Chapter 4

Faber in Sachitang Family - Chapter 5 (4/187)

Family Member 2

The problem was that I was too soft-hearted.

Given the millipede's aversion to water, I thought I could easily separate them by submerging myself in water, and indeed, when I did, I could see the millipedes retreating to the top of my head.

So, all I had to do was dive slightly and collect the millipedes floating to the surface in a jar.

I thought I could relax, but as my head slowly submerged, the millipedes began to wail pitifully from the top of my head.

- Tsuru.

- Tsu.

- Tsuruuru.

"Big brother, why are you doing this? Why are you treating us like this? Big brother! Please! We hate water!"

Of course, I couldn't actually understand the millipedes' voices.

It was just a feeling, but their sounds seemed to convey that message.

So, what could I do...

'Since they'll fall off soon anyway, why not just leave them for a few days?'

The pitiful sounds of the millipedes were making me lean towards just leaving them for a few days.

The question of whether it was right to separate them so cruelly, given that they had lost their mother, came to mind.

Millipedes fall off after two molts, and that period isn't very long.

Moreover, they seemed to think of me as their mother, and at this stage, they weren't venomous, so there was no danger.

Plus, carrying large millipedes on my body was perhaps the dream of anyone who loved venomous creatures.

Insects, arachnids, and reptiles don't recognize their owners, and they aren't pets, so there's a lack of interaction when raising them.

But carrying them on my body was almost like having a pet-like bond.

"Alright, I'll leave you for a while. You mustn't bite or hurt me, got it?"

- Tsuru!

- Tsu!

The millipedes made sounds as if answering my question, and after my bath, I hurried to the abandoned duct.

Just as I was about to cross the threshold of the duct entrance, a middle-aged man sitting on the stone steps of the pavilion I used greeted me with a friendly face.

"Ah! Elder?"

"Ah! Young Hero!"

His friendly face suggested he was grateful for my help in hunting the mother millipede.

He had promised to repay me for finding the millipedes.

'This seems like a wealthy family. Maybe they'll give me some money? Or a few deer? It would be nice to have some jerky. I'm in my growth period, after all.'

As the friendly man approached me, a chill ran down my spine, and a wind-like force struck him, sending him flying backward and crashing into the stone, spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood.

- Kwaang!

"Hack! Cough! Cough!"

"Ah, Elder! Hack!"

Startled, I tried to run to the man, but I was grabbed by the back of my neck.

My legs slowly lifted off the ground, and my feet began to dangle in the air.

Then, I heard the old man's voice.

"I heard the Sachitang family had entered Hainan Island, so I came to see, and found the son of the Venomous Master alone and injured.

I have never forgotten the face of your father and you, whom I saw from a distance years ago! Today, I will send your head as a gift to your father, the Venomous Master! Hahaha!"

From the details, it seemed the old man had a grudge against the father of the Sachitang family's head.

And from the nickname "Venomous Master," it seemed these people were involved with some kind of organization.

The nickname suggested something like dual swords or axes.

'Why are you doing this to me? You should settle it among yourselves.'

The middle-aged man, who had just stood up, asked the old man who was holding me, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Cough! Who are you, old senior, to oppress a young hero and yourself?"

"Hahaha. Don't you recognize this face and the red fist? I am Thak Yunyang, the Blood-Handed Rascal, who was reduced to this state by your father, the Venomous Master!"

The old man's laughter and vengeful voice made it clear that today was going to be a bad day.

His grudge seemed immense.

But the Sachitang family's head, with a solemn voice, begged him to release me.

"This young hero is not a martial artist and has no connection to us. Will you release him? Your grudge is with the Sachitang family, not him. If you release him, I will willingly offer my head."

It was a sentiment of not involving civilians.

Thinking he was a decent person, I nodded, agreeing that their grudge should be settled among themselves.

But the old man, with a nickname that sounded like some kind of monk's illness, laughed at the suggestion.

"I will slaughter anyone who has even brushed past the Sachitang family! In Buddhism, even a slight touch means a thousand lifetimes of connection. Hahaha!"

"Ugh! S, save me..."

He turned me to face him and slowly tightened his grip on my neck.

The intense pressure was overwhelming.

And just as a strange, tingling sensation began to spread through my body, making me shiver,

- Tsuruuru!

- Kwa-dug!

The five brothers hidden in my clothes suddenly made a sharp sound, leaping out from my sleeves and collar to bite the old man who was holding my neck.

"Hack!"

The old man's wide, disbelieving eyes met mine.

His grip began to loosen.

I quickly pulled away from his hand and looked at his face, which had turned black and collapsed to the ground.

-Thud.

'Oh my God! They're not supposed to be venomous at this stage, right?'

The shocking situation where my pet had killed a person.

I slowly turned my head to look at the middle-aged man and asked,

"Um... Is this person a bad guy? He, he seems to be dead?"

I was sure he was a bad guy, but the fact that my pet had killed someone left me in a daze.

It was the first time I had seen someone die.

Except for myself.

But the middle-aged man seemed pleased.

'Is he a psychopath?'

***

The fact that the five brothers were venomous and that their venom was potent enough to kill a person made me shudder, but I had to calm down and provide first aid quickly.

One was already dead, and if I delayed, another might die.

The middle-aged man had vomited a lot of blood, and it seemed he would die soon if not treated quickly.

Of course, I couldn't support him.

I was afraid the five brothers might jump out and bite him again.

So, I led him inside the pavilion I used.

It had a bed and was the most intact building in the abandoned duct, so it was the only place to lay down the head of the Sachitang family.

The door was slightly damaged by the flying stone fragments when the man was thrown, but the inside was still intact.

"Please, lie down here."

"Cough. Thank you, young hero."

"Still, the village is far, and we can't call a doctor. If you tell me where your companions are, I can go and get them. No, I can't just leave you here."

I was pacing, trying to figure out what to do, but the man smiled kindly and said,

"I'm fine. I'll recover in a few days."

Vomiting blood meant internal injuries, such as a ruptured intestine or perforated stomach, and he said he would recover in a few days.

His calm demeanor, despite not being a doctor, made me frown.

"Don't say that. You're vomiting blood. You're in critical condition!"

But the man still smiled and replied,

"I'm a martial artist, so I'm fine."

"A martial artist?"

"Yes, a martial artist."

Then I remembered that in the urgent situation, the man had said he wasn't a martial artist and should be released.

It reminded me of martial arts movies from my past life.

'No way?'

I asked the man with a doubtful expression.

"Are you talking about martial artists who fly around and shoot palm energy?"

"Not everyone can do that, but yes, that's correct."

Thinking about it, the man being thrown back earlier felt like he had been hit by palm energy.

'Wow!'

Now I understood why there were such large millipedes.

This wasn't the past but a different world.

As I trembled at the realization that I had landed in a strange world,

"You saved my life, young hero. I am grateful for your rescue. Let me introduce myself properly. I am Tang Tieshan, the head of the Sachitang family."

"I'm Wei Xiaolong."

I didn't have a name in this world, but thinking of the famous martial artist from my past life, I came up with a name on the spot.

Introducing myself as Wei Xiaolong, the man nodded.

"A small dragon. That's a good name."

"Thank you, Elder. By the way, since you're injured, should I go to the village and bring other members of your family? That old man?"

The formal introduction was enough, and I thought I should call other members of his family, but he shook his head.

"There's no need. My father has left for Sichuan with other martial artists. The martial artists remaining in the village will all come here in a few days."

"Then, what should I do? Water... No, you vomited blood, so water won't help... Porridge... No, that won't work either."

Feeling helpless, I made a troubled expression, and the man smiled and asked,

"I'll be fine if I rest and practice qi for a few days. If I need food, I'll let you know."

"Understood, Elder. Um... I'll wet a cloth and wipe your mouth."

"No, before that, I have many questions. Can we talk for a moment?"

"Shouldn't you rest?"

"This much is fine."

The man's insistence made me stop my attempt to get a wet cloth and sit down next to him again.

He began to ask questions as if he had been holding them back.

"Are the venomous creatures wrapped around your body millipedes? Where did you get them, and how did you tame them? And, I saw them without your permission while waiting for you. Are all the venomous creatures in here yours?"

"Um... Well..."

I answered his questions sincerely.

The millipedes were from the eggs of the green-striped millipedes the men had caught, and the other venomous creatures were mine.

"Oh! You hatched the eggs!?"

"Well, they were almost ready to hatch..."

"Can you even tell that?"

"Yes, kind of."

"Amazing!"

The man praised my breeding skills.

Having no one to boast to before, I felt good about the praise from Tang Tieshan and decided to show off my breeding achievements over the past few years.

"Please wait a moment, Elder."

I quickly went to the jar and took out a Bawangling Cave Gecko.

While a typical Bawangling Cave Gecko has prominent yellow stripes on its body and white stripes on its tail, this one had a yellow body and a white tail.

It was a creature made of just two colors.

In my past life, this would have been worth millions, if not tens of millions, as the pinnacle of my breeding.

"Hmm. I can raise them like this."

I showed the gecko to the middle-aged man, but he just blinked.

He didn't seem to understand how impressive it was, so I brought another one to explain.

'I have to spell it out for him.'

"Um... This is a typical cave gecko. By selecting and breeding those with prominent yellow stripes on their bodies and white stripes on their tails several times, I created this two-colored creature."

"Y, You created the colors!?"

The man was finally impressed by my achievement.

He asked urgently,

"Then, can you select and breed the most venomous ones to create even more venomous creatures!?"

Theoretically possible, but without a way to measure the venom's strength, it was impossible.

I shook my head and replied,

"If I knew which ones were more venomous, it would be possible, but it's difficult..."

"R, Really! Is that true!"

"Ouch! You scared me!"

The man, who had been on the verge of death, seemed to have eaten a train boiler, and he suddenly shouted, grabbing my hand with a passionate look.

"You. Join our family!"

"Huh!?"

By "family," he meant becoming a member of his family.

It sounded like he wanted to train me as a subordinate or a disciple.

If I could fly around with lightness skills or shoot palm energy, it might be a good idea, but the martial artists seemed a bit dangerous.

I hesitated to answer, and the man began to list the benefits.

"First, if you join our family, we will teach you all our martial arts without reservation. You will have access to elixirs, herbs, and any venomous creatures you desire.

You could even capture or breed the Ten Great Venomous Creatures of Central China, which are legendary in the martial arts world.

And, of course, not to boast, but one of the Three Flowers of Central China is my daughter..."

"Wait!"

I stopped his rapid listing of benefits.

Something unbelievable had just passed.

"What did you just say!?"

"Huh? Oh, you're young, but you're a man, right? Yes! One of the Three Flowers of Central China is my..."

The head of the Sachitang family kept mentioning flowers.

I had no interest in such flowers, so I shook my head and asked again.

"No, not those flowers. Before that."

"Huh? Martial arts?"

"No, after that."

"Elixirs and herbs?"

"Even further back."

"The Ten Great Venomous Creatures of Central China?"

In my past life, I had died while searching for the world's ten most venomous snakes.

The mention of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures of Central China stirred my heart.

So, I grabbed the head of the Sachitang family and asked,

"Are they as impressive as the green-striped millipedes!?"

He smiled and replied,

"Of course. The green-striped millipedes are low-level venomous creatures that don't even make the list of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures. From house-sized scorpions to golden frogs, they will surpass anything you can imagine."

The mention of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures was making me consider joining the family.

'Should I try it?'

For a man, the Ten Great Venomous Creatures were a dream, weren't they?

Or was it just for me?

Anyway.