Acquiring the Murim with Money - Chapter 23

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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 23. A Hand Reaching Out

Nangyang North Gate.
Between the inns and stables clustered along the city wall, Western merchants herding camels cut through the morning fog with their rough hawking calls.
Baek Unhwi stood before the Nangyang North Gate Trading Post and slowly surveyed the entire building.
His Golden Divine Eyes activated quietly.

[Target: Nangyang North Gate Trading Post]
[Status and Remarks: Primary logistics hub for Western Regions–Nangyang trade. Structural value deteriorating due to current operator Pung Cheon Trading Company’s short-term profit-focused management. Severely undervalued relative to latent potential.]

So Ryang crossed his arms and looked up at the building.
“For a place run by Pung Cheon, this is pretty shabby.”
“It’s not shabby—it’s been squeezed dry.”
Baek Unhwi pointed to a notice board beside the trading post’s main entrance. It was a warehouse rental notice. So Ryang studied the figures and furrowed his brow.
“The rent is almost the same as warehouses inside Nangyang. They want merchants to pay this before they even finish unloading outside the gate?”
“Exactly why Western merchants keep stopping coming. Pung Cheon slaughtered the golden goose that laid eggs. They were so obsessed with inflating the company’s profile that instead of investing from a long-term perspective to develop a logistics hub, they turned it into a toll booth, squeezing travelers who came through.”
Baek Unhwi pushed through the main gate. The interior was quite spacious. The warehouse capacity was generous, and there were stables attached. But poor maintenance left things creaking in places, and most of the space sat empty.
He climbed to the second floor and opened a window. The landscape beyond the North Gate unfolded before him at a glance. Strings of camels, wagons, and porters flowed constantly through the city gate.
‘That stream is passing right by us,’ he thought.
With his Golden Divine Eyes still active, he watched as numbers began appearing on each camel’s load.

[Bundle of spices: 25 silver taels]
[Western raw silk: 38 silver taels]
[Unidentified medicinal bundle: Assessment unavailable]

‘There’s one marked unavailable. That one I should show to Dang.’
So Ryang came up the stairs and gazed out the window, then pulled out a worn abacus.
Click-click-click—
“The fact that Pung Cheon degraded this place’s value actually works in our favor. Right now, most merchants passing through Nangyang only pay transit fees here and head to Pung Cheon’s wholesale warehouse inside the city instead. If we set our terms right···”
“We can pull them over to us.”
Baek Unhwi finished the thought.
“Lower the warehouse rental rates and offer the first month free. In exchange, we shift to a structure where we collect a small commission fee each time goods enter.”
“Short-term revenue drops, but long-term···”
“The moment merchants set foot in Nangyang, they knock on our door first. That’s information.”
So Ryang’s eyes glinted sharply.
“We learn what goods are coming in and in what quantities a day or two before any other trading company.”
“Information is money, after all.”
So Ryang fell silent, running the abacus rapidly for a while, then let out a quiet laugh.
“Pung Cheon squandered what they had by trying to suck it dry, and we pick it up and nurture it. That’s what real vision in business looks like.”
Baek Unhwi descended the stairs and called for Gwang Du.
“Director of Transportation.”
“Yes, Master Baek.”
“Let’s start the work. Four days should be enough to fix everything, right?”
“Four days?”
Gwang Du glanced up at the building briefly, then let out an amused snort.
“If my people put their minds to it, two days is plenty.”
“That fast? But remember, speed isn’t everything—don’t push too hard, and make sure you’re thorough. And Chief So, don’t forget to give the workers generous hazard pay.”
Gwang Du’s words might have sounded like bravado. But the members of the Transportation Division who had endured Pung Cheon’s morning training sessions were no ordinary laborers anymore.
Those who had learned even the basics of the Iron Root Reinforcement Method worked at a pace incomparable to ordinary workers.
In half a day, the dust had settled. In one day, the warehouse sections were reorganized. The creaking stable floors were replaced with fresh timber, and the tilted signboard was straightened. The shabby trading post transformed into something neat and orderly in no time.
Two days later, Gwang Du wiped the sweat from his brow and planted his hands satisfactorily on his hips.
“We’ve attended to every last detail.”
Baek Unhwi walked a full circuit around the completed trading post and nodded in approval.

[Notification: Nangyang North Gate Trading Post commences formal operations.]
[Primary aggregation hub for Western goods secured. Intangible asset (logistics information monopoly rights) added to portfolio.]

While the trading post was taking root, one corner of the Baegyun Trading Company’s inner quarters never stopped reeking of smoke and medicine.
Once Dang So Yu settled in and began operating in earnest, one of the Trading Company’s warehouses had effectively become his personal apothecary. Gu Sang mobilized his network of back-alley medicinal suppliers to bring in cheap raw materials; So Ryang calculated costs; and Dang So Yu experimented with new formulations and applications, constantly refining the recipes.
There had been results before, but this place—once little more than Dang So Yu’s personal playground and hobby—had undergone a dramatic transformation of late.
After acquiring the herb processing workshop and the medical clinic from Baek Cho Jang, and completing vertical integration, Baek Unhwi had boldly expanded the medicinal materials section.
Physicians from the Nangyang region naturally flocked to the Baegyun Trading Company’s apothecary, where they could work under Dang So Yu and enjoy excellent benefits. Moreover, once rare medicinal herbs from the Western Regions began arriving through the Trading Post, remarkable results began to emerge.
First, the Baegyun Trading Company’s market share in medicinal herb distribution across the Nangyang region exceeded fifty percent, driven by overwhelming price competitiveness and product quality. Yet because they strategically limited their inventory to high-demand items with strong margins, based on customer data, they did little to disrupt the small-scale merchants who had traditionally dealt in miscellaneous goods in their neighborhoods.
Beyond the herb business itself, however, Baek Unhwi was plotting something far grander. In the Martial World, after all, one must ultimately do business with martial artists. And martial artists desperately seek Spirit Medicine—particularly the higher grades, which are kept as sect and family secrets and almost impossible to obtain for any amount of money. Lower-grade Spirit Medicine can sometimes be purchased, but their effects are either negligible or wildly inconsistent.
But with Dang So Yu’s expertise combined with Nangyang’s finest facilities, the R&D department for Spirit Medicine began producing results.
Low-grade energy recovery Spirit Medicine that retailed for exorbitant prices could now be produced at less than one-tenth the original cost—and with effects that were incomparably more stable and reliable.
When they first distributed it to the Trading Company’s people, the increases in Internal Energy accumulation were obvious, and fatigue recovery after morning training became noticeably faster.
So Ryang recorded the results in the ledger, chuckling to himself.
“This is too good to waste only on our people.”
Baek Unhwi heard this and nodded in agreement.
“It’s a shame, but let’s hold off on external sales for now. Distribute it to our people once a month, timed with the herb’s efficacy cycle. And don’t forget to take some yourself. In any case, this Baegyun Pill must be kept under strict control—absolutely no leakage to the outside world for the time being.”
Once they began marketing it seriously and selling it, the profits would be staggering. But he had no intention of selling it just yet. One secret manual, one Spirit Medicine pill—in the Martial World, these things trigger bloodshed. The ripple effects are too great. Releasing this product in bulk to the market required careful deliberation.
One can only truly possess wealth once one has become a vessel capable of holding it. Since that previous life, when Kang Tae Seok had nearly ruined himself chasing money right before his eyes, this had been an iron rule carved into his very bones, one he observed with absolute rigor. For now, strengthening internal capacity came first.

In the midst of all this, the Baegyun Trading Company launched a new product: the Immortal Peach Jade Dew Cake.
Spirit Plum Grass—discovered in a bundle of unidentified medicinal herbs arriving from the Western Regions. Dang So Yu and the clinic’s physicians had learned that this plant excelled at restoring vitality, carried a refreshing coolness, and had a fragrance that complemented the peach perfectly. That night, in the kitchen with Baek Unhwi and Gwang Du, whose delicate touch was renowned, they perfected a tender, refreshing peach confection.
They named it the Immortal Peach Jade Dew Cake—a heavenly delicacy made from rare medicinal herbs with exceptional restorative properties.
Limited to fifty pieces, sold only to holders of the Purple Jade Token, at twenty-five silver taels per box.
So Ryang gasped at the price, but the result was a complete sellout on the very day of release.

[Capital balance updated in real-time···]
[Immortal Peach Jade Dew Cake ultra-exclusive limited sale completed. Silver taels: 1,250. Brand loyalty increased further.]

“Of course—what you can’t buy is always the most expensive.”
“Now I’m genuinely terrified. One of these cakes costs what would’ve fed all of us at the Blue Water House for a whole month with money left over.”
So Ryang ground his teeth even as he eagerly tapped away at his abacus.

Back in the Baegyun Trading Company’s reception hall.
Dang So Yu set down a bundle of medicinal materials on the table and spoke quietly.
“Baek Unhwi.”
“Yes, elder.”
“The Bicheon Byeok Family’s Clan Leader. We begin treatment now.”
Baek Unhwi rose from where he’d been sitting by the door.
“Are all the medicinal materials prepared?”
Dang So Yu snorted.
“That fellow Gu Sang—he’s capable. He tracked down things that would be hard to find even in our own apothecary, like he had a sixth sense for it. Thanks to him, I saved considerable time.”
“So Ryang.”
Baek Unhwi turned around.
So Ryang put away his abacus and stood up.
“Am I coming too?”
“This is a genuinely important visit. You should see the Bicheon Byeok Family’s financial situation firsthand.”
So Ryang sighed and reached for his coat.
“······ The Trading Company needs to be completely stable before my legs give out.”

* * *

Atop Bicheon Peak.
The martial artists of the Bicheon Byeok Family stood tensely arranged across the Great Practice Grounds.
Acting Clan Leader Byeok Mu Chang stood with his arms crossed, eyes fixed on the main gate. He had received a letter the night before and immediately ordered it rejected, but Byeok So Yeon had commanded the gate be left open, and Byeok Hyung Geom had supported her. Behind Byeok Mu Chang stood his son Byeok Tae Gang and his direct subordinates, but the moment Byeok Hyung Geom made his position clear, the majority of the younger martial artists had shifted their allegiance to Byeok So Yeon.
Byeok Mu Chang’s brow was deeply furrowed as he stared coldly at Byeok Hyung Geom and Byeok So Yeon.
In the suffocating silence, three figures finally appeared ascending the mountain path.
At the front came an elderly man jangling a Gourd Bottle. The moment a few of the Bicheon Byeok Family’s martial artists recognized him, the entire atmosphere of the practice grounds transformed.
“That, that person is···.”
“The Ten-Thousand Poisons Eccentric Physician?”
Dang So Yu walked into the practice grounds, his gaze sweeping the gathering with casual indifference, and called out sharply.
“Where’s the patient.”
Byeok So Yeon stepped forward with a respectful bow.
“This way, please, elder.”
Just then, Byeok Mu Chang, who had been watching, stepped forward to block the path.
“Young Clan Leader! This is not something I have permitted! An outsider cannot simply enter the Clan Leader’s private chambers—”
“Get out of my way.”
Dang So Yu did not slow his pace, his voice low and measured.
Just two words. Yet in the force carried by those two syllables, Byeok Mu Chang found himself instinctively stepping back half a pace.
The killing intent of the Poison Fiend was unlike that of ordinary martial artists. It was a quiet yet fatal aura of death—the kind that only emanates from one who has spent a lifetime wielding poison.
With Byeok Hyung Geom having already turned away, this was hardly the moment for Byeok Mu Chang to raise his voice or resort to violence. His pride wounded but his hands bound, he stood rigid as Dang So Yu passed him without a glance and entered the inner chambers.
Byeok Mu Chang’s eyes flashed toward Baek Unhwi.
“In the end, I’ve been played for a fool by you.”
“What do you mean, sir? Have I not offered sincere counsel, always with the best interests of the Bicheon Byeok Family at heart?”
Baek Unhwi responded with composed courtesy.
“Thanks to the Interim Clan Leader’s swift action, we have benefited greatly. We brought in Master Gu as well, hoping only for the Clan Leader’s swift recovery. Surely you don’t wish for anything otherwise?”
“Nothing but hollow words! In the end, you mean to use this crisis as a pretext to extend your reach into the Bicheon Byeok Family, don’t you?”
Baek Unhwi fell silent for a moment.
And he did not deny it.
“That is also true.”
Byeok Mu Chang stiffened.
“I have come to extend my reach into the Bicheon Byeok Family.”
Baek Unhwi’s voice was low and clear.
“But whether the hand extended by the Pung Cheon Trading Company and our hand differ—you will see for yourself once the Clan Leader awakens.”
Byeok Mu Chang’s lips pressed together firmly.

Acquiring the Martial World Through Money: Episode 23

Author
Song Jjeonbol
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yun Tae Ri
Cover
Sik

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260907057.0023

ⓒ2026, Song Jjeonbol

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No part of this work may be reprocessed or reproduced in any form without the permission of 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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