The Third Young Master Enters the Gambling Match
After Cheon Sohyeon and Gang Hyeon left their quarters to apply for the gambling match, Imaje, as he always did, began his training with a wooden sword in hand.
He brought it down, swept it sideways, then thrust again. With each movement, he increased the burden through his inner power, and the sight of him honing his sword with such relentless discipline was no different from any other day.
The only difference was that he kept his senses sharpened, watching the surrounding area with careful attention.
They’re later than I expected.
Since Gang Hyeon had headed for Cloud Dragon Pavilion, deep in Baekmyeongok, it was now his turn to move.
How much time passed after that?
Thud.
A faint tremor ran through the manor, and a puff of dust rose into the air.
“Got a minute?”
Doje’s gaze shifted to Imaje, who sat cross-legged on the wooden platform.
“Ah, you were already waiting?”
With a casual flick of his hand, Imaje brushed the dust away, then wordlessly pointed to the opposite side.
There, a modest drinking table had already been prepared.
Doje flopped down onto the platform and grabbed the wine bottle. The liquor poured straight down his throat, leaving behind a sharp, fragrant aftertaste.
Imaje watched him quietly for a moment before speaking.
“That’s a strong scent of blood. Have you come from shedding it?”
“There’s no shortage of idiots who’d like to ruin someone else’s business.”
Doje let out a long breath and called out to him.
“Senior.”
“What is it?”
“How long have we known each other?”
“Hmm. I’ve known you since you were a member of the Heavenly Wolf Squad, so it must be at least twenty years by now.”
“Has it really been that long? That’s enough to make a man sick. So tell me—what kind of person have I seemed to you all these years?”
Imaje studied Doje. Unusually, there was a subtle stiffness in his expression.
He understood why Doje had come, so the reaction wasn’t difficult to explain. He voiced the thought he had long held.
“You’ve been an example of many things.”
“An example? Why? Because I clawed my way up from peeling tree bark and eating it?”
Imaje shook his head.
“That isn’t all. Building a power base from nothing but your own fists is certainly an impressive path, but more than that, what stood out to me was your zeal and your motives. Even while you were immersed in gambling and other amusements, you never abandoned your pursuit of martial refinement. That was striking.”
Doje gave a dry laugh.
“Zeal, huh... That’s funny. In case I never told you, there’s a rage inside me that boils like a furnace whenever it settles down. Maybe the anger from the past was carved into my bones, because no matter what I do, it never truly goes away.”
“……”
“I’m so on edge whenever I’m awake that I’m always one step away from reaching for a blade, so I spent my life desperately searching for something to turn my mind toward. At first it was martial arts, then gambling. And after that, I started looking upward.”
“……”
“So after enduring all that... after all that pain, I ended up as a Demon Emperor and the Valley Lord of Baekmyeongok. So why are you trying to ruin it?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. I had no intention of harming you.”
“Then why did you drag that disciple all the way here?”
Imaje met his eyes in silence.
That answer was as good as affirmation. Blue-green light flickered in Doje’s gaze.
Crack.
Before he had faced the Third Young Master, Doje had already sensed something suspicious from the group approaching Cloud Dragon Pavilion.
A chill that set off alarm bells in the mind, an unpleasant aura that crawled under the skin.
He had assumed it was the sensation one would feel from a descendant of the Cheon family, but after confronting him directly, he realized he had been completely wrong.
“Was I so worn down by time that I forgot how to judge things, or has my instinct rotted away? To think I’d confuse it like that.”
And only today had he understood why.
The unpleasant energy he had sensed belonged to the disciple Imaje had taken in.
“Looks like that disciple has learned Baekseol Muryu-gong. Isn’t he a descendant of the former Left Guardian of Light’s bloodline? Don’t tell me that’s mistaken too.”
Imaje answered calmly.
“It isn’t mistaken.”
“Then why? Why on earth did you take him in as a disciple? Did you decide that since you were already on the bad side of the cult, you might as well make an enemy of the entire sect? Do you really not understand what it means to take in someone from that family?”
“……”
“Have you already forgotten the catastrophe the former Left Guardian brought down upon the cult?”
Imaje shook his head.
“I remember. I remember that the former Left Guardian had been in secret contact with the Central Plains and was discovered while preparing to defect from the cult.”
Doje spat the words out like chewing on gravel.
“So you did forget. It wasn’t defection; it was betrayal.”
Back then, the Left Guardian had offered no resistance, claiming it was only his personal intention. Thanks to that, his family line was preserved, but because the old Heavenly Demon declared the need to cement the cult’s authority, the sect had entered a long period of seclusion.
The purge had begun, a purge meant to root out the faithless.
“Even the position of Bright Light Envoy, the one man who could still speak plainly, became meaningless... and then the chaos began to boil over. Everyone suspected everyone else, and the ones blinded by merit and credit dragged in droves of innocent people who didn’t even know what a spy was, just to fatten their own pockets.”
Though this had all happened before he and Imaje had truly begun their activities, its aftereffects were still carved into his skin.
“The farther out in the outer regions they settled... yes, the ones in those barren corners died without a word. No lofty rites, no faith, no great cause—just one funeral after another.”
Doje’s surging aura made the wine table tremble faintly.
“And the one responsible for that slaughter was the former Left Guardian. Now that bloodline is wandering around Baekmyeongok, so how am I supposed to take that? If you say you had no intention of causing harm, am I just supposed to nod and let it go?”
“Well. Unless you had the kind of sharp eye that few possess, you wouldn’t have noticed at a glance. I also told him not to casually use martial arts.”
Imaje looked at Doje, whose eyes had begun to glow with a faint green-blue light.
“And if we start holding descendants responsible for the sins of their forebears, then who in the Divine Cult could possibly be innocent?”
“……”
“Before our current cult leader ascended to the summit, the position of Bright Light Envoy remained vacant. Even if you speak of the former generation, that was more than fifty years ago. It isn’t something you can fairly condemn a boy barely into his twenties over.”
“Did you learn to polish your words in some mountain valley? You’ve become quite the preacher since I last saw you. Isn’t all of that just pretty talk?”
Imaje nodded.
“It is. Pretty talk. But swinging a blade at a man already cornered is something you, I, and even the common drunks who waste their nights gambling outside can all do.”
“……”
“If you’re a Demon Emperor, you should be devoting your effort to something more meaningful. Isn’t that why the cult leader placed us in these positions?”
At that clear answer, Doje’s pupils shook violently.
Had he sharpened his tongue in the mountains instead of his sword? The eloquence of a man who had once known only martial arts felt deeply unfamiliar.
“...I get what you mean, but do you really think those stiff old words will reach the disciples?”
“……”
“Even if we generously assume your safety and Baekmyeongok’s reputation won’t be harmed, don’t you understand that once rumors about the disciple’s family spread, everything the Third Young Master tries to do will lose its edge?”
Doje’s agitation came from more than one source.
Baekmyeongok meant everything to him, and so did the old debt he owed Imaje, a man he had stayed connected to because of that rare, uncompromising spirit. And now there was the Third Young Master, who had sparked a new interest in him. His feelings were tangled in knots.
“How about this? We spread a rumor that the Third Young Master is trampling the disciples’ hopes for the sake of some lowborn bloodline. That he’s trying to block the grand plan purely to line his own pockets, and that he’s gone completely insane from qi deviation.”
“……”
“If I were trying to stop the Third Young Master, that’s exactly the kind of rumor I’d spread first. Do you have any way to deal with that? Before you can even explain, it’ll already be out there as fact.”
Doje added, sounding frustrated, “If you were going to persuade people to oppose the grand plan, you should’ve separated out that piece of flesh and blood first, old man. From the first step on, it’s no different from heading into a trap with your legs tied. Do you really think you have a chance?”
“That’s why I came to you, isn’t it?”
The concise reply made Doje frown. He had planned something after all? Knowing the man wasn’t one to waste words even in jest, he asked again.
“So you do have a way?”
Imaje nodded and asked, “What did you think of the Third Young Master?”
“He was stimulating. I’ve always preferred to stake my fate on the extreme side of things, and with him, I had the feeling that once I stepped in, I’d never be able to step back out.”
“Then why did you set conditions?”
“Because if there’s a chance of winning, then no matter how dangerous it is, a gambler jumps in. I judged that the reward would be worth it. I was certain the story would be different if the Third Young Master had the qualifications.”
“It’s because of that. I’ve already examined those qualifications. You’re only confirming them now.”
At those cryptic words, Doje gave a dry laugh.
“Then what comes after that?”
“Are you expecting to be full from the first spoonful?”
Doje stared at him, dumbfounded.
Rumble.
Imaje lifted the wine bottle and filled Doje’s cup, then filled his own as well.
The casual joke felt strange on him, but not unpleasant. There had once been a time when arranging a single drinking session with a friend required setting a date months in advance.
“So you really did sharpen your tongue instead of your sword.”
As a lover of drink, Doje found this side of him appealing.
And so, cup by cup, he leaned back and began listening to the story Imaje had kept in his heart.
“Hah.”
With every word, he grew more astonished, and once he became certain that the tale, however elaborate, was not nonsense, his interest deepened.
“Jagui Sect, huh. The odds are slim, but if things really flow that way, then there may be a move after all.”
Doje emptied his cup and wiped his mouth.
“At any rate, the Third Young Master’s role is important... but whether or not he has the qualifications, I’ll decide that entirely my way. The Third Young Master too, and that little bloodline too.”
“I can’t force you that far. Do as you like.”
***
Three days later, in the reception hall of the Military Council.
The cozy chamber was filled with lush herbs and flowers that carried a fresh, grassy fragrance, and with light refreshments and even a place to rest one’s eyes, yet the murmuring of the scholars inside never ceased.
“He’s been strangely absent these days, hasn’t he?”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Sama Ryang. He went out after taking up the inspector post, and we haven’t heard a thing since.”
“I heard he’s recuperating. Apparently he’s collapsed over at the Medicine Hall.”
“It’s already been seven whole days and nights, and he’s still not back?”
“He chased a swan and tore his thighs apart. A guy with no experience and no real skill would feel the wall sooner or later. He’s probably lying low under the excuse of recuperation.”
“Surely not. I heard he made quite a contribution.”
Sama Yu clicked his tongue.
“And if he didn’t, what then? The Military Council’s inspector failed to produce results? Does that even make sense? He even had Hall Senior Hyeung with him. If he failed, it wouldn’t just be him losing face. It’d stain our reputation too.”
“Well... yes, that’s true.”
“Honestly, anyone among us could have achieved the same results. The evidence was said to be so clear, wasn’t it? That’s why some fellow with no real credentials got to sit in the inspector’s seat in the first place. Even the Grand Military Strategist knew everything...”
“Good grief. You really are noisy.”
At the irritated voice, the scholars all snapped their heads around. Since they had assumed no one was there, their expressions were full of panic.
Sama Chang shuffled out of the sleeping room, looking groggy and disheveled.
“I’m trying to get some sleep, so why are you all being so loud? You, Brother Yu, don’t you have work to do?”
His sharp tone made Sama Yu frown. It was an embarrassing scene, but Sama Chang was his junior by a fair margin.
“This is not a private gathering. Your words...”
“Ah, is that so? I thought this was a place for loosening your belts and gossiping about people like a bunch of alley drunks. Didn’t realize that during working hours, what you all do together is badmouth your juniors. My apologies.”
Sama Yu’s face turned red.
“W-what did you say?!”
“I’m saying you shouldn’t run your mouth about things you don’t understand. This is a place full of men who’ve at least eaten some ink, so let’s not do anything shameful.”
Sama Chang snorted and walked past them.
“In the first place, if the higher-ups think someone can do the job, they’ll put a monkey in an important post. Why would they assign the inspector’s seat to the wrong man?”
Th-that brat...
Leaving the scarlet-faced scholars behind, Sama Chang strode outside.
Why are they even talking about inspections and acting like I’m not an inspector in the first place?
He had been so busy lately that all he’d wanted was a short nap, and instead he’d ended up in a foul mood for nothing.
Just as he was leaving the inner hall of the Military Council, Sama Chang’s expression suddenly brightened.
“Well, I was starting to forget your face. So you’re finally back?”
“Yes. I was delayed longer than expected on the return. I apologize for the burden.”
It was Sama Ryang. A faint smile rested on his lips, but his face was still pale.
“Forget it. This isn’t a place that falls apart without one person. How’s your body?”
“It’s recovered somewhat.”
He still remembered clearly how Sama Ryang had collapsed after finishing the inspection, so Sama Chang said bluntly, “Yeah, I’m sure you’re just fine. Don’t drag your feet any further—why not rest a few more days?”
“No. I should fulfill my duty. First, may I hear the report of what has happened in the meantime?”
Sama Chang gave a wry laugh, but he still told him everything that had happened after the inspection.
“Fine, I’m sure you’re curious. First...”
From the capture of the criminals through the movement of the sect members around Song Ryeong, to the exposure of the hidden hand behind it all—Chang Eung Merchant Group—and the ongoing effort to wipe them out in one sweep.
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, Sama Chang added, “Ah, and there’s one piece of information you’ll probably find interesting. There’s been widespread rumor lately that the Third Young Master is taking part in the gambling match.”
“...Pardon? The gambling match?”