Acquiring the Murim with Money - Chapter 24

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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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Chapter 24. Wings of the Great Roc

Inner Residence of Bigeon Peak.
The moment Dang So-yu withdrew the final Silver Needle, the air in the sickroom shifted.
The murky, oppressive qi dispersed, and morning sunlight streaming through the window flooded the sickbed.
Byeok Jin-gang’s fingers twitched almost imperceptibly.
Byeok So-yeon held her breath.
And then, slowly—so very slowly—Byeok Jin-gang’s eyelids opened.
His eyes, clouded at first, began to focus on the ceiling before dropping to the face of his daughter sitting beside him.
“…So-yeon.”
His voice was hoarse, yet unmistakably that of her father—a voice she hadn’t heard in months.
Tears pooled in Byeok So-yeon’s eyes. She bit her lip hard and lowered her head.
“Father.”
Only that one word escaped her.
Byeok Jin-gang slowly clasped his daughter’s hand. His grip held almost no strength, but its warmth was clear.
“…You must have suffered greatly.”
Byeok So-yeon shook her head, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill.
“I—I was fine. Really…”
Dang So-yu tilted a gourd bottle in the corner and cut in bluntly.
“Save the tears for later. Don’t exhaust the patient with sentiment.”
Byeok So-yeon hastily wiped her tears away.
Propped against the sickbed, Byeok Jin-gang slowly surveyed his surroundings. Behind what appeared to be a physician stood an unfamiliar young man.
“Who are these people…?”
“I brought them here for you, Father.”
Byeok So-yeon explained softly.
“The one who treated you is…
“Dang So-yu, a guest merchant staying at the Baekun Trading Company.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of his reputation. I am truly grateful.”
“And this is Baek Un-hwi of the Baekun Trading Company, who has been rendering great service to the Bigeon Byeok Family.”
Baek Un-hwi, who had been standing behind Dang So-yu, stepped forward naturally and clasped his fists in salute.
“I am Baek Un-hwi, acting Household Head of the Baekun Trading Company. I congratulate you sincerely on your recovery.”
Byeok Jin-gang’s gaze rested on Baek Un-hwi. He studied him for a long moment.
“The Baekun Trading Company… acting Household Head, you say?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re the son of Baek Man-seok.”
“I am.”
“That his son should show such kindness… I’m truly grateful.”
He asked nothing more. Yet much lay folded in those few words. Baek Un-hwi read it and bowed quietly.
“For now, please rest more. We can speak at length another time.”

Meanwhile, So-ryang was scrutinizing the entire account books of the Bigeon Byeok Family, guided by Byeok Hyeong-geom.
Sitting in one corner of the storehouse, rolling an ancient abacus, So-ryang’s expression grew steadily grimmer.
“…Is this all?”
“It is everything.”
Byeok Hyeong-geom answered heavily.
So-ryang closed the ledger and released a short sigh.
“I’ll speak plainly.”
He looked directly at Byeok Hyeong-geom.
“The Bigeon Byeok Family’s finances are currently unsustainable. With the Pungcheon Trading Company’s funding cut off, you can’t even pay the dwindling staff’s wages. The Martial Artists of the family and all those Carrier Pigeons and hawks—they’re facing starvation.”
Byeok Hyeong-geom closed his lips.
“And that’s not all.”
So-ryang pointed to the end of the ledger with his finger.
“The Pungcheon Trading Company is claiming Damage Compensation for losses incurred in this affair and breach of contract. This amount is…”
So-ryang stated the figure.
The light in Byeok Hyeong-geom’s eyes wavered.
“…That’s an impossible sum.”
“Yes. If this claim is executed as stated, selling all of Bigeon Peak wouldn’t cover it.”
Silence fell.
Byeok Hyeong-geom gazed out the window. A Soaring Hawk wheeled lazily across the clear sky.
“Is there a way?”
So-ryang set down the abacus and rose from his seat.
“We need to ask Un-hwi.”
They made their way to the Household Head’s private quarters.
By then, Byeok Jin-gang had shifted upright. His body remained frail, yet his eyes burned with clarity.
More people gathered in the quarters as time passed.
Byeok So-yeon stood at her father’s side. Byeok Hyeong-geom positioned himself behind her. So-ryang entered with the ledger clasped in his hands. Then Byeok Mu-chang and his son Byeok Tae-gang filed in with their heads bowed.
Last came Baek Un-hwi.
Byeok Jin-gang spoke first.
“I’ve heard the broad strokes from So-yeon. What’s happened these past months.”
His gaze lingered briefly on Byeok Mu-chang before withdrawing.
“And what circumstances the family finds itself in now.”
So-ryang slid the ledger forward.
“Household Head, I believe you should see the Bigeon Byeok Family’s financial situation firsthand.”
Byeok Jin-gang accepted the ledger and turned its pages slowly. As he read, the light in his eyes dimmed. Yet there was no shock, no collapse—only the cold, clear gaze of a man accepting reality.
He closed the ledger and looked at Baek Un-hwi with steady eyes.
“First, I must properly thank the household that helped my daughter and saved my life. That’s only right.”
Byeok Jin-gang lowered his head.
“We owe a great debt to Baek Un-hwi. Shamefully, our own internal troubles run deep, and I confess I don’t know how to repay such kindness. Still, I imagine you wouldn’t have involved yourself in our affairs without reason. Speak freely.”
As Byeok Jin-gang finished, Baek Un-hwi stepped forward.
Every eye in the room fixed on him.
Baek Un-hwi did not rush. He took a slow, measured look around the quarters—at Byeok So-yeon, Byeok Hyeong-geom, Byeok Jin-gang, and, unexpectedly, the composed Byeok Mu-chang.
Then he spoke.
“The Bigeon Byeok Family faces three problems simultaneously.”
His voice remained measured and even.
“First, finances. The family cannot sustain itself, and Pungcheon Trading Company’s damage claim has compounded the crisis. Second, internal unity. While the Household Head lay ill, factions formed and the resolve of the martial artists wavered. Third, external circumstances. With the contract severed, neither the merchants of Luoyang nor those of the Central Plains will easily extend a hand to the Bigeon Byeok Family.”
Household Head Byeok Jin-gang listened without interruption.
“There is one way to address all three at once.”
Baek Un-hwi met his gaze directly.
“To stand with the Baekun Trading Company.”
The room grew quiet.
So-ryang continued.
“We’ve examined Pungcheon’s claim in detail. Most of it is inflated damage estimates pushed beyond reason. We’ll take it on ourselves and settle it through negotiation. Since this stemmed from an unjust contract to begin with, our trading company can handle it at a reasonable figure.”
So-ryang spread his fingers as he spoke.
“As for internal problems—now that the Household Head is awake and with Master Byeok Hyeong-geom present, they’ll resolve naturally if finances don’t worsen further. And the external matters, the family’s debts—the same. We’ll assume all the Bigeon Byeok Family’s liabilities and provide operating capital until the household finds stability.”
Byeok So-yeon raised her head.
“There must be conditions.”
“There are. The Bigeon Byeok Family’s Carrier Pigeon network and Soaring Hawks will be integrated into the Baekun Trading Company’s information logistics. And the Bigeon Byeok Family will be incorporated as an Independent Martial Sect under the Baekun Trading Company.”
Byeok Tae-gang bristled and stepped forward.
“Independent sect? That’s just saying we’d become subordinate! A family with centuries of history beneath merchants…”
“Tae-gang.”
Byeok Mu-chang cut him off quietly.
“Father…”
Byeok Tae-gang fell silent.
Byeok Mu-chang fixed his gaze on Baek Un-hwi and asked.
“What does independence mean?”
“The Bigeon Byeok Family remains the Bigeon Byeok Family.”
Baek Un-hwi answered with precision.
“The Household Head will continue to lead the family. Teaching martial arts, taking disciples, transmitting the Bigeon Secret Manual and the Byeok Eung Sword Technique—nothing changes in substance. Our involvement is purely financial and logistical. We don’t touch the family’s identity.”
“The martial artists’ stipends?”
“The Baekun Trading Company bears that responsibility. Along with the upkeep of the birds, including the Celestial Thunder Hawks.”
Byeok So-yeon’s eyes wavered at those words.
“Your dependents won’t go hungry again.”
Baek Un-hwi continued.
“The Bigeon Byeok Family is bound to the earth now. Cut off financially, pressed from outside, shaken within. But what the family possesses, no trading company in the world can have.”
His eyes turned toward the sky beyond the window.
“The power to soar.”
A brief silence settled over the quarters.
“I haven’t come to devour the Bigeon Byeok Family. I came because it pains me to see a Great Roc folding its wings and settling to the ground. With us, you could spread those wings far beyond Luoyang—across the entire Central Plains.”
Byeok Jin-gang fell silent for a long moment.
He looked at Byeok So-yeon.
“What do you think?”
Byeok So-yeon answered without hesitation.
“He’s someone we can trust, Father. He’s nothing like Pungcheon.”
Byeok Jin-gang turned to Byeok Hyeong-geom.
Byeok Hyeong-geom nodded slowly, his expression grave.
“I share that assessment, Household Head. From all I’ve observed, the hand the Baekun Trading Company extends toward the Bigeon Byeok Family is fundamentally different from that of the base Pungcheon Trading Company.”
Byeok Jin-gang’s gaze finally settled on Byeok Mu-chang.
Every eye in the room turned toward him at once.
Byeok Mu-chang remained silent for a moment.
His eyes lingered briefly on his son Byeok Tae-gang before drifting slowly downward.
“…Brother.”
He spoke softly, his voice low.
Byeok Jin-gang waited, his gaze steady and calm.
“I was wrong.”
Byeok Mu-chang’s voice cracked.
“After you fell ill, I made many decisions under the guise of protecting our family. Joining hands with Pungcheon, obstructing the Deputy Household Head—I told myself it was all for the family’s sake. But that’s merely an excuse. My own greed clouded my judgment, and I’ve inflicted irreparable damage on our house. Tae-gang knew nothing of this. He simply followed his father. All responsibility lies with me.”
He drew a deep breath.

Byeok Tae-gang stared at his father in shock.
“Father, I—”
“Be silent.”
Byeok Mu-chang cut him off sharply, then bowed his head toward Byeok Jin-gang.
“I will accept whatever punishment you decree, Brother.”
The bedchamber fell quiet.
Byeok Jin-gang closed his eyes slowly, then opened them again.
“…We’ll discuss this later.”
He turned to Baek Un-hwi.
“Master Baek Un-hwi.”
“Yes?”
“I have but one question.”
Byeok Jin-gang’s gaze pierced through Baek Un-hwi with sudden clarity.
“Both Pungcheon and Byeok Mu-chang ultimately stumbled because of greed. Can you truly remain with us to the end, unburdened by selfish desire?”
“That would be difficult.”
The room fell silent once more at his answer.
Baek Un-hwi met the eyes of everyone present for a moment.
“I am a greedy man.”
He smiled broadly.
“I have far too many desires—that’s the problem. But my greed is for the wellbeing and comfort of all my family members. No matter how delicious the food, if you hoard it and eat alone, you’ll burst. And now the Bigeon Byeok Family is part of our household too. So let’s share the meal together.”
A faint smile touched the corner of Byeok Jin-gang’s mouth for the first time.
“…An amusing answer.”
He extended his hand slowly.
The moment Baek Un-hwi grasped it—
Boom-boom-boom-crash!
The entire Bigeon Peak trembled violently.
Windows shattered into razor-sharp fragments that poured inward. The bedroom walls bloomed with searing red light. A scorching wave of heat rushed through the chamber like a tempest.
“Deputy Household Head!”
Byeok Hyeong-geom instinctively wrapped his arms around Byeok So-yeon beside him and rolled across the floor. Baek Un-hwi hurled himself onto the bed, shielding Byeok Jin-gang with his body. So-ryang clutched the ledger to his chest and huddled into a corner.
As the dust and smoke cleared, what emerged was—
Shattered window frames and walls, and before the Household Head’s bed, blood-red crystal fragments burning with fierce intensity.
The moment Baek Un-hwi’s eyes registered them, his gaze ignited with golden light.

How to Acquire a Martial Sect with Gold — Chapter 24

Author
Song Jjun-vol
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yun Tae-ri
Cover Design
Sik

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260907057.0024

ⓒ2026, Song Jjuol-bol

※ This e-book is protected under the copyright laws of the Republic of Korea.
No part or whole 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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