Chapter 1018: What Did You Just Say? (Part 3)

上有天堂 下有蘇杭.

In the sky there is heaven, and on earth there is Hangzhou.

Hangzhou is a city that is referred to as "heaven on earth" due to its beautiful scenery. However, the true charm of Hangzhou is revealed after the sun sets beyond the Western Mountains.

The Nightless City.

When the colorful lanterns on every street illuminate the darkness, the splendid night of Hangzhou, where all worldly pleasures come together, begins.

The bustling voices of people filling the streets, the laughter of those gathered around the street vendors, and somewhere in the mix, the sound of a guzheng being played by a geisha and the beautiful singing voice.

That place is Hangzhou.

But the world is never just what meets the eye. The colorful streets of Hangzhou conceal a hidden side, as if the bright world suddenly disappears when entering a small alley that branches off from the main road, making it seem as bright as daylight outside.

A mere few steps away, and it's an entirely different world. Even the strong and formidable people in Hangzhou, and even the palace guards, think twice before entering that place without proper preparations.

The first thing you can see when you enter that alley is a group of people who seem dangerous and are huddled together, smoking something, and whispering.

The bright lights only create darker shadows.

Naturally, the most splendid night street in Hangzhou has a hidden side darker than any other city.

If you venture further into this alley, small doors that would never catch the eye from the outside become visible.

Passing through the guards standing by, once inside the door, you can see a room filled with people, shrouded in thick smoke.

The alley reeks of sweat and has a disturbing heat that makes your skin crawl. Anger, despair, and the cheers of fireworks, all coexist here.

This place is the Hangzhou gambling den.

Among Hangzhou's gambling dens, the most high-stakes one is the center of the Pleasure Garden. [환희원(歡喜院)]

Five men were sitting in the center of the Pleasure Garden.

Thud!

The man who threw a dice and won burst into a triumphant smile.

"I won."

"Damn it."

"It's all being swept away."

The man who extended his hand swept all the silver coins on the table in front of him.

"It seems luck is on my side today."

"...Enjoy it while you can. When you leave, you'll leave empty-handed."

"It's a relief if you can take your neck with you when you leave, isn't it?"

Threatening words were thrown, but the man paid no attention to them. In the gambling den, no one could use violence. That was the principle of the Black Ghost Castle, who operated this Pleasure Garden.

Even the notorious Hwapa gamblers, high-ranking officials who hid their identities, and commoners who dressed up for fun all adhered to this principle.

If anyone violated the principle, they would be chased to the ends of the earth, stripped of their skin, and killed. 

Looking at the countless silver pieces stacked to an extent that he couldn't even fathom cleaning up, the man's lips involuntarily curled into a smile.

These gamblers, swaying around the gambling table, understood the psychology of gambling better than anyone. It means that there are no eternal winners on the gambling table. The silver pieces piled high right now could all disappear from his grasp in a single round.

Despite knowing this, they couldn't forget the pleasure that a single victory brought. That's why they fearlessly wagered everything they had in their possession at this perilous place.

However...

"Ki ki ki."

Once again, a sardonic laughter escaped from the man's lips.

Even in such gambling games, there are moments of guaranteed victory. One such instance is when a wealthy novice, who knows nothing about gambling but has a lot of money, joins the table.

The man glanced up briefly to look at the person seated across from him. The guy appeared obviously out of place with his ominous, crimson-red robe. His long hair, which looked as if it had never been combed properly, was loose and messy, and the lips visible under the hair that covered half of his face were dry, twisted, and cracked.

Despite his eerie appearance, the man did not feel any threat from the person in front of him.

'Stupid brat.'

He was clearly some wandering beggar who had gathered money he had begged from the streets and come here to gamble. He seemed to have some skill, judging by his composed demeanor, but that wouldn't matter much here.

Whether it was a skilled beggar, a renowned master throughout the land, or even just a vagabond playing for fun, no one could cause a commotion in this Pleasure Garden managed by the Black Ghost Castle. That would end with them becoming a cold corpse somewhere in the back alleys of Hangzhou, decaying without anyone knowing. 

No, even if they had no protection from the Black Ghost Castle, it would be the same. The man didn't need anyone's help because he was the third branch leader of the Black Ghost Castle Hangzhou Division, Chae Gyu (蔡揆), also known as the Black-Hearted Hell Logician (黑心閻邏).

"Come on, let's start the next round if you want to recover the money you've lost."

"Tsk."

The men threw five pieces of silver each they had put in front of him onto the center of the round table. Chae Gyu began to collect the cards, which the dealer shuffled, and started dealing the cards.

"Hey, Third Branch Leader."

The person sitting beside him asked hesitantly.

"What do you think the guys upstairs are up to?"

"What?"

"I'm talking about the Yangtze River, the Yangtze River."

Instead of answering, the man put a pipe in his mouth and lit it. White smoke billowed out of his mouth.

"Ryeonjul... No, that Jang Ilso guy is still acting like that. Do you think he'll keep watching?"

"Why are you asking me? What does a regular branch leader like me know?"

"But you might know more than I do."

"Nonsense. Why bring outside matters into a sacred gambling game like this? Stop talking nonsense."

"Tsk."

The man leaned back in his chair with an annoyed expression. The smoke flowing from his tobacco pipe was scattered in a haze.

"Okay, take your cards."

Clack.

Chae Gyu, who divided the cards, turned over one of the goal cards in the center.

"It's a reverse."

The people around the round table exchanged cards. Tension rose subtly during the game. Chae Gyu took a stack of silver pieces that had been placed in front of him and tossed them into the center.

"Ten nyang."

"Damn... that's a high number. I'm dead."

"I'll follow."

At that moment, Chae Gyu's gaze shifted to the beggar sitting across from him. The beggar seemed to ponder his cards for a moment and then pushed all the silver pieces in front of him to the center.

Drurruk.

Greed filled Chae Gyu's eyes as he stared at the stack of silver pieces in the center. The amount wagered here alone might be more than a year's salary for him.

"Okay, let's reveal the cards."

"I have three."

The man to his left nervously revealed his cards with trembling hands. The beggar on the other side slowly turned over his cards.

"Four."

When the beggar's hand reached for the pile of silver coins in the center, Chae Gyu reached out and grabbed his hand.

"...."

"You're in such a hurry."

Chae Gyu lightly poked his remaining tiles with his other hand.

"Five."

Chae Gyu won.

"Haha! I'm sorry about that, Hyung."

Chae Gyu swept all the silver coins in front of him.

"At first, you seemed to be doing quite well."

"That's how gambling is."

"Even so, it's gambling if you win in one round."

The people sitting on both sides spoke sullenly. Chae Gyu quickly rearranged his pairs of tiles and tossed five coins into the center again.

Chak-chak. Chak-chak.

Silver coins flew from the sides, but the beggar in front didn't move his hand.

"...Hey, Hyung, have you run out of money?"

"Then you should get up. There are many people waiting to take your seat."

The beggar's chin moved slightly. It seemed as if the beggar's eyes were visible only under the tangled hair.

After a moment of silence, the beggar slowly reached into his chest. When Chae Gyu saw this, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"This guy?"

It must have been the moment he thought the guy was going to make a commotion.

Chin!

Suddenly, the wad of paper that the beggar had pulled out of his chest fell onto the center of the table.

"...What's this?"

"Looks like a voucher."

"A voucher? It looks so old, like it's been around for decades..."

"What's it worth, in total?"

Confused, Chae Gyu looked at the beggar, whose lips slowly parted.

"Can it be used as gambling funds?"

"...Wait and see."

Chae Gyu sought permission for a moment and then raised his voice.

"Hey, brat!"

Before the word fell, a waiter rat who was busy managing the games here and there rushed toward Chae Gyu.

"What's going on, Boss?"

"Look at that. Can this voucher be exchanged?"

"A voucher? A voucher...?"

The waiter rat quickly examined the voucher on the table, and his narrow eyes flickered briefly.

"It's the Grand Continent Gold Bank's voucher. However, it's been...over a hundred years since its issuance."

"Does it work or not?"

"Of course, it does. But we can't exchange it for full value. We'll have to sell the goods... I'll give you fifty taels."

Chae Gyu gestured to the beggar.

"What do you say?"

The beggar seemed to nod vaguely, as if he didn't care.

Chae Gyu found his reaction strangely sardonic but chose to ignore it.

"Then I will exchange it for silver coins. This seems to be quite a large sum."

"No."

For the first time, the beggar's mouth issued a negative statement.

"Excuse me? Is there a problem...?"

"Let's make it silver ingots."

"Uh, silver ingots?"

The man slowly nodded and then looked up at Chae Gyu.

"Increase the betting amount."

"...With just one silver ingot?"

"Yes."

One silver ingot was worth fifty silver coins. In an instant, this guy had increased the betting amount fiftyfold. Normally, even if he were Chae Gyu, it wouldn't be a game he could easily intervene in.

But now, Chae Gyu's eyes revealed an unmistakable greed.

"It seems like this beggar is up to something. He must have come in here like an easy mark."

This place was where the most daring people from Hangzhou gathered. Preying on a newbie who didn't even know what tiles were was child's play. Gambling based on luck might be risky, but this was a game where luck had no chance of intervening.

"Your temper flares up easily. Fine! I'll change everything I win to silver ingots."

"...The betting amount is getting too large. I don't have enough money."

"I'll lend it to you, but don't think about running away."

"Damn. I'll not only get fleeced to the bone but even my life will be at stake."

His colleagues sitting on both sides joined in with exaggerated reactions, subtly indicating their support. Who would refuse when the opportunity to win such a large sum of money had arisen?

Driven by greed, they leaned in their chairs. Once the betting amount had changed to silver ingots, the eyes of those who had quickly turned gloomy began mixing the tiles.

In this dreadful gambling den, only the beggar with a crimson robe was the only one who continued to observe everyone with an indifferent gaze, as if nothing had changed since the beginning.

In the end, it was a world where despair and joy, fear and ecstasy, all mingled in the chaos of human affairs.