Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Gambling Den
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Of course, no one obediently set down their stakes and left the gambling den as Yu Jingwang instructed.
This was the northern frontier bordering the desert—a land of rough folk beyond the reach of the imperial court and the righteous martial world, and a gambling den at that.
While ordinary people and wealthy merchants frequented the tables, those who had fallen to rock bottom made up no small portion. After all, they craved a stroke of fortune more desperately than anyone.
But desperation meant a lack of composure. Naturally, they often caused disturbances upon losing money.
Over the past fortnight, Dang Mujin and his group had witnessed three people draw their swords and raise hell at the tables. Each time, the guards had dragged them away, ending the chaos.
Such outbursts were so commonplace that the gamblers showed no fear, only voicing their complaints.
“What are the guards doing?”
“They must’ve stepped away again. They got an earful last time something like this happened.”
From amid the murmuring crowd, one swordsman stood and glared at Yu Jingwang.
He appeared to be a second-rate fighter at best. Nothing special, but enough to swagger around unless he ran into a true master.
The swordsman shouted,
“Who’s leaving? You leave first. Before I put a hole in your gut.”
The swordsman seemed reckless, but his actions had a rational basis.
‘Slice up this outsider and snag some chips.’
There were two types who caused trouble in gambling dens: overwhelming masters who could overpower the guards, or weaklings too pathetic to recognize the guards’ level.
The latter overwhelmingly outnumbered the former. No one with the skill to crush the guards would stoop to robbing gamblers.
Moreover, resolving such incidents brought tidy rewards. Free drinks from those thrilled by their winnings, or slyly pocketing chips to rejoin the game.
But rational assumptions sometimes crumbled before cruel misfortune—like when the opponent happened to be the Radiant Light Sword.
Yu Jingwang stared at the swordsman before pulling a slim booklet from his bosom and scanning its contents.
“Let’s see… large mole beside the nose. Scar on the left jaw. Northern accent. Wields a sword with yellow silk tassels. You’re the bastard who raped a mother and daughter in southern Pakho Village and fled, right?”
As Yu Jingwang recited the swordsman’s vile deeds, subtle revulsion tinged the crowd’s gazes toward him.
Yet no one was surprised. This region teemed with heinous criminals.
Thus, the swordsman brazenly retorted,
“So what? You think rattling off that crap will make me grovel?”
“No. The father posted a bounty. Two gold taels for your head.”
“Two gold taels? Ha! Take ’em if you can.”
“No. I’ll take just one. Their circumstances suggest they’d have to sell everything they own for two.”
“You little shit. Gonna play the hero?”
The swordsman sneered, and Yu Jingwang replied,
“Yeah.”
Then, Yu Jingwang took a single step toward the nameless swordsman.
His right foot lifted from the floor and planted back down.
In that brief instant, the position of Yu Jingwang’s right arm shifted slightly. The sword that had hung loosely at his side was now extended forward.
The gamblers, unable to follow the motion between those two steps, assumed he had thrust his blade at blinding speed.
But unlike the ordinary gamblers, Dang Mujin’s group caught the intermediate process.
Yu Jingwang had raised his sword, slashed the swordsman’s throat in one stroke, and withdrawn it. The sequence was so swift that untrained eyes couldn’t track it.
The next moment, the swordsman’s head flew into the air.
To those in the gambling den, it looked as if the head had severed itself the instant Yu Jingwang stepped forward.
As the headless corpse crumpled to its knees and blood sprayed everywhere, the gamblers cried out in horror.
“What the hell! What just happened!”
“Invisible swift sword! It’s the Radiant Light Sword!”
The quick-witted gamblers recognized him. Only then did the crowd leap up in panic. Half were too stunned to grab their stakes; the other half snatched them swiftly.
Yu Jingwang pointed his sword at those gathering chips and spoke.
“Many of you are taking your stakes. In truth, you can leave with them.”
His words flipped completely in an instant, yet no one moved. The atmosphere suggested more was coming.
Yu Jingwang drew the slim booklet from his bosom again and continued.
“This book lists the descriptions and crimes of quite a few people, and I’ve memorized every detail. From heinous offenders like murderers and rapists, to swindlers, petty thieves, brawlers, merchants who gouge prices or cheat customers…”
He paused there, staring intently at those clutching their stakes.
“Those who’ve lived upright lives without guilt can take their stakes and go. But if you have something weighing on your conscience, you’d best leave the money—even that might earn you forgiveness.”
The crowd hesitated, eyeing one another warily.
Even in this harsh northern land, not everyone lived by murder or rape.
But wasn’t it natural for merchants to haggle prices or pad bills?
And who hadn’t fought someone at some point?
Of course, minor scuffles likely weren’t recorded in that book, but bad luck could mean losing their heads, so caution prevailed.
They desperately weighed their stakes against their lives.
One man tentatively raised his hand and asked boldly,
“If a guilty man tries to slip out with his winnings and gets caught, will you warn him before swinging?”
“No. You get one life, one chance. And we’ll search you, so don’t think you can sneak off with anything.”
Faced with Yu Jingwang’s razor-sharp demeanor, nearly everyone set down their stakes.
Even those who’d lived ordinarily followed suit. Who knew if some unwitting sin was listed?
Only a few truly brave and clear-conscied souls took their money and left.
Soon the den emptied, leaving the floor littered with silver and gold.
At last, only Dang Mujin’s group remained. Yu Jingwang finally noticed them and faltered.
Pulling his mask low, he said to them,
“You lot look honest enough. Young too, so probably no crimes on your hands. Take your stakes and go.”
Of course, Dang Mujin’s group stayed put, staring at him openly.
The world’s most awkward silence enveloped the room. Yu Jingwang fidgeted, desperate to flee, but the piles of money on the floor posed a problem.
In the end, he ignored them and began scooping up the scattered coins.
Dang Mujin approached and said,
“Excuse me, Hero Yu. A word, if you please.”
Yu Jingwang flinched but quickly feigned ignorance.
“Wrong man. My surname isn’t Yu. It’s Jin. From Bupyeong.”
Seeing Dang Mujin’s group unconvinced, he scooped faster.
He’d gathered most of the stakes and was heading for the exit when Hyun-gong already blocked the door.
“Out of the way.”
“No can do.”
Yu Jingwang unleashed Rahu Scattering Hands to break through, but even he couldn’t easily pierce Hyun-gong’s ironclad defense.
As Yu Jingwang exposed a gap with the unfamiliar palm technique, Namgung Myeong slipped behind him and yanked off the mask.
Cool night air hit his face, and Yu Jingwang hastily covered it with both hands.
“No!”
“Hero Yu. We know everything.”
“Urgh!”
Yu Jingwang clutched his face and groaned for a while before realizing escape was impossible. He finally dropped his hands.
Yet clinging to denial, he put on a clumsy act.
“Wait, where am I? I was sleeping soundly in my room… What’s all this money?”
“…”
“Could it be my chronic sleepwalking? Ugh! Wait, isn’t that Young Master Dang? What brings you all the way here? I’m not hallucinating, am I?”
Even as he spun a lie no child would buy, his deft hands continued pocketing the money.
His head had awakened from sleepwalking, but his hands hadn’t.
Dang Mujin watched Yu Jingwang, then decided to play along once.
Pushing further might drive him to suicide.
“…Y-Yes. It’s Dang Mujin, as you know. Your sleepwalking must be severe. I never knew you had it…”
“Haha. It’s a recent ailment. Anyway, good to see you after so long. What brings you to this remote north?”
“We were asked to find you.”
Despite the pathetic scene, relief colored Dang Mujin’s voice. Yu Jingwang didn’t seem possessed by inner demons as rumored.
Not normal behavior, but not the worst case.
Yu Jingwang asked back.
“Find me? Someone from the sect, I take it?”
“Yes. Hero Wi Hwan’s request.”
At the familiar name, Yu Jingwang’s expression softened. Life in this lonely outpost must have worn on him.
“Senior Brother Wi would do that. He’s treated me like a little brother since we were kids… Where is he now?”
“…Dead.”
“What?”
Yu Jingwang’s face changed. No longer the fumbling liar, but the upright Jeomchang Sect warrior.
“What do you mean? Explain.”
“It’s a long story. Gather your things first. Jeomchang Sect members are waiting.”
Hong Geolgae spoke, but Yu Jingwang took a couple deep breaths and shook his head.
“No. I can’t go back. Not now.”
“Any reason? You don’t seem to have stumbled on fortune or be deep in training.”
Yu Jingwang flinched as if it pained him to speak, trying to slip away.
But he still couldn’t shake Dang Mujin’s group.
Or perhaps it wasn’t about ability. His lips trembled of their own accord.
Yu Jingwang possessed a steel will, but nearly a decade in exile had exhausted him.
He’d had companions before, but the last few years were utterly solitary.
In this vast world, only Dang Mujin’s group could hear his tale.
It couldn’t reach Jeomchang Sect ears.
Yu Jingwang said,
“I need money. Enough to pay off every debt of Jeomchang Sect.”
“Money…? No, Jeomchang Sect’s debts? Weren’t they all cleared?”
Dang Mujin questioned, but Yu Jingwang shook his head. He’d resolved to speak, yet words stuck.
After a long silence, he murmured like a rat in its hole.
“…No. Not a single coin paid.”
“No way. Last time, didn’t you beat the House of Ten Thousand Gold’s master and wipe the slate clean?”
“No. I lost.”
“Pardon?”
“Won the first dice, lost the second. One step from the end, and I lost everything.”
Yu Jingwang’s hands trembled pitifully.
What had happened in recent years to weaken him so?
He no longer resembled the man who’d charged headlong at the Three-Eyed Demon without flinching.
But Dang Mujin’s thoughts shifted quickly. Yu Jingwang hadn’t weakened.
Some men stand firm against ten thousand swords but crumble under a speck of inner guilt. Yu Jingwang was such a man.
“But didn’t the steward say all debts were gone? What exactly happened?”
“…The House of Ten Thousand Gold’s master won the bet yet forgave all debts. I didn’t want Jeomchang Sect to suffer more, so I accepted his unspoken offer and lied to our people. Said no debts remained.”
“A lie? But if he forgave them, it’s over, right?”
Yu Jingwang shook his head.
“No. Debts vanish only when repaid. No one repaid this one.”
He continued in a small voice.
“Our sect doesn’t know, but Jeomchang Sect’s debt persists. There’s one way to fix it: I repay it all in secret and return.”
“Alone? When the whole sect couldn’t?”
“Yes.”
Yu Jingwang’s curt reply horrified Dang Mujin, Namgung Myeong, and Hong Geolgae.
He was terrifyingly upright, uncompromising with anyone. Robbing gambling dens as his solution felt off, but…
Namgung Myeong interjected.
“Wait. Then why did the House of Ten Thousand Gold’s master forgive the debt?”
“I asked him. He wouldn’t answer. Months later, I returned and waited until he did. He said the debt was forgiven not then, but decades ago.”
It wasn’t a long tale, yet Yu Jingwang panted slightly.
“My father, Flash Sword Yu Gwanil, once wagered Jeomchang Sect’s fate in a gamble. The same thing happened. The master won against my father but tried to forgive the debt. They were close friends, he said.”
But Flash Sword Yu Gwanil defied expectations.
He rejected the offer, accepted the debt, returned to the sect, and told everyone.
That they owed the House of Ten Thousand Gold a massive sum.
A creditor who lent money without expecting repayment.
A debtor who insisted on paying a nonexistent debt.
No one at fault, yet the situation twisted irreparably.
Yu Jingwang muttered with guilt-laden voice.
“Father faced the same choice and owned his defeat without lying. But I compromised clumsily. Whose way was right, I don’t know. But Jeomchang Sect’s debt hasn’t vanished.”
His words rested on one premise: either father or he had chosen correctly.
Thus, Yu Jingwang believed unpaid debts were impossible.
Finally, Dang Mujin asked.
“So, what now?”
“What else? I’m a Jeomchang Sect warrior. I’ll repay it all and return.”
“…Can you?”
“I must.”
Yu Jingwang flashed a grin at Dang Mujin’s group and vanished into the night.