Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 286

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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 286
“…Young Master…? Or not?”
This was Manager Seong speaking.
“…I’ve only just become an Elder, so perhaps I shouldn’t speak, but if my suspicions are correct… I must personally oppose this.”
This was Dok Go-hyeon’s words.
Only Seo Hyo was smiling.
“Surely no one would even consider assassinating the Prime Minister, yet you remain remarkable.”
However, unfortunately, Seo Hyo was also slightly mistaken.
“Assassination? Me?”
“…Was it not?”
Seol Woon-hwi turned his head.
He was smiling.
“Assassination is something only those without honor resort to.”
“…Eh…?”
“When the Imperial Court becomes involved in the Martial World, there is inevitably something that must be done. Do you know what that is?”
“I do. Politics, is it not?”
“This situation is similar.”
“….”
“According to the information you provided, the current situation within the Woon-guk Imperial Court is quite dire.”
“…It is not favorable.”
“Particularly between the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister.”
Seo Hyo blinked. From what Seol Woon-hwi was saying, it sounded as though he intended to use the Crown Prince to eliminate the Prime Minister, but the Seol Woon-hwi he had observed thus far never stopped at such a simple measure.
He was a man who saw things through to their end.
Thinking it through in his mind, only one conclusion emerged.
And if that were true, this was genuinely dangerous.
Assassination would be preferable by comparison.
“…Am I wrong?”
“Looking at you, you seem to worry as much as Manager Seong does.”
“…Me? Surely not?”
Seol Woon-hwi turned to look at Dok Go-hyeon.
“Are you concerned?”
“…How could I not be? Woon-guk may be the weakest of the five nations in the Central Plains, yet it remains a legitimate nation nonetheless. Within it exist masters of Heaven-Human Unity, and even those who have ascended to Limitless Divine Manifestation. The fate of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance certainly rests upon this, but is this not hastening that very fate rather than extending it?”
Seol Woon-hwi shook his head.
“This is to extend our destiny.”
“….”
“Do you believe I will fail?”
“…There is surely no one unaware of the path you have walked thus far. However, I believe this matter is somewhat different.”
“Then I shall prove myself once more.”
“…Sigh….”
“There may soon come a time when we require the strength of the Dok Go Family. Gather your elite forces and stand ready.”
“…I understand.”
I turned my body.
Seo Hyo and Manager Seong wanted to stop me, but unfortunately my resolve was unshakeable.
If the Unguk Imperial Court allied with the Nine Gate Society, the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance would inevitably crumble.
This had nothing to do with my abilities.
It would collapse regardless of how things unfolded. That’s why to engage in something resembling a fight with the Nine Gate Society, I absolutely had to place the Unguk Imperial Court in a ‘neutral state’.
Or convert them entirely into allies.
* * *
The royal capital of Unguk was located in Yun Kyung Province.
Ten li away from there stood the Chwi Seon Pavilion, a quiet inn that rarely saw many guests.
As the night deepened, only a single candle illuminated the darkness of the third-floor private room.
I sat by the window, slowly turning my teacup as I gazed at the night sky.
Immediately after leaving the Dok Go Family Estate, I had composed a letter and sent it to Crown Prince Yun Mu.
The message was simple.
-I wish to discuss matters concerning Unguk’s future and request a secret meeting. I will await you on the third floor of Chwi Seon Pavilion.
There was no possibility he wouldn’t come.
No matter what, Crown Prince Yun Mu would surely arrive.
If he wasn’t a fool, and if he possessed ambition, my letter would have felt like a lifeline in this very moment.
My instinct was precise.
Creak.
Footsteps ascending the stairs echoed. Three people were climbing. As I turned my head, the door opened and three men entered.
The man standing at the front appeared to be in his mid-thirties, exuding an imposing presence. Though he wore no formal robes, his bearing radiated the dignity of imperial blood. This was the future king of Unguk—Crown Prince Yun Mu himself.
The two men following him each carried a different aura.
One was a robust man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties—Kim Mu-jin, Commander of the Imperial Guard.
Having reached the realm of Heaven-Human Unity, he oversaw all security within the palace.
The other was a refined-looking man in his late forties—General Jang Cheol-san, the Protector of the Nation.
Having reached the realm of Limitless Divine Manifestation, he was the supreme military commander overseeing all of Unguk’s forces.
I rose from my seat and offered a deep bow.
“It is an honor for Seol Woon-hwi, Righteous Arbiter of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, to meet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes sharpened. The legendary Seol Woon-hwi, whom he had only heard rumors about, now stood before him.
The founder of the Three Realms Transcendence that stirred the Zhongyuan Murim, a Polar Descendant of the Ten Thousand Year Snow Palace, and recently as the Divine Physician of Cheonsu Temple under Seongchakju, he had completely annihilated the Green Forest Sect, challenged not only surrounding powers but also the O-dae Geom-jong and the Four Demonic Outer Sects, and claimed the life of Jin Mu-hyeok, the Vice Leader of the Beggar Sect.
“So you are that Seol Woon-hwi.”
“I am.”
“The rumors are quite widespread. They reach one’s ears whether you wish to hear them or not.”
“You are too kind. I have merely done what was necessary for the greater cause of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
Crown Prince Yun Mu slowly observed me. Unlike the rumors, I appeared humble. Yet if I were truly only humble, such achievements would have been impossible.
Such a person is, without question, one of the most dangerous in this world. One who knows how to lower themselves, yet simultaneously extracts everything to be gained, possessing not only cunning but exceptional capability as well.
In plain terms, this is someone who must never be made an enemy.
“Let us sit and talk.”
As the Crown Prince took his seat first, Kim Mu-jin and Jang Cheol-san stood behind him.
Seol Woon-hwi observed the two men on guard for a moment before quietly settling across from the Crown Prince.
“Heaven-Human Righteous Official… It seems you hold considerable standing within the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
“It is merely a grace bestowed upon me by Alliance Leader Mae Wi-dong.”
“Mae Wi-dong… What manner of man is he? I’ve heard rumors that he commands deep respect among the people.”
Seol Woon-hwi paused thoughtfully before speaking with measured care.
“He is a man whose depths are difficult to fathom.”
“Depths, you say…”
The Crown Prince nodded and took a sip of tea.
He seemed to have no intention of wasting time.
“What is your reason for requesting this meeting?”
Seol Woon-hwi answered his direct question.
“I harbor concerns regarding the current state of Woon-guk.”
“Concerns, you say…”
The Crown Prince’s expression hardened slightly.
“Do you know how long the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance has been active in Woon-guk?”
“It must be around eighty years.”
“Eighty-five years, Your Highness. During that time, the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance has made considerable contributions to maintaining public order in Woon-guk and has maintained amicable relations with the Imperial Court.”
“I am aware of that much.”
“However, the situation has begun to change of late.”
Seol Woon-hwi’s voice grew grave.
“Prime Minister An Wi-gwan has unilaterally refused all dialogue with the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance.”
The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed. This was something he had already heard.
“That is not all. There is information suggesting he has already joined hands with the Nine Gate Society.”
“…The Nine Gate Society?”
“It appears you are unfamiliar with them.”
“One cannot be expected to know every organization that exists within the Murim, but I confess this is the first time in my life I have heard the name Nine Gate Society.”
The Crown Prince was a man who knew how to acknowledge his ignorance, and Seol Woon-hwi found this admirable.
Given the current circumstances of Woon-guk’s Imperial Court, the Crown Prince could not possibly know everything.
Seol Woon-hwi provided a detailed explanation of the Nine Gate Society.
And even revealed that the Ihwageomseonchong was in fact Cheon Rim.
In an instant, the Crown Prince’s eyes grew sharp.
To him, this was clearly a grave matter.
Kim Mu-jin and Jang Cheol-san, who stood behind him, also tensed visibly.
“The Prime Minister makes contact with such a Nine Gate Society… Are you certain of this information?”
“Yes. I am certain.”
“…This is maddening.”
Such a reaction was only natural.
Any administrator worthy of leading a nation should consider extracting ‘advantage’ from the friction between various factions.
Yet he completely refuses dialogue with the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance while engaging exclusively with the Nine Gate Society, which has not even been formally established and exists only in name.
“Your Highness, how do you perceive this situation?”
The Crown Prince fell silent for a long moment. In truth, he too had sensed something amiss in the Prime Minister’s recent movements. As his father aged and his health deteriorated, the Prime Minister’s power grew steadily stronger. And so did his relationship with Prince Chin.
“It is not necessarily a bad thing for the Prime Minister to make contact with the Nine Gate Society. Such is the nature of diplomacy, after all.”
Seol Woon-hwi nodded in agreement.
“That may be true. However, the problem lies in the fact that he seeks to unilaterally sever existing cooperative relationships in the process. The Heavenly Righteousness Alliance has worked alongside Woon-guk officials on Woon-guk soil. The Nine Gate Society, by contrast, is an external force. Can we truly ignore this difference?”
The Crown Prince fell silent again. Seol Woon-hwi’s words were not wrong.
“What concerns me even more is that should the Nine Gate Society gain influence in Woon-guk, it could threaten the kingdom’s independence.”
“Independence?”
“The Nine Gate Society is among the most powerful factions in the Central Plains. They will stop at nothing to create an organization rivaling the Martial Alliance and the Four Heaven Alliance. To achieve this, they require the Imperial Court’s full support. As you know, King Yun Mu is in poor health, and Prime Minister An Wi-gwan governs state affairs alongside Prince Chin, your uncle. If matters stand thus now, what of the future?”
The Crown Prince’s expression grew increasingly grave. The concerns Seol Woon-hwi raised were precisely those that troubled him most.
“Since the matter has been broached, I must ask: what are your thoughts on the relationship between Prince Chin and the Prime Minister?”
This was an extraordinarily sensitive matter.
The Crown Prince glanced briefly at Kim Mu-jin and Jang Cheol-san.
Both men nodded, their expressions conveying understanding. As the Crown Prince’s closest confidants, they had already discussed such matters extensively.
“…To speak frankly, I harbor no small concern.”
The Crown Prince spoke in a heavy voice.
“My father grows old and his health fails. In such circumstances, the Prime Minister’s power grows ever stronger, and his relationship with Prince Chin grows increasingly complex.”
“Complex in what manner?”
“Prince Chin is my uncle, yet he has not been entirely excluded from the succession. Especially as my father grows weaker—if the Prime Minister were to support Prince Chin…”
The Crown Prince trailed off. There was no need to say more.
“Your Highness would lose the two northern provinces under your rule, and your position as Crown Prince as well.”
“…Yes.”
Seol Woon-hwi nodded. Now the situation had become clear.
“Your Highness, I believe the time has come for us to lay bare our true intentions to one another.”

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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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