Hyeok Gi-rin probably had a conversation with Emperor Yoo Gyeong in the middle of the night.
However, according to the setup, it was his older brother from outside the palace coming to meet Hyeok Gi-rin…
To ensure the plausibility that Hyeok Gi-rin’s older brother entered the palace to meet him, I suggested we wait until evening for some refreshments together.
I wasn’t naïve enough to think everything would go smoothly.
However, I certainly didn’t expect this outcome.
Hyeok Gi-rin had withered like a spinach that hadn’t drunk water for a week. The day after I returned from the Heavenly Tower, Hyeok Gi-rin looked as wilted as the court ladies who had lost their spirits.
I thought he would either be furious after a big fight with Yoo Gyeong or cheerfully reconciled with his brother, but he presented an unexpected third state.
What kind of situation is this?
I cautiously tested the waters.
“Is everything not going well?”
Hyeok Gi-rin quietly shook his head.
“I reconciled well with my older brother. I just have a lot on my mind.”
So why were those words coming out suddenly, and why does he look so wilted?
Honestly, I wanted to press him for answers, but I held back. Hyeok Gi-rin’s troubles seemed too profound. It felt too heavy to just poke at casually.
Before I unnecessarily stirred things up, I thought it would be prudent to gauge Hyeok Gi-rin’s condition through Yoo Gyeong.
Not long after I had tea time with the wilted Hyeok Gi-rin, Yoo Gyeong disguised as Dujak came to see me.
Due to the awkward atmosphere with Hyeok Gi-rin, I found myself just gulping down tea in vain, holding my bloated stomach, and settled in for tea time with Dujak again.
“You made up well with your sister.”
“Um… I hesitate to say this, but is it really a good reconciliation?”
Yoo Gyeong looked equally grim.
“The issue regarding you has been patched up… yes. However, a fundamental problem has arisen.”
The siblings were making me feel quite on edge. What could this fundamental problem be? Is it that Hyeok Gi-rin has two identities? Or is it something else?
At least, the fact that the sibling relationship has been mended meant that the possibility of Yoo Gyeong trying to chop off my head had decreased. I spared my life, but the outlook for my other goal concerning Hyeok Gi-rin’s carefree palace vacation was dim.
As I pondered what to do, Yoo Gyeong asked.
“How did you ever acquire such gambling skills?”
What was this all about?
“Nangyang is the capital. As a city that has prospered for a long time, there is a lot of money spent on entertainment, thus the quality of gamblers is high. Among those gamblers, you managed to wipe the floor with those who are well-known.”
Yoo Gyeong had a bitter expression.
“No one would have bet on your chances, even if you asked ten thousand people. Yet you overturned the table solely through your own capabilities. Haven’t they said that while people plan, fate can’t be defied? The gambling table at the Heavenly Tower was exactly like that. In the end, while I plotted, you were fate itself, an absolute being.”
“Haha, I am flattered by such excessive praise.”
“How did you acquire such gambling skills, and what made you aspire to reach such a level? I happened to be curious, and if it’s not too much trouble, could you divulge it?”
What should I say?
This Ho Cheon-an body of mine is branded with the characteristics of a lowly Iryu, meaning I couldn’t study the martial arts I wanted. So, without options, I picked up gambling— a skill that requires no materials, just money and some dexterous hands.
But that was also a truth I could entertain.
“I don’t know my origins. Dujak, I suppose you’ve still done some background checks.”
“Cough. Well, yes.”
“So I didn’t even know I had a special constitution until recently when I encountered a famous physician. Up until then, I had no clue I couldn’t reach the higher stages.”
Since Sa Ma Hwi-gyeong seemed curious about this Ho Cheon-an’s growth as well, he’d conveniently sidled closer.
“I lived in the Martial World for a year and managed to attain at least the second-rate stage, and hearing about the rumors of the Sacheon Outcast, I settled at the Outcast Inn. Until then, I was filled with confidence. Compared to the extraordinary talents in the world, my growth speed might seem nothing special, but among the outcasts, I was quite exceptional.”
The tale was a bit embellished, but it didn’t diverge too much from reality. Who am I? A ten-year veteran of the Martial World. Although I possess merely two balls, I still have a vibe that comes from experience; I’ll crush lowly Iryu or whatever it takes.
And the conclusion was, as I’d already mentioned countless times, failure.
“Despite every effort, I couldn’t step over the threshold of the first-rate. After two years of trying everything, I finally realized: oh, this is a wall that I can’t surpass. With the path of a martial artist blocked off, I thought I might as well attempt something else.”
“That something is… gambling?”
Yoo Gyeong’s bewildered comeback surfaced. Well, it does sound a bit far-fetched, doesn’t it?
“Hahaha… it sounds absurd, but yes. Being a Sacheon Outcast is quite a closed-off status. As an Outcast, I would have had no chance to learn any other skills. Farming, medicine, cooking, blacksmithing… I couldn’t even dream of those, so gambling was the only thing I could freely engage in.”
This wasn’t a lie; after all, the only skill I could learn was indeed gambling.
“Anyway, since I decided to learn gambling for real, I mingled with the outcasts and learned the craft. I lost a lot at first. Losing so much allowed even my clumsy techniques to brush by the outcasts, who just laughed it off as family. After learning the basics, I jumped into the actual gambling scene.”
“…To solely refine your gambling techniques?”
“Indeed. As I loitered around the gambling tables, even with my martial artist’s identity, I noticed the dexterity of other gamblers. Through practical experience, I managed to hone various techniques… and so, after about five years of plunging into the gambling scene, I developed this level of skill.”
Yoo Gyeong took a moment to ponder, then raised his head.
“So… I understand you sincerely polished your gambling skills. Ultimately, if we trace back your tale, you’ve channeled the passion you had for martial arts into something else, namely gambling, which led you to reach this level?”
“Well, one could say that, I suppose. Are you losing interest?”
Yoo Gyeong chuckled and nodded.
“Somewhat. The world’s top gambler must have some profound backstory, but it’s only natural for people to have expectations, right?”
“Haha. Is that so?”
Yoo Gyeong continued to chuckle but then quietly revealed his true feelings.
“Honestly, I had confidence in my ability to judge character.”
Well, that makes sense. There’s a saying that knowing people is key to everything. For explosive growth, the ability to discern talents is essential. Yoo Gyeong, who had risen from the dirt during a time of power struggles, would naturally have that ability.
“However, I misjudged you quite severely. To me, you seemed like an ordinary person. One who would be perfectly content with mediocrity. You didn’t exhibit any extraordinary talents nor the fierce ambition to aim higher. Even if you had talent, you seemed more inclined to yield and mingle reasonably with others, like a common person.”
Those words hit home. Yoo Gyeong’s insight felt like a sharp stab into my gut.
“Well, I can’t say I’m an omniscient being who understands all the mysteries of nature, so I may have been too arrogant. Yes. Having made one mistake, I find myself hoping to make two or three more…”
Yoo Gyeong sighed for a moment, hesitating, then spoke again.
“Haha. I’m simply concerned about my sister’s future… May I share some grievances? Perhaps if you defy my expectations, you might provide a different answer.”
I nodded in agreement.
“My sister has sacrificed a great many things. Extremely precious things, in fact. During our childhood, she and I stood at opposing ends. Strictly speaking, she was closer to that precious thing than I was. It could be said that her chances were higher than mine. Yet, she ran away from our clan to yield it to me.”
From Yoo Gyeong’s words, I realized that the precious thing he referred to was the throne of the emperor.
The world’s most noble person. The highest position.
“I owe my sister an immeasurable debt. I witnessed that little one carrying a burden too heavy for her, struggling under its weight. Thus, I genuinely wish for her to be happy. I want her to do what she wants, and if she throws a tantrum, I want to grant her wishes as though they were my own.”
Guilt.
I could deeply sense the weight of Yoo Gyeong’s indebtedness in his words. Knowing the story between Hyeok Gi-rin and Yoo Gyeong, I could guess the heaviness of the guilt imbued in his voice.
If Yoo Gyeong felt he took on the mantle of the emperor, he certainly could not regard that weight lightly.
“My sister told me that walking this path is not an unhappy one. That must be true. How could a person’s path be solely filled with misery? Yet to me, the path my sister walks seems increasingly becoming a thorny road. I find it hard to witness that.”
“Why is that?”
I pushed aside the pretense of not knowing Dujak’s sister in my mind. I also asked sincerely.
The thorny road Yoo Gyeong spoke of would undoubtedly be the Martial World. As a cross-dressing young woman and a princess of the imperial family, living as Hyeok Gi-rin could not be an easy task.
“Why aren’t you cheering on your sister as she goes her way?”
“Because of certainty.”
Yoo Gyeong replied to me.
“My sister lacks certainty. She wasn’t prepared to tackle the increasingly treacherous thorny road ahead. If she were to choose even a more difficult path, but simply ask me to trust and help her, I would stake everything I have on that.”
Could it be that Hyeok Gi-rin lacked such certainty?
“However, my sister seems to have yet to find her footing. If it were a matter that could be resolved through extended contemplation, I might wait, but that isn’t the problem.”
“Is that so…”
What should I think? I understood it in my head, but my heart failed to accept it.
I had already seen Hyeok Gi-rin’s affection for the Jeomchang Faction many times. I witnessed the Hyeok Gi-rin who had stormed out of the Jeomchang Faction, furious on behalf of the ugly duckling Miss Yeo Il-ye. I saw Hyeok Gi-rin as she went around making requests on behalf of Miss Yeo Il-ye.
And I also witnessed Hyeok Gi-rin caring for the young disciples in the Jeomchang Faction.
It wasn’t merely love; Hyeok Gi-rin was thriving as a martial artist. As the Grand Master of the Jeomchang Faction and a well-known late-blooming genius in Sacheon, he could be considered exceptional due to his peak stage prowess at such a young age.
There was no reason for Hyeok Gi-rin to feel inferior in front of Yoo Gyeong.
I felt I had to hear Hyeok Gi-rin’s story.
* *
I sought out Hyeok Gi-rin from the morning, but the shadow on his face still lingered.
“What on earth are you worrying about to the point you look half-dead? Just spill it out. I’m so distracted I can hardly bear it.”
Strongly pressing him for an answer, Hyeok Gi-rin reluctantly opened up about his troubles.
“Am I doing well?”
“Excuse me?”
“About the recent situation in Sacheon City. Truthfully, I felt quite powerless.”
That was an unexpected revelation, and I blinked.
“What I did in Sacheon was… nothing but watching the machinations of the notorious Hwang Gold Clan’s Hwang Geum-seon while remaining powerless within their grasp. What more? With all my hard-earned strength, I merely protected Hwang Geum-seon’s life.”
“No, it was the right thing to do, wasn’t it? Even if Miss Yeo Il-ye burst in wildly, there wouldn’t have been a chance to catch Hwang Geum-seon.”
“Still, in the end, all I did in Sacheon was that.”
Hyeok Gi-rin continued, his expression darkening.
“Senior Ho devised plans and swayed the gambling scene in the Heavenly Tower to disrupt the Sacheon Outcasts, mounting an attack on the Jam Bong Gate for evidence. Black Cat Miss also achieved credit for capturing the Grand Master Yoo Ji-gyeong of the Heavenly Tower… Master Jeong Mo too punished foes, and the Tang Clan folks led the force while Governor Sa Ma Yeom was active in his role. All I did was spectate.”
“Oh, no. But you persuaded Master Cheongheo to sow discord between the great sects and the Sacheon sects and rallied the sects linked to the Jeomchang Faction.”
“Hmph, what is that, a major accomplishment you should mention? Anyone who is a disciple of the Jeomchang Faction could’ve done that, you know.”
The crux of the Sacheon City situation lay in the self-reliance of the Sacheon sects. They had to fend off all interference from other major sects, and because of that, even Hyeok Gi-rin, as a disciple of the Jeomchang Faction, found himself with little opportunity to shine.
“In a situation where being a disciple of the Jeomchang Faction was nearly useless, I could merely watch helplessly from the sidelines. I keep wondering… if another major crisis arrives, will I be able to resolve it?”
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