Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 231: Return (4)

The warrior hesitated before giving his report with a troubled expression.

“P-please hurry to the Nine-Tiered Gates! The Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion that Lord So-ryong brought with him...”

“Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion?”

“Ah, Cheongwol!”

It hit me—Cheongwol was the type to reject anyone else’s touch.

That meant I was supposed to personally escort her into the Tang Clan compound. I must have forgotten, and without me, she probably remained stuck in front of the gates.

Or worse—someone else tried to bring her in and messed things up.

‘But weren’t Sister Seol and Deputy Commander Gu Pae with her? What could’ve gone wrong?’

Even if I wasn’t there, those two should’ve been more than enough to keep things under control. Especially Sister Seol—Cheongwol wouldn’t reject her help.

“Grandfather, I think I need to go check on Cheongwol—uh, I mean, the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion. Let’s postpone the treatment for now.”

“Very well, but be careful. And don’t use your inner energy—no more tearing yourself up.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

I persuaded Mandok Shingun to delay the treatment and dashed off with my father-in-law toward the Tang Clan’s entrance—and as soon as we arrived, I understood why the warrior had run here in such a panic.

The Nine-Tiered Gates, that proud, majestic entryway of the Tang Clan, had collapsed like dominos. Every last one of them.

In perfect sequence, from the outermost to the innermost.

“W-what is this...?” my father-in-law stammered, stunned by the sight.

The Tang Clan’s nine gates were a symbol of the clan’s dignity and pride—and now all nine lay toppled like fallen tiles.

‘This is bad.’

I turned toward Sister Seol, who was standing next to Cheongwol with an awkward expression.

“What happened here?”

She laughed sheepishly.

“Haha... So, when Cheongwol saw you being dragged off by the elders, she tried to follow. But she got stuck in the first gate. I couldn’t help her, since I’m the only one she’ll tolerate. And while trying to free herself... well...”

Apparently, when I was suddenly taken away, Cheongwol, thinking something had happened, tried to follow. But she got jammed in the first gate—and while trying to wriggle out, she toppled it.

The rest collapsed in a chain reaction.

I glanced at my father-in-law.

He was laughing, but his face was a mask of helpless disbelief.

Recalling his words from earlier, I quickly apologized.

“I—I’m sorry, Father-in-law. As you said, great deeds come with a price...”

He flinched, lips twitching.

“A-ah... well, yes. I suppose... that can happen. For now, let’s just get the Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Armored Scorpion inside. The gates... we can rebuild them later, right?”

It didn’t sound like he was okay with it, but he said he was—so what choice did I have?

As he suggested, I led Cheongwol up the slope beside the entrance.

“Let’s go up that way, Cheongwol.”

Krurrr.

A short while later, we reached the broadest open space halfway up the Tang Clan’s mountain estate.

I turned to Father-in-law.

“First, we should decide where the kids will stay.”

My treatment was important, but giving the creatures a proper place to live came first.

He nodded in agreement.

“Yes, of course. We can’t just leave such rare spirit beasts out in the open. Oh—and when deciding where they’ll stay, make sure to consult with me. Don’t make decisions on your own like with the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings. Got it?”

Seemed he was still a bit sore about the time I’d lost a whole building by the pond when housing the wasps. “Consult with me” probably meant “get my approval.”

To avoid more trouble, I decided to just have him come along.

“Yes? Oh, of course, Father-in-law. Actually, I have a few spots in mind—shall we take a look together?”

“Yes, let’s. Where were you thinking?”

I gestured toward the opposite side of the open space, pointing to a training ground.

“That area, over there. What do you think?”

It wasn’t the training ground where the old tree that housed the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings stood. Instead, it was one paved with stone—much like the temporary space the Kunlun Sect had provided for Cheongwol.

This was the Tang Clan’s largest ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) training ground.

It was typically reserved for clan ceremonies or military send-offs, but since I’d arrived, it hadn’t been used once.

Given how big it was, and how unused, I figured it might be perfect for Cheongwol.

After all, she’d done fine in a similar space while we were in Kunlun.

“Ahem... t-that spot, huh?”

My father-in-law coughed awkwardly at the suggestion.

Seemed like he wasn’t too keen on it—but considering Cheongwol’s size, any smaller space would feel cramped.

This was the biggest area I’d considered, so before he could reject it outright, I asked Cheongwol for her opinion.

We were “discussing” it together, after all. I never promised I’d do exactly what he wanted.

‘If Cheongwol doesn’t like it, then it’s settled.’

“Cheongwol, how about here? As your living space?”

Krorrng. ‘My home?’

Behind me, Father-in-law’s voice sounded flustered.

“W-wait, son-in-law, what I meant was—”

Cheongwol raised her body and began inspecting the area, peering beyond the walls of the training ground.

But after a quick look around, she rejected the idea.

Krurrr. ‘I don’t like it. It feels like a desert.’

“What? I thought you liked deserts?”

“She said she doesn’t?”

My father-in-law’s expression immediately brightened.

“Yes, she doesn’t like it.”

“Then let’s go look somewhere else right away!”

Delighted by her rejection, he practically jumped at the chance to move on.

I asked Cheongwol why she didn’t like it.

Krurrr. ‘No. I only stayed there because I needed somewhere to hide. People are annoying. I don’t actually like deserts. Too hot during the day, too cold at night.’

“...Really?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

So she wasn’t a desert-type scorpion after all. She just happened to hide in the sand because it was the only available shelter.

That meant most of the places I’d been considering were automatically ruled out.

Thinking carefully, I climbed onto Cheongwol’s back and pointed toward the mountain.

“Alright then, let’s try over that way. There’s a clearing up in the mountain—it’s got trees and grass.”

There was a clearing higher up the mountain.

Plenty of poisonous plants grew there, and you could see far down the mountain slope—a perfect view. It might get a little cold at night, but that could be solved by asking Yoha to set up a big tent.

Krurrrng. ‘Understood.’

Cheongwol began moving again, heading toward the mountain clearing I had suggested.

As we rode past several pavilions on the way, the sound of buzzing wings echoed in my ears—something I hadn’t heard in a while.

Buuung. Buuuuung.

I turned toward the source of the sound and saw the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings’ pond coming into view beyond the courtyard.

From atop Cheongwol’s back, I had a clear view over the Tang compound, and the pond beyond stood out.

White and red lotus flowers were blooming in abundance, covering over half the pond’s surface.

Next to it, there were more structures than I remembered. And sure enough, several Golden-Furred Wasp Kings were flying in and out of the pavilions.

‘Once we settle Cheongwol’s place, I should go greet Ranghu and Nanghu too.’

The pond looked even more beautiful than before I left. The thought of Ranghu came to mind, and I decided I’d pay both queens a visit after sorting out Cheongwol’s quarters.

Just as we were about to pass the pond, Cheongwol came to a sudden halt.

Something dark loomed overhead. Looking up, I saw Cheongwol’s tail hovering above me, pointing at something.

“Hm?”

She was pointing toward the pond.

When I looked down to where she was indicating, I realized she was asking if that spot would work.

Krurrrng. ‘What about that place?’

“That one?”

Krurrrng. ‘I like the flowers and the little lake.’

In the mental world, Cheongwol had looked like a seasoned warrior, so I assumed she’d prefer rugged terrain—but her tastes were surprisingly delicate, almost girlish.

I wanted to respect her preferences, but that pond belonged to someone else—specifically, Ranghu, the queen of the Golden-Furred Wasp Kings. I'd have to ask for her permission.

Even though the wasps hadn’t claimed the whole area around their pavilions, it was still their territory. Just barging in wouldn’t be right.

Plus, I’d been considering putting Hohae in the pond itself, so while water wouldn’t be a problem, the land around it might be a different story.

“Wait here a sec. I’m going to ask the wasps.”

Krurr.

I jumped off Cheongwol’s back and ran toward the pavilions by the pond. As soon as the wasps spotted me—

Buuuuuung. Buuung.

They buzzed excitedly and began circling around me like they were happy to see me again.

“Hey there, everyone. Been well? Is the queen around?”

I greeted them one by one, then asked if I could meet their queen. Two of them latched onto each of my shoulders and began lifting me into the air.

My feet slowly left the ground as they flew upward.

From the first floor to the second, then the third, then the fourth...

Unlike Cho’s elegant flight, this had a different sort of rhythm as my body rose through the air.

At the top of the pavilion, they set me down gently on the inside of the balcony railing, then disappeared into the window to fetch their queen.

Buuuung.

Moments later, two antennae peeked out from the window.

They twitched as they scanned the surroundings, then locked onto me.

Then, Ranghu poked her head out—just a little at first.

Buuuuuung!

Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and she suddenly zipped out, tackling me into a hug.

“Whoa—waaah!”

I fell flat on my rear, arms full of buzzing wasp queen. Her wings were vibrating furiously, as if she were grumbling about all sorts of complaints.

Buuung. Buuung.

She probably wasn’t happy I hadn’t visited in so long.

I stroked her head and apologized.

“I had to travel pretty far. Sorry I haven’t been around much.”

Ranghu folded her front legs like crossed arms, clearly unimpressed.

I apologized again, this time more earnestly, and finally she relaxed her legs and flicked her antenna as if to say, “I’ll forgive you just this once.”

Buuung!

“Y-yeah... thanks.”

Seriously—what’s with all these clingy spirit beasts?

Raising them wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. With that thought, I got to the main reason I came.

“Hey, Ranghu, actually, I wanted to ask you for a favor.”

Buuung?

She tilted her head, curious.

“I brought some new friends back with me on this trip. Do you think they could stay near the pond?”

Buuuung?

I pointed toward Cheongwol, who was watching us from afar, waiting to see how the conversation turned out.

“That’s one of them—her name’s Cheongwol. She’s the new one I brought back.”

Buuung!?

Ranghu’s buzzing changed tone as she noticed Cheongwol in the distance. She looked a little surprised.

Then, without a word, several worker wasps zipped out of the hive, grabbed me, and carried me over toward Cheongwol.

Looking back, I saw Ranghu flying close behind.

“Huh? You coming to say hello?”

When we landed in front of Cheongwol, Ranghu followed close and crossed her front legs again, tilting her head and eyeing Cheongwol with a slight lean.

Her hind legs twitched in the air like she was sizing her up.

‘Why does this feel so tense?’

The air between them was... weird.