Acquiring the Murim with Money - Chapter 5

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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 5. The Swindler Selling Hope

At Gwang-du’s menacing threat, Baek Yeon-hwa’s hand instinctively gripped the Sword Hilt at her waist. In that fleeting moment, grimy children emerged from the dilapidated thatched roofs and alleyways.
In their hands were sharply honed stones and sticks smeared with filth. It was an encirclement as orderly as a trained army.
“Sister, stay calm. If you draw that blade, our unsecured loan goes up in smoke. And they aren’t enemies—they’re our valued customers and future business partners. I have a plan, so trust me.”
Baek Un-hui spoke with practiced ease, lifting his gaze upward. His eyes settled on a solitary figure perched precariously atop the pavilion roof.
Dressed in rags of ash-gray cloth, the small frame’s face was so begrimed with soot that determining sex was nearly impossible. Yet the eyes revealed between the matted hair possessed the crystalline clarity and coldness of eternal snow.
Without pause, this figure worked an abacus with half its beads cracked, lips moving in silent calculation.
“The Geumshin Money House controls forty percent of all currency flow throughout Luoyang. They don’t want to purchase this rotten land just to build another trading company. It’s a grand scheme to seize control of logistics in Southern Luoyang, choke off the supply lines of rival merchants, and tighten their noose. And they want us to accept a mere five silver coins per head and vanish? That’s not even one ten-thousandth of the monopoly value they’ll gain. Gwang-du, drive them out. Negotiations are finished.”
Baek Un-hui marveled. The insight flowing from that small frame was no ordinary thing. He instinctively activated his Golden Eye Analysis.

[Target: So Ryang]
[Occupation: Unlicensed Accountant / The Brain of Cheong Su Alley]
[Age: 23 years]
[Status: Stunted growth from malnutrition in childhood; appearance of a teenage boy]
[Trait: Heavenly Mechanism Mathematical Classic—an innate mind capable of reading the great trends of the world through the flow of assets]
[Potential Value: Unmeasurable]

Twenty-three years old. Though he appeared boyish, he was Baek Un-hui’s age. Baek Un-hui felt an uncanny kinship and strode forward purposefully. Gwang-du raised his club, but the force of Baek Un-hui’s presence bore down on him so heavily he hesitated to strike.
“You there, the one with the abacus. I’m Baek Un-hui of the Baek Un Trading Company. But isn’t your calculation a bit too simple?”
So Ryang’s beads snapped to stillness, and he looked down at Baek Un-hui from above. A flash of displeasure crossed his clear eyes.
“What? My calculation is simple? The Geumshin Money House’s chief accountant shook his head at my ledgers, and here some good-for-nothing ruffian opens his mouth?”
“You calculated only the profits the Geumshin Money House would gain. You left out the Opportunity Cost generated by our occupation of this land. Every additional day you hold this ground, the Geumshin Money House loses a minimum of one hundred silver coins in opportunity losses. Over a month, that’s three thousand coins or more. Yet you considered only that much?”
So Ryang’s eyes widened. He leaped lightly from the roof and stood before Baek Un-hui. Up close, his features were quite refined beneath the soot.
“Opportunity Cost… losses… Who are you, really? And why is a Geumshin stooge feeding me this information?”
“Who am I? I’m a merchant come to purchase this land at a fair price. Listen to what truly benefits us both, then decide.”
Baek Un-hui bent low and began drawing an enormous blueprint on the muddy ground with a stick.
“Invest this land in me. In return, I’ll grant you ‘Occupancy Rights’—not mere paper. It represents ownership stakes in the finest shops that will eventually stand in Luoyang’s greatest commercial district, the choicest locations no less. You’re not being driven out; you’re becoming Shareholders of this land.”
“Shareholders? Occupancy Rights? What in the world—”
Gwang-du and the other men of Cheong Su Alley exchanged bewildered glances. Baek Un-hui continued his explanation to match their level of understanding.
“That’s not all. During construction, I intend to hire you all as formal members of the Baek Un Trading Company. Strong fellows like you, Gwang-du, will work the Transport Division handling supplies. And the quick-footed little ones like Seo Seo and the children will become information sources for the Heavenly Ear Network gathering rumors. Of course, I’ll pay generous monthly wages.”
“Monthly wages? For wretches like us?”
“Yes. And half of those wages will be set aside as contributions toward the redevelopment fees you’ll owe when building your shops later. In a few years, you’ll own respectable shops through your own efforts. What do you say—take five coins and be driven out, or join me and hear yourself called a proprietor?”
The eyes of Cheong Su Alley’s people began to waver. They didn’t fully grasp all the unfamiliar words this apparent swindler was speaking, but for the first time, the sentiment of ‘hope’ crystallized in eyes that had known only despair. Yet So Ryang alone maintained cold reason.
“Plausible nonsense. But the Baek Un Trading Company is already failing, isn’t it? If you pocket our wages and flee, or break your promise about these Occupancy Rights, we’re finished. How are we supposed to trust your words and move?”
Baek Un-hui smiled as if this question were inevitable. He drew from his robe the Geumshin Thousand Gold Token he’d received from Seo Ha-rin and raised it high.
In that moment, sunlight piercing through the overcast sky struck the pure gold plaque, radiating resplendent brilliance. It was an overwhelming golden radiance that swept away the darkness of Cheong Su Alley at a stroke.
Baek Un-hui concentrated on the cool, weighty sensation transmitted through his palm holding the golden token.

[The essence of highly pure gold merges with the credit of the Geumshin Money House and flows into your dantian.]

After the material value of gold merged with the intangible asset of ‘the Geumshin Money House’s credit,’ the total quantity of his Great Heaven Capital Technique’s inner force did not increase. Instead, it grew sharper and more densely refined.
Baek Un-hui declared in a voice weighted with inner power.
“This is an honored guest plaque given to me directly by Seo Ha-rin, the Lesser Patriarch of the Geumshin Money House. My life and the last remaining credit of the Baek Un Trading Company are deposited here. If I deceive you, take this plaque to the Geumshin Money House. Then Seo Ha-rin will execute me and pay you compensation. I’m wagering my life itself—is that still not enough?”
So Ryang stared directly into Baek Un-hui’s eyes. In them burned both wild confidence and an unwavering conviction of capital that would never be shaken. So Ryang withdrew the abacus he’d tucked at his waist and put it away.
“Calculation complete. No loss to be found. No—this is a gamble that comes once in a lifetime, if at all.”
So Ryang extended his hand.
“Baek Un-hui. Let’s wager the future of Cheong Su Alley on your mad scheme. But you said we’re the same age, right? From here on, I’ll speak plainly with you?”
“As you wish, business partner.”
Baek Un-hui clasped So Ryang’s rough hand. In that instant, the system’s bell tone chimed in his mind.

[Special Ally Recruitment Successful: So Ryang]
[Baek Un Trading Company’s Financial Grade rises from ‘Critical’ to ‘Promising’.]

He felt the purity of his inner force rise another level. The essence gained from the golden token had finally settled completely through acquiring So Ryang as ‘talent.’ Baek Un-hui surveyed his surroundings with a satisfied smile.
Gwang-du was already intoxicated by his new title as ‘Transport Division Commander,’ barking orders to his subordinates, while Seo Seo and the children were thrilled by the impressive name ‘Heavenly Ear Network.’
Baek Yeon-hwa watched this remarkable sight and let out a hollow laugh. The slum’s resistance, which neither blade nor coin could overcome, her brother had quelled with mere ‘words.’ No—more than quelled, he’d transformed them into followers.
“Un-hui… I didn’t believe it at first when you spoke of the family’s secret teachings. But seeing what unfolds before my eyes, I can’t disbelieve it either. You’ve changed so much. When did you become like this? Still, the promises you just made to them seem a bit different from what the Lesser Patriarch demanded. Will that be alright?”
“Don’t worry, sister. This is only the beginning. Now I need to settle things with Seo Ha-rin using this contract.”
Baek Un-hui brushed dust from the contract and turned toward the heart of Luoyang, already picturing the city’s finest commercial district spread beneath the Baek Un Trading Company’s flag.

* * *

At the heart of Luoyang, where the wealth of the world pooled and scattered, stood the main branch of the Geumshin Money House.
The colossal five-story wooden tower was itself a fortress. The warriors stationed at its entrance radiated a terrifying presence, their armor emblazoned with the character for Golden God, which caught the sunlight and gleamed.
Two young men approached the tower, and the ladies passing by flushed at the sight of them.
“Baek Un-hui, I’m telling you—this outfit doesn’t suit me. The sleeves are too long; they only get in the way when I’m working the abacus.”
So Ryang, who had been a rag collector in Cheong Su Alley until yesterday, grumbled with his suddenly refined face.
When Baek Un-hui had dressed him in a high-quality Suzhou silk robe—one he’d worn briefly during his reckless phase and tucked away—the bedraggled beggar had vanished, replaced by a beautiful youth who might have been the heir of some prestigious clan.
“Hold still. To a merchant, clothing is armor, and eloquence is sword qi. If you shrink because of appearance, then even the secrets of heaven that spill from your lips become worthless.”
Baek Un-hui spoke glibly while adjusting the cord of So Ryang’s hat.
Truth be told, Baek Un-hui was nervous too. But he gripped the Geumshin Thousand Gold Token tucked in his robe.
The token was a personal favor from Seo Ha-rin, but what he needed to secure today transcended personal favor—it was the Geumshin Money House’s official trust.

* * *

The topmost level of the Geumshin Money House: the Lesser Patriarch’s Chamber.
The room, lavishly paneled with mother-of-pearl inlay, was suffused with the sweet yet cool fragrance of agarwood. Seo Ha-rin sat with her chin resting on her hand, gazing indifferently out the window at the expanse of Luoyang below.
“You came? You’re a bit late.”
Seo Ha-rin spoke without turning her head.
Her enchanting voice concealed sharp thorns beneath its surface.
“I thought you’d been picked clean by the Cheong Su Alley rabble, since you didn’t show until sunset. Or perhaps… you were too frightened of me to run?”
“Never. It took time to prepare for so distinguished a guest.”
Baek Un-hui settled himself easily into the seat across from her, sinking deep into the chair. Behind him, So Ryang’s eyes darted about as he busied himself calculating the value of the treasures filling the room.
Seo Ha-rin’s gaze lingered on So Ryang.
“Brought along a pretty one, have you? Don’t tell me you’re planning to sell your body as collateral? Not my preference, I’m afraid.”
“Lesser Patriarch, your eye for talent seems duller than usual today. This young man is someone of genuine worth—my business partner and treasurer of the Baek Un Trading Company, So Ryang.”
Baek Un-hui slid a thick sheaf of documents across the table.
“The acquisition of the Cheong Su Alley land you promised me—it’s settled. These are the occupancy rights relinquishment documents from all residents and a mutual agreement regarding future land usage.”
At the crisp scent emanating from the documents, Seo Ha-rin’s sensitive nostrils began to quiver.

Acquiring Martial Power Through Silver — Chapter 5

Author
Song Jjun-bbol
Publisher
Daon Creative
Planning / Editing / Production
Yoon Tae-ri
Cover
Sik

UCI
G720:N+A036-20260907057.0005

ⓒ2026, Song Jjun-bbol

※ 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 the permission of 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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