In an inn in Yunnan.
“How uncomfortable.”
Miss Yeo Il-ye frowned at the fluffy fabric of the palace dress, the last time she wore something like this a distant memory. Having spent her life in the Jeomchang Faction uniform, she simply couldn’t get used to it. On top of that, without the cherished dark mink fur she always wore, something felt amiss.
A sigh escaped her lips as the fluttering veil bothered her.
“When is that person going to show up?”
As she prepared to return to the Outcast Inn with the payment for the sword, Yeo Il-ye received a mysterious letter. The promise to provide information about her enemy forced her steps back to Yunnan.
“Although it wasn’t scheduled, I’m still not at ease.”
It was an offer from a benefactor to replace her beloved sword for a mere 5 taels of gold. While there wasn’t a strict promise to pay upfront, it was courteous to settle the payment quickly since she had received the sword without handing over the money.
Worried this matter would drag on, she sent the payment to the Outcast Inn through a messenger, but given her desire to apologize in person to her benefactor, this was not the ideal situation.
In frustration, she reached for a cup to sip some tea, only to realize she was still wearing the veil, stopping her hand in its tracks.
“Hahaha! The veil seems unfamiliar to you!”
Yeo Il-ye grimaced. A man who had been persistently staring at her finally spoke up.
“I am Guang Yingzhe. Here in Yunnan, my family is known quite well. Why not take off that veil and join me for a cup of tea in my seat on the third floor?”
“I’m not interested. I have someone to wait for, so please leave.”
Yeo Il-ye curtly rejected him. She didn’t care who he was, and the meeting place was on the ground floor of this inn, so she wasn’t going to budge.
“You little brat! How dare you refuse the Young Master’s kindness!”
“Haha, indeed, that martial artist started the conversation, did they not?”
“Get lost.”
At Yeo Il-ye’s sharply shortened response, even the martial artist’s expression stiffened along with Guang Yingzhe’s. As Guang Yingzhe’s hand dropped away from blocking her path, Yeo Il-ye couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘So they were planning to drag me away from the start, sending a martial artist as backup, eh?’
Unlike Sacheon, which was strictly under the Righteous Faction, Yunnan had traditionally been dominated by the Outcast Faction. Especially with the Outcasts driven out of Sacheon, their influence here had only grown stronger.
To be pressuring a young woman at midday in an inn using martial artists—Yeo Il-ye realized with newfound clarity that she had stepped into the territory of the Outcasts.
Yingzhe’s hand flicked again. Confirming the signal, the martial artist drew his sword.
“Such beauty has caught the Young Master’s eye; you refuse a cup of wine and insist on drinking vinegar instead!”
“This is getting really tiresome.”
The martial artist lunged towards Yeo Il-ye with his sword.
“Come quietly…”
At that moment, Yeo Il-ye’s hand caught the martial artist’s sword. Lightly grasping the blade…
Crack!
She splintered the sword in half.
The faces of the two martial artists and Guang Yingzhe turned ashen. For mere rank-and-file martial artists, they had encountered the level of a master they could never dream of! Guang Yingzhe quickly prostrated himself.
“I-I apologize! Lady! We didn’t recognize the person of honor…”
“Get lost.”
“Y-Yes, of course!”
The three of them fled the inn like the wind, bowing as they did. Watching them, Yeo Il-ye realized this was not their first time pulling such a stunt.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to make such a swift decision to retreat.
Should I chase after them and break a limb or two? Just as Yeo Il-ye pondered this…
“Haha, your beauty shines as if adorned with seven jewels.”
“…If I had to pick a body part where jewels might suit, what would it be?”
“My lady, your entire form is lovely, but if I had to pick the highlight, it would surely be your slender waist.”
‘So it’s this guy.’
Yeo Il-ye looked up at the speaker. A perfectly ordinary middle-aged man. He didn’t appear to be wearing any of that fancy stuff.
The Seven Treasures Jade Belt.
One of the treasures of the Yeo-ga Mountain Villa, still vividly etched in Yeo Il-ye’s memory from her childhood. While there were many fine items in the villa, none exuded the same noble aura as the Seven Treasures Jade Belt.
This middle-aged man had to be the person she’d arranged to meet today. Considering the glances from those around them, she spoke up.
“You’re incorrigible. To flirt with a young woman in broad daylight, you really need to fix your habits.”
“Haha, I merely stated the facts.”
“Get up. You don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of all these people, do you?”
The middle-aged man, Jeon Hu-dam, walked out of the inn, trailing behind Yeo Il-ye.
“I am Jeon Hu-dam, a trusted information broker. You’ll find out later, but I’ve been in the information business in Sacheon for quite some time.”
“Alright. So what do you have to say about the Seven Treasures Jade Belt?”
“The Seven Treasures Jade Belt belongs to Mo Yeobu, the leader of the 개왕채 Faction, one of the Shifting Shadow Bandits.”
“…So it’s possible they might have taken it by force, being bandits?”
“That possibility isn’t zero. However, according to my sources, it’s been in their possession for a long time.”
Bandits, huh.
Just the fact that they possess the Seven Treasures Jade Belt makes it worthwhile to investigate Mo Yeobu. Unlike Hwang Geum-seon, there was undeniable material evidence linking them to her enemy.
“Most importantly, can I trust only what you say and act upon it? That would make things convenient for me, but it seems unlikely.”
Yeo Il-ye nodded silently.
“What is your purpose in getting me to act?”
“Many wish for the bandits to disappear. And the more people want that, the more money flows in.”
Suspicious, yet it didn’t sound entirely unreasonable, so Yeo Il-ye had no choice but to nod along.
“Very well. I need to see for myself.”
Whether the belt was seized or taken directly from the villa, it was tangible evidence linking her to her enemies. Yeo Il-ye felt she needed to conduct that investigation herself.
If Mo Yeobu was indeed the one who invaded Yeo-ga Mountain Villa 15 years ago, she’d be on the fast track to uncovering the true identity of her enemies.
“Our destination is Hyeong Gwi-san.”
As she looked at Jeon Hu-dam leading the way, Yeo Il-ye moved forward.
* *
What is the biggest problem with gambling?
It’s greed.
Values differ from person to person, but for the vast majority, individuals place a high value on money.
Those who value money highly are easily drawn into the charm of gambling.
In the case of the Tang Clan, it can be categorized as Hidden Weapons and Poison.
“You can easily make a fortune with Hidden Weapons!”
This was precisely why Tang Guanglie had challenged Tang Do-gyeong to a gamble and lost his senses.
“Outcast! I’m not a gambling addict! What I want to commission you for is to retrieve the Family Head’s exclusive Hidden Weapons that Tang Do-gyeong has! What I wish to learn from you is technique! Technique!”
Gambling addicts never admit they are addicted.
“Haha, is that so? But tell me, isn’t losing the Family Head’s exclusive Hidden Weapons due to not being able to gamble?”
Just look at him, speaking like a true gambling addict. He’s just trying to get back the money he lost because he feels life unfairly wronged him; he isn’t a gambling addict, not one bit! As long as he wins now, he’ll leave gambling for good!
Listening to the whole situation, if he just told Tang Do-gyeong to return the Hidden Weapons he took, this would have been the end of it.
But he overestimated his gambling skills, thinking he could enhance the Family Head’s prestige through a gamble with Tang Do-gyeong, and look where that got him—lost in a gamble that was about authority instead of Hidden Weapons!
“That’s…! Ugh…”
Tang Guanglie’s face was flaming red, but the truth was undeniable, and he couldn’t respond.
Tang Do-gyeong had already established himself as a complete gambler.
Right from the start of the final gamble, he acknowledged he needed to brush aside his martial artist mindset and focus on being a gambler instead, sharpening his skills to match.
However, Tang Guanglie’s situation was serious.
He believed himself to be a gambling master, yet in reality, he had completely lost the mindset of a true gambler!
Honestly, the commission from the Clan Head to retrieve those Hidden Weapons was like selling your soul.
Knowing the state of his patient, or rather, client, he would have refused the commission even if it came from the Taesang Tang Clan.
What kind of ordinary Hidden Weapons would the Clan Head use? The quality would be far beyond what the Direct Line Members would use. When they sat back at the gambling table again, it was clear Tang Do-gyeong would start dish after dish, starting with the least valuable Hidden Weapons!
Why? Because Tang Do-gyeong had already graduated to being a gambler!
In the end, that meant for the Clan Head to retrieve his exclusive Hidden Weapons, he would need to reclaim most of Tang Do-gyeong’s Hidden Weapons!
Just like the initial Tang Do-gyeong, the Clan Head was merely experienced in gambling but was a mere novice in terms of being a gambler!
His commission was to make this novice gambler win against a properly established gambler like Tang Do-gyeong.
But what? Just learn some technique and then make him win? Is gambling a joke?
Both the Clan Head and Feng Ying Hall Master were completely oblivious to how difficult their request was.
So first, it became necessary to select him as a candidate for unhealthy gambling treatment.
What more could unhealthy gamblers be? If one lacks an understanding of their strengths and just acts on greed, they become unhealthy gamblers chasing a chance at fortune!
And to be frank, if he truly wanted to recover the Clan Head’s Hidden Weapons, he could have just approached Tang Do-gyeong and retrieved those specific weapons. Maybe even barter with other Hidden Weapons. The Clan Head’s behavior mirrored that of someone who thought they could repay what they borrowed if they only tried hard enough. This is a textbook case of severe gambling addiction! It’s not like we’re in some card game universe that insists debts must be settled through more cards!
Seeing the disgruntled look on the Clan Head, I picked up the cards. Having educated countless unhealthy gamblers, I already knew the answer.
“First, let’s play a round. If I lose even one round, I will wholeheartedly comply with the Clan Head’s wishes.”
Even a sick individual can recover through some discipline.
It seems I’m in for a fierce round of gambling for a while.
