Chapter 328
After having a blast at the gambling house, I returned to hear some surprising news.
"Yes? You're saying you didn't do it, sir?"
"That's right. I didn't touch it."
"No, then why..."
"How would I know? To be honest, I was surprised too. I told you to lose all your money today, not win, and yet you were gathering a crowd of people, weren't you? I thought you were performing the Formless Heaven Creation."
I waved my two hands and desperately conveyed my denial.
"No. Of course, I could have used it if I wanted to, but I absolutely didn't. I naturally thought you had a plan and were helping me with the Formless Heaven Creation."
"It wasn't me."
"That means..."
"It seems you were just unbelievably lucky. Haha! In my seventy years of life, I've never seen a case like this. Is the Primordial Lord of Heaven really looking after you?"
Maeng Gwang-gae also seems unable to understand this situation.
To think that he, who usually thought of the existence of the Primordial Lord of Heaven with a sour face, would bring up the Primordial Lord of Heaven first.
"Then... what do we do now?"
"What do you mean, what do we do?"
"I thought you had some kind of plan and just went for it without thinking, and I won a huge amount of money today. Doesn't that mess up the whole plan?"
Maeng Gwang-gae shook his head at that.
"There's no need to think like that. Well... you can just lose it starting tomorrow, can't you? Although you were exceptional today, there is such a thing as a beginner's luck in a gambling house. Just because you did well on your first day, there's no guarantee that you'll do that well tomorrow."
"That's... right? I somehow feel like I've found my true calling..."
"Hey! What do you mean, true calling! Even if you use the Formless Heaven Creation, gambling is something where you can't guarantee a 100% win rate. Don't you know that even if you're doing well at gambling now, if you go down the wrong path, all that's left is ruin?"
Although I said it as a joke, Maeng Gwang-gae got genuinely angry.
It seems he is showing such a sensitive reaction because he has seen too many times what happens to people who get addicted to gambling while loitering around gambling houses as a child.
"It was a joke! I know my place. I don't know how it happened, but to be honest, I'm not that happy even if I keep winning money at gambling. And since I know well that my winning is not due to skill but luck, I'm even more confident that I won't get addicted."
"Ahem. Is that so?"
He, embarrassed for getting angry at my joke, cleared his throat, and I, so that he wouldn't feel awkward, continued to speak.
"But what happens if I keep winning money tomorrow too?"
"Then what... the plan will just be faster than expected."
"What plan?"
"The gambling house will probably be quite flustered too. In fact, if you tell a gambler who is on a winning streak and full of momentum like you to go up to a higher level, ten out of ten, a hundred out of a hundred will say 'thank you' and go up. But you refused that offer, didn't you?"
"I did. I naturally thought you were helping me, so I thought I shouldn't go because you wouldn't be able to help me if the distance increased. Besides, you didn't give me any specific instructions about such a situation."
"Yes. You did well. So there's a high probability that you're getting a lot of attention. Because they'll think that a person like you is muddying the waters by playing in the Rabbit Room. Do you know that quite a few people won money because of you yesterday?"
I, after recalling yesterday's situation for a moment, nodded my head.
The many people who cheered every time I guessed heads or tails of a coin or the odd or even of a die.
The reason they were cheering was not simply because I won, but because they had bet on the side I bet on and won money, so they were showing such a reaction.
"So if you win money again tomorrow, the Green Snake might ask to see you directly."
"The Green Snake, you mean the disciple of the Evil Faction Alliance Leader and the owner of this gambling house, right?"
"Yes. That very Green Snake."
"Why would she want to see me?"
"It's obvious. It's to find out what kind of bastard you are. Whether you're a gambler who was kicked out of another gambling house for cheating. Or whether you're winning at gambling by using something like martial arts. Or if you're really a rich young master with heavenly luck. She has to see and judge such things with her own eyes to be able to plan how to deal with you."
He, as if he had completely shaken off his embarrassment, said with shining eyes, "It's better this way. Keep winning as much as you can tomorrow too. And then meet the Green Snake. The plan has changed."
"But as you well know, sir, gambling is not something you can win just because you want to. To be honest, I don't even know how I won today."
"Don't worry about that. I can just watch you tomorrow, can't I? If I see that you're not having the same win rate as today, I'll intervene appropriately."
"Then there's no worry. I understand. Then what should I do when I meet the Green Snake?"
"Wait a minute."
Maeng Gwang-gae, after rummaging through his bundle, handed me a very small bottle.
"What is this?"
"This is something called Manlihyang (Ten Thousand Li Fragrance)."
"Ah! I've heard of it. Isn't that the thing where if you bury it, its fragrance spreads for ten thousand li?"
"Ho-oh. It's one of the sacred treasures of our Beggars' Sect, and you know about it?"
"I saw it in a book somewhere. Haha. Ha..."
I roughly glossed over it.
Because I couldn't say that the Maeng Gwang-gae of my past life had taught me directly.
The Manlihyang is just a transparent liquid, and to a completely unrelated person, it is a colorless and odorless liquid.
But this Manlihyang is made by mixing the internal energy of a specific person when it is made, and when the owner of the internal energy performs a martial art that comes down from the Beggars' Sect, it is said that only the performer can feel the fragrance.
That's why one of the ultimate secrets of the Beggars' Sect's tracking art is this Manlihyang.
"Tsk. There are no secrets in the world. The ancient sages, if they knew something, would somehow leave it in a book to let future generations know of their erudition. Tsk, tsk."
Maeng Gwang-gae, fortunately, didn't doubt my words and let it slide.
"Anyway, since you know about this well, the story will be quick. That is a Manlihyang made with my internal energy. If you succeed in putting even a single drop of it on the Green Snake's body, it's a natural thing to find out where the Green Snake's base is, and furthermore..."
"Ah! We might be able to find out where the Evil Faction Alliance is?!"
"That's right. We'll make the Green Snake feel a threat to her life. The only place the Green Snake, who feels a threat, can go is naturally the Evil Faction Alliance..."
"You're saying we might be able to wipe them out in one fell swoop there."
"Right. That's it."
As I listened, it was a perfect plan that naturally drew admiration.
While I was admiring it inwardly, my master turned his body towards my senior brothers who were quietly listening to our story on one side and opened his mouth.
"Tomorrow, you guys will have to play a proper role each."
"Yes, elder. What should we do?"
"From tomorrow, use the Formless Heaven Creation actively. So your job is to win as much as possible."
"As much as possible... I understand. I will do so."
"You're not even asking for the reason?"
Senior Brother Un Cheol immediately nodded his head.
"Yes. We will just do as the elder tells us. Because we believe that the elder's plan will be much better than my thoughts."
"Haha! You're good with words. But it would be more efficient to do it knowing the reason. The reason you have to win money tomorrow is to distract the Green Snake. Originally, a gambling house is a structure where the gambling house side is bound to make more money. But if you guys keep winning at various places in the workshop, there will be people who win money by following you like Unhwi today, and if that happens, even if it's just the Rabbit Room, they will be very concerned."
Maeng Gwang-gae, turning his head towards me, continued, "And a person who has many things to worry about is more likely to show an opening. Right?"
I nodded my head. I felt like I knew what he was talking about.
It means to put the Manlihyang on her while she is distracted.
"You don't need to put a lot of the Manlihyang. Just one or two drops are enough. If possible, try to put it on her bare skin rather than her clothes. So that you can keep chasing her even if she changes her clothes."
"I understand."
"Then rest well today! I thought we would have to be here for at least a month, but it seems we can go back much sooner than I thought."
He, with a satisfied expression, returned to his room.
We, until just before we went to bed, practiced the Formless Heaven Creation and were only able to fall asleep when we were able to perform it to a satisfactory level.
"The sun is high in the sky, so I can't sleep well."
"But you have to sleep quickly. Because we have to go out again in the evening."
"I understand. Sleep well."
I, unlike my senior brother who said he couldn't sleep, fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.
***
"Welcome!"
"I came because I dreamed of a dragon again today."
"Ah! I'll show you this way!"
The gambling house I came to at night. Today, the waiter greets me.
"Ahem. Please come in. I hope you have good luck today too."
Moreover, the big martial artist who was guarding the entrance also recognized me at a glance and let me in right away.
As I entered the gambling house, people began to stir.
The performance I had shown yesterday was an amazing thing even for me, who didn't know much about gambling houses.
"Ah! You're finally here. I was so worried what I would do if you didn't come today."
At that time, someone approached me, recognizing me, and it was the very man who had tried to give me advice yesterday but ended up sticking to my side and winning quite a lot of money.
Although it was only the second time we had met, he greeted me warmly as if he were a friend he had known for a long time.
"To be honest, I didn't know your name or where you were from yesterday, so there was no way to contact you, was there?"
"Do you really need to know that? If we're fated, we'll meet here again."
"Haha! You know the charm of the gambling house. As you said, it's natural for dozens, hundreds of people to pass by here in a day, but... it's also a skill to be able to recognize the person who will earn me money."
I chuckled. Because it's not common to find such a sociable person.
"So what's your name?"
"My name is Chun-mong."
"Chun-mong?"
"I abandoned my real name a long time ago. Just call me Chun-mong. Haha!"
The reason I asked his name again was not just because his name, which means 'Spring Dream', felt like a joke.
Because I have a memory of hearing the nickname Chun-mong.
Although I had never met him in my past life, he was a martial artist who was famous as a strange person due to his free personality and unpredictable actions.
'Although his appearance is shabby, I heard he has quite strong martial arts...?'
I began to get interested in him.
(End of Chapter)