<Chapter 2> 01. This Isn’t Murim!!
Luoyang, Henan.
As befitting its name as the old capital, Luoyang was a bustling city. A land where a renowned dynasty once made its nest.
Inside the headquarters of the Dragon Trading Company, which boasted the greatest influence in Luoyang.
A man in a white silk robe, next in line to be the General Manager of the Dragon Trading Company, stood with his head bowed.
“I don’t understand, Chief Appraiser Baek. I haven’t wronged you in any way.”
“I’m just tired.”
“There’s no one with your skills among all the appraisers. There are hundreds of items that need your discerning eye….”
Though he spoke thus, Ji Wi-Sang was well aware of the stubbornness of the man before him.
Baek Su-Gyeong, the Chief Appraiser of the Dragon Trading Company.
An expert in the art of appraisal, whose eye for discerning the authenticity of treasures was said to be unmatched.
He had saved the company countless times from falling prey to scams.
The word “resignation,” written on the stiff, yellow paper in front of him, seemed to weigh heavily on his mind. Although Baek Su-Gyeong had no martial skills, such a special talent was hard to find in Jianghu.
“Are you truly set on leaving?”
“Yes, General Manager.”
“…If that’s your decision, I can’t stop you. I’ll make sure your severance pay is generous. However, there might be times when I need your help, so please don’t refuse then.”
That much shouldn’t be a problem.
As Baek Su-Gyeong nodded in agreement, Ji Wi-Sang also nodded his head.
“To be honest, I’m not sure if accepting this resignation is the right decision. But if that’s what you want, then I must let you go.”
Ji Wi-Sang picked up the resignation letter.
“But be careful. You’re more special than you think. A sharp awl, no matter what bag it’s placed in, will always find a way to pierce through.”
“I will engrave your words in my heart, General Manager.”
With his hands clasped together, the former Chief Appraiser bowed deeply and exited the General Manager’s office, his face etched with relief.
Watching him go, Ji Wi-Sang closed his eyes.
“May you live a peaceful life, Su-Gyeong.”
──Baek Su-Gyeong had fallen into this world, this Murim World, roughly eight years ago.
An ordinary office worker who transitioned into a full-time writer, it took him about a month to realize that he had tumbled into a world far different from the one he had diligently written and read about in novels.
A world where justice and chivalry were hard to come by.
It reminded him of the Chinese Xianxia novels he jokingly referred to as “gangster Murim” back in his world.
Of course, even in such a world, there were righteous individuals, and there were virtuous people.
Having received the favor of such individuals, Baek Su-Gyeong spent five years at the Dragon Trading Company.
He then moved down to Hubei with the money he had saved and his severance pay, opening a bookstore and spending the last three years there.
Unable to find a way back to his world, and lacking any talent in martial arts, all Baek Su-Gyeong could do was adapt to this Murim World.
He simply wished to live out the rest of his days in peace.
He wished he hadn’t thought of writing about the ridiculous state of this Murim World.
“This isn’t Murim. This isn’t the Murim I know.”
Three years had passed since Baek Su-Gyeong settled in Hubei.
It had also been three years since he opened his bookstore in the bustling heart of Hubei. While he earned enough to get by, Baek Su-Gyeong harbored a great deal of dissatisfaction.
The dissonance between the Murim he knew and the one he was experiencing firsthand.
It was a world teeming with thugs masquerading as martial artists, making it impossible to live peacefully.
No wonder the Imperial Court was constantly plotting to wipe out these so-called martial artists.
That was all Baek Su-Gyeong could think about.
“This isn’t the true Murim!!”
Indeed, this wasn’t the Murim he knows.
This wasn’t a world overflowing with chivalry and where righteous heroes roamed freely. At the very least, there was a chasm of a million light-years between the Murim Baek Su-Gyeong knew and this current one.
People trembled in fear and scurried away at the mere sight of someone carrying a sword.
Rumors even spread that the reason the government didn’t interfere with the martial world was because those thugs had grown fat on extortion and violence.
“Ugh….”
Closing his bookstore for the day, Baek Su-Gyeong sat at his desk, lost in thought.
As someone who was considered a seasoned Murim novelist back in his world, this Murim felt utterly foreign to him.
No, it wasn’t just foreign; it was utterly alien.
The sects that existed within the Murim he knew shared the same names as those in this world, yet their actions were no different from those of bandits.
Baek Su-Gyeong couldn’t bear the dissonance.
“This is just wrong.”
Perhaps it was because his body, having been idle for eight years, had finally relaxed, or maybe it was the pent-up frustration boiling over. By the time he came to his senses, he found himself staring at a manuscript he had written in a fit of anger.
A novel he had penned using the names of the renowned Wudang sect, the Mount Tai of Murim.
A simple tale of a Wudang swordsman who, after returning to his past life, traversed Jianghu, performing acts of chivalry and carving his legend.
Thus, the title was also simple:
The Wudang Sword Hero.
“What if the Wudang sect tries to kill me?”
The reason Baek Su-Gyeong hesitated to even show this completed first volume to anyone.
It was none other than the fear of the Wudang sect.
No matter how loose the concept of copyright might be in this world, they were still martial artists. Baek Su-Gyeong was nothing but an ordinary bookstore owner, completely powerless against them.
“What should I do with this?”
A world so muddled that it was impossible to distinguish between righteous and evil factions.
Could this even be called Murim?
He had written the novel in a fit of anger fueled by that very question. However, the thought of showing it to someone, let alone selling it, filled him with dread.
It felt wasteful to discard the completed manuscript, yet it wasn’t like he could sell it. It was stuck in limbo.
Baek Su-Gyeong could only stare at the manuscript before him, lost in contemplation.
“Shopkeeper Baek!”
At the sound of a lively voice calling his name, Baek Su-Gyeong looked up to see a young merchant with a bright smile, her back laden with a heavy load. He rose from his seat.
So she had finally arrived.
“Welcome, Merchant So.”
“I’ve gathered all the books you requested last time! Will you pay me handsomely?”
“The price will always be fair, Merchant So.”
The merchant’s name was So Ssang-Ah, a young trader he had become acquainted with after settling in Hubei. The last descendant of a bankrupt merchant family, if he recalled correctly.
Baek Su-Gyeong became a loyal customer out of pity for her situation, but So Ssang-Ah always seemed to be struggling.
She was barely twenty years old.
It couldn’t be easy shouldering the burden of a fallen family all alone.
“I’ll unload these here, Shopkeeper Baek.”
“Please do.”
So Ssang-Ah deftly unloaded books from the large pack on her back.
One by one, the books he had requested appeared. Reading material was hard to come by since he arrived in this world, so he had no choice but to rely on So Ssang-Ah.
He couldn’t very well wander around looking for specific books, and So Ssang-Ah was the only one he could ask.
“That’s fifteen books in total! Fifty silver taels, please!”
“Don’t try to overcharge me.”
“But I had to travel so far to find them! I even went all the way to Chang’an, you know?”
So Ssang-Ah puffed out her cheeks, pouting. Clearly, she was unhappy that Baek Su-Gyeong didn’t appreciate her hard work.
A rumbling sound emanated from her stomach as she plopped down under the awning in front of the bookstore.
Baek Su-Gyeong pretended not to hear, but he couldn’t miss the way her face turned beet red.
“Ugh.”
“You haven’t eaten again, have you? Come in. We can always close the bookstore for a while.”
“B-But!”
“Come in.”
Baek Su-Gyeong practically dragged the stubborn So Ssang-Ah into the bookstore’s courtyard and, after closing the shop and hanging a sign on the door, he followed her in. The sign read “Closed” in elegant calligraphy.
‘Feeding her every time is a chore.’
So Ssang-Ah usually visited the bookstore once every two weeks.
Baek Su-Gyeong didn’t solely rely on her for books. He also purchased necessities and food through her.
Therefore, So Ssang-Ah inevitably showed up at his doorstep at least once every two weeks.
Every time, she arrived with a rumbling stomach yet refused to say a word. How stubborn could she be?
Growl.
As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, the sound reached his ears. Baek Su-Gyeong turned to see So Ssang-Ah, her face as red as a volcano.
“I-It’s not like I’m hungry! It’s, it’s just…”
“I’ve known you for three years, Merchant So. You’re a terrible liar.”
“Ugh…”
“Just come with me.”
Baek Su-Gyeong strode forward, and So Ssang-Ah reluctantly trailed behind him.
He prepared a meal for So Ssang-Ah and sat down to eat as well.
It was a simple meal, nothing out of the ordinary, but watching So Ssang-Ah devour the food like a hurricane, Baek Su-Gyeong couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
“I won’t steal your food, eat slowly.”
“…Thank you, Shopkeeper Baek.”
As soon as she received the bowl of water, she practically inhaled it. Baek Su-Gyeong diligently worked his chopsticks as well.
About fifteen minutes passed.
By the time So Ssang-Ah had polished off five bowls of rice, her meal finally came to an end.
“You never change.”
“Th-That’s…”
So Ssang-Ah’s face flushed red.
“Th-The food you make is just too delicious, Shopkeeper…”
“I always tell you not to overwork yourself, don’t I? I also told you to never skip meals.”
“But if I do that, then the money to buy goods…”
For a merchant, nothing was more important than the capital to purchase goods.
The very foundation of commerce was to buy cheap and sell high. However, for So Ssang-Ah, who couldn’t even form a proper merchant group after her family’s downfall, establishing a trading company was a distant dream.
Rebuilding the Gyeong-Un Merchant Group, her fallen family business, would require an astronomical sum of money.
“…I understand your situation, but don’t push yourself too hard.”
Though he said those words, Baek Su-Gyeong knew So Ssang-Ah wouldn’t listen.
As he handed her the promised payment and saw her off, she suddenly spoke.
“Shopkeeper, what’s this book? I’ve never seen it before.”
“Hm?”
Baek Su-Gyeong, who was organizing the scattered books on the shelf, poked his head out.
He spotted So Ssang-Ah holding the manuscript of The Wudang Sword Hero.
“Th-That’s!”
“I’ve never seen this before…”
Baek Su-Gyeong feigned a puzzled expression.
“Give it back!”
“Oh, come on, just let me read a little bit! Please?”
“Absolutely not!”
Of course, So Ssang-Ah was already engrossed in The Wudang Sword Hero, her eyes scanning the pages with incredible speed.
A comical chase ensued, Baek Su-Gyeong trying to snatch the book back while So Ssang-Ah dodged his every attempt.
After a good half an hour, Baek Su-Gyeong, out of breath and drenched in sweat, gave up on retrieving the manuscript from So Ssang-Ah.
Meanwhile, So Ssang-Ah, seemingly having finished the manuscript, closed the book.
“Shopkeeper Baek, who wrote this? There’s no author’s name.”
“Why do you ask?”
“I think this could sell!”
So Ssang-Ah’s eyes sparkled with a newfound enthusiasm.
A true merchant possessed a keen eye for marketable goods. The ability to spot opportunities for profit.
Without it, one had no business being a merchant.
“The life story of the Wudang disciple, Jin Un, the first volume!! This will definitely sell! I’d even pay you a premium for it! It’s like nothing I’ve ever read before!”
Baek Su-Gyeong covered his face with his hand.
“Merchant So.”
“Yes, Shopkeeper?”
“Give it back. It’s one of a kind.”
“Huh?”
So Ssang-Ah tilted her head, bewildered.
Seeing her clutch the manuscript protectively, clearly unwilling to return it, Baek Su-Gyeong pinched the bridge of his nose.
“That… I wrote that.”
“What?!”
This time, her voice held a hint of alarm, replacing her confusion.
So Ssang-Ah looked at him, stunned, nearly dropping the manuscript in her surprise. Seizing the opportunity, Baek Su-Gyeong snatched The Wudang Sword Hero back and dusted it off.
“It’s the only one in the world. Because I wrote it myself.”
“You wrote this? For real?”
From a writer’s perspective, there was no question more offensive.
Baek Su-Gyeong responded with a frown.
“Yes, I did. Is there something wrong with it?”
“No, no, no, no! Shopkeeper, are you really not considering selling this?!”
Unlike Baek Su-Gyeong’s extremely negative attitude, So Ssang-Ah seemed to have already made up her mind.
What Baek Su-Gyeong wrote was a modern novel, a Murim novel that had evolved and adapted to an era dominated by tropes like regression, possession, and reincarnation.
For So Ssang-Ah, who grew up immersed in the outdated and cliché-ridden novels of this world, it was a breath of fresh air.
“If you’re so reluctant to part with it, then please, at least allow me to make a copy! I beg you! This will sell like hotcakes, Shopkeeper!”
“…Hmm. I’m not keen on the idea, but… If you’re asking so earnestly, I suppose I can’t refuse.”
After nearly thirty minutes of relentless persuasion from So Ssang-Ah, Baek Su-Gyeong finally raised the white flag.
As So Ssang-Ah, ecstatic at receiving permission to copy the manuscript, diligently got to work, Baek Su-Gyeong observed with a complicated expression.
‘I hope I’m not putting myself in harm’s way.’
Praying that the bandits of Jianghu wouldn’t come barging into his bookstore, Baek Su-Gyeong let out a long sigh.
Little did he know what kind of storm the first volume of The Wudang Sword Hero would unleash upon Jianghu.
You reap what you sow.