Acquiring the Murim with Money - Chapter 36

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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 36. Cheongpung Will Tell You

Rumors began to spread along the Namyang Riverbank.
Jin Muyeon, the Express Chief of Changhae Express, was settling the debts of businesses that had been squeezed by the Mookryong Crew—and the terms were far better than those offered by the Baekgeum Pawnshop.
Now the reputation of Changhae Express and its Express Chief, Jin Muyeon, began to ripple outward from the commercial district along the Namyang Riverbank across all of Namyang.
The Wharf in front of Changhae Express, already crowded before, became so packed that there was nowhere left to set foot.
Jin Muyeon stood at the Wharf to greet the people himself. At first, when Baek Unhui sent Sound Transmission from nearby, Jin Muyeon would nod and speak according to his signal, but gradually Baek Unhui’s involvement decreased markedly, and Jin Muyeon began to speak and handle matters naturally on his own.

One day, a textile merchant grasped Jin Muyeon’s hand and spoke.
“Express Chief. The past two years have been hell. The Mookryong Crew’s tolls grew so steep that I couldn’t send goods to clients across the river. I lost my contracts, and I couldn’t even pay my workers. Thanks to Changhae Express, I can finally breathe again.”
Jin Muyeon gripped that hand firmly and replied.
“From now on, you need only trust us. Your cargo—the lifeblood of your household—Changhae Express will protect it at any cost.”
It was Jin Muyeon’s own words, no longer reliant on Baek Unhui. His eyes shone with sincerity.
Baek Unhui, watching from a distance, turned away with a pleased smile. Just then, Jin Muyeon, catching sight of him, rushed over with tears glistening at the corners of his eyes.
“You saw that, didn’t you? I did well just now, didn’t I?”
“You did. Perhaps I’m no longer needed?”
“Don’t even joke about such things. Without you, everything would truly fall apart. But I was trembling so hard just now—did it show?”
“It didn’t.”
“Really?”
“Well, aside from your voice cracking twice, it was flawless.”
Jin Muyeon’s expression grew slightly downcast, but he soon brightened and continued.
“I wish Gwak Daeho could have seen it too. I mean, Vice Chief. It’s still not natural for me to say it.”
Gwak Daeho, who had effectively fulfilled the role of Vice Chief and beyond in the Express, was finally appointed officially to that title yesterday. In truth, even under the previous Express Chief, Gwak Daeho had refused the Vice Chief’s position. However, as the Express grew rapidly, Baek Unhui had strongly proposed that Gwak Daeho, who had long guided the establishment with trust in Namyang, take the formal title and stand alongside Jin Muyeon.

The next day.
Baek Unhui swept his eyes around the room once.
Nine seats had been prepared at the table. Jin Muyeon sat at the head, Gwak Daeho beside him, and seven representatives from businesses held in the grip of the Mookryong Crew and the Baekgeum Pawnshop sat in a row, their eyes uneasy. Baek Unhui and So Ryang stood a step back, positioned behind Gwak Daeho.
“Gwak the table master. Or rather, I should address you as Vice Chief now. The two young outsiders in the back are business partners?”
An elderly man surnamed Ji, the owner of the Namyang Steel Mill, swallowed hard and opened his mouth. Though his frame was unremarkable, his gaze was so intense that his presence loomed large. Well past sixty now, his eyes held the mark of one who had endured for more than forty years in Namyang alone. Eyes that did not waver easily.
“And the one beside you—is that the eldest son of Jin Cheolsan? I didn’t recognize him.”
Just then, a middle-aged man with a sharp goat beard and an impatient temperament questioned pointedly.
“So you really mean to cover our debts? What are the conditions? Don’t tell me you plan to swallow the Namhae Textile Shop whole at a bargain price now that our circumstances have grown difficult.”
Gwak Daeho placed an abacus beside the table and spoke.
“Since you ask so directly, I’ll come to the point. For any establishment that joins us, we will take on the debt. We bear the burden, but we ask only for a fifty-percent equity stake and a voice in management. In return, those who enter our fold will see all logistics fees for goods passing through Namyang cut to half their former rates, and we will guarantee protection from the Mookryong Crew’s threats.”
“F-fifty percent equity? That means surrendering management rights…”
Just as objections were about to erupt.
Click-click-click. Tap-tap.
The sound of an abacus from So Ryang, who stood behind. So Ryang stepped forward naturally.
“Namhae Textile Shop. Debt accumulated at the Baekgeum Pawnshop alone exceeds seven hundred silver taels. Promissory notes coming due amount to approximately three hundred taels or more, with a delinquency interest rate of thirty percent.”
Proprietor Yu’s complexion turned ashen.
“The building’s value is roughly five hundred taels, and the inventory currently stockpiled in the warehouse is worth less than two hundred taels even at generous assessment. If you hold on like this and fall into the Baekgeum Pawnshop’s hands, you’ll be cast onto the street with nothing, and your family faces potential disposition as government slaves.”
The room fell silent.
So Ryang closed the abacus and spoke.
“Numbers do not lie.”
Yu, his face drained of all color, tapped his fingers on the table.
“No. Gwak the table master, I’ve known you for a long time, so I’ll grant that much. But why is this outsider doing this? I don’t know if I can truly trust you.”
The room fell silent again.
A salt merchant spoke quietly.
“I share that sentiment. A few months back, someone made similar promises. Said he’d help. In the end, he just strung together empty words and vanished, leaving us betrayed.”
Elder Ji nodded and spoke.
“In the end, when circumstances grow dire, there are fewer and fewer people to trust, and that’s how we’ve all come to this pass.”
Baek Unhui made no attempt to persuade them all at once. Instead, he looked at Jin Muyeon.
Jin Muyeon blinked, his face flustered.
‘Why are you looking at me?’
Baek Unhui said nothing, only gazed at Jin Muyeon. At last, Jin Muyeon rose slowly.
He nodded and continued, his voice trembling.
“I understand your distrust. Still, we must prevent immediate ruin. Not long ago, I myself saw nothing ahead and felt only despair. I wanted to die, wanted to abandon everything and flee. But fortunately, I was able to grasp an offered hand. I hope you will not give up either. Don’t sink into resignation here—let’s join hands and seize the reins of this Namyang commerce with our own hands once more. The Baekgeum Pawnshop’s interest will bleed you dry, but the shelter of Changhae Express will let you breathe.”
His voice grew steadily more assured and rose higher.
“I will reclaim Namyang’s waterways and ensure we all prosper. For that to happen, I need your strength. I swear I will never betray your trust—on the name of Jin Cheolsan, former Express Chief of Changhae Express.”
Jin Cheolsan. It was an old name.
Anyone who had lived on this river knew the weight of it.
The elderly man rose slowly from his seat and spoke.
“Before Jin Cheolsan died, he told me something. That Namyang’s waterways were the lifeblood of Namyang’s people. That a person must protect their own lifeblood themselves. I won’t sit here and take it lying down. As a man of Namyang, I’ll lend my strength.”
The first seal was stamped.
Yu closed his eyes, then opened them.
“Hah.”
He exhaled a long breath, then drew out his seal with a resolute expression.
“Damn it. I’ll stamp. Rather than fill the bellies of those Baekgeum Pawnshop bastards, I’ll give you a chance. All I need is to keep my textile shop standing. If I can land them a blow in the bargain, even better.”
Another seal was stamped.
It was a signal.
Hands began to move, one by one. The fish merchant Heo gritted his teeth, the salt wholesaler squeezed his eyes shut, and the innkeeper trembled as he pressed his seal to paper.
Silence fell over the room.
As Baek Unhui gathered up the contract, his eyes flickered with a golden light.

[Alert: Namyang Riverbank Core Business Alliance Structure Completed.]
[Potential Logistics Network Value: 8.2x expansion compared to Changhae Express operating alone.]

Though he had received help, Jin Muyeon—who had ultimately driven the transaction to completion on his own initiative—gazed at Baek Unhui, barely containing his joy, still scarcely believing what he had accomplished.
The moment the merchants departed, the courtyard erupted into activity. Byeok Soyeon stood in the center, her expression grave as she began directing the warriors of the Bitcheon Byeokga.
“First unit continues tracking Baekgeum Pawnshop’s cash flow. Second unit cuts off all messenger lines between the Mookryong Crew and Namyang. It appears their influence already runs deeper than expected. The magistrate’s office is particularly suspect—keep watch thoroughly. Avoid direct conflict if possible and observe only. Master, you coordinate between the first and second units and the main force, and intervene if the situation demands it.”
Byeok Hyunggeom nodded.
Whoosh—
As if waiting for the signal, Byeok Hyunggeom and fifteen elite warriors dispersed, melting into strategic positions throughout Namyang. Simultaneously, dozens of Communication Hawks and Carrier Pigeons soared skyward, spreading like a vast net.
And highest of all, Cheongpung circled slowly, like an eye coordinating the whole.
So Ryang, watching this unfold, spoke quietly to Baek Unhui.
“Is this really the So family head we know?”
“The seat of Prestigious Orthodox Faction family head is not a light burden to carry.”
“Feels different somehow. Distant.”
Byeok Soyeon glanced at So Ryang once, then turned to Jin Muyeon and spoke.
“Express Chief Jin Muyeon. Go to the Wharf at once. The people need to see you there. Continue as you have been—carry out your work as Express Chief with steadfast dedication and presence.”
Jin Muyeon shrugged and replied.
“Consider it done.”

The next day.
So Ryang spread three sheets of paper across the table.
“Look at this.”
Baek Unhui drew closer.
The papers bore dots. The locations of businesses newly seized as collateral by Baekgeum Pawnshop.
“At first I thought it was just about money.”
So Ryang slowly connected the dots with his brush.
“Rice merchant at the mouth of Changhae Harbor. Inns along Inn Street in Namyang. Three warehouses on the East Riverbank. Salt wholesaler beside the Military Navy Dock. Fish market street. Ferry Station across the river.”
The line was complete.
Baek Unhui gazed at it and activated his Golden Divine Eyes.
The dots were not merely dots. From each location flowed information—volumes that became visible. The number of people passing through, trade volume, and proximity to Namyang’s magistrate office.
“So Ryang.”
“Yeah.”
“This isn’t simply about money.”
“Exactly. If profit were the only aim, the Ferry Station makes no sense. Plenty of traffic, but difficult to manage.”
“But where people flow freely, information flows just as freely.”
So Ryang spoke, studying the lines.
“They’re tightening the net. From the outside, squeezing inward.”
He traced the flow with his finger.
“Like an encirclement.”
“It may appear chaotic at first glance, but the Mookryong Crew’s movements are not reckless. They are meticulously orchestrated—down to exactly which quarters they’ll strangle.”
“So there’s a sharp mind working inside Namyang. Someone who knows the town well and thinks clearly.”
“Right. We need to dig into the Master of Baekgeum Pawnshop.”
Silence hung for a moment, then So Ryang spoke first.
“But the Mookryong Crew’s movements are escalating. Scouted fast vessels alone number well over thirty—not to mention their troops. Even if we pull together all our forces, a direct confrontation is beyond us.”
“Right. We gather intelligence while staying vigilant, and strike where they least expect it.”
So Ryang nodded and picked up the abacus.
“Good. Then what we need boils down to three things: evidence, people, and perfect timing.”
“Evidence—the Byeok family is already collecting it. As for people, we’ve assembled a solid group thanks to Express Chief Jin Muyeon this time, and we’ll keep recruiting.”
“And the perfect timing?”
Baek Unhui gazed out the window.
Cheongpung circled slowly in the darkening sky above.
“Cheongpung will tell us.”

Acquiring the Jianghu with Gold — Chapter 36

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

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260907057.0036

ⓒ2026, Song Jjeonbol

※ This e-book is protected under the copyright laws of the Republic of Korea.
No part or all of this work may be reprocessed 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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