Gambling Among Demons
Clack, clack, clack.
Doje walked alone at an unhurried pace, lost in thought. He needed time to sort through the confusion in his mind.
Self-taught, huh...
He looked down at his charred hand. It had been a long time since the duel ended, and the heat still seemed to be seething through him.
Ridiculous.
The blazing yang qi had finally pierced his protective qi barrier. He couldn’t tell what school the martial art came from, but there was no doubt that the Third Young Master had mastered a divine art.
He said he had no proper connections, so the source of that divine art must be Cult Leader's Palace, then... Does that mean the Cult Leader gave him not only Mahwandan, but a divine art as well?
The more he thought about the Third Young Master, the more questions piled up instead of answers.
Not the First Young Master, but the Third Young Master? Unless... is it related to his entering seclusion again?
More than anything, what surprised him was this:
- Gambling? Well, I suppose that’d be easier than tangling with that snake brat. I’ll give it a shot.
The Third Young Master had answered a request that would clearly have been unpleasant, all while muttering some incomprehensible nonsense.
A member of the Cheon family wandering around a gambling den—could anything be more absurd?
He had solved one mystery and ended up with dozens more.
By the time Doje reached the main street, a cry suddenly rang out.
“Huh?”
“What is it?”
“Isn’t that the valley lord?”
All at once, every gaze turned in one direction.
“It is! It really is!”
“Valley Lord! Valley Lord!”
When Doje appeared on the streets of Baekmyeongok, passersby hurried over in a rush. Their eyes were all shining with anticipation and excitement.
“Where have you been!”
“It’s been ages! Have you eaten?”
As the crowd swelled around him, Doje gathered his demonic energy. The burned marks on his body vanished as if washed clean, and he waved lazily.
“What, did you think I’d go around starving just because I’m the valley lord? I finished it ages ago.”
“Then come by our inn later, please. We’ll treat you properly. We even hired a new cook, and his hands are miraculous. If you’re free, you could even come now...”
“I can’t now, but I’ll stop by once my stomach settles.”
“Promise us! You said you would!”
“Fine.”
The passersby began bombarding him with words all at once, each trying to outdo the others. Every one of them wore an expression full of admiration.
“Valley Lord, Valley Lord! Who do you think will win this time’s fighting tournament? Give us a little hint.”
“Oh, right! Please, just a hint! There’s a friend of mine who bet exactly as you said last time, and he wouldn’t stop bragging about it. I was so jealous I nearly died.”
“Hey, now! Don’t talk nonsense. You mean the arena, right? It’s been how long since a fighting tournament was held? Why are you saying something so weird?”
“Ah, right. The arena.”
“And I hear the scale is on a whole different level. Can you tell us anything? I heard you could buy several houses just by selling the champion’s prize!”
“But I also heard this tournament might not even happen. Something went wrong, or so they said...”
It was a worried concern that the already delayed tournament might be postponed again.
Doje draped an arm over a man’s shoulder and smiled smoothly.
“Not happen? Who’s spouting such nonsense? I guarantee it’ll be the best one yet. I’m putting the valley lord’s name on it, so you’d better come with your pockets full.”
“Wahah! Really?”
“Then give us just a little hint! Even if it’s just your instincts!”
“If it’s instincts you want, I can give you some.”
At those pleading eyes, Doje stroked his chin with an uncertain expression.
“Hmm... All right, then bet everything on the handsomest one among them. The more handsome he is, the more likely he is to fight like hell because he won’t want a scratch on that face. That’s my instinct.”
“Hahaha! Is that so?”
Laughter burst from all around. His overwhelming presence, striking looks, and, above all, his unpretentious manner were enough to capture people’s hearts.
From the very beginning, the position of Demonic Cult's Saber Emperor was a supreme status that ordinary demonic martial artists might never encounter even once in their lives.
Doje called out to one man in the crowd with a friendly air.
“Cheolho! You said you were going into the inner city, so why are you still hanging around here? I thought you were looking for work?”
“Sigh, it’s not easy. I haven’t found work, and I haven’t even found a place to stay, so I’m mooching off my younger brother.”
“Your younger brother... the one working at Hyeonyuwon?”
“Oh, you remember him. I don’t know if he does all the work himself, but he’s been getting dragged out day and night lately, so it felt weird for me, as his older brother, to just sit at home. I came out to stretch my legs, and figured I might as well make some money too.”
“For all that talk, your eyes are bloodshot. When did you even get here?”
“Not long ago. I ran over here around sunrise, so... huh? Why is it already night?”
“Pfft—haha! Isn’t that guy insane?”
Doje snorted with a laugh.
“You’re hopeless, as always. I’ll tell the paper sellers to let you stay at Unryong Pavilion. Go rest there and catch up with everyone.”
“Oh! Thank you!”
After exchanging greetings with the gathered passersby for a while longer, Doje entered the office at Unryong Pavilion. The moment the door closed, he ripped off his robe and said sharply, “And what happened with the thing I told you to look into?”
“...”
“Have you gone deaf?”
The air at one corner of the room shimmered, and Hong Igeom appeared.
“Maybe I really should quit... You noticed again. You don’t have some habit of muttering to yourself like that, do you? I heard some people do that before going home for no reason.”
“Report.”
The tone was distinctly different from usual. It meant something had displeased him, and Hong Igeom immediately dropped the banter and began his report.
“Yes. I investigated the whereabouts of the Changheung Merchant Caravan, and it seems they didn’t merely pull out—they vanished entirely. It looks like it’s related to the commotion in the outer city.”
“What commotion?”
“There’s intelligence that the Law Enforcement Hall’s deputy hall master has been moving around with his people.”
At the sudden remark, Doje’s brow furrowed.
“Has Tugeui returned or something? Or did he earn some merit?”
Hong Igeom shook his head.
“It doesn’t seem to be because of the hall master or some merit. From what I found out, they carried out an inspection this time, and about five or six people were arrested, including the squad leader.”
“...”
“Judging from the circumstances, it looks like they found some leverage on him, and the deputy hall master stepped in.”
“So he’s become a hand of the Military Council.”
“That seems likely. The information was tightly controlled, so I couldn’t figure out the full list of targets. Should I spend some money and send more people out?”
After a brief moment of thought, Doje answered, “No need. We’d just be throwing money into the wind. Don’t stir up trouble for nothing—first find out what Hyeonyuwon’s been up to.”
“Hyeonyuwon?”
“Yes. It’s been bustling lately, so it’s definitely related.”
“Understood.”
“Did you confirm who led the inspection?”
“Of course. Just as you expected, Hyeong Baek has been the one in charge of the operation, and the others are Sama Chang, Seorin, and Sama Ryang, making four in total.”
Doje’s eyes narrowed.
“Sama Ryang? I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere.”
“That would be the Sama Family’s Qilin. The freak who took first place on the civil service examination and went to the Medicine Hall, if you remember. He kicked away the broad road with his own feet, and now somehow he’s apparently back in the Military Council. He’s said to be the one leading this inspection as well.”
Doje nodded with a displeased expression.
“So the reason the Law Enforcement Hall got played for fools was this Qilin or whatever he is. Whatever the reason... it explains why the Changheung Merchant Caravan disappeared and why my business has become so uncertain too.”
Hong Igeom studied his face before continuing.
“That said, more precisely, it seems to be related to the Third Young Master as well.”
“...What?”
“The physician who treated the Third Young Master while he was unconscious was said to be Sama Ryang. The time when the Third Young Master woke up and rushed about to stop the Cult’s grand scheme overlaps exactly with the time Sama Ryang transferred to the Military Council. It’s clear the two of them were working together.”
The light in Doje’s eyes flickered with a pale green sheen.
He heard rumors spreading outside about the tournament.
Under Doje’s angry stare, Hong Igeom hurriedly lowered his head.
“I’m sorry. I had already asked them to keep it secret, but a few of the participants were complaining that the field still wasn’t full.”
Doje let out a dry laugh.
“With lips that loose, you’ll ruin things that should’ve worked out. Fine. Gather everyone.”
“Pardon? What are you planning to do?”
Doje pulled on a deep crimson robe and draped it over himself.
Green energy seeped through the spaces between his breaths. It was the Extreme Emperor Demonic Energy, which only appeared when murderous intent stirred within him.
“If the road’s gone bad, then I’ll tear it up and rebuild it. Since I’ve got the pieces, I might as well make a new game board.”
The next day.
Crunch, crunch.
Cheon Sohyeon, who had come back after finishing his duel with Doje the day before and collapsed into sleep, was now getting up late and devouring meat as though possessed by a starving ghost.
Gang Hyeon, watching him, asked, “Young Master, you’re really going gambling now?”
“Yeah. He said to go make some money.”
“Money? How much?”
“One thousand taels of silver.”
“What?!”
Gang Hyeon jerked in shock and set down his chopsticks as if throwing them away.
One thousand taels of silver was no ordinary sum.
Wasn’t it said that a tavern owner made about three taels of silver a month?
“How are you supposed to earn that in a month... no, wait. Young Master, you’re probably loaded anyway, so maybe it doesn’t matter.”
“Not really. He said I had to earn it inside Baekmyeongok.”
Imaje, listening from the side, said quietly, “In other words, he wants you to earn it the local way instead of relying on your status.”
“That’s right.”
“Can you guess why Doje made such a proposal?”
“Well, isn’t it because he wants to bring me in through something I’m confident in and observe me? I heard he’s enjoyed gambling since he was young.”
More accurately, he’d heard the man was a gambling-crazed maniac.
“That would make sense. He’s the type who believes nothing draws out a person’s nature better. But... for Doje, gambling means the very existence of a match whose outcome can’t be guaranteed. If the condition were merely to bring in a certain amount, he wouldn’t have set such terms for you.”
At the cryptic remark, Cheon Sohyeon looked at him steadily. So they really did have some personal connection after all—there seemed to be something he knew.
“Do you have some idea what he’s after?”
Imaje nodded.
“It seems he’s trying to send you into the fighting tournament.”
“The fighting tournament?”
Gang Hyeon cut in, sounding startled.
“T-the Great Dragon Tournament?”
At the sudden outburst, Cheon Sohyeon looked at him.
“What’s that? You know it?”
“How could I not! I went down to buy ingredients earlier, and every merchant and passerby was talking about nothing else.”
“Then what is it? Stop making a fuss and tell me.”
“It’s called the Great Dragon Tournament, and they gather people together for a massive brawl. They say it’s less a duel and more a slaughter. I also heard the champion gets elixirs.”
“Hmm, so it’s basically a hellscape.”
Gang Hyeon nodded hard.
“Yes. That’s why there were so few applicants, and they postponed it while saying they’d make the event much bigger. They also said that beyond the winner, those who place well will receive a divine weapon or a secret manual, so people are buzzing with expectations that the champion’s prize could be an elixir comparable to Mahwandan.”
A flash of interest passed through Cheon Sohyeon’s eyes.
“...Mahwandan?”
Gang Hyeon’s voice rose with excitement.
“Yes! Honestly, it’s probably complete nonsense, one hundred percent nonsense—but they did specifically say this tournament would be the biggest one yet. They said they’d spend more than half of the wealth they’d been hoarding all this time, so I was thinking maybe I should give it a try too...”
Cheon Sohyeon exhaled a long, hot breath through his nose.
“So when is it being held?”
It was probably just the boasting of gamblers, but if Doje himself had made such a declaration, then there would likely be a rare elixir on offer.
Good. Very good.
To put it simply, if he could reform those gambling-obsessed fiends, he could persuade Doje and get an elixir at the same time.
“Ah... are you planning to go?”
At Cheon Sohyeon’s words, Gang Hyeon’s face crumpled miserably.