Chapter 69 - The 'First' Gate of the Hellish Regular Exam (3)

"What are you talking about?"

Yeo Mimi's face turned cold for the first time.

"I said that I want the qualification of a 'Guest'. Not simply a relationship of exchanging information."

"Are you saying you do not believe my words right now?"

"The word 'Guest' was not mentioned even once from the mouth of the person you claim is the Sect Leader."

"... I believe I have conveyed it sufficiently."

I stood up from my seat.

"I understand what you mean. It is a shame, but it can't be helped."

"I'm not finished talking yet!"

The warriors spread out in a line, looking ready to draw their swords at any moment.

Right then.

The elderly maid I had been looking at slowly raised her head.

"Enough. Cease this."

"..."

Yeo Mimi kept her mouth firmly shut and stepped to the side.

"You have done enough. This child is simply no ordinary fellow."

Her face, with a few strands of white hair slightly falling over it, was filled with soft wrinkles.

The way she swept her gaze up and down from a slightly hunched posture made her look entirely like a warmhearted grandmother inspecting a prospective grandson-in-law brought home by her granddaughter.

However, this elderly woman who possessed not a single ounce of internal energy was none other than the current Sect Leader of Haomun, Yeo Mimi.

"I apologize. Sect Leader."

The woman who had played the role of Yeo Mimi bowed her head with a flushed face.

"Still, I am quite curious. How did you know?"

I had never seen her in my past life.

However, I did know information about her.

"When I entered the room, all the elderly workers looked at me once. But you, Sect Leader, did not look at me."

"!"

The employees, who had been completely motionless, all flinched.

I waved the documents I had received.

"And if I had truly become a Guest, I would not have received such useless information."

"Useless? How could you say something so rude?"

The woman who had played the role of Yeo Mimi bit her lip.

I looked back and forth between her and Yeo Mimi, asking how I should address her, and Yeo Mimi quickly caught on and provided her name.

"She is my first disciple, Haeryeong."

"Yes, the information Senior Haeryeong gave me merely lists the key figures. If it was truly information meant to help me, wouldn't it contain details about the strongholds I should target and who else is targeting those strongholds, rather than just information about people?"

"..."

Haeryeong's face flushed bright red. Perhaps this information was prepared by Haeryeong herself.

The reason Yeo Mimi became the Sect Leader of Haomun despite not having learned a single shred of martial arts was not solely because her reputation was excellent.

It was possible because she possessed abilities such as speed and accuracy that were incomparable to other information groups, as well as excellent predictive capabilities through independent analysis.

"And if this was Haomun's true potential, I wouldn't have even bothered undergoing the qualification test for a 'Guest'."

"..."

"..."

At my single remark, hostility emanated from everyone in the room.

To the disciples of Haomun, Haomun was not simply the level of the faction they belonged to. They were friends, family, and practically blood relatives to one another.

This tight-knit bond was the underlying strength that allowed them to possess an information network uniquely on par with the Beggars' Sect in the world.

"If you know so much about us, you must also know the reason why we conduct such strict verification for the qualification of a 'Guest', right?"

Historically, the Guests of Haomun were exclusively the absolute masters of Jianghu. And throughout Haomun's long history, that number did not exceed ten fingers.

This was because the majority of them did not build their own factions and instead lived leisurely lives, making the deep mountains and secluded valleys their homes.

This was related to Haomun's identity.

It was because the interests of Haomun and the interests of the Guest must never conflict.

Haomun always had the primary goal of protecting its disciples.

"You belong to the Taiyi Sect, and that Taiyi Sect is currently biding its time to soar. Isn't that alone sufficient reason for why you cannot become our Guest?"

"As long as you live rooted in Jianghu, you can never sever your ties with it. If that were the case, you shouldn't have been selling information about Jianghu in the first place."

"..."

"As I mentioned earlier, the incident at the Demonic Spirit Plateau was a tragedy brought about by Haomun's reclusiveness. If someone had to take responsibility for this matter, between the Beggars' Sect and Haomun, who would suffer the greater loss?"

In my past life, Haomun suffered near-annihilation.

If not for Yang Gunbaek's abilities, Haomun would not have been able to rise again.

"I like the spirit of Haomun. An organization meant to protect the powerless. If I were an inn waiter, it would have been incredibly reassuring. However, Haomun has already grown to the scale of the entirety of Jianghu, and if you continue with your current methods, a second and third Demonic Spirit Plateau incident will happen again someday. It is time for you to step out of the well."

Yeo Mimi stared at me intently with her wrinkled face.

"Are you saying you have a solution for that?"

The Beggars' Sect ultimately failed to predict the return of the Demonic Cult.

An information group without competitors would eventually fall into self-contradiction, focusing on processing information based on subjective interests rather than objective factual analysis.

Perhaps, if Haomun had existed until the end, the information regarding the return of the Demonic Cult might have unfolded in a different direction.

"As you just said, the Taiyi Sect will soar in the future. Join us when that happens."

"... You're employing all sorts of sweet talk for your own benefit. I almost agreed for a moment."

I didn't find Yeo Mimi's suspicion unpleasant. After all, it was her near-obsessive fastidiousness that had built the Haomun of today.

"As expected, you aren't easily swayed."

At my brazenness, Yeo Mimi let out a laugh.

"Hehehe... What a shameless fellow. Even so, since I was moved by your eloquence, I cannot help but give you a chance."

"Sect Leader!"

Haeryeong's face turned pale for the first time.

"Wasn't the problem that child pointed out something we have been considering as well? Do you wish to ignore someone capable of providing a solution just because of your pride?"

"..."

"If you know about the first and second qualifications, you must also know what the third qualification is, right?"

"To be someone of help to Haomun."

"Hehehe... Did you know? This is a criterion that has never been announced publicly. Even those who became Guests didn't know when they had finished their verification."

"Is that so?"

Since it was information I had also obtained from among the top-secret records of the Simhyeon Pavilion, I thought it made sense.

"However, for someone like you, it would be meaningless to join us if you cannot become a Guest immediately, wouldn't it?"

Yeo Mimi seemed to already be anticipating how I would use Haomun's information.

"I will give you a chance. Though, of course, it won't be easy for you either."

"What is it?"

"I heard that you are acquainted with the Lord of Wangga Manor."

"... I suppose you could say that."

"We need one of the most precious things that Wang Geumsan of Wangga Manor possesses. Can you give that to us?"

Haeryeong suddenly stepped in front of Yeo Mimi.

"Sect Leader... It is fine."

"Stay still."

Haeryeong bowed her head and stepped back.

I had no idea what the two of them were talking about.

"Can you give it to us?"

"Don't I need to know what it is before I can ask the Lord to give it?"

Yeo Mimi looked at Haeryeong once before speaking to me.

"I will speak to him about it directly."

I tilted my head at Yeo Mimi's words. The Sect Leader of Haomun, Yeo Mimi, had never once revealed herself to the world.

Just how important was this matter for the Sect Leader of Haomun to show her face personally?

* * *

The point Jin Sowoon pointed out was a concern that Yeo Mimi and Haeryeong had constantly pondered in the past.

Haeryeong, in particular, had been thinking more progressively than the Sect Leader herself about opening up Haomun.

However, after the identity of Haeryeong's husband and her second disciple, Taegong, was exposed, leading to his death, Haeryeong had become even more conservative than Yeo Mimi herself.

But just as Jin Sowoon had said, they had now reached their limit.

Problems were arising in branches everywhere, and the people working internally were screaming in distress.

Even knowing that reality, perhaps due to the memories of Taegong, Haeryeong was unwilling to change her mindset until the very end.

Because of this, Yeo Mimi was, in a way, pinning her hopes on Jin Sowoon.

Hoping that he could change Haeryeong's mind.

Hoping that her pitiful daughter could cast off the shadow looming over her.

With such thoughts, Yeo Mimi looked forward to meeting Lord Wang and tried to set up a time, but Jin Sowoon suggested they go meet Lord Wang right away.

"I don't have time."

Although Jin Sowoon said that, she didn't think it would be possible.

After all, Wang Geumsan wasn't someone who could be met as easily as an old man at a local apothecary.

And yet...

"Ahahaha. I thought you'd just leave because you were busy, but you came to see me in the end."

At Wang Geumsan's words, Yeo Mimi and Haeryeong, who was playing the role of Yeo Mimi, couldn't help but be shocked.

Even high-ranking officials and famous figures of Murim had to make an appointment weeks in advance to meet him, and in severe cases, even months in advance.

Even then, if Wang Geumsan had urgent business on the day of the meeting, failing to meet him was a common occurrence.

Yet right now, didn't Wang Geumsan look entirely like someone who had been waiting for weeks just to meet Jin Sowoon?

"I was worried that my sudden visit might be taking up your time, Lord."

Wang Geumsan, who had a massive pile of work built up, pushed it all to the side and was inspecting Jin Sowoon's face from all angles.

"What does it matter if trivial work like that is delayed by a day or two? Right. So you're taking the Murim Academy exam after all?"

"Yes. It turned out that way. In relation to that, I brought these people along to seek your help, Lord. They came from Haomun."

Jin Sowoon introduced Haomun naturally.

Haeryeong stepped forward.

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Yeo Mimi, the Sect Leader of Haomun."

Because they were meeting Wang Geumsan, Yeo Mimi had wanted to present herself in her true form, but Haeryeong still refused to back down.

Unable to be harsh to the pitiful child, Yeo Mimi ultimately let Haeryeong do as she pleased.

At Haeryeong's fist salute, Wang Geumsan merely gave a slight nod.

"A pleasure. I am called Wang."

It was an excessively rude action to direct toward the Sect Leader of a faction.

It definitely looked different from the Wang Geumsan that Yeo Mimi knew.

"So you need Haomun for this exam?"

"Yes."

"Hmm... I see. May I ask what kind of information you need?"

Strangely, Wang Geumsan was showing a demeanor entirely different from what Haomun's information had suggested.

He was treating the Sect Leader of Haomun rudely, while using the language of a parent rather than the language of a merchant with Jin Sowoon.

"I need all the information regarding the constantly changing exam."

"Indeed, for that kind of information, you have no choice but to borrow the power of the Beggars' Sect and Haomun."

As Wang Geumsan nodded, Haeryeong stepped forward.

"At our Haomun..."

And yet, didn't Wang Geumsan cut off Haeryeong's words once again?

"Or, how about Wangga Manor helps you?"

"..."

Haeryeong's face heavily crumpled in a frown.

This was a crisis where the meeting might end before they could even say what they wanted.

"How so?"

"I will mobilize everyone affiliated with Wangga Manor across the country to give you the information you need. After all, it's a matter that requires information centered around you. It isn't like you need something on the scale of all of Jianghu, right?"

"Hmm..."

Just as he said, he wasn't entirely wrong.

After all, if it was the Lord of Wangga Manor, who employed people across the entirety of Jianghu, he could establish an information network that, while perhaps not quite Haomun's equal, would not fall far behind it.

Though analytical ability and speed would be a different story.

As Yeo Mimi watched the scene with burning anxiety.

Fortunately, Jin Sowoon shook his head.

"I cannot do that. I cannot have you suffer losses just to help me, Lord."

"Kuahaha! My man! Why would you worry about something like that! If you wanted, I could hand over the entirety of my Wangga Manor to you."

While Jin Sowoon and Wang Geumsan happily conversed, Haeryeong's face flushed bright red.

Even though she came from the disciples of Haomun, whenever she uttered the title of Sect Leader, there was no one in Jianghu who ignored her.

Yet here she was, experiencing such insult for the first time.

"You are truly rude."

"Hmm?"

"Is Haomun that much of a joke to you?"

Wang Geumsan changed his expression.

A solemn and stiff expression.

Just like Yeo Mimi, he possessed not a single ounce of internal energy, yet he looked full of a dignity that seemed capable of looking down on the whole world.

His mouth opened coldly.

"I am the one who wants to ask. Just how much of a joke do you consider me, to dare impersonate the Sect Leader of Haomun?"

"?!"

At Wang Geumsan's words, the corners of Yeo Mimi's eyes trembled rapidly.

As expected, such a charade shouldn't have been played so carelessly.

There was a reason why he had been uniquely cold to Haomun right from the start.

"Although the true identity of Haomun's Sect Leader is shrouded in mist, I have heard that she has thirteen disciples. Taking in the first disciple happened fifteen years ago. If you are the Sect Leader of Haomun, then Haomun wouldn't be an information group, but rather a faction playing children's house."

"..."

Haeryeong's face turned ashen.

In a situation where they were already making an uneasy request, receiving such sharp criticism put them in an even more difficult position.

"You should drop it as well. When it comes to information, trust is the most important thing. How could you possibly plot a major undertaking with such untrustworthy people?"

Ultimately, Yeo Mimi herself had no choice but to step forward.

Yeo Mimi pulled the deeply slumped Haeryeong behind her and politely formed a fist salute.

"I apologize. My disciple did this out of concern for her powerless master, so I ask for your forgiveness."

The psychological shock Haeryeong suffered from losing Taegong was too great.

On top of that, with the only son left between the two of them stricken by a fatal illness, Haeryeong was in a state where she could lose her mind at any moment.

Hoping that Haeryeong would suffer no further tragedies, Yeo Mimi had let her do as she pleased, but coming to this point, it had actually acted as a terrible move.

"..."

Wang Geumsan looked at her wordlessly for a long time.

Then, he suddenly spoke in a calm voice.

"It is fine. Please rise. It is not a pleasant sight to see the Sect Leader of a faction bowing her head like that."

Sure enough, Wang Geumsan instantly recognized that she was the Sect Leader.

Just how did he manage to distinguish her? It wasn't like there were servants around like there had been with Jin Sowoon.

They said that out of the Four Great Merchants of the World, Wang Geumsan was the most difficult and wise, and it seemed those words were not merely rumors.

"I have already been disappointed in you, but considering Sowoon's face, I will let it slide just this once."

Yeo Mimi stared blankly at Jin Sowoon and Wang Geumsan.

Just what was it about Jin Sowoon that made Wang Geumsan trust him so much? Was such trust possible simply from saving his daughter?

"What is it that you need from me?"

Without time to harbor other thoughts, Yeo Mimi gathered her focus.

Because the reason they had come all this way was to find a clue to prevent Haeryeong's tragedy.

Yeo Mimi looked at Haeryeong once before speaking.

"I heard that your daughter suffered from the Solar Constitution."

"Hoh. As expected of Haomun."

Since Wangga Manor had kept the matters regarding Wang Soso extremely secret, even within Wangga Manor, very few people knew about her constitution.

It was information that Haomun had only recently learned by tracing the origins of the items Wangga Manor had put up for sale.

"I need that cure."

At Yeo Mimi's words, Jin Sowoon and Wang Geumsan made eye contact at the same time.

Wang Geumsan's lips could visibly be seen twitching as he held back a burst of laughter.

'What is this?'

Feeling that something was strange, Yeo Mimi nonetheless continued to speak.

"We mobilized the entirety of Haomun, but there was simply no way to find out. We would be grateful if you could tell us the cure and the person who treated that constitution."

Haeryeong's son was also suffering from a similar illness to Wang Soso.

The Nine Yin Severed Meridians, which absolutely no one in the world could cure.

If Haeryeong were to lose even that child, Yeo Mimi couldn't predict what would truly happen to her.

Because of that, she was pinning her last hope on the cure that had treated Wang Soso.

If one could shed the Solar Constitution and become healthy enough to learn martial arts in the Taiyi Sect, then surely the Nine Yin Severed Meridians could be cured as well.

"... Haha."

"We implore you to let us know."

"We implore you."

Yeo Mimi and Haeryeong bowed their heads.

Wang Geumsan watched the scene, shaking his head side to side, before looking at Jin Sowoon.

Jin Sowoon gave a slight nod without saying a word, and Wang Geumsan also gave a small nod.

"... I will tell you who that person is."

"... Can you truly tell us?"

"Yes."

Yeo Mimi and Haeryeong had expressions of disbelief.

Such a precious cure was something that could be exchanged for millions of gold. Could he truly give it to them just from Jin Sowoon's request alone?

"It isn't quite an exchange, but... I will give you a piece of advice."

They had expected him to ask for some massive compensation, but at Wang Geumsan's words that he would simply offer advice, Yeo Mimi and Haeryeong gladly nodded their heads.

"When operating an organization, suspicion and verification are indeed very important parts. However, if you wish to build an organization capable of truly doing great things, trust is more important than anything else."

Yeo Mimi and Haeryeong had expressions that showed they didn't understand what Wang Geumsan was talking about.

"If you would tell us what you mean by that, we will listen even more carefully."

"I am saying that if you had shown trust to Sowoon in the first place, you would not have had to come all the way here."

"...?"

"Because the one who has that cure is Sowoon."

Yeo Mimi and Haeryeong's heads whipped around.

With their common sense, they hadn't even imagined that Jin Sowoon would possess that cure.

"Trust is something very difficult to build. If the very beginning goes wrong, it is even harder. That is why showing trust first is more important than anything else. If the other person betrays you, you only need to pay them back even more severely, don't you? I know that Haomun is already a sect of that scale. So show trust first. If you cannot overcome this, you will see just how quickly that organization of yours can collapse."

None other than one of the Four Great Merchants of the World had shared his own management principles.

Yeo Mimi bowed her head, deeply moved.

"I will engrave the words I heard today deep in my heart."

"It is fine. I only said this because Sowoon told me he needed your strength in the first place. Let us stop this now and share some comfortable conversation."

Wang Geumsan loosened his stiff expression and ordered the maids to prepare dinner.

"You, you aren't planning on making me go through such a situation and just leaving, are you?"

Wang Geumsan dropped his previously solemn expression and spoke to Jin Sowoon with a comical look.

"What are you saying? I merely introduced these people to you since I came to have dinner with you, Lord."

They said Wang Geumsan was singling out Jin Sowoon as a prospective son-in-law, and it seemed that was the truth.

"Kuahaha. You'll need to learn how to lie if you want to become a merchant later on."

"What are you saying? Have you not heard the story that I found the true inheritance of the Taiyi Sword Emperor? I will become an expert of Murim soon enough."

"In return, I also heard the story that you almost lost your internal energy while using innate qi."

"Ugh..."

"Let's go for now! I need to hear the story of your exploits at the Demonic Spirit Plateau first. They say the end of that story was you managing to extract the Cangqiong Merchant Group?"

Wang Geumsan rejoiced as if his dead son had returned alive, leading Jin Sowoon out before looking back.

While Yeo Mimi and Haeryeong were hesitating on what they should do, Wang Geumsan spoke.

"Are you not coming with us? The skills of our Wangga Manor's top-class chefs are quite exceptional."