#69. <Hell's Exact Time First Gate (3)>
“What do you mean by that?”
Yeo Mi-mi’s face grew cold for the first time.
“I told you I want the qualifications of a guest. Not just a simple exchange of information.”
“Are you saying you don’t believe me right now?”
“The word ‘guest’ never once came out of the mouth of the person you called your sect leader.”
“……I thought I’d made it clear enough.”
I stood up from my seat.
“I understand what you mean. It’s a shame, but there’s nothing to be done.”
“My story isn’t over yet!”
The warriors spread out in a line, looking ready to draw their swords at any moment.
At that moment, the old woman I’d been watching slowly raised her head.
“That’s enough. Stand down.”
“…….”
Yeo Mi-mi clamped her mouth shut and stepped aside.
“You’ve done plenty. It’s just that this young man isn’t your average fool.”
A few strands of white hair framed her softly wrinkled face, slightly lowered. Her slightly hunched posture as she looked me up and down reminded me of a kind grandmother appraising her granddaughter’s prospective son-in-law.
But this old woman, who didn’t possess even a scrap of internal energy, was none other than the current lord of Haomen, Yeo Mi-mi.
“I’m sorry, Sect Leader.”
The woman who had been playing Yeo Mi-mi flushed red and bowed her head.
“Still, I’m curious. How did you know?”
I’d never seen her in my previous life. But I knew information about her.
“When I entered the room, all the attendants glanced at me once. But you, Sect Leader, didn’t look at me.”
“!”
The previously motionless attendants all flinched.
I shook the documents I’d received.
“And if I’d truly become a guest, I wouldn’t have received useless information like this.”
“Useless? How can you say something so rude?”
The woman who’d impersonated Yeo Mi-mi bit her lip. I alternated glances between her and the real Yeo Mi-mi, silently asking how to address her, and Yeo Mi-mi quickly caught on and gave me her name.
“My first disciple, Hae-ryeong.”
“Yes. The information Senior Hae-ryeong gave me only lists major figures. If it were truly helpful to me, it would’ve included details on the bandit strongholds I need to target and who else is eyeing those strongholds—not just people.”
“…….”
Hae-ryeong’s face burned red. This information was probably something she’d prepared herself.
The reason Yeo Mi-mi had become Haomen’s lord despite knowing not a single thread of martial arts wasn’t just her personal charisma. It was because of abilities like unmatched speed and accuracy compared to other intelligence groups, along with excellent predictions from their own analysis.
“And if this were Haomen’s true strength, you wouldn’t even bother verifying guest qualifications.”
“…….”
“…….”
My words drew hostility from everyone in the room. To Haomen disciples, Haomen wasn’t just some sect they belonged to. It was their friends, family—blood kin. That tight bond was the force that gave them information prowess rivaling the Beggars’ Sect, the only one in the world.
“If you know us that well, you must know why we hold guest qualifications to such high standards, right?”
Throughout history, Haomen’s guests had only been absolute powers of the martial world. And in Haomen’s long history, their number never exceeded the fingers on two hands. Most were recluses who didn’t build their own forces and lived leisurely in remote mountains.
This tied into Haomen’s identity. Their interests could never conflict with a guest’s. Haomen’s top priority had always been protecting its disciples.
“You have enemies at Tae-eul Gate, and that Tae-eul Gate is biding its time to rise. Isn’t that reason enough you can’t become one of our guests?”
“Anyone living in the martial world with enemies can’t cut ties with it entirely. In that case, you shouldn’t have sold martial world information from the start.”
“…….”
“As I said earlier, the Ma-ryeong Plateau incident was a tragedy born from Haomen’s closed nature. If someone has to take responsibility, who do you think would suffer more—Beggars’ Sect or Haomen?”
In my previous life, Haomen had suffered near annihilation. Without Yang Gun-baek’s abilities, they never would’ve recovered.
“I admire Haomen’s spirit. An organization protecting the weak. If I were a lowly errand boy, it’d be reassuring as hell. But Haomen has grown to encompass the entire martial world. Sticking to the old ways will just lead to a second Ma-ryeong Plateau, then a third. It’s time to crawl out of that well.”
Yeo Mi-mi gazed at me steadily with her wrinkled face.
“And you have the solution?”
The Beggars’ Sect ultimately failed to predict the Demonic Cult’s revival. A monopoly on information leads to self-contradiction, prioritizing subjective gain over objective analysis. If Haomen had survived to the end, the info on the revival might’ve unfolded differently.
“As you just said, Tae-eul Gate will soar in the future. Join us then.”
“……You’re pulling out all the stops with your sweet talk for your own gain. I almost agreed for a moment.”
Her suspicion didn’t bother me. That near-obsessive integrity was what built Haomen today.
“I figured you wouldn’t budge.”
Yeo Mi-mi chuckled at my cheek.
“Heh heh… What a shameless one. Even so, you’ve swayed me with your words. I can’t deny you a chance.”
“Sect Leader!”
Hae-ryeong’s face paled for the first time.
“Didn’t we think the same about the issues he pointed out? Are you ignoring someone who might offer a solution just because of pride?”
“…….”
“If you know the first and second qualifications, you know the third too, right?”
“Someone helpful to Haomen.”
“Heh heh… Do you know? This criterion has never been announced publicly. Even those who became guests didn’t know when they passed verification.”
“Is that so?”
It made sense, since even I got it from Simhyeongak’s secrets.
“But for you right now, unless you become a guest immediately, partnering with us would be pointless, no?”
Yeo Mi-mi seemed to have already predicted how I’d use Haomen’s info.
“I’ll give you a chance. It won’t be easy for you, though.”
“What is it?”
“I hear you’re close with Wang Family Head.”
“…Something like that.”
“One of the most precious things Wang Geumsan possesses is something we need. Can you get it for us?”
Hae-ryeong suddenly stepped in front of Yeo Mi-mi.
“Sect Leader… It’s fine.”
“Stay back.”
Hae-ryeong bowed and retreated. I had no idea what the two were talking about.
“Can you get it?”
“I need to know what it is before I ask the family head.”
Yeo Mi-mi glanced at Hae-ryeong, then spoke to me.
“I’ll tell you myself.”
I tilted my head at Yeo Mi-mi’s words. Haomen’s lord had never revealed herself to the world—not once. How important must this be for her to show her face personally?
The points Jin Sowoon raised were worries Yeo Mi-mi and Hae-ryeong had long harbored in the past. Especially Hae-ryeong, who had been even more progressive than her master about opening up Haomen.
But after her husband—her second disciple, Taegong—had his identity exposed and was killed, Hae-ryeong became more conservative than even Yeo Mi-mi.
But as Jin Sowoon said, the limits had been reached. Problems were cropping up in branches everywhere, and the people working inside were screaming. Knowing this reality, Hae-ryeong still refused to change her mind, perhaps because of Taegong’s memory.
That’s why Yeo Mi-mi, on one hand, had hopes for Jin Sowoon. She hoped he could change Hae-ryeong’s thinking. Hoped her poor daughter could shake off the shadow hanging over her.
With those thoughts, Yeo Mi-mi had been looking forward to meeting Wang Family Head and rescheduling, but Jin Sowoon insisted on seeing him right away.
“I don’t have time.”
Though Jin Sowoon said that, she hadn’t thought it possible. Wang Geumsan wasn’t someone you could meet like the old man at the corner pharmacy.
Yet…
“Uhahaha! I thought you’d leave without seeing me since you’re busy, but here you are.”
At Wang Geumsan’s words, Yeo Mi-mi and Hae-ryeong—who was playing her role—couldn’t help but be shocked.
Even high officials and famous martial artists had to book weeks or even months in advance. And even then, if something urgent came up for Wang Geumsan on the day, meetings often fell through.
Yet now, Wang Geumsan looked like he’d been waiting weeks just to see Jin Sowoon.
“I was worried we might be stealing your time by coming unannounced, Family Head.”
Wang Geumsan, who had piles of work, pushed it aside to scrutinize Jin Sowoon’s face from every angle.
“Work like this? A day or two delay is nothing. So, you’re taking the Murim Academy exam after all?”
“Yes. That’s why I’ve come for your help, along with these two from Haomen.”
Jin Sowoon naturally introduced Haomen. Hae-ryeong stepped forward.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Haomen Lord Yeo Mi-mi.”
She’d planned to reveal her true form for meeting Wang Geumsan, but Hae-ryeong wouldn’t back down. Unable to be harsh on her pitiful child, Yeo Mi-mi let her have her way.
Wang Geumsan merely nodded slightly at Hae-ryeong’s fist salute.
“Pleased to meet you. Call me Wang.”
A rude response for a sect lord. It was clearly different from the Wang Geumsan Yeo Mi-mi knew.
“Does Haomen need something for this exam?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… I see. Mind if I ask what information you need?”
Strangely, Wang Geumsan showed a different side from his dealings with Haomen’s info. Rude to the supposed lord, but speaking to Jin Sowoon not as a merchant, but as a parent.
“All information on the exam, which changes by the minute.”
“Makes sense. For that, you’d have no choice but to borrow Beggars’ Sect or Haomen’s power.”
As Wang Geumsan nodded, Hae-ryeong spoke up.
“From our Haomen—”
But Wang Geumsan cut her off again.
“Or how about the Wang Family helping?”
“…….”
Hae-ryeong’s face crumpled. This was a crisis where the deal might end before they could even state their request.
“How so?”
“I’ll mobilize everyone connected to Wang Family branches nationwide to give you the info you need. It’ll center on you anyway, right? You don’t need the whole martial world’s scale.”
“Hmm…”
He wasn’t wrong. A family head employing people across the nation could build an info network rivaling Haomen’s, if not quite matching its analysis or speed.
As Yeo Mi-mi watched anxiously, Jin Sowoon mercifully shook his head.
“I can’t do that. You’d take a loss helping me, Family Head.”
“Kuhahaha! What are you worrying about? If you want, I’d hand over the whole Wang Family.”
As Jin Sowoon and Wang Geumsan chatted amiably, Hae-ryeong’s face turned beet red. A Haomen disciple who’d claimed the title of lord was ignored nowhere in the martial world. This was her first humiliation.
“You’re truly rude.”
“Hm?”
“Do you find Haomen that laughable?”
Wang Geumsan’s expression hardened into solemn dignity. Though he lacked even a scrap of internal energy like Yeo Mi-mi, he exuded an aura that could shake the world. His mouth opened coldly.
“I’d like to ask the same. How laughable do you think I am to impersonate the Haomen Lord?”
“?!”
Yeo Mi-mi’s eyes twitched at Wang Geumsan’s words. Such plays shouldn’t be done lightly. That’s why he’d been especially cold to Haomen from the start.
“The Haomen Lord’s identity is shrouded in mystery, but I hear she has thirteen disciples. If it’s been fifteen years since the first, then if you were the lord, Haomen wouldn’t be an info group—it’d be child’s play.”
“…….”
Hae-ryeong’s face turned ashen. Already making a tough request, now facing sharp criticism made her situation even worse.
“Drop it. Trust is key in information. Can you plot big things with such untrustworthy people?”
In the end, Yeo Mi-mi had to step in. She pushed the slumping Hae-ryeong behind her and politely clasped her fists.
“I apologize. My disciple did this out of worry for her powerless master. Please forgive her.”
Hae-ryeong’s mental shock from losing Taegong was immense. With their only remaining son between them also struck by a deadly illness, she was on the verge of madness. Yeo Mi-mi had let her do as she wished to avoid more tragedy, but now it had backfired.
“…….”
Wang Geumsan stared silently for a long while, then spoke calmly.
“Enough. Rise. It’s not a pretty sight for a sect lord to bow like that.”
Indeed, Wang Geumsan had recognized her as the real lord at once. How had he distinguished her? There were no attendants like with Jin Sowoon.
Of the four great merchants, Wang Geumsan was said to be the trickiest and wisest—and it wasn’t just rumor.
“I’m already disappointed in you, but for Sowoon’s sake, I’ll let it slide once.”
Yeo Mi-mi blankly watched Jin Sowoon and Wang Geumsan. What did Jin Sowoon have that earned such trust? Just saving his daughter?
“What do you need from me?”
No time for such thoughts—Yeo Mi-mi pulled herself together. They’d come this far to find a clue to avert Hae-ryeong’s tragedy.
She glanced at Hae-ryeong and said, “I heard your daughter suffered from Solar Body Constitution.”
“Ho. Impressive, Haomen.”
Wang Family had kept Wang Soso’s condition a deep secret; few even in the family knew. Haomen had only recently traced it through origins of artifacts Wang Family put up for sale.
“We need that treatment method.”
At Yeo Mi-mi’s words, Jin Sowoon and Wang Geumsan locked eyes. Wang Geumsan’s lips twitched, holding back laughter.
What’s this?
Sensing something odd but pressing on, Yeo Mi-mi continued. “We mobilized all of Haomen but couldn’t find it. Please tell us who treated her constitution and how. We’d be grateful.”
Hae-ryeong’s son suffered a similar disease: Incurable Poison Vein Pulse, untreatable by anyone. If even that child was lost, Yeo Mi-mi couldn’t predict what Hae-ryeong might do.
That’s why she pinned her last hope on Wang Soso’s treatment. If it could free her from Solar Body and let her train martial arts at Tae-eul Gate, it could work for Poison Vein too.
“……Heh heh.”
“We beg you to tell us.”
“We beg you.”
Yeo Mi-mi and Hae-ryeong bowed. Wang Geumsan shook his head at the sight, then looked at Jin Sowoon.
Jin Sowoon nodded slightly without a word, and Wang Geumsan nodded back.
“……I’ll tell you who it is.”
“……You can really tell us?”
“Yes.”
Yeo Mi-mi and Hae-ryeong looked incredulous. Such a precious treatment could fetch billions in gold. Just for Jin Sowoon’s request?
“Not exactly in exchange, but… here’s some advice.”
Expecting a huge reward, they eagerly nodded at his offer of advice.
“Suspicion and verification are vital in running an organization. But to build one that can handle big things, trust comes first.”
Yeo Mi-mi and Hae-ryeong looked puzzled, not grasping his point.
“Explain, and we’ll listen closely.”
“If you’d shown Sowoon trust from the start, you wouldn’t have come this far.”
“……?”
“Sowoon has that treatment method.”
Their heads whipped toward Jin Sowoon. Common sense hadn’t let them imagine it.
“Trust is hard to build. Even harder if the start goes wrong. That’s why showing it first is crucial. If they betray you, pay them back double. I know Haomen’s scale now. Show trust first. Fail that, and you’ll see how fast an organization crumbles.”
One of the four great merchants had shared his management philosophy. Yeo Mi-mi bowed deeply, moved.
“I’ll engrave today’s words deep in my heart.”
“Enough. It was for Sowoon anyway, who said he needs your power. Let’s drop the formalities and chat.”
Wang Geumsan relaxed his stern face and told a servant to prepare dinner.
“You’re not thinking of putting me through this and just leaving, right?”
He grinned mischievously at Jin Sowoon.
“What are you saying? I came to have dinner with you, Family Head, and brought them along to introduce.”
Rumors said Wang Geumsan had picked Jin Sowoon as a son-in-law candidate—it seemed true.
“Kuhaha. If you wanna be a merchant later, learn to lie better.”
“What? Haven’t you heard I found the legacy of Sword Emperor Tae-eul? I’ll be a martial world master soon.”
“I also heard you nearly lost your internal energy messing with innate qi.”
“Ugh……”
“Come on! I need to hear about your exploits at Ma-ryeong Plateau first. Word is it ended with you snagging Cheonggung Merchant Group?”
Wang Geumsan, joyful like a dead son returned to life, led Jin Sowoon out but glanced back.
As Yeo Mi-mi and Hae-ryeong hesitated, he said, “Not coming? Our head chef’s skills are top-notch.”