The World of Sound - Chapter 24



Only Krnovel

Chorrrruk-

Two dice roll around chaotically in a teacup.

It shook, bumped, bounced, and came up with some numbers.

All you had to do was guess whether the number was high or low, but since guessing the exact number would give you a bigger payout, both the big and small daring people began to bet money and shout out.

“Twelve.”

In the case of Cheonhwa, it was obvious that the goal was to match the sum of the exact numbers.

This time, he bet the entire sum, and the amount was by no means small even for those playing in this secret gambling house, so many eyes exchanged glances for a short moment.

“Okay, if everyone is ready, let’s open it!”

Scrub

The moment the gambler holding the teacup gestured loudly and shouted, the numbers on the dice changed.

He changed the numbers by touching the dice with such delicate and precise movements that even the most skilled martial arts masters would not notice.

Knock knock

However, it wasn’t just the gamblers who took action in that brief moment.

When Cheonhwa lightly tapped the table in front of him, surprisingly the dice spun again.

“The number is seven… … Huh?!”

When the overturned teacup was opened and everyone’s eyes were focused on it, it was no wonder that the gambler was flustered.

“T, why is this… … .”

Flesh and flesh.

Because the sum of the dice changed to match the number he bet.

“I won?”

But he probably didn’t feel wronged either.

It was he who used the hand technique first, and it wasn’t only he who was beaten by Cheonhwa.

Secret gambling houses were places where all kinds of people who handled large sums of money gathered, including merchants, officials, and others, but they had skilled gamblers assigned to them.

Cheonhwa would move from place to place and rob them of all the games, regardless of whether it was dice or cards, and he would always bet a huge amount of money, close to his entire fortune, while winning every game and increasing his money.

If you keep gambling in one place, they will do something about it, but since they keep joining in on a new game every time, it is impossible to guess their methods, and above all, they continue the game in an extremely dangerous way where you can lose everything you have with just one mistake, so the casino cannot stop them.

Once. Just once, if they could win, he could get all the money back.

It was a kind of hope torture.

For those who were confident in their abilities like them, they were dangerous prey, like rat poison.

‘The hand is quicker than the eye. I really like that saying!’

But, even though they could not admit it, the probability of Cheonhwa losing was virtually nil.

Because nothing could match his ability, whether it was his keen eye, his listening skills, or his dexterity and skills.

Even in the bets he occasionally made with his master, Cheonhwa had a higher winning percentage recently.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that there was no way for mere gamblers to beat him.

“Stop moving. Where did you get the bottom?”

“Wh, what are you talking about! Do you have any evidence?”

Cheonhwa, who was continuing his winning streak by circling the casino with the intention of sweeping up all the money in the casino, suddenly grabbed the wrist of a gambler who was dividing the cards.

The bastard tried to pull it out in a hurry, but there was no way to escape the master’s golden grip, so he simply grabbed his wrist.

He stuck his neck out and insisted until the very end that he had never done anything like that.

It is a well-known fact that one can use sleight of hand in a casino, but keeping it in mind and actually experiencing it are two entirely different things.

“If you take out the bottom, the sound is different. The sound.”

In fact, he had noticed that she was doing such things before, but the reason Cheonhwa turned a blind eye was simple.

Because my own skills are superior to those guys’ tricks.

Rather, it was because he was confident that he would win by using his sleight of hand, so he just left it alone, not because he didn’t know.

But this time it was different.

In the past, they had given themselves reasonably good cards, and held cards that could barely beat them, but this time, they were trying to get their hands on the strongest cards that they could absolutely not beat.

‘It’s about time to end it.’

There was also an intention to gradually wrap up this position.

Thanks to that, I made a lot of money, and the more money the better, but if I win just a few more times like this, my name will be listed in the black book, and I will be banned from entering not only this place but also all gambling establishments associated with them.

‘It may be too late already.’

Perhaps he was already on the black list of people who were banned from entering, but Cheonhwa sipped his food with regret, thinking that if he tried to eat more, he would only end up causing friction with them instead of receiving any money.

In that sense, the gambler who was betting on him now could only be said to be unlucky.

“Is it true that if you get caught playing at the gambling table, you’ll lose your hand? I’ll bet my wrist and all my money. Then, shall we take a look at the cards?”

“Oh, no. Wait a minute! Stop it!!”

I don’t really intend to cut my wrist, but I should be compensated accordingly.

As Cheonhwa came out strongly and pressured him, the gambler became depressed, and at that moment, the person who had been watching Cheonhwa the whole time stepped forward.

“You are being very playful.”

It was a woman with her face covered with black cotton.

Even at first glance, her body looked so slender that one might think she was a beautiful woman or a brothel owner, but Cheonhwa was certain that she was the person in charge of this place.

Because there was a sense of order and balance in his light footsteps, and because he had considerable hidden power, he could be called the strongest among the others gathered here.

Also, in other places, women are not placed in such a dangerous and important position, but it was a different story when it came to the sect they belonged to.

Haomen.

Because they are the ones who value and employ anyone regardless of age or gender as long as they have the skills and talent.

“Does this look like a joke to you?”

If there is openness in the Jeongpa, there is Haomun in the Sapa.

To be exact, it could be said that they were neither a sect nor a faction, but rather a sect between the two factions, but this was a term that referred to the outstanding information and talent they possessed.

But even so, he was not a person who could not speak out due to pressure from his superiors.

“I made a slip of the tongue. It was the right thing to do. But could you speak to me privately for a moment? We once again apologize for the author’s misdeed of playing tricks on the sacred gambling house.”

When I turned my head slightly as if to ask her what she meant and asked her back, she admitted her slip of the tongue and apologized.

“Kuaaaah!!!”

The apology didn’t end with just words.

As soon as she nodded, those standing behind her immediately cut off the gambler’s hand.

With that one move, the gambler could no longer use the sleight of hand he had cultivated his entire life, and although that was not what Cheonhwa had wanted, he did not even blink.

It was because he knew from the beginning that it was something like their preemptive strike, because he had nothing to fear, and above all, because he knew that his hand was not completely broken.

It’s true that he was badly injured, but with treatment he can move again.

It will be difficult to go back to messing around with the golf clubs like before, but it will open the way for them to survive by taking away their talents.

“Well, let’s do that.”

But didn’t she really know that Cheonhwa had noticed?

It would be difficult to see it that way. It would be nice if you could be fooled and let it slide, but this is just a kind of formality to ask you to let it slide to this extent.

That’s why Cheonhwa didn’t raise the issue anymore.

If they did that, they would have to cut off the guy’s neck instead of his hand, and even though they did it themselves, it would be difficult for their relationship with those who lost their sect members to become completely good.

Money is money, but since they came here for another purpose, there was no need for Cheonhwa to turn his back on them.

“Then I will take you this way.”

The place we were guided to was a closed room that was completely blocked from the outside world and any sound.

It was a place that would be scary just to enter, as no one would know what was happening there, but Cheonhwa settled in comfortably as if it were her own home.

“The chair is soft and nice!”

“I’m glad you like it, Your Majesty.”

However, the opponent was not easy either.

As if he had already finished investigating me, he sat down across from me and called me by a name he had never even told me.

“Hello again. My name is Ma Ye-ryeong, the branch manager of Haomun Akyang.”

And by revealing himself again, he added to his prestige.

He revealed that he was not simply the general manager of a secret gambling house, but the branch manager of Haomen, who oversaw the entire Akyang area.

“Oh, yes. But?”

“yes?”

But it was she who was embarrassed.

If the conversation had reached this level, even the most famous masters would have given up, but Cheonhwa paid no attention at all.

It’s not just about pretending to be calm.

Since she had dealt with countless people, she could easily catch on when someone was talking or reacting differently from their true feelings, but Cheonhwa was different.

He really doesn’t care that he is the branch manager of Haomen or that this is Haomen’s sales office.

“I guess you called me because you had business to attend to.”

“Oh, yes. That’s right… … I heard that after Your Majesty the Heavenly King visited, you won a huge sum of money, more than ten thousand nyang, within an hour. First of all, congratulations.”

Of course, it was understandable that he would be so arrogant, considering that he was a close friend of Margin and Ho-hyung.

However, he was still not sure whether he had the strength and qualifications to do so.

Although I had obtained information that he had single-handedly swept away the enemies of Jang Gangsu-ro and subdued even Do-gyeom, the 8th owner of Jang Gangsu-ro, it was still just a rumor.

However, I never judged my opponent hastily.

As it was a natural attitude for a branch manager of Haomen, Ma Ye-ryeong chose her words carefully so as not to upset Cheon-hwa as much as possible and continued to say what she wanted to say.

“However, since you have taken such a large amount of money in such a short period of time, it is difficult for us to handle, so we will have to stop here for today.”

“Hmm. So you’re saying there’s no more money to give? Haomen is supposed to be big, but it’s actually a bit more financially unstable than I thought.”

“… … I didn’t know someone like you would come. I’m sorry. If I get the chance, I’ll make a separate place for you to play to your heart’s content. And.”

The order of the guests.

Although he had told her to leave, he was afraid that if he had been direct, he would have offended her, so he brought up the issue of finances and ended up turning Haomun into a sect with poor finances, but Ma Ye-ryeong was not angry.

Instead, they asked themselves why they were being treated so rudely.

“May I ask why you came here? It seems like you have a separate purpose.”

“I came to the casino to gamble. Why else would I have such a purpose?”

Although he had swept up a huge amount of money, it was expected that there was another reason why Cheonhwa did such a thing.

If the goal was simply money, instead of doing something so grandiose, they could have just quietly repeated wins and losses without letting it get to them.

Then, they would have had less reason to stop him and it would have been difficult to kick him out.

“Hmm. If I had to think about it… … I heard there’s a place here where you can trade rare items?”

“Are you talking about the dark side?”

“Oh, I think that was the name.”

So, let’s try to tease him a little. Cheonhwa started talking nonchalantly as if nothing happened, but then pretended not to be able to win and confessed her purpose.

sheet.

He wants to meet a secret dealer who can provide him with everything in the world that is not available through normal means.

At those words, Mayeryeong’s expression relaxed a little.

It hurts to lose a lot of money to him today, but if you use dark magic, you can make up for the loss quite well.

“Did you know that not just anyone can approach the dark room?”

I also thought that I could get more information about Cheonhwa through him.

As she said, the dark side is not a place that anyone can use.

A person is a person, but it is not a person; it is a person, but it also refers to a place, and it also means something that has no substance.

It was also the general name for the secret trading channels managed by Haomen, and since everything was secret, including what was traded, to whom, and for how much, it was naturally inaccessible to just anyone.

I asked Cheonhwa because it was only available to those who were sufficiently qualified.

Are you qualified enough?

“Any country… … Then it doesn’t matter. I’m not just anyone.”

“Could you please… identify yourself?”

Then Cheonhwa responded confidently.

It is talking about the fact that you are qualified to use it.

At those words, Mayeryeong’s eyes sparkled.

What on earth is behind this guy?

Where did this person come from or was he raised?

Cheonhwa spoke calmly once again, perking up his ears as he could obtain not only affiliation but also various other information.

“The 7th lord of the Cheonummun, Cheonhwa. This is me.”

“… … ??”

What the hell is that, you idiot?

But Mayeryeong’s expression became blank at the response she heard next.

Even she, who is well-versed in martial arts to the point of being the branch manager of Haomen, talks about qualifications by using strange names that she has never heard of.

Did you miss anything?

Or are you taking a test?

No matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind.

All I could hear was, ‘Because it’s me.’

Of course, it was nonsense that would never work.

‘but…….’

Of course, it’s right to refuse.

Even if Margin had personally introduced him, he was not qualified.

I have never heard of anything like the Thousand Sounds Gate, and according to the information I have received, he uses sound magic that is close to sorcery, so it is meaningless to try to predict future possibilities.

‘What is this unease?’

But a strange feeling made her hesitate.

I was overcome with a feeling that I couldn’t express, but that I couldn’t let go of.

‘Yin-gong. Yin-gong… … .’

– If there is a master of the sound hole that dominates the sound, avoid it unconditionally or make him/her take my side. If there is anyone who tries to do otherwise, he/she will be excommunicated immediately.

Was it a coincidence that a story I heard from Hao Wenzhou a long time ago came to mind?

‘There’s no way this guy would do that.’

It was just a story that was passed down by word of mouth even to the Haomenju of the time, and it was not even recorded.

To be exact, it was a story that was not allowed to be recorded.

‘He must be a crazy thug.’

It was an old story that had already passed a hundred years, and it could not possibly refer to such a young master.

So, there was no point in recalling that story now or associating it with this person, but Mayeryeong trusted her own intuition more than anyone else, so she couldn’t give an answer right away.

I don’t know what I would have thought if I had properly heard the original oral tradition, ‘If you meet a crazy son of a bitch who controls sound, just smash his head in or run away,’ but my worries persisted for a while.

“… … Okay. I’ll give you permission to use the dark side. Is there anything you’re looking for? Or is there anything you’d like to sell?”

And finally, Mayeryeong made a decision.

I decided to trust the feeling that brought me to this position.

Creating a new entrant to the dark world meant that the person who granted entry was guaranteeing the entrant, which could have been detrimental to oneself, but it also meant receiving the commission from everything the target traded and the bonus points earned when putting up rare items.

Therefore, even though he was the branch manager, the number of entry qualifications he could grant was limited, but he gave one of them to Cheonhwa.

Just trust your own feelings.

“Is this okay?”

“yes?”

“No. Nothing. Then can I say it here?”

In fact, Cheonhwa didn’t even know that using a secret weapon required qualifications, but it’s fortunate that things worked out well.

It was quite surprising that he was satisfied with just mentioning the name of Cheon Eum Moon, which he thought no one in the world of martial arts would know, but he thought that it was because of his outstanding beauty and virtue, and continued the transaction.

“Yes. Occasionally, a black market will open where rare items can be seen and traded or auctioned, but basically, transactions are made through our Haomun. If there is something you want, we will check the list and help you purchase it.”

“Hmm. Then could you please prepare some writing brush and ink?”

The writing brush and ink were quickly prepared.

Cheonhwa immediately started writing down a list of the items she needed.

I don’t think I’ll be able to save them all, but if I can save some of them or even find out where they are, I think it’ll be a harvest, so I handed them over to Mayeryeong.

“This is… … ?”

Then, Mayeryeong’s eyes wavered as she accepted the list.

Because everything written there was extraordinary.

“I’ll double check to see if anything has come in… … Honestly, there are many things I’ve only heard of by name. It’s hard to guarantee that I can obtain them. In particular, some of them are things I’ve never seen before, and some of them can’t be obtained even if you pay money. For example, this Pungnyeongmok listed here is a treasure of the Haenam faction and is not traded separately. Some of them are not untradeable, but they are extremely difficult to obtain and there is no stock in circulation. The only thing I can tell you about being available right now… … seems to be Cheonjamsa.”

So the answer I got back was skeptical.

Because most of them were things that we didn’t even know existed, or things that we couldn’t get even if we paid money for them.

But even that sounded positive to Cheonhwa.

This is because even Cheonhwa only knows about the names and functions of these things, and does not know exactly where or how to obtain them.

However, since Haomun seemed to have that information, if there was no quantity in circulation, he could buy the information and obtain it directly, and since some of it was being distributed, he could buy it with money.

That alone was good news.

“Can you get the Cheonjamsa? It should be about this long, but I’d like it to be at least four or five lines long. And if you can’t get the Pungnyeongmok, how about the Cheolryeongmok?”

“First of all, it is possible. In the case of Cheonjamsa, the quantity is small, but you can get it if you want. And as for Cheolyeongmok, it is also a treasure of Magacheolbang, but it is distributed in small quantities every year, so you can get it. However, since both are rare items, the price is very expensive.”

“Then how much… … ?”

Thanks to that, Cheonhwa was excited, but soon returned to reality.

It could be a ploy to inflate the price, but he knows that these are not things that can be obtained easily, so he is nervous about how high he will ask for the price.

“I need to confirm the exact amount, but it should be at least 3,000 nyang.”

“If it’s to that extent, then immediately… … .”

But the price was much cheaper than I thought.

The money I earned here today alone amounts to ten thousand nyang, which is more than enough to buy everything.

‘Can it really be this easy? Maybe recreating the treasure of things isn’t as difficult as I thought?’

Although Cheonhwa was momentarily excited, Mayeryeong had not finished speaking yet.

There was a moment when joy turned to despair.

“Since the price of one string of Cheonjamsa is that much, if I were to buy five strings as you said, it would cost 15,000 nyang. The price of Cheonjamsa can skyrocket to up to 5,000 nyang depending on the season, so unless you’re in a hurry, I recommend that you check the exact price before making a purchase. And a piece of ironwood this size… … would also cost 5,000 nyang. If you were only considering the weight, you could get it cheaper, but since you’re buying a whole piece of this size, the price will go up.”

It was the price of just one line of silk, not everything.

Since what Cheonhwa wanted was something that wasn’t that long, I wondered what kind of people were making clothes out of this.

Wouldn’t it be faster to just rob them?

“As a side note, the wind chime you mentioned at the beginning is not a traded item in the first place, but if it were to come up for sale, it would be worth at least several hundred thousand nyang.”

“… … Um, trauma is not allowed, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then let’s go in and play one more game… … .”

“No.”

In the end, we ran out of money again.

Although he had vaguely prepared for it, he had no idea it would be this expensive, so Cheonhwa was momentarily disappointed.

Aren’t these even the prices of the easiest things to obtain?

Even if other things were up for sale, there would be no way to get them if it was like this.

‘Do I really have to raid the palace to do this?’

Even though Cheonhwa had a thought that he shouldn’t have for a moment, it couldn’t be done.

After taking a deep breath, I brought up another reason for my visit here.

“for a moment.”

I wrote something down again with the still-uncleaned pen and ink.

Although she hadn’t written everything down, it was perhaps natural that Mayeryeong’s eyebrows twitched.

Because the names of the elixirs that Cheonhwa wrote down were quite precious.

“Are you looking for this too?”

“No. I will sell it.”

“Oh, yes… … Yes?”

Natural elixirs and internal medicine obtained from the nest of the Eternal Golden Dragon.

I thought it was obvious that he was asking for it when he saw the name, but Cheonhwa’s answer was the exact opposite.

You’re going to sell all this elixir, and all this quantity?

Did you cut open some kind of snake’s stomach?

“Can’t you? I heard that Amsang not only buys but also sells.”

“Yes, yes, yes. But do you really have all of these? Right now?”

Ma Ye-ryeong was momentarily stunned by the absurdity, but as expected of someone who had been appointed as the branch manager of Haomun, she immediately came to her senses.

It had been a long time since I had let go of the disappointment I felt toward him, who had said he wanted to buy all kinds of rare things but seemed to have no money.

This is more than enough to pay for the privilege of entering the dark world.

If these were released, there would probably be a stir in the martial arts world.

It was also clear that just acting as a sales agent would give Haomen tremendous power.

With this level of elixir, you could gain not only money, but also enormous influence and business.

If you don’t have the strength to defend yourself, you can be swayed, but if it’s Haomen, you can swing that sword properly.

All of that will be his own fault.

“Not now. If you say you’re going to buy it, I’ll have to bring it.”

“I’ll buy it. I’m not buying it. Do you have any conditions you want? Like, I shouldn’t sell it to either the Jeongpa or Sapa… .”

“Hey. Where is the name tag on the money? Just give me the price. And I want to buy these things with that money. Is that possible?”

“Of course. We will give you the best price to satisfy you! Hmm. However, that will take some time, but if it’s okay with you, can we first pay for the items you want and then pay you the difference once the sale is complete?”

“Let’s do that.”

“I will do my best to find the remaining items. If I cannot obtain them myself, I will at least find the information and pass it on to you. Oh, and there is no need for an information fee. This is a token of my appreciation for entrusting me with the transaction.”

Thanks to that, a spark flashed in Mayeryeong’s eyes.

He promised to use his authority to the fullest extent to benefit Cheonhwa, as he would be able to greatly enhance his own position if he could just make this deal happen.

Maybe Cheonhwa is just bluffing to get out safely with the money, but since they will check the items themselves and buy things like Cheonjamsa, even if it is a lie, it will only end in disappointment.

But if I really brought it, I thought I would classify Cheonhwa as a special management personnel from then on and collect all information about him.

“Then can I bring it here?”

“Yes, please.”

So the deal was done.

Cheonhwa spent the rest of the night going back and forth between the underwater cave and Yueyang, and the Haomen Yueyang branch was busy all night long to examine the elixir.

It was a joyful scream, even though Mayeryeong had to rack her brain all night to check and appraise the items and plan how to use them, as she had not expected the items to be delivered so quickly.

When I think about the turmoil that will occur in the world of martial arts in the future, this commotion is nothing more than the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings.

‘I guess I can make a decent imitation with this.’

But the implications of this deal were actually much greater than she realized.

Because when the Cheonjamsa, Cheolryeongmok, and Mannyeongeumgu shells that she had promised to save were gathered together, they were able to recreate one of the treasures of Cheonummun, albeit roughly.

‘It might be difficult to achieve the power of the Wind God, but I think I can properly use the Cheonum Shingong.’

Although it would be just a replica since it didn’t use the Wind Spirit Tree, the power would be somewhat reduced and even though it wouldn’t be able to properly display the power of the Wind God, which could be considered a secret art, it would be able to handle the initial manifestation of the Cheonum Shingong.

That would be enough. After all, even if it was just the Wind Spirit, it would be difficult for even the Heavenly Flower to fully exert its power, and even if it did, it would still be difficult to handle.

Ultimately, in order to reach the extreme of Cheon-eum Shingong, you will need to obtain a complete instrument, not a replica, but even this alone is excellent for immediate use.

This meant that the limits and methods of power that Cheonhwa could unleash had been greatly expanded, and for some, it would be a disaster.