Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 184: Maternal Instincts (1)
“You’re telling me it’s raising hatchlings!?”
The village chief shouted in shock after I climbed out of the well and explained what had happened inside.
It was obvious he was panicking at the thought of baby earwigs hatching and wiping out all the village’s pigs.
To ease his worries, I explained what would happen next and laid out the plan.
After all, this was his request.
And in the process, I’d be gaining a new venomous creature.
“You don’t have to worry about the pigs anymore. Earwigs stop eating once they lay eggs, and when the hatchlings emerge, the mother will offer herself as food and die.”
“She dies? That’s... well, that’s a relief, but the hatchlings... what about them?”
He was hesitating to say it outright, but it was clear he wanted me to kill them all.
But before I could answer, Seol shook her head and spoke on my behalf.
As someone from the Beast Palace, such cruel and senseless slaughter was out of the question for her.
“You should know the rules of the jungle in Yunnan. Even harmful beasts should never be killed alongside their offspring. And a mother and child should never be forcibly separated.”
“Y-Yes, of course, I know...”
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
“The burrow connects to a large cave. Tomorrow, we’ll check the passage on the opposite side, and once the mother dies, we’ll examine the volcanic section she’s blocking.
After that, we’ll seal the tunnel leading to the village, so you don’t need to worry.
And if we determine the hatchlings might cause trouble, we’ll capture them and relocate them elsewhere.”
As Seol explained our plan, the village chief flinched but eventually nodded.
The other villagers around him visibly relaxed as well.
This was probably the best resolution they could ask for.
After all, this wasn’t the first time I’d handled a situation like this.
I was simply following the exact broadcast plan I’d used multiple times before.
As the Spicy Fabre, I’ve dealt with conflicts between wildlife and humans countless times. And there’s no better way to resolve them than this.
I had developed a set of fundamental rules when handling dangerous creatures in human territory:
Identify the species.Study its habits and terrain.Determine the root cause of the conflict.Find a way for humans and the species to coexist.If coexistence is impossible, relocate the species.This framework was created by pure chance during one of my live streams.
The Birth of the Broadcast Plan
It all started with a simple donation message.
"Alright, let’s take some viewer questions. If you’re curious about anything, drop it in the chat—"
[‘I Hate Snakes’ has donated 1,000 won.]
“Fabre, my parents recently moved into a countryside house, but they’re seeing way too many snakes in the yard. Do you have any advice?”
“Oh, a donation! Thanks, ‘I Hate «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Snakes!’ But wait... your parents’ yard has that many snakes?”
[‘I Hate Snakes’ has donated 1,000 won.]
“Yeah, they say they’re seeing several every day.”
The moment I saw the message, I knew this was broadcast material.
“This many snakes? Hmm... If it’s not too far, I’ll check it out myself. It’s hard to explain things without seeing the site firsthand.
To figure out why snakes are showing up, I need on-site investigation.”
[‘I Hate Snakes’ has donated 1,000 won.]
“Really!? Thank you so much! My mom’s too scared to even step into the yard.”
“Alright then, send me your address via email. Oh, and since I’ll be filming, is that okay?”
[‘I Hate Snakes’ has donated 1,000 won.]
“Of course! That would be an honor. I’ll email you right away.”
Chat Reactions:
Supreme Hornet: “Damn, Fabre always finds a way to turn any situation into content.”
Little Tortoise: “Next episode: Snake Hunter Fabre?”
Mighty Bullfrog: “True professional streamer.”
That’s how I ended up visiting the viewer’s parents’ countryside house.
And the moment I arrived, I immediately figured out the problem.
The backyard was backed against a rocky hill.
And upon closer inspection, I found multiple snake dens hidden in the rock crevices.
Snakes tend to hibernate in groups inside rock gaps, and this place was full of them.
To make matters worse, a stream flowed right in front of the house.
So when spring arrived and the snakes woke up from hibernation, they naturally started slithering down toward the water—
—and the house just happened to be in the way.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
The property had been built by cutting into the hillside at an angle, forming a slope.
It was perfectly structured for snakes to slide straight down.
Since coexistence wasn’t an option in this case, I installed a long snake barrier to keep them from crossing over.
Then I personally captured all the snakes that had already arrived and relocated them elsewhere.
The result?
The perfect snake-removal operation.
The viewer’s family was overjoyed and flooded me with gratitude.
And today, I was hearing the same thing from the village chief.
“If you’re willing to go that far, we can finally rest easy. Thank you, young lady.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. We’re all part of the same family in the Yunnan jungle, aren’t we?”
“Thank you, young master.”
The Next Day
The plan was set, and the next day, I gathered the Five Dragons (Oryong Sambong) and headed to explore the opposite side of the cave.
However, it wasn’t long before we hit a dead end.
A roaring underground river blocked our path.
-Crashhhhhh!
“It looks like the passage is blocked. That means there’s another entrance on the other side.”
“That seems likely.”
Considering the giant earwig had made its nest inside a lava cave, it was highly likely that there was a large entrance somewhere on the far side.
But since we couldn’t check it in our current state, we decided to wait until the hatchlings emerged.
After all, earwig hatchlings were just as adorable as baby centipedes.
“Hehehe... hurry up and hatch, little ones. This big brother will take good care of you.”
***
Inside the Hall of Five Venoms
Inside a grand hall adorned with five venomous creatures, thick white smoke drifted from an enormous censer, swirling like mist.
A warrior, dressed in robes emblazoned with a centipede, knelt before it and delivered his report.
“The operation in Janggang Three Alliances was completely exposed to the Martial Alliance. The leader and vice leader of the Centipede Squad, along with half of its members—”
-Bang!
“What!? The leader and vice leader as well!?”
The cheonggak stone table was struck with such force that it cracked.
A woman in black robes, seated beside the enraged man, turned to the kneeling warrior and asked,
“Is this true?”
“Yes. The regular communications ceased, so when our scouts investigated, they found the entire mountain range scorched black, and the Blood-Sucking Insects appeared to have been completely incinerated.”
A brief silence followed his report.
Then, the woman asked, breaking the tension,
“Wait... did you say the entire mountain was burned? Not just the base?”
“Yes, not just the hideout, but all the surrounding mountains were burned to ashes.”
Hearing this, the woman frowned in thought.
Something felt off.
If the entire range had been incinerated, it meant the perpetrators fully understood the dangers of the Blood-Sucking Insects.
But how?
The Martial Alliance had no reason to take such extreme measures.
Even if they had witnessed the creatures draining blood or attacking people, they shouldn’t have burned down an entire mountain range unless their goal was absolute eradication.
A strange unease crept into the woman’s expression as she questioned the warrior again.
“How did you confirm that it was the Martial Alliance who discovered our operations?”
The warrior hesitated before responding.
“We... captured a river pirate from a nearby water stronghold and interrogated him.
He overheard a man named Ji-ryong from the Zhuge Clan leading the attack.”
“Ji-ryong? From the Zhuge Clan...?”
She murmured his name, her frown deepening.
It was well known that the Zhuge Clan was skilled in astrology and geography, but this was unusual.
“I see... You are dismissed.”
The woman dismissed the warrior, but he hesitated, clearly uneasy.
Seeing his reluctance, she tilted her head.
“Is there something else?”
“Well... That is... it seems this incident is connected to a certain individual.”
“An individual?”
The woman and the man sitting beside her exchanged glances.
The black-robed woman narrowed her eyes and pressed the warrior,
“Who are you referring to?”
The warrior gulped and lowered his head as he answered.
“So-ryong... from the Beast Palace.”
Silence fell over the hall.
Then, the man seated at the head of the room turned to the black-robed woman and laughed.
“Hahaha... Cheongyu, your future husband seems to be interfering with our work quite a bit.”
His laughter, despite its casual tone, sent a chill through the entire hall.
At those words, the woman—Oh Cheongyu—turned pale and bowed deeply.
“I-I’m sorry, Father.”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”
His voice remained calm, but his next words carried a dangerous undertone.
“When I first heard of him, I was merely curious.
But the more reports I receive, the more intrigued I become.
I originally thought this was the Zhuge Clan’s doing...
But for someone to burn an entire mountain to stop the Blood-Sucking Insects? That means he knew exactly how dangerous they were.”
He chuckled, his voice laced with dark amusement.
“Not long ago, he also exposed not just Ho-ban Yusa’s weakness to venom, but also the fact that Yellow Wasps’ venom is deadly to the Blood Cult.
Just as you said, Cheongyu... he is perfectly suited for our Five Venoms Sect. Hahahaha...”
After a long bout of laughter, the man waved his hand dismissively.
“I understand now. You may leave.”
“Yes! Master of the Five Venoms Sect!”
The warrior hurriedly left, and the leader turned back to Cheongyu.
“Now then, let’s finish our earlier discussion.
Is the production of the Gu poison complete?”
“Yes, of course. We have prepared enough to feed the entire Blood Cult’s leadership.”
“And the venom?”
“We’ve diluted the Centipede King’s poison so that it can be burned as incense.”
“Good. Then deliver my order to the Elders and Squad Leaders.
Once the Blood Cult’s leaders gather at the next assembly, we will subjugate them all and place them beneath our feet.”
“Understood, Father!”
Cheongyu was about to rush off when her father stopped her.
“Cheongyu.”
“Yes?”
“This task will be handled by the Grand Elder.”
“Huh? But why—?”
“You have another important task.”
“What is it?”
At first, she didn’t understand.
Subjugating the Blood Cult was a major operation, so what could possibly be more urgent?
Her father smirked.
“We cannot leave your future husband to his own devices any longer.
You will go and bring him here.”
“...I understand, Father.”
A wicked grin spread across Cheongyu’s face.
After all, she had already declared that So-ryong was the perfect match for her.
Back then, her father had been indifferent to the idea.
But now, it seemed he was finally recognizing So-ryong’s worth.
“According to our intel from the Central Plains, he has a strong fascination with venomous creatures.
Send a Blood Cult agent near the Beast Palace and leak some information.”
“What kind of information?”
“The incident in Qinghai Province.”
“Oh! Qinghai... Yes, if that information reaches him, he will definitely take action.”
“Take the Scorpion Squad and capture him.”
“Yes, Father!”
Cheongyu, beaming with excitement, swiftly left the hall.
As soon as she disappeared, her father turned to a shadow lurking in the room.
“Follow her.
Ensure that the Five Venoms Explosive Subjugation Technique is ready to be used on him.
Once we have him, we will make him ours.
This puppet show is about to get far more entertaining.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow flickered and vanished in the same direction Cheongyu had gone.
