Acquiring the Murim with Money - Chapter 42

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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 42. To Wudang Mountain

As the morning mist began to lift, commotion stirred at the dock.
So Ryang came running and called out to Baek Yunhui.
“Baek Yunhui! Come see this.”
Unfamiliar vessels were filing into the dock in formation—sleek cutters, flat-bottomed barges, a jumble of large and small craft dropping anchor in succession.
Byeok Hyeonggeom descended from the foremost ship with a respectful bow.
So Ryang’s eyes went wide as he asked.
“Wow. Master Byeok. You brought all of these from Mukhsu Island?”
“Yes. Every seaworthy vessel we could gather.”
Baek Yunhui surveyed the dock.
Eight ships in total were coming in, each laden with salvage.
So Ryang had already drawn out his abacus.
Click-click-click—
His voice tumbled out in excitement.
“If we combine the existing fleet with the fifteen we seized last night, plus these…”
So Ryang rolled the numbers over in his mouth before speaking.
“The Changhae Trading Company is now the largest fleet in Yangyang!”
Baek Yunhui spoke to Byeok Hyeonggeom.
“Master, what is the current state of Mukhsu Island?”
“The main buildings, three warehouses, stables, and the ship repair facilities all remain intact. The scale is quite substantial.”
“The repair facilities…”
Baek Yunhui gazed toward the dock, his eyes alight with sudden thought.
At that moment, No Gak emerged from behind Byeok Hyeonggeom, followed by unfamiliar faces—some ten or so men, all with calloused hands and broad shoulders.
No Gak spoke.
“These are brothers who served long with Hyegwang. They have no aptitude for the water bandit trade, but when it comes to handling vessels, they’re likely among the finest craftsmen in all of Yangyang.”
Baek Yunhui studied them and said.
“You were the ship repair workers at Mukhsu Island.”
No Gak nodded.
“With so many damaged vessels constantly coming in, we learned to disassemble and repurpose them carefully, and in modifying the existing ships to be faster, our skills grew quite formidable.”
Baek Yunhui said.
“Who is managing Mukhsu Island now?”
“No one. We left a few remnant soldiers tied up when we departed, but they’ve likely fled by now.”
“How do you envision the future? Would you consider working with us legitimately?”
No Gak stared at Baek Yunhui with astonishment.
“Admiral Peng Mujin has decided not to pursue your crimes, recognizing the service you rendered in this suppression campaign. I’m keeping my promise to you.”
No Gak’s eyes trembled sharply. A low murmur rippled through the men standing behind him.
“I’ll establish a legitimate business for you on Mukhsu Island. We’ll make it your headquarters and formally register as a licensed ship repair and modification specialist firm, operating together legally and safely with your brothers.”
“But given what we’ve done, will people trust us with their vessels?”
“Of course they won’t at first. Trust doesn’t appear overnight. It’s built. For now, repairing only the ships under the Changhae Trading Company umbrella is enough. We’ll charge half the market rate.”
So Ryang narrowed his eyes as he interjected.
“That’s a loss.”
“It’s an opening discount. The volume of river traffic in Yangyang will only increase from here. We need constant ship maintenance anyway. And once trust is firmly established and other trading houses begin entrusting their vessels to you, the profit margins will be substantial.”
So Ryang clicked his abacus beads rapidly, then paused.
“…It works.”
No Gak glanced back once at his brothers standing behind him.
All of them nodded in agreement.
No Gak fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head.
“Hyegwang would be pleased to hear this. Thank you.”

The back room of the Changhae Trading Company.
Chu Ugyeong sat bound.
Baek Yunhui placed a Blood Jade Pill on the table.
The instant Chu Ugyeong saw it, his eyes flickered, barely perceptible.
Baek Yunhui activated his Golden Eyes silently.

[Target: Blood Sect Blood Jade Pill]
[Emanates qi of the same lineage as artificial blood ice jade]
[It builds blood essence when taken regularly, but missing doses triggers severe withdrawal syndrome.]

“Blood Jade Pill. From the Blood Sect. It came from your room.”
Baek Yunhui spoke.
Chu Ugyeong cried out in shock.
“How can you tell anything from just a pill?”
“I’m already entangled with the Blood Sect. There are things I need to ask you.”
“Remarkable. You’re mixed up with the Blood Sect and yet you’re standing here in one piece… Yes, I’ll grant you’re impressive, but what reason do I have to answer your questions?”
Baek Yunhui looked down at him coldly and spoke.
“The Blood Jade Pill. And your life.”
“…Fine. I don’t know much, but I’ll talk.”
“What is the relationship between the Suro Trading House’s chief and the Blood Sect?”
“There isn’t one. Not that I know of.”
“You acted alone with the Blood Sect?”
“Yes.”
Chu Ugyeong looked away for a moment before speaking.
“I wanted to climb higher. I wanted to become chief.”
“Who first approached you?”
“I never saw his face. He always wore a bamboo hat pulled low.”
“What did he look like otherwise?”
Chu Ugyeong’s eyes narrowed as he searched his memory.
“He had the bearing of a Taoist priest from a temple. That’s how he dressed.”
“Where did you meet him?”
“The first time was in Gyunju City. It’s at the foot of Wudang Mountain, so there are plenty of people dressed like that around.”
Baek Yunhui took note of this.
Wudang Mountain.
Not a place that held only the Wudang Sect. The slopes of Wudang Mountain were thick with wandering Taoist priests making their living selling incense, and hermit sages hidden in its remote corners. Along the mountain’s ridges stood rows of large and small temples, each bearing their own names, rivaling the Wudang Sect itself.
“You met him only once there?”
“Twice. The second time was also in Gyunju City. After that, contact came only by letter.”
“Do you know anything else about him?”
Chu Ugyeong was silent for a moment before speaking.
“It was him who instructed me to give the Blood Jade Pill to Jo of the Baekgeum Trading House and use him to the fullest. And there was something else peculiar—when I met him face to face, I couldn’t sense his energy properly. He must be a master of a higher order than me. That’s all I know.”
Baek Yunhui rose from his seat and spoke.
“That’s enough.”
Chu Ugyeong’s eyes had turned bloodshot as the withdrawal symptoms he’d been barely suppressing surged back violently. He spoke urgently.
“Wait—you promised to give me the pill right now. Please! It’s urgent!”
Baek Yunhui said nothing. He simply left the Blood Jade Pill on the table and turned away. The chains bound Chu Ugyeong’s hands too short to reach it. His eyes wept blood as he thrashed, but Baek Yunhui did not look back. Whether to bring this medicine to the man’s lips or not was not his decision to make.
Then footsteps sounded in the corridor.
Heavy footsteps. Followed by the dull scrape of metal dragging across the floor.
Gwak Daeho stood at the door, leaning on the Nine-Ring Staff.
Baek Yunhui spoke.
“Deputy Chief Gwak.”
“I need to go in. There’s something I need to say.”
“May I ask what kind of matter it is?”
The strength in Gwak Daeho’s grip on the Nine-Ring Staff visibly intensified.
……
Then Jin Muyeon’s voice came.
“Sir. Come in with me. Yunhui, I’ll take care of this.”
Baek Yunhui glanced at the Blood Jade Pill on the table and nodded. As he stepped aside, Gwak Daeho, his expression grave, and Jin Muyeon entered the room.
The corridor fell silent.
Some time later, the door opened and Gwak Daeho emerged. He picked up the Nine-Ring Staff and spoke.
“Hand him over to the authorities.”
Baek Yunhui nodded.
“I will.”
Gwak Daeho left, and Jin Muyeon soon followed him out of the room.
Baek Yunhui spoke.
“Are you all right?”
Jin Muyeon steadied her trembling body before answering.
“Yunhui, I just gave him the pill. He was shouting at the top of his lungs about it being your promise and all… Well, the authorities will handle the rest now. I won’t waste another thought on someone who’ll waste away in a cell suffering from withdrawal. If Father were here, he’d have laughed heartily, said we should all celebrate since it worked out, and moved on. Getting Deputy Chief Gwak to agree wasn’t even as hard as I expected—you just mention Father’s name and it’s done.”
Baek Yunhui nodded and walked out.
So Ryang was waiting in the corridor.
“What did you find out?”
“Gyunju City.”
“Gyunju City, you say?”
“It’s close from here. Just follow the waterway upstream a little way.”
So Ryang raised an eyebrow.
“You mean below Wudang Mountain, right? You’re saying the spy is hiding there?”
“Perhaps. Whether we can actually find them is another matter. But Wudang Mountain is our next target anyway.”
The daily supplies consumed by the Taoist temples throughout Wudang Mountain—incense, candle wax, medicinal herbs, tea, rice, silk, talismanic paper. The quantities were considerable. With hundreds of temples crowding the mountainside, it was inevitable.
Wherever goods flowed in, there was always a path.
And where there was a path, there was information.
That afternoon, in the nearby hills.
Jo, who had fled with carts laden with precious goods and silver, accompanied by servants and guards, after hearing that Mukhsu Island had been breached, was finally caught by Yangyang government troops.
Normally the government soldiers wouldn’t have moved so swiftly, but Peng Mujin, the Naval Commander who had secured authority through the Changhae Trading Company’s connections, took direct action himself, and everything proceeded with remarkable speed.
There were signs that funds from the Baekgeum Trading House had leaked out externally, but they couldn’t trace the tail of the Blood Sect, which operated with the tight discipline of a cell network. However, thanks to Mukhsu Island, the remaining profits earned were recovered and used to aid those who had suffered.

As evening fell.
A feast was held at the Changhae Trading Company. It began as a spontaneous celebration at Baek Yunhui’s suggestion, but before long it had become a jubilant village banquet where everyone from the Yangyang riverside gathered together to eat, drink, and make merry.
There was food prepared by the Changhae Trading Company, and merchants from Yangyang like Ji Younggam from the ironworks came carrying drinks and dishes in both hands. A boy from the fish stall came rushing over with grilled fish.
The courtyard of the Changhae Trading Company and even the front gate were thronged with people.
Baek Yunhui naturally arranged the atmosphere so that Jin Muyeon could be firmly established as the guest of honor before all the people of Yangyang, then quietly slipped away.
In one corner, centered around Byeok Soyeon, the Byeoncheon Byeokga martial artists, including Byeok Hyeonggeom, who had toiled day and night, sat in a circle and freely enjoyed themselves.
Hyegwang and Ju Yakgyeong, who had been surrounded for a long time by people praising Chivalrous Actions, finally managed to break free and began eating at last.
Hyegwang pressed his palms together.
“Amitabha. May all be blessed with plenty, if only for this one day.”
Ju Yakgyeong reached for meat beside him as he spoke.
“Doesn’t it seem odd to speak of plenty while eating scraps of meat?”
“The plenty is in the heart.”
Baek Yunhui sat down beside them and said.
“Have the two of you decided where you’ll go next?”
Hyegwang accepted a cup of wine and replied.
“Nothing is firmly decided.”
Ju Yakgyeong spoke.
“We dealt with bandits on Bokwu Mountain, heard rumors of Water Bandits, and came to Yangyang. Now that things here are settled, I’m not sure what’s next.”
Both men turned their gaze toward Baek Yunhui.
Baek Yunhui said.
“Why are you looking at me?”
Hyegwang pressed his palms together and spoke.
“Whenever we stay near you, Chivalrous Actions find us of their own accord.”
Ju Yakgyeong said through a mouthful of meat.
“It’s efficient. We don’t have to go looking.”
“Is that the reason?”
“And it’s fun, isn’t it?”
Ju Yakgyeong fell silent for a moment.
Hyegwang picked up the thread, speaking into the quiet.
“The Chivalrous Actions I learned and the Chivalrous Actions you practice are different.”
“How are they different?”
“It’s hard to express in words. In any case, there is still much to learn.”
Ju Yakgyeong interjected.
“That’s true—there’s learning to be had. And you said we’re going to Wudang Mountain? I’d like to see how those Daoist fellows handle a sword.”
Baek Yunhui looked at the two men.
“Then let’s go together. The truth is, I needed both of your help.”
So Ryang sat down beside him and said.
“While we conduct the supply business for the Gyunju City temples, we’ll also search for the Blood Sect spy who was pulling strings behind Mukhsu Island.”
In that moment, Hyegwang’s clasped hands loosened. The chopsticks in Ju Yakgyeong’s hand, reaching for meat, froze in midair.
“…Did you just say the Blood Sect?”
Hyegwang’s voice dropped low. In eyes that had always been mild, a chill appeared for the first time.
“You mean the Blood Sect that our Master and the elders fought with their lives on the line, hand in hand with the sect leaders, some thirty years ago?”
Ju Yakgyeong set down his chopsticks with a sharp sound.
“Whenever our Master even hears mention of that time, he falls silent for a while. You’re saying those bastards are still alive, hiding behind the Water Bandits?”
“There’s nothing certain yet. But the trail keeps pointing that way.”
At Baek Yunhui’s measured response, the two men fell silent. The festive clamor of the banquet seemed distant now.
Hyegwang spoke first.
“Then this is no longer merely a matter of chivalrous action for this humble monk’s own training. Pursuing the remnants of a martial arts crime is a duty that a Shaolin disciple should rightfully shoulder.”
Before he could finish, Ju Yakgyeong cut in.
“A duty only for Shaolin? Ami shed blood that day too. If you thought I’d sit this out, you’re mistaken.”
“Heh. Since I spoke first, it would only be right that this humble monk takes the vanguard.”
“The vanguard isn’t taken by whoever speaks first—it’s taken by whoever draws their sword first.”
The two men’s eyes met in mid-air. The quality of it was different from their playful sparring just moments before. Two gifted disciples bearing the names of great orthodox sects, their faces now bearing witness to the very real name of an enemy for the first time.
Hyegwang spoke.
“In such a matter, this humble monk might prove useful after all.”
Baek Yunhui turned to look at Hyegwang.
“My master once mentioned there is a Taoist temple with connections to Wudang Mountain.”
Ju Yakgyeong spoke.
“By that logic, my master once fought the Wudang Sect’s patriarch himself.”
“Heh. Master Ju. That wouldn’t be called a bond—that would be called a curse.”
Baek Yunhui interjected.
“Either way, it’s good that you’re both going.”
So Ryang raised his cup and spoke.
“Then let us all drink to it.”

Dawn broke. Someone rapped urgently at the gates of the Changhae Trading Company, where the festivities had not yet fully subsided.
It was a messenger sent by Peng Mujin of the Naval Commander’s Office.
“Master Baek. The Naval Commander requests your immediate attendance. In the magistrate’s jail… Jo of the Baekgeum Trading House is dead.”
Baek Yunhui set off at once for the magistrate’s jail with So Ryang.
In the dim confines of the cell, Jo lay curled and rigid on the floor. Bloodshot eyes, a neck clawed raw, dried crimson foam crusted at the corners of his mouth.
“It appears he could not endure the symptoms of Withdrawal Syndrome. The other one, Chu Ugyeong, whom we held separately in the military camp, remains unharmed.”
Peng Mujin spoke through gritted teeth. To any eye, it was clearly a seizure death brought on by Withdrawal Syndrome.
But the moment a faint golden gleam suffused Baek Yunhui’s eyes, an entirely different truth flickered into view.

[Subject: Jo, Master of the Baekgeum Trading House (Deceased)]
[Cause of Death: Poisoning disguised as Withdrawal Syndrome]
[Notable Finding: Hair-thin needle mark at the Wind Mansion Acupoint on the nape of the neck.]

Baek Yunhui rose slowly to his feet.
“Naval Commander. Where are all the jailers who were guarding the cell right now?”
“Well, they were rotated out, and one of them went out at dawn claiming stomach trouble. He still hasn’t returned. Why do you ask?”
“He likely never will.”
Baek Yunhui gazed through the small window of the cell toward the northwestern sky, where darkness still lingered. The direction where Gyunju City and Wudang Mountain lay.

Buying Out the Martial Arts World Episode 42

Author
Song Ddeubolbol
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yun Taeri
Cover
Design

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260907057.0042

ⓒ2026, Song Ddeubolbol

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