As the grand ritual concluded, I was finally reminded of the tasks I had been neglecting.
I needed to check on the Golden Wasp Kings’ habitat, which I had left in the care of the Venom Squad, and also ensure the Chinese hamsters in the Venom Yard were thriving. Between returning to the clan, preparing for the engagement ceremony, hunting geese, and focusing entirely on the grand ritual, I hadn’t even thought about these responsibilities.
While the Golden Wasp Kings could manage themselves efficiently, requiring little more than a quick inspection, the Venom Yard needed my attention.
‘I’ve been neglecting them since there weren’t many creatures left to tend to.’
With that thought, I decided to head to the Venom Yard early after breakfast.
“So-ryong!”
I heard someone calling my name from the side. Turning my head, I saw Gu Pae, the Venom Squad leader, carrying a large sack over his shoulder. He tossed the sack aside and hurried toward me.
“Ah, Commander Gu.”
“So-ryong, did the ritual go well? I heard there was an incident and was worried about you!”
His face was filled with concern—typical of Commander Gu, ever reliable and kind.
I felt grateful for his worry and reassured him with a smile. “Thank you for your concern. There was a minor incident, but thanks to Grandfather and Father-in-law, everything went smoothly.”
“That’s a relief! So, the ritual was successful? Congratulations, So-ryong!”
After exchanging greetings, my curiosity turned to the sack he had thrown aside earlier. I couldn’t help but ask about it.
“What’s in that sack? Is it alright to leave it lying around like that?”
“Oh, that?” he replied. “It’s food for the seo (Chinese hamsters).”
Realizing he was also heading to the Venom Yard, I suggested we go together. “It seems you’re on your way to the Venom Yard. I was planning to go there myself. Shall we go together?”
“Are you sure? Shouldn’t you rest for a few more days? Usually, one should take time off to recover after completing the ritual. Don’t worry about the Venom Yard—I’ve been handling everything as instructed.”
Commander Gu’s reassuring words reflected his reliability. Still, I couldn’t ignore my responsibilities just because I had delegated the work.
“It’s fine. I won’t be long—just a quick check-in,” I said lightly.
“Well, in that case...”
As we made our way to the Venom Yard together, I asked for a status update. While I’d be able to see for myself soon, getting a verbal report was always helpful.
“How are the short-tailed hamsters doing?”
Short-tailed hamsters referred to the Chinese hamsters in the yard. Gu Pae promptly gave me a detailed report.
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
“About forty have given birth, and it seems the first batch of offspring are now pregnant as well.”
Chinese hamsters are infamous for their rapid reproduction cycle—reaching sexual maturity within 7 to 14 weeks and giving birth within two to three weeks. It seemed the first generation was already preparing for the next.
“Looks like after one or two more cycles, we won’t have any shortages,” I said with satisfaction.
With forty hamsters giving birth to an average of six pups each, that’s 240 new hamsters. Within two months, those would reproduce, bringing the number up to over a thousand in no time. Unless the number of venomous creatures increased drastically, we were on track for a steady supply of pinkies.
As I nodded in approval, Gu Pae asked enthusiastically, “So, are we going to start catching venomous creatures now?”
His eager face reflected his excitement to fill the Venom Yard with new creatures.
“Well...”
Just as I was about to answer, something caught my eye. At the edge of the training grounds, near the wall, I noticed a small figure crouched down.
‘What’s this? Who is that?’
While the Tang Clan had children, this area was restricted to direct descendants, so seeing a child here was strange. I walked closer, calling out, “Who’s there?”
At my voice, the figure shot up and ran toward me, throwing themselves at my leg.
“So-ryong! Big Brother!”
“Young-yeong!?” I exclaimed.
The child crouching by the wall was none other than Yeong-yeong, the daughter of the Peng Clan’s patriarch. I turned to Gu Pae, my expression questioning what she was doing here. He quickly explained.
“She’s staying with the Tang Clan for treatment. Since we’re the only ones who can handle poison, Patriarch Peng entrusted her to us.”
“And Patriarch Peng?” I asked.
“He had to return to oversee the clan. He left a few guards with her but has gone back.”
“So Yeong-yeong is here by herself?” I asked, realizing the gravity of the situation.
Gu Pae nodded. “Yes. Extracting the venom from hornets and administering it in controlled doses as an injection is something only the Tang Clan can do. Even if others know the treatment, only the Tang Clan has the expertise to execute it.”
I sighed. I had assumed she would’ve returned home by now, but it seemed she was staying for the foreseeable future.
“I missed you, Big Brother! They said you’ve been back for days, but you didn’t come to see me! So I’ve been waiting for you here today!” Yeong-yeong pouted, her front teeth missing and her words slightly lisped.
I glanced at Gu Pae again, silently asking for clarification. He explained that since her stay had been extended, she had mostly kept to the courtyard assigned to her, trying not to trouble the Tang Clan. That’s why I hadn’t seen her, even at my engagement ceremony.
Realizing she had been isolated, living with only her guards for company, I felt a pang of guilt. Hugging her tightly, I apologized, “I’m sorry, Yeong-yeong. I thought you’d already gone home. But what were you doing crouched by the wall?”
She beamed up at me, her lisped voice answering cheerfully, “I was catching ddadakki!”
“Ddadakki?” I repeated, confused.
Yeong-yeong reached into the silk pouch tied to her waist, carefully pulling something out and placing it on my palm.
-Crack!
A sharp snapping sound echoed as something sprang off my palm.
“Oh! This is—!?”
What Yeong-yeong placed on my palm was a click beetle.
When flipped over, it made the characteristic click sound and sprang into the air—an insect known in the West as a "click beetle." Though they are agricultural pests, notorious for boring holes into potatoes and sweet potatoes and wreaking havoc on root crops, children often find them endearing and amusing.
Looking at the beetle, I couldn’t help but think that Yeong-yeong might be on a similar path as me. After all, in spring, these beetles become active, and in my past life, they were the first insects I ever caught.
I recalled how, back then, they’d occasionally fly into my house at night, and I’d capture them and store them in matchboxes. When bored, I’d take them out just to watch them click and spring into the air. In a way, these little beetles were my "gateway insects," the ones that had led me down the path to becoming Spicy Fabre.
“They’re gae-du-chung (head-knocking insects), aren’t they?”
It seemed that’s what they were called here.
“You were catching these?”
“Yes! Ddadakki!” Yeong-yeong nodded enthusiastically, her face lighting up.
Her nickname for the beetle, ddadakki, was adorable. In my past life, I had also called them "click-click bugs" at her age. It seemed we shared a similar sensibility at this stage of life.
Reflecting on our similarities, I suddenly thought about the Peng Clan. They were renowned for their enormous strength, gained through training to wield massive blades. Their relentless physical and muscle-building regimens inevitably resulted in hulking physiques.
But I wondered, how could someone live a life of endless training without any leisure? Everyone needs a little downtime and hobbies.
That’s when the idea struck me: I could secretly introduce Yeong-yeong to entomology and venomous creature care as a hobby. Who knows? She might even become a prodigy in the field.
‘Yeong-yeong, I’ll induct you into our insect and venomous creature club!’
It wasn’t martial arts training, just teaching her something fascinating and fun. Surely, there was no harm in that.
Smiling, I asked her, “Yeong-yeong, do you like insects?”
“Yes! I love them! I like the Wasp Kings and Ddadakki too!”
“In that case, would you like to learn more about insects with me? They’re special and very fun.”
“Yes!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me in excitement.
Seeing her enthusiasm, I decided to use her captured beetles as the subject of her first lesson. But as I got closer, I noticed a faint, unpleasant smell. It seemed Yeong-yeong had unknowingly repeated a mistake I’d made at her age.
‘Poor thing. She’s going to have a tough time tonight.’
Pointing to the silk pouch tied to her waist, I asked, “Yeong-yeong, could you show me your pouch?”
“Yes, Brother! Look how many Ddadakki I caught!”
She handed me her silk pouch, and I took her to the Venom Yard. While the area wasn’t exactly off-limits—it only housed a few creatures—it was the best place to explain her mistake without drawing too much attention. After all, she wasn’t a corporate spy or anything.
Once in the Venom Yard, I spread a large sheet of white paper on a wooden tray and poured out her captured insects.
I separated them because, while they looked strikingly similar, the two groups were entirely different insects.
“Yeong-yeong, take a good look. These here are the gae-du-chung you’ve been calling Ddadakki. But these ones over here are something else entirely.”
“They’re different?”
Her puzzled expression was adorable as she watched me carefully gather the wandering beetles back onto the tray.
Smiling to myself, I said, “Yeong-yeong, try smelling your hands.”
“My hands?”
She brought her hands up to her nose, sniffed them, and immediately recoiled in horror.
“Eugh! The smell!”
Her reaction was understandable. Her hands carried a pungent odor that would be hard to wash off even after scrubbing. It was a rite of passage for insect enthusiasts, and tonight would certainly be a trial for her. She’d probably need a long bath, with the servants helping her scrub thoroughly.
Commander Gu picked up one of the beetles from the pile, examined it, and laughed. “This one’s a hwang-bun-chung (yellow powder beetle), isn’t it? They look so similar that Miss Peng must’ve caught them together. Haha.”
‘A bun-chung? What an unfortunate name.’
Here, they called the mealworm beetle hwang-bun-chung. In my past life, trolls on the internet were often called "dung beetles" because of their tendency to "spew garbage." The similarity of the name to bun-chung was amusing and slightly unfair.
Mealworm beetles emit a faint stench as adults, but in their larval or pupal stages, they’re incredibly nutritious and widely used as food for reptiles and other insects.
Calming the distressed Yeong-yeong, I set the two beetle groups side by side and began explaining.
“The gae-du-chung has a hard, clicking mechanism on its underside, while the hwang-bun-chung doesn’t. Make sure not to mix them up next time. They may look similar, but they’re different.”
“Got it, Brother,” she replied, pouting as she stared at her smelly hands.
Still, she refused to part with her click beetles, carefully picking them out and putting them back into her silk pouch. The remaining insects were mealworm beetles.
I turned to Commander Gu, who was smiling as he watched the scene.
“Well, the next creature we’ll raise in the Venom Yard is this: the hwang-bun-chung.”
Mealworms would be the second essential feed for our growing menagerie.
With pinkies and mealworms now part of our operation, I was well on my way to building a robust food supply chain for the insects, venomous creatures, and reptiles we planned to raise. After all, pinkies, mealworms, and crickets are the holy trinity of feeder staples in the world of exotic pets.