Acquiring the Murim with Money - Chapter 28

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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 28. Long Time No See, Unhui

The morning of the next day.
The moment Baek Unhui began preparing to leave, Baek Yeonhwa grabbed her sword.
“I’m coming too.”
“Please rest. It’s not far—I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Something feels off. I just want to go with you. And your body still isn’t fully recovered…….”
Baek Unhui turned to face her.
Baek Yeonhwa’s eyes were different from usual. Not sharp and keen, but troubled—anxious, almost.
“Sister…….”
Baek Unhui studied that gaze for a moment.
‘Intuition?’
Baek Yeonhwa’s instincts as a martial artist were rarely wrong. But he couldn’t take her along today, not to where he was going.
Still, he himself had no certainty yet—whether that handwriting truly belonged to who he thought it did.
“I understand your worry. But look—Pung is just finishing his morning External Martial Art training. It’s time for him to guide our people through their Breathing Technique practice, so where does he think he’s going? The Cheonil Network people are only waiting for your instruction time,” he said, gesturing toward the courtyard where Pung Geun was emerging.
“Still…….”
“If you’re that concerned, then we’ll go quickly and be back before you know it. You’re alright with this, Pung? Coming along?”
Pung Geun dried his hands with a towel and spoke from beside them.
“I’ll accompany you, young master. Ah, and speaking of which—how are the broken ribs treating you? It’s all because there’s insufficient muscle. Eat plenty of meat to speed recovery. Once you’re healed, I’ll draw up a special training regimen to condition you properly.”
Baek Yeonhwa looked at Pung Geun, then turned her gaze back to Baek Unhui.
“……Pung, I’m counting on you. Unhui, be careful out there.”
“Yes.”

The Luoyang Central Inn wasn’t actually located in downtown Luoyang. It sat tucked away in a quiet alley on the outskirts of the city center.
There were few other shops nearby, and it wasn’t the sort of place one would pass through unless specifically seeking the inn.
No grand sign hung outside. Nothing flashy. Yet the interior was refined throughout, and the food was prepared with care. But the reason merchants of note and high officials in Luoyang favored the Central Inn went beyond that. Unlike ordinary inns, it offered private rooms for dining—quiet spaces where no eyes could pry.
Baek Unhui slowed his pace as he entered the alley.
His ribs throbbed. Dang Soyou had said the Blood Meridian was sealed, but this wasn’t an injury that would heal in a day or two.
He checked his coin purse. About thirty taels of silver and a bundle of copper coins—that was all. The Merchant Group had funds, but he couldn’t afford to spend lavishly from his personal reserves. What little he had was what remained after the battle at Bicheonfbong, spare money given by the group.
‘Body’s half-broken, weapons are half-broken. The Group’s busy, and they said to take it easy anyway, so I couldn’t help it. I should’ve brought the old man along somehow.’
Pung Geun, who had been walking silently beside him, suddenly spoke.
“Master, who’s our business partner today?”
“The Cheonma Merchant Group’s steward.”
“Isn’t that the organization connected to that cult?”
“Does it frighten you?”
“No. I heard about it back when I worked security in Pungcheon. When the Cheonma Merchant Group was first recruiting workers, everyone was hesitant—seemed a bit scary. But when people actually went, it was just another merchant group like any other, good wages, and they even served meat side dishes. I remember being envious.”
“……”
“Of course, our Baekun Merchant Group is the best. I’d wager we’re the only one with unlimited meat.”
Baek Unhui let out a quiet laugh.
The alley began to narrow. Old buildings lined both sides. Even in daylight, deep shadows pooled here.
That’s when Pung Geun glanced around and spoke.
“Master, something feels strange about this place. Like something could leap out at any moment.”
“Hold a moment, Pung.”
Baek Unhui stopped.
No sound. No breeze. The alley was eerily silent.
The instant his Golden Divine Eye activated.
Whoosh—!
Four black-clad figures erupted simultaneously from both rooftops, raining Hidden Weapons down upon them.
Pung Geun immediately stepped in front of Baek Unhui, raising a Fist Wind barrier. But the threat didn’t end at the roofs.
Shuu-shuu-shuu-shuk—!
While Pung Geun’s attention was drawn to the killers and Hidden Weapons descending from above, dark arrowheads shot from narrow windows in the buildings on both sides.
Crossbows—modified for silence yet devastating in their rate of fire.
Clang-clang—
Thanks to his Golden Divine Eye, Baek Unhui kicked backward to dodge the deluge of arrows even as he flicked copper coins to intercept two shafts aimed at Pung Geun.
‘Ngh—’
He swallowed a groan. When he hastily deployed the Shadowless Stepping Technique, it felt like fire bloomed across his healing ribs.
“Master, thank you. Don’t strain yourself. I’ll handle this. Preserve your strength!”
As Pung Geun shouted, tiny Hidden Weapons too small to catch the eye flew through the air without a sound.
“You cowardly assassins! Who sent you here? I’ll make minced meat of every last one of you!”
When the small hidden weapons failed to pierce through Pung Geun’s muscles and external martial art, honed to their limits, the assassins drew dark swords and rushed at him.
Despite Pung Geun’s confident shout, the situation was far from good. There were nine assassins accounted for—including those still hidden inside the building. And this might not even be all of them.
No matter how exceptional Pung Geun’s external martial art was, if an opponent infused their sword qi and wielded a blade directly, he would be cut.
The assassins wielding those wicked swords posed a danger even from shallow cuts, and heavy hidden weapons like Iron Drills and Flying Blades kept raining down between their coordinated strikes.
Baek Unhui kept him barely holding on by repeatedly intercepting with the Heaven Gold Throw at every critical moment.
Baek Unhui avoided engaging the assassins directly, weaving out of danger with the Shadowless Stepping Technique while hurling the Heaven Gold Throw to harass them and surveying his surroundings.
‘Who sent them? Could they be those Blood Cult suspects from before? An ambush so conveniently placed where we’re supposed to meet the Cheonma Merchant Group—could it be…? Anyway, I’m running out of things to throw. The situation’s turning against us. The assassins are too quick—even the Pung lord is just managing to block and evade. If this keeps up, we’re both going down.’
“Lord Pung, I’ll try to buy us some time, so don’t worry—get yourself out of here first. You know I’m confident about dodging and running away, right?”
“That makes no sense. I didn’t pour blood and sweat into building up my physique just to ruin it by running. You go ahead and get to safety—I’ll finish off these bastards and come find you at my own pace.”
‘There’s no choice. I have to settle this in one move.’
Baek Unhui gripped all his remaining silver money and copper coins in his hand.
That instant—
Thud—
With something like a sharp force tearing through the air, the necks of two assassins lunging toward Baek Unhui were severed simultaneously.
Following the direction the force had come from, two swordsmen wearing bamboo hats suddenly descended toward Baek Unhui’s position, unleashing sword qi against the assassins.
After two fell in quick succession, the remaining assassins attempted to counterattack, but within barely half a tea duration, all ten assassins—the nine accounted for and the final one still hidden in reserve—were eliminated.
The alley fell silent.
Baek Unhui, who had been standing dumbfounded, immediately activated his Golden Divine Eye.

[Target: Unknown]
[Asset Value: Cannot be measured.]
[Warning: Analysis is impossible with your current capital scale.]

He’d suspected it, and his suspicion proved right. Where did all these masters keep coming from? The arrogance that had been creeping up on him with his rapid growth vanished in an instant.

One of the two bamboo-hatted figures opened his mouth.
“Are you alright?”
His voice was young and courteous, contrary to what his martial prowess suggested.
“Yes, thanks to you. We almost had a real disaster on our hands. Thank you sincerely. Could you be from the Cheonma Merchant Group?”
“Yes. We’ll escort you.”
The one who hadn’t spoken remained in back, while the one with the voice of an apparent man in his thirties took the front. It was naturally an escort formation. Or perhaps one could also call it an encirclement.
Pung Geun leaned close to Baek Unhui’s side and whispered low.
“行수, should we follow those two?”
“Yes. That’s what I came here for. Let’s go.”
Pung Geun nodded quietly.
The place they led him to was the Luoyang Central Inn.
The inside of the inn was quiet.
The atmosphere was different from the entrance. There were no customers despite the hour being daytime. Or rather, the inn had been cleared. The proprietor wasn’t visible either.
Then the bamboo-hatted man who had guided them from the front spoke.
“First, I must apologize. Since Luoyang isn’t within our sphere of influence, complications arose. It seems information leaked from this inn, so we came to meet you in haste. As you can see, we’ve cleaned up our end thoroughly.”
“Well, I nearly died, but regardless, I’ll have words with whoever hired those assassins to target me. I don’t owe the Cheonma Merchant Group anything, but I’ll repay these two personally if the opportunity ever comes.”
One walked silently while the other nodded with a light smile.
Soon, at the door of an inner room on this floor, the bamboo-hatted men stopped.
“This way. You must go in alone.”
Pung Geun looked at Baek Unhui with concern.
“It’s fine, Lord Pung. Rest downstairs for a moment.”
Baek Unhui stood before the door.
His ribs still throbbed dully. Now he noticed he was still gripping a few copper coins tightly in his hand.
‘What a ridiculous sight.’
Baek Unhui took one steadying breath and opened the door. Inside the room sat a single figure wearing a bamboo hat.
The same style of bamboo hat as the two outside. But the posture and presence were different. Though sitting quietly rather than standing, there was something that pressed down on the entire space.
Baek Unhui naturally activated his Golden Divine Eye.

[Target: Unknown]
[Asset Value: Cannot be measured.]
[Warning: Analysis is impossible with your current capital scale.]

Baek Unhui closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.
Once Baek Unhui had settled into his seat with his senses properly restored, the figure slowly removed the bamboo hat.
Black hair.
Pale skin.
Sharp, piercing eyes.
Yet that sharpness bore a resemblance to something he’d seen before—something reflected in a mirror.
Overall similar to Baek Unhui, but also strikingly different. An aura that seemed to dominate completely, combined with eyes that burned with an intensity that was somehow both decadent and fierce. The ornate robes of the Cheonma Divine Cult caught the morning light, casting it back in a cool, terrible gleam.
Face to face with this figure at last, Baek Unhui’s heart began to churn with violent emotion.
The figure who had been studying him intently spoke.
“It’s been a long time, Unhui.”

Building a Martial Empire with Gold · Chapter 28

Author
Song Jjuonbol
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yun Tae-ri
Cover
Sik

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260907057.0028

© 2026, Song Jjuonbol

※ This e-book is protected under the copyright laws of the Republic of Korea.
Without permission from the author and publisher, the content of this work may not be modified or reproduced in any form, in whole or in part.

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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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