Chapter 20 A Letter! Leaving!
dusk.
Lister lay on his back on the ground, panting heavily, his clothes tattered and covered with seven or eight bleeding wounds.
Koushirou held his katana and wiped the sweat from his face.
"You lost again. Just how strong are you, Mr. Koushirou?" Lister sat up and asked curiously.
"Strength and weakness are relative. At your age, you are already very strong. Keep up your training, and you will be even stronger than me in the future." Koushirou sat down as well and said with a smile.
Lister's progress was incredible, even to him. His comprehension was astonishing, far surpassing Zoro's straightforwardness. When he taught Zoro the "Iron-Cutting" sword technique, Zoro didn't grasp it at all. He just kept training his monstrous strength and said he wanted to become a swordsman who could cut through anything. What a headache!
Sometimes, Koushirou wanted to teach Lister kendo, but unfortunately, unlike Kuina, Zoro, and other children who practiced swordsmanship from a young age and pursued the ultimate in kendo, Lister's sword and fist were merely tools to achieve his goals. He did not have a pure sword heart that was willing to give everything for kendo. Perhaps he would become a world-famous strongman, but he would never become the world's strongest swordsman.
"Of course, I'll be stronger than you. By the way, is it really okay not to tell Zoro the truth? He's been giving me trouble more often lately."
"The so-called 'strongest sword' is the power to protect what you want to protect and to sever what you want to sever! Rather than letting him wallow in sorrow, it is better to transform grief into power."
Lister chuckled and said, "You're clearly a sexist old man. Deep down, you think girls should stay at home, weave cloth and embroider clothes, wait to get married, and live a quiet life, right?"
"Isn't it good? What world's strongest swordsman? That's a path that countless men have shed blood for, you know! I'm also a father, and I hope my daughter lives a happy, healthy, and safe life."
Lister smiled and said, "Aren't all parents like this? What you call happiness is precisely the root of her suffering?"
"You'll understand this feeling when you become a parent yourself." Koushirou stood up and left.
"I know, it is love. But a fledgling eagle hiding under its parents' wings can never soar in the sky."
In the dojo and courtyard, Koushirou gazes at the bright moon.
"An eagle? Then let it fly!"
Lister devised a plan, began purposeful training, mastered the Six Styles, studied "Life Return," and pondered the dual domineering aura.
Every day, he would train with Koushirou to find his shortcomings. The training, which started as a one-sided beating, gradually turned into a back-and-forth battle.
Through repeated "extreme training," Lister's body gained tenacious vitality and amazing recovery ability. He also discovered and unleashed the power hidden within his body.
"Lister is like someone who can grow and evolve through molting, seemingly possessing infinite possibilities!"
When Koushirou and Ichiro Tsuchiya were drinking, they mentioned Lister and made this comment.
Ichiro Tsuchimon is now one of the teachers at the dojo.
He had already learned kendo from Koushirou and had ventured out into the world. Compared to the other villagers, he was no weaker and was more than capable of teaching a group of children.
Haiyuan Calendar, 1514.
Another summer has come.
Ichiro Tsuchimon arrived at the cabin in the woods and called out twice, but Lister was nowhere to be seen.
He knew that Lister might have gone into the mountains to meditate, and would not return for at least half a day or three or four days, so he placed the letter delivered by the merchant ship on the table and weighed it down with a stone.
Turning to leave, Ichiro Tsuchiya was startled. Seeing the figure at the door, he patted his chest and complained, "You scared me to death, Lister! How come you came back without making a sound?"
"Sorry, sorry," Lister said with a smile as he walked into the room.
"I've put the letter from the merchant ship on the table."
"Thank you! There's a wild boar I caught by the gate; take it back to the dojo and give it to the children as an extra meal!" Lister said.
"Then I won't be polite, thank you!" Ichiro Tsuchiya walked out the door and saw a wild boar that was half the size of the house. He opened his mouth wide and turned his head to look into the house.
"This isn't a wild boar, it's a wild boar king! I heard it's wreaked havoc on several neighboring villages, and more than twenty members of a hunting team made up of villagers were injured by it."
"Oh? Really? We met by chance," Lister said casually, opening the envelope.
Ichiro Tsuchiya circled the wild boar king once, but found that he couldn't move the big guy. Hearing a rumbling sound in the forest, he had a sudden idea.
A short while later, Zoro arrived with Ichiro Tsuchiya.
"Hey, Zoro, it's your turn now." Ichiro Tsuchiya patted Zoro on the shoulder.
Zoro opened his mouth wide and stared at Ichiro Tsuchiya with wide eyes.
"Can't you do it?" Ichiro Tsuchiya gave him a look that said, "You're so weak."
Zoro jumped up and down, yelling, "Damn it, how come you can't do it? I'll show you!"
Zoro stomped his feet heavily on the ground, grabbed the thick tusks with one hand, and lifted the boar king's chin with the other, yelling loudly.
The boar king's massive body slowly rose up.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Ichiro Tsuchiyuan thought to himself. Given time, Zoro will surely become a big shot in his own right.
Zoro, still small in stature, carried the enormous carcass of the boar king as he walked step by step out of the forest.
"Arlong Pirates!"
Suddenly, a chilling killing intent erupted from inside the house. Ichiro Tsuchiya, who was pleased with Zoro's growth, froze instantly, as if he were sinking into a swamp and unable to breathe. He clutched his neck and fell to the ground.
The wind stopped, and there was no sound in the forest; everything became deathly still in an instant.
Zoro barely managed to turn his head, a silent fear spreading through him, as if a ferocious beast more terrifying than the Boar King was opening its blood-red maw.
However, this murderous intent came and went quickly. In just a moment, a gentle breeze blew by, the leaves rustled, and a soft sound was heard.
"Huff, huff..." Ichiro Tsuchiyama gasped for breath, cold sweat beading on his forehead, looking into the room with suspicion and uncertainty.
Zoro snapped out of his daze, feeling his trembling legs, and his eyes turned fierce: "Damn it, how can I be afraid? I must become the strongest swordsman! I will become stronger and stronger! Lister, I will definitely defeat you!"
Clenching his fists, Zoro carried the Boar King and ran away with a thud.
"Hey, Zoro, where are you going? You're going the wrong way, the village isn't in that direction!" Ichiro Tsuchiya shouted suddenly after glancing out of the corner of his eye.
"Ichiro, please give this letter to Mr. Koushirou and tell him that I'm leaving."
Ichiro Tsuchiya turned around, and Lister, who had come to the door, looked calm, as if the murderous intent just now was an illusion and nothing had ever happened.
"Okay, okay, what happened?"
"Something did happen, but I'll handle it. Besides, I've been here for two years; it's time to leave!"
"Will you come back?" Ichiro Tsuchi asked casually.
"Perhaps. Take care, Ichiro!"
Lister sprang up, his feet stomping repeatedly, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"goodbye!"
Ichiro Tsuchimon waved his hand, sadly wiping away his tears.
"Go! You are different from us; you are destined to be a world-famous figure!"
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