CHAPTER 387: YO YEON-BI, ONE GRAB THOUSAND GOLD MANOR (3)

Yi-gang clenched his fist tightly.

The ‘passage’ that the Heavenly Demon had mentioned still existed even after 300 years had passed.

What was in front of him was definitely a door.

Engraved in strange patterns.

Even while setting up this gambling hall, the existence of the door had somehow not been revealed.

“There is a type of Mysterious Gate Formation installed that disrupts recognition. Quite skillful. Is this the magic technique of the White Lotus Sect’s sorcerors?”

Dam Hyun’s eyes sparkled as he showed his curiosity.

Before being a born martial artist, Dam Hyun was a sorcerer, so he was drawn to this style of Mysterious Gate Formation he had never seen before.

“It’s neither Taoist nor Buddhist exactly, but if I had to say, it’s closer to Buddhism… An interesting style. I think I’ve heard that sorcerers from the Western Regions, the Parsa Country, use something like this.”

“Senior brother, that’s not what’s important right now, is it?”

Yi-gang urged Dam Hyun.

What did it matter what style the Mysterious Gate Formation engraved on the door was?

For Yi-gang, the priority was whether they could enter and infiltrate properly.

Gal Dong-tak also interrupted.

“Shall we call that guy over and…”

Then he casually made a slashing motion across his neck with his thumb.

He was talking about dealing with Yo Yeon-bi.

Since they came here under the name of that loafer, Yo Yeon-bi should be subdued.

They could probably tie him up with a rope and return here afterward.

“Good.”

As Yi-gang tried to leave the room, Dam Hyun grabbed him.

“That’s not the problem right now.”

“Shouldn’t we open the door first?”

Dam Hyun pointed at the door.

There was no handle visible on the stone door.

Gal Dong-tak tried to push it lightly, but even with his great strength, the door did not open.

Yi-gang tried to pull it by placing his hand on it using the Absorption Technique, but it was the same.

“Originally, this door must have been well hidden. When the pavilion was built, ordinary workers covered the wall without noticing the door’s existence because of the Mysterious Gate Formation.”

“So?”

“The Heavenly Demon said it. It’s a passage only the cult leader can use. They must have made it so others can’t open or close the door.”

The Mysterious Gate Formation engraved on the stone door serves that purpose.

Yi-gang heard the Heavenly Demon’s mumbling in his ear.

「That sorcerer has quite sharp eyes.」

In fact, the Heavenly Demon looked particularly unfavorably on Dam Hyun.

It was understandable. Wasn’t Dam Hyun the one who rang the Star Mist Alarm Bell in the mperial palace, helping to seal the Heavenly Demon?

‘Is senior brother’s word correct?’

「Yes. There is a Mysterious Gate Formation that opens the door in response to the curved jade pendant the sect leader wears around his neck.」

“…Why are you telling me this now?”

「Do you expect more than just directions? Break it open. If you want to dismantle the formation, it will take at least three days.」

If they broke this solid door, the noise would be tremendous.

But waiting to dismantle it would mean delaying here for another three days, which was impossible.

It was a difficult situation. Yi-gang explained what he heard from the Heavenly Demon to Dam Hyun.

However, Dam Hyun spoke in a very confident tone.

“I’ll try to dismantle it within a day, no… within half a day, so lend me that Heavenly Demon Plaque.”

“Is it possible with this?”

“We’ll see once we try, but I’ll slightly modify the Mysterious Gate Formation to recognize the Heavenly Demon Plaque instead of the curved jade.”

It was quite a practical plan.

The Heavenly Demon showed great displeasure at entrusting the Heavenly Demon Plaque to Dam Hyun.

But Yi-gang handed it over without hesitation.

“Tell that loafer outside to just keep gambling… You go out and prepare.”

Anyway, they had to prepare for escape before infiltrating the Demon Cult.

To leave Sky Shattering Island, they had to cross the Divine Demon Bridge or take a boat.

They would need to do various groundwork to confuse pursuers during the escape.

“Then, I’ll go out.”

Yi-gang gathered a pouch full of gold coins and left the room.

As soon as he opened the door, loud laughter filled the air.

His nose caught the scent of courtesans’ powder and the smell of alcohol from wealthy gamblers.

Yi-gang tried to find Yo Yeon-bi, who was probably gambling.

But as soon as he closed the room door and stepped out, he met Yo Yeon-bi approaching.

Yo Yeon-bi had a rather embarrassed expression.

Yi-gang furrowed his brows and asked.

“I told you to keep playing, so why are you back so soon?”

“No… it’s not that.”

Did he come looking because Yi-gang didn’t come?

He thought so, but what Yo Yeon-bi said exceeded Yi-gang’s expectations.

“I… I ran out of money.”

“…All of it?”

“Yeah…”

“Didn’t I give you 300 silver coins?”

“Well, the underground here has much bigger stakes than other gambling halls. I really almost won everything. Just missed by a hair…”

“Is this guy… an idiot?”

Three hundred silver coins is no small amount.

The value of the precious metals Yi-gang got from the dead wandering martial artists was about a thousand gold coins.

He quickly sold the precious metals and got about seven hundred gold coins, which is about seven thousand silver coins.

Out of that, three hundred silver coins vanished in less than a short time.

Ten silver coins can buy a decent patch of farmland.

“I really almost won everything… just give me a hundred… no, two hundred more silver coins.”

But that reckless loafer lost three hundred silver coins in one go.

Yet he showed no sign of feeling sorry.

His eyebrows formed an ‘eight’ shape as if feeling wronged.

He seemed annoyed that he had to beg.

“Haha…”

Yi-gang laughed and put his arm around Yo Yeon-bi’s shoulder.

Yo Yeon-bi flinched, surprised, and stayed still.

Normally, Yi-gang would have properly taught Yo Yeon-bi how to be discerning.

“Three hundred silver coins is an amount you can lose or win in a moment. Don’t worry and play confidently.”

But now, even if he spent money like water, it was better to keep Yo Yeon-bi apart.

Yi-gang handed over a whole pouch of gold coins he had prepared to Yo Yeon-bi.

“Ah, ahaha. You have quite a heroic spirit.”

Yo Yeon-bi grinned broadly.

This time, he boldly tried to drag Yi-gang to play together.

But Yi-gang did not sit next to Yo Yeon-bi.

Instead, he grabbed Yo Yeon-bi’s shoulder and spoke softly.

“For now, Yeon-bi, you just play first. Play as you like.”

“Huh? Why again?”

“Because it seems we have to play big today, so we need to prepare more funds.”

“R-Really?”

Yo Yeon-bi’s sense of money was noticeably worse than ordinary people’s. It was inevitable given his family background.

Because of that, he probably accepted Yi-gang’s words about bringing more money without much thought.

“However.”

Yi-gang’s lips still smiled.

But his eyes were extremely cold.

“Don’t go overboard until I return. How disappointing would it be if the game is all over when I come back?”

Yo Yeon-bi noticed Yi-gang’s displeasure.

Normally, he would have snapped back, but for some reason, he couldn’t get angry.

“I’ll bet little by little, sparingly. I’ll convert them to silver coins.”

Yi-gang took out a gold coin from his pocket.

Then he snapped it in half with his bare hands.

“Like this, bet in portions. Got it, Yeon-bi?”

“…Y-Yeah. I’ll do that.”

Yo Yeon-bi nodded.

Indeed, his thought that Yi-gang was not an ordinary wandering martial artist was correct.

Yi-gang laughed heartily again and patted Yo Yeon-bi’s back.

“Then I’ll be off. Play slowly.”

Yi-gang left.

Yo Yeon-bi did not want to admit that he felt fear for a moment.

“…Yeah. I should play a bit more carefully.”

After all, he had made mistakes.

“Young Master Yo, come quickly!”

At that moment, a heavily made-up woman managing the bone tile game waved and called Yo Yeon-bi.

“Hehe, let’s start again!”

Yo Yeon-bi grinned and joined the bone tile game again.

Determined to take it slow this time.

In fact, Yo Yeon-bi was not as foolish as Yi-gang thought.

He was indeed a loafer and frequented gambling halls like home, but he wasn’t stupid enough to lose 300 silver coins in just a short time.

Yi-gang entrusted 200 gold coins entirely to Yo Yeon-bi.

It was truly a large sum.

Too much money to lose in one night.

No matter how great Yo Yeon-bi’s family was, and even if his father was the True Demon Palace Master, Yo Dae-soon, it was the same.

Yo Yeon-bi planned to enjoy it steadily as Yi-gang said.

However, the problem was that there were those who did not want that.

-Where the hell did that idiot get more money again?

A man with a horse-like long face sent a telepathic message to his companion.

-Did he bring it from home? The True Demon Palace Master wouldn’t have given that fool more money…

The recipient of the message was short and stocky, contrasting with him.

-He lost 300 silver coins in a short time but came back to the table, so he must have brought quite a lot.

These were the two who had quickly cleaned out Yo Yeon-bi’s, or rather Yi-gang’s, 300 silver coins.

Gambling halls usually have professional gamblers.

Most are directly hired by the gambling hall.

They use both gambling skill and sleight of hand to earn profits appropriately.

The two gamblers, Magum and Bidon, were also professionals.

-Well, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.

-Hehe, even 300 silver coins was lucky…

The two gamblers’ faces were extremely calm.

Maintaining expression is the basics of gambling.

-We won’t get in any trouble, right?

-The True Demon Palace Master personally came and firmly instructed the manor owner to keep his son away.

Even for gamblers, it’s rare to clean out a customer’s entire capital. Doing so risks being caught and losing regular customers.

But today, they had no such restrictions.

They could strip Yo Yeon-bi from head to toe.

-Why bother with all this? If I were the True Demon Palace Master, I’d just break my son’s legs and lock him in a room so he couldn’t step outside.

-They say he’s a cast-off son, but he still cares.

According to rumors, Yo Yeon-bi is a son who has fallen out of favor with the True Demon Palace Master, Yo Dae-soon.

So he neglects him even though he acts recklessly.

But to Magum and Bidon, the Demon Palace Lord seemed to care for his son more than the rumors suggested.

-Damn it. Whatever.

-Yeah, let’s just clean him out.

Of course, regardless, they planned to clean out even Yo Yeon-bi’s underwear today.

“Hey, you waited, right?”

Yo Yeon-bi came carrying a box full of silver coins and sat down.

“Can I join in?”

“Uh… it’s a bit…”

Magum pretended to hesitate despite his true feelings.

“Why? I want to play a bit too.”

“We’re short on money, and everyone knows Young Master Yo’s luck with dices.”

Magum whined.

Then Yo Yeon-bi’s mouth stretched into a wide grin.

“Hahaha, don’t worry. I plan to play leisurely for a long time today.”

“If that’s the case…”

Magum nodded as if resigned.

“Then let’s take it slow. Shall we start the first round with 3 silver coins? One silver coin per point.”

“Yeah, sounds good!”

Yo Yeon-bi smiled brightly and nodded.

It took only four hours for that smile to completely vanish.

After four hours passed, Yo Yeon-bi’s complexion changed completely from before.

Cold sweat stained his back with a musty smell, and his lips turned pale blue.

His hands trembled.

The box full of silver coins at his feet was now almost empty.

“Young Master, will you call?”

“Uh? Uh…”

“I raised 1,000 silver coins.”

One thousand silver coins.

They started with a 3 silver coin pot, but the stakes rose to 1,000 silver coins.

Magum and Bidon’s attitude was much more relaxed than they were four hours ago.

“Or will you fold here?”

“If I fold here…”

“It’s over. I’ll give you a fair evaluation though…”

Yo Yeon-bi felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.

He couldn’t understand how he had gotten into such a mess.

Surely, his hand was decent just a moment ago…

“Please tell me quickly.”

“I, I…”

“What?”

Yi-gang’s voice echoed in his ear.

Goosebumps broke out all over Yo Yeon-bi’s back.

“Only four hours have passed, and you’ve already lost everything?”

Yi-gang returned with a face full of irritation.