CLS-Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Wei Yan-ho shouted in a sharp voice.

“Why are you so late!”

“I apologize. I didn’t know the game would go on this long, so I came too early and ended up looking around the nearby commercial district.”

“Why! You should have just come after I was dragged away as a slave!”

“Haha, how could a young master like yourself ever be subjected to such treatment?”

“Tch.”

Wei Yan-ho leaned back in his chair and said:

“You brought what I prepared, right?”

“You mean this? Boys!”

At that moment, a raucous noise came from outside the main gate, and sturdy men entered carrying several large chests.

Thud! Thud!

The chests made heavy sounds as they hit the floor.

“Wh-what is this?”

Kang Cheon-rip’s eyes widened as he stared at the chests.

Wei Yan-ho smiled with satisfaction.

“You said if I brought money, I could set the stakes for the next round however I wanted, right?”

At Wei Yan-ho’s gesture, the chests were opened.

For a moment, the room seemed to brighten. The dazzling radiance emitted by the gold inside the chests captivated everyone’s attention.

“Ho-how much is all that?”

“Incredible.”

The spectators gaped at the fortune they’d never seen before in their lives. Today was truly a day of witnessing many things.

The well-built man smiled and said:

“The hundred nyang you requested, sir. Ten thousand nyang in silver! I brought it precisely converted to gold.”

“Well done.”

“Not at all, sir.”

Kang Cheon-rip was shocked and exclaimed:

“Yo-you’re Ha Dae-bung from the Milky Way Exchange, aren’t you?”

“Pleased to meet you, Manager Kang.”

“Why on earth are you…?”

“Our client requested support. He insisted it had to be brought in gold, so it took some time.”

“Good heavens…”

Cold sweat began to form on Kang Cheon-rip’s forehead.

He had won this position through gambling… well, he had won it through gambling, but he wasn’t completely clueless about anything. If Ha Dae-bung’s words were true, then that young brat sitting across from him had predicted this situation would arise and planned the game accordingly.

“Let’s make the next round’s stakes one hundred nyang.”

“Young master!”

Suddenly, the revived Jin So-ah rushed toward Wei Yan-ho.

“My shoulders are a bit stiff.”

“Which shoulder, sir!”

Instantly, Jin So-ah pulled out an acupuncture case from his robes and began inserting needles all over Wei Yan-ho’s shoulders. Since his identity had already been exposed anyway, there was no point in being cautious.

“Ow!”

“Ah, I seem to have inserted them a bit too forcefully. It will feel refreshing in a moment, so please rest comfortably.”

If the ancestors of the Sacred Hand Hall knew their medical arts were being used to massage a gambler’s muscles in a gambling den, they would have kicked their way out of their graves.

Oh, of course Jin So-ah’s father wouldn’t be able to come out.

“Did you say one hundred nyang?”

“Yes.”

Kang Cheon-rip’s eyes began to tremble.

One hundred nyang in gold.

This was no ordinary game. This was a truly serious game that might be held once a year even in the central cities of the Central Plains like Beijing, Luoyang, or Henan.

“You prepared well.”

When Wei Yan-ho praised him, Ha Dae-bung smiled slightly.

“How could I be negligent when it’s a request from such a person?”

“You’re keeping the collateral safe, right?”

“I’ve hidden it so well that even my wife couldn’t find it.”

“Good.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded.

What he had given to Ha Dae-bung as collateral for borrowing the money was the golden sword bestowed upon him by Lee Wang-ya.

“If you lose that, we’ll all die.”

“Unless I’m planning to have my three generations exterminated, it’s not something I could lose. I’m guarding it with my life, so please don’t worry. More importantly, please make sure to reclaim it. It’s something I’m too scared to dispose of.”

“You worry about everything.”

Ha Dae-bung smiled slightly. Though it was a business smile, he welcomed this kind of game.

The commission he received for temporarily lending money was substantial. Whether viewed as performance or anything else, it was an excellent transaction.

‘The risk is also low.’

Though he said it was something he couldn’t dispose of, considering the item’s value, Wei Yan-ho’s family would try to recover it by any means necessary.

For Ha Dae-bung, who already knew that the Guangdong Wei Family was Wei Yan-ho’s house, it was a transaction with nothing to lose. It would be good if Wei Yan-ho won and paid back the money immediately, but it would be even better if he lost. They had agreed to pay additional commission for the storage period.

‘I’m not the fool here, Young Master Wei is.’

Ha Dae-bung watched the game with an interested expression. Someone who possessed an Inspector’s Golden Sword couldn’t be an ordinary person. He couldn’t help but be curious about what kind of match this person would show.

“What are you doing? Bring the money.”

“Yo-Young master, it’s difficult to prepare sixty more nyang in cash right now.”

“Bring all the money you have, and you can bring promissory notes for the rest.”

“If that’s the case…”

Kang Cheon-rip realized that the situation had already reached a point of no return.

Having made the declaration in front of all these people, and with the Milky Way Exchange branch manager watching, changing his words now would seriously damage his credibility.

If he backed out here, the Golden Flower Hall might not suffer losses, but Kang Cheon-rip would no longer be able to maintain his position as manager of the Golden Flower Hall.

“Understood.”

In the end, Kang Cheon-rip decided to trust Dok-bi and take the gamble.

“Bring it.”

At his quiet command, Jang-gu nodded and hurried upstairs.

“It will take some time. Would you like some tea…”

Looking at Wei Yan-ho, who had already tilted his head to the side and fallen asleep, Kang Cheon-rip was at a loss for words.

‘Is that bastard’s liver made of steel?’

His own heart was pounding, yet this young man with almost no gambling experience was so bold.

Sleeping in a situation like this!

Jin So-ah continued inserting needles and massaging Wei Yan-ho’s body regardless of whether he was asleep or awake, and seemed ready to apply moxibustion as well.

‘That guy is the legitimate son of the Sacred Hand Hall!’

Though he had played a part in the Sacred Hand Hall’s downfall, he had maintained some respect for the Sacred Hand Hall as a human being. But seeing Jin So-ah’s behavior, that respect was completely disappearing.

Kang Cheon-rip had to struggle to calm his heart while watching the money being brought down from upstairs.

No matter how much the Golden Flower Hall was the largest gambling house in Hubei, one hundred nyang in gold was no child’s play, and losing it would mean bankruptcy for the Golden Flower Hall. And Kang Cheon-rip himself would face worse than bankruptcy.

‘I can win.’

He repeated this to himself.

Once a gambler becomes mesmerized by the stakes, that’s the end. Whether it’s a one-silver-nyang game or a thousand-gold-nyang game, being able to maintain the same mindset is what makes a top-class gambler.

And the Dok-bi he knew was someone who certainly deserved to be called a top-class gambler.

“Dok-bi, how is it? Can you win?”

“Are you asking me?”

“Hehe, yes, that’s right.”

Dok-bi was unchanged from the beginning.

“Remember this. If we lose, everything ends. Both you and I will be finished. Never lose.”

He knew such words could be burdensome. But his heart wouldn’t calm down without saying something.

“Don’t worry.”

But Dok-bi maintained a calm expression as if even such words weren’t burdensome.

“It’s been a while since I’ve played a big game, so I’m getting a bit excited. Could I have some tea as well?”

“Of course! Boys! Bring tea! Longjing!”

“No. Please make it leaf tea.”

“Will that be good enough?”

“It’s better to keep things the same as usual. To maintain composure.”

“Understood. Bring leaf tea!”

Before long, gold and silver were piled up like mountains in front of Dok-bi.

Kang Cheon-rip substituted twenty nyang worth of missing gold with exchange notes from a trading house.

“These are notes issued by the Continental Exchange.”

“Let me see.”

Ha Dae-bung received and examined the notes without comment.

“Hmm, they’re authentic. Young master, the stakes are…”

Ha Dae-bung looked back at Wei Yan-ho and clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“I say, Master Jin.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t this a bit excessive?”

Wei Yan-ho was sleeping soundly with acupuncture needles stuck all over his body like a hedgehog, and Jin So-ah was pondering whether there were any more places to insert needles.

“I thought this much was necessary.”

“You’ll kill him at this rate.”

“Yes.”

The dejected Jin So-ah began removing the needles with quick hand movements.

“Young master, you need to wake up now.”

“Mmm.”

When Jin So-ah, having removed all the needles, shook him awake, Wei Yan-ho raised his head.

“What? Did I roll on the floor? Why does my whole body feel prickly?”

“…You seem to be in poor health, so let’s finish early and go rest.”

“Is that why?”

As Wei Yan-ho tilted his head in confusion, Jin So-ah slyly hid the acupuncture case behind his back.

“Are the stakes ready?”

“Confirmed.”

“Then let’s finish this.”

Wei Yan-ho stretched and sat up properly.

“Hah.”

Kang Cheon-rip inhaled as he watched this scene. Seeing Wei Yan-ho acting so comfortably as if he were in his own home somehow felt oppressive.

“Dok-bi.”

“Please step back now.”

“…Will you be alright?”

“From here on, this is the realm of gamblers. I understand your feelings, Manager, but please don’t interfere any further.”

“I’ll trust you.”

Kang Cheon-rip stepped back significantly. He sensed from Dok-bi’s words that he was acknowledging Wei Yan-ho, sitting across from him, as an equal opponent.

“Hehe, did you plan the game thinking this far ahead?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m asking if you lost on purpose.”

“Who would do such a crazy thing? I have to win.”

“…Then why did you call the Milky Way Exchange manager?”

“My mother said that men should have deep back pockets. Whether gambling or showing off, having a lot of money never hurts. That’s why I called him, just in case.”

He couldn’t get a read on this guy at all.

Sometimes he seemed very calculating and clever… but then again, he appeared to be a completely hopeless, ignorant, and utterly typical wastrel.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

He was no longer curious about what kind of person Wei Yan-ho was. What he needed to focus on wasn’t Wei Yan-ho’s character, but the single decisive match about to unfold before his eyes.

Dok-bi spoke in a very calm tone.

“Let’s begin.”

“Is it my turn?”

“That’s right.”

“Really?”

Wei Yan-ho pulled his chair closer and sat down.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

Wei Yan-ho didn’t waste time unnecessarily.

Wei Yan-ho grabbed the dice cup and swept up the dice that were lying in a line on the floor.

Swish!

Having swept up the dice in one motion, Wei Yan-ho shook the cup a few times in the air, then immediately threw the dice onto the floor.

Clatter.

The dice that fell to the floor spun around, then began revealing their faces one by one.

“Six!”

Everyone began shouting out the numbers of each stopping die as if on cue.

“Six!”

As two dice showed six, the spectators’ voices grew louder.

“Six!”

Finally three!

“Six!”

And four!

“Six!”

“Ahhhhh! All five are showing six!”

“Quiet! Be quiet! The last die is still spinning!”

The watching spectators all craned their necks forward. The last die slowly coming to a stop entered their vision.

“It’s… it’s stopping!”

“My heart’s pounding too much to watch.”

“If you can’t watch, get out of the way!”

Finally, the die stopped, and the face of the last die revealed itself toward the sky.