I Obtained Guan Yu's Martial Arts - Chapter 53

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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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Guan Yu’s Martial Arts Obtained Episode 53
Ak Jinseong (3)
“…….”
Ak Jinseong stared at Guan Hui with eyes full of bewilderment.
‘What on earth is this man?’
Even as he returned to the pavilion and sat down, the questions swirling in his mind would not settle.
‘Should I have dodged?’
To his eyes, it had clearly been an attack he could block.
An attack that could be stopped with a single hand, let alone both.
From the boy’s expression right after the exchange, it seemed he too had expected to block it.
‘Is it because of that External Strength?’
That peculiar External Strength that turned the skin a deep jujube red.
It was no difficult matter to guess that this External Strength belonged to his ancestor Guan Gong.
The jujube-colored skin was virtually the trademark of Guan Yunchang itself.
‘Extraordinary martial training.’
It seemed to be a discipline that pulled external power to its absolute limits.
That monstrous External Strength had lifted even a hulking figure like Ak Jinseong clean off the ground.
In an age like this, where External Strength was neglected, it would surely shine all the brighter.
‘He’s not mere material to be buried in Shanxi Province.’
A glimmer of light crossed Ak Jinseong’s eyes as he shook off the shock of defeat.
He’d heard that the boy had already annihilated every Black Path villain and every hypocrite masquerading under the White Path banner within Shanxi Province.
That meant that despite his youth, he had already found his own code of honor and was practicing martial virtue.
Moreover, at an age barely past youth, he had climbed to the First Class realm entirely alone, without a master or patron—his future prospects were extraordinarily bright.
‘He will rise far.’
The age demands heroes, and genius always draws others into its radiance.
Ak Jinseong sensed with sudden clarity that the Guan Family Estate, a modest house in Yun City, would not be long in ascending to the ranks of the Guan Clan House—one of the great houses of the realm.
‘Perhaps this too is an opportunity Heaven has granted to this Ak Jinseong.’
Long ago, there was a great general—brilliant in his own right, yet lonely for the lack of comrades—who once happened upon a young man in the streets and took him as a companion.
Those around him condemned him for accepting someone so weak and unremarkable into his circle, yet the general held firm to his convictions and walked the path with the youth.
In time, that youth surpassed the general and became a master whose skill astounded the world.
The brilliant general, who had lacked mighty allies and whose power had been precarious, gained in that youth a force beyond measure—and became the hegemon of the northern reaches.
Martial artists speak of this tale only as a pretty story of brotherhood between men, worthy of praise. But merchants tell it differently.
Merchants speak of this very incident as proof of the importance of buying at the low point.
In other words, they say this story demonstrates how crucial it is to recognize and seize that opportunity when value is lowest.
‘With Guan as the Family Head, now is precisely the low point.’
Though he makes a name for himself in Shanxi Province and is called the greatest spearman of Shanxi, Shanxi itself has long been known as barren ground for martial training.
Moreover, though he is called the Martial Dragon—bearing the dragon symbol of a late-generation genius—even that title holds only within Shanxi Province.
He has not yet been counted among the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes, those recognized by all beyond Shanxi’s borders.
Yet from this brief exchange alone, Ak Jinseong could see that Guan Hui was in no way inferior to the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes.
In fact, in some respects, he may already surpass them.
In a Baido Competition where Internal Energy cannot be used, Guan Hui’s impossible Body Strength was surely a tremendous advantage and weapon.
‘In a Baido match, even I would have lost.’
Considering all these factors, establishing a connection with Guan Hui, the current Family Head of the Guan Clan, was an extraordinary opportunity for Ak Jinseong.
Of course, it was an unfortunate beginning, with the broken door and his harsh words.
“Let’s have another round in a moment.”
“……Pardon?”
“I’ll teach you properly this time.”
With his thoughts settled, Ak Jinseong moved at once to action.
This time, he resolved to truly instruct Guan Hui—using both his Internal Energy and his spear.
For a martial artist, enlightenment is worth more than gold and rare medicines alike.
And to Guan Hui, who stood so near the Peak Realm, the enlightenment of a master at the absolute peak would be worth more than anything.
“Understood.”
Guan Hui nodded without hesitation.
He too had felt disappointment that the earlier exchange ended so quickly.
“Let us dine first, though.”
Guan Hui maintained his position as host and poured the Bamboo Leaf Clear into Ak Jinseong’s cup.
Ak Jinseong, in turn pouring the Bamboo Leaf Clear into Guan Hui’s cup, gazed at his own with eyes full of anticipation.
Seeing this transparent liquid suffused with a subtle jade green, his heart quickened.
The shame from his bewildering defeat moments before had long since vanished from his mind.
In truth, he was not the sort of man to harbor such feelings for long, nor to nurse a grudge.
“Then I’ll have a taste.”
“Of course. Please, help yourself.”
Guan Hui watched Ak Jinseong with a tense expression.
‘I hope it’s good.’
He’d invested considerable money in this Bamboo Leaf Clear venture.
He’d trusted the Chief Steward’s word and taken the plunge, but doubt still gnawed at him.
If this Bamboo Leaf Clear proved mediocre, the Guan Family Estate’s new enterprise would collapse spectacularly.
Of course, he was debt-free now and had the generous patronage of Ji Daein, so business failure wouldn’t cripple him.
Yet if they all labored to launch their first venture only to see it fail, wouldn’t everyone’s hearts break?
‘I’m sick of heartbreak.’
He’d endured enough sorrow, misfortune, and calamity.
Now he wanted only smooth sailing and success—and even that felt like too little, coming too late.
So Guan Hui prayed this Bamboo Leaf Clear would be good.
Nothing more, nothing less—just good enough that Ak Jinseong, a notorious wine connoisseur, would approve.
That would be enough for this business to keep them fed.
“Hmm…….”
Ak Jinseong’s brow narrowed as he sipped the Bamboo Leaf Clear.
His face creased as if in deep contemplation, his eyes closed.
“Is the wine… not to your liking, sir?”
“Heh!…….”
Instead of answering, Ak Jinseong tilted his head to gaze at the night sky.
Lost in thought, the moonlight pooling in his eyes, he remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking.
“I’ve never had Bamboo Leaf Clear like this before.”
“In a positive sense?”
“Hmm. No.”
“I see.”
Guan Hui tried hard to mask his disappointment.
Business failure stung, but one shouldn’t expect miracles on the first attempt.
He was already thinking ahead—either to brewing a new batch or seeking another venture entirely.
“Positive doesn’t quite capture it. This is an exceptional wine.”
“……!?”
“We usually count Bamboo Leaf Clear among the renowned wines, but in truth, we don’t actually call it one.”
The Central Plains recognized the Top Ten Famous Wines, and Bamboo Leaf Clear had never belonged to that list.
“But at this quality, it deserves to be ranked among them. A truly wondrous wine.”
Though Ak Jinseong had traveled the length and breadth of the Central Plains, tasting nearly every renowned wine there was, he’d never encountered anything like this.
“This wine carries the aura of a martial master.”
“An aura?”
“Yes. I’d call it the ‘Force to Move Mountains, Aura to Cover the World.’ The finish—after the bamboo’s clean, crisp notes—embodies that perfectly.”
Force to Move Mountains, Aura to Cover the World.
Strength enough to uproot mountains, an aura vast enough to blanket the world.
In other words, a presence so overwhelming it could shake the earth itself.
“Did someone train in this Bamboo Grove?”
“Yes. The Family Heads of the Guan Clan, myself included, have all cultivated here.”
“……! Ah, now it makes sense!”
Ak Jinseong clapped his hands together as understanding flooded through him.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“When a martial master trains, the aura they emit doesn’t simply dissipate.”
Qi exists in all things under heaven and earth.
Not only do spiritual creatures carry qi; not only do rare herbs harbor it.
“Everything bears qi, and everything imbued with qi naturally absorbs other qi around it.”
The same holds true for the aura a martial master releases while cultivating.
When the Internal Energy humans refine in their dantian radiates outward, that aura lingers in nature.
“The plums from Mount Hua are excellent for much the same reason—the Essential Qi carried by the Daoist masters there has seeped into the very plum blossoms.”
“Ah……!”
Understanding dawned on Guan Hui, and he nodded.
“The aura from my family’s unique martial arts remained in this grove.”
“Exactly. The aura dwelling in your ancestor’s martial legacy—that’s the secret of this wine’s taste. Of course, the Chief Steward’s skill in processing the bamboo and crafting the brew deserves equal credit.”
“Does this mean the Black Path practitioners cannot achieve the same?”
Ak Jinseong twisted his expression in disgust and nodded firmly.
“The foul aura of those corrupt dogs is rejected by nature itself. And the same applies to White Path practitioners of shallow foundation, not just those wretches.”
“So not all of it hinges on the Path of White, then.”
“Exactly. May I have another bottle?”
Only now did Guan Hui notice that Ak Jinseong had finished an entire bottle of Bamboo Leaf Clear on his own.
“Of course. Please, drink as much as you wish.”
Guan Hui nodded and poured wine into the empty cup before him.
“You mean to sell it?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll be wealthy.”
“Do you think it will succeed?”
“Without question. Any ordinary merchant house that gains exclusive distribution of this wine will become the premier trading company in the province.”
A drunkard knows the value of fine wine.
Ak Jinseong saw through the worth of this Bamboo Leaf Clear with perfect clarity.
“Let me offer you some advice. Before you begin selling this wine in earnest, you need to make your name known far and wide.”
“……?”
Guan Hui tilted his head at words he did not quite understand.
“This venture will earn you vast sums of money. Which means you’ll have every petty scoundrel in the region swarming around you like flies.”
In the Central Plains, success was difficult not because the threshold was high, but because obstacles clustered thick around you.
The moment someone began their climb to prosperity, they would be set upon—Black Path or White Path made no difference—by those desperate to steal or destroy it.
“Then I simply fight them.”
Ak Jinseong shook his head firmly.
“You can’t fight them all. No matter how strong you are, you can’t cut down thousands of flies with a single stroke.”
“……I see.”
Guan Hui mulled over his words before speaking again.
“How would you handle it?”
A swarm of petty scoundrels didn’t frighten him at all.
Yet he was troubled.
While he himself was ready to face any enemy, not all of his retainers had reached that level of readiness.
They needed more time to grow before they could stand against the world’s adversaries.
“Like I said—make your name known. If you reach a level that can’t be dismissed, the number of flies that dare swarm around you shrinks dramatically.”
Once the number of pests dwindled, the rest became simple.
Kill one or two as examples, brutally, and the rest would scatter in terror.
Life mattered more than opportunity, after all.
“They call you the Martial Dragon now, don’t they?”
“Yes. The people of Shanxi Province gave me that epithet as a mark of honor.”
Guan Hui knew well that only eight could bear the titles of dragon and phoenix in all the Central Plains.
That was why he hadn’t been wholly pleased when he first heard the name Martial Dragon.
He understood that the epithet would only bring him more trouble.
“A dragon’s epithet and this Bamboo Leaf Clear. Already you have two reasons for trouble to find you.”
To Ak Jinseong’s jest, Guan Hui replied with steady calm.
“Then I’ll smash all of it.”
“An excellent answer. I like it. I think the same way.”
Ak Jinseong was much like Guan Hui in this regard.
He was not the type to lay elaborate schemes or turn every problem over in his mind.
If there was a boulder in his path, he smashed it rather than go around—that was the kind of man Ak Jinseong was.
“But tell me—wouldn’t it still be tiresome? Having flies swarm at you every day?”
“Yes. It would grow tiresome.”
Hearing this, Ak Jinseong’s mouth curved into a smile.
“I happen to have a way to solve both of these troubles at once. Would you be interested?”

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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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