Chapter 71: Savory Death (2)
Translator: bjgoofy
Mealworms are pests commonly found in places like grain storage rooms, but the reason they are widely used for raising reptiles or insects is due to the ease of breeding and cost-effectiveness.
Raising mealworms is easier than raising any other insect, and their feed is incredibly cheap.
Their feed is wheat bran, which is residue left after grinding wheat. If you just pour in a proper amount, mealworms grow well on their own.
Even though they have wings, they don’t fly as long as they have enough food. So you just need to prepare a suitable container, line it with wheat bran, and raise them.
Even once they mature, apart from occasionally providing fresh vegetable leaves, the difficulty of raising them doesn’t increase much. In many ways, for people like me who raise venomous creatures or reptiles, mealworms are essential creatures.
So I prepared ceramic jars, lined the bottoms with wheat bran, and started raising the adult mealworms that Yingying had caught.
Of course, what Yingying had caught wasn’t enough, so I had to rummage through the Tang family’s grain storage to secure a sufficient number.
With the start of mealworm breeding, what was added next was the breeding of crickets.
They’re also insects and, like mealworms, can be raised with wheat bran.
Mealworms alone would be sufficient, but the reason for raising crickets is that reptiles that feed only on insects show a much stronger feeding response to crickets than to mealworms.
That’s because venomous creatures or insects respond much better to the quickly moving crickets.
So, when we began the full-scale breeding of these two insects in the Venomous Creatures Garden, I began my own martial arts training.
I had to learn the Iron Chest Technique, a unique martial art of the Fist Emperor and the Five Poisons Martial Art.
And that wasn’t all. I also had to learn how to distinguish the scent of poisons and study the Tang family's knowledge of poisons.
As a martial arts child of murim, I had too much to learn.
‘Becoming a member of this family is just too damn hard.’
“Venomous Snake Seeking Spring!”
At the Tang family’s training grounds.
With my shout, my sweat-soaked hand softly wrapped around the arm of the wooden dummy.
The Five Poisons Martial Art comprises Five Techniques: Centipede Poison Fang Claw, Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand, Scorpion Tail Rapid Kick, Lizard Gecko Body Steps, and Toad Explosive Palm.
The first among the five techniques that had to be learned was Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand.
It’s a hand technique based on the idea of a venomous snake taking life. Since the Centipede Poison Fang Claw is made up of finger techniques and claw methods, Grandfather explained that I had to first master the hand technique, Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand, in order to learn it.
Only after learning the Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand could I connect it to the palm technique Toad Explosive Palm or the claw technique Centipede Poison Fang Claw.
Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand is a martial art that uses the hands to block or attack an enemy. If the enemy blocks the move, it wraps around like a snake and targets the vital points, making it a very effective technique.
“Good. That’s how you do it. Next!”
Apparently, my movement was decent, as Grandfather nodded his head.
I moved immediately to the next technique.
“Venomous Snake Seeking Peach!”
Following Venomous Snake Seeking Spring came Venomous Snake Seeking Peach.
It was a technique that targeted the center of the body revealed after unwrapping the arm that had been entwining the log.
As the wrapped arm quickly unraveled, the log as thick as a human arm shifted to one side, exposing the wooden dummy’s chest.
Then came Grandfather’s explanation.
“Just as a venomous snake seeks out spring water and fruits, it targets the enemy’s vital points. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Several repetitions followed.
Just as the sweat trickling from my forehead began running down my body, Grandfather’s voice rang out.
“Well then, let’s stop here for today.”
“Thank you for your efforts, Grandfather.”
“Yes, you worked hard today too.”
After getting up at dawn to circulate qi, having breakfast, and undergoing martial arts training, it was already lunchtime.
I wiped the sweat from my soaked forehead with the back of my hand, and just then a cloth was handed to me from the side.
“Here you go, Soryong. You worked hard.”
When I turned my head, Nunim was smiling while holding out a towel.
“Thank you, Hwa-eun.”
I expressed my gratitude to Nunim and accepted the towel.
Using the towel that seemed to be imbued with Nunim’s fragrant body scent, I quickly wiped the sweat off my forehead.
‘Yeah, this is really what keeps me going.’
The only thing that helped me endure the exhausting martial arts training was the support and care from Nunim.
In martial arts manuals, when I come across things I don’t understand, Nunim helps me like a pretty tutor, and after martial arts training, she even prepares things like towels and medicine for me.
She also manages my schedule like a secretary.
“First, wash up. Today, we need to stop by the Venomous Creatures Garden. Squad Leader Gu specifically asked you to come. It seems something’s not going well. After that, we’re scheduled to study scents.”
As I nodded alone at Nunim’s dual roles, a voice called out.
“Soryong?”
“Ah, understood. I’ll quickly wash up, then. Shall we meet at the pavilion?”
“Yes, Soryong.”
Looks like I’ll be visiting the Venomous Creatures Garden this afternoon with Nunim.
After responding to Nunim, I hurried to the Bathing Pavilion and washed myself.
When I changed and arrived at the pavilion, Nunim was already there waiting with the kids.
The right half of Nunim's body had Centipede climbing on it, and the left half had Lizards.
-Tsurur!
-Kkukku!
They welcomed me as soon as they saw me.
When I placed my hand on Nunim’s shoulder, they all immediately jumped onto me.
Then, at once, they started rubbing their faces on both my cheeks.
Both cheeks felt cold and rough.
“Okay, I get it. You guys, that’s enough.”
Worried they might rub my cheeks down, I quickly calmed them and decided to hurry to the Venomous Creatures Garden.
“By the way, Hwa-eun, did they say exactly what the issue was?”
“Oh, it seems the number of crickets isn’t increasing properly. I think they’re eating each other.”
“Ah, so it’s that.”
Crickets are really no good as insects. They’re extremely aggressive.
Not only do they fight, but they often eat each other.
Even when I was on Haenam Island, I had a hard time because of cannibalism among them, and it seems the same thing is happening here.
Like that, we arrived at the Venomous Creatures Garden.
As we entered, Squad Leader Gu Pae greeted me with an apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry, Young Master Soryong. I haven’t done my assigned task properly.”
He looked grim.
I let out a chuckle and answered.
It’s not like martial artists gobbled them up or anything. If we’re being honest, this happened because I didn’t teach them the proper breeding methods.
“Why so grim over something like the number of crickets not increasing? Let’s take a look.”
First, I inspected the cricket breeding setup.
They had cut large jars in half to lower the height, filled them with wheat bran as feed, and added a heap of leaves to serve as hiding places.
It was the same method I used on Haenam Island, so there didn’t seem to be a problem.
But then I saw cricket legs scattered all over the inside of the jars.
That meant quite a bit of cannibalism was occurring.
“I ran into this issue while raising them on Haenam Island too... hmm...”
The problem was, I didn’t know the exact cause because I lacked know-how on mass cricket breeding.
I was well-versed in venomous insects, reptiles, and venomous creatures, but when it came to regular insects, I wasn’t exactly an expert.
I’m Maewoon Fabre, not just any Fabre.
I’m more specialized in venomous bugs, snakes, and reptiles.
When I removed the leaves, even more cricket legs were revealed.
The situation was a bit worse than when I was on Haenam.
“I’m not entirely sure about crickets myself, so this is a frustrating situation.”
As I stroked my chin and thought about possibly changing the feed or significantly altering the breeding environment, a martial artist standing behind Squad Leader Gu Pae spoke up timidly.
“Uh... excuse me...”
“Do you have something to say?”
Since he seemed to want to say something, I asked, and his answer was something I hadn’t expected.
“I think I might know someone who knows a lot about crickets.”
"About crickets?"
He said he knew someone knowledgeable about crickets.
At his unexpected answer, everyone looked at him, and he scratched his head awkwardly.
Then came Squad Leader Gu Pae’s explanation.
Patting the martial artist’s back, he said,
“Ah, this is Hwang Geon. Young Master Soryong, Hwang Geon is the only one besides me who volunteered to join the Venomous Creature Squad.”
"You volunteered?"
I had thought Squad Leader Gu Pae was the only one who had volunteered for our Venomous Creature Squad, so I became curious upon learning that there was someone else who had also volunteered.
Granting him a slightly better first impression score, I asked again.
"You know someone who’s good with crickets?"
At that, Warrior Hwang nodded.
"When I'm bored, I sometimes go to cricket fighting matches to earn some pocket money.... Of course, no-not often. Just enough for drinks, really."
“Yeah, sure. But... cricket fighting?”
At the unfamiliar term, I tilted my head, and Nunim explained.
“It’s gambling where people pit crickets against each other in fights and place bets.”
“Cricket fights? Ah!”
Now that I thought about it, I definitely remembered hearing about it in my previous life.
In ancient China, cricket fighting was a prevalent pastime.
It started as a game that bored palace maids played in the palace, and then spread, becoming part of the culture. I remembered hearing that champion crickets could be sold for tens of millions of won.
Since I heard it started during the Tang Dynasty, I don't know exactly what era it is now, but they would certainly be experts.
So I cleared my schedule and decided to head to Chengdu in Sichuan.
It seemed like this place had the aura of talent.
From what I heard, in order to raise crickets to be large and strong, they even had specialized cricket caretakers.
And if someone is called a cricket caretaker, they must be an expert.
Our Venomous Creature Squad listened well and worked hard, but the biggest flaw was the lack of experienced members. I figured it was about time we recruited someone.
An expert, that is.
***
Since it wasn’t far, I thought about using qinggong, but we opted for a carriage instead.
Because we were headed to a gambling house, it was recommended that we dress up and go by carriage for appearance’s sake.
So Nunim, Squad Leader Gu, Hwang Geon who would be guiding us, and I all dressed in silk robes and made our way to Chengdu.
Of course, due to the previous Blood Cult incident, several martial experts on horseback accompanied us as well.
"It's here, Young Master Soryong."
The place Hwang Geon guided us to was a street lined with tall pavilions.
According to Hwang, this was like the mecca of cricket fighting in Chengdu.
As soon as we got out of the carriage, provocatively dressed Nunims were enticing people on the street.
“Come inside, just for a bit.”
“Young Master, this way, over here.”
The street, lined with gambling dens and brothels, gave off a vibe reminiscent of Gangnam in my previous life. Though I tried not to look, my head involuntarily turned, and I felt a touch on my left arm.
When I turned and looked up, Nunim was smiling as she clung to my arm.
It was a kind smile, but somehow chilling.
Since I'd be an idiot not to understand what it meant, I quickly nodded.
It was clearly a signal to keep my eyes on her.
‘Right. Eyes forward!’
Fixing my gaze firmly on Nunim, we approached the entrance to a three-story pavilion, where two large guards who had been gawking at Nunim blocked our path.
Hwang Geon stepped forward with a scowl and shouted.
“I’m sorry, but without a guarantor…”
“This is Lady Tang Hwa-eun of the Tang Family, whom I am escorting, and her fiance, Young Master Soryong. Will you not move aside!?”
“Gasp! A direct descendant of the Tang Family! One of the Three Beauties of the Central Plains!”
“M-my apologies, Warrior Hwang!”
After passing the guards and entering, the gambling hall was a place of great luxury.
Women in mesh clothing were serving drinks, and all sorts of unfamiliar gambling games were taking place at large tables. But the moment we entered, the once noisy gambling house fell silent.
When Nunim stepped inside, all the other women in mesh clothes shrank away.
If they were fireflies, Nunim was practically a flashbang.
‘No, maybe even the sun?’
“W-welcome! It is an honor to have you at our Golden Phoenix Gambling Hall!”
In the silence, a rat-mustached man, who appeared to be the owner, rushed out to greet us.
Hwang Geon stepped forward and said,
“This is Lady Tang Hwa-eun of the Tang Family and her fiance, Young Master Soryong. They’ve come to see the cricket fights. Lead us.”
“Wh-what an honor! As it happens, the General Cricket championship match is taking place today. Please, come up to the third floor!”
Mistaking us for high-rollers, the owner was grinning from ear to ear.
Following the owner's lead, we watched the cricket fight, and surprisingly, it looked quite entertaining, even had a commentator.
According to Hwang Geon, the “General Cricket championship” match was the final fight to determine the champion cricket of a month-long tournament.
In other words, it was a title match.
A man who looked like a dealer placed one cricket into each side of a round bowl that was divided in the center by a wooden panel.
Then, using a brush made from cat whiskers, he provoked the crickets. As soon as the central divider was removed, the enraged crickets immediately began fighting fiercely.
Inside the bowl, the two crickets bit and tore at each other with intense ferocity.
Among the two tangled in a brutal fight, one showed fear and turned away. The victor chirped with a cry of triumph.
-Chirp chirp.
Then the dealer man shouted in a booming voice.
“The General Cricket championship has just been decided!”
As the General Cricket championship match ended, the crowd split into winners and losers.
Some smiled, others gulped down their drinks with grim faces.
The victorious cricket was even auctioned on the spot, selling for a staggering thirty silver taels.
‘I could make money selling crickets later, huh?’
While thinking that perhaps breeding and selling crickets could be a revenue source for the Venomous Creatures Garden, I turned to the owner, who was watching us carefully.
“Can we meet your cricket caretaker?”
“The cricket caretaker? Sometimes people ask to see them, but there’s really nothing much. We don’t care who wins, so we just feed them and clean their droppings…”
At the mention of the cricket caretaker, the owner dragged out his words nervously.
As he hesitated, Hwang Geon stepped forward and said,
“Young Master Soryong, let’s head over to Golden Dragon Gambling Hall next door. I'm embarrassed to have brought you here.”
“O-oh no, please don’t be like that! I-I’ll show you! Right this way! It’s not that I didn’t want to show you, it’s just… she’s not very useful and only manages the crickets… she’s also kind of creepy…”
We were then led down into a damp underground space filled with the chirping of crickets.
There, in a corner among a pile of straw, sat a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, shrouded in a gloomy aura. She looked up sleepily at us.
“What are you doing! These are honored guests from the Tang Family, show your respect!”
The gambling hall owner scolded her to start the conversation.
At the mention of the Tang Family, her pupils seemed to widen for a moment before quickly dimming into a lifeless, shadowed gaze.
Instead of the silent woman, I turned to the gambling hall owner and asked him directly, of course, while discreetly slipping him a few silver taels.
“I raise crickets occasionally, and I have a question. May I ask the lady?”
“Oh ho, so the young master raises crickets too? Of course! Answer the young master’s question!”
The owner, now beaming after receiving the silver, ordered the dazed woman who was staring blankly at the floor.
“I’m raising many crickets in one place, but they keep eating each other. Do you know why that might be?”
-Chirp chirp.
The woman answered in a voice so faint it was nearly drowned out by the crickets.
“Meat… it’s because they don’t have enough meat.”
“Meat? Ah!”
The word triggered a sudden realization.
Crickets are omnivorous insects.
From what she said, the cannibalism likely stemmed from a lack of protein in their diet.
‘This woman… is a real cricket expert!?’
Her answer alone made it clear she was definitely worth scouting. As planned, I turned to Nunim and gave a subtle nod.
Then, from Nunim’s sleeve emerged a gold tael.
Holding it up and giving it a little shake, Nunim asked the owner,
“Can we buy this woman?”
“O-of course…”
Since it was a gambling hall and they didn’t care which cricket won, it made sense that he had dismissed her as someone who merely fed and cleaned up after the crickets.
He hadn’t even thought for a second before nodding in response to the question of whether we could buy her.
But then, the woman shouted in desperation.
“N-no! You can’t!”
*****
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