Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1019

People say Hangzhou is so beautiful, it’s like paradise on earth.

Hangzhou is famous for its beautiful scenery. But you only see the real Hangzhou when the sun goes down.

The City That Never Sleeps.

When colorful lanterns light up the night, Hangzhou comes alive with all kinds of fun.

You can hear loud voices from the taverns.

People laugh as they visit the food stalls.

Somewhere, a kisaeng, a type of entertainer, plays a stringed instrument, and beautiful singing fills the air.

That is Hangzhou.

But things aren’t always what they seem.

If you walk down a small alley next to a bright street, the light disappears, and you find yourself in a dark and eerie place.

It’s a different world from just a few steps away. Even people who have lived in Hangzhou for a long time, and even the soldiers, don’t go there without courage.

The first thing you see is people with dangerous looks in their eyes, smoking something in groups.

Because the main streets are so bright and lively, the back alleys are even darker and more dangerous.

If you go further into the alley, you’ll see small doors that are easy to miss.

Guards stand at the entrance. Inside, the room is full of people and thick smoke.

A stuffy, bad smell that made your head hurt and your face frown, along with hot air that felt unpleasant. Shouts of anger and despair mix with cheers of joy.

This is a Hangzhou gambling den.

In the center of the Joyous Courtyard (a gambling den), where people bet the most money in Hangzhou, five men were sitting around a table.

Clack!

The man who threw down his bone tiles smiled proudly.

“I win.”

“Damn it.”

“I’m taking it all.”

The man reached out and took all the silver coins from the table.

“Ha! Easy money, just like I thought!”

“…Enjoy it while you can, you’ll be leaving with nothing.”

“You’re lucky if you leave with your head. Don’t you think?”

The man didn’t care about the threats. No one could be violent inside the gambling den. That was the rule of the Black Demon Clan, a powerful local group, that ran the Joyous Courtyard.

Even very bad people from dangerous groups, important officials in disguise, and rich merchants didn’t break this rule.

The Black Demon Clan would hunt down anyone who broke the rules, hurt them badly, and kill them.

The man’s lips moved without thinking as he looked at the silver coins. There were so many he couldn’t even count them.

The people at the table knew gambling well. They knew that no one always wins. The silver coins could disappear in one game.

Knowing this, people who loved winning would bet everything when they had the chance.

But…

“Hee hee hee hee.”

The man laughed quietly. Even in a gambling den like this, sometimes winning was guaranteed. That was when a rich, simple person who didn’t know how to gamble joined the game.

The man looked at the person across from him.

He wore a blood-red robe that looked strange. His long hair looked like it had never been combed, and his lips were so dry they looked almost dead. The hair covered half his face.

He looked eerie, but the man didn’t feel threatened.

‘Stupid kid.’

He was just a wandering person who had come to gamble with the money he had found. He seemed a little skilled, but that was all.

Whether he was skilled or not, he couldn’t cause trouble in the Joyous Courtyard, which was run by the Black Demon Clan. If he did, he would be killed and left in an alley before he could even shout.

Even without the Black Demon Clan, it would be the same.

The man didn’t need anyone’s help.

He was Cai Kui, the Third Great Lord of the Black Demon Clan’s Hangzhou branch.

“Alright, alright, if you want your money back, let’s start the next game quickly.”

“Tsk.”

The men put five silver coins each into the center of the table. Cai Kui, who had won, started to shuffle the bone tiles.

“Hey, Third Great Lord.”

The man next to him asked casually.

“What are the higher-ups planning to do?”

“About what?”

“Everyone’s talking about the trouble on the Yangtze River. What’s being done?”

Instead of answering, the man put a tobacco pipe in his mouth and white smoke came out.

“Is Jang Il-so going to keep watching while that guy is doing that?”

“Why are you asking me? I’m just a Great Lord, what would I know?”

“You’d know more than I would, though.”

“Cut the crap. Why are you talking about outside stuff during our game?”

“Tsk.”

The man leaned back in his chair, looking unhappy. Smoke came from his pipe.

“Alright, take your tiles.”

Shuffling.

Cai Kui flipped over a pair of bone tiles in the center.

“Reverse.”

The men exchanged tiles. They tried to trick each other, and the tension grew. Cai Kui threw a handful of silver coins into the center.

“Ten silver coins.”

“Damn it… He’s coming out strong. I’m dead.”

“I’ll match it.”

Then Cai Kui looked at the vagrant across from him. The vagrant seemed to think for a moment, then nodded and pushed all his silver coins forward.

Creak.

Cai Kui’s eyes were greedy as he looked at the silver coins. The money here was worth his salary for the whole year.

“Alright, let’s see your tiles.”

“I have three.”

The man to his left showed his tiles with a shaky hand. The vagrant also slowly flipped his tiles over.

“Four.”

As the vagrant reached for the silver coins, Cai Kui grabbed his hand.

“…”

“Don’t be so hasty.”

Cai Kui tapped his own tiles. They showed five. He had won.

“Haha! Sorry, brother.”

Cai Kui took all the silver coins.

“You seemed to be winning at first.”

“That’s how gambling is.”

“That’s right. You can lose it all in one shot.”

The men on either side spoke without emotion. Cai Kui quickly rearranged the bone tiles and threw five silver coins into the center again.

Shuffling. Shuffling.

Silver coins flew in from the left and right, but the vagrant didn’t move.

“…What, brother? Are you out of money?”

“Then you should leave. People are waiting for your seat.”

The vagrant’s chin moved slightly. Cai Kui could almost see the vagrant’s eyes under his hair.

After a moment, the vagrant slowly reached into his chest. Cai Kui narrowed his eyes.

‘Is this guy…?’

He was about to get ready to fight when…

Thud!

The vagrant took out a wad of paper and dropped it on the table.

“…What is this?”

“Looks like a very old piece of paper that promised to pay money.”

“Why is it so yellow? It looks like it’s been around for decades…”

“How much is it worth? Seriously?”

Cai Kui looked confused as the vagrant slowly opened his mouth.

“Can I use it as a bet?”

“…Wait a minute.”

Cai Kui raised his voice.

“Hey, Rat!”

A man with a rat-like face, who had been watching the game, hurried over to Cai Kui.

“What’s wrong, sir?”

“Take a look at that. Can that paper be used?”

“A paper?”

The rat-faced man checked the paper and raised his eyes.

“It’s from the Continental Gold Bank. But it’s over a hundred years old.”

“Can we use it or not?”

“Of course, we can. But we can’t give you the full amount. We have to make money too… We’ll give you 50%.”

Cai Kui pointed to the vagrant.

“That’s what he says.”

The vagrant nodded like he didn’t care.

Cai Kui was bothered by his reaction, but he ignored it.

“Then I’ll take silver coins.”

“No.”

It was the first time the vagrant had said no.

“Yes? Is there a problem…?”

“Use large silver coins.”

“L, large silver coins?”

The man nodded and looked at Cai Kui.

“Raise the stakes.”

“…With one large silver coin?”

“Yes.”

One large silver coin is worth fifty silver coins. The vagrant had raised the stakes fifty times in an instant. Normally, even Cai Kui couldn’t join a game like this.

But now, Cai Kui’s eyes were full of greed.

‘This vagrant must have robbed someone. And he came here like a sucker.’

This was a place for the best gamblers in Hangzhou. It’s easy to trick someone who doesn’t know how to play. If it was a game of luck, it might be dangerous, but this game wasn’t about luck.

“Well, you’ve got a lot of guts. Great! I’ll use all my winnings for large silver coins too.”

“…The stakes are too high. I don’t have enough money.”

“I’ll lend it to you, so don’t run away.”

“Damn it. I’m going to lose everything.”

His colleagues also joined in, pretending to be upset. Who would say no to winning so much money?

Those filled with greed pulled their chairs closer. As the stakes changed to large silver coins, their eyes turned fierce as they shuffled the bone tiles.

In the gambling den, only the vagrant in the red robe watched everyone with the same emotionless eyes as before.

In this smoky room, where fortunes could be won or lost in a moment…