The Eye Is Faster Than The Hand (3)

A dark, eerie alleyway at night.

Gambling Ghost, dragged here, had already given up. He had been mercilessly beaten by the coordinated attack of the Yin-Yang Twin Monsters.

He lay sprawled on the ground with a look of injustice on his face.

“Ugh… Didn’t you say you’d only ask questions?”

“Didn’t you promise to tell us everything you knew?”

That was the wager’s price and the condition for sparing his life.

But for every question asked, he answered that he didn’t know. There was not a scrap of useful information.

“What do you want me to do if I really don’t know? A low-ranking member like me only acts on orders.”

“So what orders did you receive?”

Gambling Ghost pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his bosom and held it out.

“Check it yourself.”

There was nothing particularly special written.

It merely instructed him to conceal his identity and gather funds until orders came. At the bottom was the seal of the Blue Dragon Troops.

‘Just one of the finance operatives, then?’

It wasn’t feasible to hunt down every Blue Dragon member scattered across the Central Plains.

What Yu Jinsan wanted was their personal information. At least the core members—knowing them would let him dismantle this secret armed group quickly.

“Where did you get these orders?”

“There was no set source. A stranger would always approach and hand them over before leaving.”

From his eyes, he didn’t seem to be lying.

Then there was nothing more to learn from him.

“You were of no help, so I have no reason to spare you.”

Feeling the killing intent from Yu Jinsan, Gambling Ghost hastily raised a hand.

“W-wait a moment. There’s one thing.”

“…?”

“The one who handed me the orders said they’ll call in a gathering soon, and told me not to leave the area.”

“What does that mean?”

“Last time, after receiving such orders, three members gathered in one place.”

“And?”

“At that time we aided the Southern Edge Sect in attacking Peak Circle Clan in Shaanxi.”

It was an incident from a few years ago that even Yu Jinsan remembered.

How could he forget? It was how they learned of the Blue Dragon Corps’ existence.

Peak Circle Clan, a powerful Evil Sect, had collapsed overnight.

The three masked men who had helped Southern Edge Clan back then.

Their identities as Blue Dragon members had already been discovered in the past.

“One of them was you, then. What’s their scheme this time?”

“How would I know that?”

It was the expected answer; he had asked just in case.

Were they planning to attack another Evil Sect? Or was there some other reason? There was no way to know now.

That didn’t mean they could wait indefinitely for a rendezvous that might never come.

Yu Jinsan hesitated over what to do with Gambling Ghost, then motioned behind him.

At that, his granddaughter strode over from afar, where she had been waiting with Jak-sun.

“What is it?”

“Give this guy a few gold pieces.”

Yu Seol rummaged in the bundle slung over her shoulder and took something out.

“Three.”

Startled, Gambling Ghost blinked and muttered as he accepted the three gold pieces.

“Why give this to me…”

Yu Jinsan answered for him.

“As I said, we’ll spare your life. That should be enough for you to live on—close your dantian, leave the murim world, and be gone.”

Among the Blue Dragon members they’d met so far, he was the most reasonable—relatively speaking.

Moreover, he had confessed everything as promised, and that stance deserved some respect.

But they couldn’t simply let him go—he might return as an enemy someday.

Leaving no loose ends was a vital survival rule in the murim world.

“….”

Gambling Ghost hesitated for a moment.

Sealing his dantian would mean losing his internal qi and reverting to a commoner.

How could he easily give up the martial skills he had struggled and suffered to achieve?

‘Damn it… If only the Yin Monster wasn’t there with the Yang one.’

If it had been only the Yang Monster, he might have fought or fled, but with the Yin Monster present, there was no chance.

Gambling Ghost’s deliberation was brief; the outcome had been decided from the start.

Why risk losing his life in addition to his skills? Besides, three gold pieces would let him enjoy the rest of his days somewhat.

He ground his teeth and struck below his navel with his fingertip.

Splat–!!

“Gah!”

Gambling Ghost’s face went rapidly pale.

Of course—his dantian’s internal qi was dispersing.

Perhaps his body’s balance had been disrupted; in an instant his face looked ten years older.

“Good choice. Life is precious to everyone.”

“…Can I leave like this?”

“Or do you want to stay here with us? Go live quietly somewhere and enjoy what you used to do.”

Gambling Ghost nodded once at the permission, then turned his back.

Maybe his sagging shoulders looked pitiful—Yu Seol couldn’t take her eyes off him, her face full of pity.

“Why are you staring so intently?”

“…He’s pitiful. We took all his money and now he’s lost his skills.”

“Are you serious? Weren’t you the one who beat him up earlier?”

“I was just helping grandpa.”

How could he not understand his granddaughter’s heart? A faint smile appeared on Yu Jinsan’s face.

“It’s actually better for him. If he’d met them under different circumstances, he’d have lost his life…”

He was the first Blue Dragon member to survive an encounter with the Yin-Yang Twin Monsters.

Unlike the others, he had shown willingness to cooperate, so they made an exception—had they met him on the battlefield, they wouldn’t have spared him.

Now all that remained was Jak-sun’s reward.

When Yu Jinsan motioned, he clasped his hands and approached timidly.

“You and I had pretty good coordination earlier.”

“Thank you for the compliment. I truly did my best.”

“I know. This is yours—take it. As promised, it’s one-tenth of the seized funds.”

He was given ten gold pieces—a fortune no single person could squander through a lifetime.

“Thank you. I will never forget this kindness until I die.”

“Kindness? It’s just fair pay. And also…”

“…Yes?”

“You don’t look that young—start giving back a bit. Money’s fine, but you can’t take it to your grave.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Yu Jinsan waved him away as if the matter were settled.

The way he walked away was the exact opposite of Gambling Ghost’s.

He almost danced as he left—having secured his share, he was in high spirits.

His granddaughter watched him with a delighted smile—an amusing sight.

“Grandpa, what should we do with this money now?”

The funds that Baek Gyu had emptied from the sect’s reserve had multiplied more than sevenfold.

With outstanding talents joining Defeating Blade Clan and new funds, the clan would soar—he planned to give it to them.

It wasn’t mere charity. Yu Jinsan had a long-term plan, a larger picture in mind.

But he couldn’t tell his eager granddaughter the whole truth.

“Seol, what do you want? If there’s anything you want, just say it. Grandpa will grant it.”

“Hmm~ Should I buy tasty treats for the kids?”

She meant the children who had escaped from Mount Emei. Come to think of it, the granddaughter had even given them names.

Her warm desire to care for others was truly admirable.

A few silver pieces would buy snacks for every member of Defeating Gate Clan. There was no reason to refuse.

“Good idea. Buy a lot—order from the Ho county market and have it delivered.”

“Heehee. Let’s go, grandpa.”

The clan leader’s office inside Defeating Blade Clan.

Yu Seol came alone and dropped the bundle slung over her shoulder onto the desk with a thud.

“He told me to give this to you, uncle.”

With a heavy sound, piles of silver coins were revealed. Interspersed among them were dozens of gold pieces.

Baek Gyu, forgetting his dignity, opened his eyes wide as if they would tear.

“…Seol, Seol, what is all this?”

“Grandpa got it all.”

What on earth had happened?

The Yu Jinsan he knew wasn’t a gambler. Yet he had taken all of Gambling Ghost’s funds?

Baek Gyu was speechless with disbelief.

It would be more plausible to think they’d robbed Gambling Ghost, but even that seemed unlikely—Yu Jinsan wasn’t the sort to do something like that without cause.

“….”

Baek Gyu, staring blankly at the money bundle, ran his hand over it.

It was an enormous sum—enough that the sect wouldn’t worry about money for some time.

How could the sect leader not be pleased? With so many members, they had been strapped for funds.

Just as he was about to request funds from the Evil Sects Alliance, his problem vanished.

“What a windfall. We’ve received another great favor from you, brother.”

“Is that good, uncle?”

Baek Gyu scooped Yu Seol up in both large hands and spun her around.

“Of course it’s good, kid. You must’ve helped your brother, right? Good work!”

“Heehee.”

Yu Seol, praised, couldn’t stop smiling.

“By the way, where did brother go?”

“He went off with the bald grandpa.”

Among Defeating Blade clan elders there was not a single one without a bald head.

But only one of them was addressed by a nephew in that way.

Baek Gyu sighed with a look of regret.

“Oh dear… I guess we should delay saying thanks for now.”

“H-hey, put me down!”

Yu Jinsan was dangling from someone’s shoulder, his feet kicking.

It was the renegade monk Jeong-hye. He had thrown himself at him the moment he saw him, leaving him bewildered.

Even his trusted granddaughter had run off, making the situation awkward.

“Hyung~ Today you’ll play with me, right?”

Yu Jinsan knew well that Jeong-hye meant no harm.

He was mentally unbalanced, but purer-hearted than most.

Still, he was bothersome and annoying.

“I’m not at an age to play like this. Go ask my granddaughter to play with you.”

“Seol is too scary! What if she hits me? Play with me, hyung~”

It was maddening—no matter how much he spoke, the monk wouldn’t budge.

“What on earth do you mean we’ll ‘play’?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you something fun!”

“Why should I worry…”

Yu Jinsan stopped mid-sentence, his mouth agape—his body had been flung into the air. Jeong-hye had tossed him.

He rose as if piercing through the clouds.

“Aaah! What are you doing, you madwoman!”

Though trained in martial arts and unlikely to fall to his death, at this height he could still be hurt.

Far below, Jeong-hye was flailing her arms.

Yu Jinsan’s heart chilled; he braced his body to absorb the impact.

A moment later, the unbelievable happened.

“…?”

Yu Jinsan’s body froze in midair—precisely half a foot above Jeong-hye’s head.

He continued flailing his hands, as if tying him to the air.

“Brother, from now on we’ll walk the same way!”

Walk in the air? It sounded insane, but Yu Jinsan tried to mimic her stride—he didn’t know what the unhinged monk might do if he refused.

Floating in the air, Yu Jinsan moved his feet to match Jeong-hye’s movements below—slow and strange, as if pushing through water.

After moving a few times, Yu Jinsan’s eyes snapped open.

‘…Could this divine technique be?’