CHAPTER 386: YO YEON-BI, ONE GRAB THOUSAND GOLD MANOR (2)

“Come here!”

Having already opened the main gate and entered, Yo Yeon-bi spread both arms wide and shouted so.

Upon opening the gate, what appeared was a beautifully decorated garden.

Soft grass was laid out like silk, and there was a pond where carp as thick as forearms swam.

Passing through the small garden, there was a towering pavilion.

The clinking of gold and hearty laughter could be heard all the way to the garden.

Whether in war or not, fortunate people existed even here.

The servants sweeping were wide-eyed at Yo Yeon-bi’s appearance.

“What are you doing! Open the door.”

“Yes!”

One of the sweeping servants opened the pavilion door.

Yo Yeon-bi grinned at Yi-gang as if to say, “Did you see that?”

Yi-gang gave a faint smile and entered the pavilion with Yo Yeon-bi.

The interior was completely different from the taverns of the Central Plains.

Not only the group but even Yi-gang opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“Hehehe, is there no place like this in the Central Plains?”

“…That’s right, to be honest, it’s surprising.”

“Even in Sky Shattering Island, there is no place this splendid, except for the pavilions of Sangsan.”

The pavilions of Sangsan refer to the buildings of the Demon Cult’s main headquarters on the central peak of Sky Shattering Island.

Regardless of how that place was, One Grab Thousand Gold Manor was certainly extravagantly splendid.

Red carpets were laid on the floor.

And somehow the texture was soft and fluffy, as if walking on clouds.

“They say these items were brought from Parsa Country1.”

Indeed, it was exotic.

Translucent cloths fluttered in the air, and sweet-smelling incense candles burned.

Unlike the inns of the Central Plains where people gather around tables to drink, here everyone lay or leaned on soft chairs.

“Let’s find a seat too.”

Yo Yeon-bi chuckled mischievously.

The courtesans working at One Grab Thousand Gold Manor rushed over to Yo Yeon-bi.

“Young Master Yo!”

“You came back so soon!”

Seeing the courtesans, Go Yo-ja coughed harshly.

Their attire was also different from ordinary courtesans.

Wide, long pants contrasted with very short tops.

In other words, they wore clothes exposing their navels.

They looked more like dancers from the Western Regions than courtesans.

They grabbed both of Yo Yeon-bi’s arms and welcomed him.

“Hahaha! I told you I’d be back soon!”

Yo Yeon-bi laughed heartily.

As they caused a commotion, other courtesans also gathered around the group one by one.

Go Yo-ja made a sound more like coughing up blood than a simple cough.

“Kheh heh heh hem!”

To the Taoist Go Yo-ja, the navel-exposing attire was utterly shameless.

The courtesan holding Go Yo-ja’s arm giggled at his expression.

“How innocent you are.”

Beside Dam Hyun, a courtesan with unusually long hair approached.

“Young Master, why do you have such a scary expression?”

“Shut up.”

“What? Oh my, how cold.”

“Don’t come close.”

“Why? Why?”

“Hah! If you come close, I’ll hit you.”

What a scary man.“

The courtesan burst out laughing, “Ahaha!”

Yi-gang sighed upon seeing that.

“If you come close, I’ll hit you.” What a ridiculous thing to say.

Dam Hyun was clearly flustered by the courtesans’ approach as well.

“Wow…”

A woman also approached beside Yi-gang.

She sprayed so much perfume that the scent, neither floral nor powdery, was dizzying.

“Young Master, you are incredibly handsome.”

Yi-gang did not answer but glanced at the courtesan.

The courtesan locked eyes with him like a staring contest, then finally looked away first.

“Why, why are you staring so intently?”

“Hehe, aren’t they all cute?”

Yo Yeon-bi tried to follow where the courtesans led.

First, sitting on soft chairs, eating and drinking whatever was given, and getting drunk enough to lose consciousness was Yo Yeon-bi’s main routine.

This One Grab Thousand Gold Manor was a red mansion (紅樓)2, not a blue mansion(靑樓)[TL/N: 靑樓: brothel].

The courtesans served drinks and occasionally lent money, but that was all.

Yo Yeon-bi was actually naive and never hoped for anything more.

“Everyone is kind, so I like this place.”

What he liked was their hospitality.

Returning home, all that greeted him were cold stares.

At least the courtesans called Yo Yeon-bi “Young Master” and welcomed him.

Therefore, Yo Yeon-bi liked to spend time here as much as gambling.

“Wait.”

But Yi-gang stopped Yo Yeon-bi.

“Instead of drinking and playing, why don’t we go to the gambling hall? Didn’t we agree on that?”

Yi-gang had no intention of fooling around with courtesans in a place like this. None at all.

He needed to quickly go underground and check the passage.

“No, is there really a need to rush… Let’s play a bit more.”

Yo Yeon-bi looked quite reluctant.

Only his father could stop him.

Just as Yo Yeon-bi ignored Yi-gang’s words and tried to sit down.

Yi-gang sighed lightly and said.

“Yeon-bi, don’t be like that, let’s go downstairs and play a round.”

“…Huh?”

Yo Yeon-bi flinched and stiffened.

The courtesans, who needed to increase sales to make money, grabbed Yo Yeon-bi’s fingers and pulled him.

Thinking Yo Yeon-bi wouldn’t listen obediently to another young man’s words.

“What did you say?”

“I said let’s go downstairs and play a round.”

“No, not that… Hmm, yeah. That’s right.”

Yo Yeon-bi shook off the courtesan’s hand.

The courtesan was surprised, and he said with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Tch, since my friend said so, I can’t help it. I’ll come back to play later.”

He hesitated but followed Yi-gang.

Why did he suddenly change his attitude and obediently listen?

The courtesans watched Yo Yeon-bi leave with puzzled faces.

They had no idea it was the first time Yo Yeon-bi was called “Yeon-bi” by a peer.

They also didn’t know that the informal address brought both awkwardness and shy joy.

“Who are those wandering martial artists?”

“Do they know who Young Master Yo is?”

“I don’t think they know.”

The courtesans thought Yo Yeon-bi was an easy mark but didn’t dislike him.

At least he never laid a hand on them and spent a lot of money.

Of course, him being the son of one of Sky Shattering Island’s top powers was also important.

Regardless of that background, they entered the underground gambling hall.

“How much will he lose this time?”

“Right, it would be better if he spent it on us instead.”

As always, Yo Yeon-bi’s funds would be drained in no time.

The underground gambling hall was always like that.

To go down to the gambling hall underground, they had to pass the gatekeeper once more.

Yo Yeon-bi did not kick him like the previous gatekeeper.

Even if he tried, he probably couldn’t have.

Because he clearly looked like a first-rate warrior.

Yo Yeon-bi showed with an irritable expression that he had money.

Yi-gang and the group went down the stairs with Yo Yeon-bi.

Meanwhile, Yi-gang reviewed the plan in his mind.

“If we judge the passage usable, we will infiltrate through it.”

The passage connects to the Ten Thousand Demon Hall.

The Ten Thousand Demon Hall is a large mountain-top building visible even from here.

It was the core of the Demon Cult’s main headquarters, connected to the Cult Leader Hall, True Demon Palace, High Spirit Palace, and Four Heaven Palace.

Yi-gang had the chance to interrogate the Rectification Gang warriors.

The interrogation revealed that the head of High Spirit Palace led the kidnapping of Ha-jun and the prodigies of Kunlun.

The Demon Surge Thousand Resolves Division was also one of High Spirit Palace’s main armed groups.

“Since they said that they are imprisoned in High Spirit Palace, I’ll head there…”

Infiltrating the Demon Cult’s main headquarters to rescue people was extremely difficult.

But the group added one more objective.

They had to split up and find the fragments of the Heavenly Demon’s soul.

It seemed impossible to find such small fragments in that vast place, but there was a method.

「Zhao Guang will track it for you.」

They had the Heavenly Demon Plaque inhabited by the Heavenly Demon himself. Finding it wouldn’t be a problem.

The problem was whether they could find it and escape with it…

Yi-gang felt a headache coming on.

In truth, there was no proper plan to begin with.

Everything was uncertain.

Ha-jun might not even be in High Spirit Palace when they entered.

Rescue might be impossible, and though he hoped otherwise, Ha-jun might already be… dead.

「He will be alive.v

And after the rescue.

They must escape from here.

It would surely be much harder than entering Sky Shattering Island.

It was a big task that would inevitably be discovered.

They must cause as much commotion as possible and quickly escape Sky Shattering Island.

And as the number of people to take care of increases, the process will be very difficult.

There was only one land route out of Sky Shattering Island, the Divine Demon Bridge.

If delayed even a little, that route would be blocked. Then the rescue would fail.

「Don’t waste time worrying about things you can’t change.」

Surprisingly, that advice came from the Heavenly Demon.

It was true.

First, Yi-gang had to find the hidden passage here.

“Here it is.”

“…It’s splendid.”

Yi-gang admired the interior of the underground gambling hall.

The phrase ‘underground gambling hall’ conjured images of a musty, dark environment.

But this place was different.

Brightly lit lights and red-decorated interiors.

It seemed the carpets and decorations brought from Parsa Country were applied inside the gambling hall as well.

“Over there’s the bone tiles3, over there’s dice, what do you like?”

Yo Yeon-bi asked, but Yi-gang checked something else first.

“What are those rooms?”

“Those are like private rooms for people betting big money. You can even sleep there.”

Behind Yi-gang, Dam Hyun was holding something.

A pendulum about the size of an acorn hung from a soft wire.

Though there was no wind underground, the pendulum trembled.

The pendulum pointed toward the direction of the rooms.

“Why, should we rent that private room too?”

“Of course, since we’re planning to play big.”

They had worried how to find the secret passage in such a noisy place, but it was fortunate.

If there was a passage, it would likely be in the inner rooms.

Yo Yeon-bi muttered worriedly.

“It will cost quite a bit…”

“That’s fine.”

Yi-gang said without hesitation.

Yo Yeon-bi called the manager.

“Are you looking for something…?”

The manager rubbed his hands and approached.

He was puzzled by Yi-gang’s ordinary appearance but soon understood something upon seeing Yo Yeon-bi beside him.

Yi-gang requested a private room.

The most inner deluxe room.

“Can we stay and play here?”

“Ah, that room is…”

The room Yi-gang chose was the most luxurious deluxe room.

The manager glanced at Yo Yeon-bi thinking “Do you have money?” but Yo Yeon-bi was also embarrassed, only looking at Yi-gang.

“I want to rent it for about three days.”

Then Yi-gang took something out from his bosom.

The manager, expecting a few silver coins, was startled by a heavy gold ingot.

“Please rest comfortably! Shall I call the girls?”

The manager immediately bowed his head.

Yo Yeon-bi was also excited and exclaimed.

Yi-gang spoke firmly to the manager.

“Don’t let anyone in. Quiet is best.”

“Ah, yes, I will.”

The manager bowed deeply and stepped back.

Dam Hyun, Go Yo-ja, and Gal Dongtak entered the room first.

“Alright, let’s check out the deluxe room!”

Just as Yo Yeon-bi was about to enter the room.

Yi-gang grabbed Yo Yeon-bi.

“Resting in the room can wait a bit, let’s play a round first and then think.”

Yi-gang handed Yo Yeon-bi a pouch full of silver coins.

Yo Yeon-bi nodded excitedly.

“Good! Let’s go!”

Yo Yeon-bi stopped abruptly as he was about to return to the gambling hall.

Because Yi-gang did not follow.

“…Not coming?”

“Just play for a bit. I’ll catch up soon.”

“Why don’t we go together…”

“Yeon-bi, I said go ahead first.”

“Alright… well, okay.”

Yo Yeon-bi left with an uneasy expression.

Yi-gang, having shaken off Yo Yeon-bi, opened the special room door and entered.

Clack clack!

Inside, Gal Dong-tak was tearing down the inner wall completely.

Dam Hyun, holding the trembling pendulum, had an excited expression.

When they tore off the wooden boards, surprisingly an empty cavity was revealed.

Yi-gang brought a lamp and illuminated the dark interior.

“…It’s real.”

There was a stone door engraved with strange patterns.

The Heavenly Demon gave further assurance.

「It indeed remained.」

That was the secret passage leading to the Ten Thousand Demon Hall.

1. TL/N: Ancient Persia ️

2. TL/N: 紅樓: a place where people where men of culture and power go to drink and have fun. The courtesans there are said to only sell their skills, but not their body. ️

3. TL/N: Chinese Dominoes ️