Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Myriad Gold Manor Lord
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Nangong Ming's display of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms wasn't as flawless as Geolseon's had been, and its power was nothing compared to Geolseon's version.
But a cub was still a tiger, and what Nangong Ming showed was unmistakably the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. With polish and practice, it would one day unleash even greater might.
No, even setting aside the future, the version he'd shown right then and there was perfectly serviceable for observation and imitation.
'The direction's a bit off, but the talent is real.'
Dang Mujin was impressed inwardly but not overly surprised. After all, hadn't he learned that Nangong Ming had picked up the Emperor Sword Form without any formal instruction? If the guy could steal the Emperor Sword Form by watching, there was no reason he couldn't do the same with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
Hong Geolgae, Yu Jingwang, and Wi Hwan, however, were stunned.
The forms of supreme martial arts weren't just something you weren't supposed to steal—they were something you couldn't steal.
Martial arts forms weren't the kind of thing you could mimic after seeing them once. Even the quickest took days of dedicated practice, while others demanded months, years, or even longer.
A thought suddenly flashed through Yu Jingwang's mind.
'...Young hero Nangong Ming, he must have seen the Four Suns Sword Technique and Phantom Thirty-Six Swords during the fight with the Three-Eyed Fire Crow too, right?'
But he didn't voice the question.
*
The group moved slowly. They were few in number and had wounded among them, but more than that, it was to give Hong Geolgae time to learn the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms through Nangong Ming. Fortuitous encounters didn't come often, and when they did, you had to seize them with both hands.
The Point Spear School warriors occasionally stole glances at the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, but none could steal the form itself like Nangong Ming. They were ordinary folk in both character and talent.
Three days passed like that, and a massive city appeared before the group. It was a familiar sight to Dang Mujin and Dan Seolyeong.
Home to Guisong Clinic, countless martial clans and families, and the Murim Alliance headquarters.
And the home of Myriad Gold Manor and its lord. Luoyang.
The group entered Luoyang just past noon. It was an awkward time—too late to head straight to Myriad Gold Manor, too early to check into an inn and wait out the day.
Dang Mujin asked Yu Jingwang,
"When do you plan to visit Myriad Gold Manor? Today? Tomorrow?"
"Best to go right now. I want to enjoy a drink tonight without a care."
Yu Jingwang wasn't the only one; all the Point Spear School warriors seemed to feel the same. They wanted to shake off the yoke of debt as quickly as possible. Dang Mujin nodded.
"Understood. Not sure if we'll actually get to meet the Manor Lord today, though."
"I know the way! Follow me!"
Dan Seolyeong confidently took the lead, guiding the group.
Unlike Dang Mujin, who had been holed up at Guisong Clinic during his time in Luoyang and never visited Myriad Gold Manor, Dan Seolyeong had poked around the city while learning carpentry. Naturally, she knew exactly where it was.
Soon, tall, sturdy walls came into view.
"That must be Myriad Gold Manor. You can even tell from beyond the walls."
The buildings inside rose high, every tile pristine without a single chip or missing piece.
The sheer scale was like combining several ordinary estates, making Myriad Gold Manor look less like a family compound and more like a government office.
Having finished guiding them, Dan Seolyeong stepped back beside Dang Mujin and remarked,
"I've thought this before, but it feels like there are more people here than in downtown Luoyang."
"Makes sense. This is where the most money flows."
At this size, even a reclusive martial clan would draw crowds. But Myriad Gold Manor belonged to merchants. The number of visitors with business here far outstripped any comparable sect. Even from outside, it felt packed with people.
Far off, the grand gate leading into Myriad Gold Manor came into sight. Its design differed from the gates of typical clans or families. While those allowed two people abreast at most, this gate was wide enough for two large wagons or carts to pass side by side.
As the group headed toward the gate, the clatter of hooves rang out.
A sturdy cargo cart pulled by two draft horses, followed by a massive caravan of over twenty donkeys and mules combined, emerged from Myriad Gold Manor and approached the group.
"Make way, quick!"
Luoyang locals jostled aside naturally, clearing a path for the caravan. But Dang Mujin's group had nowhere obvious to retreat. Dan Seolyeong panicked.
"What the—where do we go?"
Dang Mujin gently pulled Dan Seolyeong to a safer spot. The caravan barely grazed past them. Had they not moved nimbly, Hong Geolgae might have been hit.
The merchant perched on the lead cargo cart scowled deeply and spat on the ground.
"Damn country bumpkins. Move your asses already. Dawdling like..."
His speech and manner radiated confidence and arrogance.
Confidence from belonging to the prestigious Myriad Gold Manor even in Luoyang, from standing right at its gate, and above all, from the number and skill of the escorts in his caravan.
The martial prowess of those in his caravan was beyond the ordinary.
A typical caravan was full of third-rate escorts, with maybe one or two second-rates strutting as chief escort.
But this one brimmed with what looked like second-rates, and the chief escort beside the merchant seemed solidly first-rate.
The pay gap between an average second-rate and a true first-rate was at least fivefold, often tenfold. Spending that much on mere caravan guards showcased Myriad Gold Manor's might.
Emboldened by the merchant's swagger, even the second-rate escorts glared irritably at Dang Mujin's group.
In this moment, the one paling was the first-rate chief escort. Unlike the clueless merchant or the green escorts lacking discernment, he could gauge the skill of Dang Mujin's group and the Point Spear School warriors.
They looked ragged, but there were three peak experts and five first-rates.
Dang Mujin's group thought nothing of it, but that lineup was no ordinary force. Thrown into battle, they could wipe out a mid-tier sect. No mere merchant or escorts could handle them.
The chief escort's face drained as if he might faint. He clamped both hands over the merchant's mouth—the man at least twenty years his senior.
"N-No! Don't say that!"
"Why? What? Those guys?"
"Nooo—! This is bad, really bad!"
Desperate, the chief escort muffled the merchant and pleaded with the group through his eyes alone.
Pleading with eyes, not hands. No one knew how it worked, but everyone who saw his face knew he was begging. An astonishing talent.
Yet the group watched the farce without much reaction.
Dang Mujin's lot weren't the type to step in over such things, and the Point Spear School warriors didn't care. Today was too crucial for petty squabbles.
Yu Jingwang thought,
'Overlook the rudeness with magnanimity, and greater fortune might follow...'
As the group reached the gate, a gate guard blocked their path.
"You don't look like merchants. What brings you to Myriad Gold Manor?"
"We've come to see the Manor Lord."
The guard scanned them.
Their shabby attire made it seem unlikely they'd meet the Manor Lord. He rarely appeared unless it was major. External visitors who saw him numbered maybe three or four a year.
But the guard held his tongue. Merchants could delegate fights and retreat; he had to handle any trouble himself.
"Meeting the Manor Lord won't be easy, but... I'll pass the message inside. Who should I say?"
"Tell him the son of Yu Gwan-il from Yunnan Province has come."
"Understood. Please wait."
The guard who entered took quite a while to return.
Just as they wondered if they should ask another, he reappeared with a middle-aged man in pristine robes.
The guard was stiff. The man beside him rarely greeted guests personally.
The middle-aged man introduced himself calmly.
"I'm Chief Steward Seo of Myriad Gold Manor. Pleased to meet you."
"Just call me Yu Jingwang."
"Modest, aren't you? Most martial artists proclaim their sect and skills at first-rate level."
"Everyone has their green days."
Nangong Ming nudged Dang Mujin with his elbow. Nangong Ming never missed even the smallest opportunity.
Chief Steward Seo asked Yu Jingwang,
"May I ask why you wish to see the Manor Lord?"
He seemed tense. He knew how massive Point Spear School's debt to Myriad Gold Manor was.
These were Point Spear School warriors, who never considered consequences. He feared they might cause a scene demanding debt forgiveness.
"Tell him I've come for the same reason as my father."
"Understood. This way, please."
Chief Steward Seo led them to a reception hall.
It was just a reception hall, yet its interior was impeccably clean and luxurious—better than anything at Dang Family Clinic or Yu Escort Agency.
As the group looked around, Chief Steward Seo returned.
"Young hero Yu. Follow me."
At his words, not just Yu Jingwang but everyone in the hall shot to their feet.
The Point Spear School warriors wanted to witness their debt vanishing and freedom dawning. Dang Mujin's group wanted to see the high-stakes gamble unfold. Even the usually composed Chu Sam edged in, unwilling to miss the show.
But Chief Steward Seo shook his head.
"Please stay here, everyone else."
They sat back down, disappointed—all except two: Yu Jingwang and Hong Geolgae.
Then Chief Steward Seo spoke again.
"Young hero, you wait here too."
The words hit Yu Jingwang harder than Hong Geolgae. The one facing the gamble today was Hong Geolgae, not him.
"If only one can go, take Hero Hong instead. I'll stay."
"No. The Manor Lord specifically named you, Hero Yu. He said come alone."
Bewilderment filled Yu Jingwang's face. Not the trusted Hong Geolgae, but unlucky him had to roll the dice.
Yet he couldn't refuse. Yu Jingwang glanced at Chief Steward Seo, then gripped Hong Geolgae's hands tightly.
"Hero Hong... wish me luck...!"
"Uh, sure."
Yu Jingwang took a deep breath, then followed Chief Steward Seo to the Manor Lord's chamber with the grim resolve of a general marching to war.
Contrary to Yu Jingwang's expectation of the grandest room in Myriad Gold Manor, the Manor Lord's chamber was far smaller than the others.
It was sparsely decorated with only essential tables and chairs. Less the chamber of Zhongyuan's richest man, more like a frugal official's study.
An elderly man sat across from the table, awaiting Yu Jingwang and Chief Steward Seo.
He was a white-haired elder with a kindly face, bearing an unexpected trait. Though Yu Jingwang and Chief Steward Seo moved before him, his eyes showed no flicker. He was blind.
As Yu Jingwang faltered, the Manor Lord chuckled.
"Surprised, eh? Everyone who sees me for the first time is."
"Ah... It's unexpected. Has something gone wrong with your eyes recently?"
"No. It's been this way for quite some time. Over thirty years now."
"I had no idea."
"Well, it's not something I advertise. Chief Steward Seo, wait outside."
Chief Steward Seo gave a light fist salute and exited slowly.
"Yu Jingwang, was it? Will you duel me the same way your father did?"
"Yes."
At Yu Jingwang's reply, the Manor Lord rose, went to a side table, and fetched a die the size of a thumb joint.
So accustomed to the space, his movements held no hesitation.
"How much gold did you bring?"
Yu Jingwang placed the gold-filled pouch on the table. Thud. A heavy sound.
Not uniform coins or ingots, so Chief Steward Seo would need to appraise it precisely.
Yet the Manor Lord gauged the amount from the pouch's thud alone.
"Hmm. Less than four times the debt, more than three. All-in, you'll need two straight wins. That suit you?"
"Yes."
"Then, I'll go first."
The Manor Lord rolled the die. It tumbled to show three pips. Respectable enough.
Simultaneously, a question arose in Yu Jingwang's mind: How would a blind man check the die?
The Manor Lord chose the simplest way. He asked directly.
"How many on my die?"
"...Three."
"A flat start. Your turn."
Yu Jingwang breathed deep and rolled. Five. He clenched his fist. He'd never felt such joy.
"How many on yours?"
"Five."
"Excellent."
The Manor Lord chuckled without a trace of doubt.
"Good. One more. Losing big on a gamble like this gets the blood pumping."
The Manor Lord rolled without pause. Five again. Yu Jingwang's heart sank.
"How many?"
"Five."
"Late luck kicking in. Should've made it a long game."
Hearing the banter, Yu Jingwang rolled again.
Two. His heart felt like it stopped. The moment he lost everything, all fortune for naught.
"What was the result?"
The Manor Lord's gaze remained fixed on empty air, not the die.
Yu Jingwang opened his mouth to answer, then plunged into the deepest dilemma of his life.
His heart spoke.
Truth is truth. Admit defeat like a man.
But his head whispered otherwise.
Think practically. Just close your eyes this once.
It's not for me. I endured three years in Gangseo; I can last seven more. It's not that I can't.
My role ends there. Fill ten years like the others, and what comes after isn't my burden.
But the others? My son? My future grandson?
My father's honor?
The men leaving families behind for distant lands? The wives and children sending husbands and fathers away?
The senior brothers who died coming from Kaifeng—did they perish for nothing? Just for a gambler's loss?
Sure, telling the truth would ease your conscience.
Honest, but selfish. Betraying the entire sect for your peace of mind.
But the Manor Lord? To him, this gamble's a trifle. He has dozens, hundreds of times our debt. Look—no hint of regret.
Jingwang, don't be selfish. Close your eyes and say it.
For everyone.
Yu Jingwang's deliberation dragged on. The Manor Lord waited without urging.
Finally, Yu Jingwang drew a deep breath.
"...Six. I... I won."
"Is that so. Congratulations. From this moment, all Point Spear School's debts are gone. I'll have Chief Steward Seo settle the difference."
In that instant, Yu Jingwang felt crushing self-loathing, as if he'd lose his mind.
This can't be. How could a servant of Palace God's descendants, one sworn to the straightest path without hesitation, do this?
Suddenly, his father came to mind. When his father had come to gamble, the Manor Lord must have been blind then too.
And his father's loss meant that, even in such a moment, he hadn't lied.
Why?
Simple. That was the path for a Point Spear School warrior. An arrow might snap or bend on impact, but it never hesitated or retreated. No curving, no yielding.
Yu Jingwang's breathing quickened.
"No. Manor Lord, sir. The truth is—"
"No."
The Manor Lord cut him off.
"You won. I got five, you six."
Yu Jingwang gasped like a madman but could utter no words.
The Manor Lord picked up the die and placed it in Yu Jingwang's palm. His expression held no anger, irritation, or disgust—just boundless generosity and kindness.
"Cherish it. The lucky die that saved Point Spear School with six pips. It'll aid you greatly someday."
Yu Jingwang bowed his head to look. Two pips stared back like human eyes.
His heart pounded wildly. He felt on the verge of collapse.
"That was fun. Hope we meet again."
As the Manor Lord spoke, Chief Steward Seo entered.
"Chief Steward Seo. Hero Yu won. Forgive all the debts and balance the accounts."
"Understood."
Chief Steward Seo led the dazed Yu Jingwang outside. Cool, dry winter air greeted him.
The others hadn't waited in the reception hall—they'd come this far. They surrounded Yu Jingwang, and Wi Hwan asked,
"...How'd it go?"
Yu Jingwang stayed silent, so Chief Steward Seo answered.
"Hero Yu's victory. All Point Spear School debts are cleared."
"Woooaaah—!"
The remaining Point Spear School warriors—and Dang Mujin's group—erupted in deafening cheers.
Passersby in Myriad Gold Manor turned to look. But the Point Spear School warriors ignored the stares.
Yu Jingwang stared blankly into space, then let out a hollow laugh.
He felt as if he'd crossed a bridge of no return.