I Obtained Guan Yu's Martial Arts - Chapter 32

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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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Obtaining Guan Hui’s Martial Prowess · Episode 32
Yang Family (2)
Shanxi Province. Taiyuan.
Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi, had earned a reputation for its immaculate streets.
There was not a scrap of litter to be found, nor a single beggar anywhere in sight.
The marketplace was so pristine that one might have thought the Emperor himself had paid a visit.
“Hmm. Not bad at all.”
A middle-aged man with his hands clasped behind his back surveyed the streets with the keen gaze of a hawk.
He walked with a long spear held like a walking staff—Yang Wu-won, the master of the Yang Family, known by his martial name as Cloud Valley Spear.
“Just this afternoon we swept again, and when one of those street vagrants showed his face, we gave him a proper beating, sir.”
“At least you’ve been useful for once.”
The elderly man walking beside Yang Wu-won watched him warily out of the corner of his eye.
His gaze was clouded with anxiety, fearful that some harsh rebuke might fall at any moment.
“But what is that?”
“Sir?”
Yang Wu-won’s spear point indicated a spot along the street.
A broom lay carelessly balanced against the wall of a narrow alley entrance.
“I—I’m terribly sorry. We were sweeping until dawn, and I couldn’t help but doze off, I—”
Thunk!—
Yang Wu-won’s spear pierced straight through the old man’s heart.
“Gack……”
The old man died without even managing a proper cry.
Yang Wu-won gazed down at the corpse with indifferent eyes.
“Clean it up before the blood spreads.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
The household servants who had been following quietly hurried forward.
Managing to stop the blood before it stained the ground, they lifted the body and vanished into the distance.
Their movements were far too practiced—they had done this many times before.
“Yun-sang.”
“…Yes, Father.”
Yang Yun-sang, Yang Wu-won’s only son and a brilliant Second-generation Expert in his own right.
Resembling his father, he possessed sharp, hawk-like eyes and an aquiline nose.
“I’ve been hearing some troublesome rumors lately.”
“…I apologize, Father.”
Rumors that weighed on the mind of Taiyuan’s First Spear, Yang Wu-won.
Those rumors concerned the most outstanding Second-generation Expert in Shanxi Province.
“There is no family in Shanxi that could be called an Aristocratic Power Family. The finest household in all of Shanxi is ours—the Yang Family.”
The Yang Family, which had long held positions in the military, possessed influence disproportionate to its size.
Moreover, since Yang Wu-won had become the family patriarch, vast wealth had come into his hands as well.
His method of using political connections to crush his competitors had proven most effective.
“For the Yang Family to be called the Divine Spear Yang Family, we must be first-rate in every regard. Is that not so?”
“…Yes, Father. That is indeed so.”
“Then why do people call other men—and not just one, but two—the finest Second-generation Experts of Shanxi? How is that possible?”
“…I apologize. It is my shortcoming, Father.”
“Tsk.”
Yang Wu-won clicked his tongue at the sight of his son bowing so readily, even before his own father.
A true man must have backbone.
Yet where could such mettle be found in this son of his?
“Have you looked into these men?”
“Yes, Father. One is Zhang Cheng, the eldest son of the Anwen Family, also known as Shadowless Blade.”
“The eldest of Zhang Bai-kyung’s line, I take it. I hear his younger brother died not long ago?”
“Yes, Father. And the man who killed that younger brother is the other one in question.”
A glimmer of intrigue crossed Yang Wu-won’s gaze.
“The dead man’s martial skill was roughly comparable to yours, was it not?”
“Yes, Father. He was First-rate Master tier, same as I.”
“Interesting. What is the name of the one who killed that man from the Anwen Family?”
“His name is Guan Hui. In Yuncheng of late, they call him…the Martial Dragon.”
Huff!—
Yang Wu-won attempted to suppress the laughter that burst forth, but it was too absurd to contain.
“Ha-hahahaha! The Martial Dragon? A fellow who made a name for himself in some backwater town dares to use the word ‘dragon’ in his alias?”
In all of the Central Plains, there are only five Second-generation Experts audacious enough to bear the names of dragon and phoenix in their aliases.
The Five Dragons Three Phoenixes—called the greatest Second-generation Experts in the Central Plains.
Without being among them, anyone who dared append dragon or phoenix to their name was nothing but a laughingstock.
“Absurd. To think the second son of Zhang Cheng was killed by such a fool.”
Yang Wu-won shook his head slowly.
One look at that ridiculous alias made the man’s caliber transparent.
The second of the Zhang Family must have simply gotten lucky in killing him.
After all, the louder a man’s bluster, the weaker his true skill.
“He is not to be underestimated, sir. It is said he alone destroyed the Black Flame Sect, Blood River Sect, and Chaos Bond Sect—the three dark sects of Yuncheng.”
“Nonsense. Clearly he set the three against each other and reaped the fisherman’s reward.”
“Ah…!”
Yang Yun-sang’s pupils dilated as understanding dawned on him.
“Of course. That makes far more sense, Father.”
“Don’t let rumors sweep you away. Think for yourself.”
“I apologize, Father.”
“Hmm. In any case, have you sent letters to both of them?”
“Yes, Father. I sent them two days ago by messenger.”
“Well done. Do not forget that you must show them our mettle when you meet them there.”
“Yes, Father. I will do my utmost.”
“……Tsk.”
Yang Wu-won clicked his tongue at his son’s spiritless response.
“At this rate, I wonder if you can defeat either one of them.”
To invite them and then lose would be the greatest shame imaginable.
Watching his son, Yang Wu-won found himself wondering whether the boy might actually fall to them.
Yet he did not worry.
‘I can handle them myself if need be.’
If his son lost to them, they would vanish from Taiyuan along with the whispers of their victory.

* * *
“A letter has come for whom, did you say?”
Guan Hui, absorbed in his training, came to a halt with his Azure Dragon Staff.
“You should see it directly, sir—it will be faster.”
Chong-gwan, inwardly marveling at the taut musculature where each fiber was distinctly visible, handed over the letter.
“Hmm.”
Guan Hui set the Azure Dragon Staff down from his hands for a moment.
Boom!—
The staff, weighing a hundred and eighty jin, crashed to the ground with a sound like an artillery shell.
The blue stone of the training yard cracked under the weight it could not bear.
“…….”
Chong-gwan’s eyebrows rose as his eyes widened.
He could not help but feel impressed anew at Guan Hui, who wielded such a staff without pause for hours on end.
“The families wish to hold a banquet together.”
“The Yang Family is requesting this?”
“Yes. Haven’t you read it?”
“It was addressed to the head of our house, so I did not presume to open it.”
“Here, read it. It’s fine.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Chong-gwan took the letter and his eyes moved swiftly across the characters.
“Well, this tone…….”
Having finished reading, Chong-gwan’s brow furrowed.
“Utterly disrespectful, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. Exceedingly arrogant. Reading this, one might think I am an emperor myself.”
The letter from Yang Wu-won, head of the Yang Family, contained merely a simple invitation for the prominent families of Shanxi Province to gather together.
Yet within those words, he had overtly belittled both the Guan Family and the Anwen Family, while exalting the Yang Family.
Moreover, the closing of the letter contained this passage:
-I trust you would not commit the foolishness of declining an invitation from our Yang Family-
“I have heard rumors of the Yang Family’s head being arrogant, but this exceeds my imagination.”
“And the date is only one day away. Considering the time needed to reach Taiyuan…….”
“We must depart at once.”
“Indeed, sir.”
An invitation no different than an ultimatum—with no consideration for a short deadline.
It was essentially the same as telling him to come with his head bowed.
Crunch.
Chong-gwan crumpled the letter in his rough grip.
“There’s no need to go, Lord. The best response to their arrogance is silence.”
“Hmm. No, I disagree.”
Guan Hui, who had been deliberating, gripped the Azure Dragon Staff once more.
“Yes, Lord?”
“They’ve extended an invitation. Let’s go and see what they want.”
Guan Hui felt a spark of curiosity kindle within him.
The Yang Family was one of the targets the Guan Family would eventually have to face.
Without becoming the foremost family in Shanxi Province, the Guan Family could never rise to the rank of an Aristocratic Power Family.
“I’ll use this chance to observe them and return with a better measure of who they are.”
To stand against an enemy, one must know that enemy well.
Guan Hui resolved to observe the Yang Family carefully during this visit.
“Understood, Lord. I shall prepare the men.”
“No need for any grand show. It’s only the Yang Family. I’ll take just one person.”
“Who might that be, Lord?”
Guan Hui’s gaze drifted toward the training grounds. Chong-gwan naturally turned his head to follow that direction.
“……?”
Zhu Ho, who had been nibbling on a cake he’d pilfered from the kitchen in a quiet corner, tilted his head in bewilderment at the sudden weight of two pairs of eyes upon him.
“……Would you like some?”

* * *
“Why me, of all people?”
Zhu Ho grumbled as they made their way toward Taiyuan.
He hadn’t even fully recovered from his exhaustion at the Black Flame Sect, and the prospect of another journey rubbed him the wrong way.
“Quiet.”
“There are plenty of other people. Please, I need rest.”
“…….”
Guan Hui fixed Zhu Ho with a sharp gaze aimed at the top of his head.
‘Should I just punch him once and be done with it?’
The thought crossed his mind, but this time he decided persuasion would be more merciful.
One had to offer the carrot sometimes. The whip alone wouldn’t do.
“You’re the right one for this. You’ve picked up plenty of knowledge from the streets.”
“Heh…… hehehehe. If that’s the reason, there’s no talent quite like this Zhu Ho.”
Zhu Ho’s mood lifted.
His mood lifted considerably.
So much so that his cheeks trembled with delight.
“Hehe. Hehehehe. I always knew you’d come to appreciate this Zhu Ho someday.”
“Right.”
“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll serve you with all my heart! Trust only in this Zhu Ho!”
Guan Hui nodded as he watched Zhu Ho, heedless of shame, thrust his fist toward the heavens in triumph.
‘Yes. Thank you.’
“Fool.”
……”
Watching Zhu Ho’s shoulders slump, Guan Hui scratched the back of his head.
His true feelings slipped out unbidden, and there was nothing he could do about it.
“We’ve arrived, Lord.”
After a long walk, an imposing manor came into view before Guan Hui and Zhu Ho.
“Faster than I expected.”
“I took a shortcut I know.”
Zhu Ho seized the opening to praise himself and came to a halt.
Guan Hui, who had been following close behind, naturally stopped as well.
“Ah…… isn’t that……”
Zhu Ho’s gaze fixed on the gates of the Yang Family manor.
Before the imposing gates, a sharp-featured and handsome young man was engaged in a dispute with the gatekeeper.
“Isn’t that Zhang Cheng, also known as Absolute Blade?”
“Zhang Cheng? Who is that?”
“A quite renowned master from Anwen. He…… he’s from the Anwen Family. The one who sent that head.”
“Hmm.”
Guan Hui’s gaze, which had been tilted thoughtfully, turned toward the young man.
From him emanated quite a refined Aura.
A well-cultivated energy—at first glance, it seemed to match Guan Hui’s own level.
‘Anwen Family. Said to be that Zhang fellow’s elder brother.’
Guan Hui’s eyes as he regarded Zhang Cheng grew calm and measured.
The warriors of the Anwen Family who had been discovered alongside those Black Flame Sect dogs some time ago had, after investigation, turned out to be the work of a Black Flame Sect thug called Zhu Ho—and the matter was closed.
‘Enemy or not, I wonder.’
But he still didn’t know whether the upper echelons of the Anwen Family had been involved in that affair.
Yet something in him said they weren’t enemies.
The Aura he sensed was so clean and proper—utterly different from that Zhang fellow.
“What nonsense is this! Weren’t you here by invitation?”
“Well, yes. But we invited the Family Head, not some minor branch lord, did we?”
“Bah! The Family Head told us he couldn’t attend due to pressing matters of state. Have you lost your mind?”
“The only one who’s lost theirs is the one causing trouble outside someone else’s gate.”
“Do you have any idea who I am—!”
“Do you have any idea where you are!”
Zhang Cheng, thrown back his own words, ground them between his teeth with barely suppressed fury.
‘This cursed gatekeeper…’
Part of him wanted to simply draw his Long Blade and cut the man’s throat.
But one could not throw a tantrum after arriving by invitation.
To do so would invite not only the Yang Family’s retaliation, but the scorn of all society.
“Fine. Open the gate at once. Go tell them the Anwen Family’s young lord, Zhang Cheng, has arrived.”
“You fool! Do you think this is Anwen? This is Taiyuan—Shanxi Province’s capital! No one enters without permission!”
Crack—
Zhang Cheng’s clenched fist trembled as he fought to contain his rage.
“What’s his problem? They invite him and then act mad?”
Guan Hui tilted his head in bewilderment.
But Zhu Ho merely folded his arms and let out a dry chuckle, as if he’d already figured it all out.
“Obvious. It’s a form of psychological intimidation. They’re trying to crush his spirit before he even enters.”
“I see.”
“But that’s usually the sort of thing Black Flame Sect dogs do. Seeing the Yang Family stoop to it is rather surprising.”
“Don’t be charmed. They’ll do the same to us, no doubt.”
It was entertaining to watch someone else suffer, but hardly amusing when the boot was on your own foot.
Guan Hui had no intention of being played by such obvious games.
“Hehe. Brother. Who am I? A strategic genius. The Guan Family’s hidden brain. Your one and only—”
“Pickpocket?”
“…Military strategist, is it not?”
Zhu Ho’s face fell slightly, and he puffed out his lower lip.
“I have a good idea. Would you prefer not to hear it?”
“No. I’d like to hear it. Let’s have it.”
“Hehe. You’ll be amazed when you do. Now then…”

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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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