Chapter 77
His eyes now sparkled with an unusual brightness, as if he could even act with his gaze, completely different from before.
At the same time, the middle-aged woman beside him bowed politely and stepped back.
It was the complete opposite of how they had appeared when first entering the room.
In response to the man's question about how he knew, Yeo Un-hwi answered nonchalantly.
"Just a hunch?"
"A hunch?"
"For a servant, you looked too well-off. All the servants I know look exhausted, but you didn't seem that way at all."
"That's your only reason?"
"If I was wrong, I would have thought, 'Ah, the servants here must be treated well.' Fortunately, I was correct, so my intuition was accurate. Or am I mistaken?"
"What? Ha, hahaha!"
The man burst into laughter.
He wondered if he had laughed this heartily in recent memory.
This guest was quite interesting, regardless of his identity.
And he was also remarkably bold, bordering on rudeness, as well as quite skilled.
In any case, the man found himself liking Yeo Un-hwi.
There was something about him that drew people in.
"I thought my acting was perfect, but I hadn't considered such details. Thank you. I'll be sure to pay more attention in the future."
"Do as you please."
Yeo Un-hwi shrugged.
The man, who had been smiling gently, soon looked at Yeo Un-hwi with a serious expression.
"Then let me ask one thing."
"By all means."
"If you want a proper transaction with us, you must first reveal your identity."
"Why? Aren't you the ones who sell any information as long as the right price is paid?"
The man shook his head at Yeo Un-hwi's words.
"That's only for less important, low-grade information. Judging by your visit, I assume the information you want is quite high-grade. In such cases, the customer's identity must be clear above all else."
Though he hadn't heard it yet, he could tell.
The grade of information Yeo Un-hwi wanted was clearly among the highest they dealt with.
But even so, the man's demand to reveal his identity wasn't easily understood.
Seeing Yeo Un-hwi's reaction, the man let out a deep sigh.
"To be more frank, it's to confirm that you're not a Demonic Cultist. We never deal with them."
"Hmm. I like that."
Yeo Un-hwi nodded, finally understanding.
It made sense.
While they might claim to have a line they wouldn't cross, the real reason was obvious. If rumors spread that they had sold important information to the Demonic Cult, they would likely be marked as enemies of the martial world and wouldn't survive.
However, there was no need to worry about them exposing his identity elsewhere.
Revealing a client's information would be tantamount to destroying their credibility as an information organization.
In fact, from the moment Yeo Un-hwi decided to seek them out, he had no intention of hiding his identity, thinking they wouldn't be strangers for long.
He had only questioned their demand because it was unexpected.
"I am Yeo Un-hwi, Commander of the White Wolf Unit of the Peng Family."
"Oh? The White Wolf Unit? You mean the Peng Family's military unit that beheaded the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon?"
"Well, we got lucky."
The man's face showed surprise at this unexpected identity.
The White Wolf Unit of the Hebei Peng Family.
If one were to name the most famous and talked-about military unit in the martial world these days, it would be them.
Once known merely as a troublesome group within the Peng Family, they had suddenly become the center of attention after beheading one of the Absolute Great Evils.
According to rumors, even the Family Head of the Namgung Family and the Demonic Alliance Leader, who had lost family members to the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon, wanted to meet them at least once to express their gratitude.
While the White Wolf Unit received such praise from many, there were also quite a few who downplayed their achievement, questioning what was so great about defeating a severely injured Extreme Evil Laughing Demon.
This was common for those who suddenly gained fame.
And also.
Despite gaining such merit and becoming the center of attention, many still doubted the true strength of the White Wolf Unit.
They argued that the White Wolf Unit was still far from being comparable to top-tier units like the Sky Sword Unit or the Emperor Sword Unit of the Namgung Family, or the 'Nine Dragon Unit' of the Sichuan Tang Family.
There was certainly some truth to these claims.
After all, the White Wolf Unit's previous actions were a far cry from their current status.
Hence, many were curious to see how the White Wolf Unit would act in the future.
Their future evaluations would depend on their actions.
Though the unit members themselves paid no attention to such things.
Additionally, there was one more interesting fact.
Despite the White Wolf Unit's achievements and rising fame, surprisingly little was known about who their commander was or what kind of person he was.
With such accomplishments, one would expect him to step forward and raise his name, but instead, he seemed to avoid the spotlight, leading to numerous rumors about the White Wolf Unit's commander circulating in the world.
But now,
'So this is him. The commander of the White Wolf Unit.'
The man stared intently at Yeo Un-hwi.
With his uniquely sparkling eyes.
And he noticed that the incident with the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon was quite different from what the world knew.
"I heard the White Wolf Unit defeated the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon when he was severely injured, but that wasn't the case?"
Yeo Un-hwi smirked at the man's question and replied.
"Aren't you asking too many questions? I came here to buy information, not to brag about some trivial matter as if it were a heroic tale."
"Ah. I apologize, haha! I have a habit of not being able to contain my curiosity. Anyway, your identity is clear. I understand."
Though he wasn't showing it openly, the man was beyond surprised and almost dumbfounded by Yeo Un-hwi's attitude.
Indeed, how would others react if they heard this?
To call defeating the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon a trivial matter.
Who in the world would speak like that?
It was certain that an extraordinary individual had come to this place.
"Then let me introduce myself properly. I am Jin So-baek, the Gate Master of Hao Sect."
The man smiled slightly.
"So, what information do you want?"
Yeo Un-hwi answered Jin So-baek's question without hesitation.
"I'd like to receive updates on the overall situation in the Central Plains martial world, important events, and movements of top-tier factions or organizations every fortnight."
Jin So-baek's face twitched at Yeo Un-hwi's answer.
In other words, this was essentially asking for a comprehensive summary of all information occurring in the martial world every two weeks.
"Well... that would be quite expensive. Are you sure?"
"That's what I should be asking. Is it possible every fortnight? If it's too much, just say so."
Possible, he asks?
Jin So-baek raised the corner of his mouth.
Such provocation. It was the first time he had heard such words since becoming the Gate Master of Hao Sect.
"Are you perhaps underestimating Hao Sect's information network?"
"How could I? If I did, I wouldn't have bothered coming here. I'm just returning your concern about my money with concern for your capabilities."
It seemed this man wasn't just strong in martial arts.
He was equally unyielding in verbal sparring, showing an extraordinary personality.
Soon, Jin So-baek let out a short sigh and nodded.
"It's possible. Then let me ask you this. Do you really have the money?"
Money.
First and foremost, having or not having money was crucial.
Just because one was strong in martial arts didn't necessarily mean they had money.
For Hao Sect, this was the most important point to confirm.
"How much would it be?"
"Two thousand taels every fortnight."
Jin So-baek laughed inwardly.
How many people in the Central Plains could afford to pay two thousand taels every two weeks, let alone once?
So, to break the other party's spirit, he quoted five hundred taels more than he had initially thought.
But then,
"Alright. Let's do that."
"Pardon?"
"I said, let's do it. Additionally, I'll pay a thousand taels each time for any extra information I request. Is that sufficient?"
"No, that's..."
"This is the advance payment."
Yeo Un-hwi then placed a money pouch on the table. And grinned.
"Well, you know where I am. I'll be waiting in two weeks. Let's see just how good Hao Sect's information network is."
"W-Wait!"
Jin So-baek called out urgently to Yeo Un-hwi.
However, whatever his urgency was for, Yeo Un-hwi had already disappeared.
The place where Yeo Un-hwi had been sitting was now empty, showing only emptiness.
It was an incredible display of lightfoot skill, impossible to follow with the naked eye.
"Just who is that person?"
Jin So-baek wore an unusually dumbfounded expression.
But soon his eyes began to shine.
"Ha, really. Alright, if that's how you want to play it. Fine, I'll show you. Just how good Hao Sect's information network is. I'll surprise you!"
And so, Jin So-baek, the Gate Master of Hao Sect, had just landed a top-tier client.
One who had even promised to pay a huge sum regularly.
But why did he look strangely irritated when he should have been happy?
Yeo Un-hwi's figure was quickly leaving Beijing.
Why had he chosen Hao Sect instead of the Beggars' Union today?
Of course, the Beggars' Union also sold information by grade, like Hao Sect.
Naturally, their procedures were more complicated than Hao Sect's, but perhaps from Yeo Un-hwi's position as a member of the Peng Family, dealing with them might have seemed better.
However, in the long term, Yeo Un-hwi thought that wasn't a wise choice.
The Beggars' Union was ultimately one of the Nine Sects One Alliance.
The more he dealt with them, the more they would start to keep an eye on him.
And it might even draw the attention of the Nine Great Sects, including the Sect Leader of the Beggars' Union.
In other words, dealing with the Beggars' Union would only result in tightening the noose around his own neck.
On the contrary, Hao Sect was clean; they only needed money.
Fortunately, the fact that Hao Sect's headquarters was in Beijing was information Yeo Un-hwi had learned by chance before his regression.
At that time, when he was the Blood Demon, it had been useless information, but now he was putting it to use.
That's why Yeo Un-hwi chose Hao Sect.
Of course, he had to reveal his identity midway, but that information wouldn't leak.
Honestly, with his financial resources, he could even create his own information organization if he wanted, but that would be extremely troublesome.
It would cost several times more than paying Hao Sect.
Yeo Un-hwi felt no need to go that far when he wasn't aiming to dominate the martial world.
Nevertheless, two thousand taels every fortnight was an enormous sum.
An amount that ordinary people couldn't even dream of.
But with Yeo Un-hwi's current wealth, he could buy information from them until his death without breaking a sweat.
Yeo Un-hwi thought that Jin So-baek, the Gate Master of Hao Sect, whose reputation he had heard even before his regression, would certainly be worth the money and more.
Whether he would truly live up to that reputation, well, that remained to be seen in two weeks.