Chapter 6: The Gaming Den

Creak!

The door to the Pleasure Hall opened.
Originally, the Tiger Moon Tower operated solely as a tavern, but after it fell into the hands of the Black Wolf Sect, things changed slightly.
The Black Wolf Sect was not satisfied with the money earned from the Tiger Moon Tower.
This massive gambling den was created after much deliberation on how to make more money.
Though not as grand as the main building, its splendor and scale reached for the sky.

“Wow, a gambling den with two floors?”

Yeon entered the gambling den, looked around, and let out a hollow laugh.
Ever since he asked the steward if there was a gambling den in the tavern, he had already guessed that the Black Wolf Sect would be running one.
However, he hadn’t imagined such a large-scale gambling den would exist in a small area like Bushin.

“Can this even be maintained?”

His admiration for its size, which was comparable to those seen in famous entertainment cities like Hangzhou or Suzhou, was short-lived.
How could thugs like the Black Wolf Sect earn money legitimately?
There was bound to be something shady going on.
Yeon’s gaze naturally drifted to the second floor.
It was even more dazzlingly decorated than the already splendid Pleasure Hall.

Luxurious carpets embroidered with gold were laid on the stairs, and a doorman restricted access at the top.
Unlike the open first floor, the second floor was divided into individual, enclosed rooms along a corridor, strongly reeking of shady dealings.
Just by observing the attire of the people coming and going, it seemed like a place where much larger sums of money changed hands than on the first floor.
It was a place most people wouldn’t even glance at, but Yeon was different.

‘That’s it.’

Yeon’s eyes sparkled with life as he looked at the second floor.
At that moment, whispering sounds reached Yeon’s ears.

“Isn’t that the Moyong Clan Head?”

“What? Where?”

The entry of Yeon into the gambling den had caused a stir among those who recognized him.

“I heard he came to the main building earlier to repay his debt to the Black Wolf Sect, but why is he here?”

“Why are you here? He must have come to enjoy some entertainment.”

“Are you serious? A bookworm who’s never been to a place like this, enjoying entertainment! Unless he pees his pants, maybe.”

“Puhaha, you never know. Maybe it’s his last struggle. Want to bet? When will the Moyong Clan Head burst into tears?”

Yeon narrowed his eyes, hearing the conversations people exchanged.
He hadn’t intended to listen, but the words just came to him, showing how low ‘Moyong Yeon’s’ perception had fallen in Bushin.

‘They think it doesn’t matter if I hear them, huh.’

He was used to people whispering about him, but that was because they were afraid of him, the Blood-Hand Sword Ghost.
Therefore, this kind of mockery and disdain was new to him, making it feel strangely refreshing.

“…Shouldn’t someone stop him before something terrible happens? He’s just a child who knows nothing.”

Of course, there were also people among them who worried about him.
But that too was unnecessary concern.

‘When I was Namgung Yeon, I was beating up bandits at this age, but now I’m being treated like a snot-nosed kid.’

Everyone was certain Moyong Yeon would lose money gambling.

‘Lose money? Me?’

That was impossible.
Yeon recalled his past. He had two aliases.
One was Blood-Hand Sword Ghost, which he was called on the battlefield.
The other was Money Demon, which he was called by connoisseurs in gambling dens.

Money Demon.
It was an alias given to him because he would even take money that wasn’t there.

‘…It wasn’t that I was obsessed with money, but rather that I enjoyed the thrill of competition.’

But to others, it seemed much the same.
In Anhui, there was even a joke that if you were looking for the Blood-Hand Sword Ghost, you should go to a tavern or a gambling den.

‘It wasn’t that bad.’

Yeon, reminiscing, tried to make an excuse.

– Hey, you rascal! There’s a limit to everything. Did you want to win so badly that you even cheated the Clan Head?

He reflexively clamped his mouth shut at Namgung Cheon’s scolding.
Was it because his competitiveness was too excessive?
One day, while enjoying a game of dice with the Clan Head, he had shown off his sleight of hand.
After that incident, he could only gamble outside Anhui.
Regrettably, he could just do it when he went on missions.
The Emperor Sword Unit members would also be with him then, wouldn’t they?
It was a good opportunity to teach the fellows, who had grown up only within the clan and knew nothing of the world, about the joys of life.

– Why do we have to do this too…?

– Then do you want to go back and have a martial arts contest with me?

– No, sir. I’ll do it.

At first, they felt aversion even to the words gambling or wagering.
But after winning money a few times, their attitude changed.

– …It’s more fun than I thought?

– Right?

– Let’s come together often from now on!

But their bright demeanor didn’t last long.
Ultimately, all the members’ money ended up in Yeon’s pocket.

‘The world of competition is inherently harsh.’

A bitter smile appeared on Yeon’s lips as he recalled the past.
He realized he could never go back to that time.

‘D*mn it, stop thinking about it.’

Although they were ridiculous people, this was enemy territory.
He had no time for other thoughts.
Yeon, who knew the ecosystem of gambling dens better than anyone, was fully aware of his current situation.

‘These guys wouldn’t just let a naive rich kid who walked into a gambling den go.’

To do that, he needed to play along with their tune for a while.

“Alright, then…”

Yeon looked around.
Card games, shell games, mahjong, etc.
As someone given the alias Money Demon, all of these were as familiar to Yeon as the names of old friends.
No matter which game he participated in, a winning strategy formed in Yeon’s mind.

‘What should I do?’

Click, click, click!!

At that moment, a sound caught Yeon’s attention.
A spinning wheel, densely covered with numbers to the point of hurting his eyes, was rotating.

“I’ll bet on five.”

“I’ll bet on thirty-six!”

And the people standing in front of it began to predict where the number would stop.

‘Oh, ho.’

Yeon approached as if enchanted.

‘Yeah, it wouldn’t be complete without this.’

A spinning wheel with numbers from one to one hundred.
And a needle hanging at one corner, pointing to a number.
As its simple appearance suggested.
It was a gambling game where the pot went to the person who correctly predicted which number the spinning wheel would stop on.

‘The probability is low, so it often only fills the pockets of the gambling den.’

And sure enough.

“Aish, it’s a blank!”

“Ah, too bad, I should have bet on twenty-six!”

No winner emerged from the five people who had placed their bets.

‘That’s a shame.’

Yeon clicked his tongue, though he hadn’t bet any money himself.

‘The greatest charm of this spinning wheel actually begins after you hit it once.’

At that moment.

“Oh? It’s the Moyong Clan Head? Are you just watching?”

A middle-aged man spoke to him.
He smelled of alcohol, so it seemed he had been at the tavern and just briefly dropped by the gambling den.

“It looks interesting.”

“Kahaha. It’s not a bad choice to start with. How about you try your luck with this?”

“Shall I?”

Yeon smirked and replied.

‘Luck, huh.’

The man’s words felt amusing.
Most people would say the success or failure of this gamble simply depended on luck.
Just like the man who had just spoken to him.

‘Actually, that’s not wrong.’

The curve of Yeon’s lips deepened.

‘But not for me.’

The game had just begun.
The attendant spun the wheel forcefully.
The time to predict the number was not very long.

“One! Two~!”

The attendant began to count the numbers.

‘How to win here? It’s simple.’

First, confirm the time it takes for the spinning wheel to complete one rotation.
Then, confirm the time it takes for the second rotation as well.

‘I can confirm about ten rotations within the given time.’

Comparing each time, he could tell how much the rotation speed was slowing down.
Knowing that meant, in other words.

‘That I can also determine the exact time the spinning wheel will come to a complete stop.’

From then on, it went without saying.
He only needed to know the number where the needle would point at the very end.

‘An easy task.’

An easy task.
Yeon thought so.
However, it required the dynamic vision to count the rotations and an extraordinary brain to quickly calculate and make judgments.
It was not something that could be done as easily as it sounded.
Yeon’s eyes sparkled.
Intuitive calculations were made with frightening speed.

‘It will stop at twenty.’

Swish.

Just before the deadline, Yeon wrote down the number as if scattering it and submitted it.

“Where did the Clan Head bet?”

The man asked.

“I bet on twenty-five.”

But he actually placed his bet on the wrong number.

Click, click, click!!

The sound of the spinning wheel turning stimulated Yeon’s sight and hearing.

‘What will happen?’

Yeon did not take his eyes off the spinning wheel.
After a few tens of seconds, the spinning wheel, which had been rotating with fearsome momentum, lost its power and slowed down.

Click, click, click…

The surroundings were quiet until the spinning wheel came to a complete stop.
Soon, the attendant announced the number indicated by the needle.

“It’s twenty-five.”

Next to him, the man looked at Yeon, startled.

“Didn’t the Clan Head say twenty-five?!”

The attendant checked the number Yeon had submitted and smiled.

“Congratulations.”

“Wow, congratulations. To win right at the start. The Clan Head has very good luck.”

“Indeed… I hadn’t even thought about it!”

Yeon replied like an excited child, but in fact, he had somewhat expected it.

‘As expected.’

Yeon suppressed a laugh inwardly.
The spinning wheel, which should have stopped at 20 according to Yeon’s prediction…
Had rolled to 25 due to an artificial force.
A subtle difference in power that no one else would have noticed.
The attendant acted nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened, but he couldn’t escape Yeon’s eyes.

‘He deliberately made me win.’

If so, why?
Yeon looked down at his still-full money pouch.

‘Their methods are obvious.’

The basic way to fleece a sucker at a gambling table.
First, give the sucker a small win to lower their guard.
At this point, the sucker gains confidence, thinking they won through their own skill.
Second, the sucker, having gained confidence, enters a big game with a large sum of money.
And when the sucker bets all their assets, they take everything, leaving nothing behind.

So, what was their goal?
Yeon’s gaze turned towards the second floor.

‘They want to send me to the big game and fleece me of all this money.’

He was being treated like a complete sucker.
However.

‘It’s actually a profit for me?’

Indeed it was.
Were their goals not the same?

‘It’s even fun. This situation.’

It was a situation he, who was called both Blood-Hand Sword Ghost and Money Demon, had never experienced before.
Yeon smirked, a cunning smile on his face.

“Clan Head, how about it? Want to double your winnings?”

At that moment, the man next to him spoke.
The man’s role was obvious without even looking.
A shill.

‘It’s probably to make me mistake winning as skill, not luck.’

Yeon looked around.
He felt the glances of passersby, who pretended not to notice.
From a young woman with dangling accessories being attended to by an attendant.
To an attendant shaking dice at another betting table.

‘Interesting.’

It was no exaggeration to say that half of these people were the Black Wolf Sect’s hands and feet.
So, what should he do now?

“Wow! It seems luck is on my side today?! Should I really go for double?!”

What else?
He just had to pretend to be fooled, act like an excited sucker.

“Hehehehe.”

From then on, it goes without saying that Yeon’s winning streak continued.
That is, until Yeon was invited to the high-stakes game.
As Yeon was strutting through the gambling den, his pockets starting to bulge.
Someone approached him.

“Moyong Yeon?”

“?”

Yeon checked the person who called him.
It was a man he had never seen before.
But the clothes the man was wearing were very familiar.
A blue robe with elaborate black embroidery.

‘He’s the guy who was walking around on the second floor earlier, isn’t he?’

Since it wasn’t a common style, it couldn’t help but leave an impression.
Yeon knew why the attendant had called him, but he pretended not to know and asked in return.

“Why are you calling me?”

“Forgive my abruptness in speaking to you. Nothing else, I wish to make a good offer to Moyong Yeon. Would you be willing to hear it?”

“A good offer…”

Yeon lowered his head, pretending to ponder, and then subtly rolled his eyes to check the second floor.
He saw the gazes of others directed towards him.

‘Confirmed.’

A faint smile surfaced on Yeon’s lips, then disappeared.

“What is it? Sounds interesting.”

Yeon raised his head and asked the attendant in an innocent tone.