Chapter 10
Guyang, Guizhou Province.
That place was much more prosperous than Jaseong's village.
The Red Light District, in particular, was bustling.
There were easily twice as many courtesans, dressed in splendid attire and soliciting customers, as there were in the Red Light District of Jaseong's village.
Across the street from the Red Light District, there was a row of taverns selling alcohol and food.
Jaseong, who was hungry, was drawn in by the smell of the food and entered a tavern.
When he opened the creaking wooden door, lively sounds and various aromas greeted him.
"Welcome! What would you like?"
An errand boy, wiping sweat from his forehead, approached and asked.
After a moment's thought, Jaseong ordered a dish he had tried a few times before.
"One Dongpo pork."
It was a dish of pork braised to a dark color, topped with stir-fried bok choy.
In truth, it was the favorite dish of his late older brother.
As steam rose from the Dongpo pork, memories of the past suddenly came to Jaseong's mind.
―Honey. Eat up. Jaseong, you eat too.
His foolish eldest brother, who, even as he swallowed hard, would give up his own piece of meat for his pregnant wife and younger brother.
―Young master should eat the most. You're at the age to grow the fastest.
His sister-in-law's warm smile, as she treated him kindly like a real younger brother and shared her food.
Though their life was difficult and poor, Jaseong and his brother's family still managed to eat out at a tavern once every three or four months.
Their pockets were light, so there weren't many dishes they could order, but the sounds of laughter never left them.
Suppressing his emotions as they welled up, Jaseong choked up a little while eating the Dongpo pork, which both his brother and sister-in-law had loved.
But he did not let any tears fall.
'... I can't just keep crying forever.'
Chewing stubbornly on the steaming Dongpo pork, Jaseong recalled the information Hyang-I had given him before coming to Guyang.
―Fierce Sky Faction is a rather popular Dark Path group in Guyang.
―... The Dark Path is popular?
―According to an informant from Guyang, yes. They're a bit rough around the edges, but they don't behave like thugs, treat errand boys and courtesans well, and don't overcharge for protection...
It was a strange thing. Usually, those on the Dark Path drew a lot of resentment from local merchants and commoners.
But based on Hyang-I's information, Fierce Sky Faction felt more like a vigilante group.
―How strong are they?
―If you're thinking of occupying a Dark Path faction as the Lord of the Black Blood Hall suggested, it's best not to consider Fierce Sky Faction.
―Why?
―Fierce Sky Faction's leader is reportedly a formidable master. Even though he's missing his right leg, he once defeated forty enemies in an instant, all by himself.
... He defeated forty enemies in an instant, even without a right leg? Truly remarkable.
―So, rather than Fierce Sky Faction, it's better to target Kaiyang Society instead. Their overall strength is weaker. Of course, I oppose facing any Dark Path group. I can't allow you to take such a dangerous path alone, master.
'... Well, it's not like I'm going to fight Fierce Sky Faction anyway.'
Mumbling to himself, Jaseong left the tavern.
Then, after disguising his identity with the elaborate human-skin mask Hyang-I had given him, he headed for the street where Fierce Sky Faction's gambling den was located.
"Young hero~ Have a cup of wine before you go~"
"Don't hesitate, come over here! Our house has the best liquor."
On the brightly lantern-lit street, courtesans laughed suggestively. Jaseong stopped in front of a signboard that read 'Golden Hall' (黃金場).
It was not the typical tavern; intimidating doormen with fierce expressions stood guard out front.
"This isn't a place for a brat like you."
"Get lost before you get hurt."
The doormen looked Jaseong up and down, menacing him right away.
Since he was a young boy in commoner's clothes, they didn't see him as a customer.
Step, step—
But Jaseong walked up to them without flinching at all.
Even with the ferocious thugs dominating Guyang's pleasure district before him, there was not a trace of fear in his eyes.
'What's with this kid?'
'A brat who doesn't even flinch at our intimidation...?'
Their insides churned with curiosity. Then Jaseong did something that widened their eyes yet again.
Clink—
Jaseong suddenly pulled out a money pouch. Even at a glance, the pouch was stuffed with silver and copper coins.
It contained a year's worth of activity expenses sent down from the higher-ups at Hao Sect, as well as the money he had taken from defeating bandits over the past few weeks.
The amount was hardly what a boy would be carrying around, so the doormen's eyes widened in shock.
"How long are you planning to keep your customer waiting out here?"
"Ahem..."
"Maybe I should go to another gambling hall?"
"N-no, come on in."
With just a few words from Jaseong, the doormen quickly stepped aside.
'Money truly is everything.'
Thus, Jaseong entered Huangjinchang, the gambling den operated by Fierce Sky Faction.
"Welcome to Golden Hall~"
A stunningly beautiful woman greeted Jaseong. Behind her, the heavy smell of liquor filled the air, along with crowds of people immersed in gambling.
Enormous sums of money changed hands over the tables.
'They say this is one of the biggest gambling dens in Guizhou, and I can see why.'
Jaseong glanced around at the various gambling games in Huangjinchang.
Mahjong, dice, dice-poker, cards, and gamblers pitting their fortunes to chance.
"Wow! I won! I really won!"
"Damn it! This is a scam, isn't it?!"
Cheers and shouts of frustration echoed all around. The game that caught Jaseong's eye was 'Shell Game'.
For those unfamiliar: five cups are placed upside down, a bead is hidden under one, and the cups are shuffled. You guess which cup the bead is under.
If you have good eyes, you can track the bead as the cups are moved. If not, you lose.
Strangely, there were no gamblers at the Shell Game table. As Jaseong approached, a middle-aged man offered a warning.
"Hey. It's best not to tackle Shell Game in this den."
"?"
"There's a master with incredible sleight of hand shuffling those cups. In the blink of an eye, the positions change."
"......."
"Maybe you were lucky on the streets, but when someone skilled in martial arts shuffles the cups, even ordinary folks like us can't see it. So..."
But Jaseong didn't care. In fact, the next moment, he did something to shock everyone present.
Thunk!
He bet his entire coin pouch, heavy with silver, on a single round of Shell Game.
"... All that, on the first round?"
To any observer, he looked insane—like someone desperate to lose it all. But whatever the crowd might think, Jaseong remained completely calm.
'If I want to win all the money in this gambling den, I'll have to bet at least this much on the first round.'
* * *
Was he sixteen or seventeen, perhaps?
Watching the boy wager his entire fortune on a single round, the Shell Game table's female dealer, Miryeong, smirked.
Her fine eyebrows arched slightly.
'Judging from his clothes, he's just an ordinary commoner's son, not a noble's young master... To bet that much on one round. Crazy, isn't he.'
Known by the nickname 'Mantis Maiden', Miryeong was a master of the mantis fist and golden-nailed hand techniques.
Before turning to the Dark Path, she had defeated many disciples of great sects.
As a master of such martial arts, she could shuffle the cups fast enough to leave afterimages; even most martial artists would find it hard to track the bead's position.
"Kid. Are you really betting all that money at once?"
Miryeong asked, twisting her red lips.
"No use crying and whining later."
"Just start."
"Heh... Running wild without even knowing who you're up against. Fine, no takesies-backsies. Let's begin."
With a wry smile, Miryeong began to shuffle the five overturned cups.
At first, she didn't go all out. The opponent was just a young kid. Giving it all against a brat wouldn't look good.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Still, the cups moved at incredible speed, leaving no afterimages.
"Alright, which one?"
After mixing the cups, Miryeong asked, a mocking smile on her lips. The boy frowned in apparent concentration.
'Of course. There's no way some brat could win at my Shell Game.'
But just as Miryeong allowed herself a sardonic smile—
"The one farthest to the right."
The boy pointed to the rightmost cup of the three. Miryeong's eyebrow twitched.
The bead was, indeed, under the rightmost cup, just as he'd said.
"... You're a lucky brat."
At this point, Miryeong thought it was pure chance.
On the second round, she increased the speed. If she'd only used thirty percent earlier, now it was seventy percent.
"Well, which one?"
Again, the boy took a moment to deliberate. Then, abruptly—
"The middle."
At his reply, Miryeong's eyes twitched even more violently than before. He was correct again.
"... Is your luck endless?"
"Luck is a type of skill, isn't it?"
At these words, Miryeong began to fume. So on the third round, she went all out.
"Huff!"
Taking a deep breath, Miryeong put her all into shuffling the three cups, so fast her hands seemed to vanish. At the end, a gale seemed to sweep the table.
Soon after—
"Huff... Answer me. Which one?"
With heavy breathing, Miryeong requested the third answer. The boy put on the most thoughtful face yet.
"Hurry up. Which one...?"
"Middle again."
"What?"
"Are you deaf? The middle one."
"......!"
At his repeated correct answer, Miryeong's pupils nearly quaked.
'What... what is this kid? How could this little brat get all my best Shell Game rounds?'
It took first-rate vision to keep up with this level of Shell Game.
Yet this commoner boy was nailing the answers without hesitation, leaving Miryeong utterly dumbfounded.
The secret behind this astonishing feat was, in fact, simple.
Ssshh—
At the start of Shell Game, Jaseong activated the Samadhi Eyes.
In the slowed-down flow of time, he could clearly see Miryeong's hands.
He even sensed the intention overflowing from her mantis fist technique.
Thus, Jaseong kept finding the right answer, and as a result, made an enormous amount of money.
He won ten consecutive rounds of Shell Game,
and amassed an astounding 800 taels of silver.
"He, he's got the luck god on his side!"
"Hey, young hero! Shake my hand once...!"
"Share a little of your luck with me!"
Watching the mountain of money piling up in front of Jaseong, the gamblers reeled in disbelief.
Before long, the entire Golden Hall's gamblers were swarming behind him.
... Damn it. This is bad news. Miryeong looked close to tears.
"Miryeong! What the hell are you doing, losing to that brat!!"
"I-I played seriously! Try it yourself! You won't win either!"
"Do you realize how much he's taking?!"
"Then you do it, you bastard!"
"... The issue isn't Miryeong, it's that kid. He could see through Miryeong's hands, which even we can't beat."
Even the Fierce Sky Faction enforcers in the gambling parlour were in an uproar.
Jaseong smirked as he watched.
'Who knew it could be so easy to make this much money... If not for the aftereffects of the Samadhi Eyes, I could probably win every coin in this den.'
If he delivered this sum to Hyang-I, she'd be so shocked she'd pass out.
Then, she'd immediately recruit some 2nd-rate warriors into the Ansun branch of Hao Sect.
And so Jaseong easily achieved his second Heaven's Mandate: 'Expand Your Influence'.
Now, all that remained was to receive the next stage of the Heaven Evading Way.
Just as Jaseong was smiling with satisfaction, however—
"What's happening here?"
Suddenly, an old man with an extraordinary presence appeared among the restless Fierce Sky Faction enforcers.