Acquiring the Murim with Money - Chapter 34

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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 34. The Miracle of Changhae Express House

Baek Unhui and So Ryang made their way to the office where Jin Muyeon was waiting.
Up close, Jin Muyeon seemed younger than expected. He bore a greater resemblance to his mother than to Jin Cheolsan, the man renowned as Nanyang’s greatest hero. His frame was slight, his features gentle. Yet etched across his face were fear and exhaustion—his eyes hollow, as though he hadn’t slept properly in far too long.
Gwak Daeho, standing beside him, radiated an entirely different presence. He appeared twenty years Jin Muyeon’s senior, and each scar on his body seemed to chronicle how he had lived. He stood with the massive Crescent Halberd planted before him like a pillar, its weight perfectly suited to his frame.
“How much does Changhae Express House owe? Tell me the details.”
Gwak Daeho, speaking on Jin Muyeon’s behalf, retrieved a stack of documents and laid them on the table.
“It started with just two hundred silver notes. When the previous Proprietor passed away suddenly, the current Proprietor was forced to borrow that money, not knowing whose it truly was. We could have resolved it all by completing just one express operation normally, but those vicious dogs of Moknong Guild bled us dry. The debt nearly tripled. Express operations have been halted for three months now. And between the failed routes and the wages owed to our couriers, we’re looking at over two thousand silver notes owing to Baekgeumjeon Trading House.”
As So Ryang, working intently at a nearby table, nodded upon hearing the debt situation, Baek Unhui reached into his robe.
“I will assume the entirety of the debt through substitution performance.”
A heavy stack of silver notes was placed atop the documents.
Jin Muyeon’s eyes widened.
“You’re… you’re paying back more than four thousand silver notes?”
“Yes.”
“Our… our debt?”
“Yes.”
“Is this truly real?”
Jin Muyeon reached out with trembling hands to touch the silver notes. The weight that had crushed him every night was vanishing before his eyes.
“There is a condition.”
Baek Unhui spoke quietly.
“Transfer the management rights and seventy percent ownership of Changhae Express House to me. You will retain the position of Proprietor, but financial matters and business decisions will fall to me. However, my name remains hidden from the outside world. The public face of the Express House will continue to be yours.”
“You’re asking me to continue as Proprietor?”
“Aside from no longer being hounded by creditors, nothing changes fundamentally. The structure remains as it is—your managers, your couriers. In fact, we’ll need to expand our courier roster. The Express House will only grow from here.”
“I’ll… I’ll sign at once!”
Jin Muyeon picked up the brush without a moment’s hesitation.
“Proprietor!”
Gwak Daeho moved to stop him.
“Please don’t try to hold me back, Uncle.”
For the first time, Jin Muyeon looked at Gwak Daeho with clear, steady eyes.
“I can’t bear Moknong Guild’s torment any longer. You’ve carried this burden long enough—for your loyalty to my father and for my sake. You’ve done more than enough. Let yourself rest now.”
“Proprietor… the family legacy…”
“You survived near-death itself out of duty to my father and because of me. That’s already more than anyone could ask. It’s time you found some peace.”
Gwak Daeho’s eyes wavered.
One could see the weight of an inescapable reality pressing down on those broad shoulders. In this moment, the Express House that he and Jin Cheolsan had built through blood and sweat across a lifetime was passing into the hands of a stranger from the merchant world.

A moment later.
After Jin Muyeon completed all the signatures, Gwak Daeho rose quietly from his seat.
“Proprietor, I’ll step outside for a moment.”
Reading the intent in Gwak Daeho’s eyes, Baek Unhui followed him outside.
Gwak Daeho planted his Crescent Halberd upright on the ground and faced Baek Unhui directly.
“I’ll ask you straight.”
“Go ahead.”
“What’s your real purpose?”
Baek Unhui paused, choosing his words carefully. Then he spoke without evasion.
“First, I’ll control the waters of Nanyang. Then I’ll expand from there. Changhae Express House is merely the starting point.”
Gwak Daeho’s eyes narrowed.
“Then what of us?”
“Changhae Express House remains Changhae Express House. I have no intention of stripping you of your position. My presence will remain as hidden as possible. However.”
Baek Unhui continued.
“This cannot remain as it is. Jin Muyeon, who represents the Express House, must become someone capable of leading it properly—and soon. And in my judgment, that’s impossible without you as Head Manager.”
Gwak Daeho fell silent for a long moment.
Through the window, the Changjiang River was visible. A sleek vessel bearing Moknong Guild’s flag was drifting slowly past.
“How should I address you from now on?”
“Call me however you wish. Baek Unhui would be fine.”
“Very well. Baek Unhui. I have one request.”
“Tell me.”
“The previous Proprietor was like an older brother to me—we lived in sworn brotherhood for half our lives. Such a strong man vanished without warning. I searched everywhere but found no trace. Could you perhaps look into it?”
Baek Unhui nodded.
“I give you my word.”
Gwak Daeho gripped the Crescent Halberd afresh and rose from his seat. He hadn’t opened his heart completely. Yet as he turned to leave, his footsteps carried a different weight than before.

The next morning.
A large banner hung in front of the Changhae Express House courtyard.
A single line in black characters on red cloth.

[Changhae Express House Declares All Waterway Passage Fees Free]

Beneath it, in smaller script.

[We will not yield to the Moknong Guild’s threats and will reclaim the waters of the Changjiang. Changhae Express House guarantees this.]

So Ryang gazed up at the banner and spoke.
“You think this will work?”
“First, people need to read it before it works or doesn’t.”
Baek Unhui nodded as if recalling someone, then replied.
“If we had a network like the Heavenly Net, we’d bury the story in a day. But here…”
He looked toward Jin Muyeon.
Jin Muyeon had been staring blankly at the banner when their eyes met, and he started with a visible jolt.
“Me, me?”
“The Express House Proprietor appearing at the wharf directly would be perfect.”
“Me? But my face is in terrible shape right now.”
“Gaunt, bruised, eyes hollow—it’s ideal. It shows the sincerity of someone who’s been wronged but refuses to break. That’s what matters.”
Jin Muyeon traced his face with his hand and said.
“This isn’t normally how I look.”
“Today, let’s have you look exactly like this.”
Baek Unhui pressed lightly on Jin Muyeon’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“Just say the words I give you from behind. Don’t ad-lib anything, absolutely.”
“I can manage that much.”
The center of the wharf. Despite Nanyang’s flagging energy compared to before, countless people still moved through it.
Jin Muyeon climbed onto a wooden crate. His legs trembled visibly—aspen leaves quivering in the wind. At that moment, Baek Unhui spoke quietly from behind.
Jin Muyeon repeated the words at the loudest volume he could muster.
“Merchants of Nanyang!”
The passersby turned their heads toward the figure standing on the crate.
“I am Jin Muyeon, Proprietor of Changhae Express House. From today, we will transport cargo without passage fees. Whatever the Moknong Guild extorts from you, we will personally ensure you pay nothing!”
A murmur rippled through the crowd, and more people began pressing forward out of curiosity.
Someone shouted.
“You better make sense. What if the Moknong Guild sinks your ships?”
Baek Unhui whispered in his ear. Jin Muyeon raised his voice.
“Should any damage befall your cargo, Changhae Express House will compensate in full. Pay just one-tenth of the cargo’s value as insurance. In case of loss, we guarantee compensation of ten times what you paid—a special insurance policy.”
The murmur in the crowd grew louder. Among the skeptics, someone cried out.
“Even so, this is a matter of life and death. How does Changhae Express House plan to handle those water bandits?”
In that instant, Hye Gwang and Ju Yagyeong vaulted onto the towering stack of crates from both sides with a brilliant display of the Light Body Technique—exactly as Baek Unhui had arranged beforehand.
Before the flood of gazes, Hye Gwang clasped his hands and spoke.
“A disciple of Shaolin will stand with you.”
Drawing up his Inner Energy, a soft golden aura radiated from his ascetic form, and the crowd let out an exclamation of awe.
Ju Yagyeong, not to be outdone, raised his blade—Sword Qi shimmering blue-green around it—and declared.
“The sword of Emei stands guard.”
The crowd stirred.
“Aren’t those the bald monks who drove back dozens of water bandits yesterday?”
“I heard too. Their martial skill is no joke.”
“Shaolin and Emei both as escort?”
So Ryang spoke quietly beside Baek Unhui.
“Word of yesterday’s fight spread fast.”
“Rumors always have wings.”
Baek Unhui smiled and replied.
“How many people actually saw the fight in the courtyard yesterday?”
“About five? And like you said, we asked ten of the Express House couriers too.”
“Those fifteen people told at least two or three others last night, and those people told others…”
There was no need to calculate further—the rumor had swollen to an enormous size.
So Ryang set down the abacus and nodded.

The day after the toll-free declaration.
Wang, an old man who scraped by selling salt retail along the riverbank, lingered for a long while in front of the Changhae Express House wharf before venturing to speak.
“Excuse me, if I entrust cargo here, I really don’t have to pay the toll, is that right?”
An express courier answered him.
“Yes, sir. There’s no toll—only a fee equal to one percent of the cargo’s value. We guarantee safe arrival.”
“One percent, I can manage that.”
Old man Wang entrusted ten sacks of salt on the spot—things meant for his son across the Changjiang. He’d been meaning to send them days ago, but the Moknong Guild had kept him from even attempting it.
Two days later, a letter came from his son saying the salt had arrived safely and, thanks to that, he’d been able to settle some urgent matters.
Old man Wang came to the wharf with the letter in hand and cornered Jin Muyeon.
“Express House Proprietor! Thank you so much! Now I can send word to my son!”
Jin Muyeon looked bewildered and glanced at Baek Unhui. Baek Unhui gave a quiet nod.
Jin Muyeon took old man Wang’s hand and spoke.
“Please trust us with your shipments from now on.”
The scene caught the eyes of everyone at the wharf, and thanks to old man Wang’s enthusiastic chatter, word spread quickly.
“The Changhae Express House Proprietor has changed.”
“He didn’t seem reliable before, but now he’s taken after his father—they say he’s become a man of honor.”
“They always say a tiger father produces no dog son.”
That evening, when Jin Muyeon heard the rumor, tears suddenly began to stream from his eyes. A compliment he’d always wanted to hear but never had—that he resembled his father.
Through his blurred vision, he could see Baek Unhui rolling up his sleeves for the Express House’s work, communicating with every single junior courier, giving careful instruction to each one.
* * *
Four days after the toll-free declaration.
At first, there were more who doubted. But as good rumors about the Changhae Express House and Jin Muyeon spread, and as the Express House’s boats actually began to travel the waterways safely, more and more people came seeking them out.
What the Moknong Guild was extracting by brute force now often exceeded thirty percent of the cargo’s value. Moreover, even if merchants scrounged together the money under duress, a single misstep could mean a sunken ship or a lost life.
But if you paid just one percent as insurance and they guaranteed transport, with full compensation for any problems—and on top of that, word had spread throughout Nanyang that the protection of renowned masters from Shaolin and Emei made it safe—merchants had reason to hope.
Along with the graceful wingbeats of the blue phoenix drifting above the Changhae Express House transport vessels, a wind of hope had begun to blow once more through the hearts of Nanyang’s people.

Negotiating with Money for Martial Supremacy Chapter 34

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

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260907057.0034

ⓒ2026, Song Jjeonbol

This e-book is protected under the copyright law of the Republic of Korea.
No part of this work may be reproduced or processed 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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