Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

Chapter 20 – The Rightful Owner of Elixir (3)

I immediately rented a horse and rode to Jinan.

After living a life where everything was resolved with a single command, actively moving like this brings a new vitality. There’s certainly power in change for people. I’m also freshly aware that change is connected to hope.

As soon as I arrived, I went around the gambling houses.

But I couldn’t find Gwak Dosu there. Of course, I fully considered the possibility that he might be wearing a mask or in disguise like me.

I didn’t need to find him by face. I could just focus on gamblers with martial arts skills.

However, the gambling houses were full of insignificant gamblers. First of all, the stakes weren’t very high. If Gwak Dosu was obsessed with gambling as Gong Jong said, he wouldn’t be satisfied with such small games.

‘Did Gong Jong deceive me?’

What if he sent me here and then contacted Gwak Dosu to run away?

But that possibility was slim. The Gong Jong I saw wasn’t the type to sacrifice himself for someone else. He wouldn’t choose a life of being chased by the Heavenly Blade Sect forever just to save Gwak Dosu.

‘Then he must be somewhere around here.’

Given the large bounty on him, he’d be cautious.

Then a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘Could it be? Does that exist here?’

With Gal Saryang giving daily briefings, I heard all sorts of things happening across the Central Plains. One thing came to mind related to gambling.

Secret gambling houses.

Literally unauthorized gambling houses, commonly called “hidden houses.”

Licensed gambling houses are strictly managed by the Martial Righteous Alliance. They impose heavy taxes and place various restrictions to prevent people from becoming addicted to gambling and ruining themselves. The limit on betting amounts is one of these.

As a result, these hidden houses emerged.

Despite strengthening crackdowns every year, they were never completely eradicated.

‘I should check it out.’

To verify, I went to the largest inn in the area.

There’s a group of people who know the most information in the martial world.

From professional information brokers to merchants wandering the Central Plains, hunters, vagabonds, and one more type we can easily encounter – the inn servants.

They hear all sorts of stories being discussed at the inns. After all, inns were the source of all rumors circulating in the martial world.

I took a seat at the inn and asked the young servant who came to take my order who the longest-serving servant here was. The young servant pointed out a man.

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I called him over. Indeed, he looked quite old and had shrewd eyes that seemed to have seen it all.

The easiest way to loosen their tongues is money.

I placed ten nyang on my palm.

The servant was startled when he saw it. Guests usually tipped servants one or two coins for their service. And there were far more guests who didn’t tip than those who did.

“This money is yours if you answer just one question I ask.”

Ten nyang, a stroke of luck that might come once in a few years, made the man’s eyes waver.

“Ask me anything.”

“I’d like to play some cards.”

“There are several gambling houses, but…”

“I prefer quieter places.”

The man’s eyes lit up for a moment. Being quick-witted, he seemed to understand my meaning at once.

Yes, if he’s been a servant in one area for over ten years, he’d surely know. But it’s the kind of information that could get him in trouble if he spoke carelessly.

He looked back and forth between me and the money on my palm for a while. Finally, having made up his mind, he lowered his voice and said,

“There is a place for those who want somewhere quiet, but…”

“Where is it?”

I put the money in the servant’s hand without hesitation.

Usually in such cases, you give the money after getting the answer. But I gave the money first.

This choice was certainly effective.

The servant lowered his voice and said,

“About ten ri west of here, there’s a place called Wind-Tooth Den.”

“Thank you.”

“But you can’t just enter. You need an introduction from someone trustworthy.”

As I stood up, I said,

“Don’t worry about that part.”

***

The person who opened the main gate of Wind-Tooth Den was an old man with a pleasant face.

“What brings you here?”

I answered nonchalantly.

“What else would I come for? I’m here to play.”

The old man looked me up and down.

“I don’t recognize your face.”

“I came on Master Gwak’s recommendation.”

“Which Master Gwak?”

I lightly traced one cheek with my hand. I was imitating the scar shape drawn on Gwak Dosu’s face sketch. If the old man didn’t catch my gesture, it would mean Gwak wasn’t here, or he was certainly operating with a human skin mask. In that case, I could confirm by saying the name again.

Anyway, if Gwak Dosu was here, his name would surely work.

Indeed, the old man smiled and let down his guard.

“Follow me.”

He guided me to the backyard behind the building. Along the way, he gave a few warnings. Though he put it nicely, it basically meant I’d die if I caused trouble.

There was a fairly large building in the backyard.

The surrounding walls were extremely high. I could sense the presence of martial artists hiding among the trees planted here and there. If my inner energy was fully recovered, I could have determined not only their martial arts levels but also whether they were yawning, squatting, or standing, but now I could only vaguely sense their positions.

While I pretended not to notice and just followed the old man, I was thinking about escape routes for later. Which one to subdue and which way to escape that would be the quickest.

There were two martial artists at the entrance. They seemed quite skilled. One of them held out his hand.

“Hand over anything that could be used as a weapon.”

I handed him the sword I was wearing. I had left my real sword behind and brought a cheap iron sword, so I didn’t mind handing it over.

The other man thoroughly searched my body. I could tell he was also checking my martial arts level while examining my body. He finished the check casually.

That reaction is exactly how outsiders perceive my current skill level. My body wasn’t fully developed yet, and my inner energy was only at five years. There are some conveniences to this, actually.

The martial artist opened the door and said,

“Walk straight this way.”

I walked down a gloomy, narrow corridor. I thought that if these people decided to, it would be easy to kill someone here. With mediocre martial arts and having handed over weapons, if someone were ambushed while walking in a place like this, they’d have no choice but to die.

There was a door at the end of the corridor. Again, two quite skilled martial artists were guarding it. Since large sums of money were likely changing hands here, they seemed to employ many skilled individuals.

I could sense their confidence from their martial prowess, which was why they didn’t use more thorough entry control methods like introduction letters or tokens. I also thought there might be some collusion with the local Martial Righteous Alliance branch leader.

When they opened the door, inside was a large hall.

Unlike the gloomy corridor, the interior was bright and luxurious. Shapely women were serving drinks here and there, and musicians were performing on one side. It felt like entering a different world through just one door.

Large tables were arranged throughout. There were over twenty of them. At each table, anywhere from three or four to twenty people were engrossed in gambling.

The atmosphere was completely different from the regular gambling houses I had seen earlier.

The people here looked wealthier, wearing more expensive clothes than those in the regular gambling houses.

But they were also much more addicted to gambling. People who couldn’t get their fix from regular gambling houses.

That’s why here, bets start at ten times the amount of regular gambling houses and can go up to infinity. It’s a place where you can experience the thrill of going between heaven and hell in a single game.

First, I slowly looked around the place. I noted the arrangement of tables, where the exits were, and where the restrooms were. After familiarizing myself with the layout, I started looking for Gwak Dosu.

I recognized Gwak Dosu at a glance. Though he had grown his hair long and had a bushy beard, it was definitely him.

Fearlessly, he was gambling with his face exposed. He wasn’t hiding the distinctive scar on his cheek.

‘Look at this guy. He’s completely lost his fear.’

But soon I could understand why.

There were hidden house martial artists scattered throughout the hall. There were about ten of them, with five concentrated around Gwak Dosu.

At first, I thought they might be monitoring him, but watching a bit longer, I realized they were protecting him.

This bastard, did he set up his own gambling house?

Thinking about it again, that didn’t seem to be the case. If he had set up a gambling house, Gong Jong would have known.

He probably had some close relationship with the owner of this place. Maybe he agreed to manage this hidden house, or perhaps he killed someone for them. That’s why he could act so boldly, as if it were his own place.

Now, what to do?

For now, killing him didn’t seem difficult. If I attacked suddenly while he was engrossed in gambling, I could kill him with a single strike. Then cut down those who try to stop me and escape?

It’s not an impossible method, but there was the variable of an unexpected expert popping up. Moreover, if a big fight broke out, servants or musicians could get hurt.

For now, I decided to keep this as a last resort and look for a way to resolve this as quietly as possible and leave.

Just then, a seat became available at the table where Gwak Dosu was sitting.

A man stood up, lamenting about his terrible luck today.

Looking at him, I thought.

The lucky person at a gambling table isn’t the one with good cards. It’s the one who knows when to get up and leave.

Anyway, I didn’t hesitate to take the seat he had vacated.

I didn’t try to hide my presence.

Rather, I judged that being noisy and conspicuous would arouse less suspicion.

As soon as I sat down, I immediately took out my stake money and piled it high on the table.

“I’ve bet my life. No one’s leaving until someone dies today.”

My manner of speaking made me look exactly like a sucker who came to lose money, so Gwak Dosu, sitting across from me, grinned. The scar on his cheek twisted as he smiled.

“What if you die?”

The other gamblers at the table snickered.

I snorted, as if not to be intimidated, and said loudly,

“Hmph! We’ll see whose luck runs out first. Come on, deal the cards!”