I Obtained Guan Yu's Martial Arts - Chapter 59

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

I had obtained Guan Yu’s Martial Arts 059
The Cho Siblings (4)
“……?”
Cho Ryang blinked, unable to comprehend.
Family Head…… what?
A gatekeeper was a Family Head?!
How could such a thing be possible?
Cho Ryang’s face contorted like a demon’s as he processed the situation.
He had just realized he’d been played for a fool.
“You bastard……!”
Cho Ryang unleashed a wave of killing intent.
A murderous aura so thick that none of his peers could withstand it constricted around Guan Hui’s entire body.
“How dare you humiliate me?!”
Cho Ryang intensified his pressure, bearing down on Guan Hui.
Or rather, he tried to.
But Guan Hui simply brushed himself off as if it were nothing.
“……!”
Cho Ryang’s pupils trembled as he watched the killing intent scatter in an instant.
“It was just a light jest. Your reaction is quite fierce, isn’t it? Are you the type who doesn’t appreciate humor?”
“You son of a……!”
“Well, never mind.”
Guan Hui waved his hand as if annoyed.
“What brings such distinguished guests to this humble place?”
“……Huff.”
Cho Ryang, about to spit out an insult in his fury, drew a deep breath instead.
He calmed his breathing, suppressing the rage that had flushed his face red.
He could sense that continuing this way would only bring more humiliation at the other’s hands.
“I heard there was a dragon in Shanxi Province, so I came to see.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Guan Hui raised both arms lightly.
“Well, here you see him. I am the Martial Dragon. Satisfied?”
As Guan Hui turned to re-enter the main hall, his face flushed,
“But it seems you’re lacking quite a bit for bearing such a title.”
Cho Ryang smiled mockingly, his lips curling upward.
“To call yourself a dragon with no more than that level of skill. Aren’t you ashamed?”
“…….”
Guan Hui stopped in his tracks, saying nothing.
Cho Ryang’s smile deepened as he watched Guan Hui’s back.
‘Hooked. Got him.’
Though he hadn’t told Cho Seol, Cho Ryang had never intended to leave after merely catching sight of that arrogant upstart’s face.
To completely crush this ignorant young fool who dared call himself a dragon, ignorant of his own place.
That had been his plan from the start.
‘I’ll make you draw your sword yourself.’
A martial artist of the Righteous Path could not draw his sword against another martial artist of the Righteous Path without just cause.
To do so would invite criticism from other martial artists and bring disgrace upon the sect to which one belonged.
But that wasn’t all.
If things went truly badly, those who conducted business with the Hwajong Sect might sever ties, calling it disreputable.
A single mistake could isolate the entire sect.
To prevent that, the first strike had to come from the other side.
Only then would Cho Ryang have a strong justification to draw his sword.
‘He won’t be able to bear it without drawing his blade.
At five, I finished the Thousand Character Classic; at ten, I completely mastered the Four Books and Five Classics.
I had never lost through rhetoric in my entire life, and I intended to show that skill properly today.’
“To call yourself a dragon with nothing more than that? Aren’t you ashamed? If it were me, I think I’d be too embarrassed to show my face anywhere.”
Cho Ryang smiled derisively, his lips curling with mockery.
Upon seeing that expression, Guan Hui’s face hardened and his fists clenched.
At the sight of him trembling as if he might throw a punch at any moment, Cho Ryang could barely contain his excitement.
‘Strike. Just strike!’
The moment he did, the justification would be born.
A powerful justification that would let him cripple the man without the world uttering a word of blame.
“Brother, please stop…….”
“Quiet. Keep your mouth shut.”
Cho Ryang shoved away Cho Seol’s hand from his shoulder with force.
“I’ll ask you one thing. By the look of you, you seem to be a Family Head of some clan.”
Cho Ryang’s sharp eyes swept up and down, taking measure.
“Doesn’t it embarrass you in front of your retainers?”
Crack—
Guan Hui’s fists clenched harder still.
Guan Hui looked like an active volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.
“……Zhu Hu.”
The words escaped Guan Hui’s lips, barely audible.
“What?”
Cho Ryang, not understanding, furrowed the space between his brows.
He ought to throw a punch right now.
What was this man muttering to himself about?
“Zhu Hu!”
“Yes, brother!”
Zhu Hu stepped out from behind the wall with a bright smile.
“Young Master Cho. My pleasure. I am Zhu Hu, strategist of the Guan Family Estate.”
“A temporary strategist, you mean.”
“Brother. We’re having a serious conversation here.”
“……?”
Watching the two of them suddenly break into casual banter, Cho Ryang stood dumbfounded.
What on earth were these bastards doing?

* * *
A clever stratagem devised by Zhu Hu, the Guan Family Estate’s self-proclaimed strategist.
It was for Zhu Hu to take Guan Hui’s place and conduct the conversation with Cho Ryang instead.
‘In the martial world of the Righteous Path, prestige is everything. He’ll do whatever he can to provoke your brother into swinging first.’
‘Then why not just hit him first?’
‘That won’t work. That’s playing right into his plan.’
‘Then what do you suggest?’
‘We’ll make him cross the line first. For that, all I need you to do is let me step forward.’
‘How so?’
‘I’ll take your place in the conversation.’
Guan Hui stroked his beard as he mulled over the exchange with Zhu Hu.
‘I wonder if it’ll work.’
It was true that Zhu Hu was clever and had a silver tongue.
But after speaking with him briefly, this Cho Ryang seemed far from ordinary either.
In just a short conversation, he’d nearly swung his fists in anger several times.
“Indeed. Which of the two will manage to get under the other’s skin more?”
A battle whose outcome was impossible to predict.
A contest between two idiots, not worth watching.
“Young Master Cho. You mentioned embarrassment just now. Why should our Family Head be embarrassed?”
“Well, obviously because an up-and-coming prodigy with no real standing attached a dragon epithet to himself.”
As he spoke, Cho Ryang shot a sharp glance at Guan Hui.
Even with Zhu Hu standing directly before him, his gaze never wavered from Guan Hui.
“I see. Up-and-coming prodigy—do you know what that term means, Young Master Cho?”
“Ha! This is ridiculous. Do I look like someone who wouldn’t know that?
An up-and-coming prodigy.
It refers to an exceptional figure among the younger generation of the martial world.
Those who possess the talent to one day surpass their seniors.
In the Central Plains, they are called by another name—the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes.”
“Ah, so you do understand. I thought perhaps you didn’t know, for surely a Family Head would never use such a term about himself if he truly grasped its meaning.”
Zhu Hu spoke with studied courtesy, raising only one corner of his mouth in a half-smile.
It was a sharp blow, wrapped carefully in deference.
“……Just what has your Family Head done to deserve being called an up-and-coming prodigy?”
“Well, first and foremost, it’s his martial prowess. He is a First-Rate Master, after all, standing at the very peak of that rank.”
Zhu Hu intentionally understated Guan Hui’s level of cultivation.
Any proper martial artist worth his salt kept a third of his true strength hidden from the world.
There was also the calculation that if Cho Ryang heard the word “Perfection Realm,” he might lose his composure entirely.
Zhu Hu proved himself a most thorough strategist indeed.
“Ha! The tail end of First-Rate? That’s absurd.”
Cho Ryang let out a mocking laugh, his eyes narrowing on Guan Hui.
From the man, he sensed at most the Internal Energy of an early First-Rate master.
Such clumsy Internal Energy was certainly not that of someone at the tail end of First-Rate.
Of course, this feeling stemmed from the fact that Guan Hui’s Internal Energy had yet to catch up with his realm—but that was beside the point.
“Where does this insect claim to be at the tail end of First-Rate with such pitiful strength?”
“Brother!”
“Enough. Fine. As for Martial Arts, let’s leave it at that.”
Cho Ryang folded his arms, lifting his chin with unmistakable arrogance.
“Now let me show you just how remarkable our strategist is. Do you know the conditions for becoming one of the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes?”
“Hmm. I’m not certain. Perhaps you could enlighten me.”
“Ha! As expected. I knew you wouldn’t. There’s no way some third-rate country strategist would know such a thing.”
Cho Ryang raised three fingers, his bearing swollen with self-importance.
“First is martial prowess. Second is accomplishment. Third is recognition.”
“I see. How enlightening.”
“As for the first—martial prowess—well, we can overlook that easily enough. But tell me, what accomplishments has the Guan Family Head actually achieved?”
Cho Ryang stared pointedly at Guan Hui, his mouth twisting into a sneer.
“The Sword Dragon, Zhao Xiong, earned his title by single-handedly exterminating the entire Nokriim Bandit Fortress. I myself destroyed the Suro Fortress.”
……
“But the Guan Family Head? What exactly has he done? Surely you’re not about to claim that fighting some third-rate Evil Path dogs in Shanxi Province counts as an accomplishment?”
Guan Hui’s annihilation of multiple Evil Path forces in Shanxi Province was something Cho Ryang knew well.
But such deeds alone were insufficient to place him among the Rising Talents of the Central Plains, the Five Dragons Three Phoenixes.
The Evil Path figures simply lacked the prestige for that.
“Ha! If that were enough to be called a Rising Talent, every dog and cow would bear the title.”
“There is something else, however.”
“What?”
“I said there are other accomplishments.”
Cho Ryang’s brow furrowed at those words.
“Nonsense. I’ve looked into it—the Family Head has no other accomplishments worth…….”
“Yellow Heaven.”
“……?”
“You’ve surely heard of Yellow Heaven, the Heretical Sect based on Mount Tai in Shandong Province. A truly vicious bunch.”
“I’m aware of them.”
The notoriety of Yellow Heaven extended far beyond Shandong Province, reaching even to Chang’an in Shaanxi.
Both Cho Ryang and Cho Seol knew of that wicked organization.
“Our Family Head fought Yellow Heaven alongside two Guest Retainers of our house. He eliminated all three Cult Masters and their disciples.”
“……What?”
Cho Ryang’s face drained of color, his composure shattered by disbelief.
It was unthinkable.
Three men destroying Yellow Heaven entirely.
Were those vile creatures not so dangerous that even the Ak Family, the Hegemon of Shandong Province itself, dared not provoke them carelessly?!
“Don’t speak lies. Are you now trying to mock me with falsehoods?”
“How could I?”
Zhu Hu shrugged his shoulders without a trace of hesitation.
“With so many eyes watching, how could I resort to deception?”
Zhu Hu turned his head, surveying his surroundings.
More than a hundred villagers, gathered by the magistrate, craned their necks to watch.
This grand stage was a calculated move by Zhu Hu.
“It can’t be……. The Guan Family Head defeated Yellow Heaven?!”
“Yes, truly. If you don’t believe me, you could even file an inquiry with the Haomen Guild.”
“……Fine. I’ll grant you that.”
Cho Ryang, mindful of the eyes upon him, relented without protest.
There were far too many witnesses for him to press the point and accuse Zhu Hu of lying.
“But one condition still remains. Recognition.”
“Ah yes—receiving the acknowledgment of a renowned master already known for his prowess in the Central Plains.”
“Precisely. You’ve grasped it exactly.”
In truth, this was where suspicion should have taken root.
The strategist who moments ago claimed ignorance of these three conditions, asking to be taught, now explained the final one with practiced ease.
But Cho Ryang, intoxicated with his own arrogance, never once entertained such doubts.
He had not the slightest uncertainty that he would emerge victorious from this debate.
“Recognition of that kind applies only to masters of superior skill. I’m speaking of sect leaders, family elders, or the Hundred Ranked Masters Under Heaven.”
Cho Ryang let out a derisive snort, looking down at Zhu Hu.
“Has the Guan Family Head ever received recognition from such a senior? He hasn’t, surely. What recognition could a provincial family head possibly have?”
“And does Young Master Cho possess such recognition?”
“Ha! Of course!”
Cho Ryang threw back his chin, drunk on his own superiority.
“I received recognition from an elder of the Shandong Ak Family, no less! That esteemed gentleman personally bestowed it upon me when he visited Chang’an.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Zhu Hu’s eyes gleamed.
“My Family Head also received recognition.”
“Ha! What mediocrity could possibly recognize a nobody like the Guan Family Head!”
“The Family Head of the Shandong Ak Family.”
“……What?”
For a moment, Cho Ryang doubted his own ears.
“Who…… did you say?”
“The Family Head of the Shandong Ak Family. You’ve not heard of the Great Sword Immortal Ak Jinseong?”
Zhu Hu answered with perfect composure.
…….
Upon hearing this, Cho Ryang’s pupils trembled more violently than ever before.

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