I Obtained Guan Yu's Martial Arts - Chapter 61

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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 Yu’s Martial Arts — Episode 61
Karma
“I… what?”
Cho Ryang found himself speechless, watching Ak Jin Sung’s eyes roll back in fury.
What did I do?
I haven’t done anything yet!
“F-Family Head. Please, calm yourself. I don’t understand what—”
“Silence!”
The Ak Family Head bellowed, flecks of spittle flying from his lips.
“Does your Burning Essence School teach its disciples such shameful disrespect?”
“…I’m sorry? No, I still don’t—”
Ak Jin Sung’s tiger-like wrath shook the hall as Cho Ryang remained utterly at a loss.
“How dare you step across the threshold without the master of this house’s permission!”
“…What?”
Cho Ryang was left dumbfounded.
“You’re angry over just that…?”
“Hah!”
As Ak Jin Sung planted a Pressure Step, the unleashed Qi Wave swept through all their bodies.
It was a formidable force, evoking the image of a great tiger itself.
‘Impressive.’
That tingling surge of qi kindled a competitive gleam in Guan Hui’s eyes.
Though both inhabited the Peak Realm, the gap between the Ak Family Head and himself was unmistakable.
‘So the Peak Realm truly is vast and treacherous.’
Up to the First Class stage, the distance between the beginning, middle, and end held little consequence. But the Peak Realm was different.
From that threshold onward, even minor barriers grew as wide as entire realms of cultivation.
Most martial artists would despair or lose their nerve facing such a gulf, but Guan Hui was cut from different cloth.
‘This will be interesting.’
Gazing at the wall between himself and the Ak Family Head, Guan Hui felt only his competitive fire kindle.
His hand itched to seize the Crescent Moon Blade that very moment.
‘Hmm.’
A glimmer of something unexpected crossed the Ak Family Head’s gaze as he read that hunger.
‘That fighting spirit.’
The philosophers taught by the Daoist tradition spoke of Clear Mirror Still Water, yet in his judgment, emotion was crucial to a martial artist’s growth.
In particular, the will to struggle was the very element that separated exceptional masters from the ordinary.
The burning desire to overcome an opponent, as opposed to merely advancing oneself—
There was no question which would achieve faster results.
‘He will become someone great.’
Here was a boy already blessed with innate genius, now showing that rare fighting spirit so seldom seen in this generation.
The more Ak Jin Sung observed Guan Hui, the more the boy impressed him.
Had he not been a Family Head in his own right, Ak Jin Sung would have adopted him into the Ak Clan long ago.
‘But this one…’
Ak Jin Sung’s gaze shifted from Guan Hui to Cho Ryang.
The boy wore silks as garish as those of a pleasure district attendant, his face painted with powder.
Seeing this disrespectful creature casually tread upon another’s threshold without leave, Ak Jin Sung felt his anger surge anew.
“Such rudeness…”
Just as Ak Jin Sung prepared to unleash another tirade, he squeezed his eyes shut.
The words of Elder Ak Hu Myung echoed in his mind.
—Family Head, a promising junior of mine will be visiting on a matter of business. I would be grateful for your courtesy.
Yet Elder Ak Hu Myung himself was away from the estate on clan business.
Though Ak Jin Sung itched to issue an Expulsion Order to this insolent boy, doing so would bring dishonor upon the Elder’s name.
In other words, he had no choice but to receive the wretch as a guest for now.
“I… I was foolish and presumptuous. Please accept my apology, Family Head.”
Watching Cho Ryang’s sincere bow, Ak Jin Sung’s anger cooled somewhat.
In earlier days, he would have struck the boy across the face without hesitation.
For a moment, he marveled at how time had mellowed even him.
“See that you mind your manners in the future. I do not warn twice.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“Now, all of you, come inside. The rest of you—prepare a table for our guests.”
Having given orders to the household staff, Ak Jin Sung led Guan Hui, Huang Xiaozhe, and the Cho sisters into the great hall.
“Sit here.”
The spacious hall bustled with activity.
The household staff hurried back and forth, their arms laden with dishes.
More than half the table was already packed with bowls and platters.
“Ah…”
“Wow…”
The Cho sisters, Guan Hui, and Huang Xiaozhe could not contain their admiration.
In that brief span of time, such an abundance of delicacies had been laid out—enough to threaten the legs of the table itself—and it spoke volumes of the great house’s standing.
“Remarkable, Family Head. The Ak Family Estate’s reputation is every bit as impressive as we’ve heard.”
Cho Ryang, eager to recover from his earlier misstep, offered flattery with an eager smile.
“The aroma alone tells you the quality of the food is exceptional.”
“Is that so?”
The corners of Ak Jin Sung’s mouth lifted slightly.
Praise had a way of softening even the stern features of a man like a tiger.
“Yes. Truly, I have no words but admiration.”
Cho Ryang continued dispensing compliments while his mouth watered.
He wasn’t speaking from mere politeness—the food looked genuinely delicious.
After all, he’d subsisted on Bigu Pills for four days and hadn’t tasted a proper meal since.
“Especially this Yu Xiang Rou Si—the sheen on it is truly artful.”
Cho Ryang swallowed his saliva and reached out with his chopsticks to pick up some of the dish.
“…You have no manners at all.”
The Family Head’s expression hardened at the sight.
The adults hadn’t even picked up their chopsticks yet, and here was this one reaching for food first.
Where on earth had such a rude fellow come from?
“Tell me—are you an orphan? Did you never receive any proper upbringing?”
* * *
“…”
Cho Ryang clamped his mouth shut like a mute.
His lips parted only when chopsticks came near, and he rarely ventured into conversation.
Rather, it was more accurate to say he couldn’t join in.
Once when he’d stepped across the threshold. Once when he’d played with his chopsticks.
After receiving stern rebukes twice over, he’d grown too wary to open his mouth.
Guan Hui, by contrast, sat with the ease of a man at his leisure, utterly unlike the anxious Cho Ryang perched as though on hot coals.
He ate in a relaxed manner and frequently exchanged compliments with Huang Xiaozhe about the dishes.
“Delicious.”
“Very much so. Pork with pickled cucumber—I’ve never had such a combination before.”
Huang Xiaozhe’s chopsticks didn’t pause as she savored the delicacies, now infused with the distinctive flavors of Shandong Province.
Ak Jin Sung watched her with evident satisfaction and asked.
“Junior. How is it? Does the food suit your palate?”
“Yes, Senior. It’s outstanding.”
“…!”
Cho Ryang’s eyes widened slightly at hearing their exchange.
He was startled to see them use the intimate, familiar terms of senior and junior rather than the formal title of Family Head.
“How did you…?”
Cho Ryang murmured in a voice only Guan Hui beside him could hear.
“Why don’t you try it yourself?”
Guan Hui’s lips curved into a leisurely smile.
It was both a provocation and a test of his curiosity.
He was curious to see how Ak Jin Sung would react if Cho Ryang dared to commit the same discourtesy of calling the Family Head by the junior’s form of address.
Would he actually receive a slap this time?
“Speaking of which, I don’t believe I’ve heard the reason you’ve come. Quite an unusual group, I must say.”
Ak Jin Sung drained a cup of wine and surveyed the four Post-Stage Masters before him.
“Two daughters of exceptional talent for their age, our acquaintance from the Guan Clan, and one whose manners seem to have been lost somewhere. What business brings this quartet to the Ak Family Estate?”
The rude fellow, his lips trembling, carefully raised his hand.
“Family Head Ak, if I may be so bold, would it be acceptable for me to offer an explanation?”
“Frankly, I’d rather you didn’t.”
“…”
At Ak Jin Sung’s curt refusal, Cho Ryang fell silent once more.
With a single phrase, Ak Jin Sung had sealed the rude one’s lips, and now his gaze turned toward Guan Hui.
It was a silent signal: why don’t you speak instead?
“…”
Guan Hui answered by shaking his head slightly.
Before leaving the Guan Clan, Zhu Hu had given him strict instructions.
If the Family Head of the Ak Clan asks why he’s come, you must make sure Cho Ryang answers!
Zhu Hu was a man second to none when it came to cunning calculation.
Since he’d emphasized it multiple times, Guan Hui intended to follow his words.
“Tsk. Can’t be helped. You do the talking, then.”
“……Thank you, Family Head.”
Watching Ak Jin Sung’s displeased expression, Cho Ryang bit his lips hard.
He felt as though his frustration might burst into flames, but for now he had to endure.
For now, the Family Head seemed to favor him more, but that would be short-lived.
The moment it was revealed that the arrogant Guan Clan fool had used the Family Head’s name without permission, everything would be over.
The Family Head would be furious, his favor transforming into rage that would consume the man entirely.
The justice Cho Ryang had so desperately yearned for. A future where harsh punishment would be brought upon that charlatan. It would become reality.
‘Khehehehe.’
Cho Ryang smiled faintly, imagining the future that would soon arrive.
“Family Head. What would you do if someone was using your name without permission?”
“My name? Hmm. I’d beat them half to death.”
“Indeed. Hehe. Family Head. I’ve brought that scoundrel to you!”
Cho Ryang bolted to his feet and pointed at Guan Hui with his finger.
“Have you heard the rumors about that arrogant fellow? The false rumor that the Family Head recognized him as a Martial Dragon has already spread like wildfire through Shanxi Province!”
“Ho.”
A flicker of intrigue crossed Ak Jin Sung’s eyes.
Watching the tiger-like man’s gaze gleam, Cho Ryang’s shoulders rose.
This was indeed riding the tiger.
A confidence like galloping astride a beast wrapped around his entire body.
“I don’t know how that fool came to have any connection with someone of your stature, Family Head, but he’s exploiting your name! Presumptuously trying to place himself among the Five Dragons Three Peaks, he’s been selling your name—I witnessed it myself.”
Cho Ryang’s pointing finger grew more heated, cords standing out in his neck.
“Family Head. This contemptible wretch uses your name to elevate his own reputation. He is utterly shameless.”
“Ho.”
Cho Ryang continued, his tone measured and careful, speaking as though reciting classical text. “Having received brief sword instruction from Elder Ak Hu Myung of the Ak Clan, I cannot stand idle before such injustice. Thus I was compelled to seek you out.”
He concluded his words with soft hand gestures as fluid as a scholar’s, then bowed respectfully with a slight nod.
“I beg your forgiveness for any rudeness. And I earnestly entreat you to punish that shameless deceiver.”
“Ho, is that so.”
Ak Jin Sung’s eyes flickered with intrigue as he glanced back and forth between Guan Hui and Cho Ryang.
His gaze sparkled with interest, as though he were examining a fascinating plaything.
It was plain to see that he was plotting something most unusual.
“Tell me, you said your name was Cho Ryang?”
“Yes, Family Head. You may address me simply as junior if you wish.”
“Very well, Cho. I ask you just one thing. If this charlatan you speak of were actually genuine—what would you think then?”
At the unexpected question, Cho Ryang’s brow furrowed.
“Merely First Class, you mean?”
“Hypothetically. If that fellow were truly a genius? If some master lost to him in a duel and acknowledged him for that reason?”
Cho Ryang let out a scornful laugh and shook his head.
“That’s nonsense. What master would lose to a worm like that.”
……
Ak Jin Sung moistened his throat with Bamboo Leaf Green Tea. Then he smiled faintly and answered.
“It was me. You little fool.”
……What?”
For a moment, the hall fell into a silence as heavy as death.
Cho Seol forgot even to set down her teacup, frozen in place, while Huang Xiaozhe stopped mid-bite, her eyes widening.
Only Guan Hui, unbothered, picked up a piece of Yu Xiang Rou Si and brought it to his lips.
“I’m the one. I’m the master who lost to the Guan Clan Head in combat. That’s why I acknowledged him. Because he’s a Post-Stage Master superior by far to those pompous Five Dragons Three Peaks.”
“You……lost in combat?”
Disbelief flooded Cho Ryang’s face as he stared.
“You, sir……?”
“Don’t call me sir. Call me Family Head. You discourteous fool. Apologize at once.”
“I’m……terribly sor——”
“Silence. I don’t accept apologies from someone as uncouth as you.”
……
With that one sharp rebuke, Ak Jin Sung silenced Cho Ryang and took another cup of Bamboo Leaf Green Tea.
“Leave everything else aside. I’ll ask you one thing. How is it that a creature like you gets called a dragon, when the Guan Family Head—several times your superior—doesn’t earn that name?”
“……Family Head. I can hear most insults, but I can’t let that one pass.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m not on the same level as some rural martial nobody. I am the Defense Dragon. As Shaanxi Province’s foremost Post-Stage Master, do you think I’d lose to that wretch?!”
Cho Ryang thumped his chest boldly, his fist striking hard.
The Ak Family Head favored bold men, and there was calculation hidden in this display—the knowledge that it would please him.
“Yes. I think you’ll lose.”
“……What?”
“You’ll lose. No—I’m certain you will lose.”
“…….”
Cho Ryang’s face flushed crimson and then purple as the insult landed.
“Why? You think that coarse bastard will win?”
“……You’re stating the obvious, are you not?”
“Hmm. Well then, shall we test it? I’ll arrange the match. We’ll stake the title of dragon—you against the Guan Family Head. Let’s see what happens.”
“……! Very well. I’ll prove to you that you’re mistaken, Family Head.”
Cho Ryang’s eyes flashed bright. At the same moment, one corner of his mouth twisted upward in a sneer.
Things hadn’t unfolded quite as he’d anticipated.
No—nothing had gone according to plan, but this turn of events wasn’t bad either.
After all, he could directly crush that arrogant charlatan and solidify his own standing as a dragon in the eyes of everyone watching.
It was a pity the Ak Family Head wouldn’t be the one to humble him, but this would serve well enough.
‘Hehehehe. Fool.’
The Ak Family Head twisted one corner of his mouth upward as well, wearing his own sneer.
A worthless, clueless wretch.
The thrill of publicly humiliating this contemptible junior in front of everyone was already making his blood quicken.
Teaching an insolent subordinate a lesson was always a pleasure.
“Are you confident? You shouldn’t be.”
“I am confident. You should be the one doubting yourself, Family Head.”
Two men, both certain of victory, fixed each other with sneering gazes.
“…….”
Cho Seol narrowed her brow as she watched her brother.
She wanted to stop him, but the match was already set. There was nothing she could do.
“Hmph.”
Huang Xiaozhe folded her arms and let out a derisive snort as she swept her gaze over Cho Ryang.
The fool actually thought he could beat the head of his own family.
A madman always needed a hawk to keep him in line.
‘Mm.’
Guan Hui watched the two men exchange that meaningful gaze and pondered.
‘Just as Zhu Hu said. Everything is falling into place.’
How was it possible to see from such a distance exactly what would unfold, as if watching it happen right before his eyes?
It was frankly astonishing.
‘So now it’s my turn.’
The stage was set.
All Guan Hui had to do now was provoke him enough to ensure he wouldn’t back out later.
“Hey.”
Guan Hui rose from his seat, calling out to him.
“After you lose the title of dragon, how about we add a character to the front? What do you say?”
“……?”
Cho Ryang chewed over the words, his head tilting in confusion.
“Defense… character?”
“Yes. Crippled.”

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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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