They were all in cahoots.

The swindler using his skills, the gamblers placing bets, the middlemen controlling the atmosphere, and even the tout who brought us—all on the same side.

Everyone else present was either people who had already lost money or those about to lose it.

“Place your bet on the cup with the dice, and I’ll pay you three times what you wager!”

The gambler was a middle-aged, small-framed man, but his eyes were as sharp as any martial artist’s.

Father asked me,

“Do you have money?”

“Don’t you have any?”

Father nodded.

“I have no reason to carry it around.”

True enough. When you’re the Cheonma, when would you ever need to pull out your purse?

I couldn’t let this precious opportunity to tease father slip by.

“If Uncle Hwui and I lose, you won’t even be able to buy a meal. Then you’d have to dine and dash or leave your sword as collateral.”

Just imagining that was amusing.

“Enough teasing. Give me the money.”

Father held out his hand.

I took a nyang coin from my pouch and handed it over.

“Bet carefully! That man is a master of deception here. His hands are faster than our eyes.”

Of course, no one could escape father’s sharp gaze. I said that just for the benefit of the swindlers.

“Alright, then I’ll shuffle.”

The man opened each cup one by one to show they were empty, then dropped the dice into one.

He opened and closed them, sent cups here and there—the hand movements were not so fast as to be confusing or suspicious.

Finally, his hand stopped.

“Where will you place your bet?”

Father placed a nyang coin in the middle cup.

Perhaps this was father’s first time gambling on the street.

“Anyone else want to bet? Then I’ll open them.”

The man opened the middle cup, revealing the dice.

His hands were not faster than the eyes.

“Sharp eyesight.”

The gambler looked relaxed.

Was his ease because he hadn’t yet fully used his skill? Or was this a strategy to let people win a little first, then clean them out later?

The tout came over, flattering father.

“Master warrior, your eyesight is truly remarkable.”

Father didn’t even look at him. What held his interest now were the three white cups.

“Alright, I’ll shuffle again!”

The gambler shuffled the dice once more, moving them deftly between the cups.

Father chose the right cup this time.

“Anyone else want to bet?”

Again, father was the only one to bet.

When father opened the chosen cup, the dice were inside.

The crowd watching let out low gasps.

Father’s third choice.

He correctly guessed the cup holding the dice again.

At this moment, I saw the gambler momentarily flustered.

He had clearly tried to mislead father to choose another cup, but it didn’t work.

At the same time, I saw the joyful smile at the corner of father’s mouth. He was truly enjoying playing with these fellows.

“Father! You got it right three times in a row!”

The onlookers started paying real attention.

The gambler shuffled again, now with more careful movements.

“You got it again!”

Cheers rose from the crowd. These were genuine spectators, not middlemen.

From the tout to the middlemen, their expressions showed clear surprise. Usually, that gambler never let anyone guess right four times consecutively.

As eyes darted quickly among them, the dice were shuffled again.

By the fifth round, others followed father’s lead in choosing cups.

Father guessed right again. Applause burst from all sides. Passersby gathered to watch.

The looks directed at father—had he ever before received such expectant gazes from marketplace crowds, rather than only respect and fear? Surely not. These people wouldn’t have dared come so close otherwise.

“Alright, shuffle again!”

Father was genuinely enjoying himself. If he had any ill will toward them, he wouldn’t have just bet one nyang each time.

Or he could have made them suffer a huge loss.

What if he lost ten nyang, twenty nyang on purpose at first, then later bet a thousand nyang voucher? They’d be delighted to accept, only to be crushed then.

It wouldn’t just be losing money—it could cost lives if they refused to pay.

But father did not do that. He simply kept betting one nyang each time.

When he guessed right a sixth time, the crowd cheered, and by the seventh time, the gambler’s expression hardened completely.

Finally, the tout approached and quietly said,

“Sir, how about stopping now?”

Father looked at him. What was father’s true feeling toward these men?

It was impossible to tell, but it was certain that he hadn’t started this to harass them. He was simply having some fun.

“Alright.”

Father handed me the winnings so far.

“Let’s have dinner with this.”

“With this money, we can enjoy a feast.”

Then the gambler said,

“Wanna bet all today’s winnings on one final round?”

The tout whispered urgently to him, probably telling him not to get excited and to end it quickly. But the gambler ignored him.

Would father refuse such a challenge?

“Shuffle.”

Given the circumstances, the gambler was surely going to use his trump card, a method that couldn’t lose.

Three overturned cups.

Father chose the middle one. The entire winnings were at stake, so the amount was considerable.

The gambler’s confident expression told us the dice were certainly not under the middle cup.

“Alright, then I’ll open it.”

The man opened the middle cup, his eyes wide.

Where the dice should not have been, there they were.

His final move failed.

The gambler, the tout, and even the onlookers were all shocked. None expected father to guess right until the very end.

The spectators cheered.

“As expected! Our father is the best!”

I told the gambler,

“Now, pay up.”

For a moment, the gambler was speechless.

“Wait a moment.”

The tout’s eyes darted ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) around. The moment he decided paying was a loss, their fate would be sealed.

Soon the gambler took money from his pouch and handed it over.

“Here it is.”

Though this gambler lost the bet, he won the fight for his life.

“How did you do it?”

Father accepted the money and replied,

“Have you ever taught your skill to others? Neither have I.”

I laughed loudly at father’s words. It was the first time I’d seen him say that to a gambler.

But the surprises did not end there.

Father returned half of the winnings to the gambler.

“Why do you give half back?”

The gambler asked.

Father quietly answered,

“Sometimes, you have to let people go by returning their money. When that time comes, return half.”

At that moment, father’s eyes changed. The soft look he had while playing with the swindlers vanished.

A heavy gaze no ordinary gambler could withstand.

The gambler bowed his head at that look.

“I will surely keep that promise!”

Leaving the deeply bowed man behind, we resumed walking.

“Impressive.”

“Impressive? He won’t keep it anyway.”

Father didn’t trust the gambler’s promise.

“He might keep it once or twice. But eventually, he’ll forget the fear of this moment.”

Father fundamentally didn’t trust people. How could he trust a street gambler?

That’s true, father. Maybe so. But maybe he will keep that promise his whole life. You just don’t know how frightening your gaze is.

“Then why did you give him the chance?”

After a pause, father answered,

“Because I was in a good mood today.”

When I heard that, I stopped walking.

Could anyone else feel so good right now?

Could anyone else have seen father this happy for the first time? Could anyone else have heard him express such feelings to me?

“Since we won, I’ll buy dinner.”

“Let’s buy that dinner and eat it on the carriage ride.”

Father looked at me, then nodded.

He understood my meaning.

Though the gambler accepted the loss quietly, the tout might have sent killers out of spite that night. They saw our purses were full.

If we eliminated those men, others behind them would step forward. Then the Commander’s worries could come true. Who is behind whom, and then behind them?

We might inevitably get caught up in such things while traveling, but not now. This was only the second day of our trip.

Father, no matter how fate tries to pull you in, we’ll just avoid it first.

The next day, we rode toward Seomseo by carriage.

Father quietly closed his eyes, and I watched the scenery.

While looking at wildflowers blooming along the river, I suddenly asked,

“Father, are you good at fishing?”

Father nodded without opening his eyes, as if confident that there was nothing he couldn’t do.

“How about fish for dinner tonight? The loser of a big-fish contest does all the cleaning, including cooking. If you’re not confident, you can forfeit.”

Father, still with closed eyes, said to Hwui,

“Park the carriage by the river.”

Father had left all worries behind at the main branch.

Hwui parked the carriage beside the river.

“What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?”

Father mentioned an amazing fish.

“Geumrinseong-eo (錦鱗星漁).”

A legendary sacred fish. It was probably bigger than a person.

“Does it really exist?”

“I caught it and took it as an elixir.”

“Ah! I can’t beat the Geumrinseong-eo.”

I might lose in size, but I’d win in rarity.

Mannyeonhwari.

The ultimate sacred fish.

Of course, I couldn’t catch that one now. Mannyeonhwari could only be obtained later at the place and time where I eventually got it.

“I’ll fish too.”

Not a joke. I really wandered so much looking for that Mannyeonhwari that I nearly grew fat from swimming.

“Then let’s make fishing rods.”

I searched the surroundings with light agility to find bamboo and cut the best two pieces. I took one for father as well.

“Which bamboo will you choose?”

“You choose first.”

“You’re so confident. I won’t go easy on you.”

Despite my words, I chose the slightly less perfect bamboo. I couldn’t pick one better than father’s.

I took out a dagger and carved the bamboo into fishing rods.

“Don’t blame the equipment later.”

“You’re the one who shouldn’t.”

“Uncle Hwui, you heard that, right? You have to be a fair judge. You can’t say later that father’s fish was smaller and try to lengthen it with martial arts!”

Hwui laughed. Indeed, if father’s fish turned out smaller, he would try to use martial arts to stretch it.

“But father, aren’t you making one?”

Father just watched me make my rod.

“You’re not planning to catch fish with martial arts, are you? That’s not allowed. We’ll catch fish fairly with rods.”

“I know.”

“Then why don’t you make one? No matter how you look at it, I won’t make one for you. You have to make it yourself. Planning to blame the rod later?”

Still, father didn’t budge.

In the end, I gave up.

“I admit defeat.”

I put down my unfinished rod and started making father’s. He made it more carefully and diligently than I did.

Father silently watched me.

When his rod was finished, I took fishing line and hooks from my belongings and completed it.

We had two fishing rods now.

“Here is your weapon, father. Please choose first.”

I solemnly presented both rods.

“No need.”

Father reached toward the carriage.

Such an ominous gesture!

Then his large traveling pouch loosened, and something flew out.

It was a length of bamboo about the size of an adult forearm.

Whoosh.

Father manipulated the bamboo, which extended like a magic staff.

Surprisingly, it was a fishing rod—flexible yet sturdy, clearly no ordinary rod.

“What is that?”

Then came the amazing name.

“It’s the secret weapon of Donghae Eoong (East Sea Fisherman).”

Donghae Eoong was a martial arts master who roamed the Central Plains wielding a single fishing rod. His rod was famed as a perfect fishing tool—so much so that if you caught a giant whale with a fishing rod, it would surely be Donghae Eoong’s rod.

“Why does father have that?”

“He lost to me in a duel long ago, then offered his fishing rod and left.”

“Was father the one who retired him?”

“It was his own pride that forced him to retire.”

I was deeply moved—not because father defeated Donghae Eoong in his youth, nor because I saw that perfect fishing rod.

I was moved that father had kept it.

I recalled late at night father packing that fishing rod from Cheonmabogo into his pouch.

He must have thought we might fish together someday.

“No, if you have such a fishing rod, you should have told me. You’re clearly trying to tease your son.”

Maybe he liked seeing me making his fishing rod.

“And Donghae Eoong’s fishing rod? That’s cheating!”

“Who said not to blame equipment?”

Standing side by side by the river,

Our fishing competition for big fish began.

“Well then, shall we start?”

“Today, you’ll smell of fish, so stay far away.”

“I’ll endure the smell from father’s body. I’ll prove that a master doesn’t discriminate against tools.”

Really, even if you catch something with that, it won’t be easy.

Our fishing lines flew over the sparkling river in the sunlight.

The curves they made were more beautiful than any martial arts technique.

As the bait entered the water, gentle ripples spread, then calm returned.

The soft sound of water and the flapping of waterfowl came on the river breeze.

Everything was peaceful and quiet.

It was my first fishing trip with father.