# Chapter 362: Full-Time Education (1)
Blood flowed back along the blade, stopped by the sword guard, not reaching Chen Changsheng's hand, but for some reason, he still seemed to feel the warmth of the blood, even felt his hand somewhat wet and sticky, very uncomfortable. Then he remembered—this seemed to be the first time he had killed someone.
From Xining Town to the capital, participating in the Green Vine Banquet, the Grand Examination, battles, and then entering the Zhou Garden, he had fought many battles, but aside from that demon general couple who died before the Zhou Mausoleum, no one had died by his sword. So it could be said that this innkeeper was the first person he had ever killed.
The innkeeper slowly fell before him, his wide-open eyes filled with unwillingness and despair, his face no longer showing any trace of stinginess, only a deathly pallor.
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then pulled the short sword from his abdomen. He was silent again for another moment, then looked at Su Li, using his eyes to express his question—this innkeeper didn't seem like an assassin at all; on the contrary, that waiter had many suspicious points. Why did Senior want to use his sword to kill him?
He didn't misunderstand Su Li as killing indiscriminately like some hot-blooded youth would. He tried to remain calm, not making premature judgments—and this was the best judgment. So Su Li was very satisfied and said, "If you ask me why I killed him, it's hard to explain in simple words."
Chen Changsheng said, "His body had no killing intent, nor any fluctuations of a cultivator's true essence."
Su Li put down the porridge bowl on the table, pointed with his chopsticks at the innkeeper's corpse in the pool of blood, and said, "In a military outpost like this, running a wagon inn—how could the innkeeper have no killing intent at all?"
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and understood his meaning. This was indeed a suspicious point.
Su Li said, "And he was too much like a wagon innkeeper—stingy, irritable... but in fact, this likeness only matches the impression people have of wagon innkeepers. A real wagon innkeeper, guarding such a shabby inn in this godforsaken place, could be indifferent, certainly numb—where would they have the mood to discipline their own waiter?"
Chen Changsheng felt that these words were teaching him, so he listened very attentively.
Su Li pointed his chopsticks at the innkeeper's corpse and continued, "Of course, these are all just suspicions, not evidence. The evidence is that his body had no true essence fluctuations, but it had aura."
Chen Changsheng lowered his head, searched through the innkeeper's belongings for a moment, and found a magical artifact shaped like a jade pendant. This artifact could be used to conceal true essence fluctuations.
"There's no way to teach you this. When you cultivate to my level, you'll naturally be able to sense this kind of aura." After saying this, Su Li picked up his porridge bowl and continued his unfinished breakfast. Judging by his delighted expression, he seemed quite satisfied with the pickled vegetables the wagon inn provided.
"I originally thought it was the waiter, because he was too enthusiastic toward us last night, and his hands..." Chen Changsheng looked at the waiter standing by the table, his gaze falling on the tiger's mouth of his right hand, where there was a circle of very obvious calluses, possibly signs of long-term sword-holding. The waiter's face was pale, his whole body trembling, clearly scared out of his wits.
Su Li ate his porridge while casually saying, "Calluses on the tiger's mouth—besides holding a sword, they could also be from holding a knife. A kitchen knife is also a knife."
Although a kitchen knife and a sword were two completely different things, the handle of a kitchen knife and the hilt of a sword really weren't that different. Chen Changsheng lowered his head, looking at the blood-stained short sword in his hand, his breathing becoming rapid, because he suddenly felt a great sense of fear. If Su Li hadn't poked him with his chopsticks just now, he might have actually thrust the sword into the waiter's body—which would mean he had killed an innocent person.
What if he killed the wrong person? A person's life only comes once. If you kill the wrong person, it's wrong, and you can never correct or make up for it. This was a fact he found very hard to accept.
"Murder! Murder!"
At that moment, the waiter seemed to finally come to his senses. Seeing the innkeeper's corpse lying in the pool of blood, he let out a terrified scream and rushed toward the door, but in his fear and panic, he tripped over the innkeeper's corpse and fell heavily to the ground. Ignoring the pain, he frantically tried to get up, but slipped and stumbled on the sticky blood on the floor, looking utterly pitiful and pathetic.
Chen Changsheng felt somewhat apologetic and stepped forward to help him up from the ground. But at that moment, Su Li finally finished his breakfast. He wiped his mouth with satisfaction, placed the empty porridge bowl back on the table, and then threw his chopsticks out—very casually, very playfully. But his chopsticks, seemingly thrown at random, happened to hit a certain spot on Chen Changsheng's ribs.
A very faint but clever force entered Chen Changsheng's body, controlling his movements, making him turn slightly sideways while his right hand shot forward like lightning.
The blood-stained short sword was still in his right hand.
With a *puchi* sound, the sharp short sword easily pierced through what seemed to be a sturdy soft armor, plunging deep into the waiter's chest, directly piercing through his heart.
The waiter's face was full of shock, a gurgling sound coming from his throat, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. He slowly fell forward to the ground, dead.
This time, Chen Changsheng was truly stunned. His face instantly turned pale.
At this moment, the short sword was still deeply embedded in the waiter's chest, held in his hand. He felt as if he could truly sense the process of the heart that the blade had pierced—from its slow beating to its complete stillness.
He looked at Su Li uneasily. If Su Li couldn't provide sufficient proof now—at least more convincing proof than for the innkeeper—then he would find it very hard to accept what had just happened. Well, since he needed convincing proof, he would find it himself. With slightly trembling hands, he turned the corpse over. When he saw the small crossbow in the waiter's hand, clearly coated with potent poison, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Senior... how did you see that?"
His gaze toward Su Li was no longer uneasy but filled with admiration.
Su Li said, "Didn't you hear what the innkeeper was scolding the waiter about?"
Chen Changsheng's attention at the time had been on the details of the innkeeper's and waiter's movements, so he hadn't noticed this.
"The innkeeper's scolding was quite vivid, quite detailed. I mean the specific content—like the waiter being lazy and gluttonous... What does that prove? It proves they truly knew each other." Su Li stood up, looking at the two corpses before the table, and said, "Or perhaps they grew up together? Who knows. Anyway, I only know that an assassin's partner is definitely also an assassin."
Chen Changsheng felt admiration again, thinking that details truly determined success or failure, and experience was above all else. But these were ultimately based on speculation... What if he had killed the wrong person?
"Killed the wrong person? Then it's wrong. What else can you do?"
Su Li said expressionlessly, then spread his arms and said, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and come over."
Chen Changsheng came to his senses and asked, "We're leaving now?"
Su Li said irritably, "What, are you waiting for the soldiers in the military outpost to come and catch us?"
Chen Changsheng dared not say anything more. While the blood incident at the wagon inn hadn't yet alerted the people in the outpost, he carried Su Li on his back and left through the wind and snow, heading south.
...
...
In a grove of black willows southeast of the military outpost, the two stopped to rest for a while.
Chen Changsheng was actually very puzzled. Since those who wanted to kill Su Li already knew his whereabouts, why were they still hiding their identities? Wouldn't it be better to directly contact the Great Zhou military and obtain protection?
Su Li said, "Those two fellows were just low-level assassins. They might not even know who I am. They just happened to be active in this area."
Chen Changsheng asked, "Who were those two assassins?"
Su Li was really getting annoyed. "I already said they were insignificant figures. How would I know who they were?"
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "You mean those two assassins were just working for money, and if your identity were exposed, the ones who come might not be such weak assassins but true experts?"
Su Li said, "Such a simple principle, and it needs such a detailed explanation? Why are you such a chatterbox, little fellow?"
Chen Changsheng thought to himself that while he wasn't exactly taciturn, he wasn't particularly good with words either. It was just that Senior's actions were so unpredictable that he felt uneasy if he didn't understand clearly.
He persisted, "In that case, why doesn't the demon race simply leak your whereabouts?"
Su Li said, "Because Black Robe isn't sure where I am either. The people he's allied with in the human world, or those who have an understanding with him, are now just casting a wide net to find me. Of course, even if those people confirm my whereabouts, they won't leak that information."
Chen Changsheng asked in confusion, "Why is that?"
Su Li said, "Because besides many people who want to kill me, there are also many who want to help me."
Chen Changsheng didn't understand. If Senior's whereabouts became known to the world, would many people travel thousands of miles to help him?
"Who am I?" Su Li looked at him seriously and asked.
Chen Changsheng was now used to this way of conversing with him. He was a bit tired, a bit numb, and answered quite mechanically: "The youngest master of Li Mountain, the pinnacle of sword cultivation, the idol of the younger generation of cultivators."
Compared to the Black Dragon, Su Li clearly only cared about superficial things. He didn't criticize Chen Changsheng's answer for being perfunctory, but said proudly, "There you have it. Since I'm the idol of many people, when they know I'm injured and in trouble, wouldn't they rush to save me?"
Chen Changsheng didn't want to continue this topic and asked, "Senior, what should we do next?"
Su Li said, "Of course, we need to hide from everyone's eyes and secretly send me back to Li Mountain."
Chen Changsheng thought to himself that Li Mountain was far in the south of the continent, tens of thousands of miles away from here. Sending him back to Li Mountain would be extremely difficult, and it couldn't be known... How worried would those people who cared about him become?
"Senior, why can't you let the people from Li Mountain come to pick you up?"
"Foolish. Li Mountain is the farthest from here. By the time my disciples and grand-disciples arrive, the flowers would have wilted and the greens gone cold."
Chen Changsheng thought to himself that the closest place here was the Great Zhou Northern Army, but Senior refused to go to them. He said seriously, "Senior, I don't understand why you don't want to seek help from the Great Zhou military. If it's a matter of face, I can go ask for help. They will definitely send people to escort us back to the capital."
Su Li looked at him with a cold smile and said, "Is your position as Dean of the National Academy so impressive?"
Chen Changsheng thought to himself that while his position as Dean of the National Academy might not mean much in front of Senior, it should carry some weight with Great Zhou.
Su Li said, "But have you considered that when everyone's eyes are on you, how can my identity be hidden?"
Chen Changsheng looked at him sincerely and said, "Since those who want to kill you have already appeared, your identity and whereabouts will always be exposed. What we need to fight for now is time. Li Mountain is indeed too far, and the capital is also too far, but the Great Zhou army is really close. As long as you reveal your identity, what else would you need to worry about?"
Round and round, it came back to his original suggestion, and also to what he understood least.
Su Li looked at him and sighed, "I really don't know if you're naive or stupid, little fellow."
Chen Changsheng was stunned, not understanding what this meant.
Su Li looked at him with a half-smile and said, "You keep saying I should seek help from the Great Zhou military. Don't you know... the ones on this continent who most want me dead are you Zhou people?"
The moment his voice fell, the snow on the black willow grove suddenly fell with a rustling sound.
The world was bitterly cold.
The earth trembled slightly. In the distance, hundreds of iron cavalry galloped across the snowy plain.
Those were the elite Snow Cavalry of the Great Zhou Northern Army. They seemed to be searching for something.
...
...
(The next chapter will be later.)