I formed the strongest swordsman group

"Early? Is it possible that there is a later version?"

Boss Kiryu nodded.

"That's right."

"Tachibana-kun, when I was young, I was just like you. I believed that the strongest sword-drawing technique was 'no way to dodge and no way to defend'."

"If you want to reach such a state, you must continue to work hard and temper yourself."

"Strength and speed are everything - 'Snap' is the secret developed based on this idea."

"But in middle age, after experiencing many things, my mind changed."

"Ju-kun, let me ask you: What do you think is the definition of 'fast' in the world of martial arts?"

Boss Kiryu didn’t seem to intend for Qingto to answer this question.

Before Qingdeng had time to answer, he thought to himself and said quietly:

"Did you swing the blade so hard that you can't even see the afterimage?"

"Is it that when you are cutting down the target, the sound of the knife has already arrived before the sound is heard?"

"neither."

"In the world of martial arts, there is always only one definition of 'fast' - being able to take action before your opponent."

"'It's so fast that you can't even see with your eyes', 'It's so fast that you can't even keep up with the sound'... these comments are meaningless."

"Even if your sword is incredibly fast, as fast as lightning, so what? If your opponent has a higher speed than you, what should you do?"

"The definition of 'fast' is based on contrast. A sword that is not faster than the enemy is a useless sword."

"The art of drawing swords...or, the essence of 'sword art' lies in this."

"What swordsmanship should pursue is not the power to destroy the dead, nor the speed of lightning, but 'strike first to gain the upper hand'."

"Everything other than that is an evil way that deviates from the essence."

"For thousands of years, through the continuous research and improvement of swordsmiths, the forging skills of blades have become amazing."

"A knife worth more than ten taels, if used with a certain amount of force, is enough to kill someone."

"In this situation where both sides possess 'weapons that can definitely kill the other side,' whoever can take the lead will have an overwhelming advantage."

Hearing this, Qingdeng couldn't help but retorted:

"Boss Kiryu, what you are saying... sounds to me like you are emphasizing the importance of strength and speed in disguise?"

"If you don't have extraordinary strength and top speed, how can you stay ahead of others forever?"

"A swordsman who can always seize the opportunity is a swordsman who is as powerful as a mountain and as fast as thunder."

Boss Kiryu smiled slightly.

"Well, you are right. Strength and speed are the foundation. Without the foundation of the two, everything is impossible."

"But... you and I only have the perspective of a 'mortal'."

As he spoke, Boss Kiryu leaned back, raised his head, raised his eyes to the sky, and let out a sigh of relief.

"... Mr. Ju, have you ever seen the 'first before the first'?"

"...?"

Qingdeng was silent for a while, and then gave a confused look.

Mr. Kiryu seemed to have anticipated Qingto's reaction, and raised the corners of his mouth - an indescribable look spread between his cheeks.

"How should I put it... The so-called 'first in' means seeing through everything about your opponent."

"Your opponent's expression, your opponent's behavior, your opponent's thoughts are all invisible to you. It's like a god overlooking his own plaything."

"His attacks cannot threaten you because you have already seen through his intentions."

"And every blow and every move you make can fall easily on the opponent, because you already know how he is going to defend and dodge next. All you have to do is to calculate '1+1 equals The calculation of a few' is normal, and the attack will be directed to a position and trajectory that will never make a mistake."

"If you want to reach such a state..."

At this point, Boss Kiryu suddenly stopped talking.

Just as he was hearing the important part, it suddenly stopped... Qingto leaned forward unconsciously, held his breath, and stared at Boss Kiryu attentively, waiting for the next chapter.

However... the other party's next words made him almost fall off the corridor.

"...I'm sorry, I don't know what I need to do to reach such a state."

"..."

Qingden pursed his lips and resisted the urge to complain.

This is even more uncomfortable than hearing "If you want to know what happened, please read the next chapter."

At least it has a follow-up plot, but this one doesn't even have a sequel!

Today’s boss Kiryu is a particularly Riddler.

From now on, he continued to speak incomprehensible words like a drunken man.

What the hell is "first in first"?

After talking for so long, the result was "I don't know what I need to do to achieve this state." What the hell is that?

"Tachibana-kun, please forgive me."

Boss Kiryu shrugged and resumed the conversation.

"I will never hide anything from you."

"If I understand and master the secret of 'first come first', I will definitely teach him the truth."

"But...it is the highest realm that I can't reach."

Speaking of this, Boss Kiryu paused.

In this pause, his expression - regret, regret, bewilderment... the three emotions were beautifully mixed together, condensed into meaningful anguish.

"How can a person who has never seen light describe the brightness of the sun to you?"

"If you talk nonsense, wouldn't you be misleading people?"

"There is only one thing I am sure of about 'First Before' - it is not my delusion, it is real."

"Because two of my old friends have reached this point, they gave 'Xian Zhi Xian' a more formal and majestic title."

"However, because it is a supreme state that can only be understood but cannot be expressed in words, just like Buddhism, you will never achieve anything by just talking with your mouth and gesturing with your hands and feet. You can only feel it by yourself. , to understand.”

"So I don't dare to tell you too much, let alone tell you the formal title. Its formal title contains too much information that may confuse you."

"If I tell you too much, it may have a negative impact on you."

"A long time ago, I was imagining: If we can combine the 'first' to see through the opponent with the 'moment' that moves like thunder... Then, if you don't strike, you will be dead, if you strike, you will hit, and the one who hits will die. The strongest sword-drawing skill was born!"

As he said these words, Boss Kiryu's tone continued to be high-spirited. Every time his tone rose a little, the light in his eyes became brighter.

"If I can successfully develop this move, then my life as an Iai swordsman will be complete."

"However, it's a pity... Even in my heyday, I couldn't get what I wanted, and now I'm even more hopeless with my old body."

"Tachibana-kun, if possible, please perfect 'Setsuna' for me and make it truly the strongest sword-drawing technique."

Kiryu turned his head and looked straight into Qingden's eyes, with a soft smile on his face.

"You are the only direct disciple I have valued in my nearly hundred years."

"Although I can't explain why, I just feel: you can definitely do it."

"If one day in the future you really fulfill my unfulfilled ambition, please be sure to report your success to me as soon as possible."

"If that day comes and I am no longer alive, please come to my grave, offer my favorite red bean buns, and sing a song of victory."

"This is...the important thing I want to entrust to you today."

As early as halfway through listening, Qingdeng felt an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

If you think about it carefully, you and Boss Kiryu are really old acquaintances.

They met each other the day after they traveled to this world.

Without the introduction from Boss Kiryu, he would not have known about the existence of the Imperial Guard Hall, nor would he have been able to get to know Kinoshita Mai, Souji, Sanako, Kondo Isamu, Hijikata Toizan and other brothers.

It can be said that Boss Kiryu is both his master and his guide.

Most of the connections he currently has can be traced back to Boss Kiryu.

In the past three years, the wonderful time of being both a teacher and a friend has already made him an important person in Qingdeng's heart who cannot be underestimated.

"Um!"

After waiting for the emotional wave to pass, Qingden nodded vigorously.

"I will! Boss Kiryu, in order for that day to come, you must live a long life!"

Boss Kiryu smiled.

"I have lived long enough. An old man over 90 years old is rare in the world. If I live longer, won't I become a monster?"

At this moment, Boss Kiryu seemed to have recalled something and suddenly changed the topic:

"Ah, let me take advantage of this opportunity to tell you about that matter. Mr. Orange, there is something very important that I need to discuss with you - about the Angoulême family. .”

Qingden raised his eyebrows.

"The Angouleme family? What happened to Elodie and the others?"

"For some reason that I cannot elaborate on, the Angouleme family needs to move to Kyoto in the near future."

"Kyoto?"

Qingden opened his eyes in shock.

Immediately afterwards, the surprise turned into solemnity.

"Boss Kiryu, what's going on? Elodie and the others are going to Kyoto at this time? Are you kidding me?"

If an ordinary family wanted to go to Kyoto, Qingdeng wouldn't say anything.

Although Kyoto is currently in chaos, ordinary people can live smoothly as long as they live their lives honestly and do not express any political opinions in public or get involved in any political-related activities.

However, a group of French people want to go to Kyoto at this juncture... It feels strange no matter how you think about it!

This kind of behavior is not jumping into a pit of fire, but jumping into the crater of a volcano that is about to erupt!

Since being promoted to governor of Gyeonggi Province, Qingdeng has mastered a large amount of first-hand information about the current situation in Gyeonggi Province.

It is no exaggeration to say that under the instigation of the Choshu clan, countless radical-minded people from all over Japan gathered in Kyoto like crucian carp crossing the river.

The current anti-barbarian wind in the air in Kyoto is even worse than that of Edo, which was persecuted by the anti-barbarian group three years ago.

Not to mention Westerners, even scholars and doctors who delve into Western knowledge will be labeled as "national traitors" and then be punished by heaven.

Faced with Qingden's questioning look, Boss Kiryu shook his head gently.

"Tachibana-kun, I'm sorry, I really can't elaborate on the reason."

"In short, they must move to Kyoto immediately."

"You also know that in this situation, other places are fine, but the Gyeonggi area is extremely chaotic."

"If adequate protection is not taken, a trip to Kyoto will definitely be dangerous - especially for Westerners."

"You will soon lead the Shinsengumi to Luo, so I would like to ask you: when you raise your troops to march westward, please allow the Angoulême family to accompany you."

"With the Shinsengumi here, no matter how radical the pro-protest elements are, they will not dare to come and harass us."

"After arriving in Kyoto, the next thing will be easy to say. Anthony will take my letter of recommendation and go to a good friend of mine."

Qingdeng listened carefully.

After thinking for a while, he nodded gently:

"...I understand. Since there is an unspeakable reason, I won't ask any more questions."

"Let my Shinsengumi act as bodyguards... That's no problem."

"It's just that they must disguise themselves and dress up as Kazuto when accompanying them, so that my subordinates cannot find out that there are Westerners following them."

As he spoke, Qingden shrugged, with a look of helplessness on his face.

"There are quite a few people under my command who are strongly hostile to Westerners..."

In fact, the distinction between the "respecting the king and repelling the barbarians" and the "combining public and military forces" is not so clear-cut.

Among the former were many who supported the Tokugawa family and considered them indispensable to the Edo shogunate.

As for the latter, there is no shortage of people who respect the court and the emperor and want to expel every "barbarian" from the country.

Boss Kiryu nodded:

"Of course. I'll let them disguise themselves."

"Does Ah Wu know about this?"

"I haven't told her yet."

Qingden smiled:

"Elodie is going to Kyoto too...she should be very happy."

He could imagine how happy Kinoshita Mai would be after learning that her only best friend was going to Kyoto with her.

Elodie is his apprentice.

Although Boss Kiryu was very secretive about the reason why the Angoulême family urgently moved to Kyoto, Aonto also guessed that the family, who had lived well in Edo, had to go to all the trouble to move, and even to a dangerous place. The Laman area must have been in serious trouble.

Since the apprentice is in trouble, Qingdeng is naturally willing to help.

Regarding the "protection mission", both parties successfully reached a consensus.

Afterwards, Qingdeng brought back the previous topic:

"Boss Kiryu, regarding 'Setsuna'... its late version, before I reach the state of 'First of all', I should not be able to count on it for the time being."

"I'd better delve into its 'early version' first."

"Can you show me the 'Snap'? Let me see its elegance with my own eyes. This will definitely be of great benefit to my study."

When Boss Kiryu heard this, he chuckled a few times:

"That's natural. Tachibana-kun, take your knife."

After saying that, he put down the teacup in his hand, grabbed the saber by his leg, and stood up.

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Tomorrow is the beginning of the "Kyoto Chapter"! I can guarantee this 100%! Finish "Snap" with a thousand words, and then it's time to go to Luo!