I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 85

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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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Episode 85
The Huangbo Clan had resolved the Demonic Practitioner incident that the Wolyeop Sect failed to handle.
The local elites would petition such a Huangbo Clan to stay, pleading that they did not know when another Demonic Practitioner might appear.
Public opinion among the commoners would not be bad either.
In that manner, they would subtly expand the family’s territory into this area.
After that, it would probably take quite some time to completely push out the Wolyeop Sect.
There would also be a considerable period of uncomfortable coexistence.
Even so, the board was bound to turn in favor of the stronger side.
‘Or perhaps that period of fierce competition could be an opportunity for the Demonic Practitioner to infiltrate.’
“If the Demonic Practitioner is looking at the long term, wouldn’t they first drive the Wolyeop Sect into a crisis of survival like this, and then approach the Wolyeop Sect again?”
At Seonwu’s question, Jun also nodded.
“Mm, it’s possible. If it’s just a matter of targeting a few commoners who don’t even know martial arts anyway, it must be a low-level Demonic Practitioner, so they wouldn’t mind throwing them away as bait.”
In return, it would trigger a long-term conflict between the Wolyeop Sect and the Huangbo Clan.
Once the situation was created, the room to infiltrate would always increase.
“If I were the strategist on the Demonic Practitioners’ side, I would use that kind of move.”
For now, they would create conflict among the Wulin.
As for who would infiltrate whom, they could make the next move by adapting to the situation after that.
First, the priority was to make the conflict between the two sects severe.
It was a vicious move, but putting oneself in their shoes, it was a good move from their perspective.
However, the question here now was.
“Was there a secret deal between that Demonic Practitioner and the Huangbo Clan? Or not?”
“Well, honestly, finding that out at a single glance is impossible without something like mind-reading, isn’t it?”
“That’s true. We need to find that out, but…”
Even if the Demonic Practitioner lured the Huangbo Clan to advance into this place, it was entirely something the Demonic Practitioner did on their own, and if the Huangbo Clan merely seized the opportunity, they were innocent for now.
It was also true that the Wolyeop Sect failed to properly catch the Demonic Practitioner in their own backyard, and it could not be said to be wrong for the local elites or the common people to request protection from a force that seemed more reliable from their perspective.
‘Even if it was a conspiracy where they deliberately avoided being caught by the Wolyeop Sect but allowed themselves to be caught by the Huangbo Clan, that is.’
But what if it went further than that?
‘What if they secretly contacted the Huangbo Clan and made a deal to create a justification for their advance?’
If so, the Huangbo Clan was an accomplice.
The problem was whether it was this side or that side.
“We should start moving a bit more in earnest as well. Absolute Shadow.”
“Yes, brother.”
“Speak to the County Magistrate and suggest that the corpse must be autopsied. And you should attend the autopsy scene to confirm whether it was truly targeted by the Energy Absorption Art.”
“Understood.”
[After that, bring the Prefect. Ji Hyun alone is of too different a level to restrict the actions of the Huangbo Clan’s Patriarch.]
[I will move quickly.]
[Good. In the meantime, I must catch that fellow called the Demonic Practitioner before the Huangbo Clan does.]
I don’t think he will confess submissively if caught, but still, he must be in my hands first for me to reveal something, or create it.
Absolute Shadow received the order and moved immediately.
Showing his token as a Jinyiwei guard, ordering someone like Ji Hyun around was an incredibly easy task.
The Prefect was also not inferior to a guard in official rank, but he would not have the nerve to ignore the words of a guard who held ‘inspection rights’ from the center.
After sending Absolute Shadow off like that, Seonwu discussed the next steps with Jun.
“The atmosphere has ripened a bit, but will the Demonic Practitioner still commit a crime one or two more times?”
“Yes, because the atmosphere of fear among the local elites is still lacking.”
“Then, mm… will they raise the level of the victim?”
Until now, the victims were commoners.
Then what must happen for the fear of the local elites to rise?
The answer was that a daughter of a reasonably well-to-do family, not a commoner, needed to suffer damage as well.
“However, for a family with many members who have mastered martial arts to some extent, it won’t be easy for a Demonic Practitioner to break in and assault a woman.”
In other words, the candidates narrowed down to families that had some reputation but lax defenses.
At the same time, it naturally had to be a family with someone who would make a suitable victim.
Jun also agreed with Seonwu’s conjecture.
‘Originally, Seonwu’s head was good. His family circumstances were just bad. But in this life, Seonwu seems to have gotten even smarter.’
“Your reasoning is plausible. Then, if we narrow down the victims and guard them, we might be able to prevent the culprit in advance.”
“Then, let’s split up and stand guard in secret.”
“Good. But we don’t know who such candidates are in this county.”
“Don’t worry about that. Actually, there is a secret branch office established by the Imperial Court in this county. They will tell us there.”
“What?! If there was such a thing, why did we sleep outdoors?”
At Jun’s counterquestion, Seonwu let out a dry cough.
“It means I tried to do it that thoroughly. You also said you could endure this much hardship to catch the Demonic Practitioner.”
“Is that and this the same? At the very least, we could have just stayed in a corner of the branch office like peddlers.”
“Ahem, I did it to be thorough, thorough. Now, it’s just that I think we should borrow the information network of the branch office.”
Jun clicked his tongue.
‘Ah, to think this punk’s chivalrous xia disease was to this extent.’
Still, since it was a hardship endured to do a good deed, he couldn’t just be angry.
‘But from next time, I’ll have to put on a bit of a protest saying I can’t do it like this.’
Anyway, the secret branch leader of the Feilong Sect organized the information Seonwu wanted.
“There are about three families here that match the conditions you mentioned.”
“Of all things, the three are all separated from each other.”
“Should this humble servant also take charge of one and ambush?”
“No, it’s dangerous. Don’t do it. We will handle it on our own.”
“Yes.”
Seonwu looked at Jun.
“I’ll take charge of one. You take charge of another. However, if you feel the opponent is a greater master, don’t overdo it and wait for me.”
“I get it. My life is precious to me too.”
And as for the remaining one…
Seonwu grasped the Divine Dragon Sword.
[Will you do it for me?]
[Oho, are you finally asking this body for a favor?]
[Just don’t reveal yourself.]
[Snort, what is that?]
[It’s possible, right?]
[It is possible, but shouldn’t I showcase this body splendidly, rather than telling me to hide and attack secretly!]
[Because you are my hidden trump card, I’m doing that to hide you from the enemy. Originally, a hidden trump card is supposed to make a more splendid appearance at a more decisive moment.]
[Is that so?]
The Divine Dragon Sword was momentarily tempted.
Seonwu barely held back his desire to laugh.
‘This guy, he’s surprisingly gullible.’
Still, if you flatter him, he does well.
[Hide well, and if by chance the Demonic Practitioner appears, just shoot your sword Qi. Then the Demonic Practitioner will get scared and run away. From then on, I will do the tracking.]
[Ahem, instead, you will create a place for this body to appear much more splendidly later, right?]
[Of course. I promise you that.]
It was not a lie.
If he revealed the Demon-Subduing Divine Dragon Sword with a bang at a decisive moment, wouldn’t he catch at least one big-shot Great Archdevil?
The enemy would plan their operation without knowing the existence of the Divine Dragon Sword, and if he pulled it out at that time and smacked the back of their head tastefully, it was definitely worth catching a Great Archdevil.
Until then, he had to keep it well hidden.
Although he couldn’t just leave the Demonic Practitioner in front of his eyes alone either, honestly, it was a hidden trump card too precious to reveal for a mere conspiracy targeting a single county.
[Good. A dragon’s word is worth a thousand gold pieces.]
‘I’m not a dragon though.’
But since it was said sincerely, there would be no problem.
* * *
First, Absolute Shadow appeared before Ji Hyun.
“Heck, the… the Golden Dragon Guard.”
“Be quiet.”
Ji Hyun quietly nodded his head.
“While I was secretly traveling incognito, looking at this incident, there are many suspicious aspects in various ways.”
“It is so.”
“But will the official government wash its hands of it and leave it only to the Huangbo Clan and the Wolyeop Sect?”
“Since it is not an ordinary crime, but seems to involve a Demonic Practitioner…”
Although Ji Hyun possessed authority, his martial strength was honestly a bit lacking compared to the Wolyeop Sect.
Let alone before the Huangbo Clan, where the Patriarch himself had come, what could he possibly say?
“Even so, you must do what needs to be done. I plan to bring the Prefect, so you should secure the body at least and perform an autopsy first.”
“Ye-yes, I will try to do at least that much.”
“Right now.”
“Yes.”
In front of Seonwu, he was a watchman receiving orders, but in front of a mere county magistrate, Absolute Shadow, holding the Golden Dragon Guard token, was a tiger.
That order was not asking him to do something suspicious, but rather telling him to properly examine the corpse regarding a murder case and at least make an effort for the government to step forward and investigate, so how could Ji Hyun dare not obey?
Even if only to avoid being fired, Ji Hyun moved immediately.
* * *
Ji Hyun was about to order the constable, but he moved himself.
Honestly, he also had to watch his step before the Huangbo Patriarch, and if he ordered someone like a constable, they wouldn’t be able to say a word.
That being the case, if he ordered the constable, would the excuse that they couldn’t do it properly work before the Golden Dragon Guard?
Therefore, Ji Hyun had to go before the Huangbo Patriarch, who was currently directing the operation to weed out the Demonic Practitioners, while tightly tensed up.
‘Sigh, the Huangbo Patriarch is also scary, but…’
Still, he was a county magistrate in name, so would he really shatter his head with that famous Pasanquan?
Killing someone like him would take only one fist, but dealing with the aftermath would be difficult.
If Ji Hyun had known that the one who gave him the order was King Wuryong Seonwu, he would have moved even more confidently.
If Seonwu had even written an Imperial Edict and stamped it with the Imperial Seal, bang, he would have gone very confidently.
Although King Wuryong’s territory was Henan Province, and this was Jiangxi Province, so it wasn’t a direct area of control, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t give an order to properly investigate a case.
However, since he couldn’t even reveal the existence of the Golden Dragon Guard, Ji Hyun merely let out a sigh and stood before the Patriarch.
“Ahem, ahem, you are working hard day and night to catch the Demonic Practitioner, Patriarch.”
“What brings the County Magistrate here?”
In the Wulin, if one was around the level of a Patriarch of a successful prestigious family who was a Transcendence Realm practitioner himself, they were on par with a Prefect.
They were naturally above a county magistrate.
If one was around the Top Ten Masters, they were on par with the Provincial Administration Commissioner or Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and the like.
Thus, while carefully watching his step, Ji Hyun still said what he had to say.
“Anyway, since the victim’s body has come out, our county also needs to perform an autopsy and leave a record. I know it is a body found by the Huangbo Clan, but I would be grateful if you could hand it over so our county can examine it.”
“Hm?”
The Huangbo Patriarch twitched his muscles.
As those bulging shoulders shook, Ji Hyun got flustered and even more scared.
‘No. Even so, would he really try to shatter my head?’
Ji Hyun was that scared, but in fact, the Huangbo Patriarch also did not think of shattering Ji Hyun’s head.
If he shattered the head of Ji Hyun, who came to find him at the inn in broad daylight, just because he demanded the handover of the victim’s body, his own head as the Patriarch could be shattered later.
Right now, wasn’t the Namgung Clan’s Patriarch in neighboring Anhui Province the Changtian Jianzun, one of the Top Ten Masters?
Even so, when the state resolutely raided them, they couldn’t do anything, were thoroughly raided, and had all their family assets confiscated.
The Patriarch shattering Ji Hyun’s head without much reason?
Unless it was well-disguised as an accident in the dark, there was a chance the Huangbo Clan would turn into a wasteland.
‘The County Magistrate has more backbone than I thought.’
I thought he would be scared and wouldn’t appear before me, but seeing him now, even though he might be scared, isn’t he trying to do what needs to be done?
Even if he looked weak at a glance, he had his own grit inside him.
As expected, one must not believe all worldly rumors.
‘Occasionally, there are those kinds of people. Those who try to do what needs to be done even while being scared and trembling.’
They were people who had courage compared to how they looked.
‘And after our clan occupies Hangwol County, we will have to cooperate in the future… There is no need for that paltry corpse at this point anyway.’
It had been used sufficiently for the purpose of showing it to the residents of Hangwol County to make them scared.
“I understand. I shall hand it over.”
“Thank you.”
The result of the autopsy on the body handed over in that manner was merely a reconfirmation that it was truly killed by the Energy Absorption Art.
However, using that day as a turning point, the constable and the officers also patrolled much more diligently.
Because Ji Hyun urged them.
Multiple forces became entangled in the night of Hangwol County.
Though everyone was unaware of the variable that was Seonwu’s existence.

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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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