I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 87

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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 87
Turning the contract this way and that, Seonwu muttered to himself.
“Hmm…. Is this seal authentic as well?”
Perhaps this scribe had elaborately forged a fake seal.
‘If I were the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan, I don’t think I would agree to leave behind such an audacious contract.’
It could become a permanent weakness, so one would normally conduct the transaction secretly in oral terms and be done with it. Why on earth would anyone leave such a contract for the other party?
Of course, if he hadn’t provided at least a contract like this, the other party might have adamantly refused to do it.
‘Or perhaps it was under the condition that the contract would be returned and exchanged at the moment the remaining balance was received.’
Since the dead scribe could not speak, there was no way to know.
What was certain was that the contents of the contract were a massive incident.
‘For now, let’s read the rest.’
“To first create a victim using a Demonic Practitioner who has learned the Energy Absorption Art, and then frame the eldest son, the successor of the Wolyeop Sect’s Munju, as the culprit? Ha? This wasn’t just throwing away one Demonic Practitioner, they were framing the successor of the Wolyeop Sect entirely?”
He had not thought this far.
The enemy’s strategy was much more meticulous than he thought, and the Huangbo Clan was truly reckless.
“Right, if it ended with just catching the Demonic Practitioner in the current situation, an uncomfortable cohabitation would continue.”
On the other hand, what if the identity of the Demonic Practitioner was the eldest son, the successor of the Wolyeop Sect?
At this point, the Wolyeop Sect would unconditionally face ruin.
They would have no choice but to sell all their assets at a bargain price and leave.
Whether they would go elsewhere to start over or if the sect would disband entirely was unknown, but at any rate, they would not be able to hold out locally.
“As expected, they agreed to receive a large payment. Because it amounts to this much, this side must have also argued that they had to receive at least one contract that could become a weakness.”
After the matter was finished, who was to say they wouldn’t be abandoned like hunting dogs after the rabbits were caught by the Huangbo Clan.
If they wanted to trust each other and work, they would have to keep at least this much as collateral.
That kind of negotiation must have taken place.
What they wanted would have been a hand-sign, but the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan would have argued that he wouldn’t do it in that case, and the compromise they reached must have been the seal.
“However, it doesn’t state concretely how they plan to frame him….”
If the Demonic Practitioner went to speak to Yinghua Xianzi or whatever her name was, he had to hurry now.
* * *
Seonwu busily returned to the County Office.
Zhuge Jun and the Demon-Subduing Divine Dragon Sword welcomed him warmly.
“I saw you chasing the Demonic Practitioner from afar in the middle of the night, but I couldn’t catch up.”
“You did well. It’s because it’s me that I could go secretly; if even you had come, the enemy would have noticed.”
“I restrained myself because of that thought. But seeing you return like this means there’s some kind of result?”
[I also allowed you to go for the same reason.]
[Right, thank you for understanding.]
Seonwu pulled out the contract.
“That Demonic Practitioner met with his superior at the Guan Di Temple shrine outside the city and received various instructions. Looking at it, what do you know, the seal of the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan is actually stamped on it.”
After reading the contents, Zhuge Jun gasped in admiration.
“Instead of discarding a single Demonic Practitioner, framing the successor of the Wolyeop Sect…. Brilliant. Yes, it has to be at least this much to be called a strategy.”
Even though it was the enemy, Zhuge Jun admired it.
“The problem is, I don’t know where that subordinate Demonic Practitioner and the one called Yinghua Xianzi, who left to execute the grand plan, are. It seems they will execute that framing soon….”
“Is there a need to explicitly search for them?”
Zhuge Jun’s words, of course, did not mean it was none of their business.
Seonwu also understood the meaning.
“As expected. At any rate, the one we need to keep an eye on is the successor of the Wolyeop Sect?”
“Yes, can they frame the young master with just a few words? They say three men make a tiger, but the Wolyeop Sect’s side will also have plenty of people who will claim that the young master was doing something else at that time.”
Then they would try to scrutinize physical evidence and deliberate on reliability, and the side claiming the truth was bound to be much more advantageous.
An operation at the level of a victim and a few witnesses colluding and insisting could not possibly be the grand plan of such a strategist.
“Then would it be a form where they knock out and kidnap that successor, abandon him at the scene, and then the Huangbo Clan launches a sudden raid?”
“Or they might use drugs to cloud his mind and cast a Soul-Controlling Art to temporarily induce his actions, but….”
Seonwu also understood Zhuge Jun’s words.
What he had come to know since arriving in this world was that, unlike what he saw in adult wuxia novels, those kinds of drugs were not absolute.
It clouded the mind and made the senses sharp.
However, a Master did not suddenly lose their reason and become nothing more than a mere beast.
Though the story would be different if a legendary, highest-tier Demonic Soul-Controlling Art were used.
‘A Master of such a legendary demonic art wouldn’t personally do this level of work.’
In any case, Masters did not just resist poison.
Resisting all external energies that differed from their own will was a basic trait.
“Rather than making the successor attack a victim by means of drugs and the Soul-Controlling Art, it would be easier to just throw him onto an already created crime scene and launch a surprise attack.”
This sort of thing had to be calculated by the mobilized resources and the level of difficulty.
“But the means aren’t really what’s important. The point is that the enemy will make a move on the successor anyway, so let’s stick close and intervene.”
What kind of move they would make could be seen when the time came.
“It will probably be at night.”
“It has been night until now, so it would be awkward to say the successor did such a thing during the day. Besides, even if they want to make a move, there would need to be few people around. Hmm, come to think of it, while waiting for you, I gathered some more information here in my own way.”
“And?”
Seonwu listened intently, wondering what Zhuge Jun had found out.
“The successor of the Wolyeop Sect is famously lecherous.”
“Really?”
“Even so, they say he doesn’t cross the line, but he does frequent courtesan houses a lot.”
“Mmm, at that level, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
In the Great Long Empire, courtesan houses are a legal business.
Infidelity or rape were considered crimes, but entering a courtesan house itself was not a crime.
It was just that if it became excessive, one would be pointed at as being profligate.
“Yes. But since he already gives off such an impression, it would also be easy to falsely accuse him of crossing the line.”
Seonwu thought that the Demonic Practitioners had certainly calculated various things before choosing this place.
‘Wait, if that’s the case, that thing called Yinghua Xianzi….’
“Could one of the courtesans working in the courtesan house be Yinghua Xianzi?”
“It’s possible.”
“When is Dan Suyeong coming.”
There were many things to pay attention to here and there, but doing something with just himself and Zhuge Jun left them shorthanded.
Even so, he had absolutely no faith in employing the Chief Constable or Constables under the County Magistrate.
‘If worst comes to worst, I could entrust one task to the Demon-Subduing Divine Dragon Sword, but it’s not easy to utilize it without being exposed.’
It was at that moment.
Speak of the devil, Dan Suyeong arrived.
“I have returned, Senior Brother.”
“What about the Prefect?”
“He is a bit slower than me, but he will enter the County Office tonight. I hurried my steps to report that fact.”
“Great. You’ve come at just the right time. Since you are here as well, we can divide the work among ourselves.”
Seonwu pieced together the operation in his mind.
“Zhuge Jun, in the worst-case scenario, the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan and the Demonic Practitioner named Yinghua Xianzi might try to cover everything up by force. Can you go to the County Office and prepare for such an eventuality?”
“Understood.”
“Next, Dan Suyeong, you and I will monitor the young master of the Wolyeop Sect. After that, I will give instructions according to the situation.”
“Yes, Senior Brother.”
The last was the Demon-Subduing Divine Dragon Sword.
[I will hide you as much as possible, but if needed, I’m counting on you.]
[Ahem, I only hope it is an enemy worthy of this body stepping forward.]
* * *
That night.
Among the martial artists of the Wolyeop Sect who were on patrol, the young master Yang So-in cleared his throat and said.
“That Demonic Practitioner bastard must have fled long ago anyway, so isn’t circling around like this a waste of effort?”
“Young Master, is that not something uncertain?”
“Tsk, was it just one or two people who saw that fellow get chased away and flee last night?”
“That is true.”
“In a situation where he tasted such a bitter experience, the Huangbo Clan and even our constables have stepped up to roam around, so would he dare to commit another deed here?”
It was certainly a logical point, so the subordinates roaming with him also nodded their heads.
“Then….”
“Right, since everyone has suffered while patrolling all this time, let’s go to Aewolru and moisten our throats a bit.”
“Ohh.”
“I’ll buy everyone a drink, so it’s a secret from my father.”
“Of course.”
Yang So-in recalled the letter that had been handed to him during the day.
It was a letter sent by Maehyang, the courtesan of Aewolru whom he was deeply infatuated with these days.
‘Hehe, that wench must have missed me to send such a note.’
Then again, because they had been watching their steps due to this Demonic Practitioner incident, he hadn’t been able to go over there for a while, so it was understandable that she missed him.
‘Indeed, no matter how many customers there are, who else is there like me among them.’
Other customers were received because of money, but didn’t she say she fell for him alone in true sincerity?
Having been unable to even go out properly while watching his steps all this time, he was dying to see her.
In the midst of that, having received such a note, how could he not drop by?
‘At any rate, catching that Demonic Practitioner is a bust now. Even if we poke around, nothing will come out. In the first place, he probably fled far away to some distant other place to operate again.’
If that happened, the Huangbo Clan would also fizzle out and have no choice but to return.
There was logic in his reasoning, but in truth, nothing was certain.
However, as humans believe what they want to believe, he who wanted to go to Aewolru was extremely confident in the hypothesis he had just thought up.
Thus, they headed straight toward Aewolru.
Watching that retreating figure, Seonwu clicked his tongue.
‘Does he really want to go to such a place at a time like this? He’s a fellow who knows nothing of restraint.’
In a crisis situation where one doesn’t know what will happen to his own sect due to the Huangbo Clan, shouldn’t he at least refrain from entering courtesan houses if only for the eyes of others?
‘He might as well have gone during the day. What kind of nonsense is that, stopping mid-patrol at night?’
That was why he fell for the enemy’s conspiracy.
[No matter how much I think about it, it seems those Demonic Practitioners are hiding in that place called Aewolru.]
[Then shall we raid them now?]
[No, let’s observe a bit more for now. If we’re going to pull out the roots this time, we have to catch even the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan.]
To do that, it was still a bit early.
It was insufficient to bind the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan with just this single contract.
What would they do if he insisted that the seal was forged?
‘I need something more definitive.’
The young master will suffer a bit, but….
Wouldn’t it be good for the person himself to taste bitterness this time and grow up a little?
* * *
After Seonwu held out for roughly two hours, two people secretly came out from Aewolru carrying a sack.
Seonwu instinctively sensed that the young master would be inside it.
Having confirmed the faces of the two, Seonwu committed them to memory.
‘Those fellows have also learned martial arts. They are either a crowd of Demonic Practitioners or a hired pack.’
As he quietly pursued the two, they entered a poor beggar’s thatched cottage on the outskirts of the county.
Waiting there was the Demonic Practitioner whom Seonwu had pursued first.
As he opened the door, a corpse that was already dead could be seen inside.
Seonwu inwardly clicked his tongue.
‘It’s an act of God for me to catch them all, but that fellow has made one more corpse for the purpose of framing.’
One more victim had been created.
However, even looking back, if he had chosen differently, they wouldn’t have been able to sever the roots, and much more victims would surely have arisen in the future.
Since he had done his best, Seonwu decided not to think more deeply.
He would just have to give them a proper funeral later.
They withdrew after manipulating the scene in that manner.
Watching them withdraw into the night streets, Seonwu commanded Dan Suyeong.
[Pursue those three. If they separate, leave the fellow returning to Aewolru alone, and pursue only the fellows trying to go outside to quietly kill them. Make no noise. Can you do it?]
[Yes.]
Dan Suyeong moved swiftly.
Next, Seonwu waited, thinking that someone would raid the scene shortly.
Sure enough.
“I felt demonic qi. Everyone, follow me!”
Swifter than anyone else, the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan appeared.
“Patriarch! You must go together with us.”
“Otherwise we will lose him!”
Watching the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan appear truly swiftly, Seonwu smirked.
‘The place and time must have been promised beforehand during the day. This makes it certain.’
The contract he saw was not a forgery.
For the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan to coincidentally find this place right on time?
Nonsense.
Besides, what demonic qi.
Even he, who was monitoring from much closer, felt no demonic qi coming forth now.
The real Demonic Practitioners had fled into the darkness.
‘Well, since Dan Suyeong pursued them, he will handle them at an appropriate point and return.’
Even if the Demonic Practitioner was not the core of this incident but merely one of the chess pieces, those who deserved to die must be killed.
As long as the fellows of Aewolru didn’t know they were exposed, they would try to maintain their base rather than flee, so that was for later.
Then, shall we see what the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan in front of us does now?
Of course, he had to twist things slightly so that not everything went according to the man’s will.
Moving a bit faster than the arrival of the Patriarch of the Huangbo Clan, Seonwu stormed the scene first.
And he shouted.
“Ah! It’s a corpse! It’s a corpse victimized by a Demonic Practitioner!”
Let the bear do the trick, and let the dragon make the money.

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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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