Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 270: Group (4)

To think it’s a venom that controls—that meant she was a born ruler.

Cheongyu had been a dominator from the very start.

“GAAAAHHH! Cheongyu, you’re incredible!”

Without thinking, I let out a crazed shout and pulled Cheongyu into a hug.

A venom that controls the bitten—what could suit the Snake King better than that?

It was the perfect venom for a Serpent Monarch.

To control not just people, but anything she bit—never before had I seen or even heard of such a thing.

She was the true ruler of ten thousand serpents, and her venom dominated the ones she infected. My whole body was covered in goosebumps.

Holy crap, what kind of venom even is this? No wonder she’s called the Queen of Serpents among the Ten Great Venomous Beasts...

As I hugged her tight, her skin felt smooth and cool in my arms.

That cold sensation—fitting for a creature born to command.

Even if, in reality, she was a sweet and adorable thing.

—Sia, shia.

“Ohhh, my Cheongyu. You precious little thing...”

I was rubbing my cheek against hers, caught up in excitement, when a voice as cool as Cheongyu’s scales stabbed through my euphoria.

‘So-ryong...?’

I flinched and turned my head.

Hwa-eun was standing there, arms crossed, staring at me.

If this were the past, I might’ve brushed it off without thinking.

But by now, I had a decent read on Hwa-eun.

There was definitely something sharp in that gaze—something that made me pause.

Wait... is she upset? No way...

Her expression, my overly affectionate behavior—

Put together, this probably looked bad.

A moment of jealousy? Suspicion?

Okay, maybe not suspicion exactly, but Cheongyu’s upper body was human-shaped, and even though Hwa-eun knew she was a snake, the visual probably still got to her.

Hwa-eun, seriously... what are you imagining right now?

Did she really think I’d end up like one of her ancestors and... with Cheongyu??

Come on, Hwa-eun. Don’t be ridiculous...

I mean, sure, I liked mammals. Fur. Warmth.

But Hwa-eun was the only one I liked like that.

Her worry was baseless, but in a way, it was kind of sweet. It meant she cared.

So I smiled gently and tried to ease her mind.

“I got too excited over how amazing her venom is, that’s all. But she’s just a snake, so don’t worry too much, alright? I mean, come on, you don’t actually think I’d...”

Seriously, even if her upper body looked human, she was still a spiritual beast—a snake.

No way I’d... right?

But the response I got from Hwa-eun stunned me.

‘That’s why I’m even more worried! If she weren’t human-shaped, I wouldn’t be thinking about it at all!’

“...Huh? What does that even mean...?”

I turned from Cheongyu to Hwa-eun again, wearing the most confused look of my life.

That’s when Seol’s voice suddenly rang out behind me.

‘What’s with you, acting all proud? Hey! Who figured it out? Share with the group when you’re celebrating, would you?!’

Turning around, I saw the others still hadn’t figured out what Cheongyu’s venom could actually do.

They were staring at the pirate—who’d stood up, then sat down again—with dazed expressions, wondering if he’d lost his mind.

“Wait, is he... brain-dead?”

“He’s not melting, so did he just turn into an idiot instead?”

“W-Wow. So the venom turns people into idiots?”

“Huh... maybe it’s meant to make servants?”

“What?!”

They thought Cheongyu had just broken the guy’s brain and that he was moving on his own.

Time to correct that little misunderstanding.

I smiled and turned to Cheongyu.

It was time to show them what she could really do.

“Alright, let’s blow their minds. Cheongyu.”

“Cheongyu, make him lie down. You can do that, right?”

—Sia. Shiiiiia.

At my request, Cheongyu gave a soft hiss in response.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she nodded slightly and issued a snake-like command to the pirate.

Immediately, the dazed man dropped flat onto the ground.

“Now have him roll.”

—Siai. Shiiiiia.

The moment she gave the order, the pirate began rolling over on the ground, over and over again.

That had to make things clear.

Sure enough, the gasps started echoing all around us.

“W-What? Wait, are you saying... she can control poisoned people like puppets?”

“Tongya, is this real?!”

“This venom... isn’t it insanely dangerous?”

“It’s terrifying, actually.”

A mix of awe and fear.

Of course they were scared—this wasn’t a poison that killed. It stole control.

That was far more terrifying.

Death was simple. But losing your free will? Becoming a mindless puppet? That terrified people even more.

You could see it on their faces—they were starting to worry they might get bitten next.

But what they didn’t realize...

If the dangerous thing is on your side?

There’s nothing more reassuring.

Someone else’s nuclear missile is a threat.

Your own nuclear missile? That’s national defense.

“The most dangerous ally is also the most reliable. And since Cheongyu’s fighting on our side—how much safer could we be?”

I nudged them to change their perspective.

One by one, people began nodding.

“You’ve got a point. With So-ryong around to control her, it’s not like she’ll bite just anyone.”

“Right, with you here, we probably don’t need to worry.”

Of course not.

Normally I wouldn’t say something this smug out loud, but...

My creatures? They don’t bite just anyone.

They really don’t.

Anyway, now that Cheongyu had matured...

It was time to register her properly.

Only then would she be mine officially—

Completely, undeniably on our side.

Let’s go, Fourth Poison Level!

***

“Will you be alright, So-ryong?”

Hwa-eun looked at me with a worried expression in the early dawn light.

She was anxious because I said I was going to register Cheongyu right away.

She wondered if it wouldn’t be better to return to the Tang Clan and do it there, especially with Grandfather not around.

But I didn’t want to wait even a moment.

This was the Fourth Poison Level. I was about to register the fourth of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts.

How could I possibly be patient?

Besides, getting back to the Tang Clan would take a long time.

We’d only finished up here quickly because I happened to find Jiyeopshinsa’s Orange much faster than expected.

But we still needed to stop by the Ak Clan in Shandong to help Gyu-seong hyung settle an old grudge.

Going there, then back to the Tang Clan? That’d eat up weeks.

No way I’m waiting two whole months.

Hyung had also mentioned visiting the Peng Clan since we were close by.

Two months might not even be enough.

And it’s not like I ever “prepared” before entering a spirit beast’s mental realm.

Not once.

I always got pulled in without warning—or just dove in without thinking.

Real men like Spicy Fabre know: “No plan is the plan.”

That’s just how it goes.

“Nothing’s gone wrong so far, right? Cho, Bini, Hwayang, Cheongwol—they were all fine.”

“But still... Grandfather isn’t here this time...”

“We’ve got Seol nuna and Hwa-eun, so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”

“Yeah, Hwa-eun. I’m here. You’re here. And everything’s gone smoothly so far, right?”

Seol nuna backed me up, and Hwa-eun finally gave in.

“...Alright, So-ryong. But be careful.”

“Hmm?”

But even as she agreed, her words ended on an odd note.

“I don’t know. I just have a weird feeling.”

“A weird feeling?”

“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just... a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ heavy feeling in my head.”

“Maybe you’re just worrying too much?”

“No, it’s not that. My heart just feels uneasy.”

“It’s okay. Nothing’s going to happen. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

I held her hand and looked her in the eyes, reassuring her before I sat down on the bed in Seol nuna’s room.

Cheongyu had been watching the river from the window, and I called her over.

“Come here, Cheongyu.”

—Sia~. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

“I’m just going to take a little venom, okay?”

—Sia~.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

As she came over, I pressed a small ceramic vial against her fang and applied pressure.

—tok tok

A faint sound, and two golden drops of venom fell into the vial—clear and shimmering.

Liquid gold, drawn from the tip of the very horns that shone with golden light.

Now I just had to drink this, lie down, raise the Beast Heart Technique, and enter her mental realm.

I was about to bring the vial to my lips when Hwa-eun suddenly reached out to stop me.

“W-Wait. So-ryong, you’re not going to end up like that pirate... are you?”

“Huh? The pirate? Ah...”

She was still worried—what if I ended up like the puppet pirate Cheongyu had bitten?

But Hwa-eun was a Tang Clan native.

She knew better than anyone that snake venom isn’t toxic when ingested.

It’s made of proteins and enzymes—it has to be injected to be dangerous.

If you eat it, your stomach just digests it like anything else.

She probably knew all that. She was just worried anyway.

She’d agreed to let me do this, but clearly, her heart hadn’t settled.

I smiled and answered softly.

“You know it’s safe, right, Hwa-eun?”

“Y-Yeah, I know... but still...”

Her uneasiness hadn’t gone away. It was just carrying on into the next worry.

“Just a moment. Seol nuna, give me a second.”

“Hm? Oh, sure.”

With no other option, I pulled Hwa-eun outside and did a short round of CPR training to calm her down.

Nothing soothes the heart like a bit of basic medical reassurance.

When we came back, I sat down on the bed again.

“Cheongyu, come here.”

—Sia.

Cheongyu had returned to the window to gaze at the river, but now she slithered to my side.

I took the vial, placed it to my lips, and lay back on the bed.

I tapped the bottom of the vial—

tok tok

—And one drop fell beneath my tongue.

A faint metallic tang spread across my tongue.

That was it.

I’d accepted the venom.

Now it was time to draw out the power of the Beast Heart Technique.

As soon as I did, my vision was swallowed in gold light.

My consciousness surged forward into the radiance.

“So-ryong... please, please be careful.”

Even after all the reassurance, Hwa-eun’s anxious voice echoed in my heart as I faded into the mental world.

***

It felt like I was slowly sinking deep into water.

When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by moisture.

The lush scent of grass and trees hit me immediately.

A thick jungle.

More than that—it felt like a dense, subtropical rainforest.

That was where I’d awakened.

Most likely, this was the mental realm of the Golden-Crowned Serpent King.

It was my first time here, but it already felt strangely familiar, thanks to past experiences.

I needed to locate my goal.

Leaping up to the tallest tree nearby, I scanned the distance—

And spotted a shining golden boulder in the far distance.

“That must be it.”

A landmark in the mental world—clearly, that golden rock was my destination.

I jumped down, determined to head that way—

But before I could take more than a few steps, I heard the sound.

—Shhhk. Shhhk. Shhhhhk.

I turned toward the noise.

Snakes.

Dozens, maybe hundreds of them, sprawled across the jungle floor.

Pit vipers, pythons, constrictors, water snakes, boomslangs, Russell’s vipers, silver-ringed kraits, white serpents—even desert and tropical snakes that should never be found in the same place.

And yes... even a Black Mamba.

One that I had killed in my past life.

These snakes had no business being together.

It felt like every serpent on Earth had been gathered in one place.

And the moment I recognized them, a single thought hit me:

“What the hell? Is this... heaven?”

Their scales gleamed like water-dappled leaves and polished stones.

They had grown to their maximum size—majestic, perfect.

This wasn’t just a dream.

This had to be paradise.

“Whoa... That’s a Mugukryeong. Look at the size of that thing—wait, focus. I need to get to the rock.”

I snapped out of my daze, but a new worry crept in.

“If one of them bites me in here... do I die?”

I really didn’t want to find out.

So how the hell was I supposed to get past them?

That’s when I heard the sound.

—SIAAA!

Cheongyu’s massive hiss rang through the jungle like a royal proclamation.

And all the snakes pulled back.

They lowered their heads, parting to create a path.

“She must’ve figured out where I am.”

Perfect.

I moved quickly, heading toward the golden rock where Cheongyu awaited.

This time, things were progressing smoothly.

At the base of the golden rock—

There were two Cheongyus.

One was the human-shaped Cheongyu I knew.

The other... was the Golden-Crowned Serpent King in her true form.

“It’s been a while, So-ryong.”

—Sia~.

Now that I thought about it...

The soul trapped behind the Serpent King’s barrier—

It had always been here, waiting.