickly. There’s much to do if we are to help the poor woman."

Though my sister said we had much work to do, the situation was complicated.

I questioned her.

"Wait, but didn’t Father say that we’re forbidden to help the woman?"

Smiling brightly, my sister responded.

"Yes, Father said that the Tang Clan’s poison and bloodline should never assist her. But So-ryong, you’re not of the Tang Clan, are you? If you help her without involving the clan’s poison, they’ll allow it. I believe the original vow was to offer one concession in dealings with Taehwa Mun."

"!"

I was stunned. It seed like the credit-based society was being manipulated.

But if others did it, it wasn’t so bad, but when we did it, it felt reassuring.

I was beginning to appreciate the Tang Clan more and more.

Though, I still wondered if this ant I had to prove my loyalty by taking a certain step.

Was this so sort of initiation ritual for becoming part of the family?

***

The next morning, as the day broke, I summoned Gu-Pae and explained the results of my conversation with Mandok Shingun and my father-in-law from the previous evening.

"…That's how it went," I finished.

Gu-Pae nodded in acknowledgnt.

"At least you've received permission, but they’ll likely insist that we avoid exposing our family ties. This ans our room to maneuver is limited."

"Still, it's good that we have a way to help."

"Indeed, however, I’ll start by investigating his movents and patterns."

Gu-Pae had ntioned that he had been part of the Poison Squad (Myeoldokdae) in the past, so he suggested starting with intelligence gathering, which made sense to .

I was a bit concerned about outsourcing the investigation to the so-called "trash-like" union, but I kept my thoughts to myself.

‘Wait, are we really trusting beggars with intelligence gathering?’

That afternoon, as Gu-Pae went off to hand the task over to the so-called "Gaebang" (the group he ntioned), I called the woman to join for tea, hoping to check her condition.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes, thanks to your care…"

She looked much better than yesterday, having been cleaned, dressed in fresh clothes, and her hair neatly combed. The crickets weren’t chirping during the day, so she was ntally clear now, though the burn scars remained on her face.

It had been a while since we had taken her in, but the clan would provide ointnts and dical support for burns, so I was confident her condition would improve. Surprisingly, the woman was in relatively good shape.

While I was talking with her and my sister about how she started raising crickets, the voice of Gu-Pae calling out to us was heard from outside.

"Ah, Miss. A guest has, um, arrived..."

"A guest? Let them in."

I gave permission, and to my surprise, Gu-Pae entered not with a guest, but with a filthy beggar in tow.

Gu-Pae, visibly tense, looked like a soldier standing awkwardly beside his commanding officer.

‘What’s going on? Why did he bring a beggar?’

I raised an eyebrow, but the most surprising thing was that my sister imdiately stood up and respectfully greeted the old beggar.

"Greetings, Elder Geol-hwang of the Gaebang. How does one of your position co to Sichuan?"

"Beggar Elder?"

The woman seed to recognize him as the beggar from her story.

As I shifted my gaze between the beggar, my sister, and the woman, my sister’s telepathic ssage ca through urgently.

[So-ryong, greet him properly. Elder Geol-hwang is one of the Three Monarchs of the martial world, just like Lord Gwon-hwang. He is one of the three most powerful figures in the world of martial arts.]

‘Wait, the beggar is a martial world monarch?’

I was shocked, but since my sister said so, I bowed and greeted the elder.

He nodded with curiosity and spoke with a mischievous grin.

"Hehehe. I had heard that Lord Gwon-hwang never accepted disciples, so I was curious when he passed down his martial arts. Truly an interesting fellow, walking around with such... ugly things on your body."

The beggar seed to know about the centipedes that were wrapped around my body, a fact known only to the martial world’s elite and a select few, including my family. I was stunned.

The beggar laughed heartily, noting my surprise.

"Hehe, so you’ve just entered the martial world, huh? You’ll learn more about from your betrothed."

[Geol-hwang is the forr leader of Gaebang, and he knows everything that happens in this world, including all rumors.]

At my sister's telepathic explanation, I began to trust the beggar more. He not only knew about but also had an extensive reputation in the martial world.

He spoke again.

"Do you understand why I’m here?"

"Could it be about Taehwa Mun?"

The beggar nodded at my response.

"Exactly. That’s why I’ve co."

"Are you here to stop us?"

My sister asked with a puzzled expression, but the beggar shook his head.

"No, I don’t have direct proof, so I can’t act myself, but knowing the situation of that child, how could I not help? You’re performing acts of justice and virtue, so I’ve co to assist."

"Eh?"

My sister and I blinked in surprise as the beggar suddenly offered to help.

The beggar tapped his head and said,

Tap, tap.

"You need intelligence, right? Also, I’m curious how the successor of Lord Gwon-hwang will handle this."

‘So, he’s just here to watch the show, huh?’

Gu-Pae had brought a spectator when he said he was going to handle the intelligence. His nervousness was clear, and I gave him a questioning look, making him scratch his head in embarrassnt.

***

Though the sudden appearance of the beggar was sowhat bewildering, he certainly proved helpful.

"I’ve found his movents: in the outskirts of Seongdo, the slums twice, and I’ve had suspicions about him for five instances so far," the beggar continued.

"That many?"

"Yes, I discovered him a few years ago, and I’ve dug up information through my network. Recently, he’s been keeping a low profile, so it’s harder to track."

The beggar confird that the man was worse than we thought, and he seed to have a perfect understanding of how to operate covertly.

"So, he only leaves the gambling house about once every three days, but he doesn’t go beyond the gates of Taehwa Mun?"

"Correct. After the incident with Songga Village, for so reason, he’s been staying low. That’s why I suggested using poison on him."

"I see."

It seed clear that we would have to deal with him inside the gambling house. However, there was a problem.

The gambling house served drinks and food to guests who had lost their money, encouraging them to stay and drink. While it wouldn’t be too hard to find poison, how could we ensure we poisoned his drink specifically among so many others?

If we directly approached him with a drink, we would be the first to be suspected when he collapsed. I turned to the woman, who had worked in the kitchen, and asked her.

"So, how did you manage to poison his food? You worked in the kitchen, right?"

She nodded and answered.

"Sotis, when a big spender ca in, he’d make a very specific request, like wanting food without certain things, like crab or shrimp. That’s when I added the poison."

"Crab and shrimp? Does he dislike them?"

I wondered if he had a picky taste, but Geol-hwang answered from the side.

"That bastard said sothing happens to his body if he eats shellfish or shrimp."

"Ah, so he’s allergic!"

Bingo!

The man had a shellfish allergy, and now, I had the perfect plan to kill him.

‘Looks like I’m fully part of the Tang Clan now...’

I couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter inside, but I smiled at Gu-Pae and gave him my next task.

"Gu-Pae, please go to the Tang Clan imdiately and bring what I ask for."

"Lord So-ryong, wasn’t poison forbidden in the clan?"

Gu-Pae flinched at the thought that I might want poison from the Tang Clan.

I smiled at him and replied.

"No, I need you to bring Huangfenchong (Yellow Powder Worm)."

"Huangfenchong?"

"Yes, I’m going to kill him in a delicious way."

"?"

Everyone blinked in confusion, not understanding my plan.