Chapter 242 : Gambling (2)
Chapter 242: Gambling (2)
About a month ago, Peng Ji-gwang, the third son of the Hebei Peng Family, visited Shandong under the guise of the clan’s official business.
He tagged along with the family elders while citing reasons like diplomatic relations or wanting to learn a thing or two, but everyone knew what he was really after.
He was there for Hwangbo Sehui, one of the Five Flowers of Murim.
After catching a brief glimpse of her a year ago, he instantly fell head over heels for her and used this diplomatic visit as an excuse to see her again.
During the welcoming dinner where the elders and direct descendants from both families gathered around the table, the older generation launched into their usual nostalgic rambling about the good old days in the martial world.
That's when the usually quiet Hwangbo Sehui murmured to herself, "I'd want to wander through the martial world myself someday."
Peng Ji-gwang had been paying little heed to the elders' conversation and focusing entirely on stealing glances at Hwangbo Sehui and did not miss her murmur.
"Hahaha! Why not? As the old sages say, walking a thousand miles is better than reading a thousand books. Everyone should travel the world at least once!"
He was just about to add, "And I'd be happy to take you," when one of his elders shot him a warning via voice transmission, thus shutting him up at once.
He hadn't said anything explicitly rude, but his intention was so obvious that an awkward silence fell over the table.
Finally, a woman supported his idea to break the tension. "That’s actually not a bad idea, Young Master Peng. I’ve been meaning to go wander the martial world myself. Maybe I should take Sehui with me to see the world outside together.”
The speaker was none other than Hwangbo Yeon.
She is the eldest daughter of the Hwangbo Family and one of the Seven Dragons and Two Phoenixes. This up-and-rising group is also called the Nine Stars, and her title is the Fist Phoenix. But unlike the delicate Sehui, Hwangbo Yeon is built like a tank.
Standing over six feet tall despite being a woman, her physique is more imposing than most of the martial artists of her peers.
It wasn't that Hwangbo Yeon and Seohui were half-sisters or whatever. Simply put, Hwangbo Yeon took more after their father, while Hwangbo Sehui had inherited almost entirely from their mother's side.
Hwangbo Yeon had stepped in for her little sister's sake. She could see Peng Ji-gwang was making Sehui uncomfortable, and honestly, she felt bad for her sister, who'd barely set foot outside the family estate, let alone traveled the martial world.
And so, the three of them—Hwangbo Yeon, Hwangbo Sehui, and Peng Ji-gwang, who threw a fit until they let him tag along—began their martial arts journey together.
They started at Shaolin in Henan, then moved on to Wudang and the Zhuge Family in Hubei, before visiting the Mount Hua Sect and Zhongnan Sect in Shaanxi.
They toured famous mountains and rivers across various provinces and visited prestigious families and sects to engage in friendly sparring. Along the way, other rising stars of the martial world joined their party, and before long, their group had grown to six.
At first, they had bodyguards with them, but as their group got bigger, the young masters decided to ditch their family-assigned guards and travel alone. They were supposed to head to Sichuan after leaving Shaanxi, but they heard some interesting rumors on the way.
"I hear Mount Kongtong and the nearby Pingliang County have attractions you won't find anywhere else."
Intrigued, they altered their route toward Mount Kongtong. They spent a day hiking Kongtong Mountain and then headed into Pingliang County the following day.
They’d heard about this place called the "Hall of Arts," so they went straight there to catch a "theatrical duel."
As two warriors exchanged flashy moves on stage, the veiled Hwanbo Sehui giggled like a child and murmured, "Wow, this is way more fun than I thought it would be."
That single comment from her was enough to completely twist Peng Ji-gwang's mood.
He was already salty because he’d barely been able to talk to Hwangbo Sehui for the last month thanks to Hwangbo Yeon acting as a human shield.
They'd been traveling together for a month now, but thanks to Hwangbo Yeon's constant interference, he'd barely managed to exchange more than a few words with Sehui. His patience was already worn thin.
‘I will show her that I am far superior to these clowns performing a fake duel!’
Thinking this was his chance to impress her, Peng Ji-gwang suddenly launched himself onto the stage using his lightness skill.
He moved so fast that no one could stop him.
A young Taoist with a yin-yang symbol embroidered in his robes looked at Hwangbo Yeon with concern.
"Miss Hwangbo, are you sure we shouldn't stop him?"
The speaker is none other than Wudang’s Sword Dragon, Taoist Un-baek.
Hwangbo Yeon simply shrugged with an indifferent expression.
"Isn't it a little late for that? Besides, Young Master Peng needs to get himself into a difficult situation at least once. That might teach him some restraint."
Her response drew surprised looks from the rest of their group excluding Un-baek.
"Wait, are you saying those actors are stronger than Young Master Peng?" Zhuge Eun-young asked.
Hwangbo Yeon nodded with the same indifferent expression.
Taoist Un-baek, who had also noticed this fact, pressed the issue.
"That’s exactly why I’m asking, Miss Hwangbo. If Young Master Peng gets injured during the match, I fear the aftermath would become complicated.”
Hearing that, Hwangbo Yeon let out a deep sigh of exhaustion.
***
Meanwhile, Il-mok was watching Peng Ji-gwang making a scene. He noticed that the warriors on the stage looked troubled.
So much for being incognito.
He sighed and projected his voice to the actor on stage.
It was a pretty long distance, but for a master like Il-mok, it was easy.
—Don't reveal your Demonic Arts. Just use some basic techniques to subdue him.
The actor flinched after hearing Il-mok’s voice in his head, but quickly regained his composure and spoke to Peng Ji-gwang.
"Well then, how about a match with me, Young Warrior Peng?"
"Hahaha! I guess even a guy like you has some pride."
The cultist from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult just scoffed internally at the clown’s arrogance.
The match that followed went nothing like Peng Ji-gwang expected.
Unlike the flashy, exaggerated movements he'd displayed during the exhibition match, the warrior now pressed Peng Ji-gwang with concise, fundamentally sound techniques.
While the actor had done so to conceal his true martial arts, it’s also because the gap in skill and real combat experience between them was just too vast.
"Yeeaahh! Get him!"
To make things worse, the entire crowd started cheering for the actor, causing Peng Ji-gwang's face to flush bright red.
"Grrrrr!"
After being pushed back for a while, Peng Ji-gwang let out a frustrated roar and channeled his qi and unleashed the first technique of the Peng Family’s Five Tigers Gate Destroying Saber—Fierce Tiger Emerges.
The qi that started from his lower abdomen rushed through his meridians and gathered in his saber, manifesting as a hazy tiger-shaped Saber Qi.
Peng Ji-gwang wasn't exactly a Peak Realm martial artist. He was simply compensating for his lack of enlightenment with the power of the Five Tigers Gate Destroying Saber itself.
By the Central Plains' standards, he'd be considered at the Upper First-Rate level.
However.
Swish!
The actor dodged Peng Ji-gwang's Saber Qi with minimal movements and instantly closed the distance and swung his sword.
Slash!
Peng Ji-gwang's saber was cut apart with almost insulting ease. The actor’s sword was rippling with Sword Qi, and unlike Peng Ji-gwang’s Saber Qi, this was a real Sword Qi from a Peak Realm master.
The actor cut the weapon and pointed his sword right at Peng Ji-gwang's throat and cheers erupted from all directions.
"Waaaah!"
Thanks to crashing the fight and acting like a total jerk, Peng Ji-gwang had somehow become the villain of the story.
Not only had he been defeated in front of his crush, but he'd also earned everyone's ridicule. Peng Ji-gwang's face turned red as if it might explode.
Just as Peng Ji-gwang seemed about to have a meltdown—
Pat.
Someone else leaped onto the stage.
"I am Hwangbo Yeon of the Hwangbo Family. On behalf of my acquaintance, I apologize to the two seniors who were sparring, as well as to everyone present."
Having said this, Hwangbo Yeon clasped her fist in salute toward each of the four directions.
Il-mok scratched his chin as he watched.
‘At least she has some manners. Would've been nice if she stepped in before the idiot started a riot, though. Hwangbo Yeon, huh… why does that ring a bell?'
Since she was practically a celebrity, people behind him started whispering immediately.
"Hwangbo Yeon? You mean the one from the Seven Dragons and Two Phoenixes?"
"Doesn't she look the part? When you talk about the Fist Phoenix Hwangbo Yeon, that unfeminine physique of hers is pretty famous."
Only after realizing who he was dealing with did Il-mok let out a quiet sound of admiration.
'Seven Dragons and Two Phoenixes, huh? I wonder if the rest are this good.'
She felt like she was well into the Peak Realm, not just barely scratching the surface.
Of course, the Demonic Cult had plenty of experts at that level scattered throughout their territory, but this was different.
Demonic Arts allowed for rapid growth, but more than half of those who practiced them either died from mental disorders or went insane. As a result, progress became drastically slower the higher one climbed.
Orthodox martial arts, on the other hand, were slower but safer.
For her to be this strong already using the slow-and-steady method meant she was going to be a monster later on.
While Il-mok reflected on these promising young martial artists from the orthodox sects—
While Il-mok was analyzing the power levels of the Orthodox elites, Hwangbo Yeon turned to look at Peng Ji-gwang.
"Young Master Peng, shall we return now? Everyone is waiting for us."
"......"
Peng Ji-gwang was still angry, but he couldn't bring himself to argue with her words.
Not only was she stronger than him, but he didn't want to add "getting beaten by a woman in front of all these people" to his list of humiliations for the day.
"Hmph. Fine. Out of respect for the Fist Phoenix, I'll let it slide this time."
Trying to salvage some face with these words, Peng Ji-gwang followed Hwangbo Yeon off the stage.
Il-mok watched them head toward a group of young people in the audience, then lost interest. It looked like the whole group was leaving, probably too embarrassed to stay thanks to that embarrassing brat.
'Whatever. As long as they don't keep acting like idiots in Pingliang County, I probably won't see them again.'
In the middle of all that chaos, the commentator stepped up to the stage to do some damage control.
"Folks, since that little interruption has spoiled the mood, we're going to reschedule this match! Instead, we'll move right along to the next fight on the card!"
Following the experienced commentator's lead, the two warriors exited the stage, and murmuring arose from the back of the crowd again.
Most of it was about the warriors who would appear in the next match or gossip about the group that had just interrupted, but one particular conversation caught Il-mok's attention.
"Hey, since the fight has no conclusion, what happens to the money we bet?"
"You don't think they'll call it a draw, do you? 'Draw' wasn't even an option on the betting slip!"
The corner of Il-mok's mouth twisted subtly.
‘Thanks to that crazy bastard causing a scene, I found the trail way faster than I expected.'
Talk about a blessing in disguise.
***
Once the show was over, Il-mok waited for the crowd to thin out before following the guys who were talking about gambling.
His companions had also scattered, with each tailing different suspicious individuals. It was too risky to have everyone chase one guy, so they divided the risk.
The streets were alive with music and poetry, but the guys Il-mok was following didn't care about any of that. They headed straight for the sketchy part of town.
They ended up at an old house on the outskirts. It was an abandoned place where no one lived since the Ghost Valley Master had killed the owner.
Il-mok crept closer, thinking it might be their hideout, but he didn't sense many people inside.
"I got everything right except the first match!"
"Don't tell me you're going to claim the first match was a draw?"
"Hahaha. Relax, gentlemen. Do you really think I'd do that to you?"
Moving closer, Il-mok concluded this wasn't their main base but just some meeting point of sorts.
‘These bastards are pretty organized.’
Understanding the situation, Il-mok deployed his stealth techniques and waited for their deal to finish.
"Since this match was voided, we'll just count it as a win for you. Hahaha! You made money this time, so how about betting bigger next round? The more you bet, the more you win!"
The gambling operator was quite skilled at tempting people.
The easiest way to get someone addicted to gambling was to let them win at first. The men couldn't resist the bait; they put all their money back in and walked out of the house with eyes green from greed.
Shortly after, the gambling operator also left the building and headed somewhere.
As if prepared for potential pursuit, the man wandered around Pingliang County in circles, poking around here and there and only after about an hour did he finally enter a certain estate.
Il-mok watched the place for a second, then turned his head. Dam Bin and Jin Hayeon had just arrived, having followed their own targets to the exact same spot.
—Have you been waiting for long, Young Master?
—This seems to be their main base, Young Master.
Il-mok nodded in agreement with their voice transmissions and pulled a mask from inside his robe.
"Now then, time to clean up the trash."