Tang Do-gyeong was always the one provoking others. He was a mad dog who always wanted to fight, and nobody wanted to clash with someone from the mighty Tang Clan. With his reputation of repaying resentments tenfold and his exceptional martial arts skills, Tang Do-gyeong led a life without ever getting into a single quarrel!
“Hehe, I’m saying I’ll teach you a lesson with sorcery myself.”
Tang Do-gyeong, who had only ever been the provocateur, suddenly felt dizzy.
But he quickly took a deep breath to collect himself and turned his head away.
Before him was Yeo Il-ye, the purpose of his visit to Sacheon City. She was a long-desired opponent he never had the chance to face. But now, she had reached a higher level after attaining realization?
With such an opponent right in front of him, he couldn’t afford to give attention to some insignificant guy.
That was his thought until Ho Cheon-an opened his mouth.
“You’re scared.”
Tang Do-gyeong’s head turned as if he had been slapped.
“You look like you really want to die.”
Tang Do-gyeong wasn’t called a fighting dog just because he picked fights with anyone. From a young age, he boldly challenged experts stronger than himself and showed unyielding persistence even if it meant breaking his limbs or sustaining internal injuries. This earned him his nickname.
It was his pride and the source of his actions.
‘How dare a mere outcast, fooling around on the streets, say I’m scared of him?’
A surge of intense anger rose within him, making him forget about Yeo Il-ye for a moment.
“Both of you are the same. How dare you disturb the sacred time of invoking the powers of the Lord? I should show you the bizarre power of the Lord!”
“Do you really think I would dance to your tune?”
Tang Do-gyeong growled as he approached Ho Cheon-an, then suddenly stopped.
The Gratitude Plaque!
His eyes narrowed upon seeing a plaque with the name [Yeo Il-ye] engraved on it in a Jeomchang’s possession.
“…Is that the real deal he’s holding?”
Without a word, Yeo Il-ye nodded. Greed crept into Tang Do-gyeong’s eyes, which were once filled with rage. If he had that plaque, he could request a fair one-on-one duel!
“I am a lion wielding the powers of the Lord. Why don’t you try to penetrate the Lord’s powers?”
As Ho Cheon-an took out a wooden cup and tossed the Gratitude Plaque into it, shaking it, Tang Do-gyeong grinned broadly. So he was just pulling some gambling trick.
Training his inner strength was essential for mastering the hidden weapons that weren’t even visible to the naked eye. Every martial artist trained their inner power, but the Tang Clan’s training methods for hidden weapons could be considered the best in the world.
He was confident he could see through the tricks of someone who seemed to be in the realm of second-rate or first-rate.
“You’re carrying that so-called Blood Jade Plaque, right? Put it on the line. You all should too.”
Both Yeo Il-ye and the Black Cat were equally bewildered by the sudden situation.
“What are you hesitating for? The winner gets all the treasures. It’s up to you how to use those treasures against your opponent.”
“Hehe, yes, true.”
Tang Do-gyeong suddenly felt like this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he could get the lady’s treasure, he could duel with her! Plus, if he won the treasure Yeo Il-ye put up, he could have another duel with her!
He could also teach that arrogant swindler a lesson while getting some fights in!
With a bold move, Tang Do-gyeong threw the blanket that had been laid on the table. Just in case something was hidden underneath, but the table was simple: thin boards with just legs, nothing hidden below.
Crash!
After eliminating the possibility of trickery, Tang Do-gyeong boldly slammed the Blood Jade Plaque onto the table.
“What the hell is happening…”
The Black Cat glared at Ho Cheon-an. She couldn’t understand what her senior was thinking, and the confident smile that was visible in the black rib seemed annoying.
‘Not a bad plan though.’
Yeo Il-ye, Ho Cheon-an, and the Black Cat all felt inclined to shake off Tang Do-gyeong, so if the four of them engaged in gambling, it was implicitly a three-to-one situation against him.
It seemed like a plan that would suck them into Ho Cheon-an’s schemes, which was a bit off-putting, but they had no choice but to flow with the current as they couldn’t come up with a clever plan on their own at the moment.
The Black Cat sighed and relaxed the cloth. Due to always operating the Black Shadow Qi Technique, the black cloth never seemed visible, but now it radiated an unusual shine to anyone who looked at it.
“It’s silk woven from the beard of a thousand-year weapon.”
“It’s a treasure.”
Tang Do-gyeong acknowledged the Black Cat’s item. All eyes turned to Yeo Il-ye. Initially, her goal was to safely extract Ho Cheon-an. She intended to prevent conflicts with the experts of the Hwang Gold Clan, but what was the outcome?
They had come to a situation where Ho Cheon-an and Tang Do-gyeong were in direct confrontation.
By rushing in carelessly, she had repaid kindness with resentment, so to make amends for that, Yeo Il-ye had no choice but to accept Ho Cheon-an’s proposal.
“Haaa.”
Yeo Il-ye sighed. She had even left her sword behind to visit the Hwang Gold Clan. Aside from the pouch in her arms, she had nothing to her name.
“I’ll put up the Sword of Love, though it’s not here. It’s a bit inferior compared to the treasures of the two of you, but it’s all I have.”
“Hehe, whatever.”
“I’m also fine with it. A sword is a sufficient life for a martial artist.”
“…There’s no point in opposing alone.”
“Hehe, sounds good. If you all choose the same cup, the first person to touch it goes first. The three of you finding the Gratitude Plaque means victory, while my victory means preventing all of you from finding the Gratitude Plaque. Remember, this is the last act of mercy from the Lord for foolish mortals.”
When the three nodded in agreement, Ho Cheon-an gestured to summon the crowds.
With the sudden shift to a peaceful atmosphere, the crowds also began to gather to witness the grand gambling round involving four treasures.
Ho Cheon-an, with the Gratitude Plaque in a wooden cup, began to skillfully shuffle the four cups.
’…This guy, he’s confident enough.’
Tang Do-gyeong felt a chill run down his spine. Having mastered the methods of the Tang Clan’s techniques and inner strength, he had believed there was no way he could lose when Ho Cheon-an started gambling.
Since he had pushed his mental and inner powers to the limit, he was confident that even a second-rate or first-rate like Ho Cheon-an couldn’t deceive his eyes.
However, the difference in Ho Cheon-an’s techniques and Tang Do-gyeong’s inner strength was just a hair’s breadth apart.
It was a true hair’s breadth difference. The wooden cups moved dazzlingly as Yeo Il-ye’s Gratitude Plaque moved among them.
If his mental and inner strength had been slightly lacking, he would have missed it completely.
‘Is he nervous?’
Yeo Il-ye had also pushed her mental and inner skills to the limit. Perhaps it was because she was up close? Or maybe it was her skill level difference? Unlike Ho Cheon-an’s extraordinary gambling techniques, the precision wasn’t detectable even to herself.
The Black Cat and Yeo Il-ye’s expressions darkened slightly. If it barely registered in their eyes, then Tang Do-gyeong would surely be tracking the movements of the Gratitude Plaque.
It seemed likely that Ho Cheon-an’s gambit would end in failure.
Just as they thought that, Ho Cheon-an suddenly stopped the shuffle and tossed the Gratitude Plaque high into the air.
Whoosh!
“Ah..!”
While staring up at Yeo Il-ye’s Gratitude Plaque soaring high, the Black Cat realized. In the expanded mental time raised to the limit, she marveled at the sight.
‘In the end, this was a speed battle.’
Watching Ho Cheon-an, who held two cups in each hand and was crossing his arms to catch the Gratitude Plaque, the Black Cat understood his intention.
He became too absorbed in gambling itself.
No matter how one might speak of the unparalleled techniques of the Tang Clan, there was no way trying to win against Tang Do-gyeong using mere trickery would work.
Unless someone exposed the cups like that, no one would miss where the Gratitude Plaque was.
In the end, it came down to whoever’s hand reached the cup first would win.
As the Black Cat mulled over this during the stalls of her expanded mental time, Yeo Il-ye and Tang Do-gyeong were also thinking the same.
When the cups flipped and Ho Cheon-an’s hand dropped from the cup, three hands shot out with certainty.
The Black Cat thought that the odds were slightly against her but didn’t mind. Against Tang Do-gyeong, the master of hidden weapons, and Yeo Il-ye, a disciple of a sect that handled swift blades, still, it was a contest she could take.
From her position, Ho Cheon-an had placed the Gratitude Plaque into the cup that she could reach the fastest among the four.
The reflex might be a bit slower, but she had the best position.
‘Got it!’
The Black Cat felt a tingling excitement. No matter how much Ho Cheon-an assisted, she had outpaced both the fighting dog Tang Do-gyeong and Yeo Il-ye, reaching the cup first.
I’ve won!
At that moment, the Black Cat, Tang Do-gyeong, and Yeo Il-ye all thought the same.
They spotted two people stretching out their hands to different cups.
“…It seems you two ladies chose the wrong cup.”
“…This cup is the correct one.”
“Hah…”
She had been neatly deceived by Ho Cheon-an. Even if he’s an ally, how could he deceive me too? The Black Cat thought as she flipped her cup. Her cup was empty. Yeo Il-ye also sighed, raising her cup in disbelief. She had thought to herself that she had seen that extraordinary technique with her own eyes; from the moment she thought it, she had been cleanly deceived.
Gulp.
Tang Do-gyeong slowly raised his cup.
It was empty.
Even after clearly seeing it get sucked into the cup, and even with the fastest hand reaching out, there was no Gratitude Plaque to be found inside.
So where was the Gratitude Plaque then?
Tang Do-gyeong’s gaze shifted sideways.
There, under one cup that remained covered.
Tang Do-gyeong swung his hand to knock that cup away.
At last, the Gratitude Plaque inscribed with the name [Yeo Il-ye] revealed itself to the world.
What Ho Cheon-an used in his sorcery performance was merely an “application” of gambling techniques. Though they carried the same principles, gambling techniques were undeniably optimized solely for gambling.
With four items at stake.
Conditions of victory confirmed and agreed upon by all participants.
Once this was established, Ho Cheon-an’s gambling turned from a sorcerous performance into a wager.
Ho Cheon-an, the master who has perfected all gambling techniques in the Martial World, so incredible that he could even deceive the heavens.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that somewhere in this vast expanse of the world, a true rival capable of surpassing him might exist.
But in terms of gambling, he was undoubtedly the undefeated man who could not be surpassed.
