Chapter 289

Jin Ja-gang occasionally went out to the black market and joined gambling tables.

As he mastered the techniques perfectly, he won more days than he lost.

However, gambling was truly mysterious. Depending on the type, there were times when he would lose occasionally no matter how much skill he used.

Oh Tae advised him.

“You can’t perfectly control the game alone. That’s why you need people to help you. Sometimes you need to tamper with the dice or cards themselves.”

A high win rate wasn’t much help to Jin Ja-gang. He needed to be able to win perfectly whenever he wanted to win.

“Double Six is a dice technique that usually uses mercury-filled dice. But if the opponent cuts the dice open, you’ll be exposed immediately, so it’s hard to get what you want.”

“What about bone tiles?”

“Techniques for switching bone tiles inevitably result in having too many or too few pieces. That’s also quite risky.”

Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Then what game can I win perfectly using techniques?”

“I’d recommend card fighting.”

It was gambling where various pictures were drawn on oiled paper, and players competed based on the card values of the pictures.

“Ten cards of the same picture make one set, so in big games you use eight sets, and in small games about four sets. The advantage of these card sets is that you can give your opponent whatever cards you want. And there’s one more advantage. The card values don’t really matter.”

“Don’t you win by having good card values?”

“Card fighting has one victory rule. You win if you have even one point higher than your opponent.”

Oh Tae grinned.

“Say I have the second highest card value in card fighting. Then it would be a waste to fold, right? I’d bet a lot of money. Conversely, say I have the second lowest card value. Then naturally I’d think I’d lose. But as I said, card values are meaningless. You just need to be one point higher than your opponent. This drives people crazy.”

“Can I win perfectly?”

“If you combine technique with the psychological elements you like, I can guarantee ninety percent victory.”

“That’s ten percent short.”

“The remaining ten percent, as I said, requires tampering with the cards themselves. Leave that to me. So starting today, hold card fighting cards instead of bone tiles. It’ll be much easier.”

* * *

The paper cards used in card fighting were about the size of a finger and the length of about five joints. They seemed somewhat long, making them appear difficult to hide in the palm or use techniques with.

However, appearing difficult to use techniques with actually worked as an advantage. Depending on the wrist angle, cards could be hidden from opponents, and because they were thin, cards could be switched instantly.

Since he mastered the techniques quickly, Jin Ja-gang learned from Oh Tae how to read and manipulate opponents’ psychology.

Until now, Jin Ja-gang had mostly used unexpected actions to induce carelessness in opponents when facing masters from a weaker position.

But Oh Tae was using a different kind of psychological warfare. He used opponents’ greed to make them self-destruct, or used his own reputation to overwhelmingly pressure opponents. Sometimes he would deliberately lose. By appropriately controlling victory and defeat, he smoothly dominated games.

Such methods opened new eyes for Jin Ja-gang, who had been tormented by the obsession of always having to win.

While learning about card fighting for a month, Jin Ja-gang could hear how the martial world was turning.

All sorts of rumors and information were traded in the black market. Among them were some unfounded or difficult to verify pieces of information, but it was still enough to gauge the general situation.

The approximately two months spent in the black market were of great help to Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang thought it was time to leave.

“What a pity. I wanted to make you my successor. Come back later if you have nowhere to go.”

“Being a gambler doesn’t suit me.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

Oh Tae scoffed.

“Your entire life so far has been gambling.”

Jin Ja-gang smiled without answering. Oh Tae smoked his long pipe and spoke as if casually.

“Before you go, stop by the fabric shop in the neighboring village. I have something stored there, so ask for it.”

There was a fabric shop in Gubuk Village too, so why go to the neighboring village that would take a full hour round trip?

But seeing Oh Tae’s grinning expression, Jin Ja-gang thought there must be a reason.

“Go now.”

“I understand.”

When Jin Ja-gang set out on the road, people acknowledged him from all directions.

Women who usually worked in fields like country wives but transformed into courtesans when the black market opened, and fighters who worked in shops during the day but carried swords to guard the area during black market times all smiled and greeted Jin Ja-gang.

“Have you eaten? Want to eat before you go?”

“Come drink with us this evening.”

Even young women washing clothes by the stream giggled when they saw Jin Ja-gang. Some blushed at Jin Ja-gang’s appearance.

Although they were members of an underworld gang who dealt in stolen goods and engaged in dark work, they still had the scent of human life. They had their own rules and principles.

For Jin Ja-gang, who had lived in suffocating situations, this environment was awkward yet warm. This was true even though he knew these people could never be called good people.

Oh Tae had once said about this:

“We’re back-alley merchants. We provide places to sell human flesh, but we don’t make human flesh. We help find assassins, but we don’t carry out assassinations.”

When asked what difference there was between doing bad things and helping others do bad things, he had answered:

“If someone takes a dump, the shit needs to be cleaned up.”

Jin Ja-gang particularly liked that saying.

It was like nature. It was the cyclical process of being born, living, dying, rotting, and returning to earth.

Someday after finishing his revenge, would Jin Ja-gang be able to live in such nature?

While Jin Ja-gang was walking with such thoughts, a village youth came running frantically.

“What’s wrong?”

“Government soldiers are coming.”

Government soldiers suddenly? The black market was strictly an illegal place. If things went wrong, they could be punished according to law.

When Jin Ja-gang tensed up, the youth chuckled.

“You don’t need to worry. They often drop by to collect bribes. I’m just letting Old Master Oh know in advance.”

Jin Ja-gang briefly looked back, then hurried his pace toward the neighboring village.

* * *

Before long, thirty government soldiers entered Gubuk Village.

Oh Tae heard the youth’s report and came out to greet the soldiers.

But the soldiers’ behavior was unusual. They dragged out not only those in the fields but also villagers who were inside their homes.

Oh Tae asked the soldiers with the most smiling expression possible.

“Gentlemen, why are you doing this?”

“Shut up and get over there!”

The soldiers even pushed Oh Tae away. Then they made people gather in the village center. They couldn’t provoke or harm the soldiers. If they killed even one, thousands would come and massacre the village.

The soldiers surrounded the fifty-odd people of Gubuk Village with spears raised. Oh Tae stepped forward once more.

“I’m the village chief here. I don’t see the captain who usually comes, where is he? There seems to be some misunderstanding, so I think I need to speak with him.”

The soldiers stood guard over the people without saying anything. The uncomfortable atmosphere continued.

Then before long, someone appeared on horseback. He seemed to be the captain leading the soldiers.

Oh Tae’s expression changed slightly. But without showing it, he stepped forward and bowed his waist.

“Are you someone new? I’m Oh Tae, the village chief here. I haven’t been able to visit you and pay my respects. Please forgive my rudeness and come inside.”

However, the soldier captain just silently looked down at Oh Tae without a word.

Oh Tae glanced up at the soldier captain. Their eyes met.

At that moment, Oh Tae tilted his head. He swept his eyes from the soldier captain’s head to his feet, even to the saddle.

Then he straightened his back and put his long pipe in his mouth.

“Huff…”

The soldier captain looked down at Oh Tae from his horse and spoke in an ominous voice.

“Hand over Iron Umbrella Sect’s stolen goods.”

Oh Tae didn’t answer.

The soldier captain spoke again without changing expression.

“If you don’t bring them immediately, I’ll kill everyone here and search for them.”

Oh Tae smoked his pipe without answering.

“Huff. Well now.”

Oh Tae looked over the soldiers, then looked directly at the soldier captain and said to the villagers.

“Boys, these aren’t government soldiers. I wondered why there was no advance notice about coming to collect taxes.”

The villagers’ eyes changed at Oh Tae’s words.

Though disguised as soldiers, the so-called captain’s words lacked any insignia indicating his garrison affiliation.

“Well now. You finally found us. You’re more persistent than I thought.”

Oh Tae asked the soldier captain.

“You’re the ones who swept clean Stone Forest Gang and Poison Valley, aren’t you?”

The soldier captain remained silent, then spat out one word.

“Kill them.”

At that moment, the soldiers attacked the villagers.

Oh Tae blew tobacco smoke toward the soldiers approaching him.

Poison pipe smoke!

The approaching soldiers grimaced and coughed.

“Cough, cough!”

Oh Tae ran over and kicked the soldiers in the chest.

Thud!

Ribs broke and chests caved in as two soldiers were knocked away. The villagers also drew hidden daggers from their legs and bosoms to resist the soldiers.

The soldier captain kicked off his saddle and leaped up. In the blink of an eye, the soldier captain appeared in front of Oh Tae and struck down from above. Oh Tae held his pipe horizontally with both hands and blocked the palm strike.

Crack!

The pipe bent like taffy. The sturdy pipe with an iron core inside had bent from one strike.

From that one move, Oh Tae grasped the situation. Cold sweat flowed. He had never encountered such a master in Yunnan.

“Damn, an incredible master!”

He shook off the soldier captain and stepped back, but when he looked around, the villagers were being one-sidedly pushed back.

Oh Tae shouted.

“You gutsy bastards! Don’t you know that impersonating government soldiers results in the extermination of nine generations!”

At those words, most of those in soldier uniforms flinched. But there were those who didn’t care at all. These were masters mixed among those in ordinary soldier uniforms. Though only a few in number, they were difficult for Gubuk Village’s third-rate underworld members to handle.

Oh Tae had a bitter taste in his mouth.

These were people with backing strong enough not to care about impersonating soldiers. A shadow flickered before his eyes. He hurriedly used footwork to leap away and blew smoke. The soldier captain broke through the smoke and struck with another palm.

Oh Tae quickly retreated, leaving afterimages. Swift movement was one of Oh Tae’s specialties. But the soldier captain followed Oh Tae exactly. He was a master several levels above Oh Tae.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Ahh!”

Screams continued to ring out. Oh Tae also took a palm strike from the soldier captain. Though it was a glancing blow, his shoulder was crushed.

Oh Tae grabbed his shoulder and shouted.

“Run! Don’t fight, just run!”

But escape was impossible due to the masters scattered throughout. When the masters broke arms and legs, the rest finished the job. Screams continued to follow.

“Damn.”

The soldier captain stepped on Oh Tae’s foot. His instep was crushed.

Oh Tae screamed, then suddenly made a pitiful expression and pleaded.

“Sir. I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you whatever you want, so please spare us.”

The soldier captain raised his hand then stopped.

Then Oh Tae lifted his unstepped foot and kicked the soldier captain’s groin.

There was a thud sound, but no sensation of hitting testicles. Among masters, some hide their testicles inside their bodies. Of course, this was proof of high martial arts.

The soldier captain brought down his raised hand.

Oh Tae was hit on the head and everything went black. He fell to the ground. The soldier captain stepped on Oh Tae’s right hand and slowly applied pressure.

“Kugh!”

Still in an emotionless voice, the soldier captain asked.

“Where are the stolen goods?”