Taking a breath.
“Whoo…”
There was a mountain of tasks for me as a martial artist. First, I needed to understand my body due to the drastic increase in my stats. Once I grasped my physical capabilities resulting from my new level, I’d have to adjust my martial arts accordingly.
I also had to figure out how much practice with Qi was appropriate. After all, if I was releasing Qi with my hands, it was pointless unless I was using a recommended stance. Should I work on the foundation of Qi or just learn how to handle it moderately while pursuing sword techniques?
“Hey, how about you try unleashing your Qi as if you’re claiming territory?”
I had a heap of things to organize and ponder, but my priorities were clear.
First and foremost, I had to make some of that Qi my own.
Since this was something every peak expert around me brought up, I entered intensive training with the Black Cat this dawn.
“Hmm…”
I unleashed my Energy Technique into the air, but somehow it felt awfully off.
“Senior, if you open your energy everywhere like that, it’s just a release, not proper Qi. You need to release it in line with the flow of energy. It’s like opening a door only at the exact moment energy passes through.”
“Is that so?”
“First of all, just releasing Qi from a specific point is not an easy task. Generally, the points that communicate with the outside world are concentrated in the limbs. Let’s practice releasing Qi from the Gyehae point for now.”
“Hngh…”
As I struggled for a while, time flew by, and it was already morning. My head was pounding from all the effort, and Tang Do-gyeong chuckled at my state.
“Haha, it’s good to see you working hard at your training.”
“…Is that so?”
“Brother Ya, or rather Senior Ho, could you share how you’ve gotten accustomed to Qi? There’s a training method for infusing Qi into weapons passed down from the Tang Clan.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“It’s true. You’ve seen the different forms of Hidden Weapons. To understand all those diverse forms and infuse Qi into them, the Tang Clan has specific training methods. Most members go through this process to infuse their Hidden Weapons with Qi.”
So, there was such a training method. I was quite excited.
After finishing practice with Tang Do-gyeong, we chatted lightly when a small shadow dashed out from the house.
It was Tang Rye-ah.
“Oh, Rye-ah…”
“Sisters! Here’s a towel! Thank you for your hard work in the morning training!”
…She threw the towel at me and Tang Do-gyeong and ran off toward the Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye.
The little Rye-ah, who once hoped to impress with small tricks and be purely delighted at her successes, had grown enormously in just a year… and hit puberty.
At this prime age where looks and reputation mattered, she seemed more interested in the beautiful Black Cat and the successful career woman of the Red Bamboo Swordswoman, Miss Yeo Il-ye, than in me.
“Thank you.”
“Thanks, Rye-ah Miss.”
The two treated their little follower, Rye-ah, kindly, as she was cute.
Watching their cheerful interaction with a heavy heart, Tang Do-gyeong forced a smile.
“Don’t be too down. After Brother Ho left, Rye-ah worked so hard on her homework that even your mother and father were worried.”
“…I see.”
How should I put it? It felt like meeting a niece I once played with excitedly a year ago, now treating me stiffly, provoking a mild regret.
“Whoo. Tang Brother, could you show me some gambling techniques before breakfast?”
“Sure.”
It had been a while since I’d held any cards or dice. Before meeting Miss Yeo Il-ye, I’d lived almost daily in gambling dens, and even afterward, opportunities to show off my gambling skills had been rare…
I hadn’t held cards or dice at all since I faced Dogwi at the Nangyang gambling house.
In other words, I hadn’t shown my gambling skills in over six months.
Swish.
As I casually spun a cup, the Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye approached.
“Senior, you said you don’t practice gambling.”
“That’s why I’m rushing to do it now.”
“Hmm. Isn’t it true that even without practice, your skills don’t fade?”
“Ha ha, where is there such a person in this world?”
The Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye were full of question marks. Although it’s true that I had reached the pinnacle of gambling, I was still human—losing my touch without practice is a given.
“How should I put it? Honestly, I think I can win against anyone even without maintaining my skills.”
“…Hmm. Is it confidence of the absolute?”
“True… Even if your skills might dull a bit, I doubt you’d lose to anyone.”
Trying out sleight of hand confirmed it for sure.
While my expertise as a martial artist had risen, the sharpness of my gambling techniques had dulled.
If I were to face someone now like I did before fall, I’d definitely lose.
However, even so, if I faced Dogwi, I would still win.
I, the veteran Ho Cheon-an.
My actions were based on efficiency. Have I not met one or two professional gamblers? Among them, only Dogwi could ever induce a sense of crisis in me.
In such a scenario, would investing time to maintain my gambling skills be efficient? Since I could easily seize victory against professional gamblers, why bother honing my skills daily like maintaining a sword?
No matter how much my sense of practice may have dropped, there’s still a level of expertise. Can a peak expert, even without practical experience, lose to an expert below their level? I had yet to meet a gambling expert of my caliber, so I felt no need to retain that sense of gambling.
Finding no necessity to exert effort.
Isn’t that the essence of being at the peak?
As I demonstrated skills ranging from simple to complex, I gradually regained my touch. Perhaps due to my increased stats, my gambling techniques felt smoother as well.
Though the completion of the skills remained unchanged, the overall enhancement of my physical abilities lessened the burden when displaying those techniques.
Ah, have I progressed again?
Having gained the overwhelming physical prowess that is the privilege of a martial world expert, I had become even stronger.
“Somehow, my dexterity seems worse than before, but it’s still hard to comprehend…”
“Indeed, remarkable skill.”
“Hmph.”
Seeing the two praising me, Rye-ah pouted and picked up a die. With a light flick of her hand, the die vanished.
The Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye were in awe as they watched Rye-ah deftly make the die disappear.
Afterwards, Rye-ah continued showcasing her die tricks with a sulky expression. The die that had appeared in her left hand popped up in her right, and as she flipped her right hand, the die vanished…
A combination of the unique craftsmanship of the Tang Clan and natural movements that couldn’t be achieved without extensive practice.
She truly must have been training hard. Ugh, even though I showed a moment of coldness after seeing Rye-ah work so diligently…
When I sent forth a round of applause, Rye-ah shot me a piercing glare.
“…Liar.”
“Rye, Rye-ah?”
“You said you’d only teach me.”
Leaving behind that cold remark, Tang Rye-ah dragged the Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye with her.
What was that? Did I do something wrong?
As I stood there dumbfounded, Tang Do-gyeong wore a bitter smile.
“Well, since Brother Ho’s gambling techniques circulated among the Tang Clan because of me and the Family Head, Rye-ah probably thinks you specially taught her the hidden techniques she received. After practicing so hard, she realizes that members of the Tang Clan, including me, are now utilizing those techniques…”
“Ah…”
“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of chances to clear up misunderstandings, right? The Black Cat Miss and Miss Yeo Il-ye will help ease Rye-ah’s feelings a bit, and then you can reconcile.”
It’s clear I messed up. It felt like a hidden manual handed to me—with sweaty effort I trained hard thinking it was solely for me—only to find out that the Family Head, and their skilled cohort, already knew the techniques I was learning that everyone in the clan had mastered.
Rye-ah might feel betrayed.
While there might be a difference in the quality of techniques Rye-ah knew compared to those used by the Tang Clan, that didn’t matter to her at this stage.
“Sisters, let me guide you to the Tang Clan!”
“Oh, Senior, then I’ll take my leave.”
It seemed I was rather thoroughly disliked, for throughout breakfast, Rye-ah didn’t meet my eyes once and quickly took off with the Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye.
It’s tough being in that stormy phase.
I hoped time would act as lubricant to solve Rye-ah’s issue as I stepped outside.
It was time for me to help enhance the gambling skills of the Poison Doctor.
* *
“Cough! This fool is on the left!”
Thwack!
“Aaaah!”
Upon finding the residence of the Poison Doctor, the first scene was that of him playfully slapping Maki while laughing at the poor guy rolling on the ground trying to alleviate his forehead pain.
“…Cough. You’ve arrived.”
“Did you sleep well last night? Though I suppose I didn’t need to ask.”
“Cough, cough! You fool! Since a guest has arrived, bring out some tea!”
After a moment of ruckus, I confronted the Poison Doctor at the gambling table.
First, we had a quick assessment of his gambling skills.
“Whew…”
The state of the patient, I mean, the Poison Doctor was familiar. It was similar to that of the Family Head, Tang Guanglie, in his initial condition.
“I definitely saw them going left…”
He was so overconfident in his senses that he was easily caught by a simple sleight-of-hand trick.
“Hmm. What level are you targeting, Doctor?”
“Of course, it’s to surpass the Family Head!”
“Hmm…”
That was honestly a tough conversation.
The Poison Doctor wasn’t without talent for gambling. If he didn’t have a knack for it, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to gather venom and hidden weapons through betting. So any successful figure from the Tang Clan must have some talent for gambling…
“Realistically, that’s a tough story.”
“…Hmph.”
When the Poison Doctor traveled the world in search of poisons, did he ever bother with gambling? Of course not.
On the other hand, the Family Head consistently gained practical experience. Wasn’t he now the most honed Family Head after his solid training last year through my involvement? It wouldn’t be wrong to say that he had continued enjoying gambling to sharpen his skills ever since.
Even if I taught the Poison Doctor from now on, it wouldn’t be easy catching up with the Family Head, whose skills were continuously reaching new heights.
The Poison Doctor seemed to have made up his mind, closing his eyes tightly as he spoke.
“Do you… perhaps know what happened yesterday?”
“…I have a rough idea.”
“Ah… I see.”
The Poison Doctor muttered while gazing up at the sky.
“It was the first disgrace in my life… Ha ha. To be… slapped by a mere child…”
“…”
Saintly tangling with the Tang Clan, my apologies, Sir. But, to make excuses, it was an inevitable measure to ensure the Family Head’s healthy gambling ethics. Perhaps it was the will of heaven… no, it was just a position I couldn’t escape from…
As I mentally justified my actions, the Poison Doctor clenched his fist and declared.
“I acknowledge it! Right now, that fool gambles better than me! However… however! It is the duty of a martial artist to avenge this humiliation!”
“…Doctor.”
“Please! Help me avenge this embarrassment!”
After some thought, I nodded.
“Understood, Sir.”
“Oh, oh! Thank you!”
There was no way I could decline the Poison Doctor’s request. Only two individuals knew the truth about that slap—myself and the Family Head, Feng Ying Hall Master. But if by any chance, word of that slap made its way to the Poison Doctor’s ears…
It’s a slight possibility, but I wanted to clear the karma ahead of time.
Realistically, it would be tough for the Poison Doctor to surpass the Family Head’s skills.
However, it wasn’t impossible for him to outplay the Family Head.
I began brainstorming, recalling the gambler Dogwi I had met by chance at the Nangyang gambling den.
Although he was undoubtedly inferior in skill, he had relentlessly pressured me.
What if I trained the Poison Doctor to become a sniper against the Family Head?
Wouldn’t it be possible to inflict a proper return for that slap?
“Doctor, it won’t be an easy path. The Family Head is currently demonstrating his peak skills as a gambler. Therefore, I will have to equip you with a weapon capable of overturning the difference in capabilities.”
“…Understood! Whatever it takes to return that slap!”
“You seem resolute.”
Seeing the fiery determination in the Poison Doctor’s eyes, I nodded and spoke.
“Then let’s call Brother Do-gyeong to assess the current gambling trends within the Tang Clan.”
It’s only logical for returnees to understand the meta first.
