Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 245: King of Serpents (6)

“Miss!”

Through the snapped bamboo branches, Cheongyu heard the urgent voice of Blood Talon Snake, the leader of the Yin Shadow Unit.

Holding her aching chest, she struggled to rise from between the broken bamboo. She had taken a hard hit, but just before Sayang had struck, she had managed to cloak herself in defensive qi. The bamboo had softened the impact enough that she could still move on her own.

“I—I’m fine! Focus on Sayang!”

As she assured Blood Talon Snake, a chilling cry echoed through the grove.

—Sssshiiiaaaa!

The eerie, bone-chilling sound caused the surrounding bamboo to shudder.

—Chaarrr...

Cheongyu looked toward the source of the sound. From where she stood between the broken bamboo, she spotted Sayang near the entrance of the cave, coiled and radiating fury.

He looked down at the other snakes that had collapsed in the clearing, seething with rage. It was as if he couldn’t forgive what had been done to his kin.

Surrounded by ten Yin Shadow warriors, Sayang showed not a hint of fear. On the contrary, he began advancing.

The pressure he exuded made several of the warriors flinch and step back.

“What are you staring at? Want me to feed you to him?”

“S-sorry, sir!”

Infuriated by their pitiful display, Blood Talon Snake barked at his men, but Cheongyu turned toward him and warned:

“Be careful! He likely has no venom yet, but his strength is dangerous. Approach him with caution.”

“Understood!”

From what she’d felt during the earlier clash, Sayang was not to be underestimated. He may have been smaller and not fully matured, but for the lower-ranking Yin Shadow warriors, he was more than a match.

According to the records, a juvenile Sayang shouldn’t have venom yet. And judging by the earlier attack—where he had rammed into her rather than bite—this seemed true.

Despite being no larger than a human forearm, Sayang’s body was remarkably tough. Cheongyu realized during the collision that if she hadn’t cloaked herself in defensive qi in time, she might’ve suffered serious injuries. His body was hardened like a finely tempered blade.

Even though he was still a juvenile, he was already worthy of being called a king.

Apparently understanding her warning, Blood Talon Snake shouted to his men:

“We’ll wear him out with rotating formation tactics!”

“Yes, Commander!”

The Yin Shadow Unit moved as one. Mimicking the footwork of a tiger’s stride, they began to circle around Sayang, keeping his gaze moving while pressing in from all sides.

Their steps were quick, but their upper bodies barely shifted—an intentional rhythm of slow and fast movements meant to confuse their opponent.

This technique, the Tiger Armor Step, was said to have been modeled after the movements of a tiger by one of the former masters of the Five Venoms Sect. It was designed to throw the opponent’s senses into disarray.

Sure enough, as the warriors circled, Sayang’s gaze began to blur and twitch with dizziness.

And then—steel flashed through the air.

—Ka-kang!

—Sssshiiiaaaa!

The dagger Blood Talon Snake threw bounced off Sayang’s scales with a metallic clang. In response, Sayang lunged toward him like a bolt of lightning.

A golden horn gleamed atop his head, momentarily dazzling Cheongyu’s vision—marking the true start of the battle.

***

The dense bamboo grove that had surrounded them was now no more.

Sayang’s rampage and the battle with the Yin Shadow warriors had snapped most of the stalks, leaving only a few jagged stumps standing here and there.

Seated atop one of the fallen bamboo trunks, Blood Talon Snake looked toward his unit.

“Phew... Damage?”

“One man’s arm is broken, but everyone else is unharmed!”

After confirming his men’s condition, he turned to check on Cheongyu.

“And you, Miss? Are you all right?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Aside from the hit to the chest at the beginning, I wasn’t attacked again.”

She answered lightly, thinking it wasn’t worth fussing over.

But Blood Talon Snake pressed further.

“The needle—are you sure it wasn’t disturbed? That was a heavy impact.”

“Ah...”

At his words, Cheongyu cautiously reached up to check.

Indeed, she had been worried that crashing into the bamboo might have shifted the embedded needle.

But she felt no headache, and when she carefully touched the area, the needle was perfectly in place.

“It seems fine. Still, we should hurry. I no longer hear the sounds of weapons clashing from the village below.”

“Understood. Then please rest for now. I’ll start collecting the blood.”

“Be careful—just in case.”

“Yes, Miss.”

As Blood Talon Snake went to collect Sayang’s blood, Cheongyu reclined against a patch of bamboo and looked at the battered creature.

Sayang was drenched in blood, his scales chipped and falling in patches. But even in that state, his eyes still burned with rage.

His blood had been drawn bit by bit through internal force attacks that bypassed his scale armor.

It had taken nearly an hour, but now, despite his fury and frustration, Sayang could no longer move.

Lying prone on the ground, his eyes locked onto Cheongyu.

“That fury... yes, it’s unfair. But there’s no helping it. This is for the Five Venoms Sect. You must accept it gladly. It is an honor.”

Cheongyu told Sayang to embrace his fate with joy, even as he stared back at her with pain and resentment.

Then, suddenly, a different sound came from Sayang’s mouth.

—Ssshhia...

It wasn’t the fierce, chilling cry from before—but a weak, almost mournful one.

And in that moment, Cheongyu felt it.

That sorrow wasn't directed at his own death.

It was aimed at her.

When she met his gaze, the resentment in Sayang’s eyes had shifted into something else.

A quiet, pained pity—looking directly at her.

It struck her like a flash of lightning.

He’s not grieving for himself—he feels sorry for me.

W-what am I thinking...?

As she shook her head to rid herself of that absurd thought, a voice called out.

“He’s lost too much blood. Should we just kill him and collect the rest now? At this rate, he’ll die anyway. It’s strange, isn’t it? He’s not even fully grown, yet he’s dying like this.”

One of the Yin Shadow warriors had approached Blood Talon Snake, asking if they should finish Sayang off.

“That might be for the best.”

Blood Talon Snake drew a dagger and aimed it at Sayang’s head.

Watching him, Cheongyu suddenly cried out without even thinking.

“W-wait a second!”

All the Yin Shadow warriors turned toward her.

Blood Talon Snake asked calmly, “Miss? What is it?”

“I—I mean... Let’s bring him back alive. We’ll still collect his blood, of course, but he might get damaged if we kill him here. Even if our medicines are perfect, it’s hard to guarantee preservation if the blood is from a corpse.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

She fumbled for an excuse, the words spilling from her mouth before she could stop them.

“My father would be even more pleased if we brought him in alive. Yes, I’m sure of it.”

Cheongyu had never acted this way before, and she herself didn’t know why she was doing it now.

Blood Talon Snake asked again:

“But what if he dies from his injuries before we arrive?”

“Oh, no... he won’t. He’s a spiritual beast. He won’t die so easily.”

“Hmm... if you say so. Then I agree—your idea does seem better.”

The warriors approached Sayang and opened his mouth, pouring in a drug to induce paralysis.

Sayang’s body went limp.

Blood Talon Snake began collecting his blood, filling a container. Once he was done, he packed Sayang into a special pouch made from Azure Silkworm thread.

“Let’s go.”

He slung the pouch over his shoulder and prepared to move out.

At that, Cheongyu stepped forward and reached out her hand.

“I’ll carry Sayang. It’s my responsibility. I’ll deliver him directly to my father.”

Blood Talon Snake hesitated for a moment, then handed her the pouch.

Cheongyu shouldered it and swiftly launched into light footwork, taking the lead.

And still, she didn’t understand why she was doing this.

***

—Ssshhhaaa.

Rain poured outside the cave.

“At least this way, our tracks will be washed away. That’s a relief.”

“But we won’t be able to sense anything around us either. That’s the problem.”

It had already been three days since they captured Sayang.

Cheongyu, the Yin Shadow Unit, and several warriors of the Five Venoms Sect had been on the move without rest, now passing near the Tang Clan’s territory.

Thanks to the decoy Five Venoms agents scattered earlier, most martial artists had been diverted elsewhere. Still, wary of any potential pursuit, they moved carefully along a southeastern route that brushed dangerously close to the Tang stronghold.

“We have no choice. Assign two to watch the entrance in shifts. The rest of us will rest inside and recover. This chase might go on longer, so we need to manage our stamina while we can.”

“Understood, Miss.”

Soaked to the bone, Cheongyu and the warriors of the Five Venoms Sect ducked into a cave, wringing out their clothes and preparing to catch some sleep.

In weather like this, neither they nor any pursuers could see or sense much. It was a rare moment to rest.

“I’ll get some sleep now.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Deep within the cave’s shadows, Cheongyu set down the pouch containing Sayang and curled up against the wall, unaware that Sayang had opened his mouth in her direction.

Something invisible slipped from Sayang’s lips and began to drift toward Cheongyu’s ear.

「Cheongyu dreamed.」

It was the dream of a child.

A sweet, ordinary-looking child with jet-black hair—yet also something more. Something different.

At nine years old, deathly ill, the child’s parents had fed him snake # Nоvеlight # broth.

It had come from a massive snake that had injured several villagers during the hunt, all to make medicine for their frail son. After drinking it, the child awakened something called internal energy. And with each herbal concoction he took after that—usually crafted from poisonous beasts or ornamental hairpins—he grew stronger, healthier, tougher.

And then, one day, they came.

Terrifying strangers who had heard the rumors stormed into the village. They killed the boy’s parents and the other villagers.

Then they smiled coldly at the trembling boy and said:

“To think there was someone with the rare body type that can absorb even the faintest qi in a venomous beast’s jade core. From today on... you are my daughter.”

In the dark, several of the needles embedded in Cheongyu’s head slid loose and fell to the cave floor.

A single drop of water landed on the ground beside them.

It was a teardrop that had formed at the corner of Cheongyu’s eye.

Her eyelids trembled.

As she slowly opened them, she saw a pair of gleaming eyes in the dark.

Sayang was staring at her.

Those same mournful eyes filled with death.

Now, at last, Cheongyu understood why Sayang had looked at her that way.

He had been raised by the very person who killed his parents and relatives. Raised just to be consumed when the time came.

He had lived like an animal, waiting for scraps.

A life he never chose.

[Yes... That’s what it was. Now I understand why you looked at me like that. I’m sorry. And... thank you.]

Cheongyu whispered quietly, realizing that Sayang had resisted the binding spell of the Venomous Silkworm Repression Technique.

And without hesitation, she reached into the pouch, took Sayang’s hand, and began walking toward the cave entrance.

—Step. Step.

The cave was quiet, still in the dead of night.

—Ssshhhaa.

The sound of rain hadn’t stopped. As it grew louder near the entrance, a voice called from behind.

“Miss? Where are you going?”

Cheongyu turned her head and saw Blood Talon Snake staring at her.

Judging by the presence she’d sensed, the other Yin Shadow warriors—his subordinates—were also awake, not just the stragglers from earlier.

Their real assignment, she realized, had probably been to watch her.

She answered calmly.

“I wanted to check if the rain’s letting up.”

“Oh, then I’ll come with you.”

“Sure.”

Because she answered so nonchalantly, the others seemed to let their guard down. The ones who had seemed ready to pounce at any moment relaxed, and Blood Talon Snake followed her toward the entrance.

Just as he raised his head to look at the sky—

Cheongyu slipped out of the cave and unleashed her internal force.

“You filthy Five Venoms bastards! I’ll never forget this betrayal—not even in death!”

—Rumble!

“W-what!?”

Shocked, Blood Talon Snake raised both arms and released his qi defensively, but Cheongyu wasn’t aiming at him.

Her blast was aimed at the cave’s entrance—at the ceiling just above it.

—Boom!

The blast struck true. Rocks from the cave roof crashed down in a roaring avalanche.

—Kwarurururung!

In moments, the cave mouth was sealed shut.

It would buy her a bit of time.

Throwing herself into the rain, Cheongyu launched into light footwork, clutching Sayang tightly against her shoulder.

“Just hold on a little longer. I know someone who can treat you... someone who can keep you safe until you’re fully grown.”

The Tang Clan wasn’t far.

If she could explain the situation, even if she was punished, they would save Sayang.

With that thought, Cheongyu raced through the trees, leaping across the swollen rocks of the rain-fed gorge.

She was heading toward the Tang Clan.

—Ssshhhaa.

—Shing!

—Gghh...!”

An arrow pierced the rain.

She hadn’t heard it at all—not over the drumming storm.

One arrow. That was all it took.

It struck her back and burst out through her chest.

“The Tang... I have to...”

—Splash.

Cheongyu’s body was swept away by the raging waters of the swollen gorge.

And vanished.