I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 21
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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 21
An absolute order from the Emperor.
Leaving their rival relationship aside, the two admirals put their heads together.
“We must have branches all over the world.”
“We must plant people at key locations by disguising them as tea houses, taverns, courtesan houses, inns, banks, and cloth shops. Since this Seat is good at this kind of thing, I will take charge.”
The Yuelongwei was good at creating something secretly disguised.
Since it was not a wrong statement, Admiral Lee smacked his lips.
‘But I cannot just let the Yuelongwei do everything.’
Separate from the Golden Dragon Guard and the Yuelongwei, the Feilong Sect would become an independent organization managed by the Fifth Prince.
However, how could there be no connection with the side that was deeply involved in its creation?
That was just how human society worked.
When such a large organization was being created, he could not allow the Yuelongwei to have sole influence over it.
“How could a great sect only have branches and intelligence agents? It must have the strength of a martial sect. The sect leader of the Feilong Sect must have Feilong swordsmen at the headquarters whom he can mobilize in case of an emergency.”
“How many are you thinking of?”
“Looking at the budget and period that His Majesty actually allocated, does it not show the scale he is thinking of? There must be two hundred people.”
“Two hundred people. Are you thinking of something on the level of Shaolin’s 108 Arhats?”
“We must raise them into warriors superior to those. At least in the Wulin, there must be nothing stronger than His Highness’s military force.”
If there was, that would be sacrilege.
Therefore, the number of experts in the Feilong Sect must be filled to two hundred, which was twice that of Shaolin.
“Ten years will not be enough, will it?”
“Of least, we must look at thirty years. But we must plant the seeds.”
The Golden Dragon Guard would create the main martial power of the Feilong Sect.
The Yuelongwei would create the branches of the Feilong Sect to monitor the world.
Of course, the Feilong Sect would become a separate organization under the command of the Fifth Prince, not themselves, but this would allow them to create a connection.
Taking on this kind of work was in itself the strength and influence of the organization.
The two shared the work and grinned.
* * *
The two admirals concluded it satisfactorily like that, but the working-level officials of both guards who were notified of the results could not help but be horrified.
“What? What did you say you are making?”
“Tsk, does This Seat have to explain it twice? Listen carefully, everyone. By His Majesty’s imperial order, we will establish a secret sect called the Feilong Sect in the Wulin.”
The Hall Masters, who were the working-level officials, gulped.
Up to that point, it was fine.
In order to inspect the Wulin, they could create a secret sect for disguise.
“That sect will become an organization of the Wulin that will support His Highness the Fifth Prince in the future, so there must be at least two hundred Peak Realm experts.”
“Two… two hundred people, you say?”
“Yes, two hundred Peak Realm experts. Why can we not raise them?”
Of course, if they wanted to raise them, they could.
Unlike the Realm of Creation or the Transcendence Realm, the Peak Realm could be raised if the nation made up its mind and allocated Spiritual Medicine and a budget.
It was just a question of who would do that work.
Just because there was a budget and Spiritual Medicine, did it get used on its own and talent naturally emerge?
They had to gather talent, have instructors, and have facilities.
Education, supply, and so on.
Even then, they were not just raising them normally.
They had to raise them while maintaining security.
It was not like they were recruiting more personnel for the Golden Dragon Guard or the Yuelongwei.
They were not expanding the General House further either.
It was a matter of creating a new secret sect that no one in the Wulin knew about.
If the secret leaked out, they would suffer a terrible fate.
It was truly a tricky matter.
Who would do all this work?
The answer was already clear.
“So, you must work hard starting today, right?”
They had to do it, because they had to follow orders from above.
“Lord Admiral.”
“What is it?”
“Is it absolutely necessary to create a secret sect like this? If we are to strengthen the inspection of the Wulin, how about creating one more Wulin inspection hall under the existing Golden Dragon Guard or Yuelongwei?”
“Tsk, would an inspection by a known organization and an inspection done in secret be the same?”
The first attempt to reduce the work failed.
“Then how about reducing the scale a bit? Creating a large-scale secret sect makes the difficulty of maintaining secrecy truly high.”
“If we try, we can do it. And this is something His Highness the Fifth Prince will command in place of an army in the future, so how can we allow his dignity to be damaged? It must be a sect of a scale suitable for a Prince Mansion.”
The second attempt to reduce the workload was also frustrated.
“There is no great instability in the current situation of the Wulin, so is there a need to add such a large secret sect? Rather than that, reinforcing the troops at the Great Wall…”
“It is an imperial order.”
The last attempt also collapsed.
The Emperor’s mind was set, and the order was given.
Since the Admiral said he would execute it as it was, saying anything more would be negligence.
For an official who receives a stipend from the state to be negligent would be disloyalty.
There was no choice now.
If they were told to do it, they had to do it.
Even if it was a grand plan to be achieved over decades.
They would frequently work overnight, and the unlucky ones would be dispatched to remote areas and would often not be able to go home for years.
While they were feeling so gloomy, Admiral Lee Dae-yong looked around at them and added one more word.
“By the way, I do not know since when this guard has had so much to say in front of an imperial order.”
“What?”
“Discipline has become lax.”
The Hall Masters turned pale.
These words would not end here.
‘Oh my god, we have touched Yama’s reverse scale.’
‘I made a mistake.’
‘Although the Admiral has become a bit softer since he began teaching His Highness the Fifth Prince…’
They had crossed the line today.
Would the name Yama be in his alias for no reason?
“All assemble at the Training Ground. I must imprint the spirit of the Golden Dragon Guard upon you again.”
“Under… under command!”
A moment later.
The sound of beating people like dogs began to echo from the Training Ground.
“Your upper body is open.”
Thwack.
“Your legs are weak.”
Crack.
“How can you step through the Footwork like that?”
Squeak.
“This is all because your spirit is distracted. When an official who receives a stipend from the state gets work, he should rejoice at the opportunity for Absolute Loyalty to the Nation.”
Admiral Lee’s main weapon was the sword.
However, what was in his hand now was nothing more than a wooden stick, yet the Hall Masters, who were considered Transcendental Experts in their own right, were just busy being beaten.
“Since the righteousness of Absolute Loyalty to the Nation is not upright, how can the Martial Arts of the Golden Dragon Guard be properly unleashed?”
‘Pure absurdity…’
‘We also broke through the wall of the Peak Realm in our own right…’
Did the Peak Realm just break easily?
Beyond mastering a Divine Art, one had to establish their own Willpower, break through the wall with that intent, surpass the limits of the human body, and be able to bind and draw the Natural Qi under their own will.
They had achieved that level of realm, yet he said their righteousness was not upright, what kind of nonsense was this?
However, raising an objection would only result in more beatings.
“Now, everyone shout it out. Absolute Loyalty to the Nation. This single phrase.”
The Yuelongwei on the other side also heard the Training Ground of the Golden Dragon Guard, where various sounds echoed.
Yuelongwei Admiral Sim Soryun shook his head.
“Tsk tsk… At any rate, those ignorant fools only know how to solve things through violence whenever something happens.”
With a smile, he looked at the Yuelongwei Hall Masters assembled before him.
“I do not just beat people with strength like that ignorant Yama guy. If you just do your job properly and follow orders, I will give you autonomy and respect. Is that not so?”
“Yes, Admiral is truly a Benevolent Commander among Benevolent Commanders!”
Looking at the first Hall Master who stepped forward to answer, the other Hall Masters cursed inwardly.
‘That spineless bastard.’
‘A Benevolent Commander, my foot.’
‘It’s better to be beaten openly like the Golden Dragon Guard, but if you can’t do your job, he dries you to death.’
Still, what could they do.
The work of the state was not something where you do what you want to do and don’t do what you don’t want to do.
An imperial order was disloyalty if not followed, and submitting a resignation as one pleased was also disloyalty.
When an order was handed down for you to work, the life of an official was one without the freedom to resign.
Submitting a resignation letter without a special reason?
To dislike doing the state’s work, this was treason.
You, execution.
There was actually an emperor who executed an official for declining a government post or submitting a resignation letter.
Fortunately, the first Emperor of the current Great Long Empire was generous, but…
That did not mean the Admiral of the Yuelongwei was generous as well.
“There is no need to be scared. Rather, this is an opportunity to raise the prestige of our Yuelongwei. His Majesty the Emperor appointed the four princes as the Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind Dragon Kings respectively, and had them oversee and defend the military at the border. However, there was no king to oversee the Wulin within the Zhongyuan.”
There certainly was such an aspect.
“Meanwhile, the Wulin was directly overseen by the Imperial Court, but it was unable to focus and there were shortcomings.”
“Then does that mean the Prince Mansion to be established by His Highness the Fifth Prince in the future will oversee the Wulin?”
“Since he ordered us to make those preparations, it will be so. It just so happens that His Highness the Fifth Prince also said he has intentions for the Wulin, which is still vacant.”
“Oh, someone who is only ten years old already has such deep intentions.”
This was not just flattery.
No matter how clever, he was only ten years old now.
Even the four princes, who had handled vast Inner Energy since the age of seven because of the Dragon Blood, were experts in the Realm of Creation at the age of ten, but they did not have such deep intentions in governing the nation.
Although the Fifth Prince was a bit lacking in the divine power of the Cintamani, did he not step forward more in worrying about state affairs?
[What? Me? I just want to go out and travel around the Wulin?]
It was a misunderstanding that would horrifying Seonwu if he heard it, but there was no way to correct it, and the Feilong Sect project ran forward like a runaway train.
“As for the officially revealed inspection, the two guards are already doing it, so he ordered us to establish a secret sect that will move covertly within the Wulin. Therefore, we will buy stores that will serve as the Feilong Sect’s branch offices in various places, and recruit information agents to work there. It must be made into a thorough cell organization.”
“Yes.”
“There is already a secret organization operated by our Yuelongwei, but it will exist separately from that, so you must not carelessly share the list of members each of you recruited even among yourselves.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“The information power of the Feilong Sect may be fewer in number than that Beggars’ Sect, but it must be sharper and more elite. You know what I mean, right?”
“It will be so.”
Should an organization created by the state be pushed behind by the mere scum of the Wulin?
If they failed to satisfy the high standards of the Yuelongwei Admiral, their blood would be dried up from pressure.
The Squad Leaders shouted with spirit and hardened their resolve.
‘Phew, there will be a lot of work for a while.’
Even if they did this, more salary would not come out, but what could they do.
Instead of working after being beaten like those Golden Dragon Guard bastards, doing it on their own accord avoids the cane.
‘It seemed peaceful for a while.’
‘Sigh, compared to those General House guys who have to fight Demonic Monsters even today at that Great Wall, our work is still comfortable.’
‘Indeed, that’s why they say an office job is the best. Rather than being hated for not doing it properly and wandering outside, it’s better to do even this kind of work properly.’
The matter that started with a single word from Seonwu grew bigger and bigger, causing the workload of both guards to explode.
* * *
Execution of the imperial mandate.
Establishment of a secret sect.
Its name was the Feilong Sect.
A grand organization that the Fifth Prince would command and manage the Jianghu in the future.
Thus, in every city that was considered to have some scale in the world, they began to buy up tea houses, taverns, and courtesan houses one by one.
The fortunate thing was that because the Imperial Family’s Privy Purse of the current Great Long Empire was very vast and solid, there was no shortage of money to spend on this kind of thing.
However, that did not mean they rushed to buy them up by paying a premium.
It was not to save money, but to maintain secrecy.
Putting aside a small premium, if the behavior of buying with an excessive amount was seen in various places simultaneously, someone might notice, right?
Therefore, the Yuelongwei naturally bought them one by one.
Rather than trying to do this kind of thing too hastily, it was more important to do it truly naturally so that it did not show.
Anyway, if they waited over time, items to be sold were bound to come out for whatever reason. Buying those up one by one, they created a base in each region.
Even for this, the only one who knew all the bases was the Yuelongwei Admiral.
Under him, each person only knew the region they were responsible for.
Because the fewer people who knew, even if a leak occurred from one of them, there would be no risk of losing everything.
“This tea house came out as a property?”
“That is correct, Lord Zhang.”
His actual identity was a guard belonging to the Yuelongwei, but Lord Zhang, who was usually disguised as a peddler, nodded his head.
“Good. I wanted to get a permanent store like this with the money I’ve gathered so far.”
“As Lord has also seen while coming and going, even if this tea house is not to the extent of being crowded with customers, it is a spot where business is not bad.”
“As you say, even if it is not a very tempting property, it is a place that is not bad, so how did it come out as a property?”
“The shopkeeper fell into gambling late in life and ended up drawing from the Yama Debt Ring, eventually going bankrupt.”
“Dear me.”
“Those who run the Yama Debt Ring don’t have the knack for operating this kind of thing, so if they get a reasonable price, they want to sell it off and recover the money quickly.”
The important thing was securing the base, but Lord Zhang naturally matched his words and continued the conversation.
It was an absolute secret that it would be used as a secret branch office base for the Feilong Sect.
To others’ eyes, it was just an ordinary tea house.
The majority of the employees actually working would also have to operate it as a truly ordinary tea house, without knowing that they were a secret branch office base.
They would just think that the shopkeeper was very interested in the world’s news, so if they listened well to what the customers said and reported it from time to time, he would add about a day’s wage more.
“Good. I will buy it.”
For now, the Yuelongwei would take possession of it, but it would be handed over in turn to those who would work for the Feilong Sect.
The same transaction took place here and there across the Empire.
In Sichuan Province where the Tang Clan was located.
In Henan Province where Shaolin was located.
In Hebei Province where the Peng Clan was located.
Wherever people lived in the world, there was a Jianghu.
If there was a Jianghu, the Feilong Sect’s surveillance network must also be there.
In that way, the lower organization of the mysterious sect covertly spread its roots throughout the entire Wulin.
The start was just monitoring and recording what kind of Wulin sects were around, what their inclinations were, who was an expert, and how much power they had.
What they did started from monitoring and recording such things, but in the future, they would collect more information.
At the same time, a sect building suddenly went up secretly with a hammering sound deep in the mountains of Guizhou Province.
If many people gathered, that much material had to flow in.
However, since they were not raising a grand army of a hundred thousand, but only raising a few hundred experts, even if it was Spiritual Medicine, Weaponry, or food, its volume was not large.
Therefore, if you looked into it, only materials that were precious but whose volume would not show flowed in.
However, if someone had seen the amount of Spiritual Medicine going there, they would have been horrified.
Because even Shaolin, which raised the 108 Arhats, was not permitted that much Spiritual Medicine.
In addition to the Spiritual Medicine controlled and managed by the state, there was a small amount of volume.
Because there were items that a herb digger might happen to find in Deep Mountains and Secluded Valleys.
However, it was impossible for a volume to raise hundreds of people to be smuggled while avoiding the state’s surveillance.
Spiritual Medicine was strictly controlled like that, but…
When that very state was secretly sending it separately, what kind of surveillance would operate?
The talents secretly selected by the Golden Dragon Guard gathered there.
Throughout the nation, there were bound to be talents who did not get an opportunity because their families were humble and poor.
Since the amount of Spiritual Medicine was limited, the Wulin sects were not relaxed enough to take all such talents.
The Golden Dragon Guard secretly gathered those people.
Originally, they sometimes picked up such people and raised them as talents for the Golden Dragon Guard or the Yuelongwei, but…
This time, they recruited quite a few more.
They just gathered them as disciples of a sect no one had ever heard of, called the Feilong Sect.
Looking at the gathered children, the instructor said.
“You have been chosen as members of the Feilong Sect. Although our sect has not spread its name to the Jianghu, its prestige is more than Shaolin and Wudang if anything, and by no means less, so everything necessary for you to eat, sleep, and wear will be abundantly given.”
As he said, the children were surprised, thinking it was just a dream, at the good lodging, good food, and good clothes that they could not have imagined in the houses where they originally lived.
“Also, much more precious Spiritual Medicine and Martial Arts will be given. There is no one who does not know how great an opportunity this is!”
“Yes!”
Even children knew that much.
“All of this is a grace bestowed by the Imperial Family. You must be grateful for the grace of the Imperial Family, and as a member of the Feilong Sect, if an imperial order is handed down, you must be loyal with your life with the mind of Absolute Loyalty to the Nation! In return for all this, the only thing the nation wishes for is loyalty!”
“The grace of the Imperial Family…”
“The nation is treating us…”
The instructors injected the grace of the Imperial Family three times a day while teaching Martial Arts to the children.
The children from poor families, who knew how great an opportunity it was to learn such high-class Martial Arts, brightened their eyes to the utmost.
They too could become experts!
Moreover, they would become experts of a sect operated secretly by the state.
They did not know what they would do by receiving the imperial order in the future, but since it was a job done according to the order of the state, the grand justification itself was also perfect, was it not?
‘The Imperial Family chose us and bestowed such grace upon us.’
The children pledged loyalty and immersed themselves in training.
In that way, while the Fifth Prince Seonwu, who was actually the sect leader of the Feilong Sect, knew nothing, a massive sect was born.
Although it was still incomplete, the direction it aimed for was a truly great sect.
Its martial power was stronger than Shaolin and Wudang combined.
Its information network was denser than the Beggars’ Sect.
Its financial power aimed for a sect that was firmer than the Five Great Noble Families combined.
Except for the fact that it had no history and tradition, it was bound to become a super-large sect that had everything.
It did not particularly plot something like the conquest of the Wulin.
Though it was a sect that was aiming for the surveillance and supervision of the Wulin.
[How did things turn out like this?]
It was a statement Seonwu would utter in the future, but he did not know now.
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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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