Acquiring the Murim with Money - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 16. The Stench of Rot

Several days later, in front of the main gate of Baekun Trading Company.
An elderly man and a sturdy young man stood gazing blankly into the trading company’s interior. They were the old steward who had once managed Baekun Trading Company’s household affairs, and Donggi, Baek Unhwi’s attendant and bodyguard who had shadowed his side like a dark silhouette.
“Y-young master! Is it really you, young master?”
Donggi burst into tears and prostrated himself at Baek Unhwi’s feet in the courtyard. The steward too dabbed at the corners of his eyes with his wrinkled hands, his voice trembling with emotion.
“After the Gaju fell ill, the trading company’s people scattered to the winds—yet how have you managed to revive the company like this?”
In one corner of the courtyard, under the direction of Pung Geun, the training grounds master, workers from Cheongsuechai and remnant members of Heukssubang were repairing the buildings.
The old steward’s eyes widened at the sight of them moving enormous logs with a force that could never be attributed to ordinary laborers.
It was a scene of vitality utterly transformed from the desolate ruin of mere months ago, when only flies had buzzed through its decay.
“Rise, Donggi. And steward, you’ve endured much hardship these past months.”
Baek Unhwi helped the two men to their feet and pressed a heavy purse of silver into each of their hands.
“As promised—the overdue monthly wages plus a sum for your troubles. Steward, I’m entrusting the household affairs to you once more. Donggi, become my hands and feet as you once did.”
“Sob—young master, you’ve changed so much I hardly recognize you. From this day forward, I’ll work until my bones break!”
Watching Donggi sob and sniffle, Baek Unhwi’s expression turned cold.
It was a defense mechanism against human distrust born of his past life’s labors, surfacing unbidden from the depths of his mind.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not giving this because I’m moved by your loyalty. This is merely an advance on your labor—payment for your service. If you can’t earn even a single copper’s worth of rice, I’ll cast you out without mercy. See that you remember it.”
Despite that harsh warning, So Ryang, who sat slanted across the pavilion railing, let out a snort of laughter and flicked the worn abacus.
“For a merchant, you’re terrible at honey-tongued lies. What kind of man who counts every copper gives compensation twice the market rate?”
“So Chong-gwan. Be quiet.”
Baek Unhwi cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his gaze, causing the old steward to blink in bewilderment.
“What? That snot-nosed brat barely dry behind the ears is a Chong-gwan? Haengsu, is this trading company’s ledger a joke? How could you possibly entrust such a child—”
“It’s faster if you see for yourself. So Ryang, show him.”
So Ryang grinned and drew yesterday’s ledger from his sleeve, flipping through it swiftly.
“Yesterday’s final construction materials came to eight silver pieces. The household’s food expenses—thirty catties of pork, two measures of rice—totaled three silver pieces and two coppers. The replacement costs for the Heukssubang men’s brooms and straw sandals: eight coppers. Fifteen percent cheaper than market rates. You can compare it with the ledgers from when you managed the company.”
Tap-tap-tap! So Ryang’s fingers flew across the worn abacus beads, leaving nothing but afterimages in their wake.
Impeccable reckoning, not a single error. Even the old steward, who had overseen every matter of the trading company for a lifetime, could not close his mouth at the preternatural speed and accuracy of those calculations—a perfect display of financial mastery that prevented losses down to the single copper that Baek Unhwi so desperately abhorred.
“Ah—a true eccentric, indeed. I must raise the white flag of surrender. Then I shall assist the Chong-gwan while attending to the household, and focus my efforts on inspecting all goods entering and leaving the company.”
The old steward, who had been ready to assert territorial pride, withdrew with a hearty laugh, and Baek Unhwi broke into a satisfied smile. It was a perfect harmony of the loyal servants of old and the flawless new management.
As the trading company regained its vigor, the most peculiar transformation was unfolding in Dang Soyu’s Private Quarters.
“No, you fool! I told you to deepen the groove in the Joint Wood by just one-tenth of an inch—who told you to carve out the whole thing? The pressure on the Arrow-Shooting Device will leak out!”
“I-I’m sorry, sir! The part is so tiny, and with my thick fingers, I’m just not used to—”
In the Private Quarters’ main pavilion, Gwang Du, the transport section leader known throughout the company for his massive frame, stood sweating profusely while holding a knife no larger than a needle.
Gwang Du had only grown rough during years of famine and accumulated misfortunes, but he had always possessed nimble hands and a genuine passion for carpentry.
Dang Soyu had uncannily recognized Gwang Du’s skill and had taken him on as a full-time personal assistant.
And now, at last, his true talent was coming into bloom.
“Hah! Relax your wrist—relax! With your strength tempered, you could carve a man’s skeletal frame from wood. Go on, try again!”
“Yes, sir!”
The cantankerous visionary of the Sichuan family and the rough-hewn giant carpenter.
Thanks to this unlikely pairing, the various devices and self-defense implements that Dang Soyu had conceived were one by one becoming reality.
Meanwhile, in Baek Man-seok’s bedchamber.
Though Baek Man-seok could not yet rise fully from his bed, at his bedside lay an inkstone and stick of ink, along with dozens of letters.
“Donggi.”
“Yes, Gaju.”
The newly returned Donggi answered from beyond the door in a sharp, disciplined voice.
“Deliver this letter to the vice-director Kim at the Nakyang Merchant Alliance. This one goes to the old man at the West Gate Money Exchange. And don’t forget to collect the letters for Silk Merchant Wang and Medicine Merchant Han. The steward has already been informed—dress yourself in proper clothes and deliver them with courtesy. Make it clear that Baek Man-seok of Baekun Trading Company still lives, and that soon we shall conduct a great transaction. Tell them that if they have not forgotten the credit we once gave, we wish to trade with them again.”
“I shall carry out your orders!”
While Baek Unhwi raced through the grounds handling the trading company’s major matters and thorny problems, Baek Man-seok, lying on his sickbed, was drawing upon the extensive connections and reputation of his past to secure legitimate “business” for the company. Though his body was afflicted, the claws of the old tiger who had once ruled Nakyang remained sharp.
‘With Father securing my back so solidly, I can now expand this game without hesitation.’
It was just as Baek Unhwi, watching the scene from the courtyard, turned with a smile on his face.
“Haengsu! Haengsu!”
“What is it? I’ve told you not to run inside the company.”
“It’s not that. Just now—a guest arrived at the rear entrance.”
Seo-seo lowered her voice, glancing nervously at those around her.
“A guest wishes to see you alone. They said you’d know them if they mentioned the chirping sparrow business—”
At those words, Baek Unhwi’s smile deepened.
Now that the trading company’s skeleton was clothed with flesh and its great gears had begun to turn. At last, the prey he had been waiting for had walked of its own accord into the trap.
Baek Unhwi turned his steps toward the reception room of the secluded quarters, where few eyes ventured.
In that dimly lit space, a figure in a deep ash-gray robe stood waiting anxiously. As the person in the robe sensed a presence, they slowly revealed their face.
It was Byeok So-yeon, the Junior Patriarch of the Bi-cheon Byeok Family, bearing the unmistakable marks of exhaustion.
“Welcome, Junior Patriarch. It must have been arduous, descending that treacherous mountain path without an escort.”
Baek Unhwi approached with an easy smile, and Byeok So-yeon caught her lower lip between her teeth before she spoke.
“Because of the Haengsu’s Jeon-eum… I simply could not sit idle. But before that, I must ask one thing. The proposal you made on the mountain—can you truly shoulder the feeding costs for Cheongpungi? No matter how I adjust the portions, that creature is so finicky with food···.”
“See for yourself.”
Baek Unhwi placed a heavy wooden box he had prepared beforehand on the table and lifted its lid.
Inside lay about a dozen pellets, each the size of an adult’s fist, in a dark reddish hue. A faint but unmistakable blue electric current rippled faintly across their surfaces.
“These are specially made Thunder-Lightning Pellets completed through the efforts of our Trading Company’s Chong-gwan and the elder of Dang Soyu’s Private Quarters, who worked through the night.”
Byeok So-yeon’s eyes widened.
“Are these… the pellets made from Thunder-Lightning Stone powder?”
“Yes. Dang Soyu himself mixed cheap, low-grade Thunder-Lightning Stone powder with several heat-generating medicinal herbs. When combined in the proper ratio, the warmth of the herbs amplifies the subtle energy of the Thunder-Lightning Stone significantly. We then kneaded it into large pellets by mixing in animal bone powder, inexpensive pork fat, and blood cakes.”
Baek Unhwi picked up one of the Thunder-Lightning Pellets and continued his explanation.
“The sticky fat from the pork will make the Thunder-Lightning Stone’s energy cling firmly to the vital channels, and the scent of animal blood will stimulate the appetite of raptors. With this, even that finicky creature should devour it without hesitation.”
Byeok So-yeon accepted a Thunder-Lightning Pellet with trembling hands.
She too was the heir of a renowned martial family. The moment the pellet touched her fingertips, she could sense the energy it radiated was genuine.
It was a remarkable merchant’s calculus—drastically reducing cost while maintaining efficacy.
“Thank you. With this, Cheongpungi won’t go hungry and cause trouble for some time. ······In truth, right now it’s difficult to negotiate a contract with anyone other than the Pungcheon Trading Company. We’d face a massive penalty, they say···”
“How much longer will you let them lead you around, Junior Patriarch? Right now that exclusive contract has the entire Bi-cheon Byeok Family in its grip, surviving on the pittance the Pungcheon throws at you. Who approved that agreement that placed your family’s lifeline in their hands?”
At Baek Unhwi’s piercing question, Byeok So-yeon’s shoulders flinched. She fumbled with her teacup before speaking with difficulty.
“It’s my uncle… the current Imsi Gaju. He came to us from the Pungcheon Trading Company not long after my father fell ill.”
The moment the words left her lips, Byeok So-yeon seemed to realize something, and her complexion turned ashen.
“Haengsu. The Jeon-eum you left behind before coming down the mountain… was it suggesting that my father’s ailment might not be a natural illness?”
Baek Unhwi slowly set down his teacup and fixed her with eyes that had grown grave and penetrating.
“I cannot say for certain. I am a merchant, not a physician. But my instincts as a merchant detect something foul.”
“Something foul?”
“Not merely a bad smell—a reek of corruption. Think about it. Your Patriarch suddenly fell gravely ill from some unknown ailment. Who benefited most from this?”
Byeok So-yeon’s eyes lost their focus and wavered.
After the Patriarch fell ill, all real power in the family had naturally shifted into the hands of Byeok Moo-chang.
“The Pungcheon Trading Company seized that chaos as an opportunity, appearing to extend a hand to the Bi-cheon Byeok Family while presenting an exclusive contract. And the temporary Patriarch who approved that contract now pulls all the strings within your household.”
“There’s no evidence that my uncle would harm his own elder brother! And there’s no way he would knowingly forge a contract that would reduce our family to this state···”
Byeok So-yeon objected urgently, but her voice had already lost its conviction and trembled with doubt.
“That’s precisely why we must investigate.”
Baek Unhwi rose from his seat and spoke decisively.
“It appears to me that someone has orchestrated this entire scheme to swallow your family whole. But to confirm whether this is a true illness or poisoning brought by human design, we’ll need an expert’s eye.”
Baek Unhwi extended his hand toward Byeok So-yeon.
“I will bring our Trading Company’s elder, Dang Soyu. Will you open the rear gate of Bi-cheon Peak for us?”

Buying Jianghu: Mergers and Acquisitions, Chapter 16

Author
Song Jjweonbol
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yoon Taeri
Cover Design
Sik

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260907057.0016

ⓒ2026, Song Jjweonbol

This e-book is protected under the copyright law of the Republic of Korea.
No part or all of this work may be reproduced or modified in any form without permission from the author and publisher.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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