Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Gambling is the Shortcut to Ruin
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Early dawn, before the sun had risen, a dim twilight blanketed the world.
The cart wheels, soaked from the night's dew, creaked and bore down on my shoulders.
Two carts.
Both packed full with dried bellflower roots.
One pulled by me, the other by Uncle.
The carts were heavier than expected, and the road rougher than I'd imagined.
Yet Uncle trudged silently ahead without complaint.
We had to travel like this for three full days to reach Chang'an.
My neighbor Uncle's tattered straw sandals kept catching my eye.
Is this really right?
I'd swallowed five wild ginseng roots all by myself.
Sure, I'd boasted about protecting Uncle's family...
But it still gnawed at me.
Especially since I'd even doubted him.
"Uncle, let me buy you an ox."
"Hoho. An ox isn't some pet with a name. I'm fine. These two legs are enough for me."
"..."
"Save your money. It's hard-earned with your life on the line—don't squander it. When the village chief thrives, so do the villagers."
"Yes, sir."
I gave that answer, but I'd made up my mind.
I'd buy Uncle that ox.
We arrived in Chang'an after three days.
I'd come along because of the land deed.
More precisely, the land usage rights document.
We hit a few apothecaries first thing that morning and sold all the bellflower roots.
Uncle's pouch looked fat, but it was mostly copper coins with just a few taels of silver.
Still, he beamed like he'd conquered the world.
After all his hard work, I treated him to a steaming bowl of beef noodle soup loaded with toppings.
Then we headed to the county office.
We went through every procedure for the Martial Mystery Village land usage rights.
But as expected, that damn official's seal wouldn't grant final approval.
Uncle shot me a look, so I stepped outside.
Right now, he was probably in some dark corner of the office, haggling over a bribe.
Nice weather, though.
It had been so gloomy on the way here.
A wide open plaza in front of the county office.
People bustled about busily, some like me lounging idly, kids running around excitedly.
"Hey! Who do you think's gonna win this underground tournament?"
"Gale Maniac's taking it, obviously!"
"Nah! Gale Maniac lost to Mantis Fist Wanderer last time. Mantis Fist Wanderer's winning again!"
"I'm betting on the Jade-Faced Twins! They're the champs this time!"
Little kids.
They'd been sweating buckets playing over there just moments ago.
Now they clustered on the opposite side of the great tree's shade where I sat, chattering away.
The underground fights were illegal gambling.
Banned strictly by the imperial palace and the Martial Alliance alike.
Slaves, criminals, fugitives battling it out, with bets on the winners.
Since the brokers kept changing secret venues, it was hard to crack down on.
Things are serious.
Even these kids talking about it...
Gambling had seeped deep into ordinary folks' lives, knowingly or not.
Gambling's the shortcut to ruin, they say. Tsk.
"Makso, who do you think's gonna win?"
"I..."
I glanced at the kids.
They were all hyped up, arguing over the winner.
But this Makso kid...
He looked gloomier than the rest.
"Who do you think's gonna win?"
"I... wish Ice Demon Ghost Slayer would win."
"Ice Demon Ghost Slayer? Out of nowhere? He's never won once!"
The other kids jumped in right away.
"Not even semifinals—he's never made it past the quarterfinals."
"Yeah, yeah. Ice Demon always drops out in the quarters. No way he wins."
"Makso, you dummy! Ice Demon's no good."
"Don't curse at Makso!"
"Sorry."
Come to think of it, Makso was smaller than the other kids.
Not just small—his clothes and shoes were ragged too.
From a poor family, probably.
"But Makso, why do you think Ice Demon Ghost Slayer's gonna win?"
"It's not that I think he will..."
"Then what?"
"I wish he would."
"Why?"
"My dad... bet everything on Ice Demon Ghost Slayer winning. Our house, my tuition, even Mom's medicine money."
Ah!
I've never seen such a lunatic!
Gambling with a kid like that?
With a sick wife too, staking his whole fortune?
Damn!
I wanna punch the bastard, whoever he is.
That poor kid...
But apparently, I wasn't the only one thinking that.
The kids who'd been excitedly debating, voices raised...
All shut their mouths at Makso's words.
Makso hung his head, and the others gazed at him with endless pity.
His dad's probably done this before.
But then—
"Makso! Makso! There you are!"
A middle-aged man rushed over, calling for Makso.
His dad? I almost grabbed his collar.
"Huh? Great hero Jin Muhyeon. What brings you here?"
I recognized the face.
Green Snake Blade O Makeong.
Y'know, the second-rate rogue who came with me last time to catch runaway Jade Water Manor heiress So Ok-hyang and fend off the Human Money Five Ghosts.
"Ah! I had business at the office. And you, Great Hero O... Is that kid your son?"
"Ah, Makso? My surname's O, and he's a Mak—how could he be mine? Haha."
"Ah, right. Of course."
"Dog Nose. He's Dog Nose Mak Chil's boy. That ghost of a sniffer always shines on tracking jobs."
"Ah... yeah."
Dog Nose?
As I mentioned before, Dog Nose is a third-rate rogue, but he's got a knack for tracking.
That's why his fees match second-raters like O Makeong.
Sometimes even higher.
Seeing his kid like this...
Gambling addiction must be bad.
"Great Hero Jin, hold on a sec."
"Sure."
O Makeong went straight to Makso.
"Makso. Where's your dad? He's not home, and your mom doesn't know."
"The fight arena."
"Again? That bastard went gambling at the underground fights? Argh! I'm losing my mind!"
O Makeong must've blurted it out in frustration.
But it made the already downcast Makso even more depressed.
Realizing too late, O Makeong looked apologetic.
I quietly called him over.
"Great Hero O. What's going on?"
"Ah... well..."
O Makeong looked exasperated too.
He spoke with deep pity.
"Got a decent job offer. Came looking for Dog Nose..."
"Gambling problem?"
"Yeah. Blows every life-risking coin on bets. Debts are massive now. Owes me, Yin-Yang Monk, and Wang Geol dozens of taels each."
"Ah... Quitting's tough, they say."
"We've tried everything—me, Yin-Yang, Wang Geol. Even beat the crap outta him. But what does he do? Next day, takes his wife's medicine money to gamble. Sigh."
Nothing I can do here.
Poor kid, but gambling addiction? No cure I can offer.
The end of gambling addiction is predictable.
Ruin, crime, suicide.
"Just his sick wife and that little one I pity."
Me.
O Makeong too.
All we could do was gaze at young Makso with endless sorrow... Huh?
"Makso! My son Maksooooo!"
Way over there.
Dog Nose comes running.
Flailing his arms wildly, sprinting like a madman.
Then in a flash.
Scoops up wide-eyed Makso and hugs him tight.
"Wahahaha! Hahaha!"
Dog Nose has finally lost it.
"Huh? Brother O Makeong. What brings you here? Oh? Great Hero Jin too?"
This lunatic Dog Nose.
Can't read the room.
O Makeong scowled at him.
"How much'd you lose this time? Gonna take ten lives to pay that off."
But get this.
Dog Nose really has gone mad.
Grinning at O Makeong's words.
Hugs his lifted son even tighter and spins him around.
And says:
"Makso! We're rich now! Ice Demon Ghost Slayer won! Won! He won! My bet paid three hundred times over! We're rich, rich I tell ya! Wahahaha!"
"Dad, really?"
"Really! Totally real! Already collected the cash and deposited it with the broker! We're loaded!"
"Wooo! Dad's the best! The absolute best!"
"We'll cure Mom's illness, send you to the finest academy! Move to comfy Hangzhou, build a grand house, live like kings!"
"Woooo! I love you, Dad! You're the best!"
Huh?
Wait, what?
This can't be how it ends...
"Brother O Makeong!"
"Huh? Oh."
"Here! For you, Yin-Yang Monk, and Brother Wang Geol—the loans repaid. Threw in double the principal as interest."
"You didn't have to go that far..."
"I can afford it now. Why? 'Cause we're rich! Hahaha!"
"Uh... Just got a sweet job offer..."
"A job? You nuts? With my sick wife and precious son, you want me risking my neck? I'm done with rogue work! Thanks for everything, Brother O Makeong!"
"Uh... okay."
"Gotta go! Take care, everyone. C'mon, son!"
"Yeah, Dad! Dad's the best!"
"My boy's the best too! Hahaha!"
Uh... this.
This really can't be how it ends.
It makes me look like I'm promoting gambling!