I Obtained Guan Yu's Martial Arts - Chapter 22

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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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Obtained Guan Yu’s Martial Art 022
Blue Dragon Peak (2)
“Hmm.”
A rather brilliant scheme had formed in the mind of Hou, known as the Cloud Fox.
Jang Seong’s pupils trembled sideways as he listened to it.
Anticipation filled his gaze.
“A fine plan indeed.”
“Heh. I am the Cloud Fox, after all, Master.”
“But can you truly pull it off?”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
Hou struck his chest firmly, twice, as if to say trust only in him.
‘This is my chance.’
He had come from Heukdo, but his talent had earned him an opportunity to serve the Anmun Jangga instead of facing death.
Yet even now, those within the Anmun Jangga did not trust him, and the elders looked upon him with displeasure.
He could lose his head at any moment if things continued as they were.
To overcome this precarious situation, he needed the trust of Jang Seong, wielder of the Jeol-Young Sword.
As the eldest son and family master, Jang Seong maintained deep connections with the higher ranks of the Guan Family, and thus could reshape Hou’s position within the clan.
‘I’ll cripple Guan Hui and ride on Jang Seong’s coattails.’
His eyes, brimming with ambition, fixed upon Jang Seong.
What did it matter if some third-rate martial artist lost the use of his limbs? The world would hardly notice.
If sacrificing such a man meant someone of talent like himself could survive and thrive, then the world would gain from it.
“Good.”
Tap.
Jang Seong placed a satisfied smile on his face and rested his hand on Hou’s shoulder.
“But as a martial artist of Baekdo like ourselves, must you cripple your opponent?”
“Ah… then how far should I go, Master?”
Jang Seong’s eyes grew colder than the wind from the Northern Sea.
“Kill him.”

* * *
“What is this? This uncomfortable feeling?”
Guan Hui tilted his head and scratched his ear.
For some reason, he felt something strange.
It was like someone was cursing him to death from afar.
“Hmm. It’s probably nothing.”
Guan Hui shrugged it off without concern.
There were far more pressing matters demanding his attention than this inexplicable feeling.
“The Blue Dragon Staff, then…”
Guan Hui stroked his beard with a peculiar expression on his face.
The stubble he had been growing for over a month had lengthened to touch his collarbone.
“I must go.”
This was no trifle—it was a family heirloom.
A treasure that proved a clan’s legitimate succession, a relic imbued with the deeds of ancestors.
Such a precious treasure appearing in the world, and in an Underground Fighting Arena of all places—run by those Heukdo dogs—he could not simply stand by and watch.
“But Young Master, I fear it is far too dangerous.”
Guan Namcheon’s gaze fell, and he shook his head as if surrendering to the sentiment.
No matter how he thought about it, the danger was too great.
The fights that took place in Heukdo’s underground arena were of a different nature from the martial contests of Baekdo.
They were fundamentally life-or-death matches, where contestants would stop at nothing to kill their opponent.
Poisoning the air, throwing hidden weapons—anything from that was fair. Some even targeted vital points like the solar plexus and eyes, and it was not uncommon for combatants to be poisoned before the match even began.
“A family heirloom is not valuable enough to wager the Young Master’s life upon.”
“It was once wielded by our ancestor, the great general. It is the origin of the Green Dragon Moon Blade.”
“Forgive me, but it is merely a weapon. The clan can manage well enough without it. Yet without the Young Master, our family cannot move at all.”
“That is…”
“And I confess, I do not think our ancestor, the great general, was all that remarkable.”
“…Pardon?”
“Of course, I do not deny his accomplishment as a general. But what good does that do? He left nothing of value to our clan.”
“…”
Guan Hui found himself gauging the expression of Guan Yu without meaning to.
Everything he was hearing, Guan Yu could hear as well.
—Don’t worry about it. It’s only natural.
Guan Yu believed that if Guan Namcheon harbored resentment as a descendant of the Guan Family, that too was inevitable.
After all, it was true that he had prioritized two sworn brothers and Shu-Han over his own family and clan.
“The weapons of an ancestor who neglected the family are worthless compared to a clan head who sacrifices his life for the family’s sake. I beg you to refrain from such talk.”
“Chamberlain.”
“Yes, Clan Head.”
Guan Hui asked with a gentle smile.
“Do you trust me?”
“That goes without saying. I trust you enough to offer my life.”
Not only Guan Namcheon, but everyone currently in the Guan Family followed Guan Hui with genuine loyalty.
It was not mere hierarchical obedience, but devotion born of the heart.
Such a thing was exceedingly rare even among the countless families of the Central Plains.
Earning one person’s sincerity was harder than anything else.
“Then trust me and wait. I’ll retrieve the staff from those Heukdo dogs soon enough.”
“…Clan Head.”
“Not because it belonged to an ancestor. I need it for myself.”
When Guan Hui even mentioned the broken Green Dragon Moon Blade, Guan Namcheon found himself at a loss for words.
“But Clan Head, we can procure another weapon instead. Or even repair the current one.”
“An ordinary weapon cannot withstand my strength. Surely you understand that.”
……
Guan Namcheon, struggling to find a rebuttal, nodded heavily.
“Understood. Then… take Miss Huang with you.”
“That won’t do. She’s needed to help with your affairs.”
While Guan Hui moved about busily from place to place, Guan Namcheon filled his own life with his own cares.
He was building business ventures in partnership with several merchant companies, and he was receiving assistance from Huang Xiaoxiao in the process.
She was the eldest daughter of the Huang Family, renowned both as an exceptional archer and a merchant house—making her an excellent bodyguard as well as a keen-eyed businesswoman.
“Don’t worry. I’ll manage well enough alone.”

* * *
After finishing his conversation with the chamberlain, Guan Hui headed straight for the Practice Yard.
It was time for his daily training regimen.
“Now that I think about it, going to the Underground Fighting Arena would help my cultivation a great deal.”
—It would. You’ve had almost no real training lately.
“I did train for four hours today, though.”
—Training alone is not true training.
Like a general of his era, Guan Yu held views quite different from modern times.
He recognized only actual combat or its equivalent—anything else was not training in his eyes.
—My martial knowledge is far more practical than what you’re learning now. Just as a sword grows dull without sharpening, without real combat you will regress.
“I’d like to increase my real combat experience too, but it’s not easy.”
Guan Hui wasn’t averse to training through combat.
It was simply that opportunities were few.
‘There aren’t many opponents at my level.’
Currently, Guan Hui stood at the pinnacle of Second-Class Martial Artist.
Yet in actual combat, he could trade dozens of blows with Jang Seong, a First-Class master.
This meant that in a city with only two First-Class masters—
Well, now only one, there were precious few worthy opponents.
‘But I can’t just pick fights with anyone outside, either.’
Though the Guan Family was modest in size, it was a legitimate Baekdo house.
A clan head of such a Baekdo family couldn’t go about challenging people to duels everywhere.
All Guan Hui could do was refine his forms, wield the Green Dragon Moon Blade relentlessly, and use the ordinary methods of cultivation to gain insight.
—You’ll reach First-Class soon enough.
“Yes, I feel it too.”
Thanks to harsh training and real combat, Guan Hui had reached the threshold of First-Class Martial Artist in merely two months.
Considering that ordinary martial artists typically needed five to ten years to reach that realm, it was an astonishing pace.
Truly, the mark of a Heavenly Martial Physique.
—Don’t forget: the most essential thing to become First-Class is Sword-Body Unity.
“Yes, I will keep it in mind.”
The state where sword and body become one.
Simply put, it meant wielding one’s weapon with the same freedom and ease as one’s own limbs.
To pursue this cultivation, Guan Hui now carried the Green Dragon Moon Blade with him everywhere—even to sleep, even to the privy.
“Are you leaving now, Family Head?”
Guan Yoosang, one of the Guan Family’s household members, approached.
His body, still glistening with sweat from his recent training, was soaked through.
“Yes. I’m going to retrieve the family heirloom.”
“……I still don’t fully understand, but please, take care of yourself.”
Like Guan Namcheon, all the household members opposed Guan Hui going to the Underground Fighting Arena.
Their reason was simple: entangling with those despicable, cowardly Heukdo thugs could lead to who knew what.
To them, Guan Hui was far more precious than a mere object, no matter how valuable.
“Don’t worry. I’ll return without a scratch. In the meantime, I entrust the family to your care.”
“I will protect it with all my strength, Family Head.”
“Good. I’m counting on you. But who’s that fellow over there?”
Guan Hui’s gaze shifted to the young man bound tightly with rope.
The shaggy-haired youth, whose buckteeth jutted out even when his mouth was closed, bore the marks of a thorough beating—both eyes swollen dark as chestnuts.
“Ah, this one’s name is Zhu Hu. He’s a notorious pickpocket in this neighborhood.”
“A pickpocket?”
“Yes. This madman came to rob our family yesterday.”
“……He’s genuinely insane?”
Guan Hui was at a loss for words.
Where else could he have robbed that he’d come after the Guan Family?
There’d be nothing but dust to steal.
“He’d find more worth taking if he broke into a beggar’s den instead.”
“Still, the man has considerable skill. More than a few people in Yunseong have fallen victim to him.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Yes. We wouldn’t have caught him without you, Family Head.”
“Me?”
Guan Hui tilted his head in confusion.
I didn’t do anything.
“His Lightness Skill was too Divine and Wondrous to predict, so we couldn’t catch him. Then your Green Dragon Moon Blade struck him and he lost consciousness.”
“Ah!”
The night before, Guan Hui had been training too intensely and accidentally lost his grip, dropping the Green Dragon Moon Blade.
The blade had flown through the air and slammed directly into Zhu Hu’s head.
“Only an idiot gets caught like an idiot.”
It was fortunate he was using a wooden Green Dragon Moon Blade instead of the silver one that had broken.
Otherwise, that pickpocket’s skull would have been crushed clean through.
“…….”
Zhu Hu’s face flushed crimson, and he hung his head without any rebuttal.
‘It was pretty idiotic, I’ll admit.’
Even by his own measure, the way he’d been caught was embarrassingly stupid.
It wasn’t often that a pickpocket got caught in such a ridiculous fashion.
“Ah, Family Head. Since you’re going anyway, why not take this fellow with you?”
“This one?”
“He’s from Heukdo, so he should be quite familiar with their world.”
“He could escape, though, couldn’t he?”
“All his accumulated wealth is in my possession. Since I’ve hidden it, he has no choice.”
Guan Yoosang kicked at Zhu Hu’s shin as he asked.
“Isn’t that right?”
“Ugh! So a Baekdo martial artist can steal from others!?”
“What?”
“Stealing from an unconscious man like a coward! Let’s fight fairly—one more time!”
“……Are you insane? So stealing when someone’s awake is acceptable?”
Guan Yoosang was dumbfounded.
Theft while unconscious was a crime, but theft while conscious was legitimate?
What sort of law was this, anyway?
‘This one’s mind works in an entirely peculiar way.’
A flicker of interest passed through Guan Hui’s eyes as he regarded Zhu Hu.
Seeing such audacity, it seemed taking him along might prove quite useful.
His instinct told him so.
“That’s a decent idea.”
Intrigued, Guan Hui seized the rope binding Zhu Hu.
“Ugh!”
Zhu Hu’s face twisted in agony under the crushing force of that grip.
“If there were an expert, things would be easier.”
The ecosystem of Heukdo was still unfamiliar to him, and having someone versed in its ways would have been preferable.
Guan Hui had lived among the Heukdo crowd himself, but he couldn’t know the intricacies of this pickpocket like the man did.
“Fine. Then I’ll be taking this mad pickpocket with me.”
“Wait, hold on. What about my say?! I don’t want to go! Let me go. Please, let me go!”
“You’re too loud.”
Thump!—
Guan Hui threw a casual punch, his fist connecting sharply with Zhu Hu’s jaw.
But his innate Divine Strength was so overwhelming that Zhu Hu’s jaw snapped to the side, and one of his front teeth went skittering across the floor.
He’d lost consciousness, which was a mercy. Otherwise, he would have had quite the fit.
A missing front tooth makes anyone look disreputable.
“Then I should be on my way.”
With that, Guan Hui set off toward the Underground Fighting Arena in Yunseong, Zhu Hu in tow.
The meeting of Zhu Hu and Guan Hui—who would later be known as the Shadowless Divine Thief—began in this very way.

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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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