I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 29

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 29
Muryong Prince Mansion.
The subordinates, greeting their master, bowed their heads in unison.
“Chanse, Chanse, Chanchanse. We greet Your Highness King Wuryong.”
Ten Transcendence Realm masters.
One hundred and ninety Peak Realm masters.
A total of two hundred masters making up the martial force of Muryong Prince Mansion offered their bows to him.
Looking at the masters with their heads bowed low, Seonwu became lost in thought.
‘So this is what power feels like.’
If he were not an imperial prince, would they ever prostrate themselves like this?
Right now, each and every one of those ten Transcendence Realm masters was a powerhouse against whom he could not guarantee a victory.
Subduing all ten of them at once was, of course, impossible.
Yet, they still obeyed his commands.
Why?
Because he was an imperial prince, a king invested by the Emperor himself, and they were guards of the Prince Mansion bred to obey his every word.
‘Call it Confucian loyalty, or call it raw authority. It really is fascinating.’
When you thought about it, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were the exact same.
Among the Ming Dynasty generals, how many were there who couldn’t actually beat the Emperor in a one-on-one duel of martial arts?
Yet they still dared not oppose the Emperor and faithfully executed his orders.
Of course, it was a bit different in his case since he had a father of absolute, unmatched might standing behind him whom they dared not cross.
At any rate, regardless of the underlying foundation of this given power, they were bowing before his authority.
[Have everyone rise.]
“You may all rise.”
As the attendant shouted upon receiving Seonwu’s sound transmission, everyone stood up in perfect unison.
Two hundred masters who would guard the Prince Mansion and move anywhere to exert military force whenever his order dropped.
‘And additionally, there are even more masters separate from these over at the main mountain in Guizhou Province under the name of the Feilong Sect.’
Looking at the numbers alone, it was staggering.
While it was a pity that there was no one in the Realm of Creation, ten Transcendence Realm masters could easily take down a Realm of Creation master.
And two hundred Peak Realm masters were more than enough to overwhelm a Realm of Creation master.
The Shaolin One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation wasn’t called undefeated for nothing.
‘In fact, even without something like the One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation, it feels like there is no Realm of Creation master who can’t be taken down if you deploy about a hundred Peak Realm masters.’
It was just that no other sect was capable of mobilizing as many as a hundred Peak Realm masters.
An truly staggering amount of military power lay right beneath his authority.
Though he had no immediate use for it, keeping it around meant it might come in handy later.
After all, if a Ghost Gate opened in Henan Province and demonic monsters appeared, they would have to subjugate them as the masters of the Prince Mansion anyway.
Compared to the border, such incidents were rare in Henan Province which was further inland, and because Shaolin was right there, demonic practitioners were even more cautious, but regardless, that was one of the duties of a king.
‘Though I don’t really need to manage this all that diligently either.’
As long as I reign nominally from above, his imperial father had already prepared everything so that it could be left entirely to those underneath.
For now, it was enough to make them recognize that I am your master.
“I shall look forward to your loyalty.”
“We will give our utmost devotion, even unto death!”
Their roaring voices echoed loudly, even though they had not infused them with inner energy.
Seonwu truly realized once again that he had a massive number of subordinates under him.
* * *
While the oath of loyalty from the martial artists came first, there was another matter of equal importance.
It was the meeting with the three officials who originally governed Henan Province: the Provincial Administration Commissioner, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and the Regional Military Commissioner.
These men, who could be called the respective heads of administration, judiciary, and military, offered their bows to Seonwu while presenting their official seals.
“Chanse, Chanse, Chanchanse. May ten thousand blessings bestow upon Your Highness King Wuryong, who shall govern Henan Province.”
The three of them trembled with anxiety as they bowed.
If he returned the official seals they presented, they would be retained in office; if he kept them, they were dismissed.
They had already heard secret whispers that they would likely be retained.
But what if His Highness King Wuryong’s mind had changed in the meantime?
If His Highness took their seals right here and declared that new wine must be put into fresh wineskins, that would be the end of it.
They too had their own connections to the Imperial Court, belonged to factions, and were well-connected in their own right.
But when a newly invested king was restructuring his administration, would anyone dare submit an appeal opposing it?
What if the Emperor grew furious, asking if they were looking down on his son?
Not a single connection within their factions would step forward to defend them.
“Hmm, I have no intention of bringing major changes to the internal affairs of Henan Province right away, so I expect you to manage things stably just as you have been doing.”
With a word of blessing, Seonwu immediately returned their official seals.
‘Blindly replacing people who haven’t caused any major problems would only breed chaos.’
It wasn’t that the three of them were highly praised for practicing exceptionally benevolent government, but they weren’t notoriously infamous either.
It meant they were average.
If so, it was correct to keep them for now and watch until a clearly better alternative was found.
“Your grace is boundless.”
“We accept your command.”
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the declaration of their retention.
Each and every one of them could lord over others within Henan Province and hold their heads high even when meeting the Abbot of Shaolin, but before Seonwu, they were merely anxious middle managers who didn’t know when they might get fired.
Even if that middle ground happened to be the highest position in Henan Province.
‘Phew, I’m retained.’
‘For now, my head stays attached.’
‘The four previous prince kings didn’t deeply involve themselves in the actual internal affairs of their provinces either, but…’
That was why everyone had been retained back then too.
However, that did not serve as a guarantee that His Highness King Wuryong would do the exact same.
They withdrew, rejoicing that they could remain in their current positions longer.
Having settled his initial duties as a king for now, Seonwu looked around the Prince Mansion granted to him once more.
‘It’s huge…’
Of course, it was smaller than the Imperial Palace in Gyeongseong where the Emperor resided.
But back there, what he used as an imperial prince was only a small fraction.
In contrast, this space where he was the absolute master felt vastly larger than before.
Around the central bedchamber where he stayed, there were currently many empty quarters.
“Are those all places where my consorts and concubines will stay in the future?”
“That is correct, Your Highness. According to the laws, Your Highness shall hold four consorts, nine concubines, and twenty-seven wives in the future, so these residences have been prepared to match that standard.”
Seonwu ended up chuckling at the attendant’s reply from beside him.
‘That feels a bit excessive.’
Though he often saw protagonists of wuxia novels commanding three wives and four concubines.
For me, finding just one truly wonderful wife who shares a bond with me is more than enough.
Perhaps an active connection will be made as I travel through the Wulin.
At any rate, seeing this massive Prince Mansion guarded by two hundred masters, with numerous palace maids and eunuchs serving him, made him truly feel like he had become a king.
‘It certainly is grand and luxurious.’
Just staying here, reigning in leisure and comfort, would be one way to live.
‘But I’d find that way too boring.’
When I’ve gone and been born into a world where martial arts actually exist and the Wulin is real.
Where else could you find a complete real open world quite like this open world?
It wasn’t virtual reality, it was actual reality.
‘I have to head out.’
Besides, if I just sit in the prince’s castle acting like a king, how am I supposed to know how the world turns?
‘I need to see and experience it firsthand to correct what is broken.’
If I apply the problems I see and experience while traveling as a chivalrous xia to my governance as a king later on, that would truly be proper politics based on a vivid reality.
* * *
It had been a month since the Fifth Prince established the Muryong Prince Mansion.
The Wulin sects, who had been anxious because they didn’t know what kind of moves the prince—rumored to have a deep interest in the Wulin—would make, lowered their guard slightly as nothing particular seemed to happen.
“Hmm, did he find the gifts to his liking?”
“Perhaps his deep interest in the Wulin simply means he likes listening to stories, rather than wanting to interfere and cause trouble?”
“The four older princes also govern in accordance with the Dao of Wuwei Ziran. Perhaps His Highness the Fifth Prince is the same.”
Those gathering information from each sect shared nothing but reports that things were peaceful internally.
“So that means His Highness King Wuryong hasn’t really made any outside excursions since entering the Prince Mansion, and is merely passing the time practicing martial arts?”
“There are even rumors that he has entered into secluded cultivation.”
“Haha, if it’s secluded cultivation, he won’t be coming out for a while.”
“We might have worried over nothing.”
Indeed.
Even the palace maids working in the Prince Mansion had not seen Seonwu since he entered his seclusion.
Since their master wasn’t around, they had very little work to do and were simply living in extreme comfort.
But at that very moment, two martial artists were crossing the border between Henan Province and Anhui Province.
One had a manly, handsome face, yet a slightly youthful charm still lingered, and he laughed with such joyful excitement that it made the surrounding atmosphere feel instantly lighter.
Dressed in common blue martial robes with two swords hanging from either side of his waist, his footsteps were incredibly light.
On the other hand, the companion following beside him carried a fierce, sharp aura akin to a wild wolf.
It went beyond mere manliness, possessing a fierce energy so intense it could make any weak-hearted person shrink back in terror.
“Bwahaha! Finally, I am making my debut into the Jianghu!”
“Congratulations, Your Highness.”
“Jeolyong, I told you to watch your forms of address.”
When Seonwu’s expression turned dead serious, Dan Suyeong bowed his head.
“My apologies.”
“Don’t just say you’re sorry! Don’t do this just because it’s the two of us right now; act as if we’re in front of others and practice exactly as we rehearsed. I chose to keep you by my side because you were good at this, but if you keep slipping up, I’ll replace you.”
At Seonwu’s threat, Dan Suyeong straightened his posture and replied.
“My apologies, senior brother.”
“Yes, exactly like that. We are fellow disciples of the Eunhak Sect. Got it?”
That was the backstory they had established.
They decided to set the Feilong Sect aside for the time being.
Though he could always pull it out later by revealing that he was actually the leader of the Feilong Sect if needed, it was too massive a sect to bring up right now.
“You remember all the details of the setting I told you, right?”
“Yes, senior brother.”
Seonwu nodded with great satisfaction.
“Then since you’re a clever guy, stop giving me heart attacks.”
“Yes.”
The Eunhak Sect was a hidden sect that had been passed down to a select few since ancient times, and had lived quietly away from the Jianghu, but because of that, the sect had unfortunately gone bankrupt and collapsed.
However, by the time it reached their generation, the two of them had coincidentally obtained a fortuitous encounter in the mountains, attained great inner power, and finally made their Jianghu debut.
As they were a Jianghu novice pair, they had many curiosities and intended to accumulate worldly experience.
Currently, the Eunhak Sect consisted solely of himself, who inherited the position of sect leader, and his junior disciple, Jeolyong.
That was roughly the setup.
Suyeong’s alias was decided as Jeolyong.
Since a crane was also a bird like a phoenix, he could just insist that his Soaring Phoenix Sword was the ultimate technique of the Eunhak Sect.
‘It feels a bit hastily put together across the board, but if anyone pries too deeply, we can just stone-wall them by saying it’s a confidential matter of our sect that cannot be disclosed.’
Prying deeply into another sect’s internal affairs is a sort of unspoken taboo anyway, right?
Regardless, the important thing was simply to look like two martial brothers on a journey, appearing as fresh Jianghu novices.
Just enough to fool others.
Or even if someone doubted it, who on earth would imagine that the King Wuryong, who had supposedly entered secluded cultivation, was wandering around with just a single guard?
‘Though I did pack quite a lot of treasures, they don’t really stand out.’
The Demon-Subduing Divine Dragon Sword at his hip was also wrapped up tightly so no one could recognize it before it was drawn.
[You must show me a bit more respect, master. If you want me to keep your secret during this Jianghu journey, you should at least let me out to sightsee and take a walk three times a day…]
As soon as he gripped the hilt of the sword to check it, the divine dragon—or python, whatever it was—began to chatter away, making Seonwu chuckle under his breath.
[What would people say if they saw a sword flying around on its own? I’m already letting you sightsee like this instead of stuffing you inside a storage ring. Deal with it.]
[Urgh, you need to realize just how competent a sword I am. Speaking of which, I am…]
Seonwu let go of the hilt.
At any rate, the Jianghu journey had officially begun.
“Let’s see. Our first destination… you said an Unorthodox Faction called the Heuksa Sect is targeting our secret branch office to steal it?”
“Yes, senior brother. They saw that the store was doing good business, so they are reportedly playing tricks to seize it. The branch requested a decision on whether to wipe them out by revealing our martial force, or to keep our true identity hidden until the end.”
“Tell them to leave it alone! We’re heading there right now anyway.”
An Unorthodox Faction trying to steal someone else’s store.
What a delightfully entertaining first opponent.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————