I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 102

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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 102
People showered Seonwu with well-wishes.
“Once you return to your main sect and formally gather disciples, I’m sure many will flock to your gates.”
“Oh, if that truly happens, your sect will surely flourish once more.”
Of course, Seonwu could not actually rebuild the Eunhak Sect, gather disciples, and act as a Sect Leader.
When the time came, he had to return to his Prince Mansion and rule as a proper king.
‘If I hadn’t been born a prince and actually had to revive a ruined sect, I might have envisioned a future like that.’
That wouldn’t have been so bad in its own way.
It would have been a fine tale of surviving the Wulin.
Though he wouldn’t have been able to idle away his time as comfortably as he did now.
‘I’d have to gather funds to rebuild the sect, build connections, and inspect the land again. In the first place, would I even dare to travel across the Wulin so freely? I probably would have been too busy walking a tightrope among the minor factions just to secure some profits.’
While playing games about raising a quaint Wulin sect was fun, if it were reality…
‘Hmm, it might not have been as fun as I thought.’
As expected, a real life of leisure was the absolute best.
Basking in the people’s congratulations, Seonwu’s party stayed for a few more days.
To facilitate this, the Wolyeop Sect opened their doors on their behalf, hosting a grand feast and showing off their loyalty.
People offered small gifts, trying to cultivate a relationship with Seonwu’s party.
Since handing over raw cash was considered tacky, the items were mostly moderately luxurious goods.
From Seonwu’s perspective, these were crude compared to what he used as a prince, but appreciating their sincerity and heart, he accepted them with a smile.
“Thank you. I shall put them to good use.”
‘They say the two won’t stay in Jiangxi Province, but…’
‘Still, you never know what the future holds, right?’
Right now, both of them held titles bearing the name of the dragon.
Who was to say that one of them wouldn’t take a seat among the Top Ten Masters in the future?
Perhaps both of them would.
It was unlikely to go that far, but what if even just one succeeded?
Making a small investment now could yield massive returns later.
Even a minor connection with one of the Top Ten Masters would be impossible to buy later, even if one brought ten times the amount of a tribute bribe.
With a mindset of “if it works, great; if not, oh well,” they took turns exchanging pleasantries with Seonwu and Dan Suyeong.
“If you ever have occasion to return to Jiangxi Province, we shall meet again.”
“Indeed. When that time comes, I shall be even more famous, and I will host an even grander banquet for you.”
Seonwu greeted the crowd with a bright beam.
Dan Suyeong, on the other hand, remained intensely quiet, his eyes flashing to check if any suspicious individuals were mingling among them.
It was only natural for a bodyguard.
However, that demeanor appeared entirely different to the onlookers.
‘Is he humbly stepping back to let his senior disciple shine?’
‘Ah, to possess the name of the Sword Dragon and yet remain so modest.’
‘Usually, in such a position, one would try to usurp their senior and stand on top.’
While it would be comical for a sect of only two people to split down the middle, human nature was a fickle thing.
When two sides possessed similar skill, they would assert their status, factions would form, and conflict would erupt.
The senior disciple would check and suspect the junior, while the junior would seek a way to push the senior out.
Yet he did no such thing, elevating his senior disciple while stepping back a pace.
‘If those two truly unite their strength, the Eunhak Sect is bound to be resurrected.’
At the same time, it was a relief that the place of resurrection was not Jiangxi Province.
It was never good when an influential sect appeared near one’s own territory to split the profits.
Conversely, if it arose some distance away and could occasionally offer aid, that was an excellent arrangement.
Befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones.
With that thought in mind, they generously celebrated this victory.
Consequently, news of the victory became the talk of the Wulin and spread far and wide.
* * *
On the other hand, the small and medium factions of Anhui Province were genuinely beginning to harbor ulterior motives.
“Do we really need to keep groveling to the Namgung Clan like we used to?”
“Of course, directly defying Changtian Jianzun is out of the question.”
The Top Ten Masters were no empty title.
The martial might of the Namgung Clan remained formidable.
“But they had their entire fortune confiscated, and now they’re in a position where they have to work for a living, aren’t they?”
“Indeed, this is no time for them to swagger around just collecting protection fees and receiving bribes from merchant groups.”
“It means they lack the spare capacity.”
Under these circumstances, could they really step forward to punish every single minor profit the smaller factions chipped away at?
‘The Namgung Clan isn’t as strong as they look, are they?’
Was it only themselves harbor such thoughts?
Every other faction likely shared the same sentiment.
‘Then it will be difficult for them to deal with each one individually, won’t it?’
Should they test the waters and skim just a little bit?
Could the Namgung Clan truly afford to take a harsh stance?
Even recently, they had been battered by the Imperial Court and fallen to such a state because of that behavior.
While stealing another’s credit and evading taxes were the explicitly stated crimes, rumors openly circulated that their excessive extortion of weaker factions had added a heavy dose of Gwaessimjoe.
In short, they had been warned.
Yet, how could they ignore the warning and run wild when the punishment was still fresh?
‘They won’t be able to.’
The Namgung Clan’s dominion began to fracture in that manner.
* * *
Once the victory banquet concluded, Seonwu decided it was truly time to depart for the Medical Pavilion.
‘Because visiting the Huangbo Clan right now would be too cruel.’
Regardless of the festivities next door, their own house must feel like a funeral home, so it would be a bit improper, wouldn’t it?
‘No matter if it’s the execution of justice, it’s a painful wound to the parties involved. For me, the perpetrator who made it so, to visit would be an outright provocation.’
During the hours Seonwu was departing, the Namgung Clan was enduring an equally bitter period.
‘Why did we lose?’
‘What should we have done?’
‘Should we have avoided the martial duel from the very beginning?’
‘…Our preliminary research was lacking.’
There was no way the Imperial Sword Form was an inferior sword technique.
Would they have lost even if Changtian Jianzun had stepped forward?
“It is because I am still lacking.”
Watching the Sword Dragon grit his teeth, the Patriarch, Changtian Jianzun, patted his shoulder.
“Your talent is genuine, and our sect’s sword technique is a late bloomer. If you do not forget this humiliation, you will instead tower above them in the future. Starting today, let us properly learn how to deal with those who have completed their protective qi through simultaneous internal and external cultivation.”
“Yes, Father.”
“As for those underlings who used to watch our every move and are now insolently harboring hidden thoughts… we just need to pick a day and quietly crush them one by one.”
Absolute power was still within their hands.
As long as they did not rush, they could reclaim their dignity while maintaining an appearance that prevented the Imperial Court from intervening.
‘Our roots run deep.’
They would not crumble from something of this scale.
Never…
Never.
Though the very act of making such a pledge reflected their anxiety, the Namgung Clan had no choice but to vow to make a comeback after a defeat.
Since they dared not oppose the Imperial Court, what else could they do but pick a day to re-establish discipline among the easy targets?
At the same time.
As they traveled along the road, Seonwu was also reflecting on that match.
‘It’s great that Dan Suyeong won, but it was incredibly tight.’
If they clashed like that, how should one fight in the reverse situation?
And in that case, how should Dan Suyeong alter his response in turn?
The various permutations of “what if this happened” and “what if that happened” whirled through his mind.
“What are you brooding over so deeply?”
“No, I’m just retracing if there was a way for Namgung Su’on to win. This kind of review is helpful, isn’t it?”
“Hmm, that’s true, but…”
Lee Jun glanced at Dan Suyeong.
If the lord discussed the possibilities of his own defeat, wouldn’t even a loyal subordinate feel displeased?
Especially when he had just returned victorious?
Yet, far from being offended, Dan Suyeong’s eyes gleamed.
‘This is a topic I can discuss with the lord far better than that slippery Zhuge fellow!’
“May I offer my thoughts, senior disciple?”
“Go ahead.”
“From the beginning, if he and I were both cautious, a draw would have been the correct outcome.”
An evenly matched power where it was difficult for either to defeat the other.
Even in such an evenly matched power, depending on the combination of styles, there were cases where the odds were fifty-fifty but the match ended in an instant.
Conversely, if both fought cautiously, there were times when no winner emerged even after contesting for three days and three nights.
The clash between him and Namgung Su’on was exactly that kind of battle.
If Namgung Su’on did not lower his guard, Dan Suyeong could not pierce the Imperial Sword Form.
Conversely, if he made no mistakes, Namgung Su’on could not cleave through his Iron Ox Invulnerability Qigong.
In military terms, it was a situation where the border terrain was rugged and the fortresses were sturdy, making it difficult for either side to invade.
It was a martial duel that should have ended in a tie through the mediator’s intervention after an inconclusive struggle.
“The cause of the Namgung Clan’s defeat is singular. He did not possess the upper hand, yet he attempted to win as if he did.”
“But the Namgung Clan didn’t know your exact skill level. You knew theirs. That was the difference, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, and proposing a martial duel with the clan’s revival on the line without even knowing the opponent’s exact strength is a problem in itself.”
Dan Suyeong’s words were scathing.
That perspective felt less like a Wulin martial artist and more like the son of a general’s family.
“In terms of a battle, it is like marching an army without deploying scouts; in terms of a war, it is like initiating conflict without dispatching spies. Underestimating the enemy leads to defeat, yet they blindly trusted the strength of their family’s sword and dismissed the opponent as an nameless sect, so how could they not bring disaster upon themselves?”
“Mm-hmm, that’s absolutely correct.”
Seonwu nodded in agreement.
‘Certainly, even if I look at it from the Namgung Clan’s perspective, this martial duel was unwinnable from the start.’
Why?
Dan Suyeong’s skill was neck-and-neck with Namgung Su’on, a fact Dan Suyeong knew while Namgung Su’on did not.
They believed they were stronger.
No matter how loudly the world clamored over who the real Sword Dragon was, pretending to be magnanimous and acting as though they didn’t care about such things would have at least preserved a modicum of their dignity.
They were not kings, yet they acted like kings; they were not the strongest, yet they picked a fight as if they were.
Because they doubted nothing less than victory, they suffered a total defeat.
Had they been humble, it would have been a tight contest.
Now that everything had been laid bare, one could only wonder what would happen next.
“Well, if the Namgung Clan takes this opportunity to become humble and prudent, it might be better for them in the future.”
Perhaps then the great Namgung Clan I know might return?
But if they were harboring thoughts of making a comeback after a defeat while grinding their teeth…
‘Well, a lesson can always be delivered again.’
Lee Jun shook his head in disbelief.
Ruining them first so that they could become great.
What sort of terrifying affection was that?
‘It’s a relief the fellow doesn’t particularly care for the Zhuge Clan. Come to think of it, didn’t he like the Huangbo Clan quite a bit, though not as much as the Namgung Clan?’
Now that he thought about it, Seonwu seemed incredibly fond of the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Mount Hua Sect as well…
‘We are currently traveling east, not west. Neither should matter.’
Seonwu chattered away animatedly.
“At any rate, our Eunhak Sect is famous in the Wulin now! Who would dare look down on our sect in the future! Junior disciple, wonderful job!”
“It is my honor.”
Dan Suyeong replied with delight.
‘Even if it is an identity created for incognito travel, the lord must be adorned with the decorations he desires.’
If the fictional Eunhak Sect required an ornament like the Sword Dragon, he would simply fetch it and offer it up.
Lee Jun found the whole situation absurd.
‘Who in this empire would dare look down on a prince, yet he talks as if some lifelong grievance has finally been settled?’
He could only pray that nothing unusual would happen at the Medical Pavilion.
‘The master of the Medical Pavilion, Yaxian, should be fine…’
Given that gentleman’s character, he wouldn’t engage in the conspiracies of Patriarch Huangbo or the arrogant extortion of the Namgung Clan.
‘Well… as long as it doesn’t involve my own family, seeing justice prevail isn’t so bad.’
Though he had vehemently criticized Seonwu, his true feelings were not much different.
One could call this birds of a feather flocking together, or to put it more elegantly, one who stays near ink gets stained black.

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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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