I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 58

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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 58
Zhuge Jun came up with a name on the spot.
“He called it the Xuanwu Iron Armor Technique.”
“Oh, so you already knew?”
“Yes. However, if I had revealed it, I would have been exposing his trump card, so I kept my mouth shut.”
“As expected, the sword of a flying crane combined with the solid defense of the Xuanwu. A fine pairing indeed.”
[Thanks.]
[Geez, if you’re going to create a fictional sect, you should do it thoroughly.]
[Hey, those armguards were just an improvisation.]
[But originally, you called it the Iron Ox Invulnerability Qigong, right?]
[Yeah.]
[So it’s for the whole body, not just the left arm.]
[That’s right, actually.]
Zhuge Jun raised his assessment of Absolute Shadow even further.
He had heard the real name of Absolute Shadow’s martial arts from Seonwu.
‘The Shadowless Soul-Slaying Sword is a double-edged sword technique, but…’
If the Iron Ox Invulnerability Qigong was added to it, that was a different story.
Rather, it transformed into a sword technique that utilized it beautifully.
Combining those two martial arts was likely only possible because it was the Imperial Court.
‘Neither of them are martial arts used by the military known to the court, either.’
In short, it meant they were martial arts the Imperial Court had hidden until this day.
And they had brought them out this time to use for Seonwu’s secret protection.
Just how many martial arts was the Imperial Court hiding?
‘Well, it’s not like I’m going to oppose them anyway.’
At any rate, since Seonwu was thrilled about winning, it would be best if this matter ended here.
As long as the Namgung Clan didn’t make things bigger in an attempt to avenge this defeat, that is.
‘They’ve already been humiliated, so they won’t disgrace themselves further, right?’
* * *
Looking down at Namgung Hyeok-in, who was on his knees, Third Elder Namgung Unmong clicked his tongue.
“You have dragged the family’s prestige straight through the mud.”
“I have no excuse, Uncle.”
“Rumors will spread throughout the entire Wulin that underestimating the enemy leads to defeat. Cheolbonggae will be absolutely thrilled to broadcast it everywhere. The Zhuge Clan will pretend they aren’t, while spreading it behind our backs.”
It would undoubtedly turn out that way.
“Ha, and it’s not like I can step forward either.”
If a Transcendence Realm Elder stepped forward, the narrative wouldn’t be that the Namgung Clan possessed a Transcendence Realm master.
Instead, it would turn into a question of whether the Namgung Clan was so desperate that an Elder of the Transcendence Realm had to step forward over something like this.
Doing that against a young master who had just made his Jianghu debut would be worse than feigning submission and calling it a good martial duel.
“I truly have no excuse.”
“Step down from your position as Squad Leader and enter secluded cultivation for three years.”
“Yes.”
Having decided on the punishment, the Third Elder frowned.
“Seonyang and Absolute Shadow of the Eunhak Sect…”
He would let it slide this time.
Only this time.
‘Those bastards. Just because it’s inconvenient for us to punish them right now, they dare show no fear of earning the enmity of the Namgung Clan.’
Did they act that arrogant because they knew what the future held?
An opportunity to correct that habit would come.
When that time came… things would not end as smoothly as they did today.
The fact that they had practically extorted the Horn of Qingjuebiao first did not remain in Namgung Unmong’s mind at all.
Because that was a natural reclamation.
But that was that.
“Before you enter seclusion, compile a complete report on his martial arts and submit it.”
If they met again, they had to study how to break it with the Boundless Firmament Sword.
Sufferings caused by ignorance were enough to experience once.
“I receive your command.”
* * *
Just as Zhuge Jun had predicted amidst his worries, the Namgung Clan decided not to escalate the matter any further.
They judged that the more they blew it up, the more humiliated they would be.
Sensing this atmosphere, Zhuge Jun felt relieved and focused entirely on repairing the formation.
Meanwhile, the rumors regarding Seonwu and Absolute Shadow had already spread throughout the entirety of Anhui Province.
In an organization where information traveled fast like the Beggars’ Sect, it had spread across the whole land.
“Senior and junior disciples Seonyang and Absolute Shadow of the Eunhak Sect. The senior disciple’s martial arts remain unknown, but the junior disciple treats him with utmost respect. The junior disciple won a martial duel against Namgung Hyeok-in.”
Reading the incoming report, the Chief of Beggars’ Sect let out a hollow laugh.
“Oh? Is this real?”
“It is information witnessed firsthand by Cheolbonggae.”
“So it’s not a rumor he heard, but something he saw with his own eyes.”
Then it meant it wasn’t a false rumor spread by someone for a specific motive.
“Did Cheolbonggae write down the detailed progress of the martial duel as well?”
“Yes, it is attached here as an appendix.”
The Chief of Beggars’ Sect wasn’t someone who needed to pay attention to every single detail regarding a Jeoljeong Gosu who wasn’t even among the Top One Hundred Masters.
There were many matters of greater importance.
However, if it was a ‘young master at the Peak Realm who had just made his Jianghu debut,’ that was a different story.
Furthermore, if he hadn’t merely reached the Peak Realm through a fortuitous encounter of inner energy, but was skilled enough to defeat a polished master like Namgung Hyeok-in, he was well worth paying attention to.
Though nothing was absolute in the world, with this level of talent, there was no law saying he couldn’t become a Transcendence Realm master in the future… or even reach the Realm of Creation in the next era.
Enlightenment was often a matter of being a late bloomer type, so it wasn’t something to guarantee, but he could at least be considered one of the candidates.
“Huh, he wasn’t just strong; he fought cleverly and well.”
For now, three sword forms had been revealed.
An extremely fast thrust.
A fast yet fierce slash.
And finally, a thrust of speed that transcended all limits.
‘It was noted that his breathing was disrupted immediately after the last one.’
However, even that had been used in reverse as a trap to lure Namgung Hyeok-in in.
‘The disruption itself likely wasn’t an act. Namgung Hyeok-in simply didn’t know that it was compensated for by an armor technique, which is the exact polar opposite of a purely offensive killing sword.’
If one had to face him with the martial arts of the Beggars’ Sect, what would they do?
If himself or an Elder whose realm was completely different stepped forward, they could suppress him with sheer power, but what if they were in the same Peak Realm?
He drew a few mindscapes within his heart, and the conclusion came swiftly.
The Dog Beating Staff Technique wasn’t incapable of matching it, but he wouldn’t be an easy opponent to defeat either.
They would have to test each other’s depth and contest each other’s strategies before a victory could barely be decided.
“We might as well change the Seven Dragons to the Eight Dragons.”
Currently, the number of rising stars counted among the male youth in the Orthodox Factions was seven.
The Chief of Beggars’ Sect was proposing to increase that number to eight.
“Is he truly at that level?”
“Would Namgung Hyeok-in be an easy opponent even for the Seven Dragons?”
“That is true.”
Everyone understood the Chief’s words.
Setting aside Hidden Dragon Zhuge Jun since he wasn’t famous for his martial arts in the first place, if asked if any of the remaining six could guarantee victory in a martial duel against Namgung Hyeok-in, the answer was ambiguous.
While it seemed likely that Quan Long and Jian Long, who were at the top tier among the Seven Dragons, might hold the upper hand, such things couldn’t be precise until they actually fought.
However, it was completely understandable that his level warranted expanding the group to the Eight Dragons.
“But since we already have a Jian Long, wouldn’t it be awkward to call him a Sword Dragon as well?”
“What if we tell them to fight each other to claim that byeolho?”
“Haha, don’t say such malicious things.”
“Since it’s said he uses the Eunhak Flying Heaven Sword… how about Flying Dragon?”
“His sword technique itself possesses such dense killing intent that it borders on being called a Slaughter Dragon.”
“That makes him sound like an assassin.”
Having dense killing intent was completely different from being an assassin.
Calling a proper martial artist an assassin was an insult.
“Let’s call him the Hidden Dragon. He is a dragon that has been hidden until now, and it is a character that is also included in his own sect’s name.”
“But he isn’t hidden anymore, is he?”
“How long was Zhuge Liang called the Sleeping Dragon even after he entered public service?”
“That makes sense.”
Thus, his byeolho was decided as the Hidden Dragon.
“By the way, what about his senior disciple?”
“It’s ambiguous. We don’t know if he is simply respected as the senior disciple, or if he is as outstanding as his junior disciple.”
“Hmm, they say a needle in a pouch will always pierce through. It will be revealed when the time comes.”
Since it wasn’t an urgent matter that required immediate knowledge, the Chief wrapped up the discussion there and moved on to the next agenda.
In this manner, the byeolho of Hidden Dragon finally began to spread.
* * *
Only two days remained for Zhuge Jun’s formation repair work.
During that time, no particular conflict arose between the Namgung Clan and Seonwu.
It was simply that Seonwu had nothing special to do.
Not that Seonwu was doing absolutely nothing, though.
“Hmm, formations are indeed a field of considerable depth. Well, that’s only natural.”
He did some light studying while reading an introductory book on formations that he had received from Zhuge Jun.
Naturally, such books existed within the Imperial Vault as well, but seeing that he hadn’t studied them before, there was a fresh sense of enjoyment.
‘Still, staying inside all the time is boring.’
It would be nice to watch the Namgung Clan practice their martial arts and things like that, but they didn’t permit it.
‘Should I go out and play for a bit?’
Even if there were many restricted areas inside the Namgung estate, the outside wasn’t one of them.
When referring to the Namgung Clan, the core was naturally the inside of the manor where the martial artists of Namgung resided, but the villages where external branches or those who served the Namgung Clan lived were also part of Namgung’s territory in a broader sense.
In fact, the various businesses conducted there were also part of Namgung’s economic interests.
Seonwu stood up on a whim.
Absolute Shadow followed him, and the two went out to amuse themselves in the village in front of the Namgung Clan estate.
The Namgung martial artists looked askance at the two obnoxious individuals as they left, but they did not stop them.
They merely ignored them as if they were transparent human beings.
Since it was an uncomfortable situation for both sides, they simply passed each other by.
Neither Seonwu nor the Namgung Clan could imagine at this moment just how massive of a disaster that would bring in return.
* * *
In front of the Namgung Clan estate.
Here, too, was a village where external branches of the Namgung Clan or lower-ranking families with different surnames who served the Namgung Clan lived together.
To call it a village, it was actually quite large, so it would be more accurate to call it a small city, but at any rate, there was a very large smithy among them.
“Oh, is this the smithy of the Namgung Clan? I suppose all of the Five Great Clans have their own smithies, right?”
“Yes, that is correct,” Absolute Shadow replied immediately from his side.
“While they handle the weapons they’ll use themselves, do they handle other things as well?”
“No matter how it started, it is now a large smithy that does a variety of things across the board. I hear they make farm implements and earn money by making various other things as well.”
“Hmm, I see.”
As Seonwu listened, he became curious.
‘How much would they earn with a scale like this?’
“Is this the main source of income for Namgung?”
“Yes, and they likely earn even greater sums of money through the silk and porcelain trade.”
“Silk and porcelain?”
“Yes. They broker silk flowing in from the west toward the east, and broker porcelain coming from the east back to the west, earning profits in between.”
“Ah.”
‘The Namgung Clan certainly occupies a prime location to influence the logistics moving along the Yangtze River.’
Earning through trade rather than extorting protection fees was quite wholesome.
While Seonwu was thinking along those lines, a commotion broke out on one side.
“Sir, if you only give us that much money, we will be ruined!”
“Quiet! We have calculated the amount fairly, so where do you think you are causing a scene?”
‘Uh, what’s that?’
Could someone be suffering an injustice?
Seonwu’s chivalrous xia antenna immediately pointed in that direction.
Of course, he didn’t jump to conclusions.
There were plenty of cases where the weaker party causing a scene was actually a problematic customer.
Listening to the stories shared by a friend who had turned cynical while working in the social welfare department in his past life, there were more than a few unbelievable horror stories that could make anyone develop a hatred for humanity.
Even so, the fact that a commotion had occurred meant that it could be a situation where a chivalrous xia needed to step forward for one of the two parties.
Since this was the front yard of the Namgung Clan estate, any ordinary chivalrous xia would watch their step, but…
Seonwu had no such restraints.
Absolute Shadow, who followed Seonwu around, had no such restraints either.
He quickly moved toward the place where the commotion was occurring.
Before his eyes, a man collapsed to the ground.
He was a middle-aged man wearing fairly decent clothes.
“Si… Sir.”
“Do you truly wish to die! If you cause any more trouble here, we will not hold back either!”
As killing intent poured from the martial artist, the clinging man trembled violently.
And just like that, the door slammed shut.
Curious, Seonwu approached the dazed middle-aged man and asked, “Um, are you okay?”
Knowing full well that he wasn’t okay, he struck up a conversation anyway.
“This matter… what on earth am I supposed to do about this matter?”
“For now, it looks like you might suffer a great misfortune if you stay right here, so let’s move to another spot.”
I will listen carefully to whatever the issue is.

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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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