I Obtained Guan Yu's Martial Arts - Chapter 9

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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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I Obtained Guan Yu’s Martial Arts — Episode 9
Who Is the Victor (4)
“Hmm. I suppose that wraps things up nicely enough.”
Guan Hui gazed at his coin purse with undisguised regret.
Between restoring the family and preparing business ventures, half of the fortune he’d gained from Hunnyak House had slipped away without him quite noticing.
Necessary expenses, certainly—yet watching that once-bulging purse grow thin stirred an ache he couldn’t quite name.
“Well, money is made to be earned again, isn’t it?”
Over the past year, Guan Hui had spent countless sleepless nights devising scheme after scheme to replenish his coffers.
And by the end of all that deliberation, he had settled on goals of his own.
“Now the real work begins. I need to keep my wits sharp.”
The plan Guan Hui had drawn up was neither smooth nor leisurely—it moved like swift current.
He was determined to restore the Guan Estate to its former glory in his own lifetime, and he meant to pursue it with unstoppable momentum.
‘It’s do or die.’
To push forward without retreat meant risking bitter failure, but Guan Hui harbored no fear of it.
How could any calamity be worse than what he’d already endured—betrayed by the Black Bandits and left for dead?
He had already scraped bottom. There was nothing left to fear.
No lower depths remained to fall through.
“First comes the money. But when exactly are those people supposed to arrive…?”
Just as Guan Hui tilted his head in puzzlement—
“Excuse me.”
Someone rapped on the weathered gate of the Guan Estate.
“…?”
Guan Hui’s brow furrowed.
The Guan Estate, situated in a remote and desolate place hardly fit for habitation, received perhaps one visitor a year at most.
‘Who could this be?’
Guan Hui wrapped his hand around the Silver Crescent Moon Blade he’d left planted in the Martial Training Ground.
He had no intention of letting his guard slip, not knowing what might unfold.
“Who are you?”
“We come from the Anwen Zhang Family.”
“…?”
The Anwen Zhang Family?
‘The Anwen Zhang Family—aren’t those the ones always meddling in Anwen City’s affairs under the guise of cooperation?’
It was only natural that Guan Hui harbored no warm feelings toward other family clans.
They spoke of cooperation, but their true hunger was only for personal gain—there was nothing admirable about such people.
Creak—
The gate of the Guan Estate swung open, and Guan Hui found himself facing a man of towering frame.
Yet Guan Hui himself was no slight figure; he met the man’s gaze without needing to crane his neck.
“I am Zhang Liu, second son of the Anwen Zhang Family. Are you perhaps the Family Head of this minor clan?”
“It’s the Guan Estate, not a minor clan.”
When a family clan grows large enough, it earns the name of Major Family; when it shrinks below that scale, it becomes known as a Family Estate.
And when a family is too small to properly be called a clan at all, it is often called a minor clan—a term laden with ridicule.
In other words, this Zhang Liu was deliberately belittling the Guan Estate by his choice of words.
“Hmm. Doesn’t seem to be quite that grand.”
“……”
As Zhang Liu’s arrogant gaze swept across the compound, a vein rose in Guan Hui’s brow.
“What the hell is this guy’s problem?”
‘So what business brings you here?’
At Guan Hui’s sudden, crude interjection, Zhang Liu’s face froze cold.
“……”
“Ah. My mistake.”
Having mixed up his innermost thought with his words, Guan Hui scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
Truth be told, he wasn’t particularly embarrassed at all.

* * *
The Anwen Zhang Family.
Half a day’s ride from Yunseong would bring one to this clan, a family of considerable renown in Anwen, as their name suggests.
Descendants of the legendary general Zhang Liao, once celebrated for his noble bearing and wisdom.
Yet stagnant water grows foul with time, no matter how pure it once was.
Now they were nothing more than wretches who had allied with the Black Bandits to siphon the lifeblood from common folk.
Zhang Liu, the second son of the Anwen Zhang Family and its most celebrated talent, was no exception.
A martial artist whose pride was obnoxiously fierce, clinging to wealth and power like a man drowning.
Outside Anwen, he’d earned a reputation as the Shadowless Blade, but within these walls he was the kind of presence people avoided—a pestilence best forgotten.
‘Arrogant bastard.’
Zhang Liu’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile.
‘A mere servant of a clan that’s already crumbling to dust.’
The sculpted planes of Zhang Liu’s face fractured and contorted with rage.
That a retainer from some worthless family—one that couldn’t even reach the toes of the Anwen Zhang Family—would dare disrespect him.
It was insolence. Ignorance.
‘I’ll let you live because there are witnesses.’
Had it not been for the servants who’d come with him, he would have drawn his blade and severed the man’s head on the spot.
As payment for not knowing his place.
“…Go fetch your Family Head.”
“I am the Family Head.”
“…!?”
Zhang Liu’s pupils dilated in shock.
He was so startled that he nearly forgot the casual speech this man had dared use toward him.
“You’re… you’re the Family Head?”
Zhang Liu’s voice cracked with bewilderment.
It stood to reason that a Family Head of any standing had to be old enough to bear the responsibility of his position.
At the very least, one had to reach the age of Knowing Heaven’s Will to command even the minimum dignity that a Family Head should possess.
‘He doesn’t even look like he’s reached Standing Firm.’
A boy not yet thirty—barely old enough to lay the foundations of his own life—serving as a Family Head.
“Ha!”
A scoff bubbled up from Zhang Liu’s throat.
A man who looked as though he couldn’t even keep himself alive was leading a clan.
Now it made sense why a half-ruined estate lay hidden in this forgotten corner.
‘Like leader, like clan.’
To Zhang Liu’s eye, the Guan Estate was plainly a family that wouldn’t last more than half a year before suffering clan extermination.
As a member of the greatest family in Anwen, the signs were as clear to him as fire.
“A Family Head, then… Well, that suits me fine.”
Zhang Liu asked with barely concealed contempt.
“Word has it you killed Guang Sahun, master of the Hunnyak House, and all the other house lords beneath him. Is that true?”
Proper etiquette would have demanded respect when addressing a Family Head.
But Zhang Liu had no intention of offering it.
A Family Head of some third-rate clan destined to collapse soon hardly deserved the title at all.
“Yes. I did it. What of it?”
Zhang Liu’s eyes flashed at Guan Hui’s casual speech.
“What are you staring at? I’ll gouge your eyes clean out.”
Guan Hui’s eyes glinted as he raised two fingers.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Guan Hui had never been a patient man, and he certainly wasn’t about to extend courtesy to someone who threw casual speech at him like a weapon, discarding all propriety.
Even less so after crossing a line from which there was no return.
The Hunnyak House had taught him that death made all patience meaningless.
“…You killed them all yourself?”
“Yes.”
“I find that hard to believe. You’re telling me you, of all people, killed Guang Sahun of the Soul Poison Blade?”
“Are your ears stuffed? Want me to find you a pick? Do the Anwen Zhang Family’s people not usually clean theirs?”
“…”
Veins stood out across Zhang Liu’s forehead.
Feeling the gazes of his servants upon him, he barely restrained his fury before asking again.
Of course, his voice came out sharp as a freshly honed blade—anger had its edge.
“How did you fight him? Did you attack from behind?”
“I beat him fair and square.”
“At your level?”
“Why? Can’t you?”
“…”
Zhang Liu had meant to bait him, but found himself baited instead. His face flushed and darkened by turns.
“You… we’ll settle this another time.”
With words worthy of some villain in a play, Zhang Liu turned on his heel and stalked out of the Guan Estate’s grounds, his teeth grinding.
“Dull.”
Watching Zhang Liu’s retreating back, Guan Hui let out a low chuckle.
Now that he thought about it, he’d never asked why the man had come in the first place.
Neither of them had gotten the answer they wanted—a true stalemate, one might say.
It would have been better if I’d held back.
The General’s voice echoed in his mind, offering counsel.
He was right.
If he’d managed to stay composed and conduct the conversation properly, he might have learned why the Anwen Zhang Family had taken an interest in the Hunnyak House.
But then.
“Holding it in makes you sick.”
Guan Hui didn’t want to do that anymore.
“I’ve held back enough.”
He was done living a life of constant restraint and forbearance.
He was tired of it.
Perhaps this was why his true feelings sometimes burst out uncontrollably.
—……You remind me of myself when I was young. Blood will out, they say.
“Just as I thought. We share the same blood, don’t we? General.”
Guan Hui made a sharp sound, as if clapping his palms together.
—…….
He heard Guan Yu’s sigh from within his mind.

* * *
Bright sunlight flooded the daylit hours.
The retainers of the Guan Estate had gathered before the Martial Training Ground.
For the Estate’s retainers—most of whom were scrambling to repay debts in every direction—to assemble all at once was a rare occurrence indeed.
“Wait. But why did you tell us not to go out to work today?”
“If we don’t pay today’s tribute, we’ll have to work double tomorrow…….”
The retainers who couldn’t go out shuffled their feet anxiously.
Those fighting tooth and nail to keep the clan from collapsing were understandably uneasy.
“Everyone’s here, then.”
Guan Hui approached the Martial Training Ground, taking in the sight of nine retainers—meager even for an estate of this standing.
“Family Head. Why have you called us all and forbidden our work?”
Guan Namcheon, who held the position of Chief Steward, narrowed his eyes, his displeasure plain.
His nature was such that he despised wasteful expenditures of time.
“Well, I have an important announcement, so bear with me, Steward.”
“An important announcement?”
“What? An announcement about our situation?”
The retainers tilted their heads in confusion.
And indeed—the only announcement the Guan Estate could conceivably make was something like ‘The clan has finally collapsed!’
“Our clan is now free of debt.”
“……?”
“Pardon?!”
“W-what did you just say?!”
Watching the retainers blink in disbelief, Guan Hui spoke again.
“What I mean is…….”
He pulled forward a cart he’d brought with him and swept away the dust-covered cloth.
“We are free now! That’s what I’m saying!”
“Eek?!”
“W-what is this?!”
The retainers’ eyes bulged at the sight of stacks upon stacks of Silver Coins and Iron Coins.
“I, i, isn’t this, f-f-family head?!”
Guan Namcheon, too stunned for words, his jaw trembling, managed to ask.
“W-where did all this money come from?!”
“I annihilated the Hunnyak House. I used their money to repay Ji Daein, and this much remained. It’s thanks to having received additional investment as well.”
“……!?”
“I, yes?!”
A flood of sudden information crashed over them.
When such auspicious news came rolling in like waves, the retainers could barely keep their senses.
“Haven’t you heard the rumors yet?”
“N-no, sir. We haven’t.”
“Well then. Let me explain it all to you again.”
Guan Hui summarized what had happened in brief.
“Really? Truly?”
“Such a thing actually occurred?!”
Though news of the Hunnyak House’s clan extermination had spread throughout Yunseong, none of the retainers had heard a word.
They’d been too busy earning money to keep pace with the world’s turning.
“Woh—!”
“We’re—we’re free!”
“We’re rich! We’re actually rich!”
The retainers, who had been frozen in disbelief at this impossible reality, burst into cheers and began swaying with joy, their shoulders dancing.
Before the mountain of silver coins piled before them—the first such sight in their lives—they felt as though their spirits might soar away.
“The—the Family Head…… defeated the Hunnyak House? That vicious bandit master?!”
Guan Namcheon found it utterly unbelievable.
Who was the master of the Hunnyak House?
Was he not one of only two first-rate masters in all of Yunseong?
That Guang Sahun…… killed by a Family Head with only mediocre martial arts?!
How—how was it even possible?
Guan Namcheon’s gaze, thick with confusion, turned toward Guan Hui.
And then, from Guan Hui’s lips came words that shocked him even more deeply.
“I’ve recovered the martial philosophy of my ancestors.”
“……!?”
The retainers began to stir at those unbelievable words.
“Did—did I mishear?”
“You heard correctly. I’ve recovered the martial philosophy of Guan Yu, called Yun Zhang—the greatest master of all time and ancestor of the Guan Estate.”
“……!!”
A shock profound enough to cloud the mind.
The silent screams of the retainers echoed through the Martial Training Ground.
Some stammered as if their tongues had broken, and some lost all strength in their legs, collapsing where they stood.

* * *
The clan extermination of the Hunnyak House.
The defeat of Guang Sahun, master of the Soul Poison Blade.
The settling of the debts that had driven them toward extermination.
The patronage of Ji Daein, the greatest merchant lord of Yunseong.
And on top of all that, the recovery of the martial philosophy of Guan Yu.
Each alone would have been difficult to digest, but they came cascading down all at once.
It was blessing upon blessing. No—blessing piled upon blessing without end.
On such days, they said, one must hold a feast and release the sorrow long buried in one’s heart.
That day, the retainers gathered together.
“Thank you all for your tremendous hard work!”
“Better days are surely coming for our clan!”
“Absolutely! The Family Head will guide us forward!”
A feast so ancient that no one could remember when the last one had been.
That night, someone finally could not hold back and wept.
Another burst into laughter that would not stop.
Tears and laughter mingled together.
And so they looked back on a time they had shared.
“Family Head. You’ve endured so much all this time.”
Chief Steward Guan Namcheon poured wine into Guan Hui’s cup.
Though he rarely showed emotion, today was different.
His face flushed crimson, and the corners of his mouth curved upward in a smile that seemed reluctant to fall.
“You’ve struggled hard as well, Chief Steward.”
“Family Head…… no. Guan Hui. I’m truly…… truly grateful.”
Guan Namcheon took Guan Hui’s hand in his own, scarred and weathered.
“You…… you’ve saved the clan after all.”
Guan Namcheon was his only uncle.
Yet in all this time, Guan Namcheon had never once spoken to him as an equal, let alone with a lesser’s casual deference.
He understood that the closer a Family Head was in age, the more his innermost retainers must maintain the hierarchy.
“Your father in heaven…… would be pleased.”
“…….”
Guan Hui listened in silence to his words.
Yet he could not hide the tremor that seized his fingertips in that instant.
“Do you remember? When I heard of your talent at the Martial Temple and wanted to take you as my disciple?”
“Yes. I threw salt at you and drove you away.”
“Back then, I wished for you to abandon everything and live freely.”
“I understand. After I threw salt at those cursed men, you didn’t speak to me for a month, did you?”
“Hah. That was how it was then. But in the end, I was wrong, and you were right.”
A gaze heavy with profound trust settled upon Guan Hui.
“Sincerity moves heaven itself. The heavens knew your heart and granted you their aid.”
Whoosh—
Guan Namcheon rose to his feet and stepped back two paces.
“To us, you are far more than merely a Family Head.”
To the retainers of Guan Estate, Guan Hui is not simply a Family Head.
To them, he is a child who could have fled yet chose to face responsibility.
A boy whose tender knees buckled countless times beneath that crushing weight, yet rose again to hold his clan together.
An young giant who became Family Head at twelve and has fought in this merciless world to preserve his family.
Thud—
“To him who persuaded heaven itself, we pledge from this moment forth to devote our very lives in loyalty.”
Guan Namcheon dropped to one knee, bowing his head as though swearing an oath.
And following his lead, the retainers too knelt with solemn faces and bowed their heads, taking the same vow.
It was not mere obedience born of servitude, nor loyalty given to a Family Head by rank.
Like generals of old who had lowered their heads, moved by the benevolence of a virtuous lord.
They were pledging wholehearted devotion to Guan Hui alone as a person.
“I… thank you. Rather, I am grateful.”
In this moment, it was not the distance of rank, but person speaking to person.
So Guan Hui too spoke with formal respect, as one might to the elders of his clan.
“At last, the sun breaks through the clouds that have hung over our family for so long.”
Guan Hui, embarrassed, rubbed the bridge of his nose and drew out two Secret Martial Texts he had kept carefully in his breast, laying them where all could see.
The Dragon Flying Morning Technique and the Heaven Extreme Cloud Annihilation Blade.
The martial philosophy and inner methods of Guan Yu, the great general whose name had resounded centuries before.
“Now, let us at last learn a proper martial philosophy.”
“…!”
“…!!”
The eyes of the retainers widened in wonder as they beheld their ancestor’s martial philosophy.
Guan Estate, which had endured decades of bitter hardship.
After the breath that would not extinguish even in the cold wind that cut flesh.
Spring had at last come to turn its footsteps toward this place.

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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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