Framing!

The situation was indeed extremely tricky;

he had already reached the point where he could not prove his innocence.

You say you were framed? Fine, then explain who would frame you—and why?

Just because you have some talent in martial arts?

Even Chu Yuan felt a weight settling in his heart;

if he were really convicted of killing Li Chen, it would all be over...

No matter how talented a martial artist was, if he was cruel and vicious, bullied the weak, and disregarded the rules, he would still be punished;

what would be the point of raising you, only for you to cause trouble within the Qin Kingdom?

Friction between martial artists was inevitable, and they were allowed to fight each other to the death, but only after reaching the Internal Breath Realm!

Before reaching the Internal Breath Realm, they could apply to their department for a deathmatch!

Private killings, however, were strictly forbidden!

And they were only high school seniors, not even officially recognized martial artists. Attacking an ordinary person made the crime even worse!

Fortunately, Qi Da's attitude put him somewhat at ease; at the very least, the principal was on his side;

as the principal of Chenyang No. 1 High School and a Fifth Realm martial artist, his opinion carried considerable weight.

"Not many people knew about the grudge between you and Li Chen. It was only when you attacked him yesterday that people at school found out;

the news hadn't had time to spread, and the other party struck that very night... The pool of suspects is actually quite small. We can basically narrow it down to people within the school."

Chu Yuan nodded, agreeing with this assessment;

and since Li Chen had an Internal Breath Realm bodyguard with him, the students could basically be ruled out;

most of the teachers could be ruled out as well. They weren't capable of killing an Internal Breath Realm martial artist instantly.

There was one thing he still couldn't figure out: what was the other party after?

Getting revenge on his behalf?

That was impossible...

"I'll investigate. Keep an eye out for anything unusual around you, too." Qi Da stubbed out his cigarette. "We can't rush this. I can hold off the Public Security Bureau and the Li Family for a few days;

since the real culprit was willing to risk offending the Li Family to act, there must be more to it than simply killing someone."

"Okay."

"Are you running low on Martial Arts Pills?"

"I'm out."

"You certainly don't hold back..." Qi Da smiled, then produced several jade bottles from who knew where and set them on the desk;

"Don't neglect your training, either. Go on."

"Thank you, Principal."

After taking the pills, Chu Yuan didn't return to class. He went straight home instead;

Chu Ying was at school, but Han Cui was home.

She had listened to Chu Yuan and closed the restaurant, intending to transfer the shop to someone else;

she just hadn't found anyone to take it over yet...

Seeing Chu Yuan come home unexpectedly, Han Cui looked puzzled and asked him a few questions;

Chu Yuan gave her a casual answer, then shut himself in his bedroom.

Qi Da was right. No matter what happened, training was the most important thing!

His cultivation had already reached Qi Cultivation Level 7. Once he reached Level 9 Perfection, he could attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage!

With no shortage of pills, it wouldn't take long to reach Level 9...

He trained until nightfall, and only opened his eyes once he had used up all the Cultivator Pills on hand;

he picked up his terminal. There were several messages from Yang Yi, asking why he hadn't been at school that day and whether they were still going to go through with their deal...

Chu Yuan ignored them and asked directly, "Send me Zhou Zhe's address."

"...Chu Yuan, I heard about Li Chen's death. You didn't really do it, did you?"

"No."

"I didn't think so. You wouldn't be that stupid..." Yang Yi paused on the other end, apparently weighing his words for a long time before asking cautiously, "Then why do you want Zhou Zhe's address?"

"Don't worry. I'm definitely not going to kill him."

"Oh, okay..." Yang Yi replied, then fell silent again, seeming to hesitate;

two or three minutes later, an address finally arrived on Chu Yuan's terminal.

"Um... I asked my dad to find someone to speak up for you, but the Li Family has a lot of influence..."

"Thanks, but there's no need." Chu Yuan replied, memorized the address, stood up, and picked up his sword before climbing out the window;

"Sorry I couldn't help..."

After reading that message, Chu Yuan didn't reply. A wisp of Spiritual Power enveloped his body as he stepped outside;

his steps weren't particularly quick, no faster than an ordinary person's.

Yet his body was as light as smoke. Often, a single step carried him more than ten meters!

His speed was astonishing, like a ghost!

It was the movement technique he had converted through the system: Smoke-Drifting Steps!

Cultivators rarely used movement techniques. They usually relied on escape techniques!

After all, cultivators seldom fought at close range...

But Chu Yuan hadn't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage. He had pitifully little Spiritual Power in his body and couldn't even fly... Even if he had an escape technique, he wouldn't be able to use it.

Smoke-Drifting Steps was just right. It consumed little energy and performed impressively!

He hadn't asked for Zhou Zhe's address for any other reason; he only wanted to stake out the place;

if the other party was trying to frame him, then Zhou Zhe had been the first person to come into conflict with him!

But why had they chosen to kill Li Chen instead of Zhou Zhe, who would have been an easier target?

Was it because of Li Chen's background? Did they think Zhou Zhe wasn't important enough?

Anyway, putting himself in the culprit's shoes, if he saw that Li Chen's death hadn't caused much of a stir, he'd certainly do something else;

and Zhou Zhe, who had clashed with him, would be the perfect target!

Zhou Zhe's family wasn't particularly wealthy, but they were fairly well-off, so they lived in an upscale residential complex;

at the very least, even the guards at the entrance were Blood-Qi Realm martial artists.

Chu Yuan watched the situation for a while, then climbed over the wall and followed the address Yang Yi had given him to an apartment building;

then... he climbed straight up the outer wall to the rooftop.

It was late at night, with a bright moon and few stars, and hardly anyone was coming or going from the complex;

Chu Yuan wasn't sure whether the other party would act as he expected, but waiting here was his only option.

About an hour later, he suddenly saw a figure approaching from a distance at an unhurried pace, pushing open the entrance door and going inside.

Chu Yuan drew his long sword, opened the rooftop door, and headed downstairs...

Zhou Zhe lived on the seventeenth floor;

Chu Yuan stood at the stairwell landing on the eighteenth floor, calm and composed.

He heard a knock at the door;

then an impatient voice came from inside, grumbling:

"Damn it, who is it?! In the middle of the night..."

The sound of the door opening...

The sound of a throat being crushed...

And a few seconds later, a terrified cry from Zhou Zhe:

"Ah! Chu Yuan!

You killed... You killed..."