Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

When my older sister told me to look at Eun-kyung, I couldn’t understand why she suddenly wanted me to check the mirror.

But as I steadied myself and prepared to wash my face in the morning, her words finally made sense.

The reflection in the basin revealed my face.

It was undeniably different from yesterday.

“What is this? Something’s off.”

The contours of my face seemed sharper, and even the texture of my skin felt noticeably different.

After washing my face, I rubbed my cheek with the back of my hand, only to find it sticking to my skin like jelly, with a springy, elastic feel.

Following my sister’s advice, I had the attendants bring me Eun-kyung. Looking into the mirror confirmed the dramatic transformation of my skin.

It was as though I had undergone a dermabrasion treatment at a high-end clinic in Gangnam.

In my previous life, this body belonged to someone from a remote island village in Hainan. Living in a humid, tropical jungle under the constant sea breeze had left my skin freckled and tanned. Now, however, my complexion had turned pale and radiant, as if I’d applied a layer of BB cream.@@novelbin@@

“Does royal jelly have such an effect? Where did the tanned Hainan country bumpkin go?”

The golden royal jelly of the King of Golden Bumblebees, classified as a mid-level venomous substance, truly possessed extraordinary properties.

Yet as I admired my transformed skin, a sudden thought struck me.

‘Wait, this skin feels… disturbingly feminine.’

Royal jelly, after all, is a miraculous substance that turns ordinary worker bees into queens.

Alarmed, I checked inside my pants first, just in case there were any “unusual” side effects my sister might have missed.

‘Phew, everything’s intact… I was scared for a second.’

Thankfully, my precious belongings were safe and sound. The idea that royal jelly might have turned me into a woman had been nerve-wracking, but I was relieved to find that wasn’t the case.

With my mind at ease, I began to understand my sister’s earlier reaction.

‘Wait a minute. Could her blushing face earlier mean…? Is she smitten with me?’

Even from my own perspective, my appearance had significantly improved. If I found myself good-looking, just imagine how others saw me.

Thinking back to my sister’s behavior, I wondered if this could be a green light for something deeper. With that in mind, I headed to the dining hall where the Tang family’s direct descendants usually gathered for breakfast after their morning training.

I hadn’t been able to join training today since I’d been unconscious, but I figured I could at least make it to breakfast.

Walking past the rear courtyard toward the dining hall, I noticed the faint morning light barely peeking over the mountain ridge, leaving the surroundings dim.

‘Why does everything have to happen so early in the morning?’

Adjusting to life in the Tang Clan, the toughest part—apart from the psychological adjustments—was adapting to their early-morning culture.

Martial artists slept little, rising at dawn to begin their training. Keeping up with their routine had been exhausting, but all that changed after yesterday.

With ten years of internal energy coursing through me now, my body felt astonishingly light.

My sister had reassured me I’d no longer struggle to wake up early, and she was right.

When I arrived at the dining hall, my mother-in-law, who was overseeing the attendants arranging food, greeted me with a bright expression.

“Oh my, our son-in-law’s face looks much better! Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, Mother-in-law. I apologize for causing you concern.”

“Not at all. Congratulations on your fortuitous encounter. Look at that face and skin!”

My mother-in-law seemed genuinely thrilled by my transformation.

As I glanced further inside, I noticed my sister seated at her usual spot.

“So-ryong.”

“Hwa-eun. You must be exhausted after watching over me all night…”

My sister had apparently stayed up all night tending to me, yet she had arrived before me.

When I sat down beside her, my usual seat, and muttered an apology, her soft smile caught me off guard.

“It’s fine. I recently discovered I can endure several sleepless nights in a row.”

“Ah… haha, yes, that’s true…”

I laughed awkwardly at her playful remark, feeling guilty nonetheless.

After all, it was my fault she’d ended up in such a situation—running off with a queen bee hadn’t exactly been part of the plan.

‘I hope she’s not holding a grudge…’

As I settled in, my father-in-law and the Mandok Shingun grandfather arrived, marking the start of the Tang Clan’s breakfast.

The meal was simple: steamed lamb dumplings, a hot soup, and a few stir-fried vegetable and meat dishes.

‘These lamb dumplings are insanely good.’

Just as I reached for my first dumpling, my father-in-law’s voice interrupted.

“So-ryong, are you feeling better?”

I quickly put the dumpling down and answered.

“Yes, Father-in-law. I apologize for worrying you.”

“No need to apologize. It’s a relief you’ve had such a fortuitous encounter.”

My father-in-law’s congratulations reminded me I hadn’t yet thanked my grandfather-in-law for taking care of me. I immediately turned to him.

“Grandfather, thank you as well for watching over me. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused.”

“Not at all. Hwa-eun gave me a rough summary, but what exactly happened?”

The family’s curious eyes focused on me, clearly eager for an explanation.

Reluctantly setting my dumpling down again, I recounted the events of the previous day.

“Well, it seems the bees liked me. They led me to their hive and fed me the royal jelly themselves. It felt like they wanted to repay a favor.”

“Even mid-level venomous creatures repay kindness… fascinating.”

“How incredible that even such creatures repay gratitude.”

“Yes, it’s truly remarkable.”

The elders nodded, satisfied with my brief explanation.

I was just about to return my focus to the dumplings when the questions resumed, this time about the royal jelly.

“So-ryong, do you think it’s possible to obtain more of it? If it’s as you describe, it could be immensely beneficial to the Tang Clan.”

“Yes, Father-in-law is right. Even just a little honey from the Golden Bumblebee King could be incredibly helpful.”

“Exactly. Son-in-law, is it possible to acquire more?”

“Hwa-eun, what do you think? Can it be done?”

The thought of obtaining more royal jelly had clearly sparked their interest. After all, a single dose had granted me ten years’ worth of internal energy—an offer too tempting for martial artists to ignore.

However, I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

While it might be possible to harvest royal jelly from artificial queen cells like regular beekeepers do, the Golden Bumblebee Kings were intelligent creatures who wouldn’t tolerate such tricks.

Moreover, royal jelly is produced by worker bees, yet it was the queen bee who had given it to me. If the jelly came exclusively from queens, obtaining it again would be nearly impossible.

Even if I managed, the discovery of such a miraculous substance would inevitably lead to chaos, much like killing the goose that laid golden eggs.

I needed a convincing reason to temper their expectations.

After some thought, I decided to tell the truth—a truth that was likely to shock them.

“It will be difficult.”

“Difficult? Why is that?”

“Yes, son-in-law, why do you say it’s difficult?”

Their curious eyes widened as they awaited my response.

“Well… even if someone could consume it, I doubt they would.”

“Is the taste that bad? Or is the smell unpleasant?”

Shaking my head, I clarified.

“No, it’s not that. The thing is… the royal jelly is delivered directly by the queen bee, and it requires… um… a mouth-to-mouth transfer.”

“W-what?! Mouth-to-mouth with the queen bee?!”

“A mouth-to-mouth exchange with the Golden Bumblebee King?!”

Their shocked expressions were priceless.

Even for someone like me, who had a soft spot for insects, the experience had been unsettling. Expecting anyone else to go through it was unthinkable.

“Well, in that case, we should consider it unattainable,” my father-in-law concluded.

“Yes, requiring a kiss with the queen bee… unless it’s So-ryong, who seems to be favored by them, it’s impossible,” my sister added.

Relieved that their ambitions had been reined in, I reached for my dumpling, only to hear a faint thud from my sister’s direction.

Turning, I saw her sitting with a vacant expression, her hand resting limply on the table. Her gaze was dark, as though she’d just encountered a forbidden truth.

‘Oh no! I didn’t think about how this might sound to her!’

It struck me then—revealing myself as the “ultimate possibility bug” indirectly meant admitting I had earned that peculiar title.

My sister’s expression, a mix of disbelief and despair, suggested she now saw me in a completely different light.

***

After breakfast, I assumed we would begin training, but my grandfather forbade it, saying my body needed time to adapt to the newly accumulated internal energy.

“You won’t train today—or for the foreseeable future. Focus on resting well and taking the medicine Hwa-eun will prepare for you,” he said.

“Really? You mean it?”

“Yes, your body needs time to harmonize with the internal energy that has rapidly built up in your meridians,” he explained.

For now, it was a period of adjustment—a time for my body to synchronize with the internal energy.

‘This is great,’ I thought.

However, I couldn’t avoid attending the Tang Clan’s family meeting after breakfast. The reason was to discuss the punishment of those who had sold information about the Golden Bumblebee King to outsiders.

The meeting took place in the main hall of the family estate, where the elders and the head of the clan gathered.

“So, Head of the Clan, are you saying there are people who sold information from our Tang Clan to others?”

“Yes, that’s correct, elders,” my father-in-law confirmed.

At first, I thought the elders might criticize him for purchasing unverified information and bringing shame to the family.

After all, wasn’t this situation a direct result of his misstep?

‘How could he buy such information without properly verifying it? This is bound to stain the Tang Clan’s reputation!’

Given the mood from past meetings, I was certain the discussion would follow that direction.

But to my surprise, the reaction was quite the opposite.

The elders, who were usually so strict and critical about internal matters, spoke with one voice when it came to external threats.

“How dare anyone tarnish the honor of the Tang Clan?”

“If we let this go unchecked, how will the martial arts world view us? We must ensure they meet a fate worse than death!”

“It seems we’ve been too lenient in the past. This kind of insolence should never have been allowed to happen.”

While internal disputes were treated as minor squabbles, external affronts to the clan’s reputation were met with unyielding resolve.

The punishment for those who sold the information was decided in true Tang Clan fashion.

“We’ve already requested help from the Beggar Sect to track their whereabouts. Once we have their location, I’ll handle it personally,” my father-in-law declared.

“Indeed, this is something the clan leader should address directly. Show them the full force of our 百罰百戒—punishing one to warn a hundred,” one elder said.

“And how will you handle their punishment?”

With a gentle smile, my father-in-law replied, “Using a combination of Soul-Destroying Poison, Blood-Igniting Poison, and Gut-Severing Poison. We’ll ensure they experience burning blood, dissolving organs, and soul-crushing agony before finishing them off with the Seven-Step Soul Severing Poison.”

‘A cocktail method…’

In my previous life, cocktail therapies were used to save lives. Here, they were mixing poisons to end lives in the most excruciating ways.

The scammers were sentenced to die by a lethal mix of more than three poisons—a grim decision made with chilling efficiency.

After the mentally exhausting meeting concluded, I was heading back when I heard coughing behind me.

“Ahem!”

“Ahem!”

I turned to see the clan elders standing in the distance, staring at the horizon.

‘What’s this about?’

I stopped and bowed politely. “Wei Su Long greets the esteemed elders of the Tang Clan.”

One elder stepped forward, glancing around nervously, and spoke in a cautious tone.

“Ahem. So… they say you’ve had a fortuitous encounter?”

“Yes, elder,” I replied, puzzled.

‘Is this about the Golden Bumblebee King’s royal jelly?’

I wondered if they were about to express their desire for some of the jelly.

Hesitantly, the elder finally spoke. “Ahem. It’s not about that… We have a small request.”

“A request? If it’s about the Golden Bumblebee King’s…?”

“No, no, not that,” the elder interrupted, shaking his head.

Looking uncharacteristically embarrassed, the elder cleared his throat and continued, “As you know, the world’s rare treasures and miraculous substances always have destined owners. Surely, we wouldn’t covet something like that…”

“Yes, of course,” the others chimed in.

“Then what is it?”

“Well, it’s about… that… the Geodanhwan. Since you made it, you have the authority to distribute it…”

“Oh, the Geodanhwan! Ah, I see.”

The Geodanhwan was a cantharidin-based aphrodisiac derived from blister beetles. While it was dangerous for ordinary people and could even be fatal if misused, members of the Tang Clan—who had some degree of poison resistance—would see it as a miraculous remedy for their pride.

Smiling, I replied, “As I’m still adjusting to life in the Tang Clan, I would greatly appreciate the elders’ guidance and support. Naturally, I’d be happy to provide the medicine.”

‘In other words, as long as you help me, the medicine is yours.’

The elders lit up with delight.

“Of course! Naturally, you’re one of us now—forever part of the Tang Clan!”

“Yes, yes! Don’t worry about a thing. We’ll support you fully!”

At that moment, I felt my life in the Tang Clan was about to become much smoother.