After the Kill.

"You killed before." - that wasn't a question. She pointed it out like a fact and Aiden watched gorgeous serious face with incredulity.

"And I did it in front of you." - he said.

"No, even before that, you killed many, right?" - she asked. Bing'er wasn't blaming him in the slightest, on the contrary, now she can emphasize with him. Her face was still slightly pale after taking the life of another person.

They were not good people. If someone steps into the arena with the mind to kill or cripple, it is normal to expect similar treatment in return. But it all happened so abruptly.

'Tang San did a good job. Those crossbows are really lethal.' - Aiden thought they are useless for him. But he can arm Dragon Fang assassination teams with hidden weapons. That will raise their lethality to another level.

However, he won't do such a thing. Simply because those hidden weapons are too uncommon. Arming his slayer squads with them is like saying that Shrek Academy has connections with Dragon Fang. He is not an idiot to plant such an obvious mark on their heads for Spirit Hall to act on.

So what he opted to do is develop weapons on his own. Soul Weapons.

Nexus was tasked with the research of proper weaponry for the masters long ago. By today, Aiden can only create cultivation world weapons. They were powerful, but have strict requirements to use, which is not good. As for proper soul weapons, they are still semi-finished products.

In several days they will arrive at the Heaven Dou Empire Capital. Aiden was ready for the action, but he really wanted to avoid the trip to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Provoking royal family and suffering humiliation from Titled Douluo? The hell, he is not some masochist to do it even after knowing what will happen. There might be an even bigger problem because the one hired to drive Shrek Academy out most likely won't be Dugu Bo anymore.

All that foolish undertaking can cause deaths!

How to avoid it? Yu Xiaogang is surprisingly stubborn this time. He just didn't listen for some reason that Aiden can't understand at all. Flender and others are neutral. So if not stopping them, at least Aiden can change some things.

But he doesn't have to do it on his own. He better not even go there to waste time under Titled Douluo oppression. He already had a plan. That was really simple. He smiled devilishly. There is something satisfying in giving arrogant pricks a good thrashing.

'If it all goes well, I don't mind tagging along to watch the show.'

"We didn't know it will kill them. Isn't it cruel?" - sighed Bing'er. She was sitting by the side, hugging her knees and resting her head on them. Her wavy hair rained down in an unkempt manner, however, they still captivated onlookers with beauty.

Not like there were any, Aiden and Bing'er sat alone on the branch of a gigantic tree while looking at the campsite from the alleviated viewpoint.

"It is better that way than to hesitate in actual battle and get hurt. Furthermore, they were killers themselves. People like that bring only ruin. The longer they live, the longer they stick to their way. And the longer they follow the old ways, the more people will die in their hands. And those people might be the real innocent victims here. So you can think of killing them as a way to rescue potential victims." - said Aiden and poured a bit of wine for Bing'er. He was cautious not to make the girl drunk. They were still very young, although, after all the training and progress, their bodies already were no different from teens around eighteen to nineteen years of age.

"How were you able to hold up?" - she asked and took a sip. Warmth spread through her mouth and body. Bing'er stuck out her tongue and squinted a bit, feeling sour and sweet at the same time. - "It is tasty. Hey, you are not getting me drunk to do something nasty, right?"

She leaned over while looking suspiciously straight into his eyes. She got very close but felt a finger poking her forehead.

"I'm not blind and can see you, Bing'er." - he moved the captivating face away, feeling flustered and sighed. - "You really should be more self-conscious about your own charm. It is dangerous to do such things alone with a man. Don't do it."

"Oh." - she said lazily and glanced at him from the corner of the eye. - "I won't do it with others in the future."

"I mean generally, you girl." - he flicked her forehead with a smile and looked at the campsite. - "How are others?"

"Trying to get some sleep, I guess. To no avail."

"Then let me help them." - said Aiden and took out his zither. He silently jumped down and placed the instrument in the front, gently touching the strings.

Bing'er followed him. She slowly sat by his side. Closely. The way she usually does when listening to his performance. It became something natural for her long ago. Something that can make her restless heart peaceful.

The first note was out with a twang, and then a melody followed. It was tranquil but held deepness and heaviness.

It was like a feeling of death.

She closed her eyes and saw many people dying from the hands of the ferocious Fiend Team. Old and young, males and females. There was no remorse on the faces of those killers. They felt excited and later satisfaction over the win. The smell of human blood drove them crazy with further desire to kill and plunder.

Then another melody came. It was sorrowful and angry but brought feelings of hopelessness. It said that nothing can be changed.

She saw wives of the men that were killed in cold blood, crying, and grieving. She saw children becoming homeless and starving. She saw how they were brought in the orphanage or kidnapped by random organizations to train as assassins or slaves. Those were the broken lives, the possible consequences of the killings those people committed.

A silent tear fell down her cheek.

And then the melody changed again, bringing war. It was strong, fast, and ruthless. It was full of determination and might.

Bing'er saw only one thing.

She saw herself aiming at the killers with Godly Zhuge Crossbow.

A simple move of a finger, the twang of a bowstring.

And killers fell down dead.

And then melody changed for the last time, becoming light, bright and tranquil. It brought a sense of hope and god karma, showing images of wives praying with a calm mind to the ones who avenged their husbands.

Aiden played the last part for a couple of times more and finally finished. He stretched his arm forward, greeting a thin layer of snow around.

"Last time it was more." - he whispered and looked sideways. - "No, this girl positively has zero self-awareness. She fell asleep near me again."

= No comment.

'If you stayed silent, now that will really be 'no comment'. But now you just need to remind me of something dirty, no?'

= Master is overthinking. But I did finish the compilation of dual cultivation techniques if you ask about it. They are available whenever you need them.

Aiden rolled his eyes and remained silent. He stored the zither and stood up.

He came up to Bing'er and looked at her sleeping face. It wasn't tired anymore, but peaceful and relaxed.

Bing'er was light as a feather, albeit her body was strong with well defined yet feminine muscles. It resulted from body training. Her figure was really perfect, even if she was a head shorter than Aiden.

He lifted her up and gently carried to the tent, trying not to disturb her rest.

"She is really like an angel when asleep." - he whispered, not paying attention to the slightly uplifted corners of her full lips.

The entire camp was silent. Tonight everyone slept well.