Chapter 106: When the Sleeping God of Gambling Awakens

TL: FoodieMonster007

For now, I had the Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman hide in a safehouse used by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's leaders. The system operating it was so secretive and ingenious that I did not worry about her safety.

After she bid farewell to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, she made sure to leave a request about Lee Ahn.

"Please take good care of the bodyguard."

Her emphasis made it clear that her earlier praise for Lee Ahn was not just flattery.

"The bodyguard is supposed to take care of me."

The Thousand Flower Palace Chairwoman smiled at my joke. I felt our connection was just beginning.

After we parted with her, our carriage started racing off somewhere again.

"Smiling Demon, the bastards might try another ambush. Please be careful."

"You should be careful, Second Young Lord."

"Is there any reason I'd be attacked?"

"Now that the person they could kill to piss me off is gone, they might just kill the Second Young Lord instead."

"Would you get pissed off if I died?"

"For the Cult Leader's sake, I'd have to pretend to be pissed off. In fact, it'd be a good thing. The Cult Leader would forgive me no matter what I did."

He spoke jokingly, but he was like lava that could erupt at any moment. Those bastards were trying their best to make that lava explode.

I leaned out the window of the moving carriage. I could see a sheer cliff in the distance, beyond the rapidly passing trees. I had climbed that cliff before, having been to every corner of the Central Plains searching for ingredients for the Great Art.

Back then, I imagined my life after regressing would mostly be martial arts training at the training grounds, yet here I am, passing this place again. It seems my life after regression is even busier.

As I felt the wind and reminisced, I glanced toward the driver's seat.

"You two haven't said a single word to each other, have you? Why don't you talk a little?"

Her telepathy flew to me.

[Please don't. It's already unbearably awkward.]

[So? Are you just going to stay awkward?]

[It's more comfortable to just travel in silence.]

Just then, Green Mask abruptly asked Lee Ahn a question.

"How is the bodyguard job?"

His question surprised both me and Lee Ahn. Of course, he likely asked out of courtesy to me, not genuine curiosity.

"As you can see, he's not an easy person to serve."

Green Mask nodded slightly, as if he agreed.

This time, Lee Ahn asked a question.

"How about you, Green Mask?"

"I'm fine."

If they had been closer, Lee Ahn might have said, 'What does that make me if you answer like that?'

But the awkward conversation ended there.

That was enough. This was a good start. Now that the ice is broken, the day might come when I see the two of them chatting away.

I pulled myself back into the carriage.

"How can the Commander be so meddlesome?"

He brought up the Commander again, even though he knew how I would respond.

"It's not about being meddlesome, it's a matter of personality. I can't stand seeing frustrating situations."

"Is your attempt to remove my mask also because of that frustration?"

"That's probably part of it."

"Second Young Lord. That's all just being meddlesome."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon spoke irritably, then turned his head to look out the window. He was the kind of person who remained impregnable no matter how much I meddled.

I let out a small laugh and looked out the opposite window. The cliff I climbed before my regression grew more distant.

After a long ride, the carriage arrived at a bustling marketplace.

Nearby merchants flinched when three masked martial artists stepped out of the carriage.

Green Mask led the way, and we followed him.

"Second Young Lord, do you have a lot of money?"

"I do. Why?"

"If you have a lot, I'm going to make you squander it at the gambling den."

"If you awaken the sleeping god of gambling, the entire den might go bankrupt."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon laughed as if he found that ridiculous.

A small door at the end of an alley opened into a new world.

The gambling den was large and extravagant. Without exaggeration, it was ten times larger than I had expected. It was far too big, and the space, larger than our Cult's grand training grounds, was filled with countless people.

Hundreds of tables were crowded with gamblers, and slender beauties in revealing clothes moved between them, carrying bottles of liquor.

Everyone was so engrossed in gambling that no one paid any attention to us masked figures. They had no interest in who came or went.

"This is much larger in scale than I thought."

"Shall I tell you something even more surprising? The income from this place is greater than the income from the Thousand Flower Palace."

He had said the Thousand Flower Palace's income surpassed the Trading Company's. Now he claimed this gambling den earned even more than the Thousand Flower Palace.

"The Evil Alliance is desperate to set up a gambling den here to get a piece of the pie, while the Murim Alliance wants to get rid of this place entirely. Those bastards from the orthodox sects curse us for ruining people with gambling, but they just hate that money is flowing to us. So, what are your impressions?"

"Seeing them all crazy for gambling in broad daylight makes me want to beat them all up and knock some sense into them."

"If you do that, from now on, only grass will be served on the Second Young Lord's table."

"It's their own lives, so I shouldn't interfere, right?"

This is the bad thing about that kind of life. They don't get ruined alone.

They borrowed money, stole, and deceived. After tormenting their families and everyone around them, their end was to collapse after holding on until the very last moment.

When the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon made his unannounced visit, the managers rushed out in a hurry. They trembled like aspen leaves that the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had come in person.

As we walked toward their office, we passed one spot where an unusually large crowd had gathered.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon stopped walking, and a manager quickly reported.

"That man is the son of a local dignitary. He sometimes bets large sums like that. His luck must have exploded today, because we keep losing to him."

Indeed, the dealer facing him looked completely overwhelmed by the man's momentum.

"I'll bet everything on high."

The man pushed all the money in front of him into the pot.

The dealer's expression stiffened at the enormous amount of money at stake.

"It's obvious what the outcome will be."

At the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's words, the manager quickly said, "We'll switch the dealer."

"Wait."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon stopped him, then looked at me.

"Would you like to give it a try?"

"Are you going to cut off my arm if I lose the money?"

"Where did all that confidence about bankrupting the gambling den go?"

"Fine, but just one round."

I took the dealer's place. Everyone flinched when a masked man stepped forward, but changing the dealer was the gambling den's prerogative.

I quickly shook the cup containing seven dice.

My skillful hand movements made the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's eyes glint with interest.

TAK.

I set the dice cup down. Once the dice stopped dancing inside, I lifted the cup.

The sum of the dice was narrowly on the low side.

A sigh of despair escaped the man's lips as his winning streak broke. The dealer who had kept losing let out a sigh of relief.

I immediately left the table and walked over to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

"Fortunately, I was lucky."

"Was it luck?"

"If not luck, what else could it be?"

"Perhaps the sleeping god of gambling has awakened."

"That's not it, so you can put the god of gambling back to sleep."

I made him even more curious with an enigmatic smile.

We once again followed the manager's guidance through a passage in a corner of the gambling den.

Several rooms lined the hallway, which seemed to be quarters for the martial artists guarding the den.

We passed through that area, opened a secret door, and entered the manager's office.

The manager brought ledgers to Green Mask. He then explained the gambling den's operations to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, reporting daily visitor counts, earnings, and methods for attracting new customers.

They reported to our Cult every month, but a visit from the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon required a direct explanation.

I watched the scene silently. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon observed my reaction even as he listened to the report.

Honestly, what kind of impression could this process possibly make on me?

Nevertheless, I showed no sign of boredom. I tried to understand his life. I made that effort apparent, as if to say, I am watching your world with such interest.

A considerable amount of time passed during the report and ledger review. He had talked about cutting off arms, but the gambling den was operating smoothly.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon offered a few words of encouragement to the managers.

This was the core of today's events. Just as he had done with the Trading Company owners, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was personally encouraging the managers. He was making them aware that the most terrifying person was watching them. This seemingly insignificant act was the key to keeping his business unshakable.

At least when it came to work, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was better than anyone. Would the Blood Heaven Blade Demon or the Flower Sword Supreme have this kind of meticulousness and diligence? I thought it was unlikely.

I left the office with the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and walked across the gambling den. Lee Ahn and Green Mask followed us, with the managers trailing behind them.

We were walking through the noisy, heated space toward the entrance.

SHWIIIIK! THUNK! CRACK!

The sound of a blade cutting the wind was followed almost simultaneously by the sound of tearing flesh and a heavy thud.

Two people stood on either side of us.

The man on the right had aimed a throwing knife at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's neck, but before the knife could touch him, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's palm strike had already blown away half the man's face.

My sword was embedded in the heart of the man who had rushed in from the left.

The two men's joint attack was truly exquisite.

One assassin had been turning around, cheering about winning money. The other had run over from the opposite side to congratulate him. They had ambushed us, aiming for the exact moment our paths would cross.

The surrounding gamblers all turned to look at us.

However, their gazes soon returned to their games. Two corpses had just appeared right next to them, yet not a single person left. Instead, they urged the dealers to hurry up and roll the dice.

I find them more terrifying than the assassins.

"Are you all right, Young Master?"

At Lee Ahn's concern, I praised her.

"Your skills have really improved a lot."

When the assassin attacked, her sword was almost fully drawn. In the past, she would not have been able to react at all.

"If he had attacked me, I would have died."

"That's not true. The fact that you almost drew your sword from behind means you would have cut him down if you were in my position. Your skills have improved that much."

Lee Ahn still looked like she could not quite believe it.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon, who had been talking with Green Mask, walked over to me.

"I didn't expect them to target even the Second Young Lord."

"They probably didn't know it was me. I was wearing a mask. They must have thought I was just one of the Smiling Demon's subordinates."

Even if they knew about me, they might have still given the order. The masterminds behind this want a war between our Cult and the Evil Alliance. In their reckless operations, would the blood of the Heavenly Demon be an exception?

"The bastards have changed their strategy."

"How so?"

"They intend to move our Cult by killing the Smiling Demon. It doesn't matter if they fail. An enraged Smiling Demon will eventually go on a killing spree. It seems the mastermind intends to use the Smiling Demon's departure from the cult to achieve their goal, no matter what."

I could feel the lava that was the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon begin to boil even more furiously.

The masterminds are clever. If he had come out without me, that lava would have already erupted. The one thing they failed to consider was my existence.

Then Lee Ahn asked cautiously, "If a war breaks out because of this, won't they be in danger too?"

I shook my head.

"That would be true if it were a war of mutual annihilation, but that won't happen. Even if a war breaks out, it will end after a certain level of sacrifice. The losing side will offer massive compensation and agree to a truce. To them, war is also a business."

"They're insane."

"They're extremely selfish bastards. They're the kind of people who wouldn't care about thousands of sacrifices if it means they can seize power."

I spoke to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon again.

"The fact that they're going this far means they don't have much time either. The situation within the Evil Alliance must be urgent."

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon spoke, leaking killing intent.

"They certainly won't have much time left."

It was his will to kill them all. He had already said he would kill the masterminds, and this made it even more certain.

My job is to guide him so he only takes care of the masterminds, without touching the other martial artists of the Evil Alliance. If I can manage that, the successor Bi Sayin and the Evil Alliance will actually be grateful to us.

Just then, one of the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's subordinates delivered an urgent messenger pigeon and left.

After checking it, Green Mask reported quickly, his eyes tense.

"It's an urgent message from the All-Knowing Hall. They say the Smiling Demon's name was posted on the Book of Life and Death."

The Book of Life and Death was a mysterious, secret organization that acted as an intermediary between assassins and clients. They made money by taking a commission, and it was rumored they earned a fortune because of how many grudges existed in the world.

"The bounty is one million taels. They say the Black Death accepted this request. The ones who just attacked were also likely assassins from the Black Death."

"They accepted it knowing it was me? Even if they succeed, the truth will eventually come out and they'll be annihilated by our Cult, won't they?"

I knew why the Black Death had accepted this contract. The Black Death Leader joined hands with the mastermind of this incident. He planned to use this opportunity to quit the assassin business and dissolve his organization. He didn't care if all his subordinates were sacrificed. He had been promised a new identity, an important position in the Evil Alliance, and a huge sum of one million taels.

"Seeing as the assassination has begun, the Black Death's assassins must be spread all over Guizhou."

Despite Green Mask's report, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon looked pleased.

"What should we do? Our Second Young Lord said he dislikes a sea of blood."

"I can swim with a smile in a sea made from the blood of assassins. Let's go."

There was no real need to take Lee Ahn, but I said to her, "You're coming with us, right?"

"I was planning on waiting here and maybe gambling a little."

"That won't do, bodyguard."

"Then I have no choice."

A hint of joy flashed in her eyes. I knew she wanted to go with us. She just could not bring herself to say it, afraid she might be a burden.

I have no intention of raising her in a greenhouse. Real combat makes a martial artist grow the most.

The reason I took her so confidently was not just because I was there.

It was because of the hilt of her sword, polished smooth from arduous training. It was because of the calluses on her palms.

Perhaps worried I might be concerned, Lee Ahn said nonchalantly, "Don't worry about me at all. A heart is supposed to beat on its own, right?"