Acquiring the Murim with Money - Chapter 38

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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 38. Brilliant Cooperation and Spoils of War.

In the deep pre-dawn hours, groans echoed across the dock before Changhae Transport Company’s cargo vessel.
Hye Gwang surveyed the area, hands on his hips. Disabled pirates lay sprawled across the ground, moaning where they’d fallen.
Nine with serious wounds from swords or arrows, ten with blood streaming down their faces. The rest had taken arrows and been swept away by the current. Some forty pirates from Mok Yong Che had been utterly crushed without ever mounting a proper fight.
Ju Yak Gyeong wiped her blade and spoke.
“I took fourteen.”
“I accounted for ten, miss.”
“Then I won.”
“Your count is off, if I may say so. Of the fourteen pirates who boarded from your side initially, five defected to mine. That makes it nine to ten.”
“Those men fled to you out of fear when they saw my blade. As far as I’m concerned, that counts as my victory.”
Hye Gwang clasped his hands together and spoke.
“I confess, your method of accounting is beyond my comprehension.”
“What did you just say?”
Baek Un Hui stepped between them.
“Word of your brilliant cooperation will surely spread through Namyang once more. You’ve both earned your rest today.”
They spoke in unison.
“It was nothing, really.”
“Nothing much, if I’m being honest.”
And in the same moment, they exchanged a sidelong glance at each other.
Baek Un Hui’s first order of business was dealing with the fast ships.
Three fast ships from Mok Yong Che, still intact and tethered along the riverbank—all of them were transferred to Changhae Transport Company’s ownership.

The next morning, Jin Mu Yeon looked up at the fast ships and spoke.
“Sir. Even watching them with my own eyes, I can hardly believe it. These truly belong to us now, don’t they?”
“They do.”
Before, the mere sight of them from a distance would freeze my blood. We’re really allowed to use these fast ships as our own, aren’t we?”
“Yes. They’re our spoils of war.”
Jin Mu Yeon ran toward the fast ships.
“Deputy Chief! We—who always had everything taken from us—we took something! These are ours now! These ships!”
Gwak Dae Ho gazed at the fast ships and spoke quietly.
“This is only the beginning. Everything we’ve lost up to now—we must recover it all, with interest.”
Then So Ryang arrived at the dock and spoke.
“The interrogation setup for the pirates is ready. Where should we start?”
“Begin with the deputy chief, Noh Gak. Deputy Chief, you should come with us.”

* * *

Noh Gak was dragged into the office to face Baek Un Hui, So Ryang, and Gwak Dae Ho.
Baek Un Hui studied him: a compact man with sloped shoulders, but with an unmistakable hardness to his frame. He appeared to be in his late forties, yet his eyes flickered with barely contained turmoil—the eyes of someone who’d lived in fear.
Gwak Dae Ho’s expression hardened the moment he saw him.
“Noh Gak.”
Noh Gak lowered his head and spoke.
“It’s been a long time, Deputy Chief Gwak.”
Noh Gak’s gaze skittered away from Gwak Dae Ho’s eyes, settling instead on Baek Un Hui.
“So you’re the one. The man pulling the strings behind Changhae Transport Company.”
“Pulling strings? I’m merely a merchant conducting business with Changhae Transport Company.”
Noh Gak let out a low, bitter laugh—then swiftly suppressed it and continued.
“Conducting business, you say. I’d been wondering what powerful figure had appeared to resurrect Changhae Transport Company from the brink of collapse. Turns out you’re younger than I expected.”
Gwak Dae Ho’s voice cut through the air, sharp with barely restrained fury.
“Spare me the pleasantries. Before I decide to take your head, tell me plainly: why did Mok Yong Che grow so suddenly powerful, and what’s the state of their internal affairs?”
Noh Gak, who’d been avoiding Gwak Dae Ho’s stare, turned to face him with what looked like resolved determination.
“Deputy Chief Gwak. Though it cannot be called a pleasant history between us, we’ve known each other for more than a decade now. Since things have come to this, I’ll speak freely. The current pirate chief of Mok Yong Che—a man surnamed Chu—do you know how he came to hold that position?”
Gwak Dae Ho’s eyes narrowed.
Noh Gak continued.
“It was two years ago.”
He paused, gazing down at his hands.
“Our former pirate chief was a man known as Hyeong Gwang—like a firefly, his name was, and like a firefly he lived. He wasn’t born a pirate either. He drifted as a wandering swordsman until he fell into a dispute with one of the small pirate gangs that infested the Namyang waterways, and from there, one thing led to another. Yet because of him, order came to the Namyang waters—something you yourself must know, Deputy Chief. He shone only in darkness, never seeking to burn too brightly or attract unnecessary attention.”
Baek Un Hui listened without a word to that bitter voice.
“We were pirates, yes, but we had our own code. Resorting to blades was truly the last resort, and the tolls we took from merchants were kept to manageable levels. There were clashes at first, but eventually our Pirate Chief got along well enough with Jin Cheol San, the Transport Chief. Later, we even drank together.”
Gwak Dae Ho spoke quietly.
“That’s true. I know Hyeong Gwang wasn’t a bad man, for a pirate.”
“He wasn’t.”
Noh Gak opened and closed his fists.
“But not long after our Mok Yong Che came under the Eighteen Yangtze River Channels, someone came down from the Water Route Organization. When I first saw him, those cold eyes made my blood run cold. Anyway, as soon as he arrived, he said we needed to meet with Jin Cheol San, the Transport Chief—in secret.”
Baek Un Hui asked quietly.
“Did he use Hyeong Gwang’s name to lure him out?”
“Yes.”
Noh Gak’s voice grew softer.
“The Transport Chief came to the tavern. A man of honor—he came alone. We let our guard down. We’d been at peace with our Pirate Chief for quite some time by then. But in that room….”
He fell silent.
“It was an ambush, but it took only one stroke.”
Gwak Dae Ho gripped the Gujung Sword tightly with trembling hands.
“Our Pirate Chief protested immediately. He said there was something to negotiate peacefully—what was the meaning of this? And then….”
Noh Gak closed his eyes, then opened them.
“Our Chief fell to a single stroke as well.”
The room fell silent.
“I was there. I saw everything. But….”
His eyes wavered.
“The moment I met those bloodshot eyes of his, I couldn’t move. It was the overwhelming terror, and while I had loyalty to the Chief, I didn’t want to die. Coward that I was, I had to keep my mouth shut if I wanted to survive.”
Baek Un Hui spoke.
“After that, the Water Route Organization sent more ships, and Choo took the seat of Pirate Chief.”
“That’s right. He announced that he had become Chief through a legitimate duel for the position, and took the seat. It was sudden, but since I was nominally Deputy Chief and could testify, there was no great problem. After that, vicious pirates from other places kept filtering in, and our numbers grew rapidly. And we began aggressively seizing the Namyang waterways. For the past two years, I’ve been grinding under his heel.”
Noh Gak lifted his head and spoke.
“I did whatever it took to survive. My own life comes first, after all. And I still have family members who are alive.”
He gave a short laugh.
“But I’m sick of it. More than a few of our old comrades had their heads cut off for a single misplaced word in front of him. I’ve managed to get by just following orders since I’m treated decently as the nominal Deputy Chief, but my heart has changed. With your skill, it might be possible. Now I want nothing more than to see him dead.”
Baek Un Hui studied Noh Gak for a long moment.
The Golden Divine Eye activated.

[Target: Noh Gak]
[Status: Was in a state of obedience born of fear, but harbors latent discontent and hostility.]
[Core traits: Skilled in Naval Combat and Ship Piloting; quick situational judgment. Self-Preservation Philosophy—his own life and safety are paramount.]
[Reliability: Conditional cooperation possible.]

Baek Un Hui spoke.
“The internal structure of Mok Yong Che’s headquarters, matters relating to the Chief’s security, relations with Baek Geum Jeon Chang and evidence to prove it. Pass along whatever other information we need to know.”
Noh Gak nodded.
“That much, certainly.”
“And,” Baek Un Hui added.

“Once the cooperation is finished, Changhae Transport Company will guarantee the safety of you and the remaining brothers.”
Noh Gak’s eyes wavered.
“Good. If my safety is guaranteed, I’ll do my best.”

Next came the pirates. According to Noh Gak, they were all newcomers to Mok Yong Che from the past two years.
Nineteen in total had either surrendered or been captured wounded. Baek Un Hui had them all kneeling in one corner of the courtyard.
Jin Mu Yeon stepped forward and asked.
“What do we do with these people?”
“Turn them over to the authorities.”
Jin Mu Yeon nodded, then stopped.
“We’re not just handing them over as is, are we?”
Baek Un Hui smiled faintly.
“Of course not.”
He looked toward So Ryang.
So Ryang was already preparing. A stack of documents was in his hands.
“Look here.”
So Ryang unfolded the documents in front of the pirates.
“This is a record of the toll extortions, forced ship seizures, and cargo plundering that your Mok Yong Che has committed across Namyang over the past two years. In silver alone, the total exceeds ten thousand taels. And the illicit profits your people obtained through the Baek Geum Jeon Chang—those are even higher.”
The pirates’ faces hardened.
“I’m submitting this to the Namyang Magistrate. Even if only a portion of this sum is attributed to you, enslavement is guaranteed for life.”
The pirates’ complexions began to drain of color.
“But before that—first come, first served. Just three of you.”
So Ryang slid the documents back into his sleeve as he spoke.
“Concrete testimony about your connections with the Baek Geum Jeon Chang and the specific harm you inflicted on various establishments. The ones who prove most helpful will be released.”
The pirates exchanged nervous glances.
These weren’t men bound by years of family ties; they harbored no sense of loyalty or brotherhood. In the end, they scrambled over one another, each striving to give the most helpful testimony possible.

So Ryang compiled everything with Noh Gak’s testimony, then whispered to Baek Un Hui.
“Once this reaches the magistrate, even with corruption in place, they can’t simply ignore it. Some of the Baek Geum Jeon Chang’s assets will be confiscated. If we file compensation claims for the injured businesses—”
“The Changhae Transport Company becomes the proxy claimant.”
“Exactly. The silver amount is quite substantial.”
Baek Un Hui nodded, speaking thoughtfully.
“When you submit this to the magistrate, include not just Yu’s Iron Works and Heo’s Fish Market, but the damages to Jeong’s Boatmen’s Village as well.”
“Even those who didn’t sign contracts with us directly?”
“Yes. This isn’t our victory alone—it’s a victory for everyone in Namyang. And the fight isn’t over yet. We gather what we can while keeping everyone together.”

* * *

That evening. The office.
Byeok So Yeon was inserting flag markers into a massive map of Namyang spread across the table. The entire course of the Namyang River was densely filled with red and blue dots—a perfect intelligence network woven together by the Celestial Wind and carrier pigeons in the sky, and the Terrestrial Hawk and the Byeok Clan’s warriors on the ground.
“Mok Yong Che’s main force has nearly completed its preparations to move. The target is the Changhae Transport Company, with an estimated departure time of tomorrow evening or later.”
At Byeok So Yeon’s report, So Ryang set down his abacus with a sharp sound and slid a thick bundle of documents across the table to Baek Un Hui.
“Here—the final reverse-traced analysis of the Baek Geum Jeon Chang’s cash flows. On the surface it looked like legitimate debt collection, but the reality is evidence of deliberate default inducement using Mok Yong Che’s muscle, blackmail, and ledger manipulation involving violence.”
“Excellent. Perfect.”
Baek Un Hui smiled.
“And as expected, the magistrate’s chief administrator was in cahoots with Mok Yong Che. The Byeok Clan’s hawks even caught the carrier pigeons secretly passing between the Baek Geum Jeon Chang and the administrator. So we take this evidence to someone else.”
“Someone else?”
“A man who commands the naval forces for the Namyang Magistrate, yet is blocked by his corrupt superiors and drowns his sorrows in drink every night—Peng Wu Jin, the Water Army Commander.”

Moneymaking Martial Sect Consolidation Chapter 38

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

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260907057.0038

ⓒ2026, Song Jjeonbol

※ This e-book is protected under the copyright law 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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