I Obtained Guan Yu's Martial Arts - Chapter 58

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Obtained Guan Yu’s Martial Arts — Episode 058
The Cho Siblings (3)
“Mm-hmm.”
A woman as pale and crystalline as a white magnolia petal hummed softly as she examined the fabric shop.
In the Central Plains, the weave and quality of silk differed subtly from city to city, and she had made a habit of visiting fabric shops to study the variations.
“There’s so much lovely work here.”
She ran her fingers across a bolt of Yellow Silk that reminded her of forsythia blooms.
The texture was so soft it would have served well as sleeping wear.
“Do you have garments made from this?”
“Yes, Miss. Right this way.”
“Oh.”
When Cho Seol saw the yellow dresses, a spark of interest kindled in her eyes.
“How much?”
“This one is rather dear, Miss. You’d need to give a Silver Coin at least.”
“Hmm.”
Cho Seol studied the Fabric Shop Owner with a glance.
The way he averted his eyes, his barely concealed unease—it was unmistakably price gouging.
Fleecing outsiders was common enough, and after suffering it countless times, she could spot it at a glance.
“Very well. I understand.”
Though she recognized the markup, Cho Seol readily produced a Silver Coin and placed it on the counter.
‘Everyone needs a lucky day now and then.’
She received gifts from the men around her often enough to be quite comfortable.
Since she herself had been blessed by fortune because of her face, shouldn’t this modest fabric shop owner get a stroke of luck once in a while?
“I’ll take all of them.”
“All—all of these, Miss?”
“Yes. Everything made from this Yellow Silk.”
There was no telling when she would return to Shanxi Province.
Rather than leave it to regret, she decided to purchase every dress made from this silk.
Money was plentiful enough; it was hardly a concern.
“Well then, I’ll just take three Silver Coins.”
“Only that much?”
Cho Seol pursed her cherry-red lips and tilted her head in confusion.
Six silk dresses for three Silver Coins—suddenly?
“That is… well…”
The Fabric Shop Owner scratched the back of his head in apparent distress.
He couldn’t bring himself to admit that because she’d bought so much, he was giving her the original price after all.
“The markup is fine.”
She smiled with a faint chuckle and laid six Silver Coins on the counter.
“Everyone deserves a lucky day sometimes. Please have the dresses sent to the inn ahead. I’m staying there.”
“Th-thank you so much, Miss!”
With a light step, Cho Seol left the shop and made her way back to the Icitep Inn.
Having bought so many fine clothes, who could blame her for her good mood?
A humming escaped her lips unbidden.
“…Hm?”
Cho Seol paused as she opened the inn’s door.
The atmosphere was far heavier and more oppressive than any ordinary inn ought to be.
“…”
She lifted her head calmly and took in the scene.
Cho Ryang, radiating Killing Intent and bellowing threats—and common folk on their knees before him, trembling in terror.
In an instant, she grasped the full context.
“Cho Ryang. Have you lost your mind? What in the world are you doing?”
“You’re here. Look—these worms dared compare themselves to us, to a Yun City authority figure, and to…”
“Are you in your right mind? You’re projecting Killing Intent at ordinary civilians who haven’t even trained in Martial Arts?”
Cho Seol fixed her brother with a cutting stare.
“I told you never to do this again. What are you, following the Black Path? What are you thinking?”
“…Listen. These dogs dared speak the name of the Six Dragons and Three Peaks. Did you expect me not to rage?”
As Cho Ryang bristled with indignation, the chill in Cho Seol’s eyes deepened.
She exhaled a coldness as sharp and biting as the northern wind, her voice a warning.
“Don’t ever do this again. I’ve warned you clearly. If you pull this stunt once more, I’ll report it to the Family Head.”
“…Damn it. My own blood won’t help me—only threatens me?”
“Quiet. I already warned you.”
Her ice-blue eyes bore down on Cho Ryang as she traced her hand through the empty air several times.
The Killing Intent that had filled the inn began to disperse, and the color returned to the common folk’s faces.
“I’m so sorry, everyone. My brother got a bit carried away.”
Cho Seol bowed deeply in apology, her manner a stark contrast to her brother’s.
Cho Ryang merely stood with his arms folded, looking thoroughly displeased.
He hadn’t apologized to the inn’s guests at all.
“……Let’s go if we’re done here.”
“Where are we going now?”
“Don’t ask obvious questions.”
Cho Ryang bared his canine teeth and ground them together.
“We’re going to see the face of that third-rate martial clan’s Family Head.”

* * *
“Here it is, sir.”
Gu Man set down the stack of documents he’d carefully brought in.
“Good. Much obliged.”
Zhu Hu, who had taken on the role of strategist for the Guan Family Estate, spoke as he read through the documents.
“I knew something like this would happen eventually. But it’s come faster than I expected.”
“Is it not because of the Shandong Ak Family’s Family Head?”
“Yes, that’s right. Now that we have the Ak Family Head’s acknowledgment, we’re officially recognized.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“First, I need to report this to the Family Head.”
“That’s wise.”
The two of them wore solemn expressions as if they were plotting something together.
“……What are you two doing?”
Guan Hui, watching them intently, was at a loss for words.
They’d piled up stacks of documents in one corner of the estate grounds — what in the world were they up to?
“Oh. Elder brother.”
“Ah. Young master.”
Zhu Hu and Gu Man’s expressions instantly turned innocent, and they bowed respectfully to greet Guan Hui.
“Are you two doing some kind of roleplay?”
“No, sir. We were organizing information.”
“Information?”
“Yes, sir.”
Zhu Hu spoke confidently, puffing out his chest.
“The Guan Clan has now gotten on track. We have both martial strength and financial resources to a certain degree. But there’s still one thing we lack.”
“What’s that?”
“Intelligence networks.”
Many overlook the importance of information, but intelligence was far more critical than one might think.
Not only the Tian Zhao Five Families, but many other clans—the Shandong Ak Family included—each operated their own intelligence organizations.
“Of course, there’s the Black Path and the White Path…….”
“But we’d be better served with an organization of our own.”
“Exactly right, sir.”
“And the two of you are setting this up?”
“Yes. I serve as the head, and my colleague Gu here handles the footwork. We’ve even chosen a name—the Pungmundang, an organization that deals in rumors and gossip.”
“Hmm.”
Guan Hui stroked his beard as he looked at the self-appointed leader and deputy leader of this fledgling organization.
‘Not bad at all.’
With the family retainers who had once left the Guan Clan now returning, the time had come for the Guan Family Estate to establish its internal framework.
With more hands on deck, they needed responsible figures to lead them.
Zhu Hu, sharp-minded enough to be called a strategist, and Gu Man, a former deputy leader of the Black Path subdivision, possessed abundant experience and seasoned judgment.
Guan Hui found the pairing quite promising.
“Then move forward officially. I’ll allocate a hall for you to use.”
“Thank you so much, elder brother!”
“Young master, it’s an honor!”
The eyes of the two men who had earned recognition for their abilities gleamed with light.
Neither of them had originated from the Guan Clan, and both carried the tainted past of entanglement with the Black Path.
Other families would never grant such people opportunity.
They’d be used as scapegoats, nothing more. Never allowed to shoulder any true responsibility.
But Guan Hui and the Guan Family Estate were different.
He treated them without prejudice, and now had given them significant responsibilities.
Without a moment’s hesitation, at that.
That was why the emotion struck so deeply.
He saw only their abilities, recognized their worth, cast aside all bias.
“Still, I think the name should change.”
“What would you suggest, sir?”
Guan Hui paused in thought, stroking his beard.
“The Dark Fragrance Hall. I like that.”
“Even in darkness, there is fragrance……”
The clever Zhu Hu caught the meaning at once—those words were meant for them.
Circumstances had forced them to wade into shadow, nothing more.
It was Guan Hui’s way of saying that goodness still remained in their hearts.
“Thank you……, sir.”
Zhu Hu bowed his head deeply to hide the sudden burn in his eyes.
“Ah, take a look at this, sir.”
“What is it?”
Guan Hui, about to tease the weeping Zhu Hu, glanced at the document instead and began reading.
It detailed the Hwajongmun, a sect in Seo An, and two of its later-stage disciples.
Information on Cho Ryang, called “Dragon Guardian,” and Cho Seol, called “Flower Phoenix.”
“These two arrived in Yun City just days ago as later-stage disciples of the White Path.”
“Hmm.”
“Cho Ryang has a fierce pride about him. He caused quite a few incidents in Seo An, and he’s been stirring up trouble here as well.”
Zhu Hu explained the various outrages Cho Ryang had committed in Yun City.
Since what happened at the Icitep Inn just moments ago was already the fifth incident or more, the account naturally grew lengthy.
“……This deranged bastard.”
As Guan Hui finished listening, his face twisted into something fierce and terrible.
Watching that expression, Zhu Hu found himself thinking anew that Guan Hui was the true warrior of the White Path.
‘Nothing like that polished fool Cho Ryang.’
Zhu Hu felt a quiet pride and continued his report.
“Cho Seol is rather different. She seems interested only in fine clothing, cosmetics, and jewelry.”
Remarkably, Cho Seol had caused no trouble whatsoever in Yun City.
Even when she noticed a merchant price-gouging her, she paid without complaint; when someone made a mistake, she let it pass without concern.
One might almost think she’d come to Yun City for a pleasure visit rather than on any mission.
“Interesting. Can siblings be so different?”
“I wonder the same. They came with the same purpose, yet their conduct is worlds apart.”
“Could she be acting?”
“I don’t think so. At the Icitep Inn, after she rebuked Cho Ryang harshly, she apologized to all the guests.”
“Fascinating. Very fascinating.”
Despite the interested tone, Guan Hui’s hands had already clenched into fists.
Thinking of the outrages Cho Ryang had perpetrated in Yun City, anger rose unbidden in his chest.
“So those two are heading here now, is that right?”
“Yes. I’d estimate they’ll arrive within a half-hour or so.”
“Good. Perfect.”
Guan Hui set down the papers and began to radiate his aura.
Having stepped into the Peak Stage, his power was unmistakably sharper than before.
At such a realm, mere killing intent could wound from within—his aura was like a blade freshly honed.
“Ah, sir.”
Zhu Hu grabbed Guan Hui, who looked ready to pulverize Cho Ryang on the spot.
“I have a better idea. Would you hear me out?”
The self-proclaimed strategist Zhu Hu’s eyes gleamed with inspiration.

* * *
“Here it is.”
Cho Ryang, arriving before the gates of the great family estate, tilted his chin and surveyed the surroundings.
“Huh!”
He’d expected a shabby place, given that this was supposedly a clan in a backwater town like Yun City.
But contrary to his expectations, the Guan Family Estate was quite magnificent.
The wealth displayed was extraordinary—the estate grounds dwarfed even the Hwajongmun compound.
Moreover, the main gate’s timber had been freshly lacquered, and sunlight pooled and rippled across its smooth surface like liquid silver.
“Lacquering an entire door panel like that? The Guan Clan’s throwing money around for show.”
Cho Ryang curled his lip and rapped roughly against the gate, his contempt plain.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Come here!”
At his crude knocking, Cho Seol’s brow furrowed.
“Show some courtesy.”
“Courtesy for dogs like that? Hardly.”
Cho Ryang brushed off her rebuke and hammered harder still, as though bent on splintering the wood itself.
One might have thought he meant to smash the gate down.
“Who calls?”
The locked gate swung open, revealing a broad-shouldered man of considerable height.
His beard, glossy and reaching to his chin, gave way to a sculpted face; his sturdy frame commanded attention.
“Oh…?”
Something flickered in Cho Seol’s eyes as she took in his face.
She had always favored beauty and elegance, and her gaze could not seem to leave him.
“Who are you? The gatekeeper?”
Cho Ryang’s irritation only sharpened at his sister’s reaction, his eyes sweeping the man up and down.
“More or less, sir.”
“I’ve no business with a gatekeeper. Fetch your Family Head. Now.”
“I’ll need to know who’s asking before I can bring the Family Head—or the patriarch himself, for that matter.”
……
At the gatekeeper’s insolence, a vein stood out on Cho Ryang’s temple.
“…I am Cho Ryang.”
“Cho Ryang? Ah!”
Watching the man’s eyes widen gradually, Cho Ryang smiled with leisure.
“That’s right. I am the one they call the Dragon’s—Cho—”
“Who’s that?”
……
The broad-shouldered man asked without a flicker of recognition.
“Never heard the name. Some rural martial master of note, perhaps?”
……
Cho Ryang’s face hardened like stone.
No fool could fail to see that the gatekeeper before him was deriding him deliberately.
“Unless you wish to die, summon your Family Head this instant. This is your last warning.”
Killing Intent began to pour from Cho Ryang as he issued his threat.
Already his hand had drifted toward the hilt of his sword.
“…! Ah, understood, sir!”
The broad-shouldered gatekeeper’s eyes flew wide, and he spun on his heel in panic.
“Should’ve said so from the start.”
Cho Ryang’s expression had begun to soften when—
—the gatekeeper pivoted full circle where he stood and announced:
“Presenting the Family Head!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————