novelraw Chapter 147 : A Soulful Bluff
Chapter 147 : A Soulful Bluff
Chapter 147: A Soulful Bluff
"Those bastards must’ve cheated! Otherwise, there’s no way I could’ve lost like that!"
A hulking martial artist from the Peng Clan was stomping around the office in a fury.
When he won, it was skill. When he lost, it was cheating. The classic line of a gambler who’d lost everything.
"How can six eyes show up at once?! That even make sense to you?!"
Listing out all the shady tricks he’d suffered at the Man Geum Trading Post’s gambling den, he was breathing heavily, spitting with rage.
Even after all his shouting, his anger hadn’t subsided, so he slammed his hand down on the office desk with a loud thud.
Craack.
The desk, which had already been holding together like patchwork, came crashing down.
The Peng Clan martial artist flinched, pulling his hand back in surprise.
"I-I didn’t mean to do that."
"Doesn’t matter. You’ll have to pay for it."
Sure, Jo Harang had busted that desk a few times already, but it’s always the one who lands the final blow that gets the bill.
"I didn’t even hit it that hard!"
"As expected of a martial artist from the Hebei Peng Clan. Such immense strength. That’ll be three silver coins, please."
I extended my hand like I expected immediate payment.
The Peng Clan martial artist, who had just been roaring a moment ago, suddenly coughed and avoided my gaze.
"I… don’t have any money on me right now…"
"How come? The Hebei Peng Clan’s supposed to be incredibly wealthy."
One of the richest clans in all of Beijing. Naturally, someone from the Peng bloodline would be well-off too.
"That’s because those bastards at Man Geum Trading Post cleaned me out completely!"
He slammed his fist down again onto the already shattered desk debris, venting his frustration all over again.
So he was flat broke. And we didn’t take on requests without payment.
This wasn’t some charitable act that’d earn me good karma, either.
"My sister—Peng Hwayeop—will cover it all."
Peng Hwayeop. Unlike this overgrown child, she was a clear-headed, upright woman who understood the ways of the world and always kept her word.
To the point I still couldn’t understand why she was friends with someone like Tang Yeohye.
"Hmm, if it’s her guarantee…"
I withdrew the hand I’d held out for payment.
I’d just charge her double later when I saw her.
"My sister often talks about you."
"Oh? What did she say?"
I’d caught that lecher from the Southern District, brought justice for her family—surely, she’d said nothing but good things?
It’d be great if she spread word of our exploits and helped our reputation grow.
"She said you’re good at whatever job you take on… and that you like men."
The first part was fair enough, but I couldn’t let the second part slide.
"I like women, thank you very much."
I had clearly explained that last time too, but people always trusted what they saw more than what they heard.
Apparently, Peng Hwayeop still had a rather strange misunderstanding about me.
"Alright, alright. Just let go, will you? That’s creepy."
I let go of the arm I’d grabbed to make my point.
The Peng Clan client recoiled and took a few steps back, shivering.
Now that hurt a little.
"You do kind of… give off that vibe."
Jo Harang, who always looked at me and Ilhong with suspicious eyes, decided to fan the flames of misunderstanding.
Always so helpful, that one.
"……."
Even Ilhong, catching my glance asking for help, looked away.
If anyone shouldn’t be doing this to me, it’s you.
"Anyway, what’s the request? You want us to expose the gambling scam? Or recover the money you lost?"
"No, something more fundamental."
He explained that while the money he’d lost wasn’t insignificant, it was his pride that had taken the real hit.
So what he wanted wasn’t some small-time commission.
"I want you to wreck the Man Geum Trading Post’s gambling den."
Spoken like a true member of the fiery-blooded Hebei Peng Clan.
"Physically?"
"No, then all anyone would say is that a Peng Clan martial artist lost a bet and went on a rampage."
He had a point. If he lost and resorted to brute force, rumors would spread like wildfire about how pathetic that was.
And the martial world is one where honor must be upheld, even to the grave. He could end up shaming his entire clan.
"Any method will do. Expose their scam and ruin them, or find a way to empty their coffers completely!"
He wanted those crooks to suffer the same financial and emotional pain he’d endured.
In short, he wanted us to destroy one of Man Geum Trading Post’s major cash cows—their gambling den.
"……If we pull it off, your sister’s going to be very pleased."
She’d been planning her revenge ever since she learned that Man Geum Trading Post was responsible for her father’s death. I might be doing her a huge favor.
That would count as a good deed, even if I didn’t ask for payment.
"Client, may I have your name?"
I’d decided to accept the request and asked for his name.
"Peng Hogu."
"……You’re joking, right?"
A client with a rather… unfortunate name.
"What’s the problem? Surprised by a name?"
"No, nothing at all……"
It’s just… with a name like that, you were born to lose at gambling.
Still, he was my backer now, so I kept that thought to myself.
"Alright, then, Mister Peng Hogu."
"Just call me Senior Peng. You seem to know my sister, after all."
That worked for me. Calling a client a ‘hogu’ (sucker) to their face felt a bit wrong.
"Yes, Senior Peng. Please, trust us and wait."
No advance payment, but I’d let it slide because I trusted Peng Hwayeop.
The Hebei Peng Clan might even become a long-term client if things worked out.
"Soon, you’ll be hearing some very interesting news about Man Geum Trading Post."
He said I could do it by any means necessary—so it was time to get creative.
Peng Hogu might’ve been an easy mark because of his simplicity, but I wasn’t like that.
"Just like my sister said, you’re full of confidence. Good, I’ll trust you."
He patted my shoulder heartily… then suddenly remembered my ‘preference’ and quickly pulled his hand away.
Now that was a bit hurtful.
***
As the client walked out the door, Ilhong approached me with concern.
"Boss, do you know anything about gambling?"
Of course I knew. Back when I worked as a troubleshooter, I practically lived at Kangwon Land.
That was where debtors or targets of my assignments would often flock, dreaming of striking it rich.
“I know how the games work, how the flow goes.”
Just like people were the same wherever you went, gambling games tended to share a common structure regardless of country.
According to Cheongjin’s memories, they played things like tiles, mahjong, and dice here—so really, not all that different.
“Sometimes I really wonder about your past, Boss. How do you know this stuff at your age?”
“Ahem, a man’s past is not something you question.”
I wiggled my finger at her with a ‘don’t even try’ expression.
Ilhong snorted, amused by how secretive I was being.
“Anyway, the Man Geum Trading Post—are they really running a rigged game?”
“Yes, they are.”
Ilhong nodded confidently.
Apparently, they had skilled hands set up to deliberately fleece rich guests.
That’s why even Rogues’ Guild folks avoided the place altogether.
“So that sucker really got scammed, huh.”
“Exactly.”
I glanced toward the office entrance that Peng Hogu had just exited.
If my previous look had been one of pity, now it was tinged with genuine sympathy.
Whooosh! Thud!
Heavy gusts of air echoed from the clearing in front of the office.
It was the sound of Jo Harang and Peng Hogu clashing. Both of them were bladesmen who used broadswords, so the moment they locked eyes, their competitive spirits flared and they dashed out to spar.
Fools. All they know are fights and martial arts.
“Boss, just so you know, this is the kind of game they usually play at the Man Geum Trading Post’s casino.”
Ilhong handed me three crude dice, seemingly carved hastily from wood.
Each side had a different number of pips carved in. They resembled juryeonggu dice used in ancient Silla times.
“There are six faces on each die. You toss them in a cup, shake it, place your bet, and whoever rolls the highest total wins.”
So, the higher the total, the better. That meant three sixes would be the best hand.
“Simple enough.”
“But Boss, even if you know the rules, what’s the point? They’ve got better sleight-of-hand than us.”
She looked at me, clearly wondering if we could even win against actual cardsharps.
I silently glanced at the flickering red figure beside me.
“Boss, why are you staring into the air? Is something there?”
“There is, actually.”
There floated the palm—able to phase through objects and communicate with me.
‘What are you… staring at?’
Now that it could communicate more fluently, this Slaughtering Intent was becoming more of a punk.
It always gave me strange feelings. For now, it was just a palm, but would it someday gain a wrist? A forearm?
If it grew a mouth, would it start babbling nonstop? Just the thought was a headache.
‘Why don’t you… try using me…?’
The red aura twitched like it was chuckling.
A gambling den was where human malice and greed converged most clearly.
Once you got a taste of it, you could lose yourself completely.
That’s why the Slaughtering Intent was practically waving, eager to be used in a scam.
But I’d seen too many broken people in this line of work to fall into that trap.
“Ilhong, roll the dice for me.”
Ilhong pulled out two cups, placed the dice inside, and gave them a few shakes before setting them down.
“Think you can guess what’s inside?”
“Who knows?”
I tilted my head and looked at the Slaughtering Intent.
It smoothly floated between the two dice cups, then held up fingers to show me the numbers.
One hand opened all five fingers, then raised an index finger again—must’ve seen a six.
“Four, four, six. That it?”
Ilhong tilted her head and opened one of the cups to check.
Her eyes went wide.
“Whoa, you’re right. How did you guess that?”
She’d seen me do plenty of strange things, but even she looked genuinely shocked this time.
“I cast a spell.”
“Come again?”
“Asurabalbalta.”
Geum Hwangdo, Geum Yado, those Man Geum bastards… they’d walked right into this one.
“Ilhong, we might actually get rich off this.”
The Slaughtering Intent twitched like a snake flicking its tongue—ready to pounce.
Hmm, on second thought, maybe it’s better not to aim for instant riches using this guy.
But at the very least, I’d found a way to hit my client’s enemies where it hurt.
At the outskirts of the Man Geum Trading Post stood a massive, imposing three-story wooden building.
It was a gambling den, filled with people drinking loudly, playing tile games, and placing bets.
A place where people’s joy and despair mixed into one. In the corner, a middle-aged man with a goat-beard quietly flipped through a ledger.
“Peng Hogu, was it? He coughed up a nice haul.”
Fleecing a martial artist from the Hebei Peng Clan—that was something.
He tugged at the tip of his beard with pride.
Watching Peng Hogu storm out, too concerned with his reputation to flip the table despite his rage—now that had been entertaining.
He’d screamed about cheating, but never proved it, and left only to be mocked.
Simpletons were always easy to handle.
“Another sucker incoming.”
The goat-bearded steward sneered as he saw a well-dressed youth enter the gambling den, wearing a hero’s headband.
One glance, and he pegged him as a naive young master from a wealthy Beijing family.
Those were the easiest to fleece. Thinking this, the steward lazily flipped through the ledger, counting numbers.
But then—
“Ooooh!”
“That young guy’s on fire!”
“That’s already his fifth win!”
The sudden shouts of excitement snapped the steward’s eyes open.
He looked up—and saw the youth swaggering away with a large pile of winnings.
“I’ll be taking this then. Like a gentleman.”
The steward’s eyes narrowed like a goat’s.
Something unusual was happening.