I didnât jab them with much force in the first place, so their pressure points will soon be released.
âIf you scream or say anything unrelated to my questions, I will pull this dagger. If your hands are faster than mine after your pressure points are undone, you could pull them out too. Iâll accept this as a death challenge. Blink if you canât speak yet.â
Heuk So-ryeong, who got jabbed first, opens her mouth while Baek So-ah blinks.
âOnly my face can move.â
Heuk So-ryeongâs breathing is rugged, like a drunken person.
I ask Heuk So-ryeong.
âDid Pyeong Gun-sa make you do this?â
Heuk So-ryeong looks at me with regret now that her throat is free.
ââŠâŠ.â
I tilt my head and say.
âHave you not come to your senses? All right. I get it. You still canât decipher who is scarier. Thatâs plausible.â
I place my index finger lightly on the handle of Moonlight Dagger and ask conclusively.
âDid Pyeong Gun-sa make you do this?â
If there is no answer, the only gift I can give is the dagger. Heuk So-ryeong then replies urgently.
âYes.â
I pull my finger off the dagger and say.
âThatâs a close call. Your name is Heuk So-ryeong, right? You shouldnât be mistaken. If I kill you, Baek So-ah will still be alive. Once you die, sheâll get scared and tell me more than you do, wonât she? Get your act together.â
Heuk So-ryeong answers immediately.
âYes, I understand.â
I suddenly look at Baek So-ah. Then Baek So-ah hurriedly opens her mouth.
âMy throat is released, too.â
I flick my finger and say.
âGood. From now on, letâs answer the questions on a count of 3. Answer my question at the same time. The one who hesitates will get stabbed by the dagger and ascend. I wonder who will die first. First question, who is Pyeong Gun-saâs boss? 1, 2, 3.â
The two reply in unison.
âKing of Gamble (èłćç).â
I give them an insincere round of applause.
âBingo. Your lifespan is extended. The second question, if the King of Gamble is higher-ranked than Dong Bang-yeon, say up, and say lower if heâs lower. Do you get what I mean?â
I give an additional explanation while moving my fingers around.
âUp and down, up and down, so close to death. 1, 2, 3.â
The two reply simultaneously.
âUp!â
âOhâŠâ
I smoothen my chin. I know the answers up until now. The problem is the third question.
Itâs something I donât know. I have a feeling that Heuk So-ryeong and Baek So-ah will know. However, I have doubts whether they will give a proper answer.
âIâll count to 3 slowly for the third question. Answer carefully. Who is the King of Gamble? One, two, three.â
âMister Ouyang Bok.â
I reply to their answer nonchalantly, despite being slightly perplexed internally.
âMister Ouyang? The Narak Inn Owner?â
Heuk So-ryeong and Baek So-ah answer at the same time.
âYes.â
I touch my hair for a moment. One thing pops into my mind as I think of Ouyang Bok in my past life.
âA man who makes no enemies.â
In addition, he was a generous man who often gave away free alcohol, did not pester people for their tabs, and lost money all around since he enjoyed gambling.
Still, Ouyang Bok was a good man who never frowned. Come to think of it, everyone addresses him formally since heâs quite elderly.
âThis is surprising.â
Is this a match between the Zaha Inn and Narak Inn?
It suddenly occurs to me that Dong Bang-yeon might be Ouyang Bokâs disciple.
I then say to Heuk So-ryeong and Baek So-ah.
âWell done.â
After jabbing their throats again, I lay them down one by one on the bed. I leave the center space empty as if I will be lying there, and this time I inject quite a lot of power into jabbing Heuk So-ryeong and Baek So-ahâs shoulders.
I pinch Heuk So-ryeongâs cheek and tell her.
âSince you ate aphrodisiacs, youâll have a racy dream.â
Lowering my foot from the top of the bed, I cover the two women. I then head for the Narak Inn after picking up Moonlight Dagger.
When I suddenly appear in the Narak Inn, the customers all look at me in unison. A short silence follows before the conversations continue again.
âThatâs a meaningful moment of silence.â
When I sit down, the errand boy, Jo-pal, approaches me.
âWhat can I get you?â
Jo-pal is an acquaintance, but I canât pretend to know him. I then tell Jo-pal, whom I havenât seen in a long time.
âGive me anything thatâs white wine (çœé ).â
âSorry, we donât have âanything.ââ
âItâs not funny. Just bring me anything.â
âYes, sir.â
Moments later, I look at the needlefish that came out as a dry snack with the white wine. Come to think of it, the inn uses expensive fish as the basic side dish. It gives me a strange feeling.
As I space out after pouring out a glass of white wine, Ouyang Bok, the owner of Narak Inn, walks out with a sleepy gaze and looks at me.
âIâll pay for that drink, so pour me a glass. Iâve never seen you around before.â
I pour the drink immediately for Ouyang Bok, who is sitting across from me.
Ouyang Bok takes out a stick of daylilies uniquely shaped like a finger and lights it up. It is my first time seeing it, and it is even made of jade (ç). Ouyang Bok takes a deep hit of the daylilies and drinks a sip of the white wine while looking at my glass.
Since Iâm not drinking, he canât help but look.
Ouyang Bok then says.
âGive me another glass.â
Feeling lazy, I beckon with my chin at the white wine.
âPour yourself.â
I speak to him informally on purpose and then watch the other customers. Initially, they arenât looking my way, but I laugh when I see some of their expressions becoming stiff.
Jeez, what a complicated world.
In my past life, I innocently thought I had managed to survive.
Ouyang Bok then says while drinking.
âYouâre not drinking.â
When I donât give him a reply, Ouyang Bok finally says.
âI apologize about So-ryeong and So-ah. Pyeong Gun-sa must have got busted.â
Seems like Ouyang Bok has no choice but to tell the truth because he noticed I already know everything. Still, I never expected him to reveal his identity so quickly.
Ouyang Bok suddenly looks at the other customers and waves his hand.
Then, all the customers in the inn stand simultaneously and leave.
Ouyang Bok gives me a wrinkly smile when all the customers have left.
âYoung man, it doesnât look like you came to ruin my business. It costs 10,000 nyang in challenger fees and 50,000 nyang in dividends from gamblers. This is my token of appreciation, so take it and go back. I have sent off some Unorthodox Faction masters who came without sparring, but I never sent them back by giving them 50,000 nyang.â
â50,000 nyang?â
Ouyang Bok smiles and nods.
â50,000 nyang.â
I reply to Ouyang Bokâs words.
âArenât most of the people who competed with Dong Bang-yeon dead? Some who win against him either die within the next few days or go missing.â
Ouyang Bokâs drowsy gaze begins to look more alert.
âYou⊠Why are you doing this? Did I kill your acquaintance? Did Dong Bang-yeon kill your brother or master? Youâre young. You wouldnât lose a lot of money in gambling. Why do you say that? Plus, think of the fact that Iâm treating you kindly.â
Ouyang Bok holds up his hand when someone barges into the inn from outside.
âStay put.â
Glancing sideways, I see a tall man, who looks like a fierce warrior from the battlefield, staring at me with hostile eyes. It is the King of Sparring Gambles, Dong Bang-yeon, who is trained in both internal and external martial arts.
Dong Bang-yeon brings over a chair, sits next to me, and folds his arms as if he is going to watch over me.
Ouyang Bok extends his hand and says.
âI havenât changed my mind. 50,000 nyang. Iâd like to hear what you think.â
Dong Bang-yeon opens his mouth.
âWhy are you giving him 50,000 nyang?â
Ouyang Bok interrupts Dong Bang-yeon.
âBe quiet. Heâs still our customer.â
I look at Ouyang Bok and Dong Bang-yeon and say.
âWhat youâre doing is a scam, not a sparring gamble.â
Ouyang Bok replies.
âIsnât that what business is all about? The difference is whether itâs small or large. Most in this business are frauds.â
âYour schemes make the bandits and pirates look innocent.â
Ouyang Bok asks me.
âMy business didnât cause you any trouble. If it does, I will raise the negotiating fee.â
I tap the table with my finger and say.
âThe biggest problem with gambling is that itâs addictive. Itâs hard to quit. People who find something more interesting than gambling will quit, but not much in this world is more interesting than gambling. Would I give my entire fortune and cut off my hands and feet to stop?â
When I suddenly bring up the subject of gambling, Ouyang Bok snickers in response.
âYou knew.â
âThere is a legitimate side to sparring gamble, but fraudulent gambles are different. You regularly bribe the nearby Unorthodox Faction master to ask them to turn a blind eye. Youâre rich, so you have plenty to spend. Even if the breadwinner of someone elseâs family dies out of bankruptcy, itâs a given. The neighboring Unorthodox Factions expand their power with your money. This is not daylight robbery, so the Orthodox Faction canât do anything to you. You guys are formidable in many ways.â
Ouyang Bok then asks me.
âDonât you want to negotiate?â
âI do.â
âTell me what you want.â
âWhat started as a gamble should end with a gamble. Letâs play a round of fraud gamble.â
âWhat kind of fraud gamble?â
I suggest to the King of Gamble and Dong Bang-yeon.
âAll of you, to the fighting pit.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âBe my opponent. If you guys win, I will die. If I win, I will have everything here.â
I observe Ouyang Bokâs expression.
âSo? Narak Inn Owner, King of Gamble, Ouyang Bok. Are you dumbfounded because itâs in your favor? Or are you scared of losing everything overnight? Itâs hard to choose, right? Whatever it is, this ridiculous proposal is a gamble.â
Like the King of Gamble he is, Ouyang Bok examines the conditions.
âWhat if I say no?â
âIf you refuse, youâll get a more unfavorable hand.â
âHow come?â
I reply while slightly scratching my cheek.
âTomorrow, my men will arrive as a group. Tonight is your best bet.â
Dong Bang-yeon tells Ouyang Bok.
âHeâs insane, so letâs do it.â
As the King of Gamble, Ouyang Bok does not readily agree as he takes these matters seriously. In a way, this prudence is only natural. Ouyang Bok never fights in a losing game.
But thatâs the part I hate the most.
âKing of Gamble⊠concealing your identity, provide alcohol to challengers, using honey traps, using aphrodisiacs, using whatever means to make the opponent fight Dong Bang-yeon in a weakened state, ambushing the winners, burying the dead, buying alcohol for the gamblers with the money you make, pretending to be a good person, and regularly bribing the powerful Unorthodox Factions. And then you earn the nickname King of Gamble after living such a pathetic life?â
I call out to Ouyang Bok like I used to in a previous life.
âWhat a great gambler you are, Mister Ouyang.â
âI donât understand. Why donât you kill us right now if youâre so confident? Thatâs more beneficial to you.â
âBeneficial to me?â
I insult them with a serious face.
âYou still havenât got a grip. Do you think weâre on the same level because we both run inns? I live in Kangho, and you guys live in the gambling house. Weâre on a different level, a different kind. If youâve ripped off somebody your whole life, why donât you gamble properly for once? Master Gamble King. Stop trying to use your brain.â
Dong Bang-yeon is getting riled up, and I stare at him.
Ouyang reaches out to stop Dong Bang-yeon and asks me.
âYouâre from an inn? Who are you?â
That is a slip of the tongue, but I still just exposed my identity.
âI am the owner of the Zaha Inn.â
I swallow these words internally.
Youâre right, Iâm insane, but Iâm not the Crazy Demon yet.
Ouyang Bok replies.
âIâll do that. Gather your men and go to the fighting pit. Itâs in my favor, no matter how hard I think about it. As long as you donât regret it.â
I nod.
âLiving without regrets is a Kangho warriorâs virtue. Letâs get going, pests.â
When I stand up, Dong Bang-yeon follows suit. He stands one head taller than me.
Dong Bang-yeon looks down at me and says.
âThere are guys out here trying to die, unusually.â
âWow, the way you talk is a little dignified? Is it because youâre the King of Sparring Gambles? Strict, stern, serious. Something like that. Hey, thatâs cool.â
As Dong Bang-yeon, who is suppressing his anger, sucks in a deep breath, Ouyang Bok stops him with a subdued tone.