I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 36

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

Chapter 36
The County Magistrate bowed his head deeply before Seonwu.
“How far do you wish to take this, Your Highness? Do you desire the total eradication of the Heuksa Sect?”
Seonwu smacked his lips.
From the very beginning, he had not intended to go as far as total eradication.
Of course, trying to seize Myeongwolru in such a manner was a clear crime, but…
Still, he was aware that total eradication would be an excessive punishment.
‘Should I test him?’
Seonwu looked at the County Magistrate again.
“Stake your position and speak your mind frankly. What is the correct way to handle this?”
Ji Hyun was also cautious, knowing that his own official career was on the line here.
The gifts he had received from the Heuksa Sect in the past were not important right now.
‘The amount I received is not so large that it would squeeze the people dry.’
Even if the Heuksa Sect exposed it, that amount was merely at the level of a customary gift.
Unlike the highly developed democratic countries of Seonwu’s past life, it was not a weakness at all for officials of this era to occasionally receive such gifts from local influential figures.
Of course, there was a limit, and if one exceeded it to receive a massive amount, it would become a scandal and a weakness.
The problem was how to satisfy this young Jinyiwei Guard.
‘It doesn’t seem like claiming strict punishment blindly will work either…’
He was also an official who had passed the imperial examination and made it this far.
He rolled his brains to the maximum.
A young Guard.
He had a strong sense of justice, abided by principles, and intervened in matters outside his mission.
There was no way a bribe from the Heuksa Sect would work on him.
“The Emperor established the Great Long Empire and proclaimed the laws to the world.”
Mentioning the Emperor, Ji Hyun offered a polite bow toward Gyeongseong.
“Even judging by those laws of the Great Long Code, total eradication is excessive.”
“The reason?”
“There are over two hundred members of the Heuksa Sect. In comparison, no one died directly because of this matter. Even if they are punished according to the law, it is not a death penalty, but rather flogging and fines for the direct perpetrators and the instigator.”
“Hmm…”
Legally speaking, that was certainly the case.
The Great Long Code was a different kind of law from modern democracy in Seonwu’s eyes.
For instance, the part where treason would result in the execution of nine generations under guilt by association.
In any case, it was the only law of this country, a law followed by the people of this era, and a law established by his father, so he had to respect it too.
“Furthermore, looking at it not just by the law but through the practical benefit of governance, it is clearly evident that they have extorted a few outsiders in the meantime, but they also contribute to the stability of Sangdang County.”
“Contribute to stability? Them?”
“Yes, where there are people and money, power is bound to gather. However, the government office cannot look into all of that. A group like the Heuksa Sect is an organization that does not cause trouble in the eyes of the locals of Sangdang County.”
Seonwu gave a bitter smile.
‘I understand what you mean.’
There are times when a powerful nation named A is a savior to a weak nation named B, but a complete enemy that ruined everything to a weak nation named C.
Whether it is humans or organizations, good and evil are not simple, as there is a duality to them.
Of course, there were also plenty of truly bad criminals who just needed to be eliminated.
“Furthermore, if they disappear, even more problematic individuals might swarm into that spot. Especially if demonic practitioners enter…”
“Demonic practitioners, you say.”
“Yes, though Anhui Province is in the rear, so it is not as fierce as Hebei, Shaanxi, or Shanxi, one still cannot say that there are no demonic practitioners from time to time. An established sect like the Heuksa Sect must hold the ground so that other suspicious bastards cannot easily take root.”
“A necessary evil, then.”
Seonwu had not yet seen a demonic practitioner directly.
However, he had heard multiple times that the lands beyond the border were entirely filled with demonic monsters, and that the demonic practitioners who followed them operated in secret in the rear.
“Because the local constables alone lack the martial prowess to protect the entire county, the strength of local Xiangzu like the Jeong Clan Manor or the Lee Clan Manor, and the strength of a sect like the Heuksa Sect… It takes all of them combined to protect Sangdang County.”
“Right, that must be why the country leaves the Wulin alone.”
The border was practically blocked using only the military commanded by the state.
Although the Great Long Empire had actually organized an army of a million, 800,000 of them were deployed at the border.
Among the Ten Great Masters of the Court, eight of them were also Great Generals guarding the border.
Excluding Seonwu himself, his four older brothers above him were also given the duty as kings to support the defense of the border, so counting them all up, it meant twelve masters of the Realm of Creation were deployed.
And blocking the demonic practitioners in the rear and the demonic monsters coming out of the Ghost Gate was something that could not be done by the state’s military prowess alone, so it was also the task of the so-called ‘Wulin’.
In particular, that was also the reason why the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Noble Families, who contributed greatly there, received several privileges.
“If the Heuksa Sect disappears, demonic practitioners might target it?”
“Yes, of course, if there is a group that goes too far using demonic practitioners as an excuse, it is only right to warn them by making an example of them… While the matter of Myeongwolru is indeed a crime, they are not a group of that degree.”
“From the perspective of the locals, it means it is fine whether an outsider or two occasionally gets victimized or not.”
“Of course, there will be a need to prevent them from doing such things ever again.”
Ji Hyun bowed his head.
After all, preventing such things from the very beginning was originally Ji Hyun’s job.
It was a fact that he himself had simply turned a blind eye as long as no major problems reached his ears.
Did the patrolling constables know?
‘The bastard walking that beat must have known.’
However, he probably received some drinks or food from the Heuksa Sect and made no report at all.
Did the chief constable know?
‘The chief constable might have known up to that point. Or maybe he didn’t.’
But while receiving drinks and dishes from the Heuksa Sect, he likewise would not have cared.
“How exactly?”
“First, how about substituting the beating they received just now in place of flogging? If you do not intend to reveal your identity, it seems it must be done this way.”
“That is true.”
Strictly speaking by the law, acting as a chivalrous xia and punishing the members of the Heuksa Sect arbitrarily would become an issue.
“In addition, regarding Myeongwolru, we will add compensation for the business disruption in the meantime, and make them pay punitive damages equivalent to the amount needed to buy Myeongwolru one more time.”
“Hmm, that is acceptable.”
Honestly, Myeongwolru was not a branch office that lacked money, but…
“Furthermore, outside of Myeongwolru, we will look back to see if there are previous cases of doing such things to find victims and compensate them, and if not, we will have them donate the corresponding money to the government office. The office will use it appropriately, and if a victim sees the notice and appears even late, we can hand it over, and if not, it will be used for state affairs, so wouldn’t that be good?”
“Fine. Let’s leave it at that.”
Seonwu nodded, thinking this was sufficient.
Since Dan Suyeong had already smashed up the leadership level, it was worth counting that as the flogging.
In fact, it would hurt more and last longer than flogging.
What did they say that old man backing them up was named, Zhang something?
Anyway, that old man was not hurt, but he did not intervene directly and really seemed to receive support while living in seclusion, so let’s let him off.
* * *
Seonwu and Ji Hyun came back out of the room.
Zhang Youji and his three disciples were extremely curious about what kind of conversation they could have possibly shared.
Ji Hyun cleared his throat, then sent just a single line of Sound Transmission.
[You have stepped on a tiger’s tail, so just prostrate yourself to my words.]
Zhang Youji had enough experience to understand that much.
‘It is true that he is a bastard with a stronger backing than Lord Ji Hyun!’
No wonder that junior disciple bastard, who was a Jeoljeong Gosu, showed an attitude of truly treating his senior disciple as a superior and following him.
Is it Namgung?
But then again, it wasn’t Namgung.
‘It’s not the Hebei Peng Clan either…’
Their weapon is the saber, not the sword.
In any case, what was more important than their exact identity was that for now, it was a tiger’s tail.
Since it wasn’t a cat’s tail, he had to prostrate himself.
“First, regarding the matter of Myeongwolru, the Heuksa Sect has committed a crime. Do you admit it?”
“I admit it. My disciples lost their way.”
“Originally, they should be subjected to flogging, but since these two chivalrous xia have chastised them instead, they are exempted from flogging, which is substituted by what they received today.”
If it went like this, the two great heroes would be considered to have inflicted corporal punishment under Ji Hyun’s acknowledgment, so they could not be charged with the crime of assault.
In a word, the members of the Heuksa Sect must not hold a grudge thinking that that bastard beat them up.
“I shall obey your command.”
When Zhang Youji spoke like that first, the three disciples followed suit.
“We obey.”
The bastard whose jaw was broken could not speak properly, but he likewise bowed his head to express his agreement.
“You shall compensate the owner of Myeongwolru for the damages, but as a punitive measure, you shall compensate them with an amount of money enough to buy Myeongwolru one more time.”
‘Oh boy.’
Sa Oh-pyeong heard the sound of the Heuksa Sect’s safe being emptied, but he squeezed his eyes shut.
It was because his master had also sent the phrase [tiger’s tail] into their ears via Sound Transmission.
‘No, how on earth did this…’
If the Second Hidden Formula of Heisha Sect was Inviting the County Magistrate.
The First Formula was that going too far is as bad as falling short.
They had picked only easy targets to rip off moderately, avoiding things that would severely worsen the local public sentiment, but this?
To think a passing chivalrous xia was a great tiger, what kind of calamity was this?
They had failed to think that Myeongwolru was a formidable secret branch office.
“In addition, this official will investigate previous cases similar to Myeongwolru to make you return the money to the victims. Even if we cannot find the victims, you must first deposit that amount with the government office.”
‘Oh dear.’
Sa Oh-pyeong had a headache thinking about how to run the Heuksa Sect’s household affairs this year and next year.
It would not work with protection money alone, and they would have to join some escort missions to work a few times.
“I shall obey.”
However, since he saw his master bowing down repeatedly, he could not dare to raise an objection either.
‘What kind of bastard is he really?’
Talk about bad luck.
What on earth were they that two bastards—who were Jeoljeong Gosu and someone else whom they couldn’t tell if he was more or less than that—left their own headquarters behind and happened to pass through this Sangdang County, which didn’t even have much to eat, at this exact time?
Even if they passed by, normally they wouldn’t even care about such a trivial matter.
‘A young bastard drunk on playing hero, of all things…’
Still, what could they do?
It was fine as long as they didn’t die.
‘I should never even look at that damn Myeongwolru again.’
It was the same even after the two of them left.
With the government office intervening to this extent and the scale growing so large that a judgment was issued, to retaliate later?
The two of them might not come back, but the face of the government office would be damaged.
To end up on bad terms with the government office just for the sake of a single tavern would mean a net loss.
“Ahem, I have judged like this. You two will accept it as well, right?”
At Ji Hyun’s question, Seonwu nodded his head.
“It seems to be a reasonable punishment. Lord Ji Hyun.”
Seonwu called him Lord, but there was not a single shred of politeness in his tone.
At the same time, Ji Hyun likewise did not feel a single shred of displeasure about that.
Zhang Youji sharply perceived that although Ji Hyun had asked if he would accept it, Ji Hyun was actually reading Seonwu’s countenance.
As expected, they had stepped on the tail of a great tiger.
They had gotten off cheap at this rate.
‘Phew, I didn’t have to use the final secret formula.’
The very last of the life-saving techniques of the Heuksa Sect.
The weeping bomb.
Hanging on while crying and sobbing, asking only to be spared.
At his age, he really did not want to use the Third Formula.
* * *
The rumor that the Heuksa Sect had been turned upside down by two people quickly spread through Sangdang County.
Following that, many people also witnessed them paying a huge amount of compensation to Myeongwolru.
Myeongwolru began normal operations, and in addition, a notice was posted asking previous victims who suffered in a similar manner to come to the County Office to receive compensation.
“Hah, the Heuksa Sect?”
“The best sect in this county…”
There were forces like the Jeong Clan Manor or the Lee Clan Manor in their own right, but that was because they were connected to each other, whereas individually speaking, wasn’t the Heuksa Sect the best?
With the Munju and two Bumunju all being three brothers who were high-class masters, and with two hundred disciples under their command, weren’t they an organization that made a truly tidy sum from the protection fees received from merchants?
“They were broken by just two people?”
“Not only that, but this is something I heard…”
“Why are you hesitating like that? Speak up?”
“Even the three brothers’ secluded master stepped up, but because he couldn’t handle the opponent, he took a step back.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah, they say he is staying at the Heuksa Sect right now to take care of them while the three brothers are seriously injured and bedridden.”
“Hah, what amazing young masters.”
Who were the two of them?
It was a very natural question.
Seonyeong and Jeolyeyong.
The story of the two fellow disciples began to be known to the Jianghu for the first time.
Even if it was only within Sangdang County for now.

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