Chapter 8
Inside the study of Baek Mu-ryang, the head of the household.
Baek Mu-ryang asked again.
“I heard you lured So and Yeon into joining you, tricked them, and even dragged Gu-Ak along as an escort for some outing. But what in the world happened after that? Tell me everything.”
Yang-hwi responded to Baek Mu-ryang’s question in a brief and straightforward manner.
“I raided the secret stash of Cheongsa Sect with Brother Gu-Ak.”
Even that alone was enough to make Baek Mu-ryang reel in shock.
“What in heaven’s name made you pull such a dangerous stunt!”
“It wasn’t dangerous.”
Yang-hwi gave the same explanation he’d offered to Gu-Ak, only this time he dressed it up more eloquently and stripped away any sense of danger before delivering it to Baek Mu-ryang.
“How could you... Hwi-ya, you really are something else for a child.”
Baek Mu-ryang made an expression that was hard to put into words.
“No, even so...”
‘Tsk. Did I go too far? He’s starting to think something’s off.’
If his father began to suspect or grow wary of him, Yang-hwi knew he’d feel a bit hurt.
So he quickly threw in an excuse.
“Though the parents who birthed me abandoned me, it seems they still passed down remarkable talent.”
“Hem. Hmm… I… see…”
Clearly flustered by Yang-hwi’s unexpected remark, Baek Mu-ryang’s suspicion was quickly and cleanly wiped away.
“Then, this fortune—is it yours?”
“It is. Strictly speaking, it belongs to the Baek family.”
Yang-hwi pushed the stack of gold ingots toward Baek Mu-ryang.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You and the Baek family took in a forsaken orphan like me. I sought to repay that kindness, and so this fortune should naturally be used for the family.”
Baek Mu-ryang wore a firm expression.
“The Baek family had no part in obtaining this. It is yours, without question.”
“Then as it is mine, I ask that you use it for the Baek family as I wish.”
“Whew…”
The truth was, Baek Mu-ryang had been preparing to scold Yang-hwi for getting involved with Gu-Ak.
But upon hearing that it wasn’t greed, but a sense of repayment to the family that drove him, he found himself unable to rebuke the boy.
“Even so, I can’t accept all of it.”
Baek Mu-ryang divided the pile of gold precisely in half.
Even then, one half was worth over two thousand silver coins—a small fortune.
“Very well. I accept your intention. But let half of this be pocket money from a father to his son.”
Yang-hwi nodded without refusal.
“I’ll use it gratefully.”
‘Just as I thought, Father would respond this way. He’s a man who never covets what isn’t rightfully his.’
Even if the family was in dire straits, he wouldn’t tolerate acquiring wealth by improper means.
That’s why Yang-hwi had framed it as a gesture of gratitude—to make sure Baek Mu-ryang would accept the funds.
“You don’t seem shaken. That’s a hefty sum for a child.”
“As your son and servant of the family, I simply obey your will.”
More accurately, he already understood his father’s intention.
‘He’s giving me money and watching how I use it—to gauge my character. Even if he calls me his son now, to him, I’m still just a child he met yesterday.’
“Father. What about So? If you haven’t scolded him yet, please go easy. He only followed me.”
“It’s only been a day, and you’re already looking out for your younger brother? That’s right. Brothers should be close. As for So... I didn’t scold him.”
Baek Mu-ryang smiled in satisfaction.
“He told me this: ‘By following my elder brother around today, I realized the meaning of In Sang- Above people, there are no people and below people, there are no people.’ I’d always thought of him as just a child, but it seems So is growing up fast.”
‘No, Father. So is still very much a kid.’
But Yang-hwi chose to bury the truth, letting his father hold on to that joy.
Well, if they stayed together, So would surely mature faster than he had in their past life.
One thing was certain—it wasn’t just a hope.
Yang-hwi was determined to make it happen.
“That’s all I wanted to discuss. Go wash up and rest. You’ve had a long day.”
“What about you, Father?”
“I’ll finish some work before sleeping. Besides… with a fortune like this, I’ll need to think about how best to use it.”
Baek Mu-ryang chuckled as he looked at the pile of gold.
He seemed genuinely happy, thinking of how he could finally show some generosity to the household after such a long stretch of hardship.
Yang-hwi considered warning him not to let Cheongsa Sect catch wind of it, but closed his mouth.
He might be the head of a small household, but he wasn’t someone to miss something so obvious.
“Then I’ll take my leave. Have a good night, Father.”
Back in his room, Yang-hwi began counting the fortune he’d received.
‘That’s exactly two thousand and fifty-five nyang in silver.’
It was a vast amount—enough to hire ten servants for over half a year.
Definitely far too much money for a mere child.
In other words, it was also difficult to find proper ways to use it… with a child’s body.
But—
Before the day had even truly begun, Yang-hwi had already decided exactly how he was going to use the wealth he’d gained.
‘I need to invest and grow it. There’s no way I can be satisfied with just this.’
His ultimate goal was to raise the Baek family to become the greatest household under heaven.
That meant growing its numbers by hundreds of times and elevating its martial prowess beyond all comparison.
To do that, not even two thousand nyang in gold, let alone silver, would be enough.
“Now then… which merchant house will become the most prosperous in Jiangxi Province in the future?”
Ideally, he would’ve liked to go straight to Danseo Sangbang in Zhejiang Province, which would one day become the most powerful merchant guild in the world. But in the body of an eight-year-old child, traveling to another province was simply out of the question.
A province might as well be a country in terms of distance and size.
No matter how much knowledge he had from his past life, his body wouldn’t survive such a journey.
‘For now, I should stay within Jiangxi—no, just Mujoo. Best to keep my movements limited to Agan County.’
The martial world was vast, and with that came danger. Acting fearless just because of memories from a past life was the fastest way to die.
Having spent more than a decade as a vagabond in his former life, Yang-hwi knew that better than anyone.
“Yeah, that place should be good.”
He recalled one of the merchant houses that would rise to prominence about ten years from now, known for their sharp business sense
The White Scroll Merchant House. True to their name, they initially dealt in paper and old books, then expanded their business to grow in scale. Around this time, they should still be running a small antique bookstore.
’The head of White Scroll Merchant… or rather, it would be the daughter of the house for now. I remember hearing rumors about Chu Yongwol’s business sense being impressive.’
Good. Decision made—it would be White Scroll Merchant.
The only issue was that their shop was located in Namchang, not Muju where Baek House stood.
But that could be solved by simply bringing them here.
****
One month later, at dawn.
As usual, Baek Mu-ryang gathered the children early in the morning to teach them martial arts.
“Yang-hwi, even if you’ve already grasped the hidden essence of Gaecheon Swordsmanship, your body is still that of an eight-year-old. You must continue to train diligently.”
Yang-hwi fully agreed.
Martial arts, at their core, were about wielding weapons and fists in battle.
Naturally, the stronger your body, the greater the advantage.
“Be sure to train your internal energy as well. Sixfold Harmony Art is a dual technique that combines inner and outer training. You can build qi and strengthen your body at the same time.”
“Yes, Father.”
Bowing his head respectfully, Yang-hwi continued practicing Sixfold Harmony Art until Baek Mu-ryang left.
‘The qi buildup is slow, but the physical training benefits are undeniable.’
It might be considered third-rate martial arts, but that also made it a fundamental technique.
Just like how the Namgung Clan practiced Flying Swallow Sword before learning the Heaven Piercing Sword, and the Wudang Sect trained with the Six Harmonies Sword before refining their Tai Chi Sword—
In that sense, Sixfold Harmony Art was the perfect method for building solid foundations.
A lingering trace of their once-proud noble lineage, perhaps?
“I’ll be off now. After two more hours of practice, wash up, eat, and work on your scholarly studies.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
Watching the three siblings answer in unison, Baek Mu-ryang left the training grounds with a satisfied smile.
From then on, Yang-hwi began teaching Baek Heon-So and Baek Yeon-Yeon in between his own training.
“So-ya, when doing the first form, try stepping just a bit further forward.”
“But I learned it like this, Hyung-nim…”
“That was before you grew taller. Now that your body’s bigger, your movements need to change too.”
The passing servants who saw this didn’t say a word.
After all, in the past month, Yang-hwi had already proven his talent to every one of them.
“What about me, Oppa?”
“Yeon-ah, I think you should focus on building more strength first. Want to train with me in Sixfold Harmony Art?”
“Mmhm!”
Watching Baek Yeon-Yeon bounce along while mimicking the forms of Sixfold Harmony Art brought a natural smile to Yang-hwi’s face.
“Wow, you’re doing great. At this rate, Yeon-ah, you could become the greatest female hero in the future.”
“Really?! Hiyah! Hiyah!”
“You got it! Keep going!”
As if entranced by the praise he was showering, Yang-hwi suddenly felt someone’s gaze and turned his head.
Baek Heon-So was staring at him with a curious, subtle look.
“Ahem. That’s enough training for now—let’s get lunch and move on to our studies.”
At Baek House, they didn’t eat breakfast. Instead, they had an early lunch and a generous dinner.
It was a family “tradition”… though in truth, it was a silent rule born from financial hardship.
At the table today was his stepmother, Jeong In-Hwa.
“So-ya, Yeon-ah, did you do well in your morning training?”
“Yes, Mother! I went through the Gaecheon Sword Art over a hundred times today!”
“Me too! I practiced Sixfold Harmony Art really hard. Big Brother Hwi taught me!”
With a warm smile on her face, Jeong In-Hwa gave a soft cough.
“Cough, cough.”
Yang-hwi looked at her quietly.
Jeong In-Hwa had been frail since childhood, rarely able to leave the house.
And after giving birth to two children, she developed a chronic illness. These days, she spent more than half of every day bedridden.
Yet, she was a kind and loving mother who still made sure to share at least one meal a day with her children.
‘Even though I’m not her flesh and blood, she embraces me with warmth and kindness.’
Someone like her… Yang-hwi couldn’t bear to watch her die from illness just five years later—not again.
‘I need to earn more money—fast. I want to keep seeing her smile.’
With that thought in mind, Yang-hwi smiled softly and spoke up.
“Mother, are you feeling unwell today?”
“Today’s not so bad. Don’t worry, dear.”
“I heard from So and Yeon that you’ve been spending most of your day in bed. If you’re ever bored, please feel free to call me. I’d be happy to keep you company.”
Jeong In-Hwa smiled gently.
“Hwi, you’re such a thoughtful child. But this mother is just fine—take good care of your younger siblings instead.”
“It’s just my nature, Mother. As for my siblings, there’s no way I could care for them more than I already do, right guys?”
“Mhm!”
“Yes, Hyung-nim.”
After smiling warmly at his siblings, Yang-hwi turned his attention back to Jeong In-Hwa.
“Mother, how do you usually spend your time in your room?”
“I read books. I’ve always enjoyed poetry and literature since I was young.”
He already knew that. In fact, he knew that Jeong In-Hwa’s real passion wasn’t poetry and classics—but sensational tales.
“In that case, Mother, would you be interested in nangseol japseo?”
Nangseol japseo refers to miscellaneous tales and martial hero stories—what people often call “small talk” or novels today.
“Nangseol japseo?”
Her eyes sparkled with interest—as he expected.
Because Jeong In-Hwa, unable to go out into the world, found joy in reading these dramatic tales to live vicariously through them.
“Yes, Mother. Since I’ve wandered the streets since I was young, I’ve heard all sorts of interesting stories.”
“You’re offering to be my seolgaek, then?”
A seolgaek was a storyteller—someone who performed captivating tales in markets, inns, or taverns in exchange for money.
“If it interests you, I’d like to write down what I remember and give it to you. Would it be possible to get some blank books?”
“Oh, of course! I’ll have one brought to your room.”
“If it’s alright, could I get two instead of just one?”
“That’s not a problem at all. I’ll see to it.”
After enjoying a peaceful meal with his family, Yang-hwi returned to his room.
On the stool beside his bed were two blank books, along with a brush, ink, and paper.
‘Hmm. Which story should I start with?’
During his time as a wanderer, there were long stretches where he couldn’t train, especially during escort missions. With little else to do, Yang-hwi would read these tales, remembering every word of the ones he enjoyed most.
‘Alright, decided.’
He titled one of the books “Eastern Dust, Western Soil”, and the other “A Love Severed by Fate”, and then began writing—his brush flying across the page without pause.
A short while later, he picked up “A Love Severed by Fate” and brought it to Jeong In-Hwa.
“Mother, it’s me, Hwi. I’ve finished writing and wanted to bring it to you.”
“Thank you so much, dear.”
Taking the book in her hands, Jeong In-Hwa began reading slowly.
At first, she wore a politely curious expression. But as she read further, her expression began to change.
“This is…”
“What do you think?”
“It’s refreshing… and so enjoyable. Where did you hear a story like this?”
Yang-hwi smiled softly.
‘Of course she’d say that—it was a massively popular romance novel in the future.’
For reference, Yang-hwi had over a hundred such stories memorized in full detail.
“I pieced it together from stories I heard here and there, then rewrote it in a way I thought would be more fun.”
“…Truly?”
“Yes.”
“I’d heard you were talented in martial arts, but your literary skill is quite something too.”
A Love Severed by Fate had such emotional depth that it was hard to believe it was written by an eight-year-old.
It possessed a weight and maturity that could only come from someone who had lived, struggled, and learned deeply from life. It wasn’t just entertaining—it had the tone of a seasoned writer.
‘And if this really is all his imagination…’
Then he was a genius. A true prodigy who might one day be remembered as a great literary master—a gift from the heavens.
With pure admiration, Jeong In-Hwa looked at Yang-hwi.
Seeing that expression, Yang-hwi felt confident enough to make a request.
“On that note, Mother… would it be possible to send a letter to Namchang?”
He had seed money now.
It was time to begin truly making money.
---The End Of The Chapter---
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