Fabre in Sacheon’s Tang

“What!? You want me to take off my daughter’s clothes!?” the Peng Patriarch shouted, tightening his grip on my collar.

“Cough! Cough! Just wait a second…” I tapped on his wrist, trying to loosen his grip.

• Tap! Tap! Tap!

He was choking me so hard that I thought I might suffocate.

But not understanding the meaning of my tap, the Peng Patriarch simply tightened his grip further. His reaction, though, was interrupted by urgent calls from my father-in-law and Hwa-eun.

My father-in-law grabbed the Peng Patriarch’s arm and pressed it down. “Patriarch Peng! Please wait. There’s a reason why my son-in-law is saying this. He doesn’t mean what you think. Right, son-in-law?”

“Patriarch, please listen. Let him finish explaining,” Hwa-eun urged.

The Peng Patriarch wiped away the blood that was dripping from his nose, his expression a mix of rage and disbelief. “Fine! Let’s hear it! He’s suggesting that I take off my daughter’s clothes, that she hasn’t even reached puberty, and he’s saying this with those vile eyes of his. What reason could there possibly be!”

His body trembled with anger, his fists clenched. I couldn’t help but think to myself, ‘What vile eyes!?’

Even though I could barely breathe and the situation felt like it was going to make me lose my mind, I still felt incredibly wronged. I mean, what kind of pervert would look at a child under ten years old and have such thoughts?

I was more of a fan of women like Hwa-eun, who were strong and thoughtful, not… whatever this situation implied.

“Ah… cough… thank you…” Finally, with my father-in-law and Hwa-eun’s help, I was able to break free from the Peng Patriarch’s vice-like grip. I gasped for air, trying to regain my breath, before quickly explaining.

“Cough, cough! Patriarch Peng, please calm down and listen to me. The reason I suggested taking off the young miss’s clothes is not what you’re thinking. I meant to say, ‘Let’s take off all her clothes and change her into something else.’”

The Peng Patriarch raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by my explanation. “Huh?”

“Please let me explain. The reason I suggested this is because there may be something on the clothes or from the Peng Clan that caused her to collapse. I want to remove everything she brought with her, so we can rule out anything from her environment causing this issue,” I continued, trying to remain calm.

The Peng Patriarch paused, his eyes narrowing as he processed what I said. Slowly, he looked down at his clenched fists, swallowing hard. He squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.

“I, Peng Mu-hwan, doubted my own family for a moment…”

“Wait!” I interrupted, not wanting him to hurt himself again.

It almost seemed like he had a strange self-harm habit, as if he were about to strike himself again. I grabbed his hand to stop him.

“Please, Patriarch. I understand that you’re upset about your daughter’s condition, but it’s because of that that we need to look carefully. You’re understandably in distress. Let’s just stop this for now,” I said, trying to calm the situation.

Peng Mu-hwan finally smiled, his teeth exposed with one missing as he broke into a relieved chuckle. “Haha, you’re a forgiving one. I’ve never met someone so lenient with my mistakes. You truly are a great man! Thank you, haha.”

It seemed that the fact that I didn’t make him strike himself again had relieved him.

However, my explanation wasn’t over yet.

I quickly added, “Also, from now on, we’ll take care of Miss Yeong-yeong. As her symptoms are still unclear, we’ll temporarily stop any interactions with the rest of the Peng Clan.”

Earlier, when the Peng Patriarch explained his daughter’s symptoms, he mentioned that she collapsed but would recover in a few days. So, the plan was to move her for separate care to rule out any further issues.

“Once we’ve changed her clothes and removed anything from the Peng Clan, if she collapses again, we’ll know it’s not because of anything brought from home. This way, the misunderstandings within the Peng Clan will also be cleared up,” I explained.

The Peng Patriarch tilted his head, considering my words. “Hmm? So, you’re saying if we remove everything, and the symptoms happen again, then it wasn’t something from the Peng Clan?”

“Yes. If the symptoms appear again, we’ll know it’s not caused by anything within your clan. It’ll help clear up any doubts among your people.”

I knew that with animals, such methods were common practice. You would either remove potential causes or add something new to figure out the cause of illness. With a child, it was the same principle, though I needed to be cautious and thorough.

“Ah, I see. If we do that, at least we can rule out poison as the cause. You’re right; we’ll know for sure,” my father-in-law said, finally understanding.

The Peng Patriarch nodded grimly, his face still set in determination. “I understand. I’ll leave it to you. Thank you, Tang Clan leader.”

***

"Wait, So-ryong. Stay with the child for a moment. I’ll go to the Medicine Hall and bring back a different scent," Hwa-eun instructed, as she prepared to leave.

She was going to bring another fragrance since I had now successfully identified the first scent.

"Yes, Hwa-eun. Understood," I replied as she left the room, leaving me alone with the unconscious child.

I sighed deeply, looking down at the child’s face.

The reason for my sigh wasn't just the situation but also the fact that I had insisted on separating the child from the Peng Clan members.

Because of me, Hwa-eun and my mother-in-law were struggling.

The child was lying in a guest room within the Tang Clan’s quarters, as I had suggested. My father-in-law, ever cautious, agreed with my decision to bring the child here, away from the Peng Clan's servants, who had minimal involvement with her care.

So, the responsibility for the child's care was left to Hwa-eun and my mother-in-law, while I was only running small errands.

It had already been three days since.

“She should be waking up soon, right?” I murmured to myself. According to the Peng Patriarch, the child usually regained consciousness after three days.

As I watched her, I noticed her eyelids fluttering slightly. A few moments later, her eyes opened, and she blinked at me.

“Oh, Miss Yeong-yeong, you’re awake! Do you recognize me?” I asked gently, trying to confirm her awareness.

Rather than answering, the little girl suddenly shot up and started feeling her clothes. She seemed awkward in the new clothes, which were a bit too large for her.

She stared at me with wide eyes, then began to wriggle her mouth as if trying to speak.

Before I could understand what she was doing, a sudden loud cry escaped her.

“Whaaaa! Gone!”

The room was filled with her wailing. I was startled and quickly tried to calm her down, understanding that she must be confused and frightened from waking up in a strange place with unfamiliar faces.

“Miss Yeong-yeong, it’s okay. Your father, the Peng Patriarch, is not here right now because he went out to get some medicine. He’ll be back soon,” I said, trying to comfort her.

But the child shook her head violently.

“Candy!”

‘Ah, so that’s it...’

The little one wasn’t asking for her father; she was crying for candy.

It seemed she had become so accustomed to having candy with her that even in the midst of confusion, she immediately wanted it.

When Hwa-eun had helped change the child’s clothes earlier, she had noticed that secret compartments filled with candy were sewn into her garments, which explained the endless supply of sweets.

“Whaaaa! My candy!” the child wailed again.

Hwa-eun had told me that the Peng Clan was known for being exceptionally strong and skilled in the martial arts, but this little one seemed to have inherited the wrong traits. It appeared that she had a knack for sound-based attacks, as her cries were so piercing.

‘At this rate, my ears might start bleeding!’ I thought, trying to block out the noise.

I quickly knelt beside her and spoke firmly, "Miss Yeong-yeong, calm down. You just woke up, so we can’t have candy right now. How about you eat some porridge first? Then I’ll make you candy afterward, okay?"

“Sniff... you’ll make it?” she asked, stopping her crying abruptly.

I quickly nodded. “Yes, of course. I can make it. How about some candy made from a watermelon?”

“Watermelon!?” she asked, her eyes growing wide.

I smiled, knowing she had a weakness for fruits. "Yes, watermelon candy. But first, you have to eat your porridge, be good, and promise not to cry until your father gets back."

At the mention of the promise, the little one puffed up her cheeks, then nodded with a determined look on her face.

“The Peng family keeps promises! If I break it, I’ll punch myself in the face!” she declared, mimicking a stance as if she were about to hit her own face.

I blinked, taken aback. "Excuse me?"

It seemed the Peng Clan's little one had a habit of hitting herself, and I couldn’t help but be concerned. I quickly grabbed her and lectured her on how it was absolutely not okay to hit herself.

‘What on earth are they teaching her in the Peng Clan!?’

The whole situation was utterly ridiculous, but I couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and concern as I tried to straighten out the child's habits.

***

“Brother So-ryong! Show me a big punishment again today!” Yeong-yeong exclaimed, clinging to my leg and tugging me toward the training ground.

It had been ten days since Yeong-yeong had started staying in the guest quarters of the Tang Clan’s estate. The guests from Hubei, including those from the Amifa and Qingcheng Sect, had mostly left, with only a few martial artists sent by the Martial Alliance remaining.

The official reason for their departure was that they couldn’t catch the remnants of the Blood Sect, but the real reason was that they had already captured a key figure from the sect who had infiltrated the Martial Alliance. They were now heading back to raid the sect’s main base.

During these ten days, Yeong-yeong and I had grown closer, thanks to the power of the candy she adored.

When I had sent news of her condition to the Peng Patriarch a few days ago, he was surprised to hear that she was doing well.

“Is Yeong-yeong doing okay?” the Peng Patriarch had asked.

“Yes, she’s awake and recovering. She’s eating well and following instructions,” I had replied.

“Eating?!” he had exclaimed in disbelief.

“Yes, yesterday, she ate a lot of fried pork,” I had added.

“How… How did she eat?” the Peng Patriarch asked, still in shock.

“She ate it just fine,” I had answered.

At that, the Peng Patriarch had laughed heartily, his disbelief turning into amusement.

“Ha, so my little Yeong-yeong is eating now, huh? I didn’t think it was possible. Well done!” he had said, laughing with relief.

I smiled at his reaction as I remembered the day she had woken up and, just as I expected, began to ask for candy.

I was now walking toward the training ground with Yeong-yeong, who had clung to me, her enthusiasm as bright as ever.

"Show me the big punishment!" she had said, her eyes sparkling.

"Alright, alright," I had replied with a grin, knowing exactly what she meant. She had become quite fond of watching the Golden Wasp Kings lately, as they had developed a particular affection for her.

It wasn’t just any kind of affection, however. The Golden Wasp Kings liked her because she would often spill candy on herself, which they loved licking off her clothes. She had developed a habit of visiting them daily, and her desire for candy had become so ingrained that now, even when she was not with them, she was still in search of it.

As we neared the entrance to the training ground, she suddenly pulled away from me and ran toward a pile of rocks by the side of the road, kneeling down and saying, “Brother, there are bees here!”

“Bees?” I asked, confused by her sudden outburst.

It seemed that after getting along with the Golden Wasp Kings, she had assumed all bees would like her.

“Yeong-yeong, be careful. Other bees might sting you,” I warned her.

Before I could react, she yelped, “Ouch!”

“Are you okay?” I rushed over to her.@@novelbin@@

She pulled her left arm back, and I immediately noticed the red welts where a bee had stung her. I quickly swatted away the bee that had attacked her, watching as it fell to the ground.

“That’s a ground bee! It’s aggressive,” I muttered to myself. Yeong-yeong must have gotten too close, provoking it.

“We need to get to the Medicine Hall right away,” I said urgently, picking her up.

“It’s not that bad,” she mumbled, still rubbing her arm.

“Still, we should apply some medicine just in case,” I insisted, taking her to the Medicine Hall.

As I carried her, I noticed her starting to squirm uncomfortably and breathe heavily.

“Yeong-yeong!?” I called, alarmed.

She was showing signs of a reaction, and I immediately recognized the symptoms—anaphylaxis.

I had seen this before, though not in this situation. It was clear she was in serious trouble, and I had to act fast.